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Monday Tour Mash: April 20, 2015

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Monday Tour Mash is a recap of the weekend’s top-5 golf stories, as well as a few others that didn’t quite make the cut. 

Goodbye Back-Monkey, Furyk Wins RBC Heritage

We had grown accustomed to watching Jim Furyk find a way to not win tournaments over the past five years. From the U.S. Open at Olympic to the AT&T at Pebble Beach, Furyk was zero-for-nine when holding the third-round lead during that stretch. On Sunday, it seemed that upstart Kevin Kisner would find a way to continue the balding eagle’s run of bad fortune as he produced a 64 that featured birdies on three of the final five holes. Furyk proved to be made of stronger stuff, as he signed for a 63 of his own to enter a playoff.

Winning putt: Jim Furyk birdies second playoff holeHow much did Jim Furyk’s first win in five years mean to him? You can see it all in the celebration.

Posted by PGA TOUR on Sunday, April 19, 2015

After both protagonists birdied the 18th hole, Furyk stuffed an iron to a dozen feet on the 17th hole and caressed the birdie putt home for the title.

See the clubs Furyk used to win.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat Secures Shenzhen International

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For a while, it seemed that writers at the Shenzhen International had penned a powerful script. 19-year old Chinese golfer Li Hao Tang unflappably nerved his way into a playoff with Thai golfer Kiradech Aphibarnrat at 12-under par. After eagling the 71st hole to draw even, Aphibarnrat had an opportunity to win in regulation. After leaving a mid-range birdie putt on the edge of the 72nd hole, the two golfers headed off to decide matters in extra holes. With the golfing aspirations of a nation at his back, Tang could only watch as Aphibarnrat stroked the identical, 18-feet putt from earlier into the first playoff hole, then leaned back and roared to the heavens as he secured his second European Tour title.

Sei Young Kim at Lotte Classic

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You would think that Sei Young Kim might have flinched, coming down the final fairway of Hawaii’s Lotte Classic in a tie with multiple major winner Inbee Park. And flinch she did, crushing her drive through the fairway, into the water, then leaving her third shot in the fringe. Then, Kim did the unthinkable.

She pulled the flagstick and holed the chip to force a playoff with Park. Kim had good playoff karma, with her only previous LPGA Tour win coming in extra holes against Sun-Young Yoo and Ariya Jutarnagarn in the Bahammas. Whether it was the island vibe or the playoff panache, Sei Young Kim knocked an eight iron into the hole from 154 yards for an inconceivable eagle and a second tour title.

LSU Wins Men’s SEC Championship

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Photo from @LSUMensGolf

Entering the conference championship on Georgia’s Sea Island, the Bayou Bengals of Baton Rouge owned the No. 7 ranking in the nation. Trouble was, Nos. 6 and 5 were conference rivals Vanderbilt and South Carolina, respectively. When the moss had settled on Sunday, the Tigers had finished 13-under for the week and were owners of a three-stroke win over Vandy and USC. Who knows what will happen to the national rankings now! Despite losing key seniors Curtis Thompson and Smylie Kaufman from its national semi-final team, LSU succeeded mightily in this springboard to NCAA regionals. Next up are the ACC and PAC-12 conference tournaments.

Cell phone policy at U.S. Open

CellPhones

The first U.S. Open I attended was the 2002 Bethpage victory by Tiger. While I waited in the security line at Jones Beach, I watched a dude stuff his cell phone in his hat, then place his hat on his head. He made it past the frisking gendarmes and I thought, good on you, mate. In 2015, if the dude makes his way to Chambers Bay, he won’t have to resort to such canny chicanery. The USGA announced last week that cell phones would be persona grata at the 2015 playing. The rules are similar to ones the PGA of America uses for its championship: free reign for photos during all practice rounds, usage only in cell-friendly zones (there will be four such on-course locales) over the four championship days. The #distancetweet will be out in full force in June in Tacoma.

Click here to read our full story.

Missed The Cut

Olin Browne Is Mother Nature’s Chosen One

Not even Olin Browne would have liked his chances on Sunday. He had a one-stroke lead entering the final round of the Greater Gwinnett Championship. Trouble was, the fellow a shot in arrears endorses his winner’s checks as Bernhard Langer. Of course, if no one played any holes, Browne couldn’t lose any shots. And that’s the way it happened. In 2011, Browne was in the running at the Insperity Championship, the last Champion’s Tour event to have its final round cancelled. Learning what it felt like to lose an opportunity to victory then, Browne could certainly empathize with his pursuers. He’s not too keen on giving them a chance to wrestle the title away, mind you, so he’ll sneak out of Georgia with the trophy and check, thank you kindly.

Mini-Golf Murder?

Bones and Booth took a stab at the faux-golf circuit last week on FOX’s Bones. Seems the uber-competitive world of putt-putt took the stakes to a new level and … naahhh, I didn’t actually watch the episode. You can, if a dance with the devil between the windmill and the clown’s mouth is your idea of date night.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Players Championship

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On the heels of Scottie Scheffler’s dominant victory at Bay Hill, the PGA Tour heads a little farther north in Florida to TPC Sawgrass this week for The Players Championship. And of course, GolfWRX is on site to get a look at what the players are playing.

We’ve already spotted a new Titleist mini driver this week, and there’s plenty more.

Check out our photos below!

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Photos from the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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GolfWRX is on the ground in Orlando ahead of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

We’re assembling our usual collection of WITB photos, general galleries, and of course, gear inspired by the King himself.

We’ll continue to add to the photos below as more flow in from Florida.

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Photos from the 2024 Cognizant Classic

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Cognizant Classic —FKA the Honda Classic.

The first leg of the PGA Tour’s traditional “Florida swing,” the Cognizant Classic continues to be contested at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, host course of the 1983 Ryder Cup and 1987 PGA Championship. The course is known for its famed “Bear Trap,” a three-hole stretch of holes that take their name from Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus, who redesigned the course in 2002.

The Bear Trap includes No. 15 (a par 3), No. 16 (a par 4), and No. 17 (a par 4). All three holes involve water and have led to several big numbers from Tour players over the years.

Check out an assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums below.

We’ll continue to update the galleries as more photos flow in from Florida!

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