Smylie Kaufman tears up final nine to win at Shriners

It’s precisely when they’re not concerned with winning that professional golfers are at their most dangerous. For Smylie Kaufman, that lack of awareness came on the 9th hole on Sunday. In his words,

on 9, my caddie — I asked him, I was like, who do you think is going to win this week? He’s like, well, I think there’s more to be said. I think you can post a number and you can see what happens. He knew better than I did, and I did it, so we’ll see.

Kaufman lit up the inward half with five birdies and an eagle-two on hole 15, for a 29. Add birdies at 8 and 9 and the LSU graduate played his final 11 holes in 9-under par. He and caddie Aaron Alpern then sat back and watched as player after player tried and failed to reach his magical number of 16-under par.

Six golfers in total came up one stroke shy, including 2015 Web.Com player of the year finalist Patton Kizzire, Alex Cejka and, in what seems like a weekly occurrence of late, Kevin Na.

From a 2010 Walter J. Travis Society scholarship winner to the 2015 PGA Tour winner’s circle, smyles all around.

Related: Smylie Kaufman’s Winning WITB

Justin Rose finds extra gear of elite players, wins

 

In the world of the common fan, Lucas Bjerregaard doesn’t match up with Justin Rose. Bjerregaard is a 24-year-old professional golfer from Denmark, with three Nordic Golf League wins on his resume. Rose is the highly decorated English touring pro, whose 19 professional wins span the globe from Asia to Europe to North America, highlighted by his 2013 U.S. Open triumph at Merion.

On Sunday, Bjerregaard and Rose separated themselves from the field at the UBS Hong Kong Open and proceeded to duel. Unlike the previous three days, when birdies and eagles dotted their scorecards, the final pairing had some tense moments. For the young Dane, a 14th-hole double bogey, on the heels of two consecutive birdies, gave the lead back to Rose. After stretching the margin to two with a 16th-hole birdie, the Englishman played the 18th cautiously in bogey to escape with a one-shot win.

Lydia Ko by nine at the LPGA Taiwan Championship

 

Lydia Ko put to rest any notion that Ji Eun-hee, Ryu So-yeon or any other golfer would catch her by birdieing four of her first five holes on Sunday in Taiwan. Ko had built a four-stroke advantage over Ji through three rounds, then sealed the win with a four-under back nine that included an eagle-three on the 12th hole. With the victory, her 10th on the LGPA Tour and first since her inaugural major championship at The Evian in September, Ko ascended to the number-one ranking in women’s professional golf.

Birdies Crazy Golf Club Set For Curtain Up

If you’re bored with the usual day or night scene in London and happen to enjoy putting around, the Underground Film Club in England’s grand city is set to unveil a funky new (from the looks of things) putt-putt course under the streets near Waterloo Station. A few rules: don’t pack snacks or smokes and don’t miss your tee time. Beyond that, as long as you’re 18 or older, have at it.

Happy Birthday to me!

A fortunate man turns 50 once in his life. With the great support of family and the good sense to find golfing friends, he celebrates it in a place unlike any other (cue Jim Nantz). In my case, it’s that stretch of the Oregon coast, beginning with Bandon and ending with Dunes. Today is that special day and I’ll do my best to enjoy it in a special way.