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Tour Mash: DeChambeau breaks through, Park wins U.S. Women’s Open

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If April is the cruelest month (and not just for golf), then July is the kindest. Major championships on multiple major tours culminating the third week with the Open Championship at … Whoa, slow down, masher! We’ve got five important events to summarize, so buckle in and #MashOn.

PGA Tour: DeChambeau breaks through at John Deere

Bryson DeChambeau turned in the performance predicted for him since his magical amateur summer of 2015. Down two strokes to Indiana favorite son Patrick Rodgers (coincidentally, also in search of an initial PGA Tour triumph) with scant holes remaining, DeChambeau hit a blind, flat-footed metal from an awkward lie, oh, about 260 yards onto the 17th green. He two-putted from 45 feet, and Rodgers made bogey on the same hole three groups later.

With a chance at victory, DeChambeau knocked an iron toward a hole cut dangerously close to water at the home hole, finishing nearly 15 feet past. His putt had just enough steam to catch the low edge and fall in for a closing birdie, a 67 on the day and a one-stroke margin on Rodgers. The Avon, Indiana, native drove into the rough on No. 18 and was unable to match DeChambeau’s birdie. Rodgers finished one stroke back at 17-under for his best Tour finish. Wesley Bryan and Rick Lamb tied for third at 16-under, while perennial winners/contenders Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson finished in a fifth-place tie at 15-under.

Related: Bryson DeChambeau’s Winning WITB

The victory was doubly tasty for the cerebral golfer, as DeChambeau earned a spot in the Open Championship this week at Royal Birkdale.

LPGA: U.S. Women’s Open is Park’s 1st major and tour title

One way or another, the U.S. Women’s Open of 2017 would have been a coming-out party for a talented golfer from Korea. After Shanshan Feng struggled to 73 and relinquished a slender lead, a quartet of golfers seized an opportunity to challenge for the big cup. Hye-Jin Choi was the most compelling story; the 17-year old amateur was bidding to become the first non-pro since Catherine Lacoste in 1956 to hoist the hardware. Also in the mix were M.J. Hur and So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 winner.

Choi acquitted herself well, holding the lead into the back nine on Sunday. She ran into trouble on No. 10 and 16, where she returned three strokes to her pursuers. Twenty-three-year-old Seoul Sister Sung Hyun Park seized the opening and played a flawless (3-under par) back nine to overtake Choi and all the rest. Indeed, it was Park who represented best over the weekend rounds, matching 67s on Saturday and Sunday. Choi ended in the runner-up podium spot at 9-under, two shots behind the winner. Hur and Ryu found themselves another 2 shots back in a 3rd-place tie.

European Tour: Scottish Open to Cabrera-Bello in playoff

You wouldn’t call Rafael Cabrera-Bello a 10-year, overnight sensation, but you wouldn’t be far off if you did. It’s hard to imagine that the 33-year old from Spain’s Canary Islands has been at this professional game since 2005, but it’s true. Followers of the European Tour came to know him in 2009, when he won the Austrian Open. The world of golf was introduced to him in 2016, when he represented Europe well in the Ryder Cup. Now Cabrera-Bello holds an important professional title and is among the favorites to contend this week at Royal Birkdale’s 10th Open Championship.

Low was the only way to go on Sunday, and Cabrera-Bello’s 64 dropped the limbo bar the farthest. The Spaniard returned a clean card of eight birdies and 10 pars. Then he waited to see what third-round, co-leader Callum Shinkwin of England would do. Needing a mere par at the par-5 18th to win his first professional title, the Englishman struggled to scratch out a bogey on a hole that his pursuer had birdied just moments before. Off the two golfers went to the 18th, where Bellow once again dominated the par-5 finisher, making another birdie to eliminate Shinkwin.

A look back saw the contrast between the steely Cabrera and the untested Shinkwin. The latter left par and birdie putts short on the 18th and playoff holes, while the champion absolutely nutted a 276-yard 3-metal to within 20 feet for eagle during extra time.

Champions: Senior Players Championship 1st senior major for McCarron

The final round at Caves Valley, near Baltimore, turned into an unexpected battle of the long putters. Bernhard Langer, who never gives away a lead, appeared on a march toward senior major victory No. 10 (and third of 2017.) The German champion was out in 2-under 34, enough to keep fellow long wander Scott McCarron (out in 31) at bay.

The inward half played out like a masquerade, as Langer donned the mask of an untested rookie. He closed with zero birdies, a bogey and a double bogey for 3-over on his final 9, and a shocking 17-under total. McCarron, who had opened with five birdies on his outward half, needed only one more (at No. 10) and a shoal of pars to outlast Langer by one and join Park as debutantes at the majors ball.

Despite his struggles, Langer appeared in control until the penultimate hole. At the daunting par-3, a wayward tee ball into the gunge forced the three-time defending champion to take a penalty drop. The resulting double dropped him out of first place for the first time all week.

Web.com Tour: Garnett makes Utah Championship his ticket to PGA Tour

These days, a win on the Web.com Tour can equal a trip to the PGA Tour. Brice Garnett found that out on Sunday in Utah, when eight birdies overcame two bogies, totaling 65 and 21-under for the week. Although Mexico’s Abraham Ancer nearly gave Garnett more than he desired with 10 birdies of his own, the alum of college golf powerhouse Missouri Western was able to stem the Ancer tide and claim his first Web.com Tour title. The win also cemented his spot in the Web.com Tour’s Top-25, earning Garnett a 2017-2018 PGA Tour card.

On a day when par felt like 68, nine players shot 65 or better. Another eight posted 66. Former amateur stalwart Denny McCarthy had a shot at victory on Saturday evening; by Sunday afternoon, his 2-under 69 dropped him to a tie for 5th with overnight leader Jacques Blaauw. Blaauw had 70 on Sunday, and it was not nearly good enough.

If anyone had a right to feel unfulfilled, it was Rob Oppenheim. On a day when birdies over the final four holes were plentiful, Oppenheim had none. He finished one meager stroke out of a playoff, in a tie with Ancer and Austin Cook at 20-under.

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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.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Mike Hunt

    Jul 20, 2017 at 10:32 am

    Dechambeua needs to go back to where he came from(and take his stupid single length clubs with him!)! “I surrender” – the only French I know!

  2. Ronald Montesano

    Jul 18, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    conceivable.

  3. Ronald Montesano

    Jul 18, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    No lack of confidence in this one.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

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Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.

We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.

We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.

Check out links to all our photos, below.

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Photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Valero Texas Open.

The event has been around since 1922, making it one of the oldest on the PGA Tour calendar. Over the years, it’s been held at a variety of courses across the Lone Star State, but it’s found its home at TPC San Antonio in recent years. Some of the biggest names in golf have taken home the title here, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw.

GolfWRX has its usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs and special pull-out albums. As always, we’ll continue to update the links below as more photos come in from TPC San Antonio.

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