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Tour Rundown: Ground control to Major Tom, Coastal Carolina’s other pro
Another playoff series comes to an end in professional golf. The Korn Ferry Tour held its championship at Victoria National, the spiritual hub for aqueous masochists. The Champions Tour journeyed north of the border for its only 2019 event in Oh, Canada! The LPGA went way out west to Portland, and the European Tour sallied in Switzerland.
Even with American football in the offing, the golf is plenty interesting, with plenty at stake for the other 99.9 percent. As always, we’ll run it down like a fifth-string back, trying to make the 53-man roster. Here goes!
Ground Control To Major Tom: Lewis wins big in Indiana
Tom Lewis must have seen an opening in his schedule and figured, why not go to America’s heartland and play the KF Tour for the first time…and win the Tour Championship…and get a PGA Tour card in the process? Pretty common plan, wouldn’t you say? Lewis was an unstoppable force at Tom Fazio’s playground for fish.
He began 68-66-66, then dropped a sublime 65 on the field in round four. For those counting, that was the low round of the day, matched only by Kramer Hickock. For Hickok, it jumped him six spots, into third place, guaranteeing him a PGA Tour card beginning this fall. Second spot went to Argentina’s Fabian Gomez, who parlayed a 66 of his own into a runner-up spot. As for Lewis, that filthy 65 gave him a five-shot margin of victory over Gomez, and a chance to sit down and rewrite all of his future plans. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on.
No Montana for Hannah: Green picks Oregon for 2nd tour win of 2019
Hannah Green probably feels two percent bad about spoiling a great story for golf, and 98 percent like a wrecking ball for holding off Yealimi Noh at the Portland Classic. Noh had Monday-qualified and led after each of the first three rounds. She and Green walked the 72nd fairway in a tie for the lead. An hour prior, Noh held a four-shot advantage over the Aussie, but bogeys from Noh at 14 and 16, paired with birds from down under at 15 and 17, established equality. On 18, Noh came undone for yet another bogey, while Green made par to secure the victory.
The bitter lesson should prove to be quite valuable for Noh; for Green, a follow-up to her unanticipated Women’s PGA win in June establishes her as a legitimate threat for 2020. 2019’s stud, Brittany Altomare, sneaked into third place with a closing 69.
Coastal Carolina’s Other Tour Pro: Soderberg ticks off the Omega Masters
Dustin who? Sebastian Soderberg won a wild, five-man playoff that included Rory McIlroy, for his first-ever Euro Tour title. Much like Noh, Soderberg had a shot to win in regulation, but he three-whacked the 17th for bogey. He joined McIlroy, Andres Romero of Argentina, Lorenzo Gagli of Italy, and Denmark’s Kallie Samooja in an overtime quintet.
Samooja looked to have the best of the approach shots at the 18th, tucking his iron inside seven feet. After Gagli plunked in the water, and Romero missed a bomb birdie putt, McIlroy’s effort strayed a wee bit left. Soderberg drained a 20-feet bird to eliminate the triumvirate, then watched as Samooja opened the putter blade a bit too much, pushing his chance to stay alive to the side. Although DJ has a few more wins than Soderberg, at least the Myrtle Beach college can now lay claim to two tour winners. The Grand Strand, indeed!
I Got A Rock: Unlike Charlie Brown, Short grateful for pond gravel in Alberta
Wes Short, Jr. took dead aim at the left side of the 18th green on Sunday. His approach drifted right, toward a watery demise. It connected, dead solid perfect, with a lone stone and bounded onto the putting surface. That’s the best kind of fun. Raised from the dead, Short two-putted for birdie and held off Scott McCarron, despite an eagle from the later at the home hole.
We’ll get back to Short, but we simply cannot get inside McCarron’s head. Just when we think he wants to dominate the old-guys tour, he bogeys 16 and 17 to fall off the pace. Just when we think he has no grit, he eagles the last. What gives, Scott? Back to Short. In 2014, when he was just a baby senior, Short won in Quebec by one shot over Scott Dunlap. So, for all you bettors, if Short is in contention, in Canada, and someone named Scott is in the hunt, bet Short.
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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos
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News
Four books for a springtime review
One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.
There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.
Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.
Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.
My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.
Decision: Buy It!
The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor
Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.
Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.
My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.
Decision: Buy It!!
Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal
Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.
One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.
Decision: Buy It!!!
Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie
Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.
Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.
My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.
Decision: Buy Them!!!!
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.
As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.
General Albums
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Thorbjorn Olesen – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ben Silverman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jesse Droemer – SoTX PGA Section POY – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Martin Trainer – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Zac Blair – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jacob Bridgeman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Trace Crowe – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Daniel Berger – WITB(very mini) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Chesson Hadley – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Callum McNeill – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Rhein Gibson – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Patrick Fishburn – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Raul Pereda – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Pullout Albums
- Tom Hoge’s custom Cameron – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Piretti putters – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ping putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Kevin Dougherty’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Bettinardi putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Tony Finau’s new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Sep 5, 2019 at 7:11 am
Kalle Samooja is from Finland not Denmark.
aaron
Sep 3, 2019 at 8:51 am
“Noh had Monday-qualified and led after each of the first three rounds”
Noh she didn’t. Green was tied first in round one, solo first round 2. Noh took the lead in round 3.