A week of southern USA golf with a gambler’s flair, concluded on Sunday. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the national Drive, Chip, and Putt finals were celebrated in Augusta, Georgia. The LPGA offered its version of the OK Corral with the annual match-play event in Las Vegas. The Korn Ferry Tour gathered in Savannah, Georgia, for the Club Car Championship. Finally, the PGA Tour offered a final opportunity to qualify for this week’s Masters tournament, at the Texas Open.

In order to run something down, you have to be faster. Luckily for me, I took typing in school. Let’s run down a bunch of events this week, beginning in Augusta.

Augusta National Women’s Amateur: Woad wins

The ANWA begins play each year with 36 holes at Champions Retreat golf club, north of Augusta and adjacent to the Savannah river. A cut is made, and the finalists move to the storied Augusta National golf club two days later, for the third round. On Friday, every golfer in the field has the opportunity to play a practice round at ANGC, cut made or not. It’s a nice touch that sweetens the week for golfers like Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, who has missed the cut by one shot, each of the last two years.

Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad is currently the most successful contestant in ANWA history. The LSU all-america golfer has thrice finished inside the top three at Augusta National. This year, she posted minus-four to claim solo third position. Ahead of her was Bailey Shoemaker, a former New Yorker who now lives in Florida, and is bound for the University of Southern California. Shoemaker posted six birdies against zero bogies on day three, for a dream score of 66. She moved from one-under par to the top of the leader board, at seven deep.

As the golfers with leads began to lose their way, Shoemaker’s position looked better by the minute. Even the overnight leader, Lottie Woad of England and Florida State University, began to stumble. Her bogey at the par-five 13th dropped her two shots behind Shoemaker. It was then that magic returned to the National. Woad secured a birdie with a 15-feet putt at the long 15th, to move within one of the leader. After a par at the 16th, Woad faced the uphill climb of the final two holes.

At 17, Woad ripped a long drive up fairway center, then finessed a wedge to 15 feet, and holed the putt for a three. At the home hole, she was long with her approach, and faced a downhill putt from … you guessed it, just about 15 feet for the victory. As the putt turned left, into the center of the hole, the magnitude of what Woad had done began to sink in. Three-under par over the closing four holes takes a special something, and all Bailey Shoemaker could do, was smile and acknowledge Woad’s work.

The winning moment for Lottie Woad.#ANWAGolf pic.twitter.com/bedGPJ4wRQ

— Augusta National Women’s Amateur (@anwagolf) April 6, 2024

PGA Tour @ Texas Open: AB takes down DMC for second Tour title

It’s a good thing that Akshay Bhatia was paired with Denny McCarthy on day four, else he might not have believed what transpired. There was AB, with a four-shot advantage after 54 holes, targeting a second triumph and a Masters invitation. There was McCarthy, attempting to break through for his own, maiden Tour title. After nine holes on Sunday, the lead had swelled to six shots. At that point, the Silver Streak rolled into town.

Bhatia played a decent back nine, overcoming a bogey at ten with three other birdies. And he got annihilated by McCarthy. The 2015 Porter Cup champion made but one par on the inward half, at the 11th. He wrote “birdie” on the other eight holes, closed in 28 (eight under for the nine) and tied Bhatia at 20-under par. Rory McIlroy probably felt good about his 66, which moved him to third position, but he could only claim the “A” Flight on this day. He was nine shots back of the playoff.

As for the playoff, it was an anticlimax. Moments after making birdie at the par-five closer, McCarthy could not repeat his sucess. Despite a celebratory shoulder injury, Bhatia did make four, and the tournament and Masters invitation were his.

An update on Akshay Bhatia’s shoulder injury. https://t.co/iYKkZXlTKc pic.twitter.com/U08UYGHmiX

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 7, 2024

LPGA @ T-Mobile Match Play: No JK; NK has four straight

If it looks like stroke play, and smells like stroke play, it just might be match play. The LPGA took a page from the Western Amateur script this year. Three rounds of stroke play took place from Wednesday to Friday, as the field was trimmed to 65, and then to 8. The great eight then went head to head to decide who moved on and who went home. Four golfers tied for the eighth position, and three holes later, Moriya Jutanugarn had defeated Yuka Saso, Brooke Henderson, and Hae Ran Ryu for the right to move into match play.

Leona Maguire had been the queen of Shadow Creek, site of the event, and she preserved that royal title with a 4 & 3 win over Jutanugarn in round one of knockout play. Joining her in the semifinals were Sei Young Kim (6 & 5 over Rose Zhang), Narin An (1 up over Minami Katsu) and Nelly Korda (3 & 2 over Angel Yin.) The penultimate round saw Maguire (3 &2) and Korda (4 & 3) emerge triumphant, creating a dream conclusion pitting two of the top young talents.

Proponents of match play point to the elimination of all other competitors save the one. Medal-play aficionados reply by saying shoot a number and let the chips and putts fall where they may. On this day, Leona Maguire posted plus-two through the fifteen holes of the match, while Nelly Korda played the sequence in three below par, It doesn’t matter which style of competition you prefer. A five-shot difference tells you all that you need to know, about who played better that day.

On the occasion of her fourth consecutive victory on the LPGA circuit, Nelly Korda is the best player of this day, this week, this month. What a run.

Nelly is NOT messing around on 15 ???? pic.twitter.com/CZILDIECjJ

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 8, 2024

Korn Ferry Tour @ Club Car Championship: Fisk takes risk and wins in Savannah

Philip Knowles and Kevin Roy each had thoughts on a first-time win on the KFT this week, but their hopes and dreams were postponed. Knowles dropped back from 1st to 3rd with a final-round 71. He tied John Pak and Max McGreevey at 12-deep, two shots behind the first-place tie. Roy posted 72 and finished one shot farther back, in a tie for sixth at minus-eleven. The spotlit stage for overtime was occupied by Rob Oppenheim and Steven Fisk. Fisk closed with 68, moving up two shots in the process. Oppenheim went one better, finishing off a day-four 67 with a jittery 36 on the inward half.

Oppenheim turned in 31 shots on Sunday, and looked for all the world to be on his way to a convincing victory. Nerves and jitters got in the way, and he matched bogeys and birdies on the way home for minus-14. In the playoff, Steven Fisk was able to negotiate par from the final hole at The Landings, and it was enough to earn the title. Oppenheim’s bogey-six relegated him to a coveted, but frustrating, second-place finish. And for those not in the know, it was Fisk who earned the breakthrough, initial victory on the KFT.

It doesn’t get more clutch than this ?

Georgia local Steven Fisk chips it within inches to make a tap-in birdie on his last and join Rob Oppenheim at the top of the leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/gGF1ZD5f54

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 7, 2024

Golf is a unique sport in that you can play where the pros play and make golf history of your own. Nothing in golf can compare to playing a world-renowned course and following in the footsteps of the game’s best golfers. The feeling is incomparable, and it’s one we think more golfers should experience!

To get you started, here are our picks of the best PGA TOUR courses you can (and should!) play:

PGA Tour courses you can (and should) play

• Pebble Beach 
• TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course 
• Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill      
• Torrey Pines – South 
• Harbour Town 
• PGA National – Champion 
• Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead 

Pebble Beach Golf Links (AT&T Pro-Am, U.S. Open, PGA Championship)

One of the most recognizable golf courses in the world, Pebble Beach Golf Links is the definition of a bucket golf course. Golfers will play iconic holes like the par-3 7th to the stunning par-5 18th. Enjoy great views of the Pacific Ocean as you play amongst the clifftop fairways and make memories that will last a lifetime when you play this PGA TOUR and major championship course.  

TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course (THE PLAYERS Championship)

Home to arguably the most famous par 3 in golf, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a top bucket-list course designed by Pete and Alice Dye. A challenging layout awaits that will test all facets of your game, especially shot shaping and course management. Subtle elevation changes, undulating greens, and unique bunkering add a degree of difficulty that stump even the best players in the world. Not to mention one of the best finishing stretches in golf with the long par-5 16th, the iconic 17th hole island green, and the testy par-4 18th. 

Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill  (Arnold Palmer Invitational)

A course fit for “The King” is what you will experience when you visit Orlando and play Bay Hill’s Championship Course. This classic Florida layout offers generous landing areas off the tee with few trees, but bunkers guard the greens and large ponds will make you rethink your shot choices. The course is only available for members and guests staying at The Lodge, so a stay is required to play this stunning course. But with year-round sunshine and pristine course conditions, it is never a bad time to visit Bay Hill! 

Torrey Pines – South  (Farmers Insurance Open, U.S. Open)

Another California clifftop course that should be on your bucket list is the South Course at Torrey Pines. Located just north of San Diego, this annual PGA TOUR stop has also hosted two U.S. Opens, which adds to the allure of the property. Narrow fairways and tall rough combined with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the California coastline make for an unforgettable round of golf. Large bunkers and elevation changes add to the challenge of the course, but the moderately sized greens offer golfers some respite. Who would’ve thought that a municipal course could be so exciting?

Harbour Town (RBC Heritage)

Most recognized by the famous red and white striped lighthouse behind the 18th green, Harbour Town is the brainchild of Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. While the course is relatively short for a PGA TOUR event, the challenging design offsets length for accuracy with the narrow fairways framed by overhanging trees making it a shot makers course. A majority of the course winds through the wooded and sandy terrain before looping back towards the coastline with the final two finishing holes playing along the water. 

PGA National – Champion Course (Honda Classic, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship)

With the prominent golf tournaments this course has held, it is hard to leave it off the list. A fantastic Jack Nicklaus design, the Champions Course at PGA National is also home to a famous stretch of golf holes called “The Bear Trap.” The fairways and greens are player-friendly while the bunkers and water hazards are the course’s biggest defense. You will enjoy a 5-star experience and feel like a professional when you visit PGA National’s Champion Course.

Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead Course (Valspar Championship)

One of the more under-the-radar courses on Tour, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort still offers a challenge even to the pros. Designed by Lawrence Packard, the course, while not heavily wooded, requires accuracy with tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers, especially around the greens, and a decent amount of water hazards that come into play. As you head towards the clubhouse, you will encounter “The Snake Pit;” a collection of the most difficult finishing holes on the PGA TOUR.

There you have it, GolfWRXers. Have you played any of these PGA TOUR tracks? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments.

Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Golfbreaks. When you make a purchase through links in this article, GolfWRX may earn an affiliate commission. 

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco. For comments: [email protected] Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Valero Texas Open. 1. McIlroy: Tour-LIV split unsustainable Reuters report…”The split in the men’s game between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League is unsustainable and will not benefit anyone in the long term, Rory McIlroy told Golf Magazine on Tuesday.” “The four-time major champion said it was disheartening as a competitor to see the best golfers play in separate tours for most of the year.” “There needs to be a correction. I think what’s happening is not sustainable right now, so something needs to happen to try to bring it all back together so we can all move forward so we don’t have this division that’s sort of ongoing,” McIlroy said. “They keep going down those different paths and I just don’t see how that benefits anyone in the long run. … I think [it’s] a shame for the overall game of golf.” Full piece. 2. Anthony Kim speaks Some excerpts from his interview with David Feherty… Did he watch golf in his time away? “I have an interesting relationship with golf. I don’t think I ever loved it. What’s very weird to me now is that I’m falling in love with the game. That’s such a weird spot for me because golf was filled with pressure and lots of different emotions for me because my family had to go through a lot to give me this opportunity to play golf. So with that added pressure, I was willing to risk a lot more, that was my nature. I was aggressive on the golf course, aggressive off the golf course and that led to my demise.” On battling his demons “I had no self-worth until I became a father….I started turning my life around about a year and a half ago.” On becoming a father “She’s my everything. Obviously my relationship with my wife is unbelievable, can’t thank her enough and owe so much to her. But a lot of the inspiration comes from Bella (daughter), I feel so blessed to be a dad, I wasn’t expecting to be able to have a child. “I lost faith in myself, on top of that the doctors said I wouldn’t be able to have a child because of all the things my body has been through. That was very disappointing, that made me feel even smaller than I had felt originally. But this blessing happened and now I’m getting to experience this.” Full piece. 3. Anna returns to Augusta Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”The 17-year-old Davis, who turned 18 on March 17, arrived on the Plains shortly after the first of the year, enrolling early and joining a Tigers squad that was already one of the best in the country; the midseason addition of Davis only amplified this program’s expectations. The SoCal native’s Instagram handle, @superannadavis, is aptly chosen. Super Anna ascended to the pinnacle of junior golf by winning the Girls Junior PGA and Augusta National Women’s Amateur, both before her junior year of high school. She’s since been tabbed for several national teams, junior and amateur, and fared well in an extensive LPGA apprenticeship – eight starts, half of them majors, and four made cuts – before the start of her somewhat surprising foray into college golf.” “It’s fairly obvious to our team that a traveling spot has been taken by our new player,” Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said back in February. Davis has now logged five starts for the Tigers, her most recent producing her best college finish to date, a T-2 at Georgia’s Liz Murphey Collegiate, and giving her a ton of momentum as she heads down U.S. 78 to Augusta for her third ANWA.” Full piece. 4. ANWA contenders Gabby Herzig for the Athletic…”LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad will be hard to ignore as the 2024 tournament favorite. The world’s No. 1 amateur is coming off a stunning 10-shot victory at the Clemson Invitational, where she also became the winningest female golfer in SEC history. Hailing from Sweden, Lindblad is looking for sweet revenge: She missed the 36-hole cut at the 2023 ANWA after posting top-3 finishes in each of her previous appearances.” “Besides Lindblad, we have our eye on 15-year-old Asterisk Talley — one of the youngest competitors in the field. Named after the Greek word for “little star,” Talley is coming off a historic victory of her own. Just down the road from Augusta, Talley won perhaps the most elite junior golf tournament in the world, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Anna Davis, the 2022 ANWA champion, captured the same title last year and is back in the field at ANWA. “Avery is another potential contender. With T4 and T29 finishes in her last two starts, she’s found comfort on both golf courses. But as the 20-year-old multitasks — still strolling through the department store, scanning carefully for her Champions Dinner outfit — one comment about her previous competitive rounds at Augusta is particularly telling.” Full piece. 5. TGL’s New York Golf Club’s additions The New York Post’s Mark Cannizzaro…”New York is about to have another sports franchise for which to root, beginning in 2025.” “New York Golf Club’s four-player roster in the newly formed six-team TGL (which stands for Tomorrow’s Golf League) is set to be unveiled on Tuesday.” “The Post has exclusively learned that the New York team, owned by Mets owner Steve Cohen and his Cohen Private Ventures, will include Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Westchester native Cameron Young and former U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick.” Full piece. 6. Tiffany Joh becomes new U.S. national coach Beth Ann Nichols for Golfweek…”Team USA just got a whole lot more fun. Tiffany Joh, a former LPGA player who lifted the spirits of countless players during her 11-year stint on tour, has accepted a new role with the U.S. National Development Program as a coach. She’ll work alongside head coach Chris Zambri on both the men’s and women’s side to help identify and support American golf talent.” “Joh, who currently works as an associate head coach at USC, will move from her native California to Pinehurst, North Carolina, following the completion of the Trojans’ spring season. A two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champion, Joh is the first USGA champion to be hired by the USGA in the organization’s 130-year history.” Full piece. 7. Photos from the Valero Texas Open Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event! Full Piece.