What an exciting day in golf, there was honestly too much compelling tournament coverage to watch just one.
Natalie Gulbis won her first career LPGA victory. Andres Romero rebounded from his mistakes at the Open Championship to win one of the biggest tournaments on the European PGA Tour. Tom Watson solidified his place as the greatest links golfer of modern times by winning the Senior Open Championship. Jim Furyk made a tremendous final round charge to catch Vijay Singh and defend his title at the Canadian Open.
Canadian Open
Jim Furyk began Sunday three strokes behind Vijay Singh. From the beginning it was clear this would be a special day for him. Furyk birded two of the first three holes until the lead changed hands on the fourth hole, a 209 yard par three. Furyk’s hole in one at the fourth catapulted him to a one shot lead and he would never look back. Furyk said, "When the ball hit it, looked like it was online in a good spot and you could see kind of them growing enthusiasm, and then everyone arms up in the air and cheering. Couldn’t see it go in, but we understood directly from the reaction what had happened."
Yet a seasoned competitor and former Canadian Open champion like Vijay Singh wasn’t going to go away quietly. Singh began the back nine with three straight birdies and needed a birdie at 18 to force a playoff. From 164 yards, Singh’s approach shot landed 20 feet away. Unfortunately his putt stayed on the high side and Furyk had won his 13th career PGA Tour title. "I had my chances, but I couldn’t get it going on the front nine," Singh said. "I had a chance on the last, but Jim played well. Anyone who shoots seven-under on the last day is deserving."
Senior Open Championship
Just a month ago, Tom Watson had a monumental collapse at the Senior U.S. Open, giving away a big lead on the back nine of the tournament. However, back on his familar U.K. soil which has yielded five Open Championships and two other Senior Open Championships, the stars always seem to align for Watson. At Muirfield Village, it was a battle, but Watson prevailed in the end, cementing his legacy as perhaps the greatest links golfer of all time. "This has been a very serene week for me," he said. "The weather was right up my alley: good blowy conditions, a little rain here and there. The beauty of the place, I feel very comfortable," said Watson.
However, after his tee shot on the 18th hole, the scene looked anything but serene. With a three shot lead, Watson pulled his tee shot left into a fairway bunker and took two shots to finally advance his ball, although he ultimately missed the green. His fifth shot was a long putt that settled three feet from the cup and after sinking the final putt for double bogey Watson found himself with the Senior Open Championship title once again.
Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship
How many people could forget watching young Andres Romero painfully hook his 2 iron into the burn out of the thick Carnoustie rough? Although he didn’t win the Open Championship, his third place finish vaulted him up the world golf rankings and got him into the field at the Deutsche Bank Player’s Championship. Romero took full advantage. His two stroke victory was relatively easy, even after a double bogey on the ninth hole, Romero was able to rein himself in and regain his composure. A solid mix of pars and birdies on the back nine guaranteed him a three shot victory.
When asked about his win, Romero thanked Cabrera for inspiration, "I loved the way Angel Cabrera plays, after he win the U.S. Open that he opened all the doors for the Argentineans, and I was thinking I have to do my share now. That helped me a lot, and I’m very grateful to Angel. Because he won the U.S. Open, I have even more confidence for me to play good golf."
Evian Masters
Natalie Gulbis finally shed her Anna Kournikova of golf image with a playoff victory in France yesterday. Gulbis’s play coming into France was a bit erratic, struggling with a back injury making cuts was increasingly difficult let alone finding her first victory. However, all that seemed a mile away during the fourth round of the tournament. "This is my sixth year and I have been waiting a long time. But I knew if I was patient it would eventually happen for me. This feels great to have done it at last," said Gulbis.
A strong front nine with three birdies began Gulbis’s charge up the leader board, but difficulty on the back nine had her doubting her chances for a victory. However, at the urging of fellow Tour player Cristie Kerr, Gulbis continued to practice and hope for a playoff. She got her opportunity and took advantage hitting the green in two on the par five playoff hole against Jang Jeong. After two putting for birdie Gulbis had won her first tournament on the LPGA.
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