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Tour Mash: Reed keeps streak alive, locks up Ryder Cup spot

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The FedExCup Playoffs began this week on the PGA Tour, while Ryder Cup automatic qualifying for both Europe and the USA came to an end. The LPGA was north of the border in Canada while the Web.Com Tour concluded its qualifying campaign for its own finals series. Lots to watch, lots to mash. Let’s get to those potatoes!

Patrick Reed keeps winning streak alive at The Barclays

Not that he was ever worried, but Patrick Reed had not won since January of 2015 and his streak of consecutive seasons with a win might have stopped at four. Then came Bethpage Black, The Barclays and Reed’s efficient performance. It wasn’t pretty, more like the octagon than the golf course (complete with the belligerent NY-fan base) but Reed got the job done when others faltered.

Rickie Fowler began the final day with a one-stroke advantage over the eventual champion, but handled the 54-hole lead about as well as he has in previous events: not well. Fowler made three bogeys and a double on his final nine, visiting parts of the course known only to 36-handicappers and the grounds crew. The leader finished three-over par on the day, dropping all the way to T7. Sean O’Hair had one of the day’s lower rounds (66) and shot up 14 spots, into a tie for second with Emiliano Grillo.

Related: Patrick Reed’s Winning WITB

It was Reed who minimized mistakes until the end. Three-under on the day through 15 holes afforded him a cushion, and he used all of it. Bogeys on two of the final three holes brought him back to 9-under, good for the slimmest of all victories: 1 meager stroke. With the win, Reed joined seven others as automatic Team USA qualifiers for the fall’s Ryder Cup in Minnesota.

Pieters is Made In Denmark on the European Tour

Thomas Pieters has been agonizingly close to significant wins in 2016. He played as well as anyone at the Rio Olympics for three rounds, but a third-round implosion kept him off the medal platform. Not only was he looking for validation this week in Denmark, he was also in search of a spot on the European Ryder Cup team, captained by 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke. For 15 holes on Sunday, it looked strangely like a typical Pieters performance: close, but lacking the closing strength needed to drive home the nail.

Bradley Dredge was in the driver’s seat. He even closed with a birdie from over 30 feet to get to 16-under and shake off pretenders Adrian Otaegui (Spain) and David Lipsky (USA), both of whom shot 67 in round four to finish at 15-under, tied for third. And then, Pieters did something remarkable: he nearly aced the 16th and birdied each of the three closing holes, shooting past Dredge to 17-under and victory. Will it be career-defining? Career-igniting? Enough to convince Clarke to tap Pieters for a spot? Perhaps, but no matter; victory was precisely what the young, talented Belgian golfers needed at this stage in his career.

Jutanugarn claims fifth title of 2016 at CP Women’s Open

Ariya Jutanugarn lacked one thing in her magical 2016 season: a lap-the-field victory in which she proved that she could take a third-round lead and hold it firmly on Sunday. She had another opportunity to make such a statement at the Canadian Women’s Open in Calgary, and she did so with a bold exclamation point. Jutanugarn’s seven-birdie, one-bogey Sunday stroll gave her a 4-stroke victory over Sei Young Kim (-19) of Korea, with In Gee Chun a stroke farther back in third.

Jutanugarn came into the week on uneasy footing. Less than seven days removed from an injury-related withdrawal at the Rio Olympics, the five-time winner on the 2016 LPGA circuit played the week with a bandaged knee. Despite the pressure (8 birdies, 1 bogey) applied by Kim on Sunday, Jutanugarn was equal to the challenge, establishing herself as the lead candidate for player of the year. In other news, Ayako Uehara finished tied for 10th, but left Alberta with holes-in-one in each of the last two rounds.

Brehm headed to PGA Tour after Portland Open win

Ryan Brehm ended Saturday’s third round in Portland in first place. In the final event before the Web.com Tour playoffs, all golfers were jockeying for position, with goals ranging from playoff qualification to a PGA Tour card. Brehm had built a two-stroke lead by the time he reached the par-five 18th hole. Knowing that bogey would be enough to secure victory, Brehm relaxed a bit too much and dumped his approach into a greenside bunker. With enough presence, Brehm was able to escape the sand pit and take two putts for six and a one-stroke victory.

Tied with Brehm after three rounds was CT Pan, a former collegiate standout but, like Brehm, without a win in the 2016 campaign. Pan was assured of a tour card in 2017, but he sought more. A day after shooting a tournament-low 62, Pan was unable to recapture his Saturday magic. Pan’s even-par 71 dropped him into a tie for fourth. A number of golfers made a run at the title in Round 4, but none were able to go low enough to pressure Brehm. Mark Anderson closed with 68 to finish second alone, one behind the champion. Zack Fischer also had 68 on Sunday, moving up six spots to solo third.

Langer ties Trevino for all-time PGA Tour Champions wins at Boeing Classic

For a time on Sunday, it seemed that Gene Sauers would follow his U.S. Senior Open victory with another in Washington state. Sunday was not kind to Sauers, and his last-ditch attempt at eagle on 18 meant that a trio of players (Kevin Sutherland, Woody Austin and Bernhard Langer) would return to the 18th tee to settle matters in a playoff.

The final hole at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge has three diabolical cross bunkers at the fairway’s bend. Austin was able to get past them on his drive, while Langer played short and left, and Sutherland drove into the last of the three. This advantage proved to be short-lived, as Austin dumped his second into a greenside bunker and could not get up and down for birdie. Sutherland suffered a similar fate, leaving matters to Langer. One day past his 59th birthday, Langer drained a 3-foot birdie putt on the only playoff hole to win for the second time in Washington and his 29th overall on the senior circuit.

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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.

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Morning 9: 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour | Rory on possible return to policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, may a bountiful weekend of golf be in store for you!

1. 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour

KFT staff report…”Frankie Capan III went crazy low Thursday on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nearly in record fashion.”

  • “Capan carded 13-under 58 in the opening round of the Veritex Bank Championship, matching the second lowest score in Korn Ferry Tour history. He fell one shy of Cristobal Del Solar’s record 57, set at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard earlier this year, but it was a heck of a show nonetheless.”
  • “The Minnesota native played an eight-hole stretch in 9-under Thursday, following an eagle at the par-5 ninth with seven straight birdies to begin the back nine at par-71 Texas Rangers Golf Club. He “cooled off” with a two-putt par at the long par-4 17th hole. He arrived at the par-5 18th hole at 13 under for the round, but he found a fairway bunker off the tee, laid up to 134 yards and missed his third shot left of the green. He chipped to 7 feet and drained the par putt to match the Korn Ferry Tour’s second-lowest score of 58, carded by Stephan Jaeger in the opening round of the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae.”
Full piece.

2. Team McIlowery starts strong

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Late Thursday afternoon in New Orleans, Rory McIlroy rested his head on Shane Lowry’s shoulder.”

  • “It wasn’t the typical post-round moment, but this isn’t the typical event. McIlroy and Lowry teamed up for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s lone team event, and the all-Irish duo put on a show. Sporting matching pink-on-navy getups, McIlroy/Lowry opened in a best-ball 11-under 61 in Thursday’s Four-ball format at TPC Louisiana.”
  • “This partnership might have stemmed from a boozy brunch last fall, but their opening-round performance at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans gave the field a sobering reminder: They’ll be tough to top.”
Full piece.

3. LPGA Tour: Grace Kim in front

AP report…”Grace Kim shot a 7-under 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”

  • “Playing in the morning session, the 23-year-old Australian capped her bogey-free round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 18th.”
  • “Well, I chunked my tee shot on the last hole 20 meters short and then I chipped it in it,” Kim said. “I think that’s pretty cool, in front of everyone
Full piece.

4. McIlroy on rejoining policy board

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he is willing to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board if the other player directors want him.”

  • “As first reported by the Guardian, Webb Simpson has submitted a letter stating that he’d like to resign from the board, but only if his vacant seat is filled by McIlroy, who stepped down last fall because of the toll it had taken on him professionally and personally.”
  • “Five months later, what has changed?”
  • “I think I can be helpful,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he is partnering with Shane Lowry. “I don’t think there’s been much progress made in the last eight months, and I was hopeful that there would be. I think I could be helpful to the process. But only if people want me involved, I guess.”
Full piece.

5. Charlie Woods shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier

Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan…”Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.”

“The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods played Thursday in local qualifying for the United States Golf Association’s national championship, set for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Charlie played at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and he shot 9-over 81.”

“Charlie’s round featured a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 first. He then doubled the par-5 second. A pair of pars followed before his lone birdie on the front, but another double the next hole, the par-4 sixth, had him turn in 4-over 40.”

Full piece.

6. Photos from the Zurich Classic

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.

Check out all our photos at the link below!

Full piece.
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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.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

 

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Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”

  • “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
Full piece.

2. Understandably, Nelly WDs

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”

  • “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
  • “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Full piece.

3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”

  • “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
Full piece.

4. Zurich field notes

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”

  • “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
Full piece.

5. Tiger’s teammates

Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”

  • “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
  • “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
Full piece.

6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”

  • “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
  • “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
  • “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
  • “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
Full piece.

7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”

  • “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
  • “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
Full piece.

8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”

  • “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
  • “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
Full piece.

9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants

PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

Full piece.
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