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Tour Mash: DJ wins BMW, DeChambeau earns 1st pro title and ’17 PGA Tour card

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Although the first real pigskins flew through the air on Sunday, there were plenty of important golf balls soaring and landing across the world. The PGA Tour cemented its Tour Championship field, while the Web.com Tour initiated its playoff run. A new event in Canada featured a classic course and a grateful victor and… well, let’s just mash it up!

Dustin Johnson outlasts Casey at BMW Championship

Dustin Johnson has had his missteps and Paul Casey has dealt with numerous injuries. Paired together and healthy, they are two of the most talented golfers on the planet Earth. Each inspired the other on Sunday at Crooked Stick, with Johnson making enough birdies and eagles to claim a three-stroke victory over the transplanted Englishman.

Watching the 2016 U.S. Open champion hit his power fade off each tee and into each green, you ask yourself the same questions you pondered during Tiger’s prime: How does he ever not win? How do others keep up?

Related: DJ’s Winning WITB

When the only weakness in his game turned into a strength (his wedge play), Johnson became a major winner, a WGC winner and a FedExCup playoff winner in a two-month span. As for Paul Casey, his golf of late has been sublime, exquisite, and just shy of trophy-worthy. Watch out for him in Atlanta in two weeks.

Dechambeau brings another title to Cleveland

True, he’s not from the Rock and Roll Capital, but Bryson Dechambeau’s inaugural professional victory in the first leg of the Web.com Tour Finals might make the DAP champion an adopted favorite son. Dechambeau shook off a resurgent Andres Gonzalez and two others in a two-hole playoff to claim Cleveland’s cup at storied Canterbury golf club.

Related: DeChambeau’s Winning WITB

No one in the field could go low on the Herbert Strong-designed layout that lists Lloyd Mangrum, Lawson Little and Jack Nicklaus, among others, as major championship winners over its 18 holes. At the end of regulation play, Dechambeau and Gonzales were joined by Julian Etulain of Argentina and Nicholas Lindheim at 7-under par. Zack Sucher finished one agonizing stroke back.

After Gonzales drained a birdie bomb on the first playoff hole and Dehambeau knocked in a six-foot tester, Lindheim and Etulain were eliminated from title contention. On playoff hole numero dos, Gonzales went from the rough to the rough to bogey, opening the door for Dechambeau. The 2015 U.S. Amateur champion two-putted from 20 feet to stand alone atop the podium.

With the victory, DeChambeau is assured to earn one of the 25 PGA Tour cards available to top finishers in the Web.com Tour finals.

Luiten keeps in touch with the Dutch, wins at KLM

Joost Luiten travels far and wide these days, but the land of his birth is a special place to play. This week, it became a special place to win. Willibrordus Adrianus Maria Luiten (also known as Joost) separated himself from Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger to secure his second KLM Open in four years (he also won in 2013) and his fifth victory overall on the European Tour.

Luiten’s lead over Wiesberger was one as the pair reached the penultimate hole. The golfing Dutchman was able to knock down a birdie putt as his counterpart made his only bogey of the round. Luiten had earlier bogeyed the par-five 13th hole, but rebounded with birdies on three of his next four holes, including the decisive 17th. Hugs for everyone!

David Pastore outlasts Dan McCarthy at inaugural Niagara Championship

Which is the more intrepid feat: returning from a wrist injury to defeat the Order of Merit winner, or putting on a professional golf tournament with only six weeks to prepare? Pardon us if we allow golf to have a tie. Two stories emerged from the Walter Travis-designed Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ontario: the valor of David Pastore and the fortitude of the Tour and its newest host club.

Pastore had finished 31st in money on the 2015 Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada money list. He was the longest of long shots to advance to next week’s tour finale in London, Ontario. With six birdies on the final day, Pastore’s 66 held Order of Merit leader Dan McCarthy of Syracuse, New York, but just barely. Both golfers birdied the diabolical 18th and the victory was Pastore’s.

As for the club itself, it is no stranger to big events. Gay Brewer won the 1972 Canadian Open at the Cherry Hill Club, and Jim Thorpe the 1982 Canadian PGA. After undergoing a restoration under the watchful eye of architect Ian Andrew, the club was approached about hosting an event after the cancellation of the Syncrude Boreal Open in Alberta, a site of massive wildfires. With less then two months to prepare, the club and its sponsor, the Niagara Sports Commission, put on quite a show. Here’s to year two in 2017 with more time to prepare!

San Luis Championship goes to Lashley in playoff

As on the Web.Com Tour, four golfers decided that 72 holes were not enough. As on the Web.Com Tour, two were eliminated after hole No. 1 and two others moved on. That’s where the similarities (and the logic) ended. David Vanegas closed with 66 to reach 7-under par. Robert Rohanna had 68 on Sunday to reach the same figure. Neither one birdied the 18th hole in the playoff, and both were eliminated.

Nathan Lashley of the USA had 70 in Round 4, and overnight leader Andres Echavarria had 74, but both still managed to make extra holes and birdie the 18th the first time around. Returning to the final tee for a third time, Lashley again made birdie but Echavarria fumbled along in the rough, making 6. The victory was enormous for Lashley, as it moved him inside the top 10 on the Los Cinco order of merit with 8 tournaments to play.

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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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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

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GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).

Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.

We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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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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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.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

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