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Tour Mash: Leishman closes the deal, Wattel wins his first

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Week three of the PGA Tour playoffs came to a close, setting the stage for a stirring FedEx Cup finale in Atlanta. The LPGA contested its last major championship of 2017 in France. Football may be in the air, but important golf balls fly higher. Have a sample of what mattered this week in our September 18th Tour Mash.

Leishman unleashed, finally, in Chicago

Marc Leishman of Australia heard the footsteps. They weren’t coming from playing partner Jason Day, who would counter every three birdies with a bogey or double. Instead, it was Justin Rose who was making a run at the leader. If ever an event felt owned by a golfer it was this one. Question was, could Leishman close the deal?

The massive Aussie had led since his opening 62, but when Rose reached 19-under at the 16th, Leishman had to feel threatened. He had two tour wins to his credit, including this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. None had ever given him a chance at the FedEx Cup, though, and Leishman was not to be denied. He closed with three birdies over the final quadrilateral, securing a 5-stroke margin of victory over Rose, who bogeyed the 17th to drop back to a second-place tie with Rickie Fowler, at 18-under. With the win, Leishman joined Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm in the playoffs top five.

Nordqvist wins 2nd major title at Evian

Anna Nordqvist is tough. She returned from a debilitating bout of mono this summer to feature prominently in the European Tour’s Solheim Cup challenge. On Sunday, the Swede defeated upstart American Brittany Altomare on the first playoff hole to win her second major title.

All golfers began the round behind Moriya Jutanugarn. The Thai golfer played well over her first nine holes, but played her final nine holes in two-over, dropping to 8-under and a gut-wrenching T3 finish, one back of the playoff duo. With Jutanugarn were Lydia Ko and Katherine Kirk.

Altomare and Nordqvist played the playoff hole in rainy conditions, unable to avoid the deluge that had lingered all day but never committed. Neither player offered her best in extra holes, but it was Nordqvist who squeezed in a clutch bogey putt to secure victory over Altomare’s double.

Snaps for Hadley after Boise victory on Web.Com

Chesson Hadley knew he would return to the PGA Tour in 2017-18, before the 2017 Web.Com Tour playoffs began. His sense of urgency might have diminished just enough to free up his game. On Sunday, the North Carolina native and Georgia Tech alum finished with fury, birdieing holes 15 through 17 at the Boise Open. He reached 16-under par, then watched his pursuers work in vain to catch him.

Close to Hadley were Ted Potter, Jr., and Jonathan Randolph. both men birdied 16 and 18 to sign for 15-under, one excruciating stroke shy of the top spot. For Randolph, the finish secured his PGA Tour card for 2017-2018. With his win, Hadley moved to the top of the Finals board, about $85K clear of 2nd-place Andrew Landry. The tour moves to Cleveland for the penultimate playoff event, before closing the season in Florida, in two weeks.

Jerry Kelly wins again on Champions Tour

Much like Hadley, Jerry Kelly sought vindication. He had been a tour winner, and when he finally won on the Champions Tour in late August, the pressure valve had opened and the pent-up steam of frustration, released. On Sunday at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship, it looked as thought Kelly would add a runner-up finish to that title, but Lee Janzen closed poorly, and Kelly took advantage.

Janzen stood at 16-under with four holes to play, but errant shots at the 15th and 17th led to bogey and double, dropping him to 13-under on the week. Kelly did nothing spectacular, simply going about business as usual. He birdied the 15th to get to 14-under, then closed with three pars to edge Janzen by one, for victory No. 2 on the senior circuit. Tommy Armour III and David McKenzie were a further stroke back, tied for third at 12-under.

Wattel a winner at last on European Tour

Romain Wattel trailed only Kiradech Aphibarnrat at the start of round four in Holland. Chasing his first European Tour victory, Wattel had to feel a bit positive as his day trended upward, while Aphibarnrat lost the handle and finished at 2-over on the day, 12-under overall and tied for ninth. Austin Connelly, the young Canadian, appeared from nowhere and the game was on.

Connelly birdied the 18th hole at The Dutch, reaching 14-under with his second consecutive round of 66. Wattel remained poised, however. Although his final birdie came at the 10th hole, he closed with seven consecutive pars, enough to secure his debut victory on the European circuit. Wattel moved to 55th spot in the Race To Dubai rankings, while Connelly ascended to 71st.

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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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  1. Timbleking

    Sep 18, 2017 at 3:35 pm

    Bien joué, Romain !!!

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Equipment

Rickie Fowler’s new putter: Standard-length Odyssey Jailbird 380 in custom orange

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article. 

…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.

Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.

Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.

Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.

According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.

He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.

Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article. 

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Equipment

Details on Justin Thomas’ driver switch at the Wells Fargo Championship

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article. 

So, with a couple of weeks off following his latest start at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Thomas sought to re-address his driver setup with the remote help of Titleist Tour fitting expert J.J. Van Wezenbeeck. About two weeks ago, Thomas and Van Wezenbeeck reviewed his recent driver stats, and discussed via phone call some possible driver and shaft combinations for him to try.

After receiving Van Wezenbeeck’s personalized shipment of product options while at home, Thomas found significant performance improvements with Titleist’s TSR2 head, equipped with Thomas’ familiar Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.

Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics.

According to Van Wezenbeeck, Thomas has picked up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.

“I’d say I’d been driving it fine, not driving it great, so I just wanted to, honestly, just test or try some stuff,” Thomas said on Tuesday in an interview with GolfWRX.com at Quail Hollow Club. “I had used that style of head a couple years ago (Thomas used a TSi2 driver around 2021); I know it’s supposed to have a little more spin. Obviously, yeah, I’d love to hit it further, but if I can get a little more spin and have my mishits be a little more consistent, I felt like obviously that’d be better for my driving…

“This (TSR2) has been great. I’ve really, really driven it well the week I’ve used it. Just hitting it more solid, I don’t know if it’s the look of it or what it is, but just a little bit more consistent with the spin numbers. Less knuckle-ball curves. It has been fast. Maybe just a little faster than what I was using. Maybe it could be something with the bigger head, maybe mentally it looks more forgiving.”

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article. 

 

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5 fall golf trip destinations you should book right now

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The 2024 golf season is in full swing with the warm weather settling in and those long summer days right around the corner, but what if we told you that you should be thinking about golf this fall? While it may seem to be a ways away, now is the perfect time to start putting together your end-of-season fall golf trip

Courses are in great shape, the weather is more enjoyable as temps cool off, and your golf game is in peak condition after playing all summer! The best part about fall golf trips is that there are some great deals to be found at golf destinations across the country! Additionally, you can get away to the Caribbean on an all-inclusive trip or travel across the pond for some links golf in the UK or Ireland before the end of their golf season in October. 

If you are happy to stay stateside this fall, here are the best golf destinations you should book for your fall trip.

Myrtle Beach, SC 

Commonly known as the “Golf Capital of the World”, this coastal destination is home to over 200 golf courses making it the ideal location for a golf trip! If you’re looking for golf and accommodation onsite, choose from a wide range of resorts including favorites like Barefoot and Legends. Alternatively, you could rent a house or stay by the beach and play top tracks like Caledonia, Grande Dunes, Pine Lakes, True Blue, TPC Myrtle Beach and many more! With a plethora of options, you will be able to customize your trip to stay within budget! Fall in South Carolina is a golfer’s paradise with minimal rain, sunny skies, and temperatures in the low 80s (dipping into the 70s in later fall with lower humidity), the perfect combination for a golf trip.

Scottsdale, AZ 

If you’ve never played golf in the desert, fall is the best time to do so and there is no better selection of desert layouts than Scottsdale. With a wide variety of golf resorts, courses, and attractions, it is easy to see why many professional golfers call this place home. Enjoy a golf and city trip with a stay close to the nightlife in Old Town and a tour of the local courses like Raven, McCormick Ranch, and Ocotillo. Head north of the city with a resort stay at The Westin Kierland or Hyatt Regency and play some Championship courses like TPC Scottsdale, Troon North, or Grayhawk. Or head out to the fabulous We-Ko-Pa Resort  and Golf Club and indulge in the ultimate desert golf experience. The weather in Scottsdale will be very warm (mid to high 80s), with cloudless skies and green grass contrasting the desert landscape.

Orlando, FL 

The golf mecca in the state of Florida, Orlando is a great golf destination any time of the year, but fall is really where it flourishes. Course conditions are impeccable, the weather is warm with fading humidity, and there are a multitude of off-course activities for the whole family. Stay & play at some of the best golf resorts like Reunion and Omni Championsgate or tick off a bucket list course when you visit Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill. A few other reasons this destination is so popular is the wide variety of rental houses throughout the area, perfect for a large group and the quality courses to choose from including Waldorf Astoria, Celebration, Shingle Creek, and the three Disney courses! With easy accessibility through the MCO Airport, Orlando is a no-brainer for a fall golf trip.

Las Vegas, NV 

PAIUTE GOLF RESORT – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

A destination often overlooked when it comes to golf, Las Vegas in the fall is a wonderful treat! A stay on the iconic Las Vegas Strip gives you a wide range of 3 to 5-star hotel options within walking distance to the city’s biggest entertainment venues, casinos, restaurants, and more! For golf options, you will need to travel outside of the city (roughly 20 mins) to play some incredible desert layouts like Rio Secco, Revere, Cascata, and the trio of courses at Paiute Golf Resort. If you fancy a longer day trip, you can always take the hour-long drive up to Mesquite and play Wolf Creek and Conestoga for a pure desert golf experience. 

Alabama – Robert Trent Jones Trail 

If you’re a golf nerd (like me) and you’re looking for something a little different for your trip, look no further than the incredible RTJ Trail in Alabama. The Trail spans 11 different locations across the state with over 400 holes of golf all designed by legendary course designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The more popular courses on the trail are in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Auburn, making it perfect for an extended trip. Some of the best courses on the trail include Ross Bridge, Grand National (2 courses) and Capitol Hill (3 courses).Weather-wise, fall is the best time to hit the trail with average temps hovering around 80s (dipping into the 70s as fall goes on) with a limited amount of rainfall. The summer months are usually where the pricing is the highest so you can find the best deals in the fall with courses still in good condition. 

There has already been a huge uptick in fall golf trip bookings, so make sure to start planning now to get the travel dates and tee times you want for your group! 

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. 

RELATED: 7 PGA TOUR courses you need to play

  

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