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Tour Rundown: Moli-Moli-Moli-Molinari!
With the exception of Meghan MacLaren, third-round leaders did not fare well on Sunday the 10th of March. An overnight lead on any tour is like a wild animal: it wants to get away and you have trouble holding on. Matthew Fitzpatrick, Fran Quinn and Oliver Wilson watched the chaser become the chased in round fours this weekend, and three daring champions emerged. As for MacLaren, well, she has a liking for the New South Wales Open championship.
Time to run down the tours like a chihuahua at the poodle races.
PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational to Moli-Moli-Moli-Molinari
Remember those Ryder Cup chants in the fall for the inscrutable, undefeatable pair of Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood? They’re back, at least for the reigning Open champion. Francesco Molinari made Orlando the Italian town its name implies for one weekend this year. He went one stroke lower than Rafa Cabrera Bello’s opening 65, and sneaked past Fitzpatrick by two slim strokes for his second stateside triumph.
Fitzpatrick had the misfortune of playing with Rory McIlroy, who finds any manner of struggling when in the mix these days. The Northern Irishman’s presence spurred Patrick Reed on to victory last spring at Augusta, but it didn’t work the same magic with Fitzpatrick. Fitzy was a steady presence this week, hovering around 70 in three of the four rounds. His Saturday 67 vaulted him up to the top spot, but he would always be low-hanging fruit for the mid-60s round that Molinari crushed on Sunday. How crushed? Eight birdies against zero others, including a three at the last. Fitzpatrick’s bogey at 15 was his undoing, despite a bounce-back birdie at the next. Forza, Francesco!
???????? @F_Molinari's clutch birdie on the 72nd hole @APinv is even more exciting when called by @GOLFTV's Italian broadcasters. ???? pic.twitter.com/uFE5INGzNq
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 10, 2019
European Tour: Qatar Masters is Harding’s to hold
Part-way across the world in Doha, Oliver Wilson must somehow take success away from his nine-way tie for second spot in the Qatar Masters. The one-time winner and four-time playoff loser on the European Tour was relegated to 2nd Division last year. Two wins on the Challenge Tour returned him to the Premier Division, and he nearly pulled a Leicester on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, along came Justin Harding. Wilson battled all Sunday long, but came up two strokes shy, along with eight others, of Harding’s impressive, day-four 66. It wasn’t the low score, as that belonged to Jinho Choi with 64. Harding’s pair of sixes included birdies at three of the final four greens, including 17 and 18. After two victories in Asia, and seven on his native South Africa circuit, Harding offered a massive debut victory outside his homeland with his win in Doha. Here’s to more appearances across the world for the 33-year old with the long putter!
How Harding sealed his first European Tour win ?????#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/ByiTQSCWlA
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 10, 2019
Ladies European Tour: young MacLaren defends title at New South Wales Open
It’s only two dates, but Meghan MacLaren has developed an affinity for this part of Australia. The young English professional captured the NSWO in 2018 by 2 shots, for an inaugural tour win. 365 days later, she went one better, holding off Munchin Keh of New Zealand and Lynn Carlsson of Sweden by three strokes for win number two. The titleholder was tied with Carlsson through 54 holes, but the Swede went out in 38 to the Englishwoman’s 36. The golf wasn’t stellar quite yet, but a bold eagle from three feet at the 16th stamped MacLaren as the worthy heiress to, well, herself. Keh’s 67 was the second-lowest round of the day, and it brought the 26-year old her best professional finish to date.
England’s @meg_maclaren has holed a one-metre putt for eagle on 16 to join Munchin Keh in a tie for the lead on 11-under #WomensNSWOpen pic.twitter.com/219cXpuq7X
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) March 10, 2019
Champions Tour: Hoag Classic is Triplett’s 7th on Senior circuit
Woody Austin’s combined playoff record from PGA and Champions tours was 4-1 until Sunday. Unable to birdie the closing par five, he went toe to toe with Kirk Triplett, he of the bucket hat. On the day’s third go at the finishing hole, Triplett made a spectacular eagle to dash Austin’s hopes for victory. The mercurial Austin had the oddest of rounds. A front-nine eagle, a back-side birdie, and 16 pars. His 68 equaled Triplett’s, as both went roaring past overnight leader Fran Quinn. The Bay State journeyman could not find any of the birdies that brought him to the top on Sunday. His three bogeys and one birdie etched 74 on his card, dropping him to a tie for fourth spot.
In an eerie replay, Triplett’s eagle putt came on the same line and distance as the birdie putt he made in regulation, to force the playoff. If that’s not a run down, well, we’ve done our best!
Never a doubt. pic.twitter.com/ZTpa1vqz7a
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 11, 2019
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SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips
SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”
“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”
Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.
According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”
CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.
“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.
Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history
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Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar
Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.
It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.
PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place
The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.
This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.
With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.
360° and in!
A nervy par save by @TaylorPendrith to remain one back as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory @CJByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/LVFXUSidSg
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2024
DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four
It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.
It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.
.@adrianotaegui birdies the 16th to tie the lead at -17 ?#VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/p4tfE5DRJa
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 5, 2024
PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella
Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.
64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.
.@TBalla21 eagles 17, shoots 65 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KIA Open. pic.twitter.com/TTOL2LxSdh
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) May 4, 2024
PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win
Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.
The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.
Off the green? No worries for @ScottDu12500063
8-under solo leader @InsperityInvtnl pic.twitter.com/hoj5OujL5C
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 4, 2024
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Morning 9: Pendrith’s maiden Tour win | Morikawa back with former coach | Brooks victorious
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