With the exception of the USGA Women’s Open this week, day four in professional golf was a birdie-them-all type of afternoon, across all tours. Golfers reminded fans and followers of their ability to go low at a given moment, defying expectation. As for the ladies, well, the Country Club of Charleston appeared to win day four, as only 12 scores (out of 70) dipped below par over the final 18 holes. How did all of this come about? Take a step-by-step Tour Rundown with us, and we shall answer that question.
Cantlay takes Memorial for 2nd PGA Tour title
There was a time, so long ago, it seems, when Patrick Cantlay was just another, can’t-miss kid. He stood atop the amateur world, came within a whisker of winning a US Amateur, destined for PGA Tour glory. Injury and tragedy turned up in his next hand, and his name drifted away on the breeze, toward the file marked “whatever happened to…”
And just like that, it seemed, he returned. Cantlay rediscovered his game and his winning ways, claiming an inaugural Tour title in 2017, at the Shriner’s Classic. In 2019, he registered top-ten finishes at the Masters (t9) and the PGA (t3). The young-old man from California was knocking on the door, as they say, and then came Sunday at the Memorial. Despite Martin Kaymer’s lead, a Sunday differential of 8 strokes would get the job done. Beginning the day 4 in arrears, Cantlay started quickly, with birdies at 5 of his first 9 holes. The 2014 US Open winner from Germany showed no signs of letting anyone catch him, as he stood -3 on the day through 8 holes.
At the 9th, fortune swung its pendulum. Kaymer spent a long time in the rough, needing a six-feet putt to salvage bogey. From that point on, his driver abandoned him, finding rough and sand more than fairway. His heroic shots saved pars, not birdies, and Kaymer signed for 72, and a 3rd-place finish, 2 behind runner-up Adam Scott. Scott had plodded along most of the day, barely registering on radar, until a 3-hole stretch of birdies from 14-16 brought him to 2nd place alone at -17. The day, however, belonged to Patrick Cantlay. 8 birdies with 0 bogies rarely disappoint, and -19 was his destiny, a 2nd tour title, at the course that Jack built. And what was Cantlay’s secret? A few words from the legend himself.
Lee6 wins first American professional title at US Open
A few year’s back, Jeongeun Lee added the number 6 to her last name. Her explanation was that there were others with similar names, and she wanted fans and family to know that it was she on the leader board. On Sunday at Seth’s Place, the Country Club of Charleston golf course that reintroduced Seth Raynor to golf fandom, Lee6 pushed all those eponymic golfers aside with masterful golf. She won the US Open by 2 shots, and now we know why.
Celine Boutier and Jaye Marie Green reached -6 on Sunday, the number that ultimately won the tournament. They could not hold their place, and each dropped to a tie for 5th, three behind the champion. Others fired, then fell back, but a quick look at statistics tells the Lee6 tale. The young woman from Korea was the only golfer to shoot below par each day this week. In an event where no one went super-low (65 on Thursday the low number) and where the low score each day went up as the week progressed, consistent excellence was rewarded. On the course’s most daunting hole, the par-3 11th, Lee6 made 3 birdies in 4 rounds. Call it an avoidance of disaster, call it an energy boost, deuces on the Redan added up to a 2 shot win over three golfers, and reason to celebrate.
Migliozzi claims first European Tour title at Belgian Knockout
No one tires of tournaments like this one. Qualifying round, followed by head-to-head play over abbreviated rounds. In Belgium, it was total strokes, not holes won, that decided each match. Many was the time that a final-hole swing decided (or nearly decided) matches throughout the 6 rounds of head-to-head combat. In the end, it was the unheralded Guido (pronounced GEE-doe, not Gwui-doe) Migliozzi who rang the birdie bell more than the others, and walked away with an inaugural European Tour title.
After quietly qualifying and sneaking through his first three matches, Migliozzi arrived at day the last with 7 other golfers. He did what champions do during each of his 3 9-hole matches on Sunday: make birdies. Migliozzi birdied 3 holes during each round of 9 holes, dispatching Bernd Wiesberger (just barely) by one, then Ewen Ferguson by 3, and finally, Darius Van Driel by a comfortable 4 shots.
Unlike traditional match play, where a misplayed stroke can only cost one hole, stroke-play matches keep all players in the game. Migliozzi had a 3-shot advantage over Wiesberger, last week’s winner, at the final tee of his quarterfinal match. The Austrian made birdie as the Italian, bogeyed, but Migliozzi survived by one stroke. Cheers to the champion, to creative tournament formats, and to a resurgence of golf for the young.
Despite 60s and 61s from others, Cappelen rallies for REX Hospital Title on Web Tour
Sebastian Cappelen, from the golf powerhouse of Denmark, bogeyed his first two holes on Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite the inauspicious beginning, Cappelen did not go away. He played the remaining 16 holes in -9, hyper-charged by 5th hole hole-out from the rough for eagle. Chris Baker had posted 60 in round two, but his Sunday 72 relegated him to a tie for 4th. On Saturday, Zack Sucher signed for 62; that number edged him a bit closer, into a tie for 2nd with Grayson Murray. What did Murray do on Sunday? Came from nowhere, that’s what. He had 10 birdies on the day, albeit none over the closing three holes, to jump from 22nd to 2nd. It was Cappelen’s extended brilliance that led to 21-under par in the end, clear of the chasers by 3 strokes. The title brought the Dane from his own nowhere to prominence. With the winner’s check, Cappelen jumped from 73rd to 10th, in the season-long chase for a PGA Tour card.
Mr. Comeback comes back and wins Principal Charity Classic in playoff
We’ve saved the best for last. Kevin Sutherland did something you don’t even find in video games. He birdied 8 of the 9 closing holes of Sunday’s final round. Sutherland went out in 2-under 34, but came home in 28 paltry strokes. He was on the green on the 16th in regulation, but somehow failed to convert the birdie putt. Truth be told, that might have been even worse for Scott Parel, the overnight leader. Parel didn’t play poorly on Sunday, but his bogey at the par-five 16th was a game changer. Sutherland and Parel went off to extra holes after tying at 17-under par, one shot clear of perennial runner-up Jerry Kelly. Parel had a 10-feet birdie putt on the first playoff hole to change the day’s fortunes, but he incredulously left it short, right on line with victory. Undecided after one, the golfers returned to the closer for a 3rd time on the day. With, what else, a birdie, Sutherland ended the long day with his 2nd Champions Tour victory of the year. Side Note: both of Sutherland’s wins this season have come in extra holes. Both have come against Scott Parel.
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19th Hole2 weeks ago
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