Another playoff series comes to an end in professional golf. The Korn Ferry Tour held its championship at Victoria National, the spiritual hub for aqueous masochists. The Champions Tour journeyed north of the border for its only 2019 event in Oh, Canada! The LPGA went way out west to Portland, and the European Tour sallied in Switzerland.
Even with American football in the offing, the golf is plenty interesting, with plenty at stake for the other 99.9 percent. As always, we’ll run it down like a fifth-string back, trying to make the 53-man roster. Here goes!
Ground Control To Major Tom: Lewis wins big in Indiana
Tom Lewis must have seen an opening in his schedule and figured, why not go to America’s heartland and play the KF Tour for the first time…and win the Tour Championship…and get a PGA Tour card in the process? Pretty common plan, wouldn’t you say? Lewis was an unstoppable force at Tom Fazio’s playground for fish.
He began 68-66-66, then dropped a sublime 65 on the field in round four. For those counting, that was the low round of the day, matched only by Kramer Hickock. For Hickok, it jumped him six spots, into third place, guaranteeing him a PGA Tour card beginning this fall. Second spot went to Argentina’s Fabian Gomez, who parlayed a 66 of his own into a runner-up spot. As for Lewis, that filthy 65 gave him a five-shot margin of victory over Gomez, and a chance to sit down and rewrite all of his future plans. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on.
No Montana for Hannah: Green picks Oregon for 2nd tour win of 2019
Hannah Green probably feels two percent bad about spoiling a great story for golf, and 98 percent like a wrecking ball for holding off Yealimi Noh at the Portland Classic. Noh had Monday-qualified and led after each of the first three rounds. She and Green walked the 72nd fairway in a tie for the lead. An hour prior, Noh held a four-shot advantage over the Aussie, but bogeys from Noh at 14 and 16, paired with birds from down under at 15 and 17, established equality. On 18, Noh came undone for yet another bogey, while Green made par to secure the victory.
The bitter lesson should prove to be quite valuable for Noh; for Green, a follow-up to her unanticipated Women’s PGA win in June establishes her as a legitimate threat for 2020. 2019’s stud, Brittany Altomare, sneaked into third place with a closing 69.
Coastal Carolina’s Other Tour Pro: Soderberg ticks off the Omega Masters
Dustin who? Sebastian Soderberg won a wild, five-man playoff that included Rory McIlroy, for his first-ever Euro Tour title. Much like Noh, Soderberg had a shot to win in regulation, but he three-whacked the 17th for bogey. He joined McIlroy, Andres Romero of Argentina, Lorenzo Gagli of Italy, and Denmark’s Kallie Samooja in an overtime quintet.
Samooja looked to have the best of the approach shots at the 18th, tucking his iron inside seven feet. After Gagli plunked in the water, and Romero missed a bomb birdie putt, McIlroy’s effort strayed a wee bit left. Soderberg drained a 20-feet bird to eliminate the triumvirate, then watched as Samooja opened the putter blade a bit too much, pushing his chance to stay alive to the side. Although DJ has a few more wins than Soderberg, at least the Myrtle Beach college can now lay claim to two tour winners. The Grand Strand, indeed!
I Got A Rock: Unlike Charlie Brown, Short grateful for pond gravel in Alberta
Wes Short, Jr. took dead aim at the left side of the 18th green on Sunday. His approach drifted right, toward a watery demise. It connected, dead solid perfect, with a lone stone and bounded onto the putting surface. That’s the best kind of fun. Raised from the dead, Short two-putted for birdie and held off Scott McCarron, despite an eagle from the later at the home hole.
We’ll get back to Short, but we simply cannot get inside McCarron’s head. Just when we think he wants to dominate the old-guys tour, he bogeys 16 and 17 to fall off the pace. Just when we think he has no grit, he eagles the last. What gives, Scott? Back to Short. In 2014, when he was just a baby senior, Short won in Quebec by one shot over Scott Dunlap. So, for all you bettors, if Short is in contention, in Canada, and someone named Scott is in the hunt, bet Short.
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Sep 5, 2019 at 7:11 am
Kalle Samooja is from Finland not Denmark.
aaron
Sep 3, 2019 at 8:51 am
“Noh had Monday-qualified and led after each of the first three rounds”
Noh she didn’t. Green was tied first in round one, solo first round 2. Noh took the lead in round 3.