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Morning 9: KF Tour Championship winners of all varieties | Pro golf’s hottest hot streak? | Ancient human remains found on golf course

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By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected]; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

 

September 3, 2019

 

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans. Time to put away your white golf pants for the season.
 

1. Lewis runs away with Korn Ferry Tour Championship
From our Ron Montesano’s Tour Rundown…“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 6 spots, into 3rd place, guaranteeing him a PGA Tour card beginning this fall. 2nd 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 5-shot margin of victory over Gomez, and a chance to sit down and rewrite all of his future plans.”
2. Other tour action you may have missed while not laboring Monday…
On the Champions Tour…Wes Short, Jr. outlasted Scott McCarron to finish at -13 and capture the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club
On the LPGA Tour… Hannag Green carded a final round 5-under 67 to pip teenager (and Monday qualifier) Yealimi Noh at the Portland Classic.
On the European Tour…Rory McIlroy was bested in a 5-man playoff by Sebastian Soderberg who broke through to win the Omega European Masters in his 50th Euro Tour start.
3. Tavatanakit running hot
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“Patty Tavatanakit wasted no time in making her presence known as a professional. The 19-year-old Thai player won her third title in eight starts on the Symetra Tour, claiming the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge on Sunday in a sudden-death playoff.”
  • “The former UCLA star shot a blistering 8-under 62 in the final round to make up a six-shot deficit. Tavatanakit then birdied the first playoff hole to edge Yujeong Son of South Korea.”
  • “Definitely very surreal, I didn’t expect to get this win,” said Tavatanakit. “I just hoped to play well and climb the leaderboard for a bigger check to move up the money list. I wanted to be the first player out here to win three times this year, so I accomplished my goal and hard work really pays off.”

Full piece.

4. Dorian disrupts golf from Florida to the Carolinas
Golfweek’s Jason Lusk…”Hurricane Dorian, the Category 5 storm that has pummeled parts of the Bahamas on Sunday and Monday, has forced the closure of golf resorts and operations all along the southeastern coast of the United States.”
  • “Among those businesses impacted are PGA Tour headquarters near Jacksonville, Fla., and several top-ranked courses that host Tour events. As evacuation plans differ from state to state, any golfer with travel plans this week or next should contact their resorts to confirm dates of planned reopening.”
  • “Forward progress of the storm stalled Monday over Freeport in the Bahamas, according to the National Weather Service, but Dorian is expected to start moving to the northeast over the next several days. That projected path of the storm brings the coastlines of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina into play this week. Hundreds of golf operations, large and small, lie within the possible path along more than 800 miles of coast.”
5. What a round (ICYMI)
Our Gianni Magliocco…”Last Friday produced one of the most astonishing rounds of golf you’re likely to see, and it came from young professional, Evan Grenus, at the pre-qualifying for Korn Ferry Tour Q School.”
  • “Grenus, who comes from Glastonbury, Connecticut, battled his way into the next stage of qualification despite making a triple bogey, a double bogey, and four bogeys by making three eagles and two birdies. But it’s how he made those scores that will astonish you.”
  • “According to Ryan French’s Monday Q Info social media account, the young pro began his round by holing out from 68 yards for birdie before holing out again from 140 yards for eagle two holes later. Four bogeys, a triple and a double followed in his next eight holes before Grenus regained the magic touch.”
  • “Needing to play his final three holes in four-under-par, Grenus holed yet another iron for eagle on 16, before knocking his approach shot on the last from 237 yards to tap in range to book his spot at the first stage of Q-school.”

Full piece.

6. Ancient human remains discovered…on a golf course
Golfweek staff report…”Kino Springs Golf Course in Nogales, Ariz., went from a recreational course to an archeological scene last week when a maintenance crew discovered human remains.”
  • “On Tuesday, a member of the maintenance crew, who said they were installing water pipes, called the the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office to report the finding of possible human remains, according to a report by Nogales International.”
  • “They were able to determine that the remains were prehistoric, so at this point the case is going to be referred to the Arizona Historical Museum,” Sgt. Santiago Gonzales of the Sheriff’s Office said after a crew took photos of the findings and sent to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.”

Full piece.

7. Darren Clarke on slow play
Reuters report…”Clarke is widely recognised as one of golf’s easy going characters but when the discussion turns to slow play the Northern Irishman gets cross.
  • “Just give them (penalty) shots,” Clarke told Reuters. “The guys that are slow give them shots and then all of a sudden they will figure out a routine where they can hit it within the time limit.
  • “It will stop in one week if they start giving out penalty shots.
  • “It is the bad side of our sport and we need to address it.
  • “The guys that are slow we all know who they are give them shots and they will soon speed up.

Full piece.

8. Ghim, Duncan & more Tour card drama
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Doug Ghim, was 29th in Finals points to start the week, but found himself inside that number late Monday. After a bogey at the par-4 17th dropped him to No. 23 on the projections, Ghim faced a 10-footer for par at the par-4 18th – make and Ghim would be joining Scheffler on Tour, miss and he would be returning to the KFT next year.”
  • “He made, delivering a big upper-cut fist pump as the ball dropped into the hole.”
  • Duncan…”Tyler Duncan entered Monday’s final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship needing a special round to ensure a return trip to the PGA Tour…He delivered.”
  • “The 30-year-old Purdue product, who arrived this week No. 41 in Finals points and was outside the top 25 heading into the final day at Victoria National, shot 6-under 66 with four back-nine birdies to finish T-4 and move to 12th in points.”

Full piece.

9. Good ideas

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine on what befell Justin Harding at the KF Tour Championship (way to labor on Labor Day, Brentley!)…

  • “Harding was on the cusp of earning his first PGA Tour card – until, of course, he wasn’t. Lanto Griffin, already among the 25 players to lock up a card during the regular season, double-bogeyed the par-4 17th hole and Grayson Murray, also already with a card clinched, bogeyed the par-4 18th to move D.J. Trahan and Richy Werenski past Harding in the projections.”
  • “Harding still had hope, though, as Griffin hit his approach to 5 feet at the last. But Griffin’s birdie putt lipped out, and Harding ended up No. 26 on the Finals points list just behind Trahan and Werenski, who ended up tied for 24th at 186 points.”
  • But it gets worse: Harding fell one-tenth of a point shy of his card.”

Full piece.

 

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News

Morning 9: 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour | Rory on possible return to policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, may a bountiful weekend of golf be in store for you!

1. 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour

KFT staff report…”Frankie Capan III went crazy low Thursday on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nearly in record fashion.”

  • “Capan carded 13-under 58 in the opening round of the Veritex Bank Championship, matching the second lowest score in Korn Ferry Tour history. He fell one shy of Cristobal Del Solar’s record 57, set at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard earlier this year, but it was a heck of a show nonetheless.”
  • “The Minnesota native played an eight-hole stretch in 9-under Thursday, following an eagle at the par-5 ninth with seven straight birdies to begin the back nine at par-71 Texas Rangers Golf Club. He “cooled off” with a two-putt par at the long par-4 17th hole. He arrived at the par-5 18th hole at 13 under for the round, but he found a fairway bunker off the tee, laid up to 134 yards and missed his third shot left of the green. He chipped to 7 feet and drained the par putt to match the Korn Ferry Tour’s second-lowest score of 58, carded by Stephan Jaeger in the opening round of the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae.”
Full piece.

2. Team McIlowery starts strong

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Late Thursday afternoon in New Orleans, Rory McIlroy rested his head on Shane Lowry’s shoulder.”

  • “It wasn’t the typical post-round moment, but this isn’t the typical event. McIlroy and Lowry teamed up for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s lone team event, and the all-Irish duo put on a show. Sporting matching pink-on-navy getups, McIlroy/Lowry opened in a best-ball 11-under 61 in Thursday’s Four-ball format at TPC Louisiana.”
  • “This partnership might have stemmed from a boozy brunch last fall, but their opening-round performance at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans gave the field a sobering reminder: They’ll be tough to top.”
Full piece.

3. LPGA Tour: Grace Kim in front

AP report…”Grace Kim shot a 7-under 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”

  • “Playing in the morning session, the 23-year-old Australian capped her bogey-free round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 18th.”
  • “Well, I chunked my tee shot on the last hole 20 meters short and then I chipped it in it,” Kim said. “I think that’s pretty cool, in front of everyone
Full piece.

4. McIlroy on rejoining policy board

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he is willing to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board if the other player directors want him.”

  • “As first reported by the Guardian, Webb Simpson has submitted a letter stating that he’d like to resign from the board, but only if his vacant seat is filled by McIlroy, who stepped down last fall because of the toll it had taken on him professionally and personally.”
  • “Five months later, what has changed?”
  • “I think I can be helpful,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he is partnering with Shane Lowry. “I don’t think there’s been much progress made in the last eight months, and I was hopeful that there would be. I think I could be helpful to the process. But only if people want me involved, I guess.”
Full piece.

5. Charlie Woods shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier

Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan…”Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.”

“The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods played Thursday in local qualifying for the United States Golf Association’s national championship, set for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Charlie played at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and he shot 9-over 81.”

“Charlie’s round featured a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 first. He then doubled the par-5 second. A pair of pars followed before his lone birdie on the front, but another double the next hole, the par-4 sixth, had him turn in 4-over 40.”

Full piece.

6. Photos from the Zurich Classic

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.

Check out all our photos at the link below!

Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

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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Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”

  • “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
Full piece.

2. Understandably, Nelly WDs

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”

  • “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
  • “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Full piece.

3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”

  • “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
Full piece.

4. Zurich field notes

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”

  • “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
Full piece.

5. Tiger’s teammates

Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”

  • “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
  • “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
Full piece.

6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”

  • “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
  • “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
  • “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
  • “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
Full piece.

7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”

  • “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
  • “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
Full piece.

8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”

  • “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
  • “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
Full piece.

9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants

PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

Full piece.
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