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Tour Rundown: APGA, PGA, LPGA Tours and more

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They spoiled me again, those tournament organizers. One tournament concluded on Wednesday, another on Saturday, a third early Sunday, and two more mid-day Sunday. That’s my kind of week for results. Sadly, the Korn Ferry Tour returns to a Thursday-Sunday routine this week in Panama, so my dalliance with disparity is over for a year. I’ll live with imperfection, though, as long as we can find the occasional dose of exquisite perfection. On to another, exciting week of Tour Rundown, and thanks to Maverick McNealy for this week’s dose of grandeur.

APGA Tour: Torrey Pines celebrates second champion in two days, and his name is …

The Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour defies description. It has ancestral roots in the United Golf Association, yet it is a product of a nation’s reckoning with its past. The APGA has existed since 2010, but in 2022, it takes a deserved and necessary step forward with the support and encouragement of professional tours and major business figures. Its season opened at Torrey Pines, with play Sunday on the North course, and Monday on the South. This space cannot do the tour justice, so please visit the link at the beginning of this paragraph, to learn as much as possible about its mission and its schedule.

18 golfers competed this weekend in the 2022 debut event. As on the PGA Tour, this event came down to the final shots at the 18th hole, albeit without the playoff. Patrick Newcomb, a Kentucky native and a Murray State alumnus, exchanged thrusts and parries with Tim O’Neal and Marcus Byrd throughout the final day. Murray had opened with a 68, the only sub-70 round in the event. Given the nature of the South course as major-championship venue, any score near 70 was bound to elevate the player’s position. Newcomb’s final five holes included two pars, two birdies, and one bogey. It was fitting that he holed a putt for four at the last, to finally relegate O’Neal to the runner-up position.

O’Neal, like Will Zalatoris the day before, would not surrender. He played a magnificent closing nine holes, whose recipe included eight pars and a birdie. On a normal day, that would win anyone the tournament. On this day, his bogey-bogey-bogey start was one stroke too much to overcome. Nevertheless, O’Neal showed his fortitude on putts like the one below, and will be a force in all remaining APGA events. The tour resumes play on February 14th, at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park.

PGA Tour: Farmers Open decided by playoff

A Saturday finish did nothing to dissipate the excellence of this year’s tournament at Torrey Pines. Two non-winners met in a playoff, ensuring that one of them would walk away with a cherished, first victory. Before Luke List and Will Zalatoris met one last time on the 18th tee at Torrey Pines, they had to dispatch Jon Rahm, who won the 2021 US Open on this very course; Jason Day, also a major champion; local hero Pat Perez, and a bloat of other, worthy contenders.

Will Zalatoris entered the final round in a tie for the lead with Day. Zalatoris played his final 18 holes in minus-one, while Day could only match par. The Aussie finished one shot out of the playoff, tied with Rahm and Cameron Tringale (also a non-winner) for third position. Zalatoris parred his final twelve holes after opening one-under through six. Birdie on any of that dozen holes would have earned him his first tour title.

Closing at a blinding pace was Luke List, known to this point as a long-hitting, almost-champion. List ran four consecutive birdies on the front nine to join the battle. He played the back nine in minus two, reaching 66 for the day. Only Lanto Griffin’s 65 was better than List, and Griffin was, well, playing for the B Flight title today. Birdie at the last gave list a chance in extra holes, and he took advantage. His stellar approach to inches brought him a second Sunday birdie at 18, and a coveted, first tour title.

LPGA Tour: Gainbridge LPGA and Ko-Act Two

Lydia Ko was a player hardly to be believed, during act one of her professional career. 14 LPGA victories from August of 2012 until July of 2016, including two major titles. As she approached 20 years of age, her game went away for a stage, and the lean period set in. 2016 to 2021 saw one victory as the Kiwi embraced new challenges and an entry into a new era of her young life. Ko won in April of last year and entered this final round with a two-shot lead over a reinvigorated Danielle Kang.

What more could the LGPA want?

In a sense, Kang has also had a second coming. A star in junior, college, and amateur ranks, the professional game escaped her for a bit. Her win last week and her run at Ko the next, shows that there is a new confidence and efficiency to her game. Down the stretch, the two golfers traded birdies. Only Kang had a bogey on the inward half. To suggest that one hole made all the difference would be dismissive. In the end, two warriors battled to the final putt, and Lydia Ko emerged with the title

Korn Ferry Tour: Bahamas Great Abaco Classic is a hit for Harkins

If only Zecheng “Marty” Dou had villainous traits, this one would have had Hollywood Ending written at every step. Leader makes bogey at two of final three holes, falls into playoff, loses to career grinder with another bogey on second extra hole. The only roblem with that script revision is, Marty Dou is easy to like and easier to root for. His finish on Great Abaco was gut-wrenching, and is a reminder of the reflux these golfers must suffer on a daily basis. Dou’s week of 69-66-66-69 had zen and balance and palindrome written all over it, but it just wasn’t enough.

Who had enough? Brandon Harkins did. The Chico State alum and former athlete has been out on the tours for 15 years. He saw the light begin to shine last November, when he won the unofficial (but highly respected) Pebble Beach Invitational. Harkins took the lead this week after 36 holes, thanks to an eight-birdie 65 that featured a bogey at the tenth hole. On Sunday, Harkins finally solved the par three with a par, and found his way home in 68. When Dou made six at the 72nd hole, it was off to overtime. There was no glamour in extra time. Three pars and a bogey featured the challenge that it is to seal a deal on the Korn Ferry Tour. The title was Harkins first-ever on a major professional tour. Some guys bloom late.

European Tour: Dubai Desert Classic also decided in playoff

A less-seasoned scribe might be tempted to lead with the unraveling of Rory McIlroy, but I am not that writer. The story of the DDC v. 2022 was the back nine journeys of Richard Bland and Viktor Hovland. Bland notched five birdies and five pars from the tenth hole on, and never looked out of balance. Hovland three-putted the 15th for bogey, then reeled off birdie-eagle-birdie to reach the house at twelve under par. Bland’s exquisite birdie putt at the last joined him with Hovland, and the pair returned to 18 for the playoff.

In overtime, both players found the fairway with their tee shots, and each carried the pond that fronts the oddly-shaped putting surface. Bland was left of the green, in a depression, but recovered to eight feet. He would miss that putt, and settle for par. Hovland’s high cut found the deep portion of the green, and the Norwegian’s magical touch reduced his birdie effort to 36 inches. His putt was true, and the tournament was his.

A less-seasoned scribe would have forgotten about Rory McIlroy’s forlorn finish. A drive left of known land on the 17th found a bush. From there, the leader recovered to the greenside rough, then pitched and putted for par. Knowing that he needed to give himself a chance at birdie to win and par to tie, the Northern Irishman did the two things that would deprive him of both: he hit three-metal off the tee, then tried to reach the green from nearly 270 yards, into a breeze. Into the pond he went, his par putt was off, and third place was his own.

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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.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Davonte Washington-Jenkins III

    Jan 31, 2022 at 6:03 pm

    Can white kids from the ghetto get on the activists tour?

  2. KGolf

    Jan 31, 2022 at 4:05 pm

    Did Patrick Newcomb have a sponsors exemption or something?

  3. Reeder

    Jan 31, 2022 at 11:26 am

    Thank you Mr Montesano for your unique writing style describing the weekend events.

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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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