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Tour Rundown: APGA, PGA, LPGA Tours and more

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2 years ago

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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?

    Reply Report comment

  2. KGolf

    Jan 31, 2022 at 4:05 pm

    Did Patrick Newcomb have a sponsors exemption or something?

    Reply Report comment

  3. Reeder

    Jan 31, 2022 at 11:26 am

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

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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5 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

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8 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

  • “It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”
  • “His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”
  • “McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”
  • “No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”
  • “Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”
Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

  • “The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”
  • “Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”
  • “There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”
Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

  • That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!
Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

  • “Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”
Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

  • “It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”
Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

  • “In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”
  • “It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”
  • “Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”
Full piece.
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Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

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1 day ago

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May 13, 2024

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This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again.  Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

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