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Tour Rundown: McIlroy wins Tour Championship for 3rd time | Jill McGill | Thriston Lawrence

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2 years ago

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The PGA Tour’s wraparound 2021-2022 season closed its circle on Sunday in Atlanta. The USGA visited Dayton, Ohio, for the Senior Women’s Open. Korn Ferry played its penultimate event in nearby Columbus. Across the globe, the LPGA met in Ottawa; the DP World Tour awakened in Switzerland, and the Tour Champions marveled at Michigan. Another day in many offices, and a weekend worth revisiting.

For me, school teaching and high school golf coaching begin on Monday, so this feels like both an end and a beginning as well. It’s Tour Rundown time, with six compelling events that merit a glance. Time to shine!

USGA: Jill McGill wins third different USGA championship at NCR

The “NCR” in NCR Country Club stands for National Cash Register. The tee markers at the club’s two courses are keepsakes: old-school metal button registers that you find in antique shops and Monopoly games. The USGA has excelled in bringing its senior championships to golf courses and clubs that operate out of the public eye most days. NCR has two wondrous courses, and the South had the opportunity to host the Women’s Senior Open in 2022. For most of the week, pundits pondered great names like Davies, Alfredsson, and Sorenstam. On Sunday, a different story played out.

Jill McGill, in another life, won two separate USGA events. She won the the USGA Amateur in 1993, and the defunct National Public Links the following year. She also competed for the US side in the 1994 Curtis Cup. In 2022, McGill added a third, separate trophy to her USGA case, at NCR. On a Sunday when scores soared into the mid and high 70s, the golfer who kept her head and ground out pars would ultimately win. As the heralded leaders, all former champions of this event, lost ground, McGill persevered.

Both McGill and Laura Davies reached minus-five at different points on the day. Davies appeared to be moving effortlessly along, until an unthinkable quadruple bogey at the 12th derailed her locomotive. The English champion came home in 42, and finished in a tie for fifth with Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam. McGill reached the five-under figure on the 16th green, and might have realized at that moment what was within reach. She kept her game together and, despite closing with two bogeys, had enough strokes in hand to edge Leta Lindley (birdie at the last) by one.

PGA Tour: McIlroy wins Tour Championship for 3rd time

In what has been a mentally and emotionally-exhausting year, Rory McIlroy fittingly surged on day four to win his second PGA Tour event of the year, and 22nd of his career. In the tour’s only, staggered start, players begin the week with strokes in hand, based on their season-long standing in the FedEx Cup. Scottie Scheffler, the Masters champion, was the lead pony at week’s start. For most of the week, Scheffler was able to preserve his advantage. Sunday brought a dearth of birdies for the Texan, and he would ultimately tie for second, with Sungjae Im.

Sensing an opportunity, McIlroy a six-birdie round over the par-70 East Lake Golf Club. His round was marred by bogey at the first and the 14th, but no matter. Chaser Sungjae Im made double at the 14th, and despite a pair of closing birdies, could only reach -20 and tie Scheffler for the silver medal. McIlroy bounced back from bogey at 14 with birdie at 15, then parred his way home for -21 and a pair of titles: the week’s trophy and the season-long, FedEx Cup championship.

DP World Tour title to Lawrence of South Africa in playoff

Thriston Lawrence has made noise this season on the DP World Tour. In November of 2021, Lawrence won the Joburg Open for his first DPWT title. On Sunday in the Swiss Alps, Lawrence broke through the glass wall for a second victory, this time in a playoff. Opposing him in extra time was England’s Matt Wallace. How did each reach the overtime? Have a look.

Lawrence held the lead at day’s dawn, and four birdies should have been enough to secure a title in regulation. Stumbles at the fifth (double bogey) and sixteenth (bogey) undid most of his good work, and Lawrence closed with one-under 69 on the day. Over the same course of time, Wallace picked off four birdies of his own, with nary a bogey. He came from three shots back on the day, and finally caught Lawrence with a birdie at the 14th. The two would par in and reach the 72nd hole at 18-under par.

Upon their return to the 18th tee to settle matters, Wallace got into trouble and made bogey. Lawrence carved out a par, and the deed was done. With the victory came a move into the OWGR world top 100 rankings, and the title King of the Mountains for the South African champion.

LPGA: Reto wins Canadian Women’s Open by one

Imagine ticking these boxes for your first LPGA win: a national championship; hold off major champions down the stretch; post 67 on the final day. All those circles were filled by South Africa’s Paula Reto, who joined countrymate Thriston Lawrence (see above) as a winner on the week. Reto began the week with 62 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, in the Canadian capital. She lost the lead to Narin An after 36 holes. An held the 54-hole lead, but posted 72 on Sunday, and watched a number of players surge past her, into contention.

Among them were Lydia Ko, who had 63 on Sunday for solo fourth position. Hye-Jin Choi had 69 of her own, and tied Korda for second spot. Korda, not quite recovered from her bout with illness earlier this season, closed with 67 of her own, that featured all sorts of ingredients. Try one eagle, five birdies, three bogeys, and nine pars on the day for the Floridian. Like Choi, Korda would come up one putt shy of the top spot.

Reto went out like a champion, posting 31 over her first nine holes. The back was a one-over struggle, but it was enought to secure an inaugural title for the Purdue alumna. After 157 starts on the LPGA Tour, Reto is, at last, a victor.

Korn Ferry Tour: Lingmerth headed back to PGA Tour after win in Ohio

Such is the level of importance this week, that the penultimate event in the Korn Ferry Tour playoff run comes fifth on the list. The Scarlet course at Ohio State University is an annual homecoming for many, former collegiate players. Most in the field arrive with one goal in mind: secure passage to the PGA Tour for the upcoming season. This week in Columbus, six golfers gained PGA Tour status for 2022-2023, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

David Lingmerth, one of Sweden’s top golfers, signed for 62 on Sunday, just like Paula Reto (see above) in Ottawa. His 66 on Friday gave him a 128 for 36 holes, and had competitors wondering if Lingmerth had played the Scarlet or the Gray course at OSU’s golf complex. No matter, as 71 in round three gave the field hope, and Lingmerth, a reason to lock in his focus. Closing fast were Paul Haley II (65 on Saturday) and Zecheng Dou (67 in round three.)

On Sunday, Lingmerth played perfect golf over the first 16 holes. Three birdies had kept the field at bay, but a 17th-hole bogey gave hope to the chasers. With his lead down to one, Lingmerth closed like a champion, making birdie to secure not only a win, but a return to the PGA Tour in 2022-2023. Joining him will be countryman Henrik Norlander, Dean Burmester, Joseph Bramlett, Austin Cook, and Michael Gligic.

PGA Tour Champions: Stricker wins second of season in Grand Blanc

2022 had been somewhat quiet for Steve Stricker. He didn’t find himself in charge of a national team, and his only win came back in May. True, it was a major (Regions Tradition) but other titles found their way into the hands of his competitors.

This week, in the state across the lake (Stricker is from Wisconsin) Stricker put a putting tip from Jerry Kelly to good use. After opening with 70, Stricker turned to fellow Badger Kelly for a bit of flat-stick assistance. Rounds of 64 and 67 followed, and Stricker moved to 15 under at the Ally Challenge. Out of nowhere came Rhode Island’s Brett Quigley. Since 2020, Quigley has chased a second Champions victory; he won in Morocco that year. On Sunday, he simply ran out of holes.

Quigley had two birdies and two bogeys saw each other off through fifteen holes. Sixteen brought him an eagle three, and birdies at 17 and 18 moved him agonizingly close to a playoff with Stricker. Quigley finished at minus-fourteen, good for solo second. Knowing that the chase was afoot, Stricker posted consecutive birdies from 13 through 16, and walked pars in at the final two holes, for victory.

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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.

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News

Morning 9: Rory: I’m not joining LIV | Masters ratings | Nelly: We just need a stage

Published

4 days ago

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Apr 17, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up to this week’s RBC Heritage.

1. Rory: I’m not going to LIV

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…McIlroy said neither he nor his agents have ever discussed a potential deal to lure him to the LIV Golf League, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

  • “I honestly don’t know how these things get started,” McIlroy told Golf Channel while on the practice range at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the site of this week’s RBC Heritage. “I’ve never been offered a number from LIV, and I’ve never contemplated going to LIV. Again, I think I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me.
  • “It doesn’t mean that I judge people who have went and played over there. I think one of the things that I have realized over the past two years is that people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves, and who are we to judge them for that? But personally, for me, my future is here on the PGA Tour, and it’s never been any different.”
Full piece.

2. Masters ratings down

Yahoo’s Jay Busbee…”Ratings for the full Masters week are now out, and 2024’s version ranks as the lowest since the COVID-impacted years of 2020 and 2021. There was a brief moment when four players shared the lead at the 2024 Masters, but Scottie Scheffler took care of business quickly enough and strolled to what qualifies as an “easy” Masters victory — a four-stroke triumph that wasn’t in doubt for most of the second nine.”

  • “Perhaps as a result, Sunday’s final round averaged 9.59 million viewers on CBS, according to Sports Media Watch, a 22.8% decline from last year’s 12.06 million. Scheffler’s win two years ago averaged 10.17 million viewers. Worth noting: Sunday’s final round was down 20 percent against last year’s victory by Jon Rahm, but last year’s final round fell on Easter Sunday, which created a significantly higher out-of-home percentage of viewers — 21 percent in 2023, as opposed to 9 percent this year.”
Full piece.

3. Chevron gets purse boost

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“Chevron’s commitment to the LPGA went a step higher on Tuesday with the announcement of a purse increase to $7.9 million in 2024. The move brings the tour’s first major in line with the purses of other championships. The U.S. Women’s Open purse of $12 million paces the tour, with the KPMG Women’s PGA second at $10 million. The AIG Women’s British Open purse checks in at $9 million while Amundi Evian is $6.5 million.”

  • “Chevron, which moved the event away from Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, to Texas, last year, has increased the purse by $4.8 million since assuming title sponsorship in 2022. The company has committed to title sponsor the event through 2029.”
Full piece.

4. Shipley on “notegate”

Alex Myers for Golf Digest…”So what was up with “notegate”? During his hilarious spot with McAfee, Shipley reiterated there was no note from Woods, and that he was only looking at the moderator because he was so confused where the question was coming from:

  • “I looked over at the moderator like ‘Who the hell is this guy?'” Shipley says in the clip. “Because it just didn’t happen. I was so confused and so shocked in the moment.”
Full piece.

5. Nelly: We just need a stage

Iain Carter for the BBC…”Korda is the first American to win four consecutive tournaments on the LPGA since Lopez won five straight 46 years ago. This astonishing streak made the then rookie front page material for Sports Illustrated.

  • “Korda’s feats have yet to transcend the golfing village, and perhaps that suits her as she “tries to stay in my bubble”. But the American Solheim Cup player does recognise that more could be done to tell the increasingly compelling story of women’s golf.”
  • “I feel like we just need a stage,” she told reporters here at Carlton Woods just north of Houston. “We need to be put on TV.
  • “I feel like when it’s tape delay, or anything like that, that hurts our game. Women’s sports just needs a stage. If we have a stage we can show up and perform and show people what we’re all about.”
Full piece.

6. Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

Published

5 days ago

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Apr 16, 2024

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.

We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.

We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.

Check out links to all our photos, below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

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Morning 9: Aberg: I want to be No. 1 | Rory’s management blasts ‘fake news’ reports

Published

5 days ago

on

Apr 16, 2024

By
By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we look back at the Masters while looking ahead to this week’s RBC Heritage.

1. Shane Ryan: Appreciate Scottie’s greatness

Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan…”This is what’s called generational talent, and we haven’t seen it in almost 20 years. Steve Stricker read the tea leaves when he picked Scheffler for the 2021 Ryder Cup—a decision that was richly rewarded—and starting in 2022, he was off to the races. The only hiccup was a few putting woes last year, but even that only served to highlight how remarkable his ball-striking had become—instead of winning, he was finishing third. When he fixed the putting, with help from a new coach and a bit of equipment advice from Rory McIlroy, he soared yet again to the top of the game, but this time he seemed more indomitable, more inevitable, more brilliant.”

  • “The sustained success of the last three years has officially made him the best professional golfer since Tiger Woods, a conclusion supported by analytics, the eye test, and every other metric you could dream up. With fewer majors, he has nevertheless leaped past Spieth, McIlroy, and Koepka in terms of pure ability. He doesn’t have their legacy, yet, but if we’re talking about peak performance, he’s already surpassed them.”
  • “He’s so much better than everyone else, which is a sentiment that is both commonplace—I saw it on Twitter over and over again—and revelatory. It’s the thing you say because there is nothing else to say. You’re left with the wild truth, which words can describe but never capture.”
Full piece.

2. Aberg: I want to be No. 1

The AFP’s Simon Evans…”The 24-year-old finished second, four strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, after carding a final round 69 but he certainly won many admirers among the patrons at Augusta National and beyond.”

  • “And his performance has filled Aberg with self-belief.”
  • “Everyone in my position, they are going to want to be major champions. They are going to want to be world number one, and it’s the same for me, that’s nothing different,” he said.
  • “It has been that way ever since I picked up a golf club, and that hasn’t changed. So I think this week solidifies a lot of those things are there, and we just need to keep doing those things and put ourselves in positions to win tournaments, ” he said.
Full piece.

3. Homa’s honest answer on double bogey

Golf Channel staff report…”But Homa’s tee shot at No. 12 bounded off the putting surface and into a bush. After a healthy search, Homa found his ball and had to take an unplayable lie. He made double bogey, effectively ending his bid at a maiden major title.”

  • “Homa tied for third, seven shots back of Scheffler. Asked about what happened on the fateful 9-iron, Homa offered two replies.”
  • “The honest answer is, it didn’t feel fair. I hit a really good golf shot, and it didn’t feel fair. I’ve seen far worse just roll back down the hill,” he said.
  • “The professional answer is, these things happen.”
Full piece.

4. Harbour Town ahead

RBC Heritage field notes, via Adam Stanley of PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is, for now, set to tee it up at the RBC Heritage. He was clear to say that if his wife, Meredith, would go into labor during the Masters, he would head home to be with her, so it’s safe to assume that same rule will stand at Harbour Town. Scheffler has not shot an over-par round all season and has three victories (and one runner-up). He made his debut at Harbour Town last year and finished T11… Matt Fitzpatrick looks to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2007-08. Fitzpatrick, a playoff victor last year, has two top-10 finishes this season. He has just one missed cut at Harbour Town over the last six years and he finished fourth in 2021 to go along with two more top-15 results in a three-year span (T14 in 2018 and 2020)…”

  • “Jordan Spieth is hoping to continue his run of fine play at Harbour Town after a playoff loss last season and a playoff win the season prior. Spieth has five top-25 finishes at the RBC Heritage in seven starts… Justin Thomas earned a spot in the field after remaining in the top 30 (he’s No. 30) in the Official World Golf Ranking despite a missed cut at the Masters. Thomas, who finished T25 last season at Harbour Town, has two top 10s on the season… Ludvig Åberg, who is tops in the Aon Next 10, will head to Hilton Head for the first time. Åberg has had a fabulous 2024 campaign thus far with four top 10s (including two runner-up results) and is knocking on the door for a victory… Hideki Matsuyama was the only eligible player who did not commit to the RBC Heritage, while Viktor Hovland – after a missed cut at the Masters – withdrew from the field on Saturday.”
Full piece.

5. Reed’s caddie’s needle

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After a particularly bad drive during his third round on Saturday, Reed’s caddie, Kessler Karain, also his brother-in-law, made a snide but factual comment to Patrick.”

  • “Your driving has cost us a lot this week,” Karain remarked.
  • “Reed didn’t disagree and told reporters after the round that there was nothing good about his round…
  • “A reporter then asked: “It’s a good thing he’s a family member, right?”
  • “Yeah, exactly. I’d probably be dragging him up that last hole,” Reed said. “I swear.Just what you want to hear as you’re looking at the ball in the tree, and he goes, ‘You need to drive it better.’ Thanks, Kessler. I appreciate it. Great words of wisdom. Drive it better.”
  • “This may be the last major for Reed for a while, as the 33-year-old has not been invited nor qualified for next month’s PGA Championship.”
Full piece.

6. LIV wants Hovland next?

Ewan Murray for the Guardian…”Rising speculation that Viktor Hovland will be the next high-profile golfer to be coaxed to the LIV tour will increase the need for Ryder Cup Europe to apply a simple qualification process for golfers on the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit.”

  • “LIV is forging ahead with plans for 2025, which include new events and the recruitment of more players from the PGA and DP World Tours. The rate of turnover is likely to be increased by the number of golfers who had three-year contracts when joining LIV, which will expire at the end of 2024.”
  • “Chatter on the range at the LIV event in Miami this month and again at the Masters largely surrounded Hovland, the world No 6 who starred for Europe in the defeat of the United States in Rome last year. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who also played in that team, have subsequently joined LIV. Hovland missed the cut at the Masters and promptly withdrew from the PGA Tour’s $20m stop in Hilton Head this week.”
Full piece.

7. Rory’s management: LIV reports are ‘fake news’

Brian Keogh for the Irish Independent…”A report that Rory McIlroy was on the verge of an $850million move to LIV Golf has been slammed as “fake news” by his management.

“Fake news. Zero truth,” McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in an email.

London financial paper “City AM” reported today that sources have told them that McIlroy “could” join LIV Golf

The paper reported that “two separate sources have told City AM that they believe a deal is close. It is claimed that LIV Golf chiefs have offered world No2 McIlroy an eye-watering $850m to join, plus around two per cent equity in the competition.”
Full piece.
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