News
Tour Rundown: Henderson, Rahm, and Perez hoist trophies
Four tournaments featured during January’s middle week. The LPGA and the Champions Tour opened their seasons, while the DP World Tour celebrated its first individual event, on the heels of last week’s Hero Cup team competition. The PGA tour moved stateside, after two bucolic weeks in Hawaii, and reached the California desert to inaugurate a five-week stretch in the American southwest.
LPGA: Henderson opens 2023 with a title
Brooke Henderson, the pride of Smith Falls (and most of) Canada, made an equipment switch in the off season. Moving from Ping to Taylor Made, the 12-time champion is now a 13-time champion, thanks to a four-shot win in Orlando. Henderson led from start to finish, after opening 67-66. Her final two rounds were 69-70, and they were good enough to hold off Maja Stark and Charley Hull by a quartet of strokes.
No golfer was able to stitch a pair of low weekend rounds together. Nasa Hataoka posted 66 on Saturday; another on Sunday would have put her one beyond Henderson’s 16-under tally. Instead, the Japanese star stumbled to 74. 68 was the low number on Sunday, just two better than the winner’s total. No comebacks were in the cards on day four, and Henderson wasn’t giving anything back to the field.
16-under! ? @BrookeHenderson walks in a birdie on the 15th hole to extend her lead in Orlando
Watch the finish now on NBC! pic.twitter.com/wRuWZJvaJj
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 22, 2023
PGA Tour: Rahm proves again that he’s the best in the game right now
Jon Rahm gave a clinic on how to hold onto a lead without having your best game at La Quinta. The grand Basque played the inward half on Sunday in one stroke under par, but it was that birdie at the 16th that put his final challengers away. Davis Thompson and Taylor Montgomery, among others, threw everything they had at the big Iberian, but Rahm refused to wilt. Montgomery faded away to solo fifth, while Xander Schauffele put the finishing touch on a stellar 62 that vaulted him into a tie for third with Chris Kirk.
The show came down to the final pairing of Rahm and Thompson. At the last, Rahm found himself in a fairway bunker off the tee. His approach was crisp, settling inside twenty feet, below the hole. Fighting adrenalin, Davis Thompson flew his approach beyond the hole at the 18th, into a swale. His birdie pitch had the proper pace, but was two inches wide right. He tapped in for par and finished at 26-under par, alone in second place. Rahm calmly putted twice from about 18 feet, and clinched his second victory in three weeks.
One day, when Davis Thompson wins his first tournament, he may do so with lessons learned from the day when he nearly eclipsed the game’s biggest name.
Clutch shot on 18 from @JonRahmPGA ?
He’s now in prime position to win @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/Tr8ISShjVz
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2023
DP World Tour: Perez makes case for Ryder Cup team with Abu Dhabi win
Victor Perez began the week with a 71, and found himself a stout, six shots behind leader Jason Scrivener. Each day, Perez chipped away at those in front of him, ultimately clawing to one shot behind Francesco Molinari with one round to play. Molinari, buoyed by his Continental team’s win last week at the Hero Cup, looked for all the world a winner. His final-round 71 undid his fine work, relegating him to a tie for fifth with Alex Noren.
Among the top three golfers, none distinguished himself over the closing holes. Sebastian Soderberg reached 17-deep with three holes to play, but could not find one more birdie. Min Woo Lee stood one behind Perez on the 17th tee, but made bogey at the par three. His closing birdie moved him into a tie for second, but no higher. Even Perez stumbled home. His birdie at 17 was followed by a bogey at the last, but with a two-shot advantage, bogey was enough.
You might wonder why we haven’t mentioned Perez’ inexplicable bunker shot on penultimate hole. Trust us: you have to see it (below) to believe it. The win was Perez’ third on tour. It doesn’t qualify him as a lock for the European side of the Ryder Cup, but it does firmly seat him in the equation. If he keeps up this level of play, he’ll feature in Rome in late September of this year.
The greatest shot of @v_perez2's life ?#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/M5romSG5Dx
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023
PGA Tour Champions: Stricker rides 60 to 12th Champions title
If you ever wondered how good these guys are, lesson one is in the books. After a few-months layoff, Steve Stricker rebounded from a first-round 68 with 12 birdies on Saturday. No, he didn’t make any bogies. Yes, he made six pars. That round of 60 gave him a three-shot advantage over Darren Clarke. Sure, Clarke had a chance on Sunday, as did a bunch of other guys. Stricker made sure that their chance was short-lived, and closed with 65 to eliminate all suspense.
Over the course of 54 holes, the champion made exactly one bogey in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. That blip came on the fifth hole on Thursday (round one) and didn’t set well with the pride of Wisconsin. Stricker played the next 49 holes without a misstep, and finished the week at 23-under par. Tied for second at 17-deep were Clarke, Steven Alker and his new Sub 70 clubs, Ken Tanigama and Mike Weir. Alker’s day-three 63 was low for the orbit, but was never going to gain ground against that Stricker 65. The TC resumes in two-weeks time in Morocco.
Perfection ?@stevestricker moves to 23-under with this huge eagle putt @MEC_golf. pic.twitter.com/fsp9N6l9Q4
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) January 22, 2023
- LIKE2
- LEGIT1
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
News
SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips
SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”
“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”
Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.
According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”
CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.
“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.
Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history
- LIKE11
- LEGIT3
- WOW6
- LOL1
- IDHT1
- FLOP2
- OB2
- SHANK5
News
Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar
Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.
It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.
PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place
The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.
This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.
With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.
360° and in!
A nervy par save by @TaylorPendrith to remain one back as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory @CJByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/LVFXUSidSg
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2024
DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four
It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.
It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.
.@adrianotaegui birdies the 16th to tie the lead at -17 ?#VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/p4tfE5DRJa
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 5, 2024
PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella
Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.
64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.
.@TBalla21 eagles 17, shoots 65 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KIA Open. pic.twitter.com/TTOL2LxSdh
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) May 4, 2024
PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win
Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.
The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.
Off the green? No worries for @ScottDu12500063
8-under solo leader @InsperityInvtnl pic.twitter.com/hoj5OujL5C
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 4, 2024
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
News
Morning 9: Pendrith’s maiden Tour win | Morikawa back with former coach | Brooks victorious
|
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Brandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
-
19th Hole1 week ago
LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
Equipment3 weeks ago
Jason Day on his recent switch into Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 Mk II irons
-
19th Hole5 days ago
Gary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Whats in the Bag1 week ago
Team McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic