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Tour Rundown: Back to back for Boutier | Bryson’s brilliance | Glover victorious

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9 months ago

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August arrived with pre-Fall fanfare. The ladies tours merged in Scotland for the Scottish Open, a wonderful prelude to this week’s Open Championship. The PGA Tour concluded its regular season in North Carolina, and one of the game’s big names missed the playoffs by one shot. Korn Ferry headed west to Utah, where a familiar name closed fast for a long-awaited win. North of the border, PGA Tour Canada was welcomed to Windsor, and in West Virginia, a 58 for the win was recorded on the LIV tour. It was an entertaining first weekend for the year’s eighth month, and as such, deserves no additional delay. Let’s run down all the wins and near-misses in this week’s Tour Rundown. Let Maja’s magic be your inspiration for this week.

LPGA/LET @ Scottish Open: Back to back for Boutier

Celine Boutier will look back on 2023 as a year when she figured something out. True, the year’s not over yet, but with wins in consecutive weeks at Evian and Dundonald, the French golfer is playing, no, winning at a level above her competition. I don’t know if that makes her the favorite (if there is such a thing) in this week’s Open Championship, but I certainly expect much from her at Walton Heath.

Boutier was that golfer this week, the one who held the wheel firm through all four rounds. She was patient while others lit fireworks, awaiting her moment. Hinako Shibuno opened with 64-68, and looked to be the week’s champion at the halfway point. The Japanese champion fell away with 77-72 over the weekend, all the way to 16th place. Maja Stark held second at 134 through 36 holes, but had her difficulties over the final two rounds. She managed a tie for fourth position, Charging to the wire were Hyo Joo Kim and Ruoning Yan. Their weekends of 134 and 133, respectively, brought them into 2nd and 3rd places, just shy of the champion’s pace.

Boutier took control on Saturday. Her 66 included eight birdies on the day, against a pair of bogeys. The previous week’s winner gained strokes at 17 and 18 in round three, to add a bit more distance between herself and the field. She would need those two shots to hold off Kim, who made a tournament of things when it looked like Boutier’s week. The French champion stumbled a bit coming home on Sunday, with bogeys at 14 and 16. A birdie at 17 gave her breathing room, and she collected her fifth LPGA and fifth LET titles amid a champagne shower.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: A win for Glover and a near-miss for JT 

Greensboro’s PGA Tour event has been a mainstay on the circuit for decades. Its position as the final event before FedEx Cup playoffs makes it even more valuable for those golfers hoping to reach the bonus events at Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta. The Sedgefield Country Club course is not everyone’s favorite joint, but if you love Donald Ross and traditional architecture, you’ll get along just fine with the old dame. Eyes this week were on Justin Thomas, mired in the worst patch of golf of his tour career. Thomas was on the outside, looking in, at this week’s Top-70 affair at the St. Jude. He needed a big week and he almost got one. His tie for 12th was one agonizing shot away from overtaking Ben Griffin for the last playoff position.

With that out of the way, we move to the top of the board. Billy Horschel took the 54-hole lead with rounds of 62-63 on Friday-Saturday. The Florida Gator has been adrift in his own sea of uncertainty, and Greensboro looked to be a welcoming port. After lighting the course with rockets for 36 holes, Horschel failed to post birdie until the final hole. His 72 dropped him to t4, a welcome yet bittersweet finish.

It was left to Russell Henley, who always plays well at Sedgefield, and Lucas Glover, who hails from just over the NC/SC border, to settle matters. Henley was charging toward the lead when a mid-afternoon shower delayed the conclusion of the tournament. When the golfers returned to the course, the Georgia Bulldog promptly posted birdie-bogey-bogey-bogey to fall into a 2nd-place tie with Byeong Hun An. It was Glover who rocked steady, closing with pars as Henley faltered, to claim his fifth PGA Tour title, and first since John Deere in 2021.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Sloan snaps streak of nine years

Roger Sloan is a name that true aficionados of tour golf recognize. He has moved from circuit to circuit during his 15+ years of professional golf. On occasion, Sloan has made his way to the PGA Tour, but it is spaces like Korn Ferry and PGA Tour Canada where he has made his mark. This week, out of literal nowhere, Sloan surged and surged until there was no one left in front of him.

Kevin Dougherty had the lead and the commentator admiration, heading into Sunday. Dougherty’s 67-61-65 start had him one shot ahead of Danny Walker. On Sunday, Neither Dougherty nor Walker had the recipe for birdies, and each signed for 70. Dougherty finished T3 with Roberto Díaz, while Walker claimed solo fifth spot. Making a big move on Sunday was Christopher Petefish. Well outside the magical Top 30 (recipients of PGA tour cards for next season), Petefish seized the lead with an eagle 3 at the 15th hole. He was unable to close with any fervor, however, and a trio of pars brought him to 23-under on the week.

Sloan played Sunday’s outward half in four-under par, but a pair of early, back-nine bogeys slowed his roll for a time. Fortunately for him, the leaders had faltered, and hope still lingered. Sloan stood two back of Petefish when he reached the 17th tee. Two holes later, he had a pair of birdies and no need for a playoff. Roger Sloan had ended a nine-year, one-month winless streak, and vaulted inside the top 30 on the season.

PGA Tour Canada @ Windsor Championship: Choi chases victory down

Both PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Canada award ten Korn Ferry Tour cards at the conclusion of their championships. Their abbreviated seasons lead to a great deal of movement each week. This week’s spotlight shines on Sam Choi. He entered round four within sight of the top spot, co-owned by Jeffrey Kang and Ryan Linton. Both leaders posted 69 on day four, which dropped them precisely one spot, into a six-way tie for second spot. They were joined at 22-under par by Cameron Sisk, Stuart Macdonald, Alex Scott, and Devon Bling.

Surging past the sextet was Choi, who found the golden stroke on Sunday. The Pepperdine alumnus turned in 32, thanks to four birdies. He added two more before a momentary hiccough at 14. A few deep breaths later, Choi added birdies at 15 and 18, to reach 64 on the day. By round’s end, he had reached 25 deep, three clear of his pursuers. The win vaulted Choi to second position in the Fortinet Cup, nearly assuring him of a Korn Ferry tour card for 2024. With his father as caddy, things don’t get much better.

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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.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Chris

    Aug 7, 2023 at 11:22 am

    Really outdid yourself on the coverage of Bryson’s 58. and I quote:

    “and in West Virginia, a 58 for the win was recorded on the LIV tour.”

    You would think the main page for GolfWRX would have eaten up the content of his performance. Cool clubs in the bag, exciting final stretch performance for the win etc.

    Reply Report comment

    • Jbone

      Aug 7, 2023 at 1:29 pm

      Golf “journalists” have a mental illness when it comes to LIV and Bryson

      Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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2 days 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

Published

2 days 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

Published

3 days 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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