We’re getting to that time of year that all fans of golf embrace. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur begins this week, followed by the Masters at the end of the fortnight. Tours offer a full set of events, although they will take a break the week of the first men’s major of the year. The world’s tours played events this week in Texas, Singapore, Arizona, Mexico, and California. Nearly all of these competitions came down to the final stroke, on the final hole. This combination of stout play and building drama is what we weather winter for. With that season in the rearview mirror, let’s embark on another spate of Tour Rundown recollections.

PGA Tour @ Houston Open: Jåger is meister of Houston

Stephan Jåger had performed feats of magic before against the fires of competitive golf. In 2016, on the Web.Com (now Korn Ferry) Tour, he posted a first-round 58 and stayed true to that arrow to win his first tour event. On his Wikipedia page, his surname is spelled both Jåger and Jaeger. To honor his ancestry, we’ll go with the former.

This week, the stakes were higher, as he chased a first victory on the PGA Tour. Marvelous opponents sprinted with him, including former Houston Open winner Tony Finau, and the world’s top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler. Just as eager as Jåger, were Alejandro Tosti, Thomas Detry, and Taylor Moore. Each figured in the event’s conclusion.

It’s easier to write that each of those six men posted rounds between 66 and 68 on Sunday, and that all finished within one shot of the rest, than it is to recall precisely how they did so. Finau dropped ten shots (62-72) from Friday to Saturday, or he would have added another Houston Open title to the shelf. Scheffler (the 15th), Tosti, (the 18th), and Detry (the 14th) all made a bogey over the concluding holes, or they would have joined Jåger in a playoff. As for Moore, he could have done little more than make one more birdie. His pitch to the last nearly went in, finishing inside two feet from the extension of glory.

Jåger did all his work on Sunday over the front nine. His four birdies and one bogey brought him to 12 under on the week. He proceeded to secure nine pars on the inward half, including a 20-feet save at the 13th. Only at the 17th did he putt for birdie from inside 15 feet, and that effort was too strong. Yet, he did all that he had to do, to conclude an event at the podium’s summit, and hoist a PGA Tour trophy for the first time.

CLUTCH!

Stephan Jaeger saves par to hold on to the solo lead @TCHouOpen. pic.twitter.com/FXKlaQTlXR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 31, 2024

LPGA @ Ford Championship: Korda wins again, so watch out!

It appears that the mystery condition that derailed Nelly Korda in 2023, has run its course or been eliminated. Korda won for the second consecutive week on the LPGA circuit, and she did so in the manner that we’ve grown to know: efficiency. One week past nearly tossing a victory away, Korda was flawless on Sunday at Seville, in Gilber, Arizona. Her seven birdies and eleven pars led to a Sunday 65, and a two-shot margin of victory over England’s Hira Naveed.

Heretofore unknown at the top tier of women’s golf, Naveed posted 65-66 on the weekend to slide past a quintet of contenders, into second spot. Naveed signed for 16 birdies over the final two days, but a pair of bogeys separated her from a chance at Korda. Behind her, in third position, were Carlota Ciganda, Mi Hyang Lee, Frida Kinhult, Maja Stark, and a resurgent Lexi Thompson.

Nelly Korda began the week with birdies at four of her opening five holes. On days one and three, she posted but a single bogey over the play of the course. Friday was a bit topsy-turvey, with a trio of bogeys offset by a dramatic eagle at the fifth. When it looked as if things were slipping away, Korda closed with birdie on day two, to gain momentum at the halfway point. Her swing is efficient and consistent, and when her mental game and putting join the full move, little can stop her. The Ford Championship was her eleventh on tour, and her third of the young season.

.@NellyKorda is No. 1 for a reason ?

Nelly birdies for the solo lead with just two holes left to go ? pic.twitter.com/WimuZPK0Pf

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 31, 2024

DP World Tour @ Indian Open: Nakajima nearly romps to win

Keita Nakajima set a record of 87 consecutive weeks as the top-ranked amateur in men’s golf. He won four times on the Japan PGA tour and built a five-shot advantage over the first 54 holes of the Indian Open. When he turned in minus-three on Sunday, his advantage swelled to near-double digits. It was a coming-out party for a potential, future champion.

Things turned sour on the inward half. Don’t worry: we did not misleed with our sub-header; Nakajima won. After four solid pars to begin the trek home, the leader made a sloppy, double bogey at the 14th hole. The hole owned Nakajima all week-he played it in a combined plus-five shots to par.

The leader rebounded with birdie at the next but closed with three consecutive bogeys for an inward 40 and 73 on the day. No matter: Nakajima won by four shots over India’s Veer Ahlawat, Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg, and the USA’s Johannes Veerman. Ahlawat managed 71 on Sunday, to move up four slots. Söderberg and Veerman posted 67 to each ascend 11 spaces.

Keita Nakajima makes yet another long putt for birdie and extends his lead to six ?#HIO24 pic.twitter.com/wG1JmL6Lls

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 31, 20 24

PGA Tour Americas @ TotalPlay: JJR wins at home

By all accounts, the merger of the PGA Tour LA and PGA Tour CA was a positive thing. Gone are the qualifying for two tours, and the uncertainty of a season-long circuit for golfers striving to reach the Korn Ferry tier. This week, the PGA Tour Americas moved to the Atlas Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico. Those in attendance were treated to a wondrous performance by a son of the nation, José de Jesús Rodríguez. A man with a stress mark in each of his three names is specially-written, and specially gifted, after all.

Rodríguez was marvelous over the first three rounds. Scores of 68-65-67 brought him to the pole position, heading into the event’s final lap. Sunday saw an early bogey (3) and a late one (17), and a lot of grit and determination in between. Jesús Montenegro of Argentina closed within one of the leader, but 13-deep was the farthest he could advance. Derek Hitchner and Joey Vzich of the USA matched 71s on Sunday to finish at 12-under par, in a third-place tie. The title, after a 72nd-hole par, belonged to José de Jesús Rodríguez, aka El Camarón Rojo, and all of Mexico celebrated with an olé!

This close to an eagle ?@elcamaronrdgz taps in for birdie on the par 5, 15th to take a one shot lead with 3 holes to play. pic.twitter.com/izO5EyO9sE

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) March 31, 2024

PGA Tour Champions @ Galleri Classic: Goosen gets gift and glory

It’s easy to recall Retief Goosen’s twin U.S. Open titles, in 2001 and 2004. He displayed an icy disposition under pressure as those around him wilted. It’s difficult to forget his collapse at Pinehurst in 2005, as he was on the cusp of a third U.S. Open title, and a place among the game’s greats. Although three more tour titles would come his way, he was never again the same player in major events.

The senior circuit, aka PGA Tour Champions, is a second chance at many things, for many players. For Goosen, it represents an opportunity to rebuild competitive scenarios, and rekindle the fires that burn within the competitive soul. For much of the Galleri Classic this week, Goosen and others watched as Steven Alker and Ricardo González dueled in the desert. In the end, neither player stood ahead of the field.

Both Alker and González posted late bogeys. González made three of them, from holes 14 to 17, while Alker finished bogey-bogey. Each golfer concluded his week at twelve shots under par, one agonizing shot behind Goosen. How did the two-time, U.S. Open champion reach the magic number? He avoided old man bogey. Three birdies and 15 pars on day three were enough to place the South African champion in contention, and he simply held firm, as those around him fell. The win was Goosen’s third on the senior circuit, and his first since 2022.

The Goose is loose.

Retief Goosen trails by one with three to play @GalleriClassic. pic.twitter.com/MlJsFEFNUK

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 31, 2024

 

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco. For comments: [email protected] Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Jaegar came out on top of a thrilling Sunday at the Houston Open. 1. In Houston: Jaeger takes it Kevin Prise for PGATour.com…”Stephan Jaeger carries three ball markers in his bag. One is for his son Fritz, another for his dog Phil, and a third for his late dad Klaus, who passed away two years ago this month.” “Jaeger reached into his bag Sunday morning, as part of a five-way co-lead at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, and pulled out the ball marker for his “Papa Klaus.” It made him smile. It was an extra push to play hard for his dad – who helped introduce him to the game in Germany as an elementary schooler, riding in the cart as his parents and sister played – against a tightly packed leaderboard that included young phenoms Nick Dunlap and Akshay Bhatia, several pros seeking their first TOUR title, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler – the oddsmakers’ overwhelming favorite into the final round at Memorial Park Golf Course.” “Scheffler seemed inevitable as he eyed a third win in as many starts, looking to become the first TOUR player since 2017 to do so. After Jaeger two-putted for par on No. 18 Sunday for a final-round 67 and a 12-under 268 total, Scheffler had a 5-footer for birdie to force a playoff. Scheffler missed, and Jaeger earned his first TOUR title at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, one stroke clear of five players: Scheffler, Tony Finau, Alejandro Tosti, Taylor Moore and Thomas Detry.” Full piece. 2. LPGA: Another for Nelly Sarah Kellerman for LPGA.com…”Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda looked unstoppable on Sunday at the Ford Championship presented by KCC. After picking up her 10th career LPGA Tour title last week at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship in a playoff over Ryann O’Toole, Korda ran it back this week at Seville Golf and Country Club, firing a bogey-free, 7-under 65 to earn her third straight victory on the LPGA Tour, winning by two shots over rookie Hira Naveed on a dreary day in the desert.” “I think it was definitely one of my least stressful wins today. I played really solid golf,” said Korda, whose 65 is her lowest final-round score since she carded a 64 on Sunday at the 2021 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. “I didn’t make too many mistakes, and if I did, I just had a straightforward chip. Overall, I capitalized on the majority of my really good shots out there today and made some good putts as well. I’m very, very pleased with how I played today in the tough conditions.” Full piece. 3. Tosti’s testy exchange? Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”But things didn’t end there. On the next hole, Tosti hooped a 10-footer for birdie, a make that elicited a couple big fist pumps from the fiery Argentine. Wood implied that Tosti’s reaction was directed at Finau, who was close by, and he said on the broadcast that there was “no love lost” between Tosti and Finau.” “You can cut the tension with a knife between Finau and Tosti right now,” Wood added during the sixth hole, where there was another brief exchange about who was away, though nothing like the fourth hole. “Tony just pointed at him and walked away. Tosti kind of smiled as if to say ‘You’re kidding right?’ It’s just completely icy. It is not comfortable between those two at all. It’s just tension.” Finau didn’t talk to media after the round while Tosti wasn’t asked about Finau. Cameras showed the pair appearing to be cordially chatting on the eighth tee box. Tosti birdied three holes beginning with No. 8 while Finau posted 72 to drop to 7 under, two shots off the lead. “Alejandro’s not scared of anyone,” Deacon added on Golf Central. “… It’s a war out there for him, and I think that rubs some people the wrong way, and maybe that came out a little bit today.” Full piece. 4. Sahith throws a strike Golf Channel staff report…”Sahith Theegala admitted he was nervous about throwing the first pitch in Saturday’s Houston Astros-New York Yankees game.” “If anything, I’m going to sail it – I will not put it in the dirt,” he said Friday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. “I hope I can keep that promise.” “He did. Theegala hit the mitt at Minute Maid Park.” Full piece. 5. Withdrawing from Olympic consideration Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton are among a list of notable players who have requested to opt out of the 2024 Olympics, Golf Digest has learned. Spanish outlet ElPeriodiGolf was the first to report the news.” “This summer in Paris will be golf’s third appearance in the Olympics since the sport returned in 2016 after a 112-year absence. However, a number of marquee names bowed out of the 2016 Rio Games due to fears of the Zika virus, and though turnout was improved at the COVID-delayed 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, some of the game’s biggest stars still skipped the proceedings. While participation is expected to increase in 2024, not everyone wants to compete.” Full piece. 6. Tiger scouts Augusta? 7. Winning WITB: Stephan Jaeger Presented by 2nd Swing Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 60 TX 3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X 7-wood: Ping G425 Max (20.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Yellow 83 6.5 Irons: Ping S55 (3-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50.12F @49, 54.14F @53, 56.14F @57) Shafts: Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Odyssey Ai-One 2-Ball Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0 Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Full WITB.

In early 2023, GolfWRX Featured Writer Brendan Ryan was playing golf with a group of friends. They were on their third round of the day, and one quipped about a Golf Digest article discussing who had played the most golf in America. The story looked clear cut, Barry Gibbons of Austin Texas in 2020 played 1,234.

“That’s a joke,” quipped Ryan.

Everyone looked puzzled. Ryan got out his phone to pull up some supporting research.

Here’s the thing; Texas is not a good place to try and break the record because of the weather. In 2020, one of the best winters on record, Austin still had 13 days of overnight temps below freezing. Most occurred in January and December, which are also the shortest days. So if you cannot play until 9:30 and it gets dark at 4:30, you have seven hours for 54 holes.

There is about the heat. In 2020, Austin had about 15 days of weather above 102.

It had 2 inches of rain on April 2, 2.7 inches May 12, 1.62 inches December 19, 2 inches December 31, 3.5 inches September 4, 2.7 inches May 24, 2.7 inches May 2, 2 inches April 3 and so on.

Plus, according to the article, he took three days off.

In total, that’s about 30 days of non-ideal conditions in which he averaged 54 holes, every day. Is that really possible, Ryan asked.

Next, Ryan quips, “Over-under on the length of the course for the other guy mentioned in the article?”

Everyone now keenly focused. A maintenance guys drive up to join the discussion. Guesses start flying and range from 3,100-3,600 yards for the nine-hole muni in Wisconsin where Nolan Krentz claims to have played 18,000 holes.

Actual answer: Norsk Golf Club is 2,946 yards from the tips. It features a 244-yard par 4 and 420-yard par 5.

So what is the actual Guinness record? 812.5 rounds. Riding. By Chris Adam. All riding. All in Hawaii.

Brendan Ryan was pretty sure he could do better than that.

“Let me tell you,” says Ryan. “This is not about playing a lot of golf. It’s about luck. Having the weather to play that many rounds is not that easy.”

Luckily, Ryan, retired, lives half the year in Florida and half the year in Utah. Basically the best weather you can have, on a budget!

By the end of the 2023 calendar year, he’d racked up 820 rounds, 347 of them walking. All played from over 7,000 yards. Each round was recorded in a journal. Each round was played with a core group of people who have attested to the record.

Is it good enough? Could this GolfWRX Featured Writer be the new Guinness World Record holder?

“I’m not sure. Guinness has asked for video evidence.” The fact is that the 820 rounds averaged just over four hours of time. In total, the attempt took about 22 full weeks of time.

“Thank God I didn’t try to record video. Think my iPhone 4 would go ballistic,” laughs Ryan.

Besides video, Ryan has all the other elements required for proof. So maybe the new record for most rounds of golf played in a year is 820. We will have to wait and see what the official decision is from Guinness.