News

Scott, Australia get their first green jacket

Published

11 years ago

Apr 14, 2013

Adam Scott and Australia donned a green jacket for the first time Sunday, as Scott defeated Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff.

Both playoff combatants birdied No. 18 in regulation to finish at 9-under, two shots clear of runner up Jason Day. They then split the fairway with their tee balls in the first playoff hole, No. 18. Both spun approaches off the green, chipped up close (starting to get the theme here?) and both went on to No. 10.

After Scott’s 3 wood found the fairway, Cabrera annihilated a 3-iron into the short grass. They remained step-for-step as both players again reached the green and had makeable putts for birdie, with Scott’s ball slightly closer to the hole. Cabrera missed, Scott made and the ghost of Greg Norman’s misfortune was exorcised from the grounds of Augusta forever.

“Es un gran jugador y de verdad lo merece,” said Angel Cabrera at the completion of the tournament, describing Adam Scott. “He is a great player and he truly deserves it.”

Greatness was thrust upon Scott at an early age. His first professional win came on the European Tour in 2001, at the age of 21. He won his first big event three years later in the U.S., surviving a final-hole glitch at The Players. In 2011, his outstanding performance at the Masters was overshadowed by Charl Schwartzel’s closing stretch. In 2012, he seemed to have the British Open in his grasp, only to lose the lead and the tournament on the final green.

Click here to see the equipment Scott had in the bag at the Masters.

The 2013 Masters was a crossroads for Adam Scott. A loss to Cabrera might have meant another dagger to the psyche and the ego. In the end, Scott was up to the challenge and may have arrived as the player for whom much was predicted.

Thirteen golfers began Sunday at the Masters within five strokes of the lead, including co-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Cabrera, who won the Masters in 2009. Snedeker went the wrong way from No. 2 onward, making one more birdie to go with four bogeys. It seemed as if his day had ended early. Cabrera would be in the thick of the competition all day, as El Pato (“the duck” in Spanish, Cabrera’s nickname) was at home in the gentle rain. His 2009 victory at Augusta would confirm his quiet confidence.

Day had a birdie-eagle start and seized the lead from Snedeker (who birdied No. 1) and Cabrera. Day would bogey Nos. 6 and 9 holes to give two shots back, then rebounded with a birdie on No. 13 to close within one of Cabrera. Day made another bogey at No. 17 and there were two at the top, one a stroke behind. Day was unable to coax home a birdie from 20 feet on No. 18 and came up one stroke shy.

At 5:45, Tiger Woods found himself two strokes out of the lead. If those strokes sounded familiar, they were precisely the penalty licks he received on Friday, after taking an improper drop on No. 15. Who knows what might have happened if he and the field had seen his name on top the leader board at that juncture.

With four holes to go at 6 p.m., Australia liked its odds. Day, Scott and Marc Leishman occupied three of the top-four spots on the leader board. Day made birdie on No. 15 to take a two-stroke lead as Scott watched from the fairway. Day’s countryman then zipped an iron in to 20 feet for a run at eagle and a tie for the lead. Moments later, Leishman’s chances at victory ended as he came up feet short of the green and caromed backward into the pond of despair alongside the Sarazen bridge.

Cabrera’s wild-slice approach found the left greenside bunker, but he was unable to get up and down for a birdie to tie the leaders. Scott left himself 20 feet to take the lead on No. 16, but could not convert. If things weren’t dramatic enough, they quickened the pulse yet again. Cabrera birdied No. 16 and narrowly missed taking the lead with a birdie putt that creased the edge of the hole. At this moment, an entire antipodean population must have wondered if its hearts would again be broken by divinely-played intervention.

On No. 18, Scott drove ball in rough just shy of fairway bunkers. His approach, played to the right side of the green, caught the slope and trundled down to about 30 fee from the hole. Unlike in 2009, when he drove it in the woods on No. 18, Cabrera split the middle with a knife-like drive. After missing putts left, right and short on the previous three holes, Scott drained his birdie and forced Cabrera to make three to tie. Proving that ducks run cold blood through their bodies, Cabrera stuffed his approach to three feet, bringing on the playoff.

The playoff could have been another stumbling block for Scott, but this time he survived to win Australia’s first-ever green jacket.

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Ronald Montesano

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.

13 Comments

Chris

Apr 20, 2013 at 9:44 am

I keep hearing tradition and then I note that the long/belly putter has been used since the game was invented. Seems pretty traditional to me.

What would be nice is if people took time to educate themselves rather than regurgitating 10 second sound lips they heard on TV.

Same as our voting public, we have “low information” people trolling our golf sites….

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Steve St. Clair

Apr 15, 2013 at 6:49 pm

Hey, G, why don’t you move on to some other game that you can respect. Leave golf to those of us with lower standards than you that still enjoy the game, respect the game, and the players. Seems like you might suffer from broomstick envy…

Reply Report comment
Tim

Apr 15, 2013 at 10:34 am

The Masters did not disappoint again! Wonderful, exciting to the end.

As to what the pubilc (non-playing) thinks of golf, I think they found more than enough to prove the game instills character and perseverance in the players, both professional and amateur. Perhaps things that not all the “public” truly understands.

I felt for Jason Day, but he will be there again. I felt for Brad, but his time will come. I felt for Tiger, but he will gain confidence knowing he overcame the penalty to again be “in the mix” as he calls it.

No other tournament has the drama to the end that the Masters does!

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Apr 15, 2013 at 11:25 am
  
  Oh I think the general public understands plenty. If they’re not playing golf, then they’re playing tennis, into the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, and if not, then, soccer, Track & Field, etc etc.
  I think the public knows there is something not quite right with golf at the moment for the game to attract such rules arguments even among the veterans of the game, including the legends like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. I think they are fully aware that when the government body in the USGA comes out not necessary a rule change, but a firm decision on the rules which had been rather weakly defined, to finally become the law for future generations to level off the game.
  
  The public understands. They see it everywhere else. A lot of the public still thinks it’s a silly game that they can pick up in their retirement and expect to play like the legends or like Woods just by buying the same exact equipment advertised on TV, and that those of us who have been playing it for their entire lives have no right to mock the newcomers because, in the end, the newcomers don’t care what the rules are, they just want to play.
  Is that what the games is all about? The rules are meant to be broken and ignored and argued, for the sake of the “enjoyment” of the game? Is that what Adam Scott has been given, a license to just enjoy the game like everybody else with equipment that looks like it doesn’t belong in golf?
  
  Reply Report comment
llamont

Apr 15, 2013 at 3:26 am

Well done, Adam! I’m glad to see genuinely classy person and a ferocious competitor (at the same darned time) win their first major in a tournament that was so “eventful”. Cheers!!!

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Derek

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:39 am

I’m going to have to agree with Ronaldo and Pat.

Although I’m not in favour of the anchored putters (belly and chest alike) because of it’s complete runaway of “tradition” so to speak; also you could argue that under NORMAL circumstances it might help a below average putter become average… by no means does it make good putters great and average putters good.

Moving on, to their point, the best putters in the game are all using conventional putters with conventional grips: a la Tiger and Snedeker; arguably the two best putters in the game today.

Also, if you’ve forgotton that ALL of the rules are in “the book” as you call it, then you have lost touch with the game, not everyone else. The rules of golf are pretty clear cut, hence why Tiger suffered a 2 stroke penalty for dropping the ball further from the described proximity and being saved from DQ thanks to the new rule which might save a golfer if a decision is made after he has signed what would be a good score-card if it wasn’t altered by the committee after the game.

And lastly, although I simpathize with Guan, Chamblee explained it quite well when he said that all players are slow, but experienced players know how to circumvent the rule, Ie. walking slowly and allowing their caddy to reach the ball first and make 80% of the decision before the player gets there… etc. Obviously Guan doesn’t know this because he’s 14 playing in a PGA Tour event (let alone the Master’s) for the first time…

Ps. Golf gods exist because he made the cut anyways. Cheers.

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phase3golf

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:34 am

Well done Adam, “monkey” of the back so to speak and C’mon Aussie!!!

Reply Report comment
Patrick Millard

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:12 am

Well said roland
If scotty could put he would have won this by 4 or 5 strokes.
Cheers

Reply Report comment
Ryan

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:12 am

One of the best Masters I’ve ever seen. I really enjoyed it.

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Ronald Montesano

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:05 am

G,
Did you see Scott miss the eagle putt on 15, the birdie putt on 16 and the birdie putt on 17? You can’t tell me that it has salvaged his putting game. He won with his tee to green game, not with his scrambling and his 6-10 feet putts.

It’s terrific that you “dedicated players” will continue to educate the laypeople (sic).

I found this to be a wondrous week in golf. The game survived two controversies (Guan and Woods) and gave us a magical ending in spite of a day of wretched conditions.

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Apr 15, 2013 at 2:36 am
  
  Not arguing the ones he missed – he missed plenty, yes – but at the same time, how would he have been had he used a normal, non-anchored putter at a normal length, of say, 35 inches? He tried experimenting again earlier this year, thinking that the rules would be in place immediately, and when he found out it wasn’t, he was quick to drop that and go right back to the broomstick.
  
  Could he have putted so well over the past couple of years had he been forced to use a conventional 35 incher. The answer is unequivocally, no. Otherwise he would have never picked up the broomstick in the first place if he was able to make putts.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - J
    
    Jul 23, 2013 at 4:20 am
    
    http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.02564.html#2004
    
    Unequivocally no? Granted, this was 9 years ago but to lead the tour for a whole year in Stroke Gained Putting shows that there is some ability there somewhere. This is proof he is capable of switching successfully back to the short putter!
    
    Reply Report comment
G

Apr 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm

This is as low and as bad as a golf tournament gets, with all its controversies, and ending with yet another controversy.

What a terrible Masters it turned out to be. Memorable for sure, as the rules will be examined through and through by the experts and beginners alike.

But the game looks bad to the general public who doesn’t really know golf or its weird rules. This tournament did not help the game any. We’re going to be made to look like a bunch of fools investing all this time into a game that really don’t have a strict set of rules for anything at all, including equipment, where everything is sort of heresay and allowed, for the sake of being nice to each other and yet not to a young kid who wants to get in on the game, being made a scapegoat, at a time when we’re desperately trying to attract more players to the game overall.

I’m already hearing how pathetic golfers are, from people around me who don’t play the game, at the silliness and pettiness of the game, for exactly the above reasons outlined above.

I do feel a bit ashamed that the game has got this low with so much bickering and un-gentlemanly conduct all around, with wishy-washy officiating that mean absolutely nothing because they no longer appear to be rules at all to the layperson watching the proceedings. I was asked – “so is it a rule in the book, or not?” And I had no real reply.

And here comes the anchoring debate. I feel for Scott, but then again, I don’t. His career has obviously been resurrected by that wretched broomstick thing, which now must be considered the decisive proof, that the devilish tool can, in fact, help those who need that sort of help. There should be no more argument, but alas – to the laypeople, they have no idea with what conundrum us dedicated players must now contend.

A sad week in golf.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Published

1 day ago

Apr 30, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).

Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.

We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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Vincenzi’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson betting preview: International talent to shine

Published

2 days ago

Apr 29, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

As anticipation mounts for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a few weeks, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in McKinney, Texas to play The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

Last year was the third time TPC Craig Ranch hosted the Byron Nelson. Prior to 2021, the event was held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

TPC Craig Ranch is a 7,414-yard par-71 that features Bentgrass greens. The event historically plays relatively easy, and that has remained the case in the three editions at TPC Craig Ranch.

The course structure may provide some additional intrigue with the par-3 17th featuring a stadium setup called “Ranch 17” which is reminiscent of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The course also has both long and difficult par-4s mixed with drivable par-4s, which should create some exciting moments.

There are 156 golfers in the field this week, and many stars will be taking the week off to prepare for 2023’s second major championship in a few weeks and a “signature event” at Quail Hollow next week. Notable players in the field include Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.

Past Winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson

2023: Jason Day (-23 at TPC Craig Ranch)
2022: K.H. Lee (-26 at TPC Craig Ranch)
2021: K.H. Lee (-25 at TPC Craig Ranch)
2019: Sung Kang (-23)
2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)

Key Stats at TPC Craig Ranch

Let’s take a look at five key metrics for TPC Craig Ranch to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach remains the best measure of current form.

Hot iron play will be at a premium this week. Last year, Jason Day gained 6.4 strokes on approach, which was fourth in the field. In 2022, K.H. Lee was ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.2 strokes. In his 2021 victory, he was second in the field and gained 8.3 strokes on the field in the category.

Strokes Gaines: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Tom Hoge (+1.12)
Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
Ryan Moore (+0.98)
Ben Martin (0.80)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Fairways are wide at TPC Craig Ranch.

Distance will certainly be helpful, and there aren’t too many difficult holes on the course. Golfers who put themselves in position off of the tee this week should have a sizable advantage.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds

Peter Kuest (+0.93)
Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
Kevin Tway (+0.74)

Birdie or Better %

There aren’t many hazards on the course, and all of the par-5s should be reachable in two for the majority of the players in the field. I am anticipating a birdie fest, and this statistic should be helpful in finding the birdie-makers.

Birdie or Better % Over Past 24 Rounds:

Wesley Bryan (31%)
Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
Peter Kuest (25.9%)
Matti Schmid (25.7%
Jimmy Stanger (25.2%)

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)

Many golfers on TOUR have some major putting surface variance in their statistics and prefer Bentgrass to other surfaces.

Bentgrass is common in Texas, and we often see golfers who play well in Texas continue to do so, finding a great feel around the greens.

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:

Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
Callum Tarren (+0.86)
Harry Hall (+0.81)
Nick Hardy (+0.69)

Course History

This statistic will tell us which players have performed the best at TPC Craig Ranch over the past three seasons.

Course History Over Past 12 Rounds:

Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
K.H. Lee (+2.59)
Seamus Power (+1.84)
Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
Adam Scott (+1.72)

CJ CUP Byron Nelson Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (24%), Birdie or Better % (18%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (16%).

Alex Noren
Adam Scott
Keith Mitchell
Si Woo Kim
Stephen Jaeger
Jordan Spieth
Jhonnatan Vegas
Nate Lashley
Brice Garnett
Tom Hoge

2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson Picks

Byeong Hun An +3000 (DraftKings)

Byeong Hun put together an excellent performance at The Masters, finishing T16, which ties his best ever finish at a major championship (also T16 at 2019 U.S. Open). The South Korean gained 9.16 strokes from tee to green, which ranked 2nd in the field behind only the champion, Scottie Scheffler.

An’s next start at Harbour Town didn’t go as well (67th), but he still had a fantastic ball striking week. The 32-year-old bled strokes both around and on the greens, which was his eventual undoing. In his past three starts, An has gained significant strokes on the field both off the tee and on approach.

Benny had a strong start at last year’s Byron Nelson, finishing in a tie for 14th. With limited challenges on the course, he shouldn’t have to do much scrambling. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 17th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in the field in birdie or better percentage. The putter is up and down per usual, but his ceiling putting weeks with his LAB Golf putter in 2024 are higher than they’ve been in past seasons.

An is starting to become my “white whale” of the PGA Tour, but I believe in his talent and TPC Craig Ranch is a course that should suit his excellent tee to green play.

Mackenzie Hughes +5500 (FanDuel)

Mackenzie Hughes is quietly putting together a very good season. He finished in a tie for 3rd at the Valspar Championship and followed that up with a T14 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

In his past 36 rounds in Texas, the Canadian ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total. Last year, he finished in a tie for 14th at this event and gained strokes putting and off the tee. Mackenzie played well that week despite being in extremely poor form. He missed two cuts in a row prior to the event, and four consecutive cuts immediately after. His irons were off that week, but in 2024, we’ve seen an improvement in Hughes’ approach game. He now comes to the event playing some steady golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five events and is hitting the ball very well from tee to green.

Hughes has two victories on the PGA Tour, both coming in relatively low-scoring affairs (-17 in each). He will need to go a bit deeper to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson but has the type of putter that can keep pace in a birdie barrage.

Seamus Power +7000 (FanDuel)

After struggling over the past few seasons with injuries, Seamus Power seems as if he is rounding back into the form that made him a really consistent player on the PGA Tour.

Power finished T12 in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage, which is encouraging considering it was a “signature event” with a very strong field. For the week, the Irishman gained 4.4 strokes on approach and 2.8 strokes putting, which is the combination he’s used in the past to contend on Tour.

In his three trips to TPC Craig Ranch, Power is yet to finish outside of the top-20, with his best finish being a T9 in 2019. He ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course. The 37-year-old thrives on easy tracks and has won in 2021 (Barbasol Championship) and 2022 (Butterfield Bermuda) on easier layouts with weaker fields.

Power has the game to go extremely low and I believe he can get back in the winner’s circle for the third time in four years.

Chan Kim +10000 (FanDuel)

Chan Kim has been striking the ball beautifully this season and is a proven winner with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 as well as eight career Japan Tour wins.

At last week’s Zurich Classic, Kim and his partner Doug Ghim finished in a tie for 28th. Prior to that, the South Korean T14 at the Valero Texas Open and T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. His success this season in Texas as well as he propensity to play his best golf on the PGA Tour’s easier courses make him and ideal fit for TPC Craig Ranch.

2024 has given plenty of longshot winners on the PGA Tour, and with a birdie fest like this, I believe there’s a strong chance we get another this week in McKinney, Texas.

Alejandro Tosti +10000 (FanDuel)

Alejandro Tosti is one of the most polarizing players on the PGA Tour thus far in the 2024 season. His antics can rub many the wrong way, but he’s shown on a few occasions that he has what it takes to compete in Tour events.

This season, Tosti has been elite off the tee. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The Argentine hits it long and straight, which works at any course on earth. He got a taste of contention a few starts ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, finishing in a tie for 2nd place.

Tosti had a fantastic year in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour, where going low is a prerequisite to success. If this turns to a shootout, which it likely will, the 27-year-old has the ability to set the pace. Tosti will look to become the second Argentine to win in Texas in the past two seasons after Emiliano Grillo emerged victorious at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

C.T. Pan +15000 (FanDuel)

Outside of a T3 at the Mexico Open, C.T. Pan doesn’t have strong results this season in terms of finishes. However, over his past two starts, Pan’s iron play has come alive. At The Players, he gained 6.6 strokes on approach. At the Valero Texas Open, he gained 3.7. At last week’s Zurich Classic, Pan and his partner Kevin Yu finished T28. For a player who can get extremely hot with his scoring clubs, I believe he’s playing better than the results have shown over the past month or so.

Last season, Pan finished 4th at TPC Craig Ranch and was spectacular across all the major stat categories. In his past 36 qualifying rounds, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas.

Pan has won on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage and is always a player that I believe has what it takes to win on a Sunday if he finds himself in contention.

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Morning 9: McIlroy, Lowry win Zurich | Green repeats on LPGA | Steele victorious down under

Published

2 days ago

Apr 29, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, after an exciting finish in New Orleans saw Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry come out on top.

1. Two Irishman in New Orleans

AP report…”Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry received a standing ovation when they showed up at historic, creole French Quarter restaurant Arnaud’s on the eve of their final round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event.”

“They also had the largest, loudest galleries at the TPC Louisiana, where the charismatic, 34-year-old McIlroy, had not previously played.

“He’s getting old, but he still moves the needle a little bit,” Lowry joked as McIlroy chuckled. “Rory brings a crowd and people love him and we’ve gotten a lot of love in New Orleans. We’ve had just the best week.”

“McIlroy and Lowry won Sunday, beating Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer with a nervy par on the first hole of a playoff.

“Trainer pushed a 6-foot par putt to the right of the cup to end it, with Lowry lifting a laughing McIlroy off the ground with a bear hug on the green.”

Full piece.

2. Green repeats on LPGA

AP report…”Hannah Green won the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship for the second straight year Sunday, holing out twice from off the greens in a pivotal back-nine stretch at challenging Wilshire Country Club.”

“A year after making a 25-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation and winning on the second hole of a playoff, Green — with help from Maja Stark — took the late drama out of this one for her fifth LPGA Tour victory and second of the year.

“It wasn’t as a eventful as the last couple days. I was nervous,” Green said. “And I’ve never been able to win having a lead into the last hole like that, so it is nice to be able to get it done earlier in the round.”

“Green closed with a 5-under 66 to beat Stark by three strokes. The 27-year-old Australian, also the winner early last month in Singapore, finished at 12-under 272 on the tree-lined layout with poa annua greens that become bumpy late in the day.”

Full piece.

3. DP World Tour: The local takes it

Staff report…”Yuto Katsuragawa continued a history-making season for players from Japan on the DP World Tour with a three-shot victory on home soil at the ISPS HANDA – CHAMPIONSHIP.”

“The local favourite entered the final day at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course three shots off the lead but was right in the mix at the turn as many of the leading players stumbled.”

“Sebastian Söderberg was the only one keeping pace with him but the 25-year-old started the back nine with five birdies in seven holes to leave the Swede in his wake and finish at 17 under after a course-record equalling 63.”

Full piece.

4. LIV: Steele Down Under

AP report…”Three-time PGA Tour winner Brendan Steele held off a fast finishing Louis Oosthuizen to win the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament at The Grange Golf Club by one stoke.”

“The 41-year-old Steele shot a final round 68 Sunday for a 54-hole total of 18-under 198 to earn his first victory since he won his second Safeway Open in 2017 on the PGA Tour.”

Full piece.

5. Langer set for return

Golf Channel staff report…”Three months after tearing his Achilles tendon and undergoing surgery, Bernhard Langer is scheduled to return on the PGA Tour Champions.”

“Langer’s injury occurred while playing pickleball on Feb 1. He had surgery the next day and had to miss what was supposed to be his final Masters appearance earlier this month.”

Full piece.

6. “Proud” Norman speaks

…Vindication is not the right word,” Norman told Australian Golf Digest before pausing.

“It’s the ignorance of others who simply didn’t understand what we were trying to do. I actually feel sorry for them because they now see the true value of LIV Golf and want to be a part of it.”

Norman was quick to pay tribute to the Australian faithful for their unconditional support of not only LIV Golf Adelaide but his own playing career. An estimated 35,000 spectators packed Grange Golf Club on Sunday, the majority sticking around to line the 18th fairway and cheer on Cam Smith and Marc Leishman in their dramatic two-hole playoff victory against South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester.

“The support Australia gave me during my own playing career for decades was something I have never forgotten,” says Norman, bursting with pride. “It’s why I brought LIV Golf back home – I did it for them. The people have well and truly spoken. Both individual and team golf is alive and well in Australia and they deserve it. I knew they would support this event.

“I’m feeling extremely proud right now. With what we’ve (LIV Golf) gone through over the past 16 months, both as a league and what I’ve copped personally… the hatred… this makes it all worthwhile.”