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Tour Mash: Hahn wins in playoff at Quail Hollow, Jutanugarn holds on

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Something about Quail Hollow and playoffs; they’re almost a guarantee at the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship. Hint: it didn’t disappoint. Some of the other tours dealt with Mother Nature’s wrath and survived. For the full Tour Mash, read on.

PGA Tour: Hahn gets second chance, wins Wells Fargo

James Hahn found himself in the best position possible: a stroke ahead of Roberto Castro, 40 feet from the final hole in two, a two-putt par away from a probable victory. Problem was, Hahn left that first putt short by 5 feet, then missed his par effort. When Castro two-putted the same green moments later from 50 feet, the pair was off to the 18th for a playoff, with an inaugural victory on the line for Castro and a 2nd win in the works for Hahn.

On the day’s seventh hole, Hahn negotiated 51 feet and two tiers for eagle on the par-5, On the day’s final hole, Hahn faced four and a half feet for victory. He didn’t falter, putting an end to an eight-event streak of missed cuts in style. For Castro, his playoff drive into the Quail Hollow creek and the resulting runner-up finish were certainly bitter, but also an affirmation that he is not far away from an inaugural PGA Tour victory.

For some of the tour’s bigger names, Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club sent them away with more questions than answers. For the second time this year, Rickie Fowler had a chance to establish a reputation as a clutch player, but failed to do so, finishing 2-over on the day and T4 with Andrew Loupe, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy. 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose stood at 10-under with eight holes to play. Like Fowler, he was weak down the stretch, playing the final octet in 2-over to conclude one agonizing shot out of the playoff.

Related: See the PXG clubs Hahn used to win

LPGA Tour: Jutanugarn holds on at Yokohama Tire Classic

The season of redemption on the professional tours continues. For Ariya Jutanugarn, the Yokohama Tire Classic won’t erase her late demise at last month’s ANA Inspiration. That one, after all, was a major championship opportunity and Jutanugarn was in search of her first tour victory. The young Thai pro had an opportunity to vindicate herself in Alabama and she made the most of the chance. Despite a penultimate-hole bogey, Jutanugarn held off a trio of challengers by one meager stroke.

Amy Yang had a chance to catch the youngster, but bogeyed the same 17th hole to finish 13-under. Stacy Lewis, who inconceivably has not won on tour in nearly two years, played a near-perfect round with three birdies and no bogeys, but also came up shy by a single shot. Morgan Pressel birdied two of her last three to join that trio, but this was Jutanugarn’s day and week.

Champions Tour: Parnevik wins on Daly’s debut

Jesper Parnevik last raised a tournament trophy in 2001 at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic. But that year, he also lost in a playoff to Justin Leonard at the Valero Texas Open. On Sunday, Parnevik found a gear he once knew in his junior tour days and blitzed the field at Texas’ Insperity Invitational. The Swede amassed six birdies against one bogey on the day and left his overnightco-leader Jeff Maggert, David Frost and first-round leader Mike Goodes in the dust, racing to a four-stroke victory.

Maggert looked to be the lead horse after he left the gate on Sunday with birdies on his first two holes. The Texan faltered from there on, with one final birdie more than countered by two bogies. It wasn’t enough on this day. Frost began his run two late, playing the front nine in even par. He made four birdies in five holes on the back, but the fifth hole was a bogey.

Goodes certainly had the most dramatic final round in the field. Having lost the 2013 playing of this event in a playoff, the veteran appeared to have a shot a the 2016 title, and seven birdies in round three would have led many to anticipate such a victory lap. Unfortunately for Goodes, he added three bogeys and a double-bogey to his scorecard.

Making his Champions Tour debut, John Daly finished T17 (2-under), 10 shots off Parnevik’s pace.

European Tour: Nurrios and Wang win at Royal Dar Es Salaam

One of the most unique weeks in European golf ended with a splash, or a drizzle, or a dunk. The Royal Dar Es Salaam golf complex in Morocco played host simultaneously to the Lalla Meryem Cup (Blue Course) on the Ladies European Tour and the Trophee Hassan II (Red Course) on the men’s circuit. A final-day downpour began partway through the morning and continued through the afternoon, demanding patience from golfers in both events.

The yellow and red flag of Spain almost swept both tournaments. While the majority of contestants in the Lalla Meryem Cup struggled through the downpour, Nuria Iturrios was in her element. The Canary Islands native birdied eight of the final day’s holes and posted a 65, four shots better than the next-best score. Iturrios sailed past Florentyna Parker’s to a six-stroke margin of victory. Lost along the way was the USA’s Angel Yin, who opened with double on Sunday, then added seven birdies through 14 holes to close within a stroke of Iturrios. The Yin Express derailed with three consecutive bogeys, and the 18-year old rookie settled for a third-place finish.

Screenshot (77)

At the Trophee Hassan II, Nacho Elvira of Spain and Jeunghun Wang of South Korea finished 72 holes at minus-five. As with the Lalla Meryem competitors, they waited and watched as other contestants (Robert Rock, Clement Berardo) bogeyed the final hole to drop from the lead. Elvira and Wang returned to the course to settle the matter. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Wang holed 88 feet of putts on the 18th green to secure his first European Tour title. For Nacho Elvira, the close call with victory should serve as inspiration, especially after facing a lie like this one on hole two of the playoff.

PGA Tour LA: Sam Fidone tops U.S. quartet at Honduras Open

Screenshot (78)

The PGA Tour Latinoamerica has prospered in its short existence. Many emerging talents from the Americas have earned victories on the developmental circuit. For one week in May, though, four players from the U.S. made a run at the rain-delayed Honduras Open and the tournament ended with fireworks often seen from the world’s top golfers.

Seth Fair eagled his second hole on Sunday, made three birdies on the inward half, and finished 5-under on the day. It wasn’t enough, and he finished solo second, one shot behind the winner. Eric Steger birdied his final three holes and signed for 2-under on day four; it wasn’t enough for him, either, as he finished two shots back, in third place. Ditto Brad Brunner, whose four fourth-round birdies were offset by two bogies, leading to a 4th-place finish.

Sam Fidone, out of Texas and SMU, led the tournament through three rounds, but faltered on his outward half on Sunday afternoon, making four bogies after opening with birdie. Fidone clotted his wound with birdies on Nos. 13 and 16, then closed with a spectacular eagle from 24 feet to steal the tournament from Fair.

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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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  1. Pike

    May 9, 2016 at 12:44 pm

    Congrats Jesper!

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Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship

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GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.

From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.

Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.

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Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

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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.

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Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

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