News

Tour Rundown: Mighty heroics at the AmEx, plus Westy, Gaby, and Tommy

Published

4 years ago

Jan 20, 2020

There was a bushel of tournament golf this weekend. There were 6 major professional events, accompanied by 1 notable amateur competition. Almost too much good golf for the middle of January. Yet here we are, with so much tour to rundown. If what we’ve seen thus far, in the decade known as the neo-roaring 20s, is representative of things to come, it shall be memorable and the stuff of legend. Enjoy this week’s Tour Rundown, as we travel from Singapore to Mexico, Abu Dhabi to Palm Desert. Zoom!

PGA Tour: The American Express debuts with mighty heroics

If someone, anyone, had said that Andrew Landry would make 5 birdies on the homeward nine, 8 birdies on the day, and somehow, still be uncertain of winning the TAE, would anyone have listened? That’s how things played out on day 4, in the Coachella Valley. What it took, you see, was a recent, Presidents Cup hero, 9 birdies, and a 63, paired with 3 consecutive bogeys from the leader. Abraham Ancer did his part, with 63 on Sunday, for a -24 total. Andrew Landry looked mighty good after 12 holes: 5 under on the day and and a solid lead. Bogeys on 13 … 14 … 15, and suddenly, Ancer was tied for the lead. Landry regrouped, trusted, and executed. Near tap-in birdie putts on 17 and 18 separated the pride of Port Neches from his pursuer, and gave him career win number 2.

It would be too easy to write about the guy who tied for 10th, the fellow who opened 64-65, but could only close with 70-71. He would have needed 66-67 to catch Landry, so we won’t take that easy route. Even though he seems to make every USA side for international events, even though he makes hilarious commercials, even though they speak of him as a dominant tour player, which he isn’t. We shall resist. The inaugural TAE was the story of near-misses by golfers (Ancer, Scheffler, Cauley, Straka) searching for a first PGA Tour title. They came close, were buoyed by their efforts, and will, doubtless, challenge in the coming weeks. It was

European Tour: HSBC Championship flies home with Westwood

Lee Westwood inscribed his name into Euro Tour annals this week, with a 2-shot victory at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi. Since his first tour triumph in 1996, the Englishman has amassed 24 others. This week, he became the first to win in four separate decades, and reminded golf’s legion of followers that he is still worth a follow. Westwood improved each of the first three days (69-68-65) to stake himself to a 1-shot advantage over Italy’s Francesco Laporta. and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger. While his playing partners would struggle throughout the final round (74 and 72, respectively), Westwood would go deeper below par, and he would need it

France’s Victor Perez, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood each closed with the low round of the week, 63s that were matched by Laporta in round two. Matthew Fitzpatrick joined Perez and Fleetwood at 17-below par, giving England three of the top four golfers on the week. Westwood did not falter. He was out in 32, on the strength of 4 birdies, and sandwiched his lone bogey of the day, at 16, with 2 more stroke-savers. His play on the par-five 18th was stellar: drive in the heart of the fairway, followed by hybrid to the center of the green. Two putts later, Westwood raised his arms in triumph. Although he said after the round that he’d had enough Ryder Cup pressure (10 times capped), he would certainly accept it if it came his way. Well, Lee, that’s what comes with winning!

Korn Ferry Tour: Great Exuma Classic trophy held in two gloved hands

Tommy Gainey was a fan favorite from 2007 to 2012. His wins on The Big Break and at the PGA Tour’s McGladrey Classic, along with his penchant for wearing 2 golf gloves while playing, showed him to be a talented and unique competitor. From 2012 to 2019, Gainey struggled with his tournament game, essentially falling off the radar. In late 2019, he re-entered the news cycle for the wrong reasons, but 2020 provided him new opportunities. Status on the Korn Ferry Tour saw him make the trip to the Bahammas, for the KF Tour’s unique take on tournament golf: events contested from Sunday to Wednesday. Gainey started quickly, taking the lead with 66 in round one. He faltered on Monday with 75, dropping 8 shots off Dylan Wu’s electric pace of 67-66.

Round three brought another reversal, with gaining posting 67 to Wu’s 76, and the South Carolinian once again had a slim lead. Round four showed Gainey’s composure; he played calmly over the first 15 holes, with one birdie and one bogey preserving the 1-shot advantage. With the tournament on the line, Gainey birdied his way home, reaching 11 shot below par, and winning by 4 strokes. John Oda and Wu tied for the second spot, at -7, with 4 more golfers at 6-under par. The tour revisits the Sunday-Wednesday format this week, across the Bahamma’s sea at the Great Abaco Classic.

LPGA: Tournament of Champions to Gaby Lopez

While we’re waiting for the playoff to end, let’s tell you about the golfers who almost won the LPGA’s TOC this weekend. To begin, MJ Hur had 10 birdies in her Sunday 63. She also had 2 bogeys. 1 less or 1 more, and she would have reached -13, and joined the extra-hole squad. Brooke Henderson made a pair of bogeys early, at holes 2 and 3. She piled on 5 birdies after; as with Hur, 1 less or 1 more. She and Hur tied for 4th at -12. Annie Park reached -11, with Lexi Thompson and Sei Young Kim at -10. Nelly Korda played some of the best golf over the final 54 holes, but saddled herself with an opening 73. She remains the player to watch, at least from the USA, in 2020.

Ok, playoff’s over. It began yesterday, with 3 contestants in the mix: Inbee Park (the great one!), Gaby Lopez, and Nasa Hataoka. Advantage: Park … right? Wrong. The ladies played the par-three 18th hole over … and over … and over. Mind-numbing stuff, I’ll admit. Park dunked her tee shot on the 3rd go-round, and she was gone. Lopez and Hataoka got 2 more revolutions in before darkness hit. With a combined 10 pars between them, they hugged, slept, awakened, and got back to business on Monday morning. Understand, for a moment, that the 18th at Diamond Resorts is no pitch-and-putt short hole. The Lopez, Park and Hataoka bashed hybrid after hybrid, over water, to this oddly-angled shell of a green. To make 12 of 13 pars, after 18 holes of golf, was stellar.

On Monday morning, Hataoka and Lopez arrived dressed for a snowball fight. Stocking caps, leggings, ear warmers … that was missing were the softly-floating flakes. Both reached the green in regulation, and Lopez struck first, draining a 20-feet putt for the first deuce of the playoff. Hataoka was half that distance, but with a curving, downhill putt. When it broke twice the amount she read, Lopez was the first 2020 champion on the LPGA Tour.

Champions Tour: Mitsubishi Electric playoff features interesting playoff triumph

When last we followed The Big Easy, Ernie Els nearly captained his International Squad to a victory over the American side, in the 2019 Presidents Cup. Returning to the course as a competitor, Els made his debut at the Mitsubishi in Hawaii with a single goal: join the ranks of Champions Tour players to win their inaugural competition. He nearly pulled it off, but was thwarted by the most interesting man in golf. Els, Fred Couples, and Miguel-Ángel Jiménez separated themselves from a field of 38, with a total of 14-under par. Wes Short and Retief Goosen made especial effort to join them, but came up two putts shy. The trio went off to the par-four 18th hole to decide matters, and Couples was quickly eliminated with bogey. In truth, Jiménez might have settled matters then and there, but his birdie try faltered at hole’s edge. The duo returned to the tee once again, and this time, Jiménez was deadly. He staked his approach to 12 feet and rolled the putt in for 3. Els could not match his effort, and would have to wait a bit longer for victory number one. As for the Spaniard, victory number nine on the geriatric circuit was his 2nd at Hualalei, and a proper portent for 2020.

Two Quick Exit Takes

-Matt Kuchar survived a whiff and a bounce off the cart path, to defeat Justin Rose by 3 at the Singapore Open. Rose and Kuchar were the two highest-profile players in the field, and they did not disappoint. Rose has struggled mightily, since switching to Honma a few years back. Kuchar has struggled since … well … Each player was due a break, but it could only go to one of them. The win will certainly buoy the big Georgian’s spirits as he heads into the California swing on the American PGA Tour circuit.

-Abel Gallegos became the first Argentine winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, with a 4-stroke victory over Aaron Terrazas, of host country Mexico. The tournament was played on annual PGA Tour course El Camaleón, on the Yucatán peninsula. Gallegos overcame 54-hole leader José Vega, a sales representative for Trackman, and held off Terrazas, to earn invitations to the 2020 Masters and Open championships.

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News

Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Ronald Montesano

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.

Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024

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.

HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!

He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

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.

Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

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.

At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.

Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter

Published

4 days ago

May 9, 2024

Brian Knudson

Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.

This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.

Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.

The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.

Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.