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Tour Rundown: 25 or 6 to 4

Published

4 years ago

Aug 31, 2020

Championship golf for August bid farewell with the second of three, PGA Tour playoff events. And a Korn Ferry tour championship. And a pair of standard LPGA and Euro championships. And an early-week Champions Tour tout. In other words, the type of week that golf fans need, as they cede attention (possible) to NFL football in the coming fortnight. We’ve run it all down for you, so have a read of this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: 44 or 663-Rahm and Johnson Chicago-style the BMW Championship

Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say

That old Chicago band number, 25 or 6 to 4, came to mind on Sunday, when two titans did battle at Olympia Fields. First came Jon Rahm, once and future King of Golf, who re-staked a claim to world number one with his performance. Then came Dustin Johnson, current and also-future King of Golf, who nearly topped the Basque colossus. It was a Sunday that was good for golf, and reminded us why immortals need to exist in this sport of wise women and men.

Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face

As bit players, Joaquin Niemann and Hideki Matsuyama did their part. Niemann surged to the lead early, but could not dig deeper under par to stake a titular claim. The Chilean finished on -2, worthy of a third-place tie with Matsu. Hideki lifted up the 54-hole lead, and his minus-one might have worked on another day. Still, he didn’t collapse, which lesser players would have done.

Wondering how much I can take
Should have tried to do some more

In regulation play, Jon Rahm kept improving. 75 to 71 to 66 to 64. The once-impenetrable OF course became vulnerable, and Rahm kept tapping the tree for more syrup. Flawless on the day, with six birdies and zero bogeys, he somehow saved the best for last. There was little more that he could have done. Johnson matched Hideki through 54 holes, and had but one hiccough on day four: a bogey at the tenth. Thanks to Rahm’s stellar execution, the lanky Palmetto found himself one in arrears as he reached the 72nd green. Facing an unreadable, indecipherable putt of 43 feet, Johnson somehow read and deciphered it, and drained it to forge a tie. He also (almost) showed emotion. OVERTIME!!!

Dancing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes

Return the leviathans did, to the 18th tee. This time, it was Rahm’s turn to face the unreadable and indecipherable, except it was not 66 feet, 3 inches. Away it went , at an angle from which a homeward turn seemed impossible. And then, it began to turn, and slow, and turn some more, until it dropped for a birdie that Johnson did not match. At 25 years of age, Rahm had bested the 6 feet, 4 inch Johnson, in a championship for all time.

25 or 6 To 4, indeed.

Korn Ferry Tour: Tour Championship

Brandon Wu won the 2017 Porter Cup, a major amateur event in my backyard. This is important to me, because Brandon Wu also won the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship. The two courses, Niagara Falls CC and Victoria National GC, could not be more dissimilar. The former is a mildly-classic layout north of Buffalo, where shot-shaping is requisite. The latter, possibly a former fish hatchery (never proven) is myriad lakes and ponds, demanding complete domination of the aerial game. On Sunday, Wu overcame third-round leader Greyson Sigg, who made but two mistakes, to win his first professional event. Good time for it.

Sigg continued to the lead through 64 holes on Sunday, despite Wu’s surge. Sigg’s eagle at the tenth re-established a one-shot margin over the Stanford alum. Sigg then made a bad swing, which led to a double bogey at the fourteenth hole, and his lead was now a deficit. With no more flying critters on his scorecard, Sigg came up one strike shy of a tie with Wu. Both golfers made massive moves up the money roster: Sigg jumped from 21 to 6, while Wu impressed more, from 48 to 5.

LPGA: Ernst doubles victory tally with Walmart NW Arkansas Championship win

It’s a difficult chore to overcome a 63 by anyone on Sunday, unless it’s posted by the marker who accompanies the final, unpaired golfer. Austin Ernst was neither marker nor final, unpaired golfer on Sunday. She started third, and she jumped up two spots for a two-shot win over Anna Nordqvist. The win was the South Carolina daughter’s 2nd on tour, and first in six year.

It was the two bogeys on Sunday, that made the former LSU golfer’s performance even more impressive. Ernst was compelled to collect 10 birdies on the day, to overcome the pair of stumbles. Nordqvist began the final day in first, and acquitted herself well, at two-under par on the day. When Ernst notched birdie at each of the first three holes, the game was on. The 28-year old never backed off, took a one-shot lead to the 18th, and finished the day as she began, with a final birdie for a two-shot win over the Swede.

European Tour: ISPS Handa UK Championship

Rasmus Højgaard has nearly as many wins as vowels in his name. The young and (possibly) great Dane collected a second triumph in this wraparound season, in a playoff with third-round leader Justin Walters of South Africa. Like Jon Rahm above, Højgaard improved by the day, all week long. From 73 to 69, to make the cut. From there to 67, to line up for a top-ten finish, to 65 on day four, to reach a playoff at -14.

Walters had a rough final round, with two bogies and a triple threatening to turn him into an also-ran. His grit was evident, as he clawed seven birdies from the scorecard, to reach extra holes with Højgaard. The lads went back to the venerable (if flawed) 18th at the Brabazon course, where pars caused a second return. Then, Walters flinched with bogey, Højgaard was true with his par putt, and the second tour victory was forever in his hands.

PGA Tour Champions: Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National

Once upon a time, winning a debut event on the Champions Tour was a mythical thing. Not many had done it, not even the Big Easy, Ernie Els, earlier this calendar year. Then the falling Octopus (Jim Furyk) came along this summer, and won in week one. He was followed by Phil Mickelson this week and, let’s be honest, if anyone is going to win in his Champions Tour bow, it’s lefty. He didn’t disappoint.

Dad-Bod opened with 61 on Monday (cool way to start the week, Ozarks National. We should do more of this.) Tim Petrovic, his long-time rival (not really, but I need a story line) was three back. Philly Phil phollowed up with 64, increasing the lead over the University of Hartford alum to four (Petro had 65.) On Sunday, Phil phinished with 66, matching the unflappable Petrovic’s final day tally, and the margin remained at four.

Welcome to the next stage, Phil. We know it will be a while before we see you back, but we’ll be here. Mickelson had failed to qualify for week two of the FedEx Cup playoff series, and hoped to stay sharp for the upcoming US Open. By winning against his own standard, he may have done enough to reach contention at Winged Foot in mid-September.

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News

SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips

Published

16 hours ago

May 6, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”

“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”

Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.

According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”

CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.

“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.

Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history

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Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar

Published

17 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Ronald Montesano

Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.

It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place

The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.

This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.

With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.

360° and in!

A nervy par save by @TaylorPendrith to remain one back as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory @CJByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/LVFXUSidSg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2024

DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four

It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.

It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.

.@adrianotaegui birdies the 16th to tie the lead at -17 ?#VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/p4tfE5DRJa

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 5, 2024

PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella

Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.

64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.

.@TBalla21 eagles 17, shoots 65 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KIA Open. pic.twitter.com/TTOL2LxSdh

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) May 4, 2024

PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win

Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.

The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.

Off the green? No worries for @ScottDu12500063

8-under solo leader @InsperityInvtnl pic.twitter.com/hoj5OujL5C

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 4, 2024

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News

Morning 9: Pendrith’s maiden Tour win | Morikawa back with former coach | Brooks victorious

Published

18 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour gives us yet another breakthrough winner.

1. Pendrith wins first PGA Tour title

AP Report…”Taylor Pendrith took advantage of Ben Kohles’ final-hole meltdown to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.”

“Kohles overtook Pendrith with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 for a one-shot lead then bogeyed the 18th after hitting his second shot into greenside rough. After having to chip twice from the rough and already looking stunned, Kohles missed a 6-foot putt that would have forced a playoff.”

“Pendrith two-putted for birdie on the 18th, holing a 3-footer for a 4-under 67 and 23-under 261 total at the TPC Craig Ranch. The 32-year-old Canadian won in his 74th career PGA Tour start.”

Full piece.

2. Koepka takes LIV title in Singapore

S.I.’s Bob Harig…”Brooks Koepka became the first player to win four times as part of the LIV Golf League, shooting a final-round 68 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday to beat Cam Smith and Marc Leishman by two strokes.”

“His timing wasn’t bad, either.”

“A few days after offering concern about his game in light of a poor Masters performance, Koepka stepped up and won the LIV Golf Singapore even to give himself a boost heading into the defense of his PGA Championship title in two weeks.”

“The year’s second major begins on May 16.”

Full piece.

3. Otaegui wins Volvo China

AP report…”Adrian Otaegui overturned a five-shot deficit to win the Volvo China Open on Sunday, the Spaniard’s fifth tour title.”

“Otaegui had been trailing the in-form Sebastian Söderberg after Friday’s round – Saturday’s was cancelled because of thunder and lightning – and he shot 7-under 65 in his final round to win by one shot from Guido Migliozzi, who finished runner up with a 67.”

Full piece.

4. ICYMI: Teen Kim makes the cut

Guardian report…”English teenager Kris Kim became the youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour in 11 years after a birdie at the last saw him get through to the weekend of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas with a shot to spare.”

“Amateur Kim, the son of former LPGA player Ji-Hyun Suh, made a second-round four-under-par 67, which included a run of five birdies and one bogey over his front nine.”

“At 16 years and seven months he became the youngest player to make the cut on tour since 14-year-old Guan Tianlang at the 2013 Masters, and, according to the PGA Tour, the fifth youngest in history.”

Full piece.

5. Winner in a rainout

AP report…”Scott Dunlap was declared the 36-hole winner of the Insperity Invitational when rain washed the final round Sunday, giving Dunlap his first PGA Tour Champions title in nearly 10 years.”

“Devastating rain in the Houston area previously washed out the opening round Friday. Players managed to play 36 holes on Saturday, and Dunlap posted a 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead over Joe Durant and Stuart Appleby.”

“That proved to be the winning score when rain soaked The Woodlands Country Club. It was the second 36-hole event in the last three weeks on the PGA Tour Champions because of weather. The other was in the Dallas area.”