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Tour Rundown: 6 event extravaganza

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2 years ago

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And just like that, we have five tournaments to report! 2022 is only three weeks old, but it may have just presented a blueprint for how the different tours could organize week-long celebrations of golf. What’s that? The Korn Ferry event in the Bahamas ran from Sunday to Wednesday, and the Tour Champions event competed from Thursday through Saturday. It’s unique and enjoyable for golf fans to know that a certain tours will decide matters on a different day each week. Indeed, there are logistics to be worked out, and certainly the availability of fans is greater on the weekend. Still, it represents rejuvenated thinking about how the golf universe might evolve, as the golf universe evolves. For many, the week felt like Santiago Tarrio in the moment below, but still, let’s move forward, to the first, full-field Tour Rundown of 2022.

PGA Tour: The American Express

Hudson Swafford had experience with closing the deal in the California desert. He won his first PGA Tour event over these courses, five years back. He escaped Adam Hadwin by one stroke that year. Now a more seasoned competitor, Swafford lit up the back nine of Pete Dye’s Stadium Course. In fact, he didn’t make a par until the 18th hole. Fortunately for Big Hud, the first eight holes of the inward half included five birdies and an eagle. Two bogeys served to make the finish closer than it was this year.

Lee Hodges and Paul Barjon led the event after 54 holes but, as neither had experience with this sort of pressure, each fell away on the front nine. Barjon dropped to 10th place after posting +1 over the last 18 holes. Hodges had 70 on day four, preserving a top-five finish.

Brian Harman matched Swafford’s Sunday 64 and, for a time, held out hope that he might earn tour victory number 3. Ultimately, he finished 3 back of the winner and 1 back of 2nd spot, tied with Hodges and fast-closing Lanto Griffin. Tom Hoge posted a second-consecutive 68 to claim second place over the third-place trio.

 

DP World Tour: Abu Dhabi Championship

It hasn’t been a good week for overnight leaders (reference Els below) on the world’s major golf tours. Scott Jamieson had carried the weight of being front-runner since his opening 63, and the burden eventually wore him down. Four bogeys in his first five holes on Sunday lead to an outward 40, and two more coming home mandated a score of 77 on his card, for a 10th-place finish. Jamieson’s adversity laid free the route to the championship table, and a number of players made every effort to reserve a seat.

Kicking himself (and not Delta Airlines) is Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian finished two shots out of a playoff on day four, despite writing down a triple and double bogey on his final-round card. Hovland opened the week with 64, but never felt balanced the rest of the way. He tied for fourth with a blast from the past, Victor Dubuisson. The Frenchman had not challenged for a win in a fair while, and to close with birdie for minus-eight was elating.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Shubhankar Sharma closed well to tie for second post at nine under par. Each made birdie at the last to ascend to the runner-up station, but each was undone by a prior, late bogey. Fitting for the week was the winner’s plus-one, back nine score. Thomas Pieters posted eight pars and a bogey coming home. As the competition collapsed around him, those numbers were enough to give the Belgian his second tour title in three months. Pieters led by three at one stage on Sunday, but the Yas Links found a way to make this event a nailbiter. Nothing about Pieters’ game suggests that he is not a world top-twenty player, save the number of titles. Abu Dhabi was his sixth on the European Tour overall, and might finally portend the breakout season we’ve anticipated since he turned pro last decade.

LPGA: Tournament of Champions

Danielle Kang posted four rounds in the 60s, the only player to do so at the Tournament of Champions. Fittingly, she won the tournament. World number one Nelly Korda also had three, sub-70 rounds in the books before Sunday, while Brooke Henderson and others milled about in the waiting room, looking for an opening.

The first to jump up was Gaby López. Birdies at five through seven brought young López to the top spot, but four bogies against one birdie coming home relegated her to solo third position. Brooke Henderson, like Kang and Korda, a member of the three 60s club, played a solid final round, with zero bogies. The Canadian was able to muster just two birdies on the day, and her 70 left her two shots shy of the champion.

What was it that Danielle Kang did on Sunday? She survived the front nine with two birdies against one bogey, then caught fireworks on the inward half, with four birdies in five holes. Evan a 16th-hole bogey was not enough to derail her train, and she finished with 68 on the day, the low round of the final rotation. The victory was Kang’s sixth on tour, and her first since August of 2020.

Korn Ferry Tour: The Bahamas GEC is Bhatia’s first big pro win

If you attended the first two days of the Great Exuma Classic, and especially if you competed, you’d be justified in asking precisely what did happen on the weekend. Although the leader sat at minus-seven, everyone 11 strokes worse still made the cut. Odd things were happening in the Bahamas, and they got even stranger over the weekend. England’s Harry Hall was out front through 36 holes, but he was the only guy who struggled on Saturday and Sunday, it seems. Hall dropped three shots to old lady par, and fizzled to a tie for 19th place.

Up came a series of challengers, led by Corey Shaun and his Saturday 64. As quickly as he rose, Shaun also stumbled, closing with 72 and a tie for 3rd position. AJ Crouch moved all the way up from 23rd to 6th on Sunday with a 65, the biggest leap and tied for low round of the day. It was the other 65, posted by Akshay Bhatia, that will resonate for some time. Bhatia, he who eschewed college for the professional ranks, notched birdie on three of his final four holes to leave Paul Haley II alone in 2nd place. Haley closed 67-67-68, but was undone by his opening 74. He’s not guaranteed a spot on PGA Tour 22-23 just yet, but young Akshay did an awful lot to move in that direction.

PGA Tour Champions: Mitsubishi Electric

There was this playoff on Hawaii’s big island, to open the senior season, but we’ll get to it. Two guys (Vijay Singh and Stephen Ames) made birdie at the last hole, to miss the playoff by a stroke. Sound competitive? It was. The overnight leader managed minus-two on the third day, and dropped into a tie for sixth, three strokes back. David Toms posted 66 on the final day, to slide into the thick of things in solo fifth place. And then there was that playoff.

Last November, unheralded Steven Alker emerged from nowhere to win a Tour Champions event, besting Jim Furyk and Miguel Ángel Jiménez by two. On this Saturday, Alker appeared to press the repeat button, notching a 66 in round three to move up the board to 17-under par. The only man who could catch him was Jiménez, and the Canarian needed birdie at the last to equal Alker’s back-nine 31 and 66. And catch him, the Spaniard did. Jiménez ripped an approach to ten feet on hole 54 and drained the putt.

The pair returned to 18 for the playoff, and each golfer had a chance to win with birdie. MAJ missed from just over the back, while Alker pulled a sure-thing, eight-feet putt to the lip. The duo played the 18th one final time, and it was then that Jiménez secured his third Tournament of Champions with a routine par.

Bonus Coverage: Latin America Amateur Championship

The last amateur qualifier for the 2022 Masters tournament emerged from four days of competition at the late Pete Dye’s Dominican masterpiece, the Teeth of the Dog course in La Romana. Chile’s Roberto Nieves took a lead into the final day, and opened his round with birdies on two of his first four holes. The next 11 holes brought a double and three single bogeys, and a tumble to 6th place at minus-five. Four golfers reached minus-six, one agonizing stroke out of the top spot. Mexico, Brasil, and Argentina times two were represented in that foursome, with Mateo Fernandez de Oliva the low scorer on the day with 68. The top spot was reserved for UNLV freshman Aaron Jarvis, from the Cayman Islands. Jarvis posted 69 on day four, including a triumphant, back-nine run of four birdies against one bogey. Jarvis will be the first contestant ever from Cayman Islands to compete in the Masters.

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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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Five Things We Learned: Saturday at the PGA Championship

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2 hours ago

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May 19, 2024

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Moving Day is a term applied to round three of a four-round tournament. It suggests that competitors need a solid or spectacular round on Saturday, in order to position themselves for potential Sunday victory. Among the favorites in contention after 36 holes, only Scottie Scheffler fell out of contention. The Texan suffered a par-double-bogey-bogey start, and could not recover. Three more bogeys damaged his score even more. Scheffler begins day four at seven-under par, eight shots behind the leaders.

As for those leaders, it’s a familiar pair, and we’ll get to them. We saw Justin Rose return to major-championship contention for the first time in a while. He’ll need 63 on Sunday to matter, but it’s still good to see the two-time major winner (Olympic Gold counts!) in the mix. Bryson DeChambeau carried the LIV flag into the day-four conversation, and with a low 60s score, he’ll have a chance at a second major title. Even the home-state feloow, Justin Thomas, found a way to matter. He’s on the outside, looking in, but a 60 is not inconceivable, and 11-under would certainly win the day, if not the week.

1. Xander holds the lead

There’s a burden that comes with posting a score of 62. Media, fans, and even the player hope and even expect to see it again. Xander Schauffele wasn’t on track to repeat that number of Saturday, but he stood in the middle of the 15th fairway and thought about how low he could go. Three-under par on the day, coming off birdie at 14, with a pitch to the green, and he went for the flag and missed.

Schauffele made an unanticipated mistake and it cost him two shots. His most immediate competitor was in his group and made birdie, retrieving three shots in one hole. That’s the sort of moment that goes down in history as a gut check. Schauffele’s gut responded. He leveled the wings with par at 16, then closed with birdies at 17 and 18, to returne to 15-under par. The X Man will tee off again in the final pairing, and take a run at his first major title. The fifteenth hole might loom large again in the outcome; hopefully, a lesson has been learned!

2. Morikawa can taste another PGA

For two years, Collin Morikawa was that guy. He won this tournament in 2020, then collected the Open Championship jug at Sandwich in 2021. Win two majors, and everyone heads down the career grand slam discussion. Three years on, Morikawa has the same number of majors on his dossier, and two more professional wins to show. He’s probably antsy for another major.

The California native stumbled early on Saturday. He made bogey at the two-shot second hole, then dug in with everything he had. A birdie at three balanced the card, and four more came his way. None was bigger than the three that he made at the 15th, as the leader was making double bogey in his group! Morikawa took a one-shot lead there, then closed with birdie at the last to reach Sunday morning tied at the top with Xander Schauffele.

Sunday will fill with drama, but it won’t involve just that grouping. When Morikawa tees off at 2:35 Louisville time, a move will have been made. Someone close by (one at -14, three at -13, two at -12) will be a few under par, and the thermometer will have risen. Our guess, simply, is that Morikawa will need 66 to win outright on Sunday. 20-under par should get it done, and to go down as one of the greats, he’ll need to be great.

3. Shane shares PGA record

Shane Lowry goes down as one of the most popular major champions of this era. His Open Championship win at Royal Portrush in 2019 kicked off a massive celebration of Irish pride and delight. Lowry hasn’t added to that major total of one, but the cask-chested, smile-and-a-beard doesn’t need to. He’s the sort who can take a two-man win, as he had this season with Rory McIlroy in New Orleans, and elevate its worth. He’s the sort who anchors an international side, as he does every two years in the Ryder Cup.

This week in Kentucky is different. Lowry has the chance to keep the hot hand and claim a second major title. These opportunities don’t come around that often. Lowry was fire on Saturday. He posted the first, sub-thirty nine of the tournament on the outward half. HIs six birdies and three pars gave him 29, and he looked for all the world to be the man to chase. The inward half wasn’t quite as volcanic, but the card was clean, and he came home in 33. His score matched Schauffele’s opening round, for the all-time low, 18-hole score, in PGA Championship history.

What’s to do? Make putts early. Find a way to get back in the zone and ride that spaceship to the final green. Lowry most likely needs to finish Saturday in 65 strokes or fewer, and posting 127 on a major championship weekend is unheard of. That’s why they play, though, isn’t it? Why not Shane, why not today?

4. Theegala lost, then found

As far as I was concerned, Sahith Theegala was yesterday’s news. Consecutive bogeys at five and six, supported by zero birdies through eight holes, destined him for the also-ran section of the leader board. I was frightfully incorrect.

Theegala found some inspiration at the ninth tee. Maybe it was a kick in the arse by his caddie, or by him, but a flame ignited. Theegals made the first of six birdies at the outward home hole, and posted 31 coming home. Birdie at the final hole ensured that he would tee off in Sunday’s penultimate group, with Shane Lowry.

It is often written that all should be wary of the wounded, as they fight for survival. Theegala dislocated a rib two weeks ago, at Quail Hollow. This week, he has been under the weather with some bug. With his mind focused on health, rather than score, he has done quite well. If he stays that course, one last round, he might have to do a heavy lift on Sunday, with the Wannamaker trophy in his hands.

5. The Prediction!

Despite all the kind words I’ve written about the aforementioned four gentlemen, none of them will exit Louisville with the happiest of visages. The winner, however, will not let us down in the smiles department. Viktor Hovland teed off in the final pairing last year, at Oak Hill, and had a front-row seat in the Koepka Koaster, as Brooks Koepka showed the Norwegian how to win a major championship. Rest assured that Hovland took copious notes. His frustration at a Masters missed cut in April has been channeled into his performance this week.

What will go down? Hovland will have at least one holed shot from off the green on Sunday’s outward nine. He’ll find a groove and the putter will warm up quickly. Hovland will sign for the third 62 of the week, but will have to wait as each of the final four golfers has a chance to tie at the final hole. One will, and they will head to a play-off, where Hovland will emerge in overtime.

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Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship

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23 hours ago

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May 18, 2024

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Early on Friday morning, a vendor working for the PGA Championship was struck and killed by a tournament shuttle bus. Nearly at the same time, as he arrived for his second round of tournament play, Scottie Scheffler attempted to detour around the scene, and was arrested, booked, then released. Somehow, Scheffler returned to Valhalla and played his second round of the tournament. Despite the jokes and memes of some in the golf industry, the tournament took a back seat to life and humanity on Friday morning. Our prayers are with the family and friends of the vendor, as well as with all involved.

Day two of Valhalla’s fourth PGA Championship did not see a repeat of the record-setting 62 posted by first-day leader, Xander Schauffele. The low card of 65 was returned by five golfers, when play was suspended by darkness. Five golfers still on the course, were on the positive side of the expected cut line of one-under par, while 12 more either had work to do, or knew that their week had come to an end.

The best 70 golfers and ties would advance to the weekend. 64 golfers figured at minus-two on Friday evening, with another 15 at one-under par. The most likely scenario saw those at even par, headed home. The formula was simple: finish under par and stick around. Play resumed at 7:15 on Saturday, to sort through the last six threesomes. Before the night turned over, we learned five important things to set us up for a weekend of excitement and excellence. It’s a pleasure to share them with you.

1. The 65s

On Thursday, three golfers etched 65 into the final box on their card of play. On Friday, nearly twice that number finished at six-under par for the round. Collin Morikawa moved from top-five into a spot in the final pairing. The 2020 PGA Champion at Harding Park teed off at the tenth hole, and turned in minus-two. He then ran off five consecutive birdies from the fourth tee to the eighth green, before finding trouble at the ninth, his last hole of the day. Bogey at nine dropped him from -12 to -11.

The same score moved Bryson DeChambeau from 11th spot to T4. Joining the pair with 65s on day two were Matt Wallace and Hideki Matsuyama (each with 70-65 for T11) and Lee Hodges (71-65 for T16.) Morikawa, Matsuyama, and DeChambeau have major championship wins in their names, while Wallace has been on the when to break through list his entire career. Hodges epitomizes the term journeyman, bu the PGA Championship is the one major of them all when lesser-known challegers find a way to break through.

2. The Corebridge team of PGA Professionals

Last year’s Cinderella story, Michael Block, did not repeat his Oak Hill success. Block missed the cut by a fair amount. Of the other 19, however, two were poised to conclude play and reach the weekend’s play. Braden Shattuck had finished at one-under par, while Jeremy Wells (-2) and Ben Polland (-1) were inside the glory line, each with two holes to play.

With three holes to play on the front nine, Kyle Mendoza sits at even par. His task is simple: play the final triumvirate in one-under par or better. If Mendoza can pull off that feat, and if the aforementioned triumvirate can hold steady, the club professional segment of the tournament will have four representatives in play over the weekend.

3. Scottie Scheffler

In his post-round interview, Scheffler admitted that his second round, following the surreal nature of the early morning’s events, was made possible by the support he received from patrons and fellow competitors. The new father expressed his great sadness for the loss of life, and also praised some of the first responders that had accompanied him in the journey from course to jail cell. Yes, jail cell. Scheffler spoke of beginning his warm-up routine with jail-house stretches.

Once he returned to Valhalla, Scheffler found a way to a two-under, opening nine holes. He began birdie-bogey-birdie on holes ten through twelve, then eased into a stretch of pars, before making birdie at the par-five 18th. His second nine holes featured three birdies and six pars, allowing him to improve by one shot from day one. Scheffler found himself in a fourth-place tie with Thomas Detry, and third-round tee time in the third-last pairing. Scheffler’s poise illustrated grace under pressure, which is the only way that he could have reached this status through 36 holes.

4. Sahith!

It’s a little bit funny that the fellow who followed 65 with 67, is nowhere to be found on the video highlight reels. He’s not alone in that respect, as Thomas Detry (T4) was also ignored by the cameras. Theegala has won on tour, and has the game to win again. The Californian turned in four-under par on Friday, then made an excruciating bogey at the par-five tenth. He redeemed himself two holes later, with birdie at the twelfth hole.

Theegala is an unproven commodity in major events. He has one top-ten finish: the 2023 Masters saw him finish 9th. He did tie for 40th in 2023, in this event, at Oak Hill. Is he likely to be around on Sunday? Yes. Will he be inside the top ten? If he is, he has a shot on Sunday. If Saturday is not a 67 or better, Theegala will not figure in the outcome of the 2024 championship.

5. X Man!!

After the fireworks of day one, Xander Schauffele preserved his lead at the 2024 PGA Championship. He holds a one-shot advantage and will tee off in the final pairing on Saturday, with Collin Morikawa. Eleven holes into round two, Schauffele made his first bogey of the week. The stumble stalled his momentum, as he had played the first ten holes in minus-four. Will the run of seven pars at the end signal a negative turn in the tide of play for Schauffele? We’ll find out on day three. One thing is for sure: minus twelve will not win this tournament. Schauffele will likely need to reach twenty under par over the next two days, to win his first major title.

 

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Scottie Scheffler arrested, charged, and released after traffic incident at Valhalla

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2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police on the way to Valhalla Golf Club this morning due to a traffic misunderstanding.

“Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car.

“When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”

Darlington also posted a video of the dramatic moment which you can view below:

There was an unrelated accident at around 5am, which is what may have caused some of the misunderstanding of which traffic was moving.

Speaking on ESPN, Darlington broke down exactly what he witnessed in full detail:

“Entering Valhalla Golf Club this morning, we witness a car pull around us that was Scottie Scheffler. Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police officers, placed in the back of a police vehicle in handcuffs after he tried to pull around what he believed to be security, ended up being police officers.

“They told him to stop, when he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle, and Scheffler then travelled another 10 yards before stopping the car.”

“The police officer then grabbed at his arm, attempting to pull him out of the car, before Scheffler eventually opened the door, at which point the police officer pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs.

“Very stunned about what was happening, he looked towards me as he was in those handcuffs and said ‘please help me’. He very clearly didn’t know what was happening in the situation.”

“It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively. He was detained in that police vehicle for approximately 20 minutes. The police officers at that point did not understand that Scottie Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, nor of course that he is the number one player in the world.”

Due to the accident, play has been delayed this morning. Scheffler’s current tee time for the second round of the PGA Championship is 10:08 a.m.

Scheffler’s mugshot following the incident:

*Update*

Scheffler has been charged with 2nd Degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief 3rd degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

*Update*

According to ESPN+, Scottie Scheffler has been released and is now on his way to the golf course.

*Update*

Scottie Scheffler arrives at Valhalla ahead of his 10:08 a.m second round tee time.

*Update*

The PGA of America released this statement regarding the fatal accident, which diverted traffic at Valhalla this morning.

“This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.” 

Per the PGA Tour, Scheffler released the following statement.

We will update this developing story as more information on the situation is revealed.

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