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Tour Rundown: AT&T Pro-Am tastes great to Hoge | The greatest winning eagle putt you’ll see

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2 years ago

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Warning: You are about to see the most amazing eagle putt for victory that anyone could ever conceive. If you cannot wait to read the final tour summary below, here it is.

All right. Whoooooooooo. Props to you, HV3. Now, let’s pretend that we didn’t see that spoiler, and continue on with this week’s Tour Rundown. It has been a rotten week emotionally for men’s professional golf, so a tip of the hat to the class with which the ladies handle controversy. We’ve witnessed greed, petulance, and complete detachment from reality, from competitors and journalists alike. Here’s hoping that it all subsides, and removes itself from the headlines, because …

the golf is great. Five tours showcased the wonders of golf from the middle east to Florida, to California, to central America. Tournaments were decided by utter domination and last-shot heroics. We still don’t know what to do with Bill Murray, but that’s a matter for another day and rundown. Let’s rev it up with this week’s Tour Rundown, brought to your from five spots around the globe.

PGA Tour: AT&T Pro-Am tastes great to Hoge

Nothing suggested that Tom Hoge would win on Sunday. He led with 63 on Thursday, and everyone knows it ain’t easy for the greats to go wire-to-wire, much less the journeymen. Hogey stood second to Seamus Power after day two and, honestly, that might have been the notion that won for the former TCU golfer. As Power faltered on day three, Hoge returned to the top spot with 68, tied with Beau Hossler and Andrew Putnam. Of the three, Hoge would probably have been no one’s pick to claim the trophy.

Chasing them all were Patrick Cantlay, he of the Ryder Cup heroics last fall, and the resurgent Jordan Spieth, he of the cliff’s-edge daring-do on Saturday. Cantlay stood minus-three on Sunday through six holes, but played the final twelve in plus-two, and finished tied for fourth. Spieth stood at 18-under par on the 17th tee. Instead of the par-birdie finish that everyone predicted for the Texan, he finished bogey-par to finish solo second.

And Hoge? Well, try a four-under, inward half on for size, and you’ll discover that it fits the winner like a glove. Hoge flourished where others faltered, with birdies at 11, 14, 16, and 17. He was able to play the last hole safely, made par, and raised his first PGA Tour trophy.

LPGA: Drive-On Championship is maiden for Maguire

There are some tournaments that, they say, do not begin until Sunday’s back nine. Leona Maguire made certain that this would not be the case on Saturday in Fort Myers. Like a solid European Football squad, whose core is its midfield, Maguire tore up the stretch from seven through thirteen in five-under numbers. She left co-leader Marina Alex in the rearview mirror, and kept fast-charging Lexi Thompson at a distance with exquisite execution. In the end, Thompson could only make up two shots with her Sunday 65, as Maguire closed with bogey for 67, long after fate had decided matters.

The title was the young Irish lass’s first on the LPGA circuit, after two 2019 wins on Triple-A Symetra (now known as the Epson Tour.) Maguire and Alex started in 131 strokes through 36 holes, but Alex lost three shots to her partner in the first 14 holes of the final round. Needing to close with fury, Alex went the other way with a plus-two closing stretch. Her drop from 1st to 4th-tie was frustrating, but suggests she’ll contend a bit in 2022. As for Maguire, what was predicted for her as a young amateur may be about to bloom.

Korn Ferry: Panama Championship is Young’s first big win

For those who struggle with adversity, allow Carson Young to present your TedTalk this week. Young began the 2022 KornFerry Tour season with two missed cuts in the Bahamas. In his third start of the young season, Young delivered a majestic performance and claimed the Panama Championship by one stroke over a triumvirate of pursuers. The Clemson alum began day four in fifth place, chasing third-round leaders Stanger, Taylor, and Fischer. Throughout the fourth round a number of other challengers jumped into the fray, but we’ll get around to that in a bit.

Jimmy Stanger hung around until the end, finishing one shot out of first. He tied Brandon Matthews and Carl Yuan for second, after closing with a two-under inward half. Both Ben Taylor and Zack Fischer struggled a bit more over the final round. Each posted a two-over 72 to drop into fifth position. Matthews earned the distinction of posting four rounds in the 60s, but none of them was low enough to vault him into the top spot. A topsy-turvy inward half of three birdies, a bogey, and a double kept him a bay. Carl Yuan posted birdie at holes 15 through 17 to make a late run. He was unable to add a fourth consecutive stroke-saver, and matched Matthews and Stanger for runner-up position.

DP World Tour: Ras al Khaimah Championship sees the rise of Højgaard N.0

Of all the 2022 story lines in their infancy, the Danish twins is so far, the most compelling. Set the stage like this: Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard are twenty years of age. Each has now won multiple times on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour. Rasmus has won each of the last three calendar years, with triumphs in Mauritius, the UK, and Switzerland. Brother Nico now joins him with a multi-year streak of his own. After a debut title in Italy in 2021, Højgaard N.1 secured a mighty triumph in the UAE this week.

Højgaard began the final round with a slim lead over Scotland’s David Law. The Englishman regained the lead at the turn, as the two alternated spectacular golf with clumsy execution. Højgaard had an eagle and a double through nine, while Law tossed birdie and eagle against bogey. On the inward half, Law bled slowly, with bogey at 11 through 13, and another at 16. He finished in solo 5th position.

Jordan Smith of England stepped up, and seized a two-shot advantage over Højgaard through his 14th hole. His bogey at 15 proved his undoing, as he was unable to summon additional birdies, and finished at 20-deep. Højgaard N.0, meanwhile, steadied his nerves and exploded with three birdies and another eagle over the final sextet of fairways and greens, to reach 24-under par and a four-shot cushion for the trophy.

Asian Tour: PIFSI ends with heart-attack special for HV3

There are some events, however, that don’t actually begin UNTIL THE LAST TWO HOLES! Bubba Watson closed birdie-eagle to reach 12-under par on Sunday. High fives and handshakes, right? Two-shot advantage over third-round leader Harold Varner III, who had two holes left himself. Except, of course, that Varner made birdie at 17 to trim the lead to half. Birdie at the last would force a playoff between HV3 and Bubba. Unfortunately, Varner could not birdie the last … HE MADE EAGLE and that was how it ended. Unbelievable finish for a first important title for the Akron, Ohio native.

To say that Varner was feeling the pressure on the inward half is an understatement. The Tres hit one out of seven driving fairways, so the big club was not his friend. Despite the wayward tee shots, he managed to hit six of nine greens in regulation. When on board, he was four under par. When not putting for birdie, bad things were happening. Double bogey at 11 and bogey at 14 threatened to undo all of his great work through 63 holes. And then came the final act.

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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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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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54 mins ago

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May 14, 2024

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

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3 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

  • “It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”
  • “His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”
  • “McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”
  • “No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”
  • “Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”
Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

  • “The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”
  • “Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”
  • “There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”
Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

  • That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!
Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

  • “Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”
Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

  • “It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”
Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

  • “In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”
  • “It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”
  • “Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”
Full piece.
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Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

1 day ago

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May 13, 2024

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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