Last spring, I was fortunate to play the PGA National Championship course that hosts this week’s Honda Classic, on the PGA Tour. It’s beautiful, challenging, interesting, and never, ever, easy. That’s no big reveal for any of this week’s competitors, but it’s always an awakening for the amateur golfer who wonders just how difficult it can be. Every other playing surface in sport is standardized; it’s the human opponents that make the game professional. In golf, it’s not just the opposition, but the extreme demands of the tour-quality, championship course. Here’s hoping that this course continues to feature on the PGA Tour, for years to come.
The Putt That Didn’t Win
It was a light week for legitimate professional events, as February eases into March. We all know what’s coming in the third month of 2023, but this final week of tournaments left us much to remember. Let’s do our weekly Tour Rundown in three, two, one, and GO!
PGA Tour: Kirk survives 72nd hole snafu to claim fifth tour title
You wouldn’t be alone if you asked Chris Kirk why he hit three-metal into the 18th hole in regulation. His answer might run along the lines of I can draw that club whenever I want or There was plenty of room left. No matter the response, the ball didn’t draw and finished its time in golf in Davy Jones locker. The ensuing bogey dropped the leader into a tie with Eric Cole, and the duo returned to the par-five’s tee for some overtime.
Eric Cole was beyond thrilled to be in this position. His 2022-2023 campaign been solid, with seven made cut in 14 events. Before Sunday, he had $363K in the FedEx Cup bank, and was looking to add to that figure in Florida. His bookend rounds of 67-66-66-67 brought him farther along than he had dreamed. Despite the missed birdie putt on playoff hole one (see above) Cole earned over $900K for his runner-up finish. Many boxes are now checked for the 34-year old journeyman, and perhaps it’s time to win.
As for Chris Kirk, the 73rd-hole birdie was the culmination of eight years of the grind. His fourth victory came at Colonial in 2015. It took him twice as many years to earn the next one. There were close calls along the way, but Honda 2023 will be remembered for his electric 62 on Friday, and his legal but inconceivable free drop on Saturday. Cheers to another win for the Knoxville native.
LPGA: Vu claims inaugural tour title in Thailand
Lilia Vu was as decorated as they come, when she emerged from the amateur ranks to test the professional waters. Unfortunately for her, she turned pro as the golf world began to navigate the worldwide pandemic. A limited number of LPGA starts in 2019 took her to the Symetra Tour for the next two years. She won three times in the minors in 2021, earning herself a promotion to the big tour for 2022.
2023 has commenced with great promise for the young Californian. Imagine being in the mix for a title with Lydia Ko, Jin Young Ko, Maja Stark, Atthaya Thitikul, and a young golfer from the host country who didn’t know that she wasn’t supposed to do these things. That’s what Vu was up against, and that’s what she overcame. Natthakritta Vongtaveelap had blitzed the Chonburi course with 67-65-64. As it turned out, another round in the 60s would have done the deed, but Sunday’s front nine was an adventure for the young Thai. NatVong made one par on her way to the turn. Four birdies, three bogies and a double added up to some shots lost to Vu, who parlayed four birdies into a five-shot swing.
On the inward half, Vu was just as resolute. Four more birdies against zero bogies gave her 64 on the day. Vongtaveelap made three birdies of her own coming home, but a bogey at the 11th, and a run of four pars to close, kept her inches away from matching Vu. With an life-changing birdie at the drivable 15th, Vu reached 22-deep and locked the door on her first LPGA victory.
DP World Tour: German pair battles to end at Delhi
Yanik Paul has played the best golf of his life over the last fortnight. The 28-year old from Frankfurt finished runner-up last week in Thailand, and held the 36-hole lead this week in India. Had Paul preserved a semblance of his two-day form, he might have earned a four-shot win as Olesen did last week. Instead, Paul went into grinder mode on the weekend, and closed with 71-70. This allowed countryman Marcel Siem to enter the picture.
Siem with 69-70, but closed with the all-important 67-68, making up a number of shots on the leader. Paul’s sole tour win came last October in a playoff, but Siem counted four titles to his credit, over a near-twenty year career. When your last win came in 2014, however, you might forget the feeling. Siem was gutsy all day. He posted four birdies through twelve holes on Sunday, then recovered a lost stroke at 13, with a critical birdie at 15.
Yannik Paul did nothing wrong on day four, but not enough right came his way. His two birdies on the day accompanied 16 pars, and left him one shot shy of his older countryman. Some years ago, Siem converted to the long putter, emulating the great German champion, Bernhard Langer. At the age of 42, Marcel Siem had his fifth DP World Tour title, and a new lease on his career.
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