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Tour Rundown: Burns saves best for last at WGC-Dell | Boutier wins third

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1 year ago

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I’ve come up with a new sort of parlay for the betting golf fan. Choose a winner between consecutive tee times, or any two tee times on the sheet. Guess on which time I’ll never lay money? You’ve got it: the final group. Way too much pressure. My first field notes come from South Africa, where the 9:05 time on Sunday posted 14-under par. Contrast that with the 9:15 time (the three leaders) and its 5-under par total. That’s three shots separation per golfer. How did this catch my attention? You’ll have to read Tour Rundown this week to find out. Hint: data comes alive in the DP World Tour section. Enjoy!

PGA Tour Match Play: Burns saves best for last at WGC Dell

Cameron Young had to like his chances, heading into the final match of the Dell Match Play. He had just made birdie on three of his final four holes, including the 19th, to stun Rory McIlroy in their semifinal match. His final match opponent, Sam Burns, would be extended to 21 holes against Scottie Scheffler, giving Young a bit of time to rest and prepare for the final tilt.

The final match began well for Young. His birdie at the second hole gave him a one-up advantage, and his two at the fourth would have given him another win, except that Burns matched his birdie. Burns’ bogey at the second was his last mistake of the day. He notched consecutive birdies from the fourth to the sixth to go from one-down to two-up. He added five birdies in six holes, from eight to thirteen, to post seven-under through those holes. Burns’ 6 & 5 victory in the final match was one-sided because of his brilliance, not for Young’s flaws. Young was two under through the 13 holes, but was no match for Burns.

The victory was the fifth in three years for Burns. Once the finest collegiate player in the land, Burns spent four years learning the professional way of winning, before bursting out in 2021. Expect to see both Burns and Young on Team USA in the fall, for Italy’s first Ryder Cup. They seem to have what it takes to win at head-to-head play, as does Scottie Scheffler, who lost to Rory McIlroy in the third-place match. Hopefully, match play will be back on the PGA Tour in 2024.

LPGA Drive On Championship: Boutier wins playoff for third LPGA victory

Low scores at Superstition Mountain were the rule of the day, as first established by Japan’s Ayaka Furue. She had seven birdies on the day, posted 65, and moved all the way from 19th to 3rd position. One more birdie would have brought the unthinkable at day’s start: a spot at the playoff table. As it was, the European duo of Celine Boutier (France) and Georgia Hall (England) reached 20-under par with scores of 68 and 65, respectively. Boutier began the day with the lead, but was the only one of the top three to hold position. Hae Ran Ryu and Moriya Jutanugarn held 2nd position together, but each shot 71 and dropped to a seventh-place tie.

In the playoff, Boutier drew on the recent memory of the last-hole, ten-feet birdie putt that she drained in regulation, to force her way into overtime. Despite a birdie of her own at the closer, that put the bow on a back-nine 30, Georgia Hall was unable to match, and Boutier lifted the Drive On trophy above her head.

DP World Tour JW Open: 64 is magic number for Bachem at Steyn City

Alexander Knappe began day four with a one-shot advantage over a trio of golfers. Knappe’s rounds of 68-66-65 had moved him ahead of the consistent (Gavin Green with 66-67-67) and the explosive (Joakim Lagergren at 65-73-63.) Knappe stood three under through nine on day four, and found himself in a battle with others who were lighting up The Club at Steyn City. Principle among them was Germany’s Nick Bachem, the third member of the trailing trio. Bachem showed no sign of easing off the accelerator.

Bachem caught countryman Knappe by the ninth hole, thanks to an outward 32. He followed that demonstration with a twin 32 on the inward half, to reach 24-under on the week. Knappe fell away with a double bogey at the par-three 12th hole. By then, Bachem had added two more birdies and Knappe sensed urgency in his purpose. Two bogeys coming home dropped him to 13th place on the week.

As for Bachem, he and his 9:05 partners (Gavin Green with 70 for t6 and Ewen Ferguson with 68 for t4) were the spotlight group in the afternoon. Hennie du Plessis (68) and Zander Lombard (65) of the host country of South Africa reached 20-under to share the runner-up position. After just ten starts in the 2023 season, Nick Bachem can now call himself a DP World Tour champion.

PGA Tour Corales: Wallace claims first PGA Tour title in Dominican Republic

England’s Matt Wallace rode a four-birdie streak over the closing holes to a one-shot win over Denmark’s Nikolai Højgaard. Højgaard began the final round in a tie at the top with the USA’s Sam Stevens, but opened the final round with bogey. He steadied his horse with three birdies in four holes, then ran into a dry stretch of seven consecutive pars. By the time he rebounded with two birdies over the closing four holes, matters had changed atop the standings.

Wallace was also out in two-under par, then caught fire at the par-four 14th hole. His birdie there was followed by three more, elevating him to 19-under par. Needing eagle at the last. Højgaard was able to edge past Tyler Duncan and Stevens into solo second, thanks to his closing birdie three. Duncan reached 17-under at the 13th hole, but lost steam with six consecutive pars to the finish. Stevens posted three-under on the day but needed more birdies against a tightly-packed, energetic leaderboard.

Wallace was seen as England’s next big thing in 2018, when he won three times on the DP World Tour. He hit a four-year dry spell, partly due to being too hard on himself. Now, in his early 30s, he might attain the success that many had advanced his way.

PGA Tour Champions Galleri Classic: David Toms opens and closes March with victories

There was a moment when Retief Goosen had birdied 75% of his holes on the day, on the thirteenth tee, when I thought he might find a way to win the whole thing, from nearly 25 places from the top. Goosen stood nine-under on the day, and 13-under for the week. Unfortunately for the South African, his tank was on empty. The final six holes brought him four pars and two bogeys. He finished at 11 under on the week, good for solo third.

David Toms is a cool customer. He knew that there were plenty of birdies across the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills, and he wasn’t the least bit fazed by Goosen’s torrid start. Toms, the leader after each of the first two rounds, had three birdies and a bogey going out on Sunday. Coming home, he added four birdies for 65 and a 16-under total. His efforts brought him a four-shot win over Stephen Alker, who closed with 67 to slide past Goosen by one into second spot.

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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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SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips

Published

17 hours ago

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May 6, 2024

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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

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May 6, 2024

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Published

18 hours ago

on

May 6, 2024

By
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.”
Full piece.

6. Morikawa back with former coach

7. Winner’s bag: Taylor Pendrith

Presented by 2nd Swing

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)

Shaft: ACCRA TZ Six ST

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green Small Batch 80 6.5 TX

7-wood: Ping G430 MAX (20.5 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green Small Batch 90 6.5 TX

Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-9)

Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.5 90, 6.5 100 (2-3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 Tour Rack (46-10 Mid, 52-10 Mid, 56-10 Mid, 60-9 Full)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Versa

Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 1.0

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Full WITB.
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WITB

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