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Tour Rundown: It’s a tie!

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8 months ago

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Before we dive in to this week’s tour events, allow a bit of latitude for an opinion piece. Those who do not coach believe that it is proper to place the results of a team tie in the hands of one or two golfers. In our high school leagues, we used to do just that, and it was a dramatic and rotten way to resolve things. After hours of toil, most participants were cast aside, unable to help resolve the overtime. For those who believe that a Solheim, Ryder, Curtis, or Walker Cup tie should be resolved by any fewer than the entirety of each side, imagine being one of the cast-asides. There is a better way.

The Solheim Cup could not have been more lopsided, yet evenly matched, this year. More on that in a bit. The Korn Ferry Tour held its penultimate event in the capital city of Ohio. Tour Champions headed west to the Monterey peninsula of northern California, and the DP World Tour held its French Open on the Ryder Cup course near Paris. With that roster of events in place, we may now advance to this week’s Tour Rundown. Anchors, away!

Solheim Cup @ Finca Cortesin: It’s a tie!

Not since the 1960 baseball World Series has a multi-day competition been so lopsided, yet so close. In that ancient match-up, the Yankees pummeled the Pirates by 35 runs in three of seven games, yet somehow found a way to lose the other four by a total of seven runs. In Spain’s southernmost province of Andalucia, something similar took place.

On day one, the visitors from the USA won all four matches in the Friday morning foursomes, the format least associated with American success. Alternate shot is not their forte, yet there lay Team Europe, in a 0-4 hole. Galvanized, the host squad nearly squared things in the afternoon four-ball matches. Two European sides won their matches outright, while the other two earned half points to close the four-point gap to two, after one day of competition.

Day two anticipated the same sequence of foursomes, followed by four ball. USA won two of the first three matches, with Europe claiming the third. With momentum squarely on the line, the final sides of Andrea Lee/Danielle Kang (USA) and Maja Stark/Linn Grant (Europe) played a match for the ages. After each side won one hole over the first seven holes, the next 10 holes saw nine lead changes. Europe won the 8th, then lost the 9th. This win-then-lose sequence happened three more times until Europe won the 17th hole the final decided hole. Both sides parred the 18th, Europe escaped, one-up, and the matches stood at 7-5, in favor of Team USA.

Saturday afternoon’s fourball matches saw Team USA again struggle in the better-ball format. Only Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin were able to secure a point for the visitors, by a two-up margin. In each of the other three matches, Europe won without seeing the 18th hole. With three points in their favor, Europe had squared the matches at 8 points each. Only the Saturday morning matches were close; in each of the other three sessions, one side won by at least two points.

With 12 singles matches scheduled for Sunday, the winning side was anyone’s guess. The first four matches were won, but each side struck twice, meaning the final eight matches would decide the keeper of the Solheim Cup. The next two matches were halved, with the host side squandering two-up leads with four to play in each. Match seven went to the visitors, and then came the greatest comeback of the three days. Down three holes with six to play, Caroline Headwall made birdie or eagle at five of those holes, and overtook Team USA’s Ally Ewing. Still square, with four matches to play.

Despite a Team USA win in match nine, Team Europe clinched a tie for the cup, when Maja Stark and homebred Carlota Ciganda won by 2 & 1 totals. Lexi Thompson’s final-match victory meant nothing in the end, as the defending champion’s retained possession of the cup until 2025. For anyone who paid for admission this week, the money was beyond well spent.

DP World Tour @ French Open: Japan’s Hisatsune stands tall

It was a rough day for the final trio. Ewen Ferguson posted 76 to drop nine spots, from T1 to 10th. Co-leader Jordan Smith was in for 72, and fell one spot to 2nd position. Kazuki Higa signed for 74, and tumbled to a sixth-place tie. With those golfers out of the way, the stage was cleared for someone to jump and take control. That someone was 21-year old Ryo Hisastsune. The Japanese golfer pulled away from the chase pack with five birdies for an inward 30, ultimately winning by two over Smith.

Day four had to be especially frustrating for Smith. He opened with two birdies, and must have felt that this might be his day. He had exhausted his ration of birdies for the day, and could only muster 13 pars and three bogies the rest of the way. The victory moved the champion up 26 spots of the season-long money ranking, nearly into the top ten.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Nationwide: Xiong not wrong on Sunday in Ohio

Despite a stellar amateur record, the professional go has not been easy for Norman Xiong. The former Palmer and Walker Cup participant has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour but has not been able to gain traction on the PGA Tour. He’ll have another go at it next year, thanks to his win in Columbus. Xiong stood even with Chandler Phillips through 54 holes over the Ohio State University’s Scarlet course. Phillips headed down the wrong roadway on Sunday, posting a 3-over 74 for a T7 finish.

Closing fast was Australia’s Curtis Luck, whose day-four 66 was the low, fourth-round total. Luck needed more than just his last name, and bogeys at 13 and 18 kept him from reaching 8 under and pressuring Xiong. With a clean card through 17 holes, Xiong needed merely to remain upright over the final 425 yards, to claim the prize. His last-hole bogey made his margin four shots, and his performance moved him to 12th position on the season-long points list.

PGA Tour Champions @ PURE Insurance: Jaidee over Leonard in playoff

Justin Leonard has had a diverse career in golf since turning professional out of the University of Texas. He earned multiple wins on the PGA Tour, including an Open Championshp at Royal Troon. Leonard took to broadcasting, and has reported extensively on the PGA Tour since then. Despite numerous starts on the PGA Tour Champions, Leonard has been unable to secure a first, senior victory. This week, he came oh-so-close, reaching a playoff against Thongchai Jaidee.

Leonard held the round-two lead on Saturday evening but still needed a 54th-hole birdie to reach overtime with the Thai champion. The pair played the 18th hole twice, then the 17th, without deciding a winner. On the fourth playoff hole, Leonard tugged his drive into the Pacific ocean, ultimately making double bogey. Jaidee was able to stay on dry land, made par, and won the second event of his Tour Champions career stretch.

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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

Published

18 hours 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

Published

20 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

2 days 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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