Tour Rundown remains the domain of the hardened golf fan, at least until mid-February. American football occupies the consciousness of most sports fans in the Western hemisphere, with hockey building and baseball waiting. Don’t forget the NBA and the upcoming college football championship, along with impending March Madness on the horizon. It’s a lot of sports, but the true golf fan keeps pace with events in Hawaii, the California desert, and the middle east. The three tours in action this week gave us a bit of drama, albeit not the kind that pushes us to the edge of our seats. The virtual league, sadly, was even less dramatic for the second consecutive week. Time will tell if it outgrows the teething of the early, first season. As for the rest of it, let’s have a glance and run down what we learned this third-ish week of February.

Birdie on the rocks ??@BenGriffinGolf | @PGATOURLIVE pic.twitter.com/NsESXXxdUy

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 19, 2025

PGA Tour @ The American Express: Straka worthy of third tour title

If Sepp Straka had played the par-5 holes at PGA West like the professional that he is, this segment would have written itself about two hours earlier. Despite making his first bogey at the 16th hole, the Austrian ace mustered just four birdies across the remaining holes. As his challengers made birdie after birdie on the long holes, Straka played them like a B-flight participant, barely scraping out a par.

Of his birdies, none was more important than the deuce he made at 14. His tee ball settled eight feet from the hole, and he drained the putt for a stroke saver. His task was made substantially easier by the dunking that his playing partner and closest pursuer, Charley Hoffman, gave to his tee ball moments earlier. Hoffman made six, losing four shots on the hole. By taking himself out of the running, Hoffman compelled Straka to look elsewhere on the leaderboard.

Charging hard was Justin Thomas, who turned in a card of 66 strokes for a 23-under total. With strokes in hand, Straka overcame that 16th-hole bogey (on a par five, doncha know?) and landed safely on the island 17th, known as Alcatraz. He had the luxury of making double bogey for the win at the last, but he only needed bogey for 70 and 25-deep.

Back in the winner’s circle ?
@SeppStraka wins by two @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/KSCZotZ4zI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 20, 2025

DP World Tour @ Dubai Desert Classic: Hatton overcomes challengers for title

It was an odd week at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. The low score for three of the days was 65, and Australia’s David Micheluzzi posted two of them. Micheluzzi, you may recall, sank the world’s longest putt, late last year, during a DP World Tour players’ challenge. Unfortunately for the many-vowelled golfer, he had 73-75 in the middle rounds, and could fare no better than a tie for eighth rung.

Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson looked like the week’s winner through 36 holes of 12-below golf. His other self showed up on the weekend, however, and posted 74-75 to tumble to 16th place. See what we mean about an odd week? Down the stretch, five golfers closed to within three strokes of each other. Rory McIlroy, who somehow finds his way into the top five, joined Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard at 12-under par after each closed with 66. Laurie Canter, the hero of last week’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, edged into third place at 13-deep, thanks to a Sunday 68. Runner-up position, at 14 under par, belonged to New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.

Hillier had to feel a bit frustrated in the end. He closed with 70-71, after opening with 68-65. Anything in the 60s on Sunday would have won the title outright. For Hatton, there was no heroic finish, no dramatic conclusion. He simply did less wrong than the others. Sometimes, that’s all that matters.

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant from Tyrrell Hatton!”

He taps in the birdie to move to -15, two shots ahead with two to play. #HeroDubaiDesertClassic | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/0LUTwr4p2m

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 19, 2025

Korn Ferry Tour @ Bahamas Golf Classic: Lebioda outlasts Kim in playoff

Hank Lebioda entered the professional ranks in the Cameron Champ mode: long-hitting college player when long hitters were still not the norm. Lebioda had earned freshman of the year and player of the year during his four years at Florida State, but the onset of Crohn’s Disease his senior year in high school placed a speed bump along his career highway. In 2017, Lebioda won on PGA Tour Canada, and then ascended to the Korn Ferry Tour. Other than one season on the PGA Tour, the southpaw has competed on the KFT. That should change for 2026.

The first week of Korn Ferry Tour 2025 opened the Bahamas Fortnight. For two consecutive events, golfers will compete from Sunday to Wednesday, no doubt amid the winds and sands of the windward islands. A 60 by John VanDerLaan led day-one scoring and featured an inward half of 28 mere strokes. VanDerLaan hung around through Sunday when a score of 42 over the same nine holes relegated him to a tie for ninth place. Surging to the fore were S.H. Kim of Korea, and Lebioda. Kim made birdie at the last to catch Lebioda, who had a putt of his own for three, that missed narrowly.

In the extra frame, Lebioda nearly holed from the fairway with wedge, leaving a twenty-inch tap-in for birdie. Kim was unable to equalize, and the 31-year-old Lebioda had his first victory in seven years. Certainly, there will be more to come.

Coming up clutch in extras ?

An exclamation point on the first playoff hole secures @Hank_Lebioda‘s first Korn Ferry Tour win ? pic.twitter.com/94HF3HUx1l

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) January 15, 2025

TGL @ Week Two: The Shank Heard Round The World

When your team absorbs a 12-1 dusting, there’s not much worse out there. Well, unless you have to showcase the worst shot imaginable, the hosel rocket, aka the shank. Jupiter Golf Links had to endure that ignominy, as the least likely player to feature in TGL, hit the most memorable (and not for good reasons) shot of the young season. Kevin Kisner, who will likely earn more this season in the broadcast booth than on the golf course, hit a legendary lateral from the sand, and banked it off the flagstick for better measure. Teammate Max Homa hard core ab-flinched, while team captain Tiger Woods doubled over in disbelieving laughter.

Beyond that moment, it was another unfortunate evening for TGL, in the competition column. The seven-point disparity in week one’s match grew to eleven for week two. The Cali Kids (well, two of them, anyway) from Los Angeles, featuring Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, and Justin Rose, hung a tanking on Tiger, Max, and Kiz. Two matches in, and the format apparently needs a bit of adjustment. Here’s a notion: While the two players tee off at the screen end of the stadium, have two other guys interview in the center, and have the final two have a one-point putt-off, or sand-off, or chip-off, at the other end. Who cares if they are distracted? TGL is all about distraction and disruption. The less it looks like real golf, the better.

TGL SHANK!

Kiz getting dangerous out here ?

?: ESPN and ESPN+pic.twitter.com/y3DzzXdvE8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 15, 2025

PGA Tour Champions @ Mitsubishi Electric: Easy Does It

Ernie Els earned the Golf Writers Association of America Player of the Year award for senior golfers in 2024. He doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested in handing the trophy off to a successor. Els opened the week with 67, two shots behind co-leaders Ricardo Gonzalez and Miguel Angel Jimenez. The Argentine Gonzalez followed with 73 in round two, tumbling to a T19 finish in the end. Jimenez also had a rough Saturday, posting 71 in round two. His 64 on Sunday was the day’s low round but was not enough to overtake the eventual winner.

The aeonian Bernhard Langer opened 71-63, with the 63 representing the low score for the week. Needing a similar number on Sunday to mount a charge, Langer summoned 66 and tied for second, with Alex Cejka and Jimenez. Els was the most consistent golfer in the field following his 67 with 65 and 66. Despite two bogeys on the final day, the tall South African harvested eight bogeys from the fields of Hualalai, to claim a two-shot victory.

Win No. 7 for @TheBig_Easy!

Ernie Els claims another victory in style @MEC_Golf ? pic.twitter.com/fa4dLl3C0v

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) January 19, 2025