The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Jun 19, 2023
- 4 min read
Whilst the touring professionals may have been disappointed at the crowd turnout and reception they received in Los Angeles, for those of us watching along at home it remained a great event and carried just as many storylines as the previous two Men's Majors of 2023.
The week started with much fanfare and excitement across the golfing world, after all it would be the first time the world of golf had converged on a single venue since the upcoming partnership between the PGA, Liv Golf League and DP World Tour had been announced. However, the action and drama was left for the golf course as everyone knuckled down and got about their business. It was a mixed first day, with some wild scores from big names and the continued resurgence of a golfing favourite, Rickie Fowler. Fowler continued his strong season by creating history as the first person to shoot a 62 in a Major, a feat that was followed only minutes later by Xander Schauffele. That certainly got the golf world talking. The greens keepers and maintenance crew exacted their revenge by turning it up a notch and, after the lead was 8-under after round 1, the eventual winner would only manage to reach a score of 10-under by the 72nd hole. That winner was Wyndham Clark, who took out his maiden Major Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club. Clark, a member of the tour since 2018, only secured his first win on tour a mere 43 days ago. Quite the turnaround of fortunes. As with most Majors, he didn’t have it all his own way and had to overcome some struggles to secure the W. Clark entered Sunday with a share of the lead alongside Fowler and, where the latter struggled to re-produce his earlier heroics, Clark put his shoulder to the wheel and continued to grind. A star-studded leaderboard, including Scheffler, McIlroy and a fast-finishing trio of Rahm, Smith and Fleetwood all hung around to keep Clark on his toes. However, down the stretch nobody could make the most of their chances and close in on Clark who remained ahead for the majority of the round. That left Clark with a one-shot lead down the last, which was enough breathing space for him to shut the door and become the 2023 U.S. Open Champion. Of interest was Fleetwood, who closed with the low round of the day at 7-under. It matches his own record as the lowest final round in a Major and he remains the only one to reach this number which he has now done on two occasions. Nonetheless, Tommy is still chasing his first Major and first win on U.S soil, surely his strong form will turn up a result in the not-too-distant future.
Wyndham Clark wins his first Major Championship
Photo courtesy of europeantour.com
The LPGA Tour crowned its 11th winner through 13 events this season when Leona Maguire won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Amongst a packed leaderboard, Maguire rose from the crowd when she fired an impressive final-round 64 to reach 21-under and win by two shots. The Irishwoman was up to the task all week, shooting all four rounds in the 60’s but saving her best for last to come from fifth and take out her second win on the LPGA Tour. She finished ahead of Ariya Jutanugarn who performed a stunning turnaround after being in T102 after the first round at +1, only to make up 20 shots and finish in second at -19. Xiyu Lin and Amy Yang finished at -18 at T3. With so many individual winners this season, the Race to CME Globe is well and truly hotting up where Jin Young Ko currently leads ahead of Lilia Vu and Ayaka Furue.
Leona Maguire wins the Meijer LPGA Classic
Photo courtesy of ladieseuropeantour.com
On the LET Access Series (LETAS) it was Spain’s Marta Martin who rallied on the final day to secure her maiden professional win. The 26-year-old started the day one shot behind and got off to a shaky start, heading out with a 3-over, 39. However, she soon turned that around and put on a birdie blitz down the stretch to complete her round in even par, and finish the tournament at -1. Gemma Clews finished in solo second, with a five-way tie for third between Tia Teinketo, My Leander, Patricie Mackova, Chloe Salort and Colombotto Rosso. The win pushes Martin into second place on the LETAS Order of Merit.
Marta Martin wins the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge
Photo courtesy of letaccess.com
Up ahead …
The Liv Golf League remains out of action until Jun 30 when they will descend upon the Real Club Valderrama for their next event.
The DP World Tour is back in action this week for the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany. The event carries a purse of $US2 million and, just as importantly, it also hands out Race to Dubai Ranking Points and Ryder Cup Points, which are both in high demand as the season enters its latter stages.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship gets underway this week at the Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course) in Springfield where In Gee Chun is the defending Champion. As one of five Majors on the Women’s tour, the event carries a purse of $US9 million and is worth 650 Points in the Race to CME Globe.
The PGA Tour heads to TPC River Highlands in Connecticut this week for the Travellers Championship where Xander will be hoping to defend his 2022 title. The event carries a purse of $US20 million and, despite being immediately after the U.S. Open, still attracts a strong field and is definitely worth a watch over your weekend.
That’s all from me, good luck out on the links this week!
Play well,
TMM
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