The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Jun 26, 2023
- 4 min read
With the Womens PGA Championship and most tours competing over the weekend, there was plenty of good golf to be had and the golfing world was treated to a few stars returning to the winners circle.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship had a little bit of everything for the fans down the stretch on Sunday. There were women charging up the leaderboard, some fading, a suspension of play due to weather and it all came down to who could keep their cool once play resumed. That was Ruoning Yin, who poured in a 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole to birdie the last and win her first Major Championship by one shot. Heading into the final round there were plenty of big names in the mix including Nordqvist, Khang, Lin, Furue, Zhang and Maguire. However, all of them seem to falter down the stretch, some dropping shots unexpectedly after the weather break. Amongst it all Yin, who started the day three shots back at 4-under, maintained her composure and kept her round going. Right down to the final hole, where she kept her cool despite having to lay up, and got the job done with a birdie at the last. The win is Yin’s second LPGA Tour victory and comes right on time with the Race to CME Globe starting to heat up.
Ruoning Yin wins the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Photo courtesy of lpga.com
Bradley gets it done on home soil. The New England native dominated the field with the 54-hole scoring record and taking the lead heading into the final round on Sunday. He appeared to be in cruise control through the front nine having hit every fairway and green in regulation through the first seven holes. However, he did have to overcome some difficulty with 3 bogeys on the back nine although the American had given himself enough breathing room to steady the ship and put together a final round, 2-under and seal the win by three shots. After the challenge of the US Open, it appeared that the field relished some optimal scoring conditions as they were sinking birdies for fun. Some big names were in the mix with Scheffler, Cantlay, McIlroy, Thomas, Matsuyama and Fowler all in the top 15. Despite there being no real contest for the win, there was still plenty of good golf to watch and interesting sub-plots as the shuffle continues with plenty still yet to make it into the field for the FedEx Cup playoffs. That should take nothing away from Bradley’s win given the Travelers is an elevated event and boasted its strongest ever field this year.
Thriston Lawrence charged up the leaderboard on Sunday to take out his second DP World Tour win of the season at the BMW International Open. The South African started his final round four shots off the pace, however put his foot to the floor and applied the pressure down the stretch. A closing round of 3-under, 69 was enough for Lawrence to overhaul Joost Luiten who could only manage a 74 on the final day. The one-shot victory can be traced back to some impressive putting by the South African on the final day, where he holed a 46-footer and followed it up straight after by sinking one from outside 20-feet. The win comes as Lawrence’s fourth inside of 19 months, however it has not all been smooth sailing with plenty of missed cuts in between. A come-from-behind win such as this, after battling his own challenges throughout the round, will surely boost Lawrence’s confidence heading into the final stretch of the season and hoping to capitalise on some good form.
An impressive wire-to-wire victory by Seungsu Han in the Korean Open was enough to secure one of only two spots left on offer at this years Open Championship to be played at Royal Liverpool. Han, starting the day only one shot in the clear, maintained his composure during some hot and challenging conditions at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club. With a final round 71 for even par, it was enough for the Korean-American to secure the W and equal Rickie Fowlers record set back in 1996 when he also won the tournament by six shots. The win comes at a handy time for the 36-year-old as it sets him up for the rest of the season after only 10 events thus far, and secures him a spot at the final Major to be played this year.
Seungsu Han goes wire-to-wire in the Korean Open
Photo courtesy of asiantour.com
Padraig Harrington wound back the clock, shooting a 28 on the back nine to charge home and defend his title at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on the Champions Tour. The Irishman put on a birdie-blitz down the stretch to cruise up the leaderboard, shooting a final round 9-under, 63 and winning by one over America’s Joe Durant. It’s Harrington’s first win of the 2023 season and comes in timely fashion ahead of the U.S. Senior Open next week, where he will also be hoping to defend his title.
Padraig Harrington on his way to winning on the Champions Tour
Photo courtesy of pgatour.com
Up ahead …
After an extended break, The Liv Golf League gets back in action this week at the Real Club Valderrama. After a month off for most, and some of the field competing off the back of the U.S. Open, it will be interesting to see who has stayed in good touch and jumps out of the blocks on Friday.
The DP World Tour is off to England this week for the Betfred British Masters which is once again to be played at The Belfry. The event is hosted by Sir Nick Faldo and boasts a strong field where Thorbjorn Olesen is the reigning champion. With a purse of $EUR 1.85 million and 3,500 points up for grab, it’ll be one to watch for some great golf.
A strong field is in play this week on the PGA Tour for the Rocket Mortgage Classic to be played at the Detroit Golf Club. Tony Finau is the defending champion where the event carries a purse of $US 8.8 million.
The LPGA takes a short break prior to competing in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach from Jul 6.
The Asian Tour doesn’t get back underway until Aug 17 for the International Series England.
That’s it for now, hope you all get a hit in this week.
Play well,
TMM
References / Links:
Comments