The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Jul 10, 2023
- 5 min read
Another awesome week of golf which included plenty of highlights and big storylines across the various competitions. We had maiden wins in Major tournaments, wins on home soil and comeback victory’s peaking just prior to the next major. Let’s dive in!
Allisen Corpuz broke through to claim her maiden LPGA Tour victory and she did it at the U.S Women’s Open no less. The grueling conditions at Pebble Beach took their toll, as Corpuz was the only woman in the field to score under par during all four rounds, earning her a Major victory. She becomes the first American in 20 years to win a Major as their first title and she did it with a 3-under 69 on Sunday to pull clear of the field and win by 3 shots at 9-under. The win also saw the biggest payout in an LPGA Major which should set a strong platform for the 25-year-old from Hawaii to continue to do amazing things in golf for the foreseeable future. Corpuz looked remarkedly composed on the final day for someone who was attempting to make history at Pebble Beach. She started the day one shot back, was tied for the lead at the turn and then put on a strong stretch of golf to see off her nearest competitors. They were Charley Hull and Jiyai Shin who shared second place after strong final rounds from the both of them. The win shakes up the Race to CME Globe rankings where it remains tight at the top, the win pushing Corpuz into the top-10. Women’s golf remains in a strong position where they put on a fantastic event week in week out which is a treat for us weekend golfers to watch.
Allisen Corpuz wins the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach
Photo courtesy of lpga.com
In its eighth and last time at Himmerland, Rasmus Hojgaard became the first Danish winner at the Made in Himmerland 2023 after an epic six-hole play-off against Nacho Elvira. Hojgaard charged up the field after starting Sunday one shot back as he finished with a final round 6-under 64 to tie the lead with the Spaniard who could only manage level par for his round. The two of them then headed back to the 18th, where they played it a remarkable six times before being able to decide a winner. The win is Hojgaard’s fourth DP World Tour win and maintains his perfect record during play-offs. It was an ‘edge-of-your-seat’ play-off with both saving pars and hanging in there as they went blow for blow back and forth down the 18th. Unfortunately, it was an errant second shot from the Spaniard which sealed the deal after he flew it out of bounds and into the practice area, Hojgaard going on to finish the job and take the victory. Further back it was Richie Ramsay in third, with a host of players at T4 being Macintyre, Warren, Bjork and Samooja. Another great event by the DP World Tour and exciting to see one of the Danish twins back in the winners circle. Its hard to imagine the two of them won’t continue to dominate that circuit for many years to come.
Rasmus Hojgaard wins an epic playoff against Nacho Elvira
Photo courtesy of europeantour.com
Cameron Smith plays himself back into form to win at Liv Golf London and it comes at a critical time with his title defence at The Open looming in just a couple of weeks. Smith, who has historically played well on courses around the UK, will be hoping this win is a launching platform for a strong showing at Royal Liverpool. His short game looked to be back to its brilliant best as he took the lead during Rd 1 and never looked too troubled by the chasers all the way through to the closing hole. He appeared to be more troubled by the team leaderboard, after Ripper GC looked to be in control but were run down by a rampaging 4Aces on Sunday who won by just one shot. Smith, talking after his victory, appeared dejected by the team loss which goes to show the Liv Golf League concept continues to appeal to the players as they are competing for more than just their own purses and points. Ripper GC themselves showed their strongest form for the season, led by Captain Cam Smith and stalwart Marc Leishman who finished T2 alongside Patrick Reed. The top 5 was completed by Louis Oosthuizen and Dustin Johnson. Although I don’t get involved in the Liv v PGA argument, it must be said that this week the Liv Golf League had a much stronger field and has clearly benefited from the scheduling around the final Major of the season where the PGA is enduring some quieter weeks of competition.
Cameron Smith wins in London
Photo courtesy of livgolf.com
Sepp Straka overcame the highs and lows of a fantastic Sunday to secure his second PGA Tour victory in as many years. The 30 year-old came within a whisker of making history with a sub-60 final round, however finding water on the 18th put a fizzer in that and made for a far more interesting finish than we would have had otherwise. Thankfully for Straka, a career-low 9-under 62 was enough to hold onto the lead and win the John Deere Classic by 2 shots over Americans Todd and Smalley who shared second place. Although a weaker field for the PGA, as a number of tour members have wandered across the pond in preparation for The Open, Straka still had to work for the win as the competition put on a birdie blitz over the four days. The win moves him into the top-30 on the OWGR and up to 18th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Sepp Straka wins The John Deere Classic
Photo courtesy of pga.com
It was a dramatic finish in the Capio Ogon Trophy in Sweden on the LETAS Series, the victory decided by a three-way playoff. Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen took control of the Order of Merit with her second win after an impressive final round where she ran down the leaders to force a playoff. As they played a 73rd hole, Kibsgaard Nielsen rolled in a birdie to get the job done ahead of Scotland’s Hannah McCook and Danish amateur Natacha Host Husted. It is the fourth time this season that Kibsgaard Nielsen has finished in the top two spots and if she keeps in this stellar form she will be hard to chase down through the back end of the LET Access Series.
Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen Secures her Second LETAS Victory
Photo courtesy of letaccess.com
Up ahead …
The DP World Tour is the pick of the events this week as it hosts the Genesis Scottish Open. With a packed field full of talent as everyone gears up for the Open the following week, it’s sure to be a great tournament out at The Renaissance Club in Scotland.
Another quiet field on the PGA Tour which is predominantly filled by those who didn’t do enough to secure a ticket to The Open. Keene Trace Golf Club in Kentucky will host the Barbasol Championship where Trey Mullinax is the defending champion and the field will battle it out for the $US 3.8 million purse.
The LPGA backs up a Major week as they head to Highland Meadows to compete in the Greater Toledo LPGA Classic. There is still plenty at stake as we head into the closing stretch of golf for the season and the field remains strong with plenty of women hoping to improve their status or close out the year with some momentum.
The Liv Golf League takes a break now while those competing in The Open conduct their final prep. Liv wont return until 04 Aug when they will descend upon The Old White at The Greenbrier, USA.
That’s it for now, stay safe and play well!
Play well,
TMM
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