The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …

themondaymulligan
Mar 27, 2023
5 min read

Debut wins and some steely golf through high-pressure moments sees us one tantalising week closer to The Masters. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, the scene is set for an epic month ahead, and the field may just have one or two more twists in it yet if this weekend is anything to go by.

On the DP World Tour it was Nick Bachem, a 23-year-old German, who finished 24-under-par to secure his first win on the tour. You can be forgiven for having not heard the name, after all it is only Bachem’s 12th start. It was a packed leaderboard for the majority of the final round, but as the chasers stumbled down the stretch, Bachem maintained a cool head to give himself some breathing space over the last few holes and secure the W. Engaged in the chase and finishing T2 were two locals, Hennie Du Plessis and Zander Lombard, the latter coming from the clouds with a final round 65 which included nine birdies.

Nick Bachem wins Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa

Photo courtesy of golfmagic.com

Sam Burns took the honours at the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event as Cameron Young appeared to run out of steam at the finish line, the end result being a 6&5 win for Burns. Although the final didn’t require his A-game, Burns deserved the victory after his hard-fought battle earlier in the day where he knocked out the defending champion and world number one, Scottie Scheffler. In the last installment of the Match Play event, with it not scheduled to feature in 2024, it was great viewing for golf fans with highlights including: Fowler charging for a Masters start and handing Rahm his first match play defeat in six appearances; clutch performances by Spieth and Min Woo to close out their respective round 1 matches; Kuchar equaling Tigers impressive match play record; Jason Day and Lucas Herbert making the round of 16 with some great golf; and 'that drive' from Rory. Admittedly, most were keen on seeing a heavyweight title fight between the power of McIlroy versus the composure of Scheffler, it was unfortunately not to be as neither made it to the big dance. Despite falling short of defending his title, Scheffler’s form continues to impress and should send alarm bells ringing across the field heading to Augusta.

Burns celebrates winning the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Photo courtesy of globe-today.com

Across the way in the Caribbean, also on the PGA Tour, it was England's Matt Wallace who executed a birdie blitz down the stretch to hold on and secure his first win on the tour. Although a seasoned campaigner on the DP World Tour where he has won four times, it was his 80th career start on the PGA Tour that sees him break through as the Corales Puntacana Champion. The win wasn’t without nerves, as Wallace remained on the practice green whilst Hojgaard barely missed a 20-foot putt on the 18th hole which would have sent them to a playoff. The win goes a long way in the Englishman's bid to make his debut in the Ryder Cup later this year and, although it’s been a five-year wait between victories, some recent results suggest it’s on the cards.

Matt Wallace wins the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Caribbean

Photo courtesy of europeantour.com/dpworldtour

The LPGA Tour went to a playoff to decide a winner, as both Celine Boutier of France and Georgia Hall of England finished at 20-under par. The LPGA Drive on Championship once again produced some excellent golf as Boutier maintained her cool to secure her third win on tour and now holds the most wins on tour by a Frenchwoman. Boutier navigated her way to victory through a 4-under-par 68, proving to be enough to get into a playoff on the final day which started with 17 players within three shots of the lead. Women's golf is in a strong position across the globe and this was on show at the Drive On Championship with five different countries represented in the top five on the leaderboard.

Celine Boutier wins her third LPGA Tour Title

Photo courtesy of golfchannel.com

On the WPGA Tour of Australasia it was Kiwi Momoka Kobori who secured a dramatic victory at the Women’s NSW Open at the Forster-Tuncurry Golf Club. In an unpredictable final nine-holes, which saw numerous lead changes, it was the New Zealander who kept her composure on the par-3 playoff hole. In a huge day of golf, which featured 36 holes due some wild weather on the third day, it was the first time since the inaugural Women’s NSW Open back in 2006 where the result has been determined by extra time. Although unable to get the win, Claire Shin finished as the leading amateur with her second-place finish, ahead of Sarah Hammett, Breanna Gill and Vivian Lu. While we are on the topic of Aussie golf, another two up-and-commers in the mens game secured Major starts for later this year. Min Woo Lee capped off a strong month of golf to remain inside the top 50 players in the world and receive an invite to Augusta, whilst Sydneysider Travis Smyth was rewarded for a stellar start to the year on the Asian Tour and will be teeing it up at Royal Liverpool in The Open (alongside another six aussies – including defending champion Cameron Smith).

The Asian Tour competed in Hong Kong at the inaugural World City Championship where it was local talent Taichi Kho who made history. Kho, a 22-year-old from Hong Kong who only turned professional in January, finished the tournament at 12-under over the 54 holes in a weather-affected tournament. The win was fitting in more ways than one, with it coming in the same week where tournament golf returned to Hong Kong for the first time in 38 months. Kho secured his victory with an even-par final round, which proved enough to hold off New Zealander Michael Hendry in second and Australian Travis Smyth in third. The win secures Kho an entry into this year’s Open in July.

It was another debut win in the golfing world as Om Prakash Chouhan secured his maiden European Challenge Tour victory on home soil. The Indian carded a bogey-free, seven-under-par round to take home the trophy in what is a huge result for the 36-year-old. Chouhan credited his win to a sound golf strategy which he executed with composure and will now look to take the opportunities afforded him on the European Challenge Tour through this victory.

Up ahead …

The DP World Tour has a week off ahead of The Masters, as does the Asian Tour which will next compete at the International Series Vietnam at KN Golf Links.

The Liv Golf League is headed to Orlando to play at the Orange County National Golf Centre and Lodge (wow, what name for a golf club!) and compete for a purse of $25 million. It remains a field of 48, 18 of which will tee it up the following week at The Masters.

The PGA Tour head to the Valero Texas Open this week, where the field will be hoping to achieve one of two things: fine tune their game for the following week or make a statement that they deserve an invite in the future. Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour heads to the Palos Verdes Golf Club for the DIO Implant LA Open where a star-studded field will be sure to entertain.

The PGA Tour of Australasia is off to The National GC (Moonah) for the National Tournament presented by BMW where the field will compete for the AUD$200,000 prize fund. With the Order of Merit wrapped up by David Micheluzzi, there is still plenty to play for with another two DP World Tour cards on offer.

That’s all for now from the week of golf. As always, if you have suggestions, preferences or feedback on these articles, please send them in.

Play well,

TMM