The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Aug 24
- 8 min read
Apologies, this week is well overdue but, as they say, better late than never! What a great week of golf it was. Young Aussie Elvis Smylie continued his ‘sneaky-good’ season on the DP World Tour, our very own Richard Green flew the flag on the Champions Tour and the Liv Golf League wrapped up the individual title for the year. Read on for the full recap.
England’s Marco Penge captured his second DP World Tour title by staging a stunning comeback to win the 2025 Danish Golf Championship, finishing at 16-under (268), just one stroke ahead of home favourite Rasmus Højgaard, who closed at 15-under (269). Trailing by four strokes early in the final round, Penge turned the tide with a composed 67 and sealed victory with a clutch birdie at the 18th after Højgaard briefly tied the score with an eagle. Ben Schmidt secured solo third at 12-under, while Mikael Lindberg and Gregorio De Leo shared fourth at 11-under. Penge’s victory not only solidified his season but also amplified talk of a Ryder Cup debut, as he plans to compete in six consecutive events leading up to team selection.
Best of the Aussies was Elvis Smylie who continues a strong season and finished T6 this week, pushing him up to 22nd in the Race to Dubai Standings.
Marco Penge wins the Danish Golf Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.mizunogolf.com)
Scottie Scheffler claimed a dramatic victory, closing with a 3‑under 67 to finish at 15‑under (265), overcoming a four-stroke deficit to edge out Robert MacIntyre by two shots. The pivotal moment came at the 17th hole, a stunning 82‑foot chip‑in birdie that propelled Scheffler into the lead and electrified the gallery. MacIntyre, who led through three rounds, struggled in the final round, his bogeys on the front nine and a closing 73 saw him finish 13‑under (267). Scheffler’s win marked his fifth PGA Tour victory of the season, further cementing his dominance and earning him an impressive US $3.6 million winner’s check, plus a $5 million FedEx Cup bonus for topping the standings after the second playoff event. This triumph also solidifies his place at the top going into next week’s Tour Championship, where the starting‑stroke advantage has been eliminated, meaning all 30 competitors, including Akshay Bhatia in the defending 30th spot, will begin at even par.
Best of the Aussies was Jason Day who finished in T23, however it was not enough to secure his spot in next weeks Tour Championship.
Scottie Scheffler continues his dominant form with a win at the BMW Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.ontapsportsnet.com)
At The Club at Chatham Hills near Indianapolis (a par‑71, 7,143‑yard track), Sebastián Muñoz secured his first-ever LIV Golf win with a playoff birdie to pip Jon Rahm, after both finished at 22-under. Muñoz got off to a sensational start on Friday with a dazzling 59, featuring 13 birdies and a double bogey, one of only three sub‑60 rounds in LIV history. On Sunday, Rahm shot an 11-under (60), including birdies on the final four holes, to force a playoff despite finishing second in the tournament. In the playoff, Muñoz prevailed with a birdie on the first extra hole. Despite not winning an event all season, Rahm’s remarkable consistency, bolstered by multiple runner‑up finishes, helped him claim his second consecutive LIV Golf Individual Championship, earning an $18 million bonus over Joaquín Niemann. On the team front, Torque GC, led by Muñoz and Niemann, captured the team title in Indianapolis with a historic total of 64‑under, securing $3 million for the franchise LIV Golf. The event also saw several notable players, including Henrik Stenson, Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Anthony Kim, Yubin Jang, and Frederik Kjettrup, relegated from the LIV Golf League for 2026. With pressure on the League to adhere to some more stringent guidelines in order to have their events count towards World Ranking Points, it will be interesting to see how this shuffles the cards ahead of next season.
Best of the Aussies was the Captain, Cam Smith, who finished in T14, whilst the Rippers themselves came dead last and will have a battle on their hands this week in the Team Championship.
Torque GC take out the clean sweep off the back of Sebastian Munoz’ maiden Liv Title
(photo courtesy of: www.livgolf.com)
Akie Iwai, a 23‑year-old rookie from Japan, claimed her first LPGA title at The Standard Portland Classic, finishing at 24-under (264), a four‑stroke victory over Gurleen Kaur, who ended at 20-under (268). Iwai carded rounds of 67‑67‑64‑66, including a flawless closing round, and joins her twin sister Chisato, who also earned her maiden win earlier this season, as two first-time LPGA winners from the same family in 2025. The tournament featured a $2 million purse, up from $1.75 million in 2024, with the champion’s share at $300,000 and the runner-up earning approximately $188,651. This win awarded Iwai 500 Race to the CME Globe points, boosting her season ranking and qualifying prospects for the LPGA Tour Championship. In addition, Iwai set a new career-low 54‑hole scoring mark at Columbia Edgewater, surpassed $1 million in official career earnings, and became the sixth rookie to win on tour this season.
Best of the Aussies was Grace Kim, who finished in solo-fifth at 18-under.
Akie Iwai wins her maiden LPGA Title at The Standard Portland Classic
(photo courtesy of: www.lpga.com)
Japanese rookie Erika Hara claimed her first Epson Tour victory, finishing at 18-under (198), three strokes clear of Sabrina Iqbal, who finished at 15‑under, while Yana Wilson secured solo third at 14‑under. In a dazzling final round, Hara carded an 8-under 64, featuring ten birdies, including crucial back‑nine surges. Her win earned her $37,500 and moved her into third place in the Race for the Card, positioning herself strongly in the season‑long battle for LPGA membership. The tournament marks the fourth running of the event at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, hosted by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and continues to be a key stop on the Epson Tour’s “Road to the LPGA”.
Best of the Aussies was Jess Whitting who finished in T19 with a score of 9-under.
Erika Hara wins her maiden EPSON Tour Title at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
(photo courtesy of: www.epsontour.com)
Finnish golfer Anna Backman clinched her maiden LET Access Series title at the Ladies Slovak Golf Open, finishing at 4-under (212) to win by two strokes over Czech Jana Melichová (2-under). Backman showed poise, maturity and consistency on her way to shooting rounds of 69, 71, and 72, and credited her focus on personal performance, rather than leaderboard tracking, as key to her victory. Sharing third place at 1-under were England’s Gemma Clews and local favorite Katarína Drocárová, the latter notching one of Slovak women’s best professional results in history. Another standout was Slovak amateur Alexandra Šulíková, who impressed with a T‑7 finish at 1-over, her best showing to date. With a purse of €50,000, the event marks a high point in this year’s LET Access Series schedule.
Best of the Aussies was Abbie Teasdale who finished in T37.
Anna Backman secures her maiden LETAS Victory at The Ladies Slovak Golf Open
(photo courtesy of: https://letaccess.com)
Cory Crawford captured his second PNG Open title, his first was in 2017, finishing the tournament at 11‑under (277) and securing a four‑stroke victory over a group of challengers, including Will Florimo, Ben Henkel, Zach Ion, Jake McLeod, and Lincoln Tighe. Reflecting on his win, Crawford highlighted the pressure he placed on himself and noted a pivotal birdie at the 13th hole that eased his mind and set up a strong finish. The tournament marked a milestone as part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, drawing a record-breaking field of over 120 professional golfers from four continents, including first-time entries from Spain and more than ten players from the United States. Prime Minister James Marape praised the event for elevating PNG’s international sports profile during the nation’s 50th Independence celebrations. A noteworthy highlight on the amateur side was Morgan Annato, who delivered the best-ever result by a PNG amateur in the tournament, finishing one‑under par, placing among the top 15–20 in the field.
Cory Crawford wins his second PNG Open at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club
(photo courtesy of: www.pga.org.au)
Australia’s Richard Green captured his very first PGA Tour Champions title in his 71st start, finishing at 18-under (192) to edge out Ricardo González by one stroke at The Rogers Charity Classic. Green birdied the par‑5 18th, closing with a 5-under 65, to seal the win and celebrate an “amazing feeling,” especially after enduring multiple near-misses in past few seasons. González also carded a 65, including four birdies over his final five holes, and settled solo second at 17-under. Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who entered the final round as Charles Schwab Cup leader, shot a 68 to finish third at 16-under. Charlie Wi rounded out the top four with a 14-under total. The tournament boasted a $2.5 million purse, with $375,000 awarded to the champion and $220,000 to the runner-up, contributing critical points toward the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
Richard Green breaks through for his maiden victory on the PGA Tour Champions circuit
(photo courtesy of: www.rogerscharityclassic.com)
Up Ahead
The Liv Golf League rounds out it’s final event of the season this week in Michigan where Teams will go head-to-head to crown a victor for the season. The format is a little quirky but keeps everyone in play which is always interesting and it’ll be a good watch for those with a spare moment on the weekend.
The PGA Tour heads to the final event of the year, the Tour Championship which is being played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion; however he will have to work hard since the shot-advantage system used in previous years has been scrapped. This event carries a purse of $USD 40 million.
The LPGA backs it up this week as they head to the CPKC Women’s Open where Lauren Coughlin is the defending champion. The Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will play host to the field as they battle it out for a share in the $USD 2.75 million purse and 500 points in the Race to CME Globe.
The DP World Tour is also back in action this week as they start the Closing Swing and head towards crowning a Race to Dubai winner. The Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo will see players tee it up at The Belfry Hotel & Resort to compete for a purse worth $USD 3.5 million as well as 5,000 points in the Race to Dubai. Niklas Norgaard is our defending champion and will be hoping top get his closing swing off to a good start with another win here.
The Ladies European Tour heads to the Hills Open in Sweden this week where they will compete in a share of the €300,000 purse.
The ladies of the EPSON Tour head to the Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City to compete at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. Kathleen Scavo was our champion in 2024 and this year the event carries a purse of $USD 200,000 along with 500 points in the Race for the Card.
The LET Access Tour has the week off before they head to Ireland for the Women’s Irish Challenge. The Asian Tour also has one more week to go before they are back from their extended break. The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia also has a week off before they resume proceedings in the Northern Territory.
That’s it for this week, I hope it covered what you were after and if not, feel free to get in touch and offer some suggestions so we can improve the blog here at The Monday Mulligan. We are stoked to be back and capturing the highs and lows across the world of golf.
That’s it for now, stay safe and play well!
Play well,
TMM
References / Links:
Comments