The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Sep 8, 2025
- 5 min read
McIlroy gets it done … again! The hometown hero brought the house down with an eagle to get into the playoff before sealing the deal for his second Irish Open. It was another great event in that part of the world, attracting many of the best players from across a variety of tours. Read on for the recap of how the golfing week played out.
Rory McIlroy, trailing by four strokes entering the final round, produced a thrilling comeback to force a playoff, thanks to a breathtaking 30‑foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole that tied him with Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren at 17-under. The playoff was a tense battle. Both competitors birdied the first two holes, maintaining the deadlock. On the third playoff hole, Lagergren’s approach found water, while McIlroy calmly converted a birdie to clinch the title, his second Irish Open win and first since 2016. McIlroy credited the emotional impact of competing at home saying the win, especially the final eagle, was among the most memorable moments of his career. The win provides McIlroy with a timely boost of momentum ahead of the Ryder Cup and BMW PGA Championship. Meanwhile, Swedish golfer Joakim Lagergren expressed his disappointment, lamenting an unlucky bounce in the playoff, believing his 17‑under would have sufficed. Irish fan-favorite Shane Lowry finished 15th, while drawing attention for introducing a new driver (the Srixon ZX7 LS+) ahead of his upcoming Ryder Cup commitment. Overall, the 2025 Irish Open was defined by high drama, elite performance, and emotional resonance, a fitting prelude to golf’s international showdowns in the weeks to come.
Best of the Aussies was Elvis Smylie who once again showed some promising signs and great stretches of golf to finish in T37.
Rory McIlroy sparks a terrific comeback to win his second Irish Open
(photo courtesy of: www.thesun.ie)
The inaugural Aramco Houston Championship, part of the Ladies European Tour’s PIF Global Series, was played at the Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland, Texas. It featured both a 36‑hole team competition and a 54‑hole individual stroke‑play battle, with 26 teams of three professionals and one amateur vying for glory in a “two best scores per hole” team format. The individual component followed immediately after on Sunday. In the team event, Team Kouskova, captained by Sara Kouskova, edged out the competition thanks to April Angurasaranee’s dramatic 24‑foot birdie putt on the 18th, sealing a one‑stroke victory over Team Rhodes and Team Boutier with a total of 32‑under‑par 256. Individually, Nuria Iturrioz emerged victorious, claiming her fifth LET title with a final round of 4-under (68), finishing at 13‑under‑par, two strokes ahead of Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and England’s Charley Hull. Ciganda had led going into the final day, firing an impressive 8-under (64) in round two to take a narrow lead. The total purse stood at $2 million, with Iturrioz earning approximately $225,000 for her victory. Off the course, the tournament marked the Texan debut of the PIF Global Series, spotlighting rising stars and returning names. Notably, Alison Lee, a two‑time U.S. Solheim Cup player, made her much‑anticipated comeback just 19 weeks post‑childbirth, bringing along her mother for childcare support as she evaluated life on tour as a new mom. Inspiring stuff!
Best of the Aussies was Kelsey Bennett who fought hard and finished in T36.
Nuria Iturrioz wins her fifth LET Title at the 2025 Aramco Houston Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.ladieseuropeantour.com)
Held at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Hertfordshire, the Rose Ladies Open, a 54‑hole LET Access Series event with a €65,000 purse, culminated in a commanding win for Emma Falcher, who finished at 11‑under‑par (205), capturing the title by a five‑stroke margin over Gemma Clews. For Falcher, this marked a standout victory, establishing her on the LETAS Order of Merit heading into the season’s final stretch. The tournament continued its mission of providing elite-level opportunity for emerging female golfers, a legacy rooted in Justin and Kate Rose’s creation of the Rose Ladies Series and the Open itself. As one of the more prosperous events on the LETAS calendar, second only to the Grand Finale, this edition at Hanbury Manor carried added significance, drawing a stacked field to Nottinghamshire’s par‑72 venue and reinforcing the event’s growing prestige.
Best of the Aussies was Kristalle Blum who finished in T18 off the back of a strong start to the tournament.
Emma Falcher runs away with it to win the Rose Ladies Open by five shots
(photo courtesy of: www.letaccess.com)
Up Ahead
The PGA Tour commences a new season after what some would consider is a relatively short break. It starts with a co-sanctioned DP World Tour event at the BMW PGA Championship being played at the Wentworth Club in England. This event carries a purse of USD $9 million along with 8,000 points in the Race to Dubai Rankings and Billy Horschel was our winner last year. Those PGA members who are not heading over the pond will head to Napa where they will tee it up at the Procore Championship which has a purse of USD $6 million and 500 points. Patton Kizzire is the defending champion whilst the U.S Ryder Cup team is reportedly using this as a networking event to firm up their form and pairings.
The LPGA Tour is back after a week off and ready to launch into the final stretch of their season. This week they are competing at the Korger Queen City Championship at TPC River’s Bend. Lydia Ko is our defending champion and this event offers 500 points in the Race to CME Globe as well as a purse worth USD $2 million.
The Ladies European Tour is off to Switzerland this week for the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open being played at the Golfpark Holzhausern. Alice Hewson is our defending champion for an event which carries a prize pool worth €300,000.
The Asian Tour is back into it this week and has the pleasure of teeing it up at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea for The 41st Shinhan Donghae Open. Kensei Hirata was our winner last season and for the 41st edition this year it carries a prize pool of KRW 1,500 million.
The EPSON Tour is back in action and is looking to close out their season in good form. This week sees the field tee it up at the RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill for the Guardian Championship. Fatima Fernandez Cano was our winner last year and this year it carries 500 points in the Race for the Card along with a purse of USD $250,000.
The LET Access Tour is also looking to have a strong finish to their season as they descend upon Golf Saint Omer in France for the Hauts de France Pas de Calais Golf Open. Kelsey Bennett was a breakthrough winner in this event last season. This years champion will be hoping to do the same on their way to collecting a decent portion of the €40,000 prize fund.
The Australasian Tours, both Challenger PGA for the men and WPGA for the women, have another few weeks off before resuming the season. The men will next tee it up for order of merit (OoM) points at The CKB WA PGA Championship in early October whilst our ladies will be in business next at the Women’s NSW Open regional qualifying events in mid-October.
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
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