The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Oct 14
- 6 min read
The Aussie tour is back and starts a great run of events, Xander got back to his winning ways, there is a new leader in town on the Ladies European Tour order of merit and Marco Penge closes in on Rory for the Race to Dubai. Plenty more was happening around the world of golf, read on for the recap.
The CKB WA PGA Championship, held at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course in Western Australia, delivered a thrilling finish as Austin Bautista edged out Jay Mackenzie by one shot to capture the title. Bautista entered the week strongly, firing a 66 in round one to lead early. He maintained composure through the weekend, posting a final-round 70 to close at 14-under (274), narrowly holding off Mackenzie, who led by as many as five early in the final round but faltered late. A standout storyline was the return of Jeffrey Guan, who overcame the loss of his left eye in a pro‑am accident to deliver a final-round 66 and finish in the top 10. The event also featured the Road to the Outback Challenge, pairing amateurs with pros over the final two rounds. Bautista’s win not only gives him his third title in 2025, but also positions him to pursue a rare Order of Merit double across the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour in Africa.
Austin Bautista holds his nerve down the stretch to win the WA PGA Championship
(photo courtesy of: https://golf.com.au/)
The Open de España delivered drama to the final hole, as Marco Penge prevailed over Daniel Brown in a sudden‑death playoff after both finished regulation at 15‑under (269). Penge started strong with a 66 in round one and followed with 67 in round two. In round three he surged with a brilliant 64 (7-under), reaching 16-under to take a four‑shot cushion into Sunday. Brown, meanwhile, played consistently, closing with a 67 in the final round to match Penge at 15-under. In the playoff, on the par‑4 18th, Penge sank birdie while Brown made par to hand Penge the title. Elsewhere, Joel Girrbach secured solo third at 14 under, while Tom McKibbin finished fourth. Penge’s victory also earned him invitations to the 2026 Masters and The Open Championship, as well as significant Race to Dubai and world ranking points. One subplot was Brown’s resilience under adversity: during his final round he received on‑course treatment for a neck injury yet still managed to birdie and force a playoff.
Best of the Aussies was David Micheluzzi who fought hard all weekend and finished in T65.
Marco Penge becomes a three-time DP World Tour winner this season in Spain
(photo courtesy of: www.europeantour.com)
Xander Schauffele ended a 14‑month winless stretch by capturing the 2025 Baycurrent Classic, his 10th PGA Tour title. He closed with a scorching final round 7-under (64) to finish at 19-under (265), edging out Max Greyserman by one stroke. Going into Sunday, Schauffele and Greyserman were in a tie atop the leaderboard. Schauffele made timely birdies on 14 and 17 to distance himself, while Greyserman nearly forced a playoff with a heroic final‑hole approach that left him inches from the cup. Michael Thorbjornsen secured third place at 16-under, and a five‑player group (including Takumi Kanaya, Rico Hoey, Alex Smalley, Byeong Hun An, and Garrick Higgo) tied for fourth at 14-under. The event was played under challenging weather, as Typhoon Halong threatened rain squalls and strong winds early in the week. Organisers pushed up first-round tee times and split starts across two tees to stay ahead of the storm’s impacts. Along with the monetary prize, Schauffele earned exemptions into all 2026 majors and key signature events through his victory.
Best of the Aussies was Min Woo Lee in T10 as he appears to be stringing together some solid golf to start the season.
Xander Schauffele wins his 10th PGA Tour Title at the Baycurrent Classic
(photo courtesy of: www.golfmonthly.com)
In a riveting finish, Jeeno Thitikul clinched the tournament title after a marathon five‑hole playoff over Minami Katsu, becoming the first multiple winner on the LPGA Tour in 2025. Both players had tied at 24-under (264) in regulation, setting up the extended battle. Thitikul forged her comeback with a sensational 9‑under (63) in the final round, rallying from four shots behind with five holes left. She birdied 14, 15, 16, then eagled 17 to drag the match into extra holes. Katsu, who had led by two entering the final round, carded 65 to force the playoff.
Throughout the week, Minami Katsu impressed with stellar ball‑striking and putting, including a second‑round 61 with just 24 putts total. With this win, Thitikul not only secured her sixth LPGA Tour title, but also ended a string of 26 consecutive events by different winners earlier in 2025.
Best of the Aussies was Minjee Lee who finished in solo third at 19-under.
Jeeno Thitikul becomes the first multiple-winner on the LPGA Tour this season
(photo courtesy of: www.lpga.com)
The Hero Women’s Indian Open capped a dramatic weekend as Shannon Tan surged from behind to clinch the title, finishing at 7-under (281) after closing with a 67. Her win marks her third Ladies European Tour title, and the first by a Singaporean in this event. Coming into the day, local favourite Hitaashee Bakshi held a three‑shot lead at 9-under but faltered down the stretch to finish tied for third. Alice Hewson, who had been in contention, made a costly double bogey on the 72nd hole and slipped to solo second. Bakshi’s performance remains a highlight: after a steady third round of 70 to maintain her lead, she entered the final round in prime position, though the pressure and competition proved intense. Meanwhile, the tournament witnessed a strong Indian presence, five Indian golfers made the top 10 by the third round, highlighting the depth of local talent. The 2025 edition also drew one of its strongest fields to date, with 31 nationalities represented. Tan’s come‑from‑behind victory not only shakes up the LET Order of Merit but underscores the rising international competitiveness of the Women’s Indian Open.
Best of the Aussies was, once again, Kelsey Bennet who finished in T5 and continues stringing together some strong results this season.
Shannon Tan wins the 2025 Hero Women’s Indian Open
(photo courtesy of: www.ladieseuropeantour.com)
Up Ahead
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia remains in Western Australia where they will back it up at the WA Open being played at Mount Lawley Golf Club. Elvis Smylie won this event last year as it launched him into a strong run of form and eventually securing a DP World Tour card at season’s end. This year the WA Open carries a purse of $AUD 200,000. Meanwhile, our women on the WPGA Tour of Australasia are still conducting their regional qualifying events for the NSW Open and will be back in a little over a week for the Webex Players Series in South Australia.
The LPGA Tour is off to Korea this week for the BMW Ladies Championship. Our very own Hannah Green is the defending champion and will be hoping to recapture some of that form which took her to the win last year. The prize pool is worth $USD 2.3 million along with 500 points in the Race to CME Globe.
The DP World Tour heads to their penultimate event of the ‘Back 9’, the DP World India Championship. With plenty of players right on the bubble of securing their playing rights for next season, things are sure to heat up throughout the week. This is an inaugural event on the tour with a purse of $USD 4 million along with a valuable 5,000 points in for the Race to Dubai Rankings.
The Asian Tour is back in action for the SJM Macao Open being played at the Macau Golf and Country Club in China. This event carries a purse of $USD 1 million where Rattanon Wannasrichan was our victor last year.
The PGA Tour has a week off after their trip to Japan, they are back in action the week after next for the Bank of Utah Championship. The Ladies European Tour is back into a week off, giving them a chance to get across to Chinese Taipei for their next event. The LET Access Tour also remains on a break until they compete in the final event of the season in Spain next week.
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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