The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Oct 27
- 7 min read
Once again, it is our Aussie Women on the LPGA which are holding the flag high and putting Australia on the map! It continues to be a strong season for our Aussie women, including a few major winners and capped off with the International Crown victory this past week. There were also some other big results across the world of golf, with the DP World Tour wrapping up regular proceedings with plenty of heartbreak and good news stories at the completion of their regular season. Read on for the recap.
The LPGA Tour played in one of their more unique events this past week, the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. The biennial team-match-play event saw eight teams of four representing top golf nations (plus a “World” composite team) compete for national pride and a US $2 million purse. The format consisted of four‐ball matches over the first three days in pool play, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the knockout semifinals on Sunday. In the final, Team Australia defeated the United States. Australia secured the title when both singles matches were won, Minjee Lee and Hannah Green each won their singles matches (2 & 1) over Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh respectively, rendering the foursomes match unnecessary. This marked Australia’s first International Crown victory, having finished runner-up in 2023. In the third-place playoff, Team World, featuring Lydia Ko and Charley Hull, defeated Japan to take third. Ko praised her teammates for their chemistry, noting the quartet had barely played together prior to the event.
Australia wins their first International Crown on the LPGA Tour
(photo courtesy of: www.lpga.com)
The Australasian Tours, both Challenge PGA and WPGA, saw 27-year-old Victorian golfer Matias Sanchez claim his maiden title at the Webex Players Series South Australia. With a steady closing round of 71, Sanchez finished at 16-under and won by two shots over South Australian Adam Bland, who shot a final-round 68. From the outset Sanchez took charge and maintained composure throughout the final round. He held the lead from Round 1 and when the pressure mounted on Sunday, delivered to take home the first-time win. Besides the main field, the event also featured separate brackets: in the All-Abilities section Victorian Tom Ryan won over local Steven Alderson, and junior star Malachy Marshall topped the junior leaderboard for the second straight year. Three women made the 36-hole cut in this mixed-field event; Queenslander Justice Bosio led the women’s contingent, finishing tied 24th at 3-under. The mixed-field format again brought fresh faces to the fore, underlining the inclusive direction of the Players Series.
Matias Sanchez, Tom Ryan and Malachy Marshall after their respective wins
(photo courtesy of: https://golf.com.au)
The fourth stop of the FedExCup Fall Series featured a $6 million purse and saw a breakout performance by Michael Brennan. On a sponsor exemption, the 23-year-old produced rounds of 67-65-64-66 (22-under) to claim his first PGA Tour title. Brennan’s victory granted him full PGA Tour exemption through 2027 and entry into signature events. From the outset Brennan looked in command. He birdied five of his first nine in the final round, turned in 31, added birdies on 12 and 14, then parred home with a closing bogey only a footnote on a dominant week. Runner-up was Rico Hoey (18-under), who mounted a strong charge but never closed the gap. Meanwhile, notable performances included David Ford, Ben Silverman, Justin Lower and Thorbjørn Olesen, all finishing tied at 16-under for T3. With his win, Brennan collected approximately US $1.08 million and vaulted into the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. The week also emphasised that for many players this fall stretch is critical in securing playing status for 2026, adding extra pressure and drama.
Best of the Aussies was Jason Day who finished in T20.
Michael Brennan claims his maiden PGA Tour Title at the Bank of Utah Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.golfmonthly.com)
The DP World tour had their final ranking event for the season, the Genesis Championship. The tournament culminated in a breakthrough win for South Korean golfer Junghwan Lee, who fired a final-round 64 to finish at 11-under and take the title by three strokes. Lee had begun the week several strokes behind the pace, but a run of five consecutive birdies early in his final round propelled him into contention and ultimately into the winner’s circle. Key contenders such as Mikael Lindberg and Nacho Elvira led early in the week, yet both slipped as Lee surged. Laurie Canter made a dramatic eagle from around 100 feet on the last hole to finish tied for second alongside Elvira. Meanwhile, high-profile names like Hideki Matsuyama and Si Woo Kim were unable to mount serious bids for the title. Lee’s victory not only delivered local glory, but also secured his playing status on the DP World Tour for the next two seasons. One storyline of the week was Sungjae Im’s collapse in the third round, after strong starts, he incurred a penalty and swung wildly through a tough 30-minute stretch that spelled his undoing. In sum, the Genesis Championship was defined by Lee’s dramatic turnaround and composed finish, showcasing how quickly momentum can shift in a big-field event.
Best of the Aussies was Adam Scott who finished in T30. Also of note from our Aussies were the valiant efforts of both Scott and Micheluzzi who were fighting to keep their DP World Tour cards this week, requiring a made-cut to do so. Both ground it out and hung around to secure playing rights for another year. At the other end of the standings, it was Elvis Smylie who unfortunately didn’t make the weekend, which halted some of the momentum from his rookie season as he was charging towards one of the available PGA Tour cards.
Junghwan Lee, world number 451, wins the Genesis Championship in South Korea
(photo courtesy of: www.golfmonthly.com)
The Wistron Ladies Open, a co-sanctioned event between the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (TLPGA), came in with a $1 million purse. Weather and course conditions played a major role: heavy rain, fog and suspension of play forced the event to be reduced to 36 holes (no cut). The winner was Taiwanese golf legend Yani Tseng, who captured her seventh LET title with a score of 14-under. Her victory was especially poignant as it ended an 11-year drought since her last win and came on her home soil at a venue she has long competed at. Behind Tseng, New Zealander Amelia Garvey posted a strong showing to finish four shots back in solo second. Despite the shortened format, Tseng showed composure under weather pressure, reeling off a series of birdies late to pull clear and demonstrating why she remains one of the game’s most resilient champions. Her win also makes her eligible for full LET membership going forward. Overall, the event highlighted not just her remarkable comeback, but also the depth and global reach of the LET’s co-sanctioned tournaments in Asia.
Best of the Aussies was Kelsey Bennett who finished in T34 on 3-under.
Yani Tseng breaks an 11-year drought to claim her seventh LET Title
(photo courtesy of: www.ladieseuropeantour.com)
The International Series Philippines attracted a strong field last week where Miguel Tabuena, playing on his home course, surged to a commanding victory. He carded rounds of 69-65-65-65 for a 24-under total and won by three shots over Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Yosuke Asaji (both finishing at 21-under).
The opening rounds featured plenty of low scoring and big names. Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut opened with an 8-under (64) to assume early control. Several LIV Golf affiliated players also competed, but local talent and rising Asian Tour stars proved strongest. Tabuena’s final round 65 included a pivotal eagle on the par-five eighth that helped him pull clear. His win is especially significant: it marks his first International Series title, lifts him past US$3 million in career Asian Tour earnings, and makes him the most successful Filipino in Asian Tour history with four wins. The tournament underscored the strength of golf in the Asia-Pacific region and the importance of the International Series as a pathway for talent.
Best of the Aussies was Marc Leishman who finished in solo-sixth on 19-under.
Miguel Tabuena becomes the most successful Filipino in Asian Tour History
(photo courtesy of: www.asiantour.com)
Up Ahead
The Australasia Tours now have some time off, with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia set to resume with the NSW Open in two weeks’ time, whilst our professional women on the WPGA Tour of Australasia have a full month before their regional qualifiers resume.
The PGA Tour also has a week off before they resume with the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico. Having finished the ‘Back 9’, the DP World Tour also has a week before they commence their playoffs in the United Arab Emirates for those who finished in the top seventy in the Race to Dubai standings. The Ladies European Tour is another tour with a week off, affording them time to head-to-head across to China and get settled before resuming competition with the Aramco China Championship.
The LPGA Tour heads to Malaysia to get stuck back into individual competition at the Maybank Championship being hosted by the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Ruoning Yin was our winner here last year with the 2025 version offering a prize pool worth $USD 3 million along with 500 points in the Race to CME Globe.
The Asian Tour, one of the few tours it seems with an event on this week, is headed to the Hong King Golf Club to compete in the Link Hong Kong Open. Patrick Reed was our previous winner here where he, along with plenty of the LIV Golf professionals, will be hoping to get a good result under the belt and make up some much-needed OWGR points. The field is 138 strong and the prize pool is worth $USD 2 million for this year.
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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