The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …

themondaymulligan
Apr 25, 2023
4 min read

A little part of me hates to say it, but this week was all about the Liv Golf League and the reception it received in Adelaide, Australia. The novelty of that event, alongside the first major of the LPGA Tour, certainly made for an exciting week of golf.

The Liv Golf League made it’s a debut in Australian and what a reception it received! Everyone suspected it would suit an Australian fan-base however I don’t think anyone was expecting quite the following and support they received. The footage was incredible with hundreds of meters worth of lines to get into the venue and even bigger ques to access the ‘watering hole’ and the 18th green during the final round. The event generated some memorable scenes and surely bought itself a return for the 2024 season! One person who won’t forget it was Talor Gooch, who secured his first Liv Golf League victory and the $4 million dollar prize as the individual winner. Gooch, who was a race-away leader after the second round, had it all to play for on the final day. Despite a significant hiccup through the middle half of the final round, he steadied to win in emphatic style at the Grange Golf Course in Adelaide. It was the 4 Aces who took out the team title for the first time this season and will be hoping that this result launches them into a solid team-title defence for this season. The home team, Ripper GC, got off to an incredibly slow start before rallying on the final day, thanks to some heroics from their skipper Cam Smith, to finish in a respectable 9th on the team leader board. The Australian crowd and Liv Golf League seemed like a match made in heaven and I am sure they will be keen to venture back down under in 2024, if not extend their schedule for more events … we can only hope! The question is: Is the Liv Golf League to golf, what T20 became for cricket? If that trend is anything to go by, we are in for an exciting future of world golf in the next few years

Talor Gooch as a member of Liv Golf League

Photo courtesy of golfmagoc.com

The LPGA had their first major of the year at the Chevron Championship and what a finish it was, going right down to the wire with a playoff to boot! Despite a change in venue, the result was the same, the winner jumping into the pond in celebration. Lilia Vu came through clutch down the stretch in what was a showcase of the LPGA’s young talent with the result up for grabs right until the last hole and then into the playoff. It was a birdie on 18 by Angel Yin which forced a playoff, however a 14-foot birdie putt by Vu on the first playoff hole made the difference and turned Lilia Vu into a Major Champion. The win comes after only a few months since her maiden LGPA Tour victory at the Honda LGPA Thailand. It was a come-from-behind victory for Vu who started the day at T11 and four shots off the pace before showing composure in her final round and sinking some long-range putts to take home the W.

Lilian Vu after winning the Chevron Championship

Photo courtesy of CNN

The DP World Tour travelled to Japan this week where players competed in the ISPS Handa Japan Championship. Despite arriving late, with no time for a practice round, it was Australia’s Lucas Herbert who showed nothing but class to take home the win. His presence in the playoff can be put down to numerous impressive par saves and near-impossible birdies throughout the week. Once in the playoff against Aaron Cockerill, he took his chances and secured the win on the second playoff hole. Lucas Herbert appeared a class above the rest for the most part of the weekend and deserved a win in Japan. This was the first co-sanctioned event with the Japan Golf Tour and holds high hopes for future joint ventures in the future.

Lucas Herbert wins the ISPS Handa Japan

Photo courtesy of DP World Tour website

It was a week of records on the PGA Tour this week, with the first time that a pair of players have secured their maiden tour victory on the same weekend. In what is the only paired format on the PGA Tour, Nick Hardy and Davis Riley overcame a three-shot deficit to secure their win. In doing so, they also broke the scoring record for the event with a 30-under 258 between the two of them. It was a relatively quiet front nine amongst the field where nobody managed to break away from the pack, which allowed Hardy and Riley to slowly chip away at the lead and sink four birdies in the final six holes to take home the victory. In only their second season on tour, it may well kick start bigger things for the two of them on tour!’

The week ahead

The Liv Golf League backs up a big week in Australia with another event in Singapore this week. After being run down, my money is on the Range Goats to get the job done and win the team event at the Sentosa Golf Club this week!

The LPGA Tour heads to the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles this week to compete for a purse of $3 million in what is an inaugural event at that venue. Plenty of players will be hoping to earn points and money what was a disappointing major for some big names amongst the field.

The DP World Tour heads to Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, Korea this week where plenty of big names will be vying for points and status. This blog has had plenty of focus on Australian David Micheluzzi who has received an invitation to this event and will be hoping to make a mark ahead of his status on the tour next season. He is certainly one to watch and could give a fair indication of things to look out for in the future.

The PGA Tour is off to Mexico this week where they will compete in the Mexico Open for a share in the $7.7 million purse. Jon Rahm is the defending champion however it is a world class field which will be sure to make for some interesting golf into the weekend.

Another big week ahead, be sure to tune in where you have time.

Play well,

TMM