The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …

themondaymulligan
May 16, 2023
5 min read

Another huge week of golf with an exciting run into the next Major in the men's competition. There must be something in the water down in Australia, because they continue to show strong form and were only two putts away from having three winners on the world circuit this past weekend. Elsewhere, there were debut wins and fairy tales across the world of golf which everyone loves to see.

At the AT&T Byron Nelson it was Jason Day who broke a five-year drought to bring home his 13th win on tour. The win catapults him into 20th on the OWGR, after falling outside the top 170 after last season. It wasn’t just the win which was impressive, but rather the steely resolve down the stretch which could bode ominous signs for the rest of the competition in the weeks ahead. Day secured a share of the lead on the ninth hole on Sunday, before going on a birdie blitz with a total of five down the stretch. With a one-shot lead at the 72nd hole, Day chose to lay up and calmly stuck it to three feet to secure the win. It puts an exclamation mark on a big year for Day and paves the way for the charge to continue with plenty more events to come this season. The week saw some other big stories: with Adam Scott having his best Thursday in nine years shooting an 8-under, 63 before eventually finishing T8; Jordan Spieth was a late withdrawal and remains in doubt for this week's Major; Scottie Scheffler continued his good form; and Tyrrell Hatton showed promising signs throughout the week to finish inside the top-10.

Jason Day wins the AT&T Byron Nelson

Photo courtesy of pga.org.au

For the third time in five years, it was Jin Young Kho who secured the victory at the Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour. The South Korean overcome a four shot deficit heading into the final round, however a 5-under 67 in tough conditions was enough to get herself into a playoff against Australia’s Minjee Lee. Kho had to earn her way into that playoff with a tough 15-foot putt on the last before securing the win with a par on the first playoff hole. On a day where it was Minjee Lee’s to lose, not too much went right for the young Australian who unfortunately saved her worst putt of the day for the playoff hole where she 3-putted for bogey and fell short. Kho becomes just the second player to secure multiple wins this season on the LPGA Tour and continues her strong form., whilst Lee moves inside the top-10 for the first time this season.

Jin Young Kho wins her third Cognizant Founders Cup

Photo courtesy of lpga.com

Dustin Johnson found his mojo again as he secured his first win of 2023, showing some nerves of steel with the putter as he took only 21 putts throughout his final round. Liv Golf put on another stellar event in Tulsa where they generated the best crowd yet on US soil. The crowd were buoyed by the hopes of an American win and they were not disappointed. In a final round which had everything from weather delays to a three-man playoff, it was DJ who got the job done whilst Stinger GC secured the team victory. The 4Aces, led by captain DJ, looked to be in control on the final day however a weather delay appeared to curtail that momentum. A late charge by Cam Smith, who at one stage made five birdies in nine holes, along with a steady hand by Brandon Grace, saw them co-leaders after 54 holes. It was a clutch birdie on the 54th hole which allowed DJ to join the playoff alongside them. They all looked steady off the tee and stuck their approach within a few feet of each other, however only DJ managed to sink the putt and get the W.

Dustin Johnson secures his first win for 2023

Photo courtesy of livgolf.com

It was Simon Forsstrom who charged home in the Soudal Open to not only secure his maiden DP World Tour win, but also secure a one-two finish for Sweden. The 34-year-old, in his rookie season on tour after earning a card through Qualifying School last November, looked to be in control over the first three rounds. However, the pack soon closed in around him to put some pressure on the Swede who took it in his stride and made three birdies in four holes down the stretch to re-take the lead and the eventual win. It is his second win in Belgium, having previously one on the Challenge Tour in 2016. The win moves Forsstrom up to 17th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, a significant move for someone in their first season on tour and should be a sign of things to come.

Simon Forsstrom wins his maiden DP World Title

Photo courtesy of europeantour.com

The LET Access Series was back into it this week with another debut winner as Denmark’s Fie Olsen secured the Flumserberg Ladies Open. Olsen started the final day in third and overcame some terrible conditions and showed outstanding poise to take the win. She has history with this event after coming sixth last year, in what was her previous best finish. The win vindicates some of the hard work done by the 24-year-old on tour and surely paves the way to an exciting season and her career.

Fie Olsen with her debut LET Access Series win

Photo courtesy of letaccess.com

The week ahead

It’s a Major week, with the 105th PGA Championship to be played at Oak Hill Country Clubs East Course in Rochester, New York. For those on social media, you would have seen that the course looks in pristine condition. With some tight fairways and tricky pin positions, scoring low may well prove a challenge. The defending champion is Justin Thomas and although he hasn’t been playing his best golf of late, he is always dangerous at a course where precision and experience play a part. It is going to be another stellar competition watching the world’s best go at it and hopefully we get a finish not too dissimilar from that we saw at the Masters.

The LPGA Tour has a week off before resuming at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play event in Las Vegas where Eun-Hee Ji is the defending champion.

The DP World Tour does not have a competition on for the week however US Open Qualifying has commenced at Walton Heath Golf Course in Surrey, England. There is obviously plenty to play for and a chance for those without an invite to secure one without having to sacrifice a competition week of golf.

The Liv Golf League has a week off this week whilst the PGA Championship is being played, with a fair amount of representation within that field. The next showing for Liv will be on 26 May when they head to the Trump National Golf Club in DC.

That's all for now. I hope everyone gets the chance to catch some of the PGA Championship and get out for a hit of their own this weekend.

Play well,

TMM