Lydia Ko – in form and with form in the event with her 2016 trophy

It might have a new title sponsor, but the first major of the year in either male or female golf, the Chevron Championship, will be played this week at its traditional home, the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage in California.

This, however, will be the final staging of the event at Mission Hills as in 2023 the championship moves to Houston, ending a run of over 50 years of this event as a major and non major LPGA Tour title.

The event has been known under a series of names since its elevation to major status in 1983, the most recent being the ANA Championship and its most recent winner being Patty Tavatanakit in 2021.

Australians have won the title on two occasions and New Zealanders once. In 2000 and 2006 Karrie Webb was the champion and in 2016 Lydia Ko won the second of her two major titles to date.

Ko is in this week’s field and will be joined by fellow Australasians, Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Su Oh, Sarah Kemp and Gabi Ruffels.

Ko won in 2016 but also finished runner-up in 2021 and has played well enough in recent months including a win in Florida in February to be a real chance to contend again.

Lee has played only three events in 2022 but one was when runner-up in Singapore and although she cannot boast a great record in this event, the current world number four, does own a 3^rd place in 2017.

Green has a best of 14^th in four starts at Mission Hills and although she has made a slow start to her LPGA Tour season she performed well in lesser events in Australia earlier in the year.

Oh has a poor record in this event having missed her last four cuts and with a best of 51^st in two others, Admittedly, she is playing considerably better in 2022 including a win at the WAPGA Championship in Brisbane and some solid finishes in LPGA Tour events since but her record at Mission Hills is a concern.

Kemp has played the event on three occasions and has missed the cut twice and unfortunately for the NSW golfer, her form over the last six months hardly gives encouragement for much better.

Gabi Ruffels is not a member of the LPGA Tour, but she earns a start in this event courtesy of her impressive top 20 finish in 2021. Ruffels also finished 15^th in 2020 so this is a golf course that would appear to fit her eye.

Ruffels has played Futures Tour events in 2022 with only mixed success.

Ko and Lee appear genuine chances to challenge for the title, more especially because of their current standing and form.

Cameron Percy – file photo Henry Peters

US based Victorian golfer, Cameron Percy, recorded his second best ever finish on the PGA Tour when sharing 4^th place at this week’s Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

The event was the alternate event on the PGA Tour this week with Dell Technologies World Match Play Championship taking centre stage, but for Percy it follows up a 7^th place finish three weeks ago in Puerto Rico.

In three other events on the PGA Tour this year however, Percy has missed the cut so it has been a case of when he is good he is very good and vice versa.

Percy’s previous best finish since first joining the PGA Tour in 2010 was when beaten in a playoff for the 2010 Justin Timberlake event in Las Vegas when he fell victim to a hole in one by Jonathan Byrd.

The Victorian’s outward nine of 31 today had him contending for the title but he would bogey the 10^th and add only one extra birdie on the way in to eventually finish just two shots from the winner, Chad Ramey.

Percy earns US$166,000 for his effort and gave thanks to his fellow countryman Greg Chalmers for some putting help he received earlier in the week.

“Yeah, at the start of the week if you said I was going to come fourth, I think I’ll take and not play, but played really nicely today.

“I’m rooming with Greg Chalmers and he gave me a putting lesson in the room last night and I putted fantastic, to me. Just was way better today. I just didn’t hit it as good on the back nine, unfortunately. I was just a bit off on the back nine, but still I played pretty nicely, I thought.”

Percy also mentioned that going forward he is keenly anticipating eye surgery in the next couple of weeks to improve that aspect of his game.

“Just the fact that I’ve got an idea what I’m doing with my putting. I’m getting my eyes operated on the next two weeks. I’m going home to get an eye operation so I can see. I’m blind as a bat, so I can’t see the ball once it goes 120 yards. So I’m hoping that might help me as well.”

Greg Chalmers finished tied for 28^th.

Adam Scott – file photo

Adam Scott could have been forgiven for thinking of his afternoon second round match at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship well before his morning encounter against American Kevin Kisner was over.

After all, 3 up with four holes to play against in his opening round match appeared a near unassailable lead. That was, however, until Kisner unleashed a remarkable finish to win the last four holes and the match 1 up.

Scott raced to an early lead and was 3 up through five holes but by the turn Kisner had kept the match alive by winning the 7th and 9th holes and the margin was just one as the pair headed to the 10th tee.

Scott birdied the 12th and 14th to again move 3 holes clear but then came the remarkable finish of Kisner.

“It was looking a little bleak there coming down the stretch and able to round up some birdies, and eagle 16 was a good way to finish,” said Kisner in perhaps the understatement of the week.

“I wasn’t playing my greatest, wasn’t making a lot of putts early, and turning it around like that to finish was pretty awesome.

“It’s kind of crazy how much good fortune I’ve had at this golf course and this tournament. You know, making that birdie on 15, holing that bunker shot really swung the momentum and I was fortunate here on 18 to leave it in a perfect spot off the tee. So I knew I had the advantage. Holing those putts to win never gets old.”

The shot that caught most attention was his remarkable hole out from a green side bunker for eagle at the 16^th (see video below) but two birdies and an eagle in his last three holes along with a bit of assistance from Scott when he bogeyed the 17^th broke the back of the Australian.

Kisner was still reflecting on the bunker shot long after the match finished. “I told my caddie right before I hit it, I said, we can use that wind to fly it right in the hole I think, and it came out just perfectly and slowed down with the wind, and I couldn’t see it go in, but he said it trickled in like a putt. Those are things you dream about.”

Scott did well to make the round of 16 however and now focuses his attention on The Masters beginning on April 7th.

SCORES

Scott makes first appearance in top 16 since 2005

Adam Scott will advance to the Round of 16 at the WGC Dell World Match Play Championship in Austin in Texas after heading his group in the round robin phase.

Scott, today defeated Jordan Spieth 3&2 after never being behind in his match against the 11^th seed having earlier defeated Justin Rose and sharing honours with Keegan Bradley.

It is the first time Scott has reached the final 16 since the 2005 version of the event when he finished 5th.

“I felt it was good,” said Scott. “I mean, a bit of a shaky match with Justin. Neither of us played particularly well, but I played well in the next two. Now kind of have a run at it over the weekend and see what happens. I feel like I’ve got everything I need ahead of the Masters, obviously. Even though there’s a great event on the line this weekend, everyone is thinking about Augusta, it’s so close.”

When asked how he would pace himself given the potential for 36 holes over each of the next two days and the Masters looming, should he get to the final, Scott responded; “Well, it’ll all depend how much golf is played on the weekend now for me. Going all the way next week is going to be a lot of rest and less golf, and that’s a good thing.

“That’s only a good thing because if you play deep in the weekend the confidence will be high, no doubt. If I only play one match, then it’s a normal week, and just carry on. But it feels good to get to the weekend. For some reason getting out of the group feels like a real accomplishment at this tournament.”

While it was joy for Scott it was agony for his fellow Australian and event debutante, Lucas Herbert.

Herbert needed to defeat rising Japan superstar Takumi Kanaya in today’s final match in his group after earlier defeating Tony Finau and Xander Schaufelle.

Herbert was never in his match against Kanaya, however, eventually losing 5&4 and so the pair advanced a playoff to decide who would emerge from the group to play Corey Conners in the Round of 16, both having won twice in their preliminary matches.

Herbert appeared to have the inside running when he found the fairway from the tee while Kanaya could only pitch out after a wild drive finished near the lip of a fairway bunker. Herbert’s approach finished 20 feet behind the hole while Kanaya recovered well hitting a pitch from 90 yards to two feet.

Herbert then proceeded to three-putt and when Kanaya saved par it was all over.

Marc Leishman and Min Woo Lee both missed out, Leishman defeating Luke List today after losses to Justin Thomas and Kevin Kisner and Lee defeating Thomas Pieters and sharing honours with Tom Hoge today after a round one loss to Billy Horschel.

The winners of each of the sixteen groups advance to a knockout match play phase, Scott to take on Kevin Kisner.

Lucas Herbert and Takumi Kanaya shake hands

Adam Scott – file photo

Cameron Smith might have decided to give this week’s WGC Dell Technologies Match Play at the Austin Country Club in Texas a miss but four of his fellow countrymen will take their place in a field containing the leading 64 available world ranked players.

Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee tee it up in the US$12 million event where the winner earns US$2.1 million, each to play the required three round robin-matches in their particular group before the leading player in each group of four advances to the round of 16 on Saturday.

Scott faces Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley and Justin Rose in his group as he looks to better his previous best showing when 3^rd in 2003.

Leishman will tackle Luke List, Justin Thomas and Kevin Kisner as he looks to better his previous best on reaching the round of sixteen on three occasions in his seven appearances to date.

Lucas Herbert faces Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, Xander Schaufelle and Tony Finau, while Lee takes on Billy Horschel, Thomas Pieters and Tom Hoge.

Herbert and Lee will tee it up in the event for the first occasion, their elevation in world ranking over the past twelve months allowing them to join this elite field.

Brackets