Collin Morikawa – photo Getty Images
What a special period the last 15 months have been for 24 year old American, Collin Morikawa.
In that time, Morikawa has won the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, a World Golf Championship event and recorded 11 other top tens on the PGA Tour and now this win at the lucrative final event of the 2021 European Tour season.
The current world number two golfer not only won the DP World Tour Championship, but he claimed the Race to Dubai title and the accompanying bonuses, a final round of 66 moving him from an overnight 5th place to a three-shot victory over England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Sweden’s Alexander Bjork.
Still trailing by three shots through nine holes, five birdies in his last even holes at the Jumeirah’s Estates Earth Course in Dubai swept him past third round leader and two-time winner of this event, Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed three of his last four holes, and the man who appeared the likely challenger to McIlroy at the halfway stage today, Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, though, would lose his chance with bogeys at the 16th and 17th before a birdie at the last gave him a share of second place with Bjork who would also birdie the last to share the runner-up spoils.
“It’s so special,” said Californina Morikawa, the first American to win the event. “You know, I came here last time, first time to Dubai, obviously not having played too many European Tour events, and I told everyone that I wanted to come out here and win: Win the and win The Race to Dubai and win the DP World Tour Championship, and I had it in my control this week. Obviously if I won, I would have sealed the deal, and that’s all I focused on really.
“I couldn’t really get my head too focussed on The Race to Dubai. I knew there were many, many scenarios that could have happened. But I wanted to come out here and win. I felt like my game has been in a really good spot over the past kind of the last month and a half since The Ryder Cup, so you know, overall, it’s just an amazing win, really special.
Morikawa is not one to rest on his laurels, however, and when asked how he would follow up such a year he responded, “Win more. It’s not an encore. It’s not a swansong farewell to what I’m doing in 2021. I’m going to set some high goals high. I always have. I’m going to set the bar as high as I can get and keep going.
“I’m still not No. 1 in the world. I still have a lot to work on in my game. Obviously this week was good. I still thought I wasn’t playing amazing, but I made do. I was able to make some putts here and there. Hit some great chip shots. Made up-and-down and made some crucial par saves out here and that’s what you need.
“So I still think there’s a ton to work on. That’s just kind of the nature of how my mind works and how I work: I just want more. I know I’m going to enjoy this one a lot, especially since it’s at the end of the year, but there’s a lot more from me hopefully.”
Morikawa can move past Jon Rahm and claim the world number one spot if he was to win the Hero World Challenge in two weeks’ time although that might only be short lived as Rahm is expected to regain the title the following week.
“I am definitely aware of that. Hopefully we can get there, you know, even if it’s just for that one week. I’m sure we’re still going to have many chances hopefully come next year.
“And it’s been a goal. It has been a goal since before I could even remember and started talking about turning professional, and then want to go play golf is that you want to be the best in the world, right. And I’ve been very lucky. I’ve played very well. I’ve done some good things so far.
“But you know, it takes a lot to get to No. 1 in the world. You need to be a well-rounded golfer, a well-rounded person to get there, and there’s been a lot of great players that haven’t and that just shows how tough it is.”
For Australians Minwoo Lee (16th) and Lucas Herbert and Jason Scrivener (21st) the week might not have gone as well as they had hoped but they have each completed their best seasons in Europe, Lee finishing 7th in the Race to Dubai, Scrivener 21st and Herbert 22nd, with both Lee and Herbert winning significant events in Europe.
The European Tour begins its new season this coming week when the Joburg Open is played in South Africa followed by the South African Open and the Alfred Dunhill event in that country.
Interestingly, the European Tour now becomes known as the DP World Tour following a partnership between the Tour and DP World, its new naming rights sponsor.
In 2022, the DP World Tour will represent a truly international schedule, that will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new tournaments in the UAE, Japan, South Africa and Belgium and an expanded Rolex Series comprising five events: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Whether such partnerships and their sole focus are a good thing remains to be seen but the total prizemoney available for the 2022 season goes beyond US$200 million for the first occasion.
New Covid variant has immediate impact on world golf
The emergence of a new variant of the Covid 19 virus has had an immediate impact on the opening few events of the 2021/2022 European (now known as the DP World) Tour in South Africa.
The move follows international travel restrictions imposed on South Africa on Friday due to the discovery of the new variant.
The Joburg Open, which is currently being played at the Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg has been reduced to 54 holes in order to assist non-South African resident players, caddies and tournament support staff return to their home countries. The decision was taken to help facilitate their safe return and give them an extra day to make travel arrangements.
The event’s second round on Friday was disrupted by darkness with several in the field still having to complete as many as eight holes. That round will be finished on Saturday morning followed by the third round on Saturday afternoon to decide the outcome of the tournament.
The remaining two DP World events of 2021 which were to be jointly sanctioned between the DP World Tour and the South African Sunshine Tour have also been severely impacted.
The South African Open Championship, set to be played at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City from 2-5 December, will also still be played as scheduled. However, it will go ahead as a solely Sunshine Tour event with a prize fund of US$500 000.
The Alfred Dunhill Championship, which was scheduled to be played at Leopard Creek Country Club from 9-12 December, has, after lengthy consultations with Alfred Dunhill, unfortunately been cancelled due to the adverse effect the travel restrictions will have on the field.
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule therefore will be the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in late January.
No Australians or New Zealanders were in this week’s field
Minjee Lee completes season with 5th place at Tour Championship
Minjee Lee – completes a breakthrough year – photo Getty Images Doug DeFelice
Minjee Lee has staged a late rally at the final event of the 2021 LPGA season, two birdies and an eagle in the last four holes of her final round at the CME Tour Championship in Naples in Florida, allowing her to regain some of the lost ground of her third round 71 to eventually finish 5th.
Admittedly, Lee finished six shots behind the winner and current world number two, Jin Young Ko, but it was a great way to head for a break following a season which has seen her breakthrough for a first major title and improve from 15th in the Rolex rankings mid-year to her current 7th with the possibility of an even higher place following the revision of rankings later today.
“Yeah, really good,” said Lee. “I feel like the last couple of years I couldn’t really take advantage of the last tournament, but this year I played really well. So, I’m happy that I finished on the on a good note.
“I think golf-wise I have been able to play a little more freely and just have a little bit of — bit more confidence I think, just from Evian and also the British. So, I think that’s why I could finish the year off strong.”
Lee won US$145,000 for her share of 5th place and takes her season’s earnings to US$1.54 million.
For the winner, Ko, it was her 5th win of the season and earned her the LPGA Tour’s Player of the Year title. In fact, it was Ko’s fifth title in her last nine starts on the LPGA Tour and 12th title since joining the Tour in 2018.
Ko’s final round of 63 was just enough to hold off a similarly powerful finish by Japan’s Nasa Hataoka whose final round of 64 just failed to force a playoff.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko finished 9th after a strong finishing round of 64 which included a final nine of 30, West Australian, Hannah Green was 15th and Victorian, Su Oh 29th.
Lydia Ko finished the season with earnings of US$1,529,000 but importantly she has improved to 5th in the Rolex Rankings after being as far back as 40th just over a year ago, highlighting her return to the sort of golf she was playing earlier in her career.
The LPGA Tour’s next event will be the opening event of 2022, the Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in late January at Lake Nona in Florida.
Collin Morikawa completes remarkable 15 months with Dubai win
Collin Morikawa – photo Getty Images
What a special period the last 15 months have been for 24 year old American, Collin Morikawa.
In that time, Morikawa has won the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, a World Golf Championship event and recorded 11 other top tens on the PGA Tour and now this win at the lucrative final event of the 2021 European Tour season.
The current world number two golfer not only won the DP World Tour Championship, but he claimed the Race to Dubai title and the accompanying bonuses, a final round of 66 moving him from an overnight 5th place to a three-shot victory over England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Sweden’s Alexander Bjork.
Still trailing by three shots through nine holes, five birdies in his last even holes at the Jumeirah’s Estates Earth Course in Dubai swept him past third round leader and two-time winner of this event, Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed three of his last four holes, and the man who appeared the likely challenger to McIlroy at the halfway stage today, Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, though, would lose his chance with bogeys at the 16th and 17th before a birdie at the last gave him a share of second place with Bjork who would also birdie the last to share the runner-up spoils.
“It’s so special,” said Californina Morikawa, the first American to win the event. “You know, I came here last time, first time to Dubai, obviously not having played too many European Tour events, and I told everyone that I wanted to come out here and win: Win the and win The Race to Dubai and win the DP World Tour Championship, and I had it in my control this week. Obviously if I won, I would have sealed the deal, and that’s all I focused on really.
“I couldn’t really get my head too focussed on The Race to Dubai. I knew there were many, many scenarios that could have happened. But I wanted to come out here and win. I felt like my game has been in a really good spot over the past kind of the last month and a half since The Ryder Cup, so you know, overall, it’s just an amazing win, really special.
Morikawa is not one to rest on his laurels, however, and when asked how he would follow up such a year he responded, “Win more. It’s not an encore. It’s not a swansong farewell to what I’m doing in 2021. I’m going to set some high goals high. I always have. I’m going to set the bar as high as I can get and keep going.
“I’m still not No. 1 in the world. I still have a lot to work on in my game. Obviously this week was good. I still thought I wasn’t playing amazing, but I made do. I was able to make some putts here and there. Hit some great chip shots. Made up-and-down and made some crucial par saves out here and that’s what you need.
“So I still think there’s a ton to work on. That’s just kind of the nature of how my mind works and how I work: I just want more. I know I’m going to enjoy this one a lot, especially since it’s at the end of the year, but there’s a lot more from me hopefully.”
Morikawa can move past Jon Rahm and claim the world number one spot if he was to win the Hero World Challenge in two weeks’ time although that might only be short lived as Rahm is expected to regain the title the following week.
“I am definitely aware of that. Hopefully we can get there, you know, even if it’s just for that one week. I’m sure we’re still going to have many chances hopefully come next year.
“And it’s been a goal. It has been a goal since before I could even remember and started talking about turning professional, and then want to go play golf is that you want to be the best in the world, right. And I’ve been very lucky. I’ve played very well. I’ve done some good things so far.
“But you know, it takes a lot to get to No. 1 in the world. You need to be a well-rounded golfer, a well-rounded person to get there, and there’s been a lot of great players that haven’t and that just shows how tough it is.”
For Australians Minwoo Lee (16th) and Lucas Herbert and Jason Scrivener (21st) the week might not have gone as well as they had hoped but they have each completed their best seasons in Europe, Lee finishing 7th in the Race to Dubai, Scrivener 21st and Herbert 22nd, with both Lee and Herbert winning significant events in Europe.
The European Tour begins its new season this coming week when the Joburg Open is played in South Africa followed by the South African Open and the Alfred Dunhill event in that country.
Interestingly, the European Tour now becomes known as the DP World Tour following a partnership between the Tour and DP World, its new naming rights sponsor.
In 2022, the DP World Tour will represent a truly international schedule, that will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new tournaments in the UAE, Japan, South Africa and Belgium and an expanded Rolex Series comprising five events: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Whether such partnerships and their sole focus are a good thing remains to be seen but the total prizemoney available for the 2022 season goes beyond US$200 million for the first occasion.
Greater self belief assisting Minjee Lee
Australian Minjee Lee is in a share of second place at the halfway stage of the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples in Florida, following up her opening round of 66 with 68 today but she and her joint second placed golfers, Gaby Lopez and Mina Harigae, find themselves four shots adrift of Frenchwoman Celine Boutier.
A bogey at the last, dropped Lee out of outright second place but she is well placed heading into the weekend in season ending, US$5 million event, restricted to the leading 60 players from the season long Race to the Globe.
Lee described a new feeling and greater self belief since her breakthrough major win at the Amundi Evian Championship earlier this year.
“I think I can just play a little bit more freely,” said Lee. “Like I know now that I have in in me. I’ve been out here seven years, but you still go back to feeling like, Oh, do I really belong here, if you don’t win for a little while.
It’s kind of, you know, not doubt, but just kind of like, Am I going to win again? Just those kind of thoughts.
“So, yeah, no, it’s just like a little silent confidence for me just so I can go out there and play confidently and know that I can play under pressure and play well under pressure.
“I mean, I didn’t probably play as well as I like to in the beginning of the year. Probably just — I didn’t feel like that, but I just felt like I was really close but I wasn’t really — you know, like the results weren’t coming out in the score.
“So that was a little frustrating. I kind of had a good week at Dow. Playing with a partner I think is really different to playing by yourself, so I think that momentum kind of carried on to Evian.
“I saw Min Woo win as well, so I think that was a little bit of a motivation for me as well.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is tied for 13th and 7 shots from the lead, Su Oh is 19th with Hannah Green 29th.
Boutier, the 2019 Vic Open winner at 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, won again in 2021 when successful at the Shoprite LPGA Classic and today she stormed home in 30 to grab a four shot lead.
Like Lee, Boutier puts her improved showing down to some confidence building performances in recent months along with a change of putter.
“I just change my putter in September, and I feel like since then it’s definitely gotten better,” she said after her round.
“But also a lot of confidence coming from, you know, a great week at the Solheim and then winning in my home country and winning at the ShopRite obviously has been really helpful to get more comfortable out there, especially when you’re in contention.
“I think the big thing for me was just focusing on myself rather than other people. It’s really easy to just compare yourself to other people and just start watching them.
“That’s something that’s been a bit of a struggle for me, especially when I had like big pairings or I was playing with Jin Young Ko or whoever I felt like was a great player, which there are a lot out there.
“And then you just start watching them and forget about your own game. I think it’s been really major for me to just focus on myself. I mean, it’s always a struggle still now, but I try to do it a little bit better.”
SCORES
Australians off the pace at DP World Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy – still the man to beat – Getty Images
The three Australians to have made the field for the season ending event on this year’s European Tour, the DP World Tour Championship, find themselves well off the pace through the halfway stage of the event being played over the earth Course at the Jumeirah Estates in Dubai.
Jason Scrivener is the best of them in 20th place at 4 under and six off the lead currently held by Ireland’s Shane Lowry, England’s Sam Horsfield and American John Catlin.
The leading trio is just one head two-time winner of the event Rory McIlroy and Sweden’s Alexander Bjork.
Scrivener, who finished the regular season in 15th place in the Race to Dubai standings, returned from an unsuccessful attempt to gain his full status on the Korn Ferry Tour two weeks ago, added a second round of 69 although a bogey at the par 5 last was a disappointing way to end an otherwise good day.
Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee, both winner on the European Tour this season, are another shot behind Scrivener after they too had recorded rounds of 69 to be seven from the lead.
Lee was in 5th place in the race to Dubai standings heading into the week and will need a strong weekend if he is to contend for a share of the US$5 million bonus pool paid to the leading five players in the Race to Dubai.
Herbert, who now has the luxury of full status on both the European and PGA Tours and who has won on both in 2021, double bogeyed the 12th but, that aside, it was a solid round.
While McIlroy is one off the lead, he shapes as the player to beat over the weekend having double bogeyed his final hole today after finding the water with his third shot to drop out of the lead. Having won the event in 2012 and 2015 and coming off a last start win on the PGA Tour the 32 year old appears well placed to make it three wins in the lucrative ($US9 million) event.
“I’m playing nicely, said McIlroy. “I started well again today and hit a lot of good shots on the front nine. It was sort of a little scrappy around the middle but was able to hang in there with my short game.
“Hit a nice one on 16. So the good stuff is in there. It’s just a matter of, yeah, I mean, I still feel like I played well and I feel like 70 is sort of the worst I could have shot today, especially with the finish and hopefully that’s the bad one out of the way.”
SCORES
Lee, Scrivener and Herbert make elite Dubai field
Min Woo Lee’s Scottish Open win the catalyst for his brilliant season to date – photo Getty Images
The European Tour’s final event of the season, the DP World Tour Championship is played this week at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Estates in Dubai, bringing to an end the Race to Dubai for 2021.
53 players from the Race to Dubai points race will tee it up in the US$9 million event, three of them Australians with Perth’s Min Woo Lee heading that group following an outstanding season which has seen him finish 5th on the Race to Dubai list although with Jon Rahm not in this week’s field, Lee is the 4th highest player from that list in the event.
Rahm is choosing instead to recharge his batteries after a long season, a decision which could well prove a costly one given he was in the running for not only a portion of the US$9 million purse but in 3rd place in the Race to Dubai standings he was in line to potentially win the Race to Dubai and significant bonus money. Not that money is a major concern for Rahm.
Lee’s win in this year’s abrdn Scottish Open contributed the largest portion of his €1.725 million ($A2.675) earnings in Europe this year but so too did his recent runner-up finish in Spain and he enters this week’s event as some sort of chance to complete and even better season.
A win this week by Lee opens the door to the bonus riches of the Race to Dubai but he would need a little help from the likes of Collin Morikawa and Billy Horschel in order to do so.
Whatever the outcome for Lee it has been an outstanding year for the 23-year-old and augurs well for an outstanding career ahead.
Lee’s fellow West Australian, Jason Scrivener, finished in 15th place in the Race to Dubai, he too completing his best year in professional golf including a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi early in the season.
Scrivener recently attempted to earn full playing rights on the PGA Tour’s feeder tour the Korn Ferry Tour but finished well back at final qualifying and while he is still entitled to attempt to gain starts in events in the USA it might well be that his great from in Europe can be consolidated in 2022.
Victoria’s Lucas Herbert now has full membership of both the European and PGA Tour’s, his recent win in Bermuda confirming the standing he earned on the USPGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour finals two months ago and his win in Ireland this year leaving him with numerous options for his playing future.
Herbert finds himself in 21st place in the Race to Dubai rankings but his last European Tour event was at the Open Championship as he focused his attention on earning a PGA Tour card.
Lee plays the event for the first occasion while Scrivener and Herbert will make their second appearance.
Rory McIlroy will likely start the favourite this week, given his last start win on the PGA Tour and that he has won this event on two previous occasions and finished close up on several other occasions.
Tee Times
Lydia Ko and Steve Alker lift New Zealand’s sporting spirits
Lydia Ko file photo Sam Greenwood Getty Images
New Zealand sport might have experienced a disappointing weekend from their two world class teams, The All Blacks and the Black Caps, but their two most successful golfers in 2021 provided cause for joy when both Lydia Ko and Steve Alker finished runner-up in their respective events on the LPGA and PGA Tour Champions.
Ko was involved in a four way playoff between herself, Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim and the eventual winner Nelly Korda at the Pelican Women’s Championship at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair in Florida, that event decided when Korda hole an 18 foot birdie putt at the first extra hole to win her 4th title of 2021 and continue her reign as the world’s number one female player.
Ko’s final round of 66 fell just one short of taking her second title of the year but she continues her remarkable resurgence, this being her 4th runner-up finish in 2021 to go with her win at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii early in the year.
Ko has had a busy schedule of late and when asked after her round today the reason for her great form of late, she responded: “I haven’t been working on new things. I feel like we’ve always been working on the same things, making sure my alignment is good.
“Sean (Foley) was out here this week, which is nice, to kind of see — like have him out and then him to double check to make sure everything is not too quirky, and he pointed out a few things and I think that those things really helped.
“So, yeah, just going to keep it simple. At the end of the day, you’re never going to play perfect golf. You just have got to play the best golf you can with the game that you have going on.
“Overall I played solid. Hopefully I will be able to keep the positives from this week going into next week. Hope for a few more putts to drop.”
The next week Ko refers to is the season ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, an event Ko won in 2014.
“I’ve got a board meeting tomorrow,” added the 24 year old. “So I’ll be doing that in the afternoon. But other than that, yeah, take it easy. Tiburon I think is a golf course where you can go low, but at the same time it can get away from you as well. So just get my strategy.
“The weather looked pretty similar to this week, so that’s nice there is not a huge change in temperature. Other than that, just going to enjoy it and see what the week ahead it going to be like.”
Ko has improved to 5th in the world ranking after slipping all the way down to 40th 15 months ago. This finish is unlikely to advance her any further at this stage but a big week in Naples could see her finishing the year inside the top 3 in the world which given where she has been is an outstanding comeback.
Steve Alker – file photo – Bruce Young
Alker is the talk of world golf at the moment given the remarkable run he has produced in the events he has played on the PGA Tour Champions since first pre-qualifying for an event in August.
In the ten events Alker has played since and including that first event in Seattle in late August, he has been outside the top ten only once and that was when finishing 16th at the SAS event.
He earns another US$250,000 for his runner-up finish, one behind Phil Mickelson this week and he now heads for a well-earned break ahead of a season in 2022 where he will enjoy full status on the PGA Tour Champions with what appears to be a lot more great finishes and large cheques to follow.
That the winner, Mickelson, is a major champion and those finishing immediately behind him, Darren Clarke and David Toms are both major winners further highlights just how far Alker has come over the past three months.
The tournament brought to an end the 2020 / 2021 season and once again it was Bernhard Langer who won the Charles Schwab Cup, the 6th occasion the remarkable 64 year old German has claimed the season long title.
For this week’s winner Phil Mickelson, however, it was his fourth win in just five appearances on the Champions Tour, suggesting 2022 might be even bigger for the 51 year old.
Min Woo Lee’s highest world ranking after 4th place in Dubai
Min Woo Lee – file photo courtesy of European Tour / Getty Images
Min Woo Lee’s share of 4th place in the penultimate European Tour event of the season, the AVIV Dubai Championship has moved him to 5th place in the Race to Dubai standings ahead of this coming week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at the Jumeira Golf Estates in Dubai.
This week’s 4th place finish will see Lee move to within a place or two of a top 50 ranking from his current 56th place and earn his highest ever ranking. After being 240th just prior to his Scottish Open victory in July, his rise has been remarkable and augurs well for a big finish to the year in next week’s lucrative (US9 million) event.
Lee’s final round of 68 on the Fire Course at Jumeira Estates left him three shots adrift of the winner, Joachim Hansen continues an impressive second half in 2021 which, after shaky start to the year, has seen him win the Scottish Open, finish runner-up at the Andalucia Masters and 8th at last week’s Portugal Masters.
Lee began the final round today three shots behind Hansen and in a share of 5th place. Three early birdies had him with the leader in his sights until bogeys at the 13th and 14th cost him any chance of victory.
Lee earns €48,000 (A$75,000) for his share of 4th but next week’s tournament offers not only six times this week’s purse but bonus monies as well, so Lee’s current form comes at a great time for the 23-year-old.
Lee’s fellow West Australian Jason Scrivener finished 3st and he too had made the limited field for next week’s event and is currently in 15th place in the Race to Dubai standings.
Kelsey Bennett’s valiant attempt in Abu Dhabi falls just short
Kelsey Bennett begins her final round today – photo Paul LakatosR&A Media via Getty Images
New South Wales golfer Kelsey Bennett today produced a valiant attempt to become Australia’s first Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Champion, falling just one shot short of a playoff with the eventual winner, Mizuki Hashimoto, at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the UAE today.
Bennet’s final round of 68 left her in a share of second place with long-time leader Natthakrita Vongtaveelap of Thailand and her fellow countrywoman Kan Bunnabodee, one shot behind Hashimoto who continued a remarkable year for Japanese golf.
Japan has now won the 2021 Masters, the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and the US Women’s Open amongst the many titles their golfers have won worldwide, this event a major steppingstone to a successful professional career.
In the short-term, however, the title provides access to the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the AIG Women’s Open Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship and the Hana Financial Group Championship.
While no doubt disappointed at being unable to find the extra birdie she needed to force a playoff, Bennett will be delighted with a week which saw her contending throughout.
After starting the day four behind the lead and bogeying her opening hole on day four, Bennett did well to be just two behind both Hashimoto and Vongtavveelap at the turn.
The 21-year-old from Mollymook on the South Coast of New South Wales birdied the 11th and 13th to draw within one but despite creating further opportunities she was unable to convert two key chances at the 17th and 18th holes.
Still, her performance should prove a key week in her development as a golfer and will install a lot of confidence in her own ability to handle the big moments in the manner she did.
Today was really good,” said Bennett. “I was happy with the way I played. Obviously a few more putts could have dropped, but I held it very well. I was nervous coming in the last few holes.
“After the first bogey on the first hole I was thinking it’s not very good. But I managed to come back.
“The biggest thing I was proud of, what I take out of this (the event overall) is how calm I felt I was. Even when I did make a couple of bogeys and that double on the first day, I thought there’s plenty of holes to go, just take it easy and pace yourself rather than getting upset about it.
“I bounced off all the other girls that were playing there as well. So it was really good. I loved the experience, it was great.”
The key periods of play on day four were when Hashimoto holed out for eagle at the par 4 3rd and then followed up with a fine tee shot at the 4th to set up a birdie to be just one shot behind Vongtaveelap.
When the Thai golfer bogeyed the 6th and then found the water and took double bogey at the 7th, she had fallen behind Hashimoto but she responded in fine style with an eagle at the 9th and she and Hashimoto began the back nine tied at 15 under and two ahead of Bennett.
Standing on the 18th tee, Hashimoto was one ahead of Vongtaveelap and Bennett but when Vongtaveelap found the water from the tee, it appeared her chance was gone. She would find the green from long range with her 3rd after taking relief but was unable to hole from 28 feet, leaving Bennett as the only player capable of changing the outcome of the event.
Bennett missed the green left with her second to the par 5 but her pitch from a tricky lie would come up some 20 feet short and when she was unable to hole that, then Hashimoto had two putts to win from 15 feet which she was able to do to take the title.
Queensland’s Cassie Porter finished 10th after a final round of 74 but it was an excellent week for the Sunshine Coast golfer who only recently returned to tournament golf after time away caused by back issues.
SCORES
The winner Mizuka Hashimoto – photo Paul Lakatos R&A Media via Getty Images
Bennett and Porter keep Australian hopes alive in Abu Dhabi
Porter (left) and Bennett before their third round today – Photo R&A Paul Lakatos via Getty Images
Australians Kelsey Bennet and Cassie Porter have kept the chances of a first Australian victory at the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship alive, the pair four and five shots respectively behind the leader Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand ahead of tomorrow’s fourth and final round in Abu Dhabi.
NSW’s, Bennett, added a third round of 69 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and at one stage briefly joined the lead at 11 under when she recorded the third of three consecutive birdies at the 8th before her playing partners birdied the same hole to move one ahead.
Bennett was unable to secure another birdie through a frustrating closing 10 holes but at 11 under she is just four back and will once again play in the final group tomorrow in the hope that she can contend for a title which is not only one of female amateur golf’s finest but one that brings significant benefits.
The winner tomorrow earns the right to play the Amundi Evian Championship in France, the AIG Women’s Open Championship at Muirfield, the Hana Financial Group Championship on the Korean LPGA Tour and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship next April.
“I had a lot of opportunities and just could not get them to drop today but hopefully tomorrow will be the day,” said Bennett.
“I just holed those three birdies with some decent putting, which was good. I had three in a row, and then that was it. At least par trends aren’t too bad.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I think I’d rather be a couple back heading into the last round rather than being in front. So I am looking forward to it.”
Porter, from the Sunshine Coast, only returned to tournament golf earlier this year after a lengthy injury break from the game that had been initially diagnosed as a stress fracture of the back.
“So probably about two years ago now, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my lower back, and they treated it as a stress fracture for probably 12 months,” said Porter when asked about the injury.”Then we found out it wasn’t.
“I still have the stress fracture, but we found out that wasn’t causing the pain. It was just tight glutes and hammies. I’ve got a good physio on board, so she’s helping me out, which is really nice. I’m just grateful to be here playing pain free.”
Porter was frustrated by a putter that refused to convert many of the opportunities she was creating for herself during her round of 68 today but she has kept in touch and heads into tomorrow’s final round five shots behind the leader but only two shots out of second place currently held by Japan’s Mizuki Hashimoto.
“As I said yesterday, there are a lot of opportunities out there that I just didn’t capitalize on, but at the end of the day, it’s 4-under. I can’t really be disappointed,” added Porter.
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The 19 year old Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand leads by three. Photo R&A Paul Lakatos via Getty