Adam Scott plays Kapalua for the 7th occasion.

Three Australians won on the PGA Tour in 2020 and all three will take their place in the field for an event which offers winners the chance to test their games and readiness so early in the New Year.

In 2021 eligibility has been extended as a result of Covid 19 issues and the field expanded as a result, with not every player in the field a winner, additional players being added from world ranking and FedEx Cup tables.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions brings together 42 of the 45 players eligible, only Rory McIlroy, Jim Herman and Tyrell Hatton not playing, despite being eligible.

Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman have earned the right to tee it up at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, Scott making his 7th appearance although he has been eligible on several other occasions, choosing instead to extend his end of season break instead in those instances.

Scott has slipped outside the top 20 in the world ranking for the first occasion in 18 months but he played only nine events in 2020, making the cut in eight and winning one when successful at the Genesis Invitational in his first start in 2020.

Scott enjoys a good record at this venue recording four top tens in six previous starts including a runner-up finish in 2007.

“It’s nice to be back,” said Scott when asked about being back at the event. “It has been an event I’ve loved coming to for so many years. But then for awhile it was a tricky one to get back to and every time I missed it, I regretted it, but it was off the back of playing in Australia and it being the first week of the year made it a very short holiday season for me.

“So once I won in Genesis last year, though, it was definitely a priority for me to put this event on the schedule. It’s a great way to start the year. Even under these circumstances it’s nice to be here. And for me, at this moment, I need to kind of start putting some good results on the board and get my FedExCup campaign going a bit.”

Cameron Smith gets to play the event for the second time having finished 17^th here on debut in 2018. This time he gets to play the event courtesy of his stand alone win at the Sony last year and in his most recent starts he has been particularly impressive having finished runner-up at the Masters and 4^th at the Zozo Championship. If he could find a way to replicate either of those two efforts, then his chances of victory appear reasonable.

Cameron Smith – can he continue his current form? – file photo Bruce Young

Marc Leishman had a horror run for much of 2020 after winning the Torrey Pines event early in the year and finishing runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Championship just a few weeks later.

Leishman finished 4^th in this event in his last start at Kapalua and will play the event for the 3^rd occasion. He was also 7^th in 2018 but his most recent form is a long way from that we know the Victorian capable of.

March Leishman – on a previous visit to the event – Getty Images

Tournament favourite is the two time winner, Dustin Johnson, who not only brings the world number one title to the event but outstanding form including his last start victory at the Masters.

Johnson has been only once outside the top 3 in his last seven starts so the combination of his record at the venue and his stunning form at present leaves him the warmest of favourites to win his third Tournament of Champions title.

 

Hannah Green – file photo Bruce Young

By her own now high standards, 2020 has to date been a quiet year for West Australian, Hannah Green, but it might be that the final event of the year provides not only her first top ten in 14 starts this season but something considerably better.

Green finds herself just two shots from the 36-hole leader, Jin Young Ko, at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples in Florida and in outright 4^th place.

Green added a second round of 68 to her opening 69 and it may just be that her pending trip home to Australia and necessary quarantine when she gets there might be made more enjoyable if accompanied by a third LPGA Tour trophy.

“I’m leaving on Tuesday,” said Green. “I’ve got about a 40, 45-hour journey to get back to Perth, and then as soon as I got there I’m in a hotel for two weeks and not by choice.

“Once I leave the airport I get shuttled to a hotel and pretty much have to do 13 nights, 14 days, and then I can go out and be back at home and live a normal life.

“So I’ve heard a lot of stories. Some people have really struggled and some people don’t mind it. I think because it’s at the end of the year after a short but long year, that I’ll mainly be doing a lot of sleep and Netflix.

“So hopefully the food is good and my parents can bring me some things to entertain myself.”

“I feel like I’m hitting a lot of fairways and greens, which is really important here. Also when miss-hitting it, it’s very easy to miss greens here, so making sure you don’t short-side yourself and leave yourself in the best possible place to make up and downs.

“I think I’ve done a great job with that. Over the last couple weeks it’s been a struggle dealing with the cold. I’m not used to those temperatures, so it’s nice to come here and be able to just wear one layer and feel where your swing is.

“I’m really excited. Only two more rounds left for the season. Sounds really crazy, but I’m super excited.”

Green trails the world number one, Jin Young Ko, with Sei Young Kim and Lexi Thompson tied for second so the task ahead is tough one, but she is nicely placed heading into the weekend.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko put together the best round of the day (65) to recover from her slow start to the event and has moved within four of the lead. Ko is tied for 11^th. Ko talked after her round of the things she is addressing with her game along with recently appointed coach, Sean Foley.

“I think when I’m out there I’m really thinking about the technical standpoint. I think sometimes to be honest the thing that gets in my way is myself, of me feeling like, Okay, is this going to go straight, left, right, you know, all those weird thoughts that go through your head.

“That’s why Sean has been helpful in that kind of standpoint as well, trying to build me confidence. He sends me some songs randomly throughout the week and he gets me to listen to them as well.

“I think obviously the more I see it doing what I think it should be doing, the confidence kind of builds and the negative, I guess experiences, before are kind of slowly going away.”

“I think it’s like a building process, but I’m definitely out there not thinking too much about the technical thing. I think it’s more about being out there just believing in had myself and hitting it as confidently as I could.”

Katherine Kirk is the next best of the Australians in 13^th place and five from the lead and suggested later that, despite playing well of late, she arrived in Naples with little expectation after a tough week at last week’s US Women’s Open.

“Last week kind of beat me up, so I didn’t expect much coming in this week, to be honest,” said the Queenslander.

“I knew I was hitting it okay, but perhaps not as well as other weeks during the last few months. I would say the confidence was okay but it certainly wasn’t at its high.

“But I’m thankful this week my putting is cooperating a little bit more than last week, so I’m happy about that.”

Minjee Lee is another shot behind Kirk, with Sarah Kemp at 1 over and ten from the lead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo USGA Robert Beck

South Korea has unearthed yet another golfing superstar with the success of A Lim Kim in today’s final round of the US Women’s Open at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.

Kim’s final round of 67, which included birdies at her final three holes, saw her finish one shot clear of joint runners-up and first round leader, Amy Olson and the current world number one, Jin Young Ko.

Kim moved into the lead with an outward nine of 33 but bogeys at her 10^th and 11^th holes appeared to derail her chances of victory on debut in the female game’s most significant female event.

She would, though, close strongly and when she holed a curling left to right 12-footer at the last she had the lead and set the target for those playing in the groups behind.

Kim secures the last of three consecutive birdies to set the mark – photo USGA Robert Beck

Olson was then only one behind but a bogey at the 16^th would mean a birdie, birdie finish was required for her to catch Kim. She made a great par save from the bunker at the 17^th and birdied the 18^th but fell one short.

So too did Ko but her round of 68 was the second best of the day behind the winner and continued an impressive recovery from her opening round of 73.

54 hole leader, Hinako Shibuno finished alone in 4^th position, all four players the only golfers to finish the week under par on the demanding Crystal Creek layout at the Champions Club.

Kim was tied for ninth place entering the final round, making this the largest 54-hole comeback to win, by position, in U.S. Women’s Open history.

Kim is the fifth player in U.S. Women’s Open history to win in her debut, and the first since In Gee Chun in 2015. Even more incredible is that this was her first-ever start in any professional major championship.

When asked as to her mindset ahead of today’s round Kim responded: “To be honest, it was a little bit disappointing the third round on Saturday so I decided to come out today and try to be the aggressive player that I was, try to attack the pin, and it actually worked out today.”

Kim, who possesses an outstanding golf swing, becomes the 11^th Korean woman to win the Women’s US Open, a run that started with Se Ri Kim’s trailblazing effort back in 1998 and clearly her feat will take time to sink in for the 25 year old.

“Can’t really describe it in words. I never expected that I was going to appear in the U.S. Women’s Open. I still can’t feel what it’s like right now, but I’ll probably feel it when the ceremony and everything wraps up today.”

Her victory was made all the more meritorious given its was her first time in the event and that she had never been exposed to Bermuda grass previously.

“Back in Korea there’s no Bermudagrass, so for me it was really — it took some time for me to get used to Bermudagrass, especially hitting the irons off the grass. You really need some kind of skill, different style of swing
in order to hit the ball out of the Bermudagrass.

“But love this golf course, love this environment. I even said earlier I want to actually put a tent up here and stay a
few more days.”

Kim has won twice on the Korean LPGA Tour and is not yet a member of the LPGA Tour although this might potentially change that. She arrived in the US for her debut in this event having recorded top tens in each of her last four starts in her homeland.

Another impressive week for Gabi Ruffels – photo USGA Chris Keane

The Australasian challenge was headed by 20 year old amateur Gabi Ruffels and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, the pair sharing 13th, Ruffels continuing to build towards what must now be considered a considerable professional career.

Ruffels’ round of 70 was the third best of the day and was highlighted by a massive six birdies.

“I guess I was pretty in the moment, I didn’t even realize I had six birdies,” said Ruffels. “But, yeah, I played pretty well today, I was really, really happy with the round. It was definitely one of the tougher days, conditions-wise, especially this morning it was pretty cold, warmed up a little bit.”

“It’s been awesome,” added Ruffels when asked her thoughts on the week. “I think I might have come top-15, still not sure yet, still a lot of golf out there, but it was awesome, so much fun.

“I feel like any time I can kind of mix it with the pros and know that I can compete against them it’s a great week. I feel like I did that this week and just gained a lot of confidence.”

For Ko it was a day of disappointment given her standing through 36 holes. Her round of 76 saw her slip from 5^th to 13^th place and while one of her better finishes in this particular event it was a day of what might have been. Ko recorded five bogeys and no birdies.

Hannah Green finished 40^th, Minjee Lee 46^th and Su Oh last of those who made the cut following her final horror round of 81.

A disappointing day for Lydia Ko – photo Simon Bruty USGA

 

Ko escapes from a bunker today – photo Chris Keane USGA

An impressive third round of 1 over 72 over the increasingly demanding Crystal Creek layout at the Champions Golf Club in Houston has given New Zealand’s Lydia Ko a realistic chance of a first US Women’s Open title.

Ko’s round, which included one birdie and two bogeys was one of the better of the day and after starting the day in a share of 14^th position and six shots from the lead of Hinako Shibuno, she finds herself just four behind and only four players ahead of her as she enters tomorrow’s final round.

Of the four players ahead of her, only Shibuno has previously won a major title so Ko’s chances may well be dependent on how Shibuno handles the pressure of winning the female game’s greatest title.

Ko is four shots behind the impressive front-runner but this is a golf course on which an accident is waiting to happen around every corner and the Japanese player’s narrow lead leaves her vulnerable tomorrow.

Two late bogeys cost the 2019 AIG Women’s Open Champion a substantial lead but she remains the player to beat tomorrow.

For Ko it is not only those ahead of her on the leaderboard she needs to consider, but also those in her rear vision mirror, as the likes of, Ariya Jutanugarn, Jin Young Ko and Sei Young Kim are just one (Jutanugarn) and two behind Ko and lurking as yet contenders for the title.

“It was pretty tough, especially at the start.” said Ko when asked how demanding the course played today.

“I think going into the day I knew that it was a different wind direction to the other days, so I knew that the holes would play quite differently. But with the first few holes being all into the wind and it raining last from yesterday afternoon overnight I think definitely made the course a lot softer, hence made it a lot longer.”

The issue of mud on the ball was a factor for all today and perhaps added an additional element of luck not normally the case in major championship golf.

“We had one shot on No. 2 and it’s like, Do I need to aim like on the next tee box for it to like move? Because it’s really hard. It’s not like there’s an exact science — or maybe there is, I just don’t know that I guess equation on how to factor mud balls.”

Ko was asked as to how she felt about her chances tomorrow.

“I think definitely coming from behind you’re playing with a little bit more of an aggressive strategy compared to somebody that’s probably trying to protect the lead or run off with the lead.

“But she (Shibuno) seems like she’s doing an incredible job and she’s also a major champion, so she’s been out there being out there like a smiling Cinderella.

“So I’m sure at points it’s going to feel like it’s going to be tough to catch her, but I just got to go out there, focus on my game and play the best golf I can and what happens outside of that is, I just got to accept what comes my way.”

Hannah Green is the leading Australian after her round of two over par 73 saw her improve several places from where she stood on the cutline through 36 holes. Green is at 5 over and tied for 33rd.

Hannah Green today – leads the Australians – photo USGA

Green was pleasantly surprised at the progress she made despite shooting over par today.

“It felt like I was more consistent than what the score showed, but it was pretty tough there,” said the Perth golfer.

“I was saying to my caddie, I don’t think I’ve ever hit so many hybrids into par-4s and par-3s before. The first three holes I had hybrid, so, yeah, it was tough. Looking at my score I was quite surprised that I’m in the position that I am. Even shooting over par I’ve gained some strokes on the field.”

Gabriela Ruffels is one shot behind Green at 6 over and in a share of 39^th place, Minjee Lee is at 7 over and Su Oh at 10 over.

The round of the day and the equal best round of the week came from Ji Yeong Kim2 who, after starting the day ten shots from the lead, moved from the cutline to a share of third and just three from the lead. Her effort highlights just what might be possible with an under par round tomorrow.

Hinako Shibuno – her lead reduced to one – photo Simon Bruty USGA

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