Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Victor Perez claimed his maiden European Tour title, the Frenchman becoming the first rookie to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews Old Course, just 15 miles from the place he currently calls home, Dundee.
It was a tense battle throughout as the 27-year-old locked horns with his playing partner Matthew Southgate, having both shared a two-stroke lead heading into the final day. Perez was one stroke behind the Englishman heading into the back nine despite a flawless two under front nine.
A dropped shot at the par three 11th meant he dropped further off the pace but a birdie at the par five 14th for the 2018 European Challenge Tour graduate, and a bogey for Southgate, meant a two-shot swing had them level going down the stretch.
Southgate’s missed par putt at the 17th was decisive as Perez edged ahead and two pars at the famous final hole at the Home of Golf earned Perez – who lives in Dundee with his partner Abigail – a career-changing victory as he moved to 17th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
Southgate could console himself with an important outright second place finish which secures his European Tour card for 2020 season after a disappointing season up to this point.
Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, won the team prize in the unique Pro-Am event alongside partner Ogden Phipps II, pipping Rory McIlroy and his father Gerry to the title.
“It’s really hard to describe right now,” said Perez.
“I feel like the emotions were really high all day, and really cold, windy, long day out there. I felt like I was able to battle. Matt played amazing. I was expecting some of the guys to charge, and we were fortunate in a it was a one-on-one battle on the back nine and was able to make that birdie on 14 that really pulled me back, and then just held strong till the end. I was fortunate it was my time today.
“The format is awesome. I think it’s a chance for the amateurs to see from inside the ropes and connect with the players, which is something that they strive and they love to do and chat with us and ask what clubs we hit and why and all these kind of questions. I think it’s really cool that we can give back those people, as well.
“Obviously there’s nothing like a win. The confidence that you get from getting it done, it’s so difficult at this level to win. Being my first year, I’m obviously delighted.”
Ryan Fox was the only Australasian to make the cut but after a fine start to the week he eventually finished in 54th place.
The European Tour now moves to Madrid for this week’s Spanish Open.
SCORES
Australians Well Placed in Las Vegas
Matt Jones – file
Australian golfers are well placed at the halfway mark of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Sydney’s Matt Jones one behind the four-way tie for the lead and Adam Scott and Cameron Smith another two shots back and tied for 9th in the congested leaderboard.
Jones, who was forced to withdraw from the recent Sanderson Farms Championship with a back injury, produced a 9 under par round of 63, capped off by almost holing his approach at his final hole to set up a possible second PGA Tour victory.
Another Australian to have featured this week is the University of Nevada golfer Jack Trent from the Sunshine Coast who earned a start in the event as a result of winning a recent collegiate event and did himself proud by recovering from a slow start to his second round with a final nine of 33 to make the cut by two shots.
Trent has lived in the US for the last five years and of late has attended the University of Nevada at which fellow Queenslander, Adam Scott, also played during his amateur career. Trent and Scott played a practice round earlier in the week.
Aaron Baddeley was tied with Trent in 50th place and he too will play the final 36 holes.
Scott’s good play continued with a strong closing nine of 31 for a round of 67 and he finds himself just three from the lead.
Smith recovered from an early bogey for his round of 64 which included a final nine of 30 to join Scott just three forom the lead.
Previous winner and runner-up in the event, Patrick Cantlay, shares the lead with Brian Stuard, Lucas Glover and Kevin Na on the low scoring layout where 5 under par was required to make the final 36 holes.
Spaniards Dominate in Spain but Scrivener Stays in Touch
Rafa Cabrera Bello – Getty Images
Jason Scrivener has improved his standing at the Open de Espana in Madrid, adding a second round 68 to his opening 67 and as the event heads into the weekend he finds himself in a share of 6th place and four from the lead held by Spain’s Adri Arnaus and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
Scrivener recovered from an indifferent start with a final nine of 30 to keep within touch of the lead as he looks to reverse some rather ordinary form of late, having missed two of his last three cuts and finished 61st last week in Scotland.
Queensland’s European Tour rookie Jake McLeod is tied for 20th after his second round of 70 and given his standing outside the top 150 in the Race to Dubai rankings he will need to finish the season strongly if he is to regain the right to play the European Tour next season.
Victorian Deyen Lawson is tied for 26th, with Brett Rumford and Dimi Papadatos 44th.
The leaders head a Spanish dominated leaderboard as not only are Cabrera Bello and Arnaus tied at the top, Samuel De Val and defending champion Jon Rahm are, respectively, one and two shots behind.
Rahm, Cabrera Bello and Arnaus played together on the opening two days of play making a great spectacle for locals fans.
The Roll Continues for Whitney Hillier
West Australian Whitney Hillier’s recent good form continued in round two of the Hero Women’s Indian Open adding a second round of 71 on day two of the Ladies European Tour event to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram.
Hillier, who recovered from a double bogey at the 10th with four birdies over her closing nine, leads over Norwegian Marian Skarpnord.
Hillier finished 7th in Spain last week and appears to have found something in her game. She puts some of her performance this week down to the similarities of this week’s layout to her home course in Perth.
“It was a little bit up and down in the middle there but I got it back really well, so I’m quite proud of that,” said the 28-year-old, who loves playing in the heat in India.
“I was two-over after 10 and then I got it back to finish one-under for the day. I hit it close on 17 and 18, where I used the slope quite well.
“It’s funny, I’m from Joondalup Golf Club, which is actually quite similar, shots wise. I just realised that this course has the ‘Lake’ and ‘Quarry’ nines, which is exactly the same as at Joondalup. I’m not kidding, it’s so surreal.”
The other Australian to make the cut was Queensland’s professional debutante, Becky Kay, who is in 31st place after her second round of 77.
Won Joon Lee tied for 3rd in Japan
Former Sydney golfer, Won Joon Lee, is the best of the Australians at the halfway mark of the Japan Tour’s Tokai Classic in Nagoya, the 33 year old adding a second round of 69 to his opening 70 to be three shots from the lead held by the ever present Shugo Imahira and Mikumu Horikawa.
Lee has yet to win in five years on the Japan Tour and now five years into his Japan Tour career he will be keen to finally convert several near misses to victory.
Lee is currently 33rd on the Japan Tour money list for 2019 and is therefore clear of any real concern about retaining his status for next season but he will be keen to take advantage of this improved showing.
Brad Kennedy is 31st, Dylan Perry 41st and New Zealander Michael Hendry 52nd.
Lee has won only one event on a recognised tour in his career to date, that victory coming in Korea earlier this year but this week might well offer the chance for the talented Koren born golfer to finally get across the line in Japan.
Joint leader, Imahira, has been a standout on the Japan Tour in recent times and in fact this year is currently in 2nd place on the money list there.
Whitney Hillier Finds Purple Patch of Form
Whitney Hillier – Ladies European Tour
What a couple of weeks it has been for West Australia’s Ladies European Tour golfer golfer, Whitney Hillier.
Last week at the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open in Spain she holed in one during her second round of the event in Sitges in Spain which led to a round of 66 and in Thursday’s opening round of this week’s Hero Women’s Indian Open she shared the lead after the opening round.
Her 7th place finish last week was just her 2nd top ten of the season and moved her to 42nd on the Ladies European Tour money list but she has a chance to improve that position considerably after her opening round of 67 in Gurugram.
“I shot five-under today,” said the 28 year old Hillier. “I made six birdies and I bogeyed the first hole, so I actually got that back pretty quickly. Overall I’m really happy with my performance today. I hit my irons well and gave myself lots of birdie chances.
“The course is looking great, as well. Last time I was here it was 2015 and it has changed a lot since then. It is very, very impressive. It’s a beautiful golf course and one of the best in the world, I think.”
Hillier shares the lead with Englishwoman, Meghan MacLaren.
Interestingly Hillier was not the only Australian female professional to hole in one last week. Sarah Kemp produced a similar feat o
n the LPGA Tour in a tournament in Indianapolis.
Jason Scrivener Starts Well in Spain
Jason Scrivener – file photo
Perth’s Jason Scrivener heads the eight Australians at the European Tour’s Open de Espana in Madrid, the West Australian in a share of 9th place and four from the leader, Kristian Krogh Johannessen.
Scrivener, currently in 57th place in the Race to Dubai Rankings, continues his push to be in the field for the season ending DP World Championship in Dubai in late November but in order to be so he needs to be inside the top 50.
After a solid start to the year Scrivener’s form in recent weeks has been well below his best but this is an encouraging start to an event which could play a role in his fortunes later in the year.
Scrivener raced to the turn in 30 in his opening round but lost momentum with a homeward nine of 37 although his round of 67 has him well placed heading into tomorrow’s second round.
European Tour rookies Jake McLeod and Deyen Lawson recorded rounds of 68 to be tied for 18th, while Dimi Papadatos and Brett Rumford were the next best of the Australians after their rounds of 1 under 70.
Norway’s Johannessen leads by one over Spanish player Adri Arnaus but amongst the group just two off the lead are defending champion Jon Rahm and his fellow Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello.
Golf Betting Thoughts for October 2nd
Jon Rahm – hot favourite to defend his national open title in Madrid.
This week we take a look at the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children event in Las Vegas, the European Tour’s Open de Spain in Madrid and the Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic in Dallas.
Click to Listen
Marc Leishman’s Weekend Magic Earns 3rd Place in California
Two weeks ago Marc Leishman was forced to withdraw from the recent Military Tribute at Greenbrier following an injury caused by a wayward shot from a pro-am partner but he has bounced back in style with a 3rd place finish at the Safeway Open in California.
Leishman’s final round of 65 at the Silverado Country Club was the equal best of the day and improved the Victorian golfer 19 places from his overnight standing to record his equal best finish of the 2019 season.
Leishman only just made the cut on Friday but he stormed through the field over the weekend with rounds of 67 and 65 to finish in outright 3rd place and three shots behind the winner Cameron Champ.
It was a good week overall for the Australians with Cameron Percy continuing his fine start to the season with a share of 7th place and Adam Scott fighting back after leading early then fading on Friday and Saturday before a final round of 68 saw him finish 17th.
For Cameron Percy he has now earned US$377,000 in three events since regaining his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Aaron Baddeley and Rhein Gibson finished tied for 33rd.
For the winner, Champ, one of the game’s longest hitters, it was his second victory on the PGA Tour and comes 11 months after his win at the Sanderson Farms Championship which was his second start on the PGA Tour.
Champ birdied his final hole to win by one over Canadian Adam Hadwin, birdies at the final three holes by Hadwin forcing Champ to fight to the end after holding a commanding lead with just a few holes to play.
The 24-year old Californian’s victory was an emotional one as he juggled contention in his home state with the terminal illness of his grandfather.
“Not matter if I win one more tournament or ten more tournaments this will be the greatest win of my career,” said Champ reflecting on the timing of the victory and his close association with his grandfather.
Improved Showing For Sarah Kemp In Indianapolis
Sarah Kemp – file photo LET
After a fast start to the 2019 season had re-established her status on the LPGA Tour, NSW’s golfer Sarah Kemp has struggled on the LPGA Tour since but a 15th place finish at this week’s Indy Women In Tech Championship in Indianapolis is her best finish since a 10th place finish at the Australian Women’s Open and will ensure her status for the 2020 season.
Kemp tied with fellow Australian Su Oh for that 15th placed finish and although the pair finished a massive 13 shots behind the runaway winner, M.J Hur, it was a solid week for both.
Victoria’s Oh has been in good form in the latter half of the season after missing six consecutive cuts earlier in the year and although yet to win on the LPGA Tour she has been twice runner-up and that breakthrough win appears not too far away.
Of the other Australians, Katherine Kirk was 5th and Hannah Green 65th while New Zealand’s Lydia Ko finished 31st.
The winner Hur led from her opening round of 63 and completed her second win of the season and her 4th on the LPGA Tour.
Hur won by four shots over Nanna Koerstz Madsen with Marina Alex another two back in third place.
Perez’s Maiden Win Comes at Home of Golf
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Victor Perez claimed his maiden European Tour title, the Frenchman becoming the first rookie to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews Old Course, just 15 miles from the place he currently calls home, Dundee.
It was a tense battle throughout as the 27-year-old locked horns with his playing partner Matthew Southgate, having both shared a two-stroke lead heading into the final day. Perez was one stroke behind the Englishman heading into the back nine despite a flawless two under front nine.
A dropped shot at the par three 11th meant he dropped further off the pace but a birdie at the par five 14th for the 2018 European Challenge Tour graduate, and a bogey for Southgate, meant a two-shot swing had them level going down the stretch.
Southgate’s missed par putt at the 17th was decisive as Perez edged ahead and two pars at the famous final hole at the Home of Golf earned Perez – who lives in Dundee with his partner Abigail – a career-changing victory as he moved to 17th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
Southgate could console himself with an important outright second place finish which secures his European Tour card for 2020 season after a disappointing season up to this point.
Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, won the team prize in the unique Pro-Am event alongside partner Ogden Phipps II, pipping Rory McIlroy and his father Gerry to the title.
“It’s really hard to describe right now,” said Perez.
“I feel like the emotions were really high all day, and really cold, windy, long day out there. I felt like I was able to battle. Matt played amazing. I was expecting some of the guys to charge, and we were fortunate in a it was a one-on-one battle on the back nine and was able to make that birdie on 14 that really pulled me back, and then just held strong till the end. I was fortunate it was my time today.
“The format is awesome. I think it’s a chance for the amateurs to see from inside the ropes and connect with the players, which is something that they strive and they love to do and chat with us and ask what clubs we hit and why and all these kind of questions. I think it’s really cool that we can give back those people, as well.
“Obviously there’s nothing like a win. The confidence that you get from getting it done, it’s so difficult at this level to win. Being my first year, I’m obviously delighted.”
Ryan Fox was the only Australasian to make the cut but after a fine start to the week he eventually finished in 54th place.
The European Tour now moves to Madrid for this week’s Spanish Open.
SCORES