When the PGA Tour’s star of 2022, Scottie Scheffler, took a six shot lead into the final round after birdies at four of his last six holes in a delayed third round on Sunday morning it was expected that the four time winner in 2022, including The Masters, would add yet another great title to his name.
The Tour Championship title and the accompanying US$18 million FedEx Cup bonus prizemoney appeared his for the taking as he set out on what appeared to be a stroll to glory.
Golf, however, does work in strange ways. Sometimes the greater the lead the further there is to fall and when Scheffler stumbled to the turn in 37 and was unable to birdie any hole on the back nine, a bogey from the left greenside bunker at the 16th opened a door which had been ajar since early in the round and none other than Rory McIlroy would walk right through.
Scheffler has begun his final round six shots ahead of McIlroy as a result of the lead he was given in the FedEx Cup standings and even though McIlroy had bogeyed his very first hole today and fallen seven behind, by the turn he had recorded four birdies and an outward nine of 32 and the deficit was just one.
Sungjae Im was making his presence felt also with an outward nine of 32 but a double bogey at the 14th would be a little much to overcome and he would fall just short.
The inward journey was not a lot more fruitful for Scheffler as he struggled to find a green and when McIlroy knocked in a 30 footer across the green at the 15th he had drawn level only for Scheffler to bogey the next and lose the lead for the first and last time.
Don’t feel too sorry for Scheffler however as on top of his amazing year already he earns a cheque for US$5.75 million as does Sungjae Im who shared second position one shot behind McIlroy.
For McIlroy, this would be his third win in the FedEx Cup.
“Honestly, I wasn’t really giving myself much of a chance teeing off in the fourth round,” said the winner.
“I thought silver lining was I was playing in the last group so I could at least keep an eye on what he was doing if things didn’t quite work out for him, and thankfully I was in that last group because I was able to put some pressure on him early on.
“And then that coupled with him not having his best stuff today was actually — I felt like going into the back nine, not that it was mine to lose, but I had all the momentum.
“Going out today, I was like, if I can get it within three going into the back nine, I thought that that would be a really good front nine holes. I think we were tied for the lead on the 10th tee.
“Yeah, incredible day, incredible week. 4-over through two holes, 10 shots out of the lead, at that point to claw my way back and end up winning the tournament, incredible. Just a real — really proud of my resilience and how I sort of handled that start and just sort of stuck my head down and kept going all week and took advantage of the opportunity that I was given today.”
“Look, it’s been a tumultuous time for the world of men’s professional golf in particular,” added McIlory when asked about the significance of his victory given the dynamic in world golf at present.
“I’ve been right in the middle of it. I’ve picked a great time to go on the PGA TOUR board. But yeah, I’ve been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I’m trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world. It’s in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different.
“Yeah, they’re all sort of different. It’s been nice. Back in 2019 I took down the No. 1 player in the world in Brooks Koepka. This year I took down the No. 1 player in the world in Scottie Scheffler. So I know that my best stuff is good enough to win any tournament against anybody on any golf course. That’s something I can take away from today.”
In a very pointed comment about the disruption LIV Golf is causing and whether the impact his role as a spokesperson is having on him, McIlroy would say: “No, I don’t think so, because if you believe in something I think you have to speak up, and I believe very strongly about this. I really do.
“I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf. I hate it. I really do. Like it’s going to be hard for me to stomach going to Wentworth in a couple of weeks’ time and seeing 18 of them there. That just doesn’t sit right with me.
“So yeah, I feel strongly. I believe what I’m saying are the right things, and I think when you believe that what you’re saying is the right things, you’re happy to stick your neck out on the line.”
Scheffler was asked if he had allowed the money to creep into his thoughts.
“The money is great, obviously. Playing professional golf for a living is such a gift. For me, I don’t play golf for money. I play to win tournaments and I play to have fun and do my best and see where the game can take me.
“Today the money definitely didn’t creep into my mind. I wanted to win the season-long title. I’ve had a really great year and I wanted to finish it off with a win here, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that.
“But at the end of the day it’s such a gift to be out here playing golf for money, and I can’t — I’m just so thankful to be out here.”
Cameron Smith was unable to build on the great season he has had and finished 20th while Adam Scott finished 25th in the 29 player field.
Smith earns US$640,000 and Scott US$550,000.
As the where the future of these two players lies especially, Smith, given the, as yet, unconfirmed rumours about him joining LIV Golf continue to bubble, remains to be seen, but if this is the last we see of him on the PGA Tour (and I certainly hope not) then he has had an extraordinary final year and made some sort of statement in 2022.
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Australians miss out at Korn Ferry Tour Finals
Aaron Baddeley did best of the Australians but it was not enough – file photo Bruce Young
Neither Aaron Baddeley nor Jason Scrivener was able to take advantage of one last chance to earn PGA Tour playing rights for next season, the pair unable to advance their cause over the weekend at the final event of the season on the Korn Ferry Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Baddeley and Scrivener were the only two Australians to make the cut at the weekend with Min Woo Lee, Anthony Quayle and Harrison Endycott missing out but fortunately for Endicott he had already earned PGA Tour status via the regular season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Baddeley and Scrivener needed something special over the weekend if they were to force their way into the top 25 money earners from the three event Korn Ferry Tour Final series, but were unable improve their standing and will now be forced to play the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 if they so choose.
Baddeley, because of his twenty year history playing the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours, will have access to a few PGA Tour events but for Scrivener he will likely head back to Europe where he has been increasingly successful over the last few years.
Lee and Quayle will likely play the DP World Tour and Japan Tours respectively
So Endycott is the only Australian to gain status via the Korn Ferry Tour process in 2022, the former successful Australian Eisenhower Team representative now on the big stage next season.
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Hannah Green 10th in Ohio
Hannah Green in Ohio this week – photo Getty Images / LPGA Gregory Shamus
Perth’s Hannah Green has finished tied for 10th at the Dana Open Presented by Marathon in Sylvania in Ohio, recording her 6th top ten of the LPGA Tour season.
Green, who has not missed a cut in 16 starts in 2022, recovered from a slow start to this event on Thursday when an opening round of 74 left her fighting to make the cut. But the 25 year old responded with a round of 62 on Friday and weekend rounds of 66 and 69 to finish five shots behind the winner, Gabi Lopez.
“I feel like I’ve been playing well all year but I really haven’t shot low numbers, so to have that kind of just makes me feel good,” said Green earlier in the week when talking of her second round of 62. “Like I’m doing the right thing and working on the right things.
“Hopefully, not just this week, but the rest of the year I can continue to, yeah, believe in myself and have some good results.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko worked herself into the tournament with a third round of 64 but was unable to finish strongly today, a final round of 71 seeing her in a share of 16th.
Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou was 45th and Minjee Lee 49th.
The LPGA Tour now moves to Cinncinati, also in Ohio, for next week’s Kroger Queen City Championship.
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Australasians fail to flatter as Italy wins Eisenhower
The winning Italian team – photo Steve Gibbons USGA
Australia have finished in 15th place at the World Amateur Teams event in Paris, their three man team of Connor McKinney, Harrison Crowe and Hayden Hopewell failing to flatter.
The team’s 13 under par total was a massive 18 shots behind the winners, Italy who finished one shot ahead of the Sweden to take the Eisenhower Trophy.
Italy who have played in the 31 championships since 1958, won for the first time beating their previous best of 4th
McKinney finished in a share of 19th in the individual competition, nine shots behind the winner, Toblas Jonsson of Sweden, while was Crowe 31st and Hopewell 76th.
New Zealand tied for 34th of the 71 teams, Kazuma Kobori the best of them when he tied with Hopewell for 76th.
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Scrivener and Baddeley still alive in pursuit of PGA Tour status
Jason Scrivener – file photo Golf NSW
Australians are not faring well in their quest for PGA Tour cards for next season, the four who are chasing the right to play on the big stage, struggling at the final event of the three Korn Ferry Tour Finals, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Newburgh, Indiana.
One other, Harrison Endycott, already has his PGA Tour playing rights tied up via the regular season on the PGA Tour. The Sydney golfer was, however, chasing an advance on his priority ranking but he has been forced to withdraw from this week’s event.
Of the others, Perth’s Jason Scrivener is doing best in 25th place at the halfway mark this week after a second round of 67 and has moved to 30th in the standings for those players who are using the finals a means of securing one of the 25 cards available for the PGA Tour via the three Final events.
Aaron Baddeley has dropped to 40th in the standings after a second round of 70 today leaves him in 56th place in this event. Baddeley could still force his way into the top 25 if he produces a very strong weekend and find himself back on the PGA Tour he has played on an off since 2002.
Unfortunately however for Min Woo Lee and Anthony Quayle their hopes of playing their way on to the PGA Tour are dashed following missed cuts this week. Lee likely to return to the DP World Tour and Quayle to the Japan Tour in 2023.
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Cameron Smith starts LIV Golf campaign well
Smith in action today – photo Patrick Smith LIV Golf
Despite a double bogey in the middle of his back nine, Cameron Smith has made an impressive start to his debut at the LIV Invitational Boston, the Queenslander bouncing back with a birdie, then an eagle at the last to open with a round of 64 to be just one of the pace, set by Talor Gooch and Matthew Wolff.
Smith signed on with LIV Golf this week following the completion of the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship in Atlanta last week and three birdies and an eagle in his opening with eight holes suggested he wasn’t going to be affected by all of the hype surrounding his switch.
He would bogey the 9th but the spoiler came at the 14th when he pulled his tee shot left and was forced to pitch out. He then missed the green and from an awkward position, his pitch from left and long of the green finished 25 feet beyond the hole and the resultant double had him back in the pack.
The came the birdies at the 15th and the eagle at the last to produce an impressive debut.
Smith is tied for 3rd with Joaquin Niemann and two shots clear of those in 5th place.
“I think the golf course is really quite nice,” responded Smith when asked the question. “I think over the next couple days as it firms up a little bit, it’ll play probably a little bit harder. I think the fairways are generous, but off the fairways they’re quite penal.
It’s a really good test. You have to keep the ball in play, and the greens have a lot of pitch to them, too, so you have to be pretty smart into the greens.
“That round kind of had a bit of everything, very up-and-down. I told Dom after the round, probably wasn’t one of my best driving performances there. I was a bit disappointed with how I drove the ball, especially around here. I think I maybe got away with a few that I shouldn’t have. So something to work on tomorrow.
“You know, putter feels good. Like Wolffy said before, the course is in unreal shape, and you get putts going on the right line, they’re going in.”
“I feel like the crowd out there is almost on top of you with the music,” added Smith when asked about the vibe of his first day. “It feels like the course has a bit of a heartbeat. Yeah, it was very different I would say, but something that I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait for this to keep going onwards and upwards.”
Matt Jones began with a round of 69 to be tied for 23rd, Marc Leishman, also on debut in the LIV Series, opened with a round of even par 70 to be tied for 31st, while Wade Ormsby is back in 44th place in the 48 player field after a round of 73.
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Australia improves on day two in Paris
The Australians – Hayden Hopewell, Connor McKinney, Matt Cutler (Mgr), Harrison Crowe, Ritchie Smith (coach)
At the halfway mark of the Men’s World Amateur Teams Championship (Eisenhower Trophy) in Paris, the Australian team of Connor McKinney, Harrison Crowe and Hayden Hopewell find themselves in a share of 7th place but a massive 12 shots behind the runaway leaders Japan.
Conner McKinney (67) and Harrison Crowe (69) were the two scores counting on day two for the Australians, the round of 74 by Hayden Hopewell not used in the format where the leading two of three scores each day are used.
McKinney is in 17th position through 36 holes in the Individual competition, Harrison Crowe 23rd and Hayden Hopewell 59th.
The New Zealand team of Kazuma Kobori, James Hydes and Sam Jones are tied for 28th in the teams event, Kobori doing best but well back in 70th place.
Eisenhower Trophy the focus for amateur golf this week
Connor Mckinney carrying a lot of Australian hopes – file photo USGA
It is the men’s turn at the World Amateur Teams Championship, the highly prized Eisenhower Trophy up for grabs with Perth’s Conner McKinney and Hayden Hopewell, and NSW golfer, Harrison Crowe representing Australia in the event played over 72 holes at Le Golf National (GN), Albatros Course & Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche (SN), Red Course outside of Paris.
The New Zealand team is made up of Kazuma Kobori, James Hyde, Sam Jones.
72 three man teams take their place with the leading two scores in each of the four rounds counting towards the team total.
Denmark are the defending champions having won the event in Ireland in 2018 with Covid forcing the cancellation of the event in 2020.
The Australians have won the event on four previous occasions, the first in 1958 in its inaugural staging and New Zealand once, the last of those victories coming when the Australian team of Cameron Davis, Curtis Luck and Harrison Endycott took the trophy in Mexico in 2016.
Cameron Davis won the individual title that year.
New Zealand’s only win came in 1992 with Phil Tataurangi, Michael Campbell, Grant Moorhead and Stephen Scahill wining by seven shots over the Americans.
Following an indifferent effort by the Australian and New Zealand women’s teams at the Espirito Santo tournament also in Paris last week, both teams will be looking to better the performance of their female counterparts this week.
Both Hopewell and Crowe have won PGA Tour of Australasia events already in their careers while McKinney is the Australian Amateur Champion.
Kobori has also won an event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, winning the 2019 New Zealand PGA Championship as a 17 year old while his fellow countryman, Hydes, finished runner-up to McKinney at the Australian Amateur Championship earlier this year.
McKinney, Crowe and Hopwell are all inside the top 50 of the current world amateur rankings while Kobori is the best of the New Zealanders in 67th place.
McIlroy wins third FedEx Cup – overcoming a six shot deficit
When the PGA Tour’s star of 2022, Scottie Scheffler, took a six shot lead into the final round after birdies at four of his last six holes in a delayed third round on Sunday morning it was expected that the four time winner in 2022, including The Masters, would add yet another great title to his name.
The Tour Championship title and the accompanying US$18 million FedEx Cup bonus prizemoney appeared his for the taking as he set out on what appeared to be a stroll to glory.
Golf, however, does work in strange ways. Sometimes the greater the lead the further there is to fall and when Scheffler stumbled to the turn in 37 and was unable to birdie any hole on the back nine, a bogey from the left greenside bunker at the 16th opened a door which had been ajar since early in the round and none other than Rory McIlroy would walk right through.
Scheffler has begun his final round six shots ahead of McIlroy as a result of the lead he was given in the FedEx Cup standings and even though McIlroy had bogeyed his very first hole today and fallen seven behind, by the turn he had recorded four birdies and an outward nine of 32 and the deficit was just one.
Sungjae Im was making his presence felt also with an outward nine of 32 but a double bogey at the 14th would be a little much to overcome and he would fall just short.
The inward journey was not a lot more fruitful for Scheffler as he struggled to find a green and when McIlroy knocked in a 30 footer across the green at the 15th he had drawn level only for Scheffler to bogey the next and lose the lead for the first and last time.
Don’t feel too sorry for Scheffler however as on top of his amazing year already he earns a cheque for US$5.75 million as does Sungjae Im who shared second position one shot behind McIlroy.
For McIlroy, this would be his third win in the FedEx Cup.
“Honestly, I wasn’t really giving myself much of a chance teeing off in the fourth round,” said the winner.
“I thought silver lining was I was playing in the last group so I could at least keep an eye on what he was doing if things didn’t quite work out for him, and thankfully I was in that last group because I was able to put some pressure on him early on.
“And then that coupled with him not having his best stuff today was actually — I felt like going into the back nine, not that it was mine to lose, but I had all the momentum.
“Going out today, I was like, if I can get it within three going into the back nine, I thought that that would be a really good front nine holes. I think we were tied for the lead on the 10th tee.
“Yeah, incredible day, incredible week. 4-over through two holes, 10 shots out of the lead, at that point to claw my way back and end up winning the tournament, incredible. Just a real — really proud of my resilience and how I sort of handled that start and just sort of stuck my head down and kept going all week and took advantage of the opportunity that I was given today.”
“Look, it’s been a tumultuous time for the world of men’s professional golf in particular,” added McIlory when asked about the significance of his victory given the dynamic in world golf at present.
“I’ve been right in the middle of it. I’ve picked a great time to go on the PGA TOUR board. But yeah, I’ve been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I’m trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world. It’s in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different.
“Yeah, they’re all sort of different. It’s been nice. Back in 2019 I took down the No. 1 player in the world in Brooks Koepka. This year I took down the No. 1 player in the world in Scottie Scheffler. So I know that my best stuff is good enough to win any tournament against anybody on any golf course. That’s something I can take away from today.”
In a very pointed comment about the disruption LIV Golf is causing and whether the impact his role as a spokesperson is having on him, McIlroy would say: “No, I don’t think so, because if you believe in something I think you have to speak up, and I believe very strongly about this. I really do.
“I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf. I hate it. I really do. Like it’s going to be hard for me to stomach going to Wentworth in a couple of weeks’ time and seeing 18 of them there. That just doesn’t sit right with me.
“So yeah, I feel strongly. I believe what I’m saying are the right things, and I think when you believe that what you’re saying is the right things, you’re happy to stick your neck out on the line.”
Scheffler was asked if he had allowed the money to creep into his thoughts.
“The money is great, obviously. Playing professional golf for a living is such a gift. For me, I don’t play golf for money. I play to win tournaments and I play to have fun and do my best and see where the game can take me.
“Today the money definitely didn’t creep into my mind. I wanted to win the season-long title. I’ve had a really great year and I wanted to finish it off with a win here, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that.
“But at the end of the day it’s such a gift to be out here playing golf for money, and I can’t — I’m just so thankful to be out here.”
Cameron Smith was unable to build on the great season he has had and finished 20th while Adam Scott finished 25th in the 29 player field.
Smith earns US$640,000 and Scott US$550,000.
As the where the future of these two players lies especially, Smith, given the, as yet, unconfirmed rumours about him joining LIV Golf continue to bubble, remains to be seen, but if this is the last we see of him on the PGA Tour (and I certainly hope not) then he has had an extraordinary final year and made some sort of statement in 2022.
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Lydia Ko’s brilliance in Canada yields yet another top 5
Lydia Ko – file photo LPGA / Getty
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko has produced a stunning final round of 63 including a final nine of 29 and five birdies in her last six holes to finish 4th at the CP Women’s Open in Ottawa in Canada.
Beginning the final round seven shots from the joint lead, Ko’s opening hole bogey gave little indication of what was to come as she reeled off ten birdies and one more bogey for her 8 under par round to eventually finish two shots from the eventual winner Paula Reto of South Africa.
For Ko, it was her 8th top 5 finish of the season (including her win at the Gainbridge LPGA event) and moves her to 5th on the money list with US$1,850,000. Ko is now 3rd in the Race to the Globe points table behind Minjee Lee and Brooke Henderson.
“I bogeyed the first, but I think I tried to not let that rattle me and know there is a lot of opportunities,” said Ko. “So just enjoyed it, and obviously nice being back in Canada after not being here for a couple years. Yeah, it’s been a fun week.”
NSW’s Stephanie Kyriacou finished 17th, Hannah Green 22nd, Sarah Kemp 36th and Karis Davidson 56th.
Kyriacou, in her rookie season, is currently in 64th place in the Race to the Globe while fellow rookie Karis Davidson is 107th and needs a solid finish to the year if she is to retain her playing privileges.
The LPGA still have ten more events of the 2022 schedule remaining, their final tournament of the year coming in mid-November with the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida.
Australian PGA Tour hopes falter in Ohio
Aaron Baddeley needs a solid week in Indiana next week – file photo
The second of the three Korn Ferry Tour Finals to determine who might advance to the PGA Tour next season and just where they stand on the priority ranking has been completed in Columbus in Ohio and, unfortunately, for the five Australians in the field it was not a good week.
Aaron Baddeley finished as the best of them when he tied for 28th this week but he lost four positions in the race for one of the 25 full status PGA Tour cards available via the Finals and he is now ranked 30th ahead of the final event, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship beginning this Thursday.
Baddeley was the only one of the five to make the weekend this week but for Jason Scrivener, Min Woo Lee and Anthony Quayle their hopes of graduating to the PGA Tour rest on a big week in Newburg Indiana.
Baddeley actually led after a first round of 65 this week but slowly slipped down the leaderboard in what was a low scoring event
Sydney’s Harrison Endycott sealed his PGA Tour card via the regular Korn Ferry Tour season so he is just playing for priority ranking purposes only but that can still be important in terms of gaining early season starts. Endycott also missed the cut.
Lee and Scrivener are currently tied for 36th and a top ten this week may well seal the deal but for Quayle he will likely need a top five this week.
The Finals explained
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