Golf News On and Around The Links (Video)
Apr 19, 2015; Hilton Head, SC, USA; Jordan Spieth inspects the green on the first hole during the final round of play at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Golf News this weeks revolves around a pair of splendid playoffs, the first at Ko’Olina Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii on Saturday afternoon and the second on Sunday afternoon at the Harbor Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In both Hawaii and South Carolina, it was golf as it should be, battles against the elements paralleling tests of skill and mental endurance among the players.
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On The Links
PGA Tour: Despite a monster storm that threatened to turn the final round of the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, SC into a soggy mess, the field started early, played in threesomes off split tees, and managed to get the job done, even with a surprise playoff that nobody would have predicted at the beginning of the round.
While Matt Every and Graeme McDowell set the pace for the RBC Heritage on Thursday neither of them could hold on to the lead.
With the entire golf world watching him, Jordan Spieth stumbled through the first round with a 75 but got his feet back under him on Friday and carded an impressive 9-under 62. That wasn’t good enough either. Troy Merritt grabbed the lead with a record-tying 61.
Merritt came back Saturday with a 69, enough to hold on to his lead and go into the final round three shots clear of Brendon Todd, Kevin Kisner and defending champion Matt Kuchar, who was most likely wearing Sketchers this week.
I was starting to feel like this game is beating me up, and the losing hurts a lot more than winning feels good. I think I just forget how good it feels to win. – Jim Furyk
By Sunday, with the storm marching across Georgia and South Carolina, things changed one more time at Harbor Town.
Jim Furyk
, who hasn’t had a win in 100 starts, came alive, making the turn at 6-under for the day and finishing his round with a 63. It was enough to force Kevin Kisner into a playoff, which Furyk won on the 2nd playoff hole.
Defending champ Kuchar finished the RBC Heritage at 14-under and in 5th place and Spieth finished at 10-under and in T11th.
LPGA Tour: The LOTTE Championship, contested at the Ko’Olina Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii was as much a battle against the trade winds as the RBC Heritage was a battle against spring thunderstorms. Unlike the RBC Heritage, from the outset the LOTTE Championship leaderboard was dominated by five players: Inbee Park, IK Kim, Sei Young Kim, Chella Choi and Hyo Joo Kim.
Sei Young Kim. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The lead slipped back and forth among the five, with Mika Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, and Sandra Gal occasionally getting a peek at the top but never getting close enough to threaten the leaders.
By the final round it was clear that the victory would go to either Inbee Park, IK Kim, or Sei Young Kim. It came down to a back nine shootout and when IK Kim bogeyed 17 and 18, Inbee Park and rookie Sei Young Kim went to a playoff which the rookie won when she holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 18th, one of the most difficult finishing holes I’ve ever seen.
Enjoy this replay of that stunning winning shot:
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European Tour: At the inaugural Shenzhen International, contested at the Genzon Golf Club, Shenzhen, China, 3rd round leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat rallied late on to force a play-off with and then beat Chinese teenage sensation Li Hao-Tong.
Ladies European Tour: Off until May 7-10 and the Buick Championship, Shanghai Qizhong Golf Club, Shanghai, China.
Web.com Tour: Wes Roach. a 26-year old who played his collegiate golf for the Blue Devils, won the El Bosque Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Kevin Tway and Patton Kizzire by four strokes. Roach was probably delighted to pick up a check for $126,000!
After his win Roach Tweeted out:
"Excited beyond words to win my first @WebDotComTour event! The @MXChampionship will be special to me forever! Thank you everyone!!"
Sandra Haynie’s Tweet from Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial.
Symetra/Legends Tour: The Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial, contested at Cypress Lake Country Club in Ft. Myers, Florida, had a double ending. Rookie Augusta James won the Symetra Tour tourney at the Patty Berg Memorial and Laurie Rinker won the Legends Tour portion of the event.
Judging from Sandra Haynie’s tweeted picture of Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez and her playing partners, everybody who played in the Patty Berg Memorial had fun, whether they won or not.
PGA Champions Tour: The Greater Gwinette Championship, contested at TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, GA, couldn’t avoid the rains that threatened to derail the RBC Heritage. The Gwinette Championship was shortened to 36 holes after rain made the course unplayable on Sunday. In the abbreviated event Olin Brown took the victory with a 1-shot lead over Bernhard Langer.
Around the Links
Furyk’s Fanatics went home to West Chester, Pennsylvania happy men.
Bubba Watson struggled with the greens at the Shenzhen International but he probably didn’t care. Watson collected a hefty fee for making an appearance and then he invented a new form of Night Golf with the help of his caddie, Ted Scott.
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Perched atop a light pole, Scott caught a ball Bubba wedged up to him and then pitched it back to Bubba, who caught it squarely with his pink Ping driver and sent it down the fairway.
Jordan Spieth stowed his golf clubs and flew back to Texas where he presented the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the Academy of Country Music awards in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Suzann Pettersen’s withdrawal in the middle of the LOTTE Championship because of a shoulder injury has raised again the advisability of body building for golfers. Like a number of leading golfers, Pettersen’s a near-fanatic when it comes to working out in the gym, but there’s a world of difference between weight-lifting, which bulks up the body, and martial arts, which keeps those golfer muscles lean and flexible.
Coming Up
Golf season is in full swing now and there’s probably a golf tournament close enough for most of us to get behind the ropes and watch some good players up close and personal, no matter where we live. And if we can’t get there, Golf Channel and CBS will keep us in touch.
PGA Tour: The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be contested on the TPC Louisiana track in Avondale, LA. Seung-Yul Noh is the defending champion. The Zurich Classic will be televised on CBS and Golf Channel.
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LPGA: The Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic will be contested at Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco. Lydia Ko is the defending champion. The Swinging Skirts Classic will be televised on Golf Channel.
European Tour: The Volvo China Open will be contested at the Tomson Shanghai Pudding Golf Club in Shanghai. Alexander Levy is the defending champion.
Ladies European Tour: Off until May 7-10 and the Buick Championship, Shanghai Qizhong Golf Club, Shanghai, China.
Web.com Tour: The United Leasing Championship will be contested at the Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana. Greg Owen is the defending champion. The tournament will be covered by Golf Channel.
Symetra Tour: The Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay will be contested at the Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota, Florida. Marissa Steen is the defending champion.
Legends Tour: Off until June 25-26 and the Judson Collegiate & Legends combined event at the Country Club of Roswell, Atlanta, Georgia.
Champions Tour: Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge will be contested at Top of the Rock-LD, Ridgedale, Missouri. The tournament will be covered by Golf Channel.
The staff at ProGolfNow will keep you current on the coming week’s competitions and other news in the world of golf.
Next: Rookie Sei Young Kim Notches LOTTE Championship Win
Next: RBC Heritage, Jim Furyk Wins in a Playoff