Australia stole a fair amount of the professional-golf spotlight this week. Royal Adelaide hosted the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open, while the men did battle in a unique and exciting format that brought excitement back to match play.
In the Western Hemisphere, there was play in Columbia, Panama, California (where a new World No. 1 emerged) and a fourth tournament in Florida. Lots of golf to mash, so let’s spin those beaters.
PGA Tour: Genesis Open to DJ… finally
Thanks to the rains, Riviera played unlike its fast and firm self. Thanks to the rains, players took dead aim at flags, unless they had mud on their golf balls. And thanks to the rains, the reigning U.S. Open champion (and formerly snake-bitten-at-Riviera guy) put on a clinic over four days. Dustin Johnson marched to his first 2016-17 PGA Tour title in convincing form and moved into the top spot on the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career.
Those California rains conspired to create a throwback final day when the leaders weren’t paired together and at times were on opposite sides of the golf course. “Leaders” is generous, as the competition all day was for second-place money. So superior was Dustin Johnson that he held an eight-stroke lead throughout most of the final round. He let his guard down late with bogeys at Nos. 15 and 16, but he still managed to win at last at Hogan’s Alley by five strokes over European Ryder Cupper Thomas Pieters (63) and Scott Brown (67).
Related: See what clubs Johnson used to win
Rather than begin play late on Saturday, Johnson and many others in the field were required to play 36 holes on Sunday. The seven-birdie, zero-bogey 64 the winner posted in the morning served notice to the field that first place was far out of reach.
European Tour: Aussies deliver outside-the-box event at World Super 6 Perth
Clutch.
The two shots that just won Brett Rumford the #WS6Perth pic.twitter.com/YZvRI5NfyS
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 19, 2017
In the early part of this decade, the Surf Coast Knockout should have marked the dawn of a new and exciting form of professional golf. Unfortunately, the event lost its Australian Tour sponsor and passed into history. This week, the World Super 6 Perth invoked that memory and delivered exciting medal and match play in one event.
Utilizing the hybrid style seen only at the Western Amateur, the tournament field was reduced to 65 golfers after round two of medal, then to 24 for match play, knockout style. The top-eight qualifiers received a bye into Round 2, and it was on to six holes of match play to resolve each confrontation.
In the end, the tournament medalist proved to be the top match-play competitor. Aussie Brett Rumford won the medal by five strokes at 17-under. In the head-to-head portion of the event, he dispatched four opponents including the unlikely Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand in the final. Fingers crossed that this event has legs and continues on well into the future.
LPGA Tour: Sound of the Jang Gang at ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open
Su Oh wanted desperately to win her country’s Open Championship, while Lizette Salas hoped to affirm her status as a U.S. Solheim Cup player with a victory of her own. Matched in the final twosome, both golfers struggled under the weight of history. Meanwhile, three groups earlier, Ha Na Jang of Korea drew inspiration from her partner, defending champion Haru Nomura of Japan.
Quiet for the majority of the final day, Jang saved her magic for the final six holes at Royal Adelaide. Three birdies and an eagle sailed her past all challengers to 10-under. With a late birdie, Denmark’s Nanna Madsen edged past World No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn and Aussie Minjee Lee for solo second at 7-under. With Salas’ misfortune, low American honors went to Beth Allen and Marina Alex, both tied for seventh at 5-under.
Champions Tour: Couples passes on Riviera, wins in Naples
With Jimenez in the hazard, Couples takes a conservative approach.
If he gets home in 3 (or fewer) shots, he'll win the @ChubbClassic. pic.twitter.com/ea5ngtHyQC
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) February 19, 2017
If Fred Couples opts out of Riviera on the PGA Tour, a pendulum has shifted. Instead of teeing it up at one of his favorite haunts, Mr. Casual headed east to Naples, Florida, for the Chubb Classic. The move was an efficient one, as Couples nabbed his first PGA Tour Champions title of 2017.
Over three rounds, Couples had three bogeys and two eagles along with a bushel of birdies. He trailed 36-hole leader Miguel-Angel Jimenez by one, but he jumped ahead as the Spaniard sputtered and coughed through the front nine. Perennial contender Bernhard Langer entered the fray with a run of birdies on the outward half, but stalled throughout the majority of the inward side. His challenge came to an inglorious end with a triple-bogey eight on the home hole.
For the historians, Couples closed with 67 for 16-under and a three-shot margin over Jimenez. Another two strokes back was the third-place trio of Jeff Sluman, Rod Spittle, and PGA Tour Champions debutante Jerry Kelly.
Web.com Tour: Panama Claro Championship goes to Putnam in extra holes
With the fireworks and unexpected drama across the golfing world, the Panama Claro Championship might appear scripted. The two golfers who began the day Nos. 1 and 2 on the leaderboard finished up that way, but they had to go to a playoff to do so.
Andrew Putnam and Chris Baker had scores of 68 and 66, respectively, on Sunday. With the two extra birdies, Baker was able to track down the overnight leader and force a playoff. With both players on the first extra hole in regulation, Baker putted from long distance and missed his birdie effort. From below the hole at green’s edge, Putnam hit the bull’s eye from 20 feet, ending the overtime session with his second Web.com Tour win and first of the new season.
Mexico’s Abraham Ancer came into the event with a chance to secure a home-country spot in the upcoming World Golf Championship Mexico event. Needing a win, Ancer came close finishing 9-under, four shots back and in solo fourth.
PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Jose de Jesus Rodríguez wins in Colombia
Thirty represents a transition for all of us. José de Jesús Rodríguez uses it to answer, “How did you separate from the field on Sunday?” The Mexican professional went five low on the inward half, capped off by a 17th-hole eagle to claim the first event on the 2017 PGA Tour Latinoamérica schedule.
Brian Richey of the U.S. held the Round 3 lead, but three birdies (especially when matched by three bogies) weren’t enough to retain the top spot. He finished tied for fourth, five behind the champion. Nicolás Echavarría of Colombia took over the lead through 12 holes, thanks to a 5-under start. The young professional bogeyed Nos. 13-15, but then birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to finish two back of the winner. Third place went to Germany’s Max Rottluff at 11-under on the strength of a Sunday 64.