South Africa will host two events in March, the Joburg Ladies Open at Modderfontein Golf Club and the Investec South African Women’s Open at Steenberg Golf Club in Cape Town.

The first of five $1 million Aramco Team Series events will then take place in Singapore, followed by two more events in Asia.  The LET will return to Europe in May for the Jabra Ladies Open at the world-famous Evian Resort Golf Club in France, followed by the second Aramco Team Series event at Trump International, West Palm Beach, in Florida.

After a successful launch in 2022, the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open will be played again at Naxhelet Golf Club. Then, in June, the Helsingborg Open will return to the schedule for the first time since 2015 and will be played at Allerum Golf Club. Remaining in Sweden, the LET will move on to Ullna Golf Club for the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, where the players will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Linn Grant, who earlier this year became the first woman to win a DP World Tour event with a nine-shot victory over a mixed gender field in the co-sanctioned tournament.

From there, the LET will move on to Berlin for the Amundi German Masters at Seddiner See Golf Club, followed by the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open at Beroun Golf Club and then the Ladies Open by Pickala, at Pickala Golf in Helsinki, Finland.

In mid-July, the third Aramco Team Series event will be played once again at Centurion Club near London. In the third week of July, the €1 million La Sella Open will debut on the calendar at La Sella Golf in Alicante, Spain.

In July and August, the Tour will play in four co-sanctioned tournaments with the LPGA, opening in France with the $6.5 million Amundi Evian Championship, the first Major on the LET schedule, followed by the $2 million Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, the $7.3 million AIG Women’s Open, the second Major Championship in Europe, to be played at Walton Heath in England and finally the $1.5 million ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics, in Northern Ireland, before returning to Dromoland Castle in Ireland for the second KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Early September will see Hilversumsche Golf Club in the Netherlands host the Big Green Egg Open and then the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open will be played once again at the picturesque Golfpark Holzhausern.

On September 22-24, the Solheim Cup, featuring the 12 best players from the United States versus the 12 best European players, will be held at the stunning Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, where Team Europe is going for the hat-trick. Golf fans are readying themselves for what will be a truly unmissable event.

The Lacoste Ladies Open de France will then return to Golf Barriere in Deauville, ahead of the fourth Aramco Team Series event in Asia in October.

The Hero Women’s Indian Open at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon will precede the fifth Aramco Team Series event, in Riyadh, at the beginning of November.

Finally, the 2023 season will culminate with the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de Españaat Real Club de Golf Las Brisas, Marbella, where the winner of the Race to Costa del Sol will be crowned.

Source link

Russell Henley remains flawless at the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship, having now gone bogey-free over the first 54 holes to (once again) set an event record pace at 22 under. Good for a six-stroke lead, the Georgia Bulldog will look to keep his foot on the gas tomorrow and turn this runaway effort at Mayakoba into his fourth career victory on the PGA Tour.

Beginning the third round with a three-stroke lead, Henley was cool, calm and collected from the start as he tacked on a birdie on his opening hole to extend his overnight margin. Losing his tee shot on the following hole, the 33-year-old was able to get up and down after a penalty stroke to maintain his bogey-free streak and keep his closest pursuers at bay. 

Three additional birdies over a four-hole stretch on his front side helped Henley reach 20 under by the time he made the turn. With two more par breakers on his inward half, including one from distance on the par-3 15th, Henley has now signed for rounds of 63-63-65 around El Camaleon Golf Club and doubled his 36-hole lead heading into the final round.

First-round leader Will Gordon remains Henley’s closest competition at 16 under as the former Vanderbilt standout continues to shine in his return to the PGA Tour. Fellow SEC alums in need of a big final day to chase down Henley include Auburn’s Patton Kizzire at 16 under and fellow Georgia Bulldogs Brian Harman at 14 under and Greyson Sigg at 13 under.

The leader

1. Russell Henley (-22)

There is not much more to say when it comes to what Henley is doing. Commanding the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour since Billy Horschel’s five-stroke edge at the Memorial, Henley has been on cruise control ever since the first tee shot on Thursday. 

He has bested the previous low 54-hole total on the PGA Tour this season by three strokes thanks in part to his steady driving and impressive iron play. At 22 under, he sits one off Viktor Hovland’s winning score from last year’s event — a tournament record with a high likelihood to be broken tomorrow.

Other contenders

T2. Will Gordon, Patton Kizzire (-16)

4. Seamus Power (-15)

T5. Troy Merritt, Brian Harman (-14)

T7. Viktor Hovland, Greyson Sigg, Matthias Schwab, Thomas Detry (-13)

Not many players have had a better start to the 2022-23 season than Detry as the Belgian entered the campaign without full-time status. Already locking up his card courtesy of a runner-up finish at the Bermuda Championship and two additional top-15 efforts, Detry is on the trajectory of not only becoming a mainstay on the PGA Tour, but potentially playing his way onto the European Ryder Cup Team in Rome next fall. While still ways away, the fall swing has been a revelation for the DP World Tour staple and captain Luke Donald has surely taken notice.

“I wouldn’t say more aggressive, but certainly more freely really,” said Detry of securing his PGA Tour card. “I felt no pressure at all today. I’m in contention and I was just cruising out there, I was putting well. I actually didn’t hit the ball — it wasn’t really my best ball-striking day so I’m going to do a little bit of work on the range. But I putted really well. I managed to hole some good ones for par and made some good ones for birdie as well.”

Aces are wild

As if one ace wasn’t enough, how about two more. After Brian Harman kicked the party off on Friday on the par-3 4th, both Greyson Sigg and Seamus Power joined him in the celebrations on Saturday. The Irishman who won last week at the 2022 Bermuda Championship added another hole-out just three holes later and finds his name on the first page of the leaderboard thanks to a stellar third round.

“On eight, the hole-in-one, I think it was 138, it was 6 or 8 and it was a very similar number and a very similar wind to the first round, so I knew it was going to be spot on for a club,” said Power. “I hit it to maybe four feet on Thursday, very same numbers, very same winds, so I hit the same shot and obviously landed a foot long left and spun back in.” 

Hovland’s three-peat bid likely to come up short

Looking to join Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods and Stuart Appleby as the only men since 1980 to win an event three years in a row, Hovland’s effort this week will likely come up just short. At 13 under, he has carded three straight rounds in the 60s — and 12 consecutive at El Camaleon overall — but is no match for what Henley is doing.

“It was a lot of good stuff today. Overall like I’m playing really consistent, but missing way too many putts even though I did make some putts today,” said Hovland. “Just missing way too many putts today and yesterday. At least it’s nice to feel like the ball-striking’s back to where it should be and I feel like I can take it low tomorrow.”

2022 Mayakoba updated odds and picks

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Russell Henley: 17/100
• Will Gordon: 18-1
• Seamus Power: 25-1
• Patton Kizzire: 25-1
• Brian Harman: 50-1
• Viktor Hovland: 55-1

Sometimes, it is fine to sit out the final round of a PGA Tour event, and this may be the case for Sunday. Henley should be able to seal the deal, however, at 17/100 (-588), the juice may not be worth the squeeze knowing his track record of final-round meltdowns. Hardly going out on a limb suggesting he will win, the sensible option may be to sit back, relax and simply enjoy the golf without any money tied up.

Source link

Many of the best ball strikers in the world made their way to Mayakoba this week for the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship. At the halfway point, it is not world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, two-time defending champion Viktor Hovland, or two-time major champion Collin Morikawa leading the way; rather, it’s 33-year-old Russell Henley.

The former Georgia Bulldog will have plenty on his mind over the coming days with his alma mater taking on the Tennessee Volunteers on the gridiron Saturday, and with him going for his first victory on the PGA Tour since 2017. Standing at 16 under — a 36-hole scoring record at this event — and three strokes clear of Sam Ryder and Will Gordon, Henley will attempt to do what what he has not been able to over the last five years — close out a golf tournament.

Henley has been close to capturing his fourth PGA Tour title on a number of occasions, but has fallen short at each turn. Just last year, he collapsed down the stretch at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. Months later, he was caught by Hideki Matsuyama at the 2022 Sony Open, where he ultimately fell in a playoff. 

With plenty of golf yet to be played, Henley will have to fight not only the competition but his inner demons around El Camaleon Golf Club. With many unknown quantities occupying the first page of the leaderboard, just slightly further behind, a couple of the pre-tournament favorites may be licking their chops as both Hovland and Morikawa stand at 8 under and eight strokes adrift.

The leader

1. Russell Henley (-16)

Russ is cooking at the moment, but that is not to say we have not seen this movie before. A prolific fast starter, it has been the final 36 holes which has tripped up Henley ever since his last victory at the 2017 Houston Open. His accurate driving and precise iron play is likely to persist, but keep an eye on the putter as it has often been the problem child of his when attempting to close out tournaments.

“I felt great the last two days,” said Henley. “Mentally felt confident and believing in what I was doing. Hit a lot of fairways and had some nice par saves today that kept my round going. Obviously very happy with where I am.”

Other contenders

T2. Sam Ryder, Will Gordon (-13)

4. Patton Kizzire (-12)

5. David Lingmerth (-11)

T6. Brian Harman, Martin Laird, Harry Higgs (-10)

T9. Maverick McNealy, Greyson Sigg, Matt Kuchar, Scott Piercy, Patrick Rodgers (-9)

Playing on a sponsor’s exemption this week, Higgs is taking full advantage of his opportunity down in Mexico. His second round of 9-under 62 was extremely timely as the former SMU Mustang entered the week having missed 16 of 20 cuts including his first three of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. Losing his PGA Tour card last season and missing all three cuts in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, quality performances have been hard to come by. 

“I mean, all over the place,” Higgs said of his current state of mind. “Like I have had a lot of poor days and a lot of consecutive poor days, and then I’ve also had not as many as I would like, but I’ve had some days that were great where I had full control, I was making good decisions, I was kind of, as we all say, getting out of my own way.” 

Harman’s ace propels him into contention

Back-to-back rounds of 5-under 66 have Brian Harman in the thick of it at Mayakoba for the first time in his career. Playing at El Camaleon for the 10th time in his career, the 35-year-old had previously done no better than a T30 finish. Kickstarting his day with a hole-in-one on the par-3 4th, Harman will have a memory regardless of if this form continues over the weekend.

“You know, this place kind of had my number over the years, haven’t really done very good here and today was kind of one of those days, just kind of chopping around, wasn’t doing that great,” said Harman. “Just settled down, made a couple really good swings, started with that one into the wind, just hooded a 50 [degree wedge] and slung it back in there.”

2022 Mayakoba updated odds, picks

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Russell Henley: 11/10
• Will Gordon: 9-1
• Sam Ryder: 11-1
• Brian Harman: 18-1
• Viktor Hovland: 20-1
• Patton Kizzire: 22-1
• Collin Morikawa: 28-1
• Maverick McNealy: 30-1
• Matt Kuchar: 35-1
• David Lingmerth: 35-1
• Martin Laird: 45-1

After opening with an even-par 71, Morikawa shot inside the top 20 with an 8-under 64 on Friday. Coming into the week with his iron play in form, he has carried this approach play and coupled it with a few nice putts in his second round. There are numerous question marks at the top of this leaderboard and that should give way to a weekend charge from a player such as Morikawa, who will give himself plenty of birdie looks over the next couple days. It will take a momentous effort being eight strokes off the pace, but at roughly double his pre-tournament price could be worthy of an investment.

“Eight’s a lot, but eight’s still doable come this weekend,” said Morikawa of the deficit. “This golf course, the way it’s playing, you can post two really good low ones on the weekend. I’m definitely going to need that if I’m going to be in contention, but after today I’m feeling pretty good.”

Source link

Spain’s Jon Rahm matched the achievements of the late Seve Ballesteros when winning his national open for the third time in his career.

Rahm matched the maestro’s record in triple quick time courtesy of a stunning final round 62 at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid which took him to an incredible 25-under-par for the week and a six-shot victory over nearest challenger Matthieu Pavon.

Rahm’s third win in the Spanish Open – he also won in 2018 and 2019 – came at the same venue as where Seve chalked his final win in the event in 1995. The 27-year-old led one by one shot following the third round, but four birdies on the front nine saw him open up a gap over the chasing pack, which also included Min Woo Lee.

A bogey on the 12th briefly halted Rahm’s momentum, but he responded with a birdie on the next and then almost made an albatross on the par-five 14th, with his approach from 208 yards hitting the pin and finishing just five feet from the hole, from where he duly converted for an eagle. Back-to-back birdies over the final two holes cemented a famous victory which sent the local fans home happy.

Rahm, for whom this was his first win since the 2021 US Open, said: “Seve has always been a great hero of mine, so to do something he took his whole career to do in just a few years is quite humbling. It might not have been the strongest field I’ve played in all year, but sometimes they are the hardest to win; the ones where people expect you to do well, especially on home soil and in front on my home fans. So to come out and play like I did means so much to me. It was pretty much a perfect week and the only thing that would have made it better was if my wife and kids were here to share it with me.”

Frenchman Pavon took second with a closing 65, with Min Woo Lee in third, and Edoardo Molinari and Zander Lombard two strokes further back in a tie for fourth.

Jon Rahm’s winning gear
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS (10.5°)
Fairway woods: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond T (16°, 18°)
Irons: Callaway Apex UT (21°), Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged (52°, 56°, 60°)
Putter: Odyssey Rossie S White Hot OG
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Source link

While there are numerous amateur golfers who have won their home club championship in two, three and sometimes four different decades, few are able to produce the goods on the day consistently enough to win consecutive championships over extended periods.

While sporting records are there to be broken, and often are, it’s hard to imagine any golfer being able to eclipse the achievements of Sussex legend RWH ‘Bunny’ Taylor, who, between the years of 1937 and 1962, and the ages of 24 and 50, managed to win the club championship at the Dyke Golf Club in Brighton a barely believable 20 times in a row.

After bagging his third title on the trot in 1939, he broke off hostilities with his fellow club members – and his job as a branch manager at a London-based milliner’s firm – to battle with the Bosch, before resuming normal service with victory in the championship in 1946. He then extended his unbeaten run for 16 more years until he generously decided, aged 50, to give someone else a go when retiring after securing his 20th and final title in 1962.

Word has it that Mr Taylor’s doctor told him that it was time to be taking it ‘easy’, although I doubt that was word that the patient in question had much truck with given his unrelenting desire to win.

His lowest score for the 36-hole competition was the 146 strokes he took when taking the title in 1953, aged 41, and the highest was a 161 in 1951. For the final defence of his title in 1962, Taylor attacked the course like a man possessed. Known for his unerring iron play and brilliant short game, he one-putted the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th holes to turn in 37, and then came home in 36 after bagging four more one-putt pars, including a 12-footer at the last, for a one-over-par 73.

After opening up an eight-shot lead at the half-way point, Taylor took his foot off the gas in the afternoon, and a cold putter saw him coast to a second round 83 and an aggregate winning score of 156, seven shots ahead of his nearest challenger.

“The greens were a good deal faster than in the morning round, but although 83 sounds like a lot, I was never in trouble all day,” said Taylor, with the confident air of a man for whom winning club champs was like shelling peas.

Asked about his achievement of winning 20 consecutive club championships, Taylor said: “I’ve had a letter from the people who publish the Guinness Book of Records that they will treat this is a world’s best performance. I have certainly never heard of anything better anywhere in the world.”

And nor have we, Bunny, nor have we.

Source link