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Tour Rundown: Six-pack of tourneys follows Masters

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Brazil and Texas were kindred souls this week, at least when it came to weather. Both regions experienced torrential delays, and three tournaments were held up. The LPGA, PGA Tour Americas, and PGA Tour Champions were compelled to reduce play or work extra holes into Sunday. As if that weren’t enough, South Carolina and the PGA Tour fell victim to nature’s wrath, with lightning postponing the conclusion of the event to Monday.

The year’s first women’s major championship was celebrated in Texas. The Chevron is gaining a bit of tradition in its second year after relocation. This year’s event culminated in the continued coronation of the game’s current best. The Korn Ferry Tour saw a top-twenty performance from a 15-year old amateur, while the second event of the week on the big tour found a winner in the Dominican Republic. Six events is more than a handful, so let’s get right to it, with this week’s (delayed) Tour Rundown.

LPGA @ Chevron Championship: Korda corrals second major title

The winter of 2022-2023 seems so distant for current Nelly Korda. A mysterious ailment sapped all of her energy, just as the world appeared to have finally emerged from the pandemic. We never quite secured the complete information that we desired, but no one can say that any of us deserved to know more than Nelly wished to share. One thing is for certain: Nelly Korda has returned to top form, and the world number one golfer is at least one level above anyone else on tour.

Korda began her 2024 campaign with a January victory in the Drive One Championship. In her next start, in March, she continued her assault on the record books, with a win at the Se Ri Pak. She won again the following week, at the Ford, then defeated Leona Maguire in the final match at the T-Mobile Match Play, for a fourth consecutive victory. Would the increased hype around a major championship have an impact on her game? Well, no.

Korda began play at the Chevron Championship with a score of 68. She trailed Lauren Coughlin by two after 18 holes, but caught her with a second-round 69. Coughlin would ultimately tie for third spot with Brooke Henderson. Henderson played with Korda on day four, but the middle third of the round was her undoing. Making a late move was Maja Stark. House Stark closed with birdies at 17 and 18 to reach 11 under par. Both Korda and Strak played the final three days in identical numbers: 69 each day.

Korda held a firm hand on the tournament over the course of the final day. She stood minus-four for the round through ten holes, before a bit of sloppy play made things competitive again. Bogeys at 11 and 15 opened the door a wee bit for Stark. Korda was equal to the test, however, and closed stylishly with birdie at 18.

PGA Tour 1 @ RBC: Scottie, so hottie!

Nelly isn’t the only golfer on fire, although Scottie Scheffler still has a ways to go to match her. Scheffler proved this week that he has a game for all courses. After winning comfortably at lengthy Augusta National, Scheffler shifted gears and game to the wee Sea Pines course, and won again. That’s two weeks in a row for the man from New Jersey/Texas, so let’s learn how he did it.

Scheffler totaled 69 on day one, and found himself six shots behind leader J.T. Poston. Scheffler revealed that his teacher, Randy Smith, would tell him that he didn’t need to be the best 15 year-old; just the best 25 year-old. It was easy, then, to play the long game and consider all 72 holes, instead of just 18. Scheffler improved to 65 on Friday, and then went even lower on Saturday. His 63 moved him to the top of the board, and caused the golfverse to wonder if Scheffler would win for a second consecutive week.

Sunday saw all the chasers fall away. Scores between 70 and 72 from Patrick Rodgers, Collin Morikawa, and Sepp Straka meant that others would need to seize the day, if Scheffler were to do more than coast. Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas each moved inside the top five with fourth-round 65s, but no one ever got close enough to the world number one. The win was Scheffler’s 10th on tour, and made him the betting favorite for next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

PGA Tour 2 @ Corales Puntacana: Baton Boy claims 8th Tour triumph

If you’ve ever seen Billy Horschel toss a club, you know that he doesn’t do so in anger. More likely is a calculated, soaring arc, paired with a look of fractured disbelief, followed by a quick catch of the cudgel. Ergo, Baton Boy. This week on the island of Hispaniola, the native of Grant, Florida, outworked and outhustled everyone else on Sunday. Horschel gathered seven birdies and an eagle, on the way to a 63 and a 23-under par total.

The former Florida Gator zipped past the four golfers in front of him, and left the remaining field in the rear-view mirror. Horschel’s round was two shots better than anyone else, and moved him two shots ahead of third-round leader Wesley Bryan. One of the famed Bryan Brothers, Wes closed with birdie at the last to post a 68 that would have won the week on any other day.

Korn Ferry Tour @ LeCom Suncoast: It’s Widing in extra holes

Miles Russell probably won’t have to serve detention for ditching class on Thursday and Friday. The high school freshman made his KFT debut, survived the 36-hole cut, and toyed with a top-ten finish. He ultimately tied for 20th at 14-under par, six shots behind the three co-leaders. My guess is that Epstein’s Mom will write him a note, and he’ll get a pass. By finishing top-25, Russell earned a spot in next week’s event. Yikes!

Back to the top of the board. Patrick Cover, Steven Fisk, and Tim Widing all found their way to the magic number of -20. Fisk made birdie at the last, after bogeys at 16 and 17. Cover had three bogeys on the back nine, but a birdie at 14 was enough to get him to overtime. Widing was plus-one on the day through four, but played interstellar golf over the final 14. Six birdies moved him from Russell-ville to extra time.

The trio scurried to the 18th tee, where Cover drove into a fairway bunker. He was unable to reach the green with his approach, made bogey, and exited the overtime session. Widing and Fisk returned to the final deck once more, and matters were resolved. Fisk was unable to convert a long par putt, and Widing (pronounced VEE-ding) tapped in for his first KFT title.

PGA Tour Americas @ Brasil Open: Mr. Anderson finds a way

Golf is a funny game. Matthew Anderson held a lead with one round to play. He made six pars on Sunday, and sprinkled the rest of his card with birdies and bogeys. In complete contrast, Ollie Osborne played consistently on the day, posting four birdies and zero bogeys. Connor Godsey was not far off Osborne’s pace, with seven birdies and but two bogeys on the scorecard. So, of course, Matthew Anderson won by a stroke over Osborne and Godsey.

Not how, but how many, is another one of those platitudes that we all learn early on. Despite five bogeys through his first 14 holes, Anderson summoned the defiant grit to make birdie at the 71st and 72nd holes. After making deuce at the penultimat hole, Anderson’s swerving effort at the last looked as if it should miss low, but it had enough pace to stay inside the hole and fall for a closing four at the par-five finisher.

PGA Tour Champions @ Invited Celebrity: Broadhurst stands tall

What do you call a tournament that begins on Friday, takes Saturday off, and finishes on Sunday? Fortunate is one adjective to use. A weather system moved through Texas this weekend, and made a mess of things in Irving. After Thomas Bjorn signed for 64 on day one, rain and all things counter-productive moved through the Las Colinas resort, ensuring that Saturday would be nothing more than a rest day. When Sunday arrived, conditions had improved, and the game was on. Bjorn was unable to preserve his Friday magic, although he did record a 70 for -8. He finished in a third-place tie with Y.E. Yang.

David Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship victor, presented Sunday’s low round, and moved to 10-under par. Toms made one mistake on the day. He lived in the rough on the 9th hole, ultimately making bogey. The rest of the day was immaculate, as seven birdies came his way, resulting in a six-under par 65. Only one golfer was able to surpass Toms, and that was Paul Broadhurst.

Broadhurst nearly matched Toms for daily honors. His mistake came early, with bogey at the second. He bounced back with eagle at the third, and added three more birdies for 66 and 11-under par. Over his first three seasons on the Tour Champions, Broadhurst won five times, including two major titles. His fifth win came in 2018, making this win his first in six years. A long time coming, for sure, but well earned.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Barracuda Championship

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GolfWRX is on site this week for the PGA Tour’s only Modified Stableford event, the Barracuda Championship.

We have plenty of galleries from Truckee, California, assembled for your viewing pleasure, so let’s get to it.

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Tour Rundown: Furious finish from Furue | Mighty Mac wins for country

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The second week of July brought two major championships to the professional tours. The LPGA held its Evian Championship at Evian-Les-Bains, while the PGA Tour Champions celebrated the Kaulig at Firestone. The DP World Tour and the PGA Tour collaborated on the Scottish Open, while another PGA Tour event took place in Kentucky. Finally, the Korn Ferry Tour held The Ascendant at TPC Colorado.

To say that the drama was real is an understatement. Eagles and birdies won two tournaments on the final hole, and one event finished with a five-golfer playoff that lasted three holes and 36 shots. The one competition that concluded with a four-shot win was tame by comparison. It’s mid-season and it’s total tour golf. Time for another Tour Rundown.

LPGA @ Evian Championship: Furious Finish from Furue

Ayaka Furue made a run at the past two US Open championships, finishing T6 at both tournaments. She made an even bigger run at the fourth LPGA major championship of 2024, the Evian. Furue held the lead after two rounds, only to find herself one behind Stephanie Kyriacou through the end of day three. The top pair did mighty battle on day four, with Kyriacou closing with 67 to reach 18 under par. Her finish included three birdies over the final four holes, marred only by a bogey at the penultimate green.

Unfortunately for Kyriacou, Furue made a trio of birdies of her own down the stretch, made a par at 17, then closed with a thunderous eagle at the last, to win the title by one slim stroke. The win was Furue’s second on the LPGA circuit, coming nearly two years after her inaugural win, at the 2022 Scottish Open. For Kyriacou, the Evian was a painful step closer to her first LPGA win. The solo second represents her first top-five finish on the tour.

DP World Tour/PGA Tour @ Scottish Open: Mighty Mac wins Scottish for country

Adam Scott appeared to have his hands around a comeback victory at the Rennaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. The Australian held the lead in the closing moments, but Robert MacIntyre came from nearly nowhere, to bring victory to his countrymen.

Scott teed off in the penultimate pairing, with American Collin Morikawa, and posted 67 to reach 17 under par. The final duo contained MacIntyre, who electrified the assemblage with a 16th-hole eagle, surging into a tie with Scott. On the 18th hole, the same one that Rory McIlroy birdied last year for victory, MacIntyre ripped driver into the right rough, then ripped his approach to 22 feet. With nothing but homeland glory on the line, the lefty dropped his putt for three and a one-shot win over Scott. In the space of two months, MacIntyre has climbed from the ranks of decent tour players to proven winners. He certainly emerges as one of the favorites for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Korn Ferry Tour @ The Ascendant: Del Solar is no longer “just” Mr. 57

Cristobal Del Solar is a mighty talent from the world’s thinnest country. The Chilean was known best for his four PGA Tour Americas titles, and the 57 that he shot in February of 2024, at the Colombian stop on the Korn Ferry Tour. After a 22-under-par performance at TPC Colorado this week, Del Solar now adds another line to his Wikipedia entry: tour champion. Del Solar outpaced runners-up Brian Campbell and Matthew Riedel by four shots, to win for the first time on the KFT.

Del Solar had just four bogeys on the week in the elite air of the Rocky Mountains. He nearly matched that number with eagles, including two on the closing day. The champion reached the 646-yard fifth in two mighty strokes, then holed a 33-foot putt for the rare bird. He followed that master sequence with another, at the 585-yard 15th. Despite the watery beckons on the right, Del Solar again reached the putting surface in two, then sent a 40-foot effort to the bottom of the tin. He added birdies at 16 and 18, turning a compelling finish into a runaway victory.

PGA Tour Champions @ Kaulig: With no Bert in sight, Ernie takes care of business

Since he turned 50 in 2020, Theodore Ernie Els had finished inside the top ten in 12 senior major events. Until Sunday the 14th of July, he had not hoisted a single, senior major trophy. That all ended when he outlasted a field at the Kaulig (nee Senior Players) Championship at Firestone. Els was pitted in a duel with perennial finisher Steve Stricker, until the Wisconsin stalwart went bogey-triple at the 14th and 15th holes on day four. The path to the top was cleared a bit for Els, but then Y.E. Yang arrived on the scene. The 2009 PGA Champion reached 10-under on the week at the 69th hole, but bogeyed number 72 to finish at nine deep.

Els appeared to not want the title that much when he made bogey at the par-five 16th hole, falling to minus ten. He dug deep himself, however, and managed a pair of pars to hold off Yang by one shot. Jerry Kelly finished third on minus-seven, while Stricker and K.J. Choi finished T4 at six under par.

PGA Tour @ ISCO: Hall (no Oates) emerges from crowd with win

No true fan of golf considers the Open Championship to be THE event of July. It’s tournaments like the ISCO, where the grinders and journeymen find salvation, security, glory, and truth, that define the essence of professional sport. Once again on Sunday, the fairway fighters of men’s professional golf took to the corridors of Keene Trace to find the magic that extends careers, defines them, and encourages their inauguration.

Harry Hall is a 26-year-old competitor from England. Before he could consider the football match between his home country and Spain, the UNLV alumnus had other business to sort. Hall found himself in second place after 54 holes, one shot out of the lead. Trouble was, a number of other, hungry golfers also posed a challenge. Among them were leader Pierceson Coody, golfer-turned-architect-turned-golfer Zac Blair, Rico Hoey, and Matt NeSmith. Four golfers would reach 20-under par, but that labor would earn them but a four-way tie for sixth.

The aforementioned quintet, with Sunday numbers like 69, 64, 64, 69, and 70, would meet at the crossroads of 22-under and tied for first. Hoey and NeSmith each made bogey at the last, to fall to that status, while Coody and Blair made closing birdies to rise up. Only Hall made par at the final, regulation green. Three holes later, he would also stand alone. Bogeys at the 18th in overtime meant a farewell cap tip for Hoey and Blair. After the surviving triumvirate again made pars during round two at the watery closer, the playoff shifted to the par-three ninth. Both Coody and NeSmith missed the green left, then pitched within ten feet for par. They never had a chance to hit their putts.

With all the improbability that a 45-feet chip brings, Hall found landing spot, line, and pace, then merged the three for the perfect stroke. He drained the recovery shot for a deuce and a first PGA Tour victory. On to Royal Troon!

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Robert MacIntyre’s winning WITB: 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 X

3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Rescue (19 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X

Irons: Titleist 620 CB (4-9) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F) Buy here, SM9 (50-08F, 56-10S) Buy here, WedgeWorks (60-08K) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Onyx (46, 50), Dynamic Gold S400 Onyx (56, 60)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Buy here.

Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord (woods, wedges), Grip Master (irons)

Check out more in-hand photos of Robert MacIntyre’s clubs here.

The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

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