Cockerill goes to China...DP World Tour TEE TIMES

 DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times

As we enter May 2024, it's been a while since we've see or heard from Canadian Aaron Cockerill on the DP World Tour, his last outing was on March 30th where he placed T55 at the Hero Indian Open

AARON COCKERILL (PHOTO BY ROSS KINNAIRD/GETTY IMAGES)

He has surfaced with the rest of the tour at the Hidden Grace GC in Shenzhen, a city near Hong Kong in south eastern China.

He is currently ranked 18th in the Race to Dubai, 218 owgr. His season began back in Joburg November 25th 2023. On January 20,2024 he had his best result when he T4 with Rory (winner) and all the big names at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic then followed that with a T6 in Bahrain on February 3rd.

He has played 11 events in this 2023/24 DP World Tour season and won nearly 352,000 euros or $515,000 Canadian dollars so far. He has a home near Winnipeg and one in Dubai.

For full tee times click on my link above. 

Bryan Angus

Stephen Ames wins Mitsubishi Electric Classic for 3rd time..

 PGA Tour Champions : Mitsubishi Electric Classic Leaderboard

To say Stephen Ames loves playing TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth Georgia is an obvious under statement. 

DULUTH, GEORGIA - APRIL 28: STEPHEN AMES OF CANADA CELEBRATES WITH THE TROPHY AFTER WINNING THE MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CLASSIC AT TPC SUGARLOAF GOLF COURSE ON APRIL 28, 2024 IN DULUTH, GEORGIA. (PHOTO BY ALEX SLITZ/GETTY IMAGES)

With scores 71 64 67 -14 he was 4 shots clear of his nearest competitors Paul Broadhurst 67 67 72 -10 and Doug Barron 65 72 69 -10.

With 2 eagles in his final round he successfully defended his title in an event he won for the first time in 2017 and all on his 60th birthday this time around. !!

It is his second win of the season, the eighth of his Champions Tour career (6th in last 29 starts) and moves him atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings. 

Always a great ball striker Stephen has become a very good putter over the last 2 years, and he credits Canadian coach Shauheen Nakhjavani for working with him on the same key things. He says "refining it, getting it better to where I feel very comfortable now playing golf. It's nice, its just letting go, its much easier for me to let it go now."

Bryan Angus

It's a McIlroy/ Lowry all Ireland final for Zurich Insurance in New Orleans.

 PGA Tour : Zurich Classic of New Orleans ..Results

When the bean counters at Zurich Insurance took over the sponsorship of this event in 2004 it was a standard 72 hole stroke play tournament, slotted in spring after all the hoopla of the Players and then the Masters, many of the big boys had time off on their schedules,

Worthy winners were guys like Chris Couch, Andres Romero, Noh Seung-yul, and Brian Stuard to name a few.

Shane Lowry, of Ireland, right, embraces his teammate Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, after winning the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

Every sponsor wants the biggest bang for their buck, so when the change was made in 2017 to the two man team Ryder Cup type format, what happened this weekend with Rory and Shane Lowry deciding over a boozy brunch after their sensational win in Rome at the Ryder Cup to have some fun and play together in New Orleans, as they had done since they were boys, Zurich Insurance really did get that great return on their investment.

Great crowds all week, often chanting Rory Rory, some spectacular team golf all round, a terrific storyline for TV with underdogs Chad Ramey and Frenchman Martin Trainer filing a record alternate shot -9 63 only to miss an 8 footer on the playoff hole to leave the Irish lads with the title, made headlines across America and around the world.

They were given a standing ovation after dinner when leaving an expensive New Orleans restaurant Arnaud's on Saturday night, and ended up on stage with Journey singing "Don't stop believin ".... on Sunday night to ensure Irish eyes were smiling, once again.

Canadians

Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor were 2nd here in 2023. This year they T10 at -21

Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith had a good week T11 at -20.

Bryan Angus

Japanese star wins ISPS Handa Championship...Final results

 DP World Tour : ISPS Handa Championship : Results

Yuto Katsuragawa continued a history-making season for players from Japan on the DP World Tour with a three-shot victory on home soil at the ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP.

The local favourite entered the final day at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course three shots off the lead but was right in the mix at the turn as many of the leading players stumbled.

Sebastian Söderberg was the only one keeping pace with him but the 25-year-old started the back nine with five birdies in seven holes to leave the Swede in his wake and finish at 17 under after a course-record equalling 63.

Söderberg carded a 67 to be the nearest challenger but all the headlines belonged to Katsuragawa, who made it back-to-back Japanese wins in regular DP World Tour events for the first time after Keita Nakajima's victory at the Hero Indian Open.

Isao Aoki was the first Japanese winner in DP World Tour history at the 1983 European Open but we had to wait 33 years for another when Hideki Matsuyama lifted the trophy at the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions.

Matsuyama would lift another World Golf Championships title the following year before his monumental Masters Tournament victory in 2021 made it four all-time Japanese wins on the DP World Tour.

Katsuragawa admits that he drew inspiration from the recent success of his compatriots. "Looking at them winning in Europe definitely motivated me," he said. "This tournament was held in Japan on a familiar course but I have not experienced winning abroad yet. I aim to win on a bigger stage internationally."

He is now set to take up DP World Tour membership and will enter the top 25 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, with a long-term goal of achieving dual membership with the PGA TOUR.

"I have been practising a lot to stand on the big stage," he said. "I can now go on the DP World Tour which is really great and I'm really happy with it. I'm aiming to become a member of the PGA TOUR in the future.

A runner-up finish for Söderberg moved him to the top of Asian Swing Rankings and should he stay there after next week's Volvo China Open, he will win $200,000 and gain entry to the Back Nine events, while also guaranteeing his place at the Genesis Scottish Open. Those who finish in positions one to three will also be exempt into the U.S. PGA Championship.

South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Spaniard Ivan Cantero, Japan's Ryosuke Kinoshita and German Marcel Schneider finished at 12 under, a shot clear of home duo Masahiro Kawamura and Yuta Sugiura, Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin and Frenchman Tom Vaillant.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Hadwin / Taylor right behind Rory and Lowry at New Orleans Classic... full scoreboard

 PGA Tour : Zurich Classic of New Orleans Leaderboard

First the Weather : It was a windy 26mph day for four somes at TPC Louisiana, scores reflect  that..

Rory and friend Shane Lowry are in a tie T1 after a Friday foursomes 70 to match their opening four ball 61 -13,, just what the sponsors at Zurich wanted.

Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin high five after their second round at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

 Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

For all scores click on my link above..

Canadians

Conners/ Pendrith T5 63  69 -12

Hadwin / Taylor T5  63 69 -12

Silverman/ Dougherty MC 64 74

Sloan/ Teater MC 70 73

Bryan Angus

ISPS Championship in Japan... full leaderboard

 DP World Tour : ISPS Handa Championship  Leaderboard

 The recent emergence of young Japanese winners on the DP World Tour has the makings of a new legacy after a record-breaking six months.

Keita Nakajima became the latest name to break through on the DP World Tour at the Hero Indian Open at the end of March, just 49 days after compatriot Rikuya Hoshino earned his own maiden title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

It marks the first time in history that two Japanese players have earned victories in a single season on the DP World Tour, signifying just a small part of a seismic shift in Japanese successes on this stage - aided by the pathway from the Japan Golf Tour.

From a combination of raw talent trying to emulate Hideki Matsuyama and the success of other compatriots on Tour to a drive from inside Japan's coaching team to foster ambition and confidence to play overseas, the latest success stories have set about the foundations for a new wave of talent.

Until Matsuyama claimed his first of two World Golf Championships (2016 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and made history as the first Japanese male Major champion at the 2021 Masters, Isao Aoki had held court as the only player to have won a DP World Tour title for over 30 years.Until Matsuyama claimed his first of two World Golf Championships (2016 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and made history as the first Japanese male Major champion at the 2021 Masters, Isao Aoki had held court as the only player to have won a DP World Tour title for over 30 years.

"Hideki Matsuyama is a superstar, so every Japanese player wants to catch up to Hideki," Nakajima told the DP World Tour.

"That’s why Japanese players are playing well now."

This week :   After 36 holes this week there is a four way tie at -10... Japan Sato Taihei 68 62 -10, Belgian Paul Yannik 65 65 -10, Sweden Seb Söderberg 66 64 -10 and Sam Bairstow from England 66 64 -10... 

For all scoring click on my link above

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Four Canadians team up at Zurich Classic New Orleans... full leaderboard

 PGA Tour : Zurich Classic at New Orleans...Tee Times

It's time for a break from the grind of 72 holes of singles stroke play as players team up in pairs to contest this version of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Teams play alternating rounds of fourball and foursomes

(Image credit: Getty Images)

160 players make up 80 teams of 2. 

Thursday fourball, Friday foursomes..Cut made top 33 teams advance to the weekend

Saturday fourball, Sunday foursomes... winner team with the highest score under par (example -26)

Rory and his pal Shane Lowry are lending their support to the event after a drunken lunch after their Ryder Cup victory in Rome, Shane asked Rory "hey wanna play the Zurich ?" answer " sure why not !!"

Canadians

9.18 10th  Conners/Pendrith  vs  Kuchar/Stricker

1.05 10th  Sloan / Teater  vs  Merritt / Streb

1.57 1st    Hadwin/ Taylor vs Horschel / Alexander

3.02 1st   Silverman / Dougherty  vs  Coody / Coody

For live scoring click on my link above...

Bryan Angus