Monday morning shag bag..Willett back in form, Pelley rebranding, Hearn opens his account..

Lots of news from the European Tour's flagship event this weekend, BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth where the late summer weather was superb for 3 days before the winds got up and the rain moved in.

European Tour BMW PGA Championship final leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2019/tournamentid=2019080/leaderboard/index.html#/results

Danny Willett was ranked 462 in the world when he missed the cut at this event last year. His form was all but gone, he struggled with injury after he won the 2016 Masters. However he was still young and he battled back, making slow gains in confidence and finally entered the winners circle at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, and yesterday he hung on to best a determined Jon Rahm by 3 shots for his 7th career win, and a spot in the world's top 40.

"It doesn't get much better does it?" he said. "An emotional week. It was a good battle out there today with myself more than anyone else and it was nice to come through the other side.
"(I've had) an undying want to get back there. I was willing to change whatever had to be changed and I think that's pretty hard to do, it's hard to jump full throttle into something that you're not quite sure if it's going to work out or not. I was able to jump in there and I had the correct people around me. All the work that we've put in has come forward."  

* Funny old game is golf. Rory McIlroy had another of his "gone walkabouts" rounds on Thursday struggling to get in with a 76, completely at a loss for why. He came out Friday morning seven shots better at 69, then right back on form had a 65, 67 weekend to finish in the top 10 yet again T9 at -11.

* Our former colleague here in Toronto at Rogers, the Argos and TSN, Keith Pelley was a complete unknown to the European Tour, until his interview for the CEO position, and in typical Pelley form he has won everyone over with his leadership. He has listened intently for a year, travelled to all 48 events over 5 continents, and steadily introduced his insights and vision to improve the tour for it's players and fans worldwide.

Yesterday he introduced his plan to rebrand the European Tour. Read all about it here https://www2.europeantour.com/european-tour/news/articles/detail/european-tour-reveals-brand-refresh-aimed-at-driving-golf-further/

* José María Olazábal played his 25th BMW PGA Championship, 25 years after he lifted the trophy at Wentworth Golf Club. His 25th appearance was also his last and he was given a fitting send off as fellow Spaniards gave him a guard of honour. It was an emotional goodbye to the two time Major winner.

 

 

PGA Tour Sanderson Farms Championship final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2020/sanderson-farms-championship/leaderboard.html

 

* Meanwhile it wasn't a great start to the year for the 5 Canadians who teed it up at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi with David Hearn the only one to make the cut. He shot 68 73 67 70 -10 T23 and put $59,070 into his 2019/20  bank account as a result.

 

Bryan Angus

Rory staggers to an opening 76 at the BMW PGA Championship.. live scoring

European Tour BMW Championship leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2019/tournamentid=2019080/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

Rory McIlroy is the 2019 PGA Tour Player of the year, and a past winner of this European Tour flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship being played this week at the home of the European Tour, Wentworth GC in glorious sunshine.

The tour moved this event back from May, when to be honest the course wasn't ready, compared to this week. When you turn on your telly you'll see what I mean. It is  at it's lush green best.

Rory was -3 through 5 holes, totally in control, putting beautifully par, par,eagle, birdie, and as he stood on the 8th tee he was tied for the early lead. However, and this is what perplexes so many Rory bashers, he then proceeded to bogey 5 of his next 8 holes, seemingly having lost his touch, as Scottish commentator Sam Torrance said, "he's #2 in the world, but just played the last 9 holes like #22"..

He added a lost ball double bogey 7 at the par 5 17th, lost another drive OB at the 18th and staggered home with a bogey 6 for a +4 76. He has never won when he shoots over par on his first round.

The clubhouse lead was held by Henrik Stenson at -6 66, but England's Matt Wallace saved a par 5 at the 18th to shoot -7 65 to take the lead with the late wave now on course.

Defending champion Frankie Molinari shot a -3 69.

The sloping greens at this storied west course are notoriously hard to read, and are running fast which is helping to keep the scoring in check in these idyllic conditions.

The weather forecast is here https://www.theweatheroutlook.com/forecast/7day/London and as you can see, sunny and calm until Sunday, some showers but nothing serious.

Bryan Angus

Canucks looking to cash in at Sanderson Farms Championship

Sanderson Farms Championship leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2020/sanderson-farms-championship/leaderboard.html

The importance of this wrap around season on the PGA Tour is immediately evident this week for the 5 Canadians in the field for the Sanderson Farms Championship down in Jackson Mississippi.

Nick Taylor, now in his 6th year on tour is a grizzled veteran, and a past winner here (2014). He and his expectant wife know the route well by now, courses, flights, hotels, where to eat, park, who the volunteer staff are all make them comfortable, and if Nick can start closing better on Sunday's he'll have a good year.

Michael Gligic, David Hearn and Adam Svensson all qualified from the Web.com (now the Korn Ferry Tour). Hearn has been here before, Gligic and Svensson will be leaning on him and Taylor to help them through their first seasons.

Corey Connors was 2nd here last year and is coming off his storybook 2019 season with his win at the Houston Open and the trip to the Masters. He is all set for the next two years.

They are all looking to cash in early as many of the big boys are either at the European Tour BMW Championship at Wentworth, or on holiday.

Follow their progress on my customized scoring link above.

Bryan Angus

Europe's win at Solheim Cup exceeds all expectations

2019 Solheim Cup final scoreboard https://www.solheimcup2019.com/

Once again this years epic Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland reminded us all that golf can produce the most exciting 3 days in all of sport and include the Ryder Cup on the men's side as well.

Here are some of the many tweets:
" Europe won the Solheim Cup but golf won the game"
" Hollywood couldn't have scripted a better ending"
" The most exciting sporting event I have ever witnessed "
" It had it all, drama, heartache, suspense, triumph and a fairy-tale ending at the home of golf"

After 2 enthralling days of foursomes and fourballs there was nothing between the defending champions, USA and Europe, all tied up 8-8 going into Sunday's singles.

In those matches, 4 went to the 18th, 5 went to the 17th it was so close and in the most dramatic fashion, Europe secured a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win to claim the most sought after prize in female golf, ending the USA run of two straight.

Late in the afternoon, the score was 13 1/2-11 1/2 for USA so they needed just a half-point from the final three singles matches to retain the cup.

However Anna Nordqvist completed a 4-and-3 win over Morgan Pressel. Then, sparkplug Bronte Law holed a 20 footer to beat Ally McDonald 2-and-1 to tie the score

Just ahead Scottish Solheim Cup captain, Catriona Matthew's controversial pick Suzann Pettersen, who hadn't played but 2 tournaments since 2017 was now the last match on course with Marina Alex.

Dead even at the 18th, both hit good wedges in, Pettersen's settled 7 feet away, Marina's 15, and she only needed a half to win the Cup. She slid her's by the hole by 3 feet.

Now Pettersen, with her son Herman blissfuly unaware nearby, stood over the biggest prize in the women's game, thousands ringing the historic 18th green at Gleneagles, the world watching on TV and listening to their radio's.

She settled, had a last look then popped it straight into the hole, and into history.

Afterwards she admitted, " coming down No. 18, Beany (Matthew) said this moment is why I picked you.  In your wildest dreams, especially where I’ve come from, I never thought I was going to do this again"

After being mobbed, she hugged and kissed Herman, and promptly retired. "Yeah, this is it. I’m completely done. It doesn’t get any better "

Matthew was carried to off the green on her team's shoulders after the "greatest moment" of her career, American captain Juli Inkster told her team, "the sun’s going to come up tomorrow, you played great and it was great for women’s golf." then announced she wouldn't be back in 2021.

Just down the road from the front gates of stately Gleneagles, in the little town called Auchterarder, there's a bar in the Star Hotel, right on the main road, where the pints are a third of the price of their expensive neighbour.

They closed their doors as usual at 11pm with a ring of the bells for last call. Except this time, with the doors closed, nobody left as the celebrations went on until the wee hours..

It was that kind of weekend, likely never to be seen again..

Bryan Angus

Rory is the story in 2019 !!

The PGA TOUR announced today that Rory McIlroy has been named the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2018-19 season. McIlroy will receive the Jack Nicklaus Award for winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the third time in his career (2012, 2014, 2019).

Sungjae Im was voted 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and will receive the Arnold Palmer Award, renamed in 2019 as a tribute to its namesake’s influence on countless young players and a fitting honor for its recipients, who will shape the game and the PGA TOUR for generations to come.

McIlroy, 30, of Holywood, Northern Ireland, won the FedExCup for the second time (2016, 2019), becoming just the second player to win the season-long race multiple times (Tiger Woods), and the first player to win THE PLAYERS Championship and the FedExCup in the same season. With three wins on the season (THE PLAYERS, RBC Canadian Open, TOUR Championship), McIlroy matched Brooks Koepka for the most on TOUR, and marked the third time he collected three or more victories in a single season. McIlroy also won the Byron Nelson Award for Adjusted Scoring Average (69.057) for the third time in his career and led the PGA TOUR in Top-10s (14) and Strokes Gained: Total (2.551).

Im, a 21-year-old native of Jeju, South Korea, was the only rookie to advance to the TOUR Championship and finished the season tied for 19th in the FedExCup standings. With his Rookie of the Year honors, Im joins Stewart Cink (1996-97) as the only players to be named the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.

For the season, Im made 26 cuts in 35 starts, becoming the first rookie in the FedExCup era to play 35 or more events. He recorded seven top-10s, highlighted by three top-fives, with his best finish of the season coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where he tied for third.

Monday morning shag bag... Bianca Andresscu, Rafa, Penrith, Casey and more

Hello guys, happy to be home for a couple of days after another hectic weekend !

From my perspective it was dominated by one of the great moments in Canadian sports, 19 year old Bianca Andesscu's stunning straight sets win over Serena Williams at the US Open. Considering her age, the setting, her opponent, opponents, is was arguably the greatest.

Ranked 152nd gong into the tournament she beat five players ranked away above her including possibly the best woman tennis player in the game's long history, she comes out ranked #5. She only lost two sets in 6 matches.

Every media outlet in this country, heck around the world, has spent the weekend and today using every contact they have to get a piece of her. She has already been on Good Morning America, and Live with Kelly and Ryan, so I'd expect her to do a national press conference here later today or tomorrow so everyone can call in.

She is of Romanian descent, her parents moved here in 1994, and had her on June 16, 2000 in Mississauga. She started to play when she was seven.

I'd be amiss not to mention, while I'm talking tennis, Rafa Nadal's gripping 5 set win over 23 year old Russian, Daniil Nedveded for his 19th major win, just 1 behind Roger Federer.


Mackenzie Tour Investments Open final scoreboard https://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us/tournaments/mackenzie-invesments-open/leaderboard.html

Meanwhile another Canadian, Taylor Pendrith is playing the best tennis of his life. He won the MacKenzie Investments Open in Montreal over the weekend and has risen to #2 in the Order of Merit on the Mackenzie Tour- PGA Tour Canada

In 11 outings this year he is a stunning 127 strokes under par, including the record -28 this weekend, 8 shots clear of the field. This was his 2nd win this season.

“It was definitely the best week of tournament golf I have ever played, I honestly don’t remember playing from the rough on the weekend, maybe once or twice, but my wedge game was dialled in, especially today"

"To be fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour next season would be a big relief,” said Pendrith, who sits just over $5,000 behind Order of Merit leader Paul Barjon “There’s still work to do next week in London, I know it’s super close, there’s three or four guys who could do it, so there’s a lot of pressure but it’s just golf and I’ll go make as many birdies as possible and see how it ends up.”

He not only picked up his sixth Canada Life Canadian Player of Week award of the season, but also locked up the Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year award.


European Tour Porsche European Open final leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2019/tournamentid=2019076/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

Nice to see good guy Paul Casey get his first win in 5 years on the European Tour with rounds of 66, 73 69, 66 -14, holding off  Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, overnight leaders Scottish rookie Robert MacIntyre and German, Bernd Ritthammer. They were all tied at -12 with 3 holes to go.

Paul is 42 now, having moved back to Scottsdale Arizona, playing mainly on the PGA Tour after an international career between the USA and Europe. He remarried (Pollyanna Woodward) in 2015, and his career has been revived ever since, including a starring role in Europe's enthralling win in Paris last year. The couple have a boy named Rex.

I've interviewed the amiable Englishman twice, the last time at the RBC Canadian Open at St Georges in Etobicoke, where he took time for me on the practice green before the pro-am. He has forearms like Popeye, and is as down to earth as they come, quietly confident, modest, well spoken, he makes you feel right at ease.

This week I look forward to the Solheim Cup being staged at historic Gleneagles in the rolling hills of Perthshire. Team USA has won the last two.

Bryan Angus

Hearn is back on PGA Tour

Korn Ferry Tour Tour Championship final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/tournaments/korn-ferry-tour-championship.html

David Hearn was projected to finish 42nd in the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs going into yesterday's final round. He knew his year on the PGA Tour was on the line, he knew he was facing the daunting task of heading back to Q school, perhaps another season on the Korn Ferry Tour with a few sponsors exemptions on the big show. 

Little improves your confidence than succeeding under that kind of pressure, nothing erodes it like failing.

He's been in that situation before with mixed results. Yesterday was a big win. Out in -4, then -6 with birdies at 10,11 he was well on his way, but this is a heartbreaking game at times.

With next season on the line he made a bogey on 15 then another on 17, it was slipping from his hands. Then perhaps the shot of his career. 170 yards, 7 iron soared to within the leather for a tap in birdie, a -66 (70 69 70 66) -13 a T4th and a 13th place finish in the playoffs.

Back on the PGA Tour for 2020 !

David admitted afterwards the last 2  years have been very frustrating, knowing he is better than his results being in the 126-150 group, and with the 2020 season starting next week with the Fall wrap around, he is relieved to be able to pencil in more events consecutively, which will help him hone his game.

He first earned his card in 2004.

Adam Svensson had a solid -4 68, T15, but just missed the top 25, coming in at 27th.


Bryan Angus

Hearn and Svensson need big Monday's at Korn Ferry Tour Championship

Korn Ferry Tour Championship leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/leaderboard.html

The top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour qualify for the PGA Tour next year. Today is the final round of their 3 tournament playoffs, with the season ending Tour Championship.

David Hearn is T22 (70 69 70 -7) but is projected to finish 40th as play begins. Adam Svensson is T29 (70 68 72 -6) and is projected to finish 38th.

So bottom line, both need great rounds today to get into the top 25 and prevent going to PGA Tour Q school.

The leader is young Englishman, Tom Lewis at -16.

Bryan Angus

Henderson T4, Sharp T9 as Cambia Portland Classic wraps up

LPGA Cambia Portland Classic final leaderboard  https://www.lpga.com/leaderboard

Aussie Hannah Green recovered from her Saturday 73 with a -5 67 and after opening with 64 63, that was just enough at -21 to edge a Monday qualifier Yealimi Noh (71) by a shot for her 2nd career LPGA victory at the Cambia Portland Classic. Green erased a three-shot deficit with two birdies over the final four holes at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

It was a solid week for Brooke Henderson T4 (67 68 67 71 -15) and Alena Sharp T9 (67 70 70 69 -12).

The " LeadersTop 10" competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top 10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. It was Henderson's 10th top 10 this year, which moves her into a tie for first with Jin Young Ko.


Next up in the women's game is the Solheim Cup in a fortnight at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland

Bryan Angus

Late rally not enough as Rory loses Omega European Masters in a playoff

European Tour Omega European Masters final scoreboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2019/tournamentid=2019074/leaderboard/index.html#/results

After winning the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup last Sunday and enjoying the ensuing "celebration" Rory McIlroy caught a Trans Atlantic jet bound eventually for Crans- Montana, high in the Swiss Alps.

After opening rounds of 67 63 he eventually ran out of gas with a 3 bogey finish 69 on Saturday, and a sloppy 6 hole start today.

However despite playing with his B game he rallied to birdie 5 of 6 holes from the 12th -17th to get to -14 good enough to qualify with 4 others ( Sebastian Soderberg,

Lorenzo Gagli, Andres Romero and Kalle Samooja) in a 5 man playoff for the coveted Omega European Masters trophy.

On the first playoff hole Sweden's Sebastian Soderberg made his birdie putt while Rory lipped out and all the rest made par or worse. It was the Swedes first European Tour win.

It was Rory ' s 7th of 8 weeks of golf and he will take next week off before playing the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth then the Dunhill Links with his father at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kings Barns.

Bryan Angus

Henderson T3 on Sunday at Cambia Portland Classic

LPGA Cambia Portland Classic leaderboard https://www.lpga.com/leaderboard

As I suspected Hannah Green came back to the field at this Portland Classic after opening 63 64, with a +1 73 and it was an 18 year old Monday qualifier, Asian American, Yealimi Noh who shot -8 64 to lead at -19 going into today's final round. Green begins in 2nd at -16.

Brooke Henderson fired another -5 67 to move up from T15 to a T3 at -14, right in contention for her 3rd win here and remember she won as a Monday qualifier in 2015 to kick start her pro career.

Alena Sharp (70) is T11 -9.

Bryan Angus