PGA Tour Champions : Principal; Charity Classic Leaderboard
Stephen Ames is 59 now, and enjoying his best his best year in golf, and certainly on this PGA Tour Champions.
On Sunday he beat Steve Stricker who is also playing his best golf, whose worst start in 10 outings is T8, with 3 wins, 2 of them majors.
Ames has been a close 2nd, with wins at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic and the Trophy HassanII, T9th, 5th and T11 recently, before winning this Principal Charity Classic for the 2nd time yesterday.
The turning point with Stricker in a tie, Kelly and Petrovic a shot behind was Ames tee shot at the par3 17th, struck to within 6'. His birdie to Stricker's 1st bogey of the week proved the difference
"I'm doing the same thing as I did all last year when I had no wins, maybe the putter is a little warmer and that's why I'm winning. Now with 3 wins under my belt I can look at my schedule and maybe take a week or two off here and there."
1st: 66 66 67 -17 worth $300,000 2nd Charles Schwab Cup. It is his 5th win on the Senior Circuit.
PGA Tour : Memorial Tournament Leaderboard
Jack Nicklaus is renown for constantly tinkering with his Muirfield Village course, last year he had all the grass on the greens removed and replaced with bent grass seeding, and they proved to be a severe test for the field this week.
Viktor Hovland, of Norway
The winner in a playoff has been in fine form recently, Norwegian star Viktor Hovland edged hard luck Denny McCarthy with a par on the first hole, for his 4th pro win, the first on mainland USA.
He was 4 shots behind on the 10th tee, on a hard sun baked course, playing as tough as a US Open, but while others like Rory McIlroy were making bogey's, he remained conservative, made a crucial birdie at the 17th, and a clutch 8 footer for par on the 18th to force the playoff. He never made worse than a bogey all week.
His coach Joe Mayo could see Viktor was playing brilliant but reckless golf and their new game plan, more conservative paid off
" I told him this is not a birdie contest, this is a double bogey avoidance contest. At Oklahoma State you could out hit these guys, but you're not gong to out hit Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, you have to out think them, start playing a little chess"
As a result Hovland T3 Players, T7 Masters, T2 at the PGA Championship.
1st 71 71 69 70 -7 $3,600,000 4th in standings after 550 FedEx Cup points.
Canadians :
Taylor Pendrith T60 77 69 76 76 +10 $44,800 and 5 FedEx Cup points.
This week it's the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale GC, where Rory McIlroy will defend his title and there are 19 Canadians in the field.
Bryan Angus
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