Hadwin's hot back nine T3 at Waste Management Phoenix Open... live scoreboard

 PGA Tour: Waste Management Phoenix Open leaderboard here.

Adam Hadwin began his year at his happy hunting ground at the old "Bob Hope" in La Quinta, now sponsored by American Express. He fired his career low 59 there in 2017 and is always amongst the leaders, this year 68 72 68 68 -12 T25, solid if not spectacular.

A missed cut in San Diego at the Farmers Insurance, then after an opening 72 at Pebble Beach last week he lowered his sights with more solid golf, 68 68 69 T16.

Now in the desert sunshine outside Phoenix, he was plodding along in what he would describe "a good solid round" for the first 12 holes, "I just didn't get anything to drop, lots of fairways and greens, giving myself lots of chances, just burning the edges"

It's been like that for a couple of weeks now, so it was nice to see a couple drop at the end there, 16,17 some longer putts, 16's always a nice one to birdie, so yeah, just a good solid round of golf"  

Adam, from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is 34 now, ranked 159th in the world, and 62nd in the Fed Ex Cup standings. A look through his stats reveal he doesn't really excel at anything on his 13th year since he turned pro in 2009. His scoring average of 70.86 ranks 73rd or about middle of the pack. He has 1 PGA Tour title in 200 tournaments, but has banked $13,418,737 in the process.

So thanks to that back nine, he's off to a great start this week, of course it takes four great week's to win in this company, so a long way to go. 

Some who have followed Adam's career thinks he's found a nice spot on tour, middle of the pack, good money, solid sponsorship, well respected, great wife and kids, a good life all in all.

I can't speak to that but I'm sure the desire to win burns with his own flame inside, you can't be this good for so long without it.

Other Canadians are off to sluggish starts, in fact 4 are T88th. Corey Connors, Roger Sloan and Nick Taylor all shot +1 72 while Monday qualifier Etienne Papineau is +1 thru 16 holes and is one who will return early this morning as play was suspended due to darkness.

Ben Silverman the other Monday qualifier who has been playing local 1 day events in and around Florida, is -1 T44 thru 16.

The leader at -7 thru 16 is a guy called Sahith Theegala and to be honest I had to look him up. He's American, 24, from Orange, California, of Indian origins. He is 318th owgr. T25th at the Farmers, T33 at American Express, He was ranked as high a #3 as an Amateur and won the 2020 Haskins award while at Pepperdine, when he swept college golf's awards as the best player.

He secured his card for this year through the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour playoffs.

All the other scores are available by clicking on my customized link here.

 Bryan Angus.

Kiwi Ryan Fox equals career low round, leads at Ras Al Khaimah...FULL LEADERBOARD

 DP World Tour : Ras Al Kaimah Classic..Leaderboard

Ryan Fox matched the lowest round of his DP World Tour career to establish a two-shot lead after day one of the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

The big-hitting Kiwi carded a 63 to equal Adrian Otaegui and Li Haotong's course record from last week at Al Hamra Golf Club and sign for his lowest ever DP World Tour round to par at nine under.

They are playing at Ras Al Khaimah for a second straight week because the Qatar Masters was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

Portuguese Ricardo Gouveia was his nearest challenger, with English pair Richard Bland and Andrew Wilson, Scots David Drysdale and Robert MacIntyre, Italian Francesco Laporta, Dutchman Joost Luiten, German Yannik Paul, Australian Jason Scrivener and Swede Sebastian Soderberg all three shots off the lead at -6

Fox graduated from the European Challenge Tour in 2016, the same year he represented his country in the Olympic Men's Golf Competition, and he became a two-time Olympian at last year's Tokyo Games.

The 35-year-old secured four Rolex Series top tens in his first two seasons on Tour before winning the 2019 ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth and is now looking for a second DP World Tour victory.

He missed the cut after struggling with a back injury last week but looked to he showing no ill effects as he carded ten birdies with a single dropped shot.

"It was nice to get in the zone, I just felt like I had control of the golf ball," he said.

“I probably need to throw a couple of thanks out too, I struggled last week here with my back and I have my physio out here, and the Tour physio has helped me out over the weekend and I feel 100 per cent this week which was nice.

“Shaun Norris was nice enough to give me a putting tip on Tuesday when we played a practice round together and that seemed to work pretty well too so big shout-out to those guys.

“I hit it in the greenside trap a couple of times and got up and down. It is the kind of golf course where you feel like you’ve got a lot of opportunities and it was nice to take advantage of those today and then hole a couple of longer putts on some of the tougher holes to keep the round going.

Gouveia also matched his lowest round on Tour with a 65 containing eight birdies and a bogey.

The 30-year-old is back on Tour after graduating from the Challenge Tour and turned in 31 as some dialled-in iron play brought birdies at the first, third, fourth, sixth and seventh.

He dropped a shot at the tenth but two approaches inside ten feet brought back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th before he made an excellent recovery from a ragged tee-shot for a final gain of the day on the 17th.

Luiten and Scrivener were both bogey-free in their rounds, while Bland, MacIntyre and Wilson all dropped a single shot, with Soderberg making two bogeys.

Paul holed out from 101 yards on the first for one of two eagles, Laporta also made an eagle as he holed a bunker shot at the 13th, and Drysdale birdied four of his last five holes having been one over after six.

Rolex Series champion Brandon Stone and DP World Tour winners Marcus Armitage, Alexander Björk and Scott Hend were then in a group of ten players at five under, with 28 within five shots of the lead.

Bryan Angus   (europeantour.com)

DP World Tour returns to Ras Al Khaimah for second straight week... THURSDAY TEE TIMES

 DP World Tour : Ras Al Khaimah Classic Tee Times

The DP World Tour returns to Ras Al Khaimah and Al Hamra Golf Club for the second successive week for the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, marking the end of a four-week run in the Middle East.

Final week in the Middle East

Last week, the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah hosted the DP World Tour for the first time, following back-to-back Rolex Series events in neighbouring Emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.

This week’s venue may have had its first outing on the DP World Tour last week, but it’s not been a stranger to professional golf tournaments in the past.

Al Hamra Golf Club previously hosted the European Challenge Tour from 2016 to 2018, with the Challenge Tour Grand Final taking place in 2018.

Jordan Smith was the first player to triumph at Al Hamra, which helped him move to the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings and ultimately earn his Tour card as the winner of the Challenge Tour in 2016. Last week, the Englishman showed how comfortable he felt around the course, finishing as the runner-up to Nicolai Hojgaard on his first trip back to Ras Al Khaimah.

Nicolai Højgaard will return to Al Hamra Golf Club hoping to make it back-to-back titles and equal his brother Rasmus’s winning haul of three victories on the DP World Tour.

The 20-year-old produced a stunning display which yielded a four-stroke victory last week, and the big-hitting Dane is feeling confident he can claim back-to-back titles in the United Arab Emirates after finding the rhythm with his driver.

“It’s been one of my focus points after the first two weeks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – my driving. It’s always been my strength it’s just about keeping it in play and last week it just clicked. I didn’t hit many fairways but you don’t have to hit many fairways here.

Al Hamra Golf Club is just under an hour’s drive from Dubai International Airport, and is known as one the country’s hidden gems.

Opened in 2007 and designed by Peter Harradine, the 7,235 yard, par-72 course is most recognisable for meandering around four inter-connected open water lagoons merging seamlessly with the water of the Arabian Gulf. It is also notably the first plastic-free golf club in both the country and the region.

Bryan Angus

europeantour.com

From holy Mecca to party central, its Waste Management Phoenix Open week.. THURSDAY TEE TIMES ...

 PGA Tour : Waste Management Phoenix Open Thursday  TEE TIMES

 

I don't think the fan experience can fair more radically between this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open and last week's top rated tournament, the PIF Saudi International.

Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, the holy of the Muslim holiest, is extremely conservative with a complete ban on drinking, selling, making, or serving alcohol, and smoking, even to all the internationals who flock there to work. Fans were few and far between Thursday and Friday, a little more on Saturday and on Sunday the modest stands around the 18th were full, mainly of white foreign workers, business men and visitors. Unlike the pictures from Dubai in the UAE the week previous, of packed stands of fans drinking, eating, partying, Saudi will never entertain those activities.

The famed 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale

Forward to the insanity of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale this week where college students etal line up in the darkness of early morning to find a spot at golf's biggest party zone where "get in the hole" is away down the list of verbalization. It wouldn't be unfair to say they have beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the crowd ranges from buzzed to hammered all week. Not to be a curmudgeon, CBS and the PGA Tour do a very good (?) job of not getting behind the scenes where bursting bladders and immature drinkers are in abundance losing their stomach's contents from both ends.

Not everybody is at the 16th of course, as record breaking crowds of  700,000 attended in 2020

Ben Silverman

Meanwhile six Canadians are in the field. Corey Connors 8.32 1st, Adam Hadwin 11.40 1st, Roger Sloan 7.37 10th, Nick Taylor 8.43 1st, are joined by Monday qualifiers Ben Silverman 1.30pm 1st  and Etienne Papineau 1.30 10th..

7,59 10th   Hovland, Spieth , Schauffele are the featured morning pairing.

12.13pm 1st  Matsuyama, Cantlay, Thomas then 12.24 1st  Rahm, Simpson, Fowler are the afternoon features.

Of note Harold Varner has flown from the afore mentioned Saudi Arabia to Phoenix for his spot in the field at 12.35 off the 1st, with Adam Scott who is playing well of late. What a reception he will get !!

Bryan Angus 

Top 20's for Canadians, journeyman Tom Hoge wins AT&T Pebble Beach... final scoreboard

 PGA Tour : AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am final leaderboard here.

If you want a Canadian connection for this years winner at Pebble Beach, Tom Hoge last won a pro event 11 years ago on the Mackenzie Tour here in Canada, where guys were driving themselves and young families from coast to coast in old RV's, all looking for the jackpot that was the PGA or European Tours.

Today Hoge who is 32, born in North Carolina, lives in Fargo,North Dakota realised that dream beating Jordan Spieth who never had to drive an RV, by 2 strokes 63 69 68 68 -19, the final difference the famous par 3 17th, birdie for Hoge, bogey for Spieth.

Canadians:  Nick Taylor T14 69 69 69 69 -11, Adam Hadwin T16 72 68 68 69 -10, Mac Hughes T16 71 69 67 70 -10

Taylor Pendrith T49 70 69 69 74 -5, Adam Svensson T49, 69 63 77 73 -5

David Hearn MDF 72 69 70 -4    Michael Gligic MC..

Opinion:  Regarding the 42 PGA Tour /DP World Tour stars that chose to play for the appearance money in Saudi rather than at Pebble, Peter Jacobsen spoke out, chiding them for missing what he calls "the most important tournament on the PGA Tour schedule", and Brandel Chamblee took Phil Mickelson to task for his "obnoxious greed" attack on the PGA Tour from his hotel in Saudi Arabia.

Full details are available on Google. 

Next week they all fly over to Phoenix for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where unlike Saudi Arabia where alcohol and smoking is strictly prohibited, well let's just say it's served for breakfast.

Bryan Angus 

Five Canadians in final round of jam packed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM....LIVE SCOREBOARD

PGA Tour: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am scoreboard here.

It's already been a thrilling Sunday's golf with Harold Varner's shot of the year so far, a 65 footer for eagle on the last hole to pip Bubba Watson for the title at a wild windy PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour,  and Danish sensation Nicolai Hojgaard holding off the field to win the Ras al Kaimah Championship on the DP World Tour in the UAE.

Later today on the US west coast's Monterey Peninsula where the rich and famous gather, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be decided with 16 players within 5 shots of the lead.

There are 5 Canadians in play today, there should be 6 but David Hearn who made the original cut lost out on the second cut (MDF)a procedure initiated years ago to keep the final day's field down to 70.

Mac Hughes and Nick Taylor are T21 -8, Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith T33 -7 and Adam Svensson T41 -6. He was T2 after his 63 on Friday, however he slipped badly to a 77 on moving day to shoot himself out of contention.

The 3 leaders are at -15,  Americans Hossler, Poge and Putnam

Power is chasing a second PGA title

I'm picking Seamus Power for the win. The Irishman has been the hottest player on tour this year and after opening with a record 64 64 128 he had his bad round on Saturday, +3 74 and he starts 7th at -13.

His fellow countryman Leona McGuire became the first Irish women to win on the PGA Tour on Saturday and the former world #1 amateur who starred at Duke in her college career has set the standard for Seamus !!!

More cool but calm weather for Pebble Beach, let's see how it unfolds later tonight.

Bryan Angus

Nicolai Hojgaard holds off the pack to win Ras al Khaimah Championship...final results

 DP World Tour: Ras al Khaimah final results Results

Nicolai Højgaard claimed his second DP World Tour title after holding off Jordan Smith in a roller-coaster final round at the 2022 Ras al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital to win by four shots.

Overnight leader Højgaard's resilience faced a stern test when he stumbled around the turn and saw a five-shot lead evaporate before finding himself two strokes behind a charging Smith on the back nine.

But he showed exceptional determination over the closing holes, bouncing back with a birdie at the 13th before producing an outstanding eagle on the next to open up a two-shot lead.

And from there he was able to cruise to victory, adding another two birdies on his way home to sign for a closing 68 and finish the week on 24 under par.

He now has two DP World Tour crowns to his name following last year's DS Automobiles Italian Open triumph, and sits just one win behind his twin brother Rasmus.

Smith, who had started the day six shots off the lead, finished alone in second on 20 under, three ahead of Li Haotong, Lukas Nemecz, Matthieu Pavon and Adrian Otaegui in a tie for third. Li's bogey-free 63 saw him tie the course record at Al Hamra Golf Club.

Højgaard looked to be strolling to victory early on day four after extending his overnight advantage from three to five shots with an eagle at the long third, which was inches away from being an albatross.

But as the Dane began to falter, with a double bogey at the ninth reducing his lead to one stroke at the turn, Smith found his very best form and took over at the top.

While Smith reeled off a hat-trick of gains at the 12th, 13th and 14th to take his birdie tally for the day to seven, Højgaard dropped another stroke at the 12th after his tee shot landed in the penalty area down by the water.

That gave Smith, who was three groups ahead of Højgaard, a two-shot lead on 21 under but the Englishman surrendered his first bogey of the day at the 15th after his par putt from 21 feet narrowly evaded the hole.

And with Højgaard holing his close-range birdie putt at the 13th to return to 20 under, he grabbed a share of the lead once more, with two par fives still to come.

Højgaard regained full control after hitting a shot-of-the-week contender at the par-five 14th, sending his second shot from a waste area to inside ten feet before rolling in his eagle effort to jump to 22 under and open up a two-shot lead.

And with Smith unable to close the gap at the 17th and 18th, Højgaard only extended his lead with birdies at the final two holes.

After clinching victory, Højgaard said: "It's very sweet. It's been such a tough grind today. Got off to a good start and then I struggled quite a bit.

"I had to dig deep out there and the turning point was obviously on 13 where I saw Jordan Smith had made a run and was two up when I was on the green at 13, and I stepped up with a clutch finish so I'm really happy.

"I was thinking that I was throwing the tournament away when I made a double bogey and a bogey on 12. So I had to dig deep and my good friend Christian on the bag, he did a brilliant job of keeping me focused and getting me motivated for the finish. And it turned out pretty good

Smith, a winner at this course at the Ras Al Khaimah, 2016 Golf Challenge on the Challenge Tour, said: "I feel really, really good about this year.

"Happy with the changes that I've made, I'm really happy with the work that I've put in off the course and on the course, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."

Canadian Aaron Cockerill M/C 74 69. He is playing next week on the European Challenge Tour at the Bain's Whiskey Cape Town Open

europeantour.com