Portugal Masters Day 4 final scoreboard... Full leaderboard

 DP World Tour: Portugal Masters Leaderboard

While I'm watching Canadian Aaron Cockerill at the bottom of the @DPWTR the actual event is far removed..

Here is the @europentour.com summary

Jordan Smith produced a putting masterclass on the first day of the 2022 Portugal Masters as he carded an opening 62 to lead by one shot.

The highlight of Smith's bogey-free round came at the par-five fifth, where the Englishman holed his eagle putt from 30 feet.

He also made seven birdies in an impressive opening round on Thursday afternoon to finish the day on nine under par.

Smith has enjoyed a stellar 2022 campaign so far, recording two runner-up finishes, but has yet to win a title this year.

He will be hoping to change that this week as he bids to move into the top ten on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex from his current position of 14th.

Joost Luiten and Jeff Winther were Smith's nearest challengers on eight under after they both made eight birdies in their flawless 63s on a low-scoring day at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

Robin Roussel, Gavin Green and Joakim Lagergren were a shot further back in a tie for fourth.

With this week's event providing the last chance for players to earn points to keep their cards for 2023, home favourite Ricardo Gouveia was among those who gave themselves a platform for a much-needed good result.

He began the week 120th in the standings - three places shy of the magic mark of 117th - and opened with a 66.

Details of a solid start for Cockerill at Portugal Masters...full scoreboard

DP World Tour : Portugal Masters Leaderboard

First off the 1st tee this morning Aaron Cockerill got off to just the start he wanted as he sets out on the final regular season event of the DP World Tour 2022 season, the final 117 to have their cards for the 2023 season will be decided Sunday evening. 

 As I mentioned earlier his putting this year has improved to the point he leads the tour in putts in GIR, and today he made two 25 footers for birdie, one at the 1st, another at the 3rd to go -2 through 3 holes.

After pars at 4 and 5 he pulled his tee shot into the left rough on the par 206yd 3 6th and couldn't get up and down for his lone bogey on the front nine. He birdied the 9th when he stuck his approach from 145yds to 3 feet. Out in -2 33.

He made 5 straight pars after the turn before another birdie at the 315yd par 4 15th, then another 25 footer to save par at the par 3 16th had him at -3. The par 5 17th is 588yds and after a splendid 260 foot carry over water saw him on the green in two, he made his 5th birdie of the day he was -4 heading up the last, the 465yd par 4, water all the way down the left. He was 37 feet from the pin after his approach but managed to 3 putt after missing a 4 footer for par. 

He kept the ball in play most of the round, hit some solid approaches, and made 5 birdies with the 2 bogeys and at -3 finished the day T45 projected to finish #113. 

The clubhouse leader was veteran Dutchman Joost Luiten -8 63. 

Bryan Angus 

 

Aaron Cockerill "bubble boy" at Portugal Masters... Tee times

 DP World Tour : Portugal Masters Tee Times

In a recent interview with KNGDOM podcast Aaron Cockerill said understanding the bottom places in the DP World Tour ranking system confused even him at times.

After getting a late call at home in Winnipeg that he was a late edition to the Mallorca Golf Open he and his wife Chelsea hastily packed their bags and  flew over to Spain, then onto the island of Mallorca... except his clubs didn't quite make the trip. He told the podcast hosts he had no status to play the following week (now this week) in Portugal 

After what he calls an MVP week by Chelsea who tracked his clubs down and flew the 90 minutes to Madrid airport and brought his sticks back with her the same evening, Aaron who had only had a chance to walk the course got in a little practice Wednesday evening and went out and shot a solid 68 in his opening round.

His T58 dropped him from a ranking of 110 to 112 and as far as we knew he would be watching the Portugal Masters, not playing. Media sources here have been congratulating him on securing his 2023 playing status based on that result where the cut off number is 117. 

Yesterday I checked the field for Portugal and there was Aaron, first off at 8am, so he obviously got another late call for this week. Aaron doesn't post a lot on his twitter account.!

Here is today's report on europeantour.com where they highlight the bubble boys for this week. Aaron is one of them. So is he in or not ?

Aaron Cockerill - 112th

A Qualifying School graduate in 2019, the Canadian secured his maiden top ten in a Covid-affected rookie season and since then has managed to make plenty of appearances as he looks to truly establish himself on Tour. He finished second at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa and was in the top 25 on the Rankings after finishing third in the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain but has made just four cuts in ten appearances since then and will need a solid week to stop the slide.

Bryan Angus

Monday morning wrap: Ames, Cockerill, Rory's the Story...final scoreboards

DP  World Tour Rankings 

 I followed Aaron Cockerill a lot  this weekend and as mentioned yesterday he has after 20 events kept his status on the DP World Tour for 2023, mainly on the strength of a T2 in Kenya and a 3rd in Spain earlier in the season. His 112 place finish was enough. 

Timely to say the least with wife Chelsea expecting their 1st child. 

He was not in the field for Portugal this week, we thought you'd likely will see him at the Joburg Open on late November when the 2023 season begins again, however he has been a late addition for the Portugal Masters at 8am local on Thursday.

PGA Tour : CJ Cup final scoreboard here

Rory McIlroy is playing some of the best golf of his career and has moved back into the #1 spot after winning the CJ Cup in South Carolina. 66 67 67 67 -17 was good for a one shot win over Kurt Kitayama.

Corey Connors 70 68 68 71 -6 T23, Adam Hadwin 71 67 74 72 E T49.

Rory will head over to Dubai for the season ending Dubai World Tour Championship where he is seeded #1 followed by Kiwi Ryan Fox and English strar Matt Fitzpatrick. 

Remember earlier this year he won our RBC Canadian Open and eventually won the FEDEx Cup, so is looking for the double if he wins the Race to Dubai.

Rory is indeed the story right now. 

PGA Tour Champions : Charles Schwab Cup playoffs, Dominion Energy Charity Classic final scores  here.

Stephen Ames has enjoyed his best season on the Senior Circuit and this weekend in the first event of their playoffs he T11 -9 to advance with 53 others to next week's Timber Tech Championship  in Boca Raton. 

Then the last 36 will play the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Nov 10-13 in Phoenix. 

Senior sensation, Kiwi, Steve Alker won at -14. 

LPGA Tour : BMW Ladies Championship final scoreboard here.

I thought I'd mention Maude Aimee Leblanc who made the trip over to South Korea for the BMW Ladies Championship where she finished a closing 79 to finish  T77.

We take for granted that so many South Korean girls/women come over here to live and play, indeed dominate the LPGA Tour. Many have no English when they arrive, different food, customs etc, so It's important that the rest of the tour support events in their country. 

Bryan Angus 

German Yannick Paul tops a dramatic Sunday to win the Mallorca Golf Open... final scoreboard

 DP World Tour: Mallorca Golf Open final Results

Rookie Yannik Paul claimed his maiden DP World Tour title in dramatic fashion after holing his clutch birdie putt at the 18th to win the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open by a single shot.

On an afternoon of twists and turns, overnight co-leader Paul had been in the driving seat on the back nine before a two-shot swing at the 15th handed his playing partner Marcus Armitage a two-stroke lead with three holes to play.

But as Armitage dropped three shots over the next two holes including a double bogey 7 after driving out of bounds on the 17th,  Paul saved par at the at the same hole to find himself tied for the lead as he made his way to the 18th.

And the German coolly slotted in his difficult 15-foot birdie try from the fringe at the last to deny Paul Waring and Nicolai von Dellingshausen a play-off.

Paul made three birdies and four bogeys on a tricky afternoon for scoring at Son Muntaner Golf Club, finishing the tournament on 15 under par to enter the winner's circle for the first time in his 26th DP World Tour appearance.

Fellow German Von Dellingshausen and Englishman Waring finished in a tie for second one shot back, with Von Dellingshausen jumping up 44 places to 77th on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

Ryan Fox is up to second on the Rankings, overtaking Matt Fitzpatrick, after the New Zealander finished in a share of fourth on 13 under alongside Dale Whitnell.

Armitage was in a three-way tie for sixth another shot further back, along with last year's champion Jeff Winther and Jazz Janewattananond.

Paul said: "I'm speechless, honestly, I'm just so happy. "My girlfriend and I, we worked a lot on my mental side and we were dreaming that she would be here for my first win, and she's here now, it's unbelievable.

"It was really hard today. My ball-striking was unbelievable all week. I hit it really close at the first couple of holes and couldn't make any putts.

"So that was really hard to just stay in the moment. But luckily none of the other guys really made a lot of putts.

"I saw after nine holes that I was in the lead and then Marcus obviously hit a great shot on 15 and holed a great putt so I was two shots away and I thought 'OK, now it's going to get close'.

"I couldn't have dreamt of a better ending so I'm over the moon."

As I posted earlier today Canada's Aaron Cockerill who finished T58 -2 is projected to finish the year #112 to secure his DP World Tour card, with the top 117 getting their DP World Tour status for 2023.

He told the KNGDOM Podcast earlier last week that he has no status for the regular season ending Portugal Masters next week. 

Bryan Angus

Cockerill will secure status on the 2023 DP World Tour... full scoreboard Mallorca Golf Open

  DP World Tour: Mallorca Golf Open leaderboard here 

The DP World Tour season is winding down, 45 tournaments, 24 countries and one winner will be crowned at the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course in Dubai November 17-20.

Rory McIlroy who is having a monster season, having already won a whopping $18,000,000 bonus for winning the Fed Ex Cup on the PGA Tour and who leads this week's CJ Cup event heading into today's play is leading the Race to Dubai, over Matt Fitzpatrick and Ryan Fox.

Meanwhile todays final round in the Mallorca Golf Open has just wrapped up with Yannick Paul  from Germany emerging from a logjam for the lead with a 15 foot birdie at the 72nd -15 total for a 1 shot win. The Portugal Masters next week is the final regular season event up next.

The dog fight at bottom of the DP World Tour ratings will go on until the final putt is holed for the 117 who make it into the Projected Rankings

Today Aaron Cockerill completed his season, with a huge thanks to his pregnant wife Chelsea who rescued his clubs late on Wednesday evening from the airport in Madrid.

With rounds of 68 70 70 74 he ended up -2 T58 and projected to end the year #112 having started the week at #110. He and Chelsea planned to stay on for a little holiday in the sun.

Jeremy Kehler is the Secretary of the @CJ_AC the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, his twitter account @meximenno just posted 

Now that @A_Cockerill's round is complete massive congrats on officially securing playing privilege's on the @DPWORLDTour for another year. Very good season to build on going forward.

With players like Richard Bland ranked (23) Patrick Reed (87)  Bernd Wiesberger (107), Lee Westwood (105) and Henrik Stenson (113) having all defected to the LIV series and all awaiting a judges decision in February 2023 regarding their status on the DP World Tour, the water is as clear as mud but their removal would seem to make a huge difference at the bottom of the rankings.  

Bryan Angus

 

England's Dale Whitnell leads after 63 on Mallorca... full Friday scoreboard

 DP World Tour : Mallorca Golf Open Leaderboard

Dale Whitnell's sparkling 63 earned him a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open and a share of the course record at Son Muntaner Golf Club.

The Englishman produced a brilliant burst of scoring on the back nine on Friday, adding an eagle and three birdies to the three shots he had picked up on the front side.

He equalled the course record set by countryman Marcus Armitage in the first round and heads into the weekend on 11 under par.

In-form Ryan Fox was in second place on ten under after making a marvellous hole-out eagle and five birdies in his bogey-free 64.

Rasmus Højgaard, Maximilian Kieffer and Hugo Leon were two shots further back in a tie for third.

Whitnell opened his birdie account for the day at the second, rolling in from 16 feet to get to four under

Whitnell's putting masterclass continued as he made further birdies at the 16th and 17th to reach the top of the leaderboard.

He said: "I played solid today, pretty stress-free, I think I effectively missed one green, and I also missed only one green yesterday too. I didn’t make as many putts yesterday as I did today, so it was nice.

“It’s a bit softer today, the wind wasn’t as strong this morning as it was yesterday afternoon so you could be a bit more aggressive, and I think I just got a few more putts to the hole and a few dropped.

“I was in a position where I could lose my card a month ago, then I had a 12th in Italy, a 25th in France and a tenth in the Dunhill which secured my place for next year and now I’ve got bigger goals and aspirations for the last two events so hopefully this is just the start.”

Fox began his second round with back-to-back birdies at the tenth and 11th before picking up another shot at the 17th to turn in 33.

After starting his back nine with two successive birdies, Fox holed his approach into the par-four third from 108 yards for a stunning eagle before closing out with six straight pars.

Canada's Aaron Cockerill finished the day T26 at -4 seven shots off the lead. Currently he is 107th DPWTR and a solid weekend would secure his card for 2023.

He is in the 17th pairing at 11.57am local time on Saturday.

Bryan Angus (edit)

(europeantour.com )