PGA Tour
Honda Classic
PGA National Champions Course – Palm Beach Gardens Florida
The big news for Michael Thompson is that he won the Honda Classic by two shots over Geoff Ogilvy. A win for Thompson, ranked 197th in FedEx Cup points goes a long, long way. It gives him exemptions into the Masters and the Tournament of Champions, as well as helping him leapfrog (pun intended) dozens of others in the FedEx Cup race. Ogilvy’s 2nd place finish is his best in quite a long time.
The big news of the tournament however, was not Ogilvy or Thompson. The press as usual was focused on Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Woods struggled the first three days to get anything going, firing three rounds of 70 (par at PGA National). The final round found Tiger making three bogeys and a double-bogey, finishing at +4, 12 shots from the lead.
Rory McIlory was the biggest news maker but not because of his great play. McIlory withdrew from the tournament on the 2nd day after eight holes. At that point he was +7. After the round McIlory said he was not in a good place mentally, but later said he had a toothache. The social networks and golf news outlets all lit up with opinions. Even Jack Nicklaus said it was a mistake for McIlroy to WD. The best headline during the week regarding the McIlory incident: “Tooth or consequences.”
LPGA Tour
HSBC Women’s Champions
Sentosa Golf Club, The Serapong Course – Singapore
Stacy Lewis is on fire. she has done it again, winning the 2013 HSBC Women’s Champions by one shot over NY Choi and P. Creamer. Her final round of -1 Sunday was the difference as Choi, who Lewis was tied with, managed an even par final round.
Stacy Lewis was the 2012 Rolex Player of the Year and she’s well on her way to defend that title in 2013.
“The last four or five holes, I was pretty nervous, I’m not going to lie. That golf course is hard and it can jump up and get you at any second, and to have to play with two great players on your tail all day, and they played unbelievable, and none of us really we just couldn’t get any putts to fall on the back nine. I don’t know what it was. Edges just seemed a little bit tighter. Paula had a couple on the edge. I don’t know, I just played hard and put my head down and tried to make as many putts as I could, and fortunately I came away with the win.”
European Tour
Copperleaf Golf & Country Club Estate, Centurion, South Africa
South Africa’s Dawie VAN DER WALT, took home the hardware at the Tshwane Open after a brilliant final round of -5 (-21 total) which gave him a two shot margin over fellow South Africans Darren Fichardt (-19) and Louis De Jager (-18).
Coming into the Tswane Open, Van Der Walt was ranked 436th in the world. That stock is about to go up.
