Justin Rose wins at Pebble Beach to end four-year drought moving back into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking
News for the 7 Eligible Official World Golf Ranking Tournaments
Asian Tour – PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers
Abe’s honestly good at PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. Abraham Ancer became the first player to win the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers from start to finish today after closing with a two-under-par 68 to finish on 19 under and beat American Cameron Young by two shots.
The highly rated 31-year-old Mexican conducted a masterclass in front running, at the Asian Tour’s season-opening event, to add the title to the other significant victory of his career, the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Young also returned a 68 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, while Australian Lucas Herbert carded a 65 to finish third, two shots further back. Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana re-iterated his position as one of the Asian Tour’s most exciting young players when he fired a 66 to secure fourth, another stroke behind.
“That was my first ever wire-to-wire win,” said Ancer, whose steadiness at the helm was made possible by a solid, repeatable golf swing and sound putting stroke.
“I just didn’t think about where I was on the leaderboard. I just felt like I just want to do that again. I played really good the first round, and I just felt like I wanted to keep that going.
“I kept telling myself, just imagine if I was in like 20th place and just got to go out there and shoot a low one. It worked out. I stayed in the moment. Didn’t really think too much about the previous shots or what was coming after. So, I’m really happy with my frame of mind during these four rounds.”
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Points Won - 24.4249
World Number 37 - World Number 26
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PGA Tour – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Justin Rose took all the drama out of a long week with three quick birdies that sent him to a three-shot victory Monday in the wind-delayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, ending four years without winning, moving him back inside the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking making him eligible for the Masters.
Rose played it safe down the closing holes, finishing with four simple pars for a 6-under 66, three shots clear of Brendon Todd (65) and Brandon Wu (66).
"An incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor," Rose said.
He finished at 18-under 269 and won for the 11th time on the PGA TOUR, and his 23rd title worldwide over the last two decades. The 42-year-old from England had not won since Torrey Pines in 2019, when he was No. 1 in the world. He had fallen well out of the top 50. Rose has been eligible for every major dating to the 2010 Open Championship, and that streak was in jeopardy until winning.
Rose had a two-shot lead when play resumed on a crisp morning with bright sunshine and big surf along Pebble Beach. Todd made two birdies and was within one shot of the lead, but not for long. Rose holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole, a 20-footer for birdie on the 13th and then hit lob wedge to 8 feet on the par-5 14th that stretched his lead to three shots.
The back nine, so difficult in the final hours Sunday evening, was hardly a threat Monday morning. The wind was light and coming from the opposite direction if anything at the players' backs instead of into them. The weather played a big role all week, and no one benefited quite like Rose.
He was six shots out of the lead and going nowhere, facing the strongest wind of the week on the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula, when he hit 5-wood into the par-3 ninth to 3 feet. Before he could mark his ball, the wind blew it some 4 feet farther away.
That was enough for officials to halt play -- the ninth and 15th greens at Monterey Peninsula were the problems -- on all three courses in the rotation. Rose returned Sunday morning and made what then was a 7-foot birdie putt.
He played those final 10 holes in 6 under for a 65 to take the lead, and then a pivotal eagle-birdie stretch with the wind at his back at Pebble on Sunday afternoon in the final round gave him a cushion.
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Points Won - 34.71476
World Number 71 - World Number 35
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DP World Tour - Ras Al Khaimah Championship
Daniel Gavins secures dramatic Ras Al Khaimah Championship victory as he holed an enormous putt at the 18th to win his second DP World Tour title in memorable fashion. The 31-year-old held a two-shot lead as he headed to the 18th tee but found the water twice at the last to seriously dent his chances of winning the title.
But with nearest challenger Alexander Björk finishing his round with a bogey up ahead, Gavins had a double-bogey putt from around 30 feet at the 18th to set the new target at 17 under par.
And he duly holed it to limit the damage to two dropped shots, but there were still twists and turns to come as third-round leader Zander Lombard gave himself an eagle chance on the last to potentially force a play-off.
But South African Lombard narrowly missed his putt from 24 feet to hand Gavins a second title to add to the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management crown he won in 2021.
Gavins closed with a roller-coaster 69 that contained eight birdies - including five in a row from the second hole - as well as three bogeys and a closing double bogey, to win by one shot. This win moves Gavins back into the Top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
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Points Won - 17.53298
World Number 296 - World Number 177
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Korn Ferry Tour - The Panama Championship
Pierceson Coody wins The Panama Championship in a three-man playoff moving to his best position held in the Official World Golf Ranking. Another year, another emerging star winning on the Korn Ferry Tour. In this case, it is one of the same winners from a season ago, with Pierceson Coody joining illustrious company by rallying for a playoff victory at The Panama Championship, his second Korn Ferry Tour win in what was his 14th career start.
Coody, who entered Sunday’s final round of The Panama Championship at 1-over par and five strokes behind outright leader Christopher Petefish, teed off just under two hours before the final group and carded a 4-under 66. Following a multi-hour wait for the field, only Sam Saunders and Mac Meissner, with rounds of 3-under 67 and 2-under 68, respectively, matched Coody at 3-under par for the tournament.
“It honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Coody said of the wait. “You’re refreshing the leaderboard, you’re putting, you’re hitting balls, but once it was time to get in the playoff, all that kind of anxious feel went away and I was just happy to be playing golf again, happy to be in contention.”
The trio headed back to the 18th tee at Panama Golf Club, and Coody made quick work of the playoff. The Plano, Texas native “juiced” a driver and left himself a 126-yard approach shot. With the wind whipping, adrenaline pumping, and firm greens, Coody grabbed a lob wedge and played for a stock shot to the front of the green, 105 yards. Coody hit his target, the ball rolling within a foot of the hole and setting up a tap-in birdie.
“It feels fake,” Coody said. “I had surgery in the offseason and missed the (first) two cuts (of 2023), so to say I wasn’t very high on my game would be an understatement. I had a great second round, felt like I got myself back in the tournament, and from there things just kind of kept going my way. This final round was awesome. I did a lot of things really well and made some putts down the stretch that just gave me this chance.
“I hit one of the best shots of my career to whatever – six inches, a foot – to win and I just couldn’t be happier.”
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Points Won - 11.10725
World Number 369 - World Number 238
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PGA Tour of Australasia – TPS Murray River in honour of Jarrod Lyle
Sarah Jane Smith broke a long drought and added her name to the growing list of women to have beaten the men in Webex Players Series events with a brilliant close-out performance at Cobram Barooga in the TPS Murray River tournament. The Victorian-born, Florida-based 15-year professional played magnificent golf under pressure on the final day, shooting a six-under 65 to win by five shots.
It is her first win as a professional since 2008 in New York on the secondary American tour, back in a time when she played as Sarah Jane Kenyon, before her marriage to Duane Smith and the arrival of their three-year-old son, Theo, who watched her eclipse of the field over the weekend.
The Official World Golf Ranking points however are distributed to Andrew Martin and Shae Wools Cobbwho finished T2 who both shot 15 under (269) each receiving 1.13765 points.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://pga.org.au/news/smith-savours-winning-feeling-at-tps-murray-river/
Points Won - 1.13765
Andrew Martin: World Number 811 - World Number 726
Shae Wools Cobb: World Number 1630 - World Number 1252
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MENA Golf Tour – Egyptian Swing 1 at Madinaty Golf Club
The Cairo weather however, had other ideas for this week’s tournament & presented players with significant challenges over the 3-day events. High winds on during the first 2 rounds resulted in suspension of play for almost 3 hours. Players braved the adverse conditions all weeks to complete 2 rounds on the morning or day 3.
53 professionals & 4 amateurs went back out on the course to compete the 3rd & final round later Thursday afternoon. Thankfully the weather provided a window to complete before daylight faded.
English player Ben Jones topped the leaderboard after day 1 with an opening round of 66 (-5). He was being chased by his compatriot Curtis Knipes who carded a 3 under par round of 68.
Scoring on day 2 was extremely difficult due to the high winds, but Jack Floydd returned a very impressive score of 64 (-8) to jump to a share at the of the leaderboard with Jones. Sweden’s Jesper Alm delayed round 2 score saw him jump into contention with a score of 64.
Play during the final round was played throughout the afternoon offering players a better scoring opportunity. Knipes went out strongly carding 5 birdies in his opening 9 holes, pushing. Alm, Jones & Floydd ahead of him. He returned a great score of 65 to finish for a total of 4 under par for the tournament.
Jack Floydd posted a level par front 9 with 2 birdies & 2 bogeys & returned with 2 more birdies on the back 9 to finish with a final tournament score of 7 under par. It was Jones who triumphed in the end with a flurry of birdies on his back 9. He shot a final round of 68 (-4) to come out on top after the 3 days with a final score of 8 under par
The top 3 placed amateur players in the event were playing together in the final round & it was French player Jules Lauer who came out on top over Swede Andreas Weiderman and Egyptian player Mohamed Abou El Ela.
For the full Leaderboard follow the link below:
https://menatour.golf/tournament/details/2023/egyptian-swing-1-madinaty-golf-club
OWGR Points Won - 0.65574
World Number 793 - World Number 743
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Challenge Tour & Sunshine Tour – Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open
Follett-Smith enjoys a double in Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith became only the second player to win two Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open titles when he claimed a one-stroke victory at Royal Cape Golf Club on Sunday.
In windy conditions and with a group of players vying for the lead coming down the back nine, Follett-Smith closed with a 70 to win on 15 under par and add to his 2019 victory in this tournament. He joins JC Ritchie as the only two-time winners of this tournament.
“I’m so happy to be a two-time winner on the Sunshine Tour. I think the second time you win is when you really prove yourself. Cape Town is such a special place and I love coming back to this golf course. I feel very at home here,” said Follett-Smith, who also claimed his second Sunshine Tour title and his first on the European Challenge Tour, who co-sanction this tournament.
Follett-Smith went into Sunday’s final round tied for the lead with Darren Fichardt. At one stage he was locked in a battle with five players who were tied for the lead on 14 under par on the back nine. Follett-Smith broke free of that group with his birdie on the 14th for a one-stroke lead on 15 under par.
On the par-four 17th, he flew the green with his approach and was in danger of slipping back into a four-way tie for the lead. But the Zimbabwean produced a touch of magic with his incredible up-and-down for par to retain a lead he carried through to victory.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://sunshinetour.com/follett-smith-enjoys-a-double-in-bains-whisky-cape-town-open
Points Won - 5.67363
World Number 1733 - World Number 801
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