A first win since the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge also moves Fleetwood to the top of the International Swing Rankings, to fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and takes him to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
News for the 4 Eligible Official World Golf Ranking Tournaments
DP World Tour - Dubai Invitational
Tommy Fleetwood produced a stunning birdie-birdie finish to hold off the challenge of Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence and win the Dubai Invitational. The Englishman entered the final day at Dubai Creek Resort with a one-shot lead and with McIlroy his nearest challenger, a mouthwatering head-to-head was in store.
While those around him produced fireworks, Fleetwood was a picture of consistency, but he dropped out of the lead for the first time with a bogey on the 16th.
He was still one back on the 18th tee after he and McIlroy both birdied the penultimate hole but as the Northern Irishman found the water and made a bogey, Fleetwood holed from 16 feet for a 67, a 19 under total and a seventh DP World Tour title.
South African Lawrence finished alongside McIlroy at 18 under, two clear of England's Jordan Smith and three ahead of 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari.
The victory is Fleetwood's third in the United Arab Emirates after claiming two wins in Abu Dhabi and follows a second-place finish at the 2023 season-ending DP World Tour Championship. A first win since the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge also moves Fleetwood to the top of the International Swing Rankings, to fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and takes him to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
"I'm very happy," said Dubai resident Fleetwood. "It was amazing winning. Like almost everybody else in the world of golf, I don't win anywhere near as much as I would like to but just that winning feeling great.
"This is obviously where I live and have a lot of support. It's great to kick off the year with a great result and push on from here.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 20.1274
World Number 15 - 11
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PGA Tour - Sony Open in Hawaii
Grayson Murray stuffed a wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the 18th hole for a 3-under 67 to join a three-way playoff and then won the Sony Open in Hawaii with a 39-foot birdie putt to set himself up for a potentially lucrative year.
Murray felt like a renewed person even before starting the season in Hawaii. He says he has been sober for eight months and was in a better frame of mind. But the win was his first in more than six years coming at an ideal time.
The victory not only gets him in the Masters for the first time, Murray now has a spot in the remaining Signature Events for the rest of the season.
An was short of the par-5 18th green in the playoff in thick rough and pitched to 4 feet, giving him the best chance at winning. But after Murray made his 39-footer, and Bradley missed his 18-foot birdie putt, An missed the short putt.
An had birdied the 18th in regulation for a 64. Bradley broke out of a five-way tie with a 20-foot birdie putt on 15th hole. But he had pars the rest of the way for a 67, missing the fairway on the 18th in regulation and hitting a sand wedge some 20 feet short of the pin that took away a good birdie chance. In the playoff, he was in the best position off the tee. His 5-wood sailed into the hospitality area left of the green, and his pitch came up well short.
They finished at 17-under 263. Murray earned just under $1.5 million. There are seven Signature Events left this season and THE PLAYERS, and Murray earned a spot in all of them.
“I knew today was not going to change my life,” he said. “But it did change my career.”
“It’s not easy, you know?” he said. “I wanted to give up a lot of times — give up on myself, give up on the game of golf, give up on life at times. When you get tired of fighting, let someone fight for you.”
For the full story follow the link below:
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2024/01/14/grayson-murray-wins-sony-open-in-hawaii-waialae-country-club-keegan-bradley-playoff Points Won - 48.962
Multi Win Bonus Points - 4
Total Points - 52.962
World Number 132 - 46
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PGA Tour of Australasia - Heritage Classic
It was all about Matt Griffin this week, as the Victorian opened with an incredible 11-under 61, and never looked back on his way to hoisting the trophy at this year’s Heritage Classic. Starting his final round five shots clear of nearest challenger Jak Carter, Griffin had shots to work with, but made sure of the win with a clinical final round 3-under 69, to finish at an unbelievable 24-under par.
Griffin’s day started with a bogey on the first, and as Carter birdied the second, and eagled the fourth, it looked like the trophy could be in the balance. As Carter’s tee-shot found the water on nine though, and subsequent birdie chances slid by, his chances of catching Griffin were all but gone.
Seven shots back at the beginning of Sunday’s conclusion, Queensland amateur Quinn Croker made a late charge, making three birdies on his back nine, his efforts good enough to grab a share of second with Carter at 18-under.
There was simply no catching Griffin though, with birdies at 11, 12 and 14, the Victorian stretched his lead as the number of holes left in the day became smaller. As he walked down the final fairway with kangaroos bounding along ahead of him, Griffin had a six-shot lead, and could comfortably soak up the atmosphere as the sun set on a magical week in the Yarra Valley.
“It was nice to play really well through that middle stretch of the round, and those birdies on the early part of the back nine kind of took it away from everyone else,” said Griffin.
The win this week marks Griffin’s first since his triumph at the 2016 New Zealand Open, where a then younger player surely didn’t think his next trophy would be eight years away.
“I’d had a number of wins in a short period of time, so I think that was win number probably five in about six years,” he said of his 2016 win.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://pga.org.au/news/griffin-goes-wire-to-wire-at-the-heritage-classic/
Points Won - 1.8903
World Number 1199 - 924
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Big Easy Tour - Altron Big Easy Tour 8
Toto Thimba Jnr returned to the Sunshine Tour winner’s circle in emphatic fashion when he claimed a wire-to-wire victory in the Altron Big Easy Tour’s eighth tournament held at Dainfern Golf Estate on Thursday.
The Silver Lakes Country Club player last tasted victory on any Sunshine Tour-sanctioned event five years ago in the KCB Karen Masters in Kenya. Since then, Thimba Jnr has shown glimpses of the brilliant golfer many touted him to be. This week and in testing weather conditions, Thimba’s star shone once more.
Bringing a three-stroke lead into the final round after rounds of 61 and 66, Thimba Jnr knew that he had a chance for a win here and his final-round six-under-par 66 was enough to hand him a two-shot win over Ruan de Smidt.
“We are going to have a big lunch today,” mused Thimba Jr. “I have missed the feeling of winning a golf tournament. I played well this week; it was a phenomenal week for me. It was not easy today, though, because of the rain. I mean, the first nine holes were difficult but I kept calm and I was very cool under pressure.
“I only made one mistake today and that was on the eighth where I made a six. I think I hit my 6-iron into the water but I kept my cool and still played solidly after that. I had missed winning because the last time I won a tournament was about five years ago. So, to win again is special because it tells me that I still have what it takes. And, as I said, I didn’t go anywhere during the Christmas break and I kept working on my game. Now it is paying off.”
For the full story follow the link below:
https://bigeasytour.co.za/thimba-jr-claims-emphatic-victory-at-dainfern/
Points Won - 0.3307
World Number 1788 - 1612
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