by As the people in what is now the Czech Republic were building their capital city, they really should have documented everything in a manuscript titled Making Prague. It would have gone nuts on social media.
Is this your queen?!
She wore all white on Sunday, but Jin Young Ko had dark intentions at Tiburón Golf Club this weekend. Tied for the lead with Nelly Korda, Nasa Hataoka, and Celine Boutier going into the final round, Ko fired a 63 to defend her title at the CME Group Tour Championship. The win was Ko’s fifth in her past nine LPGA Tour starts, and it put her past Nelly Korda in the LPGA Tour Player of the Year race.
A season-ending battle between Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda has seemed inevitable for a while. But with the stage set for a shootout on Sunday, Ko opted for complete domination. She hit her final 63 (SIXTY-THREE) greens in regulation and made 16 birdies over her last two rounds.
It’s a measure of Ko’s brilliance that Nelly Korda didn’t win Player of the Year in a season when the American won a major championship, three other LPGA Tour titles, and an Olympic gold medal (which, by the way, was not factored into the POY calculations). Let’s hope for another exciting bout between these superstars in 2022.
For the good of the game
The LPGA Tour is in a good spot heading into next year, but there’s always more we can do to improve the game. Thankfully, the USGA has some ideas!
Supported by members around the country, the United States Golf Association does a lot more than run world-class championships. The USGA also helps fund junior golf programs, agriculture studies, sustainability initiatives, and efforts to make golf more accessible.
If Fried Egg readers become USGA members now, they will receive numerous benefits, including a subscription to Golf Journal and a 20% discount on all items in the USGA store. Memberships also make great gifts for the holidays.
Foreign soil
Three shots back at the beginning of Sunday at the DP World Tour Championship, Collin Morikawa birdied five of his last seven holes to record a 66 and become the first American to win the Race to Dubai.
Yes, this whole thing is sort of a farce (Morikawa was eligible for the season-long championship despite playing just three events sanctioned solely by the European Tour this year), but it’s also a big notch in Morikawa’s belt. Now 60 starts into his pro career, he has six wins, two majors, 24 top 10s, a 3-0-1 Ryder Cup record, and a Race to Dubai title (via Kyle Porter). Oh, and he’s still 24 years old. If he wins the Hero World Challenge in December, he’ll briefly overtake Jon Rahm at No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. Morikawa’s putter may be suspect at times, but his résumé is not.
Results
Talor Gooch, who has had five top 15s and three top fives in five starts this season, shot 66 on Sunday at the RSM Classic to claim his first PGA Tour title.
Quick Hooks
Rory McIlroy made three bogeys in his final four holes to drop to T-6 in Dubai. He apparently went Hulkamania on his polo afterwards. Understandable.
In case you didn’t quite understand our Czech Republic joke earlier, Tiger Woods posted a video of himself making a full swing yesterday and said he is “making progress” in his recovery from his February car accident.
The Latest from The Fried Egg
The Shotgun Start – Monday’s episode of the Shotgun Start will be a late-morning release. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
