6/24/19

Chezy, Chezy, Chezy just jumped over Jumpman

Hannah Green surprises at the Women's PGA, and Chez Reavie ends a decade-long winning drought

by

An Aussie, a Reavie, and an Italian walk into a bar. They all win. Highlighted by the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the first weekend of summer delivered a wire-to-wire triumph, a five-way playoff, and the end of a decade-long drought.

Ms. Green in the trophy room

Hannah Green captured the third major championship of the LPGA season at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sunday. The 22-year-old Australian led every round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, eventually winning by one shot over Sung Hyun Park. Green shot a final-round 72 to seal the victory. Leaderboard

This was not only Hannah Green’s first major victory but also her first LPGA Tour win. She had three Symetra Tour victories in 2017 but had yet to break through on the big stage. Green faced mounting pressure throughout Sunday’s round, as she saw her four-shot lead reduced to one. She came through with a birdie on 16 and a calm up-and-down on the 72nd hole to seal the deal.

Notes

  • Sung Hyun Park was this close to pulling a Brooks Koepka and winning the Women’s PGA Championship two years in a row. Her impressive 72nd-hole birdie forced Green to make par on 18.
  • Mel Reid shot a final-round 66 to tie for third with Nelly Korda. Both Reid and Korda notched their second career top-10 major finishes.
  • The last 11 LPGA majors have been won by 11 different players.

Chez whiz

Sunday was more stressful than Chez Reavie had hoped, but the 37-year-old finally captured his second PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship. Starting the day six shots ahead of the pack, Reavie got chased down by Keegan Bradley and held just a one-shot advantage as the pair walked up 17. Reavie birdied the hole while Keegan made a double-bogey 6, sealing what would end up being a four-shot victory. Leaderboard

Nearly 11 years ago, Chez Reavie defeated a leaderboard of Billy Mayfair, Anthony Kim, and Steve Marino to win the 2008 RBC Canadian Open. He has since lost in two PGA Tour playoffs and notched more than 20 top 10s. He now has a victory and three more top 10s in 2019. It may have been a long drought for Chez, but he is now ranked 26th in the OWGR, the highest mark of his career.

Notes

  • The proverbial football was pulled away from Keegan Bradley just as he was about to kick it through the goalposts on Sunday. He made seven birdies over his first 15 holes to get within a shot of the lead, but his 71st-hole double ended any chance of victory.
  • Tying for second with Keegs was Zack Sucher, a relative unknown on the PGA Tour. Sucher had just one career top 25 heading into the week and had never finished inside the top 200 in FedEx Cup points. After 45 holes at River Highlands, he led by five. He stumbled on the back nine on Saturday, but over the final nine on Sunday, Sucher made five birdies and chipped in for par on his 72nd hole to tie for runner-up honors. Afterwards, he spoke movingly about how this result will change his life. Full Story by Nick Menta

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Quick hooks

The Wichita Open will finish up on Monday. Bryan Bigley and Henrik Norlander are in the midst of a playoff after tying for the lead in regulation. Kevin Dougherty, Erik Compton, and Sebastian Cappelen were eliminated on the first playoff hole. Leaderboard

Italian Andrea Pavan outlasted Matthew Fitzpatrick in a playoff to win the BMW International Open on the European Tour. Leaderboard

Alex Chiarella won on the Mackenzie Tour this weekend. The psychopath used one golf ball for all 72 holes. Leaderboard

On the links

A roundup of some of the golf journalism that caught our eye in the past week…

Could two new spectacular holes sell skeptics on the Tiger Woods golf course plan?
Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune

Golf will look very different when the U.S. Open returns to Pebble Beach
Geoff Shackelford, Golfweek

‘I would call us disruptors’: Matthew Wolff brings his unique game to TOUR as he makes pro debut at Travelers Championship
Sean Martin, PGATour.com

For Whan, LPGA’s TV contract is frustrating, but he’s looking beyond 2022
Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek

From the brink of homelessness to a high school state golf champ
Joel Beall, Golfworld

The Latest Articles and Podcasts

June jottings: How Gary Woodland wins
In his June blog, Andy dives into Gary Woodland’s distinctive stats and style of winning before touching on the aura of Brooks Koepka, the fairway widths at Pebble Beach, and the challenges of being a former college stud and freshly minted pro on tour. He closes with reflections on Seth Raynor along with some must-see photos. Full Story

Yolk with Doak, Episode 15: A new course at Tara Iti, a Memorial Park update, and Renaissance Club
In the return of the Yolk with Doak, Tom Doak joins to discuss his recent news. Tom and Andy talk about his new planned public course at Tara Iti in New Zealand, the Renaissance Club, and the progress of Houston’s Memorial Park and how it has been working with Brooks Koepka. Listen to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify.

Shotgun Start: A celebration of Chez, Hannah Green’s breakthrough, and JDay’s new bootcamp
After 11 long years, Chez rule returns to the PGA Tour. We celebrate Reavie’s win at the Travelers, marveling at his consistency, and speculating on where he could go from here. Should he be on the Presidents Cup team to mix it up in Melbourne? Also from Travelers, we discuss Brooksy’s ambivalence, Keegan’s ugly finish, and Jason Day now taking orders from Stevie Williams. On the LPGA, we get to Hannah Green’s first win and first major and what it means for Aussie golf. The Euro Tour’s event in Munich gets a quick review, and we update the curious Race to Dubai standings. The senior event in Madison and the turnout (with highly questionable attendance figures) for the celebrity sideshow prompts a discussion for more varied and smaller markets on the PGA Tour. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify