Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the… what’s that? Oh, nevermind. Kramer Hickok and Harris English just made two more pars. Let’s catch up with them in a bit. First, we need to talk about a new No. 1 in women’s golf.

Here, take it, sit down and write it

In a showdown that recalled the 2016 Open Championship duel between Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson, Nelly Korda and Lizette Salas duked it out at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this past weekend.

Well ahead of the rest of the field, Korda and Salas made it a two-horse race on Sunday at Atlanta Athletic Club. Despite continually being 30+ yards behind Korda off the tee, Salas kept up with the young phenom for most of the day. That changed on the par-5 12th hole, when Nelly made an eagle to Lizette’s bogey. The three-shot swing was decisive: six holes later, Korda captured her first career major championship by a three-shot margin. KMPG Women’s PGA Championship Results

Sunday was a long time in the making for Nelly Korda. While she’s just 22 years old, she has won seven times and racked up five top 10s in prior majors, so she didn’t exactly sneak up on the golf world. Her final-round 68 at Atlanta Athletic Club was a capital-“M” Moment—one that felt like it would be replayed to swelling violins in future documentaries.

Korda is the first American to win a women’s major since 2018. She also overtook Jin Young Ko as the No. 1 player in the Rolex Rankings, the first American to achieve that feat since Stacy Lewis reached the summit in 2014.

As for runner-up Lizette Salas, she played some amazing (if painstakingly slow) golf this weekend. She finished six shots ahead of third place and recorded her best-ever major championship result. With Korda, Salas put on a show on Saturday and Sunday. It was a treat to watch.

“I’m out there, Jerry, and I’m loving every minute of it”

We’re getting word that… yes, they’ve actually made two more pars.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you missed a very strange PGA Tour playoff last night. In extra holes at the Travelers Championship, Harris English and Kramer Hickok traded pars on seven straight holes, playing Nos. 17 and 18 only. On the eighth playoff hole, English mercifully holed a birdie putt just before sundown. It was insane and rather stupid. Results

No offense to either of those guys, but how in the world do we not have a plan to spice up long playoffs? Go to another hole, make them play with only a 7-iron, something!

Anyway, this is actually a pretty big win for Harris English. It moves him to No. 12 in the world, the highest ranking of his career, and he now has two wins on the season to go with five other top 10s. We’ll probably see English competing for the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits this fall. Sure, the playoff may have been one of the biggest pillow fights we can remember, but it made life under the umbrella worth it.

Quick Hooks

A week after withdrawing from the U.S. Open with sand stuck in his eye, Viktor Hovland got his first European Tour win. The rising star took a quick flight from San Diego to Munich, Germany, and claimed the BMW International Open on Sunday. Hovland became the first Norwegian to win on the European Tour and is up to No. 14 in the OWGR. In short, he’s so freaking good and isn’t even 24 years old. Results

Chad Ramey earned his first victory and ninth top 10 of the season with a win at the Live and Work in Main Open on the Korn Ferry Tour. Results

After opening the event with a 63 on Thursday, Steve Stricker cruised to victory at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. Stricker won by six shots over runner-up Jerry Kelly and finished 56 strokes ahead of last place. Results

The Latest from The Fried Egg

The Fried Egg Podcast: 2021 U.S. Open Recap with Shane Bacon

Shane Bacon, co-host of Golf Today and the Get a Grip podcast, joins Andy for a recap of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The two discuss Jon Rahm’s breakthrough major win, Bryson’s claim of not caring about his 44 on the final nine, and the bizarre series of events on the 13th hole on Sunday. They also chat about what they’re looking forward to at the upcoming Open Championship and Olympic Games. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: How to record a podcast during a neverending par-fest of a playoff

Andy and Brendan had enough of the pillow fight between Harris English and Kramer Hickock, so they just hit the record button hoping it would end before they ended the episode. They begin with thoughts on the Women’s PGA Championship, where Nelly Korda ended the American drought at the majors and became the new No. 1 ranked player in the world. They discuss her immense distance advantage over Lizette Salas, who hung in during a weekend that became a two-horse race. In between incredulous groans about more pars, they then move onto the other events from the weekend. The spread at the Senior Players is discussed as is Viktor Hovland’s win in Germany. The wildlife at the Live and Work In Maine Open is noted. The longest conflicts in human history are relayed as they continue watching the English-Hickock bout. On the Travelers, Bubba’s complete barf down the stretch is panned before they sign off with a potential resolution from Hartford. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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