This Week in Golf — October 9-12
Jimmy Walker, the defending champion, and two of his Ryder Cup teammates headline the field. Walker will be joined in the field by Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan, while Lee Westwood, a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team, will also play.
Of the 50 players that earned their PGA Tour cards through either the Web.com regular season money list or the Web.com Tour finals series, 38 are in the field this week. That group includes Carlos Ortiz, a three-time Web.com Tour winner in 2014, and Adam Hadwin, who was the overall money leader.
Last fall, Walker was just 3-under par after two rounds, but he went 14-under par over the final two rounds to rally for his first PGA Tour title. He carried that momentum into 2014 and posted two more wins and earned a spot on his first Ryder Cup team.
Brooks Koepka played on a sponsors invitation last year and nearly walked away with the title. He led by two strokes entering the final round, but stumbled to a 1-over 72, which dropped him into a tie for third place at 14-under 270. Koepka led by four shots with 11 holes to play, but he played those 11 holes in plus-3.
The Golf Channel will have live coverage of all four days of this event.
The PGA Tour heads to Nevada next week for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where Webb Simpson cruised to a 6-stroke win last year. Also next week is the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. That event features Masters winner Adam Scott, U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, Open Championship and PGA Championship victor Rory McIlroy as well as Jim Furyk, who was runner-up in this year’s Major Champions Points List and won this event in 2008.
EUROPEAN TOUR
PORTUGAL MASTERS, Oceanico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal – The final full field event of the season in Europe kicks off this week with the Portugal Masters.
David Lynn stumbled to a 2-over 73 in the third round last year, but bettered that score by 10 strokes in the final round as he rallied to win by one stroke over Justin Walters.
The victory for Lynn was the second of his career. Lynn played a little on the PGA Tour at the start of the 2014 season, but returned to Europe in May and has played 12 tour events. His best finish was a share of 21st at the European Masters.
In his title defense this week, Lynn will have his hands full as 73 former European Tour winners are competing, including 17 victors from this season.
Among that group will be Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal, Paul Lawrie and Darren Clarke. Winning European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley will also be competing.
Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds.
The European Tour heads to England next week for the Volvo World Match Play Championship, where Graeme McDowell won the title in May 2013, when the event was played in Bulgaria.
LPGA TOUR
SIME DARBY LPGA MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The LPGA Tour continues its Asian swing this week with the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
Last year, Lexi Thompson shot 5-under 66 in the third round to grab a 3-shot lead heading to the final round. She closed with a 2-under 69 and cruised to a 4-stroke win over Shanshan Feng.
The win for Thompson was her second on the LPGA Tour. She won again later last season, then picked up her first major championship title earlier this year at the Kraft Nabisco.
The world No. 8 will defend her title against a field that includes seven other players ranked in the top 10 in the world. Only the injured Michelle Wie and Inbee Park, who is getting married the day after this event ends, are not in the field.
Golf Channel will have overnight coverage of all four rounds this week.
The LPGA Tour moves to South Korea next week for the LPGA KEB – HanaBank Championship, where Amy Yang beat Hee Kyung Seo in a playoff last year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
SAS CHAMPIONSHIP, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, North Carolina – The Champions Tour returns to action with the first of two events in North Carolina.
Russ Cochran won the SAS Championship last year by one stroke over David Frost. The win was Cochran’s fifth on the Champions Tour, and his second at this event.
Cochran closed with 67 to fend off Frost, who shot 66 in the final round. Frost had birdied the 16th to take the lead, but Cochran birdied the final two holes to claim the title.
The field this week includes six former Ryder Cup captains – Tom Kite, Hal Sutton, Tom Lehman, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie.
Golf Channel has coverage of all three rounds this week.
The Champions Tour heads to Rock Barn next week for the Greater Hickory Kia Classic, where Michael Allen beat Olin Browne in a playoff last year.
Categorized in: PGA