Jin Young Ko wins CP Women’s Open by 5 shots

Bryson DeChambeau has always loved technology. During a pandemic that has kept the world’s best golfers and the weekend hackers away from courses and ranges, players had to get creative. Enter the technology boom.

Click here to read the full article…

Robert Streb was in control at The RSM Classic. Then he wasn't. Then he was again. The Strebber became the first player to be a dual winner of the tournament with a playoff win - over another former champion - and a former World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play champion no less in Kevin Kisner. Here are five stories you may have missed from The RSM Classic. 1. Perseverance pays off When Robert Streb won his first PGA TOUR event at the 2014-15 RSM Classic he figured it was the start of a very successful career. He'd proven he could win and now he'd forge ahead. Indeed he had a huge season back then. But that season turned out to be an anomaly in the end. He had more top-10s in the 2014-15 season (nine) than he did in the next five seasons combined (eight). He finished outside the top 125 in the FedExCup from 2018 to 2020. Despite the lack of form, his week at Sea Island was pretty darn impressive. He opened with a career low 65-63 to lead and by the 54-hole mark had a three shot buffer at the top. An incredible bogey-free run of 55 holes was only broken on Sunday at the par-4 13th, which of course was the opening Kevin Kisner was waiting for. After all the effort, a three-putt on the par-5 15th saw him a shot behind the man who won at RSM when Streb defended his title. As everyone turned to thinking Kisner was marching to victory Streb stepped up in an unexpected way. He missed a birdie try at the 16th but then on the 192-yard par-3 17th hit a brilliant shot and converted one of just nine birdies at the hole all day to square things up. Despite a missed chance to win it all on the 72nd hole and then surviving the first hole of sudden death with a scrambling par, Streb went within a whisker of holing out an eagle from the fairway. The tap in birdie would be enough to win. "It’s really nice to say I’ve got more than one (win)," he said. "Winning more than once ... validates what ability you have. It was just kind of unexpected and super nice to get (this win)." Streb rocketed to eighth in the FedExCup with the triumph. Read more about it here. 2. Emotional effort from Villegas For a little while there was that feeling in the air. The feeling that the fairytale win was indeed going to come true. But while Camilo Villegas might not have won the trophy at Sea Island he continues to win over the hearts and minds of fans around the world. Not far removed from losing his daughter to a battle with cancer Villegas continues to honor her legacy the best way he knows how... by bringing awareness to the disease that claimed little Mia and other angels like her. Four birdies on the front nine Sunday gave him a real chance to win but in the end Villegas would settle for a T6 finish. In the grand scheme of things the result was not important. His message though, is ultra-important. Grab some tissues and have a read. 3. Kisner gets groove back. When Kevin Kisner missed the cut at the Masters on Saturday morning - he had to finish up his second round after earlier rain delays - he made a call to nearby Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken where he's spent countless hours honing his game from a young age. He heard there was a skins game on and he wanted in. Word was he wanted to feel what it was like to make birdies again. The gem of a course is a little short for the modern day TOUR star but with a fun routing and incredible green complexes it is a true test for most. The return to his roots clearly worked as Kisner went within inches of getting his second RSM Classic title. A 63 on Sunday was enough to force extra holes and his birdie try on the first extra hole was very close to falling. Kisner now has four top-4 finishes in his last 13 starts on TOUR. A fourth TOUR win can't be too far away. 4. Niemann plays for greater cause. A week ago Joaquin Niemann was bummed a COVID-19 positive test cost him a spot at the Masters. He could care less about that right now. The young star from Chile returned at The RSM Classic with more important things on his mind - namely the terrible plight facing his one-month old cousin. Rafita Calderon, whose father, Felipe, is the cousin of Niemann's mother, was born on Oct. 21 in Talcahuano, Chile and was recently diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which essentially is a breakdown of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The infant needs a costly infusion to survive so Niemann pledged the entirety of this week's winnings — as well as an additional $5,000 for every birdie and $10,000 for every eagle — towards to cause. Some T44's are worth more than others. Niemann earned $136,450 toward the cause, but the reality is the family will need more than $2 million in total. The International Presidents Cup star will continue to help the fight in every way he can. Read more here. 5. Conners feels the Love The RSM Classic leaderboard wasn't the only one worth watching on Sunday at Sea Island. The widely popular annual Birdies Fore Love campaign was also coming to a close and it was Canadian Corey Conners who came up trumps. The charitable endeavor tracks birdies made across the fall portion of a PGA TOUR season with the player who provides the most given $300,000 to give to a charity of their choice. Conners made a late blitz, finishing tied for 10th at Sea Island, but outlasting Sepp Straka and Sungjae Im on the Birdies Fore Love tally. Conners and his wife, Malory, recently started a foundation to help provide children with educational and athletic opportunities they couldn't otherwise afford. "It’s pretty amazing. I saw my name on the (RSM Birdies Fore Love) leaderboard at the start of the week and I was trying to make as many birdies as I could and trying to get myself up to the top. Pretty humbled to have gotten it done," Conners said. "The generosity of RSM for sponsoring this event and sponsoring a donation, is pretty remarkable. This has been a really tough year for a lot of people and for them to step up like this, I’m going to be able to impact a lot of lives with the $300,000, so it's pretty amazing." Read more here.

Click here to read the full article…

SYDNEY, Australia – When South African legend Ernie Els accepted the job as International captain for the Presidents Cup, he assumed he’d be leading a handful of his countrymen into battle. Traditionally, Australian and South African players have dominated the International team and Els would have expected at least three, perhaps even four, of his brethren to be there with him in the trenches. But all the pre-orders of biltong and boerewors will now have to be consumed by Louis Oosthuizen, the lone South African in the 12-man squad. Well… Els and his assistant Trevor Immelman can help, of course. But, perhaps there is a good omen brewing. Related: Internationals hoping to turn loss into gain | U.S. Team first-timers an unusually accomplished group The last time an International team had just one South African was in 1998 at Royal Melbourne – the same course the two teams will do battle on next week. That player was Els and he was part of the lone International team to ever win the Presidents Cup. “That is a good omen,â€� Els said with a smile. “Obviously Louis is in form and hopefully he can keep that up. “It is certainly a surprise we have just one, but the strength of South African golf is still something to be proud of. Quite a few guys came close… but I’ve picked guys who have played well for a long time.â€� Indeed, a year ago, there were several South Africans in the mix. First, former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, a member of the last four International teams, came down with a long term wrist injury. Then Branden Grace – an 11-time European Tour winner and champion at the 2016 RBC Heritage on the PGA TOUR – lost any semblance of form. Grace went 5-0 in the 2015 Presidents Cup in Korea with Oosthuizen as his partner. But after a runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, he had just one top-10 in 23 worldwide starts prior to the captain’s picks. “It was unfortunate that Gracie couldn’t make it,â€� Oosthuizen said. “I know he was trying really hard at the end there and pushing and pushing, but the other guys just played so well. I think Ernie wanted to pick Gracie, but he couldn’t because the other guys were just playing too good and Branden understands that.â€� Other South Africans on the periphery of selection at times also failed to force Els’ hand into a pick after showing flashes of brillianc,e but not maintaining it. Justin Harding won the Qatar Masters in March and followed it up with a runner-up at the Kenya Open. After he was T10 at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, he reached 42nd in the world rankings. But from there, his results petered out, and he sits 66th now. Erik Van Rooyen thrust himself into the mix with a win at the Scandinavian Invitation in August and was on a short list to come into the team once Jason Day withdrew given four top-15 results since before Els ultimately went with Byeong Hun An. Dylan Fritelli won the John Deere Classic in July but failed to really back it up with much consistency, and Shaun Norris rich vein of form came late, and was on the Japan Tour, which didn’t carry as much weight in Els’ decision process. And so the weight of a nation falls to Oosthuizen, the only team member with an individual winning record at 7-5-3 over the last three Presidents Cups. While he will fly the flag with pride, Oosthuizen also has a close watch on the next breed coming from his homeland, thanks to his Louis57 Foundation that has been fostering junior talent for the last 10 years. Three of his players will be on the International Team this weekend in the Junior Presidents Cup to be also held at Royal Melbourne. “It will be strange being the only South African in the team but I’ve been with Leish and Scotty in all the other teams that I’ve played in, so they feel just as close as what the South Africans would feel to me,â€� Oosthuizen says. “And we have Christo Lamprecht, Jordan Duminy and Martin Vorster from my academy playing next week. Vorster is going to be the next big thing out of South Africa… Duminy as well… they’ve been in my academy from get go and are great ball-strikers. Martin has won in South Africa and overseas and is on a great path. “So there is plenty of potential coming for future Presidents Cups.â€� For this Presidents Cup, Oosthuizen says he won’t be a lone wolf. “Everyone always says that we don’t have team spirit or don’t have enough. I can promise you, when Thursday comes, we’re like 12 brothers in that team. We’ve bonded, we’re ready to go, we want to win,â€� he said of the International team. “We need to get our name on the trophy again and show the Americans we’re here to play. We’re here to win the trophy, to win the Cup and not just show up to just have a good week.â€� SOUTH AFRICA’S HISTORY AT PRESIDENTS CUP 1994: Fulton Allem, David Frost 1996: Ernie Els, David Frost 1998: Ernie Els 2000: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen 2003: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark. (Captain Gary Player) 2005: Tim Clark, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman. (Captain Gary Player) 2007: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbatini. (Captain Gary Player) 2009: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark. (Captain Gary Player). 2011: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Charl Schwartzel. (Tim Clark Captain’s Assistant) 2013: Ernie Els, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Richard Sterne. 2015: Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel. 2017: Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel. (Ernie Els Captain’s Assistant) 2019: Louis Oosthuizen. (Ernie Els Captain, Trevor Immelman Captain’s Assistant)

Click here to read the full article…