Shinkwin wins Cazoo Open for 2nd Euro title

JUSTIN THOMAS RALLIES, WINS SECOND PGA Justin Thomas trailed by seven strokes entering the final round of the PGA Championship, but he trusted his game, knowing that a Sunday at a major championship is predictable in its unpredictability. The University of Alabama alum overcame a shanked tee shot at the par-3 sixth Sunday to match the day’s low round with a 3-under 67. Thomas posted 5-under total, soon thereafter matched by Will Zalatoris, then watched as 54-hole leader Mito Pereira, in just his second major start, made double bogey on the 72nd Jhole to finish one stroke shy. Thomas played the three-hole aggregate playoff in 1-under, edging Zalatoris by a stroke to earn his second major title and 15th PGA TOUR victory overall. Prior to this week, seven consecutive major winners at Southern Hills had led or co-led through 36 holes; Zalatoris fell just short in his bid to extend the streak to eight. Thomas, 29, adds a second Wanamaker Trophy to his collection after earning his first major title at Quail Hollow in 2017. He earns 600 FedExCup points for his victory, and he moves to No. 4 on the season-long standings. “I was asked early in the week about what lead is safe,” reflected Thomas after his victory in Oklahoma, “and I said, ‘No lead.’” With a dramatic late-afternoon comeback at Southern Hills, he proved just that. TIGER MAKES CUT, WITHDRAWS FOR FINAL ROUND Tiger Woods made the cut at the PGA Championship, but difficult conditions, pain and soreness following the third round led to Woods withdrawing after carding a 9-over 79 on Saturday. Woods’ 79 was his highest-ever score in a PGA Championship round. Woods was visibly in pain during Saturday’s cold conditions and his WD was announced shortly after the final group completed Round 3 at Southern Hills. Woods opened with a 4-over 74 and followed it with a second-round 69 to make the cut. Woods struggled from the start Saturday. He was 10-over through 13 holes before playing the final five holes in 1-under. Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg told Sports Illustrated that Woods was suffering from pain in his foot Saturday. This was just his second WD from a major championship and first as a professional. He also withdrew from the 1995 U.S. Open after injuring his wrist in the second round while hitting his ball out of the rough. TOUR MAKES FINAL STOP IN TEXAS The PGA TOUR makes its final stop of the season in Texas at the Charles Schwab Challenge. After a missed cut at the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler is back in action, headlining a field that features five of the world’s top 10. Will Zalatoris, Mito Pereira and Justin Thomas are set to be there after strong showings at the PGA Championship. Collin Morikawa will tee it up in Fort Worth. He finished T14 a year ago and lost in a playoff in 2020. Jason Kokrak returns to defend his title from 2021. Jordan Spieth is hoping he’ll continue his fine play around Colonial, as he has three runner-up results in Fort Worth plus a victory in 2016. Viktor Hovland is the other world top-10 player in the field alongside Scheffler, Morikawa, Spieth and Thomas. Colonial Country Club is a par 70 and plays to 7,209 yards. The PGA TOUR heads to the John Bredemus/Perry Maxwell design for the 77th time – it’s the longest-running non-major event on the PGA TOUR schedule to be contested on the same course. The winner will receive 500 FedExCup points. THE TURN VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “He’s feeling it. He’s feeling it on every swing, but he’s the ultimate pro. Looking at him yesterday, if that would have been me, I would have been considering pulling out and just going home, but Tiger is different and he’s proved he’s different. It was just a monumental effort.” – Rory McIlroy speaking on Tiger Woods’ effort in the PGA Championship before Woods withdrew after Round 3. BY THE NUMBERS 63 – Bubba Watson’s second-round score at Southern Hills, which tied the course record. It was also the 18th round of 63 recorded in PGA Championship history and the 38th overall in a men’s major. 2 – Wins by Steven Alker and Miguel Angel Jimenez on PGA TOUR Champions this season. No player has more in 2022, and they lead the Schwab Cup Standings at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, entering this week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. 1 – Times that Tiger Woods has withdrawn from a major as a professional. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Kevin Na counts Colonial Country Club as one of his top-three favorite courses on the PGA TOUR, along with Riviera (the “otherâ€� Hogan’s Alley) and Hilton Head (the “otherâ€� plaid jacket venue). Colonial, in fact, is one of a handful of courses on which Na – who must rely on shot-making rather than length — feels like he can legitimately contend. “I say seven or eight,â€� Na said. “Some golf courses I feel like I have no chance. I don’t play those unless it’s a major and I got no choice. “I won’t mention any names.â€� So we will. For instance, Bethpage Black, which hosted last week’s PGA Championship? “I’m not going to say anything,â€� Na smiled. “You can look up my record. It’s not good.â€� For the record, Na has played three events at Bethpage Black – the PGA and two FedExCup Playoffs events. He’s missed the cut each time. Unlike Bethpage, Na’s record is pretty good at the Charles Schwab Challenge. In his last 11 starts, he’s made 10 cuts and has four top-10 finishes – his best being a solo fourth last year. Three of his last six rounds at Colonial have been among the most impressive of his PGA TOUR career. It was in the first round a year ago that Na shot 62, tying for the lowest opening score in tournament history. On that Sunday, he tied the tournament record with a 61 – the lowest score of his career. Now this week. After opening with an even-par 70 in difficult afternoon scoring conditions, Na again torched Colonial on Friday – a bogey-free 62 that left him at 8 under, just one shot behind leader Jonas Blixt. Na now has five rounds of 62 or better since 2015, and three of those have been at Colonial. “Last year when I shot 61, I felt like I made everything,â€� Na said. “Kind of almost had that feeling today. With a few holes to go, I felt like I had a chance to challenge my own course record.â€� Na made 164 feet, 1 inch of putts on Friday, but he needed less than 3 feet on his opening hole of the day. Na’s second shot at the par-5 first finished inside 3 feet, leaving him with an easy eagle putt. From there, he relied on the flatstick. A 14-foot birdie putt at the third. A 31-footer at the sixth. A 38-1/2 footer at the ninth. And another 31-footer at the 13th. Na entered this week ranked 129th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting, but you wouldn’t know it this week. His birdie putt  from 36 feet late in Thursday’s opening round was a foreshadow of his Friday performance. “Golf seems a lot more fun and a lot easier when you’re making putts,â€� Na said. It also seems a lot more fun when you’re playing on a course you like. Last year after his low rounds, Na did his interviews while attending to his young daughter Sophia. He kept the tradition going Friday. “She’s my good-luck charm,â€� Na said.

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Bryson DeChambeau flirted with becoming the 12th player in PGA Tour history to break 60 during a competitive round, instead missing a 6-footer on No. 18 to “settle” for a 12-under 60 at the BMW Championship.

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