Future stars of the women’s game, Patience Rhodes and Faye Wheatley, rose to the top this week with respective wins in the 24th and 25th Faldo Series Europe Grand Finals. The marquee event invited 65 of Europe’s very best, aspiring Tour professionals to compete at Brocket Hall’s Melbourne Course for one of the most respected trophies in the junior game.
An amateur golfer’s 15-foot birdie putt on 18 gave Ladies European Tour stars Linnea Strom (SWE), Jenny Haglund (SWE) and Lucie Malchirand (FRA) a two-shot lead after the opening day at the Aramco Team Series – New York.
Day three ended as it began with Jin Young Ko’s name atop the Cognizant Founders Cup leaderboard. Ko continued her absolute mastery of Mountain Ridge Country Club on Saturday, shooting a two-under 69 in the third round and moving to thirteen-under overall, a four-stroke advantage over her nearest competitors.
Celine Boutier is the 2021 Lacoste Ladies Open de France champion after securing victory in the most dramatic of fashions at Golf Club du Medoc. The two-time Solheim Cup winner kept her nerve on a frantic final day in Bordeaux, before sinking a fantastic birdie putt on the last to take victory by a single shot ahead of Scotland’s Kylie Henry.
World number two Jin Young Ko lived up to that title on Friday, carding six birdies and just one bogey for a second-round 67 at the 2021 Cambia Portland Classic. She sits atop the leaderboard at eight-under heading into the weekend at Oregon Golf Club. Ko holds a one-stroke advantage over Gemma Dryburgh in second and a three-stroke lead over Carlota Ciganda in third.
A thrilling final round of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open saw Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul clinch her second title of the 2021 Ladies European Tour season. The 18-year-old sat four strokes off the lead after the conclusion of the second round but made an excellent start to her final round. Four birdies on the front nine propelled Thitikul to the summit of the leaderboard, as she turned in 31.
It is a two-way tie at the top of the leaderboard as Marianne Skarpnord and Chloe Williams both finished day one of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open on eight-under-par. Williams, who went out in the second group this morning, set the clubhouse lead after shooting a bogey-free round of 64 which included eight birdies.
Nelly Korda maintained her rich vein of form to share the lead after day one of the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie, as amateur Louise Duncan also shone. Korda, the Olympic gold medallist and Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings number one, moved quickly to the top of the leaderboard after a superb opening round of five-under-par 67.
Most of us who bet on golf like to apply a little extra knowledge to our wagering. Or, at the very least, we believe we do. A little bit of analysis might have told us, for example, that Jon Rahm was a good thing last month.
Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn and USA’s Yealimi Noh both fired an opening round of 65 to lead on six-under-par at The Amundi Evian Championship. Anannarukarn posted a bogey-free opening round with three birdies on the front nine followed by three on the back.
Call me old fashioned and perhaps I am showing my advancing years but watching the Open isn’t what it used to be. That all-day free coverage on the BBC from the early hours until the early evening with the only requirement being to on occasion switch between BBC 1 and BBC 2.
SRIXON® has announced the opening of its new Centre of Excellence at Hartford Golf Club in Cheshire. The centrally located facility is destined to become a must-visit hub for golfers of all abilities, from beginner level to elite tour players, looking for the most comprehensive Srixon, Cleveland Golf and XXIO custom fitting experience in the country.
