Jul 7th, 2019 Article
Manic Monday
It’s Manic Monday, so here is a very quick round up of all the results and stories from the weekend on the PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA and Women’s European Tour.
It’s Manic Monday, so here is a very quick round up of all the results and stories from the weekend on the PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA and Women’s European Tour.
GolfPunk legend John Daly has had his request to use a buggy at this year’s Open declined by the R&A Championship committee. The big man suffers with degenerative arthritis in his right knee and was recently allowed a buggy at the US PGA Championship.
Congratulations to Gary Woodland who stood firm under the pressure of a charging Brooks Koepka, the world number one and winner of four of the last eight majors he had played in. Others launched a challenge, most notably England’s Justin Rose, but all faded away as Woodland stuck to his task.
America’s Gary Woodland shot a 65 to take the lead in the US Open and join Justin Rose and Tiger Woods in the record books with the joint lowest score in a US Open at Pebble Beach. He leads England’s Justin Rose, who added a round of 70 to his own 65, by two shots as they go into the weekend.
England’s Justin Rose birdied the final three holes of his round to post a six under par 65 and lead the U.S. Open by one shot. One of GolfPunk’s tips, Ricky Fowler, sits in second place alongside his fellow countrymen, Xander Schauffele and Aaron Wise, and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen. Rose’s round is the joint lowest ever shot at Pebble Beach in an U.S. Open.
When Graeme McDowell teed up at Pebble Beach in 2010 for the US Open golf championship, he had not previously won on the USPGA. However, he was a golfer in form having won the week before at the Celtic Manor Wales Open. 72 holes later and he stood on the final green sinking a short putt for the US Open title.
Rory McIlroy shot a six under 64 in the third round of the Canadian Open to move into a share of the lead with the US’s Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson. McIlroy’s countryman Graeme McDowell slipped back slightly but sits in joint ninth on eight under – Come on Gmac!
Graeme McDowell shot a second round 67 at the Canadian Open to sit on eight under, four off the halfway lead which is held by Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown. Gmac still work to do if he is to grab one of the three spots available for The Open but he is well placed come the weekend.
Keegan Bradley leads, some other folk are in second, third etc., including Shane Lowry of Ireland, but all we care about is how Graeme McDowell is doing. Gmac must be at The Open in July and we are cheering him all the way.
The Open is coming back to Northern Ireland after a break of 68 years. When Max Faulkner, one of the most flamboyant golfers of his generation, won the Open Championship in 1951 at Royal Portrush it would be 18 years until a Brit, Tony Jacklin in 1969, was to do so again.
Not since the heyday of Tiger Woods have we seen anything like this. Brooks Koepka is tearing apart one of the toughest courses on the major circuit and breaking records as he does so. The rest of the field are looking on in bewilderment and accepting that they are now playing for second.
The crowds were out on mass to watch Tiger slay the beast, that is Bethpage Black, but it was his playing partner and holder Brooks Koepka who showed how it was done. Koepka’s course record, bogey free, seven under 63 was as unexpected as it was impressive. This is Bethpage Black after all where par is considered a good score.