Liam Johnston produced the lowest round of his European Tour career at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, firing a sparkling round of 61 to lead by one shot at the end of the opening day of the 2020 Portugal Masters. Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma recorded the first albatross on the 2020 Race to Dubai, holing out from 241 yards with his second shot on the 588 yard par 17th hole.
Home-favourite Kim Metraux and Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen take a two-shot lead from the chasing pack at the close of day one at the 2020 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open with sublime opening scores of 66 (-6). A trio of gains from the 13th took her to five-under-par before a 10ft putt on the 17th took her to six. The birdies are important but sometimes it is the pars that matter most.
Hot on the heels of the Vokey Design SM8 line launched in January comes the latest innovation from the Master Craftsman Bob Vokey, the WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind. Favoured by the likes of Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Ben An and Bud Cauley, 58- and 60-degree versions are now available to us mere mortals.
As the various tours are losing millions each week in TV and sponsorship income and the Coronavirus trundles on the R&A continues to put out woolly statements about continuing to look at the options. Given the likely time frames for the lifting of social distancing and the issues over international travel, the R&A must postpone.
Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck produced back to back rounds of 68 to lead by three shots at the halfway stage of the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open in Sitges, near Barcelona. The 24-year-old from Langen was out of the traps quickly, racking up four birdies in her first 12 holes and made just the one bogey, on the par-4 14th, at Terramar Golf Club.
There was lots of concern that the new format of the Tour Championship was going to result in the FedEx Cup leader running away with things and there being a lack of drama at East Lake Golf Club over the last big weekend for the PGA Tour. Well things didn’t really work out like that as Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka all start day two tied on 10 under with Rory just one behind.
With the Solheim cup a month away they have the Solheim tartan, they even have a tartan fairway what they don’t have is a home player. Yesterday, Carly Booth may have answered Catriona Matthew’s prayers and give the Team Europe captain the excuse she needed to select a fellow countrywoman for the team.
We had everything on Friday at The Masters: A stellar leaderboard; birdies galore; storm threats; unbelievable recovery shots; a marshall slide-tackling Tiger Woods on the 14th hole (he still made birdie) and some truly comical moments starring Zach Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
Georgia Hall has continued with her fine form from yesterday at Royal Lytham St Annes and in doing so, has put herself in a prime position to contend at this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open. However, it is Pornanong Phatlum that finds herself in pole position at the halfway stage with a one-stroke advantage over the Brit.
Stars of the ladies’ game, Amy Boulden, Trish Johnson and Carly Booth are all in for a bid to win €50,000 as they compete in the Warwickshire-based, Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship.
Francesco Molinari produced a masterclass on the greens with his latest Bettinardi putter, holing more than 120 feet of putts during the final round to win his maiden PGA Tour title with an eight-shot victory at the Quicken Loans National.
Five golfers feature in Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest paid athletes. And there are no surprises as to who heads that list….
