Tag: European Tour

UNLV product Garrick Higgo keeps making magic on the Canary Islands

The former UNLV star is circling the waters again at the halfway point of this week’s European Tour stop.

Garrick Higgo is certainly hitting his stride on the Canary Islands.

The former UNLV star is just two weeks removed from his most recent victory and he’s circling the waters again at the halfway point of this week’s European Tour stop.

Higgo finished 5 under in his final six holes, using an eagle on the 18th to finish Friday’s second round of the Canary Islands Championship with a 63. He’s currently just a single shot behind leader Adri Arnaus, who is 14 under.

A 21-year-old South African, Higgo rolled in a smooth 15-footer on the final hole of the day, and continues to make a charge in the Race to Dubai. Higgo came into the week in 16th place in the Euro Tour’s season-long competition, but he’s projected to get well inside the top 10 after his first two rounds at Golf Costa Adeje. His win two weeks ago came at nearby Gran Canaria Lopesan Open, also on the Canary Islands.

For Arnaus, a second straight 64 put him in the lead, including a spectacular 30 on the back nine that included six birdies on the final seven holes.

Also near the top of the leaderboard is Dean Burmester, who won on the same course last week in the Tenerife Open. Burmester fired a 63 and is three strokes off the lead.

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‘This is real:’ According to report, Premier Golf League is making noise again

“This is real,” said one agent after a report that the Premier Golf League is making noise again.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Premier Golf League is still in play.

According to a report Tuesday in The Telegraph, the aspiring breakaway tour has made multi-million dollar offers to several of the game’s biggest names and best players, including world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose.

Offers reaching in the neighborhood of $30-$50 million.

The proposed league would feature 40-48 players playing an 18-event schedule in tournaments around the world with lucrative purses, with a season-ending team championship. The league would have a lot of guaranteed money and include a team concept that would dole out ownership stakes for 10-12 players who would captain four-man teams.

The goal is for the league to start in 2022.

“The money is there,” one agent told Golfweek on condition of anonymity. “I heard $1 billion. This is real.”

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The proposed league that would be in direct competition with the PGA Tour and European Tour was thought to have flatlined months ago when the two established circuits formed a strategic alliance, with the PGA Tour buying an estimated $90 million stake on the European Tour’s media operations.

Then Golfweek broke the news that the PGA Tour established a $40 million Player Impact Program that would reward 10 players not for their results inside the ropes but their work to promote the game outside the ropes. In other words, it would financially compensate some of the game’s best and most popular players.

But according to The Telegraph, the Premier Golf League, bankrolled by a group of Saudi Arabia investors, is not going away. However, a team of negotiators for the Saudis no longer includes The Raine Group, according to The Telegraph. A group of negotiators have spent months in Jupiter, Florida, according to the report. The south Florida area is home to many of the game’s biggest names.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is scheduled to fly to Charlotte on Tuesday to speak at a players meeting. The Tour is playing the Wells Fargo Championship this week at Quail Hollow in the Queen City.

Likely to be among the topics would be player eligibility; how would the PGA Tour and European Tour react to players signing up with the rival league? As well, how would the sport’s four majors – Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship – respond if the Premier Golf League tees off in 2022?

So many questions, so many answers to come. But there is no doubt the Premier Golf League is still very much a concern for both the PGA Tour and European Tour.

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‘This is real:’ According to report, Premier Golf League is making noise again

“This is real,” said one agent after a report that the Premier Golf League is making noise again.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Premier Golf League is still in play.

According to a report Tuesday in The Telegraph, the aspiring breakaway tour has made multi-million dollar offers to several of the game’s biggest names and best players, including world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose.

Offers reaching in the neighborhood of $30-$50 million.

The proposed league would feature 40-48 players playing an 18-event schedule in tournaments around the world with lucrative purses, with a season-ending team championship. The league would have a lot of guaranteed money and include a team concept that would dole out ownership stakes for 10-12 players who would captain four-man teams.

The goal is for the league to start in 2022.

“The money is there,” one agent told Golfweek on condition of anonymity. “I heard $1 billion. This is real.”

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The proposed league that would be in direct competition with the PGA Tour and European Tour was thought to have flatlined months ago when the two established circuits formed a strategic alliance, with the PGA Tour buying an estimated $90 million stake on the European Tour’s media operations.

Then Golfweek broke the news that the PGA Tour established a $40 million Player Impact Program that would reward 10 players not for their results inside the ropes but their work to promote the game outside the ropes. In other words, it would financially compensate some of the game’s best and most popular players.

But according to The Telegraph, the Premier Golf League, bankrolled by a group of Saudi Arabia investors, is not going away. However, a team of negotiators for the Saudis no longer includes The Raine Group, according to The Telegraph. A group of negotiators have spent months in Jupiter, Florida, according to the report. The south Florida area is home to many of the game’s biggest names.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is scheduled to fly to Charlotte on Tuesday to speak at a players meeting. The Tour is playing the Wells Fargo Championship this week at Quail Hollow in the Queen City.

Likely to be among the topics would be player eligibility; how would the PGA Tour and European Tour react to players signing up with the rival league? As well, how would the sport’s four majors – Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship – respond if the Premier Golf League tees off in 2022?

So many questions, so many answers to come. But there is no doubt the Premier Golf League is still very much a concern for both the PGA Tour and European Tour.

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John Catlin wins third European Tour title after defeating Max Kieffer in five-hole Austrian Open playoff

John Catlin went five extra holes with Max Kieffer at the Austrian Open to win his third European Tour title.

John Catlin’s third European Tour title in eight months didn’t come easily. In fact it took five extra holes against Maximilian Kieffer at the Austrian Open for Catlin, a 30-year-old from California, to come out on top.

Catlin played the final round at Diamond Country Club near Vienna, Austria, in 7-under 65, which was one better than Kieffer’s closing 66. Catlin was bogey-free in the final round, but Kieffer tossed in a pair of bogeys offset by an eagle at the par-5 fourth.

By the end of the day, when both were locked in at 14 under, they returned to par-3 18th for sudden death. After trading two pars, both made birdie the third time down the hole. The two both parred again on the fourth extra hole, with Catlin getting his with an up-and-down from a bunker. Finally, Kieffer found water off the tee and twice from the drop zone to allow Catlin to win with bogey.

Catlin’s European Tour resume also includes victories at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Andalucia Masters in 2020. This makes it three wins in his last 13 starts and moves him into the top 25 on the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex after finishing 35th in the season-long standings last year.

“I’d love to crack that top 50 in the world,” said Catlin, who started the week ranked No. 124 in the Official World Golf Ranking. “Just get a chance to play in some major championships – I’ve actually never played in a major. I’m thinking this gives me a very good chance to play in the U.S. PGA Championship, that was kind of my goal.

“Hopefully it’s good enough and to get into those events and to have the chance to win a major, that’s been my goal since I was a kid.

“Winning is never easy, it doesn’t matter what tour you’re playing on and to have gotten this one is definitely something special.”

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Thomas Detry’s final round at the Austrian Open was colorful. The story? ‘It might take a while.’

Thomas Detry went on a wild ride on the back nine of the Austrian Open. Check out this scorecard.

Thomas Detry was even par through 54 holes of the Austrian Open. By the end of the day Sunday, however, Detry had fallen 34 spots on the leaderboard and was 10 over.

His scorecard tells some kind of story.

Fellow European Tour player Eddie Pepperell called attention to the colorful card on Twitter, asking Detry to simply “walk us through it.”

Detry’s response? “Get your glass of red ready Eddie! It might take a while…”

Playing at Diamond Country Club near Vienna, Austria, Detry, of Belgium, opened with eagle at the par-5 first and added birdies at Nos. 3 and 7. Back-to-back bogeys followed at Nos. 9 and 10. The back nine was a wild ride.

Detry made double at No. 12 followed by a birdie on No. 13. The two par 3s, Nos. 14 and 18, he played in a total of 12 over – making a 10 on No. 14 and following with an 8 on No. 18. In addition there was another bogey at No. 17 and also three birdies.

All that added up to an 82, his highest score of the week by 10 shots.

Sometimes it’s your day, and sometimes it isn’t.

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Two players ace same hole, also miss cut at European Tour’s Kenya Open

Two players made an ace on the same hole, then missed the cut at the European Tour’s Magical Kenya Open.

The European Tour is known for its social media videos. Angry Golfers was a recent success, and who doesn’t love Chase the Ace, where professional golfers are tasked with making an ace in one day with 500 swings.

We’ve got a couple suggestions for the next contestants: Alexander Levy and Chris Paisley.

In Friday’s second-round action at the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club in Nairobi, both players – playing in separate groups – made holes-in-one on the par-3 14th. We’re not sure if this technically can be called a dance, but Levy had a fun little celebration after his ace.

Kenya Open: Leaderboard

Despite the stellar shots, both players failed to make the cut. Levy finished the opening two rounds at 1 under par, one shot outside the cut. Paisley was two shots short of making the cut at even par.

Kalle Samooja and Scott Hend are tied for the lead entering the weekend at 11 under.

In a weird turn of events, the European Tour also announced Friday that “due to ongoing logistical difficulties beyond our control we will be unable to deliver live world feed coverage of the third day of the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker on Saturday 20th March 2021.” The first two rounds also ran into difficulties and were not broadcast.

The tour hopes to be able to broadcast Sunday’s final round.

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Dustin Johnson makes his move, leads after third round at Saudi International

There was plenty of golf to be played on Saturday at the Saudi International, a perfect match for a hot streak from the World’s No. 1 player.

There was plenty of golf to be played on Saturday at the Saudi International, a perfect match for a hot streak from the World’s No. 1 player.

Dustin Johnson finished his lightning-delayed second round on Saturday morning in impressive fashion, dropping birdies on half of his final six holes for a scorching 64. He then followed with another solid 66 in the afternoon in the third round, giving him a two-stroke lead heading into the final round at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

Johnson sits at 13 under while Victor Perez used a pair of 66s to move into second place all alone at 11 under. A quartet of players, including Tyrrell Hatton and Tony Finau, sit tied for third at 10 under.

On Friday, Johnson came out of the gates quickly before an incident in which he struck a marshal with his drive on the 10th hole. That didn’t slow him down, however, and he maintained that momentum all the way through Saturday.

In fact, Johnson nearly eagled the final hole of the day, but his putt barely missed high.

Other big names still in contention include Viktor Hovland, Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia, who all sit four back at 9 under. Garcia shot a 64 in the third round to get back near the top.

Bryson DeChambeau shot a 68 and sits at 7 under with one round remaining.

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Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview

Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel previews the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel previews the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

Patrick Reed says Xander Schauffele cleared the air by text after post-Farmers comments

Patrick Reed said he and Xander Schauffele are “all good” after Schauffele made comments about a controversial Rules situation at Torrey.

After Patrick Reed wrapped up a five-shot win at the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday, it was on to his next event – the Saudi International on the European Tour. Reed’s victory was arguably overshadowed by a controversial handling of an embedded ball at the 10th hole in the third round. The situation garnered many headlines and on Sunday evening, Xander Schauffele, who was among five players who finished second to Reed at the Farmers, ultimately had the last word.

“I mean, he did everything by the book according to the official and everyone stood by there,” said Schauffele, who didn’t search for video of Reed’s situation but heard players talking about it. “Obviously the talk amongst the boys isn’t great, I guess, but he’s protected by the (PGA) Tour and that’s all that matters, I guess.”

According to Reed, Schauffele later cleared the air with a text message, which Reed said came in while he was in transit to Saudi Arabia.

“I’ve actually talked to Schauffele,” Reed said Wednesday in a pre-tournament press release when asked about Schauffele’s comments. “Him and I actually talked earlier this week. I’m just going to leave it between him and I because really, it’s one of those things that all you can do is try to do the right thing and from that point, move on.”

In Reed’s mind, the issue was resolved between the two.

“We’re good. We’re all good,” he said.

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Reed was also asked if he was concerned that Schauffele’s suggestion that “talk amongst the boys isn’t great” might lead to problems in a team environment such as the Ryder Cup and President Cup.

“No, not at all,” Reed answered.

Even though Reed’s handling of the embedded-ball situation was declared to be within the Rules of Golf by an on-site official, it continues to be a hot topic. Bryson DeChambeau was also asked what he made of the situation during his Wednesday press conference in Saudi.

“Man, yeah, I don’t know what actually happened,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve heard what happened. I’ve talked to him and he said that when he picked it up, there was stuff under it. There was mud.

“So I mean, the rules official made the decision and you go with what the rules official says in any situation. That’s what you have to do. So he made that call, and I would defer to the rules official.”

DeChambeau further offered that he and Reed have gotten along and that “I don’t have issues with him at all.”

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Paul Casey wins 15th European Tour title at Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Paul Casey reached a European Tour milestone on Sunday, winning for the 15th time on that circuit at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Paul Casey reached a European Tour milestone on Sunday, winning for the 15th time on that circuit at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Casey, who won his first Euro Tour title 20 years at the Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship, is the 18th golfer to reach win No. 15.

“Fifteen wins is pretty cool,” said Casey after his round. “I’m all emotional with wins, but with this one. … this one is such a prestigious event, the history which is behind you, and I can see it from here with amazing winners, is basically a Who’s Who in world golf. Dubai have given so much to golf.”

It was his first time playing the Dubai Desert Classic in seven years. The victory should vault him back into the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Omega Dubai Desert Classic: Leaderboard

Casey shot a third-round 64 to vault up the leaderboard and take a one-shot lead into the final round. He shot a final-round 70 to get to 17 under and won the event by four shots. Brandon Stone finished in second at 13 under. Robert Macintyre shot a 74 and finished third at 12 under. Laurie Cantor and Kalle Samooja finished tied for fifth at 10 under.

Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Bernd Wiesberger finished T-6 at 9 under. Tyrrell Hatton, who won the Euro Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship a week ago, finished T-22 at 5 under.

Next week is the third straight event in the Middle East for the Euro Tour at the Saudi International at Royal Greens G&CC in Saudi Arabia.

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