Tag: Scott Dunlap

Scott Dunlap wins for first time in 10 years at rain-shortened Insperity Invitational

Dunlap earned his second PGA Tour Champions win.

The first round got postponed Friday by heavy rain. They were able to play 36 holes Saturday. More overnight rain then wiped out Sunday’s final.

Enough is enough, said PGA Tour Champions, as the 2024 Insperity Invitational was called and Scott Dunlap was declared the winner.

The tour’s official statement said:

“The weather affecting the greater Houston area overnight and throughout the morning has required Round 3 of the Insperity Invitational to be cancelled. Therefore, in accordance with the PGA Tour Champions Regulations, the tournament results will be final through the conclusion of 36 holes.”

Dunlap shot 65-70 on Saturday to finish 9 under, one stroke ahead of Joe Durant and Stuart Appleby. Dunlap earned his second PGA Tour Champions win and first in a decade.

After play on Saturday, with Sunday’s action uncertain, Dunlap commented on his efforts to keep grinding at his game.

“I’ve been pretty mediocre for the last few years and even though I’m getting older, it’s like, I think I can do better than this but you don’t know until you do,” he said. “It’s the great thing about golf. You just keep trying to get better, and you never know if you are going to until you do.”

On Sunday, after being declared the winner Dunlap expounded on what this win does for him.

“At the end of the day, these are real first-world problems. I mean, I knew I was going to play twentysome tournaments this year, but I got to make hay if I want to not do that next year I’ve got to finish 45th to 49th on the Money List, which is what I’ve done,” he said. “And once again, like I said, I think I should have been doing better than that. I wasn’t. I was getting a little worse each year, but I said ‘This is not an inevitable slide.’ I should be able to turn this around possibly, but until you do, you don’t know if you are going to. And, now we’ve taken a good step in the right direction.”

Dunlap earned $405,000 for the win, his first in 191 starts, and was only in the field on a sponsor exemption.

Charles Schwab Cup points leader Steven Alker was tie for fourth alongside Thonchai Jaidee.

Bernhard Langer, playing for the first time since tearing his Achilles in early February, shot 69-74 and tied for 31st. That means the 66-year-old beat 40 guys in the field this week outside Houston just three months removed from surgery.

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Steve Stricker wins Ally Challenge for ninth PGA Tour Champions victory but says caddying for his daughter was ‘cooler than this’

It was just last week that Steve Stricker caddied for his daughter Bobbi at LPGA Qualifying.

A week ago, Steve Stricker was at Mission Hills Country Club not playing golf but instead working as the caddie for his daughter Bobbi in 100-plus degree temperatures at the first stage of LPGA Qualifying. She was among the 106 golfers to advance.

This week, he was back at work at his regular job and doing it quite well, shooting a final-round 67 to win the PGA Tour Champions 2022 Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Michigan, by a shot at 15 under.

“Our family’s been going through a lot of golf lately. I caddied for Bobbi last week and that was probably cooler than this,” he said after his win Sunday. “Just to be a part of what she did and to see the enjoyment and the excitement on her face knowing that she’s going on to the next stage means a lot to a dad. That was pretty cool. Like I said, I think that was cooler than today. We’ve had some fun the last few weeks and hopefully we can continue that going forward.”

Stricker said he’ll be back working as a caddie soon which will likely alter his Champions tour goals. But he’s cool with that.

“It’s always been to try to get up as close as I can to the Schwab Cup, right,” he said. “Now my daughter’s going on second stage of tour school so that changes things because I’m going to be looping and I’m going to be on the bag, so I’m going to probably miss a couple events in there, but I’ll keep playing as much as I can and hopefully keep playing well and get as close as I can.”

Stricker, making his debut in the Ally Challenge, has now won nine times on the senior circuit. Brett Quigley, closed with a 68 to finish second.

Jeff Maggert posted Sunday’s best round, a 65, and got it to 13 under which was good enough for the outright lead but it wouldn’t hold. He would finish solo third, two shots back.

Scott Dunlap, who tied the tournament record with a 63 on Saturday, started the final round leading by a shot on Stricker, Padraig Harrington and Brett Quigley. He closed with a 71 and finished tied for fourth along with Harrington, last week’s Champions tour winner.

Fred Funk, 66, beat his age by a shot on Friday and held the solo lead after 18 holes but ended up in a tie for eighth. It was the sixth time a golfer on the PGA Tour Champions shot his age or better this season.

Bernhard Langer, who turned 65 on Saturday, shot 70-69-72 to finish tied for 28th.

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John “Johnny Long Socks” McLaren has caddied his last tournament in the United States after 31 year career

Jordan 1s, crazy socks and an unbelievable resume.

It’s rare for a caddie to make a lasting impact on the game of golf. John McLaren has done just that. And no, I’m not talking about his incredible on-course style. It’s the resume he’s built along the way that will make his departure a tough pill to swallow.

McLaren, for the last six years, has looped for Paul Casey, currently ranked 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking. During their partnership, Casey won back-to-back Valspar Championship titles (2018-2019) on the PGA Tour, along with two wins on the European Tour.

McLaren’s career, however, wouldn’t have been the same if not for his visa obtained during his time with Scott Dunlap.

Helen Konrad, an immigration law attorney, put together a list of Dunlap’s finishes before and after adding McLaren to his team, representing how much better Dunlap played during their partnership.

“It’s mostly for visiting artists. It’s pretty easy if you’re the only cellist in the world,” Dunlap told the Associated Press. “But when you’re selling yourself as a caddie, the powers-that-be can say, ‘Hell, anyone can carry a golf bag.’ Legally, you had to show you really want this guy.”

Despite the challenge, the O-1 visa was approved and McLaren officially became “an alien of extraordinary ability.”

Before he carried the bag for Casey, he worked with another Englishman, Luke Donald. During their time together, Donald reached No. 1 in the world and earned $30 million. Pretty lucrative pairing.

Unique on-course style

A detailed view of the sneakers worn by caddie John Mclaren during the second round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

McLaren wasn’t afraid to rock some pretty vibrant combinations on the course. Tie-dye Jordan 1s with the cartoon socks – it’s a vibe.

This look has become a McLaren staple, as you can see…

A detailed view of the sneakers worn by caddie John McLaren during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
A view of the socks and sneakers of caddie John McLaren on the 18th green, McLaren caddies for Paul Casey (not pictured) during the third round of the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
John McLaren the caddie of John Casey draws the attention of fans on the 9th tee with his Jimmy Butler socks to go with his Air Jordan’s during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Erin Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Sports

His visa will expire in a few months (February 2022), but it won’t be renewed. After a Dubai event on the European Tour at the start of next year, McLaren will call it a career.

This “break up” will add to the recent caddie changes we’ve seen over the last few weeks, a list which includes Justin Thomas/Jimmy Johnson, and Bubba Watson/Ted Scott.

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