Tag: Steve Flesch

Steve Flesch sets course record, wins 2023 Ascension Charity Classic on PGA Tour Champions

Steve Flesch opened birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie-birdie in his final round Sunday.

Steve Flesch is back in victory lane, having routed the field at the 2023 Ascension Charity Classic with a tournament-best 62 on Sunday.

Despite shooting a pair of 66s in the first two rounds, he started the final day two shots back of the lead at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis but he quickly made a move, opening birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie-birdie.

After three more birdies on the back nine, the lefty signed for 9-under round and earned his fourth PGA Tour Champions at 19 under. The 62 also ties Flesch’s career low round. He played the last 35 holes of the 54-hole tournament bogey free. His son Griffin was on the bag this week.

Flesch had three straight top-10s in late May/June this season then had a pair of WDs. He was T-58, T-33 and T-36 in his last three outings but definitely found the magic this week.

Kevin Sutherland and Y.E.Yang tied the then-course record with 64s in the first round while Colin Montgomerie and Bretty Quigley each had 64s in the second round. Montgomerie’s round was punctuated by his first Champions tour hole-in-one.

Fred Couples is again at ease with Steve Flesch’s son as his caddie

Griffin Flesch has grown up with Couples, and the two have a certain comfort level that shines through.

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8224″]

The last time Fred Couples found himself holding the trophy after a PGA Tour Champions event — back in October at the SAS Championship in North Carolina — he had the son of Steve Flesch on his bag. Although he occasionally caddies for his dad, Griffin Flesch has grown up with Couples, and the two have a certain comfort level that shines through quickly as they walk the course.

This week, Couples has the younger Flesch as his caddie once again at the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta, and the magic seems to have resurfaced, as the 14-time Champions winner used a birdie on the final hole of the day to post a solid 68, putting him in a tie for 13th place after the opening round.

But Couples’ demands of Griffin Flesch are different than when he caddies for his father.

Griffin said Couples simply wants a number to the flag when he’s in the heat of battle, but Flesch asks for the front, back and sometimes drags him 20 yards in the rough for a precise number.

“Well, I’m in the rough, too. Don’t let him kid you, his father hits the ball very, very clean,” Couples joked in advance of the opening round. “I’ve known Grif since he was young, and we’ve had lunches and sat. I don’t even know really how it worked, I said you want to caddie and he picked the right week. And then he’s going to caddie there again this year.

“I love the kid. We’re going to have a good time.”

Flesch also played well in the opening round, posting an identical 68, and he said having his son on-site is a real treat, even if he’s caddying for a competitor.

The win at the SAS was special for the Flesch family, which has included Couples in a group text chain for years, largely talking about other sports. At SAS, Couples didn’t start the round smoothly, but things improved as the week went on.

“I opened up with a double on the first hole and I’m like, ‘Hey, Grif, nice to have you out here,’ ” Couples joked. “Ended up playing well. Then the second day played well, and then the last day was just, you know. He did a phenomenal job. He gets every yardage, he read a lot of putts. You know, I think it was maybe easier for both of us that I had a big lead because when you’re only one up and you don’t know the guy that well, you can bark at him a little bit to make you feel better.

“I didn’t really need to bark at Grif on the back nine because I was birdieing every hole.”

For Steve Flesch, who has three Champions titles under his belt, seeing his son enjoy success on a pro circuit was something special.

“Griffin has always had this insane passion for all aspects of golf,” Steve Flesch told PGA Tour.com. after the victory last year. “He played in college at Xavier in Cincinnati, then just lost it, and transferred to Kentucky. He has now found his game again and is better than ever. He went through a mental meat-grinder of emotions and has found loving the game, again.

“I believe Fred’s texts and friendly banter with Griff about the Dodgers and Reds, and golf, played a huge part in getting that passion back. Griffin looks up to him so much for his legacy in the game. I can’t think of anyone else he would drop everything for, to have this week. Well, hopefully me, maybe. Haha. Anyway, this was a bucket-list item in life, for Griffin. I couldn’t be happier for or prouder of my son.”

[lawrence-related id=778382277,778352721,778341823,778332268]

Hosting duties aside, Jim Furyk found the time to grab a share of the lead in Constellation Furyk & Friends

Who’s leading after the first round of the Constellation Furyk & Friends?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Constellation Furyk & Friends host Jim Furyk isn’t getting too distracted by his off-course duties this week.

He’ll never be too busy to focus on trying to win his own event.

Furyk birdied three of his last four holes on the front nine of the Timuquana Country Club on Friday and then had a clean card with two birdies on the back to finish with a 5-under 67 and a share of the lead with the last PGA Tour Champions winner, Steve Flesch, and Rob Labritz.

“I didn’t think much about it today,” Furyk said of being the tournament host. “I played well here last year [tying for fourth] and I was happy with the way I scored and played and got the ball in the hole. When I’m off the course I’m thinking about our celebrities finishing, the party for the caddies, a cocktail party downtown for Constellation … I think it’s kind of healthy. It gets my mind off golf. Then when I do step in the ropes, I’m locked in and try to flip the switch.”

Furyk hit only half the 14 fairways and missed five green but got up-and-down four times and needed only 25 putts.

His best escape was when he recovered from a drive at No. 16 that went low and left, between two trees and in a sandy lie. He considered laying up but decided on a wedge shot between a gap in the trees, with the ball landing a foot from the hole.

“I hit some bad drives, got some good breaks,” he said.

2022 Constellation Furyk & Friends
Vijay Singh of Ponte Vedra Beach punches out from the trees during the first round of the Constellation Furyk & Friends on Friday at the Timuquana Country Club. (Photo: Bob Self/Florida Times-Union)

Flesch won the Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach two weeks ago for his second Champions Tour title of the season and his third overall. He got off to a quick start with birdies on two of his first three holes and birdied the last.

He’s also the low returning left-hander in the field: 2021 champion Phil Mickelson isn’t playing because of his suspension from the Tour. Flesch was solo third last year and has played his first four rounds at Timuquana at 15-under.

Flesch missed only three greens on Friday and said the course is playing tougher than last season after a renovation firmed up the greens and dry weather since Ian passed the area last week has made them even more difficult.

“Greens are tough to get the ball close this year,” he said. “Seems like the runoffs are a little more severe. It kind of suits my conservative style of play. I’ve never been a guy who kind of aims at a lot of flags. Drove it well, made some great putts and it added up to a great score.”

Labritz, who was a club pro from Pound Ridge, New York, was the Champions Tour national qualifying tournament medalist and has had a solid season, entering the week 38th on the Schwab Cup points race.

He tied for fourth in the U.S. Senior Open and has seven top-25 finishes.

Labritz said he’s played enough Donald Ross courses in the Northeast to feel comfortable at Timuquana.

“We have a lot of those,” he said of course designed by the World Golf Hall of Fame architect from Scotland. “It’s more middle of the green sort of thing, because all of the greens are crowned but if you’re patient out there and you get yourself in the fairways you can attack some of these pins with wedges.”

The trio at the top shouldn’t feel comfortable in Saturday’s second round.

Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, and Ken Tanigawa are tied at 4-under and a crowd of eight players at 3-under includes two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, last year’s runner-up at Timuquana, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and two-time U.S. Open champion and 1995 Players champion Lee Janzen.

John Daly got into contention with three birdies in a row on the front but had four bogeys among his last 11 holes and finished with a 1-under 71. Paul Stankowski led at 4-under through 12 holes but played his last four holes 4-over, with a double-bogey at the par-4 16th.

Vijay Singh of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, eagled the par-5 sixth hole and shot 70. Jacksonville native David Duval, playing at the course when he learned the game, bogeyed two of his first four holes and was steady after that, logging a 1-over 73.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

[listicle id=778101266]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Steve Flesch birdies No. 18 at Pebble Beach to win Pure Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee

“It’s like you envision people winning at Augusta, you envision people winning at Pebble Beach.”

Steve Flesch birdied his first four holes Sunday but got his biggest birdie of the week on the famous closing hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Flesch bogeyed the 12th and 13th holes but made a 4 on the par-5 18th to win the PGA Tour Champions Pure Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee by a shot over Ernie Els, Steven Alker and Paul Stankowski.

His 11 under total earned him his third win on the senior circuit and second this season. The left-hander won four times on the PGA Tour.

Alker bogeyed the 17th and parred the 18th and Flesch made the most of the situation.

“You don’t get many opportunities to win, but I got an open door when Steven gave me a chance on 18 and hit a great wedge shot in there,” Flesch said. “It ran the putt in, but it meant so much more to me because every pro wants to win at Pebble Beach and it was just a lot of fun. I hung in there all day, I got off to a great start, but winning at Pebble Beach I think is every professional golfer’s dream.”

2022 Pure Insurance Championship
Steve Flesch reacts after making a birdie on the 18th hole to win the 2022 Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo: Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)

“It’s just one of those things, it’s like you envision people winning at Augusta, you envision people winning at Pebble Beach. There’s been so much history around this great golf course that winning at Pebble Beach is just one of those places you always want to be a champion. To have an opportunity to do it today means so much. You know, even though we are over 50 and we’re still playing good golf, these guys are good and it’s hard to win. To win at Pebble Beach just makes it all the more special.”

Alker shot 68-69-69 to tie for second and bounce back from his tie for 58th a week ago at the Sanford International, his lowest finish in 28 outings on the Champions tour. His final-round 76 at the Sanford is his worst score on the tour.

“I struggled last week with my game a little bit, especially down the stretch, then just kind of got it together this week,” he said. “I enjoy playing here anyway. So I got it together, gave myself a chance, hung in today and got super start.”

Meng, Hughes wins First Tee portion

There were 78 First Tee members from 54 chapters at the event.

Megan Meng won the girls division at 22 under, also sinking a birdie putt on No. 18 to win by a stroke.

Bryson Hughes won the boys division at 18 under.

There were three aces made by junior golfers during their practice rounds.

  • Cooper Groshart, No. 7
  • Theresa Shaw, No. 17
  • Sophia Bardunias,  No. 5

[listicle id=778101266]

Steve Flesch wins Mitsubishi Electric Classic for second time on PGA Tour Champions

Steve Flesch has two PGA Tour Champions wins. Both have come in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

After a second-round 73 on Saturday, Steve Flesch started the final round of the PGA Tour Champions Mitsubishi Electric Classic fours shots back of David Toms.

Flesch quickly carved into that lead with five straight birdies on Nos. 2-6. He bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 but carded four more birdies on the back nine, including the clincher on the 17th hole. After stuffing his second shot on the 455-yard par-4 to about 12 feet, Flesch made the birdie putt to get to 11 under to take the solo lead. He would hold on from there to win the title.

Flesch now has two victories on the PGA Tour Champions, both of them have come in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. He also won the event in 2018.

Toms, who bogeyed the 14th hole to fall back to 10 under, parred his final four holes to finish tied for second with Padraig Harrington and Fred Couples, who birdied the 18th to get to 10 under.

Harrington started the final round six shots back of Toms and was 2 under through nine but caught fire on the back nine. Harrington made five straight birdies on Nos. 10-14 and tacked on one more birdie at 17 to shoot an 8-under 64. That got him to 10 under and tied for the lead but he could climb no higher on the leaderboard. Harrington, who joined the tour after turning 50 last August, is still seeking his first win on the senior circuit.

Ken Duke led Toms by a shot Saturday before a four-shot swing on the 15th hole. Toms made birdie, while Duke’s birdie putt went past the hole and kept going, eventually rolling 30 yards off the green. Duke ended up with a triple bogey on the hole. He shot 73-73 over the weekend to finish 5 under, tied for 10th.

Jay Haas, 68, who became the oldest player to make the cut in a PGA Tour event two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic, a team event in which he paired with his son Bill, finished tied for 14th. Haas made a hole-in-one on the 11th hole during Saturday’s second round.

Champions tour stalwart Bernhard Langer shot 76-71-70 to finish the week 1 over, tied for 39th. Langer also posted a T-39 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic five weeks ago but he has posted top-5 finishes in all five of his other starts this season.

The first major of the PGA Tour Champions season starts Thursday at the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.

[listicle id=778101266]

Steve Flesch leads, four within three shots after the second round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic

“I’m not overthinking it at night. I’m just playing golf, having fun out here. That’s really all I’m doing.”

Steve Flesch has been approaching golf more relaxed recently, and it’s paying off this week at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at The Country Club of Virginia.

“I’m not overthinking it at night,” Flesch noted after his first round Friday. “I’m just playing golf, having fun out here. That’s really all I’m doing.”

He entered Saturday’s round just one shot back of Steven Alker, and his day started slowly making the turn with a pedestrian 1-under 35. Back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 got him right back in the mix and another circle on 15 propelled him into the lead. The American would add another birdie on the par 5 last to get to 13 under.

Coming into the week, Flesch had eight finishes of T-13 or better in his last 10 starts on the Champions tour, including a solo third a few weeks ago at the Constellation Furyk and Friends.

“I’m not hitting shots I don’t feel comfortable hitting. I’m just kind of, I hate the term ‘playing within myself,’ but I’m just hitting shots I know I can pull off and I’m not taking unnecessary chances,” Flesch mentioned after his Saturday 67.  “It’s kind of how I’m playing. And the putter’s hot, so I just want to get the ball on the green and give myself a chance to run it in.

“That’s kind of the game plan and that will be the plan tomorrow. It’s working, so I’m going to stick with it.

He’ll enter the final round with a two shot lead.

[lawrence-related id=778169995,778169942,778169904]

Bernhard Langer entered the second round three shots back of the lead and closed the gap quickly playing his first six holes today 4-under. He would cool down, however, closing out the rest of his round with two birdies and a bogey for a Saturday 5 under 67.

“Not pleased with my par-par-par finish, two par 5s,” Langer said after his round. “Wish I had made one birdie at least, but just lack of length off the tee put me in a position where it wasn’t easy but still could have made one birdie somewhere and I didn’t.”

“I’m going to go as low as I can because I’m going to have to. There’s a lot of guys right there and thereabouts and that’s all we can do.”

Langer currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup points list and is well within striking distance going into Sunday’s final round tied for second, sitting two shots back.

Alker, the 18-hole leader, cooled off a bit today pairing four birdies with two bogeys for a Saturday 2-under 70.

“I didn’t quite obviously putt as well. Sixty-three, you’ve got to putt well, so it wasn’t quite there, but I didn’t give myself as many chances,” Alker said following his second round. “Wedges weren’t as close. Kind of struggled on the back nine a little bit, I missed some approaches, just didn’t have the yardage, so that kind of held me back.”

He’ll have to turn it back on tomorrow to catch Flesch as he sits two shots back with Langer.

Notable names in the field: Jim Furyk (T-8, 7 under), Ernie Els (T-36, 2 under), Phil Mickelson (T-49, 1 over), Vijay Singh (T-52, 2 over), Davis Love III (WD), and John Daly (WD).

Shot of the day

 

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Darren Clarke wins Sanford International in playoff over Steve Flesch, K.J. Choi

Darren Clarke birdied the second playoff hole to win the Sanford International in in South Dakota.

SOUIX FALLS, S.D. — Steve Flesch had his chance to win the fourth edition of the Sanford International in regulation.

K.J. Choi had the win in front of him on the first playoff hole.

Both men missed their opportunities.

Darren Clarke, meanwhile, just kept hanging in there, and when he got his chance he didn’t miss.

Clarke, Flesch and Choi finished the three-day PGA Tour Champions event tied at 12 under, forcing a playoff on the 18th hole, where it took two tries for a winner to emerge. It was Clarke, whose long chip from the fringe stopped just feet from the cup, giving him a relatively easy birdie putt that secured the win and $270,000 in prize money.

Clarke had similar approaches on the 18th hole in regulation and on the first playoff, and he didn’t execute either very well. When given a third chance, he didn’t miss.

“The second time around I thought, I know the speed now, the ball just went right,” Clarke said. “The third time around I was just that stubborn that I was gonna prove to myself that I could hit it the right distance and I did. In a playoff you never know what can happen. Anybody can make birdie. Luckily it was my day today.”

Clark shot a 5-under 65 on Sunday to pull even with Flesch and Choi. Choi entered the day at 11 under, two strokes up on Paul Stankowski and Alex Cejka, both of whom quickly played themselves out of contention.

That allowed Clarke and Flesch to make their moves, which they did steadily amid a fierce wind that at times made birdies difficult. Choi came out steady and conservative, starting the day with 12 straight pars before notching his first birdie on 13.

On the par-5 16th, Clarke unleashed a monstrous drive that set him up for the late push that pulled him even. Still, he needed help to eventually hoist the trophy.

After Choi settled for par on 16, Flesch headed to the 18th tee box with a one-stroke lead at 13 under. But his tee shot left him behind a tree, and rather than cut his losses and knock the ball back into the fairway, he tried to wrap his second shot around the tree. Instead, he smacked right into it, knocking his ball backward. He needed a strong finish to the hole just to get a bogey, which allowed Clarke and Choi to advance to the playoff.

In the first playoff Choi was the only one to hit the green in regulation, and had a 12-footer for a birdie and the win. He missed, so he and Clarke advanced to a second playoff hole while Flesch was eliminated.

The wind was a factor all day, with gusts of up to 40-mph, but Clarke was able to use that to his advantage, something the Minnehaha course adheres to anyway.

“I think if you drive it well here you can score well,” Clarke said. “And the driver is probably my favorite club in the bag. So today I drove the ball well. I hit it long and I hit it straight and when I do that I have a chance to contend.

“(The wind) was tough, it was tricky, but you saw good scores yesterday and you saw good scores today,” he added. “The course was eminently playable, but if you were slightly off with your ballstriking you could play a big penalty with that wind.”

Miguel Angel Jimenez, last year’s winner, finished strong with a 66 to end up tied for fourth at 10 under with Rod Pampling. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker finished 9 under, followed by John Senden, Steven Alker, Retief Goosen and Cejka, who all finished at 8 under.

Clarke said in addressing the fans after the win that the Sanford International is one of the most well-attended and supported events on the entire Champions tour.

“The fans have been very good to me,” Clarke said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in Sioux Falls. The fans have been brilliant. I’ve had a beverage with one or two of them in the past, so it’s been nice to be back out here.”

[listicle id=778101266]

Doug Barron holds off Steve Flesch, nabs Shaw Charity Classic on PGA Tour Champions

In the first professional golf tournament in Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic, Doug Barron closed with three birdies to hold off Steve Flesch to win the Shaw Charity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions. Barron posted three consecutive 64s in the …

In the first professional golf tournament in Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic, Doug Barron closed with three birdies to hold off Steve Flesch to win the Shaw Charity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions.

Barron posted three consecutive 64s in the 54-hole event to claim the title. It was his first title on the senior circuit since he won the 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Barron closed his second round with an eagle on the 18th hole Saturday to take a one-shot lead. He opened his Sunday round with a bogey but birdied Nos. 4 and 5 to make the turn in 1 under. He then eagled the 11th and birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th to hold off Flesch, who had six birdies in his final round.

Barron finished at 18 under, and Flesch was 16 under. Billy Andrade and Brandt Jobe finished tie for third at 13 under. Billy Mayfair, who revealed an autism diagnosis in June, finished 12 under to claim solo fifth.

The PGA Tour Champions heads to Snoqualmie, Washington, next week for the Boeing Classic.

[listicle id=778101266]

Weather intervenes at U.S. Senior Open; Jim Furyk leads by 4 after 54 holes

The start of the third round was delayed due to storm damage at Omaha Country Club. Then there was a near three-hour delay.

Mother Nature decided to intervene at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open.

The start of Saturday’s third round was delayed because of some storm damage at the Omaha Country Club. Several trees were uprooted and knocked over. Some spectator seating and a TV tower were also brought to the ground by the high winds.

Then, at 1:49 p.m. local time, the U.S. Golf Association blew the horn and suspended play for two hours, 55 minutes.

Just another obstacle for the golfers to navigate as they battle for the fourth senior major of 2021.

Jim Furyk, aiming for his first senior major championship, woke up on Saturday with a two-shot lead over Stephen Ames and a three-shot cushion over Miguel Angel Jimenez. Furyk birdied the 4th and 5th holes and by the time he made the turn, he had a four-shot lead. He closed with birdies on 16 and 18 for a 66 and kept that lead at four shots after 54 holes.

“I’ll take a 66 any day at the U.S. Open,” he said. “I started off real well, kind of got on a roll and then the rain delay. Coming out of the delay, I lost my rhythm, kind of put myself in some awkward spots.”

But he grinded out some pars from those spots and he said that was the real key to his round on Saturday.

Furyk, one of five past U.S. Open champs in the field, is vying to become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open.

U.S. Senior Open: Leaderboard

Stephen Ames made a birdie putt on 18 from about 10 feet out for a 68 to get him into the final group with Furyk. Ames is at 4 under.

Retief Goosen, also a past U.S. Open champ, made birdies on 17 and 18 to cap of a round of 66 and sits in solo third. “Finishing birdie-birdie on the last two holes was big,” he said, adding that the par he saved on the 16th felt like a birdie.

Steve Flesch had the round of the day, firing a 6-under 64, matching Furyk’s second-round 64 for round of the week. He had just one bogey and seven birdies on his scorecard and is solo fourth.

“U.S. Opens aren’t my thing,” Flesch told Golf Channel after his round. “I don’t drive it that straight, but I just made some putts. If I get the putter going and get the irons close I can run out some birdies.”

Omaha Country Club is hosting the U.S. Senior Open for a second time.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]