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Welcome to the Monday End, the place soccer’s prime receiver obtained put in handcuffs and everybody began making golf jokes! Scottie Scheffler actually IS reaching famous person standing. To the information…
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Beef is again.
Matt Wallace was in tears as he stepped up for his post-round interview.
“Knackered,” he mentioned. “That was a tough day.”
It was an understandably emotional second for Wallace, who’d simply gained on the DP World Tour for the primary time since 2018. He’d damaged his worldwide winless streak ultimately 12 months’s Corales Puntacana Championship, however a win on his dwelling circuit meant one thing additional for the 34-year-old Englishman. His four-shot final-round lead had evaporated however he’d punched again with a birdie on the primary additional gap.
“I caught at it and that’s me, and that’s golf. For me, that’s Matt Wallace golf proper there,” he mentioned.
It was becoming that Wallace gained this event, the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland, given this was the positioning of a heartbreaking playoff loss right here two years in the past. However his time beyond regulation birdie lifted him over Alfredo Garcia-Heredia of Spain and instantly he reset his targets to one thing larger.
“Ryder Cup, let’s go,” he mentioned.
However arguably the larger comeback belonged to Andrew “Beef” Johnston, who didn’t win however got here rattling shut.
It’s been an extended climb for Johnston, who burst onto the scene in 2016 as a Spanish Open champ and an Open Champ contender with a trademark beard and an infectious smile. The accompanying fanfare was loads to deal with; in subsequent seasons he misplaced his PGA Tour card and struggled with expectations. Nonetheless, he remained a fixture on the European tour — till, amid a battle with each bodily and psychological well being, he all however disappeared from aggressive golf in 2022 and 2023, enjoying only one event and slipping outdoors the highest 2,000 on this planet.
Even his comeback has been removed from glamorous; our Sean Zak detailed how the week of this 12 months’s Open, the eight-year reunion of the “finest golf of his life,” he was lacking the minimize in California on the alternate-field Barracuda Championship.
However one thing has clicked within the final month. T23 on the Czech Masters. T18 on the British Masters. After which got here Sunday’s 66, which secured a solo third for Johnston, his finest end in 4 years. He was one wiggle shy of a playoff however the end catapulted him up 69 spots to No. 85 on the Race to Dubai rankings, securing him some standing past this season.
“There’s a number of aid,” he mentioned. “It’s been a tricky couple of years. It’s been robust.”
The truth that Beef’s been going via “robust” — and he’s nonetheless going? That’s golf stuff I like.
WINNERS
Who gained the week?
There have been no occasions on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, the LET, the Korn Ferry Tour or LIV however there’s at all times golf being performed, which implies we’ll by no means run out of winners.
Matt Wallace gained on the DP World Tour for the fifth time and moved as much as No. 73 on this planet.
Japan’s Kensei Hirata gained on the Asian Tour’s Shinhan Donghae Open, an occasion co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour, to maneuver to No. 131 on this planet.
Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen gained the Problem Tour’s Massive Inexperienced Egg German Problem, dwelling to my favourite tee markers in golf.
Fatima Fernandez Cano gained her third Epson Tour title of the season; she’s now mathematically assured to get her LPGA Tour card again. With three tournaments left so are Yahui Zhang, Jessica Porvasnik and Lauren Stephenson.
The PGA Tour Americas wrapped up its summer time as Will Cannon gained the Fortinet Cup Championship and 10 execs secured their Korn Ferry Tour playing cards: John Keefer, Frederik Kjettrup, Matthew Anderson, Barend Botha, Clay Feagler, Cannon, Harry Hillier, Sandy Scott, Ryan Burnett and Ian Holt.
And Y.E. Yang beat Bernhard Langer in a playoff on the Ascension Charity Traditional, claiming his first PGA Tour Champions title 15 years and a month after beating Tiger Woods on the 2009 PGA Championship.
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NOT-WINNERS
Who’s out?
LIV Golf’s Particular person Championship takes place outdoors of Chicago this week. There are big-time prizes up for grabs on the prime of LIV’s season-long race, the place Jon Rahm leads over Joaquin Niemann. However there’s arguably much more at stake for gamers decrease on the order of advantage. Gamers who end 25-48 on the checklist and don’t have contracts (the contracts are secret, so your guess is nearly as good as mine) will turn into free brokers after this season with no assure of re-signing, whereas gamers outdoors the highest 48 might be booted from the league (until they play their method again in by way of LIV’s Promotions occasion).
In accordance with LIV, seven gamers presently within the Chicago discipline are outdoors that prime 48 — the “Drop Zone” — whereas seven extra might technically fall into that relegation zone, too.
The seven presently on the skin: Scott Vincent, Branden Grace, Bubba Watson, Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent and wild card gamers Hudson Swafford and Anthony Kim. Watson is a captain and thus exempt from relegation; it’s not clear what’ll occur to the wild card gamers.
The seven presently on the within and hoping to remain there? That features some star energy, too: Henrik Stenson, Mito Pereira, Phil Mickelson, Jinichiro Kozuma, Ian Poulter, Harold Varner III and Pat Perez. Stenson, Mickelson and Poulter are captains and subsequently secure. However whoever will get relegated could have an fascinating and unsure future; they’ll seemingly have alternatives to play Asian Tour occasions however any highway again to the PGA Tour for, say, Varner doesn’t presently exist.
SHORT HITTERS
5 execs with one thing to show on the Solheim Cup.
Nelly Korda is anticipated to guide the American aspect; she’s gained at historic ranges this season and is runaway World No. 1 however it is a distinctly completely different kind of strain: workforce play and match play in particular context: the U.S. workforce hasn’t gained any of the final three Cups. (They tied final 12 months, however Europe retained.)
Lauren Coughlin makes her Solheim Cup debut in her dwelling state, capping off a dream 12 months during which she gained her first LPGA title — after which her second, only a couple weeks later. Coughlin grew up in Virginia and went to the College of Virginia, too. She’ll hope to win some matches on her dwelling turf, too.
Lexi Thompson caps off her remaining full season on the LPGA Tour with a captain’s decide onto her seventh (!) workforce; she’ll step into the fireplace of workforce match play as certainly one of solely two gamers on the roster who has been on a successful U.S. workforce.
Charley Hull is available in as the highest points-getter amongst European qualifiers; this has additionally been a banner 12 months for her play and recognition. Hull has battled some damage late within the 12 months however relishes match-play conditions and crowds rooting towards her; we’ll see how she fares this go ’spherical.
Leona Maguire hasn’t been enjoying significantly properly however remained excessive sufficient in Rolex Rankings to qualify routinely; she would have been an apparent decide regardless because of her 7-2-1 file during the last three cups.
ONE DUMB GRAPHIC
Like I mentioned, I’m a sucker for the mini Massive Inexperienced Egg.