« Week 36 Results | Main | Week 35 Results »

Around The World

After finishing runner-up at the Open Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone, and third at the PGA Championship, Sweden's Henrik Stenson finally broke through for his first victory of 2013 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.  The 37-year-old Stenson opened with a 67 but moved into position with a second-round 63, to stand one behind Sergio Garcia at the halfway point, then added a third-round 66 to trail the Spaniard by two going into the event's annual Labor Day finish.  Garcia, for his part, entered Monday with a career 3-7 PGA Tour record when leading after 54 holes and wasted little time in blowing himself up, carding five early bogeys en rout to a 73 and a tie for fourth.  Stenson, on the other hand, bogeyed the par-5 2nd but never wavered thereafter, ringing up six birdies over his final 16 holes (including a run of three straigtht at the 4th, 5th and 6th) to push himself in front.  A bunkered approach at the par-4 17th offered his persuers a ray of hope but Stenson promptly holed the bunker shot to create a three-shot margin of victory.  Forty-six-year-old Steve Stricker, making only his 10th start in a season that saw him redefine himself as a part-time golfer, finished with rounds of 63-67 to claim solo second, while Canadian Graham DeLaet continued his strong form by riding a Saturday 62 to take solo third.  Also posting a 62 - but under much tougher Sunday conditions - was 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who closed with three birdies and an eagle to tie for fourth.  World number one Tiger Woods, meanwhile, fell apart with weekend rounds of 72-73 to tie for 65th.................. Ending a victory drought dating to the 2009 Hong Kong Open, France's Gregory Bourdy used a dramatic come-from-behind finish to win the ISPS Handa Wales Open by two shots at Celtic Manor.  Playing on the course which hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup, Bourdy demonstrated steady golf over the first three days, posting rounds of 67-72-70 to be tied (with countryman Thomas Levet) for second after 54 holes, three strokes behind American Peter Uihlein.  He then began the final round with an eagle at the 610-yard 2nd, eventually turned in 34, then added a birdie at the 562-yard 11th to press himself fully into contention.  Perhaps feeling the pressure, Bourdy then bogeyed both the 13th and 14th, setting up a thrilling finish in which he reeled off birdies at the 477-yard par-4 16th, the 211-yard 17th and, via a clutch 15-foot putt, the 613-yard finisher.  Uihlein, meanwhile, birdied the 2nd but added three bogeys over his next eight holes to lose his lead.  But rising to the occasion, the 23-year-old posted late birdies at the 15th and 17th to creep back within one but, then three-putted at the last while aggressively pursuing the birdie that he needed to force a playoff.................. Fresh off a runner-up finish at the previous week's Kansai Open, 27-year-old South Korean Sung-Joon Park broke through for his first Japan Tour victory by claiming the Vana H Cup KBC Augusta in Fukuoka.  Park posted steady scores of 67-68-69 to edge compatriot Jung-Gon Hwang by two in the Tour's second consecutive weather-shortened event, this week's issues coming after heavy rains forced the completion of Friday's second round on Saturday afrernoon.  Thus unlike many a 54-hole winner, Park did battle full final-round pressure on Sunday, beginning the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Yoshinori Fujimoto and Satoshi Tomiyama, then playing steady golf while Fujimoto (72) and Tomiyama (74) both backed off.................. Veteran Andrew Curlewis ended a six year and four month victory drought at the Wild Waves Golf Challenge, claiming his second career Sunshine Tour title in a hard-fought battle with Titch Moore and 13-time Tour winner Desvonde Botes.  Curlewis played strong, aggressive golf all week at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, stringing together rounds of 66-63-65 and recording his only bogey during the first round.  The final round began with Moore (65-63) holding a one-shot lead over Curlewis and two over Botes (65-65) and the trio remained tightly bunched for the entire day.  Ultimately Botes – himself hoping to end a seven-yeard victory drought –holed a dramatic 30-foot birdie putt at the last to pull within one, and Moore rushed home with birdies at the 17th and 18th to match him.  But after seeing both of his challengers gain a shot at the last, Curlewis coolly parred the hole to salt away the title.

Posted on Monday, September 2, 2013 at 05:55PM by Registered CommenterDaniel | Comments Off