STENSON CLAIMS SIXTH PGA TOUR TITLE
Week 33

Henrik Stenson claimed his sixth PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship. Stenson closed with a 6-under 64 for a one-stroke victory in the final event of the PGA TOUR regular season.

Adrian Otaegui produced a stunning fightback to beat home favourite Marcel Siem 2 and 1 and win his first European Tour title at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play.

Talor Gooch came from five shots back to win the News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot by one shot with a final-round, 6-under 65 on Sunday. The 25-year-old’s first career Web.com Tour victory locks up his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season and moves him to No. 3 on the Regular Season money list.

21ST AUGUST 2017 | 06:35 AM

PGA Tour - Wyndham Championship

Henrik Stenson claimed his sixth PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship.

Stenson closed with a 6-under 64 for a one-stroke victory in the final event of the PGA TOUR regular season.

The 2013 FedExCup champion finished at 22-under 258 at Sedgefield Country Club, breaking the course's 72-hole record set by Carl Pettersson in 2008 and matched last year by Si Woo Kim.

The Swede earned $1,044,000 and 500 FedExCup points for his sixth win on tour and his first since the 2016 British Open.

"It's certainly a good time to start firing," Stenson said. "We know the kind of damage you can do in the playoffs. ... If you get hot and keep on playing well, you have a chance to challenge."

Stenson said he left his driver in his locker all week -- "he's a little anxious to get out there and start getting some air time next week," he quipped of the club -- and certainly didn't need it on the par-70 Sedgefield course.

For the second straight day, he had four birdies in a five-hole stretch of the back nine.

Ollie Schniederjans shot a 64 to finish second. Webb Simpson was 18 under after a 67."


European Tour - Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play

Adrian Otaegui produced a stunning fightback to beat home favourite Marcel Siem 2 and 1 and win his first European Tour title at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play.

Siem was three up at the turn and two up with five holes to play but Otaegui won the 14th with a par and then made three birdies in a row to claim his maiden win in his 123rd event.

The Spaniard came into the week off the back of four consecutive top-20 finishes and was the form player heading into the final having never been taken up the last in his five matches while making 31 birdies and one eagle in 28 under par.

He made nine pars on the front nine as birdies handed Siem the first, fourth and eighth holes but won six of the eight holes after the turn - including the final four - making five more birdies in the process while staying bogey free.

"It's very, very special to have my first European Tour victory here at the Paul Lawrie. I'm so happy," he said. "The way I played the back nine being three down after nine holes, I played good golf.

Web.com Tour - News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot

Talor Gooch came from five shots back to win the News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot by one shot with a final-round, 6-under 65 on Sunday. The 25-year-old’s first career Web.com Tour victory locks up his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season and moves him to No. 3 on the Regular Season money list.

“It’s everything you’ve ever dreamed about,” Gooch said. “This is as much about my family, my friends, (caddie) Kelsey (Cline), my coach and so many people along the way that have helped. This is a culmination of everything right now.”

Gooch’s 18-under 266 edged out Jonathan Hodge by one shot after Hodge’s chip from the greenside rough to force a playoff at the last came up just short.

“That chip on 18 was in the really thick rough, but it was a decent lie and a decent chance and had a shot,” Hodge said. “I would have liked it to hit it harder, but I can’t complain. I’m super happy with how I played all week.”

Gooch trailed Hodge, who was playing in the group behind him, by two with five holes to play. But he rolled in a 6-foot birdie at the 14th to tie up the lead after Hodge three-putted the 13th. His first solo lead of the tournament, which he would never relinquish, came at the par-4 15th, where he hit it to 5 feet and rolled it in. It was that type of ball-striking day, hitting 17 of 18 greens in the final round.

Challenge Tour – Viking Challenge

Clément Sordet cruised to his third European Challenge Tour title by carding a final round of 67 to win the inaugural edition of the Viking Challenge by five shots.

Heavy rain earlier in the week had caused the competition to be reduced to 54 holes, with the final round at Miklagard Golf taking place today.

Sordet began the day with a share of the lead, but after four birdies in his first six holes, the Frenchman moved into a commanding position that he would not relinquish.

The 24 year old, whose previous Challenge Tour victories came at the 2015 Northern Ireland Open and the 2016 Turkish Airlines Challenge, did see his lead reduced to two after making a double bogey on the par four 14th – his only blemish of the day.

But after consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th Sordet went into the final two holes with a four-shot cushion.

A par at the last handed Sordet a third Challenge Tour victory in three years – and meant the Frenchman sealed his place in next week’s Rolex Trophy.

“I am delighted to get into the Rolex Trophy,” he said. “I was supposed to go to Denmark and play on the European Tour next week but now I have to change my flight so I can travel to Geneva.

PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour – Fiji International

South Australian Jason Norris’ life changed with a drop of a putt as he won the Fiji International at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course.

Australian Jason Norris claimed his maiden title in style as a final-round 67 earned him a four-stroke victory.

A brilliant birdie burst on the front nine put Norris in control and he carded two birdies and two bogeys after the turn to finish the week on 14 under par.

Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond finished in a tie for second place alongside Australian duo David McKenzie and James Marchesani after producing a course-record 64 which featured an eagle and six birdies.

Norris began the day one shot behind overnight leader Wade Ormsby after posting a third-round 70 on Saturday.

But he soon caught his compatriot at the summit, picking up a shot at the first to move to ten under par.

And Norris took the outright lead when he rolled in his tricky ten-foot birdie putt at the third to get to 11 under before making another gain at the next.

Sunshine Tour – Vodacom Origins of Golf Arabella

Keith Horne’s level-par score in the final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Arabella Hotel and Spa proved enough to win him his ninth Sunshine Tour title as he finished on a total six-under-par 210 on Saturday.

Horne was a threat from the beginning of the tournament as he posted consecutive rounds of 69 on Thursday and Friday to take and hold on to the lead. He then started his final round with three pars and bogey on the fourth before two important birdies made it into his card. The back nine was not too different because he made bogey on 11, made birdie 14 before dropping another shot on the par-three 17.

“I’m over the moon,” Horne said after his win. “A win is always great and it’s been a while. I think it’s been a couple of years and I really felt like I deserved to win quite a few times. I really played solid golf the whole week this week.”

And, despite windy and cold conditions at Arabella, Horne always believed he was in with a shot. “It was quite hard coming with a big lead down the stretch,” he noted, “and, it was difficult trying to play safe and at the same time play positively but I was playing really well.” He added that the birdie he made on the eighth hole did a lot to settle him down.


PGA Tour LatinoAmerica - Abierto del Paraguay-Copa NEC

In the final round of the 2017 Abierto del Paraguay-Copa NEC, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez won by four strokes despite carding three bogeys on his last five holes to earn his fifth PGA TOUR Latinoamérica title.

ProGolf Tour - Starnberg Open

German amateur Max Schmidt secured himself his second victory on the Pro Golf Tour in 2017 at the Starnberg Open.

With rounds of 67, 64 and 64, total 18 under par, the 19-year-old won at the Golfclub Starnberg with one stroke advance over lasts week champion, Swiss Marco Iten (66,67, 63).

PGA Tour Canada – National Capital Open to Support Our Troops

Kentucky’s Mark Blakefield shot a final round 6-under 65 on Sunday at Hylands Golf Club to win the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada victory.

The 35-year old took control of the tournament with birdies on seven of eight holes in the middle of his round, then converted tricky up-and-downs for par on the final two holes to win by two over Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok.

“You get gotta get it done, one way or another. Winning’s never easy, and hardly ever do you just get a walk in the park to the 18th green. Sometimes you have to come up with something when you need it,” said Blakefield, who finished at 20-under for the week.

Starting the day one stroke back of 54-hole leader Charlie Danielson, Blakefield started slowly but quickly picked up the pace with birdies on holes No. 5-9, eventually reaching 20-under with three more birdies on the back nine.

With the tournament firmly in his grasp and the tough, into-the-wind par-4 17th and 18th holes left, the University of Kentucky grad converted a sand save from the greenside bunker on the penultimate hole and a tricky up-and-down from left of the green at 18 to secure the title.

“Obviously it was a great week and I played great, but the one thing was that I threw a few shots away with some bad up-and-downs that I didn’t get. To get those two on the last two holes was fantastic, especially to make those two putts when I needed them,” said Blakefield.

The win comes at a special time for Blakefield and his fiancée, professional golfer and former Big Break champion Bri Vega, who has caddied for her future husband at six events this year, including this week.

EuroPro Tour – Pentahotels Championship

MinKyu Kim carded rounds of 65, 67, 73 to win the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s Pentahotels Championship by two shots to become the Tour’s youngest ever champion.

At just 16-years old, Kim (Golfmind Korea) claimed his first EuroPro Tour title at Caversham Heath Golf Club and lead from wire to wire.

The final day was marred by poor weather and saw lightning suspend play twice at 12.15pm and 2.15pm, before eventually resuming at 4.30pm.

Kim, who resumed his round on the 6th, weathered the storm to put an electric display in on the front nine, carding five birdies in the process. However, his back nine was anything but electric, bogies on the 13th and 14th reduced his lead to four shots, but back-to-back birdies in response re-established his commanding lead before a double bogey on 18.

“I am so happy and really impressed with my win”: said Kim, who wins £10,000 as well as a brand new Motocaddy S3 PRO electric trolley with lithium battery, Bushnell Pro X2 Range Finder and Bolle sunglasses.

“I focused on my game and that really helped me. I was nervous, but I tried to not let the pressure get to me.”

“I’d like to thank the EuroPro Tour, Caversham Heath, Golf Mind Korea, and the KJ Choi Foundation for all of their support.”

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