JOHNSON EXTENDS HIS LEAD WITH RBC CANADIAN OPEN WIN
Week 30

Johnson birdied all four of the par fives at Glen Abbey Golf Club en route to a 6-under-par 66 pulling away from the field on Sunday in the RBC Canadian Open to capture his third victory of the season and 19th on the PGA TOUR.

Justin Harding of South Africa cruised to a six-shot victory at the Royal Cup to become the first player since 2011 to win back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour on Sunday jumping to a career best of World No.99.

Richard McEvoy birdied the last to win an emotional first European Tour title at the 285th attempt at the Porsche European Open moving to World No.139.

30TH JULY 2018 | 05:22 AM

PGA Tour – RBC Canadian Open

Johnson birdied all four of the par fives at Glen Abbey Golf Club en route to a 6-under-par 66 pulling away from the field on Sunday in the RBC Canadian Open to capture his third victory of the season and 19th on the PGA TOUR.

Tied for third-round lead with Kevin Tway, Byeong Hun An and Whee Kim, Johnson shot a 6-under 66 for a three-stroke victory over Kim and An. Johnson finished at 23-under 265, winning at Glen Abbey after finishing second in 2013 and 2016 — and a week after missing the cut in The Open Championship.

"Even after the missed cut last week, I felt like I was hitting it fine," Johnson said. "I just did not score very well at Carnoustie at all. I didn't putt good. I just scored really badly. But I felt like I hit the ball plenty good enough to be under par after two days, and I was 5 over or something. It was just bad scoring."

It fell into place at Glen Abbey, the Jack Nicklaus-designed course slated for redevelopment.

"I needed to work on the putter though, which I did," Johnson said. "Started rolling the putter a lot better here this week. Really, really hit the ball well all four days."

Johnson has an endorsement deal with title sponsor RBC and fiancee Paulina is hockey great Wayne Gretzky's daughter, adding to the American star's popularity in Canada.

"Signing with RBC this year and coming up here and winning, especially on a golf course where I've had success, it means a lot," Johnson said. "Obviously, having a lot of ties to Canada with Paulina, her dad, Wayne, who, thanks to him, I get a lot of fans out here. It makes it a lot more fun playing out here in front of a big crowd. I had a lot of support this week, and it was a lot of fun.

Johnson also won at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in January and the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June in Memphis, Tennessee.


Asian Tour - Royal Cup

Justin Harding of South Africa cruised to a six-shot victory at the Royal Cup to become the first player since 2011 to win back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour on Sunday jumping to a career best of World No.99.

The in-form Harding fired a three-under-par 67 in the final round of the US$500,000 Asian Tour event. With a winning total of 14-under-par 266, Harding became the first player to win twice in his first two starts in Asia.

The 32-year-old, won the BANK BRI Indonesia Open two weeks ago, took home the winner’s purse of US$90,000 while earning his fourth title in a span of two months at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club.

Defending champion Shiv Kapur of India battled to a 71 to share second place with Australia’s Jake McLeod (67), Kurt Kitayama (67) of the United States and Chapchai Nirat, who finished as the highest ranked local player following a 68.

European Tour - Porsche European Open

Richard McEvoy birdied the last to win an emotional first European Tour title at the 285th attempt at the Porsche European Open moving to World No.139.

The Englishman is a six-time Qualifying School and two-time Challenge Tour graduate, who claimed his third Challenge Tour crown just last week at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.

He had only kept his card on the European Tour twice since winning the Q-School in 2003 but his long wait for victory is now over after a closing 73 at Green Eagle Golf Courses handed him an 11 under par total and a one-shot victory over local amateur Allen John, Swede Christofer Blomstrand and Italian Renato Paratore.

The 39 year old held a two-shot lead on the front nine and for much of the afternoon was battling it out with playing partner and joint overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau.

Back-to-back bogeys from McEvoy on the 12th and 13th had the American in the lead but DeChambeau dropped five shots in his last four holes to fall back.

A McEvoy birdie on the 15th edged him back in front but John was already in the clubhouse at ten under as the deaf amateur – who rejoined the unpaid ranks in 2016 after turning professional in 2011 - produced one of the stories of the week with a closing 67.

Blomstrand and Paratore both birdied the last for rounds of 68 and 70 respectively to join John and when McEvoy bogeyed the 17th, there was a four-way tie for the lead.

A lay-up on the last left McEvoy 20 feet up the hill for victory and nerves of steel saw him sink the right-to-lefter for a remarkable victory.

“It's incredible,” he said. “I've waited a long time, 17 years as a pro on and off the Tour. I'm absolutely over the moon. A lot of hard work, a lot of bad years, a lot of good years but it's never quite happened, and it was my time on that 18th green today.


Web.com - Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper

Martin Trainer won the Price Cutter Charity Championship and secures first PGA TOUR card, moving to World No.234.


Challenge Tour - Euram Bank Open

Darius van Driel survived an epic Sunday battle at the top of the leaderboard to claim his first win on the European Challenge Tour at the inaugural Euram Bank Open.

The Dutchman began the final round with a share of the lead alongside Scotland’s David Law — two shots clear of Road To Ras Al Khaimah leader Joachim B. Hansen and American Sean Crocker, who made the cut at last week’s 147th Open Championship.

After his second birdie of the day on the par four fifth hole, van Driel had taken sole possession of the lead but was quickly joined by Crocker after he started his final round with birdies on four of the first seven holes.

Crocker briefly held the solo-lead following a van Driel bogey on the par three eighth hole, but when the American dropped a shot at the 9th, van Driel reasserted himself atop the Euram Bank Open leaderboard by birdieing the same hole.

The lead continued to change hands throughout the back-nine and by the time the penultimate pairing reached the penultimate hole, all four players in the final two groups were tied on 16 under par.

Crocker was the first of the quartet to fall off as he bogeyed the par four 17th hole and was then joined by his playing partner Hansen on 15 under par as the Dane made a four on the closing par three.

“On 17 I thought ‘well this is the one’ and luckily I made birdie there,” van Driel said. “It helped me to take a one stroke lead to the last, which is what you want on a par three.”

Law did not drop a shot the entire final day, but he could only manage to make par on the closing holes.

Van Driel barely missed the green on the 72nd hole and played a quality shot to within a few feet of the cup, but the distance left for victory felt much longer for The Hague resident who had never won on the Challenge Tour.

“It was a little bit too long,” he said. “I know I chipped it close, but it was still too far away to really be at ease about it. I felt my hands shaking, but luckily it went in.


Asian Development Tour – PGM Northport Championship

Josh Salah of the United States was victorious after beating Bangladesh’s Shakhawat Shohel after three extra holes at the PGM Northport Championship on Saturday moving to World No. 793.

Salah and Shakhawat were tied on 13-under-par 275 at the end of regulation play at the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event, hosted by Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

The 27-year-old Salah, who carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66, had a great chance to win at the first play-off hole, but his ball narrowly lipped out. He also missed another opportunity from six feet at the second extra hole.

The play-off was moved from the 18th hole to the 17th hole and that was where Salah managed to edge ahead of Shakhawat. The Bangladeshi drove it into the right hazard and was not able to get up-and-down, while Salah parred the hole for his second win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).

Starting the day three shots behind the leader, Salah closed the deficit with birdies on holes one, three and five. Crucial par saves on the ninth and the 18th allowed him to force his way into the play-off.

“At the ninth, I drove my tee shot into the trees. After punching it out, I had about 80 yards left but I hit a huge wedge shot and putted in for par. The 18th was also crucial. I rolled it in for par from around nine feet to keep it at 13-under-par. Otherwise, I would have missed out on the play-offs,” said Salah.

PGA Tour Series China - PGM Northport Championship

Canada’s Peter Campbell shot a closing 70 to hold off China’s Huilin Zhang and win his first pro title at the Beijing Championship, the ninth event of this year’s PGA TOUR Series-China. Campbell, 35, is the third Canadian to win on Tour, following 2015 winners Justin Shin and Eugene Wong.

The left-hander held a two-stroke lead after the second and third rounds at Topwin Golf & Country Club, and finished at 17-under, just one ahead of playing partner Zhang, who was two strokes better that Campbell on Sunday but not quite good enough.

Campbell, who has also played on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, had even considered withdrawing ahead of the Beijing Championship after missing the cut in the previous two events. But with a “no-care attitude” at Topwin, that ultimately helped him cope with the pressure of leading.

“It worked. I don’t know how I did it. I mean, nothing really phased me out there. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before, so definitely something to think about going forward,” said Campbell, who was previously in position to win earlier this season, tied for second, after 54 holes of the Chongqing Championship in March. A Sunday 74 left him tied 14th, still his best result in the first eight events.

His resume changed Sunday.

“It’s just awesome. This just came out of nowhere, and I was able to put some good swings together. It was a tough day, we had a good group, we all battled out there and luckily I was able to come away with it.”

Campbell opened his day with a birdie, bogeyed the fifth and birdied the eighth to make the turn one ahead of Zhang, who birdied Nos. 4, 7 and 8 as hot, humid temperatures descended on China’s capital city.

EuroPro Tour - The Pentahotels Championship

Jordan Wrisdale finished birdie-birdie to clinch his first EuroPro Tour title by a shot at the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s Pentahotels Championship at Caversham Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire.

Wrisdale (Boston) started the day a shot clear on 12-under par and struggled to find momentum on the front nine, picking up just one birdie and two bogeys to form a pack of golfers including James Frazer (Pennard Golf Club) and Brendan McCarroll (West Cliffs Golf Links).

Frazer was the man in form on the final round picking up two eagles and six birdies en route to his 68 (-5) round, but a long approach shot into the final hole proved to be one bogey too many as Wrisdale emerged from the pack with a birdie-birdie finish.

His second shot to five feet on the 18thwas a worthy winner for the Boston golfer, who now joins fellow Bostonians Dave Coupland and Billy Spooner as a champion this season.

Reflecting on his maiden win he said: “It feels unbelievable, it’s all that I’ve worked over the last few years and to finally pull it off feels amazing. It was frustrating for me at times out there today but I just remained patient, I hit a lot of good shots and wasn’t rewarded.

“It hasn’t quite yet sunk in but to finish in style with a birdie-birdie finish of a golf course like this is great. I didn’t initially know that I had won though, I thought it was going to take me in a play-off against James Frazer!”


ALPS Tour Golf - Des Iles Borromees Open Presented by Cashback

Italy’s Andrea Saracino won today Des Iles Borromées Open with a total score of -18.

It was Saracino’s first professional victory at the Golf Des Iles Borromées.

Tied for 2nd place are Julien Foret (FRA) and Santiago Tarrio (ESP) who finished 6 strokes behind Saracino at -12 total. Foret had entered today’s final round as leader of the tournament at -13.

France’s Victor Marchiset turned in the best card of the day at -7. He finished in 4th place at -11.

“I’m very happy” 24-year-old Andrea Saracino said.” Today was easy even though I was a bit nervous. I made 7 birdies and 1 bogey. I started with a birdie on the first hole, then I birdied on holes 5 and 6 » he explained. “This week was rather difficult with the weather conditions. It was very hot and humid. But I’m just very happy” he concluded.

“I had a good week even though I’m disappointed at the outcome” Foret said. “I hit a very bad shot on hole 4 (double bogey) but I was able to remain focused until the end. I was looking at securing this second place because Andrea quickly made the difference on the front 9 as he shot 5 under. He had a great day » he continued. “I hit a birdie on hole 17 which put me back in 2nd place. I can only be satisfied with this day during which I had to fight to keep this second place” he said. “I’m satisfied with my week overall, I hit low scores, I putted very well and as a whole, it went very well” he concluded.

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