Taylor Pendrith enjoys maiden Tour win at The CJ CUP Byron Nelson moving into the Top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. Pendrith shot a final-round 67 to finish at 23-under par on a steamy, soggy TPC Craig Ranch and beat Ben Kohles by one.
News for the 9 Eligible Official World Golf Ranking Tournaments
PGA Tour - THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
The sun broke loose at last over THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. It shined directly on Taylor Pendrith. After a wrenching sequence of holes that saw his one-shot lead tied on the 16th and lost on the 17th, the 32-year-old Canadian holed a short putt for birdie Sunday at the par-5 finisher to win his first PGA Tour title in 74 starts. Moving him inside the Top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.
He shot a final-round 67 to finish at 23-under par on a steamy, soggy TPC Craig Ranch and beat Ben Kohles by one. Pendrith held the lead of much of the day, which dawned with threatening clouds after 1.9 inches of rain fell overnight.
He lost that lead at the par-4 eighth, when he made bogey and Kohles made birdie. That was about the time the sun appeared for the first time. Minutes later, Pendrith two-putted for birdie on the par-5 ninth; Kohles made par. They were tied at the turn, with names like Jake Knapp, Matt Wallace, Alex Noren and Aaron Rai close behind.
Forecasters expected more rain — typical for North Texas in May. But none fell. The air at times was nearly still, a rare occurrence at the annual springtime affair bearing the name of one of the greatest competitors in the history of tournament golf. After three days of spitting mist and overcast skies, the final nine holes were airy and bright.
The other contenders faded late. Not Pendrith or Kohles. Pendrith holed gritty putts for par at the par-4 16th and the par-3 17th, holes Kohles birdied. But Kohles mismanaged a short greenside shot from deep rough on the last, then missed the 5-foot par putt that would’ve forced a playoff.
Pendrith said it happened so fast, going from thinking he had to make eagle to tie to steeling himself over a 3-footer to win. He banged it home.
“It was all a blur, the last hour,” Pendrith said. “To finally get it done feels unbelievable.”
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 41.8152
World Number 107 - 58
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China Tour & DP World Tour - Volvo China Open
Adrian Otaegui overturned a five-shot deficit thanks to a brilliant final round of 65 to secure the Volvo China Open by one stroke. In-form Sebastian Söderberg was aiming to seal a wire-to-wire victory at Hidden Grace Golf Club, which had been reduced to 54 holes after Saturday's third round was cancelled due to thunder and lightning in the Shenzhen area.
However, the Swede struggled on Sunday as Otaegui produced a flawless display and back-to-back birdies from the 16th saw him hit the front for the first time at 18 under par.
Söderberg replied with a brilliant gain at the penultimate hole, but he went out of bounds with his final tee-shot for a closing double bogey, which saw him slide to a tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach at 16 under, one behind runner-up Guido Migliozzi.
"I'm very, very happy, I'm extremely happy," Otaegui said after the victory. "I had to wait a little bit since I finished, see what was happening in the final group but luckily for me, things turned up well and I'm extremely happy.
"I was starting five shots back and I tried not to look at the leaderboard, not think about the result, try to play how I played on Thursday and Friday and think if things go well, it's a course where I can have some birdie chances.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 14.5885
World Number 143 - 110
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Japan Golf Tour - The Crowns
Ren Yonezawa emerged victorious in a gripping two-man showdown against Naoyuki Kataoka on the back nine of Sunday's play, securing his inaugural JGTO title at The Crowns.
The 24-year-old, now in his third full season competing on JGTO, birdied the final hole at Nagoya Golf Club's Wago Course to finish the tournament at 13-under-par 267, clinching the title by a single shot after a final-round 65.
Starting the day tied for third and trailing by two shots, Yonezawa surged into the lead with a birdie on the eighth hole. He quickly extended his advantage with two more birdies in the following two holes.
A bogey on the 12th allowed Kataoka to join him atop the leaderboard. Although Kataoka briefly took the lead with his fifth birdie of the day on the 14th, Yonezawa displayed nerves of steel by saving par from about five meters on the 15th, keeping himself in contention.
Kataoka's costly bogey on the 16th, his second of the day, levelled the playing field, setting up a dramatic finish on the par-four final hole. Both Yonezawa and Kataoka's tee shots found the right forest, but Yonezawa's shot had a clear path, enabling him to delicately place his second shot beside the left pin from the rough. It was a well-deserved breakthrough for Yonezawa, after coming in joint runner-up twice last year at Panasonic Open and Casio World Open.
"I've been eager for victory since the start of this year, especially after finishing second twice last year," said Yonezawa.
"It's incredibly fulfilling to have reached this milestone sooner than I anticipated.
“Seeing many players of my age group achieve victories naturally fueled my desire to win too. While I can't deny feeling impatient (for the win), considering it's only my third year as a professional, I focused on sticking to my strategic plan without rushing. I'm happy I managed to win today.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://www.jgto.org/en/news/32779
Points Won - 5.9231
World Number 527 - 370
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Asian Tour & KPGA Tour - The 43rd GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship
Korean Hongtaek Kim showed he is just as good on the golf course as he is playing simulator golf today when he beat Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam in a sudden-death play-off to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club – on an overcast day with persistent rain that left everyone drenched.
Kim, a star on the golf simulator circuit on Korea’s GTour – his nickname is King of the Screen thanks to 12 wins – drained a knee-knocking four-foot par putt on the first extra hole to claim one of Korea’s most coveted titles.
The pair finished tied in regulation play on 10-under after Kim, who started the day three behind overnight leader Junghwan Lee from Korea, had stormed through on the back nine with three birdies in a row from 13 and another on 17.
His two-under-par 69 gave him the clubhouse lead before Chonlatit, playing in the last group and bidding to become the first foreigner to win the event since American Mark Calcavecchia in 2004, courageously holed par save putts on 17 and 18, both from about eight feet, to force the 43rd staging of the event into overtime.
In the play-off, held on the demanding par-four 18th and with the rain constant, Kim found the fairway off the tee, but his Thai opponent landed in the large bunker on the left of the fairway. Chonlatit’s second shot clipped the lip of the trap and left him with a 50-yard approach shot while Kim’s second finished just off the back of the green.
The result was more or less decided when Chonlatit’s third landed 25 feet short. His par putt also struggled to reach the hole and after he holed his four footer for a bogey Kim had virtually the same putt for par to secure the win.
Joked 30-year-old Kim: “There was a misunderstanding that I was only good at simulator golf. I solved the misunderstanding today. I think simulator golf has actually been very helpful. Competing in championships in simulator golf has helped relieve tension.”
He earned a cheque for US$221,231 for what is his first victory on the Asian Tour and third on the Korean PGA Tour, plus he joins an elite list of Korean golfers who won this title, including Bio Kim, Sanghyun Park, Sangho Cho, and Jongduck Kim.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://asiantour.com/king-of-the-screen-kim-shows-he-is-the-real-deal-at-gs-caltex-maekyung-open
Points Won - 7.5062
World Number 1042 - 526
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PGA Tour Americas - KIA Open
Due to unplayable course conditions, the KIA Open has been shortened to 54 holes and third-round leader Thomas Longbella is the tournament winner, the PGA TOUR Americas Rules Committee announced Sunday.
Although heavy overnight rains continued into the morning, Sunday’s final round began as scheduled at 6:27 a.m. CT with the first four groups starting as scheduled. With the fifth group of the morning on the first tee, play was suspended at 7:15 a.m. CT.
“We are extremely grateful towards Quito Tenis y Golf Club’s maintenance staff in providing an exceptional golf course to host this year’s KIA Open," said John Slater, PGA TOUR Americas Chief Referee. "They did an incredible job getting the course prepared for the final round after heavy rain overnight. Although the course was playable this morning and allowed us to begin as scheduled, the rains worsened and ultimately led us to suspend play at 7:15 a.m. We were unable to send players back out due to unplayable course conditions."
In accordance with PGA TOUR Americas Regulations, the tournament results are final through the conclusion of 54 holes. The tournament is considered official and Fortinet Cup points will be awarded.
Longbella eagled the 17th hole Saturday to move to 16-under and take a one-stroke lead over Gunn Yang, which proved to be the final margin of victory. With the win, the 26-year-old moves to No. 4 in the Fortinet Cup going into the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship (May 16-19), the sixth and final event of the Latin America Swing.
Longbella claimed his first PGA TOUR-sanctioned victory at the KIA Open and carded a 7-under 65 in what turned out to be Saturday’s final round. His lowest score of the season was enough to take the lead by one over second-round leader Gunn Yang. Over 54 holes, Longbella consistently worked his way up the leaderboard. A bogey-free 6-under 66 in the first round started the 26-year-old tied for fourth and two strokes back from the lead. He followed that performance with a second-round 3-under 69 and moved into a tie for second. With an eagle on the 17th hole on Saturday, Longbella unknowingly secured his victory.
"Obviously at the time I just thought it [No. 17] was a great hole and got me into a good position," said Longbella. "I didn't really think it was going to be the moment that I actually got the lead and it ended up making me the champion... I'm super excited for the rest of the season, going up to Canada. I played the last couple years up in Canada, so I feel like I have some good experience there. Yeah, yeah, in a great spot for the rest of the year."
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 4.9666
World Number 968 - 552
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Nordic Golf League - Golfkusten Blekinge by Enkla Elbolaget
Albin Bergstrom claimed victory on the Nordic Golf League for the first time finishing the Golfkusten Blekinge by Enkla Elbolaget with a total score of -10 under. Bergstrom finished two shots clear of Hannes Ronneblad who finished on -8 under. Bergstrom may have finished his final round with the worst of his 3 rounds shooting a 71 (-1), however it was enough to get the win over the line. This win moves him into the top 800 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.
For the full Leaderboard follow the link below:
https://danish.golf/ecco-tour/livescore/#/competition/4247913/results
Points Won - 1.2493
World Number 842 - 738
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Abema TV Tour - JAPAN PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE in FUKUI
Satoshi Hara completes his maiden victory on the Abema Tour. After an impressive first two round of 69 and 64 a total of -7 under, Satoshi went into the final round 1 shot in front of the field. Where he continued that lead all the way through to victory with a final round score of 67 (-3) to finish with a total score of -10 Under winning the JAPAN PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE in FUKUI by 1 shot.
For the full Leaderboard follow the link below:
https://www.jgto.org/en/tournament/2908/leaderboard?round=3
Points Won - 1.7594
World Number 1292 - 952
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Asian Development Tour & All Thailand Golf Tour - ADT - All Thailand Partnership Trophy
The Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership ended in dramatic fashion today after Kammalas Namuangruk holed out on the second playoff hole to snatch victory after a close-fought battle with Amarin Kraivixien at Red Mountain Golf Club in Phuket.
Sinking to his knees after the ball rolled in, Kammalas celebrated a brave fight back which saw him come from two shots behind to claim his spot in the play off at the THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Starting the final round tied at 13 under par, the pair battled throughout the day with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Kammalas birdied the opening hole, while Amarin could only make bogey, however within three holes they were back level.
Amarin, with a birdie on the sixth hole, again took the lead which he held until the ninth, when a bogey allowed Kammalas back in and they made the turn paired at 14 under par.
Both players parred the first four holes of the back nine, then Amarin edged ahead with birdies on holes 14 and 16 to take the lead by two shots heading into the last.
A dramatic finish for Kammalas on the final hole – holing a 10-foot putt for eagle while Amarin could only make par – meant both players finished tied with a score of 69 and the tournament was to be decided by a playoff.
Kammalas was excited by his win, and the way in which he managed to fight back and put himself in contention made him confident about his progress within Asian golf.
“I’m proud of myself, “ he said after the prize-giving ceremony. “I started with two birdies but then there was nothing good until 18 when I made eagle putt for play off, and then to chip in for the win, nothing else to say.
“I did not think I was going to win, but I focused on every shot. I was very nervous but I’m feeling good for the year. I think it’s given me a good opportunity now to play more on the ADT and next year hopefully on the Asian Tour,” he added.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://asiantour.com/adt/kammalas-holes-out-to-secure-close-fought-win
https://www.allthailandgolftour.com/news/detail/4532
Points Won - 2.0526
World Number 1513 - 969
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Clutch Pro Tour - Heythrop Park
English golfer Olly Huggins secured victory in the inaugural event of the 2024 season on the Tier 1 Clutch Pro Tour, marking his first win in an Official World Golf Ranking eligible tournament. Heythrop Park was the first event the Clutch Pro Tour had as an OWGR eligible event and didn’t disappoint with an impressive -12 Under par total win from Olly.
Olly did most of the work in the first 2 rounds shooting 2 bogey free rounds gaining a 4 shot advantage going into the final round. He did just about enough on the last day as he shot the worst of his 3 rounds finishing with a 71 (-1). Closing behind Olly was English Ryan Brooks who shot a 64 (-7) to fall short of Olly by 1 shot finishing with a total score of -11 under.
For the full Leaderboard follow the link below:
https://www.owgr.com/events/heythrop-park-10372
https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/10062487838324168132
Points Won - 1.0877
World Number 3283 - 1510
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