Welcome to the February Pro Golf Wrap-Up – everything you need to know in the world of golf expertly curated by your friends at Global Golf Management.
New faces mixed with familiar names in the winner’s circle on the PGA TOUR in the month of February. On the LPGA, two veterans returned to the podium in a couple of feel-good stories of renewal.
First, at the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Club in Victoria, Australia, Hee Young Park of South Korea outlasted So Yeon Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi in a playoff to win her third career title on Feb. 9. All three players finished at 8-under 281, but Park was the champion when she converted a par on the fourth sudden death playoff hole.
The tournament was held concurrently with a European Tour men’s event, won by Min Woo Lee of Western Australia.
After a nearly two-year winless drought, Inbee Park, who hopes to defend her Olympic gold medal victory from 2016, captured the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open for her 20th career title.
Park, 31, shot a closing 1-over 74 at Royal Adelaide amid windy conditions to win by three strokes over American Amy Olson. The South Korean veteran finished at 14-under 278.
On the men’s side, winners were Webb Simpson, Nick Taylor, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Reed.
On Super Bowl Sunday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Simpson, the former U.S. Open champion, put on a super finish at TPC Scottsdale to stun Tony Finau for his sixth career victory.
Simpson, 34, birdied his final two holes of regulation to force a playoff with Finau and then birdied the 18thagain on the first hole of their sudden-death playoff for the triumph. He improved to 2-6 in playoffs in his career. The victory was Simpson’s first since THE PLAYERS Championship in 2018, and it came after four runner-up finishes since last summer. Simpson closed with a 2-under 69 to match Finau at 17-under 267. Finau shot 70.
https://www.pgatour.com/news/2020/02/02/webb-simpson-wins-waste-management-phoenix-open.htm
Canada’s Nick Taylor won among a host of household names at Pebble Beach Golf Links, staring down, among others, defending champion Phil Mickelson to capture his second career PGA TOUR title at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
It was an impressive performance as Taylor, ranked 229th in the world, won wire-to-wire. His closing 2-under 70 gave him a four-stroke victory at 19-under 268, four ahead of Kevin Streelman, who had a 68. Mickelson was third after his 74 left him at 273.
Adam Scott won the Genesis Open, hosted by Tiger Woods, by emerging from a final-round scuffle with a collection of contenders, including World No. 1 Rory McIlroy. The former Masters champion, who once was No. 1 in the world himself, needed only a 1-under 70 at famed Riviera Country Club, to post a three-stroke victory over three men for his first win in four years.
Scott completed 72 holes in 11 under 273, while Matt Kuchar, the third-round leader, Sung Kang and Scott Brown shared runner-up honors.
The final week of February saw the staging of two PGA TOUR events played, both abroad. Patrick Reed won the WGC-Mexico Championship, while rookie Viktor Hovland captured his first career title at the Puerto Rico Open – and they did it with the same aggregate score.
Reed won for the eighth time in his career when he shot a final-round 67 on Feb. 23 for a one-stroke victory over Bryson DeChambeau. Spaniard Jon Rahm was third. Reed finished at 18-under 270 at Chapultepec Golf Club with an impressive performance.
Meanwhile, also on Feb. 23, Hovland, who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, overcame a triple bogey in the middle of his round and sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for an exhilarating one-stroke win over Josh Teater. Hovland, 22, of Norway, carded a final-round 70 for his 270 winning total.
https://www.golf.com/news/2020/02/23/viktor-hovland-wins-puerto-rico-open-walk-off-birdie/
Both events were run with the help and guidance of Global Golf Management.
Stay tuned here and on Global Golf Management Twitter for next month’s Pro Golf Wrap-Up.