Ok, another week has passed and as promised, even though I said this is not the main function of Golf from my Armchair, I did promise to keep you up to date with all the weekend golf results from around the world.
Once again there was some cracking golf played on all tours.
I am hoping this will continue right up to the 1st majors of the year.
Both the main USPGA and LPGA Tours had huge events. They had world class fields battling it out and both produced close and nail biting finales.
Which did you watch? Are you a USPGA or LPGA fan? I guess some of you like the LIV Tour. Let’s hear your preference.
So, here we go.
Tournament Results
This week we have 4 main tour events to report on as follows:
The Arnold Palmer Invitational
This was the latest tournament on the USPGA Tour and was stuffed full of stars from the top of the world rankings.
Names such as world Nos. 1, 2, and 3, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy were lining up. Not to mention major winners such as Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Francesco Molinari, Justin Thomas, Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Danny Willett, Padraig Harrington, and Shane Lowry. That is a long list of major winners competing and please, my apologies to any I have missed in that list. You are also awesome.
However, it was the slightly less known Kurt Kitayama of the United States who came out on top by 1 stroke from Rory McIlroy and Harris English.
Kitayama held off the huge presence of Rory McIlroy, who was disappointed to play the final 5 holes in 1 over par. Still, it is all about getting the job done, and maybe there are bigger things to come for McIlroy, this year. I sort of think so.
It was held at the Bay Hill GC and Lodge, near Orlando, Florida
Puerto Rico Open
This was also from the USPGA Tour.
Congratulations go to Nico Echavarria, from Colombia, who came out on top by 2 shots.
The tournament was held at The Grand Reserve GC, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Women’s World Championship
The Women’s World Championship was the latest offering from the LPGA. It was held at the magnificent Sentosa GC, Singapore. Unfortunately, the nearly incessant rain meant it was not quite so magnificent. However, the tournament produced a really exciting battle with Jin-Young Ko of South Korea, coming out on top after a tournament long battle with the likes of Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang.
The margin of victory was 2 shots with Jin finishing on -17.
Joburg Ladies Open
This is the first mention of the Ladies European Tour.
The event was held at the Modderfontein Golf Club in Johannesburg.
Our winner in South Africa was Lily May Humphreys from England who shot a tournament -12 to win by 2 shots from Spain’s Ana Pelaez.
Coming Up
It’s all go on tour this coming week with the following events happening:
- USPGA – The Players Championship, held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
- DP World Tour – Kenya Open, held at Muthiaga Golf Club.
- Ladies European Tour – South Africa Women’s Open, held at Steenberg Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa.
All eyes this week though will be on the Player’s Championship at TPC Sawgrass. It is once again a fully loaded field with many of the world’s top ranked golfers.
On top of that, the course at Sawgrass is what is called a “stadium Course” due to the design allowing magnificent viewing opportunities. Look out for the par 3 17th in particular.
Unfortunately, the Ladies will not be competing on the LPGA Tour this weekend as their event, The Blue Bay Championships which was to have been held at The Jian Lake Blue Bay golf course in China has been cancelled for the 3rd time in 4 years. This is due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns. Let’s hope it is back in 2024.
Let’s have your early predictions
I know it is early in the year but the US Masters is fast approaching and it is always fun to see who is and who isn’t coming into form.
My personal opinion is when it comes to the biggest tournaments this year, and particularly the Majors, I think we need to look no further than the top 3 in the world.
Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy seem to be in a class of their own at the moment. Other strong contenders will obviously be Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Matt Fitzpatrick, to name just a few.
So, who might come out of the pack and cause a surprise, with a first major title? My tip would have to come from the following, Sam Burns, Chris Kirk, and Max Homa. What do you think?
This week’s winner, Kurt is now ranked No. 19 in the world and seems to be on the up. Could this be the breakthrough he needs to become a major winner this year? I’m not so sure but you never know.
What about you?
If you have any stories to tell from your world of golf, we at Golf from my Armchair would love to hear them.
It can be anything from club competition results to an amazing experience, shot, golf vacation, or absolutely anything.
We have all had some very funny experiences on a golf course and if you would like yours to be shared alongside the big names of golf then please be in touch.
The best way to do that is to email me here at the following: richard@golffrommyarmchair.com
Your stories would be very welcome and if you have any accompanying photos, so much the better (keep them clean!).
Finally
That is it for the weekend golf results and other things. Plenty more to come here in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Make sure you keep popping back for more. If you have any items you would like featured or discussed here, just let me know. The contact website is just above. We look forward to hearing from you.