Trailing third-round leader Campillo all afternoon, Finland’s Valimaki finally hit the front at the 17th courtesy of a seven-foot birdie putt.

But the pendulum swung back Campillo’s way as the Spaniard birdied the last to join Valimaki on 18-under par and take the contest to extra holes.

And Valimaki only needed one play-off hole to seal victory, as a nerveless birdie putt earned him a second DP World Tour title.

Scott Jamieson secured his card for next season with another stunning back-nine display at Doha Golf Club, signing for a closing 69 to finish in a tie for third alongside Nacho Elvira on 16-under.

Valimaki went into the final round one shot behind leader Campillo but found himself two back straight away after his playing partner birdied the first for the fourth round in succession to get to 17-under.

And the 25-year-old appeared in danger of being cut adrift after dropping a shot at the sixth.

But he responded with back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth, holing from around 15 feet on both occasions.

He cut the gap at the top to one shot with an 11-foot birdie at the 12th, before pulling alongside 2020 champion Campillo with a 20-foot putt on the 13th, with the Spaniard narrowly missing his birdie attempt from 13 feet moments later.

Campillo came agonisingly close to getting a birdie on the next hole but his 16-foot effort clung to the left edge of the cup without dropping.

But no damage was done as Valimaki failed to take advantage from a little closer in.

Errant tee-shots from both of the leaders at the 15th threw the battle wide open, with Valimaki among the pebbles and Campillo in the thick rough.

While Valimaki opted to knock his ball back on to the fairway, Campillo went for the green and managed to two-putt from 40 feet for par, while the Finn surrendered a bogey after missing his 20-foot par try.

But it was Campillo’s turn to find the rocks with his tee-shot at the 16th, and he made his first bogey of the day to sit alongside Valimaki on 17-under.

Both players found the green at the short 17th, but after Campillo’s 13-foot putt pulled up just shy, Valimaki holed from seven feet to take the lead for the first time all afternoon.

The momentum swung back Campillo’s way on the 18th as he found the green in two, while Valimaki had to lay up. With Valimaki only managing a par to sign for a closing 69, Campillo tapped in his birdie putt from close range to post a 70 and take the contest to a play-off.

But Valimaki came out on top at the first extra hole, knocking in his birdie putt from around six feet after Campillo had missed his attempt.

An emotional Valimaki was thrilled with his victory, saying: “Unbelievable. It’s hard to talk. It’s been a long journey and it feels great.

“I’ve worked so hard and I feel like I’ve earned it a couple of times but it hasn’t come my way. That’s why it feels so amazing.”

When asked what it meant to have his fiancée present for his victory, he added: “She is my number one.”

Main image: DP World Tour

The post Sami Valimaki secures play-off glory at Qatar Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 2020 winner had to return to the course early on day three to finish off his second round, carding four birdies in eight holes to sign for a 65.

And the Spaniard continued his fine form in round three, making six birdies and no bogeys in his first 17 holes to get to 16-under par on Saturday.

He then parred the 18th on Sunday morning to remain one shot clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Finn Sami Välimäki was his nearest challenger on 15-under after finishing his third-round 67 with a birdie at the 18th in near-darkness.

Scottish Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre was a single shot further back following his 70.

His countryman Scott Jamieson was among those another stroke back after firing eight birdies in his final 10 holes on Saturday to give his chances of keeping his DP World Tour card an enormous boost.

Campillo started the day four shots off the lead with eight holes of his second round to complete and reeled off four birdies to sit on 10-under par at the halfway stage of the tournament.

With Daniel Hillier also picking up four birdies in the morning to reach 14-under after two rounds, Campillo remained four strokes back as he got his third round under way.

But he soon set about closing the gap, taking advantage of the par-five first for the third round in succession before adding further birdies at the fifth, seventh and eighth to open up a two-shot lead at the summit.

Campillo made a two-putt birdie on the long 10th to move to 15-under before breaking a run of five successive pars with a birdie at the 16th, having gone agonisingly close to holing his eagle try from almost 80 feet.

He gave himself another outside chance at the par-three 17th but had to settle for a par there, and as he was tapping in, the hooter sounded, meaning his group could not start the 18th until Sunday, when a par saw him remain at 16-under.

Main image: Jorge Campillo. DP World Tour

The post Former champion Jorge Campillo the man to catch in Qatar appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Jorge Campillo was flying high after the first round of the KLM Open at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands, as he rolled in 10 birdies on his way to a nine-under 63 and a three-stroke lead.

The Spaniard started hot with four birdies on the trot from the 11th hoe (his second) and kept up the momentum to lead the field trailing. Andy Sullivan, Joël Stalter and Pablo Larrazábal were Campillo’s nearest challengers on six-under after their 66s.

Home favourite Joost Luiten was in the large group another shot back alongside Englishmen Dale Whitnell and John Parry, Spaniards Alejandro del Rey and Adrian Otaegui, India’s Shubhankar Sharma and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

? Clubhouse Lead ?@jcampillogolf with a brilliant 63 ?#KLMOpen

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 25, 2023

Campillo said: “I played solid really. I hit it great, hit the driver fairly well, missed a few fairways here and there but hit great iron shots and only made one bogey.

“I was 30 feet from birdie but hit it 60 feet past the hole – but overall I played really solid.

“I keep doing the same things. I’m hitting my irons really well, the driver is a little inconsistent but on this golf course, it lets you play from off the fairway as well.

“I putted great today, which I didn’t do in Belgium, so it was a nice day.”

The post Campillo flies to the top at KLM Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A five-under final round of 66 took Campillo to 18-under for the week and earned a two-stroke victory over Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura.

Their respective compatriots Santiago Tarrio and Ryo Hisatsune shared third on 15-under.

Campillo had finished with four straight birdies on Saturday and a similar run — four in five — on Sunday’s front nine kept him in control of the tournament, the highlight a pitch to five feet at the seventh.

Another gain at the 10th was given straight back on the 11th but a succession of pars kept him out in front, a fine approach to within 10 feet at the 16th keeping the run going and helping hold off the challenge of Kawamura.

Hisatsune set the early clubhouse target at 15-under, narrowly missing out on a closing eagle that would have taken him within one of Campillo, who again put himself in prime position on the 17th green.

A birdie there, with Kawamura missing his attempt, gave him a three-shot lead going up the last and the opportunity to knock a routine iron and pair of wedges into the heart of the green, a two-putt par sealing his third DP World Tour win and ending a three-year wait since his victory at the 2020 Qatar Masters.

Ballesteros won this event in 1978, with Campillo the fourth Spanish winner after José María Cañizares and Jordi Garcia Pinto in 1984 and 2013 respectively.

He said: “It’s hard to put my name under those names. Where I am from, the little town, I am very proud.

“Obviously it’s always nice to win a golf tournament but to put my name on the same trophy as Seve is obviously more special for a Spaniard.

“We will (celebrate) when I get back. I will try to enjoy the moment now, sign the scorecard and just get ready for the next tournament.

“You know how golf is, you win now and then the next day you are not that good any more.”

Kawamura made three successive birdies on the front nine and set up a final push with one at the 15th, but was unable to capitalise on half-chances at the next two holes before a closing birdie took him second outright.

Tarrio shrugged off a bogey at the eighth with four birdies on an unblemished back nine for a closing 66.

Hisatsune’s final round was one stroke better after a birdie-birdie finish for the third day in succession.

Lukas Nemecz and Borja Virto shared fifth place on 14 under, with Robert MacIntyre in a group a shot further back after he could only manage a closing 70 while playing in the final group with Campillo and Kawamura.

Ashley Chesters eagled the final hole to lift himself seven places into a share of seventh with MacIntyre, Jayden Schaper and Julien Brun.

The post Jorge Campillo follows in Seve’s footsteps to claim Magical Kenya Open crown appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Spaniard began the day five shots off the lead but charged through the field with a flawless 63 which contained eight birdies, setting the early clubhouse target at 13-under.

The two-time DP World Tour winner was nearly overtaken at the top of the leaderboard in dramatic fashion as Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre almost holed his approach at the 18th for an albatross.

MacIntyre’s wedge shot hit the hole before running around 10 feet past, and although he was unable to convert his eagle putt, the 2022 Italian Open winner made a closing birdie to sit alone in second, one stroke behind Campillo.

Jayden Schaper and Masahiro Kawamura were then in a tie for third on 11-under.

Speaking about his near-miss on the 18th, MacIntyre said: “Mike (caddie Mike Thomson) was adamant I should stay in the middle of the green but I had a wedge in my hand — I’m not really backing away from a pin with a wedge.

“That’s the way I play golf and it was just good to see it be up there close.”

The post Jorge Campillo leads by one ahead of final round in Kenya appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Spaniard Jorge Campillo took command at he Horizon Irish Open as he grabbed the halfway lead on Friday with a four-under 68 at Mount Juliet Estate, as home favourites Seamus Power and Shane Lowry put on a thrilling late show for the jubilant Irish fans.

The County Kilkenny venue saw four seasons in a day as heavy rain and cold weather moved in for the afternoon starters, but not before Campillo had set the clubhouse target at 11-under in more favourable morning conditions.

Power and Lowry, playing together in front of huge crowds, set off on different paths early on in the tricky conditions — World No. 36 Power embarked on a birdie run of five in seven holes at the midway point of his round to move right into contention, while former Open Champion Lowry struggled to get going and was in clear danger of missing the cut.

A stunning finish, however, delighted the local support as Lowry birdied all of the last four holes — finishing in style by holing a 20-footer at the last amid wild celebrations — to make the cut by a shot, while Power also picked up a birdie at the challenging final hole to move to eight under par.

The 35-year-old, who grew up less than an hour away in County Waterford, will enter the weekend just three shots off the pace. Recent US Senior Open winner Padraig Harrington will also entertain the spectators at the weekend after he finished with back-to-back birdies to join Lowry on a three under par total.

“I played great over the last two days, so I can’t complain,” said Campillo. “It was great two days.  Today was a little tougher than yesterday and I managed to play okay as well, so I’m quite happy about it.

“I’m not so good in the rain but the guys from the UK and Ireland, they are quite good, so they still play good. But it’s definitely it’s going to play longer.  It’s harder definitely in the rain and it’s still a little windy. So I think it’s going to be a tough afternoon if stay like this.

“It’s going to be a hard weekend but just looking forward to it.  If I can keep putting the ball in play off the tee, hitting good irons like I’ve been doing, not missing short putts, missed a few today, it will be a good weekend I think.”

Lowry added: “It was pretty cool. To be honest, I had kind of resigned myself to the fact I was going home, packing my bags. Don’t know if I’ve ever birdied the last four to make a cut so that’s a first. I’m just happy to be in the weekend.

“Everybody knows how much this tournament means to me and how much I want to be here. Quite a few people come to see me play and nice to have them here now and I’m looking forward to the weekends.”

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The post DP World Tour: Jorge Campillo takes charge at Irish Open as home hopes Lowry and Power thrill crowds appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
A month after Dustin Johnson captured his second Saudi International title in three attempts, the European Tour season cranks back into life in Doha on Thursday.

The $1.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters enjoys a rich history with Adam Scott (twice), Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Retief Goosen, Paul Lawrie and Sergio Garcia former winners of the Mother of Pearl trophy.

Quite who will join that elite company when Education City G.C. plays host to the event for the second time this week is anyone’s guess given a wide open field of seasoned European Tour winners, talented youngsters and journeymen just as hopeful of a breakthrough.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Thursday’s first round.

Wide Open

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Being scheduled opposite golf’s unofficial fifth major, The Players Championship, is a glass half full or half empty proposition depending on your viewpoint. While the world’s great and good are at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, there are 2000 Ryder Cup points and a precious European Tour exemption on the line for the lesser lights in Doha so expect a tight tussle.

Four-time European tour winner Andy Sullivan is the highest-ranked player at 61st in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and one of just eight players rated inside the top 100 so take your pick. The Englishman’s T-25 placing in Abu Dhabi is his best finish in four 2021 starts which includes a T-68 finish at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession in the last week of February.

2020 Recap
Jorge Campillo’s epic playoff victory over David Drysdale sadly got lost in the confusion that reigned this time last year as the coronavirus pandemic swept the world. Indeed, the European Tour shut down for four months immediately after Campillo outlasted Drysdale at the fifth hole of overtime at Education City courtesy of three putts holed from more than 20 feet in the playoff.

The Spaniard is clearly looking forward to defending for the first time despite Qatar being his second European Tour win. In a crazy old year, Campillo was denied that opportunity when the Trophée Hassan II, which he won in 2019, was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

“It’s different [being defending champion], I’ve never been in this position before because the other tournament I won [Trophée Hassan II] I couldn’t defend it. It’s new for me. I have had most of the attention this week, but I’m fine with it. It’s nice to be the defending champion.

“I’ve had a long time to think about the win. I was playing good and was ready to go to India to try and win another golf tournament, but that was stopped because of the pandemic. It was hard to come back after the break.

“The play-off stands out the most. It was such a great play-off. Besides all the putts I made, I hit some good shots too. David played great and I was glad I made those putts to keep up in the play-off.”

The defending champion is back with his trophy ?#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/oyokjVefP7

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 10, 2021

COVID lingers
Sadly, the pandemic remains a pesky reality for the game a year on. The European Tour announced on Wednesday that Lorenzo Scalise had been forced to withdraw after a positive COVID test.

The Italian, who has not exhibited any symptoms, was tested on arrival at Hamad International Airport on Tuesday afternoon as part of the pre-tournament screening process.

Others to watch
This week’s field includes three former champions in Darren Fichardt, Justin Harding and Eddie Pepperell, along with 2016 Ryder Cup players Thomas Pieters and Sullivan.

Pepperell, the 2018 champion at Doha Golf Club who went on to capture the British Masters seven months later, was typically forthright when he cornered for some preview content, saying “I need to become a golf professional again”

Check it out:

“I need to become a golf professional again.”@PepperellEddie ahead of this week’s #QatarMasters. pic.twitter.com/7kgdeACY15

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 10, 2021

Desert Ascent

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Don’t be surprised if Rasmus Højgaard features strongly. The 19-year-old Dane, who won twice in his rookie season, is trending nicely this Desert Swing after rattling of T-25, T-9 and 6th places finishes in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively.

Højgaard did miss the cut at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession but thinks he’s figured out why.

“I struggled at the WGC at The Concession, I think I got caught up in thinking about the result there,” Højgaard said.

“It’s a big event, you want to play well. I was thinking more about that instead of producing good golf shots. That will be my focus this week. I want to win as much as possible, but it’s more important that I keep improving my game and that should produce good results and more wins, I hope.

“It feels good to be back in Qatar, it’s a good course and I enjoyed playing it last year.”

The post All you need to know about the Qatar Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray

Tyrrell’s a treat
Given his giddy run of form over the past 16 months – victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship triumph was his fourth in 20 starts – has Tyrrell Hatton surpassed Tommy Fleetwood as Europe’s chief major champion in waiting? Perhaps. The Englishman unquestionably crept above Rory McIlroy to fifth in the OWGR. The only European above him? Jon Rahm, also the owner of four Rolex Series gold stars. You’ve got to love the ball-striking, the icy-calmness closing out events and the honest self-assessments, both during rounds and afterwards.

“Definitely pinching myself. It’s just very surreal to be that high in the world rankings. I don’t look at myself or — I don’t know how to sort of word it. I guess I’m very — yeah, I’m struggling to find the words how to put it across but I’ll just say it is very cool to be where I am at the moment.”

“Hi, I’m Tyrrell…and I’m an angry golfer”
“If you’re feeling glum, pop up a thumb”. The European Tour’s social media team always seem on point but how about the timing of having eventual champion Tyrrell Hatton front their latest ditty, #AngryGolfers? “I’m not quite sure why they chose me,” Hatton drolly told on-course commentator Tim Barter a round after previewing the soon-to-be-released viral video with a double thumbs up to mock a rare wayward drive on the National layout. Classic stuff and a fun new go-to to help us all defuse potential on course meltdowns.

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What’s the story, Rory?
Rory McIlroy, welcomed back to the UAE capital for the first time since 2018, complied one of those uniquely Rory rounds on Thursday in Abu Dhabi that makes golf look easy. But almost inevitably after the 64 – “a lovely way to start the year” – and two further mostly stress-free rounds to snare the 54-hole lead, the Northern Irishman found a way to let the title slip. Again. A fourth third placing to go with four bridesmaid finishes means the Falcon remains almost as elusive as a certain green jacket for Rors. Here’s hoping he’ll be back next January.

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What next for Abu Dhabi?
Speaking of the 17th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, anyone else excited to see what the Desert Swing opener will be like co-sanctioned by the mighty PGA Tour? Yup, us too. Nothing’s official yet but it seems Abu Dhabi, the Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship and DP World Tour Championship at JGE will get the full U.S. treatment in 2022. McIlroy might find it even tougher to snare the fabled Falcon.

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2021 Lev-ity
How good was Alexander Levy’s reaction to his ace (a 9 iron from 177 yards) on the 15th in the third round in Abu Dhabi? It was peak 2020 (rolling into 2021) as the Frenchman looked around for affirmation from the galleries to be greeted by near silence. Damn you COVID. As Levy rolls on into 2021 behind the wheel of a new BMW X850i, here’s hoping there will be even fewer gallery restrictions next year.

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Casey can
If Abu Dhabi champion Tyrrell Hatton is Europe’s new chief major champion in waiting, then countryman Paul Casey is firmly back in the conversation as the best player without a big, with all due respect to Lee Westwood. Casey’s effortless power and a smiling jaunt to the Dallah Trophy ensured the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic has another worthy name on its stellar roll call of champions and leaves us to wonder how he hasn’t landed a major. Yet.

“I think a lot of good stuff [is still to come], honestly I feel like I’ve regained my youth. I mean that sincerely and, yeah, I’m so happy.”

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Majlis makeover
You had to feel for the hard-working team at Emirates Golf Club as patchy pictures of the Majlis’ normally pristine greens were beamed around the globe during the Desert Classic. The great news is it won’t be long until those images are a distant memory with the course to close May 2 for a complete rebuild of the putting surfaces to USGA specifications. The greens had come to the end of their lifespan – roughly 20-25 years in the harsh desert environment – but will be rolling smoothly once more when the course is reopened in late September.

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No.1 for a very good reason
How good is Dustin Johnson, even when he’s not at his best. The most impressive aspect of the world No.1’s second Saudi International win in three years was his unflappable response to a catalogue of miss reads on the tricky Royal Greens putting surfaces. The only time the reigning Masters champion did get angry – if you could call a light slap on his own thigh after bogeying the 16th in the final round “angry” – Johnson responded by very nearly driving the next. A par 4. Job done.

“I’ve been playing some really good golf the last six months. Hopefully, I’m going to continue to play this kind of golf. I’m seeing a lot of the same things each and every week, and that’s what I do… I’ve got a great team around me that helps me kind of stay in that form so that I can perform at the highest level each and every week.”

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The dirty D word
With distance almost a dirty word in golf nowadays, Bryson DeChambeau finds himself the game’s new anti-hero, with all due respect to Patrick Reed. Thankfully, Saudi was another reminder that ridiculous length off the tee doesn’t guaranteed fairways in reg, much less trophies (Dustin Johnson’s victory notwithstanding). In the clamber to dial back the ball, we should remember that and the fact the next-gen love seeing athletes hit bombs. Are we trying to lure newcomers to the sport or tell them that improved athleticism isn’t really wanted? Remember too that Kevin Na contended. As DeChambeau (T-18) said himself, a distance advantage will always be a distance advantage no matter how long the course is or how far the ball flies. But that doesn’t mean the big boofers will always win. This is golf after all. The only guarantee is that you’ll never beat this maddeningly brilliant game.

The course Jack is building
The Kingdom might be home to the youngest of the Desert Swing events but boy, aren’t Golf Saudi in a hurry to make up for lost time. Even before one of this year’s strongest fields (it was only early Feb.) teed it up at Royal Greens, the governing body announced Jack Nicklaus has put his name to a new private course in the Qiddiya megaproject 40 minutes south-west of the capital Riyadh. And that Saudi Aramco was backing a four-event, $4 million series of Ladies European Tour events in New York, London, Singapore and KAEC. Talk about Kingdom come. It’s going to be fascinating to see what the golf landscape looks like in a decade’s time.

Enough already COVID
Just when we all thought the horrors of 2020 were behind us… Here’s hoping the cancelled Oman Open can be rescheduled for later in the year because Greg Norman’s Al Mouj Golf design in Muscat is one of the courses that give Middle East golf tourism a great name.

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Qatar Quality?
Anyone else surprised a year has passed since the European Tour put its 2020 season on ice following Jorge Campillo’s victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters? Yeah, it feels much longer than that to us too. With the coronavirus-enforced demise of the Oman Open a timely reminder to take nothing for granted, the return to Education City is our last chance to enjoy some top-level desert golf before the long haul to the Race to Dubai decider at JGE in late November. The quality of the field in Doha, now that a potential two-tourney Middle East detour has become a one event hit and run mission, will be telling. Whatever happens, at least it looks like we’ll all play on after Qatar. What a year – and a Desert Swing – it has been.

The post That’s (almost) a wrap! A dozen reasons why the 2021 Desert Swing was (and still is) a doozy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

So freaking classy. My apologies to cardigans everywhere. Arnie knew what’s up. Anyway, here’s what other important (and not-so-important) topics have us talking this week.

WE’RE BUYING

Tyrrell Hatton: In your face, Paul Azinger! At least, that’s what a lot of Europeans were feeling after the Brit won his first PGA Tour title—just a few months removed from wrist surgery (more on that later)—at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And what a hard-fought victory it was as Hatton became the first player to win a PGA Tour event with two over-par scores on the weekend since Geoff Ogilvy at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Kevin C. Cox

Also, how good has this Florida Swing been? So much carnage! And we have another Winged Foot U.S. Open to look forward to in June! What a time to be alive! Except for that whole Coronavirus, of course.

European Tour playoff: The Qatar Masters was a wild ride down the stretch as Jorge Campillo went double bogey-bogey to drop into extra holes. But there, both he and David Drysdale put on a show, each birdieing the 18th hole TWICE (not a par 5, mind you) to keep things going. A third birdie by Campillo on his fifth attempt gave him his second win on “that” European Tour. Good for him, although most were rooting for the 44-year-old Drysdale to win his first in his (gulp) 498th start. Imagine getting into a playoff after all that time, coming up clutch with birdies on the first two extra holes, and still losing? Poor guy.

The Canadian Open(?): Oh, Canada! Thanks to a new metric (MOCCASINS) conceived by Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan and brought to life by stats guru Mark Broadie, this tournament in the Great White North has been deemed the greatest of all non majors. OK, so it’s just a seven-year sample size, but the RBC Canadian Open came in at No. 1 among regular events when it comes to producing the best leader boards based on its field during that time span.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The top three tournaments overall—again, according to MOCCASINS—were the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, and the Masters. Sorry, U.S. Open. But don’t worry, you’re still No. 1 in my unofficial CARNAGE ranking.

Rich Beem: The 2002 PGA champ and three-time PGA Tour winner has gotten very familiar with the/that European Tour thanks to his role with Sky Sports the past five years and he joined this week’s Golf Digest Podcast to discuss Azinger’s comments, his infamous victory shimmy, and the player he has a self-professed man-crush on. This was a fun one:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/rich-beem-best-pga-tour-leader-boards

WE’RE SELLING

Rory McIlroy on Sundays: A quick look at the numbers reveals Rory has shot 67-68-69-73-68-76 on Sundays this season. Not bad, right? Well, sometimes stats don’t tell the entire story. McIlroy had those last four tournaments in his hands and didn’t convert any of them into wins. The good scores came thanks to late pushes after he had already lost the tournament. And the bad scores, like Sunday’s 76 at Bay Hill, may have been enough to keep his top-five streak alive, but they were, well, bad.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Look, no one is immune to final-round pressure (other than peak Tiger), but I’d expect an all-time great—which he is as further evidenced by him becoming the third golfer to be ranked World No. 1 for 100 total weeks—like McIlroy to not play like a mere mortal on Sundays.

Brooks Koepka on any day: The four-time major champ’s struggles reached rock bottom (we think) with an accidental tribute to Kobe Bryant on Saturday. On the bright side, Koepka improved on that 81 by 10 shots on Sunday, but offered this blunt assessment of his game after. “Still shit. Still shit. But putting better.”

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

He’s right, it was better as he finished 44th in strokes gained putting among the 69 players who made the cut. For the season, though, he still ranks 208th(!) in that stat. Woof.

Tiger Woods’ new (sad) schedule: We talked last week about Woods opting to stay away from back-to-back starts, but now he seems to be staying away from non-major starts in general with his decision to skip this week’s Players Championship. The 44-year-old with a fused back is getting closer to a post-crash Ben Hogan (another big cardigan guy) schedule and as sad of a prospect as that is for golf fans, I don’t blame him. Heck, I’m not even 40 yet and I worry about throwing out my back every morning I get out of bed. Those weighted blankets are no joke.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour continues its Florida Swing with the Players Championship, AKA the PLAYERS, AKA that place where even Tiger Woods made a quadruple bogey on the island hole last year. At least Tiger fans don’t have to worry about seeing something like that again with Woods sitting out this week. By the way, I also happen to be a late scratch from TPC Sawgrass, unfortunately. And it has nothing to do with Tiger not being there. I swear. OK, well, maybe it has a little bit to do with that. . .

Random tournament fact: Despite all the debating, the Players Championship is not a major. However, TPC Sawgrass could wind up hosting one this year.

I'm told officials from the PGA Tour and PGA are discussing a contingency plan that could move @PGAChampionship from Harding Park in San Francisco to TPC Sawgrass. PGA statement below. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/vb1JhQtNUp

— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) March 9, 2020

As much fun as that would be, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Stay safe out there, folks. And remember to keep washing your hands.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger will play as many events as Sungjae Im this year: 1-MILLION -to-1 odds
—Brooks Koepka will win the Players: 45-to-1 odds (Actual odds. . . value?)
—The Ponte Vedra Beach Chili’s will do a lot less business without me in town: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

That’s the infamous Hinkle Tree being removed from the Inverness Club. The tree, which was planted by the eighth tee before the second round of the 1979 U.S. Open to keep players (notably Lon Hinkle) from using a shortcut to reach the par 5 in two, was cut down after winds recently uprooted it. So RIP Hinkle Tree, but what you stood for won’t be forgotten by the USGA. Protect par at all costs. Even if that means buying a tree for $120 during a golf tournament.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Another week, another full-court putt made at a basketball game. This time the prize was. . . free bacon for a year?

This guy won free bacon for a year… FREE BACON FOR A YEAR!!!

Congrats to Logan for sinking today’s @smokehousemeats Putt for Pig Challenge at @MizzouHoops home finale.#SCTop10 #MIZ ??? pic.twitter.com/dOSlnVEP2m

— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) March 8, 2020

As far as prizes go, this isn’t quite as good as a free car that 84-year-old lady recently got, but it’s a heckuva lot better than the pile of scratch-off tickets the Knicks recently gave some dude for hitting a half-court shot. And in terms of free food, you could do a lot worse than bacon. Mmm. Bacon.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I drank a lot of red wine and played Xbox.” —Tyrrell Hatton on what he did while recovering from his wrist surgery in November.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dWtRonM0N/?utm_source=ig_embed

Right now, there are a lot of college kids wondering why they aren’t better at golf.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PRO-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8sWLc0FnPx/?utm_source=ig_embed

OK, so that is a few weeks old, but it’s the most recent photo we could obtain of this cute couple. Why are we highlighting the Baddeleys, you ask? Because Golf Digest’s latest PGA Tour pro survey OFFICIALLY (sort of) answered an often-asked question concerning WAGs and Richelle came out on top:

Good job by Dave Shedloski and John Huggan doing some important reporting. Just imagining Huggy asking that question made my week. Anyway, the magazine even included this fun illustration:

So congrats to Richelle! And congrats to Aaron! Good going, guy!

THIS AND THAT

Tommy Fleetwood’s active-leading PGA Tour cut streak ended at 33. Pretty good for someone who has only won on that European Tour. . . . Congrats to Ernie Els on winning his first PGA Tour Champions title in his third start and for easily being the guy PGA Tour pros would want on their side in a bar fight, according to our survey. The Big Easy may have been a unanimous choice if he wasn’t 50. . . . The PGA Tour’s new TV deal ensures CBS will continue to broadcast at least 19 events through 2030. In other words, Golf Twitter has something to collectively bitch about for another decade. . . . And as always, my wife—who gets my vote for “best-looking golf writer WAG”—made me this delicious M&M and Kit-Kat encrusted chocolate cake for my birthday:

Although this year, she had to substitute some Cadbury milk chocolate bars around the perimeter because someone* (*me) had already eaten some of the Kit Kats. Anyway, I’m not complaining.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Would Tiger have played if this week was the Masters?
What tree/bunker/lake would you remove from your home course?
What item of food would you like to win a year’s supply of?

The post Tiger Woods’ new (sad) schedule, Tyrrell Hatton’s fun rehab routine, and PGA Tour pros pick the “best-looking” WAG appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Jorge Campillo and David Drysdale each had time to clear their minds during the playoff at the European Tour’s Commerical bank Qatar Masters, a sudden-death affair that went a not-so-sudden five extra holes.

Campillo, a 33-year-old from Spain, was trying to forget his frustrating finish at Education City Golf Club, in which he went bogey/double bogey/par over the final three holes to lose a two-stroke lead and close with a one-over 72.

Drysdale, a 44-year-old from Scotland, was trying to block out the fact that, in making his 498th start on tour, he was on the precipice of his first win, with his wife, Vicky, walking with him as his caddie.

In spite of the pressure both golfers were feeling, each turned in stellar play in their extra trips down the par-4 18th hole, making birdies the first two times and pars the next two (impressive considering only six birdies were made on the hole the entire final round).

On the fifth, and likely last go around on 18 before darkness would force a Monday finish, Campillo rolled in a 25-footer for birdie only to see Drysdale fail to match it, the Scotsman pushing his birdie effort left of the hole.

“You’ve got to be patient … you’ve got to try hard,” Campillo said. “It’s a tough win, but I’m glad I pulled it off.”

Campillo could empathize with Drysdale regarding waiting a long time to try to get your first win. The former first-team All-American at Indiana had gone 229 starts on the European Tour before winning the Trophée Hassan II last April.

The 54-hole leader in Qatar, Campillo looked like he had found his stride mid-round, making birdies on the 10th and 13th holes to get to 16 under par and push his lead to two strokes over Denmark’s Jeff Whither and three over Drysdale. When a bad drive right led to bogey on the par-4 16th, it seemed alright since Whither made bogey as well. An even worse drive right on the par-4 17th, however, forced Campillo to punch back to the fairway from the desert. His third shot missed the green, and when he failed to get up and down to save bogey, the double dropped him back to a tie t 13 under with Drysdale, who was finishing up an even-par 71. (Whither made bogey on 17 to fall to 12 under.)

Warren Little/Getty Images
Drysdale, with his wife Vicky on his bag, was searching for his first European Tour win in his 498th start.

Campillo had a chance to close it out in regulation on the 18th, a 25-foot birdie putt finishing one revolution shot of the hole. “I know I still was in the game and had to play it out,” he said.

The stellar back and forth in the playoff was impressive. Drysdale knocked it close for birdie putts inside 10 feet on the first two extra holes. Campillo, meanwhile, made putts from outside 20 feet both times to keep himself in the game.

“I’m just so proud right now of the way I played in the playoff,” he said. “I hardly missed a shot and I was able to make some putts.”

As for Drysdale, he hugged Vicky as he walked off a runner-up on the European Tour for a fourth time in his career. Yes, he wouldn’t have been in the playoff if not for Campillo’s mistakes down the stretch. But he had to be wondering how many more times he will get such a realistic chance to fulfill his life’s dream.

However, it would have to wait.

The post Spain’s Jorge Campillo wins a dramatic five-hole playoff at the Qatar Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.