The post It took nine extra holes over two days, but Kevin Sutherland wins the Charles Schwab Cup Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege
The PGA Tour Champions has been good for Kevin Sutherland’s bottom line, but the bottom line for Sutherland is that winning usually eludes him.

This time it didn’t. On a cold, windy Monday morning in Biloxi, Miss., Sutherland won the Rapiscan Systems Classic, only his second victory in this his fifth full season on the senior tour.

Sutherland, 54, defeated Scott Parel on the seventh hole of a playoff that was suspended by darkness after playing five extra holes on Sunday night.

He holed a 20-foot right-to-left putt on the 18th hole at Fallen Oaks, moments after Parel had missed on a similar line.

“I was thinking that I had this putt yesterday to win, but hadn’t made a birdie all day,” he said. “I struggled a little bit yesterday. I couldn’t make birdies and unfortunately, I made a few bogeys. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Just glad I got a second chance.”

Sutherland took a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round, then shot a birdie-free three-over par 75, allowing Parel to make up a six-shot deficit to him to get into a playoff. The 75 equalled the second-highest final-round score by a PGA Tour Champions winner. Lee Elder won the Denver Post Champions of Golf in 1985 with a final-round 76.

Sutherland has earned more than $1 million in each of his four full seasons on the senior tour and earned $1,961,732 in 2017. Yet his only previous victory came in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2017.

This might be a breakout year for Sutherland, who in his six senior starts this year has finished sixth or better in four of them.

“I know yesterday didn’t look like I putted pretty well,” he said, “but I’ve putted a lot better this year. My ball striking is starting to come around, too.”

The post Kevin Sutherland defeats Scott Parel on the seventh playoff hole to win Rapiscan Systems Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we won’t be satisfied until we encounter LeBron James on our morning commute. Seeing King James mingle with us common folk would be a treat. Plus, it would be great to use his 6-foot-8, 270-pound frame to help barrel into crowded subway cars. Speaking of surprising characters barreling past people, how about Kevin Sutherland ending Bernhard Langer’s reign of terror at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship? (And how about that transition to another one of the world’s most dominant athletes?)

The crowds acknowledged Langer’s hugely successful 2017 season as he approached the 18th green in the season finale. (Chris Condon/Getty Images)

I’d be lying if I said part of me didn’t feel like Langer got robbed, but as a New York Giants fan, I also realize that the best player or team doesn’t always win in the postseason (Suck it, 18-1 Patriots). And if you want any drama in the season finale, there has to be something on the line even if a player wins the first two playoff events like Langer did. This is how it works in EVERY sport. In any event, Kevin Sutherland is your 2017 Charles Schwab Cup champ and we’ll all live. Even Bernhard.

WE’RE BUYING

Patton Kizzire: Not only did Kizzire win his first PGA Tour title at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, but he did so by beating Rickie Fowler head-to-head during a 36-hole Sunday marathon. It was only a matter of time for the 2015 Web.com Tour Player of the Year, but it’s nice for him to not have to wait long for a maiden victory. Speaking of waiting for a long time. . .

Kevin Sutherland: Say what you will about the Charles Schwab Cup format, but Sutherland played great at the PGA Tour Champions season finale. And he couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first senior tour victory – and his first win anywhere since the 2002 WGC-Accenture Match Play. When people also complained that he didn’t deserve to win!

I believe that jacket belongs to Mr. Sutherland! pic.twitter.com/CfZcApI000

— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) November 13, 2017

Poor guy. Well, not really. He’s laughing all the way to the bank this week.

Kevin Hall: The best story coming out of Web.com Tour Q School last week was this 34-year-old advancing to next month’s final stage. Deaf since he was two due to meningitis, the 2004 Big Ten individual champ while he was at Ohio State wrapped up at least conditional status on the developmental tour for next season.

Bernhard Langer’s 2017: Seven wins. Three majors. The 60-year-old Langer’s year was a remarkable achievement, even if he didn’t win a fourth consecutive Schwab Cup. Besides, it’s not like Langer gets stripped of those seven wins or all the money he made. And it’s not like he’s going to be denied winning every player of the year award. He just didn’t get to take home that final big trophy. Like the Patriots. Those two times. Against the Giants. Long live Eli The Great!

WE’RE SELLING

Rickie Fowler’s 2017: For as well as he played – statistically, Fowler was better than ever – picking up just one win has to be viewed as a disappointment. Yes, Fowler, who turns 29 next month, already moved past $30 million in on-course earnings and ascended to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he remains stuck on four PGA Tour titles in 197 career starts. For comparison, his 24-year-old buddy Justin Thomas won five times in 25 starts this past season.

Terrifying wildlife encounters: This faceoff between a King Cobra and a mongoose happened on the course before last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge on the European Tour:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPPsZVFooG/

All the golfers who were brave enough to stick around for the actual tournament are winners in my book.

Grayson Murray: Now in his second season on the PGA Tour, Murray is still causing controversy on Twitter. Murray’s target this time? The senior tour, including guys like Langer and Sutherland.

After a series of mostly nasty responses, Murray took the tweet down on Sunday night. To his credit, he eventually offered up this apology. On Tuesday:

https://twitter.com/GraysonMurray/status/930456016876998656

The “Golf Rod”: As in, I think this baby will sell, sell, sell. The “Golf Rod” is not an official name, but it’s what I’m calling this clever creation by European golf instructor Steve Waltman.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbO2dVMnbnq/

Personally, I wouldn’t buy the thing because fishing is more boring than Season 3 of The Affair, but I think other people would. Don’t be surprised if a similar gadget pops up on a future episode of Shark Tank.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Sea Island for the final official event of the fall, the RSM Classic. And the European Tour’s season finally wraps up with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. According to the European Tour’s stats, Tommy Fleetwood has a 73-percent chance of winning the Race to Dubai. Justin Rose is next at 24 percent followed by Sergio “So you’re saying there’s a chance” Garcia at 3 percent.

Random tournament fact: It will be hotter in Dubai.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Kevin Sutherland feels bad about winning the Schwab Cup: 1.44 MILLION-to-1 odds

— The Patriots will win the Super Bowl again: 3-to-1 odds (They’re the favorites. Again. Sigh.)

— Even if the Patriots win, their fans will still be haunted by the “Helmet Catch”: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

How about Rickie Fowler’s robed fan club at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba?

Rob Carr

That’s Zach Johnson, Jonathan Byrd and Cameron Tringale. This part of the “Sea Island Mafia” will remain pretty comfortable with this week’s home game.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The European Tour struck gold again with this “Bad Coaching” video:

Great stuff, but it wasn’t really fair to include Padraig Harrington. No swing thought or practice method is too kooky for the three-time major champ.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (EMBARRASSING DIVISION)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took an incredible tumble into a bunker during his round with President Trump. And if not for a pesky TV station, he would have gotten away with it without anyone noticing:

この動画、消されまくってて、知らない方がいるってわかったので、もう一度。
転んだのは仕方ない。
でもね、貴重な外交の時間を、こんな使い方して、翌日の昼食会の挨拶で、
安倍「昨日はドナルドとゴルフを楽しみ、夕食はイヴァンカ夫人を交えて～」
メラニア夫人に失礼だろ。
滅茶苦茶だよ、安倍。 pic.twitter.com/RpiDToG30n

— umekichi (@umekichkun) November 8, 2017

Sorry, Shinzo.

THIS WEEK IN BELEN MOZO IN A BIKINI

Belen announced she is taking a one-week break from social media with this post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbbwRk6jmUq/

OK then.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It was never meant to be fair. It was meant to be playoffs. Everybody in the field was given a chance to win. Is it fair? No, it’s not, but that’s how it is right now.” — Bernhard Langer. Fair enough.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY BROOKS KOEPKA-JENA SIMS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Brooks and Jena’s off-season tour headed to Thailand:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPJ5I1HR_o/

Where Jena met a particularly friendly primate:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPLuB8g3lP/

Something tells us Brooks isn’t too worried.

THIS AND THAT

Arnold Palmer earned $40 million in the past year since he died, which places him at No. 2 on Forbes’ highest-paid dead celebrity list (Yes, this is a thing). Another King, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was No. 1 for a fifth consecutive year at $75 million. . . . Branden Grace won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in his home country of South Africa. More importantly, he didn’t encounter any King Cobras or mongooses (mongeese?). . . . Free Drop Billy is the name of a 2018 Kentucky Derby horse, currently with 25-to-1 odds. He will clearly be a betting favorite, though, in golf circles. . . . The 2027 PGA Championship and 2020 Women’s PGA are headed to Aronimink, and the 2028 PGA Championship and 2032(!) Ryder Cup are headed to Olympic Club. Stay tuned for more big venue news next month when I reveal where the 2018 HGGA Championship (my annual golf trip) is heading. . . . And finally, check out this lame fortune cookie message I got recently:

Even this year’s New York Giants haven’t given up that much.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Who will play in the 2032 Ryder Cup?

Who will upset Bernhard Langer in the 2032 Schwab Cup?

Did that “Golf Rod” guy file for a patent yet?

The post Bernhard Langer gets robbed (sort of), Rickie Fowler’s fans get robed, Grayson Murray rips his elders & Brooks Koepka monkeys around appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Bernhard Langer’s hold on the Charles Schwab Cup was never tenuous, at least until he tripped on the final lap and caused the PGA Tour Champions to stumble as well.

This is not to shortchange the man who beat him, Kevin Sutherland. By virtue of his victory in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday and the system the tour has in place for the season-long points competition, Sutherland not only won the tournament, but the Charles Schwab Cup and its $1 million bonus, as well.

But here’s the rub. It was Sutherland’s only victory of the year, indeed his only PGA Tour Champions win in four years, while Langer won seven times this year, with two of the seven coming in the three-tournament Schwab Cup playoffs.

Two more points to consider. Langer, 60, would have won his fourth straight Schwab Cup had he reordered his victories in the playoff events. He won the wrong two. And with Langer’s tie for 12th despite closing with a seven-under par 64 at Phoenix Country Club on Sunday, Sutherland could have won the Schwab Cup even had he finished second or third in the tournament on Sunday and gone winless for the season.

“I think it needs adjusting,” Langer said of a system that includes resetting Schwab Cup points after each of the first two playoff events. “I do, personally, because you could have somebody win the whole thing that hasn’t won a tournament all year and I’m not sure that’s ideal. But I was on the [PGA Tour Champions policy] board. We said we’re going to try this out. I’m not sure if it’s perfect. It’s maybe like the FedExCup. They had to adjust it two or three times to make it interesting but also make it a little fair.

“It was never meant to be fair. It was meant to be playoffs. Everybody in the field was given a chance to win. Is it fair? No, it’s not, but that’s how it is right now.”

The crowds acknowledged Langer’s hugely successful 2017 season as he approached the 18th green in the season finale. (Chris Condon/Getty Images)

So be it. The rules were the rules and Sutherland won according to them.

The post Kevin Sutherland wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship and, controversially, Charles Schwab Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This is not to shortchange the man who beat him, Kevin Sutherland. By virtue of his victory in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday and the system the tour has in place for the season-long points competition, Sutherland not only won the tournament, but the Charles Schwab Cup and its $1 million bonus, as well.

But here’s the rub. It was Sutherland’s only victory of the year, indeed his only PGA Tour Champions win in four years, while Langer won seven times this year, with two of the seven coming in the three-tournament Schwab Cup playoffs.

Two more points to consider. Langer, 60, would have won his fourth straight Schwab Cup had he reordered his victories in the playoff events. He won the wrong two. And with Langer’s tie for 12th despite closing with a seven-under par 64 at Phoenix Country Club on Sunday, Sutherland could have won the Schwab Cup even had he finished second or third in the tournament on Sunday and gone winless for the season.

“I think it needs adjusting,” Langer said of a system that includes resetting Schwab Cup points after each of the first two playoff events. “I do, personally, because you could have somebody win the whole thing that hasn’t won a tournament all year and I’m not sure that’s ideal. But I was on the [PGA Tour Champions policy] board. We said we’re going to try this out. I’m not sure if it’s perfect. It’s maybe like the FedExCup. They had to adjust it two or three times to make it interesting but also make it a little fair.

“It was never meant to be fair. It was meant to be playoffs. Everybody in the field was given a chance to win. Is it fair? No, it’s not, but that’s how it is right now.”

Chris Condon/Getty Images
The crowds acknowledged Langer’s hugely successful 2017 season as he approached the 18th green in the season finale.

So be it. The rules were the rules and Sutherland won according to them.

“We might revisit it in the future,” Langer said.

Sutherland, to his credit, won for the first time, in 78 senior starts, when it counted most monetarily. His take for the day was $1.44 million, which included $440,000 for his victory in the tournament itself.

“It is amazing,” he said, staring at the Schwab Cup he was holding. “And I know the list of champions on here is incredible, too. I’m the luckiest man in the world. Every time I come out here and play I can’t believe they let me do this.”

They let him do this, of course, because he has a quality golf game, notwithstanding his previous inability to win. He has finished in the top 10 in nearly half his senior starts, 38 in all, including 15 of 23 starts this year.

Victory, one might have reckoned, was imminent.

“I played really well all year and I just couldn’t find a way to get a win,” he said. “So to win this tournament, it’s unbelievable. I’m sure in a couple days it will sink in a little bit, but right now it just seems like I’m not even sure it really happened, I keep pinching myself. It feels good and it’s been a long time since I won a tournament. I haven’t won since 2002 [WGC-Accenture] Match Play, so 15 years. So it feels good.”

Sutherland, with a birdie at the 16th hole, broke from a crowded leader board that at various times included Vijay Singh, Lee Janzen, David Frost, Brandt Jobe and Paul Goydos, but not Langer.

Michael Cohen/Getty Images

He finished with a bogey-free five-under-par 66 that gave him a 54-hole score of 15-under 198, one ahead of Singh and Janzen.

“I hit the ball really well today,” he said. “I played fantastic. I drove it great. I tweaked my driver and hit it great this week.”

As for Langer, he is a cinch to win tour player of the year honors for the seventh time. And even at 60, he isn’t looking for the easy chair, as he noted when asked his goals going forward.

“Just the main goal is to improve myself, to have a better technique or to have better chipping, putting, whatever it is,” he said. “If I can continue to improve, I’m going to have a good chance to win tournaments, to win majors and to be one of the top five or 10 guys out here.”

Keep improving. That’s a worthwhile goal for any player on the senior tour. It, too, ought to be goal No. 1 for those charged with the Charles Schwab Cup points system that let them down on Sunday.

The post Kevin Sutherland wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship and, controversially, Charles Schwab Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.