By Brian Wacker
With two missed cuts and a WD in a three-year span at the Wyndham Championship, there’s little wonder that Henrik Stenson for years chose to skip the PGA Tour’s regular-season finale. Not to mention it comes amid a busy stretch of golf and precedes the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The 41-year-old Swede decided to return to Sedgefield Country Club this year, though. First and foremost, adding the trip to Greensboro, N.C., would help him hit his minimum number of tournaments required on the tour.

He ended up getting a lot more out of it than that.

Stenson bookended a couple of 66s with an opening 62 and a closing 64 to win by one stroke over Ollie Schniederjans. It was Stenson’s first victory since the 2016 British Open and first in the U.S. since 2013.

“It’s funny how it goes,” Stenson said. “Sometimes it’s just a coincidence why you decide to go to a tournament and make a change in your schedule.”

The victory reminded him of one he had late in 2012, winning in South Africa. It was his first in three years and kickstarted Stenson on a run of terrific golf that included three wins, four runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes in 2013.

Playing in the Wyndham this year means that Stenson will make five starts in a six-week span, culminating in the Tour Championship and a chance at a second FedEx Cup title to go with the one he won in 2013.

Martin Flores, meanwhile, is just thankful to have another week to play. All it took was a hole-in-one.

After starting the week 139th in the FedEx Cup standings and in need of a good performance to move inside the top 125 to advance to the postseason, the 35-year-old aced the 175-yard 16th with an 8-iron, then birdied the last at Sedgefield.

RELATED: Watch pro make an ace to possibly secure a PGA Tour card

“I knew exactly what I needed to do, especially when I was at the 15th fairway, the par 5,” said Flores, who tied for seventh in the tournament to move to 118th in the FedEx Cup standings. “I knew I needed two more [strokes] and I was fortunate to get three. I’m extremely happy.”

Rory Sabbatini, Harold Varner III and J.J. Henry also played their way into the postseason with Sabbatini moving from No. 148 to 122 by virtue of his tie for fourth after a closing 64. Varner, meanwhile, tied for 10th to climb from 138 to 123, and Henry 16th-place showing, thanks to birdies on two of his last three holes, allowed him to become the last guy in, jumping from 134th at the start of the week.

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve won three times and played on a Ryder Cup and this was probably some of the most pressure I’ve felt, playing today,” said Henry, a 17-year PGA Tour veteran, after shooting a closing 67.

Then there were those who were less fortunate: Zac Blair, David Hearn, Seamus Power and Daniel Summerhays all fell out of the top 125 in Greensboro, and saw their seasons come to an end.

It was a difficult outcome for each.

The tournament-within-the-tournament vibe was perhaps best described by Geoff Ogilvy.

“There is a level of tension and stress in your body that’s just on a different level,” said the Aussie, who came into the week 125th in the FedEx Cup but secured his spot thanks to rounds of 66-66-67 the last three days to tie for 16th in the tournament. “I haven’t felt that since Q-School.”

The post FedEx Cup bubble boys sweat through Sunday at the Wyndham Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Welcome to the Dew Sweeper, your one-stop shop to catch up on the weekend action from the golf world. From the professional tours, trending news, social media headlines and upcoming events, here’s every golf-related thing you need to know for the morning of August 21.

Americans lap Europeans at Solheim Cup

This year’s Solheim Cup lacked the drama and theatrics of its predecessor, but — thanks to the exploits put forth by the Americans — the event did not fall short in entertainment. After an utterly dominating two-day display in Des Moines, Juli Inkster’s squad took care of business on Sunday, earning six of 12 available points to win and retain the cup by a 16½-11½ margin.

Entering the day with a five-point lead, the Yankee tone was set early by Lexi Thompson, who recovered from a 4-down deficit to halve her match. Followed up by Ws from Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr, the Europeans’ comeback bid was effectively kaput.

Afterwards, all the players credited Inkster for bringing out their best.

“It was my job to bring fun back to the Solheim Cup. And whether we win or lose, you know what? It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It’s the memories you create. It’s the bonding you create. It’s the atmosphere you create.”

Judging by the record crowds, team camaraderie and the butt-whoopin’ on the score board, safe to say Inkster’s mission was a success.

Ain’t love grand?

With just two weeks left in the Web.com Tour regular season, Martin Piller sat in 26th in the circuit’s earnings, right on the precipice of securing his tour card for 2018. But instead of competing at the News Sentinel Open, Piller was at the Solheim Cup last week, and with good reason: he was cheering on his wife, Gerina.

My handsome date @solheimcupusa ??

A post shared by Gerina Piller (@gerinampiller) on Aug 16, 2017 at 9:31pm PDT

Making her third appearance for Team U.S.A., Gerina scored two points for her country in the resounding victory.

As for Martin, he has one tournament left to grab a promotion to the big leagues, although will need a top-10 finish and a little help. And, on the bright side, he now has a comeback for life if Gerina every gives him hell for playing too much golf.

Chris Keane

Just what the Doctor ordered

Los Angeles is known for manufacturing its share of sensational endings. On the stage of Riviera, Doc Redman delivered a performance worthy of a standing ovation.

The Clemson sophomore, down 2 to Texas senior Doug Ghim with two holes to play, drained a 60-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th (35th hole of the match) and backed it up with a birdie on the 18th, winning both holes and sending the match to overtime. In sudden death, Ghim struggled in the greenside bunkers on the 10th, conceding Redman’s birdie putt for the win.

“It was a lot of fun to be a part of it,” Ghim said. “As disappointed as I am not to win, I still had a lot of fun. I’m definitely gong to look back at this as one of the best accomplishments that I’ve had and move on.”

It wasn’t a total lost cause for Ghim; he still earned an invite to the 2018 Masters, and was named afterwards to the American Walker Cup squad.

Nevertheless, it was Redman who walked away victorious from what Walker Cup captain Spider Miller called, “the greatest match that I’ve witnessed in my four years of following intently the amateur game.”

“It was about never giving up and believing in myself,” Redman said afterwards. “You never know what can happen.”

An ending, and summation, straight out of a Hollywood script.

Jared C. Tilton

Stenson, sans driver, wins Wyndham

The Wyndham Championship had not been kind to Henrik Stenson: in three previous visits, the Iceman had two missed cuts and a WD. However, the 41-year-old needed another event on his schedule to fulfill the tour minimum requirement, which is how Stenson found himself at Sedgefield. The Swede made the most of his visit, leaving Greensboro with the one-shot victory over Ollie Schniederjans for the tournament title.

“Sometimes it’s just a coincidence why you decide to go to a tournament and make a change in your schedule,” Stenson said after his round, “and this time it certainly worked out for a lot of good.”

Stenson accumulated his 22-under score thanks to a curious strategy: keeping the driver in the bag. He didn’t make a single swing with the big stick, choosing the precision of his 3-wood over distance. The game plan worked: Stenson was eighth in the week in driving accuracy, setting up clean approaches (third in GIR) and plenty of birdie opportunities.

Proving chicks may dig the long ball, but money is made in the iron game.

Pro earns card via hole-in-one

Bubble boy J.J. Henry birdied his final hole to just make the cut into the postseason and, more importantly, secure his tour status for another season. Martin Flores also gained entrance to the Northern Trust, albeit in slightly more spectacular fashion.

Outside the Wyndham top 20 at the start of Sunday, Flores needed a miracle to capture enough points to move from 139th into the top 125. He got it at the par-3 16th, thanks to this beauty:

What a time to make an ACE!

This hole-in-one may get Flores into the #FedExCup Playoffs!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/2qpM0oUNW5

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2017

The ace, along with a birdie at the 18th, moved Flores inside the cut for the PGA Tour postseason. Now THAT is how you finish strong, sports fans.

The post Dew Sweeper: U.S. Amateur drama, America’s big Solheim Cup win and a hole-in-one for the ages appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Starting his day outside the top 20 on the leader board, Flores toured the front in just 30 strokes. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry that momentum to start the back, playing the first five holes on the side in one over. Standing on Sedgefield’s 16th hole, Martin required a miracle to avoid a trip back to the minors. He got just that, recording a hole-in-one:

What a time to make an ACE!

This hole-in-one may get Flores into the #FedExCup Playoffs!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/2qpM0oUNW5

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2017

The ace, along with a birdie at the 18th, equated to a seven-under 63, a number that moved Flores inside the projected cut for the PGA Tour postseason.

Afterwards, Flores spoke of the furious finish.

“You know, just lot of blood, sweat and tears and, you know, this game will beat you down sometimes,” Flores said, “and you’ll have a lot of struggles and when things finally go how you envision in your mind you see all your hard work payoff and especially I think the emotions really come from the sacrifices your family makes, traveling all the time or being away, missing a lot of things and to have them see it, I’m sure they saw it, it was awesome.”

Now THAT is how you finish strong, sports fans.

The post Watch pro make hole-in-one to possibly secure PGA Tour card appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Woodland, 33, is one of the longest hitters on tour, ranking 16th in driving distance, but he relied on his precise approach shots to make 10 birdies in the second round. The Kansas native’s longest birdie putt of the day was just 12-feet, and had he made one more 12-footer on his final hole he would have tied the course record at Glen Abbey. He’ll play the weekend for the 17th time in 20 events this season, with a chance to get his first victory since the 2014 Reno-Tahoe Open.

Woodland trails leader Martin Flores, who shot a bogey-free six-under 66 that got him to 12-under 132 for the tournament. This is his six appearance at the RBC Canadian Open, an event he’s had mixed success in with three missed cuts and a T19 finish in 2012. Flores is currently in one of the better stretches of his season, having made five of his last six cuts with a T18 finish at last week’s Barbasol Championship. He’s never won on the PGA Tour and finished in the top-10 just once this year.

Tied with Woodland at 11-under are Matt Every and Brandon Hagy, who each posted a four-under 68s. Every, 33, has made just five cuts in 20 starts this season, and hasn’t finished any higher than T27, while Hagy will extend his made cut streak to five.

Vijay Singh is just two shots back at 10-under 134 after carding a four-under 68. Singh, 54, came into the week missing 10 of his last 12 cuts, but did post a strong T16 finish at the Players Championship in May. The 34-time tour winner is looking for his second victory at the RBC Canadian Open, the first coming in 2004 at Glen Abbey in a playoff over Canada’s Mike Weir.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson posted a three-under 69 and sits four back at eight-under 136.

Two Canadians, Graham DeLaet and Mackenzie Hughes, are tied with Johnson at eight-under. A win this week for either of them would be the first time a player from Canada has won the nation’s open since Pat Fletcher did it in 1954.

The post Gary Woodland shoots 63, trails Martin Flores by one at RBC Canadian Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.