Swede Söderberg birdied eight of his first 10 holes over the Old Course at St Andrews to set the pace, signing for a 64 that would be matched by American Uihlein over the same layout.

Dubai-based Spaniard Arnaus was four shots off the lead with five to play at Carnoustie Golf Links but eagled the 14th before finishing birdie-birdie to join them at eight-under with a 64 of his own and make it a three-way tie.

Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, fresh off his heroics as a vice-captain in last week’s European Ryder Cup victory, was then part of a six-way tie for second at seven-under alongside local favourite Grant Forrest, Dane Marcus Helligkilde, American Billy Horschel and South African duo Zander Lombard and Wilco Nienaber.

On a cold and wet day on Scotland’s east coast, Soderberg turned in 29 and Ross Fisher’s St Andrews course record was looking under threat when he made another birdie on the 10th.

Six consecutive pars ended those hopes, however, and the 33-year-old bogeyed the 17th before a closing birdie ensured he would finish the day on top.

“It was quite easy the first 10 holes or so,” he said. “Then you kind of turn around going into the wind and it rained a little bit more.

“I thought I played pretty good the last eight holes as well. I just didn’t get close enough, didn’t really hole the putts but it felt good to finish with a birdie.

“I’ve had one or two or three really good rounds for a while, I feel like. There’s just always been one or two bad rounds every week. So the weekends, they haven’t been what I wanted in the last two months or so.

“I feel like there’s a lot of good golf in me so I just have to try to clean up the bad golf a little more and try to get around a little better.”

Arnaus has finished in the top 25 at this event for the past two seasons and his bogey-free round represented a stunning start at the course regarded as the most difficult of the three being played this week.

“At times it felt easy but this course definitely can show its teeth and you’ve got to be really careful,” he said.

“We continued to play quite good and then we rolled a few putts. A brilliant start, I would say.

“It actually started quite calm and it came around with wind and rain as well. That’s really what you are going to expect here so you’ve just got to embrace the challenge.”

LIV Golf’s Uihlein was the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2013, the year he lost out in a play-off at this event, while he also achieved a top 10 last season.

“I’ve had good success here,” he said after his bogey-free effort. “I just love it, the golf is pure over here and I like when it gets windy and challenging, it’s just a lot of fun, really. You get to be creative and it’s just something that I enjoy doing.

“I was close here in 2013 when David Howell beat me in a play-off. Looking back on it, it would have been a really special one to win around here.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming back and hopefully I can string together three more good days and see what happens.”

Soderberg’s remarkable start came thanks to some dialled-in iron play, as he put approaches inside 15 feet on seven of his first 10 holes. A three-putt at the Road Hole then brought the only bogey of the day before he holed an 18-footer for birdie on the last.

Arnaus started his round with three gains but had to wait until the par-five 12th for another before he holed from 12 feet for an eagle on the 14th. Another birdie came at the 17th and he put his approach to 12 feet on the last.

Uihlein also put on an excellent display of approach play as he made birdies on the first, third, fourth, fifth, ninth, 10th and 12th before holing from nearly 50 feet on the 14th.

Horschel turned in 29 at Carnoustie en route to his 65, while Colsaerts, Helligkilde, Lombard and Nienaber all played at St Andrews, and Forrest went round Kingsbarns.

There was then a group of 13 players at six-under including defending champion Ryan Fox.

Main image: St Andrews. Dunhill Links Championship

The post Adri Arnaus, Sebastian Soderberg and LIV Golf’s Peter Uilhein lead the way in Scotland appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Kobe certainly had his flaws, but you can’t argue the impact he had on the world. As Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard pointed out, 13(!) PGA Tour pros list him as their favourite athlete in their media guide bios. He was bigger than a sports star, bigger than a brand. His Mamba Mentality is a movement. And one that isn’t going away anytime soon. So let’s keep Kobe in our heads, at least for his relentless drive and tireless work ethic. And let’s keep Kobe, his daughter GiGi and the seven other victims of this tragedy in our hearts as a reminder of how precious our time on Earth is. OK, time to talk about some happier stuff.

WE’RE BUYING

Marc Leishman: The Aussie won the Farmers Insurance Open while playing with a different tragedy on his mind, providing the latest victory for a country looking for any good news. “Pretty amazing, particularly with all the problems that have been happening back in Australia with the fires and people losing their lives. Just devastating really,” Leishman said. “So if this can bring them a little bit of joy, it’s a big win for me personally and then for them as well. I hope this can bring them a bit of joy.”

Sean M. Haffey

Leishman joins Cameron Smith as Aussie winners on the PGA Tour in the past three weeks. Plus, Lucas Herbert won the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Well done to all three providing a much-needed boost and raising awareness and relief funds for what’s happening Down Under.

Sebastian Soderberg: The Swede didn’t come close to winning in Dubai, but he did shatter the European Tour record for fastest round by shooting a Sunday 75 in 97 minutes. Soderberg and his caddie, younger brother Jasper, also got in their cardio workout by 8:45 a.m. and had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. How efficient.

97 minutes. 75 shots. ?

Sebastian Söderberg on the fastest round in European Tour history.#ODDC pic.twitter.com/4J4TxH9wV1

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 26, 2020

When it comes to playing quickly, though, Soderberg couldn’t quite catch Wesley Bryan, who played a solo Sunday round at the BMW Championship in 89 minutes. Oh, and shot 69, by the way. That prompted this Grind video in which I tried my best to speed talk like the Micro Machines Man in Wes’ honour:

In any event, golfers of every skill level don’t need to play this fast, but we could all pick up the pace a bit. So to guys like Wes and Sebastion, thanks for the inspiration.

Tiger Woods’ new driver: Not to give TaylorMade free advertising here, but Woods sure looked comfortable swinging the new Sim driver around during his T-9 at Torrey Pines to kick-off 2020.

While Phil Mickelson has resorted to wildly swinging out of his shoes as he approaches 50 (he hit 2 of 14 fairways on Friday), Woods has throttled back by hitting what he calls a “slap cut.” He’s hitting more fairways, his misses are manageable, and “slap cut” is instantly one of my all-time favourite Tigerisms.

WE’RE SELLING

Jon Rahm’s Sunday: First of all, that was a rough start. I mean, wow. ROUGH. It makes you wonder how much more pressure he was feeling to win this tournament than a Euro Tour event. . . To the Spaniard’s credit, though, he made a furious late rally only to come up one shot short. But making matters worse is the fact he thought he was actually tied for the lead when he tapped in for birdie on 18. How can you not know where you stand in a tournament?! How could he not know he needed eagle on 18?! That’s a bad job. A really bad job.

Bryson DeChambeau’s finish: On the bright side, Bryson says his new bulk has “opened new boundaries I never thought were possible.” But his recent quote about hitting it so far that his pace of play won’t matter didn’t hold up too well as DeChambeau was given a bad time on the back nine while contending in Dubai. Also not holding up too well was his play down the stretch as he threw away his chance to defend his title. . .

Today in Dubai, Bryson DeChambeau was put on the clock and given a slow-play warning on the 10th hole.

He went on to shoot 76, T-8, which included bogeying his last four holes. pic.twitter.com/3RovwMAgbM

— Samantha Marks (@SamanthaSMarks) January 26, 2020

Coincidence? Maybe. But this is certainly something to keep an eye on, especially when he plays on the European Tour.

Tiger’s bad break: Seriously, how in the world did this not stay in the hole?!

@TigerWoods nearly holed out from the fairway.

The ball went IN the hole … and came back out. ? pic.twitter.com/ikm21gLSju

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 26, 2020

No, seriously. How? Did anyone ask Bryson? Tiger out here doing magic tricks.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to TPC Scottsdale for the country’s biggest annual boozefest, which also coincides with a golf tournament. Welcome to the Waste Management Phoenix Open! Please try not to get arrested! And if you’re playing golf like Bryson DeChambeau, please try to keep up with the group in front of you!

Random tournament fact: It’s been one year since Johnny Miller signed off on NBC for his last tournament. I miss you, Johnny. I miss you every day. Well, every Sunday, at least.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger Woods would ever make a leader board gaffe on the final hole: 1-MILLION -to-1 odds

—Tiger Woods will win the Masters: 10-to-1 odds (Actual odds, now a co-favourite)

—Johnny would have a LOT to say about Bryson this week: LOCK

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Fully understand if Bryson wants to keep hitting it 40 past me tomorrow so we don’t have to chat.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) January 25, 2020

Eddie Pepperell is the best. And he followed it up with this update after he and Bryson played together on Sunday:

We actually got on quite well. And to his credit, he’s sped up.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) January 26, 2020

Well, other than that bad time, of course.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (PGA TOUR EDITION)

This is pure golf porn, folks.

Flushed. ?

?? pic.twitter.com/kNJUJFnKh0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2020

Nicely done, PGA Tour.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (EUROPEAN TOUR EDITION)

And kudos to the European Tour CONTENT makers as well for this gem of a game pitting Viktor Hovland and Andrew “Beef” Johnston:

Beef ?Hovland #LuckOfTheDraw ??#ODDC @OMEGAGolfDubai pic.twitter.com/d0glMwwGQj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 24, 2020

Just don’t try this at home. Unless your course is completely empty.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Lucas Herbert is a European Tour winner. And an honest bloke:

Victory + Australia Day = ? pic.twitter.com/Sj0ObZRnPO

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 26, 2020

Hope Monday morning wasn’t too painful, Lucas. You’re only 24! It gets much, much worse. Trust me.

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

https://www.instagram.com/p/B704RKDAaz9/?utm_source=ig_embed

Get it? “Boat” load? Good stuff, Jena. Also, by my extensive research of Jena’s Instagram account, this is the first time she’s posted a photo of the couple on a boat together since May 4 of last year. What’s significant about that? Brooks won the PGA Championship that week. So he’s basically a lock-in Saudi Arabia this week.

And how about C.T. Pan going shopping with his wife and sometimes caddie, Michelle:

When it comes to grocery shopping, I’m her caddie. 3 tasks I need to do for her, show up, keep up and shut up. #happywifehappylife #groceryshopping #happymondays #groceryshopping pic.twitter.com/k1nAAFuZDc

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) January 27, 2020

Also, pay up at the end. ? https://t.co/ojLON1xv2R

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) January 28, 2020

Looks like someone learned his lesson from that time he knocked Michelle’s caddying skills on national TV.

THIS AND THAT

The Players Championship’s purse will increase $2.5 million to $15 million total with $2.7 million of that going to the winner. And no one even batted an eye. . . . Phil Mickelson missed his second consecutive cut to start a calendar year for the first time in his career. And at No. 86 in the Official World Golf Ranking, he might have a few more holes on his schedule since he currently isn’t qualified for a slew of big events. . . . Speaking of the OWGR, Jordan Spieth dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since his rookie season. That historic 2015 campaign seems like it was decades ago. . . . The Premier Golf League, a possible PGA Tour competitor, is drawing interest from players, including Rory McIlroy. The bad news for Phil and Jordan? These would be 48-man events. Ouch. . . . And finally, it looks like I need to find a new hiding spot for my fruit snacks. . .

She’s a crafty one. And like Kobe, I’m a proud girl dad. RIP Kobe and GiGi.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What’s the golf equivalent of Kobe’s 81-point game?

How fast could I play 18 holes walking?

How much should I bet on Brooks Koepka?

The post Tiger Woods’ new toy, Jon Rahm’s brutal leader board gaffe, and a possible good omen for Brooks Koepka appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
A bolstered agronomy team of 50 have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure Royal Greens Golf & Country Club is presented in immaculate condition for the 2nd Saudi International. Roped in from eight nations, together the greens-keeping staff have poured 4000 man-hours into course prep for the $3.5 million European Tour event and have even used scissors to trim the grass just so.

It has been greeted with almost universal approval from this week’s star-studded field with former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Asian Tour star Gavin Green the most appreciative on Thursday after earning a share of the first-round lead at the Desert Swing event. The 26-year-old Malaysian, who won the Taiwan Masters en-route to topping the Asian Tour order of merit in 2017, rode a hot and cold putter to an early 64 which McDowell matched later despite a double-bogey on his card.

After creating tour history with a 96-minute, final round 75 at last week’s OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, Sebastian Soderberg went significantly slower and 10 strokes better to grab a share of second place alongside Swedish compatriot Henrik Stenson and Dubai-based Spaniard Adri Arnaus.

A gaggle of seven players, including debutant Phil Mickelson and Englishman Tom Lewis who was T-3 in Dubai, are a shot further back after 66s while Lucas Herbert showed little signs of his promised hangover after winning the Desert Classic with an opening 67, a score matched by Saudi defending champion Dustin Johnson.

After getting it to -2 early, world No.1 Brooks Koepka signed for an even-par 70 after four back-nine bogeys were sweetened by a birdie on 18. Fellow American Ryder Cupper Patrick Reed went birdie-less in a three-over 73.

They are all looking up at McDowell and Green on a day when 50 players bettered par..

Graeme McDowell reacts to a shot during the opening round at Royal Greens. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Playing in the company of Mickelson, McDowell opened with a par before rattling off four successive birdies. He closed with a hat-trick of gains from the 15th with his only blemish a double on the par-3 11th.

Green’s six-under loop was also blighted by a back nine wobble with three-putt bogeys at 12 and 14.   

“Played solid. Really just a few mistakes here and there, which is pretty normal. A couple of pretty big par saves, and a couple of mistakes, a couple of three-putts, which was tough to take in because I was playing well and I was playing solid. Just a couple slipped off,” Green said.

“You know, it’s the nature of the game. You just have to live with it and move on, and that’s what we did. We closed off strong, birdied 16, 17. Had a look at 18. Had a nasty little lip out but it is what it is. I’ll take it. Six-under’s good.”

Indeed.

Like Green, Stenson also enjoyed his opening round on greens that a better for an extra year of growth and care.

“That was some good putting,” said the 43-year-old who is searching for his first European Tour win since claiming the claret jug at the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Toon.

“I contributed most of it to the putting today. Still a struggle off the tee at times and the rough is pretty thick. Had to scramble well on a couple of holes, but the approach shots that were close I converted into birdies and kept it together nicely, so very pleased with that.

Stenson tees off on the par-4 17th during the first round at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

“The greens are rolling much better this year. They are quicker, more top-dressed and not as grainy, so I think everyone’s happy with the improvements on the greens. You feel like you’re more used to the conditions that we’re playing here this week than maybe the ones we had last year.”

A bit like playing in the UAE where you’ve enjoyed so much success, Henrik?

“Not really. I think this golf course is a lot different compared to the ones we played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Qatar over the years. Paspalum, different grass, but it’s still kind of desert style. When you miss it badly, you’re kind of out in the desert, and certainly tried that once or twice, as well. Maybe a little bit, but all in all, just a good opening round.’

Johnston mixed five birdies Thursday with two bogeys but was relatively happy with his first round 67 since Jan.5 when he finished T-7 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions to open the new PGA Tour year.

“I felt like I played pretty well. Just the three-putt on 17 was bad. I just missed a short one and then lipped-out a pretty short putt on 3 for par. Those were the only two bogeys. So really wasn’t out of position too much. I felt like I drove it pretty well. Hit a lot of good shots. 3-under is a solid score. I feel like the golf course is much more difficult this year than it was last year, just because the rough’s up, and the greens are a little faster.

“You have to attack the course differently this year for sure just because you can’t play out of the rough. Whereas last year, it was no problem. And so yeah, definitely played a few different clubs off the tees just to try to get it in the fairway.”

The post Graeme McDowell and Gavin Green fire 64s for share of Saudi lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

WE’RE BUYING

Korn Ferry Tour Championship: I’m not one of these golf purists who is going to tell you the KFT season finale was better than the Tour Championship, but it contained incredible drama in its own way, as usual. Watching guys go back and forth from having a job on the PGA Tour next season to being on the outs was riveting, and Doug Ghim provided the event’s lasting moment when he sunk this tester for par on 18 to graduate to the big leagues:

Intensity.
Passion.
Jubilation.@DougGhim is #TOURBound. pic.twitter.com/sz8tlOIkK6

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) September 2, 2019

What a fantastic reaction by Ghim, who was one of nine players to jump into the all-important top 25 of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals points list. Of course, there were others who wound up outside the bubble. But let’s stay positive here. Putting up with the end of summer is sad enough.

Tom Lewis: This 28-year-old Brit needed no such drama at Victoria National. The former can’t-miss prospect couldn’t miss all week, winning by five shots to earn his PGA Tour card for the first time. Even more impressive is this was Lewis’ first start on the Korn Ferry Tour this season. And we don’t just mean since the Web.com Tour switched to being called the Korn Ferry Tour. No, this dude just carpetbagged his way to a PGA Tour card.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

But good for him. And now he has the “good problem” of choosing whether to play predominantly on the European Tour or PGA Tour next season. Just a gue$$, but Lewi$ will play more in the U$A.

Sebastian Soderberg: The 28-year-old Swede (It was a good week to be 28) won a five-man playoff at the Omega European Masters that included Rory McIlroy. Not a bad way to pick up his first European Tour title.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Kudos to Rory as well for not just showing up and going through the motions for a sponsor following his Tour Championship/FedEx Cup triumph. Or maybe he was just going through the motions, but he’s that good.

Lucky bounces: Especially when you haven’t won in nearly five years. Wes Short Jr. looked like he’d come up short again when his final approach shot came up short, but he used the rocks in the hazard to his advantage (Savvy!) and wound up two-putting for birdie and the win at the Shaw Charity Classic.

Can’t make this stuff up …

Wes Short Jr.’s second shot into the par-5 18th looked like it was heading into the hazard.

Thanks to the help of a rock, the ball landed on the green and Wes went on to make birdie for the @ShawClassic win. pic.twitter.com/KAQY6KDobi

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) September 2, 2019

“Good, clean living!” as my friend Roks used to say.

WE’RE SELLING

(My) unlucky weather: For important events, that is. Three weeks after playing only three holes in my first PGA Tour Pro-Am, I played a total of four holes in the only member-guest I was invited to this year. Womp-womp. This time, I managed to show up to lovely Aspetuck Valley Country Club on the one part of the one day that it stormed amid two weeks of perfectly glorious weather. At least it wasn’t raining (torrentially) when we took our group photo. That happened seconds later.

Thanks to my buddy Al for the look, but seriously, everyone, do NOT invite me to any important golf function going forward.

Paragliding: We’ve seen people doing this at places like Torrey Pines, but in Switzerland, Rory McIlroy had to back away from a shot because he was worried about hitting them:

Wait, a Paraglider? ?

Everyone wanted to see Rory McIlroy today… pic.twitter.com/7LhYX3X9t8

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 29, 2019

How rude! Also, this looks dangerous! You couldn’t pay me Rory McIlroy FedEx Cup money to go up on one of those.

Brandel vs. Bob: Brooks Koepka’s dad, Bob, went after Brandel Chamblee on Twitter over the weekend. I love seeing someone stick up for his sons, and the back-and-forth was entertaining, but it was also a bit silly considering how much crow Chamblee has eaten regarding his Koepka commentary:

They say the NBA offseason has become more interesting than the season. If this is how golf’s offseason is about to go, sign me the hell up.

Brooksy’s dad taking runs at Brandel. America’s Guest catching multiple strays. Let’s light this candle and really live under par in Q4! pic.twitter.com/fquHoMcJRP

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) September 3, 2019

Not that I’m complaining. Keep this Twitter beef going, guys!

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—There will be another five-man playoff on the European Tour: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—Tiger will win another major: 3-to-1 odds (Actual odds. Um … tempting.)
—I will never go paragliding: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Tiger and mini-Tiger watching Rafael Nadal (Sorry, Roger) at the U.S. Open:

Like father, like son. ?@TigerWoods and his family attended the men's singles match between Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic at the U.S. Open on Monday. pic.twitter.com/mREsyxTPir

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 3, 2019

So cute. Tiger also unleashed a pretty ferocious standing fist-pump and I’ve never felt more excited watching tennis:

Game recognizing game. ?pic.twitter.com/xqLFNnFhDi

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 3, 2019

Good to see. That surgically repaired knee must be feeling better.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TOUR PRO DIVISION)

As my colleague, Chris Powers, so eloquently put it, “Eddie Pepperell can’t stop, won’t stop roasting Bryson DeChambeau for slow play.”

We don't deserve Eddie Pepperell. pic.twitter.com/DurrrQJEFz

— Chris Chaney (@Wrong_Fairway) August 30, 2019

Good stuff, Eddie. Golf needs more mid-round interviews.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (NON-TOUR PRO DIVISION)

Introducing Silvia Rosenberger. She’s from Germany and she can putt the freaking lights out. At last week’s World Amateur Handicap Championship, Rosenberger won a $5 putting contest and got one crack from 60 feet for $25,000. You can guess what happened:

ICYMI: Epic moment at the Myrtle Beach World Am last night when this German golfer casually drains a 100 footer to win $25,000!

How much beer do you think she had to buy everyone after???#MBWorldAm #MyrtleBeachGolf pic.twitter.com/v0a0zthMmv

— Myrtle Beach Golf (@MyrtleBeachGolf) August 31, 2019

Well done, Silvia.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“To have it all come down to one putt is pretty surreal. It’s one of those things where if you make the putt, it does wonders for you, and if you miss it, it could go the opposite way. Now that I’ve finally made the putt, it feels like I have the opportunity to make some noise on the big tour and I’m just really, really excited.” —Doug Ghim after earning his PGA Tour card on the 18th at Victoria National on Monday.

Good to hear, Doug. Because you only get one week off before the PGA Tour season starts.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITIES PLAYING GOLF

When Justin Timberlake needs a bunker lesson, he goes to one of the best: Rory McIlroy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rFfrRn9U_/?utm_source=ig_embed

And how about the Green Bay Packers dressing up as “Happy Gilmore” characters?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1uCidahZV0/?utm_source=ig_embed

Impressive. But … where the heck is Shooter?!

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Phil had Justin Thomas on an episode of “Phireside with Phil” to tell another great story about Phil (although, we’re still waiting for that second part … ):

One of my favorite people on Tour …

My man JT (@JustinThomas34) joins me for a 2-part series to tell stories when we first played together. #PhiresideWithPhil pic.twitter.com/e0OhAcVYow

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 29, 2019

And Mickelson reminded everyone how great his calves are:

Let us not forget. #CalvesLikeAdonis pic.twitter.com/raP1uIUB6I

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 27, 2019

Running on the beach while holding weights is going to be featured prominently in his “Body By Phil” fitness series.

THIS AND THAT

It looks like Patrick Reed has a sweet new ride:

Great to be back in Hamburg, Germany for the Porsche European Open! Before I left, I broke in my commemorative Masters GT2RS! Excited to play the next three events on the @EuropeanTour. #PEO @KLMOpen, @BMWPGA #1of1 pic.twitter.com/SP5XGIzJcb

— Patrick Reed (@PReedGolf) September 3, 2019

It’s good to be a Masters champ. … Congrats to Hannah Green for winning her second LPGA title by one shot over Monday qualifier Yealimi Noh. Congrats to the 18-year-old Noh for even coming close. She’ll be back. … Shout-out to Golf Digest Executive Producer of Video Christian Iooss, who broke his leg in a surfing accident over the weekend. Yet another reminder of why you should retire from all sports and activities other than golf once you turn 25. Feel better, Iooss. … And finally, my daughter is convinced I’m Tim Robbins/Andy Dufresne from “The Shawshank Redemption”:

My daughter is convinced I’m @TimRobbins1 as Andy Dufresne (?), so, yeah, it’s a great day… pic.twitter.com/7tOSsyjFPC

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) August 29, 2019

And I don’t plan on correcting her anytime soon! Also, Tim Robbins liked this tweet. Man, I love Twitter.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What’s the best movie of all time (Other than Shawshank)?
Does Silvia lose her amateur status after winning the $25K in the putting contest?
How do you say “Quid pro quo” in German?

The post Tiger Woods roots for Rafael Nadal, Brooks Koepka’s dad goes after Brandel Chamblee, and the luckiest bounce of 2019 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
They made for an unlikely quintet—World Rankings of 2, 287, 300, 513 and 735—but it was that sort of day “up the mountain” in the final round of the Omega European Masters.

First, the facts and figures. All five players shot 14-under 266 for four circuits of the endlessly picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre course, more than 5,000 feet up in the Swiss Alps. And in the end, the glory went to No. 287, Sebastian Soderberg. The Swede’s birdie at the first playoff hole was good enough to beat the pars made by Rory McIlroy (No. 2), Kalle Samooja (300) and Andres Romero (735). The odd man out, moments after hitting an unfortunate spectator with a badly pulled tee-shot, was Lorenzo Gagli (513), whose approach found water en route to an unavailing bogey.

All of which was routine stuff compared with the last couple of hours in regulation play. McIlroy’s fluctuating fortunes were typical of what went on. With seven holes to play, the Northern Irishman was two over par for the day and three shots off the pace set by the eventual champion, who had just made the first two of what would be five straight birdies.

So it appeared all over for a weary-looking McIlroy, only seven days after his FedEx Cup triumph across the Atlantic. Hang on though. Six holes and five birdies later, the Northern Irishman was tied with Soderberg as the pair walked with differing emotions to the 72nd tee. Where the familiar bounce was back in McIlroy’s stride, for the 28-year-old Soderberg, it was time to reflect on the seemingly catastrophic three-putts he had just taken from no more than five feet to make bogey on the penultimate green.

RELATED: Don’t tell Brooks Koepka, but Rory McIlroy is coming for him (kinda, sorta)

And there’s more. Replicating almost exactly the awful drive Seve Ballesteros struck in the 1993 edition of this long-standing event, McIlroy’s effort finished close to the plaque that commemorates the iconic spot from which the late Spaniard struck one of professional golf’s most audacious, creative and imaginative shots. Unfortunately, such an effort wasn’t available this time round, and McIlroy chipped out sideways to the fairway. From there he hit a spectacular approach stiff to the pin to make a “ridiculous” par.

Rory McIlroy walking in Seve’s footsteps, literally.

Incredible scenes in Switzerland. #OEM2019 pic.twitter.com/UcaOrRWCAp

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 1, 2019

Even then, the drama was not over. Only when Soderberg and Samooja missed eminently makable birdie putts on the final green was the European Tour’s first five-man playoff in eight years confirmed.

The extra time, although brief, also produced moments of suspense. McIlroy was first to hit close, his approach finishing no more than six feet away. Soderberg followed to eight feet before Samooja’s shot finished even closer, roughly five feet from the pin. But, as so often is the case in these instances, the first man in proved to be the winner. Soderberg, back on the European Tour after graduating from last year’s Challenge Tour money-list, holed for his 3, before watching the others miss narrowly.

“This is tough to describe,” said a somewhat breathless Soderberg, who picked up a career-high check for €416,000. “I was shaking the last few holes. I calmed down a bit for the playoff, but now I don’t know what to say. I actually didn’t play my best today, but my chipping and putting was unbelievable. And it was so exciting to play with Rory. This really hasn’t sunk in yet.

“All I really tried to do was just keep going. I didn’t really watch the leader board until the last tee. I hit the first putt on 17 too firm, but I’m proud of myself being able to play good when I was shaking so much. On the 18th, I just tried to focus on hitting two more good shots. There was not as much pressure in the playoff. I had nothing to lose. I was way more calm then I was over the last few holes.”

As a result of this, his maiden victory on the European Tour, Soderberg is exempt through the end of the 2021 season, a fact he described as “life changing.”

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Soderberg enjoys his first European Tour win

McIlroy was perhaps the most disappointed of the four playoff losers. Eleven years earlier, the then 19-year-old made a sloppy bogey on the same 72nd hole (he had only a wedge to the green) to fall into a playoff with the now long-forgotten Jean-Francois Lucquin. Two holes later, the Frenchman had what proved to be his only tour victory, and McIlroy had himself a long-standing itch, one that has still to be scratched.

“Too many mistakes,” McIlroy said on a tournament in which he made a remarkable 26 birdies and an eagle, but dropped as many as 14 shots. “I didn’t quite have it over the weekend. But this has been another solid event. Seven starts in eight weeks has been a long run. Mental errors were creeping in. And the sloppy finish yesterday [three bogeys in his last five holes] cost me. But I did my best today. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Just about everything else was though.

The post Sebastian Soderberg beats Rory McIlroy as part of wild five-man playoff at the European Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.