Talor Gooch arrived in Singapore frustrated by major championship eligibility drama. Because of a tweak that the USGA made to its qualifying criteria for 2023, Gooch was not exempt for the upcoming U.S. Open after thinking he had gotten in by qualifying for last year’s Tour Championship.

But the 31-year-old brushed aside his frustration—and rode the high from claiming his first victory in 17 months just days before in Australia—to win the LIV Golf event at Sentosa Golf Club in a playoff with Sergio Garcia. In becoming LIV’s first individual champion in back-to-back events, Gooch finished the trip to the Asia Pacific region $8 million richer.

Pulling out the title this time was a little different for Gooch, who came in with a 10-shot lead in the final day at Adelaide and hung on for the victory. On Sunday in Singapore, Gooch held a share of the 36-hole lead and had to step up to claim victory.

And indeed, that’s what he did, tied with Garcia at 16 under when an hour-long weather delay stopped play with four holes remaining. When the round resumed, Garcia closed out a 67 with a birdie on the last hole to get to 17 under. Gooch matched that with a birdie of his own on the last hole to card 67 as well to set up the fourth playoff in LIV history.

Returning to the par-5 18th, Gooch, an Oklahoma State alum, took an aggressive line from the tee, allowing him to reach the green in two. Garcia’s second shot found a greenside bunker and when he couldn’t get up and down for birdie, Gooch had his title.

“You just try to bottle it up and make it last as long as possible,” Gooch said of his recent form. “I know that I’m not going to continue playing this level of golf forever. When it [eventually] goes away you try to get back on the train as quickly as possible. You try to savour these moments.

“[Battling Garcia] is one of those days that I’ll remember,” Gooch said. “I grew up watching Sergio. He’s one of the greatest golfers of this generation. To go and battle with him and come out on top is something I’ll never forget.”

What Gooch did manage to forget was a blowback from his decision to leave the PGA Tour last summer to join LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. While Gooch technically qualified to play in the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship, being banned from tour events meant he wasn’t eligible to compete at East Lake. And that became a semantical problem when the USGA changed the language of the qualifying criteria for the 2023 U.S. Open regarding the Tour Championship. In February, the USGA announced that “those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2022 Tour Championship” received the full exemption. That knocked out Gooch.

“That was obviously disappointing because that changed rule only affected one person, which was me,” Gooch told the 73rd Hole Podcast. “So that was frustrating and tough because with LIV still not being rewarded with World Ranking points, I have only two options to qualify for the U.S. Open: via my World Ranking, which is going to be very challenging, or trying to obviously go through the qualifying route of sectional qualifying.”

Gooch also noted that Augusta National and the R&A, which has similar exemptions for those who qualified for the Tour Championship, let him in their 2023 majors despite not actually playing at East Lake.

On Friday, however, as Gooch was in contention in Singapore, the PGA of America had reached out and informed Gooch that he had qualified for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill next month. It was some consolation.

“It was cool this morning waking up and seeing an invite from the PGA of America,” Gooch said. “It’s going to be a fun week, and it’s cool that they recognize the body of work and gave me a spot in the field.”

Gooch, who also finished T-34 at the Masters, then went and proved why he can still mix it with some of the world’s best. After all, one shot shy of the playoff with Garcia was four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, a joint runner-up at Augusta National earlier this month, whose closing 67 at Sentosa left him in third place.

Gooch’s Range Goats team, which is captained by two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson and features Harold Varner III and Thomas Pieters, took home the $3-million team component. They beat Garcia’s Fireballs GC side by three strokes.

“There’s nobody around professional golf that doesn’t understand how good Talor Gooch is … not just our own team or our own league,” Watson said.

No doubt Gooch wishes LIV Golf’s next stop, which is taking place in his home state of Oklahoma at Tulsa’s Cedar Ridge Country Club May 12-14, could be happening this coming week. Instead, he’ll have to wait a little bit before seeing if he can continue his strong play with a virtual home game.

The post 8 days, $8 million: Talor Gooch closes out crazy stretch on and off the course with a second straight LIV Golf win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There was no missing the smile on Jin Young Ko’s face as she stood on the 18th green at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday in Singapore, victorious for a second straight year at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. But there was no missing the tears, either. The 12-month odyssey to win once more and claim her 14th career LPGA title was one that pushed the 27-year-old South Korean star unlike any other time in her impressive professional career. And the normally stoic Ko couldn’t hide her emotions.

“[I tried] to listen to the birds and feel the wind and rain,” she said. “But it was really hard to keep my poker face.”

Tears of joy ?

Jin young Ko wins the 2023 @HWWCGolf! ? pic.twitter.com/gWzPE46jIA

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 5, 2023

Ko shot a final-round 69 for a 17-under 271 to fend off challenges from two American stars, Nelly Korda (second at 15 under) and Danielle Kang (T-3 at 14 under), as well as Japan’s Ayaka Furue (T-3 at 14) and American Allisen Corpuz. Ko overcame yet another rain delay, the three day out of four where play was interrupted, with just three holes remaining and a victory in her sights.

Danielle Kang made a charge on Sunday, but a closing 68 wasn’t enough to pass Jin Young Ko. Lionel Ng

The stoppage helped Ko focus again. She’d started the final round with a two-shot edge on Korda, but saw the lead shrink to one as Kang, who shot a second-round 63 to hole the halfway lead, made five birdies on her first 13 holes to make a charge. But Ko counted with her fourth birdie on the day at 13th just as Kang made bogey on the 16th, to hold back Kang. And when Korda bogeyed the 14th while playing beside Ko in the final group, Ko could breathe easier even while stymied by the rain.

“I had a one-shot lead the first 15 or 16 and I know Nelly is behind me. I thought it was just one or two shots, so it was close,” Ko said. “But after the delay, I rested in the dining, and I saw the TV and the scoreboard, and three-shot lead. But I had two more holes left, so thought, let’s make a par, like safe play. But it was really hard to make par 17, 18, but yeah, it was hard but I make it.”

After Ko’s win in Singapore a year ago, the then World No. 1 and reigning LPGA player of the year was looking like she would take her career to another impressive level. Her closing-round 66 was her 15th consecutive round in the 60s, a new LPGA record. It was her 29th round in the 60s over her last 30. But instead, the nagging wrist injury that she had learned to play through worsened, and suddenly Ko couldn’t perform. She had only four top-10 showings in her next 15 start, and in the summer she missed back-to-back cuts for the first time ever. She fell to fifth in the Rolex Women’s Ranking and sat out a start in Portland where she was the defending champion and returned to finish a disappointing T-33 at the CME Group Tour Championship.

Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz congratulate Jin Young Ko on the 18th green after her victory. Andrew Redington

But, finally, time off seemed to pay off, her wrist healed enough to train again with her coach in Vietnam. The first hint of a return to form came a week earlier with a Sunday 64 to finish T-6 at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

With the win, Ko has now claimed a title in a sixth straight LPGA season and defended a title for a third time in her LPGA career. Moreover, she has had the confidence return that appeared to be lost last summer.

“It’s the most important [win]. Because I had a tough year last year, and I fought with injury and not good game and mentally tough and everything, and then I won this week,” Ko said. “So it’s going to be more important to me and it’s going to be big momentum for me in my life.”

The post Jin Young Ko fends off Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang to grab ‘the most important win’ of her career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins
One of the LPGA’s top talents, Sung Hyun Park, admits she has had a little trouble with early-season play so far in her young career. It wasn’t until the fifth event of the year, the ANA Inspiration, that she logged her first top-20 finish in 2018. In the 2019 season, the current World No. 2 finished T-21 in her first event. But in Singapore at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, Park put an end to what looked like was becoming a trend by shooting a final-round 64 at Sentosa Golf Club to win by two over Minjee Lee. It’s the sixth LPGA win for the 25-year-old from South Korea.

“I didn’t think I would win this fast, and I’m really happy,” Park said. “I used to have a tough beginning in the last years, and this first win was so fast, I think I will play really comfortably the rest of my season.”

Park began the final round four shots back of World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn. But Park started her round with three straight birdies, setting an early tone. Jutanugarn, meanwhile, stumbled with a double bogey at the fourth and never found her rhythm, ultimately shooting a final-round 75. Park continued her strong play, making two more birdies and her lone bogey of the day to turn with a four-under 32, before posting four birdies on her back nine to cap a 15-under 273 total for the week.

Park cited her focus as the reason for her win. She said that she held her umbrella low throughout the round not just to protect herself from the sun, but to narrow her field of vision, allowing her to concentrate on the task at hand.

Even after the win, Park remained locked in on what’s ahead in 2019: “No change on my goals this season,” Park said. “I still have four more wins to go.”

Beyond her ability to stay hyper-focused, Park also gave credit to Tiger Woods for the victory.

After a successful career on the Korean LPGA Tour, Park joined the LPGA Tour in 2017. Her popularity is obvious by the number of fans who travel from South Korea to watch her play around the world. Her fans call her by a few nicknames, one of which being Tiger—after her idol. Both Park and Woods are sponsored by TaylorMade and they met for the first time at a TaylorMade shoot in February.

“If Tiger is watching this interview,” Park said in her post-win press conference, “then I would want to say that because we met, you gave me such a good energy, that made me win this tournament.”

The post Sung Hyun Park wins sixth LPGA title, credits Tiger Woods appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Rayhan Thomas’ charge to second place in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship justifiably dominated the headlines but wasn’t the only meritorious accomplishment by the Middle East contingent in Singapore.

Almost lost in the fervour of Thomas’ close run thing were the historic performances of Othman Almulla and Shergo Al Kurdi who became the first players from Saudi Arabia and Jordan respectively to make the cut at the prestigious event co-sanctioned by the R&A and Augusta National Golf Club.

Almulla limped on, quite literally, after a momentous opening round 69 at Sentosa Golf Club with a four-over 74 second round to make the cut by three strokes. His weekend wasn’t quite as the 32-year-old hoped for – rounds of 78-77 seeing him finish with a +18, 298 total, a not insignificant 31 shots behind Japanese champion Takumi Kanaya.

But with the beauty of hindsight, it was a breakthrough effort.

“It’s pretty special, to be honest,” Almulla said after finishing T-60 of the 63 players to make the 36-hole cut.

RELATED: Meet Othman Almulla, Saudi Arabia’s trailblazing amateur

“It was my goal this week to play four solid rounds. And to play four solid rounds, you have to make the cut.”

A nasty blister on his left sole didn’t help from Friday onwards, not that Almulla was looking for excuses.

“I wish I could use the blister as an excuse, but that really wasn’t the case. My body is used to heat, but I guess not the type of heat we have here in Singapore. It did not hurt much when I was swinging, but it was definitely painful to walk,” he added.

Almulla is set to tee it up in the Pan Arab Championship in Tunisia this week and hopes he can kick on from his performance in Singapore and help raise the profile of golf in Saudi Arabia.

“We have had a few good players from Saudi before, but I think what we now have is some very good support system back home,” he said.

“I am happy to make some history for my country but what would give me more satisfaction is if I can motivate a few youngsters to take up the game thinking that if I can do it, so can they. That would be the best outcome of my efforts here.”

Jordan’s Shergo Al Kurdi, at 15, was the youngest player in the field in Singapore.
Photo: Asia-Pacific Golf Federation.

Another notable cut maker in Singapore was Al Kurdi.

RELATED: Teen drawn with former Open champion Darren Clarke in Jordan’s MENA Tour debut

Al Kurdi, just 15, was the youngest player in the field and just like Almulla, became the first player from Jordan to record a sub-par round on Thursday (69). The reigning Jordan Amateur champion advanced to the weekend by a stroke despite an agonising triple-bogey 7 in his second round before closing out with rounds of 84-72 to finish 62nd on 301, + 21.

UAE interest, outside of Thomas, ended on Friday with both Ahmad Skaik and Abdulla Al Musharrekh missing the cut by five and 19 strokes respectively.

Here’s the final scores from all the Middle East* players in Singapore:

2nd: *Rayhan Thomas (India) 74-64-65-66 – 269 (-11)
T-60: Othman Almulla (Saudi Arabia) 69-74-78-77 – 298 (+18)
62nd: Shergo AL Kurdi (Jordan) 69-76-84-72 – 301 (+21)

Missed Cut (the cut line was 146)
Cut: Ali Abdulla Al-Shahrani (Qatar) 74-76 — 150 (+10)
Cut: Ahmad Skaik (UAE) 76-75 — 151 (+11)
Cut: Azzan Al Rumhi (Oman) 78-75 –153 (+13)
Cut: Ali Khazanbeik (Iran) 75-80 — 155 (+15)
Cut: Amer Abdulhasan Radee (Iraq) 79-76 — 155 (+15)
Cut: Saleh Al Kaabi (Qatar) 77-81 — 158 (+18)
Cut: Arthur Barakat (Lebanon) 78-80 — 158 (+18)
Cut: Saud Al Sharif (Saudi Arabia) 80-81 — 161 (+21)
Cut: Hassan Karimian Noshahr (Iran) 77-85 — 162 (+22)
Cut: Saqer Al Noaimi (Bahrain) 85-79 –164 (+24)
Cut: Abdulla Al Musharrekh (UAE) 84-81 – 165 (+25)
Cut: Mohamed Al Noaimi (Bahrain) 87-80 – 167 (+27)
Cut: Rachid Akl (Lebanon) 87-81 – 168 (+28)
Cut: Asad Al Rawashdeh (Jordan) 89-86 – 175 (+35)

* Thomas is based in Dubai.

The post Othman Almulla and Shergo Al Kurdi do Saudi, Jordan proud at Asia-Pacific Amateur appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“One thing I definitely learned from this week is that you can’t win championship of this level after starting with a four-over round,” the Dubai-based Indian teen said.

RELATED: Thomas eyes 148th Open Championship after Asia-Pacific comeback

But by playing his final 54 holes in -15 with rounds of 64-65-66, Thomas remembered he has what it takes to win at the elite level. His eventual -11 total was just two shy of Japanese 20-year-old Takumi Kanaya who clinched exemptions to next year’s U.S. Masters, the Open and the 124th (British) Amateur Championship with his win.

“The one thing I was really proud about was that I did not give up after that start. I tried my best, and this is the result I have,” the MENA Tour trail-blazer said after sealing a spot in the Open Championship qualifying series event of his choice, a short-cut to the 148th Open at Royal Portrush next July. 

“It also tells me that I have been right when I kept feeling that I have been playing really well these last few weeks, starting from the Asian Games [T-13 individually and 7th place for Indian in the teams event]. I just need to trust what I have with my swing right now and I am sure we will have some more good results in the near future.”

Whatever happens next for the Oklahoma State University-bound golfer, the memories from Singapore, on and off the course, will hold the 18-year-old in good stead.

It included an audience with the eight time major champion Tom Watson, captured in these pictures:

Thomas’ top five also means he earns an exemption into next year’s Asia Pacific Amateur and another shot at the dream of invites to Augusta National and the 2020 Open at Royal St Georges.

“Irrespective of my score, I loved every moment of this great championship and I am glad that I have the chance to come back again next year knowing that I have the ability to win it.”

The post Thomas: “I was really proud that I didn’t give up after that start” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 18-year-old Dubai star isn’t grumbling after a sensational run to joint second place at the 10th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Singapore on Sunday.

It’s the best performance by an Indian at an event ranked among the world’s top five amateur tournaments and earns the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member a start in the qualifying series for the next year’s 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

But Thomas was left to rue a four-over-par opening round of 74 at Sentosa Golf Club’s new Tanjong course on Thursday. He went on to play the final 54 holes in -15 with rounds of 64-65-66 to eventually finish -11 with a 269 aggregate.

Consider that the winner, Japanese 20-year-old Takumi Kanaya, won with a -13 total to earn exemptions to next year’s U.S. Masters, the Open and the 124th (British) Amateur Championship.

Still, Thomas is the toast of Middle East golf after getting within a shot of the lead on Sunday at Sentosa before settling for second with Kanaya’s countryman Keita Nakajima.

The silver medal is the biggest result of Thomas’ career and earns him a place in one of the Open Championship’s qualifying series events of his choice, among them the Australian Open, Joburg Open, SMBC Singapore Open or the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open.

The top-five finish also guarantees Thomas a start in next year’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Shanghai during a year where he’ll further his golf education in the U.S. at Oklahoma State, the university where Rickie Fowler honed his game.

“I’m pretty proud. It’s been a good week,” Thomas said in the understatement of the day.

“I mean the four-over start wasn’t good but I was able to pull it together and have a good last three rounds. Birdie on 12 put me in a place where I thought I maybe could just about grab it but I think Takumi’s in a good spot, he’s not going to do anything wrong. But it’s good to know I was in contention.”

The result is also a further nod to Thomas’ coach Justin Parsons and the MENA Tour, the developmental circuit on which the teen created history as the first amateur winner at his home Dubai Creek Open in 2016 as well as a joint world record for successive birdies in a pro event in his defence of the event in September last year.

David Spencer, a strategic advisor to the MENA Tour, led the chorus of online applause to Thomas’ performance.

We are all so proud @RayhanThomas and your SILVER MEDAL @AAC_Golf ! A massive moment for Indian Golf and for your legion of fans, friends, & Family in #MyDubai who were cheering you on today!!!You are an amazing young person!!! @theMENATour @rejwilliams @BUAMIMMj @OMEGAGolfDubai

— David Spencer (@thestripegroup) October 7, 2018

How about getting a doff of the cap from the son of Butch Harmon:

Still remember this kid, beyond proud of him! pic.twitter.com/x1B3MlKX83

— Claude Harmon III (@claudeharmonIII) October 7, 2018

Joy Chakravarty was on hand at Sentosa G.C. to enjoy the biggest moment from the region’s best performing amateur:

Such a proud moment for Indian golf – @RayhanThomas with the silver medal at the @AAC_Golf! pic.twitter.com/4RLn4Rq1tN

— Joy Chakravarty (@TheJoyofGolf) October 7, 2018

This from his coach, Parsons:

Great playing in the Asia Pacific from Rayhan Thomas- what a comeback after a bad start. #butchharmondubai #golfinstruction #titleist #golfswing #golf @ Dubai, United Arab Emirates https://t.co/K8oqDfAeXh

— Justin Parsons (@JParsonsGolf) October 7, 2018

Thomas not only did the Emirates Golf Federation region proud as this tweet from India highlights:

Congratulations to Rayhan on this fantastic silver medal . Great show and you have made all of India very proud. Best wishes for your very bright future.

— IndianGolfUnion (@IndianGolfUnion) October 7, 2018

The post Thomas eyes the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush after sensational run to joint second at Asia-Pacific Amateur appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 32-year-old created history on Sentosa Golf Club’s new Tanjong course with a one-under-par 69, the first sub-par round by a Saudi in the tournament organised by The Masters and the R&A in association with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation.

Almulla mixed two birdies against a solitary bogey to eclipse the previous mark, a one-over par 71 by Khaled Attieh in the second round of the 2015 event at Clearwater Bay in Hong Kong.

RELATED: Meet Othman Almulla, Saudi’s leading amateur for more than a decade

Almulla was tied for 16th place at the end of the morning rounds. The top-60 and ties make the cut after Friday’s second round. No player from Saudi has ever made it to the weekend of the AAC and while Almulla isn’t getting ahead of himself, he is in a chipper mood.

“This is just one round, but to be honest it is huge for me,” he said.

“The way I played and the way I handled myself is a big boost me. Irrespective of what happens in the tournament, I am happy and I am going to keep working hard and hope to be more consistent in the future.”

Almulla finished a lowly 153rd equal at last month’s Eisenhower Trophy, negotiating the world amateur teams championship with rounds of 73-72-78-81 for a +14, 304 total at Carton House near Dublin.

“To be fair, it’s been a long season and I have been putting in some very hard work but haven’t really reaped the benefit of it. I kept talking to my coach, Zane Scotland, and he kept telling me that I needed to stay patient and keep trusting the process,” said Almulla, who has been a regular on the MENA Golf Tour.

“I may not have made many birdies, but I am happy that I did not make many mistakes today. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. And when I missed a shot, I missed it in the right place.”

Almulla’s hard work with Scotland, a former European Tour player and the most decorated MENA Tour player with 10 titles, is starting to pay off.

“The Saudi Golf Federation is very supportive of the national team. They have given us every opportunity to succeed and improve. Part of that opportunity was to go and spend time in the UK before the World Amateur Team Championship in Dublin with Zane, and that has just continued from there with him helping us on Skype and through videos,” said Almulla.

“There are some very ambitious plans for golf in Saudi Arabia. I think everyone knows of the big European Tour event we have back home next year in January. We want to be good ambassadors of Saudi golf, and part of it is to be able to play well at the international stage.”

So far, so good in Singapore.

RELATED: Emirati pair ready to do UAE proud at Asia-Pacific

The post Saudi amateur Othman Almulla opens Asia-Pacific Championship with historic sub-par round appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The ultimate prize is dreamy – not only a start in the Masters at Augusta National but also an invite to the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush next July. But for the UAE’s Ahmed Skaik and Abdullah Al Musharrekh, simply making the 36-hole cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (ACC) in Singapore this week would be a huge win.

The duo are both playing their second AAC’s at Sentosa Golf Club with Skaik off the 10th tee in his first round at 12.40pm (8.40am UAE time) on Thursday, 10 minutes ahead of Musharrekh who in turn goes off five minutes before Dubai-domiciled Indian No.1 Rayhan Thomas begins his legitimate title challenge from the 1st tee.

Skaik missed the cut at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand last year but has now finished his International Studies degree from the American University of Dubai which allows golf to take over as his top priority again. The big picture for the 21-year-old is to represent the UAE at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, meaning a professional career beckons. The AAC is a learning curve along the way to the paid ranks.

“It’s not been a very good season for me as the focus was more on studies,” Skaik said. “But I am now done and have started concentrating on my golf again. This is the biggest event we play all year and I have tried to prepare with it in mind.

“I have a few important events after this like the Pan Arab Games, so I am hoping all my hard work will pay off, starting this week.”

Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai-based Indian No.1, tees it up in practice at Sentosa G.C.
Photo by Joy Chakravarty

The first step is to survive Friday’s halfway cut, no cinch given the calibre of the field assembled for the 10th edition of the event, considered among the top five amateur events globally. The 120-player field is annually comprised of the top male amateurs from the 41 Asia Pacific Golf Confederation member organisations.

“The level here is pretty high. And as I said, I haven’t been playing regularly earlier in the year. But I know that if I play to my potential, I can post a good result this week,” Skaik said.

Musharrekh has just returned from South America where he was working with Abu Dhabi-based investment company Mubadala for the past four years. He played in the inaugural AAC in 2009 and need only look as far as his younger brother for motivation. Ahmed Al Musharrekh holds the record of best finish by a UAE golfer in the AAC (T-24 at even par), coincidently when Singapore last hosted the tournament in 2011.

“Ahmed played very well that year. He was very consistent and shot two sub-par rounds. That was one of the proudest moments for UAE golf. And yes, that gives me motivation,” said Abdullah.

“I was busy with my career with Mubadala and then did my national service. Golf wasn’t a priority for almost four-five years. But I am now back in the UAE and I want to be part of the national team on a regular basis.

“I am a very competitive person, so I know golf is not going to be a simple leisure sport for me.”

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in February 2009 as a joint initiative to develop the game by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A. Yuxin Lin, at 17, became the third AAC champion from China after finishing with a birdie and eagle in the final round to win by three strokes at Royal Wellington last year.

The post Skaik and Musharrekh poised to do UAE proud at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.