The way she’s playing, Tiger Woods might want to consider using a Team USA Presidents Cup pick on Danielle Kang. Nah, she didn’t win this week, but was she close! Only 3 tours were in action in the penultimate week of October, but the results were stunning. A prodigal golfer triumphed in her home country, a man on the edge of losing his tour card kept it and won! And the captain can now justifiably pick the player, after winning the inaugural PGA Tour event played in Japan. In the altered words of golfer and writer John Updike: Tiger, Run.

ZOZO goes to TIWO by three over Hideki

Is it me alone, or does ZOZO look an awful lot like 2020?

So many things to mention, so little space. Tiger tied the Slammer for most tour wins ever, with his 82nd victory. Tiger won the first-ever PGA Tour event in Japan. Tiger bionically comes back from September surgery to win in convincing fashion. Tiger can now justifiably pick Tiger for the USA Presidents Cup side.

Remember 1997? Young Tiger started off the Masters with 40 on the front nine. Kinda-sorta spotted the field an advantage, as he romped to victory from that point on. 2019 ain’t much different, kiddos. Old Tiger started bogey-bogey-bogey on Thursday, then won by 3 over hometown Hideki. Still spotting leads, still closing deals.

Some will say, Tiger had a few wins along the way against half-fields, without cuts, yadda yadda. So did Sam Snead. At the end of the day, both are legends and numbers tell a fraction (get it? numbers? fraction?) of the story.

Did you think that Tiger wouldn’t pick Tiger, given his sense of history? The last playing captain in team golf that matters was Arnold Daniel Palmer, in 1963. Tiger won the Masters this year. He’s pretty good. Tiger winning the ZOZO in late October means, he’s still pretty good. There goes one of four Captain’s picks. It will be pretty cool to see his vice-captains run the show, while Tiger plays. Our prediction: Captain Tiger will play Team Member Tiger on Thursday and Saturday morning, giving the later plenty of rest for Sunday’s required singles, while allowing the former to captain 2 of the 4 preliminary rounds.

Oh, by the way, did you know that the Olympics next year will be contested in Japan? Tiger’s big in Japan.

Brown snares Portugal Masters with remarkable European Tour comeback

Steven Brown, among many, came into this week with a precise goal: preserve European Tour playing privileges for 2020. Justin Walters of South Africa had a similar target; he finished 2nd and succeeded. Jack Singh Brar also hoped to be here for another year-with an 8th-place result, he will be. Brown outdid them all. With a heroic lash of a fairway metal on the 12th hole, the Englishmen found himself 8 feet from eagle. He converted the putt for 3 on the par-5 hole, and moved into a tie for the lead on the next green. With 6 closing pars, not an easy task on the Dom Victoria course, Brown held off Walters and South Africa’s Brandon Stone, for a 1-shot triumph.

Stone had played enviable golf all day, until arriving at the closing third of the course. He stood three shots below par on the round, but made bogey at the 13th and the 16th. Ironically, both hole were par 3s, and Stone had the comfort of teeing the ball as he pleased. Unable to make birdie at the watery 17th and 18th holes, the 3-time winner found himself one shot shy of a playoff. His consolation, though, was a jump from nowhere into the top 100, enough to keep him playing in the Race To Dubai playoffs’ first round in Turkey, in November.

Ha Na Jang wins LPGA’s BMW Ladies Championship on home Korean soil

In May of 2017, the LPGA lost a wondrous competitor, when Ha Na Jang put family first and returned to the Korean LPGA circuit. 25 years old at the time, Jang was one of the rising stars and her departure left a bit of a hole on tour. In the two years since, she has won four times on the KLPGA, as well as winning the Australian Open on the LPGA tour. This week, Jang reminded fans of her skill when she came from a stroke behind to reach 19-under par in regulation. Her 65 in the final round was enough to gain a playoff with last week’s winner, Danielle Kang of the USA.

Jang eagled the 11th hole to jump-start her inward half. She birdied 3 more holes on the trek to the clubhouse. Ahead of her, Kang had scorched the fairways of the LPGA International Busan, carving 8 birdies into the first 13 holes of her scorecard. Unable to squeeze any more strokes from her round, Kang also reached the 19-under figure. The two champions, 3 shots clear of 3rd-place Amy Yang, headed out for extra holes. Each depended on her wedge game for a par save at the 1st extra hole. Kang lipped out for birdie on the 2nd bonus hole, astonished at the game’s cruelty. On hole number 3, Jang made good on her birdie effort, and claimed her 5th career LPGA title.