For some golf fans, the weeks that intervene amid important events are a welcome chance at respite. For others, they are an agonizing gap between major tournaments. Last week’s Players Championship signaled the first top-shelf event of the men’s 2023 run, and the Masters is still three weeks away. For the women, next week’s Drive On Championship begins a four-in-five-weeks run that culminates in the relocated Chevron Championship.

No matter which type identifies you, the golf this week was either thrilling or inspirational. The DP World Tour’s SDC Championship was a runaway, while the Valspar (PGA Tour) DGC Open (Asian Tour), and Termas de Río Hondo (PGA Tour LA) all reveled in to-the-wire finishes. Let’s meet in the middle and enjoy a weekly Tour Rundown here on GolfWRX.

PGA Tour: Moore wins Valspar on Schenk’s last-hole bogey

The money might be different at an elevated event, but the real drama happens when the unproven have a chance to prove themselves. Adam Schenk will look back at this week and realize that he led after every round but the last one, and that a solo-second result would have looked pretty good at the start of the week. Taylor Moore will point to the Sunday 74s at Bay Hill and Sawgrass, and affirm that they toughened him as a competitor.

Big names were in the mix on Sunday at Innisbrook. Jordan Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood, both veteran Ryder Cup competitors, had a chance to win over the closing holes. Neither could avoid the bogeys that wait on the Copperhead course, and each settled for a third-place tie, two shots out of first. Double-defender Sam Burns posted 67 on Sunday and moved to sixth place, but was never in the mix for a third consecutive title at Valspar.

Taylor Moore stood even on the day at Sunday’s ninth tee. Over the next ten holes, he would initial four birdies and six pars on his card. If you play that many holes at Innisbrook’s Copperhead in four-under par, especially this late in the game, good things will certainly happen. With the win, Moore ascends to a new echelon of tour player, and sets his sights on bigger things.

For a share of the lead!@RazorbackMGolf alum @TaylorMooreGolf birdies No. 16 @ValsparChamp.

He is seeking his first TOUR win ? pic.twitter.com/6hmNgONWkY

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 19, 2023

DP World Tour: Baldwin earns debut win in South Africa

The classic novel A Tale of Two Cities wasn’t recreated in precision for golf this week in South Africa, but one could certainly make a case for A Tale of Two Tourneys as a candidate for a summary title. Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen played his way into the weekend with 133 through 36 holes, then abandoned the 60s for 72-73 coming home. His ten-under finish wasn’t within shouting distance of the champion, but it did garner him the best finish of his tour career. One shot clear of Krogh was Spain’s Adrián Arnaus, who scorched the first five holes on Sunday with -4, but cooled off to -11 overall.

Heading the drive across the fields of St. Francis Links was Englahd’s Matthew Baldwin. The Southport lad claimed the first title of his year’s on Europe’s big tour, and only the second of his professional career. After signing for 70 on Thursday, Baldwin soared to new eights with 67-65-68 to the finish. This featured a five-par closing stretch on day four, good enough to take him to -18 and a seven-shot separation from the runner up. In all, a well-earned champagne bath for the 37-year old journeyman.

The moment @mattbaldwin26 got his breakthrough win… by SEVEN shots ?#SDCChampionship pic.twitter.com/3PQEiVsye3

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 19, 2023

Asian Tour: Tabuena turns third trophy at DGC Open

Miguel Tabuena has made a name for himself on his homeland, Philippine Tour. His 15 titles give him the confidence needed to play up at the Asian Tour events that fit his schedule. This week in India, Tabuena added the DGC Open winner’s cup to his previous chalices from the Queen’s Cup and Philippine Open events.

Tabuena stormed from absolute nowhere on Sunday to snatch this week’s title from India’s Rashid Khan. Khan held a three-shot advantage with one round left to contest, but chose the final four holes on day four to give someone an opening. With bogeys at 15 and 17, combined with birdies for Tabuena at 15 and 16, the three-shot lead turned into a two shot deficit. Birdie at the last was enough to earn solo second for Khan, but it was Tabuena’s par-par finish that won the day and the week.

A closing 65 from @migueltabuena saw him seal his third Tour victory and become the second Filipino to triumph in India since Ben Arda at the Indian Open in 1969.

Relive the final round's highlights ??@TheDGCOpen #TheDGCOpen #whereitsAT https://t.co/x4oktgDs8W

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) March 19, 2023

PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Playoff decides Termas de Río Hondo

It wasn’t a great week for the homebreds. Khan (see above) lost a late duel on the Asian Tour, and Jesús Montenegro lost an even-later one for the Tour Latinoamérica’s Termas de Río Hondo Invitational. We’ll get to the how in a bit, but the stage needs to be set. Jake Mccrory and Myles Creighton reached 17-under par on Saturday afternoon, and anticipation was high for a stellar finish to the Argentine tournament. On Sunday, Creighton posted minus-one, with an agonizing, closing stretch of seven consecutive pars. One more birdie would have earned him a spot in the playoff … that we will get to.

Mccrory fared slightly better than Creighton, with the same three birdies and one fewer bogey. He reached 19-under for the week, and found himself in an overtime duel with Montenegro. The Argentine ace signed a clean card on Sunday, with three birdies and six pars on each side. His 66 was one shot higher than Ollie Osborne’s 65. Incidentally, Osborne finished even with Creighton, also one shot out of the extra-time duel.

The playoff was brief. Lefthander Mccrory posted birdie at the 18th hole, a par five that had cost all of the aforementioned contenders five shots in regulation. Montenegro was unable to match and the Sam Houston State alum Mccrory had his first, important professional win.

Con este putt para birdie en el hoyo 73, Jake McCrory se quedó con el título del Termas de Río Hondo Invitational en @TermasGC.@JakeMcCrory sank this 10-footer for birdie for the playoff win in his @pgatourla debut at the #TRHInvitational in Argentina.#ZurichArgentinaSwing ?? pic.twitter.com/wIYoOnB4mE

— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) March 19, 2023