Let’s get right to it.

LPGA @ Women’s PGA Championship: A Baltusrol win for Yin

Leona Maguire had an opportunity to climb a new rung on the women’s professional golf ladder, but Sunday at Baltusrol was not her day. The 54-hole leader did not make a birdie until the 13th hole of round four. By that time, she had three bogeys and was about to add a fourth. Her 74 dropped her from seven under to four under par, and into an 11th-place tie. Her stumble revealed opportunity for ten other golfers to take a run at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Jenny Shin, who was paired with Maguire, could not capitalize on Maguire’s bad fortune, and dropped six spots into a tie for 8th. Surging into the same place were Rose Zhang (-4 for -5 overall) and Ayaka Furue (-5 for -5 overall.) A quintet of golfers tied for third spot at six-under par. Xiyu Lin had the best shot at the title, turning in five-under par on the day. The birdie well ran dry, and a final-hole bogey dropped Xiyu from seven-under to minus-six. Matching her total were Stephanie Meadow, Megan Khang, Anna Nordqvist, and Carlota Ciganda. Spain’s Ciganda had the low round of the day (64) but was unable to make birdie at either of the closing par-five holes.

Japan’s Yuka Saso found her momentum near the turn on day four. She posted five birdies from hole seven through fifteen, but a crushing bogey temporarily derailed her train at the 16th. Birdie at the last brought her to minus-seven, but it wasn’t enough to catch the champion. China’s Ruoning Yin, a recent winner of her first LPGA event, was the only golfer to avoid Old Lady Bogey over the final 18 holes. Ruoning paired four birdies with 14 pars for 67, reaching 8-under par for the tournament. Her birdie at the last hole separated her from Saso, and gave the 20-year old her first major championship.

Fist pump-worthy ?

Ruoning Yin with the HUGE birdie on 18 to take the lead at -8!!! pic.twitter.com/hVMEuClRBZ

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 25, 2023

PGA Tour @ Travelers Championship: Keegan’s Kareer Komeback Kontinues

For those with a bit of memory, Keegan Bradley was the golfer most identified with the USGA’s decision to eliminate the anchored putting form of rolling the rock. Although the long putter didn’t go away, its use was severely curtailed, and Keegan’s burgeoning win total (three in 2011-2012, including a major championship) halted for six years. In 2018, the New England native won for a fourth time during the playoff run. Since October of 2022, the Vermont-born Bradley has won twice. Beyond the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta, this week’s win in Connecticut certainly means the most.

It was Keegan’s week, to be sure. Denny McCarthy may have opened with a near-epic 60, coming up just shy of a rare descent into the 50s, but he wasn’t going to win. River Highlands was in pristine condition, and  receptive greens meant that scores would be low all week. Bradley was on track for a fourth-consecutive round below 66, until a Sunday spate of bogeys gave hope to the chasers. Chez Reavie began the final round one slim shot behind Bradley, but lost his connection to the birdie network. His first one came at Sunday’s 14th hole, and it was also his last. A blase round of one-over par relegated Reavie to a tie for fourth, four back of the top spot.

On Sunday’s 13th tee, Bradley’s scorecard read five-under par on the day, 26-deep on the week. His lead was nearly double-digits, and he simply lost his way. His drive went right, into the water, and Bradley made bogey on a par-five hole that others devoured with eagle. On the 14th, he chunked his approach shot short of the green and made another bogey. At the par-three 16th, Bradley nearly dunked another tee shot. He found the right rough and again, failed to get up and down for par. At this juncture, the lead was three and folks had to wonder. Fortunately for all of New England, their homegrown hero righted the ship, closed with two pars, and brought the region a native winner.

What a shot from @Keegan_Bradley ?

He leads by FIVE with seven to play @TravelersChamp. pic.twitter.com/YmnvVsJL70

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 25, 2023

DP World Tour @ BMW International: Lawrence of South Africa edges Luiten

Thriston Lawrence of Neispruit, South Africa, is having himself quite a run. His first DP World Tour win came in 2021, in Johannesburg. His second came on the continent, at the European Masters in Switzerland. Win number three came in his country’s home Open championship last December. Now Lawrence has a fourth career title on one of the world’s premier tours, this time in Germany.

The final round at München Eichenried was a challenge for the remaining field. The mid- and low-60s scores of Saturday morphed into challenges of all sizes and shapes on Sunday.  Overnight leader Joost Luiten, like Reavie in Connecticut, was able to find but one birdie over the final 17 holes. His plus-two score on day four dropped him to 12-undr par, a total that would ultimately come up one shy of a playoff. It was Lawrence who found glory over the closing 18 holes.

You might think that a fellow who inked five bogeys onto his scorecard would have little chance of a top-five finish, much less a victory. Lawrence also posted eight birdies along the closing trace. His birdies at 15 and 17, paired with Luiten’s bogey at the penultimate hole, brought Lawrence from two behind to one in front. Pars for both at the final hole put the final touch on a single-shot victory for South Africa.

The perfect time to make birdie!@ThristonL moves level with @joostluiten ?#BMWInternationalOpen pic.twitter.com/qB0q7iNr2u

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 25, 2023

Korn Ferry Tour @ Compliance Solutions: Stanger stays the course

With scores of 65, 64, and 63 posted at various times this week, one might think that Jimmy Stanger should have been a bit envious, if not outright anxious. The 2023 campaign has been a decent one, with a few, top-fifteen finishes for the UVA alumnus. That all changed this week in Oklahoma. Stanger posted rounds of 67-66-67-66 and stared veteran Rafael Campos down with birdie at the final hole. Campos was just off the green at the par-five closer, but his pitch was too strong, and his putt, too high. He settled for par. One group later, Stanger would secure the four that Campos lacked, and claim a life-changing KFT title by one shot.

Birdie ?? birdie. ??

Co-leader @jimmy_stanger is 3-under thru 8 @cschampgolf. pic.twitter.com/JzhwmsC7oF

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) June 25, 2023

PGA Tour Champions @ Dick’s Sporting Goods Open: Powerful Paddy powers home

If you’re following all the tours these days, you know that Ireland’s Padraig Harrington does double duty on the regular and senior circuits. Although he hasn’t won on the junior circuit since 2018 in Portugal, Harrington does more than show up, make a cut, and collect a check. As for the Tour Champions, the three-time major winner has five victories in little more than a year, including the USGA Senior Open in his debut appearance.

This week, Harrington and company were staring up at Joe Durant, who seemed ready to collect a fifth Senior title in Endicott, New York. Durant was cruising through twelve holes, enjoying seven birdies and a six-under round. Inexplicably, the Chenango River that flows through town reduced to a trickle for the Pensacola native. Durant came home with six consecutive pars and watched, helplessly, as Padraig surged.

Beginning at the par-five twelfth hole, Harrington pealed off four consecutive birdies. At the drivable par-four 16th, his tee shot found the left edge of the green, and his fifteen-feet putt for eagle caught enough empty space to tumble home. In the blink of an eye, Harrington was tied for the top spot. Another birdie at 17 gave him solo command of the ship, and Harrigton guided it home with par at the last. His closing 63 was the week’s low round, quite fitting for a champion of the world.

Launching to T1 ?@padraig_h eagles the par-4 16th to grab a share of the lead @dicksopengolf. pic.twitter.com/gFtRGvbUWC

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 25, 2023