The brief, but exciting, season of international team play began in Virginia this week. The top ladies of Europe and the USA did battle at Robert Trent Jones golf club, and the men of the world and the USA will convene in Montreal for another team tilt this week. The PGA Tour restarted after a brief, post-playoff hiatus, while the DP, Tour Champions, and Korn Ferry continued their respective marches toward conclusion.

True, American Football might dominate the headlines of September, but the girls and boys of summer still have quite a bit to say about how the best golf is played. This week’s Tour Rundown will offer five bits of evidence to the affirmative.

Solheim Cup: home team USA wins third consecutive cup

The RTJ Golf Club hosted the inaugural Presidents Cup, in 1994, and repeated on three subsequent occasions. If it knew how to do one thing, it was host an international team event. Well, perhaps the intervening two decades softened the collective memory. Shoddy bus service soured the morning matches on day one, as a majority of paying customers were unable to arrive to witness the beginning of glory. The responsibility for the snafu is uncertain, but the players soon drew attention away from jilted jitney riders.

Friday morning began with foursomes, a match play format that is seemingly over before it begins. Four players share two golf balls, and one bad shot can cost the hole, lickity-split. For some reason, the European squad has always been associated with successful foursomes, but truth be told, it’s always a coin flip. This year, Team USA flipped the script with three successful contests. 3 & 2 wins in matches 1, 2, and 4 outshined a European 2 up victory in match three. In the afternoon, fourballs (also known as better ball) was the flavor, and the outcome was eerily similar. Three conquests by the home squad gave Team USA a 6-2 advantage after day one.

Day two saw each side win four matches, two each in foursomes and fourballs. The pivotal match was the first of the day. Carlota Ciganda and Emily Pedersen held a two-up lead at the turn, but could not preserve a win nor a tie. They fell to Allisen Corpuz and Emily Korda, by one down. The remaining matches were all lopsided, so this was Team Europe’s shining opportunity to whittle away at their deficit.

On Sunday, Charley Hull decimated Nelly Korda in the  day’s first match, but once again, it was Pedersen and Ciganda who were not up to the challenge. Pedersen fell by 6 & 5 to Megan Khang, while Ciganda lost by 6 & 4, to Rose Zhang. Team Europe could afford precious few miscues, and those two quick decisions were more than it could manage. The order of the day was five wins for the visitors, four decisions for the homebreds, and three halved matches. In the end, it was Team USA by 15.5 to 12.5 over Team Europe.

This angle of Lilia Vu clinching @TheSolheimCup on the 18th hole ? pic.twitter.com/LzKd5ZqDnz

— LPGA (@LPGA) September 15, 2024

PGA Tour @ Procore Championship: Patton down the hatches!

In 2017 and 2018, Maxie Patton Kizzire won at Mayakoba and SONY. Six years would pass before the Tuscaloosa native would find victory number three on the PGA Tour. Kizzire is the sort who would not be bothered by such a delay. Despite growing up in the shadow of the University of Alabama, Kizzire took his talents to Auburn, where he enjoyed a stellar collegiate and amateur career.

At Silverado Resort in Napa, California, Kizzire stared down challenger after challenger as the week wore on. He posted 66 in round one, followed it with 65 on day two, and put an emphatic exclamation point of a gritty day three with 67. His lead was four over David Lipsky, so nothing was determined as day four dawned. Only two golfers in moved into the top ten with rounds in the 60s on Sunday. Kizzire merely had to keep Lipsky and the pursuers at length, and he did just that. He gained a stroke over the final 18 holes, and won by five shots over David Lipsky.

Back-to-back birdies and a leader by 5 once again ?

Patton Kizzire looks to win his first TOUR title since 2018 @ProcoreChamp. pic.twitter.com/SHH0K4fUJ4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 15, 2024

DP World Tour @ Irish Open: Irish eyes aren’t smiling 🙁

It hasn’t been the gentlest of years for Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irish lad lost by a whisker to Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open. Although he had two wins on the PGA Tour, the big ones eluded him. McIlroy ventured to that most Northern Irish of courses, Royal County Down in Newcastle. Located a mere 54 minutes from his home club, it seemed the perfect venue to put a bit of salve on a season of wounds. Despite four rounds under par (the only player in the field to do so) McIlroy was chased down once more, by an unexpected adversary.

Rasmus Hojgaard was born mere minutes after twin brother Nicolai. Both have achieved great success as Danish amateurs and professionals, but Nicolai was the one named to the 2023 European Ryder Cup side. Rasmus has fallen a wee bit off his brother’s professional pace, but that might all have changed, thanks to a Sunday 65 at County Down. Eight birdies and two bogeys gave this great Dane the second-low round of the week. Only a 64 by Paul Waring (12th spot) eclipsed his work. Hojgaard had much more on the line.

Birdies at four of the closing five holes brought Hojgaard from a three-shot deficit to a one-shot victory. McIlroy was helter skelter over the finishing stretch. He undid two birdies with two bogies, and lost what seemed like a certain victory. Is McIlroy the Greg Norman of his generation? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Shots of the day from the final round at Royal County Down ? #AmgenIrishOpen | @Amgen pic.twitter.com/xXWeukXdZ6

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 15, 2024

Korn Ferry Tour @ Simmons Bank: Peterson gets work done

The playoffs have commenced on the KFT. As expected, there are a billion and one story lines. Morgan Hoffman continued his unlikely return from muscular dystrophy, tying for third at minus-eighteen. Other challengers sought returns to the PGA Tour, security for 2024-2025, and many other perquisites. In the end, it was Paul Peterson, whose opening rounds of 64 and 63 gave him enough of a cushion to close with 67 – 66 and win. It wasn’t easy.

Nearly corraling Peterson was the USA’s Matt Atkins. Atkins posted 63-61 in the middle rounds to jump to second spot. Ryan Gerard had the lead through 54 holes, thanks to 65-63-64. On Sunday, he would falter just enough to let Atkins and Peterson slide by. Gerard’s closing 70 featured a plus-two back nine, including bogey at the par-four closer. Both Atkins and Peterson made gritty pars at the watery 18th, and the victory, his first on the KFT, fell to Paul Peterson.

Paul Peterson’s 4-under 66 final round was enough to secure his first #KornFerryTour title at the @simmonsbankopen. ??@PPetersonGolf pic.twitter.com/P8jrPIXXKk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) September 16, 2024

PGA Tour Champions @ Sanford: Steve breaks through

Never thought we’d be talking about Steve Freaking Stricker breaking through again. 2024 has belong to two other Steves (Alker and Ames) while the great cheesehead from Wisconsin had yet to drink from victory’s vessel. That all changed this week. A number of unlikely challengers filled the top three through two rounds, but all fell away on Sunday.

As expected, Steve Stricker jumped at the chance to claim something that no one else seemed to want. Stricker and Richard Green reached eight-under par, one ahead of the ageless Bernhard Langer. The pair went down four overtime fairways before Stricker was able to rip an approach from the rough to three feet. He converted, while Green missed a longer birdie putt. Just like that, Stricker had a third consecutive Sanford title, and fourth of his career.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

Steve Stricker’s approach hits the flagstick on the 4th playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/lCvdIRCATE

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) September 15, 2024