Gomez wins in Memphis, Lefty heats up for U.S. Open

Forgive Fabian Gomez of Argentina if he wishes to look backward just a bit and savor his first PGA Tour victory like he savored his parrillada (Argentine barbecue) on Saturday evening. Gomez played like a seasoned veteran all 18 holes on Sunday, making just one bogey while leaving his third round co-leader, Greg Owen, to settle for a second-place finish.

Related: See the clubs Gomez used to win. 

For the remainder of the field, all eyes are on the U.S. Open this week at Chambers Bay. No one’s eyes are wider than those belonging to a certain left-hander from San Diego. Phil Mickelson closed with 65 in Memphis, good for a T3 finish and a FedEx truckload of confidence as he attempts yet again to conquer the one major championship that has eluded him. Brooks Koepka finished alongside Mickelson at 8-under and cemented his place as another one to watch at the year’s second major.

Park takes 3rd-straight KPMG PGA Women’s Championship

Do you think the PGA of America was ever frustrated to get its name in front of the viewing public so late in the year? That’s why the Women’s PGA is huge for the society of club professionals. Sure, they have their Senior PGA, but it doesn’t get the juices flowing the way the PGA Championship does. Now we have the Women’s PGA Championship, and what better victor to inaugurate the new name than Inbee Park?

Park arrived at Westchester as two-time defending champion and made the tournament her own with rounds of 68-66-68 from Friday to Sunday. Along the way, Park left young talents like Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson in her wake, along with veteran forces like Morgan Pressel and last week’s winner, Suzann Pettersen. The Women’s PGA moves across country to Sahalee in Washington state next year; can Inbee collect a fourth on the Left Coast?

That Putt … And That Other Putt

This was no putt; this was a circumnavigation of a green by an explorer more intrepid than Magellan. Which is more mind-boggling:

1. That Jodi Ewart Shadoff was able to read the proper amount of break from her ball to the hole?
2. That she was able to hit the putt with the precise amount of EVERYTHING?

Shadoff didn’t make the cut, but no shot more memorable was played all week.

30 feet of break on 7. @Jodi_Ewart. @LPGA #KPMGWomensPGA Westchester Country Club #SCTopTen @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/QWY1OX9XJC

— Adam Shadoff (@AdamShadoff) June 12, 2015

If that wasn’t enough, get a glimpse at what you might see at the U.S. Open. Thanks to two-time Masters champion Bubba “Mr. Creative” Watson, the putting surfaces at the Tacoma, Wash., municipal course are on display, in all their undulating glory.

Putting & reading the greens well so far!! Good read @jtedscott!!#USOpenChambersBay pic.twitter.com/9Iobm55qUS

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) June 12, 2015

Walker Cup Season Begins

Every other year, elite amateur golfers play as many summer invitationals as manageable. Hoping to catch the eyes of the Walker Cup selection committee, a Jordan Niebrugge typically comes out of nowhere (as Jordan Niebrugge did in 2013) to make the U.S. squad. Adam Ball and Ben Schlottman, with wins at the Monroe Invitational and Palmetto Amateur, alerted those USGA eyeballs of their candidacy for the U.S. team.

Ball, Schlottman and their ilk have an uphill battle. Why? Well, the front-runners for the U.S. side faced off against their European counterparts this week at the Palmer Cup, held at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois. The United States collegians came out on top, 18-12, while golfers like Beau Hossler, Lee McCoy, Anders Albertsson, Hunter Stewart and others made a case to wear the American flag in September at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s.

Other Tours: Chris Wood wins Lyoness Open

Chris Wood calmly shot a five-under 67, all the while watching as those around him fired and fell back at the European Tour’s Lyoness Open in Austria. First it was Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who surged then sagged, albeit ultimately coming in runner-up. Then, third-round leader Gregory Bourdy ran out of gas down the stretch, shooting 78 and dropping to a tie for sixth place. Wood’s greatest challenge came from within, as he sought a second tour victory to pair with his inaugural victory, at the 2013 Qatar Masters. The Englishman had injured a wrist playing tennis last fall, and had to spend much of the winter in a cast. By the end of the day, the wrist and Wood’s nerves held up and the title was his.

Related: Chris Wood’s Winning WITB

Bernhard Langer kept the Champions Tour field far enough in arrears to avoid the large-lead crash that can plague professional golfers. The German stalwart hit the pillow Saturday night with an eight-shot advantage in the Senior Players Championship. With a fourth consecutive round in the 60s, Langer forced someone to shoot in the 50s to catch him. No one did, although Kirk Triplett made a move on the rest of the field to garner a solo-second finish. With this victory, Langer becomes the first successful defender of the title since Arnold Palmer turned the trick in 1985.

Another golfer who took care of business was Shane Bertsch on the Web.com tour. Bertsch held off Lucas Lee of Brazil by one slim stroke to triumph in the Rust-Oleum Championship outside Cleveland. Bertsch overtook Peter Malnati, the leader after three rounds, but was nearly edged at the end by the hottest golfer on tour. Lee finished runner-up for a second consecutive week, firing 63-65 on the weekend. Only a mid-round double bogey kept him from overtaking Bertsch.