October arrived with the winds and rain of a vengeful tempest. Well, it did in my area at least, where I had to run not one, but two high school championships. Mudders that we are in the Great Lakes region, we endured. Across our golfing globe, tournaments were also contested (in much better weather, I’ll add) in Las Vegas, Texas, Madrid and Taiwan. What was a silly season in my youth, now matters. With Europe and the LPGA beginning the march toward conclusion of their campaigns, and the the US Tour four events in to its new season, fall golf has importance, and that is a good thing. Another good thing is Tour Rundown, your weekly recap of major professional (and some key amateur) golfing competitions. Where else would you rather be, than right here, right now, reading Tour Rundown? Onward

PGA Tour: Shriners Classic was great golf-Here’s why.

We could leave it with Kevin Na’s exit interview, and we would have a full story from the week. Na described what it was like to make a triple bogey at 10, lose the lead, know that you are a fighter, and claw your way back. What it is like to have an 0-3 record in playoffs, but know that this would be the one that you would win. Know that you are both American and Korean, and make a passionate declaration in each country’s language. Recognize how well your playoff opponent (Patrick Cantlay) played and how close he was to holding the tropy. Collapse in the emotion of the moment and hug your interviewer, who was hopefully as understanding of the moment as Na was. Guess what? That’s your story. We’re out.

LPGA Tour: Volunteers of America Classic title is first for a chippy winner

Quite rare is the occasion when four young American golfers enter the final round of an event, each in search of an initial tour title. That was the crossroads that joined Jaye Marie Green, Katherine Perry, Cheyenne Knight and Brittany Altomare on Sunday in Texas. Altomare was the most decorated of the four, having earned a cap on this year’s Solheim Cup team. Even an ardent follower of the tour might be forgiven for not having a dossier on the other three contenders. On Sunday, each reached the turn within shouting distance of the lead. Perry faltered first, making bogey on five of her first six holes on the inward half. She finished in a tie for 6th. Green put herself in the lead with an eagle-birdie run at the 6th and 7th holes, but successive bogeys at 11 and 12 dropped her from the top shelf. Altomare made six birdies on the day, but was undone by a pair of bogeys, finishing at 16-under par, in a tie with Green for 2nd. Yes, it was Cheyenne “Chipper” Knight who claimed this week’s top prize. Knight chipped in twice for birdie on the day, made five birdies and nary a bogey, and fought her way to 18-under par, good for a 2-stroke margin of victory. With the win, Knight jumped from 114th to 49th in the season’s CME Globe standings. We’re guessing she’ll have a few, delightful decisions to make.

European Tour: Spanish Open remains in-country, in Rahm’s hands

Jon Rahm didn’t seem to mind the switch from spring to fall for Madrid’s Open de Espana, nor the change from one course to another. He rolled into the capital like the bear in the tree in Plaza Sol, eating the leaves right off the fronds. Entering Sunday with a 5-shot lead, Rahm maintained his composure through a series of early birdie misses. He dropped a seven iron inside ten feet for eagle at the par-5 4th, and was off again. Countryman Rafa Cabrera Bello birdied 5 of his final 6 holes to surge past the other chasers, into 2nd. Cabrera’s late move made Rahm’s victory seem closer than it was, even at a separation of the same 5 shots. Saturday’s 63 reminded the field of how lethal the young Spaniard’s game can be, when firing on all cylinders. What a treasure it would be, to see Rahm display similar composure during a 2020 major championship.

Asian Tour: Taiwan Masters to Suradit

A quick glance at Suradit Yongcharoenchai’s OWGR page from last week shared a ranking of 485th in the world. After a week in Taiwan, that ranking will certainly improve. Suradit entered the final round at Taiwand G&CC a shot behind three leaders. As those leaders all shot par or worse on day four, Yongcharoenchai ground out a 4th-consecutive round beneath par of 72. He was, in fact, the only competitor to achieve this feat. While he never went low, as Viraj Madappa did (65 on Saturday) the pro from Thailand managed to reach 10-under par the hard way. He held off fast-charging Adilson da Silva (68-68 on the weekend) and 2 of the 3rd-round leaders (Ajeetesh Sandhu and Miguel Tabuena) by one shot. Suradit was such an unknown commodity, that no wiki page exists, and Golf Channel has his birth year at 1900. Hide no longer, Suradit, even if you are 119 years old!