The final Sunday in April of 2022 saw five winners confirmed and crowned across the golf-tour globe. No win was more dominant than the LPGA, and no event was more of a nail-biter than the PGA Tour Champions. The PGA Tour celebrated its only, annual team event in New Orleans, and tournaments in Brazil and Spain rounded out the week’s slate. The northeast may finally have bid farewell to the snows of winter, so put on your flip-flops and help us run down this week’s tour events.

LPGA: LA Open has star sighting confirmed by Nasa

Glorious Wilshire country club made the LPGA the place to watch this week. The late finish on the American west coast gave golf viewers a chance to see the course in all its golden-age glory. Combined with Nasa Hataoka’s new-age wizardry, the best golf viewing this week came from La-La Land. Hataoka stood one back of Alison Lee after round one, but when the young American went away, Nasa took center stage and never gave up the spotligh.

The Japanese star won her sixth tour title, and first of 2022, by five shots over Australia’s Hannah Green. After Jin-young Ko imploded late Saturday with an eight, no one ever got close to the sublime Hataoka. Only ten bogeys crossed her path all week, and they were more than offset by 23 birdies and one eagle. After making bogey at the par-five fifteenth each of the first two days, Nasa turned the tables on the tricky, three-shot hole with birdie and eagle the last two days.

The tour moves to Torrance this week, about 25 miles down the California coast. It will celebrate the inaugural playing of the Palos Verdes Championship, before crossing the country to reconvene mid-May in New Jersey.

JUST STUNNING ?@nasagolf7355's hot putter continues and drains an eagle on 15! pic.twitter.com/UQpOpNrzdQ

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 25, 2022

PGA Tour: Zurich Classic to Ice and X

Foursomes golf, also known as alternate shot, is not as easy as Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele made it look on Friday. The pair had 68, which would win most Ryder and Presidents Cup matches, under that format. Sunday was more like a typical foursomes tally. The leading pair ground out an even-par 72, which allowed them to hold on to their three-day lead and claim the tour’s only partner event by two shots over Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

Patty Ice and the X Man were untouchable in four ball play this week. Also known as better ball, the pair had 59 on Thursday and 60 on Saturday. Those are some big-boy scorecards. It wasn’t until the 17th hole on Sunday, when Burns-Horschel dunked their tee shot on the par-three 17th, that Cantlay and Schauffele could finally breathe. Armed with a two-shot advantage on the watery closer, the pair played left the entire way around the right-side pond. After reaching the green in four, each took one putt to close the door and win by two shots.

Eagle on 7 for the leaders.@Patrick_Cantlay and @XSchauffele extend their lead at the @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/ftMwluokrV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 24, 2022

DP World Tour: Handa Championship in Spain in hometown hands

Pablo Larrazábal didn’t have to journey much from his hometown this week. The 38-year old from Barcelona earned his seventh DP World Tour title, and second of 2022, with a one-shot win over countryman Adrián Otaegui. Larrazábal  began day four a trio of shots behind the Basque Otaegui, but made a sizable move around the turn to the back nine. Larrazábal posted consecutive birdies at holes nine through thirteen, to move to the top of the leader board. Otaegui posted a fourth-consecutive round in the 60s, but his 66 on this day was not enough to overcome the Cantabrian’s marvelous 62.

Larrazábal made his only bogey of the day at the 15th hole, but posted birdie at 16 and 18, forcing Otaegui to achieve heroics to forge a tie. Despite not making a bogey on the day, Otaegui’s run of 12 consecutive pars was his undoing. His birdie at the last was good enough to elevate him from a tie for second to solo runner-up, but left him one shy of a playoff with Larrazábal. Looking back on the conclusion, the bomb that the winner made on the 16th was the stroke that gave him confidence to close the door on win number seven.

WHAT a time to do that! @plarrazabal breaks free of the group on -13 to regain the lead on his own.#ISPSHandaChampionship pic.twitter.com/yH3UvNN9Tp

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 24, 2022

PGA Tour Champions: ClubCorp Classic

If someone had said that Steven Alker, the third-round leader, would toss seven birdies on day three at Irving, and not win outright, folks would have lined up to take that fellow’s money. And yet, that’s what happened. Alker’s two-shot, 36-hole advantage over his closest pursuer (Lee Janzen) was one shot by day’s end on Sunday. The problem for the Kiwi was, Gene Sauers posted 63 to tie him, and Scott Parel had a 65 of his own, to also reach 11-under par. The trio headed off to the 18th tee, where the par-five closer would decide matters after one go-round.

How did we get here? After making just three bogeys over the first 36 holes, Alker scribbled a double bogey on hole 37, and another bogey on hole 40. Sandwiching those numbers were five birdies, and when he added another at the 8th, he was out in three-under and looking like the winner. Alker ran out of gas on the back nine, posting one bogey and one birdie for 35.  Both Sauers and Parel made birdie at the final hole to jump into the tie. After making birdie at the last on each of the first two days, Alker failed twice to birdie it, within half an hour on Sunday.

On the playoff hole, both Sauers and Alker dunked their second shot and made six. Parel played safely left and made par for the win. It was doubly sweet for the four-time Champions Tour winner, as he won the pro-am portion of the event with amateur partner Mardy Fish.

Advantage Parel.

Sauers and Alker both go in the penalty area with approach. pic.twitter.com/sdybxNHNSl

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 24, 2022

PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Aberto do Brasil heads to River Plate

Sunday’s 10th hole nearly decided the Brazilian Open (aka Aberto do Brasil) as leader Jaime López Rivarola of Argentina made double as Holland’s Rowin Caron signed for birdie. Rivarola’s advantage was gone as the meat of the back nine beckoned. Finding an extra gear, Rivarola played the next eight holes in three-under par, to reach twenty-deep on the week.

After his birdie at ten, Caron stumbled large with bogey at the par-five 11th. He could not match Rivarola’s heroics, and played the closing stretch in even par. When the dust over the Porto Feliz course had settled, Rivarola had edged back in front by one. Even with birdie at the final hole, Caron could only reach 19-under par. From Samba to Inca, the PGA Tour LA moves westward from Brazil to Peru this week.

Birdie en el hoyo 72 y victoria para @jamesrivarola ?? en el #AbertodoBrasil.

Es su primer triunfo en PGA TOUR Latinoamérica! #TotalplayCup ?? pic.twitter.com/e7Q3hK0pA9

— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) April 24, 2022