This writer doesn’t mind admitting that he feels conflicted over the state of professional golf in today’s world. It’s challenging to separate personal feelings from professional writing, especially when the topic moves from mildly controversial to polarizing. Such is the case with the LIV Golf enterprise. For the first time this year, a member of the collective won an event on one of the world’s major tours. Much debate took place over the weekend, about how the DP World Tour should have handled promotion of that golfer’s performance. Nothing is ever certain, and little is anticipated with accuracy. This week’s Tour Rundown focuses its lens on three events across the globe and strives for balanced, honorable writing.

PGA Tour: Zozo is Keegan’s first win in four years

Keegan Bradley will one day be more than a footnote in golf’s history. The gangly, broomstick-wielding golfer rose to the top of the game in the early 2010s, thanks in part to uncanny putting with the chest-anchor method. Six years of scarcity ensued until his fourth win arrived in 2018. Another four years passed before the New England native won again, this time in Japan.

Eyes this week were on Rickie Fowler, who reportedly had reunited with swing coach Butch Harmon, and stood on the brink of a drought-cleanse of his own. Fowler also has five wins to his credit, but none since 2019. On the strength of a second-round 63, Fowler leaped to the top of the leaderboard, and his 66 in round three kept him there.

Bradley and Fowler went at it on Sunday in Chiba. Keegan was 3 under on the day, and cruising toward victory, until a bogey at the par-5 14th slowed his roll. Another at 16 dropped him back to a tie with Andrew Putnam, with Fowler one behind. Bradley hit a decent approach to the 17th, then rolled in the putt for birdie, to return to 15 deep. Putnam closed bogey-birdie to tie Fowler, who posted birdie at the last to finish oh-so-close.

Clutch on the 17th ?@Keegan_Bradley birdies to take a 2-shot lead at 15-under. pic.twitter.com/wNSv3j1uVM

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 16, 2022

DP World Tour: Otaegui earns fourth DP World Tour title at Valderrama

It was a nice, two-week stretch in Spain for the Vizcaya contingent. After fellow Basque Jon Rahm earned a Spanish Open title last week in Madrid, Adrián Otaegui decided to get in on the action in Andalucía. Otaegui surged far ahead of 36-hole co-leader Min Woo Lee with a sparkling 64. The questions that lurked were, could the 29-year-old Iberian hold on to his six-shot advantage? The answer was a definitive Bai.

The chasers needed the leader to go out in something-over-par on the outward nine, to have any shot at drama. When he turned in 3-under 32, Otaegui needed only to cross the finish line, to secure his first title in his home country. Previous titles had come in Scotland (twice) and Belgium. At the 11th, Otaegui played from rough to rough to rough, ultimately making bogey at the par 5 hole. This would prove to be his only stumble on day four, and a final birdie at the home hole gave him a six-shot victory over Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren. Only South Africa’s Zander Lombard played better than the champion on Sunday, and Lombard never figured in the title chase.

A birdie at the last for a six shot victory, setting the tournament record at -19 ?@adrianotaegui | #EDAM2022 pic.twitter.com/2e4nCmSD6Z

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 16, 2022

PGA Tour Champions: Back-and-forth at SAS becomes Couples runaway 

If you thought that the five consecutive birdies that Fred Couples made to close the front nine were impressive, what was your take on the SEVEN CONSECUTIVE BIRDIES that he made to close the inward half? When we tuned in, Jerry Kelly had taken the lead and Couples had yet to make a birdie through four holes. Not saying that we were the lucky charm, but his dual runs suggest that we were 😉

Couples posted the first 60 of the 2022 season on PGA Tour Champions, and it could not have come at a better time. More than 60 months had passed since Boom Boom had last won on the circuit, and he certainly could have been forgiven for wondering if his time on the victory podium was done. With the 12 birdies, Couples finished at 20 under par, six shots clear of his closest pursuer. Forgive him if he didn’t want a wake-up call from his dream round. Expect a run on yellow golf balls this week.

As for Steven Alker (second place at -14) and Kelly (third place at -12), they certainly had to wonder what runaway shopping cart blew by them at two hundred miles per hour. The tour moves on to the Country Club of Virginia for the Dominion Energy Charity Classic this week.

Golf at its finest.@FredCouplesGolf is set up for his seventh straight birdie ? pic.twitter.com/G1bmC292aR

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 16, 2022