The weeks have dwindled to two. The LPGA and PGA Tours finish their schedules on Sunday next, while the remaining world tours have buttoned up their 2024 official seasons. I love writing Tour Rundown, but do understand that everyone runs out of gas, be they golfers, readers, or editors! It’s nice to take a break for the holidays, so after next week’s final installment for 2024, we’ll all put our feet up and give it a rest. For now, though, let’s workshop a new feature for 2025, the TFTW.

Thought for the week

The LPGA Tour commissioner got hit hard this week in an opinion piece from Beth Ann Nichols. I did a bit of research (emphasis on bit) by checking out the YouTube pages of three of the world’s tours. Each tour prepares highlight packages for the day’s play, and often puts together a separate one for the top player. Only on the LPGA YouTube feed do you see missed shots on the highlight reel. No one chases a highlight package to see missed short putts, long putts that almost go in, and poor chips. You find these on the LPGA feed. That’s one place for the LPGA to strengthen its presentation to the world. Show us the best shots only, even if the players aren’t in contention.

DP World Tour: Tour Championship in the hands of the engineer

The story of Rory, locking himself in a simulator for a time, to sort out his golf swing, has legs. McIlroy entered the final week of the DP World Tour season with two hands firmly on the season-long chase for the championship. Only Thriston Lawrence could overtake him. Let’s promptly dispense with that storyline: Lawrence tied for 30th, an unfortunate end to a stellar season.

No great champion wishes to back into recogniation as the year-long celebrant. McIlroy wanted the win this week at the Earth course. Standing in his way was the defending champion, Nikolai Hojgaard. Whoops, sorry, the twin brother of the defending champion, Rasmus Hojgaard. They look so much alike, amiright? Nik wasn’t back to defend; he spent his year on the US PGA tour and didn’t qualify in. That’s an oddity in itself~shouldn’t the DC be invited back, no matter what?

Rory, Rasmus, and Antoine Rozner stood as one, tied at -12, with 18 holes to play. Rozner fell away first, turning in +1 before a final-hole birdie returned him to a worthy tie for third, with Adam Scott and Shane Lowry. Hojgaard played -1 golf through seven holes, before closing with eleven consecutive pars. That’s a lot to do on a blustery day, and day four in the United Arab Emirates was certainly that. The problem for Rasmus was Rory.

The Northern Irishman erased a hole-one bogey with four consecutive birdies, from two through five. The challenge was made, and Rory did not back down. He needed his swing to hold up under pressure, and for the most part, it did. Loads of pars were joined by two bogies, from holes six through fifteen. On nine, a drive missed left led to a bunkered approach, and an unsucccessful up and down. The second bogey came at the short 13th, where a tee ball hit long (shades of Pinehurst #2) met a poor chip and a missed putt from 15 feet. With three remaining holes, R and R were tied atop the board.

McIlroy stuffed an approach on 16 for a needed birdie, then closed with another at the last, for a two-shot margin of victory. The win was his career-third in the tournament, and his sixth season title, matching Seve Ballesteros for the most. Rozner, Rasmus, and Rory served up a fitting end to the 2024 DP World Tour race, and can be forgiven for feeling a bit … wait for it … run down.

Step up Rory McIlroy ?

He moves one shot ahead with two holes to play.#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/ZLp3rVbJp4

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 17, 2024

LPGA: The Annika belongs to the Nels

Why couldn’t Charley Hull post 67 and win The Annika outright? Why couldn’t Weiwei Zhang sign for 66, a day after autographing a 62 scorecard? Sometimes, it’s the echo of the footsteps. Nelly Korda’s footsteps echo loud and far.

Korda posted two rounds of 66, and two more of 67, on her way to a three-shot victory over Zhang, Hull, and Im Jin-Hee. To be fair, the runners-up trio was playing an away game, while the Florida kid was on home turf. Korda was raised in the sunshine state, and her comfort on the grasses of Florida is unmatched by anyone. Four of her 15 tour titles have come within the confines of her state residence.

You might be shocked to learn that Korda made three bogeys on her way to an outward 37. Seriously? Then, she ran off five consecutive birdies, from holes eleven through fifteen, to send her challengers away to a warming cup of tea. This was her event, mind you, from start to finish. No stumbles nor bumbles, no hiccoughs nor potholes, would deter her from her appointment with the trophy’s engraver.

Teeing off at 18, @NellyKorda has a two shot lead ?

Tune in on @GolfChannel to see who wins @theANNIKAlpga ? pic.twitter.com/JNvPiDnhtJ

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 17, 2024

PGA Tour: Bermuda is buttery for Rafa 

980 nautical miles float between Puerto Rico and Bermuda. Both occupy space in the Atlantic, and both identify as islands. Rafael Campos became a PGA Tour winner this week on Bermuda, and the entirety of Puerto Rico celebrated this achievement. Campos had previously won on the Korn Ferry Tour, in the Bahamas. There’s a pattern developing here, and Rafa has no problem with any of it.

Justin Lower, Andrew Novak, and Campos all began Sunday at 16-deep. Lower, in the hunt last week in Mexico, came out strong, but tripped over a double bogey at the par-three eighth hole. Needing to make something happen as opportunity waned, Lower closed with three bogeys over the final quintet, salvaged by a 17th-hole birdie. He finished +1 on the day, -14 for the week, tied for fifth spot. Novak fared better. Despite a bogey at the last, he matched three birdies with three bogeys, posted even for round four, and secured solo second by a stroke.

It was Campos who played his round of the season, when it mattered most. The unflappable Borinquen made a trio of bogeys on the day. Didn’t matter. He signed for four birdies and one eagle, and came home in three-under 69. His margin of victory was three shots over Novak, and earned him much-needed, FedEx Cup points for 2025.

256 yards to 3 feet!
@RafaCamposGolf ties the lead in style @Bermuda_Champ. pic.twitter.com/ah61H84RZz

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 17, 2024

PGA: Assistants Championship 

Preston Cole arrived in Port St. Lucie as the defending PGA Assistants champion. With 18 holes left to play, he found himself in second place, but seven shots in arrears. The problem was, Old Corkscrew’s Domenico Geminiani had roasted the Wannamaker course at PGA golf club through 54 holes. On Sunday, Geminiani cooled off, to a 74, but he had enough margin to claim the 2024 PGA Assistants championship.

Cole played well on Sunday, posting 70 to reach minus-nine. Zac Oakley from Delaware’s Bidemann Club zoomed up the board with 68, catching Cole for second spot. Geminiani played the game of Catch me if you can on day four. He stood even on the day through 16, before bogeys at the final two holes made the tournament result much tighter. Geminiani concluded play at twelve-under par, three shots clear of the runners-up. The win was his second PGANA title in three years.

Después de hacer 5-bajo par en la ida, Domenico Geminiani hace un nuevo birdie en el 15 para llegar a 6-bajo par.

After a 5-under on the front-nine, Domenico Geminiani made this birdie on 15th. He moves to 6-under with 3 holes to play.@TCWestonHills pic.twitter.com/G4Wqk6xsZn

— PGA TOUR Americas en Español (@PGATAmericasESP) June 10, 2021