Five tours took to the golf course last week, with the LPGA taking a well-earned break before heading to New Jersey for the ShopRite Classic.
In Texas, Scottie Scheffler toiled away for yet another podium finish, while his wait for a win stretches into its fifth month thanks to 60s from both Wyndham Clark and Si-Woo Kim.
Morocco played host to both the Ladies European Tour and PGA Tour Champions, while the DP World Tour trundled along to Belgium.
And in Tennessee, Korn Ferry fans were treated to a thrilling playoff.
Here is your weekend roundup, courtesy of Golf Today.
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson – birdies and eagles rip through Texas
When a cut line is set at five-under-par heading into the weekend, it’s safe to say that low scores are just waiting to be made.
Texas’ TPC Craig Ranch proved no different, as Colorado’s Wyndham Clark became just the tenth man since 1983 to finish a four-round tournament in 30-under or better.
Clark shot a bogey-free final round of 60 to win the Byron Nelson by three shots, bettering the fan-favourite, Si-Woo Kim, who also shot 60, on day two of the competition.
Kim’s 60 came playing with the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who was on ‘break 60 watch’ for his good friend all round – but a bogey on the closing par-4 18th dashed Kim’s dreams with one fell swoop.
Clark’s round of 60 was largely down to a scintillating back nine on Sunday, where one eagle and five birdies saw him card a 28 to close in on the CJ Cup.
Scheffler, the reigning champion who shot -31 last year to win in Texas, carded just one bogey in the week to slot in at third – continuing his impressive form, but prolonging his wait for a win on tour since his triumph at the American Express back in January.
Brooks Koepka, who has been finding his feet post his return to the PGA Tour from LIV, opened his week with a bogey-free 63 – finishing tied for 14th with America’s Ryder Cup prodigee, Blades Brown, who celebrated his 19th birthday earlier in the week.
1 – Wyndham Clark (-30)
2 – Si-Woo Kim (-27)
3 – Scottie Scheffler (-25)
Soudal Open – Sterne bags first win in over a decade
South Africa’s Richard Sterne began his final round in Belgium five shots off the overnight leader, Zander Lombard.
The DP World Tour had made its way to the Rinkven International Golf Club following the PGA Championship – won, of course, by their very own Aaron Rai.
Sterne was not in good form heading into the week, with three consecutive missed cuts ruling him out for the punters. But the 44-year-old knows how to win, although he might have felt slightly rusty given that his last title on DP World Tour came back in 2013.
As Lombard fell away on the final day, shooting four-over-par in his final five holes, Sterne jumped at this unexpected opportunity for silverware, netting a birdie on the par-4 16th, followed up with an eagle on the par-5 17th, to claim his first win in 13 years by two shots.
England’s Marcus Armitage shot a closing round of five-under-par to finish tied for second, in a field with 20 players that ended just five shots off the eventual leader.
1 – Richard Sterne (-18)
T2 – Marcus Kinhult, Victor Perez, Marcus Armitage, Kota Kaneko, Jorge Campillo, Jacob Skov Olesen (-16)
T8 – Gregorio De Leo, Nathan Kimsey, Ben Schmidt, Zander Lombard, M.J. Daffue (-15)
Lalla Meryem Cup – history made in Morocco
Kelsey Bennett must have slept peacefully on the eve of the final round at the Lalla Meryem Cup.
The Australian looked set to claim her second win on the Ladies European Tour, just two months after her memorable maiden victory on home soil.
Opening rounds of 68 and 65 lent the 26-year-old a healthy three shot lead from Pia Babnik in second, and a further three shots ahead of the two Annas – Zanusso and Huang – in third.
But with resplendent sunshine and a lack of any substantial wind at the Royal Dar Es Salam’s Blue course in Morocco, the final day was set fair for scoring.
Babnik would fall away with a closing one-over-par, while Bennett would be left to rue three bogeys on the back nine to card a score of 73, leaving her rooted on the 13-under-par that she began the day with.
It was the Canadian Anna Huang who made the most of this lack of clinicality, as the 17-year-old recorded a sensational seven-under-par to steal the cup by one shot.
Fans were treated to an eagle, five birdies, and a bogey on the front nine, before Huang settled into a bogey-free one-under coming back to assure her of her third victory on the Ladies European Tour.
Not only was this a precocious display of golf from the teenager, but it was also a record-breaking one, making Huang the youngest player to record three wins on the LET.
The win in Morocco sees her supplant the current World Number Two, Jeeno Thitikul, who was 18 when she staked her record.
1 – Anna Huang (-14)
2 – Kelsey Bennett (-13)
T3 – Anna Zanusso, Anna Morgan (-10)
Trophy Hassan II – Hend becomes first-time winner
While the blue course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam played host to the Ladies European Tour last week, the red course facilitated the Trophy Hassan II for the PGA TOUR Champions, mere metres away.
And while Kelsey Bennett failed to convert her significant lead into a win at the blue course on the final day, her compatriot Scott Hend secured the goods for Australia on the red.
Hend began the week with eight birdies to shoot an opening 66 (-7), and remained neck-and-neck with America’s Tommy Gainey until late on the final day.
The win makes Hend a first-time winner on the PGA TOUR Champions – to go with his three previous wins on the DP World Tour – and moves him up to fifth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, having begun the week in 15th.
Golfing royalty and Hall-of-Famer, Ernie Els, rallied after a poor opening round to shoot 68-69 and finish T4. Colin Montgomerie also continued his fine form with a T11 finish, while Jose Maria Olazabal ended at one-under-par to finish T24.
1 – Scott Hend (-15)
T2 – Steve Alker, Tommy Gainey (-10)
T4 – Ernie Els, Alex Cejka (-8)
Knoxville Open – Redman seals playoff win in special fashion
There are few better ways to win a playoff than with an eagle, and that is exactly what Doc Redman produced on Sunday to defeat Hunter Eichhorn in the 11th event on the Korn Ferry Tour programme.
Eichhorn remains winless on the tour, after shooting an explosive closing round of 61 at Holston Hills Country Club – but a birdie from Redman in regulation forced a playoff that would draw out Eichhorn’s wait.
Redman’s playoff-eagle on the par-5 18th assured him of his second win of the season, having claimed a five-shot win in Santiago two months prior.
The event boasted a purse of $1 million, of which Redman bagged $180,000, while Eichhorn brought back $90,000 as a runner-up.
T1 – Doc Redman, Hunter Eichhorn (-25)
T3 – John Marshall Butler, Bryce Lewis, Cooper Dossey (-23)
T6 – Joe Weiler, Theo Humphrey, (-21)
Related: “It does hurt a little bit more” – Thalia Martin on the life of a professional golfer
