Lydia Ko gained at St. Andrews.
Getty Photos
Welcome again to the Monday End, the place this column ought to be a couple of 10-minute learn — or 9 in the event you’re at altitude. People, let’s get to the golf information!
First, a fast request: In case you just like the Monday End, subscribe HERE to get it in your e mail inbox! It’s free. And it might make me comfortable.
GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Lydia Ko and a summer time too good to be true.
Earlier than we transfer on to the following event and the following information cycle and the following factor and earlier than we — and he or she — regulate to her new {golfing} actuality, let’s zip again in time a number of weeks to Lydia Ko, who was staring down the Olympics and dreaming of what might be.
“If I win gold, I do know I can get within the Corridor of Fame that approach,” Ko stated forward of her tilt at Le Golf Nationwide. “So that may be a hell of a solution to do it.”
Ko was already golf’s solely two-time particular person medalist in Olympic historical past, having claimed silver in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo. She appeared snug kicking across the concept of successful gold and finishing the trifecta as a result of, as she stated, it was too good to be true.
However then it occurred. Ko outmaneuvered the sphere. She putted the lights out. She gained her third medal — the gold — in a sport the place no different people have two. The truth matched the expectation: It felt too good to be true.
Simply over per week after that triumph, Ko arrived at St. Andrews for the AIG Ladies’s Open with the strain off. What impact that had it’s inconceivable to say, however she admitted freely simply how good it was to not should reply questions concerning the Corridor of Fame. She swung freely and scored freely and labored her approach into competition by way of three rounds. And on the again 9 on Sunday the 27-year-old Kiwi performed like somebody with nothing to lose; her splendid chip from the tough lengthy of 16 and her 3-wood within the worst climate of the week at 17 and her gutsy putt for birdie at 18 have been overwhelming proof that she was up for the problem. She didn’t look afraid of shedding however as an alternative like a golfer desirous to seize a event with which means at a course with which means.
And after Ko posted the clubhouse lead at seven below, I appreciated the best way she stood on the follow inexperienced adjoining No. 18, hitting some putts and glancing over on the ending gap, the place her competitors tried in useless to catch her. She appeared snug with the end result both approach. However by way of the lens of historical past, by way of the lens of her profession, there was nonetheless so a lot at stake.
In sports activities it’s simple to maintain monitor of accomplishments. It’s simple to search for the truth that Ko gained the Evian Championship in 2015 and the (renamed) Chevron Championship in 2016. It’s solely once you hear Ko requested about it that you just keep in mind she was a young person then. That she’s lived lives since then.
“Truthfully, like the one bit I keep in mind of successful the Chevron Championship, the ANA on the time, was leaping into Poppy’s Pond and holding my nostril happening as a result of I didn’t wish to get water up my nostril,” Ko admitted on the Previous Course. “That’s about it. It feels prefer it was such a very long time in the past.”
When Lilia Vu‘s last birdie strive got here up brief, the surreal streak continued. If that final win had been too good to be true, what was this? “I really feel like a personality in a fairy story,” she stated post-round.
Earlier than Olympic gold, earlier than this newest main, earlier than she’d been assured entry into the Corridor of Fame and was nonetheless left to surprise if it might ever occur, Ko stated she was stricken by the mindset that it loomed as an finish vacation spot, one thing to succeed in or not. However that was the incorrect solution to chase it; the final mile of any journey can typically be the longest. It was useful, Ko stated, when a good friend gave her a unique visible.
“They stated, strive to think about like stepping into the Corridor of Fame as like a gasoline station on the best way to my last vacation spot and never like my last vacation spot,” Ko stated.
She tackled the ultimate day at St. Andrews like a golfer with a full tank. And he or she leaves with an open street forward — and lots to be happy with within the rearview.
WINNERS
Who gained the week?
Lydia Ko gained her third main championship and her first in eight years, edging out a high-powered group of contenders: Extremely, every of the highest six gamers on the ultimate leaderboard has visited World No. 1 in her profession.
Keegan Bradley gained the BMW Championship, finishing a surreal seven days through which he went from final man in (Tom Kim’s 6-6-6 end obtained Bradley to No. 50) to big-time winner. Bradley is now as much as No. 4 within the FedEx Cup getting into East Lake. He’s more likely to be picked for the Presidents Cup staff he was supposed to assist captain. Every thing has modified.
Frederic LaCroix gained the Danish Golf Championship, claiming the primary DP World Tour title of his profession because of a final-round bogey-free 65.
Matt McCarty gained the Albertsons Boise Open, his third victory of the Korn Ferry Tour season, incomes him a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour for the autumn season.
And Stewart Cink gained his first PGA Tour Champions occasion by 4 photographs after closing with a 6-under 66 on the Ally Problem in Grand Blanc, Mich.
In case you just like the Monday End, subscribe totally free HERE to get it in your e mail inbox!
NOT-WINNERS
So shut, and but…
Nelly Korda headlined a three-way tie for second alongside Lilia Vu and Jiyai Shin. Whereas Vu was closest on the finish — she was the one one with a putt to tie the lead at No. 18 — it was Korda who held the outright lead on the again 9 earlier than a devastating third shot on the par-4 14th. As a substitute of establishing a birdie look she was left with a tough chip from a nasty lie; that led to a different chip which was adopted by a missed brief putt. Double bogey. Korda didn’t draw back from that failure. However she additionally acknowledged that this was by far her greatest profession exhibiting on the Open Championship in addition to her greatest exhibiting since her epic win streak got here to a detailed this spring.
“Pay attention, it’s golf,” stated the World No. 1. “I’m going to mess up and sadly I tousled over the weekend twice in two penalizing methods coming down the stretch. Theoretically that’s what sort of price me the event — however I performed properly. I performed stable. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the following coming occasions.”
Adam Scott earned his second runner-up end of the summer time, and whereas he, too, acknowledged the agony of second place — “10, 11, 12 sort of blew it for me there. I used to be in place with wedges on each gap and made three bogeys. That’s virtually unthinkable, actually,” he stated — he additionally took solace within the week’s positives.
“, you sort of grind all 12 months after which lastly the final 4 occasions my sport has actually circled and appeared stable,” he stated. “Rather a lot can occur in a number of weeks out right here, and hastily I’ve gone from a really irritating 12 months had I not completed properly to now feeling fairly happy with myself.”
As he ought to. Scott jumped from No. 41 to No. 14 and can tee it up at East Lake only a handful off the lead.
SHORT HITTERS
Who’s in (and out) of the Tour Championship, briefly.
Along with his win, Keegan Bradley jumped from No. 50 to No. 4 within the FedEx Cup. However there have been others with dramatic strikes, too:
Brian Harman is OUT. He’s the primary man out at No. 31. And whereas I lack the technical abilities to bore you with specifics, he was projected at No. 26 earlier than he performed the 18th gap on Sunday. After making double bogey, he’s headed dwelling.
Justin Thomas is IN. He’s the final man in at No. 30. When Thomas started the week at No. 22 it appeared extraordinarily unlikely he’d slip exterior the East Lake quantity; because it seems he wanted a Sunday 68 — the day’s solely bogey-free spherical — to climb to T39 for the occasion and thirtieth for the playoffs.
Alex Noren is OUT. With three holes to play he had designs on successful the event. As a substitute he made three consecutive bogeys, the worst of them on the par-5 seventeenth, by far the best gap on the course. Because of this he slipped to T9 and properly exterior the playoff bubble.
Tommy Fleetwood is IN. As he ought to be. The Olympic silver medalist is No. 12 on this planet rating and No. 9, in response to DataGolf; he would have been the most effective Tour member to not make it to East Lake. After a T5 end that gained’t be a problem.
ONE DUMB GRAPHIC
The Ballfrogs are on a roll.
ONE SWING THOUGHT
Golf within the mountains.
Colorado native Wyndham Clark beloved being dwelling for the week — however even he acknowledged the strangeness of competing at 7,000 ft.
“I imply, it’s laborious to play at altitude,” he stated. “That’s going to be the widespread theme that everybody says, exterior of whoever wins this event. However even then, they’ll most likely say the identical factor. We management our ball to the yard 90 p.c of the time, and then you definitely come right here and it’s like 40 p.c of the time. It’s only a guessing sport. There’s a number of luck concerned at altitude golf.”
ONE BIG QUESTION
Are the fellas reaching the ends of their rope?
I’m not right here to throw a pity get together for the most effective golfers on this planet taking part in somewhat extra golf for lots extra hundreds of thousands. However there was one thing unusual occurring within the mountain air at Fort Pines — one thing that had Scottie Scheffler shedding his thoughts, Rory McIlroy snapping his driver, Matt Fitzpatrick getting snippy with an official and Hideki Matsuyama WDing whereas in solo second place.
I preferred the phrasing of Xander Schauffele, who stated he was having to “dig deep in my little persistence bucket.” And maybe the most effective rationalization got here from Tommy Fleetwood, who stated he was happy with how he’d battled the canine days of August.
“At this level within the 12 months, I feel you begin to see so many guys beginning to get annoyed, which is very easy to do,” he stated. “I feel, once more, it’s necessary to kind of have a great sense of the place you’re and the way you are feeling. Coming in direction of the top of something, you’re clearly making an attempt to push that bit extra. It’s at all times fairly an extended season bunched up, however once more, you wish to be there till the top, and I feel taking part in in these occasions is at all times a great factor.
“There’s undoubtedly occasions once you get annoyed and that’s exhibiting a little bit of psychological tiredness, in the event you like, however I felt fairly good, and I felt like particularly this weekend, I had a great deal with on issues as a result of final week in Memphis [where Fleetwood hit it well but was last in the field in putting] was so irritating.
ONE THING TO WATCH
Lydia Ko’s end.
Take a look at Lydia Ko‘s spherical in 60 seconds — however pay specific consideration to that closing stretch. And the following time you’re standing over a putt, attempt to channel the arrogance she exuded on No. 18. No assure you’ll get the identical end result…
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday End HQ.
I’m en path to East Lake for a number of days of Tour Championship protection and to recollect what 94 levels and humid appears like. I’ll examine in from there. Within the meantime, thanks for studying! We’ll see you subsequent week.
Earlier than you go, a fast request: In case you just like the Monday End, subscribe totally free HERE to get it in your e mail inbox!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your feedback at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
