Winner: Rory McIlroy
Around the wider world of golf: Mirim Lee got her first LPGA win in a playoff over Inbee Park at the Meijer LPGA Classic; Sadena Parks beat Jackie Stoelting in a playoff to win the New England Charity Classic on the Symetra Tour; Cameron Percy won the Price Cutter Charity Championshp on the Web.com Tour; Greg Machtaler won the Forces and Families Open on the PGA TOUR Canada; Gunn Charoenkul won the Yulongwan Yunnan Open on the PGA TOUR China; Ssu‐Chia Cheng won the Taiwan LPGA JING-DU Construction Open on the TLPGA; and Ji-Yai Shin won the Meiji Cup on the JLPGA (the Constructivist has details).
Golf has clearly entered a transitional section. Not a passing of the torch, not a converting of the guard, but a full-blown transitional section where legends, upcoming stars, and all of the players in-among are stepping it up. If you wanted any evidence, all you had to do was watch the very last round of this yr's PGA Championship.
As lately as Friday, Tom Watson remarked that the United States Ryder Cup crew hopefuls had been "falling like flies." And with Tiger, Matt Kuchar, and defending champion Jason Dufner out with lower back and neck problems, it looked as though we might have a boring finish. Perhaps Rory would run away with it, we idea, or perhaps Phil could find a little extra magic. But no person anticipated a lot, mainly after a lot rain fell and softened the route.
What we were given became an all-out conflict befitting a direction called Valhalla, after the Norse Heaven where heroes went after demise in war, and where the robust Thor smashed his enemies together with his hammer, Mj?Lnir. Instead of a handful of timid players trying to keep away from errors, it seemed like gamers from each technology rose to the undertaking. The first to step up was Ernie Els, blistering the the front nine with a bogey-unfastened 30 and finishing with a 65 and a T7 finish. Then a number of players observed suit, posting 65s and 66s.
And ultimately the main contenders stepped up. At one factor we noticed 5 players tied for the lead, each making breathtaking photographs to momentarily take the solo lead before any other player snatched it away. At final the sector narrowed to 4 players -- Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, and Henrik Stenson. The up-and-downs came so rapid and livid that CBS struggled to maintain up with them. Darkness fell because the four men hurried to finish their struggle.
In the cease, the final holes determined the victor. Stenson fell again when he may want to do no better than par at the par-five 18th. Phil and Rickie each bogeyed 17 while Rory birdied it to take a 2-shot cause 18. Even then, Phil nearly holed out for eagle on 18 to force a playoff. When he settled for birdie, Rory -- slightly capable of see from his lie within the greenside bunker -- changed into capable of make par for the win.
This was the quality principal warfare of the 12 months, and possibly the satisfactory PGA in many years -- even higher than the Tiger-Bob May war of 2000. It truly set the level for a few serious play all through the FedExCup Playoffs in multiple weeks... And the Ryder Cup simply after that. With Phil and Patrick Reed playing their manner onto the team, Tom Watson will in all likelihood have all 3 Captain's Picks loose to pick warm gamers from the next month.
In the interim, it's time to reward the victorious victor with his Limerick Summary. I'm sorry, Rory -- I'd have it added thru Valkyrie, however I just do not have those sort of connections:
In Valhalla, the home of the brave
Where Thor?S warriors live (now not the knaves),
Rory dropped his own hammer
And silenced the clamor
Concerning the golf world’s new wave. The photo came from this page at PGATOUR.com.
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