Victory is measured in innumerable ways. Trophies go to the low golfer, but other contestants find goals and achievements to measure their success. Ronald Rugumayo became the first golfer from Uganda to pass a 36-hole cut on the DP World Tour this week. Rugumayo properly read and properly hit a six-feet birdie putt on his 36th hole, to make the cut on the number. He would ultimately earn the 71st spot, but his rounds of 72-70-71-73 are immemorial. There’s not better way to begin a Tour Rundown, than with a few words from Uganda’s top golfer.
PGA Tour: Jake Knapp goes to Mexico for a spring break celebration
After four years in Los Angeles, Jake Knapp left UCLA for a life of travel and tournaments. Knapp won thrice on what became PGA Tour Canada and is now PGA Tour Americas. His smooth swing and easy tempo, combined with a beachcomber look, have made him the flavor of the month for early 2024. Winning in Mexico will certainly thrust him closer to the bright, hot spotlight.
Knapp’s middle rounds of 64-63 gave him a bit of cushion for Sunday, and he made good use of it. Even when Finland’s Sami Valinaki made eagle-two at the 7th to tie for first, Knapp kept the rudder steady. Valimaki came home in plus-one 37, while Knapp closed with one-under 35. Razor-thin margins win victories, but with his good-luck mustache, we don’t expect Knapp will see that razor anytime soon.
LPGA: Patty T wins for second consecutive week
In 2021, Patty Tavatanakit burst onto the LPGA scene with a victory at the ANA Inspiration. When your first tour title is also a major, expectations immediately rise. It took another three years for the golfer from Thailand to earn win number two, but win number three was waiting in the wings. Like Jake Knapp, Tavatanakit competed and studied at UCLA, then left for the professional ranks. Unlike Knapp, her success came much sooner.
After that ANA win, Tavatanakit battled through expectations for over two years. Last week, PT won by seven at the Aramco Ladies International. This week, in her home country, Patty T delighted the home crowd with a 21-under-par performance. It was good enough to edge out another young phenom, Albane Valenzuela, by one. With all numbers tied at the last, Tavatanakit got up and down for birdie, for the victory.
DP World Tour: DVD wins over Beta in Kenya
Videotape isn’t making a comeback, but for those of a certain generation, the war between DVD and Betamax still has open wounds. Darius van Driel, who will probably not be known as DVD in this lifetime, earned his first DP World Tour title on the continent of Africa. The Magical Kenya Open became quite magical for the golfer from Holland, as he closed with 67 for a two-shot win over England’s Joe Dean.
For the second time this week, Van Driel added voltage to his round with an eagle at the par-five 10th hole. Despite bogey at 11, he was able to harness two more birdies coming home, to secure victory. As for Dean, there wasn’t much that he could do. The English lad posted five birdies over the final ten holes, but could move no closer than a tie for second with Spain’s Nacho Elvira. Close behind was Nacho’s younger brother, Manuel, in a tie for fourth position.
PGA Tour Champions: Argentina smiles as González wins for azulceleste
Ricardo González has played a lot of golf, all around the world. Prior to Sunday, the Argentine had won 28 times across the world’s circuits, but never in a PGA Tour event. It’s fitting that González claimed his maiden PGA Tour Champions victory in Morocco, given his status as an itinerant golfer.
The top four golfers at the Trophy Hassan II came from outside the USA. González was chased, but never caught, by Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, Korea’s Y.E. Yang, and Australia’s Mark Hensby. Yang held the lead with one round to play, but could not find the necessary form to preserve his station. Two bogeys on the outward half were parried by two birdies, but all the rest were pars. Yang’s even-par 73 earned him a tie for third with Hensby.
No one could sequence a run of birdies until González reached the 13th tee. Steaming from a bogey-six at twelve, don Ricardo ran off four consecutive birdies to jump up by two over Bjorn. After a bogey at 15, the Dane fought back, with birdie at the 17th, to close within one. The 18th was halved with 5s, and Ricardo González was finally a PGA Tour champion.
Asian Tour: Ortiz outburst in Oman
It’s not the sort of outburst we’ve grown accustomed to, these days. Carlos Ortiz “outburst” consisted of a run of seven birdies in nine hole, midway through the fourth round at the Asian Tour’s International Series Oman stop. Ortiz and Louis Oosthuizen trailed 54-hole leader, Joaquin Niemann by one at the start of the final round. Niemann had his struggles, and could not win for a second consecutive week.
The door was opened slightly when the Chilean closed with 67 for 274. Most golfers who sign for a final-day 67 expect to win. Unfortunately for him, Oosthuizen closed with 69 and went one better. to 273. Neither of those totals stood in Ortiz’ way, as he kicked that door wide open with 65 for 272 and an initial title of 2024. About the only shot that didn’t go his way, was the one you’ll see below. Congratulations, Carlos!
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19th Hole3 weeks ago
