Almanac Golf: Golf Capital – DJ wins again, Open time in New Zealand

@hamishneal

 

A collection of golf news, notes and thoughts from the week across the globe covering another win for the men’s world number one Dustin Johnson and this weekend’s New Zealand Open.

 

Opening drive:
Within a fortnight of ascending to the world number one ranking American Dustin Johnson has secured a fourth career WGC title with a score of 14 under 270 at Club de Golf Chapultepec in the west of Mexico City. Victory in Mexico by a single stroke from England’s Tommy Fleetwood looked at various stages on the final day, including in the 72nd hole when he drove into the sand, that it might not come but the US Open winner from last year registered his 16th professional triumph and third since September last year.

 

In Pretoria South African Dean Burmester collected what was his first European Tour title with a comprehensive three stoke victory to win the Tshwane Open but is could have been more after 27-year-old had a lead double that at one stage in the final round before late bogeys on 16 and 17 cut the margin but not be enough to cede the title – which

 

The New Zealand PGA championship was won by West Australian Jarryd Felton who prevailed in a three-man playoff with Victorian Josh Younger and Kiwi Ben Campbell. Felton, 21, has now won twice on the PGA Tour of Australasia after his win two years ago in the NSW PGA Championship. He now stays in New Zealand for the Open this week.

 

A limited playing calendar seems to hold the key for Korean golfer Inbee Park who won the LPGA’s HSBC Womens Champions event after signing for a course record eight-under 64 in her final round in Singapore. Park’s 18th LPGA tour title came after winning Olympic gold in Rio but not playing much else in 2016 due to a thumb injury. However a well-constructed T25 on her season return set her up well for victory here which came by a on stroke margin from Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

 

Player performance notes:
Players I’m interested in to see how they go with notes that interest me related to capital investment if that’s your thing. From a correct favourite prediction and long-priced top five placing in Mexico we head to Arrowtown, near Queenstown, in New Zealand’s South Island for the ISPA Handa New Zealand Open. The event, which is linked to a Pro-Am, is played on two courses – The Hills and Millbrook Resort.

 

20 and under: Ryan Fox. Olympian and main local hope Fox finished 2016 ranked 126 but hasn’t had a great start in 2017 with a T25 his best effort in Perth when he was tipped out in the playoff to miss the Sunday match-play. Hoping for a local boost here.

 

20 and under: Rhein Gibson. T14 last year in the NZ Open Gibson has been busy recently playing on the second-tier Web.com tour but has hit the Kiwi courses in preparation for this event.

 

20 to 50: David Bransdon. The New South Welshman didn’t set the world on fire in Palmerston North at the NZ PGA finishing 49th but in the weeks prior he got to the match-play phase of the Perth Super 6 event and was T6 in the Victorian Open.

 

20 to 50: Ashley Hall. Off with a relatively early tee time at Millbrook on Thursday of 8:03am Hall has was fourth at the Australian PGA Championship in December and was T11 last weekend on the North Island. However he did miss four cuts in between.

 

20 to 50: Dimitrios Papadatos. A recent winner of the Victorian Open on the Australasian PGA Tour the Central Coast golfers other Tour title came in… Arrowtown when he won this event in 2014.

 

50 to 100: Yusaku Miyazato. The tournament has strong links to Japan due to major sponsor Dr Haruhisa Handa and Moyazato, who was recently sixth in the Myanmar Open, is one of the better credentialed Japanese players teeing it up here.

 

Greens in regulation:
This weekend the US PGA Tour resumes with the Valspar to be staged at Innsbrook Resort in Pal Harbour Florida with South African Charl Schwartzel the winner in 2016. However the European and Asian tour’s co-sanctioned event the Hero Indian Open has a bit of an Australian connection with Peter Thompson behind the founding of the event in 1964. Thompson, who was the victor in ’64, ’66 and ’70 saw the tournament added to the Asian tour before it was recently elevated to the European Tour circuit. The tournament switches venues in 2017 from the Delhi Golf Club to The Gary Player course in located about an hour away south of the previous venue in Gurugram.

 

Tap in:
After a new modified format was debuted in Perth recently more dramatic changes were announced for golf with the game’s rules-makers signalling a rules overhaul in 2019. It seems odd the announced changes will take so long to implement but many of them seem sound especially the reduced time to find a lost ball and the relaxing penalties around accidentally moving a ball. Notably the amount of rules drops by ten which can only be a good thing for new players to an, at times, complicated sport. I was disappointed though not to see a shot clock officially introduced as opposed to arbitrary time-wasting warnings from officials on the course. It can’t be that hard to set up clocks monitored via remote or on-site for broadcast tournaments. It would be great sponsor placement.

 

This golfing wrap first appeared on From the sideline of sport