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Gaby Lopez birdies seventh playoff hole Monday morning to win Diamond Resorts TOC

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Gaby Lopez rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at the seventh playoff hole Monday morning to win the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

She took home the $180,000 winner’s check after Nasa Hataoka missed a 12-foot chance to extend the playoff.

Lopez, 26, wears her native Mexico’s colors on Sundays and did again in Monday’s playoff, peeling off her cold-weather gear to show off those colors for photos with the trophy, despite a frigid breeze than made the 45-degree temperatures feel even colder.

Highlights: G. Lopez birdies 7th playoff hole to win Diamond Resorts

Highlights: G. Lopez birdies 7th playoff hole to win Diamond Resorts

“Since I was a little kid, I fell in love with golf by representing Mexico outside Mexico, in the United States,” Lopez said. “It was always team events and we were always wearing red, white and green. I’m extremely proud to represent Mexico.”

Lopez represented Mexico in the 2016 Olympics and took a big step in qualifying to represent her country again in Tokyo this summer.

It was Lopez’s second LPGA title. She won the Blue Bay LPGA in 2018.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz successfully defended his title on Sunday in the celebrity portion of the pro-am.




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Inbee Park (67) builds 2-shot lead ahead of final round at LPGA season opener

1 day ago Golf External News, , , , , , , , ,

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Inbee Park finally made a bogey, but she still finished with a 4-under 67 Saturday and a two-shot lead over Sei Young Kim heading into the final round of the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

Park, a 19-time winner on the LPGA Tour, hadn’t made a bogey since November’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. But she finally dropped a shot when she three-putted the difficult 211-yard par-3 18th.

To that point, she’d been precise and consistent and had a decent day with the putter. She hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and made five birdies. Three consecutive birdies starting at the par-4 13th built her lead to three shots.


BY Randall Mell


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Inbee Park is not far off from her best form, despite an uncharacteristic finish Saturday at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, where she holds a two-shot lead.

“Well, it’s always disappointing to finish with a bogey … So I think I’ll just go ahead and make some birdies tomorrow,” Park said.

Closest to Park is Kim, whose three victories in 2019 included the lucrative CME Group Tour Championship. Kim made five birdies in a wild second nine and shot 67. Nasa Hataoka shot 68 and will begin Sunday three shots behind the leader.

With 10 victories, Kim widely is regarded as the most talented player on tour who has yet to win a major. After a sloppy bogey at the 13th hole, she bounced back by reeling off birdies on her next four holes. At the par-5 17th, she hit a 3-wood from 209 yards into the wind that finished 10 feet right of the hole, and narrowly missed the eagle attempt.

“Her (short offseason) break was good and it looks like she picked up where she left off,” said her caddie, Paul Fusco. Asked the biggest strength of Kim’s game, he answered, “Everything. She’s relaxed, and she makes it look very easy. She’s special.”

Kim was in high school when Park broke through to win for the first time as a pro at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open, the first of Park’s seven majors. Kim has played in the final round on Sunday with Park previously, and win or lose, has enjoyed the experience. In 2015, Kim holed out from 154 yards to beat Park in a playoff at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii; she lost to Park in a playoff at the Women’s PGA Championship.

Full-field scores from the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions

“She’s fun,” Kim said of Park. “She’s very consistent. Yeah, opposite of my character.”

Kim’s $1.5 million winner’s check at the CME Group Tour Championship was the richest prize ever won by an LPGA player. Kim, who turns 27 on Jan. 21, was asked earlier this week if she’d made any big purchases with her winnings. “I buy a lot of dinner,” she said.

With this being an Olympic year, Park, the gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro when golf returned to the Olympics in 2016, decided to get to work a little earlier than normal. She hadn’t made a January start since 2016, but currently ranks as second alternate among competitors from South Korea, a country that boasts four players among the top seven in the world rankings. Park spent 106 weeks in her career at No. 1, but currently is 16th.

How important are the Olympics to her? Park’s dog is named Rio.

In the 49-player celebrity division, baseball Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, the event’s defending champion, had 111 points in the modified Stableford format to lead through three rounds, four better than two-time Diamond Resorts champion Mardy Fish. Mark Mulder, the 2018 champion, was in third place, six points back.




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Hosung Choi accidentally hits playing competitor with thrown driver

2 days ago Golf External News, , , , , , ,


Hosung Choi’s post-impact animations are getting out of control.

During Friday’s second round at the Singapore Open, the 44-year-old Choi, known for his lively and unorthodox follow-throughs, accidentally hit another player in his group with his driver after the club appeared to slip out of Choi’s hands after an exaggerated finish.

After the club struck the leg of Choi’s playing competitor, who was standing to the right and behind Choi on the tee box, the player was visibly frustrated with Choi.

Choi shot 72-74 and missed the cut at Sentosa Golf Club. The South Korean, who has won four times worldwide, is currently ranked 170th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

American Matt Kuchar leads after 54 holes at 17 under.




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Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel Jimenez lead Champions opener as Ernie Els stuggles in debut

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KA’UPULEHI-KONA, Hawaii – Bernhard Langer and Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 8-under 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.

Ernie Els struggled in his debut on the 50-and-over tour, shooting a 72. The four-time major winner from South Africa turned 50 in October.

Langer and Jimenez closed with birdies on the par-4 18th at breezy Hualalai Golf Course. Langer had nine birdies and a bogey.

”I had a wonderful day – start with a birdie, finished with a birdie and really played solid golf,” Langer said. ”I made one stupid bogey. We make good bogeys and we make terrible bogeys. I had a pitching wedge from middle of the fairway and made bogey, so that doesn’t feel good, but it happens.

Full-field scores from the Mitsubishi Electric Championship

The 62-year-old German star won the event in 2009, 2014 and 2017.

”Obviously, I’m 62, so getting up there in age,” Langer said. ”The young guys coming out like Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and many others who hit it 20, 30, maybe 40 yards by me. So, it’s going to get harder, but I still believe that I can improve and compete at the highest level.”

Jimenez, the 56-year-old Spaniard who won in 2015, had eight birdies in a bogey-free round.

”Playing very well, very solid. I miss just a couple of shots, but I’m not used to the distance,” Jimenez said. ”I make good up-and-downs and then chances for birdie. I make my birdie and here we are.”

Woody Austin opened with a 65, and Kenny Perry and Joe Durant shot 66. Goosen, Fred Couples and defending Charles Schwab Cup champion Scott McCarron topped the group at 67.

Tom Watson and John Daly shot 69, and defending champion Tom Lehman had a 71.

Els was tied for 30th in the 37-player field. Paired with Couples, Els had four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.




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Brooks Koepka begins year with opening 66; two back in Abu Dhabi

4 days ago Golf External News, , , , , ,

Brooks Koepka’s rehabilitated left knee looked healthy Thursday at the Abu HSBC Championship.

So, too, did his game.

Playing his first event since October, the world No. 1 shot 6-under 66 and is two shots off the 18-hole lead at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

“It feels good to be back,”Koepka said after his round. “I drove it really well. Controlled the ball flight, controlled distances really well, and that’s what you gotta to do out here.”

Plagued by a bad knee last year, Koepka had stem cell treatment following the Tour Championship in August. He returned to competition two months later at the CJ Cup only to re-injure his patella tendon while slipping on concrete.

“In Korea I re-tore it, and the kneecap had moved into the fat pad,” Koepka said prior to the start of this week’s event. “That’s excruciating. It’s a lot of pain. It’s not fun.”

Full-field scores from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Champions

His return to competition, however, was quite enjoyable. Beginning on the back nine, Koepka birdied his first hole of the year, the par-5 10th. He then tallied three more over the final four holes of his outward half, including a chip-in at No. 17, to turn in 4-under 32.

Koepka added two more birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to reach 6 under par through 12 holes. He then parred his final six holes, as the day wore on, for a 66.

Koepka highlights: Six birdies in bogey-free 66 in Abu Dhabi

Koepka highlights: Six birdies in bogey-free 66 in Abu Dhabi

“Usually, in the afternoon the wind picks up, and you kind of know that going in so when you do have a morning tee time you have to take advantage of it. And I did that today,” Koepka said. “Hopefully tomorrow, the wind stays down. This golf course, with the wind, can be very difficult.”

Koepka is tied for third place, alongside Australian Jason Scrivener. Italy’s Renato Paratore and South African Shaun Norris lead the way after a pair of 8-under 64s.

As for the knee Thursday and beyond?

“It feels fine. A little sore last night – just do some treatment on it. That’s expected,” Koepka said. “This is the first week I’ve walked 18 holes and I’ve done it three times already [including practice rounds]. It’s a little tired.”




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Mickelson-Finau, Fowler-Molinari highlight featured pairings at American Express

5 days ago Golf External News, , , , , ,


LA QUINTA, Calif. – Tournament host Phil Mickelson predictably drew one of the week’s top pairings at The American Express where he will play the first three rounds with Tony Finau, the highest-ranked player in the field.

Mickelson and Finau tee off for Round 1 at 11:40 a.m. (ET) at La Quinta Country Club and shift to PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament course for the second round at 1:20 p.m. The duo tees off at 12:50 p.m. for Round 3 on the Stadium course.

The American Express: Full-field tee times | Full coverage

Playing the event for the first time since 2014, Rickie Fowler will be paired with Francesco Molinari and the twosome will also start their week at La Quinta (12:10 p.m.) before transitioning to the Nicklaus Tournament course (11:40 a.m.) and Stadium course (1:20 p.m.).

Cameron Champ and Billy Horschel highlight the other side of the draw and begin the tournament on the Nicklaus Tournament layout (11:40 a.m.) followed by the Stadium course (1:20 p.m.) and La Quinta (12:50 p.m.) for the third round.




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