Around the wider world of golf: Aaron Rai got his first ET/Asian Tour win at the Honma Hong Kong Open; Ho-Sung Choi won the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour; and Anne Van Dam won the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino on the LET.
Many of you will be familiar with a musical group called the Talking Heads ("burning down the house"), who were huge during the late 1970s and the 1980s. What you may not know is that two members of that group, Tina Weymouth and her husband Chris Frantz, formed another group that found considerable success...
The Tom Tom Club. The group was created during a hiatus from the Heads in 1980, and has been playing together ever since. They saw a door of opportunity and walked through it.
Golf's own Tom Tom Club -- Belgian golfers Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry -- had considerable success of their own this past week. Opportunity presented itself to the two relatively young golfers in their mid-20s, and they too walked through the door.
Boy, did they walk through it!
In my opinion, they won this event on Friday. Although they shot 63 the first day, almost every team went low; Pieters and Detry weren't even the lowest. Then the weather turned on Friday, with only four teams under par, and the Belgians' 71 was only one shot off the best.
Then Saturday they WERE the best, shooting another 63 to lead by five. And when they struggled a bit on Sunday, their 68 was enough to win by three, despite serious charges from Team Australia and Team Mexico.
Pieters hasn't won in over two years; Detry hasn't won at all yet. But this victory meant a lot to them and, while it came at the end of Pieter's season, it's hard to believe that a win like this won't leave both of them in a great frame of mind over the holidays and have them ready when 2019 gets underway.
Happy Holidays, boys! Enjoy this Limerick Summary. True, I didn't wrap it up real nice -- 'cause I'm not so good with the wrapping paper, you know -- but it's the thought that counts.
When Pieters and Detry teamed up,The photo comes from this page at pga.com.
They opened a door none could shut.
Ignoring the weather,
They stepped through together
And walked away holding the Cup.
There was action in Asia as the JLPGA had its season finale, the Tour Championship Ricoh Cup, which was decided on the 1st sudden death playoff hole between Jiyai Shin and Hee Kyung Bae after both finish the event at -11. Shin's victory cemented her place atop the Player of the Year standings.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile in Korea there was team match play golf being contested as the 2nd iteration of what is now the OrangeLife Champions Trophy pitted 13 ethnic Korean LPGA players against 13 top players from the KLPGA. Along with native born stars like So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyun Park and tournament hostess Inbee Park the LPGA team included 4 gyopo or overseas Koreans: Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Jennifer Song and Danielle Kang. The KLPGA featured 2017 US Women's Open runner up Hye Jin Choi, who in 2018 became the 1st player since Jiyai Shin in 2006 to win both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, as well as Jeong Eun Lee 6, who topped the KLPGA money list, had the lowest scoring average on tour and was medalist at the inaugural LPGA Q-series.
After unexpectedly dropping last year's inaugural event 13-11 the LPGA team came out with the lead after the opening day's four ball matches 3.5 to 2.5, extended their lead to 7.5 to 4.5 after Saturday's foursomes and closed out the Sunday singles with a 13-11 win. The event clinching point came when Sung Hyun Park, already dormie over Hye Jin Choi on the par 5 16th, reached the green in two to lie in two putt birdie range while her opponent flew the green with her third.
http://seoulsisters.freeforums.net/thread/2236/2018-orangelife-champions-trophy
Thanks for adding this, IC!
Delete