The Limerick Summary: 2018 Wyndham Championship

Winner: Brandt Snedeker

Around the wider world of golf: Sung Hyun Park won the Indy Women in Tech Championship on the LPGA; Paul Waring won the Nordea Masters on the ET; Sungjae Im won the Portland Open on the Web.com Tour; Bart Bryant won the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open on the Champions Tour; Tyler McCumber won the The Players Cup on the MACKENZIE TOUR - PGA TOUR CANADA; Marta Sanz Barrio won the FireKeepers Casino Championship on the Symetra Tour; Yuta Ikeda won the RIZAP KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour; and Viktor Hovland became the first Norwegian to win the US Amateur.



Brandt Snedeker has spent the last couple of years dealing with physical problems that doctors told him only come from contact sports.

This week, the rest of the field must have felt like Brandt was playing full-contact golf.

From Thursday's 59 to Sunday's nip-and-tuck battle with C.T. Pan, Brandt led the whole way. And while Pan's unexpected OB drive on 18 made the ending less of a challenge, Brandt still drained a 20-footer to seal the deal by three strokes.

His return to the winner's circle couldn't have come at a better time. His 59, coupled with this win and his reputation for streaky good play, will certainly grab Jim Furyk's attention as he ponders his four Ryder Cup picks. And let's not ignore the possibilities ahead in the FedExCup Playoffs. After all, Brandt has won the FedExCup before!

Of course, there was also a battle to make the Top125 in order to make the Playoffs, and a couple of things there stood out to me. I'd like to salute Sam Saunders for making his first-ever Playoffs and, while Captain Furyk didn't make them, he finished T4 with his lowest-ever tournament score -- even while he had to take care of Ryder Cup business.

But this was all about Brandt. And, since he didn't need the Wizard to 'tap' his final putt into the hole, I feel totally fine about giving him his newest Limerick Summary.

His game’s not the kind to enchant,
So his chances of late have been scant.
Still, it must be conceded:
When magic was needed,
The true Wyndham Wizard was Brandt!

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 PGA Championship

Winner: Brooks Koepka

Around the wider world of golf: Kristen Gillman beat Jiwon Jeon to add a second US Women's Amateur to her record (the other was in 2014); Trevor Cone won the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic; Corey Pereira won the ATB Financial Classic on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Lauren Coughlin won the PHC Classic on the Symetra Tour; and Team Sweden3 (Cajsa Persson and Linda Wessberg) won the gold medal in the women’s team golf event at Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course on the LET.



Let's get a couple of things out of the way first, before I forget them.

Teaching pro Ben Kern was the only club pro to make the cut and he finished at T43 (-3), the best finish by a club pro in 13 years. Can't forget the club pros, especially when they play that well!

And both Adam Scott and Tiger, while neither won, should leave Bellerive with a huge confidence boost. Adam proved to himself that he actually can putt. And Tiger actually broke some of his own major records, which says something for how far he's come in less than a year. (Among other records, his 64 was his lowest score ever in a major.)

But the star of the show was Brooks Koepka. His performance was amazing, put him into some rare company at the Majors Club, and almost certainly locked up the Player of the Year award. But you'll be hearing about that all this week, maybe all winter until the Masters next April.

Let's talk instead about how this victory likely changes the competitive landscape on the PGA Tour for the next few months.

With three majors under his belt, Brooks has tied Jordan Spieth and lapped his buddy Dustin Johnson. Even Rory is only one ahead of him now! With this victory -- three of his last six majors -- Brooks has established himself as the "it" golfer of 2018. He's the Golden Boy now and, while he won't be #1 on the OWGR after this win (he will ascend to the top of my own Ruthless Golf World Rankings), there's no question that he's the man to beat going forward.

And with the FedExCup Playoffs and Ryder Cup just ahead, 2018 could get even better for him.

So I'll simply add my Limerick Summary to his haul this week. And I'll do it without a lot of fanfare -- that seems to be how Brooks does things lately.

Hey, Jordan and DJ—step back!
Make way as Brooks gives it a whack
And steps into the record books.
Hist’ry belongs to Brooks;
Now HE’S the head of the pack.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 WGC-Bridgestone

Winner: Justin Thomas

Around the wider world of golf: Georgia Hall got her first LPGA/LET win at the Ricoh British Women's Open; Kenny Perry won the 3M Championship on the Champions Tour; Sepp Straka won the KC Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour; Tyler McCumber won the Syncrude Oil Country Championship - which, incidentally, was played on a course designed by his father, former PGA Tour player Mark - on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Kendall Dye won the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY on the Symetra Tour; Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Fiji International on the Asian Tour; and Andrew Putnam won the Barracuda Championship, the alternate field event for the PGA Tour.



Justin Thomas finally got his first WGC win... and it wasn't even close.

It was quite different from the first two WGCs this year. Phil Mickelson took him to a playoff in Mexico, where he needed only one hole to take the event from JT. And at the Match Play in Texas, Bubba Watson took him out in the semifinals on his way to winning, leaving a disappointed Justin to finish in fourth place.

Those losses, along with a missed cut at the Open, sent him and his team into a huddle. And their decision? Justin needed a little more patience. This week he had it... and he not only got his first WGC win, but he won in front of his grandparents for the first time. The emotion of it all nearly got to him at the end of the round but he finished it off in style, winning by four strokes.

Justin has been at the top of my Ruthless Golf World Rankings for quite a while, and this event demonstrates the reason why. While many of the top players have won in streaks, JT seems to win more consistently than most of his peers. Starting with last year's PGA Championship, look at how often he has won:

• August 2017: PGA Championship
• September 2017: Dell Technologies Championship
• October 2017: CJ Cup
• February 2018: Honda Classic
• August 2018: WGC-Bridgestone Championship

And in-between, despite getting in his own way, he had some close calls like the other two WGCs.

So besides winning in style this week and making a case to be the favorite to defend next week, he got the REAL big prize this week. Here, Justin, is your well-deserved Limerick Summary. Enjoy!

Phil beat him first, south of the border;
Then a Bubba win came in short order.
And so JT decided
A win this lopsided
MUST work, lest his patience grow shorter!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 RBC Canadian Open

Winner: Dustin Johnson

Around the wider world of golf: Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Senior Open, giving him two Champions Tour majors this season; Ariya Jutanugarn won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open on the LPGA/LET, which should also give her the #1 spot in the Rolex Rankings; Martin Trainer secured his PGA Tour card with a win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Web.com Tour; Peter Campbell (a Canadian!) won the Beijing Championship on the PGA TOUR China; Kendall Dye won the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY for her third Symetra Tour win; Justin Harding won the Royal Cup for back-to-back Asian Tour titles; and Richard McEvoy won his first European Tour title at the Porsche European Open.



It was the last time the RBC Canadian Open was to be played at Glen Abbey, and Dustin Johnson didn't want to waste the opportunity.

So the new RBC ambassador didn't. After some close calls in Canada, he ran away from the field for a three-shot victory.

There's not much to say about it, really. DJ basically played the par-5s with driver and wedge, putting him four-under on his final round with very little effort. Three more birdies (against a single bogey) turned Sunday's round into a casual stroll to victory.

A stroll interrupted by a rain delay, but we all know that DJ isn't bothered by little things like that.

The big news wasn't the win so much as what the win did for him. It gave him 19 total PGA Tour wins in his career, tied for third among active players on the main tour; made him the first player since Tiger to win at least three times in each of three consecutive years; and it vaulted him to the top of the FedExCup standings.

To be honest, DJ has won so much over the last few years that I'm running out of superlatives to describe how he plays. When his game is a little off, we all march out the "he doesn't work hard enough" talk. But when he has it all together, the rest of the field can only shake their heads and wish he'd work even less. Counting his missed cut at the Open, he's got two wins, a third place finish and a T8 in his last five events. How realistic are the complaints?

I'm not complaining, DJ. Here, have another Limerick Summary on me.

For DJ, it’s nineteen and counting;
The case for his greatness is mounting!
Ten wins in three years
Gives his fans cause to cheer
While competitors find themselves frowning!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 THE OPEN

Winner: Francesco Molinari

Around the wider world of golf: David Skinns won the Pinnacle Bank Championship on the Web.com Tour; Tyler McCumber won the Osprey Valley Open on the MacKenzie Tour; Yechun “Carl” Yuan -- an amateur! -- won the Qingdao Championship on the PGA Tour China; and Eun Jeong Seong won the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic on the Symetra Tour. The Barbasol Championship, the PGA Tour's alternate event, won't finish up until Monday morning; it's airing at 10am ET on GC.



There are so many storylines we could talk about, concerning Tiger and Rory and Jordan and Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele -- just to name a few -- but that would be disrespectfully stupid. There's really only one story.

Francesco Molinari just made history, and he did it in a way that ought to put all of his critics to shame.

Over the weekend, on two days of dramatically different course conditions, Francesco posted two bogey-free rounds of 66-69. That's seven under par... and the winning score was only one shot lower than that. He's won three times (with two runner-ups) in his last six starts, during which he posted weekend scores of 66-68 at the BMW and 65-62 at the Quicken Loans... and he had a grand total of ONE bogey in all six of those weekend rounds.

That's just freaking unbelievable!

In the process, he become the first Italian golfer to win a pro major -- ANY pro major -- and will debut at #6 in the OWGR on Monday. He and his older brother Edoardo -- who won the 2005 US Amateur -- have also won the 2009 World Cup together and were on the victorious 2010 Euro Ryder Cup team. In essence, we watched the Molinaris become Italy's First Family of Golf with Francesco's win on Sunday.

Oh, and Francesco did it while playing in the maelstrom that is a Tiger Woods pairing. Tiger himself praised Francesco's play after the round, noting how he was even working his short game shots around the greens to leave himself easier putts.

All this is to say that we can't even begin to appreciate what Francesco has done yet. But although I am at a loss for words, that won't stop me from giving him the best bilingual Limerick Summary I can come up with.

Molto bene, Francesco—you won!
Turin, Italy’s favorite son
Just took down the best
With a swing that seemed blessed,
Going bogey-free under the gun.

The photo came from this page at PGATOUR.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 John Deere Classic

Winner: Michael Kim

Around the wider world of golf: Some players won their events outright. Laura Davies crushed the field by ten strokes in the inaugural US Senior Women's Open; Brandon Stone tied the lowest round in ET history (60) to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open; Cameron Champ won the Utah Championship on the Web.com Tour; Ben Griffin won the Staal Foundation Open on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Joseph Winslow won the Yantai Championship on the PGA TOUR China; Stephanie Kono won the Donald Ross Classic on the Symetra Tour; and Justin Harding won the Bank BRI Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour. But we also had a couple of playoffs, as Vijay Singh won his first senior major at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship on the Champions Tour; and Thidapa Suwannapura became only the third Thai to win on the LPGA at the Marathon Classic.



Illinois was the place for blowouts on Sunday. Laura Davies won the US Senior Women's Open by ten shots, and Michael Kim won the John Deere by eight. What was going on in the Midwestern US, anyway?

Of the two, Kim's was clearly the biggest surprise. Laura has been playing well all season, just not this well. But Kim's game had been... well, nonexistent. Nobody saw this coming, not even him. He had changed coaches less than a month ago, just to get a new set of eyes on his game.

The changes have been quick and decisive.

Kim celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday with his second 64 in as many days (after a 63 on the first day of the event). He couldn't even sleep on Saturday night, but apparently he no longer needs sleep. After three birdies on his first three holes Sunday, it wasn't even a competition anymore.

Not that Kim is complaining.

He said that he felt a bit left out after his fellow members of the "Class of 2011" -- the guys he beat in college -- came out and started tearing up the Tour. You know, guys like Thomas, Spieth, Berger and Schauffele. He's not left out anymore. He got all the perks that come with a victory -- a huge leap in FedExCup points, a full exemption on the Tour, more money than he can fit in his pockets, and exemptions. Oh yes, exemptions -- like the one in next week's Open.

It'll be fun to see what Michael Kim can do going forward. If he's really found the glitch in his swing that was holding him back, he could run up some serious wins like he did in college. But regardless of what the next few weeks hold, he can at least say he picked up a Limerick Summary. What else really matters?

Sixty-three, sixty-four, sixty-four—
But the Birthday Boy had more in store!
Lightning caught in a jar
Sent Kim way under par…
Then he flew to Carnoustie for more!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Greenbrier

Winner: Kevin Na

Around the wider world of golf: Sei Young Kim crushed the LPGA's all-time tournament scoring record (which she and Annika held) with a -31 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic; Russell Knox sank the same 40-foot birdie putt TWICE to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open on the ET; Nelson Ledesma won the LECOM Health Challenge on the Web.com Tour; Mark Anguiano won the Windsor Championship on the MacKenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Brad Kennedy won the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational SEGA SAMMY Cup on the Japan Golf Tour; John Catlin won the Sarawak Championship on the Asian Tour; and the US Team successfully defended their title at the Palmer Cup.



Okay, first of all: I know the tournament is now officially called A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. But that was just too long for the blog title.

And second, I don't care how silly it sounds, it seems like I've been waiting forever to post this:



Yes, I think it's appropriate. On a Sunday when all kinds of records were set by players going crazy with their putters, Kevin Na sank over 142 feet of putts -- double the Tour average for a round -- to pick up his second PGA Tour win. This song has become a legendary sports celebration song, and if anybody deserves this particular song, it's Kevin.

I can't help myself. I absolutely love Kevin Na. He's dealt with any number of technical problems and come out on top. When he's gone through a particularly bad stretch -- remember when he set the PGA Tour record for high score on a single hole (16)? -- he's had a sense of humor about it. (He not only talked about it after the round, but let GC film his revenge with a chainsaw.) And he's given us more good-natured entertainment (like the recent exchange between him and his longtime caddie) than most players.

It makes me feel good to see him pick up his second win. It was emotional for him, as you know if you saw his interview with Amanda Balionis right after he won -- and coming right after the news that he'd made the Open this year, it just seemed like life was fair this weekend.

I won't go on about it. Just play the video, dance around a bit, and know that Kevin will probably hear it quite a bit this week as he and his friends celebrate. As for me... well, the video even made itself felt in his Limerick Summary. Way to go, Kevin!

For seven years Kevin asked “Why?”
But Sunday his spirits were high!
He started one back
But then broke from the pack
And with 64, kissed ‘em goodbye.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Quicken Loans National

Winner: Francesco Molinari

Around the wider world of golf: David Toms got his first Champions Tour major at the US Senior Open; Sung Hyun Park got her second LPGA major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship; Muni He won the Prasco Charity Championship on the Symetra Tour; Anders Albertson won the Lincoln Land Championship on the Web.com Tour; Alex Noren won the HNA Open de France on the ET; Chan Kim defended his title at the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational SEGA SAMMY Cup on the Japan Golf Tour; and Jazz Janewattananond won the Queen's Cup on the Asian Tour. [UPDATE: I forgot to add Leonie Harm's win at the Ladies' British Amateur. Can't forget that!]



If you were unfamiliar with Francesco Molinari before this past week... well, you better get real familiar, real fast.

I remember being very impressed with Francesco the first time I saw him play, which was back in November 2010. In fact, I was so impressed that I mentioned him in three consecutive posts -- one with a Limerick Summary for his second individual European Tour win at the 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions, a "Player to Watch" mention in a Ruthless Golf World Rankings post, and a look at his golf swing in a post called Francesco is Italian for "I Piped It Again." He showed great shotmaking prowess even then.

Francesco's career has been somewhat hit-or-miss over the years though. Interestingly enough, he has tended to win ET events every two to four years -- 2006, 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018. (He also had two non-ET wins in 2009.) But 2018 has been different, as he has two "big tournament wins" within a month of each other -- the BMW PGA, which is the ET's equivalent of THE PLAYERS, and now the Quicken Loans National, his first PGA Tour win. And both have been dominant wins -- he chased down Rory at the BMW and he won by eight strokes (and set some tournament scoring records along the way) at the Quicken Loans.

To what does he owe this sudden improvement in his play? There are two things. First, he has greatly improved his strength and flexibility, resulting in a much smoother and more powerful swing. Coupled with his already impressive shotmaking ability, that has lifted his game a few notches.

But he's always been a shotmaker. It's his newfound success with the putter that has made the biggest difference. He's always had plenty of birdie opportunities, but now he's taking advantage of them -- and, as a result, of the rest of the field. Poor unfortunate fellows!

Francesco gained a lot this week. He's going to move up in the world rankings; he pretty much locked up a couple of weeks in the FedExCup Playoffs, which he said was the main reason he played in the Quicken Loans rather than the French Open (which is held at the venue for this year's Ryder Cup); and he pretty much locked up a spot on said Ryder Cup team with his play. But we all know what he REALLY cared about... so here's your Limerick Summary, champ.

If Francesco’s career has seemed static,
It’s because his short game’s been erratic.
Now he’s putting lights-out—
And he’s left us no doubt
That his Ryder Cup team is ecstatic!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Travelers Championship

Winner: Bubba Watson

Around the wider world of golf: Matt Wallace won the BMW International Open on the ET; Nasa Hataoka got her first LPGA win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on the LPGA; Kanyalak Preedasuttijit won the Ladies European Thailand Championship on the LET; Ruixin Lui won the Island Resort Championship on the Symetra Tour; Scott McCarron won the American Family Insurance Championship on the Champions Tour; Brady Schnell won the Wichita Open in a playoff on the Web.com Tour; T.T. Crouch won the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open in a playoff on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Shota Akiyoshi won the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Golf Tour; Minchel Choi won the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on the Asian Tour; and Ernie Els's nephew Jovan Rebula won the British Amateur Championship, the first South African to do so since 1966.



After Paul Casey shot 62 on Saturday for a four-shot lead, most folks thought his second win of the season was a done deal. But big leads are notoriously hard to hold on the final day of an event, and perhaps Paul himself recognized that fact when he told the media before the round that he thought his game was in good enough shape to win once or twice more this season... even if he didn't win Sunday.

It certainly appears that the desire to win got in Casey's way during the final round. The smooth rhythm of Saturday's round was gone, as was the putting stroke that has been working all season. Instead, it was Bubba Watson's cautious attitude going into the round -- saying that it would take something really special to even have a chance Sunday -- that won the day.

Was 63 special enough? I think it was.

Bubba has always felt comfortable at the Travelers. He got his first-ever PGA Tour win there in 2010; he picked up a second one in 2015. His two-under front nine erupted into a five-under back nine as he sprinted to the finish, capped by a skillful downwind shot to two feet at the 18th. The pressure was just too much for Casey, who finished three shots back in a tie for second.

Not only was this Bubba's third win of the season (one of them the WGC-Dell Match Play) but it was also his third Travelers trophy -- a feat topped only by four-time winner Billy Casper. Bubba will debut in my Ruthless Golf World Rankings this week, probably at #4, just ahead of Koepka. (Spieth will fall out this week.)

But in the meantime, Bubba & Company can relax with the trophy and his third Limerick Summary of the season. His THIRD! Is this the year of Bubba? Stay tuned! (Btw, read the date in the first line as 'two-thousand-ten' to get the correct rhythm.)

He won here in 2010;
In ‘15, he did it again.
Two times weren’t enough!
Sunday, Bubba got tough
And crushed Casey to get his third win.

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 US Open

Winner: Brooks Koepka

Around the wider world of golf: So Yeon Ryu won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give; Isi Gabsa won in a playoff at the Forsyth Classic on the Symetra Tour; George Cunningham won the GolfBC Championship on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; and Motin Yeung won in a playoff at the Kunming Championship on the PGA TOUR China.



Sure, the USGA probably overreacted a bit with their setup on Sunday at the US Open. But they didn't make it too soft, as the lack of low scores proved. Of the 67 players to make the cut, Sunday’s admittedly soft setup produced only 15 scores below par, only four better than -2.

Clearly, the USGA needs to learn what "let 'em play" means. It shouldn't take an error like Saturday's to give us a usable setup.

While Tommy Fleetwood managed to become only the sixth US Open player to post a 63 - on the 45th anniversary of Johnny Miller's, no less - and a handful of players like Patrick Reed kept things interesting, it was Brooks Koepka's steady play that stole the show. In a traditional exhibition of hanging tough, his -2 round of 68 was all it took to become the first man in 29 years to win back-to-back US Opens.

It was shocking to see those we expected to contend, like DJ, Rose and Stenson, deserted by their putters. Of the challengers, only Fleetwood truly made good on the promise he's shown over the last couple of seasons.

But even a historic score wasn't enough to stop the defending champion. When I posted my "5-to-Watch" post earlier this week, I wrote:

Defending champ Brooks Koepka has never played Shinnecock, but his excellent play at Erin Hills last year proves he can hold his own on a fairly wide course, which the new Shinnecock is. Having recovered from his wrist injury, he looks to be back in the kind of form he was at last year's event, He's not getting a lot of attention this week, but I think he has to be taken seriously.

And according to GC, that lack of attention indeed drove him to hang in there when he dropped to +7 early in Friday's play. Having won two majors before his 30th birthday, he won't be underestimated going forward. I know I won't.

In the meantime, Brooks can drink a toast from the Cup while he reads his newest Limerick Summary. I suspect he'll be adding quite a few more before he's done!

Back-to-back isn’t what we expected—
Back-to-back, as the field was dissected
So methodically! Brooks
Drained a few birdie looks;
Now his two major wins are connected!

The photo came from this page at europeantour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 FedEx St. Jude Classic

Winner: Dustin Johnson

Around the wider world of golf: There was A LOT of golf this weekend! Mikko Korhonen got his first European Tour win at the Shot Clock Masters; Tom Lehman won the weather-shortened Principal Charity Classic on the Champions Tour; Chase Wright won the Rust-Oleum Championship on the Web.com Tour; Sam Fidone won the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open on the MACKENZIE TOUR - PGA TOUR Canada; Toni Hakula won the Bupa Match Play on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Charlie Saxon won the Guilin Championship on the PGA TOUR China; Annie Park got her first LPGA win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic; Maia Schechter won the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour; Panuphol Pittayarat won the Thailand Open on the Asian Tour; Trish Johnson won the inaugural Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup on the LPGA's Legends Tour; and the US team beat the GB&I team 17-3, the biggest margin of victory in Curtis Cup history.



When you get right down to it, it wasn't even that interesting to watch. Dustin Johnson and Andrew Putnam were tied to start the final round, Putnam doubled the first, nobody else even made a run, and DJ played steady if uneventful golf to win the final FedEx St. Jude Classic. (Next year it becomes a WGC, replacing Bridgestone.)

At least, that was the story until they reached the final hole and DJ calmly jarred his second shot for a walk-off eagle. The crowd went wild and that single shot will be the defining moment of this year's event.

Not a bad send-off, when you get down to it.

Of course, there were other effects from that shot besides the win. DJ moved up to second in the FedExCup points race and, by the time most of you read this, he'll be #1 in the world again after bumping Justin Thomas off his brief perch at the top.

Perhaps the biggest effect will be the betting odds on DJ at the US Open next week. With Shinnecock playing around 7400 yards and his game clearly back in major shape, he'll be the favorite on most fantasy teams for 2018's second major. Still, I hope he takes a few moments to bask in the glory of his newest Limerick Summary, which he would have gotten even without that eagle...

But the Limerick Summary wouldn't have sounded as cool as it does if he hadn't jarred it. A little pizazz never hurts. I'm just saying...

The final round wasn’t that hot
Until DJ holed out his last shot
On the eighteenth for two.
The crowd went “Woo-hoo!”
Now he’s back in the Number One spot.

The photo came from this page at usatoday.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Memorial

Winner: Bryson DeChambeau

Around the wider world of golf: Ariya Jutanugarn survived a four-hole playoff against Hyo Joo Kim to win the US Women's Open on the LPGA; Joey Garber won the Rex Hospital Open on the Web.com Tour; Jordan Niebrugge got his first win at the Freedom 55 Financial Open on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada; Horacio Leon won the Quito Open on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Astrid Vayson de Pradenne won the Jabra Ladies Open on the LET; and Thorbjørn Olesen won the Italian Open on the ET.



The ladies at the US Women's Open saw an exciting four-hole two-woman playoff before Ariya Jutanugarn got her second major... but Ariya had to get the job done without her best stuff.

Ironically, while the Memorial Tournament finished up early in an attempt to beat bad weather, they too went to a playoff -- in their case, a two-hole three-man playoff that gave Bryson DeChambeau his second PGA Tour win. And Bryson also had to get the job done without his best stuff.

Bryson -- like Ariya -- started the day with the lead. It was a small lead compared to Ariya's, which grew to seven strokes before her game fell apart at the turn, but he held that slim lead all the way to the end, where a three-putt bogey dropped him into a playoff with Byeong Hun An and Kyle Stanley.

Stanley and An both put on strong back nines to get into contention, but they just couldn't put the final dagger into DeChambeau's dream. But once they teed it up in the playoff and Stanley stumbled out of the gate, DeChambeau escaped An's challenge on the first hole before finishing him with a clutch birdie on the second.

Bryson DeChambeau is forcing people to take his unusual approach to the game seriously. Two wins in less than a year is no small feat, and you have to wonder what he might do at Shinnecock next week. But in the meantime, he can bask in the glory of his second Limerick Summary... and perhaps calculate how soon he'll snag his third one.

Bryson led at the start of the day
And he led it for most of the way
Until Stanley and An
Said, “We’re ready—come on!”
But DeChambeau would have the last say.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Fort Worth Invitational

Winner: Justin Rose

Around the wider world of golf: Paul Broadhurst got his second Champions Tour major at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship; Minjee Lee gave herself a birthday present at the LPGA Volvik Championship; Louise Ridderstrom won the Valley Forge Invitational on the Symetra Tour; Cameron Davis won the Nashville Golf Open on the Web.com Tour; Francesco Molinari won the BMW PGA Championship, the ET's equivalent of THE PLAYERS; Shota Akiyoshi won the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour; and the Arizona Wildcats won the NCAA Women's Division 1 National Golf Championship.



It was never really in question on Sunday. Justin Rose began his final round at the Fort Worth Invitaional with a four-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka, and he ended the round with a three-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka.

That doesn't mean it wasn't interesting. Just that Justin never really gave his pursuers a chance. He shot five-under on his front nine and a mere one-under on his back nine. When you shoot 64 in the final round, it's going to take something really special to beat you... and neither Koepka's 63 nor Kevin Na's 61 was special enough.

Forgive me if I don't spend a lot of time on this event, because there was no real drama to the finish. Rather, I think Rose's Strokes Gained stats are the real story here:

• Off the Tee: 4th
• Approach to the Green: 1st
• Around the Green: 19th
• Putting: 21st
• Tee-to-Green: 1st
• Total: 1st

We are entering the thick of major season, and Justin Rose seems to have gotten his game back in shape just in time. He probably put it best himself when he said he had won with four-shot leads and lost with four-shot leads, and he was happy to see that he was getting better at closing them out. He could be in position for a really great summer.

But in the meantime, he can chill out with his newest Limerick Summary and get ready for the big ones coming up.

Knowing Koepka was on the attack,
Justin couldn’t afford to hold back.
He kept pushing the pace—
And that kept enough space
‘Twixt his lead and the rest of the pack.

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 AT&T; Byron Nelson

Winner: Aaron Wise

Around the wider world of golf: Ariya Jutanugarn won the Kingsmill Championship on the LPGA; Jenny Haglund won the Symetra Classic on the Symetra Tour; Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Regions Tradition on the Champions Tour; Michael Arnaud won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Web.com Tour; Andrés Gallegos won the Puerto Plata DR Open on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Adrian Otaegui won the inaugural Belgian Knockout on the ET; Ryuko Tokimatsu won the Kansai Open Golf Championship on the Japan Golf Tour; John Catlin won the Asia-Pacific Classic on the Asian Tour; and Hee-kyung Bae won the Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open on the Japan LPGA Tour.



It was way past dark at my house before the PGA Tour closed shop for the night. Fortunately for the guys playing in the AT&T Byron Nelson, they had almost one more hour of daylight in Texas than we did here in North Carolina.

Almost. It looked pretty dark to me, even with the TV cameras' added light. But it wasn't like Aaron Wise needed any more light. After he striped his final drive and hit the green with a three-shot lead, nobody had much of a chance to catch him anyway.

Much has been made of how good Wise is and how much he learned at Quail Hollow just a couple of weeks back, when he posted a T2 finish. But that was just talk.

What Wise did on Sunday proved that we may have underestimated his potential. He never seemed to lose focus on what he was doing -- striding calmly around the course, making good strategic choices that put him 5-under on the front nine while giving him mostly easy pars on the back nine as he cruised to his first PGA Tour win. And those shots were made with confidence -- there was no sign that he felt any pressure until cameras caught him taking a deep breath before that striped drive on 18.

If his performance Sunday was any indication of what's coming, I'd better start looking for more words that rhyme with Wise. I'll be needing them for all the Limerick Summaries he's going to claim!

Though thunderclouds darkened the skies,
Young Aaron did not take his eyes
Off his goal. From the start
His mind and his heart
Were proved, by his play, truly Wise.

The photo came from this page at the Republican American site.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 THE PLAYERS

Winner: Webb Simpson

Around the wider world of golf: Vicky Hurst won the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic on the Symetra Tour; Stephan Jaeger won the Web.com Tour’s Knoxville Open; Tyson Alexander won the Costa Rica Open on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Todd Baek won the weather-shortened Haikou Championship on the PGA Tour China; Toru Taniguchi won the Japan PGA Championship on the Japan Golf Tour; Malcolm Kokocinski won the AB Bank Bangladesh Open on the Asian Tour; and Joakim Lagergren won the ET's Rocco Forte Sicilian Open.



What is there to say? Webb Simpson just proved that you can't keep a good player down.

Or perhaps I should say that you can't anchor him to the past.

Webb hasn't won on Tour in a few years -- since 2013, to be exact -- despite being a US Open champ and being heralded as an up-and-coming player to watch. That was all before the anchoring ban outlawed his belly putter. And it was the beginning of a very dark journey in search of a viable alternative.

As everyone learned this week, Webb Simpson is one of the few players to succeed in that journey. He ranked as the #10 putter on Tour entering this week, and will no doubt be higher than that when the stats are updated.

He put that same determination into his journey around TPC Sawgrass this past week, and the rest of the field learned just how true the expectations of a few years back were. After blistering the field the first three days, he dug deep on Sunday and held on to win. Decisively!

David Duval noted that Webb was even walking differently at THE PLAYERS, carrying himself with a confidence that David hasn't seen for quite some time. It will be fun to see how Webb's career progresses from here, now that he's proven to himself that his new putter stroke can handle the heat. And just for good measure, he'll have this hot new Limerick Summary to keep him nice and toasty for a while!

For three days Webb cruised through the field;
But when struggles came, he didn’t yield.
Like the anchoring ban
That crushed many a man,
They gave Webb something on which to build.

The photo came from the front page at theplayers.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Wells Fargo Championship

Winner: Jason Day

Around the wider world of golf: In a surprise to no one, Bernhard Langer won the Insperity Invitational on the Champions Tour; the Irish team of Paul Dunne and Gavin Moynihan won the GolfSixes tourney on the ET; Michael Buttacavoli won the BMW Jamaica Classic on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Sung Hyun Park won the weather-shortened Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic; Elizabeth Szokol won the IOA Invitational on the Symetra Tour; and Sanghyun Park won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on the Asian Tour. Charlie Saxon leads the Changsha Championship on the PGA Tour China but the finish has been delayed.



After a fairly dominant win at the Wells Fargo Championship -- his second win of this calendar year, with both being on tough courses -- Jason Day had this to say about his game:

“I had no idea where the ball was going today, especially off the tee. I missed a lot of fairways, missed a lot of greens. My short game stood the test, which was nice. This was probably one of the best wins I’ve ever had just because of how hard everything was today.”

The stats bear him out. His Strokes Gained: Tee to Green stat for the week was pretty much zero, while his short game (if you'll pardon the pun) won the day for him.

Young Aaron Wise was the only player to really make a run at Day, and he was rewarded with second place for his efforts. After Day's consecutive bogeys on 13 and 14, Wise was tied with Day and believed he truly had a chance to win. But Day made a birdie on 16 and a near miraculous birdie on 17 after his shot hit the flag and stopped about three feet from the pin, and that spelled the end of the Wise Guy's dream.

With two wins and a runner-up finish just since late January -- and despite a swing that seems to have a mind of its own -- Jason Day seems poised to make some noise next week at THE PLAYERS and in the majors that follow close behind. While he may feel the need to clean up his game a bit, he's not having any problems cleaning up financially.

And with a third kid on the way, that's probably a good thing!

At any rate, the Limerick Summary isn't judgmental. It doesn't discriminate against players who don't know where their shots are headed. As long as the ball finds the cup in fewer shots than anyone else, it says, "Hey, buddy! Add me to your trophy collection as well!" In fact, I believe he now has one for all 12 of his PGA Tour wins. Well done, J-Day!

Jason’s ball didn’t know where to go;
Left or right? Fade or draw? High or low?
But his short game was stout
And it sure helped him out
Of the rough and up high in the dough!

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

How Close Is a Joint PGA-LPGA Event?

A recent post from Golf Digest's Dew Sweeper included this little bit of news amidst its collection of tidbits. I thought you might find it interesting.



Here's the part of the article that we're interested in:

The Zurich's success last spring spurred conversation regarding other outside-the-box tournaments the tour should implement, chief among them a mixed competition of PGA Tour and LPGA players. This talk arose again last week, its prospects advocated by LPGA commissioner Mike Whan. That Whan would proselytize on the matter is not surprising; the LPGA would greatly benefit from the heightened spotlight of the PGA Tour's platforms. However, the idea received further endorsement on Sunday, from a particularly influential voice.

“We’re very interested in getting the men and women together inside the ropes in the same week and in the same competition,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told media members on Sunday. “I think that’s something you’ll see in the future. It’s just a matter of time. That’s really exciting and interesting.”

The PGA Tour's revamped schedule is coming out shortly, but sources told Golf Digest that a mixed event is not currently on the table for next season. Conversely, both Monahan and Whan floated the theoretical tournament as an offseason possibility, one that could be happening in relative short order.

“They’re partners of ours,” Monahan said. “Generally speaking, that’s something we’d like to see.”

So at least the talks are still on. Let's hope it becomes more action and less talk very soon.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Zurich Classic

Winner: Billy Horschel/Scott Piercy

Around the wider world of golf: Lydia Ko broke her two-year winless streak with a victory at the inaugural  LPGA Mediheal Championship; Y.E. Yang won The Crowns on the Japan Golf Tour; Alexander Björk got his first ET win at the Volvo China Open; and Jose de Jesus Rodriguez won the United Leasing & Finance Championship on the Web.com Tour.



Okay, first let's get to the big question you folks have. Here's what Billy Horschel said when asked why his putting improved so much:

“I’ve putted really well the last couple weeks, my putting’s been a little bit inconsistent over the last year, but we found out cutting my PXG putter down to 33.5 inches, what I had at the FedEx Cup when I won, and it’s been really good.”

I don't know how many of you can afford PXG putters, but note that Billy putted noticeably better with a shorter one.

And that putter, combined with Piercy's iron play -- the two men use the same stat guy, and he told Billy to just get Scott within 125 yards and Scott's wedges would do the rest -- gave the team of good friends a decided advantage in the final round.

They needed it too. The second-place team of Jason Dufner and Pat Perez came up just a single shot short of a playoff, the margin between their final round 68 and the winners' score of 67.

It's a good win for both men, who have struggled with their games over the last year -- Billy with technical issues, Scott with injury. But they have strong egos -- they have to, in order to compete on the PGA Tour. -- and while this win won't get them into the 2019 Masters or jack them up in the world rankings, it's hard to put a price on what a win means to them in terms of the FedExCup and their playing privileges.

The paychecks offer no such problems. Each man pocketed $1,036,800.

However, I won't try to guess what this Limerick Summary is worth to them, because my own ego is a bit fragile. I don't even get any walk-up music!

They sent out the pros, two by two;
Scott and Billy said, “One ball? We’re cool!”
And soon Billy’s good putting
Off Scott’s irons was gutting
The field—a magnificent coup!

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

The Limerick Summary: 2018 Valero Texas Open

Winner: Andrew Landry

Around the wider world of golf: Moriya Jutanugarn got her first LPGA win at the inaugural HUGEL-JTBC LA Open; Alexander Levy won the Trophee Hassan II on the ET; Jenny Haglund won the Lalla Meryem Cup for her first title on the LET; the team of Kirk Triplett and Paul Broadhurst won the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge; Eric Axley won the North Mississippi Classic on the Web.com Tour; and Rahil Gangjee won the Panasonic Open on the Japan Golf Tour. The Molino Cañuelas Championship still needs a Monday playoff on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.



Well, it looks like Zach Johnson just didn't have it Sunday. Experience and grit just weren't enough.

Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that experience isn't the exclusive domain of the older players. Andrew Landry, in just his 32nd start on the big stage, proved that a little experience of the correct sort can be just as effective.

He drew on a bad final round at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont. He drew from a playoff loss to Jon Rahm at CareerBuilder just a few weeks back.

As for grit... well, Landry had plenty of that to draw on already. And it was all on display Sunday.

He jumped out to a four-stroke lead after six holes and, if the birdies dried up after that, his steadiness didn't. Nobody seemed to find much out on TPC San Antonio -- at least, not enough to close the gap Landry had opened up. And Landry's seven final birdies sealed the deal.

Landry's first win comes in his home state. That's pretty sweet. And now he can say he got his first Limerick Summary in his home state as well. That's double sweet!

His battle with Rahm came up short,
But it’s there Landry learned to comport
Himself with a peace
Through the valleys and peaks—
And it brought his first Tour win, of course!

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

No, That Ain't DUSTIN Johnson

He just keeps poppin' up on leaderboards, doesn't he? Zach started the year strong, then seemed to fade a bit as the season has worn on, but he keeps making cuts and posting scores.

And now he's back in Texas, playing a stroke play event. You know he's won four of his 12 PGA Tour victories in Texas, don't you? Two have come at this very event -- although it's been quite a while (2008 and 2009). And the two younger players he's paired with, Andrew Landry and Trey Mullinax, are both searching for their first wins.



After a brief hiatus, the 40-somethings are back in force this year, having won three of the last eight Tour events. And Zach's ball flight is well-suited to a tight and windy Texas course...

Assuming the wind comes up, that is. If it doesn't, he's 13-under on the back nine this week -- ironically, that's his overall score. So the question is, does TPC San Antonio favor him today or not?

I'm not sure. Landry, who's tied with Zach, lost in a playoff to Jon Rahm earlier this season, so the pressure shouldn't be too much for him. And while Mullinax is one shot back and has never been in this position, he's got to be feeling good about that course record 62 he shot Saturday.

And we can't forget the other guys close behind. Ryan Moore, Sean O'Hair, Jimmy Walker and Chris Kirk are all experienced winners and certainly close enough to win, especially if the leaders stumble.

But the weather's supposed to be in the 80s today and winds around 14mph. Is that enough to give Zach the edge? Or will the "youngsters" strut their stuff and get their first win?

Personally, the worse the conditions, the better I like Zach's chances.