PETER FOWLER came within a whisker of another European Senior Tour win, Rhein Gibson lost in a playoff on the Web.com Tour, Andrew Dodt was our best in Scotland, whilst the USGA had another rules controversy at the US 2016 Women’s Open.
Fowler had a spectacular birdie-eagle finish at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany but came up just one stroke short of the winning score.
The 57 year old Aussie entered the final round with a share of the lead but after birdieing the first dropped back after a double on the par three 7th.
He dropped another shot on 15 before his late run saw a 1-under 71 finish to close on 7-under for the tournament , just one behind winner Andrew Oldcorn (69), who beat Paul Broadhurst (67) when they went two extra holes.
Fowler finished tied third along with local favourite Bernhard Langer (69).
Mike Harwood (68) was tied 10th with Peter O’Malley (72) T21.
Gibson Web.com playoff loss
Rhein Gibson has been struggling in his first season on the US PGA TOUR but surged back into form at the Lecom Health Challenge in New York.
Gibson held the lead after his sizzling 8-under 64 in the first round and was in it all the way until a par on the second extra hole on the final day handed victory to America’s Rick Lamb in a four man playoff.
US Champions Tour
America’s Paul Goydos shot a bogey-free 69 on Sunday to beat Wes Short Jr. (69) by two shots at an En-Joie Golf Club in New York buffeted by gusting winds.
“My game is like a jack-in-the box, kind of keep spinning it and it pops up every once in a while,” said Goydos after what was his third Champions Tour victory.
“There was no inkling that I was going to play well, other than the mythical law of averages. Things hadn’t gone well, hadn’t played well, my attitude was bad, so naturally I won.”
Australia’s only representative Craig Parry opened with an encouraging 4-under 68 but his 74-72 weekend saw him finish on 2-under at T33.
Scottish Open
Andrew Dodt was Australia’s best at a Scottish Open won by Sweden’s
Alex Noren at the Castle Stuart Golf Links. It was the Noren’s fifth European Tour win.
A closing two under par 70 got the Swede to 14 under and handed him a one-shot victory over Tyrrell Hatton, with Nicolas Colsaerts, Danny Lee and Matteo Manassero a shot further back.
Colsaerts, Hatton, Manassero and local favourite Richie Ramsay all earned themselves a place in the Open Championship this week at Royal Troon by virtue of their top 12 finishes.
Dodt shot a final round 5-under 67 to jump more than 30 places on the leaderboard and claim top Australian honours.
The two time European Tour winner posted a score bettered by only three players on the day.
First round leader Scott Hend stumbled to T45 with a closing round of 2-over 74.
Another video decision at a US Open
Golf rules and on course video again played a big part in the final holes of a US Open with Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist penalised two strokes after she was deemed to have touched the sand in a fairway bunker during her playoff with eventual winner Brittany Lang.
The 30 year old Lang was awarded her first major championship at the US Women’s Open in a three-hole aggregate playoff.
Nordqvist’s tee shot at the second playoff hole, the par four 17th, landed in a fairway bunker where she was subsequently deemed by the USGA to have grounded her club.
The players were told of the video review and decision after they had completed the hole and were approaching the 18th green.
“Well, I was in the fairway bunker there on 17. It was blowing 35, 40, and I had a 5-iron, downhill lie. Just focusing on hitting my shots, and apparently I touched the sand. It wasn’t on purpose. And just one of those things. I have to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately it happened, but it’s not the end of the world,” Nordqvist said afterwards.
“I wish USGA would have told me a little bit earlier than — they approached me after I already hit my third shot into 18, then kind of ran up to Brittany to tell her that I got penalized. I don’t know if it would have changed the outcome, but it certainly would have changed my aggressiveness into the 18th pin.”
The pair was notified of the ruling in the fairway at the third playoff hole, the par 5, 18th hole where Lang went on to make par and Nordqvist a bogey.
Lang was delighted with the victor, particularly after trailing by seven strokes midway through the championship.
“Yeah, it’s pretty special. I’ve always dreamed of winning the U.S. Open. I have so much respect for the USGA and for this tournament. And to see these players — I actually said something to somebody in Arkansas, and I just feel like I have extremely underachieved as a golfer,” Lang told the media. “I feel like I’m so capable of doing so much more than I’ve done. And this is just a little start to boost me.”
Webb misses out on Olympic spot
Karrie Webb fell short in her bid to make the Australian Olympic team after Victoria’s Su Oh missed the US Women’s Open cut.
Webb needed to finish in the top five on Sunday but a 74 saw her finish at T46 finish at five over, 11 strokes behind Lang.
Minjee Lee opened with a promising 4-under 67 but failed to capitalise and finished tied alongside Webb.