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Chez Reavie Wins Canadian Open

Chez Reavie, a 26 year old Tour rookie, won the Canadian Open with a final round 70 to finish at 17 under par 270. Owning a name sounding more like a French restaurant than a talented golf professional, Mr. Reavie put together a remarkable performance on a course softened considerable by rain. After opening rounds of 65 and 64, the latter concluded after a significant delay for weather, he concluded his third round 68 Sunday morning. Thus he started his final round with a one shot lead. Despite bogies on two of his first three holes, no one really threatened the leader until Billy Mayfair moved to fourteen under par after becoming only the second player all day to birdie the 17th hole.

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Chez Reavie, a 26 year old Tour rookie, won the Canadian Open with a final round 70 to finish at 17 under par 270.  Owning a name sounding more like a French restaurant than a talented golf professional, Mr. Reavie put together a remarkable performance on a course softened considerable by rain.  After opening rounds of 65 and 64, the latter concluded after a significant delay for weather, he concluded his third round 68 Sunday morning.  Thus he started his final round with a one shot lead.  Despite bogies on two of his first three holes, no one really threatened the leader until Billy Mayfair moved to fourteen under par after becoming only the second player all day to birdie the 17th hole.

On a course where the rough appeared to approach knee high in places, thus capable of not only hiding a variety of really nasty creatures but also causing some really nasty injuries, Mr Reavie found a regimen of fairways and greens quite to his liking.  He even managed to tickle the back of David Faherty’s leg at one point during the afternoon. 

 

Billy Mayfair finished alone in second at 14 under par, three shots behind the victor.  Not bad for a guy who hasn’t won in 10 years, yes he did tie for 1st in 2001 but lost a playoff to Jose Coceres at the WorldCom Classic.  Anybody remember WorldCom.  Does the name Bernie Ebbers ring a bell?  Mr. Mayfair shot a final round 68, which was matched by Sean O’Hair who tied for third with Steve Marino (70).  Mike Weir, carrying the hopes of a very large country atop his short statured frame was another shot behind in a tie with Nicholas Thompson (who has played remarkably consistant quality golf of late) and another name from the past, Scott McCarron.  Mr McCarron is recovering from elbow surgery, which hurts just to think about much less be an active participant in the procedure.  He seemed to be suffering from neck and shoulder problems throughout the day but managed to play quite well for the week. 

Mr Reavie now looks forward to remaining on tour for the next two years, playing in the World Championship event at Firestone CC, and the PGA Championship in two weeks.  Plus he’s earned an invitation to the Masters for next spring. AFTERTHOUGHT: he also moved into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points race, should anybody be keeping track.  Oh yes, and he earned $900,000 too.  Not a bad cluster of rewards for a 26 year old rookie, eh.  In case you didn’t watch the proceedings, or if you watched you weren’t really paying attention to the announcers, Mr. Reavie is a student of CBS analyst Peter Kostis, who was the recipient of shameless promoting by his fellow analysts.  it was almost enough to make one believe that without the troll sized Mr Kostis there would have been no victory in Mr. Reavie’s future.  Bleeh, blach, achhhack.  Piffle and folderol! Talent is not something that can be taught, bought, stolen, traded for nor conjured from a concoction containing eye of newt, wing of bat, and lip of chicken.  Not happening.  Never.  So keep the conversation about the golfer not the teacher, eh.

Anthony Kim was in the final group Sunday, but could not find the magic used in winning twice this year.  His final round 75 left him tied for eighth.  It appeared that Mr. Kim tried to force the issue, which as any golfer knows usually ends badly in the game of golf.  Still it’s a top ten finish, which would have been considered by many a victory for young Mr. Kim at the start of the season.  Watching him play the last couple of months has been quite entertaining, as Mr. Kim not only posesses a wonderful golf game, but appears to actually have a real honest to goodness personality, and be much more intellegent than some of the rockheads playing on the PGA Tour.  I may be becoming a fan, even of the outlandish belt buckle.  Especially since he seems far far removed from that other large belt buckle toting character.  We’ll see.

For now, my congratulations go out to Chez Reavie the Canadian Open winner.  I wonder if he’d be interested in investing in a restaurant.

 

 

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Photos from the 2024 John Deere Classic

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the 2024 John Deere Classic. With the Scottish Open next week and The Open Championship two weeks away, those who have qualified will be looking to shore up their games in Silvis, Illinois, before heading to European shores.

On the equipment front, we spotted some new SuperStroke x Marvel grips and got an in-hand look at impressive custom Scotty Cameron putters. Our WITB galleries already feature a look at Jason Day’s wares, and general complement the spread.

Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more photos from TPC Deere Run!

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See what GolfWRXers are saying about the photos and join the discussion in the forums.

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Protected: Highlights from the Wilson Golf Product Testing and Fitting Experience at Pinehurst

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Tour Rundown: #QueenMel and a “Bland” U.S. Senior Open

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A wee bit to the north and east of my hometown is a jaunty little ‘burg called Medina, NY. No one would ever consider it to be a golf mecca, but for this week at least, it is. Why? The 2024 Amateur Champion of the world, Melanie Green, hails from Medina. With a sense of regional pride, I salute #QueenMel, who emerged from 36-hole, medal qualifying and six head-to-head matches, to win 2-up in the 36-hole final at Portmarnock. Miss Mel won the last three holes, two with birdies, to join great USA winners like Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, and Kelli Kuehne.

Now, let’s run down all the world’s tours this week. We followed a national championship (Men’s US Senior Open) from storied Newport Country Club, the PGA Tour at Detroit, the DP World in Italy, the LPGA doing the tandem thing around Michigan, and the Korn Ferry down Illinois way. We’re spoiled during these summer months, full stop. Might as well enjoy these riches.

PGA Tour @ Rocket Mortgage

The results that came out of Detroit Golf Club on Sunday caused a few heads to be scratched. Nowhere to be found were the mid-60s numbers that traced across the leaderboards like sunflowers in Carmona. Missing, too, as the sun waned in the sky, were the expected, clutch performances of golfers chasing victory.

We’ve grown accustomed to birdies down the stretch, and numbers like Bhatia’s 72nd-hole bogey, and Young’s closing five-five-five, seemed strange and unfamiliar. Bhatia’s take that he knows how to close tournaments, and that it simply didn’t happen on this day, was equal parts explanation and compensation. Teachers teach well, writers write well, and golfers put the ball in the hole. That’s the measure of victory.

The lifting of the tournament trophy was left to Cam Davis, who did what the others could not. He concluded play with 70 for -18 on the week, hoping for a second RMC in four years. On his heels, all tied for second at -17, were Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee, Aaron Rai, and Bhatia. Beyond Akshay, none has tasted tournament success on the US PGA Tour. Davis posted birdie at 17, then waited. Thompson made a late rush, with birdies at three of his final five holes. He needed one more. Lee took five shots at the final hole; he needed one fewer. As for the two-gloved Rai, his even-par 72 on the day left him a shot away from playoff.

USGA @ Senior Men’s Open

Any hope that Hiroyuki Fujita held for finishing off the US Senior Open at Newport, went distantly away, courtesy of two unregistered opponents: fog and rain. The golfer that had played so brilliantly over 3.5 days (16-under through 63 holes) was forced to consider the ramifications of his situation. The golfer whose five cuts made in regular-tour majors included zero, top-forty finishes, stood three shots clear of the field, with no tourist guide to bring him home. Sunday’s dawn proved that he was mortal, and the game was afoot.

No worse pursuer than Richard Bland might have appeared. The Englishman had won his last USA start, and it was also a senior major championship. Bland captured the Senior PGA Championship in late May, winning by three shots over Australia’s Richard Green. The SPGA runner-up was also among the chasers at Newport, but a top-five finish would once again be his destiny. As for Bland, he did what experienced winners do. Consecutive birdies at 14 and 15 on Monday served notice that there would be no easy stroll home for Fujita. The Japan Tour stalwart stumbled over the same stretch of holes, posting bogey on three of his first four holes on day five.

Precisely when it appeared that Bland would conclude matters in regulation, he posted bogey at the 18th and dropped back to 13-under par. Fujita found the same number, and the duo went off to the first, two-hole playoff in US Senior Open history, and the first overtime session since 2014 in Oklahoma. After two pars each in the regulation session, they went to single-hole elimination. Each made bogey at the 18th, but the fourth hole gave resolution. Bland was able to earn a sandy from the greenside bunker, while Fujita was unable to secure par. Congratulations to Richard Bland on a second senior major in 2024.

LPGA @ Dow Championship

Both Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) and Yin Ruoning (China) will represent their nations in the 2024 Paris Olympic games. Olympic competition is individual-only for golf, which is a missed opportunity. Teaming to win medals for your country is the epitome of Olympic success. It’s a bit odd, then that the two would find success in a team-style, warm-up event on the LPGA circuit.

For most of the week, two golfers from the USA appeared destined for victory at Midland Country Club. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho finished 36 holes in 128 strokes. They gave one back on Saturday, with 67, but came home on Sunday with a third 64 for the week. Despite an early passel of birdies, they were unable to save a single shot over the closing stretch. They finished at 21-deep for the week.

Paired with them, Thitikul and Ruoning were also finding par after par as they headed for home. At the watery 18th, Thitikul stuffed her tee ball inside fifteen feet, then read the surface flawlessly, and hit her mark. The putt broke slightly right, into the center of the cup. With that closing birdie, a playoff was avoided and a send-off celebration of Olympic calibre was in the works.

DP World Tour @ Italian Open

16 months had passed since Marcel Siem last savored a DP World Tour win. His triumph at the Indian Open, in February of 2023, might have been a bit distant to leave residue of confidence. As he traversed the final arc of the Cervia golf course, his gaskets had unsealed and oil leaked everywhere. An outward 32 was undone by four bogeys from holes 11 to 17. The last one had dropped him from the lead, and only a majestic finish could return a chance at salvation. After he drove the fairway and reached the green at the closing trace, Siem assessed a 22-feet putt for birdie and found cup bottom.

In that moment, the round of 65 that England’s Tom McKibbin had fashioned, was no longer enough. He would need to do a bit more work, to secure a second Tour title. The duo returned to the final tee deck, and Siem once again faced a birdie putt. His approach was played brilliantly to about ten feet, but the putt drifted right. By the grace of gravity, it caught enough of the circle to fall downward, and a sixth career title belonged to the German champion.

Korn Ferry Tour @ MHC by LRS

Max McGreevy has tasted the bitterness of defeat and savored delicious victory on the professional golf tours. He has lost a playoff on the PGA Tour, and now won twice on the Korn Ferry orbit. This week, McGreevey overcame a wee miss on the penultimate hole, to secure victory at green 72, with a xxx birdie putt. He and runner-up Steven Fisk each clinched a PGA Tour card for the 2025 season, based on 2024 peformance.

McGreevy eased a 36-yard pitch within two feet of the hole, at the par-five 16th, on Sunday. He converted the birdie putt and moved a shot lower than Fisk, with two holes to face. At 17, he played safely away from the tucked flag at the watery par three, and eased his 55-feet putt to precisely the same distance (26 inches.) And then, he missed. Gone was the lead, and present were the doubts.

As champions do, McGreevy refocussed and found his spot on the 18th fairway. His approach from 186 yards settled a dozen feet from the flagstick, and his read on the downhill slider was accurate. The putt dropped, and McGreevy avoided overtime.

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