August arrived with pre-Fall fanfare. The ladies tours merged in Scotland for the Scottish Open, a wonderful prelude to this week’s Open Championship. The PGA Tour concluded its regular season in North Carolina, and one of the game’s big names missed the playoffs by one shot. Korn Ferry headed west to Utah, where a familiar name closed fast for a long-awaited win. North of the border, PGA Tour Canada was welcomed to Windsor, and in West Virginia, a 58 for the win was recorded on the LIV tour. It was an entertaining first weekend for the year’s eighth month, and as such, deserves no additional delay. Let’s run down all the wins and near-misses in this week’s Tour Rundown. Let Maja’s magic be your inspiration for this week.

MAJA STARK!

The Swede drained an ACE on the 6th hole ?? pic.twitter.com/QvSXxQHNCM

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 6, 2023

LPGA/LET @ Scottish Open: Back to back for Boutier

Celine Boutier will look back on 2023 as a year when she figured something out. True, the year’s not over yet, but with wins in consecutive weeks at Evian and Dundonald, the French golfer is playing, no, winning at a level above her competition. I don’t know if that makes her the favorite (if there is such a thing) in this week’s Open Championship, but I certainly expect much from her at Walton Heath.

Boutier was that golfer this week, the one who held the wheel firm through all four rounds. She was patient while others lit fireworks, awaiting her moment. Hinako Shibuno opened with 64-68, and looked to be the week’s champion at the halfway point. The Japanese champion fell away with 77-72 over the weekend, all the way to 16th place. Maja Stark held second at 134 through 36 holes, but had her difficulties over the final two rounds. She managed a tie for fourth position, Charging to the wire were Hyo Joo Kim and Ruoning Yan. Their weekends of 134 and 133, respectively, brought them into 2nd and 3rd places, just shy of the champion’s pace.

Boutier took control on Saturday. Her 66 included eight birdies on the day, against a pair of bogeys. The previous week’s winner gained strokes at 17 and 18 in round three, to add a bit more distance between herself and the field. She would need those two shots to hold off Kim, who made a tournament of things when it looked like Boutier’s week. The French champion stumbled a bit coming home on Sunday, with bogeys at 14 and 16. A birdie at 17 gave her breathing room, and she collected her fifth LPGA and fifth LET titles amid a champagne shower.

No doubt @celineboutier is on a roll ? pic.twitter.com/gTHv3SwKTh

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 6, 2023

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: A win for Glover and a near-miss for JT 

Greensboro’s PGA Tour event has been a mainstay on the circuit for decades. Its position as the final event before FedEx Cup playoffs makes it even more valuable for those golfers hoping to reach the bonus events at Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta. The Sedgefield Country Club course is not everyone’s favorite joint, but if you love Donald Ross and traditional architecture, you’ll get along just fine with the old dame. Eyes this week were on Justin Thomas, mired in the worst patch of golf of his tour career. Thomas was on the outside, looking in, at this week’s Top-70 affair at the St. Jude. He needed a big week and he almost got one. His tie for 12th was one agonizing shot away from overtaking Ben Griffin for the last playoff position.

With that out of the way, we move to the top of the board. Billy Horschel took the 54-hole lead with rounds of 62-63 on Friday-Saturday. The Florida Gator has been adrift in his own sea of uncertainty, and Greensboro looked to be a welcoming port. After lighting the course with rockets for 36 holes, Horschel failed to post birdie until the final hole. His 72 dropped him to t4, a welcome yet bittersweet finish.

It was left to Russell Henley, who always plays well at Sedgefield, and Lucas Glover, who hails from just over the NC/SC border, to settle matters. Henley was charging toward the lead when a mid-afternoon shower delayed the conclusion of the tournament. When the golfers returned to the course, the Georgia Bulldog promptly posted birdie-bogey-bogey-bogey to fall into a 2nd-place tie with Byeong Hun An. It was Glover who rocked steady, closing with pars as Henley faltered, to claim his fifth PGA Tour title, and first since John Deere in 2021.

The winning moment for @Lucas_Glover_ ? pic.twitter.com/v0nVspn01A

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 7, 2023

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Sloan snaps streak of nine years

Roger Sloan is a name that true aficionados of tour golf recognize. He has moved from circuit to circuit during his 15+ years of professional golf. On occasion, Sloan has made his way to the PGA Tour, but it is spaces like Korn Ferry and PGA Tour Canada where he has made his mark. This week, out of literal nowhere, Sloan surged and surged until there was no one left in front of him.

Kevin Dougherty had the lead and the commentator admiration, heading into Sunday. Dougherty’s 67-61-65 start had him one shot ahead of Danny Walker. On Sunday, Neither Dougherty nor Walker had the recipe for birdies, and each signed for 70. Dougherty finished T3 with Roberto Díaz, while Walker claimed solo fifth spot. Making a big move on Sunday was Christopher Petefish. Well outside the magical Top 30 (recipients of PGA tour cards for next season), Petefish seized the lead with an eagle 3 at the 15th hole. He was unable to close with any fervor, however, and a trio of pars brought him to 23-under on the week.

Sloan played Sunday’s outward half in four-under par, but a pair of early, back-nine bogeys slowed his roll for a time. Fortunately for him, the leaders had faltered, and hope still lingered. Sloan stood two back of Petefish when he reached the 17th tee. Two holes later, he had a pair of birdies and no need for a playoff. Roger Sloan had ended a nine-year, one-month winless streak, and vaulted inside the top 30 on the season.

The story behind @RogerSloan87's unique salute to his caddie after each birdie ?

From the @RBCCanadianOpen to the @UTChampionship ? pic.twitter.com/na0DMA9z4b

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 7, 2023

PGA Tour Canada @ Windsor Championship: Choi chases victory down

Both PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Canada award ten Korn Ferry Tour cards at the conclusion of their championships. Their abbreviated seasons lead to a great deal of movement each week. This week’s spotlight shines on Sam Choi. He entered round four within sight of the top spot, co-owned by Jeffrey Kang and Ryan Linton. Both leaders posted 69 on day four, which dropped them precisely one spot, into a six-way tie for second spot. They were joined at 22-under par by Cameron Sisk, Stuart Macdonald, Alex Scott, and Devon Bling.

Surging past the sextet was Choi, who found the golden stroke on Sunday. The Pepperdine alumnus turned in 32, thanks to four birdies. He added two more before a momentary hiccough at 14. A few deep breaths later, Choi added birdies at 15 and 18, to reach 64 on the day. By round’s end, he had reached 25 deep, three clear of his pursuers. The win vaulted Choi to second position in the Fortinet Cup, nearly assuring him of a Korn Ferry tour card for 2024. With his father as caddy, things don’t get much better.

Sam Choi for birdie on 18!! pic.twitter.com/vV3nuIEhKJ

— PGA TOUR Canada – Fortinet Cup (@PGATOURCanada) August 6, 2023