Leaves turned orange and yellow across my American northeast, and golf marched on in Shanghai, Las Vegas, Madrid, and North Carolina. The LPGA is immersed in its swing across Asia, while the PGA Tour has turned the page to the 2023-2024 season. The DP World Tour edges closer to its tour championship, while the PGA Tour Champions winds down its events, in anticipation of the Schwab Cup. International team play is behind us for 2023, and the focus lays on individual exploits. Four events give us plenty to corral in this week’s Tour Rundown. Saddle up, friends.

Lexi Thompson drives the 296-yard, par-4 15th (her sixth hole) and makes her third birdie of Round 2. She's at even par and one off the cut line at the Shriners Children's Open.pic.twitter.com/RjTsDDdYea

— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) October 13, 2023

Oh, did we forget to mention that Lexi Thompson came so-darned-close to making the cut at Summerlin? You just saw one of her best swings. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities for Lexi to tee it up with the lads.

PGA Tour @ Shriners Classic: Tom Kim defends in Sin City

They go low in Vegas, and low wins at every table at TPC Summerlin. Adam Hadwin knew that there would be chasers after him and Kim. Hadwin got off to a slow start (-1 through nine) but had it motoring, until a crushing bogey at the par-five 16th. He managed birdie at the last to ease past a quartet at -18, to finish solo 2nd.

Erik Cole, who seems to be in the mix every week, lit the course on fire with a 62. Cole posted nine birdies, but also walked away from 16 feeling let down by a par. He matched with Alex Noren, J.T. Poston, and Taylor Pendrith for third.

It was Tom Kim, the 2022 media darling and defending champion, who found the victory elixir. After a bumpy front nine of four birdies and two bogies, Kim kruised home in three-under 33, to escape Hadwin’s comeback. After a celebratory piece of chocolate, Kim hopped a 6:30 am flight this morning to Japan for the Zozo Championship.

3 birdies in his last 4 holes ?@JoohyungKim0621 has found his stride. pic.twitter.com/wnnr3R92Kw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 15, 2023

LPGA @ LPGA Shanghai: Angel collects first tour win

Angel Yin came oh-so-close to her first tour victory last spring, at the Chevron Championship. She matched Lilia Vu through 72 holes, but lost out to Vu’s birdie on the first extra hole. It must have felt like Groundhog’s Day for Yin, when she finished up at 274 in Shanghai, to find that Vu had also reached that number, and that the pair would once again do battle in overtime.

This time, it was Yin who struck first. The L.A. native and best Twitter handle (@angelyinlol) coaxed in a ten-feet putt for birdie and claimed her inaugural tour title.  Five golfers tied for third place, one shot out of the playoff. The tour moves on to the BMW Ladies Championship this week in Korea.

The winning putt by @angelyinlol ? pic.twitter.com/HbHLGoBW19

— LPGA (@LPGA) October 15, 2023

DP World Tour @ Spanish Open: Pavon wins a national open

Unlike previous years in Madrid, there was no Spanish presence near the top of the board, which meant that there was no Jon Rahm to fear. Golfers from England, France, South Africa, Germany, and Paraguay were poised to claim victory. In the end, it was first-time winner Matthieu Pavon who ran the table with 64, for a four-shot win over Zander Lombard.

In truth, it was always Pavon. He opened with 63, then stumbled to 68 on day two. Clearly irked, the Frenchman buckled down with 66-64 on the weekend. On Saturday, Pavon made one bogey, to go with his five birdies. On Sunday, he was even better. Seven birdies and nary a bogey separated him comfortably from his chasers.

The professionals will all take the rapid Ave south to Andalusia, where they will reunite at Sotogrande for the Andalucía Masters. Unfortunately for Pavon, we have no good footage from his win, so a man-bun hole-out for eagle will have to suffice as a highlight.

THAT @SiemMarcel hole-out and celebration ? #EmiratesFlyBetterMoments | @emirates pic.twitter.com/0MKyi3OLG7

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 16, 2023

PGA Tour Champions @ SAS: Pampling holds off Alker for #2

In 2022, any appearance by Steven Alker was cause for concern and a dose of stomach-calming medicine. This year, the New Zealand ace has been there, just not there. Alker has missed out on a number of victory opportunities, and the beneficiary of the latest was Australian acrobat Rodney Pampling. Pampling first won on the Tour Champions in Seattle, in 2021. This week, Pampling was the class of the ball with 15-under 201 as his total. Alker was a pair of strokes back, at 203.

Over the course of the week, the champion amassed 19 birdies, and kept his bogey level to a manageable number. His Sunday card was clean through 17 holes, at which point he had a three-shot advantage. Pampling played the final hole safely, in bogey figures, to claim his second tour title. As for Alker, he needed to be perfect on Sunday, and a bogey at the 14th hole, paired with a Pampling birdie, derailed his effort.

Slamming the door ?@RodPampling has a three shot lead with one hole to go @SASChampionship. pic.twitter.com/Qk0XsBoEW9

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 15, 2023