The final week of professional golf in April of 2025 brought out some first-time winners. On the LPGA, a maiden major titleist was welcomed in Houston. Two rookie champions hauled in the two-man Zurich Classic on the PGA Tour, while a bunch of no-names and dreamers made the most of opportunity on the DP World Tour, PGA Tour Americas, and Korn Ferry. Only the PGA Tour Champions victor is a household name but, let’s be honest, but that stage in their lives, we’ve probably heard of them!

It’s time for another Tour Rundown. Pop some corn, pour some soda, and settle into a seat for six different summaries from the week in tournament golf.

LPGA @ Chevron Championship: Saigo grinds out first tour and major win

Mao Saigo is no stranger to the pressures of major championship golf. The Japanese champion had previous, top-ten finishes in the Open, the Women’s PGA, and the Evian. Saigo held the 54-hole lead on Saturday evening, and met the pressure of bringing home a win from the front on Sunday. She held the rudder steady over the front nine, turning in even par and maintaining her lead. The back nine brought choppy seas, to the tune of +3 through eight holes. With her lead gone, Saigo found one last birdie, on the 72nd hole. That number returned her to seven-under par and a five-way tie at the top.

Saigo was off to a playoff with Hyo Joo Kim, Lindy Duncan, Ruoning Yin, and Ariya Jutanugarn. Kim, Yin, and Jutanugarn all have a major championship title on their resumes. Duncan has but a runner-up finish in a 2018 LPGA event to her credit. Duncan and Yin each made birdie on the 72nd hole, to join the quintet for extra time. It was Jutanugarn who suffered the cruelest end in regulation. A bogey at the closing par five was her fate, when par would have won a first tour title in four years.

Duncan posted bogey on the first playoff hole, to end her hopes of an initial tour title. Yin, Kim, and Ariya all made par, but it would not be enough. Gathering herself, Mao Saigo was able to complete the only playoff hole in four shots, securing a playoff victory, initial LPGA title, and major championship in one moment.

PGA Tour @ Zurich Classic: Novak and Griffin match for first wins

Between them, Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin had a Korn Ferry and Tour Canada between them, prior to this weekend. Now, each is a PGA Tour winner, thanks to the other. Novak and Griffin partnered on Sunday for a 71 in foursomes (alternate shot) to reach 28-under par. They were able to hold off the twins team of Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard by one shot, which is as close as any of us wishes to get.

Over the course of the front nine, the winners had three each of pars, birdies, and bogeys. The inward half was boring, and not in so bad a way. The pair posted sevin consecutive pars before finding a birdie at the 17th hole. Novak found the par-three green with his tee ball, and Griffin drained a cross-country putt from 35 feet to retake the lead. Par at the last was enough to hold off the Hojgaards’ closing birdie.

DP World Tour @ Hainan Classic: Marco? Polo! Penge!

It was the best of days, and the worst of day, as Hainan came to resolution. Some of the leaders faltered, and some of the trailers rose up to do battle. In the end, the third-round co-leader proved himself the best of the field, and deserving of a first DP World Tour title.

Bowen Xiao hoped to follow in the footsteps of countryman Ashun Wu, last week’s winner of the China Open. Instead of continuing his 2nd-3rd round form of birdie runs, Xiao regressed to the birdie-bogey march of round one. He closed with 73, dropping from a first-place tie to a sixth-place finish.

Sean Crocker of the USA and Kristoffer Reitan of Norway closed with 66 and 67, respectively, to surge up the board. Both moved from outside the top five through 54 holes, to a second-place tie after 72. The winner, however, was neither. England’s Marco Penge also closed with 67, creating a three-shot margin of victory over the runners-up pair. Penge posted seven birdies against two bogeys. When it looked as if he might stumble, with bogey at the 11th, he triple-bounced back with three consecutive birdies to create the victory margin.

DP WORL TOUR HAINAN CLASSIC pic.twitter.com/x1ciDEYbRw

— LE QUERE Jean-François (@jefflequere) April 25, 2025

Korn Ferry Tour @ Veritex Bank: Here’s Johnny!

There were five scores of 61 this week at the Texas Rangers golf club, and one card with only 60 shots on it. Forget the 62s and 63s; there were too many to count. The field threw darts at the flags over four days, and it took a minus-thirty total to claim the trophy.

Blades Brown, the wunderkind who eschewed college golf for the tour life, had one of those rounds of 61. He also had a 63, but could only reach 27-under par. He tied with four other golfers for second place, his best finish as a professional. Zach James, also at 27-deep, began the week with an twelve-birdie round of 60. If not for a bogey at the short 15th, James might have joined the fabled 59 society. Also among the quintet of runners-up were Julian Surl, Tyson Alexander, and Joshua Creel.

It was Johnny Keefer, former Baylor athlete, who harvested three birdies out of the final four holes, to pull away from the log-jam and claim victory. Keefer opened with 63-61, survived a 66 on Saturday, and closed wih 64.

PGA Tour Americas @ Kia Classic: Third is the word in Ecuador

Inclement weather is always in the picture during spring golf season. This week in Quito, La madre naturaleza brought Thursday and Friday rains to the Quito Club, abbreviating the tournament to 54 holes. On Sunday, a quick glance at the leader’s board saw Jay Card III finish a shot ahead of Ricardo Celia and Jake Staiano. Card nearly derailed his round with a triple bogey at Sunday’s sixth hole. He recovered with three birdies on the inward half, and reached minus-sixteen through 54 holes. Celia struggled to a bogey at the 54th hole, while Staiano had two doubles coming home.

Card III walked on at High Point University, but was never a name player in the amateur golf world. His is a cinderella story, filled with grit and determination. He worked jobs at various clubs after college, to feed his golf dreams. With his victory in Ecuador, Card III is now exempt on the PGA Tour Americas, and has his sight set on the next step up in professional golf.

“When you’re standing there at 180 yards and you’re just like ‘yeah, it’s just a comfortable pitching wedge.” ? pic.twitter.com/mFaO03vr3d

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) April 23, 2025

PGA Tour Champions @ Mitsubishi Electric: Kelly’s corner

Jerry Kelly and Ernie Els went into the final round of this year’s Mitsubishi in a tie at 129 strokes. While Els is a thoroughbred, of the tall, strong, and major title-laden sort, Kelly is a bulldog. Kelly hit his stride on the Tour Champions, after three wins on the PGA Tour. He came into this week with eleven senior titles, and now has an even dozen in his wiki. Kelly made birdies at 15 and 17, to take a two-shot advantage into the last hole.

On the eighteenth, Els struck two brawny shots to reach the par-five green in two. He took two putts for birdie and 19-under par on the week. Kelly played serenely, laying up from trouble, then hitting wedge to the green. His two putts brought a par, and minus-twenty for three days’ work. Also in the mix were Steven Alker in third at -16, Angel Cabrera at -15, and Vijay Singh at -13.