Lydia Ko received at St. Andrews.
Getty Pictures
Welcome again to the Monday End, the place this column must be a couple of 10-minute learn — or 9 in the event you’re at altitude. Of us, let’s get to the golf information!
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Lydia Ko and a summer season too good to be true.
Earlier than we transfer on to the subsequent match and the subsequent information cycle and the subsequent factor and earlier than we — and she or he — modify to her new {golfing} actuality, let’s zip again in time a couple of weeks to Lydia Ko, who was staring down the Olympics and dreaming of what might be.
“If I win gold, I do know I can get within the Corridor of Fame that approach,” Ko mentioned forward of her tilt at Le Golf Nationwide. “So that may be a hell of a technique to do it.”
Ko was already golf’s solely two-time particular person medalist in Olympic historical past, having claimed silver in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo. She appeared snug kicking across the concept of successful gold and finishing the trifecta as a result of, as she mentioned, it was too good to be true.
However then it occurred. Ko outmaneuvered the sphere. She putted the lights out. She received her third medal — the gold — in a sport the place no different people have two. The truth matched the expectation: It felt too good to be true.
Simply over per week after that triumph, Ko arrived at St. Andrews for the AIG Ladies’s Open with the strain off. What impact that had it’s unimaginable to say, however she admitted freely simply how good it was to not should reply questions concerning the Corridor of Fame. She swung freely and scored freely and labored her approach into competition by way of three rounds. And on the again 9 on Sunday the 27-year-old Kiwi performed like somebody with nothing to lose; her splendid chip from the tough lengthy of 16 and her 3-wood within the worst climate of the week at 17 and her gutsy putt for birdie at 18 had been overwhelming proof that she was up for the problem. She didn’t look afraid of dropping however as an alternative like a golfer desperate to seize a match with that means at a course with that means.
And after Ko posted the clubhouse lead at seven below, I appreciated the way in which she stood on the observe inexperienced adjoining No. 18, hitting some putts and glancing over on the ending gap, the place her competitors tried in useless to catch her. She appeared snug with the outcome both approach. However by way of the lens of historical past, by way of the lens of her profession, there was nonetheless so a lot at stake.
In sports activities it’s straightforward to maintain observe of accomplishments. It’s straightforward to search for the truth that Ko received the Evian Championship in 2015 and the (renamed) Chevron Championship in 2016. It’s solely whenever you hear Ko requested about it that you just bear in mind she was a youngster then. That she’s lived lives since then.
“Actually, like the one bit I bear in mind of successful the Chevron Championship, the ANA on the time, was leaping into Poppy’s Pond and holding my nostril taking place as a result of I didn’t wish to get water up my nostril,” Ko admitted on the Outdated Course. “That’s about it. It feels prefer it was such a very long time in the past.”
When Lilia Vu‘s last birdie strive got here up quick, the surreal streak continued. If that final win had been too good to be true, what was this? “I really feel like a personality in a fairy story,” she mentioned post-round.
Earlier than Olympic gold, earlier than this newest main, earlier than she’d been assured entry into the Corridor of Fame and was nonetheless left to surprise if it could ever occur, Ko mentioned she was stricken by the mindset that it loomed as an finish vacation spot, one thing to achieve or not. However that was the incorrect technique to chase it; the final mile of any journey can usually be the longest. It was useful, Ko mentioned, when a pal gave her a unique visible.
“They mentioned, strive to consider like stepping into the Corridor of Fame as like a fuel station on the way in which to my last vacation spot and never like my last vacation spot,” Ko mentioned.
She tackled the ultimate day at St. Andrews like a golfer with a full tank. And she or he leaves with an open street forward — and many to be happy with within the rearview.
WINNERS
Who received the week?
Lydia Ko received her third main championship and her first in eight years, edging out a high-powered group of contenders: Extremely, every of the highest six gamers on the ultimate leaderboard has visited World No. 1 in her profession.
Keegan Bradley received the BMW Championship, finishing a surreal seven days by which he went from final man in (Tom Kim’s 6-6-6 end obtained Bradley to No. 50) to big-time winner. Bradley is now as much as No. 4 within the FedEx Cup getting into East Lake. He’s more likely to be picked for the Presidents Cup crew he was supposed to assist captain. Every part has modified.
Frederic LaCroix received the Danish Golf Championship, claiming the primary DP World Tour title of his profession due to a final-round bogey-free 65.
Matt McCarty received the Albertsons Boise Open, his third victory of the Korn Ferry Tour season, incomes him a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour for the autumn season.
And Stewart Cink received his first PGA Tour Champions occasion by 4 photographs after closing with a 6-under 66 on the Ally Problem in Grand Blanc, Mich.
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NOT-WINNERS
So shut, and but…
Nelly Korda headlined a three-way tie for second alongside Lilia Vu and Jiyai Shin. Whereas Vu was closest on the finish — she was the one one with a putt to tie the lead at No. 18 — it was Korda who held the outright lead on the again 9 earlier than a devastating third shot on the par-4 14th. As a substitute of establishing a birdie look she was left with a difficult chip from a foul lie; that led to a different chip which was adopted by a missed quick putt. Double bogey. Korda didn’t draw back from that failure. However she additionally acknowledged that this was by far her greatest profession displaying on the Open Championship in addition to her greatest displaying since her epic win streak got here to an in depth this spring.
“Hear, it’s golf,” mentioned the World No. 1. “I’m going to mess up and sadly I tousled over the weekend twice in two penalizing methods coming down the stretch. Theoretically that’s what sort of value me the match — however I performed properly. I performed strong. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the subsequent coming occasions.”
Adam Scott earned his second runner-up end of the summer season, and whereas he, too, acknowledged the agony of second place — “10, 11, 12 type of blew it for me there. I used to be in place with wedges on each gap and made three bogeys. That’s virtually unthinkable, actually,” he mentioned — he additionally took solace within the week’s positives.
“You recognize, you type of grind all yr after which lastly the final 4 occasions my sport has actually circled and appeared strong,” he mentioned. “Rather a lot can occur in a couple of weeks out right here, and abruptly I’ve gone from a really irritating yr had I not completed properly to now feeling fairly happy with myself.”
As he ought to. Scott jumped from No. 41 to No. 14 and can tee it up at East Lake only a handful off the lead.
SHORT HITTERS
Who’s in (and out) of the Tour Championship, briefly.
Together with his win, Keegan Bradley jumped from No. 50 to No. 4 within the FedEx Cup. However there have been others with dramatic strikes, too:
Brian Harman is OUT. He’s the primary man out at No. 31. And whereas I lack the technical expertise to bore you with specifics, he was projected at No. 26 earlier than he performed the 18th gap on Sunday. After making double bogey, he’s headed dwelling.
Justin Thomas is IN. He’s the final man in at No. 30. When Thomas started the week at No. 22 it appeared extraordinarily unlikely he’d slip outdoors the East Lake quantity; because it seems he wanted a Sunday 68 — the day’s solely bogey-free spherical — to climb to T39 for the occasion and thirtieth for the playoffs.
Alex Noren is OUT. With three holes to play he had designs on successful the match. As a substitute he made three consecutive bogeys, the worst of them on the par-5 seventeenth, by far the best gap on the course. In consequence he slipped to T9 and properly outdoors the playoff bubble.
Tommy Fleetwood is IN. As he must be. The Olympic silver medalist is No. 12 on this planet rating and No. 9, in accordance with DataGolf; he would have been one of the best Tour member to not make it to East Lake. After a T5 end that received’t be a problem.
ONE DUMB GRAPHIC
The Ballfrogs are on a roll.
ONE SWING THOUGHT
Golf within the mountains.
Colorado native Wyndham Clark cherished being dwelling for the week — however even he acknowledged the strangeness of competing at 7,000 toes.
“I imply, it’s laborious to play at altitude,” he mentioned. “That’s going to be the frequent theme that everybody says, outdoors of whoever wins this match. However even then, they’ll most likely say the identical factor. We management our ball to the yard 90 p.c of the time, and you then come right here and it’s like 40 p.c of the time. It’s only a guessing sport. There’s a number of luck concerned at altitude golf.”
ONE BIG QUESTION
Are the fellas reaching the ends of their rope?
I’m not right here to throw a pity occasion for one of the best golfers on this planet enjoying a bit of extra golf for lots extra tens of millions. However there was one thing unusual occurring within the mountain air at Fort Pines — one thing that had Scottie Scheffler dropping his thoughts, Rory McIlroy snapping his driver, Matt Fitzpatrick getting snippy with an official and Hideki Matsuyama WDing whereas in solo second place.
I preferred the phrasing of Xander Schauffele, who mentioned he was having to “dig deep in my little endurance bucket.” And maybe one of the best rationalization got here from Tommy Fleetwood, who mentioned he was happy with how he’d battled the canine days of August.
“At this level within the yr, I believe you begin to see so many guys beginning to get annoyed, which is very easy to do,” he mentioned. “I believe, once more, it’s vital to kind of have a great sense of the place you might be and the way you are feeling. Coming in direction of the tip of something, you’re clearly making an attempt to push that bit extra. It’s at all times fairly an extended season bunched up, however once more, you wish to be there till the tip, and I believe enjoying in these occasions is at all times a great factor.
“There’s undoubtedly instances whenever you get annoyed and that’s displaying a little bit of psychological tiredness, in the event you like, however I felt fairly good, and I felt like particularly this weekend, I had a great deal with on issues as a result of final week in Memphis [where Fleetwood hit it well but was last in the field in putting] was so irritating.
ONE THING TO WATCH
Lydia Ko’s end.
Take a look at Lydia Ko‘s spherical in 60 seconds — however pay specific consideration to that closing stretch. And the subsequent time you’re standing over a putt, attempt to channel the boldness she exuded on No. 18. No assure you’ll get the identical outcome…
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday End HQ.
I’m en path to East Lake for a couple of days of Tour Championship protection and to recollect what 94 levels and humid appears like. I’ll test in from there. Within the meantime, thanks for studying! We’ll see you subsequent week.
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Dylan Dethier welcomes your feedback at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
