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Weekend in golf – Glover stays hot, Vu’s major accomplishment, Ryder Cup stock watch

The 2023 PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup season is down to 2 occasions and 50 golfers.

After battling the brutal warmth and humidity at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, the surviving gamers will head to the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs this coming week, the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Nation Membership outdoors Chicago.

Lucas Glover will probably be there after profitable for the second straight week. The 43-year-old has climbed to fourth within the FedEx Cup factors standings and put himself into the dialog to make the U.S. group for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

“I believe I’ve by no means made it and I wish to,” Glover mentioned.

In ladies’s golf, American Lilia Vu gained her second main of the season on the AIG Ladies’s Open in England. Australia’s Cameron Smith gained once more within the LIV Golf League.

This is what occurred in skilled golf this weekend:

What occurred on the PGA Tour

FedEx St. Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis
Winner: Lucas Glover

How he gained: Heading into final week’s Wyndham Championship, Glover was 112th in FedEx Cup factors and appeared headed dwelling to attend for the autumn schedule to start. However then he picked up his first victory in additional than two years to climb to forty ninth in factors, one spot contained in the FedEx St. Jude Championship bubble.

On Sunday, Glover held off Patrick Cantlay on the primary gap of a playoff, after Cantlay hit his tee shot into the water, on the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the primary leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. With the victory, Glover collected $3.6 million (he made $4.97 million the previous two weeks) and a couple of,000 FedEx Cup factors. He’s fourth in FedEx Cup factors and is assured of enjoying in subsequent week’s BMW Championship and the season-ending Tour Championship.

“I imply, if you happen to would have advised me this three months in the past, I would let you know you are loopy,” Glover advised reporters in Memphis. “However on the identical time, if you happen to requested me legitimately did I believe I used to be succesful, I would say sure, even then. It is simply a type of unhappy methods athletes are wired. We at all times imagine in ourselves irrespective of how unhealthy it’s.

“I by no means gave that up, however like center of Could, it was laborious to go to the vary some days and laborious to work. However we pushed by way of and did it anyway.”

How unlikely is Glover’s red-hot heater? In accordance with ESPN Stats & Info, Glover, who was ranked No. 117 on this planet heading into final week, is the second-lowest-ranked participant to win in back-to-back begins previously decade. Brendon Todd did it in 2019 when he was ranked 525th.

Glover, 43, can be the fifth participant in FedEx Cup playoff historical past to win a match at 40 or older, becoming a member of Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk. Glover is the second-oldest participant to do it; Singh was 45 when he captured The Barclays and Deutsche Financial institution Championship in 2008.

What occurred on the LPGA Tour

AIG Ladies’s Open
Walton Heath Golf Membership, Surrey, England
Winner: Lilia Vu

How she gained: Vu began the ultimate spherical tied with England’s Charley Hull at 9 beneath, and the previous UCLA star produced a second straight 5-under 67 to win by 6 photographs with a 72-hole complete of 14-under 274. Hull completed second at 8 beneath, adopted by South Koreans Jiyai Shin (7 beneath), Hyo Joo Kim (6 beneath) and Amy Yang (6 beneath). It was the most important margin of victory on the Ladies’s Open since Shin gained by 9 in 2012.

Vu, 25, picked up her third victory this season. She claimed her first LPGA win on the Honda LPGA Thailand after which her first main championship on the Chevron Championship in April. She is the primary lady golfer since Jin Younger Ko in 2019 to win two majors in the identical season, and the primary American to do it since Juli Inkster in 1999. She is simply the third American lady to win The Open previously 20 years, becoming a member of Stacy Lewis in 2013 and Mo Martin in 2014.

Vu missed 4 cuts and hadn’t completed higher than seventeenth after profitable the Chevron Championship. She completed 17 over in 36 holes on the U.S. Ladies’s Open at Pebble Seashore.

“Actually I simply needed to win golf tournaments out right here on the LPGA,” Vu advised reporters in England. “It is simply been a loopy yr for me, simply doing fairly properly at first of the season and simply hit a lull within the center, simply struggling. I assumed on the U.S. Open after I performed so unhealthy, I did not know if I might ever win once more.”

A second main championship victory caps a outstanding comeback by Vu, who made only one reduce in 9 begins as an LPGA rookie in 2019. She spent the subsequent two seasons enjoying on the Symetra Tour earlier than reclaiming her LPGA card in 2022. She admitted she almost walked away from the sport.

Vu will probably be ranked No. 1 within the Rolex Ladies’s World Golf Rating for the primary time Monday, and he or she’ll be on the American group that may battle Europe on the Solheim Cup in Spain in September. She additionally clinched the Rolex Annika Main Award, which matches to the participant who has one of the best file in all 5 main championships through the season.

What occurred within the LIV Golf League

LIV Golf Bedminster
Trump Nationwide Golf Membership, Bedminster, New Jersey
Winner: Cameron Smith

How he gained: Smith, the 2022 Open Championship winner, ran away from the sector at Trump Bedminster to win for the second time in three occasions. The Australian was 12 beneath after 54 holes, 7 photographs higher than India’s Anbirban Lahiri. Abraham Ancer, Patrick Reed and Dean Burmester tied for third at 4 beneath.

Smith picked up his third LIV Golf victory previously two seasons. He additionally gained outdoors Chicago final yr and out of doors London in July. Smith’s Ripper GC squad, which additionally consists of Australians Jed Morgan, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman, gained the group competitors at Bedminster as properly with a complete of 20 beneath. That was 11 strokes higher than Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC and Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger GC.

Smith began the ultimate spherical with a 4-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson. It was decreased to 2 photographs after Smith opened with a bogey, and Mickelson picked up a birdie on the par-3 fourth. However then catastrophe struck for Mickelson on the par-3 seventh when he hit two tee photographs within the water and carded a quintuple-bogey 8. Smith had 5 birdies and no bogeys within the last 13 holes. He wanted solely 76 putts over 54 holes.

Smith overtook Talor Gooch for the season-long factors lead with two regular-season occasions left earlier than the person and group championship in Miami. The following LIV Golf League occasion is not for 5 weeks, Sept. 22-24 at Wealthy Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Smith is the defending champion.

“I do not suppose I’ve performed this constant,” Smith mentioned. “I’ve had a few unhealthy weeks that I want to take again, however apart from that, I really feel like I am enjoying essentially the most constant golf and one of the best golf that I’ve performed. It is good to have the ability to do this week in and week out. It is one thing that I’ve labored for, one thing that was a aim of mine firstly of the yr was to be up there with at the very least an opportunity for the final occasion.

“Yeah, so it is good to do it, and I believe it’s going to maintain me working towards the subsequent 5 weeks. 5 weeks is a very long time off. I am going to in all probability put the golf equipment down for a few weeks after which get proper again into it, after which going again to Chicago the place I gained final yr is a pleasant feeling, as properly.”

Who’s out and in of the FedEx Cup Playoffs

Who’s in:

Cam Davis: The Australian golfer entered the week at No. 62 within the factors standings, however tied for sixth at 11 beneath in Memphis and climbed to No. 45 in factors. He carded a 3-under 67 on Sunday to get the job executed.

Hideki Matsuyama: The 2021 Masters champion battled neck and again accidents all season, however he jumped 10 spots in factors to forty seventh with a tie for sixteenth at 9 beneath at TPC Southwind. He posted a 5-under 65 on Sunday by closing with a birdie, eagle, birdie and par in his last 4 holes. He certified for the Tour Championship in every of his first 9 years on the PGA Tour.

Tom Hoge: Discuss taking it all the way down to the wire. Hoge appeared to be in jeopardy when he took a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 14th gap. However then he carded three straight birdies on the final three holes to complete 3-under 67. He tied for forty third at 4 beneath and is forty eighth in factors.

Harris English: The previous Georgia star seemed to be in bother heading into Sunday, however he grinded out a 3-under 67 to tie for 52nd with a 72-hole complete of two beneath. That was ok to complete forty ninth in factors.

Patrick Rodgers: Rodgers, a former Stanford star, was the final man standing at fiftieth in factors. He tied for 52nd at 2 beneath after carding an even-par 70 on Sunday.

Who’s out

Mackenzie Hughes: The Canadian began the week forty seventh in factors and was inside the highest 50 when he accomplished his spherical Sunday. However after tying for 58th at 1 beneath, he fell to 51st in factors after the remainder of the sector completed. He chipped in from off the inexperienced twice Sunday to offer himself an opportunity.

Nick Hardy: Hardy, who grew up north of Chicago in Northbrook, Illinois, got here inside two spots of heading dwelling to compete within the BMW Championship. He began the week at fiftieth in factors and fell two spots after tying for forty ninth at 3 beneath.

Taylor Montgomery: The PGA Tour rookie went down combating with a 3-under 67 on Sunday. Alas, it was ok for under 53rd in factors.

Ryder Cup Inventory Report

Taking inventory of gamers who helped themselves — and those that did not — in making an attempt to make the U.S. and European squads for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

Lucas Glover: Fill up
Within the span of two weeks, Glover has climbed from sixty fourth to sixteenth within the U.S. Ryder Cup group factors standings. One other win on the BMW Championship would earn him an computerized spot. One other good displaying in Chicago ought to make U.S. group captain Zach Johnson suppose lengthy and laborious about together with him.

Patrick Cantlay: Fill up
There wasn’t a lot doubt about Cantlay making the group, however a playoff loss within the FedEx Cup playoffs reveals his recreation is trending in the fitting path.

Jordan Spieth: Fill up
Like Cantlay, it could have been an enormous shock if Spieth wasn’t competing for the Individuals outdoors Rome in late September. He tied for sixth at 11 beneath at TPC Southwind, his seventh top-10 end this season.

Max Homa: Fill up
Homa’s spot appeared a bit unsure after not-so-great finishes within the first three majors. However then he tied for twelfth on the Scottish Open, tenth at The Open and sixth on the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Sam Burns: Inventory down
It has been a so-so season for Burns with solely 5 top-10s in 23 PGA Tour begins. A tie for 52nd at TPC Southwind will not assist his possibilities.

Tommy Fleetwood: Fill up
The Englishman remains to be trying to find his first PGA Tour victory after one other shut name. He tied for third at 14 beneath in Memphis, his twenty second top-five end on tour. He’s the primary participant in PGA Tour historical past to earn greater than $20 million in official profession earnings with no victory.

Séamus Energy: Inventory down
The Irishman in all probability wanted a robust playoff efficiency to push his manner into the European group dialog. He tied for 66th, final within the subject, at 4 over. He is within the BMW Championship subject.

Better of the weekend

Finest spherical
Justin Rose’s 9-under 61 on Saturday tied the course file at TPC Southwind. He had 9 birdies and no bogeys.

Finest bunker shot
Hull’s eagle on the eleventh gap bought her inside 3 photographs of Vu on Sunday. She did not get any nearer.

Finest strategy shot
Vu’s iron shot on the twelfth was fairly a solution to Hull’s eagle.

Finest putt
That is good group golf.

Finest shot off a cart path
Cameron Smith pulled off this shot en path to a victory.



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