Rory’s near misses continue while Lydia’s big wins mount.
Yes, it’s been a truly fascinating week of golf, headlined by another outstanding showing from Lydia
Ko.
Two months ago, Lydia Ko’s golf game was once again all at sea, missing fairways, unable to get up and down from around the green with the consistency which has always marked her game, and even her legendary putting skills seemed to have deserted her. Nonetheless, off she went to the Olympic Games with her typically optimistic attitude. Regardless of how poor her results might be, Lydia will never display pessimism. She had her sights set on not just a medal but the gold medal to complete
her 3-medal set. As her game fell into place, she could sense the gold medal was within her reach and as her confidence grew, her golf started to look like her game from a decade ago. One thing is for sure with Lydia, give her half a chance to snatch victory and more often than not she grabs it and so she did at Paris.
But the fairytale was far from over. A fortnight later she showed once again why as a teenager she ruled the world of women’s golf. Neither the demands of the St Andrews links nor the appalling weather were enough to stop her storming to another victory and her third Major, this one being that very special title every golfer male or female yearns for - the Open Championship.
But wait there’s more. After a well-deserved but short break she was back in the thick of it again last week in Ohio as the LPGA regular Tour resumed with the Kroger Queen City Championship. Now from start to finish here, over 4 rounds, we witnessed classic Lydia from a decade ago when she was picking up titles on this Tour with almost regular monotony. In Ohio she swept past this strong field which included the game’s Number One player, Nellie Korda. In the end Lydia romped home on the last day winning by 5 strokes, helped by arguably the best single round of golf she’s played for years - a 9 under 63. It was, to put it simply, flawless golf. Over the four days she recorded just one bogey. Her winning 4-round score was an incredible 23 under par.
Now she has put herself in contention for the Player of the Year title which seemed an unrealistic expectation prior to the Paris Olympics, given Nellie Korda’s year which has seen her win 6 times in 2024 including a Major championship title. However, hold all tickets because here comes Lydia with a late charge that has seen her win 3 times now this year and pick up the Olympic Gold medal for good measure.
The two of them, Korda and Ko, will soon go head-to-head in the rich, very rich, end of season Championship which will probably decide who gets that prestigious Player of the Year title.
Meanwhile poor old Rory McIlroy once again for the second week in a row was edged out of a big title. Last week it was the Irish Open and this week the British PGA Championship at Wentworth. This was the title Ryan Fox won last year, but alas Foxy couldn’t mount any real defence of his title this year as his game fell away and saw him limp home, as it were, in 62nd place. Rory, however, in typical Rory fashion, went down blazing. He got himself into a three-way play-off, thanks in no small
part to a 46-foot eagle putt which he drained on the 71st hole.
So he, Billy Horschel and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence went back out to the 18th hole for a sudden death play-off, after all three players finished the 72 holes in 20 under par. Thanks to a brilliant eagle 3 in the play-off the second time down the 18th hole, Billy Horschel edged out McIlroy for the title. The first American to win the British PGA title twice.
New Zealander Daniel Hillier rounded out a good week with a final round of 68, a share of 18th place and a US$98,000 pay cheque for his week’s work.
Daniel and Sam Jones are off to Spain this week for the Spanish Open which has attracted a world class field headed by Spain’s favourite golfing son, John Rahm.
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