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Weekend Recap: Rahm, Perez And Henderson Triumph

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Weekend Recap: Rahm, Perez And Henderson Triumph

Rahm opens 2023 with two wins. Perez takes Abu Dhabi title to move into Ryder Cup contention, while Henderson and Korda adjust (fine) to new clubs. Plus, the latest McKellar podcast.

Geoff Shackelford
Jan 23
8
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Weekend Recap: Rahm, Perez And Henderson Triumph

quadrilateral.substack.com

A busy weekend answered big questions for new equipment adopters, left Jon Rahm wondering what he’s gotta do to reach No. 1 status, and brought a new name into the European Ryder Cup picture.


Rahm Wins 4th Of Last 6 Events, Rises To…World No. 3

Jon Rahm holds the AmEx trophy (PGA Tour/Twitter)
  • Jon Rahm posted a 27-under-par 261 to win his second American Express title and fourth in his last six starts. He has a 66.3 scoring average in 12 rounds for the 2021-22 season.

  • Rahm sealed the win with an impressive fairway bunker shot on the 18th.

Twitter avatar for @PGATOUR
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Clutch shot on 18 from @JonRahmpga 💪 He’s now in prime position to win @theamexgolf.
11:55 PM ∙ Jan 22, 2023
237Likes15Retweets
  • Rahm moves from No. 4 to No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking despite this run:

    Twitter avatar for @PGATOUR
    PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
    Worldwide greatness 😤
    Image
    1:44 AM ∙ Jan 23, 2023
    330Likes19Retweets
  • Bad news for his peers: “In my mind I feel like I can get a lot better.”

  • PGA Tour rookie Davis Thompson nearly overcame the latest hideous fashion entry from Nike to finish as the runner-up in his just his 20th career start.

Twitter avatar for @PGATOUR
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
It's only the beginning for Davis Thompson 💪
Image
1:04 AM ∙ Jan 23, 2023
122Likes10Retweets
  • Xander Schauffele made an albatross on the par-5 fifth hole en route to a 10-under 62 and T3 finish.

    Twitter avatar for @PGATOUR
    PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
    A $300,000 albatross 🤯 @XSchauffele’s first career albatross came at the perfect time. @theamexgolf points and payouts breakdown ⬇️
    2:55 AM ∙ Jan 23, 2023
    181Likes16Retweets
  • Elsewhere, proof defending PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas got married:

Twitter avatar for @PGATOUR
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Thomas ❤️💍
Image
8:47 PM ∙ Jan 22, 2023
5,626Likes77Retweets

Perez Moves Into Ryder Cup Contention With Win

Victor Perez after holing out in Abu Dhabi (DP World Tour/Twitter)
  • A hole-out from a 71st greenside bunker ended up as the difference for Victor Perez in capturing the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. And it’s a must see:

Twitter avatar for @DPWorldTour
DP World Tour @DPWorldTour
The shot of his life! @v_perez2 leads by two with one to play. #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries
12:26 PM ∙ Jan 22, 2023
1,571Likes140Retweets
  • The Frenchman closed with a bogey at Yas Links Abu Dhabi to finish 18-under-par for his first Rolex Series win.

  • Perez moves up 19 spots to second on the Ryder Cup European Points List. He was well-positioned early in 2021 before fading down the stretch.

  • Perez will go from World No. 111 to No. 63 according Nosferatu, bringing a return trip to the WGC Dell Match Play within reach and an OWGR top 50 Masters invite a possibility if he can continue the fine play.

  • Perez held off Australian Min Woo Lee and Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg who shared second place at 17-under-par.

  • Lee nearly pulled off a similarly stunning hole out to force a playoff. Wait for it:

Twitter avatar for @DPWorldTour
DP World Tour @DPWorldTour
The shot that nearly forced a play-off 😮 #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries | @Minwoo27Lee
6:00 PM ∙ Jan 22, 2023
58Likes3Retweets
  • 2021 Ryder Cup captain and current U.S. Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington held the clubhouse lead for a brief time at -16. He finished an impressive fourth.

  • Finland’s Sami Välimäki, the 2020 rookie-of-the-world, posted a final round 62 to set a new course record.

  • Former-future Ryder Cup captain's Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood lost by four and three strokes respectively to the current semi-retired captain and former World No. 1, Luke Donald. This did not strengthen their non-existent Captain’s pick bids which, at least in Poulter’s case, he won’t on the non-existent chance he’s made an offer.

  • LIV defectors who turned up in Abu Dhabi did not make much of a mark. Only Richard Bland (T10) and Henrik Stenson (T20) managed decent finishes. Patrick Reed, among others, missed the cut.

  • Full Ryder Cup projected standings courtesy of Nosferatu:

Twitter avatar for @VC606
Nosferatu @VC606
2023 #RyderCup qualification standings (projection) as of 23-Jan-2022: @v_perez2 up to #2 in Euro list for @RyderCupEurope 🇪🇺 Chris Kirk knocks out DJ from the top 6 for @RyderCupUSA 🇺🇸 Davis Thompson jumps in the frame at #16 🇪🇺@LukeDonald 🇺🇸@ZachJohnsonPGA
Image
1:22 AM ∙ Jan 23, 2023
4Likes2Retweets

Henderson, Korda Pass Early Test With New Sticks

Brooke Henderson takes a winner’s selfie (LPGA Tour/Twitter)
  • Brooke Henderson led wire-to-wire in the season-opening, 28-player Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona.

  • It’s the 13th career LPGA title for the 25-year-old.

  • Henderson has posted 16-consecutive under par rounds on the LPGA Tour and also in the TOC.

  • Sporting a new endorsement deal and new bags full of Taylormade gear apparently posed no issues. According to this report, Henderson has already incorporated all Taylormade gear after a long run with PING.

  • Maja Stark and Charley Hull tied for second.

  • Nelly Korda also debuted a new bag full of Taylormades and finished 4th despite a final round 72. Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall explained why Korda switched out everything in her bag—a very mixed set—to all Taylormade.

  • Nelly was playing on a night of so-so rest after waking and watching her brother Sebastian win another Australian Open match. (Brentley Romine/GolfChannel.com).

  • Mardy Fish captured the Celebrity division’s Stableford event with a 152 total, 16 points clear of Mark Mulder. Chad Pfeifer and Annika Sorenstam finished T3.


McKellar Pod #63 With Bob Harig

Lawrence Donegan and I chat about a the latest in golf and are later joined to talk about his reporting on LIV’s media deal and his book Tiger & Phil.

The Spotify and Apple options, though the pod remains free wherever you subscribe and listen:


I hate to end on a down note from the world of influencerdom, but it seems not everyone follows Hailey Rae for her golf insights.

Twitter avatar for @HaileyOstrom
Hailey Rae Ostrom @HaileyOstrom
The reality of being a female in the golf community. I got engaged yesterday and lost 4,000 IG followers so far. I could have kept it secret like many of my peers do but I want to be real with y’all. I want to share these moments. Thank you to those who stayed & celebrated!
8:03 AM ∙ Jan 21, 2023
9,019Likes68Retweets

Have a fantastic Monday even if you’re one of the 4,000 broken-hearted souls out there,
Geoff

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Weekend Recap: Rahm, Perez And Henderson Triumph

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16 Comments
John Matthew IV
Jan 23Liked by Geoff Shackelford

Good win for Brooke but if only she played faster!

The PGA was in threesomes for the final round yesterday and at the Sony. Was this just because of TV? Isn't twosomes the norm for Sundays?

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Ro Cohen
Jan 23Liked by Geoff Shackelford

Sadly, many of the more interesting young golfers play on the LIV tour. But, THE most interesting plays on the PGA Tour. Jon Rahm. He is so much fun to watch, he makes the erstwhile boring American Express event interesting. Highly skilled, creative, unorthodoxed, emotional at times, intelligent, and above all, honest.

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