Shane Lowry did not land an invite for this week’s $20 million AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am, however he is upbeat about preparations for the Masters after making a spectacular albatross two within the Farmers Insurance coverage Open.
The previous Open champion holed a five-wood from 256 yards on the 543-yard sixth in a two-under 70, leaving him tied twenty fifth on six-under at Torrey Pines.
He completed seven pictures behind Mathieu Pavon —one in every of 10 gamers to earn a PGA Tour card through the DP World Tour rankings final yr—who turned the primary Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour when he birdied the final for a 69 and a one-stroke win over Dane Nicolai Hojgaard in simply his third begin as a rookie.
Lowry, who’s a tenuous forty eighth on this planet, can don’t have any complaints about his absence from the sphere for Pebble Seashore (the place Rory McIlroy can return to world primary) after failing to make the highest 50 in final yr’s FedExCup, who certified mechanically for all eight Signature Occasions this time period.
Whereas he’ll write to sponsors, he can solely be uneasy about his probabilities after the 4 invites for this week’s restricted discipline occasion went to world quantity 200 Maverick McNealy and PGA Tour Coverage Board members Webb Simpson, Peter Malnati and Adam Scott.
“Relying on what occurs within the occasions I am taking part in, I will ship in some letters for some invitations – most likely with no reward – however we’ll be making an attempt,” mentioned Lowry, whose subsequent two occasions would be the Waste Administration Phoenix Open and the Cognizant (previously Honda) Basic.
“Regardless that I am not in a few of the greater occasions, I really feel like I’ve set a schedule that offers me the perfect likelihood to go to Augusta in April and compete there. Finally, that is my foremost aim for the primary 4 months of the yr.
“This week was an almost week for me. I really feel like there’s a number of great things coming. I am fairly completely satisfied total.”
As for that albatross, which got here only a week after he holed out from 133 yards for a closing eagle two in The American Categorical, Lowry did not see it go in.
“Yeah, that was clearly the spotlight of the week,” he mentioned. “5-wood, it was an ideal quantity and I hit a pleasant shot… You are simply ready for the group’s response they usually put their fingers up within the air. So it is fairly cool. It was form of a bit surreal.
“Albatross at present and I holed out on the final gap final week. I imply, I am fairly a conservative participant, however yeah, I simply get fortunate now and again. Luck of the Irish!”
In the meantime, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (34) claimed his eighth DP World Tour win with a six-stroke victory over Rasmus Hojgaard within the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Membership.
His four-stroke in a single day lead over Højgaard disappeared when a double bogey on the second cancelled out birdies on the primary and third and his compatriot birdied 4 of his first seven holes.
However a three-shot swing on the par-five eighth, the place he made an eagle to Hojgaard’s bogey, gave him a three-shot lead, and he went on to shoot 67 to win by six pictures on 27-under.
“That is very particular. Standing right here with Cooper (son) makes it just a little extra particular,” Olesen mentioned. “It was nonetheless a battle on the market. It acquired shut and you’ve got probably the most gifted gamers proper behind you.
“I knew it was going to be robust, we have been tied for the lead in a short time. However I performed some good golf coming in and holed the precise putts on the proper time.
“I didn’t get off to the perfect of begins. You’re all the time going to have some dangerous stretches in tournaments.
“I had it there and I used to be simply making an attempt to be affected person and hopefully begin hitting some good pictures. That 5 wooden on eight was very particular and with the ability to gap the putt additionally put me in a superb place. It was nonetheless a battle.”
Tom McKibbin additionally shot 67 to complete tied sixteenth on 14-under for his second successive top-16 end this season, whereas Pádraig Harrington, nonetheless struggling for full health after his bout of pneumonia, shot 75 to complete seventieth on two-under.
On the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida, Leona Maguire closed with a two-under 69 to complete thirty first on degree par with Stephanie Meadow tied forty ninth in 4 over after a 73.
Nelly Korda secured her first win of the 2024 season and the ninth of her profession when she beat Lydia Ko with a par on the second playoff gap at Bradenton Nation Membership.
The LPGA writes:
Taking a four-stroke lead into her closing spherical on Sunday, Korda stayed regular by way of her first 4 holes earlier than recording a bogey on No. 5, permitting the sphere to creep again into rivalry.
It might be till No. 14 that Korda would card her second of three bogeys on the spherical, following that up with a double bogey on the par-3, No. 15. Her third bogey of the spherical on the sixteenth dropped her out of the lead and positioned her at eight-under par with two holes to play.
Because of an eagle on No. 17, Ko positioned herself in prime place to safe the win with a three-stroke lead heading into No. 18. Not with out the dramatics, Korda additionally recorded an eagle of her personal to have an opportunity at a playoff, needing a birdie on the ultimate gap.
Each Korda and Ko have been the one gamers to make eagles on gap 17 on the ultimate spherical of play. After her drive on the 18th, Korda knocked her strategy shot inside inches of the cup on No. 18 and tapped within the birdie putt to drive a playoff.
The duo replayed No. 18 and on their strategy pictures, Korda set herself up properly with a protracted take a look at birdie whereas Ko hit hers errantly to the left off the inexperienced.
An excellent up and down from Ko, a missed birdie putt from Korda and a few pars set the 2 again as much as the 18th tee for one more playoff gap.
After their strategy pictures, the roles have been reversed and Ko had an opportunity at a protracted birdie and Korda was off the again of the inexperienced. Ko left her birdie putt brief, and Korda chipped on about to about three toes from the cup. Ko lipped out her par putt and tapped within the bogey earlier than Korda sealed her hometown win, pulling down the three-footer.
“Each win has a narrative,” mentioned Korda. “This one was positively — simply with the struggles of final yr and simply with at present as effectively, I assumed I utterly misplaced it.
“Being in my hometown and having the hometown assist was unbelievable. I did not assume this many individuals would present up.
“Even on the primary day, Thursday, the quantity of people who have been out right here supporting was unbelievable. I could not have finished it with out all their constructive power.”
