It was a weekend where victory droughts were ended all across the globe, headlined by Phil Mickelson finally breaking through in Mexico, ending a nearly five-year winless streak, capturing his 43rd PGA Tour title at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
The five-time major winner shot a final-day 5-under 66 to finish 16-under par, alongside Justin Thomas, whom he defeated on the first playoff hole.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, Michelle Wie fired a 7-under 65, highlighted by a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th, to capture the HSBC Women’s World Championship – her first LPGA title since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.
Over in South Africa, George Coetzee shot a final-round 4-under 67 to win his second Tshwane Open title, but first European Tour title in over three years.
And finally, in Tuscon (AZ), Steve Stricker posted a bogey-free 4-under 69 to secure his maiden Champions Tour trophy at the Cologuard Classic. It was Stricker’s first win of any kind in over six years (2012 Tournament of Champions).
With that, let’s take a look at some of the sights and scores from the weekend on the four major tours.
AROUND THE TOURS
HSBC WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Michelle Wie -17 ($225k)
2 Jenny Shin -16
2 Brooke Henderson -16
2 Danielle Kang -16
2 Nelly Korda -16
6 Jin Young Ko -15
6 Minjee Lee -15
8 Angela Stanford -13
8 Atthaya Thitikul -13
10 Sei Young Kim -12
10 Amy Yang -12
10 Jeong Eun Lee -12
10 Lydia Ko -12
10 Jessica Korda -12
WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Phil Mickelson -16 ($1.7m)
P2 Justin Thomas -16
T3 Tyrrell Hatton -15
T3 Rafa Cabrera-Bello -15
T5 Brian Harman -13
T5 Kiradech Aphibarnrat -13
T7 Dustin Johnson -12
T7 Sergio Garcia -12
T9 Shubhankar Sharma -10
T9 Bubba Watson -10
T9 Adam Hadwin -10
TSHWANE OPEN
1 George Coetzee -18 ($202k)
2 Sam Horsfield -16
3 Mikko Korhonen -15
4 Felipe Aguilar -14
4 Sébastien Gros -14
4 Daniel van Tonder -14
7 Scott Jamieson -13
8 Pedro Oriol -11
8 Thomas Aiken -11
10 Erik van Royyen -10
COLOGUARD CLASSIC
1 Steve Stricker -14 ($255k)
2 Jerry Kelly -12
2 Gene Sauers -12
2 Scott Dunlap -12
5 Bob Estes -10
5 Olin Browne -10
5 Rocco Mediate -10
5 Doug Garwood -10
9 Billy Andrade -9
9 Jeff Maggert -9
9 Woody Austin -9
9 Tommy Tolles -9
COMPARING STATS
DISTANCE
George Coetzee – 339.3 yards
Phil Mickelson – 302.4 yards
Steve Stricker – 293 yards
Michelle Wie – 267.1 yards
FAIRWAYS HIT
Steve Stricker – 83% (38/42)
Michelle Wie – 66% (37/56)
George Coetzee – 63% (35/56)
Phil Mickelson – 48% (27/56)
GREENS HIT
Steve Stricker – 78% (42/54)
Michelle Wie – 74% (53/72)
George Coetzee – 74% (53/72)
Phil Mickelson – 69% (50/72)
PUTTS PER GIR
George Coetzee – 1.62
Phil Mickelson – 1.66
Michelle Wie – 1.68
Steve Stricker – 1.67
THREE STORIES
1. Hot-Head Hatton: The EuropeanTour.com has a roundup of quotes from a very frustrated Tyrrell Hatton, following a runner-up finish in Mexico.
2. Sharma Still Shines: Reuters has a piece that looks at the bright future of young Indian Shubhankar Sharma, despite a disappointing final day in Mexico.
3.Distance Debate: Geoff Shackelford blogs (with sarcasm) about an odd memo written up by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan that provides talking points to Tour players in advance of the USGA and R&A report on driving distance.
SHOTS OF THE WEEK
Michelle Wie with a 35-foot bomb to win her first LPGA Tour title in four years.
Justin Thomas with a hole-out eagle on No. 18 to get to 16-under par, and the clubhouse lead.
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND
“It means a lot. I cry all the time… It’s hard to win anywhere.”
