Golf, by TourMiss

Rory McIlroy spoke on the eve of the CJ Cup that when he was on his game, he was the best player in the world. Four days later he lived-up to that statement in capturing a 20th PGA Tour title with a stunning one-shot success thanks to closing 66 for a record-setting 25-under par on the host Summit course in Las Vegas. McIlroy brushed aside third round leader Rickie Fowler and kept Open Champion Colin Morikawa at bay to earn PGA Tour ‘Lifetime’ membership at the start of his 15th season on golf’s ...

In my long years travelling the world reporting on golf, I can honestly say there have been just a handful who I looked-up to who really went out of their way to make me feel welcome among the ranks of the European Tour golf writers. One of those sadly passed away early on Tuesday evening. The Association of Golf Writers were fortunate to be teeing-up at Delamere Forest and also Royal Liverpool in our final two matches of an extended Covid-19 affected 2020/21 AGW ‘Race to Hoylake’ golfing season. One ...

David ‘Double D’ Drysdale fought back from a double dose of bad luck with the double delight of two eagles on day three of the Acciona Spanish Open in Madrid. Drysdale posted a ‘moving day’ three-under par 68 to be tied ninth at 11-under par on the Club de Campo course in the Spanish capital. Local hero Rafa Cabrera-Bello snatched seven birdies in a 64 to lead the field by two shots at 17-under par as the former 2017 Scottish Open winner looks to win his own national open for a first time ...

Scotland’s Grant Forrest produced an amazing scoring display of an ace, two eagles and a pair of birdies in a sizzling six-under par 65 on the opening day of the Acciona Spanish Open in Madrid. The Craigielaw golfer eagled the par-5 fourth hole, birdied both the fifth and six holes, holed out with 181-yard 8-iron at the par-3 ninth hole and also eagled the par-5 14th on the Club de Campo course in the Spanish capital. Forrest had bogeyed the second and was six-under from the fourth to ninth ...

Scotland’s Calum Hill is staring at six events in three countries and on two continents left this year to assure himself the added prize of being home in Scotland to contest next year’s 150th Open Championship. Hill, 26, dropped a place to be now ranked 26th on the Race to Dubai following last week’s share of 17th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews. The reigning Cazoo Classic champion needs to end 2021 among the top-30 on the Tour’s money list for the assurance ...

In watching young John Murphy play the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship we were reminded of another curly-haired Irishman contesting the event 14-years earlier. I stood beside Rory McIlroy at the back of the 18th green as we watched Scotland’s Paul Lawrie putting for birdie on the last day of the 2007 Dunhill Links championship. Bizarrely, like Murphy it was also McIlroy’s third European Tour event. McIlroy remarked: “If Lawrie misses this putt, that’s my Tour card”.  ...

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay ruled out a Costantino Rocca-style celebration after brilliantly holing out from the ‘Valley of Sin’ for an eagle on the final day of the 20th anniversary Alfred Dunhill Links Championship here in St. Andrews. Ramsay, and with a closing 70, shared top Scottish honours with Callum Hill (67) and Ewen Ferguson (72) in sharing 17th spot at nine-under, and with Ferguson letting slip a share of 12th with a pair of closing bogeys. The Tartan trio shared 17th ...