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As big years go, 2019 has become one of the biggest in Rory McIlroy’s sparkling career. With a birdie on the first extra hole at Sheshan International Golf Club on Sunday, McIlroy defeated Xander Schauffele to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, his fourth victory of 2019.
In an exclusive conversation before the WGC-HSBC Champions with GGP’s Lewine Mair, McIlroy revealed his plans for a summertime base in London and shared his thoughts on myriad other matters.
American Nelly Korda successfully defended her title at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA on Sunday, defeating Germany’s Caroline Masson and Australia’s Minjee Lee with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
With a tie for 28th in the WGC-HSBC Champions, Phil Mickelson was projected to fall out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in nearly 26 years, ending the longest run of consecutive weeks in the top 50.
Brendon Todd, a past PGA Tour winner who subsequently struggled with the full-shot yips, won the tour’s inaugural Bermuda Championship on Sunday thanks in part to a closing 62 at Port Royal Golf Course.
Nathaniel Crosby, who recently was reappointed as US captain for the 2021 Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club, will benefit in one very meaningful way from that match’s May date: He will not have to worry as much about prospective US players turning professional before the match is played, writes Jim Nugent.
Irish international Mark Power won for the first time on the US collegiate circuit when he claimed the individual title in the stroke-play event at the East Lake Cup played at East Lake Golf Club, the famous home of Bobby Jones in Atlanta, Georgia, where both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have won the Tour Championship in recent years, writes Colin Callander.
Playing in a club tournament, when every stroke counts, offers a chance to appreciate the professionals, who sign for a score every tournament round, good or bad, this week’s instalment of The Divot explains.
Mike Cullity
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