Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!
Jon Rahm has won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, defeating Louis Oosthuizen by 1 shot. In a riveting final round that saw Bryson Dechambeau leading with 9 to play only to finish tied for 31st and 2 of the 54-hole leaders falling away, Rahm shot the low round of the tournament and finished with a flourish, holing long birdie putts on 17 and 18 to seal the win. With his win, Rahm became the first Spanish golfer to win any USGA event, and only the fourth Spanish golfer to win a major championship after Sergio Garcia, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Seve Ballesteros. This win comes on the heels of Rahm testing positive for COVID-19 during the third round of the Memorial and having to withdraw while holding a 6-shot lead.
Scheduling Snafu
The U.S. Open is always a fantastic watch, largely in part to the qualifying system, which allows golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete. This often leads to several players from the Korn Ferry Tour qualifying to be in the field at the major championship. However, the Korn Ferry Tour always schedules an event opposite the U.S. Open, leaving these qualifiers a very difficult choice – play in the Korn Ferry event to earn more points toward a PGA Tour card, or play in a major championship and hamper my chances of earning a Tour card? While many feasible solutions have been proposed, from awarding points to U.S. Open contestants to merely moving the event in question, the problem persists. Why does the Korn Ferry Tour insist on punishing their players for this possibly once-in-a-lifetime chance?
Korda Family Pride
The Korda sisters continue to be a dominant force in women’s golf, this week with Nelly claiming victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic. This was Nelly’s 2nd win of the season, and her masterful -25 performance is a good sign for the upcoming Women’s PGA Championship on June 24-27.