PGA/LPGA TOUR
Lydia Ko and partner Jason Day made a crucial birdie putt on the penultimate hole to hold off the hard-charging duo of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners and win the Grant Thornton Invitational by one stroke over the Canadian pair. Conners holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the ninth hole that gave them the lead at the time and sparked a run of five birdies over a six-hole stretch to put the pressure on Ko and Day. On the par 5 17th, Ko’s approach shot from the fairway came within eight feet of the hole, setting up a birdie putt by Day which turned out to be the winner as the Canadian duo could only par the final two holes. Ludvig Aberg and fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom finished a further shot back in third. Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor teamed with Women’s PGA champion Ruoning Yin and finished eighth out of the 16 teams in the event. It was the first time the PGA Tour and LPGA had a mixed-team event since the JC Penney Classic in 1999. It was the first time since 2013 that Conners and Henderson had played as teammates, winning the Copa de las Americas as members of Team Canada.
NEXT EVENT: PGA Tour Q-School (Dec 14)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Myles Creighton, Jared du Toit, Thomas Giroux, Stuart Macdonald, Étienne Papineau, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
EUROPEAN TOUR
The final round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship was postponed until Monday due to the dangerous weather. South African major winners Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen were tied for the lead through seven holes when play was suspended late in the day due to lightning. South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout was three shots back in second. South African players are looking to win for the third straight event and seven of the last eight winners of the Alfred Dunhill Championship have been South African. …Aaron Cockerill was tied for 16th, 10 strokes off the lead with one hole left to play in his final round.
NEXT EVENT: AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (Dec 14)
CANADIANS ENTERED: none
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Australian Cameron Percy earned medalist honours at the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament finishing five strokes ahead of fellow Aussie Michael Wright. The result gives Percy full status on the Champions Tour in 2024, an honour he won’t be able to take advantage of until May 5 when he turns 50. Wright, along with two other Australians – Steve Allan and David Bransdon – and 2019 Champions Q-School medalist Shane Bertsch are also fully exempt into every event in the 2024 season. Bransdon secured the fifth and final spot after making a birdie on the first hole of a three-man sudden playoff. …Alan McLean was the top Canadian in the event, finishing in a tie for 18th while Gordon Burns finished tied for 28th. By finishing in the top 30 they are eligible for PGA Tour Champions Associate Membership which allows them to enter weekly qualifier events throughout the season. …Dennis Hendershott finished tied for 33rd while David Morland IV finished tied for 43rd.
NEXT EVENT: PNC Championship (Dec 16)
CANADIANS ENTERED: none
