What you missed: Tiger’s new PGA Tour record, Brown’s maiden title, and Koepka remains sidelined
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What you missed: From Tiger Woods’ 82nd PGA Tour win and Steven Brown’s impressive Portugal Masters victory to Brooks Koepka’s injury woes, Josh Hill’s record breaking win and Bio Kim’s suspension reduced from three years to one.
Tiger Woods added to his numerous accolades by capturing the one total he’s been targetting for a long time: His 82nd PGA Tour victory.
Woods tied Sam Snead’s record with a three stroke win over Hideki Matsuyama at the weather delayed ZOZO Championship in Japan, finishing with a final-hole birdie.
It now feels like a certainty he’ll choose himself as one of four wildcards for December’s Presidents Cup, and he was quick with his response when asked about it.
“I think the player definitely got the captain’s attention,” he quipped.
But one player who remains a doubt for the contest is World No.1 Brooks Koepka, who withdrew from the CJ Cup two weeks ago after reinjuring his knee, and was not on the committed list for this week’s WGC HSBC Champions in China.
Away from the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods wasn’t the only one to make history. He shared that mantle with England’s 15 year old Josh Hill, who became the youngest player to record a win at an Official World Golf Ranking event.
Elsewhere, Steven Brown came out on top of a dramatic final round battle in Portugal to earn his Tour card with his first European Tour victory, and Bio Kim’s three year suspension from the Korean Tour was reduced from three years to one.
Read on below to find out what you missed.
Tiger Woods ties Sam Snead’s record for 82 PGA Tour victories with victory at ZOZO Championship
Just over two months after having a fifth knee surgery, Tiger Woods played his way back in to the winner’s circle, and the history books, in a big way at the ZOZO Championship – the first PGA Tour event to be held in Japan.
As players completed the remaining few holes of the weather delayed tournament, Woods held off a final-round challenge from home favourite Hideki Matsuyama to claim the 82nd PGA Tour title of his career, tying the all-time record with Sam Snead.
And he did it by rolling in a final hole birdie putt to get to 19-under-par for the week with rounds of 64-64-66-67, beating Matsuyama by three.
“It’s an honor to be tied with Sam Snead for most wins in @PGATOUR history,” Woods tweeted after his victory, which was his third of 2019.
“Thanks Mom and Pop and everyone who helped make this possible. Hideki put up an amazing fight on his home soil, but to do this in Japan is something I’ll never forget. It’s been an awesome year.”
Snead’s 82nd win came at the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open when he was 52, meaning Woods matched his feat nine years quicker – at the age of 43.
Steven Brown claims maiden European Tour title
Steven Brown earned his first European Tour title with a bogey free 66 on a dramatic Sunday at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, finishing one shot clear of Brandon Stone and Justin Walters on 17-under-par.
Brown, who headed in to the week ranked 150th in the Race to Dubai Standings, moved in to the lead over the final few holes and parred his way in to edge out the South African duo and secure his playing rights until the end of the 2021 season.
“It’s hard to put in to words,” Brown said of what his win means. “I don’t think it has really sunk in.”
“It was just a weird day, you just never know with this game. It’s crazy to think how well I’ve played the last month to how bad it was the first two thirds of the year. I never thought this was going to happen. I was just counting down ready for Tour School to get my game ready for that.”
Brooks remains sidelined, will miss WGC HSBC Champions
World No.1 Brooks Koepka withdrew from the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges after slipping on concrete and aggrivating an injury to his left knee – which he had ‘painful’ stem cell treatment for after the Tour Championship.
He returned to the United States for testing and had originally only withdrawn from the ZOZO Championship and not the WGC HSBC Champions in China, but he was no longer on the commitment list at the end of last week.
Koepka also remains a doubt for the Presidents Cup in December, and has been in talks with Captain Tiger Woods.
“We’re just waiting to see what the surgeons say and see what his protocols will be going forward. That’s something he’ll keep me abreast of going forward,” Woods said last week.
“He’s getting other opinions about where his knee is and what his options are. I went through the same thing with my knee and my back. You want as many opinions as you can before you decide which road you want to go down.”
Bio Kim’s suspension reduced from three years to one
A disciplinary committee of the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association have reduced Bio Kim’s three year suspension from the Tour to one year, according to a report by the Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo.
Kim, who played on the PGA Tour in 2011, was originally handed a three year ban from the Korean PGA Tour after he made an obscene gesture to a member of the crowd at the DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open in September.
The 29-year-old had raised his middle finger to the crowd after a noise made by a phone camera that affected his tee shot on the 16th hole on Sunday.
He went on to win the event (becoming the first multiple winner of 2019), but despite apologising after his round and on his knees in front of television cameras following an emergency meeting with the KPGA, his penance wasn’t enough to save him from suspension.
The KPGA announced that they had unanimously voted to ban Kim for three years from their Tour for damaging the ‘dignity of a golfer with etiquette violation’, and also fined him 10 million won – the equivalent of £6,796. He was the leader of this season’s Korean Tour’s money list at the time.
But on Wednesday, there was some good news for Kim: A new decision was reached to reduce his suspension to one year, with 120 hours of community service. The fine of 10 million won remains, and he will be able to return to the Tour in 2021.
15 year old Josh Hill makes new world record as youngest player to win a sanctioned Tour event
England’s Josh Hill fired an eight-under 62 in the final round of the Al Ain Open on the MENA Tour to become the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event at the age of 15 years, six months and 27 days.
Hill, who has English parents but was brought up in Dubai, is two months younger than Ryo Ishikawa, who previously held the record when he won on the Japan Golf Tour in 2007.
With his 62, Hill claimed a two stroke victory over former British Amateur champion Harry Ellis at the Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club.
“I really don’t know what to say right now,” Hill said after his win.
“I am shocked. If you had told me during the summer that I will be winning a MENA Tour title against professionals and become the youngest ever winner of an OWGR event, I would have laughed at the notion. I guess hard work pays.”
