McIlroy, Lowry and McKibben in action in Dubai
Tom McKibbin has work to do at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course in Dubai this week if he is to snatch one of the 10 cards at play for tour rights on the PGA Tour next season, a pathway stateside that is part of the strategic alliance between the two tours.
The 21-year-old Belfast man is currently in 11th place on that ranking list – just behind England’s Jordan Smith – and, with weighted points available in Dubai this week (where he is one of three Irish players along with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the 50-man field), McKibbin will be aiming to finish the season in style.
On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power returns to action in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, a tournament he won in 2022, as he looks to solidify a strong late season run which has him positioned at 54th in the FedEx Fall rankings. Players ranked from 51st-60th after next week’s RSM Classic will earn places in two PGA Tour signature events next year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
For Leona Maguire, this week’s Annika by Pelican tournament in Belleair, Florida, has added importance as the Co Cavan player looks to remain in the top-60 on the Race to CME Globe rankings who will play in next week’s season-ending Tour Championship with its $4 million pay-day. Maguire is currently 57th in the standings.
John Daly’s former Claret Jug up for grabs
Another Claret Jug replica trophy – that of John Daly’s – is going under the hammer at online auction house Golden Age, although it would seem to be in the ha’penny place compared to what Gary Player received for his.
Daly’s Open win in 1995 at St Andrews saw the Claret Jug (or, rather, the 90 per cent-sized replica) wing its way to his home until he sold it back in 2015.
The current owner put it up for auction last week with a cut-off for bids on November 17th: the auction started at $500 and has since moved to over $78,000 and set to move higher with the auction house’s itemised log stating, “this players’ trophy is sterling silver (hallmarked) and measures 12 ¼” tall. The magnificent case measures 14¼” x 8½” and is embossed with the R&A logo on its silk-lined interior”.
The trophy also comes with a certificate of authenticity from Daly.
As for Gary Player’s Claret Jug of 1974? That was auctioned off by the Black Knight back in 2020 for $143,000 . . . and just last July was reauctioned at a substantial increase for $481,068.
Word of Mouth
“Throughout my career my iron play was what I relied on, so that kind of made me get teary-eyed, because it’s awesome to play the last nine holes and hit every green. Just kind of felt like me, so it was good” – 46-year-old Angela Stanford on closing out her career in the Lotte Championship in Hawaii on the LPGA Tour. Stanford, a seven-time winner on the tour, finished tied-26th in a tournament won by South Korea’s A Lim Kim.
By the numbers
67 — Bernard Langer – 67 years young – shot his age three days in a row to win the Charles Schwab Cup championship by one shot from Richard Green and Steve Alker (whose tied-2nd place finish enabled him to leapfrog Ernie Els to win the order of merit). It marked the German’s 18th consecutive season with a win on the Champions Tour, gave him a 47th career win on the Champions Tour and took his total number of global professional wins to 124.
On this day . . . November 12th, 2000
When Mike Weir walked up to his ball on the 17th fairway in the final round of the WGC-American Express Championship at Valderrama, there was a long delay. The reason? Tiger Woods, in the group ahead, had become the latest victim of the pond in front of the green and was working out just where to take his penalty drop.
What it did for Weir, though, was to convince the left-handed Canadian to opt for a conservative play of his own. And he sure-footedly managed to navigate his way home for a $1 million pay-day after rounds of 68-75-65-69 for a total of 11-under-par 277 which gave him a two-stroke winning margin over Lee Westwood, who had the consolation of moving ahead of Darren Clarke to capture the European Tour order of merit.
Weir’s play over the weekend enabled the future Masters champion (of 2003) to claim the biggest win of his career at that point; he hit 32 consecutive greens in regulation in the final two rounds to make up an eight-stroke deficit.
“Three years ago, I was playing [tournaments] when $100,000 Canadian was the total purse. To win $1 million is far and above what I ever dreamed,” said Weir.
X-Twitter Twaddle
Tough finish for me yesterday but that’s golf unfortunately thanks to everyone at HSBC and Abu Dhabi for a great event. Congrats to @PaulWaringGolf on a great win. On to Dubai – Shane Lowry in onwards and upwards mode.
Fun week at the @ADGolfChamps, gave it a good go today but just came up a little short. Congrats to @PaulWaringGolf on the win. Next stop Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship – Tyrrell Hatton clearly enjoying coming in from the cold at LIV for the latter part of the DP World Tour season.
That’s another year done. Well I just have the @PNCChampionship to look forward to, before Christmas. I shot 68 today for 8 under T8th. I holed a nice 8 footer on the last to hold on to my 4th place in the Schwab Cup. Struggled on the greens this week but in general this was one of my better years putting. Long game turned around nicely in the last few months. So unusually I’ve nothing new to work on this winter, just mental game stuff and speed – Pádraig Harrington on wrapping up his season’s work.
In the bag
Austin Eckroat – World Wide Technology Championship
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Irons: Ping Blueprint S (3), Ping Blueprint T (4-PW)
Wedges: Ping Glide Forged Pro (50, 54 and 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DZB custom
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Know the rules
Q: A player in stroke play started their round with 13 clubs, but during the front nine they broke their putter in anger. After the ninth hole they bought another putter in the pro shop and used it for the remainder of the round. What is the ruling?
A: In such a circumstance, there is no penalty. Since the player started the round with 13 clubs, they were entitled to add another club (see Rule 4.1b (1)).
