Manic Monday

Solheim Cup, Gleneagles, Scotland

The amazing finish at Gleneagles draws parallels with the Ryder Cup’s Miracle of Medinah and the famous come back in the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in 2011. Team Europe needed the last three singles to snatch the Solheim Cup. One point was in the bank with Anna Nordquist well up in the final match against Morgan Pressel. However, Bronte Law and controversial captain’s pick, Suzann Pettersen were level in their matches.

In scenes reminisecent of ‘The Postman’ Poulter, the terrier like Bronte Law dug deep and played some gutsy golf. A lesser player would have crumbled after failing to get out of a greenside bunker at the 15th but not Bronte. Her opponent, Ally McDonald, let her off when missing from some six feet. Law pounced, holed from a similar distance to halve the hole. Having made a rather indifferent pitch Law then drained a huge putt at the 16th for biridie to take the lead. A solid par at the par three 17th was enough for the fired up Englishwoman to take the point.

Meanwhile, Suzann Pattersen, who we should say was a GolfPunk’s choice for a captain’s pick, was lining up a putt at the final hole to grab a win which given Law’s fightback was now for the cup.

Suzann ‘the Great’ held her nerve. The putt never looked like going anywhere else but the centre of the cup and pandemonium broke out. Europe had won the Solheim Cup by 14½ point to 13½.

KLM Open, Amsterdam, Netherlands

After a rather torturous season, including a famous disqualification in Saudia Arabia, Sergio Garcia took the sixteenth European Title of his career at the KLM Open.

The Spaniard had an up and down front nine where he was leading by two at the fifth, only to be trailing playing partner Callum Shinkwin by one shot at the seventh following back to back bogeys at The International course.

However, a double bogey by Shinkwin at the 10th handed the initiative to Garcia and the 38 year old used his experience to hold off the chasing pack by a single stroke with an eighteen under par total.

Garcia was joined in the lead by Danish rising star Nicolai Højgaard with four holes to play but the young Dane would come up one shot short finishing alone in second on seventeen under.

Matt Wallace was third on fifteen under, while fellow Englishman James Morrison was one shot further back as Garcia became the first Spanish winner of the KLM Open since Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño in 2005.

“I played well all week under pressure. It wasn't easy, there were a couple of tough moments today but I hung on tough, that's the most important thing.” Commented Garcia after his round.

“There was obviously a little bit of nerves here and there. Today wasn't easy, it was quite breezy and was blowing in a different direction again so it wasn't playing easy at all, but I played nicely again. A couple of mistakes here and there but other than that, I felt like I played really well and that's why I'm standing here I guess.”

For the final leaderboard click HERE 

A Military Tribute, The Greenbrier, West Virginia

Chilean, Joaquin Niemann became the youngest international winner on the PGA Tour since 1923 with a six-shot win in the A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.

The 20-year-old shot a final round 64 to take the title by six shots form American Tom Hoge and become the first player from Chile to win on the PGA Tour.

Niemann started the day with a two-shot lead but never looked in trouble as he stretched his advantage over the field. "I've been thinking about this my whole life," he said afterwards.

The A Military Tribute is the first event of the 2019-20 PGA Tour and Niemann will be teeing it up at Augusta in the Masters next April as a result of this victory.

Rising star Viktor Hovland of Norway put in another sound performance having gained his tour card finishing tied 10th. He is definitely one to watch in 2020.