The road to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions continued for the men on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour with the CIMB Classic and the Portugal Masters this past weekend. Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour continued its Asian swing with the Blue Bay LPGA taking place in Hainen, China. Here is a recap of the events from around the golf world this past weekend.
CIMB Classic
PGA Tour
Justin Thomas was at it again over the weekend when he secured his second CIMB Classic title in a row following a flawless final round on Sunday. He had a much easier field to go through as a number of the big-name golfers haven’t got into action. There was no Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth or Dustin Johnson at this event as they’re still off to start the new year. The fields will get tougher in the coming months.
For now, Thomas won by shooting an eight-under 64 to erase a four-stroke deficit and earn that second –career victory at the only tournament that he has ever won. Thomas finished at 23-under for the tournament, which was good enough for a three-stroke victory over Hideki Matsuyama at the TPC Kuala Lumpur. Matsuyama produced a solid final round 66 score but in the end it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Derek Fathauer and Anirban Lahiri tied for third at 19-under, following by Marc Leishman in fifth and Keegan Bradley in sixth. Next up on the PGA Tour schedule is the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which will begin Thursday at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China.
Top 10 Scores From The CIMB Classic
Justin Thomas -23
Hideki Matsuyama -20
Derek Fathauer -19
Anirban Lahiri -19
Marc Leishman -17
Keegan Bradley -16
Scott Hend -15
Tyrone Van Aswegen -15
James Hahn -14
Siwoo Kim -13
Blue Bay LPGA
LPGA Tour
Minjee Lee delivered a victory that went down to the wire at the Blue Bay LPGA on Sunday. It was Lee’s second victory of the year but it didn’t come easy as she was forced to go up and down on the final hole in order to salvage a one-stroke victory over Jessica Korda. Lee’s final shot forced Korda to try to hit an 18-foot eagle that she narrowly missed to the left in an exciting finish to an entertaining tournament. Meanwhile, Ariya Jutanugarn was tied with Lee for a two-stroke lead when she fell apart on the final two holes to take herself out of contention. Jutanugarn finished in the third at 11-under, which was two strokes back of Lee. Next up for the LPGA Tour is the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, which goes this week as the tour’s Asian swing continues in Kuala Lumpur. We’re expecting to see world No. 1 Lydia Ko back in action in the coming weeks but she was a notable absence at this event. Obviously, whenever she’s in the field she’s the player to beat, which made the job for the other ladies that much easier at the Blue Bay.
Top 10 Scores From The Blue Bay
Minjee Lee -13
Jessica Korda -12
Airya Jutanugarn -11
Pornanong Phatlum -6
Caroline Masson -6
Charley Hull -5
Pernilla Lindberg -4
Brooke M. Henderson -4
Kris Tamulis -2
Mariajo Uribe -1
Portugal Masters
European Tour
Padraig Harrington earned his first European Tour title in eight years when he clinched a victory at the Portugal Masters on Sunday. Harrington carded a final-round 65 to beat out the defending tournament champion Andy Sullivan by one stroke for the win. Sullivan had one this event by nine strokes last season but a big charge on the final day in which he birdied four of the first five holes wasn’t enough in the end. Meanwhile, Harrington was excellent from start to finish including a 63 in the second round and a 65 in the final round. Mikko Korhonen and Anders Hansen finished tied for third at 21-under while Robert Rock, David Lipsky, Chris Paisley and Pul Lawrie finished tied for fifth at 20-under. The European Tour players will join up with the PGA Tour for the WGC-HSBC Champions this week.
Top 10 Scores From The Portugal Masters
Padraig Harrington -23
Andy Sullivan -22
Anders Hansen -21
Mikko Korhonen -21
Paul Lawrie -20
David Lipsky -20
Chris Paisley -20
Robert Rock -20
Nacho Elvira -18
Oliver Fisher -18
