A rising star on the PGA Tour clinched his first career-win ahead of the U.S. Open this week and a journeyman golfer quietly put together an impressive win on the European Tour but neither of those victories was even close to as impressive as the performance an 18-year-old from Canada put together to earn her first win at a major on Sunday. Here is a look at what went down around the world of golf fantasy this past weekend.
FedEx St. Jude Classic
PGA Tour
Daniel Berger stole the show at the final stop before the U.S. Open as he delivered one of the best performances of his career to win his first PGA Tour title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Berger shot a 3-under 67 on the final day to hold off Phil Mickelson and become the 13th first-time winner on the tour this season. Berger took home the winner’s check with a $1.1 million prize in the 50th start of his career.
A lot of people playing golf fantasy had been hoping for big things from Dustin Johnson this week but he couldn’t quite seal the deal. He was the most expensive option on the board in daily golf fantasy but he didn’t disappoint too badly. He still finished fifth and four strokes off the pace. He was one of the biggest names in the field with no Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy or Jason Day competing at this event.
Meanwhile, Mickelson finished tied for second with Brooks Koepka and Steve Stricker at 10-under. All had productive days in golf fantasy. The next stop is the U.S. Open from the Oakmont Country Club this week.
Top 10 Results From The FedEx St. Jude Classic
Daniel Berger -13
Brooks Koepka -10
Steve Stricker -10
Phil Mickelson -10
Dustin Johnson -9
Brian Gay -8
Russell Henley -7
Seung-Yul Noh -7
Shawn Stefani -6
Ken Duke -6
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
LPGA Tour
18-year-old Canadian Brooke Henderson delivered one of the most clutch performances was have seen on the LPGA Tour in a long time in order to clinch her first-career major title on Sunday. Henderson edged out top-ranked Lydia Ko with a birdie on the first hole of the playoff to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after overcoming a three-hole deficit on the back nine. Henderson, who is ranked No. 4 in the world, was absolutely clutch against the world No. 1 with the stunning upset in the playoff. She became the second-youngest winner in a major championship, following Ko as the youngest after the latter won the Evian Championship in France a year ago. Ko was trying to become the fifth player in tour history to win three straight majors but her bogey-free round with four birdies wasn’t enough and Henderson forced her to settle for a runner-up finish. Meanwhile rookie sensation Ariya Jutanugarn, who had won three straight starts heading in to the tournament, settled for a third-place finish at five-under after missing out on the playoff by a single stroke. Her, Henderson and Ko are dominating golf fantasy on the women’s side these days. Next up for the ladies is the Meijer LPGA Classic from the Blythefield Country Club this week.
Top 10 Scores From KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Brooke M. Henderson -6
Lydia Ko -6
Ariya Jutanugarn -5
Hee Young Park -2
So Yeon Ryu -2
Mirim Lee -2
Amy Yang -1
Su Oh E
Anna Nordqvist E
Chella Choi E
Lyoness Open
European Tour
Wu Ashun claimed his second European Tour win with a victory at the Lyoness Open over the weekend. The field was wide open in terms of golf fantasy as there was no Rory McIlroy or any other big boys. He carded a final round of 69 to finish 13-under par and edge out Spain’s Adrian Otaegui by a single stroke for the victory. Wu Ashun opened the day one shot back of the lead but heated up with five birdies on the front nine to take a three-stroke lead and didn’t look back after that. The European Tour will take a week off with the U.S. Open this week as next up is the BMW International Open beginning on June 23rd.
Top 10 Scores From Lyoness Open
Ashun Wu -13
Adrian Otaegui -12
Richard McEvoy -11
James Morrison -10
Zander Lombard -9
Gregory Bourdy -8
Joost Luiten -8
Gary Stal -8
Chris Wood -8
Magnus A. Carlsson -6
