There has always been something about the KLM Open and the Spaniards on the DP World Tour, and now Pablo Larrazabal has nine victories on his home tour, four in the past 14 months.
In the immediate aftermath of the DP World Tour announcing further fines and sanctions against 26 players who had participated in LIV Golf events over the past 10 months, Henrik Stenson led what will surely be something of a procession by adding his name to last week’s four-strong list of departures and resigned his membership.
Already Irish Open and Australian Open champion, Adrian Meronk added the Italian Open to his growing cluster of national titles with victory on Sunday at the Marco Simone Country Club just outside Rome.
About five months before Marco Simone Country Club just outside Rome hosts the 44th Ryder Cup, the venue for this week’s Italian Open is doubling as the site of the latest meeting of the DP World Tour’s tournament committee.
No matter where the DP World Tour roams across planet golf, the subject of the Ryder Cup is never far from the hearts and minds of those who call the Old World circuit home.
Even amid doubts over the long-term advisability of playing events over three rounds instead of four, it is hard to argue the notion that the LIV players have deteriorated to a point where they do not belong in elite company.
The Mexican was two strokes better than runner-up Cameron Young in what felt like a one-on-one showdown between the LIV Golf regular and the reigning PGA Tour rookie of the year.
This was epic stuff, a truly titanic struggle between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed (who else?) for the spoils of the day, ownership of the giant trophy and the first-place cheque of $US1.53 million.
Adding yet another entry to the long list of Patrick Reed’s brushes with the Rules of Golf, the former Masters champion found himself involved in what turned into an unusual discussion/decision when playing the 17th hole at the Emirates Club during the Sunday’s third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Say what you like about Patrick Reed—and many have over the course of his controversial career—the man has an inordinate ability to focus on the golf course.
Among the many and varied topics LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has covered in his ongoing long-distance dialogue with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour is that of World Ranking points.
Two weeks from today and eight months since the Scottish Open that inadvertently set things in motion, the DP World Tour is headed into what amounts to an internal battle with its own members.
It wasn’t quite a deja vu moment. But it was close. Exactly 12 months before, Henrik Stenson was standing in exactly the same spot talking to the same journalist about his final round in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Australian Golf Digest
