It was a long Sunday of golf watching for us fans of the great, but most aggravating of games.
The action started early on The Golf Channel with coverage of the European Tour’s Maybank Malaysian Open. The stage was set for Bernd Wiesberger to claim his third Euro Tour win but he stumbled to a two over 74.
Paul Goydos
That opened the door and a young, rookie fresh out of qualifying school. India’s Anirban lahiri stepped up and cared a solid 4 under 68 to claim his first European Tour win. He started the day with birdies on four of his first five holes and the race was on. His birdie on seventeen proved to be the margin of victory.
Wiesberger, on the other hand bogeyed seventeen and had to settle for second place. But he has been christened with one of the best nicknames in golf: Burnt Cheeseburger.
Next up were the ladies of the LPGA and their Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. The wind had played havoc with the tournament all week but Sunday was played with a normal breeze and scores reflected the more favorable conditions.
The American contingent was off to the beach early and missed an exciting finish which ended in a three way playoff. Veteran Son Young Yoo faced off with rookies Ariya Jutanugarn and Sei Young Kim.
Kim had carded a 68, tied for low round of the day, with a birdie on the last to make the playoff and continued her solid play with another birdie on the same hole to win the playoff.
Kim, a 22 year old South Korean with five career wins on the KLPGA claimed her first LPGA win and the $195,000 winner’s check.
New world No.1, Lydia Ko tied for seventh in her first tournament atop the rankings.
Batting third in the golf lineup today was the Champions Tour and while Paul Goydos didn’t hit a grand slam he play well enough to win at the Allianz Championship.
Gene Sauers had put some pressure on Goydos with two closing birdies to tie hem at eleven under par. Goydos needed a birdie at the final hole to earn his second career Champions Tour win and he didn’t disappoint.
His four at the par 5 eighteenth got him to twelve under par and one shot clear of Sauers. Goydos was his usual positive self afterwards.
“Statistics are a wonderful predictor of the past,” Goydos said. “Part of it is experience and maturity. If I played like I did today 10 years ago, I don’t think there’s any way I would have won this tournament. I didn’t have my best game, but I got it around.” Yes, he got it around; Goydos sees things his own way.
The main feature on this golf marathon Sunday was the PGA Tour and the Farmer’s Insurance Open. The week started with such anticipation as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson headlined the field on a course where both have had great success.
But Woods continued his yearlong nightmare of inconsistency with another withdrawal. It was his back this time that sent him home after eleven holes.
Phil was around a bit longer but not much. Thirty-six holes was all Phil could manage with a balky putter that was as painful to him as Tiger’s back was to him.
J.B. Holmes and Harris English started the day tied with a one shot lead over a quartet of golfers. Jimmy walker, Spencer Levin, Chad Campbell and Lucas Glover are all familiar names with Walker by far the hottest. But a win from the others would be billed as a victory of redemption. 
After a long day of back and forth and players bunching up at the top of the leaderboard J.B Holmes sat in the eighteenth fairway with 230 yards to the pin. He was tied with three players at nine under and needed birdie to win.
Surprisingly the long hitting Holmes laid up and was counting on his short game to get the needed bird. His wedge failed him and he was left with a 20 footer which failed to fall.
Harris English, who went for the green and landed in a greenside bunker got up and down for birdie and the two went off to a playoff with Jason Day and Scott Stallings who had finished earlier at nine under.
English and Stallings were sent packing after pars on the first playoff hole (18th) and Holmes and Day, both with birdies went to the sixteenth to continue the playoff.
Holmes airmailed the par 3 and needed three shots to hole out while Day tapped in his short par putt for the win.
This is Day’s third PGA win and he has battled injuries the past two seasons. The 27 year old Day moves to No.4 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
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