The 148th Open Championship
The winner of the Gold Medal and the Champion Golfer of the Year is Shane Lowry.
After grabbing a share of the 36-hole lead at Royal Portrush Golf Club, the Irishman shot the round of the tournament on Saturday, a bogey-free 8-under 63.
In conditions that got downright nasty on Sunday, Lowry, propelled home by the boisterous cheers of the fans, went on to win his first career major championship by six strokes.
On the 18th green, runner-up Tommy Fleetwood was visibly disappointed at falling short in his bid to capture a major championship, but he embraced the jubilant Lowry with a big hug in a brilliant display of sportsmanship that seems to permeate throughout the brotherhood of European players.
One look at the final leaderboard and it was obvious which players were accustomed to playing links golf in windy, rainy conditions. Six of the top 10 players come from Ireland, England or Scotland.
Lowry has done almost all of his winning in Europe. Four of his five career victories have come in Europe, with the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational his lone win stateside.
These are the clubs Shane Lowry used to win the 148th Open Championship (As reported by PGATOUR):
Barbasol Championship
Across the pond from The Open Championship at Royal Portrush was a PGA Tour event in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Played at Keene Trace Golf Club, Jim Herman’s 26-under edged Kelly Kraft by 1 stroke to win the Barbasol Championship.
Jim claimed a putting tip from President Donald Trump was the catalyst for his win. Switching to a traditional putting grip, Herman holed 24 birdies and two eagles against 2 bogies throughout the tournament.
Some may discount Herman’s win, stating that he beat a weakened field with the top professionals playing in the major; however, opposite-field PGA Tour tournaments like the Barbasol serve a very important purpose and are fiercely competitive.
Winning the Barbasol carries most of the same perks as winning a non-opposite event, a sizeable payout, a two-year exemption, entry into the Tournament of Champions, and a spot in the PGA Championship. However, it does not earn the player an automatic invitation to the following year’s Masters.
Herman’s only other PGA Tour win came in 2016 at the Shell Houston Open. These are the clubs Jim Herman used to win the Barbasol Championship (As reported by PGATOUR):
Mizuno JPX 900 Tour 4-9
Shaft:
KBS Tour 125 S+
Bettinardi DASS BB8 Mid
Keith Schneider
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