Is Rhys ready for the Ryder Cup?

Rhys Davies might have lost out on winning the Madrid Masters, but the young Welshman will no doubt have given Europe’s Ryder Cup skipper Colin Montgomerie some food for thought following his performance in pushing eventual winner Luke Donald all the way.

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Tom Lehman wins first Senior Major

Former US Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman won the Senior Tour’s first Major of the season with a victory in the Senior PGA Championship at the Colorado Golf Club. It was his first attempt at a Major on the over-50s Tour.

Lehman carded a solid, if unspectacular round of 71 to see off David Frost and tournament favourite Freddie Couples, who shot rounds of 67 and 69 respectively but neither was enough to overtake Lehman, who had led the field overnight and the three men would fight out the title in a sudden-death playoff.

Lehman was the only player in the 155-strong field to card four sub-par rounds in the tournament and although playing far from faultless golf, dug deep when it really mattered.

After being caught in regulation holes by both Frost and Couples, Lehman was forced to contest a three-way playoff down the 18th hole. However, with Lehman playing in regulation behind both Frost and Couples, the pair would have an anxious wait for Lehman to finish his round.

That wait had considerable bearing on the outcome, as both Frost and Couples played the 18th like Sunday afternoon duffers to each record a double-bogey and hand the title to Lehman, who ran up a solid par.

Mark O’Meara finished in fourth place after closing with a 71, while Nick was fifth.

Record-breaking Zach Johnson beats Davis to Colonial win

Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson denied Englishman Brian Davis a PGA Tour win with a record-breaking display in the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

Davis, who forfeited the chance of an earlier win at the Heritage Classic, held a one-shot lead heading into the final nine holes after birdies at the first, second, sixth and seven holes had moved the London player to 19-under par.

But Davis couldn’t maintain that momentum over the closing nine and it was Johnson who stormed through the pack to record the win. Johnson’s second successive round of 64 gave him a three-shot victory, but things might have been different had the weather not taken a hand in the finish.

After seeing a par putt lip out on the 14th hole, Johnson pulled his tee-shot on the 15th into the right-hand rough. Before he had had a chance to play his second shot, the players were called off the course due to a threat of electrical storms in the area. That break in the play was enough for Johnson to refocus his thoughts and when play resumed, Johnson found the green with his second and holed a 20-footer for birdie to get back in front.

For Davis those birdies just wouldn’t come and a run of ten straight pars before a closing bogey allowed Johnson in to record the win. Johnson went two in front of the Englishman after a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th before a second weather-break was called.

45 minutes later, Johnson made par on the last to win his first tournament since the Valero Texas Open in 2009. Johnson’s total of 21 under is a record score for the Texas tournament; the final leg of the PGA Tour’s Texas Swing.

Davis finished alone in the runners-up spot, one shot ahead of Jeff Overton and tipster pick Ben Crane; the duo tied on 17-under par while Scott Verplank and Bryce Molder were a further shot behind.

US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin shot a second successive 67 and his third in four days to tie for seventh place with Ricky Barnes while Boo Weekly finished in ninth place. There was a three-way tie for tenth spot, with Scotland’s Martin Laird sharing with United States’ Pat Perez and another tipster pick, Bo Van Pelt.

Paul Casey finished in a tie for 13th place following a round of 66, but there was disappointment for Ian Poulter who finished with a round of 76 to prop up the leaderboard on 7-over par, four shots adrift of second bottom, Charlie Wi

Four-year wait ends as Luke Donald triumphs in Madrid

Luke Donald brought the curtain down on a four-year barren spell after grinding out a one-shot victory in the Madrid Masters. Donald, who went into the final day tied for the lead with Wales’ Rhys Davies showed none of the mental brittleness the player has previously shown – most recently when failing to convert a strong position into a win at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – to leave the YourGolfTravel tipster with a little egg on his face.

Just eight days ago, Donald carded a double-bogey seven on the penultimate hole at Wentworth when seemingly having one hand on the trophy. But this time around, Donald ground out the win after being pushed all the way; first by Italian Francesco Molinari and then by Wales’ Rhys Davies.

In a tight battle throughout the final round, Donald and Davies traded blows as the Englishman time and again sneaked in front only to be pegged back by the Welshman, and with just three holes to play the pair were tied together. It was at the 16th hole where the pendulum swung in the Englishman’s favour – but only after Molinari had made an eagle to join the pair on 19-under par at the top of the leaderboard.

With both men hitting good drives down the 16th fairway, it was Donald who produced the better approach and his fairway wood came to rest just 12 feet from the flag, while Davies’ ball caught the rough off to the right of the green. Davies got down in two from his position for birdie, but could only watch as Donald sank his eagle putt to regain the lead.

Pars followed on the 17th, and going down the last hole Davies still had a chance of a play-off if he made birdie. It wasn’t to be, however, as his birdie putt was never given a chance of falling into the cup and it was left to Donald to role in a tricky four-footer for the win.

After last year’s Open Championship at Turnberry, where he came fifth, an American writer coined the term ‘Luke Donald disease’, referring to the Englishman as the perfect example of a number of British players on the Tours who earn a lot of money but do not win very often.

But now Donald – and indeed others – have given cause to silence the critics. Speaking of that article, Donald said:

“It was a bad article – it’s wrong. I don’t listen to my critics too much, but it was frustrating for myself not having won for four years.”

Donald’s win earned him £215,000 and pushed him into the top 10 players on the world rankings, joining fellow Englishmen Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.

Francesco Molinari had to settle for third place on his own, while Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell finished fourth after a round of 65. Another Englishman, Robert Rock, finished fifth while Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher continued his revival of fortunes with a battling tied-sixth place.

Brian Davis leads the way in The Colonial

England’s Brian Davis shot a second successive round of 65 to share the lead in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Davies, who is still searching for his first PGA Tour win will be hoping karma plays a part and gives him some just reward after the player famously called a penalty on himself during his playoff with Jim Furyk at Hilton Head.

Since then, Davis has missed three cuts but has returned to form this week and now ties for the lead after the third round on 16-under par alongside Bryce Molder.

Molder, who shot a second round 62, held onto his overnight lead following a 67, but playing partner Jason Bohn dropped into a three-way tie for fourth place which includes Jeff Overton and one of the YourGolfTravel tipster’s picks in Ben Crane, who shot a second successive 64.

Zach Johnson shot a round of 64 to take third spot in his own, while another three-way tie for seventh sees Bill Haas, Boo Weekley and Kris Blanks locked together on 13-under par.

Bo Van Pelt, the second of the YGT tipster trio is also in the hunt, but has some work to do after a third round 65 left him in a tie for tenth place on 12-under par. Bo’s three rounds have been 67-66-65 so our tipster will be hoping Van Pelt can keep up that sequence with a 64 – or better – today!

Van Pelt shares 10th spot with John Merrick and US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin.

Hard luck story of the third round comes courtesy of Korea’s KJ Choi, who carded a quadruple bogey on the last hole, but still managed to go round in just 66. That last hole collapse might well have robbed Choi of the title.

England’s Paul Casey and SCotland’s Martin Laird were in a group of players tied for 28th, at eight under, after strong rounds of 66 but Ian Poulter props up the leaderboard, some 17 shots off the pace after a three-over 73.

But with 21 players within six shots of Davis and Molder heading into today’s final round, its sure to be an exciting finish! It could even be an English double if Davis wins and Luke Donald – who shares the lead after the third round of the Madrid Masters – records a first Tour win in four years. Donald however faces stiff opposition from Welshman Rhys Davies, while Italian Francesco Molinari is poised to strike, laying just two shots behind.

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