Bad Lies
In a thrilling final day that included the completion of round three, Rory McIlroy won the Tour Championship at East Lake GC in Atlanta.
It was his third win in a season that saw him notch up 15 Top 10 finishes and he becomes only the second two-time winner of the FedEx Cup behind Tiger Woods. Plus he won a record $15 million bonus.
He started the Tour Championship five shots back from Justin Thomas and by the start of the final round, was one behind Brooks Koepka. Koepka struggled with his driving and putting on Sunday and Rory had a one-shot lead through nine. He shot 33 on the back nine, finishing with two birdies for a four-shot win on 18-under. Xander Schauffele was second on 14-under with Justin Thomas and Brooks Koekpa tied for third on 13-under. Louis Oosthuizen tied for 21st on 1-over.
In full flight there’s nothing more beautiful than watching Rory McIlroy play golf. His driving in the Tour Championship was spectacular. He hit over 20 drives in excess of 320 yards. And when he putts well he’s almost impossible to beat. It was good to see him go head to head against Brooks Koepka, the number golfer in the World, and win.
Final Top 10 Standings:
| Current | Name | | 1 | Rory McIlroy | | 2 | Xander Shauffele | | 3 | Brooks Koepka | | 4 | Justin Thomas | | 5 | Paul Casey | | 6 | Adam Scott | | 7 | Tony Finau | | 8 | Chez Reavie | | 9 | Kevin Kisner | | 9 | Hideki Matsuyama | | 9 | Patrick Reed | | 21 | Louis Oosthuizen | Click here for access to the full rankings list.
I spent the weekend in Walvis Bay…
I’ve always mentioned that golfers have the most beautiful playing fields. Some might wonder about my sanity if they imagine a golf course in Walvis Bay where there’s not a blade of grass on the fairways. Well, after a round of golf on this 9-hole course I stand by my belief.
They have grass tees and greens and it’s incredibly neat & tidy. It’s a wonderful place to play golf, meet people and enjoy the atmosphere of the club.
I was at the club with Schalk Burger Snr, Paul Harris and Jacques Burger to help raise money to pay their municipal account for water. It was a great success and we raised R120,000.00 in one day on a 9-hole golf course.
Namibia is definitely worth a visit. Wonderful people and so much to do that’s really different. Out of my window in the brand new hotel called the Blue Whale, on the one side I could see hundreds of pink flamingos and on the other side, the desert. Just down the road from Walvis is Swakopmund and Henties Bay, which are both worth a visit as well.
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When the Ball Hits Back… The European Tour has announced the introduction of a four-point plan to tackle slow play which will be introduced at the start of the new 2020 Season.
Their plan focuses on four areas - regulation, education, innovation and field sizes.
Regulation changes – if a player breaches the time allowance twice in a round, he will incur a one-shot penalty. There will also be substantially increased fines for players who are regularly placed ‘on the clock’ throughout the season, as well as reduced times for players to play shots.
Education - Players will be required to pass a rules test as part of their conditions of membership, while new members will be allocated a dedicated referee to educate them on pace of play policies at the start of their European Tour careers.
Technology - a new ‘Pace of Play’ timing system will be put into trial next month which will provide referees with the precise times for every group through every hole. The system will display on each tee so players will have the information on hand regarding their position in relation to the group in front.
Field Sizes – The Tour will commit to reducing the size of fields where possible to 144 players and will also increase the intervals between starting times in the last two rounds of tournaments.
You can click here to read what Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, had to say on the pending changes.
The plan might not be perfect but it’s something, and it draws attention to the issue, so hopefully with a few tweaks over time it will have a positive impact on the pace of play.
The Denis Hutchinson Tribute Tour with
Dale Hayes
Our visit to Bloem two weeks ago was great fun. They had a golf day in the afternoon which was followed by our Q&A in the evening.
Hutch & I answering questions | | | 
Winners of the Golf Day – (from L to R) – Wiaan van Zyl; Hutch & Hoski Linde | | | 
Runners-up – Paul Dean & Brian Nel with Hutch |
If you would like to join us at an event this week, we will be at the Country Club Johannesburg on Thursday. Otherwise a list of some of our "open" events can be found below.
If your Club is interested in hosting an event, contact Paul Adams on 072-333-1886 / paul@golfnotions.co.za for details.
Click to enlarge
Around the world
• Well done Erik van Rooyen! After standing in the wings for most of the year, he finally picked up his maiden European Tour win at the Scandinavian Invitation at the Hills Golf & Sports Club in Gothenburg, Sweden. He birdied the last for a second successive 64 and won SA’s 150th title on the European Tour. He finished on 19-under 261, one clear of Matthew Fitzpatrick who had set the clubhouse target at 18-under after his own 64. Henrik Stenson and Dean Burmester tied for third on 14-under. Haydn Porteous tied for 29th on 9-under. Unbelievably, there was a 62 in every round of this event with Wade Ormsby in round 1, Henrik Stenson in round 2, Dean Burmester in round 3 and Sam Horsfield in round 4.
• Jin Young Ko won her fourth LPGA title of the season at the CP Women’s Open at the Magna GC in Ontario. She started the final round in a tie for the lead and then shot an 8-under 64 on Sunday to win by five on 26-under 262. The first four bogey free rounds on the Tour since 2015. Co-overnight leader Broch Larsen finished second on 21-under and defending champion, Brooke Henderson tied for third with Lizette Salas (who also shot 64) on 19-under. Lee-Anne Pace had people scratching their heads after she withdrew with a back injury after making a 9 on the 14th hole on Saturday. Despite the on-going back injury she is leading a season long competition called the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, which takes the two best scores each week on a predetermined hole. The winner will take home $ 1 million. The problem is that that she withdrew after making a 9 on this weeks designated hole and her withdrawal means the score for the week won’t count, keeping her in the lead. She does however need to play in 40 events to qualify and so far she only has 35 events that count. She said after the round; “I know what it looks like, but I can guarantee that’s not the case. It’s all legitimate. It just happened to happen there, on that hole. I understand what people are going to think. They’re going to think what they think, but I feel, under the circumstances, I did the right thing, to not keep playing with a bad back.”
• Carly Booth returned to the winners circle after seven years, picking up her third LET title at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. She shot rounds of 68-69-70 at the Karlstein Golf Club to win on 9-under 207, one clear of Sanna Nuutinen, Anais Meysonnier, Charlotte Thompson and Hayley Davis. Stacy Bregman tied for 31st on level par.
• Brandt Jobe came from seven off the lead of Fred Couples to win the Boeing Classic. He shot a final round 9-under 63 at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge to win his second Champions Tour title, on 18-under 198. Tom Pernice Jr. shot a 65 to finish second on 15-under while Fred Couples, sadly shot a 76 to tie for third alongside Jerry Kelly on 12-under. Retief Goosen tied for 16th on 8-under.
• Matthew NeSmith claimed a one-shot victory at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco thanks to a birdie at the last. He shot a 7-under 64 on Sunday and won on 19-under 265, one clear of Viktor Hovland and Brandon Hagy. He has now secured his PGA Tour Card for the new season. Dawie van der Walt tied for 11th on 13-under & Justin Harding tied for 43rd on 8-under. Only one event remains to be played to determine the remaining 25 PGA Tour Cards up for grabs.
• Ockie Strydom ended an 11-time runner-up record with a win the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen Golf Club. He shot a final round 6-under 66 and won by 6-shots on 16-under 200. Thriston Lawrence finished second while Riekus Nortje, Michael Palmer, Luke Jerling and Chris Swanepoel tied for third on 8-under.
• Darius van Driel won the Challenge Tour’s Rolex Trophy at Golf Club de Genève. Seven shots off the lead through 36-holes, he then shot rounds of 63-64 to win by one on 23-under 265. Cormac Sharvin also shot a 64 to finish second and there was a four-way tie for third on 20-under with overnight leader Ricardo Santos; Richard Bland, Calum Hill and Daan Huizing. Bryce Easton tied for 11th at 14-under.
• Werner Deyzel won the IGT’s Chase to #4 at Services Golf Club. He shot rounds of 71-71-67 to win by one on 7-under 209. Caylum Boon was second on 6-under and Divan Marais third on 5-under.
• Ryo Ishikawa made it two wins in a row on the Japan Tour at the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational SEGASAMMY Cup 2019 at The North Country Club. He finished on 20-under 268 after a final round 4-under 68 and won by four shots over Juvic Pagunsan. Scott Vincent tied for 15th on 10-under.
• Kian Rose won the Qualifier for the American Junior Golf Association Pinehurst Junior with a 3-under-par 69 at the Country Club of Whispering Pines in North Carolina. At the AJGA Pinehurst Junior on the Dogwood Course at the Country Club of North Carolina he then finished third overall on 1-over 217, four behind the winner, Allan Kournikova.
• Chloe Royston won the Southern Cape Open at George GC. She finished on 3-over par, winning by one over Jordan Rothman & Zethu Myeki. Chloe Malgas-Kelpin won the B-Division on 22-over & Ingrid Walker won the C-Division on 67pts.
• The US Team for the Solheim Cup is almost finalised. The US Captains Picks will be named later today but the rest of the team is now confirmed as Brittany Altomare, Angel Yin, Annie Park, Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lizette Salas, Jessica Korda, Marina Alex and Megan Khang.
Who’s up this week?
(Please note that this is the entry list as at Monday & is subject to change)
• EUROPEAN TOUR – Omega European Masters – Dean Burmester; Haydn Porteous; Darren Fichardt; Brandon Stone; Trevor Immelman; Richard Sterne; Zander Lombard; Erik van Rooyen; Jacques Kruyswijk; Christiaan Bezuidenhout; Justin Walters; Jaco van Zyl; Louis de Jager; Wilco Nienaber
• LPGA – Cambia Portland Classic – Lee-Anne Pace
By the rules
Handicaps Network Africa August News
Nine-hole scores
Nine-hole competitions and nine-hole rounds are becoming increasingly popular globally. This is mainly due to the time it takes to play 18 holes, but also due to personal preferences. As such, 9-hole scores are an important part of the handicap calculation.
We are sure you have noticed that, at many courses, one nine plays harder than the other nine. To ensure that the Handicap Indexes are as close as possible to the golfer's ability, we will be introducing nine-hole Course Handicaps and a revised nine-hole handicap score calculation on the 1st October 2019. This will be in line with that required under the World Handicap System Rules coming in January 2020.
The basics: what you need to do when playing nine holes
From the 1st October, simply look up your 9-hole Course Handicap, which is what you will play off for the nine you elect to play. When entering your score, use your 9-hole Course Handicap to adjust your maximum score on any hole that you blow out on and enter this Adjusted Gross Score for nine holes – the system will do the rest.
Detailed explanation of the change to 9-hole score calculations on 1 October 2019
The current 9-hole system:
Our current 9-hole handicap calculation takes the nine-hole Adjusted Gross Score you enter and the Slope of the tee you played off, and then adds par for the second nine, plus half your handicap strokes, resulting in an 18-hole Adjusted Gross score.
The actual calculation is as follows:
9-Hole Score Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score for 9 holes x 113/Slope Rating + second nine par + 0.5 x Course Handicap) - Course Rating.
Future World Handicap System:
When all the courses in South Africa were rated with the USGA Course Rating System, a Course and Slope Rating for each nine, as well as for the overall course, was determined and is currently published on the HNA website. As of October 01, we will now use these 9-hole ratings to determine your nine-hole Course Handicap.
Example:
On some courses, although par is the same on each nine, the Course Rating and Slope can be very different. For example, if we look at Randpark Firethorn, the par-72 course where the 2019 SA Open was played, we can see that the White course for Men has a CR/SR of 36.0/132 for the front 9 and 37.7/139 for the back nine, with an overall rating of 73.8/136. So the 18-hole Course Rating is 73.8/136, but it is different by 1.7 shots on each nine and the Slope rating varies by 7.
Therefore, if a golfer at Randpark always plays the harder nine, with a CR of 37.7/139, under our existing system of just using the 18-hole Course Rating, they would have a Handicap Index higher than it should be.
From the 1st October 2019, if you are going to play nine holes you will first need to look up your nine-hole Course Handicap, in the same way that you currently look up your 18-hole Course Handicap. You will able to do this on the HNA phone app, handicap terminal or from the Club System or a Course Handicap Chart at the course.
This 9-hole Course Handicap will then be used by you to enter your Adjusted Gross Score for the nine holes (adjusted for the maximum score allowed on any hole). When you then enter this 9-hole Adjusted Gross Score into the handicap system, it will automatically be converted in to an 18-hole differential on your handicap score history by adding par plus your remaining handicap strokes for the second nine, plus 1 extra shot.
9-hole differential = ((9 Hole Adjusted Gross Score – 9 hole CR) x 113/9-hole Slope rating)
So, the full formula to convert your 9-hole score into an 18-hole differential will be:
((Adjusted Gross Score – 9-hole CR) x 113/9-hole SR)
+
((2nd Nine Par + Player's 2nd Nine CH Strokes + 1) – 2nd Nine CR))
Please note that if you don't want to adjust your scores or you are not sure about what to enter for your handicap score, you can enter your hole-by-hole scores on the app, terminal, or HNA website. The system will then adjust your scores for the maximum allowed on a hole, according to your Course Handicap, and enter your Adjusted Gross Score for you.
This 9-hole change, along with all the other changes to be introduced, will be further covered closer to the time, and the revised Handicap Rules will also be circulated prior to the implementation date.
If you would like any further information or background on 9-hole scoring or any other aspect of the Handicap Rules, please email us at editor@handicaps.co.za.
The Round Golf Podcast
This week on The Round Golf Podcast with Richard Kaufman he interviews Mel Reid.
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The last in the series of the Round Golf Podcast and a great way to bring it to a conclusion, with a golfer who has a fascinating story. When you go through the career of Mel Reid, you realise that for a player still only in her early thirties, she has gone through a lifetime of experiences.
This interview reveals what she made of being part of the Clive Woodward experiment and the high expectations she felt on turning pro. She talks openly of the confidence she so clearly exudes off the course but which she lacks when playing. She speaks about the car crash that so affected her life and why she is only just coming to terms with losing her mother in such tragic circumstances.
She gives her thoughts on what it means to play in the Solheim Cup and why missing out will hurt. And tells us where she thinks golf stands with regards to gender equality in sport. And why now was the time she decided to take the leap to live in the United States and to come out publicly and say she was gay.
And the culmination of all that change that led to the round, this summer, where she achieved her best finish in a major championship .... so far. Because if the last decade and more of Mel's life and career have shown anything, there is plenty still to come.
Make sure you click on this link tomorrow, to access the podcast or you can subscribe to the podcast on itunes.
On Tour with Dale Dale Hayes Golf appreciates the ongoing support of City Lodge.
Golf Management Campus  |
Make golf your Major at the Golf Management Campus
Is it your dream to…Play on the Tour? Manage a golf club? Be a golf director? Be a club Professional? Be a golf coursesuperintendent?
We are starting to recruit students for 2020 for the following courses: -
• 3-year Internationally recognised PGA Diploma Course
• Game Improvement Programme (Part Time or Full Time)
• Preparation for a Career as a Tour Player
• Sports Turf Maintenance
We have a host of extremely experienced lecturers and coaches from the guru’s in the golf business, including: Dale Hayes & Dennis Bruyns - PGA Master Professionals; Elsabe Hefer - PGA Top 25 Teacher & Fellow PGA Member; Francois Viljoen - PGA Fellow Professional & Programme Director; Theo Bezuidenhout Consulting - Sports Psychologists & Dwayne Coetzee - Golf Equipment Technology Specialist.
Contact Francois Viljoen for more information or a Tour of the facilities on (012) 654-1144 / 072 224 2456 / mentor@golfmanagementcampus.co.za or visit www.golfmanagementcampus.co.za. The Driving Range
This month Elsabe Hefer looks at tips for lady golfers.
This week she looks at how ball position can help you to get the ball in the air with your iron shots.
Elsabe Hefer is a Fellow Member of the PGA; a former Gauteng North PGA Teacher of the Year and PGA Top 20 Teacher. She is the Head Teaching Professional at Zwartkop Country Club.
And to finish off… The rare hole-in-one, the most perfect fluke ever, it’s the best feeling in golf. Celebrate – get the certificate and have bragging rights forever! For further information and to join, contact Margaret on (012) 654-1144 or click here to send an email.
As we said farewell to Tom Watson playing the Senior Open Championship, I thought I’d share some of his memorable quotes:
“My golf swing is a bit like ironing a shirt. You get one side smoothed out, turn it over and there is a wrinkle on the other side. Then you iron that one out, turn over and there is yet another wrinkle.”
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