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Whew. Did you bask that offseason? Ten days aft the PGA Tour wrapped up its 2021 season, the caller 1 begins Thursday successful Napa, California, with the Fortinet Championship, the archetypal of 47 events connected the calendar.
But earlier diving into a caller year, it’s worthy taking a speedy locomotion down representation lane connected the play that was.
Player of the Year
Most seasons, it’s beauteous obvious. But for 2021, you could marque a compelling statement for Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa oregon Jon Rahm.
Rahm won the U.S. Open and had an eye-popping 15 top-10 finishes. Morikawa won twice, including a dominating triumph astatine the British Open and a World Golf Championship event, portion Cantlay had the astir wins with four. But determination are immoderate asterisks successful those numbers.
One of Cantlay’s wins was astatine the Memorial, wherever Rahm had a dominating six-shot pb done 3 rounds but was forced to retreat erstwhile helium tested affirmative for COVID. Another triumph came astatine the Tour Championship, but the staggered scoring strategy gave him a pb earlier the archetypal changeable had been struck. The existent debased scores for the week belonged to Kevin Na and, yes, Rahm.
In the authoritative grounds it’s 4 wins for Cantlay and 1 for Rahm. In the unofficial record, it’s 2 wins for Cantlay and 3 for Rahm. That, and the champion closing 2 holes of the twelvemonth astatine the U.S. Open, tips the scales to Rahm.
Best Tournament
No statement here. It was the PGA Championship, hands down. What Phil Mickelson did astatine Kiawah Island for 4 days successful May was legendary, astatine 51 becoming the oldest antheral to triumph a large championship.
It’s a triumph that came retired of nowhere. Mickelson has been a ammunition of his erstwhile aforesaid for astatine slightest 5 years, truthful the PGA became an lawsuit wherever you simply wondered erstwhile helium would falter. It wasn’t until the backmost 9 connected Sunday wherever it became evident this fairy communicative was meant to be.
Best Shots
Lots travel to mind, but the 2 shots that mattered astir were lone 42 feet successful magnitude — Rahm’s past 2 putts to triumph the U.S. Open. On the 17th, helium made a 24-footer with six feet of interruption to necktie for the lead, past connected 18 curled successful an 18-footer with 2 feet of break. Neither was easy, particularly considering the unit situation, but some were dormant halfway for the win.
Chip Shots
— The CJ Cup is conscionable 4 weeks distant astatine the Summit Club, but the PGA Tour inactive has not announced plans for tickets for the event. With 72 of the apical players successful the satellite making up the field, request volition beryllium high. Tournament manager Andre da Silva says the PGA Tour is successful the process of finalizing the on-sale information.
— Hopefully, Ryder Cup skipper Steve Stricker was much honorable with Kevin Na privately than helium was publically astir wherefore Na was near disconnected the team. Stricker opted for a winless Scottie Scheffler for his last captain’s prime alternatively of Na, a victor successful each of the past 4 seasons and 1 of the hottest players successful play implicit the past 2 months.
Stricker said Na finished beardown but wasn’t bully capable for the season. That’s laughably false. Hopefully, Stricker told Na the truth: The Ryder Cup is being played astatine Whistling Straits, which is simply a bomber’s course. Scheffler hits it a ton, portion Na ranks 170th successful driving region connected tour.
— Sean Solodovnick bushed Tim Peterson 3 and 1 successful the title lucifer to assertion the 2021 Southern Nevada Chapter PGA Match Play Championship astatine Coyote Springs Golf Club. It was rather a comeback for Solodovnick, who was 5-down aft 5 holes. Troy Helseth topped Greg Morris 4 and 2 successful the third-place match.
— Las Vegas Golf Club is hosting Hacker’s Paradise, a two-person scramble connected Sunday, Sept. 26. Cost is $118 per squad and includes golf, luncheon and a tee gift. The lawsuit begins astatine 7:45 a.m. with a shotgun start.
Greg Robertson covers play for the Review-Journal. He tin beryllium reached astatine grobertson@reviewjournal.com .
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