Around The World
In a tournament that will likely be remembered far more for its events of Friday than those of its Monday finish, Zach Johnson rallied to claim his second PGA Tour win of 2013, beating Nick Watney by two at the BMW Championship. But while there was plenty of excitement during the rain-delayed finish, it was indeed Friday which stole the show, highlighted by Jim Furyk becoming only the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59, as he posted 11 birdies, one eagle and a bogey over the par-71 Conway Farms layout. The epic round also launched Furyk into the halfway lead, though most storylines beyond the 59 itself were overshadowed by another rules infraction involving world number one Tiger Woods, in this case Woods’ failure to acknowledge the movement of his ball while removing a loose impediment – a move which Hall-of-Famer Johnny Miller later suggested would “raise some eyebrows” among Woods’ fellow players. Remarkably, Woods recovered from this potentially image-shattering incident with a strong 66 on Saturday to creep within four of the lead before - per his recent pattern - fading on Sunday to tie for 15th. Furyk, meanwhile, posted a 69 on Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard, one ahead of Steve Stricker (who carded a third-round 64), two up on defending FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker and three ahead of Johnson, who’d been lingering quietly after opening with a Thursday 64. The leaders never got on the golf course Sunday before heavy rains terminated the day’s play, but Furyk managed to keep his momentum going into the final nine on Monday, remaining atop the board through the first 10 holes. Eventually, however, three subsequent bogeys would result in his failing to hold a final-round lead for the sixth consecutive time, opening the door for both Johnson and Watney to make their moves. Watney, for his part, posted seven birdies (and a bogey) among his first 14 holes but could only find one last birdie down the stretch, coming home with a Sunday-low 64. Johnson, meanwhile, played flawless golf, carding clinching birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to complete a 65 and claim the title..................Twenty-seven-year-old Joost Luiten became the second native of The Netherlands to win his national title since the dawning of the European Tour, and the first to claim two E Tour titles in a single season, by winning the KLM Open on the first hole of sudden death over Miguel Angel Jimenez. Luiten, who nearly won this event as a 21-year-old Challenge Tour player in 2007, had trailed the 49-year-old Jimenez (the event’s 1994 champion) and Pablo Larrazabal by three after 36 holes before sweeping into the lead with a Saturday 66 in windy, rainy conditions. He then birdied two of his first five holes on Sunday but still lost ground as Jimenez birdied four of his opening six, setting up a back nine duel that included an untimely bogey by Jimenez at the 15th, and both men eventually finishing bogey-par to deadlock on 12-under-par 268. Thus back to the 18th tee of the links-like H.S. Colt-designed Kennemer Golf & Country Club they went, and when Jimenez drove into the right rough and ultimately made bogey from the fringe, Luiten was able to claim his third (and most popular) E Tour victory with a routine par………………Thailand's 46-year-old Thaworn Wiratchant won for the 15th time on the Asian Tour and for the second time in this event, closing with a four-under-par 68 to claim the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taiwan. Playing over the same Linkou International Golf & Country Club course over which he won the tournament's inaugural playing in 2010, Wiratchant began Sunday's final round one stroke behind American rookie Chan Kim but made his move early, carding four birdies (against one bogey) over his first six holes, then adding one more birdie at the par-4 13th to get to 13 under par. The long-hitting Chan, meanwhile, had begun his Sunday with an eagle (at the par-5 1st) and three birdies over his first 10 holes to retain the lead. But with the pressure to claim his maiden victory mounting, Chan stumbled badly, bogeying the 14th, 15th and 16th holes in rapid succession to fall one back of Wiratchant, then failed to to post a needed birdie at the 17th or 18th to lose by one. Angelo Que of the Philippines, who posted a closing 66 (the day's low round) claimed solo 3rd, four shots back..................Andrew Curlewis waited more than six years between his first and seconds Sunshine Tour victories, but he only had to wait seven days between his second and third, claiming his his second straight win at the Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament in Parys. Playing in windy conditions during Friday’s third and final round, Curlewis rallied from a four-stroke 36-hole deficit by carding the day’s low round, a four-under-par 68, to get in the clubhouse on seven-under-par 209. Second-round leader Lyle Rowe then came to the par-5 18th needing a birdie to secure his maiden victory but, after pulling his second shot left, could do no better than five and a playoff. Playing the 18th again, Rowe hit his second shot into the reeds along the Vaal River, allowing Curlewis to clinch victory with a two-putt birdie after he reached the green in two. Daniel Greene and Ulrich van den Berg shared third after closing rounds of 70 and 71 respectively, while Michael Hollick rounded out the top five by finishing with a 71. The victory boosted the long struggling Curlewis into 18th on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit as the Tour prepared for several lucrative E Tour co-sanctioned events coming in late autumn.