Westwood, Chalmers Headline Weekend of Worldwide Golf
- Dan Hauser
- 15 Dec, 2014
It might be the unofficial off season on the PGA Tour, but there is still plenty of meaningful golf being played around the world as the calendar gets closer and closer to changing over to 2015.
This past week, tournaments were being played in Australia, Thailand, as well as domestically in Naples and Orlando, Florida. Plus the Web.com tour still has their Qualifying School going on at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens which will wrap up on Tuesday.
The week featured a playoff in Australia, a star studded finish in Thailand, crazy shots in Naples, and a father/son challenge in Orlando featuring some of the legends of the game.
The biggest event, stature wise, was the Australian PGA Championship. The PGA of Australia’s final major of the season came down to the wire and featured a three way playoff that lasted seven holes between Greg Chalmers, Wade Ormsby, and former world number one Adam Scott.
After Ormsby was eliminated after the third playoff hole, both Scott and Chalmers had numerous opportunities to clinch the title before Chalmers finally won it on the seventh with a par after Scott three putted for bogey. In total, Scott has four different birdie opportunities during the playoff but failed to convert any of them.
”I didn’t hit it close enough today to the hole,” Scott said. ”It wasn’t like I missed 10 footers today all day long. When you hit it outside 25 feet, there is almost the same chance you are going to three-putt as two-putt on tour. You have to hit it closer.”
For Chalmers it was a long day just to get into the playoff in the first place. Starting the day seven shots off the lead, Chalmers shot an 8-under 64 to finish the day at 11-under. Then he had to wait as Ormsby and Scott finished their rounds to see if it would be good enough to get into a playoff. After all that, and the seven playoff holes, Chalmers completed 25 holes of golf on the final day in order to secure the victory.
”Just phenomenal, I’m worn out,” the 41-year-old Chalmers said. ”I was all over the place … really excited and thrilled.”
Westwood Wins Second Thailand Golf Championship
While that was going on “Down Under”, there was another down to the wire finish happening in Thailand in the Thailand Golf Championship between Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, and Marcus Fraser.
With just two holes to go, the three were tied at the top at 8-under. Kaymer bogeyed 17 and Fraser bogeyed 18 to give the Palm Beach Gardens resident his second Thailand Golf Championship title while he watched on from the clubhouse.
”I didn’t start well and I knew I needed to shoot good scores,” Westwood said. ”I played some really good shots and made a couple of safe putts, hit a lot of fairways. This win is more special than in 2011 as then I was having a big lead.”
All wasn’t lost for Fraser though. As a result of his tie for second, the Australian is now qualified to play in the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2015.
”That’s why I came up here to try and do – get one of those spots at the (British) Open at St Andrews next year so it’s great, I’m excited. I played there in 2005, the first major I ever played, and was jumping out of my skin on the first tee. But hopefully I will be a bit calmer next year,” Fraser said.
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
