The stats that defined the PGA Tour in July

Golf

The stats that defined the PGA Tour in July

Published: 18 Aug. 2024, 15:00

Xander Schauffele smiles next to the Claret Jug trophy during a press conference following his two stroke victory in the final round of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon on July 21 in Troon, Scotland. [GETTY IMAGES]

Schauffele makes in two-in-a-row at Open Championship


Xander Schauffele played in 28 majors before he won his first one. Now he has two in his trophy case, and both came in very different manners.

When he won the PGA Championship at Valhalla in May, Schauffele held the solo lead after each of the first two rounds and was tied entering the final round. At Royal Troon, he had to come from behind on Sunday with a brilliant bogey-free 65 to earn the Claret Jug.

It was the first time since 1982 that Americans won all four majors. Schauffele trailed by four after the first round at Troon and six after the second but had closed the gap to just one entering the final round. And he kept giving himself chances on Sunday, hitting all but two greens in regulation and rolling in six birdie putts to win by two.

The victory at the Open Championship was Schauffele’s 12th top-10 finish in 18 starts this season. He is the only player to top-10 in all four majors with a tie for eighth at the Masters and join seventh at the U.S. Open to add to the two wins.


MacIntyre savours home victory at Genesis Scottish Open

Robert MacIntrye has given us two tearful and memorable victories in 2024. The first was his inaugural PGA Tour win at the RBC Canadian Open with his dad on the bag while the second came at the Genesis Scottish Open before an adoring crowd of countrymen.

Robert MacIntyre of Scotland poses with the Genesis Scottish Open trophy following victory during day four of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 14 in North Berwick, Scotland. [GETTY IMAGES]

MacIntyre joins World Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie as the only Scotsmen to win their home Open in the 42 years since it debuted in 1972.

The win, which was his second win in five starts, wasn’t assured until MacIntyre drained a clutch 22-foot putt on the 72nd hole to earn the one-stroke victory over Adam Scott. Since 2003, only six players had made a longer putt to win by a stroke on the PGA Tour.

MacIntyre, who had finished second at the Renaissance Club in 2023, played the final three holes in three under that Sunday. He gained a phenomenal two-and-a-half strokes on the field over the final five holes and hit a career-high 77.77 percent of his greens in regulation.

Hall joins winner’s room at ISCO Championship

Keene Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky has been good to first-time winners and the 2024 ISCO Championship was no exception. Harry Hall became the fourth straight when he chipped in from 45 feet, 6 inches to win a nail-biter of a five-man playoff on the third playoff hole.

Harry Hall of England reacts after chipping in for a birdie on the ninth green during the third playoff hole during the final round of the Kentucky Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club on July 14 in Nicholasville, Kentucky. [GETTY IMAGES]

The pressure-packed finish should come as no surprise. With the exception of the inaugural event in 2015, every ISCO Championship has been decided by one stroke or in a playoff.

Hall, who played collegiately at the University of Las Vegas, was the second first-time winner on Tour in as many weeks and the 10th of the season. He was in control of all facets of his game, too, finishing with a Strokes Gained: Total of +12.13, which was a career high.

The 26-year-old Englishman, who was making his 58th Tour start, shot 22 under, which was the best 72-hole total of his career. He was particularly accurate on the par 3s, playing them in five under. Hall ranked fourth in approach shots distance to the pin at 26 feet, 10 inches and fifth in putts with 106.

Vegas ends drought at 3M Open

Jhonattan Vegas picked up the third win of his career when he two-putted for birdie from 96 feet on the 72nd hole to beat Max Greyserman by a stroke at the 3M Open. In the process, he snapped a victory drought that was just two days shy of extending to seven years. That clutch birdie capped a remarkable week on the back nine at TPC Twin Cities for the affable man from Venezuela.

Vegas shot even par on Nos. 1-9 but was 17 under on the homeward nine. He gained 14.48 strokes on the field over that stretch, second only for a winner in the ShotLink era to Francesco Molinari’s +14.74 total at the 2018 Quicken Loans National. He became just the fifth player to have 20 birdies or better on the back nine in a four-round tournament since 2003.

Vegas, who turns 40 in less than a month, also finished +13.92 in Strokes Gained: Total, which was the second-best tally of his Tour career.

Hot putter helps Thompson win John Deere Classic

The John Deere Classic turned out to be a week of firsts for Davis Thompson — not the least of which was his debut victory on the PGA Tour. He also made a career-high 31 birdies or better (30 birdies and 1 eagle) at TPC Deere Run on the way to a 72-hole total of 28-under 256, which was a tournament record.

Maybe we should have seen it coming, though — Thompson made 19 birdies and two eagles in tying for second the previous week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He was 45 under for the two weeks’ work.

Not surprisingly, Thompson rolled them in from everywhere, making 404 feet, 2 inches of putts, the third best total for a winner this year. He gained 1.33 strokes around the green, which was second best by a John Deere Classic champ. He also hit 81.94 percent of his greens in regulation, the third best total of his career.


Dunlap shows his teeth again at Barracuda Championship

Nick Dunlap continued to make a case for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honours with a two-point win at the Barracuda Championship. The victory was his first as a pro but second this year on Tour after he won The American Express as an amateur.

Dunlap, who turned pro four days after his win at La Quinta, is the only player to win on Tour as an amateur and a pro in the same year. He’s the first to win twice in his rookie season since Xander Schauffele in 2014.

The 20-year-old posted the highest point total of 19 on Sunday at Tahoe Mountain Golf Club to seal his victory in the Modified Stableford event. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation on the way to making seven birdies and an eagle in the final round. He was tied for first in distance of putts made and ranked fifth in driving distance.

BY HELEN ROSS [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]