LDN - Sports

Leishman rounds out Aussies' World Cup team

[October 17, 2016] By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange

--Adam Scott selected Marc Leishman as his teammate for Team Australia in the World Cup of Golf on Nov. 23-27 at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Heatherton, Victoria, Australia.

Leishman, who has six victories around the world in his pro career, replaces top-ranked Jason Day, who withdrew last week because of a back injury.

"I'm extremely excited about playing in the World Cup of Golf with Adam," said Leishman, a Victoria native who was PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2009. "I can't wait to represent my country back home in Australia. Also, my best to Jason for a quick recovery.

"(Kingston Heath) probably is in the top three (courses in the world), to be honest, along with Augusta National Golf Club and St. Andrews."

Day and Scott won the 2013 World Cup of Golf for Australia at Royal Melbourne, beating out Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman of the United States.

Kuchar and Gary Woodland claimed a record 24th title for the U.S. in 2011 at Mission Hills Golf Resort in Hainan Island, China.

--When Tiger Woods withdrew from the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., that meant that Max Homa, as first alternate, got into the field for the 2016-17 PGA Tour opener on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Homa, who played not far away at the University of California in Berkeley, recently earned his PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 25 of the Web.com Tour money list.

Homa expressed his thanks on Twitter: "Thanks Tiger. Next time we hang out, dinner's on me. Get back out here soon plz. Sincerely, Your biggest fan."

However, Homa was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, shooting 80-72--152 to miss the cut.

The previous time Homa played in a PGA Tour event was the 2015 Wyndham Championship, where he missed the cut. Coincidentally, that also was the last time Woods played in any tournament, tying for 10th before missing the last 14 months following two back procedures.

Homa lives in Santa Clarita, Calif., and he graduated from Valencia High before going to Cal, where he captured the 2013 NCAA Championship. He won twice on the Web.com Tour, the 2014 BMW Charity Pro-Am and the Rust-Oleum Championship earlier this year.

His best result in a PGA Tour event was a tie for sixth in the 2015 Sony Open in Hawaii.

--In Gee Chun of South Korea mathematically clinched the 2016 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award with six events remaining on the LPGA Tour schedule.

Chun's 778-point lead over Megan Khang would mark the third-largest margin of victory in the history of the award, trailing Karrie Webb of Australia over Mayumi Hirase of Japan in 1996 (1,030 points) and Se Ri Pak of South Korea over Janice Moodie of Scotland in 1999 (929 points).

"I feel very honored to have won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year," Chun said. "To play on the LPGA with all the top players in the world has been a dream of mine that I have been working toward, and in 2016 it came true.

"I was aware of the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award, and players that have won this award have gone on to be LPGA and World Golf Halls of Famers, such as Juli Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and of course Se Ri Pak, so to have my name alongside those players is a thrill for me."

Chun's rookie season was highlighted by her victory at the Evian Championship, the season's final major, where she set a major championship record -- male or female -- with a 72-hole score of 21 under par.

The Evian was Chun's second major title, as she also claimed the 2015 U.S. Women's Open before she was a member of the LPGA Tour.

Chun, 22, recorded nine additional top-10 finishes this season to rise to No. 3 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings.

[to top of second column]

Since its inception in 1962, nine winners of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year LPGA have reached the World Golf Hall of Fame -- Joanne Carner (1970), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Inkster (1984), Sorenstam of Sweden (1994), Webb (1996) and Pak of South Korea (1998).

--As expected, Dustin Johnson was selected 2015-16 PGA Tour Player of the Year in a vote of Tour members.

Johnson, who will receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, was chosen over Jason Day of Australia, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Adam Scott of Australia, Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

"You know, I'm very honored to receive the PGA Tour Player of the Year, also the Palmer Trophy and the Nelson Award," said Johnson, who claimed his first major title in the U.S. Open at Oakmont, and also won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW Championship during the FedExCup playoffs. "They're great honors.

"I don't even know if I ever even dreamed that this would be happening, but obviously it was a great season. I worked really hard on all parts of my game this whole year, and I'm going to continue to do that, you know, and just very blessed to be receiving all these awards. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to receive these."

The 32-year-old, who has at least one victory in nine consecutive PGA Tour seasons, joined Tiger Woods (2007) as the only player to win a major, a World Golf Championship and a FedExCup playoff event in the same season.

Johnson led the PGA Tour with 15 finishes in the top 10, including second in the RBC Canadian Open and third in the Shell Houston Open and the Memorial.

--Emiliano Grillo of Argentina was selected as the 2016 Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour by a vote of his peers.

Grillo received the award from deputy commissioner Jay Monahan of the PGA Tour before the Safeway Open, where Grillo unsuccessfully defended his first PGA Tour title last week.

"For him to win his first start as a member and to go on to qualify for the Tour Championship is truly an amazing rookie season," Manahan said. "With young stars like Emiliano and others playing and winning earlier than ever before, the PGA Tour is in tremendous hands for years to come."

Grillo, 24, is the third member of the touted high school class of 2011 to become the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year, joining Jordan Spieth (2013) and Daniel Berger (2015). He is the second Argentine to win the award, joining Andres Romero (2008).

Grillo defeated Kevin Na in a playoff at the 2015 Frys.com Open, now the Safeway Open, becoming the first player to win in his first start as an official PGA Tour member since Russell Henley at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Two weeks earlier, Grillo captured the Web.com Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card.

During the FedExCup playoffs, Grillo tied for second in The Barclays behind Patrick Reed and tied for 10th in the season-ending Tour Championship to finish 11th in the season-long point standings.

Grillo, who also finished eighth in the Olympic Games in Rio, beat out Smylie Kaufman, winner of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and Si Woo Kim, winner of the Wyndham Championship, for the Rookie of the Year award.

-----------------------------------------------

Back to top