Golftrade.net

01/07/2025

Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im won the team format Dow Championship on Sunday, edging the American pair of Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang in a playoff at Midland Country Club.

With the win, Lee and Im both became Rolex First-Time Winners in their second year on the LPGA Tour. The Dow Championship is the LPGA Tour’s only official team event, where Rounds 1 and 3 are played using the foursomes (alternate shot) format, while Rounds 2 and 4 are contested in four-ball (best ball).

Lee and Im had finished regulation play with a combined score of 20-under-par 260, following an eight-under-par 62 in the final day four-ball. Playing three groups ahead, Thompson and Khang had earlier signed in a superb 10-under-par 60 to set the clubhouse target.

Both Lee and Im missed birdie putts on the final green for the outright win, forcing the playoff which reverted to alternate shot and was contested at the par-three closing hole. The Korean pair prevailed when Im hit her tee shot to eight feet of the pin and Lee made the putt, before Khang missed her five-foot birdie attempt on the low side.

This was the first playoff at the Dow Championship since the tournament’s inception in 2019.

“I can’t believe it. Last year we were in our rookie season, and the LPGA is very tough and different than KLPGA. Now we are winners, so I’m so happy,” said Lee, who was making her second start in the Dow Championship following a T23 finish partnering compatriot Haeran Ryu last year.

This was Im’s maiden appearance in the Dow Championship. Both players were prolific winners on the Korea LPGA Tour, with Im winning six times and Lee being a five-time champion on the domestic circuit.

Playing a limited schedule since the start of this year, Thompson has not won on the LPGA Tour since picking up her 11th tour title at the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic. The Dow Championship was her eighth tournament this year.

American Lindy Duncan and China’s Miranda Wang carded the day’s low score of 59, moving up into tied third place on 18-under-par 262 with the Belgian-French pair of Manon De Roey and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard who closed with a 64.

54-hole leaders Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland and Sarah Schmelzel of the USA closed with a 66 and settled for outright fifth place on 17-under-par 263. 2024 champions Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and Ruoning Yin of China finished tied 27th on 12-under-par 268.

Following a one-week break, the LPGA Tour heads to Europe for a three-event swing which includes the final two Majors of the 2025 season – The Amundi Evian Championship (July 10-13) at Evian Resort in France and the AIG Women’s Open (July 31-August 3) at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

01/07/2025

Chipping in the Basket: A New Challenge for the June Skills Competition Organized by Protouch Golf Academy on June 29
The Protouch Golf Academy hosted Chipping competition, which is the 1082 Skills Competition, on Sunday, June 29. Many junior golfers took part in the day’s competition to display their chipping skills.
Though the Bunker Shot Competition was supposed to be organized today, on June 29, it was cancelled and replaced by Chipping due to inclement weather.
Participants competed across three categories—Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced—with the challenge focused on chipping in a total of six balls over two rounds into a basket.
Playing two rounds, Kiaan Chakraborty won the Beginners’ category. Three rounds of exciting play-offs followed to decide the runner up, after which novice Bishanko Das and Vivan Jalan finished tied second in the Beginners’ category.
The competition that unfolded among the participants of the Intermediate category was exciting. Four rounds of play-offs were incapable to decide one winner. Ultimately, Aativeer Jain and Ujaan Chakraborty jointly won the Intermediate category.
Five consecutive rounds of play-off followed but again, the runner up in the Intermediate category could not be decided, and finally, Ainesh Roy Chowdhury finished second in the Intermediate category followed by Khushi Baid, who finished third.
Meanwhile, Anika Shah won the Advanced category after playing two rounds.
Ujaan Chakraborty, joint winner in the Intermediate category, said, “I did not expect today’s competition to be this hard. It was challenging and I found it very difficult. I am sure my peers felt the same way while competing today. I never thought I would win today. I think it was just a lucky day for me today”.
Sharing the same feeling as Ujaan, Vivan, joint runner up in the Beginners’ category, said, “I did not do well today. The chipping in the basket challenge was so, so difficult. In my mind, I knew it would be difficult, when I missed the first shot itself. But everyone played so well, that the pressure kept building up”.
Mr. Roy Chowdhury, the parent of a participant said, “I am a regular watcher of these competitions. Today’s round was by far the most difficult one that I have ever seen during the Skills. I thank the Academy for bringing in such challenging ideas. These not only prepare the children for tougher situations in the tournament, but also build their will power and mental strength in the game and even in life”.
The day ended with all the junior golfers going home with their medals, eagerly waiting for Skills Competition that is going to take place in the month of July.

01/07/2025

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela took the third-round lead Saturday in the Dow Championship, shooting a 2-under 68 in alternate-shot play to move into position for their first LPGA Tour victories.

Schmelzel and Valenzuela had a 13-under 197 total at Midland Country Cup heading into the better-ball final round. They opened with an alternate-shot 68 on Thursday and had a best-ball 61 on Friday.

“You’re kind of on pins and needles most of the day, just hoping you don’t get your partner in trouble,” Schmelzel said. “Just super solid. I feel like we had really good attitudes throughout the entire day. I think both of us took every single shot as it came.”

The teams of Jin Hee Im-Somi Lee (68) and Manon De Roey-Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (69) were a stroke back.

“I’m very proud of us,” De Roey said. “We hung in there. We fought until the end.”

Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire, the second-round leaders after a 60, birdied the final two holes for a 72 that left them tied for fourth at 11 under with Lauren Hartlage-Brooke Matthews (66) and Sung Hyun Park-Ina Yoon (67) . Kupcho won in 2022 with Lizette Salas.

“Just try and go low and try and post a number early and see what happens.” Maguire said. “I think it was nice to see two putts go in at the end.”

Lexi Thompson-Meghan Kang (68) and Rio Takeda-Miyu Yamash*ta (67) were 10 under.

Defending champions Ruoning Yin and Jeeno Thitikul, both among the top five in the women’s world ranking, were 9 under after a 67.

Schmelzel and Valenzuela parred the final seven holes. They had four birdies and two bogeys in the round.

“I feel like we had a really good day,” Valenzuela said. “Our goal in foursomes was just to get a couple under or maybe a little bit better. We had a few mistakes, and that’s going to happen in this format. We also did a lot of really good stuff.”



-Associated Press
LPGA

01/07/2025

Martin Couvra will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Italian Open as he bids to become the first multiple winner of the year on the DP World Tour.

The Frenchman started the day one shot off the lead and found himself two behind after 11 holes despite carding two birdies and no bogeys.

That all changed at the very next hole, though, as playing partner Angel Ayora surrendered a triple bogey on the 12th to hand Couvra a one-shot advantage.

A 22-foot birdie on the 15th briefly sent Couvra two clear but a bogey at the 17th and pressure from the chasing pack meant he headed to the 18th tee tied at the top.

The 22-year-old, who won the Turkish Airlines Open last month, saved his best until last, bouncing back with a birdie from seven feet on the 18th to sign for a 67 and reach 11 under par.

He sits one stroke ahead of countryman Adrien Saddier and Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra on ten under, with Ayora and Andreas Halvorsen in a tie for fourth another shot further back.

Couvra started strongly, tapping in for a birdie at the par-five second after his lengthy eagle try had narrowly missed the hole.

He picked up another birdie at the fifth from around five feet to stay within one shot of Ayora at the summit.

Nine successive pars from the sixth proved enough to earn Couvra the outright lead as Ayora ran up an eight at the 12th.

And when Couvra ended the run of pars with a birdie from more than 20 feet at the 15th, he found himself with a two-shot lead.

But after Saddier birdied the 16th to close to within one, Couvra dropped his first shot of the day on the 17th to see his lead wiped out.

He got it straight back at the last, though, making the most of three fantastic shots in to finish with a birdie and reclaim the solo lead.

Couvra said: “I’m really proud about my 18th, because I was really tired on the last few holes. It’s quite difficult with the heat.

“The course is so tough, so we needed to be very concentrated. I’m happy about the 18th.

“There’s a lot of great players here, so you have to keep going. (The lead is) only one shot. I’ll try to do my best on the last 18, and that’s it.

“It’s going to be a great experience because it’s my first time being in this position. I’m really proud to be in this position and I hope to be there tomorrow.

“It’s really nice to have some good friends on the Tour to play alongside. I’ve known Alex Levy a long time because we’re from the same golf course, I train every day with Romain Langasque and Tom Vaillant. We have a lot of good friends, so it’s really nice.”



-DP World Tour.

29/06/2025

The Protouch Golf Academy organised the Chipping in the Basket competition on June 29.
Many junior golfers, divided into Beginners', Intermediate and Advanced Categories, participated in the Skills Competition.

29/06/2025

All about the exciting chipping competition for June Skills Competition.

To read more:

The Protouch Golf Academy hosted Chipping competition, which is the 1082 Skills Competition, on Sunday, June 29. Many junior golfers took part in the day’s competition to display their chipping skills.

29/06/2025

Schmelzel and Valenzuela team leads LPGA - Dow Championship 2025 after the third round.

To read more:

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela took the third-round lead Saturday in the Dow Championship, shooting a 2-under 68 in alternate-shot play to move into position for their first LPGA Tour victories.

29/06/2025

Martin Couvra takes over at the top after third round of the Italian Open 2025.

To read more:

Martin Couvra will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Italian Open as he bids to become the first multiple winner of the year on the DP World Tour.

29/06/2025

Epson Tour graduates Daniela Iacobelli and Madison Young made a significant move on the Dow Championship leaderboard during Friday’s second round. The duo, who named their team Pins & Zins, carded a 9-under round to jump 32 spots into T17.

Starting the day at 3-over, team Pins & Zins knew they’d have to go low to continue competing and put themselves in contention heading into the weekend. The key to success? Iacobelli’s putter, according to Young. And fun, according to Iacobelli.

“There is no team out here that has had more fun than us this week,” said Iacobelli. “We’re all in a house together. We’ve done everything together. We drive to the course together. We practice together.”

Both Young and Iacobelli earned LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season through a top-15 finish in the Epson Tour’s season-long Race for the Card in 2024. Young earned the ninth spot, earning full-time status on the LPGA, while Iacobelli finished 13th, earning starts on both the LPGA and Epson Tours this season.

The duo hasn’t quite seen the success they’d like on the biggest stage in women’s golf, with Young making four cuts in nine starts, while Iacobelli has missed the cut in all five of her starts thus far. However, the Dow Championship could be the turning point, showcasing the pair in a more relaxed setting that demonstrates they have what it takes to compete against the best in the world.

“I think this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in professional golf,” said Iacobelli. “This is so underrated. I’ve never done a team event, I’ve never done alternate shot, I’ve never done best ball. I feel like when you’re out on the course with your friends, you basically play best ball, so I was definitely ready for that one.”

“I haven’t felt pressure like this to show up for a teammate,” Young added. “It’s different.”

With the leaders in the clubhouse, Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire, at 13-under through 36 holes, team Pins & Zins will need another big day on Saturday if they want a chance at hoisting the trophy on Championship Sunday. It would be both Young and Iacobelli’s first time in the LPGA Tour winner’s circle, creating another memorable moment for the duo.



-Ally Lutter
EPSON Tour
LPGA

29/06/2025

Angel Ayora produced a brilliant burst of scoring around the turn as he fired a flawless 65 on Friday to lead by one stroke at the halfway stage of the 2025 Italian Open.

The 20-year-old made a series of stunning par saves in the opening eight holes of his second round before picking up his first birdie of the day from close range at the ninth.

And he kept the momentum going, birdieing the tenth, 11th and 12th to make it four in a row and grab a share of the lead.

HotelPlanner Tour graduate Ayora gave himself a golden opportunity to hit the front on his own with a spectacular approach into the 16th but could not convert the birdie putt from inside four feet.

He made no mistake from similar range on the 18th, though, to reach nine under par, a total no-one else could match.

The Spaniard sits one clear of first-round leader Dan Bradbury, Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider in a tie for second on eight under.

Afternoon starter Schneider had a good chance to catch Ayora at the summit late in the day but could not convert his four-foot birdie putt at the last. His second straight 66 left him bogey-free at the midway point.

France’s Couvra, meanwhile, matched the course record of 63 set earlier in the day by Rafa Cabrera Bello thanks to eight birdies and one bogey.

Ayora started the day two shots off the lead and had more ground to make up by the time he began his second round in the afternoon.

He did well to save par from nine feet after a roller-coaster first hole before getting up and down for another valuable par from a tricky spot at the fifth.

Ayora’s battling qualities were there for all to see as he holed his 25-foot par putt on the seventh to keep his card clean before getting up and down from a bunker at the short eighth for another par.

He ended his wait for a birdie at the ninth courtesy of a delightful approach shot, and holed another long putt – this time for birdie – at the tenth.

A 14-foot birdie on the par-three 11th completed the hat-trick and he made it four in a row from 15 feet at the 12th.

Ayora continued to create chances to take the outright lead but could not make any count until the last, where he knocked in his four-foot birdie putt to get to nine under.

He said: “I started today very badly. From the tee I was struggling with my swing, but there were some very good recoveries and I was putting very good, so thank you to my short game.

“On the back nine I was trying to find a swing thought or something to recover from the front nine. I think I found it and I hope to do it tomorrow as well.

“I try to be patient. It’s difficult to do it on the course when things aren’t going very well, but you need to do it.

“If you start thinking about the past, the bad strokes, it’s not the way to do it. I try to do my best and to finish with a birdie is always a great thing.”



-DP World Tour

28/06/2025

All about the second round of the LPGA Dow Championship 2025.

To read more:

Epson Tour graduates Daniela Iacobelli and Madison Young made a significant move on the Dow Championship leaderboard during Friday’s second round. The duo, who named their team Pins & Zins, carded a 9-under round to jump 32 spots into T17.

28/06/2025

Angel Ayora takes narrow lead into the weekend in Italy in the Italian Open.

To read more:

Angel Ayora produced a brilliant burst of scoring around the turn as he fired a flawless 65 on Friday to lead by one stroke at the halfway stage of the 2025 Italian Open.