Collin Morikawa Becomes 1st American to Win Race to Dubai Title on European Tour
Nov 21, 2021
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - NOVEMBER 21: Collin Morikawa of The United States poses with the Race to Dubai trophy during Day Four of The DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 21, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Collin Morikawa became the first American to win the Race to Dubai title after Sunday's DP World Tour Championship made him the top scorer on the European Tour for the 2021 season.
"It's an honor to be the first American to do that, to put my name against many, many greats and Hall of Famers," Morikawa said, per Steve Douglas of the Associated Press. "It’s special. I get touched up just talking about that.
"To close it out not just with a top 10 but to actually win...what a great way to finish."
Morikawa shot 66 in the final round at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, earning a three-stroke win in the year-end tournament.
The 24-year-old also won the Open Championship in July, putting himself in contention for the European Tour title despite limited appearances outside the United States.
Morikawa's only other events outside the United States were the Scottish Open and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, though he finished outside the top 50 in both tournaments.
The majority of his production came in American tournaments, including a win at the WGC-Workday Championship and top-10 finishes at the Masters and PGA Championship.
These points also helped Morikawa on the PGA Tour, as he finished the regular season first in the FedEx Cup standings. Though he struggled in the playoffs on the way to a tie for 26th place, his effort in Dubai helped him earn at least one year-end trophy.
It's yet another honor for the burgeoning superstar, who already has two major titles and six professional wins on his resume.
Morikawa was also granted a lifetime membership on the European Tour, joining Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Patrick Reed among the only Americans to earn that honor.
PGA Tour Reveals New Schedule for 2021-22 Season; Features Joint European Tour Events
Aug 3, 2021
MEMPHIS, TN - AUGUST 02: Wade Ormsby of Australia walks pas giant FedEx letters at the 18th hole prior to the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on August 2, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The PGA Tour revealed its schedule for the 2021-22 season Tuesday and announced an expansion of its partnership with the European Tour.
It was divulged that three tournaments will be co-sanctioned by the PGA and European Tours next season, and they will count toward both the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and European Tour's Race to Dubai standings.
The co-sanctioned events will be the Barbasol Championship, the Barracuda Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open. Both the Barbasol Championship and Genesis Scottish Open will be played July 7-10, 2022, while the Barracuda Championship will be played the following week.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said the following regarding the PGA Tour's synergy with the European Tour:
"With today's news, I am pleased to say that the PGA Tour and the European Tour are both stronger than at any time in our history, as we are positioned to grow–together–over the next 10 years faster than we have at any point in our existence. We are committed to continuing to evolve and adapt, and with our ever-strengthening partnership with the European Tour, to take the global game to the heights we all know it is capable of."
The PGA Tour noted that there will be 45 regular-season events in 2021-22 that will be followed by three FedEx Cup playoff events.
The first playoff tournament is being moved to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, and will be known as the FedEx St. Jude Championship, replacing the Northern Trust in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Following the St. Jude from Aug. 11-14, 2022, will be the BMW Championship and then the Tour Championship.
The PGA Tour also announced the dates for its four major championships in 2022.
The Masters will be held April 7-10 at Augusta National, the PGA Championship will run May 19-22 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the U.S. Open will take place June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the Open Championship will emanate from St. Andrews Links in Fife, Scotland, from July 14-17.
It was also reinforced that the upcoming Ryder Cup will go from Sept. 23-26, 2021, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.
The final tournament on the schedule for 2021-22, the Tour Championship, will decide the winner of the FedEx Cup from Aug. 25-28, 2022, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Senior British Open 2021: Darren Clarke Holds 1-Stroke Lead After Round 2
Jul 23, 2021
SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland during day two of The Senior Open Presented by Rolex at Sunningdale Golf Club on July 23, 2021 in Sunningdale, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
Darren Clarke is halfway to a Senior Open Championship title.
The Northern Irishman shot a three-under 67 in Friday's second round at Sunningdale Golf Club in England to bring his two-round total to eight under.
He is one stroke clear of American Jerry Kelly and Bernhard Langer. The full scoreboard can be found on EuropeanTour.com.
1. Darren Clarke, -8
T2. Jerry Kelly, -7
T2. Bernhard Langer, -7
T4. Ernie Els, -6
T4. Paul Broadhurst, -6
Clarke was tied for first with James Kingston after the opening round, but the latter was nowhere near as consistent in Friday's competition.
In fact, a birdie on No. 1 was the only true bright spot for Kingston throughout the round, as he tallied five bogeys and largely fell out of contention for the title with a four-over 74. The steady play that was on full display in the opening round when the South African didn't register a single bogey and sprinkled in five birdies was nowhere to be seen.
He finds himself seven strokes behind Clarke in a tie for 20th place after the former co-leader had anything but a consistent round himself despite the impressive score.
Clarke had four bogeys Friday after finishing with just one Thursday but more than made up for it with seven birdies. That equaled his total number of pars in the second round, further underscoring how up-and-down he was even with the lead and perhaps suggesting the challengers who are right behind him have a chance to make up some ground over the weekend.
It was the stretch from Nos. 13 through 18 that propelled Clarke to the top of the leaderboard.
The 52-year-old notched four birdies and two pars during that stretch after shooting two under during the same six holes in the opening round. If he continues to close at such an effective level, he should find himself in the battle for the championship at the same part of the course on Sunday.
Clarke, a 14-time European Tour winner, is attempting to join Gary Player, Bob Charles and Tom Watson as the only players in the sport's history to win both the British Open and Senior British Open, per Adam Schupak of USA Today.
It won't be easy even with the two-round lead, as Langer has won this tournament a record four times and is just one stroke back after shooting a three-under 67 that included an eagle on the first hole.
The last of those titles came when the tournament was last played in 2019, so the 63-year-old German is attempting to chase down Clarke and defend his crown.
Video: Rory McIlroy's Club Taken by Fan in Tee Box at 2021 Scottish Open
Jul 9, 2021
NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND - JULY 09: Rory McIlroy is pictured during day two of the abrdn Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club on July 09, 2021, in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
A fan pulled off a high-risk heist of a
club from Rory McIlroy's bag at the 2021 Scottish Open and managed to
take a few practice swings Friday before being escorted away by security.
The unbelievable moment on the 10th tee at the
Renaissance Club in Scotland was caught on video as the unidentified
man first grabs a head cover and then returns to the bag for a club
as McIlroy, caddie Harry Diamond and playing partner Jon Rahm look
on confused:
A European Tour spokesperson told ESPN
the "matter is now in the hands of Police Scotland."
McIlroy and Co. were just getting ready
to start their round at No. 10 when the incident occurred.
The four-time major champion said after
the round he was "surprised" by the incident but credited
security, saying the situation was "handled efficiently," per
Martin Dempster of The Scotsman.
"When someone told him that he
couldn't do that, he replied by saying 'why not?'" an eyewitness
told Dempster. "At that point, the security people assigned to
following the group moved in and took him away."
Rahm added the entire ordeal ended up
being "quite funny."
"Security was good, but these things
can happen," Rahm told reporters. "He had good timing. He walked
in very confidently. We were all thinking, 'Maybe he is supposed to
be here.' We didn't know. Rory and I both thought it was a prank or
someone who was supposed to be there."
McIlroy completed his second round
without further issue, shooting an even-par 71 to remain at one under
overall, which leaves the Northern Irishman one shot below the projected cut line with Round 2 play ongoing in North Berwick.
