World Golf News - 21 September 2010

On the European PGA tour, the Austrian Open was won by Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara in a playoff against David Lynn of the United Kingdom. Lynn had shared the lead going into the final round on Sunday, but his Spanish rival came up from the back and they both finished their rounds at seventeen under par.

Lara won the first playoff hole with a two-putt for par when the Englishman’s tee shot landed in the rough, causing him to bogey the hole. This victory marks a comeback for Lara who was at risk of losing his tour card earlier this year when he failed to make the cut in nine successive tournaments. An improved performance in the KLM Open two weeks ago was a prologue to his performance at the weekend, which should place him back in the top 115 and ensure his tour exemption next season.

The US PGA Tour is in recess this week, as players prepare for next week’s THE TOUR Championship to be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The event will be played at East Lake Golf Club, home course of the legendary golfer Bobby Jones which has distinguished itself as a fantastic championship course and charitable organisation over its 106 year history, donating millions of dollars to uplift the once-poor East Lake community which is now a thriving neighbourhood. Phil Mickelson will be keen to defend his title at this year’s championship which will see some of the finest players on the PGA tour compete for the trophy.

In Women’s golf, the legendary Laura Davies was again victorious at the Open de Espana Feminino held at Flamingos Golf in Costa del Sol, Spain. In a dramatic final day’s play, Davies weathered a quadruple bogey on the thirteenth hole to come back strong and clinch the title by two strokes over Rebecca Hudson, also of the United Kingdom. This is Davies’ forty-third victory on the Ladies’ European Tour, and will extend her own record of being the oldest champion on the tour, even further.