Ladies European Tour. Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, Charley Hull Leads.

Charley Hull of England leads the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open after the first round at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi.

Charley / getty

Charley shot -5 under par 67 to lead the first round of the  Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open by two shots, with good putting being the key;

“I played pretty steady and holed a few putts and then on my back nine, I plodded along.”

“I was hitting good putts, which lipped out, so the highlights were on my front nine.”

“The newer irons are not quite where I want them to be. They are spinning loads and I don’t really like it.”

“I’ve changed my set of irons this week and I’m trying them out but they are going a club shorter so I’ll change back to my old ones when I get home.”

“I’ll practice my punch shots and figure out how to keep them low.”

 Nicole Broch Larsen, Denmark, and Luna Sobron from Spain share second place at -3 under par after opening rounds of 69.

Luna was happy to sink a putt with the flagstick still in;

“On the 17^th, I made a birdie, with the flag stick in on the green, a strange new rule, but it was a 15 meter putt.”

“I enjoy playing in the wind and I like to play on Scottish courses, so I feel very comfortable in these conditions.”

“The weather is really good. It’s too cold in Spain now so I prefer to start the season here with a great tournament.”

Nicole needed to give herself a good talking to;

 “I got off to a bad start to say the least. I hit some bad shots and couldn’t find the rhythm.”

“On the back nine, I said, Nicole, try what you’ve been working on the last couple of days, and I started to hit some better shots and gained some confidence, so it was a lot more fun.”

“It’s playing tough and you’ve got to hit good shots. I was good at judging the wind on the back nine.”

QBE Shootout. Three Teams Tied at the Top.

There are three teams tied at the top of the QBE Shootout leaderboard after day 1 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples Florida. Bryson DeChambeau/Kevin Na, Graeme McDowell/Emiliano Grillo and Patton Kizzire/Brian Harman all fired opening rounds of -13 under par 59 in the scramble format.

Bryson DeChambeau / getty

G-Mac and Emiliano threw in a bogey on their round, while the other two teams went round bogey free.

Fourth place is shared by another three teams, two shots back at -11 under par, with rounds of 61. Tony Finau/Lexi Thompson, Luke List/Charles Howell 111 and Gary Woodland/Charlie Hoffman, all of these teams were bogey free today.

The twelve teams will continue battle tomorrow with a modified alternate shot format, and the final round on Sunday will be fourball format.

South African Open. Charl Schwartzel Has 36 Hole Lead.

Charl Schwartzel, South Africa, has the 36 hole lead in the South African Open, being played at the two courses at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg.

          Charl / getty

Charl carded a second round -8 under par 63 on the easier Bushwillow Course, to top the South African Open leaderboard at -12 under par, a one shot lead heading into the weekend;

“The drive on 17 was probably one of my worst tee-shots for the week, I figured if I could walk off with four or five, it would be good.”

“I managed to hit a really good little third shot there. They don’t happen very often.”

“I still can’t figure out why I’m not getting the performances I need, even after that round.”

“I’ve had a few tournaments where I’ve played well like this, so I’m not going to talk too much yet.”

Madalitso Muthiya, of Zambia, has second place to himself at -11 under par, a second round -3 under par 68 on the longer Firethorn Course, keeping him in touch of the leader;

“I was pleased that I managed to bounce back after the blemish.”

“I am very happy that I was able to hang in there and not let that distract me in terms of finishing off the round.”

“I am pleased with where I am. I think I have taken the right steps to play good golf and the next thing for me is to play good golf again. I think everything else will just take care of itself.”

Three players are then tied in third place at -10 under par. Zander Lombard, South Africa, -3 under 68 on Firethorn, Kurt Kitayama, USA, -2 under 69, Bushwillow, and Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa, with -1 under 70 on Bushwillow.

 

South African Open. Louis Oosthuizen Leads.

Louis Oosthuizen leads his home event the South African Open with an opening round of -9 under par 62 on the shorter of the two course being used this week the Bushwillow Course.

          Louis / getty

Louis fired a bogey free  -9 under 62 to lead the South African Open by just one shot, on home soil, where he has never won, but he does have a Claret Jug;

“Any time, anywhere, nine under is always going to feel nice.”

“It was one of those rounds where you don’t really look at any scoreboard or your card, you just play.”

“I drove it really well and gave myself good opportunities to hit it close and I’m putting nicely, so it was just birdie after birdie.”

“There’s a long way to go. I’ve got one of the courses out of the way so now I just focus on the main course for the week and it feels like a new tournament starting tomorrow for me.”

Two players share second place at -8 under, last weeks winner Kurt Kitayama, USA, also bogey free, playing the longer Firethorn Course and Madalitso Muthiya from Zambia, another bogey free round on the Bushwillow Course.

Kurt decided to only play nine holes on the Pro-Am on Wednesday;

“Last week in Mauritius was mentally very draining, trying to stay calm and hold that lead for the entire last round.”

“It definitely took a toll coming into this week.”

“I felt tired during the pro-am and decided to play only nine holes on Wednesday because I just wanted to rest up.”

“I played Firethorn in the pro-am so tomorrow when I play Bushwillow we’ll see if resting helped me. But I think that mentally just getting the rest is the most important thing.”

Madalitso missed the cut last week, and hoping for better things here;

“I did get the feeling a good performance was looming.”

“I played exceptionally well in Mauritius and missed the cut by one.”

“I looked at that and learnt from those errors and just built on the positive things I did last week.”

Hero World Challenge. Jon Rahm Wins.

Jon Rahm of Spain wins the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

      Jon and Trophy / getty

Jon won the Hero World Challenge by a whopping four shots, with a final round -7 under par 65 giving him a tournament total of -20 under;

“Arguably the best ball-striking day I’m ever going to have, even better than Friday.”

“That Sunday with Tiger is still the most emotionally, most important moment of my golf career, it means so much to play against Tiger.”

“A couple months later, to win his event, it’s really special.”

In second place at -16 under was Tony Finau, USA, his last round -4 under 69 giving him that place on his own.

Justin Rose, England, was third at -15 under, he also carded -7 under 65 for his last round, but that final birdie on 18  by Tony denied Justin from returning to the number slot in the World Rankings;

“It’s not a huge goal for me, but when you have these opportunities you want to take them.”

“Obviously anytime you get to No. 1 you want to stay there, it’s a nice feeling.”

Tiger did not suffer the ignominy of finishing in last place, just one step up from the bottom;

“Overall, it was a long week, but one that I hope the players enjoyed.”

Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open. Kurt Kitayama with Maiden Tour Win.

Kurt Kitayama, USA, claimed his maiden European Tour victory, the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Four Seasons Golf Club in Mauritius.

            Kurt the Champion / getty

Kurt carded -4 under 68 in the final round to clinch the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open trophy, his first European Tour win, with a -20 under total for a two shot winning margin;

 “I’m just so proud, really happy.”

“It’s an unbelievable moment for me, I’m just so happy I was able to pull it off.”

“There were definitely some nerves around the first tee-shot. Going birdie-eagle-birdie helped to calm things down for the rest of the day.”

“I was aware a little bit of what was going on, I kept one eye on the scoreboard.” 

“I just tried to stay calm and take it one shot at a time. It was important on 13, to get back with another birdie. I just tried to stay patient.”

“This whole year has been, well, what a great year. I still have two more events but to win on one of the last events of the year is just great.”

“It’s been really exciting, being able to travel all over the globe and I’m going to continue to travel more. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Tied in second place at -18 under were, Seenappa Chikkarangappa, India,  and Matthieu Pavon from France, both players with last rounds of -5 under 67.

Seenappa was happy with his second place finish;

“It was a fantastic round today, I’ve played to a solid finish today, which was much needed. I’m very happy with it.”

Matthieu really enjoyed his week in Mauritius;

“It was a fantastic week, I played really well and I enjoyed the week.”

Cam Smith Retains His Aussie PGA Championship Title.

Cameron Smith retains his Australian PGA Championship title with a two shot victory at Royal Pines Resort in Queensland.

             Cam Smith / getty

 Cam shot a final round -2 under par 70 to post a Australian PGA Championship winning total of -16 under par, a two shot victory margin;

“I was expecting Leish to come out and give it a good crack today.”

“It’s always hard going up against a mate and trying to win a golf tournament. I’ve been in this situation before and I’ve had it happen to me as well.”

“I’m sure we’ll have a beer over Christmas or when I see him next and we’ll be back to being mates.”

“I’ve definitely improved a lot over the last year. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I’ve just stuck to my process goals.”

“I would love to get into the top 20 by the end of this year, it’s definitely the next goal.”

“I think that’s the next big step for myself, to get in there and get myself in a lot of situations where I can win golf tournaments.”

Marc Leishman was second, -3 under 69 today for a tournament total of -14 under par;

“I think Cam made birdies when he had to so all credit to him.”

“I’m obviously disappointed I didn’t get it over the line but glad that I gave it a run there and made it pretty interesting.”

Tied in third place were Ross McGowan, England, with a course record -9 under par 63, and Matthew Millar, with his last round -4 under 68, for -11 under par totals.

Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open. Two Tied at the Top.

Two players are tied at the top of the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open leaderboard after 54 holes at the Four Seasons Golf Club in Mauritius. Kurt Kitayama, USA, and Justin Harding from South Africa have a three shot lead over the field.

          Justin Harding / getty

Kurt carded a third round -2 under par 70, but was caught at the top of the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open leaderboard by Justin who signed for the low round of the day, a magnificent -8 under 64, both players have -16 under par totals, and will take a three shot advantage into the final round tomorrow.

Justin spoke about his round, and how it is good not to be chasing, for a change;

“I never really like to think about things as I walk down the holes but I really felt like I played pretty well today.” 

“I had good control, especially in the first ten to thirteen holes. I kind of felt like I could birdie every hole out there.”

“I certainly gave myself a few chances. The toughest stretch of the course is the 14th, 15th and 16th.”

“I got off to my good start and it was just more about making some good pars there and at the end of the day I did the job and put myself in a decent position to get the result tomorrow.”

“I have a pretty good attitude in terms of holding leads. I kind of like the guys coming at me rather than having to chase. 

“I sometimes get in my own way when I’m chasing. So, I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice, I’m quite happy. It’s a job well done.”

Kurt found things tougher today;

“Today played a little tougher.”

“I’m not sure if being in the lead will affect me. Let’s see how I’m feeling in the morning, how the wind is and see if I can hit as many drivers as I did on the first two days.”

“Then, I will make adjustments along the way.”

Sitting in second place at -13 under are, Seenappa Chikkarangappa, India, -1 under 71 today, Matthieu Pavon, France, -2 under 70, and Masahiro Kawamura from Japan with -5 under 67 for his third round.

 

Aussie PGA Championship. It’s A Two Horse Race.

Defending Champion Cameron Smith has a three shot lead in the Australian PGA Championship, and his only contender is Marc Leishman.

 Cameron / getty

Cameron shot a third round -5 under par 67 to take control of the Australian PGA Championship with a -14 under par total for the 54 holes at Royal Pines Resort;

“The last year I’ve been playing some really good golf.”

“Probably over the last three days has been some of the best golf I think I’ve played both mentally and pulling off the shots.”

“I’m feeling really confident and looking forward to tomorrow.”

“I did a really good job today when I was out of position, just taking less risks and putting myself into the center of the greens and taking a par.”

“It’s what you have to do around here.”

“There’s plenty of birdie opportunities out there and that’s what you have to realise and I did a good job of that.”

Marc Leishman carded -3 under 68 to post -11 under for the tournament, and sits alone in second place;

“That’s the best I’ve played all week and the worst score.”

“A couple of bad breaks and a few putts where I hit good putts and they didn’t go in, which happens occasionally.”

“I’m happy with the day. It puts me a few more back than I would like to be but it’s going to be tough tomorrow.”

“I hear the wind is going to get up so that gives me a bit more of a chance.”

The wind will not help anyone else, next nearest are at -7 under par, Matthew Millar, -5 under 67 today, equaling the low round of the day, and Harold Varner 111 from the USA, with -1 under 71 for his third round, and a share of third place.

Hero World Challenge. Henrik and Jon share the Lead.

 

Henrik Stenson, Sweden, and Jon Rahm of Spain share the Hero World Challenge lead after 36 holes at  Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Henrik / getty

Jon signed for a second round -9 under par 63, and Henrik -6 under 66, to both top the Hero World Challenge leaderboard at -10 under par. 

Jon said about his wonderful round;

“I hit it so solid off the tee, I was always in the fairway with a short club in.”

“I think the best way to describe it, having five par fives and two relatively short par fours, out of those seven holes I got six birdies.”

“So I capitalized on the easier holes today. Didn’t seem like much could go wrong.”

“On days like today, I just didn’t really think about my swing, it was like a well-oiled machine.”

Henrik has not played too much golf since the Ryder Cup, due to injury;

“I’ll try and make it to the finish line, I haven’t played a lot of golf, though.”

“Since the Ryder Cup, I had an injury problem, I was out for five weeks.”

“So I guess I should be a little bit fresher than some of my colleagues who call me from Hong Kong or somewhere else at this point.”

“I’m feeling all right. We just keep on going, try to make as many birdies as we can.”

Dustin Johnson, -5 under 6 today, Patrick Cantlay, -2 under 70 are tied in second position with -9 under total.

Tiger played ok until the last hole, where he tangled with a bush off the tee, and had to hack it out from underneath. There was a suspicion that he double hit the ball, but the officials cleared him of any wrong doing, signing for a -3 under 69, with a six on the final hole for a -2 under total;

“I didn’t really figure out my putter well today, missed quite a few short ones.”

“I hit the ball close; close enough to really have a shot of a low number today; just didn’t do it.”