US wrap: Top-20s for Frittelli, Els; battle for Buhai

Nov 15, 2021 | Featured, South Africans abroad

Dylan Frittelli closed with a one-under-par 69 on Sunday to take a share of 19th in the PGA Tour’s Hewlett Packard Enterprise Open.

He stumbled over the closing stretch, making three bogeys in the final five holes. Together with three birdies on his opening nine, and a fourth on the 16th, he finished the tournament at two-under-par, eight shots behind the winner Jason Kokrak. Kokrak carded a five-under 65 to haul in Kevin Tway and Scottie Scheffler, who finished two strokes back on eight-under for the week.

Erik van Rooyen closed with a two-over 72 to finish in a share of 54th, while MJ Daffue’s five-over 75 saw him finish at eight-over for the tournament in a share of 64th.

In the PGA Tour Champions finale, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, Ernie Els cemented his fourth place on the Charles Schwab Cup points race as he finished with a six-under-par 65 to be in a share of 18th.

Els made four birdies and a bogey on the front nine, and then three birdies on his homeward nine as he climbed nine places on the leaderboard for the 35-man field.

The tournament was won by Phil Mickelson for his fourth title in just six starts on the senior tour. His closing 65 took him one clear of New Zealand’s Steven Alker, who was on 18-under for the championship.

Germany’s Bernhard Langer, 64, who broke his age with a 63 in the third round, held on to win the points race for the fourth time in his storied career. He finished one shot ahead of Els in the tournament on 12-under in 17th with a closing 69.

Retief Goosen finished one stroke behind Els in the championship, closing with a five-under 66 for a share of 20th. That saw him drop one place on the points table to seventh.

On the LPGA Tour, far removed from the drama of the four-way play-off occasioned by a triple-bogey seven on the 17th by world number-one Nelly Korda, and the bogey-bogey finish by Lexi Thompson, Ashleigh Buhai closed with a three-over 73 in the final round of the Pelican Women’s Championship for a share of 57th.

Buhai started with three consecutive bogeys, and picked up two more on eight and 10, before stabilising things and picking up shots on 13 and 14.

Paula Reto closed with a two-over 72 for a share of 71st.

Korda carded back-to-back birdies on the 18th, from 21 feet in regulation and 23 feet on the first hole of a four-way playoff, to capture her fourth victory this season and seventh of her career.

A one-under par 69 on Sunday left Korda at 17-under overall after 72 holes, tied with Lydia Ko (66) and Sei Young Kim (67), as well as playing partner Thompson (69).

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