Monday Rundown: From Saudi to Scottsdale

GMac rolls it back in Saudi Arabia, Webb shows Finau how to get it done with PGA win #6, JC Ritchie defends in South Africa, Davis Riley tops the 25 after a win in Panama, and much more... Time for a Monday Rundown.

Photo by European Tour

Graeme McDowell and Webb Simpson are your champions on the two main tours this weekend, while JC Ritchie and Davis Riley are the winners on the Challenge Tour and Korn Ferry Tour respectively.

Let's start with Webb, who after defeating Tony Finau in a playoff in Scottsdale has leaped up to 7th place in the Official World Golf Rankings, which sounds suspiciously fictitious. The only players ahead of him the world right now are Brooks, Rory, Rahm, JT, DJ and Tiger, which seems plainly inconceivable. It's his highest ranking since winning the US Open in 2012, and in truth, the real surprise might actually be how he hasn't again breached the Top-10 in the world sooner.

This is Webb's first win since he went into orbit at Sawgrass in 2018, which comes as a surprise when you look at his results over the last 12 months. Since the 2019 Masters, where he finished T5, Webb has not finished outside the Top-30 in any event. That is 17 events of consistently stellar golf, and includes four solo second or T2 finishes. It is also now five tournaments in a row where he has finished in the Top-10.

Photo by PGA Tour

Webb is on fire, but that won't come as any consolation to Tony Finau, whose name is quickly become synonymous with the adage, 'flattering to deceive.'

Finau does have one win on tour, coming at the Puerto Rico Open, which is typically held as an alternate event on the week of a World Golf Championship. Not to take anything away from the achievement, but this is the Tour equivalent of buying Aldi-brand Pringles. It's a win, but Finau, by most approximations, was predicted to have gone on and achieved bigger and better things by now.

This becomes Finau's sixth runner-up finish, and his 28th Top-10 finish since that win in 2016. That's tough to stomach, and begs the question, will Tony win again? It doesn't currently look optimistic, as failing to get the job done is quickly becoming a bad habit.

While the action in Arizona was, as it usually is, an exciting tournament, the Saudi International on the European Tour was about exactly what you would expect from the Saudi International. It was bland, flat, flavourless, vapid, and somehow, offensive and inoffensive at the same time.

The course is dull, grim viewing. Take everything you hate from the average TPC course, and add a torrid amount of Portuguese all-inclusive vacation golf, and you have Royal Greens G&CC. Take an uninspiring final round from the eventual winner, and add absolutely zero real back nine challengers, and you have an accurate summation of the action on Sunday. Take the hundreds of thousands that attended the Waste Management, and then multiply that number by zero, and you have a decent approximation of how many fans actually attended the event in Saudi Arabia.

The whole week is shrouded in a fog of controversy in the months leading up to the event, and the vein attempts to lift the infernal haze include PR that, when it isn't instantly repulsive, would make you shudder, shake and tremble. My instant reaction to this event is just to stop, drop and roll away from it, but my love for Brooks Koepka made this (painfully) impossible.

For the most ardent golf fan that decided that the hundreds of red flags were not enough to put them off the Saudi International, (and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes they didn't fall into this category) the field was at least superb, and in the end, the Top-10 was an incredibly interesting amalgamation of golfers. More than this, GMac's win takes him back into the Top-50 in the world, and firmly into contention for a Ryder Cup spot.

If that's not enough G-Mac goodness for you, check this; McDowell moves to 47th in the world after this win, which is eight (8) spots better in the World Rankings than Jordan Spieth. Could you imagine writing that sentence in July, 2015? You'd be sectioned. 

On the Challenge Tour season opener, JC Ritchie defended his title at the Limpopo Championship in South Africa. The top end of this leaderboard was simply inundated with South Africans, with only three of the top-12 players hailing from outside of the tournament's host country.

Jacques Kruyswijk held the lead at 16 under heading into the final round, but a 74 on Sunday saw him slip back to T3. In the end, it was a pair of weekend 67's that got Ritchie across the line, as he sets the early gauntlet on the Challenge Tour's, "Road to Mallorca."

Davis Riley won in Panama on the Korn Ferry Tour, shooting a final round score of 69 (-1) to take the title by one shot at ten under par. With Riley still on the course and with five holes to play, Roberto Diaz moved within one shot of the lead following a Sunday 65, but Riley held firm, and it was the University of Alabama Alumnus who would record his first professional win in Central America.

After the Panama Championship in 2019, Riley was 2004th in the World Rankings. It has been a big year for Riley, gaining full status on the Korn Ferry Tour late last year, and now as the 2020 Panama Championship champion, he is up over 1650 places to 337th in the world, and takes the early lead on the Korn Ferry Tour's regular season points list (The 25).

And now, for this weeks awards:

Player of the Week 

Graham McDowell

What more is there to say about McDowell?

It's his first win on the European Tour since 2014, and after falling out of the worlds Top 200, GMac is back in the big time. Fending off DJ, a revitalised Victor Dubuisson and a surging Phil Mickelson proved a touch easier than many might have expected, but the Northern Irishman still had to get the job done on Sunday - and get it done he did.

Bust of the Week 

Tony Finau

Two shots clear with two to play. Webb was clutch, but you can't help but think if roles were reversed, Webb would not have lost that tournament.

Finau now has a huge weight on his shoulders every time he finds himself in contention, simply because of how poor he has been at converting chances into wins. This is just the latest iteration in a poor run for the World #12.

In Memoriam 

Lucas Bjerregaard

After taking out Tiger at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, and eventually finishing in 4th place for the week, Bjerregaard reached a career high 43rd in the World Rankings. Less than a year on, the Dane now sits 94th in those very same rankings after yet another missed cut at TPC Scottsdale.

In fact, in the 24 events since that week, Bjerregaard has 15 (!) missed cuts, and just two finishes inside the Top 20 in nine events he made it to the weekend.

Rest in Peace, Lucas Bjerregaard's golf game.

Best Moment 

Harry Higgs

Drop whatever you are doing, and watch this video posted by J.T. Potson, of Harry Higgs riding his driver like a bull up the drivable 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale, and then draining the 82-foot eagle putt.

Sensational.