It was all Lefty(Phil Mickelson) & Charles Barkley the Friday after Thanksgiving putting a whooping on Peyton Manning & Steph Curry at Stone Canyon Club in Arizona, but the foursome raised $5.455 million in the Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Change. The money went to Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as Feeding America donating 3.5 million meals. Great job guys!

Twenty-four-year-old Emily Kristine Pederson from Denmark has won her fourth 2020 Ladies European Tour event, the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana, by four strokes better than her nearest competitor. Watch out for this prima donna at the Solheim Cup & in 2021.

I wasn’t going to write about Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s win of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, but when he won back to back in his home country taking the South African Open at Gary Player Country Club, he deserved mentioning, Well done Christiaan. Norwegian Victor Hovland, playing a Pro V1, was VICTORious at the Mayakoba Golf Classic for his second win after a victory in Puerto Rico earlier this year. The 2018 U.S. Amateur Titleholder birdied the 18th hole at the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon Golf Club in Riviera Maya, Mexico to enjoy a one-stroke ‘VICTORy.’ Do you get it?

How about Angela Stanford’s win at the LPGA’s Volunteers of America Texas Classic at Old American Golf Club in Fort Worth with her parents in attendance for her 7th title, playing a full bag of Ping clubs. I would like to remind everyone, that is another American victory on the LPGA Tour.

I want to commend the USGA and Houston’s Champions Golf Club for utilizing two courses to allow all the contestants to finish their first round in the shortened December time, a first for a U.S. Open Championship. A Lim Kim from South Korea made her first Open appearance a memorable one by winning her first major after a postponement Sunday due to rain.

Three times’s the charm for Harris English and Matt Kuchar, breaking the scoring record and winning the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples. How about Lee Westwood capturing the Race to Dubai, the Euro Tour’s order of merit, for the third time while  Matthew Fitzpatrick, another Englishman won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

How about the PNC Championship bringing out Tiger and 11-year-old son Charlie to compete against fellow major winners and their family members. Justin Thomas and dad Mike had a 57 on Sunday to pass the field and win the Willie Park belts. 85-year-old Gary Player and his grandson along with 81-year-old Lee Trevino and his son played together on the final day. I volunteer every year at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Golf Club, and this year was no exception. When things get back to letting fans in, this is one golf tournament you need to be on hand to view.

Tiburon Golf Club in Naples hosted the season-ending LPGA CME Group Tour Championship with world #1 Jin Young Ko winning. Danielle Kang from Ohio won the Vare Trophy for low scoring average. This was the 70th anniversary of the LPGA and despite the covid-19 pandemic it was a great year for women’s professional golf.

To all our readers- Happy New Year and be safe.

David J. Daubert, GWAA, ING, USGA
Editor