Golf
Top five golfing performances of the year
With all four majors behind us and the curtain coming down on the 2023 golfing season, it is time to take a look back at some of the best performances and moments from the past year.
Below we take you through the five best moments from the last year in golf.
‘Rahmbo’ wins final round shootout at The Masters
It certainly didn’t take Jon Rahm long to find his stride in 2023 as he picked up his first win just eight days into the year at the Tournament Of Champions, making it two in a row at The American Express just two weeks later.
Rahm headed into The Masters with three titles to his name already, after picking up the Genisis Open title in mid-February to rise to third in the world golf rankings prior to the sport’s most prestigious tournament.
Heading into the final round, Rahm was two shots back from leader Brooks Koepka, with the two set to go out last to battle it out for the title. What followed was to be a combination of John Rahm being absolutely on fire, and Koepka melting under heat.
Rahm would go on to shoot an impressive three under par score of 69, whilst Koepka wilted to a three over 75. Rahm would win his first ever Masters title by a four-shot margin, joining an illustrious club of Green Jacket owners.
Michael Blocks out the pressure at PGA Championship
Prior to the 2023 PGA Championship, Michael Block was little more than the club pro in Southern California. He had played in 25 PGA Tour events, making four cuts, and winning the Southern California PGA Player of the Year nine times from 2012 to 2022.
Block caught the headlines at the end of the second day as he was the only club professional to do so. Fans really started to take notice when Block shot a level-par third round, whilst playing with Justin Rose, to finish the day in eighth position.
The pressure was piled on Block after he found out that he would be playing his final round alongside Rory McIlroy, but the American certainly didn’t crumble. After a largely steady round, Block scored a hole in one at the 15th hole on his way to a round of 71, which saw him finish in 15th place to complete one of the greatest underdog stories in golf’s recent memory.
Harman walks alone atop Royal Liverpool leaderboard
If you had told someone in 2017 that Brian Harman was going to win The Open in 2023, not many would have questioned you after he finished T13 at the tournament, as well as T2 in the US Open that year, but at 125/1 he didn’t roll up to Royal Liverpool with much expectation.
Harman didn’t set the field alight straight away and after the first round all eyes were on hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood who led by one. The second round was when the tide took an insurmountable shift with Harman ending the second round five shots ahead of the rest, the joint largest lead after 36 holes at the Open Championship since 1934.
On what was a sparse, windy and far from easy Royal Liverpool course, many expected some of the bigger names to reel in Harman as the holes passed, but the American had other ideas. Harman went two under par in his third round to keep his lead at the top to five shots.
With last round nerves the talk of the media, some of whom were hoping that Harman would faulter, the lesser-known lefty proved all doubters wrong as he topped the leaderboard by an emphatic six shot margin as he lifted his first ever Major title.
DeChambeau shoots record-equalling 58
LIV Golf has been a big talking point this season, less so the events that have actually taken place on the breakaway tour’s courses. Although LIV Golf is seen by many to be a less competitive environment, Bryson DeChambeau achieved a feat which would be tough for most to match at a pitch and putt, never mind a professional golf course.
DeChambeau winning his first LIV Golf title at the Greenbrier was far from the headline on the back page, with his final round score of 58 the main talking point. The big-hitting American’s scorecard consisted of 13 birdies and just one bogey as he became just the seventh man to shoot 58 in men’s professional golf and only the fourth to do so on a main tour.
Europe take over Rome in a day
After all of the individual achievements we saw throughout the year, it was a team performance that truly capped a fascinating year of golf. Team Europe headed to Rome for the 2023 Ryder Cup with revenge on the agenda and stacked team ready to make their mark… and make their mark they did.
Nothing sets the tone for a Ryder Cup tournament like a chip-in on the first hole and Viktor Hovland produced just that to send him and Ludvig Aberg one up – Team Europe never looked back from that moment.
After just one day’s play the Europeans had produced a highlight reel fit for the entire weekend as they finished day one with a five-point lead, with many believing that the competition was already over.
Europe did not once take their finger off the pulse, with standout performance coming from Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland. Luke Donald’s men would avenge their 2021 defeat and more, winning the competition by a margin of 16.5 points to 11.5.
