Rahm edges Thompson for win at La Quinta
Jon Rahm took advantage of mistakes by rookie Davis Thompson over the adventuresome final three holes and closed with a fourunder 68 to win the American Express by one stroke Sunday at La Quinta, his second PGA Tour win in as many starts this year.
The Spanish star pumped his right fist and flashed a look of relief after tapping in for a two-putt par on No. 18.
“I’m, in a weird way, glad that today went the way it went,” Rahm said. “I’ve enjoyed some runaway victories, I’ve enjoyed some comebacks, but today was certainly a struggle.”
They were tied with three holes to play when Thompson, who led through 36 holes and shared the lead with Rahm going into Sunday, pulled his drive into a deep fairway bunker on the par-five 16th and wound up with par. Rahm made birdie to take the lead.
On the par-three 17th, Thompson chose to leave the pin in for his 50-foot birdie putt on the island green, and the ball squarely hit the pin and rolled away. The 23year-old from Georgia dropped his putter and put his hands to his face. As he walked to the 18th tee after tapping in for par, he pulled his shirt over his mouth in frustration.
Rahm hit his tee shot into the bunker on 18 but recovered nicely with a shot to 15 feet and pumped his fist. Thompson’s drive found the fairway but his approach bounced on the green and ran down the slope behind it. The rookie hit a bold flop shop that settled a foot to the right of the hole. He shot 69.
Rahm had two putts to finish at 17-under 261 and win for the ninth time on the PGA Tour. He moves up one spot to No. 3 in the world. He is playing this week at Torrey Pines, while world No. 1 Rory McIlroy makes his 2023 debut in Dubai on the European tour.
Rahm opened with two birdies to take the lead, but Thompson eventually caught up to him when Rahm’s par putt lipped out on No. 13.
Rahm got his share of breaks. From the middle of the fairway on the 16th, Rahm had his hands on his hips as he watched his second shot head toward the deep bunker down the left side. It hit in the dormant rough and stayed in the fairway. That left a pitch to just inside 10 feet, and his birdie putt for the lead swirled into the cup.
Henderson takes it
Brooke Henderson sets a goal of winning multiple LPGA Tour titles at the outset of each season. She didn’t wait long to collect her first trophy of 2023.
Henderson was dominant throughout and delivered a two-under 70 at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., to complete a wire-to-wire victory
in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
In windy and sometimes difficult conditions, the 25year-old Canadian played steadily, making sure not to give much hope to a group behind her trying to mount a challenge. She began the day leading by three and eventually won by four, finishing the event at 16-under 272. It was her 13th LPGA victory.
“It is so exciting,” Henderson said. “I always try to win a couple times each year, so to get one right away out of the gate takes a little bit of pressure off. It’s exciting to be in contention, and even
more exciting to hoist trophies.”
Perez wins close one
Victor Perez won the Abu Dhabi Championship by one stroke for the third and biggest European tour title of his career, with the Frenchman’s six-under 66 in the final round capped by holing a bunker shot at No. 17.
Perez led by one when he sent his tee shot on the 17th hole short and into a greenside bunker. His second shot went about 10 feet beyond the cup and spun back into it, leading to Perez leaping out of the sand and chestbumping his caddie.
A bogey at the last hole — where he drove into a bunker and hit his second shot nearly into water — was enough for the 30-year-old Perez to claim a winner’s check of $1.53 million at one of the tour’s top events and strengthen his chances of playing for Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup outside Rome.
Perez was almost brought to tears when he was asked about what this victory would do for his career.
“There’s a lot of big things coming up, I’ve had a really good offseason, I’ve worked really hard ,” Perez said.