4 things we learned this week in the golf world
Hudson Swafford shot a final round 67 Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour win and also grab an invitational to Augusta National in April.
Swafford was brilliant on Sunday, as was Tommy Fleetwood who won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Here's what we learned when the dust settled Sunday evening.
Dustin Johnson is heading to California in great shape
Dustin Johnson birdied No. 16 and eagled the par-5 18th to grab a share of second place in Abu Dhabi. Johnson struggled Thursday citing jet lag, but posted rounds of 68-64-68 from Friday on, thanks to a hot putt. The reigning U.S. Open champion heads back home to play at Torrey Pines next week, followed by Pebble Beach and Riviera, two places he's won at.
Phil needs a little time
Everything considered, it was decent showing for Mickelson, who only started hitting balls last Saturday. Phil's short game looked great but the long game needs work, and understandably so. The 46-year-old was in contention heading into the weekend, but struggled Saturday, posting a 73. Mickelson has committed to play next week at the Farmers Insurance, where he's a three-time winner.
| Stat | Week total |
|---|---|
| Eagles | 1 |
| Birdies | 18 |
| Pars | 45 |
| Bogeys | 7 |
| Other | 1 |
| Fairways | 31/56 |
| Distance | 277.8 |
| Greens hit | 42/72 |
| Putts per GIR | 1.595 |
There's more to the McIlroy injury
Rory McIlroy pulled out of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after it was discovered he suffered a stress fracture to his ribs last week in South Africa. Dr. Sandy Kunkel, who's a back specialist and worked with the Indiana Pacers from 1988 to 2004, said this type of injury is rare in golfers. "They are typical in rowing or upper-body weight bearing athletes," Kunkel told Matt Adams of the Golf Channel. "The modern golf swing is hard on the body."
Posting 59 doesn't mean a victory
Adam Hadwin went historic Saturday at the CareerBuild Challenge when he posted a 13-under-par 59. It was the second time in nine days it occurred and Hadwin is the eighth player ever to accomplish the feat.
While Justin Thomas won easily last week, Hadwin finished in second place this week, making it the fifth time a player has shot a sub-60 round and not won. It could be worse, Jim Furyk is the only one to shoot two sub-60 rounds and walked away empty-handed both times.