Tour round-up: Peng makes breakthrough win

Here's a look back on what happened on tour last week. We'll be sharing the winners, shots and moments of the week.

Winner's circle - week ending 17th March

Here's who won:

LPGA Tour and LET were not in action last week. The LPGA Tour returns this week and is back on American soil at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Whilst the LET still has another week break until returning in Australia for the Women’s NSW Open which takes place March 29-31 at Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club.

Epson Tour - Jessica Peng earned her first professional win at the IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty.

For the second straight week, the Epson Tour crowned a first-time champion. Heading into the final round, only four players were within four shots of the lead. Jessica Peng was on the other end of the spectrum, sitting four shots back of second-round leader Lindsey McCurdy. By the end of the day, Peng stood alone on top after a gutsy final-round performance.

Peng made herself known earlier in the day, making birdies on the first two holes to get within two shots of the leaders before their putts had even dropped on the first hole. From there on, the 30-year-old played the most consistent golf out of the leaders, making it to 14 before finally dropping a shot. Fast forward to 17, and Peng was only one shot back off the lead with a chance to make birdie on the most challenging hole at Alaqua Country Club.

Peng would roll in the birdie putt on 17 and head to the 18th tee, tied for the lead. A tee shot to the centre of the green set up a two-putt par, and from there, it was just a waiting game for the Chinese Taipei native.

Lindsey McCurdy walked onto the 18th tee with a share of the lead after an up-and-down day. The scorecard was a colorful one for McCurdy, who tallied four birdies, five bogeys, an eagle, and a double bogey. The fifth and final bogey came on 18 after a tee shot sailed right of the green. The Southern Methodist University alum gave herself a six-footer for par to push the tournament to extra holes. However, the putt missed on the high side of the cup, moving McCurdy into solo second for the tournament.

The victory was one in the making for Peng, who has been a professional for seven years, even though her rookie season with the Epson Tour was in 2022. She competed mostly overseas on the TLPGA before heading to the United States to try her hand at Qualifying School. Heading into this year, she did not know if she would continue to compete, but things seemed to have changed after her win.

“I finally achieved my long-term and short-term goals at the same time,” explained Peng. “It is my first career win, and it has been seven years now. It feels great. I thought this would be my last year as a tour player, but I think after this win, I will keep going.”

This week it's a new event on the Epson Tour, the Atlantic Beach Classic and Atlantic beach Country Club in Florida.

Sunshine Ladies Tour - South Africa's Gabrielle Venter claimed her maiden professional victory at the Standard Bank Ladies Open hosted by the City of Cape Town.

The 19-year-old won the Standard Bank Ladies Open in a thrilling battle with the experienced Kylie Henry at Royal Cape Golf Club. While the victory might not have been a big surprise for followers of the Sunshine Ladies Tour, Venter said afterwards she had no inkling her maiden professional win was on the
cards until she was on the 18th green.

“Honestly I was not focusing on the win at all because if you do that too much then you lose focus on the actual golf,” Venter said. “So I didn’t know what the scores were at all, I was just focused on my own game. I felt my game was in place to win, but if it didn’t happen then I would just wait for the next time.

“The first time I saw a scoreboard was when I was putting on 18, I missed the birdie putt and then you expect the best from your opponent and I was ready for a play-off with Kylie.”

“I will also take a lot of confidence into the co-sanctioned events – the SA Open and the Joburg Open – and I’ve learnt that every shot counts at this level. Now I know I can win here. This tour is a great tool to do well enough to be invited overseas and play against the best,” Venter said.

The Sunshine Ladies Tour now takes a break until the 4th April for the ABSA Ladies Invitational.

Men's professional tour results

PGA Tour - Even battling a neck injury, Scottie Scheffler showed why is he World Number one and a force to be reckoned with in men's professional golf.

Coming from five shots behind on the final day of THE PLAYERS Championship, the American carded an eagle and six birdies for a bogey-free 64 to take the clubhouse lead at 20-under-par.

Whilst others faltered, Scheffler stayed focused and his fellow Ryder Cup Team mates - Xander Schauffele (who held a one shot lead heading into Sunday), Brian Harman and Wydnam Clark were all unable to find a birdie on the final hole to force a play-off. Clark coming agonisingly close as his ball horseshoed out on 18.

This was the 27-year-old's eighth PGA Tour victory in just over two years plus he became the first player to successfully defend his THE PLAYERS title and claimed back-to-back victories following his dominant performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.

"That's pretty special - it's something you don't get to do very often. It's tough enough to win one Players, so to have it back to back is extremely special and I'm really thankful.

"I was hoping to be in this position. I put up a good fight for four days - that's really all it was. I got off to a slow start today, but the hole-out on four kind of propelled us a little bit. I hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things, and it's nice to come out on top."

This week the PGA Tour stays in Florida for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course).

Shot of the week

We have said previously that shot of the week won't be 52 weeks of hole-in-ones but as hole-in-ones go this is a pretty special one due to the iconic hole it happened on.

On Thursday at the 50th playing of THE PLAYERS Championship, New Zealand's Ryan Fox made a hole-in-on one of golf's most recognisable but difficult par 3s - the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. It was also his first ace on the PGA Tour.

Oh and if this wasn't impressive enough the 37-year-old had made eagle on the previous hole, meaning that he was the first player on record (1983-present) to make back-to-back eagles on any two holes at THE PLAYERS Championship! Fox followed up his opening 69 to shoot 76 on Friday and miss the cut...even so, we're sure he had a first THE PLAYERS Championship to remember!

Moment of the week

Sticking with THE PLAYERS Championship, the moment of the week has to go to Wyndham Clark whose final putt on 18 to force a play-off with Scottie Scheffler lipped out. But when we say horseshoed out, it was so close to going in, if you missed it, watch below.

Golf can be a cruel, cruel game!

The LPGA is back in action this week as the LPGA returns to American soil with the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, whilst the DP World Tour also returns but in Asia at the Porsche Singapore Classic at Laguna National Golf Resort Club and the PGA Tour cools off a little after the excitement of THE PLAYERS with the Valspar Championship.

Which other tours would you like us to report on? Drop us an email with your request here.