Weekly Tour Wrap-Up #6th August

The fourth and final major of the year starts next week at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, and many players will be heading into the PGA Championship high on confidence after some strong performances last week.

On the PGA Tour at the Bridgestone Invitational, last year's PGA Champion found form at just the right time to secure a one shot victory over another former major champion, who looked destined for the title until a costly double bogey - the first of his week - on the 72nd hole.

At the Reno-Tahoe Open - the first event to be decided by modified stableford since the 2006 International - a journeyman won for just the second time in his long career to secure his PGA Tour card for another two seasons.

Bradley Brilliant at Bridgestone

Keegan Bradley won the second biggest tournament of his life at the Bridgestone Invitational, finishing one ahead of veteran Jim Furyk on 13-under-par after for former U.S Open champion double bogeyed the 72nd hole to continue this season's trend of harrowing last-minute collapses.

Bradley played some fine golf on Sunday, shooting a six-under-par 64, but the tournament will be remembered predominantly for Furyk's uncharacteristic blunder when he had been rock solid all week.

The 42-year-old set the pace right from the get go, opening up with a brilliant seven-under-par 63 - which included and eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys - on a long and difficult golf course to lead after 18 holes. He was two clear of surprise package Englishman Lee Slattery, who opened with a 65 in his first World Golf Championship event, and three clear of Masters champion Bubba Watson and world number one Luke Donald.

Furyk maintained his two-shot lead after 36 holes with a second-round 66, but his nearest challenger had changed. Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello, himself competing in his first World Golf Championship event, surged through the field with a 65 to head into the weekend on eight-under-par. South African Louis Oosthuizen was a shot further back on seven-under-par after matching Cabrera-Bello’s 65.

It was a textbook display of solid golf from Furyk on Saturday, one of the most difficult golfers to track down when he is in possession of the lead. He matched one birdie with one bogey to head into the weekend on 11-under-par. It was a good day for Oosthuizen - who closed the gap to one as a late rally propelled him to a 67 – but not for Cabrera-Bello, who plummeted down the leaderboard with a 77. Most players were struggling to mount a challenge on moving day but one who did was Keegan Bradley, who was settled nicely on seven-under-par with 18 holes to play after mixing four birdies with a bogey for a Saturday 67.

After three holes on Sunday, it looked like it was game over. Furyk started with three straight birdies to elevate himself to 14-under-par. No one behind him was making a move, with Rory McIlroy missing from ten feet for birdie at one and seven feet for eagle at two and the field struggling for early momentum. Oosthuizen also birdied the first and second to keep Furyk in sight, but he fell back with a bogey four at the 5^th.

Despite an uncharacteristic bogey at the 6^th, Furyk still possessed a two shot lead, and that would remain the case until the 14^th hole. The final round was played in three-balls due to inclement weather, and it was Furyk and Oosthuizen’s playing partner Keegan Bradley who would start mounting a charge.

He birdied three and followed it with another at the seventh to reach the turn on nine-under-par, four behind Furyk. He proceeded to birdie 10 and 11, however, and after another birdie at 14, the deficit was just one shot. Oosthuizen, meanwhile, had fallen out of contention with further bogeys at nine and 10. Both Furyk and Bradley parred 15, and at the long par 5 16^th, both found the green in regulation. Furyk was some 20 feet away but poured in a perfect putt for a birdie to put the pressure on Bradley, who responded admirably by holing his own 10-foot birdie putt.

On the last hole, both players found the middle of the fairway. Furyk, playing first, pushed his approach into the greenside rough, opening the door for Bradley. The 2010 PGA Champion failed to seize his chance, though, following suit and pushing his second into a plugged lie in a greenside bunker. Furyk, out of nowhere, duffed his chip into more rough, but after Bradley played to 15 feet, it was still advantage to the veteran. He hit a modest chip to five feet, meaning if Bradley missed and he holed, the title would be his. Bradley had other ideas. His par-putt dropped into the hole at perfect pace to rapturous applause from the gallery and Furyk proceeded to miss, making his first double bogey of the week to give Bradley the perfect boost heading into his PGA Championship defence.

Joyful JJ wins in Reno

JJ Henry won his second PGA Tour title and his first for six years at the modified stableford Reno-Tahoe Open, finishing one point clear of Brazilian Alexandra Rocha at Montreux Country Club.

The tournament switched to modified stableford in a bit to draw more excitement to the event, awarding -3 for a double bogey or worse, -1 for a bogey, 0 for a par, 2 for a birdie and 5 for an albatross.

Argentina’s Andres Romero led after round one with a total of 14 points, but was overtaken by South American counterpart Rocha – who recorded 16 points on Friday – in round two.

Rocha lost his lead to Henry (14 points) in round three but stayed just three adrift on 33 heading into Sunday, with John Mallinger (32), Romero (31), Englishman Gary Christian (28) and a resurgent John Daly giving chase.

The first nine on Sunday was a relatively drab affair, with Henry stretching ahead with birdies at five, six and eight. His playing partner Rocha only made three points to the turn, but after he birdie 13 and Henry bogeyed 15, there was just five points in it. Rocha birdied 17, meaning a birdie on 18 and a Henry bogey would mean a play-off. The Brazilian did his part by making a birdie four but Henry remained steady, making a par to win the tournament by one shot.

Next week, 2012 Bridgestone Invitational champion Keegan Bradley defends the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, a tournament he won so memorably last year at Atlanta Athletic Club.