Straka Goes Low, Corpuz Wins Historic Major | The Sunday Swing

Welcome back to another edition of the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week in the world of golf, the PGA Tour had one last stop in the Quad Cities for the John Deere Classic, while the LPGA Tour played the U.S. Women’s Open at one of the most iconic venues in golf: Pebble Beach Golf Links. 

John Deere Classic - Tournament History 

The John Deere Classic was established in 1971 and has been held rather fittingly in America’s heartland. Beginning in Iowa for its first three editions before moving to Coal Valley, Illinois from 1975-1999, the John Deere Classic then moved to its current host site in the Quad Cities: TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. For a “small” event on the PGA Tour’s annual schedule, the John Deere Classic has produced big history. In 2005 at just age 16, young phenom Michelle Wie was given a sponsors exemption into the John Deere Classic, bringing more media attention to the event than ever before. While Wie would end up withdrawing during round two due to heat exhaustion, it was still a historic moment for both the PGA and LPGA Tours. In 2013, 19-year-old stud Jordan Spieth was given a sponsor’s exemption into the field and he took full advantage, going on to win the event and jumpstart his exceptional career.

The course itself is a par 71 measuring just 7,257 yards, and was designed by PGA Tour winner D.A. Weibring. Players can expect a scorable golf course that requires a lot of birdies if you want to hoist the trophy on Sunday.

The Big Swing

This week the big swing belongs to one of just two active Austrian golfers on the PGA Tour – Sepp Straka. Straka had just one win on the PGA Tour prior to this week coming at the 2022 Honda Classic. After opening with a 2-over par 73 on Thursday, his chances of picking up win number two were narrow.  Even making the cut seemed out of reach. Nevertheless, Straka went to work on Friday, carding an opening nine of 5-under 31 to get to 3-under for the championship. Knowing he was still flirting with the cut line, Straka kept his foot on the gas and made four more birdies on holes 1, 2, 4, and 6. Sitting at 9-under for the round and 7-under for the tournament, Straka would make bogey on the final hole for 63, but was now well inside the cut line. Other notables that Straka would have to chase down on the weekend included Cameron Young, Denny McCarthy, Ludvig Aberg, and defending champion J.T. Poston who was looking to become the third player to successfully defend a title this season. 

On Saturday, Straka picked up where he left off and carded a bogey-free 65 to really give himself a legitimate chance on Sunday. The bigger story on Saturday was 26-year-old Alex Smalley, who carded a 3rd round 62 to catapult up the leaderboard while in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title. Meanwhile, Brendon Todd was playing steady, consistent golf all week, carding rounds of 66, 65, and 66 to give himself a one-shot cushion heading into the final round. 

On Sunday, it was young star Aberg who was making an early charge. Aberg began the final round six shots back, but started his round 4-under through 4 holes and was suddenly right in the mix. He would end up carding 4-under on both nines without making a single bogey, and would set the clubhouse lead at 18-under. With lots of golf still to be played, Aberg would have to wait it out and hope for the best. 

But Straka was a man on a mission on Sunday afternoon. Straka exposed the front nine, carding a 7-under par 28 to quickly take control of the championship. His work wasn’t done quite yet however, as Straka went on to birdie holes 11, 12, 13, and 14 to get it to 11-under par on the day. Standing on the 18th tee with a commanding four shot lead, Straka needed one more birdie to card a course record tying round of 59. After his second shot from the fairway found the water hazard left of the green, the rest of the field had a glimmer of hope in catching Straka. When he failed to get up and down for bogey, he would card a double bogey for 62 and post a new clubhouse lead at 21-under par. The only remaining players with any real chance of catching him were Todd and Smalley. When Todd made bogey at the 16th to fall two back, his hopes of winning began to dwindle. The same fate awaited Smalley, who was unable to make any birdies in the final four holes. Both players would finish the tournament at a respectable score of 19-under, but ultimately came up two shots short thanks to Straka’s sizzling Sunday 62. 

Winner’s Bag - Sepp Straka 

Srixon staffer Sepp Straka claimed his second Tour title on Sunday afternoon thanks to a career-low round of 62 in the final round, which helped offset the two-over-par 73 he posted to open the event on Thursday. Off the tee, Straka plays the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus driver. He pairs that with a TaylorMade Stealth 2 3-wood and 7-wood to round out the trio of Stealth 2 metals. Powering his iron game is a set of Srixon ZX7 MK II irons (4-9). The Austrian also plays four Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges (46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees). On the greens, Straka rolls an Odyssey Stroke Lab Tuttle putter, which was scorching hot during his Sunday birdie run.

In the World of Women’s Golf 

This week on the LPGA Tour, the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links hosted the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time. Pebble Beach has hosted a wide variety of huge golf tournaments including the U.S. Am, U.S. Women’s Am, and U.S. Open. This year, it was the ladies turn to face the test that is Pebble Beach. Known for its scenic views, iconic layout, and historic moments, Pebble Beach is everything you want for a major championship. With the LPGA’s popularity surging in recent years, there couldn’t be a better time for the games best to gather on the Monterey Peninsula for the U.S. Open. 

The difficult conditions paired with an elite field pointed to a more experienced player taking home the trophy. However, a 25-year-old with zero prior wins took home the title – that’s why we love the U.S. Open. Allisen Corpuz of Honolulu, Hawaii didn’t even turn professional until 2022, but she had quickly made a name for herself in 2023 with top 15 finishes at the season’s first two majors. Claiming your first victory on the LPGA Tour is one thing, doing it in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach is an entirely different ball game. 

Corpuz opened the week with solid rounds of 69 and 70 which put her in good position, but was still two shots behind the rookie Bailey Tardy who had opened with impressive rounds of 69 and 68. The infamous Michelle Wie said goodbye to the LPGA Tour this week, playing in her final U.S. Open and final LPGA tournament ever. Wie shot a pair of 79’s to miss the cut alongside many other notables including Maria Fassi, Lexi Thompson, Jennifer Kupcho, Georgia Hall, Danielle Kang, and Jin Young Ko. 

While Corpuz was playing exceptional golf, she would still have to take down the likes of former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin, Nasa Hataoka, Bailey Tardy, and Rose Zhang. Heading into Sunday, it was a jam packed leaderboard and no player had a clear advantage. On another windy Sunday, the majority of the field struggled to make birdies. With the scoring average on the rise, only a few players were able to make any sort of charge. One of these players was Charley Hull, who started the day at even par but had made the turn in 4-under 32 to get herself into contention. On the back nine, Hull made birdies and 10 and 11, along with a bogey at 13 and another birdie at 16. Hull would card a 6-under 66 and become the clubhouse leader for the time being. Allisen Corpuz was having no problem making birdies however, as she made six of them on her way to a final round 69. It was the birdies at 14 and 15 that gave her the commanding lead so that even with a bogey at 17, she was able to win comfortably by three shots over Hull and Shin. Although this is her first win on the LPGA Tour, it will likely be one of, if not the most memorable win of her career. 

Winner's Bag -- Allisen Corpuz

Allisen Corpuz was not on the short list of favorites entering this week's historic U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. However, her winning performance wasn't completely out of nowhere. The Hawaiian had recorded top 15 finishes in the previous two majors, proving she could contend among an elite field of golfers. It all came together this week, and on a difficult scoring day, she carded a final-round 69 with six birdies en route to a three-shot victory. A member of PING's staff, Corpuz plays an entire lineup of PING clubs, including a PING G430 LST driver, PING G430 Max 3-wood and 5-wood, PING G410 hybrid, PING i230 irons, PING Glide 4.0 wedges, and a PING 2021 DS 72 putter.