Hodges Breaks Through, Boutier Wins Home Major | Sunday Swing

Welcome back to the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week was a busy one in professional golf. The PGA Tour returned to the United States for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, the ladies competed for a major title at the Evian Championship, and the seniors battled brutal conditions at The Senior Open Championship.

3M Open - Tournament History 

The 3M Open is one of the newer events on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean it’s without intrigue. TPC Twin Cities hosted a regular stop on the PGA Tour Champions through 2018 before moving into a slot on the PGA Tour, the event now known as the 3M Open. In the first four years, the even has shown that birdies can be made in bunches. However, with more water in play than any other course on the PGA Tour, one bad swing can quickly ruin a good round. 

The Big Swing - Lee Hodges 

Lee Hodges put on a clinic over four days of nearly flawless golf to win the 3M Open by seven shots. With the FedEx Cup playoffs nearing, Hodges was one of many players needing a good week to improve their standing to qualify for the playoffs. New this year, only the top 70 make the elusive FedEx Cup playoffs, so these last few weeks of the regular tour season become crucial. Hodges picked a great week to catch fire.

He opened with an eight-under-par 63, which immediately vaulted him to the very top of the leaderboard. Throughout the day Friday, several big names such as Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama challenged Hodges. However, Hodges kept his foot on the gas. A second-round 64 put him at 15-under-par, four shots ahead. 

Like Brian Harman the previous week at The Open, Hodges played clean golf during the final 36 holes, keeping the ball in play and taking advantage of a few prime birdie chances when they arose. J.T. Poston and Finau posed the biggest threats, but Hodges maintained a firm grip on the lead throughout the weekend. 

Ultimately, Hodges fired rounds of 66 and 67 on the weekend to finish at 24-under-par, seven better than anyone else in the field. It’s the first PGA Tour win for Hodges and it moved him from 74th to 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings, ensuring his spot in the playoffs is secure.

Winner’s Bag - Lee Hodges 

Lee Hodges broke into the win column on the PGA Tour in dramatic fashion, winning the 3M Open by seven shots. In total, Hodges finished the week at 24-under-par and didn’t record a score worse than 67 in any of the four rounds. That marks back-to-back blowout wins for Titleist tour staff members on tour. Hodges plays a Titleist TSR2 driver, Titleist TSR3 fairway wood (15 degrees) and Titleist TSR3 hybrid (21 degrees), a combo of Titleist T100 irons (4-6) and Titleist 620 CB irons (7-9), a set of Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges, and a Scotty Cameron GoLo 6 Tour prototype putter. 

In The World Of Women’s Golf

It was a storybook ending for Celine Boutier this weekend at the Amundi Evian Championship. Boutier became the first French golfer to win the Evian Championship, played in her home country. The win marks Boutier’s fourth victory on the LPGA Tour and first career major win. 

She began the final day with a three-shot lead, and immediately increased it to five with birdies on the first two holes. From that point on, there was little doubt. Boutier maintained a strong lead of no less than four shots the rest of the day, and ultimately won the tournament she grew up attending as a kid by six. 

Of note, Boutier became the fourth player to win twice on the LPGA Tour this season, joining Lilia Vu, Ruoning Yin and Allisen Corpuz. 

Harsh Conditions Underline Senior Open Championship

This weekend also marked the playing of the 2023 Senior Open Championship. Royal Porthcrawl was plagued with harsh conditions over the weekend, including strong winds and frequent rain. For Open Championship purists, it’s the exact conditions required for optimal viewing. 

Just five-over-par was the score needed to get into a playoff for the trophy. In the end it was Alex Cejka who prevailed over Padraig Harrington on the second playoff hole to win. 

Of note, zero players broke par on Sunday. YE Yang vaulted up the leaderboard over 40 spots just by shooting even par. Overall, the Sunday scoring average was 78.1.