Sepp Straka Wins John Deere Classic; Hojgaard, Smith Shine in Europe

Sepp Straka, Rasmus Hojgaard and Cameron Smith on Sunday emerged victorious in US Professional Golfers Association, European Tour and LIV Golf tournaments, respectively. Those wins stunned online golf betting sites that were favoring other golfers to win these events. Austrian Sepp Straka won the John Deere Classic with a superb, final-round surge while Rasmus Hojgaard came from six shots back to take home the Made in Himmerland event via playoff. Reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith held off the last-round attacks of Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman to capture the LIV Golf-London tournament. The victories boosted the 2022-23 season campaigns of Straka, Hojgaard and Smith and more importantly, increased their chances of competing in major events in the future.

Sepp Straka Shoots 62 in Fourth round to Win John Deere Classic

Straka carded a 9-under-par 62 in the final round to win the John Deere Classic by two shots. The 30-year-old Austrian, who played for Georgia in college, edged Brendan Todd and Alex Smalley and won his second PGA Tour title. Straka, who is set to move to No27 in the updated world golf rankings, could have carded a 60 and won by four shots if not for a double bogey in the final hole. He also increased his chance of representing Europe in the Ryder Cup this fall in Italy.

Straka had rounds of 73, 63, 65 and 62 to end up at 21-under 263. He had five birdies and an eagle in the first nine holes to turn in 7-under 28 at the TPC Deere Run. Sepp Straka came up with four consecutive birdies from the 11th to move to 11-under. He had a chance to tie the record of Paul Goydos with four holes remaining but he shot three pars and a double bogey on the 18th to finish with a 62.

The Austrian earned USD1.332 million and 500 FedEx ranking points for the win. Todd shot a 68 in the final round while Smalley carded a 67 to place joint second at 19-under 265. The duo came home USD658,600 plus 245 FedEx points. Ludvig Aberg and Adam Schenk finished three shots off the pace at 18-under 266. Aberg shot a 63 while Schenk carded a fourth-round 66. Both of them received USD333,000 and 123 FedEx points. Up next for the golfers is the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, from July 13 to July 16. Some of the top golfers are slated to take part in the event, including World No1 Scottie Scheffler, World No3 Rory McIlroy, fourth seed Patrick Cantlay, fifth-ranked Viktor Hovland and No6 Xander Schauffele.

Hojgaard Emerges Victorious in Made in Himmerland

Rasmus Hojgaard won the Made in Himmerland tournament via playoff at the Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort in Farso, Denmark on Sunday. Hojgaard shot a 6-under-par 64 in the final round for a four-round aggregate of 13-under 267. He ended up tied with Nacho Elvira, who settled for a 70, and forced a playoff. In the playoff, Hojgaard and Elvira engaged in six extra holes until the Spaniard faltered in the sixth. Elvira flubbed his approach shot that went out of bounds and settled for a double-bogey. Hojgaard took advantage of the error and made a par to secure the title. The Danish parbuster gained EUR507,458.54 (about USD556,000) and 710 Race to Dubai points for first place while the Spaniard took home EUR328,355.53 (about USD360,000) and 472 points

Richie Ramsey could have won the tournament but a disastrous double bogey on the 18th destroyed his chances. He settled for third place at 12-under 268 and received 266 Race to Dubai points, as well as EUR188,058.17 (about USD206,000). Alexander Bjork (67), Robert MacIntyre (71), Kalle Samooja (67) and Marc Warren (68) shared fourth at 11-under 269. The quartet gained 167.02 points each and earned EUR117,461.73 (about USD129,000). Hojgaard’s win was his fourth on the European circuit and boosted his case for a spot in the Ryder Cup. He was the first Danish golfer to win in the Made in Himmerland since it was first staged in 2014.

Smith Wins LIV Golf-London Tourney for First Title of the Year

British Open champion Cameron Smith held his nerve to win his first golf tournament of the year on Sunday at the LIV Golf-London. Smith shot a 3-under-par 68 for a three-round aggregate of 15-under 201. The Australian won by one stroke over Patrick Reed (65) and Marc Leishman (66). He took home USD4 million for the individual title. His victory came less than two weeks before Smith defends his British Open title at Royal Liverpool. It was his second LIV Golf win following the LIV Golf-Chicago tournament in September 2022. The 10-year pro led Reed by six shots in the second round when the American buried six birdies on the back nine at the Centurion Club.

Leishman birdied the final hole for 66 to share second with Reid. In the team competition, the Dustin Johnson-led 4 Aces rallied to win by one shot over the Smith-led Ripper. Reed and Pat Perez (66) were the other members of 4 Aces. Up next for Smith is the British Open where he will defend the title and be one of the favorites to win the crown, according to sports picks that produces real-time bets 24/7.