2021_in_golf
2021 in golf
Overview of the events of 2021 in golf
This article summarizes the highlights of professional and amateur golf in the year 2021.
Major championships
- 8–11 April: Masters Tournament – Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese male golfer to win a major championship, and the first Asian-born golfer to win the Masters, finishing one stroke ahead of Will Zalatoris.[1]
- 20–23 May: PGA Championship – Phil Mickelson won by two strokes over Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen; it was his second PGA Championship victory, and his sixth major championship victory. He is the oldest player to win a major championship.[2]
- 17–20 June: U.S. Open – Jon Rahm won by one shot over Louis Oosthuizen. It was his first major victory and he became the first U.S. Open champion from Spain.[3]
- 15–18 July: The Open Championship – Collin Morikawa won by two strokes over Jordan Spieth. It was his first Open Championship victory, and his second major victory.[4]
World Golf Championships
- 25–28 February: WGC-Workday Championship – Collin Morikawa won by three strokes over Billy Horschel, Viktor Hovland, and Brooks Koepka.[5]
- 24–28 March: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play – Billy Horschel defeated Scottie Scheffler, 2 and 1, in the championship match. It was his first WGC victory.[6]
- 5–8 August: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational – Abraham Ancer defeated Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.[7] It was his first WGC (and PGA Tour) win.
- 28–31 October: WGC-HSBC Champions – Cancelled[8]
FedEx Cup playoff events
Main article: 2021 FedEx Cup Playoffs
- 19–22 August: The Northern Trust – Tony Finau defeated Cameron Smith in a playoff.[9]
- 26–29 August: BMW Championship – Patrick Cantlay defeated Bryson DeChambeau in a playoff.[10]
- 2–5 September: Tour Championship – Patrick Cantlay won by one stroke over Jon Rahm.[11]
Other leading PGA Tour events
- 11–14 March: The Players Championship – Justin Thomas won by one stroke over Lee Westwood for his first Players victory.[12]
For a complete list of PGA Tour results see 2020–21 PGA Tour.
Leading European Tour events
- 9–12 September: BMW PGA Championship – Billy Horschel won by one stroke over Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Laurie Canter, and Jamie Donaldson. He became the second American golfer to win the BMW PGA Championship (Arnold Palmer, 1975).[13]
- 18–21 November: DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – Collin Morikawa won by three strokes over Alexander Björk and Matt Fitzpatrick. He also won the Race to Dubai.[14]
For a complete list of European Tour results see 2021 European Tour.
Team events
Tour leaders
- PGA Tour
- FedEx Cup –
Patrick Cantlay - Leading money winner –
Jon Rahm (US$7,705,933)[lower-alpha 1]
- FedEx Cup –
- European Tour – Collin Morikawa (5,856 points)
- Japan Golf Tour – Chan Kim (¥127,599,803)
- Asian Tour – season extended into 2022
- PGA Tour of Australasia –
Brad Kennedy (A$302,480) – 2020–21 season - Sunshine Tour –
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (R 7,789,088) – 2020–21 season
Awards
- PGA Tour
- European Tour
- Golfer of the Year –
- Rookie of the Year –
Matti Schmid
- Golfer of the Year –
- Korn Ferry Tour
Results from other tours
Other happenings
- 20 June: Jon Rahm regained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the U.S. Open, gaining it for the third time, replacing Dustin Johnson.[3]
- 11 July: Dustin Johnson regained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, gaining it for the seventh time, replacing Rahm.[16]
- 18 July: Rahm regained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, gaining it for the fourth time, replacing Johnson.[17]
LPGA majors
- 1–4 April: ANA Inspiration – Patty Tavatanakit won her first major by two strokes over Lydia Ko.[18]
- 3–6 June: U.S. Women's Open – Yuka Saso won her first major in a playoff over Nasa Hataoka.[19]
- 24–27 June: KPMG Women's PGA Championship – Nelly Korda won her first major by three strokes over Lizette Salas.[20]
- 22–25 July: The Evian Championship – Minjee Lee won her first major at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff over Lee Jeong-eun.[21]
- 19–22 August: Women's British Open – Anna Nordqvist won her third major by one stroke over Georgia Hall, Madelene Sagström and Lizette Salas.[22]
Additional LPGA Tour events
- 18–21 November: CME Group Tour Championship – Ko Jin-young won for the second consecutive year. She also won the Race to the CME Globe, Player of the Year, and topped the money list.[23]
For a complete list of LPGA Tour results, see 2021 LPGA Tour.
For a complete list of Ladies European Tour results see 2021 Ladies European Tour.
Team events
- 4–6 September: Solheim Cup – The European team defeated the United States, 15 to 13.[24]
Money list leaders
- LPGA Tour –
Ko Jin-young ($3,502,161) - Ladies European Tour –
Atthaya Thitikul (3,591.96 points) - LPGA of Japan Tour –
Mone Inami (¥255,192,049) - LPGA of Korea Tour – Park Min-ji (₩1,521,374,313)
- ALPG Tour –
- Symetra Tour – Lilia Vu ($162,292)
Other tour results
Other happenings
- 28 June: Nelly Korda became the number one golfer in the Women's World Golf Rankings after her win at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, replacing Ko Jin-young.[20]
- 25 October: Ko regains number one position from Korda after winning the BMW Ladies Championship.[25]
- 8 November: Korda regains the number one position from Ko.[26]
Senior majors
- 6–9 May: Regions Tradition – Alex Čejka beat Steve Stricker in a playoff to claim his first senior victory in only his third start on the PGA Tour Champions.[27]
- 27–30 May: KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship – Alex Čejka won his second senior major in his second start.[28]
- 24–27 June: Bridgestone Senior Players Championship – Steve Stricker won his third senior major by six strokes over Jerry Kelly.[29]
- 8–11 July: U.S. Senior Open – Jim Furyk won his first senior major by three strokes over Retief Goosen and Mike Weir.[30]
- 22–25 July: The Senior Open Championship – Stephen Dodd won his first senior major by one stoke over Miguel Ángel Jiménez.[31]
Charles Schwab Cup playoff events
- 22–24 October: Dominion Charity Classic – Bernhard Langer won in a playoff over Doug Barron, becoming the oldest winner on the PGA Tour Champions.[32]
- 5–7 November: TimberTech Championship – Steven Alker won by two strokes over Jim Furyk and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.[33]
- 11–14 November: Charles Schwab Cup Championship – Phil Mickelson won by one stroke over Alker.[34]
Full results
- 29 July – 1 August: U.S. Senior Women's Open – Annika Sörenstam won by eight strokes over Liselotte Neumann.[35]
- 26–29 August: Senior LPGA Championship – Trish Johnson won her second Senior LPGA by one stroke over Becky Morgan.[36]
- 14–17 January: Latin America Amateur Championship – Cancelled[37]
- 8–9 May: Walker Cup – The United States team won, 14–12.[38]
- 21–26 May: NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships – Rachel Heck (Stanford) took the individual title[39] and Ole Miss captured their first team title.[40]
- 28 May – 2 June: NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships – Turk Pettit (Clemson) took the individual title[41] and Pepperdine captured their second team title.[42]
- 7–12 June: The Womens Amateur Championship – Louise Duncan of Scotland defeated Jóhanna Lea Lúðvíksdóttir of Iceland, 9 and 8, in the final.[43]
- 14–19 June: The Amateur Championship – Laird Shepherd of England defeated countryman Monty Scowsill after 38 holes.[44]
- 23–26 June: European Amateur – Christoffer Bring of Denmark won by two strokes over Ludvig Åberg of Sweden.[45]
- 21–24 July: European Ladies Amateur Championship – Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden won by three strokes over Alexandra Försterling of Germany.[46]
- 2–8 August: U.S. Women's Amateur – American Jensen Castle defeated Hou Yu-chiang of Taiwan, 2 and 1, in the final.[47]
- 9–15 August: U.S. Amateur – James Piot defeated Austin Greaser, 2 and 1, in the final.[48]
- 26–28 August: Curtis Cup – The United States team won, 12.5–7.5.[49]
- 3–6 November: Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship – Keita Nakajima of Japan, the number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, defeated Kho Taichi of Hong Kong in a playoff.[50]
Other happenings
- 29 July – 7 August: Summer Olympics – In the men's tournament: Xander Schauffele of the United States won the gold medal, Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia won the silver and Pan Cheng-tsung of Chinese Taipei won the bronze after a seven-man playoff.[51] In the women's tournament: Nelly Korda of the United States won the gold medal, Mone Inami of Japan took the silver medal in a playoff over Lydia Ko of New Zealand who won bronze.[52]
- 16 January – Jimmy Powell (born 1935), American professional golfer who had four wins on the Senior PGA Tour.[53]
- 20 January – Lonnie Nielsen (born 1953), American professional golfer who had two wins on the Champions Tour.[54]
- 26 January – Bob McCallister (born 1934), American professional golfer who had two wins on the PGA Tour.[55]
- 19 February – Bill Wright (born 1936), American professional golfer who was the first African-American to win a United States Golf Association national title.[56]
- 25 February – Lyndsay Stephen (born 1956), Australian professional golfer who had two wins on the PGA Tour of Australasia.[57]
- 13 March – Rocky Thompson (born 1939), American professional golfer who had three wins on the Senior PGA Tour.[58]
- 18 March – DeWitt Weaver (born 1939), American professional golfer who had two wins on the PGA Tour.[59]
- 23 March – Bob Lewis (born 1944), American amateur golfer who finished runner-up at the 1980 U.S. Amateur.[60]
- 29 March – Jerry McGee (born 1943), American professional golfer who had four wins on the PGA Tour.[61]
- 6 April – Al Mengert (born 1929), American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.[62]
- 23 April – Bill Johnston (born 1925), American professional golfer who had two wins on the PGA Tour.[63]
- 23 May – Lionel Platts (born 1934), English professional golfer.[64]
- 25 June – Brian Bamford (born 1935), English professional golfer.[65]
- 16 July – David Snell (born 1933), English professional golfer.[66]
- 20 September – Billy Maxwell (born 1929), American professional golfer who won the 1951 U.S. Amateur and seven PGA Tour events.[67]
- 23 September – Bruce Fleisher (born 1948), American professional golfer who won the 1968 U.S. Amateur, one PGA Tour event and 18 Champions Tour events.[68]
- 24 October - Fredrik Andersson Hed (born 1972), Swedish professional golfer who had one win on the European Tour.
- 28 November - Lee Elder (born 1934), American professional golfer who won four PGA Tour events and eight Senior PGA Tour events. He was also the first black golfer to play in the Masters Tournament.[69]
This table summarizes all the results referred to above in date order.
More information Dates, Tournament ...
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- "Hideki Matsuyama victorious at Masters, becomes first Japanese man to win major". ESPN. 11 April 2021.
- Pietruszkiewicz, Nick (23 May 2021). "How Phil Mickelson stunned golf by becoming the oldest major champion". ESPN.
- "Jon Rahm closes with two birdies to win U.S. Open for first major". ESPN. 21 June 2021.
- Murray, Ewan (18 July 2021). "Collin Morikawa on course for greatness after Open victory on his debut". The Guardian.
- "Despite just one birdie in Match Play championship round, Billy Horschel wins event in Texas". ESPN. Associated Press. 28 March 2021.
- "Abraham Ancer wins FedEx St. Jude Invitational for first PGA Tour title". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 August 2021.
- Harig, Bob (31 August 2021). "PGA may ban fans for 'Brooksy' taunts in wake of Bryson Dechambeau-Brooks Koepka drama". ESPN.
- Ferguson, Doug (24 August 2021). "Tony Finau ends 5-year drought and wins Northern Trust". Associated Press.
- Ferguson, Doug (29 August 2021). "Cantlay comes up clutch to beat DeChambeau in playoff at BMW". Associated Press.
- "Patrick Cantlay posts 'a huge win,' capturing FedEx Cup in dramatic fashion at the Tour Championship". ESPN. Associated Press. 5 September 2021.
- Ferguson, Doug (14 March 2021). "Thomas lives on edge and rallies to win Players Championship". Associated Press.
- "BMW PGA Championship: Billy Horschel wins at Wentworth". BBC Sport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- "Collin Morikawa wins DP World Tour Championship to become first American No. 1 in Europe". ESPN. Associated Press. 21 November 2021.
- "United States reclaims Ryder Cup, hands Europe its worst loss in 19-9 victory". ESPN. Associated Press. 26 September 2021.
- Beall, Joel (11 July 2021). "British Open 2021: Jon Rahm loses World No. 1 ranking by a shot". Golf Digest.
- Stafford, Ali (19 July 2021). "The Open: Jon Rahm back above Dustin Johnson as world No 1 after strong finish at Royal St George's". Sky Sports.
- "Patty Tavatanakit holds off charging Lydia Ko to win ANA Inspiration for first LPGA Tour victory". ESPN. Associated Press. 4 April 2021.
- "US Women's Open: Yuka Saso creates history with play-off victory". BBC Sport. 7 June 2021.
- Nichols, Beth Ann (27 June 2021). "Nelly Korda wins first major at KPMG Women's PGA, secures No. 1 in ranking". Golfweek.
- "Minjee Lee wins first major, tops Jeongeun Lee6 in Evian Championship playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. 25 July 2021.
- "Nordqvist wins Women's British for 3rd major title". ESPN. Associated Press. 22 August 2021. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- "Jin Young Ko victorious at Tour Championship, overtakes Nelly Korda to win LPGA player of the year". ESPn. Associated Press. 21 November 2021.
- "Europe clinches Solheim Cup for just second time on U.S. soil". ESPN. Associated Press. 6 September 2021.
- Levins, Keely (24 October 2021). "Jin Young Ko takes BMW Ladies Championship in playoff, marking the 200th LPGA Tour win by a South Korean". Golf Digest.
- "Korda taken by surprise at return to world number one". Reuters. 9 November 2021.
- Zenor, John (9 May 2021). "Alex Cejka wins Regions Tradition playoff over Stricker". Toronto Star. Associated Press.
- Kelly, Todd (30 May 2021). "Alex Cejka wins second straight major, claims KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship". Golfweek.
- "Steve Stricker wins Senior Players Championship". ESPN. Associated Press. 27 June 2021.
- "Jim Furyk recovers from rough start to win US Senior Open by 3". ESPN. Associated Press. 11 July 2021.
- "Stephen Dodd wins Senior British Open with last-hole birdie". ESPN. Associated Press. 25 July 2021.
- "Bernhard Langer, 64, breaks Champions age record with win in Dominion Energy Charity Classic". ESPN. Associated Press. 24 October 2021.
- "Steven Alker's 4-under 68 results in rewarding 2-shot victory at Florida PGA Tour Champions stop". ESPN. Associated Press. 7 November 2021.
- "Phil Mickelson wins PGA Tour Champions finale; Bernhard Langer claims 6th Schwab Cup title". ESPN. Associated Press. 14 November 2021.
- Bamberger, Michael (1 August 2021). "Annika Sorenstam just showed us what happens to talent over time". Golf.com.
- "2017 Senior LPGA Champion Trish Johnson Victorious Again at French Lick". LPGA. 29 August 2021.
- "2021 Latin America Amateur Championship Canceled Due to Covid-19 Pandemic". Latin America Amateur Championship. 6 October 2020.
- Scrivener, Peter (10 May 2021). "Walker Cup: US edge GB&I to retain trophy at Seminole Golf Club, Florida". BBC Sport.
- "Stanford freshman Rachel Heck 'at a loss for words' after winning women's NCAA individual golf title". ESPN. Associated Press. 24 May 2021.
- "Ole Miss Rebels win NCAA golf championship for first national title in women's sports". ESPN. Associated Press. 27 May 2021.
- "Clemson's Turk Pettit holds on to capture NCAA men's golf title". ESPN. Associated Press. 31 May 2021.
- "Pepperdine beats Oklahoma for NCAA men's golf title". ESPN. Associated Press. 2 June 2021.
- Dempster, Martin (12 June 2021). "Scot Louise Duncan lifts Women's Amateur title with record win at Barassie". The Scotsman.
- Huggan, John (19 June 2021). "Laird Shepherd pulls off craziest comeback in British Amateur history, wins after being 8 down in final match". Golf Digest.
- "Christoffer Bring takes European Amateur Championship". AmateurGolf.com. 26 June 2021.
- "Ingrid Lindblad wins European Ladies' Amateur Championship". AmateurGolf.com. 24 July 2021.
- "Kentucky Wildcats junior Jensen Castle wins U.S. Women's Amateur". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 August 2021.
- "James Piot rallies on back nine to win U.S. Amateur over Austin Greaser". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 August 2021.
- "United States dominates singles matches to win golf's Curtis Cup". ESPN. Associated Press. 28 August 2021.
- "Keita Nakajima wins Asia-Pacific Amateur in playoff, earns Masters spot". ESPN. Associated Press. 6 November 2021.
- "Xander Schauffele gives U.S. gold in Olympic golf with 2 clutch putts". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 August 2021.
- Hoggard, Rex (7 August 2021). "Nelly Korda puts a golden touch on an exciting, eventful two weeks for golf in Tokyo". Golf Channel.
- Livsey, Laury (27 January 2021). "Powell passes away at the age of 85". PGA Tour.
- "Golfer Lonnie Nielsen dies at 67". The Gazette. 21 January 2021.
- Livsey, Laury (2 February 2021). "Two-time PGA Tour winner McCallister dies at age 86". PGA Tour.
- Sandomir, Richard (25 February 2021). "Bill Wright, Who Broke a Color Barrier in Golf, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
- James, Brendan (25 February 2021). "Vale Lyndsay Stephen". Golf Australia.
- Livsey, Laury (29 March 2021). "PGA Tour Champions winner Rocky Thompson passes away at 81". PGA Tour.
- Livsey, Laury (23 March 2021). "DeWitt Weaver, winner on PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, passes at 81". PGA Tour.
- Herrington, Ryan (25 March 2021). "Remembering Bob Lewis Jr., who helped reignite Americans passion for the Walker Cup". Golf Digest.
- Ross, Helen (1 April 2021). "PGA Tour winner and Ryder Cup player Jerry McGee passes away at 77". PGA Tour.
- Meehan, Jim (8 April 2021). "Spokane native and decorated golfer Al Mengert passes away at 91". Spokesman-Review.
- Livsey, Laury (26 April 2021). "Two-time Tour winner Bill Johnston dies at age 96". PGA Tour.
- "Lionel Platts (1934–2021)". The PGA. 24 May 2021.
- "Brian Bamford (1935–2021)". The PGA. 25 June 2021.
- "David Snell (1933–2021)". The PGA. 18 July 2021.
- Shefter, David (23 September 2021). "Bruce Fleisher, Two-Time USGA Champion, Dies at 72". USGA.
- Corrigan, James (28 November 2021). "Lee Elder, the first black man to compete in the Masters, dies aged 87". Daily Telegraph.
Men's tours' official sites
- PGA Tour (and portal to Champions and Korn Ferry Tours)
- European Tour (and portal to European Senior and Challenge Tours)
- Japan Golf Tour Archived 21 December 2012 at archive.today (English version)
- Asian Tour
- PGA Tour of Australasia
- Sunshine Tour
Women's tours' official sites
Rankings
- Official World Golf Ranking – updated each Monday
- Women's World Rankings – updated each Monday
- World Amateur Golf Rankings – updated each Wednesday