THE WEEK'S WORLWIDE PRO GOLF WRAP-UP

BAE WINS USPGA SEASON OPENER

Sang-Moon Bae has grabbed a hugely encouraging victory in the Frys.com Open, the 2014-15 season's opening event on the world richest golf Tour, the USA's PGA Tour.

The 28-year-old Korean opened Sunday's final round in the sunny Napa Valley with five straight birdies and although he allowed the field to reduce his six-stroke lead to no more than two when he inexplicably three putted the three holes from the 10th and then missed a short put on the 18th, his closing 1-over 73 for a 15-under 273 total was, nevertheless, good enough to give him a two-shot victory over Aussie Steven Bowditch and give him a bulging, take-home pay packet. of US$1.08m

American Bryce Molder, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and veteran South African Retief Goosen finished in a tie for third, a further shot back on 276.
The victory was Bae's second on the PGA Tour, but it was especially encouraging as it helped end a frustrating, 18-month slump.

Before then he hadn't had a top-10 finish in the 36 events he'd played in since his first PGA Tout win at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in May 2013.

"I was very frustrated," Bae said. "Even though my game was good, my scores weren't. I was too often too anxious and nervous.

"This victory has not only helped restore some of my flagging confidence, it has also put me on the path to earning a place in the International team for the President's Cup which is due to be played in my home country in exactly a year's time and is something I really wish to pay in."

For Bae, Sunday's victory was a great start to the new 2014-2015 PGA Tour season, taking him from 195 in the World Rankings to No 90, but he, nevertheless, has some hard work ahead of him if he is to make it into the 2015 President's Cup.

FRYS.COM OPEN Top 5

1 Sang-Moon Bae (Kor) -15
2 Steven Bowditch (Aus) -13
T3 Bryce Moulder (USA) -12
T3 Hideki Matsuyama (Jap) -12
T3 Retief Goosen (RSA) -12

LEVY WINS IN WET, WET EUROPE

On the other side of the Atlantic, in stark contrast to hot and sunny Napa Valley, Frenchman Alexander Levy, 24, won the European Tour's Portugal Masters at the Oceånico Victoria Golf Club in a series of downpours that eventually saw what was to be the final third round abandoned and Levy, the second round leader after adding a 61 to his first-round 63, declared the winner.
It's not the greatest way to win a tournament, but a win is a win in any man's language and it has hoisted him from No 110 to No 70 on the World Rankings list.
For the record, Nicolas Colsaerts, the Belgium bomber who led the first round when he got within a slither of a centre-metre at the last hole from cracking a 59, finished second, three shots back on 15-under with Chile's Felipe Aguilar third on 13-under

Portugal Masters TOP 6
1 Alexander Levy (Fra) -18
2 Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) -15
3 Felipe Aguilar (S+Chi)b -13
T4 Richard Bland (Eng) -11
T4 Morton Orum Madsen (Den) -11
T4 Romain Wattell (Fra) -11

FENG IS WEEK'S TOP WOMEN GOLFER

On the premier women's golf circuit, the LPGA Tour, Chinese No 1 Shanshan Feng tied the lowest round of the day with an 8-under 63 to win the LPGA Tour's Sime Darby LPGA championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf club in Malaysia.

Her 18-under 266 total put her three shots clear Panong Phatlum and four in front of Pernilla Lindberg and keeps her at No 5 behind American Stacy Lewis, Korean Inbee Park, New Zealander Lydia Ko and Norway's Suzann Pettersen on the Women's world Rankings list.

OTHER RESULTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:

Japan Tour: Toshin Golf Tournament winner - Hur In-hoi
Korean PGA Tour: KJ Choi invitational winner: - Park Sang-hyan
SA Sunshine Tour: Sun Boardwalk Challenge winner: Titch Moore
Latin American Tour winner: Tyler McCumber
One Asia Tour: Nashan China Masters winner: Li Haotong




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