Different Strokes: Stephanie Meadow ready to relax after Houdini act

Meadow’s Houdini finish

“I’ll enjoy the off-season with my fiancé and doggy and get some work in. Hopefully, I’ll have a much better year next year,” remarked Stephanie Meadow after pulling off another Houdini-like act to retain her full LPGA Tour card for the 2022 season.

Meadow entered the last chance saloon at the Pelican Championship in 101st and exited in 100th place, that one spot movement ensuring her full status again and also guaranteeing more home time with her husband-to-be Kyle Kallan and Golden Retriever Dallas.

In reflecting on the season just ended (for her, as she doesn’t get into the Tour Championship finale), the Northern Irishwoman remarked: “It’s been up and down. I had a couple of good finishes in the beginning of the year, the ANA (Inspiration), I played good there (tied-19th); and then just really struggled for that middle part and towards the end.

“I think mentally it becomes a real grind, trying to pick yourself up and get out of it is the most important thing.”

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Meadow attributed her turnaround and saving her card to simplifying her game after a tip from a college friend: “I’m just playing golf and not trying to think too much (about the) swing.”

Scott Hend opens up on illness

Veteran Aussie Scott Hend is one of the funnier and light-hearted players in inter-acting on the various social media platforms . . . but, as the season comes to an end, the 48-year-old has revealed a more serious side which also explains why he has endured such a poor run of form this season with 16 missed cuts in this 28 tournament appearances.

With surgery on his prostate scheduled for next month, Hend posted a message urging men to get checked out medically: “I share this with you in hope it will get other guys to get in and get checked and not have the issues I have been experiencing . . . 2021 is almost over and I have been in a bad place pretty much all year, on and off the golf course.

“Obviously as I get older the body doesn’t want to behave and work how it has been in my 20s and 30s, this is life and progression of our lives. In December I will undergo a prostate operation, which to be honest I’m shitting myself about, all the what ifs come to mind.

“I know it can only better my standard of living . . . I’ve found it very difficult trying to focus on the course when worrying about bladder bleeds and where the next tree will be to relieve myself!”

Word of Mouth

"I gave myself a chance to win, I put myself in position on Sunday. I'd say I just probably didn't make enough putts. Outside of that, I definitely played good enough to win" - Scottie Scheffler on again failing to get over the line to win on the PGA Tour, after finishing tied for runner-up to Jason Kokrak in the Houston Open.

By the Numbers

5-6-7- Although Phil Mickelson won the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the Champions Tour, it was Bernhard Langer who again lifted the season-long order of merit for the fifth time in seven years and for the sixth time in his career. Langer, now 64, shot under his age in the third round when he signed for a 63.

On this day

November 16th 1999 - Just nine players competed in the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge when it was held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Reflection Bay resort course - created around a 320 acre manmade lake in the Nevada desert - and, as it happened, one of them was the Golden Bear himself.

The tournament was played from 1992 until 2013 and was unique in that it featured teams from the LPGA Tour, the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour in what was primarily a made-for-television shootout, although it also raised a considerable amount (more than $50 million in its lifetime) for charity.

In the strokeplay event, the PGA Tour players played off the back tees; the Champions Tour players off shorter tees, and the LPGA Tour players off shorter still tees. In the 1999 match, Nicklaus, Hale Irwin and Tom Watson combined to win out over Karrie Webb, Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper and Lee Janzen, Tom Lehman and Justin Leonard.

Twitter Twaddle

"Wow. What a week. So many thank yous for the chance to keep my card. If I hadn't been granted the sponsor's invitation by @pelicanlpga, and evertything turned out the way it did, I would have finished 101 on the CME Points list, and would have had to go back to QSeries (no thanky)" - Christina Kim on making the most of her sponsor's invite into the Pelican (tied-16th) to retain her tour card.

"A nearly day. A nice putt holed on the 18th for birdie looked good enough but things quickly changed and I moved from 53rd to 57th in the Race to Dubai. I'm on my holidays so" - Pádraig Harrington on narrowly missing out on a place in the field at the DP World Tour Championship but at least looking forward to his winter break.

"My season has finished with a T24 here in Dubai. This is a tough game we choose to play and it sometimes pushes you to places you thought you'd never be. But despite that the work ethic remains, the fight and determination remains and I go into next season in a better place" - Chris Wood also looking forward to an earlier winter break.

In the Bag

Jason Kokrak

Houston Open

Driver - TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees)

3-wood - TaylorMade SIM 2 (15 degrees)

7-wood - TaylorMade SIM 2 Max (21 degrees)

Irons - PXG 0311 T Gen (4-PW)

Wedges - PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy (52 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 WedgeWorks (60 degrees)

Putter - Bettinardi Studio Stock 38

Ball - Titleist ProV1

Know the Rules

Q - Player A hits his approach shot onto the green, some 15 feet from the pin. On walking up to the green, she sees a crow pushing the ball nearer to the hole. Does she putt from where the ball is now at rest, or put the ball back to where it was originally at rest? Is there a penalty?

A - Such an incident is covered by Rule 9.6 (ball lifted or moved by outside influence). There is no penalty. The ball must be replaced on its original spot which, if not known, must be estimated.