- It was a weekend of victories by former champions all over the world. On the LPGA Tour, former LPGA Champion Anna Nordqvist was the last woman standing following a final round 69 in New Jersey. Nordqvist, who won twice last year after going through a five year winless stretch, didn't look great at times, but she seemed to be the most at ease of all the contenders down the stretch. Her victory all but locks up a spot in the Solheim Cup for Nordqvist. In what may be the strangest stat of them all, this win, coupled with Nordqvist's two victories last season, are the only three victories by a European in the last two seasons.
- I don't know what the take away will be from Christel Boeljon's performance this weekend. I would like to believe that Boeljon will take this week and begin a string of strong tournaments, but it is way too early to predict what kind of success she will have. Keep in mind, Boeljon won three times on the Ladies European Tour, so she is no stranger to winning.
- Players looking for their first victories seem to be calmer coming down the stretch than players who have won in the past, but haven't won in a while. The perfect example this week is Kelly Shon and Morgan Pressel. Shon seemed to be playing with nothing to lose, and was able to notch her best finish as an LPGA pro despite playing in the final group with the eventual champion. Meanwhile, Pressel, who hasn't won in seven years, seems to be chasing it too much, and her short game suffered because of it. I still think Pressel will win this year, but that prediction is looking a little shakier after she gave away the best opportunity she's had in a long time. Hopefully her final round was a splash of cold water on the face and she's able to turn right around and finish the deal next time.
- You could be forgiven if you though Steven Bowditch's victory last season was a fluke. After all, he played terrible the rest of the season, and has missed 10 cuts this season. Bowditch, however, played better than everyone in Irving by a pretty wide margin, walking away with a four stroke victory and his second PGA Tour win. I always hear that the second victory may be harder to get than the first, so perhaps this is the beginning of good things for Bowditch.
- You have to think Charley Hoffman's next victory will occur really soon. He has been so close in so many events this season that it would be a shame if he didn't walk away with another victory. Keep in mind, he did win in Mexico at the end of 2014, which counts for this season, but he has been playing better golf now than he was when he won. Another win should be right around the corner.
- Jimmy Walker's performance is going to end up being lost in the storylines this week, mainly because his top finishes in PGA Tour events are no longer a surprise. He has reached that same level of golfer that I discussed in the same regards as Chris Kirk - yes, you're really good, now go win a major.
- I am once again a believer in Zach Johnson. His putting was difficult to watch at times, but he seems to have gotten that turned around. If he is running all cylinders, he can win a bunch of tournaments. He is one of the best ball strikers on Tour, so if the putter is working, watch out.
- What a great time to pick up your first victory in six years. Once one of the sneaky good players in Europe who seemed destined for great things, Soren Kjeldsen started struggling with his game. He was once ranked as high as 35th in the world back in 2009, but fell all the way to 353rd. Despite struggling in the final round, however, Soren was able to do enough in Ireland to pick up his first victory since 2009, and in doing so, he punched a ticket to St. Andrews and the Open Championship. The other players who grabbed invitations to St. Andrews were Eddie Pepperell, whose final round 69 was almost good enough to pick up his first European Tour victory, and Tyrrell Hatton, who has played in the Open Championship the last two years but is still seeking his first victory.
- 46 is the new 26, or at least that's what Taichi Teshima might tell you. Teshima was once one of the best players on the Japan Tour, having won six times between 1999 and 2007. He found his way inside the top 100 in the World Rankings, and earned his European Tour card. That didn't last, as he lost his card and returned to Japan. He didn't win again for seven years, until last year's Japan PGA Championship. He didn't wait that long this time, as he played brilliant golf all week on his way to a victory at the Mizuno Open and a spot in the Open Championship. Teshima played in the Open Championship twice, but never made a cut and hasn't been back since 2002. Now that he is playing much better golf, however, perhaps he can pick up his first ever major paycheck. Joining Teshima at St. Andrews are Scott Strange, the Australian who was once a member of the European Tour and won twice on that Tour and played in the Open Championship in 2008, Tadahiro Takayama, who played in the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2005 and finished inside the top 25, and Shinji Tomimura, a complete unknown who only has conditional status on the Japan Tour and has played only three times this season, missing two cuts. Tomimura's third place finish shot him from 1382nd in the world up to 722nd, but I wonder if he will be the highest ranked player in the field once the tournament begins in July.
- It was a heavyweight battle on the JLPGA Tour, as Teresa Lu, former LPGA player who has been raking in victories on the JLPGA lately, defeated former World Number One Jiyai Shin. Both of these players are in great form, and both will be playing in the US Women's Open, so perhaps we might see them spoil the leaderboard.
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