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Kevin Na birdied 4 of the first 8 holes for a 4 under 66 and a 4 shot victory over Tony Finau at Colonial Country Club for his fourth PGA Tour victory. After missing the cut at last week’s PGA Championship, he knew his chances would be better over the shorter, shotmakers course, Finau was within a shot of Na early in the round until Na birdied 14 and Finau had bogey at 16 for a four shot lead.

Na gave part of his prize to his caddie Kenny Haney who coveted the 1973 Dodge Convertible that was presented to the winner.

Local favourite Jordan Spieth finished 8 shots back as his poor putting form continued, and he still hasn’t had a victory since winning the Open Championship in 2017.

It seems a while since Brooks Koepka was complaining about the lack of press attention. He said “I dont get asked to do many interviews so I’m not going to go out of my way to give one. I dont really care. I’m not gonna kiss anyone’s butt I’m here to play golf”.

Well he’s got everyone’s attention now with a 7 shot lead going into the final round PGA Championship, If he wins it will be his fourth major and only Mickelson and Tiger, with 5 and 15 majors, of the leading players on the PGA Tour have won more than Brooks, who says he expects to get into double digits in major wins.

His stats since the summer of 2017 are extraordinary, leading in every category. 1st in score to par -58, 1st in strokes gained in putting per round 3.17, 1st in scoring average 69.3, first in birdies and eagles 163, 1st in rounds led 13, 1st in rounds of 67 or lower.

It’s in the major championships that he has been most dominant

2017 US Open – WIN, 2017 Open – 6th, 2017 PGA 13th, 2018 Masters (injured did not play), 2018 US Open WIN, 2018 Open 39th, 2018 PGA WIN, 2019 Masters 2nd, and now this.

After the third round he was slightly critical of his performance on the greens, saying he didnt quite get the speed right and needed to hit firmer, though he was stroking the ball good. He felt great all day, his iron play was solid. That the jist of what he said.

But on social media he was a hero to the man on the left of the picture with him. Brooks walked into his barbers and asked for a haircut. and Brooks left him a $800 tip.

Top footballer Gareth Bale said today

I’ve got three years contract left. If they (Real Madrid) want me to go they’ll have to pay me €17m a year. Otherwise I’ll stay. Doesn’t matter if I don’t play, I’ll just play golf.”

23 year old Jazz Janewattananond has been a revelation at the PGA Championship and is currently 2nd, although 7 shots behind Brooks Koepka. The European Tour player turned pro at 15 years of age and has won 7 professional titles including 3 on the Asian Tour. He is pictured here on the right when he took time out to be a Buddist monk in Thailand in 2016.

On his bag this week is the only Bethpage Black caddie Jack Miller, who is a frozen foods manager in a supermarket he opened up the store every day at 5.30am.

Jazz says of his experience this week

“This is my first time on the East Coast and it’s next level. It’s so different. I love it. People keep shouting, ‘I love you.’ They love me here.”

Look out for Loopers, a new documentary about caddies narrated by Bill Murray will be released on DVD on June 7.

Pop star Niall Horan’s golf management company Modest! Golf announced on Monday that they are partnering with ISPS HANDA to bring a new type of tournament to Northern Ireland. The ISPS HANDA World International will take place August 15-18 at Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort and Masserene Golf Club. The event was previously the Northern Ireland Open on the Challenge Tour schedule.

This tournament will be made up of male Challenge Tour professionals and female professional golfers frim the LPGA, Ladies European Tour, Asia and Australia. There will be 300 players to start and a cut after rounds two and three. The €500,000 purse will be divided equally between the men and women. European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said that this new tournament perfectly fits the Tour’s core values of innovation and inclusivity.

The announcement of this male and female tournament comes three months after the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Australia which was co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the LPGA Tour and the exciting Jordan Mixed Open in March which was tri sanctioned with thr Challenge Tour, Staysure Tour and the Ladies European Tour, the first time that men, women and seniors played together. The picture shows Niall Horan, Charley Hull, Keith Pelley, Dr Handa and Kirsty Gallacher.

Niall Horan said

“We got into golf with the aim to help and develop the next generation of player. By supporting a tournament like this exciting new World Invitational we are to bring that goal to fruition,” Horan said, according to the Euro Tour. “Myself and the entire Modest! Golf team are delighted to be partnering with ISPS HANDA, a wonderful organization who are synonymous with promoting the game around the world and helping to bring people together through sport.”

South Korean Sung Kang claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Byron Nelson Classic after a rain delay which meant him completing nine holes of the third round on the Sunday morning. He closed with a round of 67 after birdies at 8,9,10 and 16. He putted superbly all week, 2nd in the statistics in this category. But his stellar round on Friday ewas a -10 61 which had 10 birdies and no bogeys, something Jordan Spieth described as “absurd”.

Brooks Koepka’s 4th place in the event is another great showing going into his defence of the PGA Championship this week at Bethpage Black.

Kang previously hit the headlines at last year’s Quicken Loans tournament after a controversial drop which his playing partner and the ShotLink volunteer nearby insisted was taken nearer the hole than where the ball entered the hazard.

It was great to see the R&A supporting another Golf Memories group which assembled this week at Royal Portrush GC, where the Open Championship will be played in July. Golf Memories is a support group for people living with dementia which started with a group meeting just before last years Open in Carnoustie. In Scotland it is a project which is part of Sports Heritage Scotland and led to a further meeting at St Andrews and another at TPC Sawgrass in America. Lets hope that this spreads to other sports facilities. The purpose is to trigger memories and reconnecting individuals living with the condition to their interest in the sport.

I undertook some training a year or so ago with the Dementia Friends organisation and our trainer illustrated how resourceful people living with the condition can be. One lady who did not speak very often insisted on tapping her fingers when in the company of other people. Eventually it was discovered that during World War II this lady had worked for the Government at Bletchley Park and what she was doing with her finger tapping was communicating to them in morse code. Remarkable.