This Week in Golf -- March 26-29
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - PGA TOUR - VALERO TEXAS OPEN, JW Marriott TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas - After a four-week swing in Florida, the PGA Tour is set for its first of two straight events in Texas at the Valero Texas Open.
Steven Bowditch struggled to the finish last year as he shot a 4-over 76 in the final round, but he was still able to hang on and win by one shot over Will MacKenzie and Daniel Summerhays to pick up his first career victory on tour.
Bowditch, who held a 3-shot lead headed into the final round, did not make it easy on himself all day. Still, Bowditch had a 2-shot lead going into the final hole and he was able to make bogey and win by a shot. Bowditch finished the week at 8-under-par 280. He has not won since.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MacKenzie carded a 2-under 70, while Summerhays shot a 1-under 71 and they ended tied for second at 7-under 281.
Bowditch, MacKenzie and Summerhays are all back in action again this week as Bowditch will defend his title.
Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson headline a relatively strong field that features 13 of the top-30 players in the world. Both Spieth and Johnson have already earned victories this season. Spieth won the Valspar Championship two weeks ago, while Johnson won the WGC-Cadillac Championship at the beginning of March.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds of this event and will hand things off to NBC in the afternoon on the weekend.
The PGA Tour remains in Texas again next week for the Shell Houston Open, where Matt Jones chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole and defeated Matt Kuchar last year.
EUROPEAN TOUR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TROPHEE HASSAN II, Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco - The European Tour looks to get back on track after the cancellation of last week's Madeira Islands Classic and players now head to Morocco for the Trophee Hassan II.
After opening up with a 10-under 62 in the first round last year, Alejandro Canizares was able to cruise to a 5-shot victory. Canizares finished with his first round in the 70s all week, a 2-under 70, and ended the week at 19-under- par 269.
Andy Sullivan was the closest to the winner, but a 9-under 63 in the final round was not nearly enough as he finished at 14-under 274.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The win was the second of Canizares' career on tour and it was his first victory in eight years. He also won the 2006 Russian Open.
Canizares is back in the field again this week looking to successfully defend his title. Former champions Michael Hoey and Marcel Siem are also going to be playing.
With the cancellation of last week's event, George Coetzee is the most recent winner on tour. Coetzee won the Tshwane Open two weeks ago and he is also in the tournament field.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds of this event.
The European Tour is off next week and returns in two weeks for the Masters, which begins on April 9. Bubba Watson is coming off his second victory at the major championship.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC, Fallen Oak Golf Club, Saucier, Mississippi - After a month off, the Champions Tour is back in action for the second straight week as it gets set for another installment of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
Jeff Maggert fired a 4-under 68 in the final round last year and that was good enough to give him a 2-shot victory over Billy Andrade. Maggert, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, picked up his first win on the Champions Tour. He has not won since.
Maggert is back in the field again this week hoping to make it back-to-back wins at this event. Andrade is also returning as he looks to do one better and win for the first time on tour.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week's winner of the inaugural Tucson Conquistadores Classic, Marco Dawson, is also playing this week along with Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Fred Couples.
Golf Channel will have coverage of all three rounds of this event, which begins on Friday.
The Champions Tour takes another long break after this week and will return for the Greater Gwinnett Championship on April 17. Last year, Jimenez won by two shots to pick up his first of two victories on tour.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LPGA TOUR
KIA CLASSIC, Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club, Carlsbad, California - The LPGA remains out west again this week and heads to California for the Kia Classic.
Anna Nordqvist used a 5-under 67 in her final round to vault up the leaderboard and win by a shot at this event last year. Nordqvist finished the week at 13-under-par 275 and earned her fourth victory on tour. She will be looking to successfully defend her title as she has not won since.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lizette Salas shot a 2-under 70 and she came up just short last season, finishing one shot back and alone in second at 12-under 276. Nordqvist and Salas are both back this week.
Headlining the field are the top-3 players in the world. Lydia Ko, Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis will all be in action as the tight race for the world's No. 1 spot continues. Ko currently holds the honor.
Eighteen of the top-20 players in the world rankings are in California for this event, including last week's JTBC Founders Cup winner and new world No. 4 Hyo Joo Kim.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds.
The newly-named ANA Inspiration is next week and serves as the first major championship of the season. Formerly the Kraft Nabisco Championship, this event was won by Lexi Thompson last season. She cruised to a 3-shot victory.
WEB.COM TOUR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CHITIMACHA LOUISIANA OPEN, Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club, Broussard, Louisiana - The Web.com Tour is back in Louisiana for the Chitimacha Louisiana Open after an exciting finish to last year's event.
Kris Blanks went on to make birdie on the third playoff hole last season to defeat Brett Stegmaier and earn his second career victory on the Web.com Tour. Blanks' other win came at the 2008 Bank of America Open.
It was a huge final round for Blanks as he exploded up the leaderboard with a 9-under 62 to finish regulation play tied with Stegmaier at 14-under 270. Stegmaier carded a 3-under 68 on Sunday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The duo traded pars on the first two playoff holes before Blanks drained a 10- foot birdie putt at the third for the win.
While Blanks is not playing this week's event, Stegmaier is as he looks to win for the first time on tour. Four of the five winners on tour this season, Mathew Goggin, Andrew Landry, Peter Malnati and Dawie van der Walt, are all playing as well. Only Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship winner Patrick Rodgers will not be in attendance out of this season's victors.
There will be no television coverage of this event.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Web.com Tour is then off until April 16 for the El Bosque Mexico Championship. Carlos Ortiz earned his second of three wins last season when he won by two shots over Justin Thomas last year.