Final Round News And Notes: Ortiz's future plans after Houston win
HUMBLE, Texas – Carlos Ortiz won the individual title and Cleeks GC took home the team trophy at LIV Golf Houston, but there was plenty more news, notes and stats from the final round at the Golf Club of Houston.
RELATED: TORQUE’S ORTIZ AND CLEEKS GC EARN FIRST-EVER LIV GOLF TITLES
ORTIZ’S FUTURE PLANS: LIV Golf Houston winner Carlos Ortiz won’t be able to take his winning form into next week’s U.S. Open, as he missed the cut in the final qualifier held two weeks ago in Dallas. But he potentially has a big summer of events.
“I've been playing great,” Ortiz said. “It's a shame I doubled the last hole to miss the qualifier. It hurt a lot. But I think with time, we're going to get back into the majors because I know that I'm one of the best players in the world right now, and I deserve to be there.”
Ortiz hopes to qualify for the Open Championship, and he is on pace to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, representing his native Mexico.
GOALS CHANGE FOR CLEEKS: With a tie for second in Singapore and now a win in Houston, Cleeks GC has moved up to seventh in the points standings and is less than 30 points outside of third place, which is the final seed to earn a first-round bye at the Team Championship in Dallas in September.
With five tournaments left in the regular season, Captain Martin Kaymer said the team’s goals will now be adjusted.
“The goal has changed all of a sudden,” Kaymer said. “I would say if you would have asked me three, four weeks ago, is top 5 realistic going into Dallas, I would have said, yes, it's always realistic, but it's going to be a very, very difficult path to get there. Singapore we did well (tied for 2nd). This week we did well. Now the goal has changed to try to get to the top three spots because it doesn't really matter if you finished fourth or 13th. So top 3 is the new goal.
“Now is the time we need to keep pushing. We need to keep working hard because we only have two-and-a-half months left of the year for the LIV events, so we need to keep grinding. We need to make a proper push to give ourselves a good chance to finish in the top 3.”
REED TIES FOR THIRD: Houston-area resident Patrick Reed produced his best result of the LIV Golf season, shooting a final-round 68 to tie for third with David Puig at 13 under. Reed’s previous best result this season was a tie for ninth in Miami.
The 4Aces GC star opened with a bogey on Sunday but closed with a flourish with birdies on three of his final five holes.
12 HEADED TO U.S. OPEN: The LIV Golf players scheduled to compete in the U.S. Open include Dean Burmester, Eugenio Chacarra, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, David Puig, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith.
Meronk had the best result in Houston, finishing solo second, while Puig tied for third.
Rahm, who withdrew after six holes on Saturday with a foot infection, stayed in Houston on Sunday to support his team and will travel to Pinehurst on Monday.
WITH THE WINS: By winning the individual title, Carlos Ortiz moves into 11th place in the season-long standings. Teammate Joaquin Niemann remains the points leader. The Cleeks move into seventh place in the team standings, with Crushers GC remaining at the top.
RESERVES PLAY WELL: Three reserve players were in action for the final round in Houston, and each one performed well for their respective teams.
Ben Campbell, filling in for Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, shot a 5-under 67 for his team’s lowest score.
Wade Ormsby, filling in for Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen, followed his second-round 73 with a 1-under 71.
John Catlin, filling in the entire week for Crushers GC veteran Charles Howell III, also shot a final-round 71 to finish at 1 under for the tournament and in a tie for 24th.
ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, Henrik Stenson, Richard Bland, Abraham Ancer, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Joaquin Niemann, 340.0 yards avg.
Longest drive: Mito Pereira, 361.5 yards, 13th hole
Greens in regulation: Carlos Ortiz, Brooks Koepka, 94.44% (17 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Talor Gooch (5 of 5), Graeme McDowell (4 of 4), Mito Pereira (3 of 3), Brooks Koepka (1 of 1), 100%
Putting: Talor Gooch, Ben Campbell, 1.39 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Talor Gooch (66), Graeme McDowell (69)