| Here’s what we learned in a week when Scheffler and DeChambeau dominated  (courtesy LIV Golf) Last week lived up to the expectations we have from golf – some pretty weird things happened, as well as a few that should have happened a long time ago. For the love of God, I could not wrap my head around the fact that Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were without any wins on their respective tours this year. The world just feels like a better place after Sunday. And when they finally crossed the line, it was in some style. Like Usain Bolt in his prime, Scheffler could have stopped in his tracks and looked back before breasting the tape at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour, only to see his own wake and nobody even close to bother him. The world No1 completed a most dominant win by eight shots, even on a day when his playing partner, Erik van Rooyen shot an eight-under par round. Things were a little different at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, where DeChambeau seemed to be in complete control going into the final round. But as the big Texan played the front nine to even par, his playing partner and Crushers GC teammate Charles Howell III played lights out golf and closed the gap. The back nine was a battle that rivalled the Henrik Stenson-Phil Mickelson final-round show at Royal Troon in the 2016 Open Championship. The leading duo pulled ahead of the pack, trading one birdie after another, before Howell finally blinked with an errant drive on the 16th, leading to his only bogey of the day. DeChambeau got his chance and buried the knife deep with an extraordinarily long birdie putt on the 17th. It was DeChambeau’s first win on LIV Golf since September 2023. Of course, he won the US Open last year, but his inability to convert his solid golf into wins on LIV was becoming baffling. In both Miami and Mexico, he led at the start of Sunday’s round, and he was just two behind Rory McIlroy in second place at The Masters before slipping. As for Scheffler, we have become so used to seeing him visit the podium and claim the trophy that a 21-week gap since he won the Hero World Challenge feels like eternity. The man really has no weaknesses in his game and is playing like Tiger Woods did in his prime. Even pre-round trysts with the police cannot unnerve him. The only way Scheffler can be stopped right now is if he decides to go to the kitchen again and manages to puncture his hand trying to make ravioli, like he did on Christmas eve last year. Just look at the stats he was leading at Byron Nelson – par-3 scoring, par-4 scoring, par-5 scoring, strokes gained – total (+12.81), bogey avoidance… the list goes on! No wonder he matched the lowest 72-hole winning score in PGA Tour history (since 1983), and that too with a bogey on the 17th hole and a par on the par-5 18th hole. Learning from Scheffler and DeChambeau’s wins – class is permanent. Unlucky Baan: We also witnessed one of the unluckiest breaks you’d see in the sport. Unfortunately, it happened to our own Anirban Lahiri in Korea. Lahiri was in contention and cruising at 6-under par midway through his second round when he hit a peach of a second shot from 135 yards to the ninth hole. However, it hit the bottom of the pin and ricocheted into the adjacent water hazard and he wound up making a double bogey. If it had not hit the flag, that shot would have spun back for a tap-in birdie. The Indian ace unravelled after that cruel piece of luck, and sliced his tee shot into the water on the next hole for a triple bogey. He ended up shooting a 79 in that round. Learning from Lahiri’s story – you need to have luck on your side if you want to win tournaments. The lows and highs of Riley: Davis Riley could not believe what happened. On the 17th hole of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, he took out his range finder (which has been allowed on the PGA Tour on a trial basis at some tournaments this year), and realised after hitting the shot that his slope measuring function (which is not allowed) had somehow turned on when in the bag. The result – a two-shot penalty when he informed the rules officials. But then, good karma prevailed. Riley struggled for a few holes to get over the incident, but playing his last hole, he made an eagle to make the cut. Learning from Riley’s story – integrity pays. Grandstand finish: You always want to finish your round with a birdie. But how about an albatross? That’s exactly what Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou did at the inaugural Black Desert Championship. She holed her second shot from nearly 230 yards out! That leapfrogged her outside the top-10 to tied sixth place. Learning from Kyriacou’s albatross – never give up until the fat lady sings. | 
