As the month of December winds down and January approaches, it’s time to look back on 2023 and reward some of the best moments the game of golf provided fans over the last year.
The discussion among the Golfweek staff for “Tournament of the Year” was a rather lively one, so much so that our group of reporters and editors could not come to a consensus pick for the best week of the year.
This year in golf was a busy one off the course, but the players stepped up and provided some memorable events all season long. From major championships to team events to late comebacks and stellar pro debuts, here are Golfweek’s best Tournaments of the Year in 2023.
McIlroy vs. MacIntyre in Scotland
The 2023 Genesis Scottish Open back in July came down to two players: Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre and fan-favorite Rory McIlroy. While most crowds tend to pull for McIlroy wherever he goes, it seemed as if everyone at the Renaissance Club was pulling for MacIntyre, who used to attend the event as a kid.
MacIntyre handled the wild winds and shot 6-under 64 in the final round to take the clubhouse lead and went 33 holes without a bogey over the weekend, but it wasn’t enough as McIlroy, who shot 2-under 68 on Sunday, birdied his last two holes to claim the win. On the final hole of the day, McIlroy hit a beauty of a 2-iron into the 72nd green and called it, “Probably the best shot I hit all year. It was exactly the way I wanted to play it.”
When he needed it most 💪@McIlroyRory delivers a beautiful approach on the 72nd hole @ScottishOpen
📲📺 https://t.co/8mK1oukRZZ / CBS Sports app pic.twitter.com/igRkRENNpZ
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) July 16, 2023
Zhang wins first pro start
After arguably the greatest women’s amateur career of all time, it wasn’t a matter of IF Rose Zhang was going to win as a professional, but WHEN. Golf fans didn’t have to wait long as the rising star won her first-ever pro start at the LPGA’s Miuzho Americas Open as she announced her presence with authority at the next level. Zhang, who was playing the Mizuho on a sponsor exemption, immediately earned LPGA status, as well as eligibility for the Solheim Cup.
Thirteen days removed from winning her second NCAA title, celebrating her 20th birthday and announcing her professional plans, Zhang took on the best players in the world and beat them all, including major winner and fellow Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho in a two-hole playoff. Expectations were already high for Zhang, and she met them with ease.
Glorious and free
Just when it seemed as if June’s 2023 RBC Canadian Open would be overshadowed by the shocking announcement of a framework agreement with the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the players stepped up and delivered a gem of an event in Toronto.
Nick Taylor, a 35-year-old from Winnipeg, claimed his third PGA Tour win after a marathon four-hole playoff with Tommy Fleetwood and made a little history on the side as the first Canadian to win his national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Taylor ended the 69-year drought and tournament in style with a 72-foot prayer of an eagle putt that was answered by the golf gods and produced a miraculous moment for the tens of thousands of Canadian fans who weathered the rain to witness it.
WALK-OFF WINNER FROM 72 FEET! 🏆@NTaylorGolf59 wins @RBCCanadianOpen with the longest putt of his career! 🦅 pic.twitter.com/lJtiIM43vN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 11, 2023
The putt also won Golfweek’s 2023 Shot of the Year and even led to a logo change for the annual event in Canada.
Ciganda in Spain and a Solheim Cup to remember
The Solheim Cup made its Spanish debut earlier this fall and fans were treated to an event that literally could not have been closer. With both the U.S. and Europe tied at 8-8 entering Sunday singles, Carlota Ciganda – who cold-shanked a shot on the 15th hole – birdied the 16th and stuffed one inside an already close Nelly Korda on the par-3 17th to win the match and retain the Cup for Europe in her home country. Eight players made their event debuts and just one player – Celine Boutier, who won four times in 2023 – went scoreless over the three days of play.
Hollywood-esque finish at LACC
The story of the 2023 U.S. Open this summer at famed Los Angeles Country Club featured early record-breaking performances, close calls, late collapses and a surprise winner in the end.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele were tied for the first-round lead after a pair of 8-under 62s, which set new marks for the lowest rounds in U.S. Open history. Their efforts also matched the lowest round in any major, previously set by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open Championship.
Wyndham Clark tied Fowler atop the leaderboard after the third round and was steady on Sunday to hold off the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler after Fowler shot 75 in the final round thanks to three early bogeys. Clark’s previous best finish at a major was a T-75 and the U.S. Open was just his seventh career major start.
