Monday, March 3rd, 2025 Balls & Bogeys Golf News Edition

From cutline to champion, Joe Highsmith makes remarkable comeback at Cognizant Classic to win first PGA TOUR title

– by Paul Hodowanic / PGA TOUR

Per Paul: “The biggest putt of Joe Highsmith’s week was the exact type of putt he hates…”

B&B POV: We woke up Sunday hoping for a Jake Knapp victory in the Cognizant. Or a Spieth charge up the leaderboard circa 2014-2017. Heck, even a Fowler back-nine push. Fail. Fail. Fail. But lefty Joe Highsmith and his oversized bucket hat came out on top after firing a smoking final round 64. Good for him, but bad for fans on TV hoping for a star to come out on top.

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Lydia Ko clinches 23rd career LPGA title in Singapore, eyes ‘even better’ 2025

– by Beth Ann Nichols / Golfweek

Per Beth: “The Lucas Glover Show quickly is becoming a must-listen on SiriusXM for his willingness to speak his mind. As Johnson Wagner put it, “I like when you rile people too. I’m getting pretty good at that myself…”

B&B POV: Less than six months ago, we were heralding Nelly Korda as untouchable and the next greatest. Then Lydia Ko caught fire. Since then, she has won three times on the LPGA Tour, including yesterday at the HSBC, and added Olympic glory in France for good measure.

Only 27, Ko has now won 23 times on the LPGA Tour and maybe getting better with age.

Always in our thoughts, our favorite Brit Charley Hull posted another strong finish, T-4 in the HSBC and plenty of pics on Instagram.

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What’s in the Bag: Joe Highsmith, 2025 Cognizant Classic

– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys

Per Thomas: Joe Highsmith must have woken up Saturday morning in Palm Beach feeling unstoppable—breezing through PGA National with a 7-under 64. He kept the momentum rolling into Sunday, sealing his PGA TOUR victory with another 64 and celebrating in style, trophy in one hand and a big, fat, fake Cognizant Classic check in the other. Not a bad weekend.

Like many young players still making a name for themselves, Highsmith sticks to equipment from a single manufacturer—Titleist, in his case—along with a bucket hat only a mother could love.

Joe Highsmith’s Golf Gear

DRIVER: Titleist GT3 (8 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 60 X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: GT3 (15 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 6.5 70 TX shaft

IRONS: Titleist T200 (2), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX Hybrid 6.5 80X shaft, T100 (4-9), with Project X LS 6.5 shafts

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46, 50, 54), with True Temper AMT Tour White shafts (59 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Golf S300 shafts

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron 009M prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

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The 2025 Cognizant Classic Winners & Losers

– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys

Per Thomas: Joe Highsmith went from nearly packing his bags to absolutely owning the weekend in Palm Beach, winning the tourney and pocketing a cool $1,656,000. A seven-figure payday for a 24-year-old newbie on tour makes for a glorious Monday day off.

He torched the weekend with back-to-back 7-under 64s. Two days after barely making the cut, he was the one hoisting the trophy at the 2025 Cognizant Classic. That’s not just a comeback—that’s a good ol’ fashioned ass kicking.

“Winning was the last thing on my mind,” Highsmith said. “But then I got locked in, played perfect golf, and thought, ‘Hold up… I might actually steal this thing.’ And, well… here we are!”

His dagger? A filthy 20-foot birdie on the nerve-wracking, water-soaked 17th, capping off a bogey-free Sunday 64. With a final score of 19-under 265, Highsmith walked away with his first PGA Tour title, leaving Jacob Bridgeman and J.J. Spaun wondering what just hit them.

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Former gang member, once sentenced to 5 years in prison, earns spot in 2025 Open Championship

– by Cameron Jourdon / Golfweek

Per Cameron: “Ryan Peake’s comeback story reached a new height Sunday.

The 31-year-old Australian won the 2025 New Zealand Open on Sunday, earning a spot in the field at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. The lefty holed a 10-footer for par on the par-3 18th to win by one shot…”

B&B POV: The headline to this article stopped us in our tracks. We assumed this was a story about Crips and Bloods and public golf in LA, or disgraced Miguel Angel Cabrera making a comeback, but no, this is a feel-good story about an Australian ex-gang banger named Ryan Peake who won the New Zealand Open yesterday and punched his ticket to Royal Portrush to play in the Open Championship later this summer. We hope he gets his visa in order so he can tee it up in the tournament. Wow, what a redemption story.

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