Hannah Green made history, Phil Mickelson trashed his reputation and one of the world’s great courses reminded us once again why architecture still matters.

Throw in a dose of a happy and healthy looking Tiger Woods confirming he plans to play several Tour events while simultaneously reigniting the distance debate and it might have been a golf nerd’s dream weekend.

Let’s start with a shoutout to Hannah Green on an outstanding performance at the TPS Murray River In Honour of Jarrod Lyle.

The West Australian put on a clinic in the mixed field event to take the title by four shots and become the first woman in the world to win a tournament featuring men and women competing against each other on a major Tour.

RIGHT: Hannah Green made golf history, gave the TPS concept a shot in the arm and went two-for-two with caddie Monica Marchesani. PHOTO: PGA Tour of Australasia.

Her victory the previous week at the Vic Open was an important one at a personal and professional level but this one was equally important for bigger reasons.

It continues the trend of growing appreciation and recognition for women in the game and hopefully also helps inspire more young girls to take up golf.

Green is one of the best ambassadors golf has and proved it again at Cobram Barooga not only with her play but also her gracious behaviour with fans before, during and after the tournament.

While Green was showing a clean pair of heels on the Murray River Chile’s Joaquin Niemann was doing the same to an unfeasibly strong PGA Tour field at Riviera.

The 23-year-old played some extraordinary golf claim his second Tour title but shared top billing with the host course, the famed Riviera Country Club.

As it does most years, the George Thomas design tested every facet of the game for the top professionals but, most interestingly for those of us spectating, also their imagination.

Like most of the world’s truly great courses, success at Riviera is dictated less by what the ball does in the air than what it does once it hits the ground.

The highlight reel of golfers playing away from the flag in order to get the ball close was extensive and as a fan is surely more interesting than seeing towering iron shots stop dead next to the hole?

The other highlight from Riviera was a fit and happy looking tournament host making an appearance in the CBS commentary booth Saturday of the tournament.

12 months on from a car crash that severely damaged his right leg, Tiger Woods was adamant he would return to the PGA Tour (sporadically) though he couldn’t say when.

"Hannah Green made history, Phil Mickelson trashed his reputation and one of the world’s great courses reminded us once again why architecture still matters. Throw in a dose of a happy and healthy looking Tiger Woods ... it might have been a golf nerd’s dream weekend." - Rod Morri.

He also had some interesting things to say about distance in the modern game (not for the first time, it has to be noted) suggesting a higher spin ball to rein in distance for professionals.

It seems Woods is in the bifurcation camp as he also suggested technology should be ‘left alone’ for amateurs.

Meanwhile, as all that good and wholesome stuff was going on, the ongoing Saudi Super League situation finally blew up.

At the centre of the drama was Phil Mickelson whose comments about the League to U.S. based golf writer Alan Shipnuck were published late last week.

Part of Shipnuck’s soon to be released unauthorised biography of the six-time major winner, the quotes have at the very least irreparably tarnished Mickelson’s reputation and may yet sink the Super League concept altogether.

According to Shipnuck, Mickelson described the Saudi backers of the League as ‘scary mother f***ers’ and claimed he was only interested in the League as a way to ‘leverage’ the PGA Tour.

The response to the comments was swift and damning with Mickelson almost universally condemned.

By Sunday Dustin Johnson – one of the highest profile players linked to the rival league –had publicly pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour while another, Bryson DeChambeau, seemed to hedge his bets.

In a statement released through the Tour’s communications department on Twitter (an interesting development in its own right) Johnson declared he was ‘fully committed to the PGA Tour’ and ‘thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA TOUR golf's premier Tour’.

For his part, DeChambeau posted a much less convincing note on his social media channels saying: “I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I.

“As of now, I am focused on getting myself healthy and competing again soon. I appreciate all the support."

It is yet to be seen if Johnson’s withdrawal and DeChambeau’s pseudo withdrawal will scuttle the league completely, but it is, at the very least, a devastating development for the Greg Norman led rival.

And people think golf is boring. Pfft.