Kitayama wins 3M Open. Lottie Woad wins in her pro debut and Harrington takes a 2nd senior major
Kitayama, who tied the tournament record with a career-best 60 on Saturday to enter the final round within one of the lead, birdied six of the first eight holes to take control on a 91-degree afternoon at the TPC Twin Cities.
Kitayama led by one playing the par-5 18th when he hit 5-iron onto the back slope of a bunker. He blasted out to about 18 feet and took two putts for par to finish at 23-under 261.
Matt Wallace, David Lipsky, Pierceson Coody and Jake Knapp tied for third, three strokes back.
Kitayama, whose only other PGA Tour win was the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2023, moved to No. 53 in the FedEx Cup with one week remaining for the top 70 to qualify for the postseason. He also earned a two-year exemption and a spot in the Masters next year.
LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour
IRVINE, Scotland (AP) — Lottie Woad never flinched Sunday on her way to a 4-under 68 to win the Women's Scottish Open by three shots over Hyo Joo Kim in her professional debut.
The 21-year-old Englishwoman is the second player in three years to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut, following Rose Zhang in the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National in 2023. Woad finished at 21-year 267 and earned $300,000.
Woad was the No. 1 amateur in the women's ranking when she won the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour three weeks ago. Then, the former Florida State player finished one shot out of a playoff in the Evian Championship in France, an LPGA major, and turned pro.
Nelly Korda shot 71 and finished eight shots behind.
PGA Tour Champions
BERKSHIRE, England (AP) — Padraig Harrington was so focused on his game that he didn't notice a leaderboard or see Rory McIlroy in the gallery Sunday at the Senior British Open. He closed with a 3-under 67 to win his second senior major of the year.
Staked to a two-shot lead, Harrington made eagle on the first hole on the Old Course at Sunningdale and no one got closer than two shots the rest of the way as he became the fifth player with a Senior British Open and a British Open title.
He won by three shots over Thomas Bjorn (67) and Justin Leonard (68). Harrington joined Darren Clarke, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Bob Charles as players to have won the British Open and the senior version.
LIV Golf League
UTTOEXTER, England (AP) — Joaquin Niemann changed his coach and his caddie and won for the fifth time this year on the LIV Golf League, closing with a 3-under 68 in LIV Golf-UK for a three-shot victory over Bubba Watson.
Niemann missed the cut in the British Open last week for his second straight missed cut in a major. He made big changes by leaving his coach and getting a new caddie but found his comfort zone back on LIV.
Niemann has won seven times, all in the last two years, on the Saudi-backed circuit. He has won just over $21 million this year.
Watson closed with a 65, while Caleb Surratt also had a 65 to finish alone in third. Legion XIII won the team title.
Korn Ferry Tour
GLENVIEW, Ill. (AP) — Johnny Keefer played bogey-free over the final 10 holes and pulled away with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the NV5 Invitational, his second Korn Ferry Tour win of the year that secures his spot on the PGA Tour next year.
Jeffrey Kang made eagle on the par-5 18th at The Glen Club for a 65 that allowed him to finish alone in second. Neal Shipley closed with a 63 and tied for third along with Kensei Hirata (65) and Davis Chatfield (67).
Keefer regained the top spot on the Korn Ferry Tour points list and joined Austin Smotherman as two-time winners on the circuit this year.
Other tours
Brett White made eagle on the final hole for a 59, and then won the Commissionaires Ottawa Open with a birdie on the second hole of a three-man playoff. It was the second 59 on the PGA Tour Americas in as many years. ... ... Ayaka Watanabe closed with an 8-under 64 for a two-shot victory in the Daito Kentaku Eheyanet Ladies on the Japan LPGA.
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USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Longest drivers in PGA Tour history include John Daly, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson
They've been keeping stats on average driving distances since 1980 and the list of names probably doesn't have too many surprises. Rory McIlroy is on there. John Daly of course. Soon there will be a new name added, with youngster Aldrich Potgieter bombing it all over the PGA Tour this season. In 2003, the mark of 321.4 yards was achieved by Hank Kuehne and was the standard-bearer for almost two decades. During the 2019-20 season, Bryson DeChambeau broke Kuehne's 17-year-old mark. One year later, DeChambeau broke his own mark. Go back to 1997 and you'll see that John Daly was the first to surpass the average distance of 300 yards. In all, Daly led the Tour in driving distance 11 times. In case you were wondering, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson ever led the Tour in driving distance. Who are the longest drivers on the PGA Tour? This is the list of the longest drivers starting in 1980 through the 2024 regular season. The first officially recognized long-drive champ, Dan Pohl led the PGA Tour in 1980 (274.3 yards) and then again in 1981 (280.1). He did not win on Tour either season. In 1980, his best finish was a solo second at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. His best finish in 1981 was a solo third at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Bill Calfee led the PGA Tour in driving in 1982 (275.3). Calfee entered 26 events that season but got DQ'd from one of them and missed the cut in 15 others. He went from February to mid-July without making a weekend. The closest he came to winning was a T-7 in the Texas Open. John McComish led the PGA Tour in driving twice: 1983 (277.4) and 1987 (283.9). He only played five seasons on Tour. His best finish in his rookie season of 1983 was a T-22 in the USF&G Classic. In 1987, his best finish was a T-9 in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. Bill Glasson led the Tour in driving in 1984 (276.5). Glasson made only six cuts in 19 events that season. His best finish was T-13 at the Buick Open. He pocketed just $17,845 that season. Andy Bean led the Tour in driving distance in 1985 (278.2). Bean had a really good season, posting eight top-10s and making 23 of 27 cuts. His best finish was a T-3 at the PGA Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. Davis Love III led the Tour in driving distance twice: 1986 (285.7) and 1994 (283.8). Love made 22 cuts in 1986 and posted a T-3 at the Canadian Open in his first full season on Tour. In 1994, he finished solo second in the United Airlines Hawaiian Open. He did not find the winner's circle either season he was the long-drive leader. Steve Thomas led the Tour in driving distance in 1988 (284.6). Thomas played 29 events but missed 20 cuts and posted just one top-10, a T-8 in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. He earned $22,669 in 1988. Ed Humenik led the Tour in driving distance in 1989 (280.9). In his first full season on Tour, Humenik played in 30 events but missed 19 cuts and posted only three top-25 finishes. His best showing was T-14 in the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. His season ended with 11 consecutive missed cuts. Tom Purtzer was the first driving-distance leader on the PGA Tour in the 1990s (279.6). Purtzer had three top-10s and 10 top-25s but no victories in 1990. In 1991, John Daly started his reign as the Tour's long-drive leader. In 1997, he became the first to break the 300-yard average barrier. He did it four more times, including his final season as the top driver in 2002, when his season-long driving average was 306.8. Daly was the first to post a Tour victory during one of his seasons atop the driving-distance category, and he did it three times: the 1991 PGA Championship, the 1992 B.C. Open and the 1995 British Open. Hank Kuehne won back-to-back driving-distance titles. He averaged more than 320 yards per pop in 2003 (321.4), the first player on this list to break the barrier. His 2004 season average was seven yards less (314.4) but still almost two full yards farther than the next-longest player. In 2003, his best finish was a T-2 at the Shell Houston Open (although he did win an unofficial event, the Franklin Templeton Shootout). In 2004, he missed 15 cuts in the 30 events he entered. His best finish was a solo fifth in the Nissan Open. Scott Hend held the top position for one season in 2005. His 318.9-yard average was almost two yards farther than Tiger Woods' average that year. Hend posted a T-6 finish at the Bank of America Colonial but missed 19 cuts in the 28 events he entered. Bubba Watson had the first of his big-driving years in 2006 and topped the distance list three years in a row before a four-year gap. In 2006, Watson had a T-3 in the Chrysler Classic of Tucson, his best event of the season. In 2007, he finished T-2 in the Shell Houston Open. In 2008, he had a T-2 in the Buick Open. In 2012, he won the first of his two Masters titles. In 2014, he won the Northern Trust in February and two months later took home another green jacket. Watson is the only golfer to lead the Tour in driving distance and win more than one event in the same season. Robert Garrigus led this category twice: 2009 (312.0) and 2010 (315.5). Garrigus didn't win in 2009 but finished his 2010 season with a win at the Children's Miracle Network Classic in November. Five years after winning his first PGA Tour title, J.B. Holmes found himself atop the driving-distance category in 2011 (318.4). He did it again five years later in 2016 (314.5). In 2011, his best finish was T-5, which he did twice. In 2016, Holmes was solo third at the British Open and T-4 at the Masters. Luke List spent one year on top of this list: 2013 (306.3). That year he made nine of 24 cuts with a season-best finish of T-16 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Dustin Johnson made his lone appearance atop this list in 2015 when he averaged 317.7 yards. He won the WGC-Cadillac Championship and posted two T-2 finishes, including at the U.S. Open. Bryson DeChambeau broke the 17-year-old PGA Tour driving distance mark during the 2019-20 season when he averaged 322.1 yards per drive. He did so one year after he tied for 34th in distance at 302.5 yards. DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic during the 2019-20 the 2020-21 season, he reached a new mark of 323.7, almost 4 ½ yards farther than Rory McIlroy, who was No. 2 at 319.3. DeChambeau won twice during the Tour's 2020-21 "super" season, at the September U.S. Open and then in April at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rory McIlroy spent back-to-back seasons atop the long-drive category in 2017 (317.2) and 2018 (319.7), with the latter season coming oh-so-close to that 320-yard average. In 2023, McIlroy earned his third driving title (326.3) and while doing so, became the first to surpass the 326-yard mark. Cameron Champ was the longest driver (320.7 yard average) in 2024 but he also made just six cuts in 19 starts. He missed seven cuts in a row at one point during the season. His best finish in 2024 was a T-12 at the 3M Open. PGA Tour driving distance leaders, 1980-2024 Here is the complete list of the top drivers each year based on PGA Tour's average yards per drive since the stat was kept in 1980. Source: How the PGA Tour obtains driving data: "The average number of yards per measured drive. These drives are measured on two holes per round. Care is taken to select two holes which face in opposite directions to counteract the effect of wind. Drives are measured to the point at which they come to rest regardless of whether they are in the fairway or not."
Dominion Post
an hour ago
- Dominion Post
COLUMN: My first AP Top 25 football ballot takes me back to being a kid again
MORGANTOWN — Usually, kids don't have a lot of worries. There's the occasional name-calling and snack-stealing, but other than that, kids mostly have it pretty easy. Especially now that I'm just becoming an adult and learning about taxes and paying off rent, I'd love to be a kid again. Unlike most kids, I did worry as a kid. When I was a kid, I'd wait every week and worry about where each team would be ranked in the college football AP Poll. Why? I don't remember exactly, but I remember before the rankings were released, using all my brain power to figure out whether Alabama or Clemson should be ranked higher, or whether Notre Dame's wins were valid for being ranked in the top 10. That's probably why I was placed in the extra help classes in elementary school. Fast forward 10 years, and I was asked this year to be an AP voter. I finally had a say in whether the SEC's strength of schedule and quality losses should be considered. The full AP Poll comes out on Monday morning, so here's a sneak peek of how I voted and where I think West Virginia would be ranked if the poll were expanded past 25 teams. Most of these selections are based on gut feeling, what others are saying, and mainly, just who I thought would win in a matchup. Just to note, the preseason poll is the hardest, because no one has anything but hype to show for it. I think there'll be a consensus that Texas is the top team in college football this year. There will be people who put Georgia, Clemson and Penn State up there at No. 1, but Texas has the roster to be named the best team heading into the college football season. There are questions on the offense, though. The biggest is quarterback Arch Manning, one of the most hyped college players of the last decade. He didn't play much last season, and the offensive line is rebuilding, but he has some new weapons in the transfer portal and returns a duo of backs. The defense is also elite. The duo of linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and pass rusher Colin Simmons will be scary for any offensive line. Ohio State won the National Championship last year with an elite defense and some offensive firepower, and Texas fits the same description. The defending national champions lost quite a few pieces last season, starting with quarterback Will Howard, and its pair of running backs. There's still no named starting quarterback, but five-star Julian Sayin is the favorite and should be serviceable in his first year. Sayin returns the best player in college football, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, to help adjust to college. West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson also fills in at running back. The defense also has the best player returning, too. Elite defensive back Caleb Downs anchors a reconstructed defense. There's a lot of turnover, but Ohio State still has five stars and elite transfers to fill in the losses. Penn State's roster is mostly similar to last year's semifinal team. Quarterback Drew Allar is back, who was rumored to be a first-rounder last year, and both 1,000-yard running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton returned, too. Most of the offensive line returns, and the only question is the wide receiver room. James Franklin added some of the best receivers in the portal. He's done that years prior and saw no results, so it'll be interesting to see if the additions actually make a difference. The defense lost pass rusher Abdul Carter, but it returned corner A.J. Harris, pass rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and tackle Zane Durant. It also stole Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Penn State's squad has the most returners and could be put above Ohio State, or even Texas, but the receivers are a question, especially after losing tight end Tyler Warren. There's also Franklin's ability to win big games. Georgia still has elite talent on both sides of the ball. The question for the Bulldogs is the quarterback position. Carson Beck left for Miami, so Gunner Stockton is the signal caller now. Stockton played pretty well when he came in for Beck to win the quarterfinal game over Texas. The offensive line struggled last season, so we'll see if they improved and keep Stockton upright and run the ball better. Kirby Smart always has the Bulldogs in contention and should get all the young stars primed for another tough SEC schedule. Clemson is similar to Penn State, with a lot of players returning, as highlighted by their quarterback Cade Klubnik. Klubnik had a promising 2024, but couldn't lead Clemson over Texas in the first round. The defense also has some of the best players in the country, especially on the defensive line. However, the defense was still finding its footing. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has a big job to make an immediate impact. Notre Dame lost some key pieces from its squad last year and is another team with a new starting quarterback. There isn't a clear favorite yet with freshman C.J. Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey. The Fighting Irish will rely heavily on the nation's top returning running back Jeremiyah Love, and a stout defense. Notre Dame is another team with a new defensive coordinator, Chris Ash. If Notre Dame can figure out the quarterback situation, it shouldn't have issues getting back in contention in 2025. LSU's 2024 was pretty disappointing, starting with a loss to USC. Brian Kelly's squad rebounded, but then lost three straight to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. There were some big wins, but not enough to make the playoffs. Luckily for Kelly, Garrett Nussmeier is back, as one of the best passers in college football, and Kelly added some weapons in the portal. There were also some additions on defense, attempting to improve on the 9-4 season in 2024. The additions make it reasonable to put LSU this high. A daunting schedule, opening with Clemson, could bounce the Tigers quickly out of the top 10. Oregon was the No. 1-ranked team in the College Football Playoffs and won the Big Ten. Then, the Ducks got rolled by Ohio State in their first game of the playoffs. Oregon lost a lot of players on both sides of the ball. Dan Lanning used the transfer portal to add a new running back, who should make an impact, and some offensive line help. Like most of these teams in the top 10, first-year starter Dante Moore will be the X-factor on whether or not Oregon will have success in 2025. Alabama's first year without Nick Saban looked every bit of Sabanless. The Crimson Tide were undisciplined and finished 9-4 with questionable losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Then, a loss to unranked Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Second-year coach Kalen DeBoer needs to improve in 2025 to quiet Alabama fans. There are some positives heading into the season. The defense, which was one of the top in the country, is mostly intact for this year, wide receiver Ryan Williams is back, and some of the offensive line. The Crimson Tide has a quarterback question, too. After the spring, it looks like T.Y. Simpson will be the guy, but who knows? After a bad 2024, Alabama should be a bit better and sneak into the top 10. Miami rounds out the top 10 and had a decent 2024. Miami lost No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward and quickly fixed the issue, replacing him with Carson Beck. Beck had his ups and downs at Georgia and was one of the only quarterbacks not to see success in recent years. After signing a big NIL deal, Beck has his work cut out for him in the ACC. His receiver room is also a bit on the younger side, so he'll have to adjust quickly to see any sort of success. With some transfer additions and a new defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, the defense should improve. With Beck, Miami should hover around the top 10 all season. Illinois is a team that should make a big jump from 2024 to 2025. It returns its quarterback and has a lot of transfer additions. South Carolina and Florida are two teams I'm pretty high on because they both have rising young quarterbacks. The coaching is just holding them back a little, and playing in the SEC. I feel Kansas State is the best team in the Big 12, looking at all three levels, with Arizona State just behind. Michigan very well could've been unranked because who knows what Bryce Underwood is going to be, but there's also the boom potential as the top quarterback prospect. Tennessee could've been higher if it didn't lose Nico Iamaleava. The rest of the field could be rearranged in any order because they all have firepower. Some just have more questions than others. Realistically, they are all educated guesses. No. 11 Illinois, No. 12 South Carolina, No. 13 Kansas State, No. 14 Arizona State, No. 15 Florida, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Indiana, No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 21 Texas Tech, No. 22 Texas A&M, No. 23 Iowa State, No. 24 SMU, No. 25 Boise State. Somewhere in the 60s to 70s might seem low, but there's a lot unknown with this team. There's no set starting quarterback, the running back room is thin, there are 70-plus new transfers, not to mention a whole new scheme and coaching staff. With so many new moving parts, it's hard to think they'll all work in unison. Rich Rodriguez's first year coaching at West Virginia, back in 2001, he finished 3-8, and that's when he knew who his starting quarterback was. The West Virginia win total is set at 5.5, which is more like five wins. That means Rodriguez will actually have a better season than 2001. There's a chance, but very slim.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives key to hometown of Hamilton, Ontario
Dr. Mark Adickes joins Dan Patrick to examine the NBA's uptick in Achilles injuries, what possible role the stepback jumper plays in these situations, and why sedentary lifestyles may contribute to on-court injuries. HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the key to the city of Hamilton from Mayor Andrea Horwath at a public rally Thursday at Hamilton Stadium. Horwath also announced the Oklahoma City star will have a street named after him after capping an epic season by leading Thunder to the NBA title. ❝This city's engraved in me, and I'm glad they get to enjoy it with me.❞ SGA celebrates with his hometown of Hamilton 💙 'Growing up as I traveled across the world, to countless states, cities and countries people always asked where I was from,' Gilgeous-Alexander told a raucous gathering in the north end zone after hoisting the NBA championship trophy over his head. 'I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton. 'Hamilton is different from every other city in Ontario, Hamiltonians carry a different sense of grit, determination, pride and energy than the rest of the province and honestly, I couldn't shy away from that. I carry that with me every day and everywhere I go so you guys can only imagine how (much) overwhelming joy there was when I found out I was getting a key to the city I love and a street named after me.' Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the Stadium on Thursday night. He was honored to start the second quarter of the CFL game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the B.C. Lions.
