Paul Azinger honored by Payne Stewart Award, reflects on Ryder Cup bond
Grace Kim joins Golf Today to talk about her Amundi Evian Championship and ranks the best moments from the thrilling win. She also talks about the support from fellow Australians and what it means to be a major champion.
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Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada's Victoria Mboko tops Aussie Kimberly Birrell in National Bank Open debut
MONTREAL - Toronto's Victoria Mboko made good on her first impression in front of the Montreal faithful Sunday in opening-round action at the National Bank Open tennis tournament. Mboko, making her main draw debut on home soil, powered her way past Australia's Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-3, on a scorching afternoon on IGA Stadium's Centre Court. Mboko utilized her big and powerful service game, hammering 15 aces, which regularly exceeded 180 km/h. She also mixed in some solid forehand winners to energize the crowd all throughout her 90-plus minutes spent on court. Mboko got off to a strong start, breaking Birrell on the Aussie's opening service game to go up 2-0. However, Birrell immediately broke back the following game. Both players held serve until the set's 12th and final game, with Mboko breaking the serve of her opponent to take the opener 7-5. Mboko was gifted a break in the fourth game of the second set, with Birrell committing a costly double-fault to put the Canadian ahead 3-1. Mboko never looked back from there, holding serve three times to pull away with the straight-sets victory. The 18-year-old Mboko, currently ranked No. 88 in the world, was one of seven Canadians awarded a wild card into the WTA 1000 main draw. Although she was born in North Carolina, Mboko moved to Toronto as a young child with her family and represents Canada on tour. Mboko has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the WTA rankings in 2025, having started the season as the 350th-ranked player in the world. Mboko improved to 46-8 this season across all competitions thanks to Sunday's victory, which also included a stretch of 22 consecutive match wins – all in straight sets - at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Challenger tour level. Mboko also impressed at the Grand Slam level, qualifying for both the French Open and Wimbledon this season, where she reached the third and second round, respectively. Mboko's first-round win sets up a meeting with American Sofia Kenin in the second round. The 23rd-seeded Kenin earned an automatic bye into the second round by virtue of her ranking. Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., opened Centre Court action earlier in the day, falling to Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in her first-round match. 'I think I came out pretty strong and played well in the first set,' the 20-year-old Stakusic said. 'She just kept hanging in there. She didn't give me many free points and she served really well. She was pretty level-headed the whole match.' The 142nd-ranked Stakusic, in her fourth appearance at the NBO, was making her main draw debut in Montreal after bowing out in the second round of last year's tournament held in Toronto. 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova also advanced to the second round for the second straight time in Montreal, dispatching 20-year-old Philippine phenom Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a spirited three-set battle. The night session will feature a pair of Canadian veterans on Centre Court. Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., will match up against two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova. The 25-year-old Canadian, who won the NBO in Toronto in 2019, is coming off a strong showing at the Hopman Cup last week in Italy, as she teamed up with Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime to capture the exhibition team tournament. Vancouver's Rebecca Marino will take on French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot. The 34-year-old Marino has struggled this season, winning just one WTA Tour-level match all year. Sunday marks the start of a revamped 12-day, 96-player format. Action continues daily at IGA Stadium through to the final on Aug. 7. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Lottie Woad looks every bit a veteran in winning Women's Scottish Open in her first LPGA event as a pro
Woad finished at 21-under 267 and earned $300,000. 'I think it's quite hard to do that, but very special to win in my first event,' Woad said. 'Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots.' Kim had opened with four birdies in seven holes, and when the South Korean added birdies on the 11th and 12th, she shared the lead with Woad. Advertisement Woad was unflappable, making birdie on the 13th and 14th holes to regain control and dropping only one shot late in her round. She finished with a three-quarter wedge over a winding burn to 2 feet for birdie and a reserved celebration. Lottie Woad is victorious in her FIRST professional start at the Women's Scottish Open! 👏🏆 — Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) Her victory is certain to get everyone's attention in women's golf. 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, she finished one shot out of a playoff in the Evian Championship in France, an LPGA major. Advertisement That gave her enough points for an LPGA card, so the 21-year-old decided to forgo her final year at Florida State and turn pro. Now she has an LPGA title — the Women's Scottish Open is co-sanctioned with the LET — as she heads south for Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the final major of the year in the Women's British Open. Nelly Korda, who played the opening three rounds with Woad, ran off four straight birdies on the front nine until missing some putts that stalled her momentum. She shot 71 and finished eight shots behind, leaving the American winless this year after a seven-win season in 2024. Julia Lopez Ramirez closed with a 65 and tied for third with Sei Young Kim (73), earning the Spaniard one of three spots available in the Women's British Open next week. The other spots went to Paula Reto of South Africa and Mary Liu of China. Woad first made a name for herself when she 'I think Augusta, that was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win,' Woad said. 'So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this.' The only difference this week was getting paid for it. Along with winning the Women's Irish Open, Woad tied for 31st in Advertisement She heads to Wales hopeful of keeping the momentum. 'It's been pretty good, yeah. I don't really know how to describe it,' Woad said. 'Just been shooting low scores, which is always nice.' The LPGA Tour has had a different winner in all 19 tournaments this year, the longest stretch of no multiple winners in its 75-year history.
NBC Sports
14 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Women's Scottish Open 2025 prize money: How much Lottie Woad and field earned
Lottie Woad talks about handling professional pressure at the Women's Scottish Open and the Golf Central desk discusses how her ball striking has been a strength of hers. Lottie Woad got her first LPGA win in her first professional start at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open — and her first paycheck. After not being able to collect from capturing the LET's KPMG Women's Irish Open a few weeks ago, nor from finishing T-3 at the Amundi Evian Championship, because she was an amateur, Woad was finally able to cash in. The newly minted pro earned $300,000 from her triumph at Dundonald. Here's a look at the full payout from the $2 million purse:
