
Ciganda ends nine-year LPGA Tour victory drought
Carlota Ciganda finished one stroke clear of Choi Hye-jin to claim her first LPGA Tour victory in almost nine years at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.The Spaniard birdied the final two holes at the Blythefield Country Club to card a five-under-par 67 to end at 16 under overall, with a bogey at the 17th proving costly for her playing partner from South Korea. Ciganda, 35, whose two previous wins on the LPGA Tour came within a month of each other in October and November 2016, said: "It feels amazing, obviously, after all these years."I knew I could do it, but obviously once the years keep going and you start getting older you start doubting yourself."Part of a six-way tie for the lead at the start of the fourth round, Ciganda also held off Somi Lee, who finished third at 14 under.Meanwhile, Lexi Thompson finished on 13 under alongside Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen after dropping shots on the 16th and 17th holes, while England's Bronte Law was in a tie for seventh on 12 under."I love coming here," added Ciganda, who has also won eight times on the Ladies European Tour."It reminds me of where I'm from in the northern part of Spain. Very similar. Lots of trees, peaceful. I love the golf course. Five par fives, you can hit it hard here."
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘Borderline unplayable': Adam Scott finds silver lining after US Open collapse
Exemption to a magnificent 100th consecutive major championship is the silver lining to Adam Scott's latest crushing collapse. Scott's late fade in 'near unplayable' conditions from a share of the lead on the 12th hole to a tie for 12th behind US Open winner JJ Spaun adds to the list of agonising finishes for Australia's former world No 1. It was not quite as dramatic as Scott's meltdown at Royal Lytham in 2012, when he had one hand on the famous Claret Jug only to blow a four-shot lead with four holes to play to gift Ernie Els the British Open trophy. Scott's latest near miss was more a death by a thousand cuts as the beastly Oakmont Country Club lived up to its reputation as the most demanding course on the US Open rota. Scottish runner-up Robert MacIntyre was the only player on the water-logged course after a 68-minute storm-forced suspension to shoot under par during the final round. Playing in the final group, Scott and third-round leader Sam Burns carded 79 and 78 respectively. Yet both were still right in the thick of contention, just one stroke off the lead, before having their winning chances dashed on the 15th hole. Adam Scott said conditions were 'borderline unplayable' toward the end, when asked about Sam Burns being declined a casual water ruling at 15. 'We must have looked horrible, both of us playing like that,' Scott said. 'But that's what can happen in these things. If you get a little off, you're just severely punished. 'It just wasn't easy out there. All things being equal, it's Sunday of the US Open, one of the hardest set-ups and the conditions were the hardest of the week. 'Thank God it wasn't like this all week. Once the fairways were soaked, it was very hard controlling the golf ball. The course just couldn't take much more water really. It was borderline unplayable.' For eagle and the co-lead... SO CLOSE!Adam Scott taps in for birdie on 4 to pull within a shot of Burns. After driving supremely all week, when he joined Curtis Strange and Shane Lowry as only the third player in history to start a US Open at Oakmont with three rounds of 70 or better, Scott lamented missing too many fairways on Sunday (Monday AEST). 'I felt better before the rain delay, that's for sure,' Scott said. 'I went back out feeling okay but then I left every tee shot to the right coming in, and that was impossible to recover from almost. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion 'I didn't adapt to those conditions well enough. The water was so close to the surface. Like the shot I hit on 11, it's bizarre. I just don't know, it was like an aquaplane on the ground. It's a tough call, but we played. Everyone had to deal with it.' Turning 45 next month, Scott had been bidding to become the oldest US Open champion since Hale Irwin in 1990, and the second-oldest winner ever. He would also have joined five-times British Open winner Peter Thomson, his idol Greg Norman, who claimed the Claret Jug twice, and David Graham as only the fourth Australian man to capture multiple major championships. The popular Queenslander had the chance to follow Graham, the 1979 PGA Championship and 1981 US Open champion, as the only Aussie to snare two majors in America. Alas, the golfing gods once again conspired against him. But in a small consolation that will have big ramifications for his legacy, Scott is guaranteed a start at next year's Open at Shinnecock Hills courtesy of his top-12 finish in Pennsylvania. After teeing it up for 96 straight majors, the longest streak among active players, Scott is exempt for next month's British Open as well as the 2026 Masters and PGA Championship. At least he won't be left stranded on 99.


Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Scott's US Open dream gets washed away at rainy Oakmont
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 15 (Reuters) - Adam Scott believes he needs another major title to boost his World Golf Hall of Fame credentials and while the Australian was in the hunt during Sunday's final round at the U.S. Open his challenge faded as conditions became tougher in heavy rain. The 2013 Masters champion would have broken the record for the longest time between a player winning his first and second majors but signed off with a nine-over-par 79 that dropped him into a share of 12th on six over for the tournament, seven shots behind winner J.J. Spaun. A 96-minute suspension in play caused by rain that left pools of water on the putting surfaces and fairways made the already treacherous Oakmont layout even tougher. "It was bad conditions. No one really had a good score," said Scott, who has 32 worldwide wins, including 14 on the PGA Tour. "Once the fairways were soaked, it was very hard controlling the golf ball." The 44-year-old Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, started the day as the only player from the starting field of 156 golfers with three rounds of par or better. Two over on the day when play was suspended, Scott bogeyed his first hole after the restart, the par-three eighth, but still reached the turn one shot off the lead. Scott then found himself in a five-way share of the lead early on the back nine as conditions saw positions change rapidly on the leadeboard, but his game then started to unravel. "I felt better before the rain delay, that's for sure," said Scott. "I went back out feeling okay, but then I left every kind of tee shot to the right coming in, and that was impossible to recover from almost." Scott's slide started at the par-four 11th where he sent his approach into the tall grass behind the green and made bogey. He made another at 14 where his shot from a bunker failed to find the fairway. He had a birdie putt from 72 feet at the 15th that would have given him another share of the lead but three-putted from there for bogey and followed that with a double-bogey at 16 after finding the thick rough off the tee. Scott capped his round with another bogey and conceded he did not handle the conditions well. "Unfortunately, I think the course just couldn't take much more water really," said Scott. "I didn't adapt to those conditions well enough."


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
JJ Spaun lauds ‘fairytale ending' after killing Robert MacIntyre's US Open dream
JJ Spaun lauded his own 'fairytale ending' after killing Robert MacIntyre's US Open dream. Spaun's brilliant finish at the brutal Oakmont robbed MacIntyre of the chance to become Scotland's first major champion since 1999 after he burst into contention after an excellent two-under-par 68. That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and the Scot looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play. But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory. MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent. 'It's definitely like a storybook, fairytale ending, kind of underdog fighting back, not giving up, never quitting,' he said. 'With the rain and everything and then the putt, you couldn't write a better story. I'm just so fortunate to be on the receiving end of that. 'Just to finish it off like that is just a dream. You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor's putt, you see crazy moments. 'To have my own moment like that at this championship, I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.' Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention. Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes and four off the lead. But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory. 'I felt like I had a chance, a really good chance to win the US Open at the start of the day,' he said. 'It just unravelled very fast. But that break was actually the key for me to winning this tournament. 'The tee shot on nine, like my first shot back. That was the hole we got stopped on. I just flushed one, like a nice little cut up the left side. 'And I was like, 'All right, we're back'. I didn't hit too many bad shots after that.' Overnight leader Burns saw his hopes get washed away after the restart. He held a two-shot lead when the rain came but could not cope with the sodden conditions, producing two bogeys to finish tied for seventh on four over. The American Ryder Cup player felt he should have been given free relief due to standing water on the 15th fairway. 'That fairway slopes left to right,' he said. 'That's kind of the low part of the fairway there. 'When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up. Took practice swings and it's just water splashing every single time. 'Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed. 'At the end of the day, it's not up to me, it's up to the rules official. That's kind of that.'