Latest news with #2025LIVGolfVirginia
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Vintage Phil Mickelson: Lefty holes out with dazzling chip-in at LIV Golf Virginia
Vintage Phil Mickelson: Lefty holes out with dazzling chip-in at LIV Golf Virginia Phil Mickelson turns 55 next Monday, but he still flashes skill of the excellence that helped him win six major titles and more than 50 times worldwide over his career. Look no further than Sunday during the final round of 2025 LIV Golf Virginia, where Lefty was in contention coming down the stretch but found himself with a horrific lie. He was standing in a bunker, leaning back and the ball well above his feet. But this is Phil Mickelson we're talking about. And he pulled off an incredible shot, landing it on the green before the ball checked and spun into the hole for birdie. You'll have to watch it to appreciate the craftiness of it. "That is unbelievable," screamed David Feherty, and even that might have not been an appropriate reaction for just how good of a shot it was from Mickelson. "That was one of my better ones. I don't know what to say because I have to aim so far left because I'm hooking it over my shoulder and trying to guess how much it's going to hook is the challenge," Mickelson said. "But it wasn't hard stopping it. It was hard guessing how much it was going to hook because it was soft greens and I had such an uphill lie, the ball was going to go high, but just judging how much the ball was going to come over my shoulder, that was the challenge. "Even I was a little bit surprised." Mickelson finished at 13 under after a 6-under 65 in the final round, placing him two shots behind winner Joaquin Niemann. Mickelson's T-4 is his third top-10 finish of the season for LIV Golf, and he heads to Oakmont with a chance to complete the career grand slam in what might be his final U.S. Open. An outside chance, yes. But we can dream.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Joaquin Niemann wins 2025 LIV Golf Virginia, heads to U.S. Open with momentum
Joaquin Niemann wins 2025 LIV Golf Virginia, heads to U.S. Open with momentum Not one, not two, not three, but four. That's how many wins Joaquin Niemann has now this season in eight LIV Golf events, capturing 2025 LIV Golf Virginia on Sunday for his first win in the United States. He won earlier this season in Adelaide, Hong Kong and Mexico City, and on Sunday surged down the stretch at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club to beat Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri by one shot. Niemann birdied four of his final five holes, tallying circles on Nos. 14-17, to pull in front and earn another victory and a $4 million prize. Now, he heads to the U.S. Open with plenty of momentum. "It could have been for anybody, and I felt like I was all day just behind, especially since the beginning of the week, and I feel like the only word that I was telling myself from last night was just have faith," Niemann said. "There's nothing else I can do, have a good attitude, and just wait." He earned his spot in the field at Oakmont thanks to his LIV Golf performance, taking advantage of a new exemption the USGA created for LIV Golf players not otherwise exempt into the field. Niemann locked up his spot earlier this season. He also carries major momentum. Niemann earned his first top-10 finish in a major championship last month at the PGA Championship, placing T-8. "It's always difficult to be patient everywhere," Niemann said. "But I think it's hard to tell. I feel like I'm still pretty far away [from] winning one. I'm just happy to be playing at the U.S. Open. It's going to be a great course, pretty tough conditions. I'm just looking forward for that challenge and a fun week." Niemann signed for 8-under 63 in the final round, though the rounds of the day went to Ben Campbell and Lee Westwood, who each shot 62. The final round saw two separate stoppages for weather, with storms canvassing Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, about 45 minutes from Washington D.C., but Niemann prevailed. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson each finished T-4 and two shots behind Niemann. Jon Rahm earned his 21st finish in the top 10 playing for LIV Golf, placing there in every single event except for LIV Golf Houston last year when he had to withdraw with an injury. DeChambeau's Crushers GC took home the team title for the second straight event, topping Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces GC by two shots.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester signs with LIV Golf, will debut this week
The Arizona State to LIV Golf pipeline has another addition. Josele Ballester, the 21-year-old reigning U.S. Amateur champion who finished his college career with the Sun Devils last week, has signed with LIV Golf and will join Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC at 2025 LIV Golf Virginia, which begins Friday. Ballester and LIV Golf have been connected for some time, dating to before his U.S. Amateur triumph last summer at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. Advertisement With his amateur career in the rearview, he's turning pro and joining LIV Golf, arguably a bigger signing than any the league had in the offseason. "First and foremost, I want to thank my family, coaches, friends, and Arizona State University for supporting me and believing in me to make it to this step of my career,' Ballester said in a release. 'I am very excited about the opportunity to join Fireballs GC and continue to learn from Sergio and other greats.' Ballester is the latest in a long line of Sun Devils to compete for LIV Golf, including new teammate David Puig, who also joined LIV Golf following a stellar amateur career. Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey and Matt Jones are other LIV players who played collegiately at Arizona State. Advertisement He'll replace fellow Spaniard Luis Masaveu on the Fireballs' roster. Masaveu, who made the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur last year and is good friends with Ballester, will compete this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in place of Puig, who is sidelined with an injury. Ballester won one time as a senior, taking medalist honors at the Fighting Illini Invitational in the fall. He helped Arizona State finish first after the stroke-play portion of the 2025 NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa last week, though the Sun Devils fell in the quarterfinals of match play. He finished he season ranked fifth in the NCAA golf rankings, placing T-4 at NCAAs and adding a pair of top-10 finishes in the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Bremerton Regional. Josele Ballester of the Arizona State Sun Devils chips during the first round of the Division I Men's Golf Championship held at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 23, 2025 in Carlsbad, California. Ballester finished third in the PGA Tour University Class of 2025 standings, earning a Korn Ferry Tour card in the process. By signing with LIV Golf, he forfeits that card, and everyone else gets bumped up a spot in the standings. Texas A&M's Phichaksn Maichon is the biggest benefactor, moving from sixth to fifth and earning full Korn Ferry Tour status for the remainder of the year and an exemption into the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School. Advertisement He played in three PGA Tour events this season, finishing T-17 in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open and Masters, where he made headlines after urinating in Rae's Creek on the 13th hole, Azalea. He would end up missing the cut at Augusta National Golf Club. Ballester will tee it up next week at Oakmont in the 2025 U.S. Open, as he doesn't have to remain an amateur to use the exemption he earned for winning the U.S. Amateur. But this week, he makes his professional debut for LIV Golf. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Josele Ballester signs with LIV Golf, joining Fireballs GC in 2025
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester signs with LIV Golf, will debut this week
Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester signs with LIV Golf, will debut this week The Arizona State to LIV Golf pipeline has another addition. Josele Ballester, the 21-year-old reigning U.S. Amateur champion who finished his college career with the Sun Devils last week, has signed with LIV Golf and will join Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC at 2025 LIV Golf Virginia, which begins Friday. Ballester and LIV Golf have been connected for some time, dating to before his U.S. Amateur triumph last summer at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. With his amateur career in the rearview, he's turning pro and joining LIV Golf, arguably a bigger signing than any the league had in the offseason. "First and foremost, I want to thank my family, coaches, friends, and Arizona State University for supporting me and believing in me to make it to this step of my career,' Ballester said in a release. 'I am very excited about the opportunity to join Fireballs GC and continue to learn from Sergio and other greats.' Ballester is the latest in a long line of Sun Devils to compete for LIV Golf, including new teammate David Puig, who also joined LIV Golf following a stellar amateur career. Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey and Matt Jones are other LIV players who played collegiately at Arizona State. He'll replace fellow Spaniard Luis Masaveu on the Fireballs' roster. Masaveu, who made the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur last year and is good friends with Ballester, will compete this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in place of Puig, who is sidelined with an injury. Ballester won one time as a senior, taking medalist honors at the Fighting Illini Invitational in the fall. He helped Arizona State finish first after the stroke-play portion of the 2025 NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa last week, though the Sun Devils fell in the quarterfinals of match play. He finished he season ranked fifth in the NCAA golf rankings, placing T-4 at NCAAs and adding a pair of top-10 finishes in the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Bremerton Regional. Ballester finished third in the PGA Tour University Class of 2025 standings, earning a Korn Ferry Tour card in the process. By signing with LIV Golf, he forfeits that card, and everyone else gets bumped up a spot in the standings. Texas A&M's Phichaksn Maichon is the biggest benefactor, moving from sixth to fifth and earning full Korn Ferry Tour status for the remainder of the year and an exemption into the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School. He played in three PGA Tour events this season, finishing T-17 in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open and Masters, where he made headlines after urinating in Rae's Creek on the 13th hole, Azalea. He would end up missing the cut at Augusta National Golf Club. Ballester will tee it up next week at Oakmont in the 2025 U.S. Open, as he doesn't have to remain an amateur to use the exemption he earned for winning the U.S. Amateur. But this week, he makes his professional debut for LIV Golf.
