Latest news with #ChevronChampionshipLPGA
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler uses high numbers on his golf balls for a reason
Rory McIlroy, of North Ireland, left, reacts as he and teammate Shane Lowry, of Ireland, ready to tee of the first hole during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) FILE - International Presidents Cup team player Geoff Ogilvy, from Australia, gestures after winning the second hole of his singles match against United States' Steve Stricker at the Presidents Cup at Harding Park Golf Course, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Nelly Korda stands on the third tee during the final round of the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Rory McIlroy, of North Ireland, left, reacts as he and teammate Shane Lowry, of Ireland, ready to tee of the first hole during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) FILE - International Presidents Cup team player Geoff Ogilvy, from Australia, gestures after winning the second hole of his singles match against United States' Steve Stricker at the Presidents Cup at Harding Park Golf Course, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Nelly Korda stands on the third tee during the final round of the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Scottie Scheffler's golf balls are among the easiest to identify because of the numbers. Since his early days on the PGA Tour, he uses only golf balls marked by the numbers 5, 6, 7 or 8. The change was prompted by Scheffler hitting the wrong ball in college — twice. Advertisement One of those occasions is known by now. His coach at Texas, John Fields, last year on the 'Subpar" podcast told the story of Scheffler and Beau Hossler playing an event in Lubbock, Texas, when Hossler walked past the first golf ball in the fairway assuming his was farther up. Only after Scheffler hit did they realize he hit Hossler's golf ball. Fields referred to it as an 'almost fight.' The other time was at a college tournament in Arizona. 'I hit it in the desert,' Scheffler said. 'I looked at the ball in the bush. I said, 'Hey guys, I'm going to mark and identify it.' I marked it, picked it up, looked at it and said, 'Oh, cool, Titleist 4.' I put it back down in the bush.' Advertisement What followed is a shot Scheffler described as one of his best, somehow getting out of the bush and onto the green. He went to mark the ball on the green, picked it up and noticed the ball had an Arizona logo on it. 'My ball is sitting clean in the desert,' Scheffler said. 'I told my coach, 'I'm sorry. I marked it and identified it and it's not my ball.' There's not much to say.' But it clearly annoyed him, and it lingered. 'When I got on tour," Scheffler said, "I saw somebody only using higher numbers, and I said, 'Let's do that.'' A new year Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda have endlessly preached moving forward without dwelling too much on the past, and one only has to consider the results. Advertisement At this time a year ago, they had combined to win nine times, each winning the first major of the year. Korda's victory in the Chevron Championship was her fifth in a row to tie an LPGA record. Scheffler won four out of five during one particularly torrid stretch. Both now are 0-for-2025. Scheffler's season was slow to start because of minor surgery to the palm of his right hand. He still has five top-10 finishes in his eight tournaments. Korda has gone four straight events out of the top 10, not unusual because she had a streak of five tournaments out of the top 10 a year ago. It was a minor victory to make the cut at the Chevron, particularly after opening with a 77. Advertisement 'Walking onto 8 tee on Friday, I was 7 over. So I'm proud of my fight,' Korda said Sunday after she tied for 14th. 'Obviously, I have a lot to work on. Last year was last year. Such an amazing year, but it's in the past. It's not going to help me with my future.' The words ring familiar with what Scheffler has said since he started the season in February. Both remain No. 1 in the world and are not in immediate danger of losing that. Scheffler is playing in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this week, the start of a busy stretch in which he has six tournaments in eight weeks, including two majors. Medinah Makeover Advertisement Geoff Ogilvy sees one big advantage from his design company OCM renovating the No. 3 course at Medinah in time for the Presidents Cup next year. It has more to do with Ogilvy as a proud golf course architect than his appointment as captain of the International team. The first real competition will be match play, not a major. Score is kept by holes won, not how many under (or over) par. The last time Medinah held the world's best players was the 2019 BMW Championship, when Justin Thomas finished at 25-under 263 for a three-shot victory. That was seven shots lower than what Tiger Woods shot when he won the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah. Advertisement 'I think the golf world in general are a bit too focused on score relative to par deciding whether a course is good or bad, and it's really arbitrary where you put par,' Ogilvy said Tuesday. 'So I don't think it really matters, but everybody does focus on it.' With match play, Ogilvy believes, more attention will be on how the course plays, the decisions it requires and the shots that are hit. 'Having a match play event the first time anybody goes there is really unique, and I think a unique opportunity for the work that we did for Medinah,' he said. 'It feels like it's going to ask some tough questions, but the courses that ask tough questions usually have enjoyable results to watch and play. 'Hopefully it turns out well, and it is nice.' Advertisement LIV and OWGR? Sportico is reporting that LIV Golf and the Official World Golf Ranking are in 'serious discussions' about ranking points for the Saudi-funded league of 54 players. Still unclear is whether LIV has submitted a new application with the OWGR, after withdrawing its application a year ago when the ranking board did not see a way forward without changes. The biggest problem the OWGR found was measuring some two dozen other tours around the world against LIV, the only league that had a set (and small) roster for an entire season. Since LIV withdrew its OWGR application in March 2024, Greg Norman has been replaced as LIV CEO by Scott O'Neil, while Peter Dawson retired as OWGR chief and was replaced by former Masters champion Trevor Immelman. Advertisement The OWGR typically has a meeting of the technical committee each July at the British Open, the final major of the year. Divots Nine players at LIV Golf Korea competed at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club when it hosted the Presidents Cup 10 years ago. ... India has another spot on the European tour schedule. The DP World India Championship will be held Oct. 16-19 at Delhi Golf Club with a $4 million purse, the largest ever for a European tour event in India. ... Paula Creamer is returning as an assistant captain, this time for Angela Stanford, at the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. Stanford previously announced Kristy McPherson as one of her assistants. ... The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is honoring the parents of the late Grayson Murray with its 'Survivors of Suicide Loss Lifesaver Award.' Eric and Terry Murray will receive the award Thursday at the organization's annual gala in New York. ... The PGA Tour Champions is adding a tournament to the 2026 schedule. The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic will be held the last week in September in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Stat of the week Advertisement In his six individual starts on the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy has won three times and earned $13,257,558. In his six starts in the LIV Golf League, Joaquin Niemann has won three times and earned $12,604,524. Final word 'Going back to Portrush is going to be incredible. Rory going back as the Masters champion now is going to take a little bit of heat off me again, so I'm pretty happy with that.' — Shane Lowry, who won the British Open in 2019 the last time it was at Royal Portrush. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saigo wins Chevron Championship in 5-way playoff. Novak and Griffin team to take Zurich Classic
Captain Joaquín Niemann, of Torque GC, hits from the first tee during the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP) Captain Joaquín Niemann, of Torque GC, hits from a bunker on the second hole during the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP) First-place individual champion captain Joaquín Niemann, center top, of Torque GC, is sprayed on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Mateo Villalba/LIV Golf via AP) Andrew Novak hits along the 2nd fairway during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Ben Griffin, 18th green Andrew Novak, after winning the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament with teammate Andrew Novak at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Andrew Novak, right, embraces teammate Ben Griffin on the 18th green after they won the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Mao Saigo, of Japan, celebrates winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, holds the trophy after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, celebrates her birdie putt on the 18th green during a playoff of the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, in yellow, jumps into the water after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Mao Saigo, of Japan, in yellow, prepares to dive into the water off the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, in yellow, prepares to dive into the water off the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Captain Joaquín Niemann, of Torque GC, hits from the first tee during the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP) Captain Joaquín Niemann, of Torque GC, hits from a bunker on the second hole during the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP) First-place individual champion captain Joaquín Niemann, center top, of Torque GC, is sprayed on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Mateo Villalba/LIV Golf via AP) Andrew Novak hits along the 2nd fairway during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Ben Griffin, 18th green Andrew Novak, after winning the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament with teammate Andrew Novak at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Andrew Novak, right, embraces teammate Ben Griffin on the 18th green after they won the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Mao Saigo, of Japan, celebrates winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, holds the trophy after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, celebrates her birdie putt on the 18th green during a playoff of the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Mao Saigo, of Japan, in yellow, jumps into the water after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Mao Saigo, of Japan, in yellow, prepares to dive into the water off the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Sunday, April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship on Sunday for her first major title, making a 3-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a five-way playoff. Saigo birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 2-under 74, leaving her tied with Hyo Joo Kim, Ruoning Yin, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lindy Duncan. They finished at 7-under 281 at The Club at Carlton Woods. Advertisement Saigo won on the 18th in the playoff after Yin and Jutanugarn had birdie tries lip out. Jutanugarn bogeyed the 18th in regulation after stubbing her third shot only inches. Saigo won for the first time on the LPGA Tour. She was the tour's rookie of the year last season. The 23-year-old player is the first Japanese winner in the event and the fifth major champion. She has six victories on the Japanese tour, five in 2022. Winners had been jumping into Poppie's Pond off the 18th green at Mission Hills since 1988, and Saigo became the second to do it in Texas by leaping into the brown-tinged water. She shrieked and smiled as she went in holding hands with two members of her team. Saigo took home $1.2 million from the $8 million purse. Advertisement PGA Tour AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin shot a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play to become first-time PGA Tour winners — by one stroke — at the Zurich Classic. They finished at 28-under 260 at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana and Novak finally broke through after a pair of top-three finishes this month — the last a playoff loss to Justin Thomas a week ago at the RBC Heritage. Play was delayed by weather for just over 90 minutes with Novak on Griffin on the eighth hole. Masters champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, the defending champions, were in contention through 12 holes, but fell to 12th — six shots behind — with three late bogeys. Advertisement Danish identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard narrowly missed out on a first PGA Tour win, finishing second after a 68. LIV Golf League MEXICO CITY (AP) — Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Mexico City for his third victory in six events this season, closing with a 6-under 65 for a three-stroke margin over Bryson DeChambeau and Lucus Herbert. Niemann finished at 16-under 197 at Club de Golf Chapultepec. The 26-year-old Chilean star also won last year in Mexico at Mayakoba. He has five LIV victories after winning twice on the PGA Tour. Herbert tied the course record with a 61, and second-round leader DeChambeau shot 70. Advertisement Legion XIII won the team competition Captain Jon Rahm (68), Tyrrell Hatton (68), Caleb Surratt (69) and Tom McKibbin (70) combined for Legion XIII's second victory of the season and sixth overall. LIV Golf Korea is next week. European Tour HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Marco Penge of England closed with a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory in Hainan Classic for his first European tour title, coming just two months after he returned from a ban for betting on golf. The victory capped off a wild six months for Penge, which began with him narrowly keeping his European card and ended with him finishing third in the Asian Swing to earn a spot in the PGA Championship next month. Advertisement The European tour gave Penge a three-month suspension for betting on golf, though it determined he never bet on himself or on anyone in the tournaments he played. He was fined 2,000 pounds. The 26-year-old Penge finished at 17-under 271 and held off an early charge from Sean Crocker on the front nine. Crocker fell back with too many bogeys and shot 66 to finish three back along with Kristoffer Reitan (67). Keita Nakajima and Eugenio Chacarra also earned spots in the PGA Championship for leading the Asian swing. PGA Tour Champions DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Jerry Kelly won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his 13th PGA Tour Champions title, birdieing two of the last four holes for a one-stroke victory over Ernie Els. Advertisement The 58-year-old Kelly, tied with Els entering the round, closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 20-under 196 at TPC Sugarloaf. He opened with a 62 on Friday and shot 67 on Saturday. Els birdied the last for a 68. He opened with rounds of 65 and 64. Steven Alker was third at 16 under after a 65. Angel Cabrera had a 68 to finish fourth at 15 under. Vijay Singh followed at 13 under after a 70. Korn Ferry Tour ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Johnny Keefer won the Veritex Bank Championship for his first Korn Ferry Tour title, closing with a 7-under 64 for a three-stroke victory over five players Keefer finished at 30-under 254 at Texas Rangers Golf Club. The 24-year-old former Baylor player opened with rounds of 63, 61 and 66. Advertisement Joshua Creel (61), 17-year-old Blades Brown (63), Zach James (64), Julian Suri (64) and Tyson Alexander (65) tied for second. Other tours Takanori Konishi captured his first Japan Golf Tour title when he closed with a 3-under 67 and won the Maezawa Cup by one shot over Shugo Imahira, who bogeyed the 18th hole for a 68. ... Minsun7 Kim closed with a 3-under 69 for a five-shot victory in the Dukshin EPC Championship on the Korea LPGA. ... Briana Chacon won the IOA Championship in Beaumont, California, for her second career Epson Tour title. She closed with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Megan Schofill. ... Jay Card III won the Kia Open in Ecuador for his first PGA Tour Americas victory. Her close with a 1-under 71 to finish at 16-under 200, a stroke ahead of Ricardo Celia and Jake Staiano. ... Scott Hend won the Barbados Legends, finishing with a 7-under 64 for a two-stroke victory. The Australian won for the second time on the Legends Tour title. ___ AP golf:
