Latest news with #DavidJ.Phillip
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Memorial is a reminder of the start of LIV Golf and framework agreements and little progress
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the second hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler hits a shot on the first hole fairway during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Scottie Scheffler reacts after finishing on the 18th hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the second hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler hits a shot on the first hole fairway during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Scottie Scheffler reacts after finishing on the 18th hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — The Memorial always will be known as the tournament Jack Nicklaus built and Tiger Woods once dominated. These days, it's hard to escape the cloud of LIV Golf at Muirfield Village, even if the only evidence of LIV players such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm is their photos on the wall as past champions. Advertisement It was three years ago at the Memorial when an email began filling inboxes across the golf industry announcing the first batch of defectors who signed up to play in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational. Dustin Johnson was the headliner. Another PGA Tour member headed for the Saudi-funded league was Hudson Swafford. He lasted three years before he was relegated out of LIV and now has nowhere to play, at least not anywhere close to home. Brooks Koepka bolted three weeks later. Cameron Smith waited until the PGA Tour season was over. 'It's kind of weird. It feels like it almost didn't happen anymore. It's like we're in a different timeline right now," Viktor Hovland said Tuesday. One year and two lawsuits later, PGA Tour board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy showed up at the Memorial and played in the pro-am. Advertisement Unbeknownst to any player in the field, Dunne and Herlihy — along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan — had been meeting secretly with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to strike a deal. The framework agreement had been signed the day before. The news dropped and shocked a week later on June 6, 2023. The agreement was never finalized. Negotiations are said to be ongoing, but nobody is talking about what might happen. "We're still kind of in the same position, kind of in a stalemate,' Hovland said. 'So it's a little weird, but certainly miss some of the guys.' There is nothing quite as obvious about LIV this year at Muirfield Village. But then, Rory McIlroy chose to skip out on Nicklaus' tournament for the first time in eight years, another reminder of the disruption the Saudi-funded league has brought to golf. Advertisement The Memorial is now in its third year as a $20 million tournament, a spike in prize money to respond to the threat of LIV Golf. The objective of the PGA Tour — a plan hatched by the players at a Delaware meeting in August 2022 — was to create a series of big-money events that would bring together all the top players. At first, they were required to play them all. That's no longer the case, which explains why McIlroy decided to skip the Memorial. This is the third signature event he has missed this year. That's his prerogative, of course. McIlroy is not the only player to sit out a tournament that has the best field and the highest purse. Scottie Scheffler didn't go to Philadelphia because he wanted to make room for his two hometown tournaments in the Dallas area. McIlroy is playing the RBC Canadian Open next week. Advertisement He once was the strongest voice against LIV Golf, first stating his opposition to the concept two years before LIV even launched, and then standing squarely in the PGA Tour's corner when the breakaway league set sail in 2022. McIlroy also has been known to switch positions, striking conciliatory tones in an effort to help golf patch itself back together. 'I think everyone's just got to get over it,' McIlroy said in February on how to repair this mess. 'We all have to say, 'OK, this is the starting point and we move forward.' ... How we all come back together and move forward, that's the best thing for everyone.' The question is who is most responsible for that? Advertisement This is where Scheffler has stepped in to offer perspective to those who think the fix is simple. McIlroy has a big voice. Scheffler has been the consistent voice. Twice in the last two years, Scheffler has left little room for interpretation on how he feels about the divide in golf and where the responsibility lies. It was last year at The Players Championship when Scheffler was asked if fans were disillusioned by the splintering of stars between the PGA and LIV. 'If guys want to go take the money and leave, then that's their decision,' he said. 'If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left. We had a tour, we were all together, and the people that left are no longer here. At the end of the day, that's where the splintering comes from.' Advertisement The subject came up again to golf's No. 1 player last week at Colonial. This time Scheffler was asked if he would have won 11 times in the last 15 months if he had faced LIV players more than four times a year (five including the Olympics). That was followed by whether he knew anything about progress in getting the two tours together. 'If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys,' Scheffler said. 'I'm still here playing the PGA Tour. We had a tour where we all played together, and the guys that left, it's their responsibility I think to bring the tours back together. Go see where they're playing this week and ask them.' The subtle humor was found in his few words. LIV wasn't playing anywhere last week, or this week. It returns next week in Virginia after a long break, and then the best from two tours get together at the U.S. Open. Advertisement That's how it started three years ago during the week of Memorial. That's how it is now. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:
Japan Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
High jumper who was barred from Paris Olympics for doping gets two-year ban
FILE - Norbert Kobielski, of Poland, competes in the Men's high jump qualification during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) A Polish high jumper who was suspended for doping on the eve of the Paris Olympics has now been given a two-year ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Tuesday. Norbert Kobielski tested positive for a banned stimulant, pentedrone, at a competition in Poland in May last year. The 28-year-old athlete had qualified for the Paris Olympics with a career-best jump of 2.33 meters in September 2023 at the Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene, Oregon. He had placed 10th at the world championships the previous month in Budapest, Hungary. Kobielski's suspension was announced three days before the opening ceremony in Paris last July. The AIU said his ban was backdated to the time of his suspension, and will run until July next year. His sixth-place result at the 2024 European Championships was disqualified. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler brings a Grand Slam back into view with PGA Championship win
Scottie Scheffler hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler drops the top as he holds the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler, wife Meredith pose with their son Bennett after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Scottie Scheffler hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler drops the top as he holds the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler, wife Meredith pose with their son Bennett after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) The last chance for another career Grand Slam this year seemingly ended when Jordan Spieth missed the cut at the PGA Championship. The next two days might have changed the outlook. Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Championship with two stretches that were simply sublime. There was the closing five holes on Saturday that he played in 5-under par to build the lead, and the opening six holes on the back nine Sunday to stay there. Advertisement In both cases, he didn't miss a shot. Not one. 'I hit the important shots well this week, and that's why I'm walking away with the trophy,' Scheffler said. 'When I needed to, I feel like I hit the shots.' This was the epitome of execution, enough to wonder if he can win the U.S. Open and British Open over the next two months, the two majors he doesn't already have. Scheffler, with two Masters green jackets and the Wanamaker Trophy, now is halfway home to the career Grand Slam. He's been No. 1 in the world for the last two years, and really golf's best since 2022. He has been No. 1 for 89% of the time since he first got to the top of the ranking. Advertisement Scheffler talked about the career Grand Slam a few days after Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the final leg. As usual, he delivered a dose of perspective. 'I've only won one,' he said, his two majors coming from Augusta National. "That's the other side of the coin. It's not easy to get on the cusp, but it's a lot easier to get on the cusp than to actually pull it off. I've been playing some pretty good golf and I'm not even close.' He is a step closer now, and the way he played at Quail Hollow might make it look closer than it appears. This wasn't his best golf over four days, or even three days. It took him a while to get going in his round the opening two days. His lifelong coach, Randy Smith, was with him on the range Friday evening, placing his hands on Scheffler's hips and crouched over to avoid being hit by the club, all to make sure his hips were clearing. Advertisement But oh, those two stretches. His 3-wood into the 304-yard 14th hole was the shot of the tournament, settling just under 3 feet away that set off his eagle-birdie-par-birdie-birdie finish for a three-shot lead. The only par was a 7-iron off a slightly sidehill lie to a right pin that was awkward. He hit it to 12 feet and called it his best shot of the day. Scheffler doesn't often rank shots. This was special. That was to build a lead. Tougher still was having to hold it on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau briefly leading and Jon Rahm charging, two daunting sights in a major. Scheffler was struggling, at least by his standards. On eight of nine holes on the front nine, from either the tee or the approach, the miss was to the left. He went from a five-shot lead to a tie with Rahm. His caddie, Ted Scott, doesn't get overly worried about much and suggested to him, 'Maybe you're aimed over there. Just try and hit a little further right.' Advertisement Genius. Scheffler hit every fairway — the bunker on the reachable 14th, which should count given the ideal position — and was in the right spot on every green. 'I knew I needed nine really good holes,' he said. To hear him explain it was brilliant in its sheer simplicity. 'I hit a good shot on 10, good approach shot, and I executed. From there, fairway on 11, really good iron shot. Fairway on 12, really good iron shot. Good iron shot on 13. Good tee ball on 14, good birdie there. Two great shots on 15," he said. Rinse and repeat. 'From 10 to 15, I felt like I executed as good as I had almost all week,' Scheffler said. 'That was a very important time in the tournament.' Advertisement And then it was over before it was really over, just like his other two major titles. He wears everyone down with near flawless execution, the hallmark of his game. Scheffler looked over from the 15th hole to see Rahm on his way to making bogey. DeChambeau had faded by then. Scheffler started the back nine in a tie. He was up by six shots toward the end. He became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win by at least five shots in consecutive PGA Tour starts in the middle of the season. He won in Dallas by eight, the PGA Championship by five, and now goes to Colonial with expectations higher than ever. Getting on the cusp of the career Grand Slam indeed is hard, and Scheffler is not there yet. But as many comparisons as there are with Woods, it's not too much to think Scheffler can win at Oakmont next month and at Royal Portrush in July. Advertisement He's not thinking that far ahead. Scheffler doesn't set goals, he only appreciates winning. Getting from the first hole Thursday to the 72nd hold on Sunday is what he enjoys. A performance like that — by a player like that — makes it easy to forget McIlroy won at Pebble Beach, The Players Championship and the Masters. It was a weird week for McIlroy at Quail Hollow, mainly the Masters champion feeling above any obligation to speak to the media for four days, even the Irish who have documented him his entire career. The last anyone heard from McIlroy was the day before the PGA Championship started. The career Grand Slam achieved, he said anything else he accomplished in golf would be a bonus. He still competes. He just no longer chases. The chase now falls to Scheffler. And all he cares about his competing. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
High jumper who was barred from Paris Olympics for doping gets two-year ban
FILE - Norbert Kobielski, of Poland, competes in the Men's high jump qualification during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) MONACO (AP) — A Polish high jumper who was suspended for doping on the eve of the Paris Olympics has now been given a two-year ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Tuesday. Norbert Kobielski tested positive for a banned stimulant, pentedrone, at a competition in Poland in May last year. Advertisement The 28-year-old athlete had qualified for the Paris Olympics with a career-best jump of 2.33 meters in September 2023 at the Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene, Oregon. He had placed 10th at the world championships the previous month in Budapest, Hungary. Kobielski's suspension was announced three days before the opening ceremony in Paris last July. The AIU said his ban was backdated to the time of his suspension, and will run until July next year. His sixth-place result at the 2024 European Championships was disqualified. ___ AP Olympics:
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: McIlroy's driver deemed nonconforming ahead of PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy was forced to use a backup driver in the PGA Championship when his regular driver was tested and deemed to be nonconforming after he arrived at Quail Hollow, according to a report on XM Sirius PGA Tour Radio. McIlroy was tied for last in driving accuracy among the 74 players who made the cut on Friday, hitting only 10 fairways in two rounds. The Masters champion made the cut on the number after a bogey on the final hole when he drove left beyond a creek against corporate tents. Advertisement For the second straight day, McIlroy left Quail Hollow and declined to speak to the media. The USGA, which tests clubs to make sure they are conforming at the request of the tournaments in the U.S. and Mexico, confirmed the USGA did testing at Quail Hollow when asked by the PGA of America. All tests are done before the first round. 'That program is consistent with the same level of support that we provide to the PGA Tour as part of their regular program for driver testing,' the USGA said. Results are confidential. The PGA of America did not immediately respond to a request for such information as how many players submitted drivers for testing, instead referring to the USGA statement. Advertisement The tests typically are random, and it is not unusual for testing ahead of major championships. One such case was in 2019 at Royal Portrush for the British Open, when Xander Schauffele was among 30 players randomly selected to have his driver tested by the R&A, which governs golf everywhere but the U.S. and Mexico. Schauffele said he wasn't aware his driver didn't conform until notified, and then worked into Tuesday evening that week to find a replacement. And he was furious with the R&A for not keeping the matter confidential. 'I've been called a cheater by my fellow opponents,' Schauffele said in 2019 at Royal Portrush. 'It's all joking, but when someone yells 'Cheater' in front of 200 people to me, it's not going down very well.' Advertisement Drivers often can fall outside the limits after a lot of use. While McIlroy and others keep backups with them in case they crack, it can take time for them to feel as comfortable with it as their regular drivers. McIlroy tied for seventh last week at the Truist Championship. He is coming off the greatest moment of his career last month when he won the Masters on his 17th try to become only the sixth player in history with the career Grand Slam. ___ AP golf:
