Latest news with #FoundersCup
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Yealimi Noh, who stuck with the broomstick putter, is tied for lead at U.S. Women's Open
Yealimi Noh, who stuck with the broomstick putter, is tied for lead at U.S. Women's Open ERIN, Wis. — It's been about two years since Yealimi Noh switched to a broomstick putter. Both her father and coach suggested that she give it a try after several months of struggling with the yips. 'I didn't know what to do, and I just needed something completely different,' said Noh, who holds a share of the first-round lead at the 80th U.S. Women's Open after an opening 4-under 68. Noh is one of four players who finished a mostly calm morning wave knotted at the top of the board. She's joined by 2020 U.S. Women's Open champ A Lim Kim, hotshot rookie Rio Takeda and the promising young South Korean, Jinhee Im. The yips have been a hot topic this week as former No. 1 Yani Tseng is here putting left-handed. Noh actually tried that too a few weeks ago just by chance on the practice putting green. 'I was like, oh it's actually better than you think,' she said. 'It's not as crazy as it looks.' Noh, who holed out for eagle from 42 yards on the par-5 14th, took 28 putts in the opening round with the L.A.B. putter that helped turn around her game. Noh ranked 130th in putts per green in regulation on tour in 2022 and 102nd in 2023. She finished last season ranked 30th in putts per GIR. In February, Noh won for the first time on the LPGA in her 111th career start at the Founders Cup. The victory boosted her confidence and took 'a lot of pressure off my back.' California's Noh actually has some good history here in Wisconsin, where she reports that she's enjoying her cheese. After turning professional at age 17 without status on any tour, the former U.S. Girls' Junior champ Monday-qualified her way into the 2019 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. After opening rounds of 63-65, Noh found herself in the final pairing. 'I don't think I could have started my career any better,' said Noh of her first LPGA start, which resulted in a top 10. She was supremely confident and fearless back then, blissfully unaware of how cruel the game can become. Now, at age 23, she's already wise enough to be grateful for the speedbumps that led her to the first-round lead of a major. Other players asked to try out her long putter before she won a tournament and rose to No. 18 in the world, and these days, it happens on a weekly basis. 'Some players have already asked me about it,' said Noh, 'can I try it again? I'm like you asked me this a couple months ago. Now they're like, oh, can I like try it, try it?' Should she go on to win this week at Erin Hills, long putters might become all the rage.
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Lexi Thompson Turning Clock Back at LPGA Major Chevron Championship
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Lexi Thompson, the 30-year-old LPGA star, has been making waves with her return to the golf course after a semi-retired stint last year. Citing mental health issues, Thompson took a step back from the sport she fell in love with as a 12-year-old. But it seems she's now refocused and ready to take on the competition. "I'm still striving to be better for when I do tee it up because every time I tee it up, I still want to win," Thompson said after the second round of the season's first major, the Chevron Championship. BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 09: Lexi Thompson of the United States looks on from the third green during the final round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club... BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 09: Lexi Thompson of the United States looks on from the third green during the final round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club on February 09, 2025 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by) More Getty Images "It's not like I'm just going out here to show face. I'm still very competitive, and, yeah, but just trying to enjoy the few times I will play," she expressed further. This mindset has served her well so far. Thompson entered the weekend tied for 10th at 4-under par at the Chevron Championship. But it did not come without ups and downs in in 2025. After a strong start to the season with a T13 finish at the Founders Cup, her performance dipped, with a T38 finish at the Ford Championship and a missed cut at the JM Eagle LA Championship. When asked about the same, Lexi was brutally honest. "If I'm being honest, I wasn't hitting it great coming off last week. Didn't really know what to expect." "But Monday through Wednesday, I don't think I've ever practiced that hard and like worked with my brother Curtis on the bag and my dad, and just going back and forth with things that could possibly work." "So I'm very proud of myself, and been having fun the last two days," she admitted. Lexi Thompson opens up about life as a part-time LPGA golfer After announcing her retirement on May 28th, 2024, Lexi Thompson's major goal was to spend time with her family. "I'm looking forward to the next chapter of my life. Time with my family, friends and my trusted companion (dog) Leo," she stated last year. And it would not be wrong to say that opting for a part-time golfers' position gave her what she yearned for last year. "The biggest difference, more vacations for sure," the 11-time LPGA winner expressed after making the cut at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club, Carlton Woods. "And not feeling bad about them," she expressed further, making her feelings clear. She added, "It's my 15th year. It's very I think well-deserved. I'm enjoying my off time and still practicing when I can." Thompson recently got engaged to her long-term boyfriend, Max Provost, during a vacation to Whistler, Canada. Well, that's not all. Thompson also jumped into the fitness world, launching her own app, "Lexi Fitness," which offers guided workouts. But this doesn't mean her ambitions have scaled down. In the LPGA pro's words, "I have adrenaline every time I tee it up. "I think that just shows how much you care and how much you want to play well and how much of the training and practice that you've put in that you want it to show once you go out there and tee it up or perform in any sport." The 30-year-old will be teeing at 11:42 a.m. (ET) In the 3rd round alongside Weiwei Zhang, Elizabeth Szokol. The 2014 Chevron Championship winner is three off the lead to kick off her weekend. More Golf: TGL Rumors: Tiger Woods' Virtual Golf League to Launch Women's League
Mint
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Aditi Ashok likely to make cut at Chevron Classic
The Woodlands (US), Apr 26 (PTI) Indian golfer Aditi Ashok endured a difficult second day at the Chevron Championship here as she finished with a round of two-over par 74. Put alongside her first round even par 72, she was two-over for 36 holes and on the cut line. Though there are nine players yet to finish the second round, Aditi should make the cut on the line. Recent Epson Tour graduate Yan Liu held onto the top spot at the end of the second round as Haeran Ryu slipped down the order to tied sixth. Yan Liu played even par for the day as she made three bogeys and a rare albatross on the front nine. On the back nine Liu dropped a bogey on the 17th and picked a birdie on the 18th. Lindy Duncan moved up 32 places with a round of 5 under par to sit at tied second alongside Sarah Schmelzel, Mao Saigo and Hyo Joo Kim. Top-ranked Nelly Korda rallied late in the afternoon to make the cut in her title defence, following an opening 77 with a 68. She won last year at The Club at Carlton Woods for the last of her record-tying five straight victories. Aditi had two birdies and four bogeys. She started her round with bogeys on the first and second holes and then a birdie on the eighth hole. On the back nine she had a bogey on the 11th and 13th holes and a birdie on the 12th hole for a total of 74. So far in 2025, Aditi has made the cut in two of the three events she has played, and her best finish for the year was a tied 34th at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands. First Published: 26 Apr 2025, 12:47 PM IST
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Part-time player Lexi Thompson contends heading into weekend at Chevron Championship
Part-time player Lexi Thompson contends heading into weekend at Chevron Championship THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A semi-retired Lexi Thompson sits within striking distance at the 2025 Chevron Championship after a second-round 67 at The Club at Carlton Woods vaulted her into the top 10. Does a day like today make her want to play more tournament golf? The 30-year-old didn't have to think. "No," she said smiling. The Chevron marks Thompson's fourth start to the year, which puts her on par with many in the field. She'll likely play around 10 events in 2025, including the next two majors – U.S. Women's Open and KPMG Women's PGA. She tied for 13th in her first start, the Founders Cup, and took a share of 38th at the Ford Championship near Phoenix. "Coming into the week, if I'm being honest, I wasn't hitting it great coming off last week, didn't really know what to expect," said Thompson, who missed the cut last week at the JM Eagle LA Championship. "But Monday through Wednesday I don't think I've ever practiced that hard and like worked with my brother Curtis on the bag and my dad (Scott), just going back and forth with things that could possibly work. "Sometimes you just got to go out there and focus in on one thing and let it go. So I'm very proud of myself, and been having fun the last two days." The biggest difference between full-time Thompson and semi-retired Thompson? More vacations. "And not feeling bad about them," she added. Thompson's brother Curtis reports that she's not loving the driver right now, so when she's uncomfortable she mashes 3-wood off the tee, which carries around 235 yards. There's a 2-iron in her bag but she hasn't used it. She took her 50-degree wedge out of the bag because the soggy Nicklaus Course is playing so long that she doesn't need it. Curtis watches his sister's ball-flight more than her swing, noting that if she can stay in her posture and keep her weight moving into her front foot, she'll be in good shape. "I think she's working just as hard," said Curtis of this new chapter. "We're going through it a little bit with the mechanics of the swing, but I think the effort is still here, for sure. Mindset gets in a better spot sometimes when things start to go the wrong way." Thompson, who got engaged on New Year's Day, believes she should probably pick up more hobbies to keep herself from getting bored, but so far, she's enjoying doing absolutely nothing some days. After 15 years of traveling the world, it's nice to just sit around. "I mean, I'll work out an hour or two a day and still practice here and there," she said. "You know, it's nice to just, I don't know, I'm just going to binge watch a show, just sit on my couch." She's currently watching "Pulse," a medical drama on Netflix and is thinking about volunteering at an animal shelter. "This is something I've wanted to do my whole life," said Thompson of playing the tour, "but there is a lot more to life as well."
Arab News
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Defending champion Korda chases first win of season at Chevron Championship
LOS ANGELES: Nelly Korda heads into her title defense in the Chevron Championship seeking her first victory of 2025, a stark contrast to the blistering early pace of her 2024 campaign but one that doesn't bother the world No. 1 at all. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport 'I would say last year is last year,' Korda said Tuesday as she prepared for the first women's major of the year to tee off on Thursday at Carlton Woods in suburban Houston. 'This is a brand new year. What I achieved last year, no one can take that from me. That's always going to be such a great memory, but it's a fresh week and a fresh mindset.' Last year Korda withstood a tension-packed back nine to beat Maja Stark by two strokes and claim her fifth victory in five starts — matching an LPGA Tour record set by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and equalled by Annika Sorenstam from 2004-05. Korda would go on to win seven titles in a spectacular 2024 campaign. But she has just two top-10 finishes in five starts this season, having opted to skip the LPGA's Asian swing after a runner-up finish in the Tournament of Champions in January and a tie for seventh in the Founders Cup in February. Korda said she needed the rest, and while she faded from contention at the LA Championship last week to finish tied for 16th, the 26-year-old American says that aspects of her game are coming around. 'I think I saw some improvements in my game last week with my irons,' Korda said. 'Definitely felt a little bit more comfortable with that. 'Then just need my putter to click a little bit more to make those putts. I think that's where it's been lacking, is the putts that I was making last year I'm just not making as many this year. 'But that's just golf. I've gone through waves like this before, and if I just continue working at it, hopefully it does click.' Unlike last season, no one has emerged as a dominant force so far in 2025 with the first eight LPGA events producing eight different winners. All eight are in a Chevron field that features 24 of the top 25 in the world rankings. They include world No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the winner of the 2016 edition of the Chevron — when it was still held in California. Ko claimed her 23rd career title at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand finished runner-up to Ko there and while she is seeking her first title of the year she has five top-10 finishes in six starts. Fourth-ranked Lilia Vu, the 2023 Chevron champion, returns after missing her title defense last year because of a back injury that caused her so much pain she wondered if she would be able to play tournament golf. 'I would say I'm in a much better place than I was last year,' said Vu, who made a triumphant return to competition last June at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
