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NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kurt Kitayama goes 60-65 over weekend to win 3M Open for second PGA Tour title
Kurt Kitayama discusses how he was able to "trust his game" in the final round to win the 3M open, and how special it was to have his brother caddie for him this week. BLAINE, Minn. — Kurt Kitayama finished a sizzling weekend with a final-round 65 to win the 3M Open on Sunday, beating Sam Stevens by one stroke for his second PGA Tour victory. Kitayama, who shot a career-best and tournament-record-tying 60 on Saturday to enter the final round within one of the leaders, birdied six of the first eight holes to build a cushion on a 91-degree afternoon at the TPC Twin Cities. Kitayama took bogey on the par-3 17th hole for the third straight day, which shrunk his lead to one while playing in the second-to-last group. Stevens was one group ahead and failed to birdie the reachable par-5 18th. After hitting his approach on the closing hole into a greenside bunker, Kitayama safely blasted to 18 feet and easily two-putted for par, finishing at 23-under 261. Matt Wallace, David Lipsky, Pierceson Coody and Jake Knapp tied for third, three strokes back. Kitayama, who previously won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2023, got a 500-point boost in the FedExCup standings to move inside the top 70 and secure a spot in the playoffs. He was projected to jump from 110th to 53rd. Kitayama, who tied for sixth at the 3M Open last year, has missed seven cuts this season. He tied for fifth twice, at the John Deere Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The 32-year-old native of Chico, California, had his approach game in prime form. He hit his second shot on the par-4 14th from a fairway bunker within 2 feet of the hole for the last of his 20 birdies on the weekend. Golf Channel Staff, Stevens made five birdies on the back nine, continuing his strong season that includes three top-three finishes. He was second at the Farmers Insurance Open. The 29-year-old native of Fort Worth, Texas, is still seeking his first win, but this finish pushes him from 44th to 29th in the FedExCup with one event left in the regular season. Akshay Bhatia and Thorbjorn Olesen were the co-leaders going into Sunday, but the final pairing had a disappointing finish. Bhatia shot 75 and tied for 25th, and Olesen shot 73 to fall to a tie for 14th.
NBC Sports
13-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
The Open 2025: Hole-by-hole look at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland
Mike Tirico takes you through the front nine of Royal Portrush, 2025 site of The Open Championship, the final men's major of the golf season. PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — A hole-by-hole look at Royal Portrush Golf Club, site of the 153rd Open Championship to be played July 17-20. No. 1, 420 yards, par 4 (Hughies) Avoid two bunkers off the tee, and out-of-bounds to the left, then the real challenge begins. The second shot is to an elevated, two-tier green with a false front. The front two pin positions are the most demanding because any shot that comes up short will fall back off the front and run down the approach or into the cavernous bunkers. No. 2, 575 yards, par 5 (Giant's Grave) Players will have to avoid three bunkers down the right side. A bunker on the left side also comes into play. A good tee shot allows the player to decide whether to lay up short of the cross bunkers or go for the contoured green. No. 3, 176 yards, par 3 (Islay) The first of the par 3s is one of the high points on the golf course, with a view over most of the links and out to the Scottish island of Islay. The green falls away on all sides and requires a very accurate tee shot to hold the putting surface. Anything that misses will be a difficult par save from all sides. No. 4, 502 yards, par 4 (Fred Daly's) One of the signature holes is named after Portrush local Fred Daly, the 1947 champion golfer. The out-of-bounds runs all the way down the right. The tee shot needs to thread the left fairway bunkers and the out-of-bounds. The green is surrounded by sand hills, making it difficult to hit. The flag typically is partially hidden from view. No. 5, 372 yards, par 4 (White Rocks) The green teeters on the edge of the cliffs, providing a gorgeous backdrop. Two bunkers add some definition to the tee shot, but most players will take on the green. Out-of-bounds is just over the back of the green, and there is a ridge in the green that makes it challenging to hit. Players will be disappointed to walk away without making birdie. No. 6, 193 yards, par 3 (Harry Colt's) With no bunkers around the green, this par 3 is defended by the natural undulations of its surroundings. The elevated green has a false front that will punish any shot that comes up short. No. 7, 607 yards, par 5 (Curran Point) This par 5 cuts through the dunes starting with a downhill tee shot. A replica of the 'Big Nellie' bunker is on the right, but the bunker on the left figures to be more in play. The second shot is uphill through a narrow approach to a well-contoured green. The wind strength and direction will determine how many players can reach in two shots. Golf Channel Staff, No. 8, 434 yards, par 4 (Dunluce) This slight dogleg left begins with a tee shot over a ravine and tempts players to take off as much of the steep dune bank as they can. Players will need to avoid the bunkers down the right side to leave a short, simple shot to the green. Any approach short and left will find some difficult spots well below the elevated green. No. 9, 432 yards, par 4 (Tavern) This is typically the hardest hole for the members. The hole bends gently from right to left, and a bunker on the right will cause problems for players who want to keep driver in the bag. Two cross bunkers from the approach make the green appear closer than it is. The green is protected by a bank to the right, leaving a tough up-and-down. No. 10, 450 yards, par 4 (Himalayas) A strong tee shot is required to get to the corner of the short dogleg to have a clear view of the green. There are no bunkers on this hole. The defense is dramatic contours in play on the tee shot and approach, and more contours on the long, narrow green. No. 11, 475 yards, par 4 (PG Stevenson's) Padraig Harrington once said this tee shot was the most difficult in golf. It starts with a narrow shot through the mounds on either side of the fairway. A good tee shot to the corner brings the putting surface into view. The green is perched among sand dunes above fairway level with a false front that will repel anything short. No. 12, 532 yards, par 5 (Dhu Varren) A championship tee left of the 11th green adds 50 yards to the hole and allows it to be played as a par 5. The fairway slopes from the left, bringing bunkers on the right into play. The green can be reached in two, but it is elevated with a false front. No. 13, 196 yards, par 3 (Feather Bed) One of the most photogenic par 3s, this hole has a dramatic elevation change from tee to green. The putting surface slopes toward the back and is surrounded by five bunkers. The toughest pin position is to the front and the left. No. 14, 466 yards, par 4 (Causeway) The narrow tee shot should avoid the bunkers, including one down the left. The fairway slopes to the left, but the test is the second shot to an elevated green with a severe slope to the front and back, and a difficult bunker from which to get up-and-down on the left. No. 15, 429 yards, par 4 (Skerries) The tee shot is uphill to a wide fairway that slopes against the route of the hole. A fairway bunker to right will make players think twice before hitting drive, but laying too far back will leave the green out of view on the approach. The green is small and guarded by bunkers on the left and severe slope front and right. No. 16, 236 yards, par 3 (Calamity Corner) No bunkers are required for 'calamity' to strike. The tee shot is slightly uphill over an expansive ravine of rough. And a shot short and right is a tough par save from as much as 50 feet below the green. Bobby Locke decided to play to the left all four rounds in 1951, aiming to a hollow that now bears his name. He got up-and-down all four times. No. 17, 409 yards, par 4 (Purgatory) This requires a good tee shot to find the slope and take on the green. The severe slope means players might be tempted to go for the green, but a bunker to the left might cause second thoughts. Playing safely to the top of the hill leaves a tricky, downhill pitch to a narrow greens protected by bunkers on the left and right. No. 18, 474 yards, par 4 (Babington's) The tee shot needs to be down the left portion of the fairway for the best view of the green on the second shot. The green sits slightly sideways with a drop-off to the left that will collect anything missing in that direction. Max Faulkner played a spectacular shot from against the out-of-bounds fence down the left when he won in 1951. Mike Tirico looks at the back nine of Royal Portrush, which features iconic holes such as Calamity Corner that will add to the drama of The Open Championship.
NBC Sports
11-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Chris Gotterup powers way to 61 and two-shot lead at Genesis Scottish Open
Mike Tirico takes you through the front nine of Royal Portrush, 2025 site of The Open Championship, the final men's major of the golf season. NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — The hardest task for Chris Gotterup was waking up Friday. Once he got going, he never really stopped until he tied the course record with a 9-under 61 and wound up with a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open. Gotterup rolled in three long putts and was long as ever off the tee, seizing on a spectacular day of sunshine and very little wind in the morning at The Renaissance Club. Harry Hall (64) was two shots behind, and a refreshed Ludvig Åberg (65) led a group that was three shots back. Åberg is coming off just the break he needed — a trip home to Sweden for the first time in a year, a chance to see friends and eat his mother's special sausage and get refreshed. He overcame a bogey-bogey start with eight birdies over his next 15 holes. That made him the only player from among the top five who played in the afternoon, when the wind kicked up along the Firth of Forth and the course became firm and bouncy enough to frustrate Scottie Scheffler and plenty of others. Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, had a pair of three-putts and at one point after watching a putt bounce off line he extended his arm with his thumb up in mock celebration. It wasn't all that bad. He still shot 68 and was six shots behind. Gotterup, the Rutgers star who finished his final season at Oklahoma, was at 11-under 129. Rory McIlroy had five birdies on the back nine (he started on No. 10) and turned that into a 65 to join the group at 7-under 133. Xander Schauffele, who defends his title next week in The Open, was five shots back after a 66. Schauffele rarely gets frustrated by anything, much less a score like 66. This was different. The weather was as ideal as it can get in these parts, not so much a full blue sky and a bright sun, but only a wee breeze. 'It was there for the taking,' Schauffele said. That's exactly what Gotterup did. He's still a little jet-lagged and struggled to deal with a 5:15 a.m. alarm when he would have rather slept in. But then he saw a 45-foot birdie putt drop on the second hole. He hit it close for a few more birdies. He made a 30-footer on the tough seventh hole. And he closed out the front nine at 29 after making birdie from 20 feet. Golf Channel Staff, Three more birdies over the next five holes got him to 9 under. Two more birdies — one hole was a par 5 — would have allowed him to break 60. 'That didn't cross my brain at all,' Gotterup said. 'I thought 10 (under) would be cool. I think it's still my lowest round in tournament golf. I have no complaints.' Gotterup, along with leading the tournament, is leading the way to grab one of three spots available for The Open. It would be nice to stay an extra week — he played the last two weeks and is scheduled for a flight to California on Monday to play the PGA Tour event in Lake Tahoe — but that's not why he came over. He loves coming to Scotland, even for one week, as he did last year (and missed the cut). Plus, he happened to see the forecast and it was ideal all week. The fans have picked up on it, too, as Saturday already is a sellout and Sunday tickets are going fast. 'There's probably not too many better places to be,' Gotterup said, not making it clear if he was speaking entirely about Scotland or his spot on the leaderboard. He won the Myrtle Beach Classic last year, an opposite-field event. He looks and plays like a pure athlete, and that comes form 12 years playing lacrosse as a kid in New Jersey before he decided to invest more time in golf. 'Lacrosse helps with my speed. It's a similarish motion,' he said. 'When you're shooting lacrosse, I try to rip it as hard as I can. When I grew up, I hit the ball as hard as I could. It's just how I grew up playing. Maybe if I grew up here, it would be different.' He's not aware of the rough-and-tumble Scottish game of shinty, the favorite sport of defending champion Robert MacIntyre. By the look of Gotterup, he would fit right in. MacIntyre was simply happy to make it to the weekend. The wind blew hard enough in the afternoon, and the sun baked the greens and turned them bouncy, that good scores were hard to find. The cut settled on 1-under 139. MacIntyre made a late birdie, and Justin Thomas made a 6-foot birdie on the 18th hole to make it on the number.
NBC Sports
10-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Leona Maguire makes hole-in-one, shares Amundi Evian lead with four others
Watch first round highlights from The Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the LPGA season, played at Evian Resort Golf Club. EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Leona Maguire made a hole-in-one at the Evian Championship on the way to a 6-under 65 in the first round Thursday and a five-way share of the lead. Having started on the back nine at the fourth major of the year, Maguire aced the par-3 second hole — her 11th — at Evian Resort Golf Club, sinking her tee shot from 164 yards. 'It was just taking a little bit off an 8-iron for me. Looked good in the air. You're never sure on that hole until the ball actually lands,' she said. 'Sort of a perfect morning for it. Not much wind which is nice, especially on that tee box.' The Irishwoman was joined on 65 by American duo Andrea Lee and Jennifer Kupcho as well as Australians Grace Kim and Gabriela Ruffels, a former tennis player in doubles. Minjee Lee, who won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship last month for her third major title, was alone in sixth place after carding a 66. Top-ranked Nelly Korda was a stroke behind her in a tie for seventh. Korda is seeking her first win of the season and third major title. Golf Channel Staff, No. 2-ranked Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, bidding to win a major for the first time, was tied for 16th after a 68 in a group featuring Lottie Woad. The 21-year-old college student from England was thrust into the spotlight after delivering one of the most stunning wins by an amateur — by six shots over a strong field at the Women's Irish Open on Sunday. Woad, the world's No. 1 amateur and winner of last year's Augusta National Women's Amateur, is now on the cusp of securing a place on the professional tours. English golfer Charley Hull withdrew from the first round after collapsing to the ground twice because of a virus. Organizers said Hull underwent medical checks but did not have any serious health issues.
NBC Sports
08-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Harris English's caddie denied U.K. visa over past drug conviction
Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner discuss the upcoming Genesis Scottish Open before breaking down who they believe the PGA Tour Player of the Year is between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Harris English is spending the next two weeks in the United Kingdom for the Scottish Open and The Open, two tournaments that could be critical in his bid to play in another Ryder Cup. His caddie, Eric Larson, is stuck at home without being able to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the U.K., a regulation that now applies to Americans. Grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense in the U.K. or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison. Thirty years ago, Larson pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest. Though he wasn't a user or big-time dealer, he spent 10 years and three months in prison and was released from a halfway house in June 2006. Mark Calcavecchia hired him back and got him on his feet. Since then, Larson worked for three players at the Ryder Cup — Anthony Kim in 2008, Jeff Overton in 2010 and most recently English, with whom he has worked the last eight years. 'I guess the United Kingdom doesn't look highly on his past,' English said Tuesday at The Renaissance Club before his pro-am round. 'And apparently it's a work in progress.' English, who is No. 19 in the world and 10th in the U.S. standings for the Ryder Cup, said he didn't become aware of Larson's plight until right after he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago. English said he reached out to Warren Stephens, the ambassador to the U.K. who put him in touch with his chief of staff. 'They wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter. It's not for a lack of effort,' English said. 'I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere.' Joe Etter is filling in — for now — as his caddie. Etter, who started out working for English more than a decade ago, currently works for Davis Thompson, who is not playing the Scottish Open. Golf Channel Staff, Thompson, however, received the final spot in the field for The Open next week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.). 'Joe was my Plan B,' English said. 'Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B.' English is holding out hope that someone will pave the way for Larson to get the ETA visa he needs for U.K. entry. Larson has worked the last four years at The Open for English and previously for Overton and Kim. 'It's just a matter of the right people seeing it,' he said. 'I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. How long does this stay with him?'
