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NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Scottie Scheffler joins Tiger Woods as only repeat winners at Memorial Tournament
DUBLIN, Ohio — Scottie Scheffler never lost the lead and never gave anyone much of a chance down the stretch Sunday in another relentless performance, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory to join Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners of the Memorial. Slowed by hand surgery at the start of the year from a freak accident, Scheffler appears to be in full stride with one major already in the bag and another around the corner at the U.S. Open. 'It's always a hard week,' said Scheffler, who finished at 10-under 278. 'We battled really hard on the weekend. Overall it was a great week.' On one of the tougher PGA Tour tests of the year, Scheffler made one bogey over the final 40 holes at Muirfield Village. 'Well, you did it again,' tournament host Jack Nicklaus told him walking off the green. Ben Griffin tried to make it interesting at the end with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 15th and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to close within two shots with two to play. Scheffler, however, doesn't make mistakes. Griffin made double bogey on the 17th. Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to finish alone in second, worth $2.2 million, more than what he earned when he won at Colonial last week. Sepp Straka (70) finished another shot back. 'You know Scottie's probably going to play a good round of golf. The guy's relentless. He loves competition, and he doesn't like giving up shots,' Straka said. 'But it's one of those courses where it can always happen, so you got to be prepared for it. I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances to kind of make a push.' Scheffler now has won three times in his last four starts — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after winning the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since Woods in his peak years. Woods is a five-time winner at Memorial who won three straight from 1999 through 2001. No one had repeated at Muirfield Village since then until Scheffler. His performances lately look a lot more like Nicklaus the way he wears down the field by rarely getting out of position. Rickie Fowler had his first top 10 of the year at just the right time. He made par on the 18th to tie for seventh, earning him a spot in The Open. Fowler tied with Brandt Snedeker at 1-under 287, but gets the one Open exemption available based on a higher world ranking — Fowler at No. 124, Snedeker at No. 430. 'That's one I've wanted on the schedule,' said Fowler, who faces a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Open on Monday. Both received sponsor exemptions to the Memorial, a signature event on the PGA Tour. Golf Channel Staff, For Scheffler, it was his fifth victory in a $20 million signature event in the last two years. This one looked inevitable, but only after a quick development early on the back nine. Scheffler ended 31 holes without a bogey at tough Muirfield Village on the 10th hole, dropping his lead to one shot. Griffin had 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 11th. Scheffler made his 15-foot birdie putt and Griffin missed. Griffin bogeyed the next two holes, and just like that, Scheffler was four shots ahead. That's how it was at the PGA Championship — tight one minute, a blowout the next, and the sweetest walk toward the 18th green with victory secure. This one ended in a handshake with Nicklaus, who had said earlier in the week of Scheffler, 'He plays a lot like I did.' Nicklaus said he was all about fairways and greens, having plenty of chances and making enough of them to post a score. That's the Scheffler way, too, even if it didn't always look that way at the start of the final round. With mud on the golf ball in the first fairway, too much spin on short irons on the next few holes, Scheffler didn't have a birdie putt until the fifth hole. He saved par seven times in the final round, including the final hole.
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Mao Saigo, seeking second major win of the season, leads Nelly Korda and Co. by three at U.S. Women's Open
ERIN, Wis. — Mao Saigo already won her first major title this year. She's putting herself in position for another at U.S. Women's Open. Saigo shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take second-round lead at Erin Hills, At 8-under 136, the 23-year-old Japanese player had a three-stroke advantage over a group of six led by top-ranked Nelly Korda . If Saigo maintains this pace, she would finish at 16 under to match the score Brooks Koepka had in winning the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in 2017. Koepka matched a U.S. Open record. Saigo was asked whether 16 under might be within reach. 'It is very difficult to compare,' she said through an interpreter. 'All I can say is that I will do my best, and as a result, I would like to make a good result.' Saigo won Chevron Championship in a playoff outside Houston just over a month ago for her first LPGA Tour title. Korda, who has never finished higher than a tie for eighth in the U.S. Women's Open, had a 67. That's the best round she's had in the event. 'I feel like I've had a very complicated relationship with U.S. Opens,' Korda said, 'but I'm happy to be in the position I am heading into the weekend.' She was 5 under with Hinako Shibuno (69), Sarah Schmelzel (68), Maja Stark (69), Yealimi Noh (71) and 2020 U.S. Women's Open champion A Lim Kim (71). Jing Yan (69), Lin Grant (69), Chiara Tamburlini (71) and Jinhee Im (72) were 4 under. After not making a birdie until her 18th hole Thursday, Korda had seven of them Friday thanks to her improved putting. 'Honestly, I was hitting really good putts yesterday,' Korda said. 'I was hitting it exactly where I wanted to and they just weren't falling. It was one of those days. Today I did the same thing.' Kim was one of 18 competitors still on the course finishing their rounds when weather concerns halted play for about 54 minutes. Kim was alone in second place at 6 under and playing No. 17 when the delay happened. Golf Channel Staff, The 29-year-old from South Korea said she waited out the delay in a car. Kim then returned to make par on No. 17 before bogeying the par-5 18th to fall back into a tie for second. Kim said she still likes where she stands midway through the tournament. 'Really good position,' Kim said. 'I love to chase the leader, so let me see.' Saigo made sure everyone would be chasing her this weekend as she bounced back from some early misfortune. After starting out at No. 10 and getting birdies on No. 11 and No. 12, Saigo bogeyed the par-5 No. 14 when she got a bad break. Her third shot hit the flagstick, bounced backward and rolled all the way to a bunker. But she recovered by getting four birdies in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 16-2. 'I thought that was not my mistake,' Saigo said. 'I just thought to myself that it was just unlucky, and then I just changed my mind.'
NBC Sports
28-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nelly Korda preaching patience as she looks to win first U.S. Women's Open
ERIN, Wis. — Nelly Korda says she has learned the value of patience during a season in which titles haven't come as easily as they did for her a year earlier. That trait is particularly important this week at the U.S. Women's Open, a tournament that hasn't been kind to the world's top-ranked player. Korda never has finished higher than a tie for eighth and has missed the cut three of the last five years. That history provides plenty of incentive for Korda as she heads into the U.S. Women's Open starting Thursday at Erin Hills. She is seeking her first title of the season. 'I mean, it's the biggest test in golf,' Korda said. 'It definitely has tested me a lot. I love it. At the end of the day, this is why we do what we do, is to play these golf courses in these conditions, to test our games in every aspect.' Korda, 26, understands that challenge all too well. Last year, she entered the U.S. Women's Open having won six of her last seven events, then fell out of contention early. She posted a 10 on her third hole of the tournament, carded an 80 in the opening round and missed the cut at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club. Her average score of 68.88 leads all LPGA competitors, but her lack of titles this year is notable after a spectacular 2024 season in which she won seven times in 16 starts. She won five straight events at one point last year, tying a record she now shares with Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam. 'It's been a very interesting year for me,' Korda said. 'I definitely have had a bit of good and a bit of bad. Kind of a mix in kind of every event that I've played in. I would say just patience is what I've learned, and kind of going back home and really locking in and practicing hard.' Golf Channel Staff, Korda's record reflects the balance in women's golf this year, as the LPGA Tour hasn't had a single player win multiple titles through its first 12 events of the season. Korda will seek a breakthrough this week at Erin Hills, a 6,829-yard, par-72 course located less than 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Erin Hills' relative lack of trees can make the course particularly difficult on windy days. 'Weather plays a pretty big role out here, especially with kind of no coverage, no trees to block it. It's kind of a very big open field,' Korda said. 'When it gets windy out here, it's really going to play with your golf ball. It's just kind of seeing what the day has in store and having a game plan for it.'
NBC Sports
25-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Ben Griffin hangs on in tough final round at Colonial for first individual PGA Tour title
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ben Griffin has his first individual PGA Tour victory a month after winning a team event, hanging on to beat Matti Schmid at Colonial after breaking a tie with his co-leader for good on the first hole Sunday. Griffin shot a 1-over 71 to finish at 12-under 268 in the Charles Schwab Challenge, one shot ahead of Schmid as both struggled through the final round on a warm day with wind gusts around 30 mph at Hogan's Alley. Schmid forced Griffin to make a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole after his chip from the deep rough behind the green went in for birdie. Griffin saved par from the rough, standing in the bunker while choking way down on the club on his chip. Schmid shot 72. Griffin and Schmid, the 27-year-old German seeking his first Tour win in his 79th start, had matching scores each of the first three days . Schmid was the one who surged in front early in the third round, taking a three-shot lead. Griffin had a five-shot edge after just five holes in the final round, and finally let Schmid get within a stroke with a two-shot swing at 16 before getting the lead back to two with a hole to play. Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 and hometown favorite who won the PGA Championship last week, couldn't match his Saturday surge from 10 shots back. The three-time major winner began the day six shots back, but had two birdies and a bogey in a 69 to finish 8 under. Scheffler fell short of becoming the first to win three consecutive starts since Dustin Johnson eight years ago, and just missed a fourth consecutive year of finishing in the top three at Colonial. He tied for fourth, one shot behind Bud Cauley, who shot 67. Rickie Fowler never threatened the co-leaders, either, starting slowly and ending his fading hopes with a 7 on the par-5 11th. Fowler, who entered ranked 127th after being in the top 25 as recently as early 2024, shot 74. The 29-year-old Griffin teamed with Andrew Novak, who finished 6 under at Colonial, for the victory at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans last month. They left openings for others, just as Griffin did Sunday. Golf Channel Staff, Griffin and Schmid took a four-shot lead into the final round, and stayed 1-2 despite both finishing over par for the day. Schmid had six bogeys and a double bogey to go with six birdies, while Griffin had four bogeys after opening with an eagle and a birdie. Tommy Fleetwood shot 31 on the front nine to get into contention, lost the momentum with a bogey at 11 and then had one of the tournament highlights with his final stroke. Fleetwood's birdie putt on 18 stopped on the lip of the cup, and he waited almost 30 seconds hoping the gusting wind would push the ball into the hole. Nature obliged. Fleetwood shot 68 to tie Scheffler in his 41st top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, the most by a player without a victory since 1983.
NBC Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Scottie Scheffler eagles first hole, trails rookie John Pak at Charles Schwab Challenge
FORT WORTH, Texas — Scottie Scheffler and John Pak enjoyed the same start to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial with eagles on their respective first holes. The world No. 1 couldn't keep up with the PGA Tour rookie from there. Four days after winning his third major at the PGA Championship , Scheffler opened his attempt at three consecutive victories with a 2-under 68 Thursday. Pak shot 63 for a three-shot lead over nine players, J.J. Spaun the highest-ranked among them at 27th. Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman were among a group of nine players four back of Pak, and Scheffler headlined the 15 players who were five strokes behind. Defending champion Davis Riley, who is playing the first two rounds with Scheffler, had two double bogeys on the front nine and shot 3-over 73 on the cozy course made famous by Ben Hogan, the only player to win Colonial in consecutive years (1946-47 and 1952-53). Riley is coming off a runner-up finish to Scheffler at the PGA. The others at 4 under with Spaun were Patrick Rodgers, Ryo Hisatsune, Matti Schmid, Beau Hossler, Bud Cauley, J.T. Poston and Ben Griffin. Jordan Spieth, Scheffler's fellow hometown favorite and former Texas Longhorn, shot 69 with birdies on two of his final four holes. Scheffler opened the second of what he considers his hometown events by holing a putt for eagle from off the green on the par-5 first hole and a 23-footer for birdie on No. 2. The Dallas resident played the final 16 holes in 1 over, missing enough fairways and greens to prevent a run at Pak, who finished several hours earlier. The first of Scheffler's consecutive wins came three weeks ago at his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which he led wire-to-wire for an eight-shot victory while tying the tour scoring record of 253. Scheffler will have to come from behind this time, just as he did in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where he faced the same first-round deficit before surging into the lead in the third round and repelling a Sunday charge from Jon Rahm. Golf Channel Staff, Scheffler skipped some of his prep work in the interest of rest and recovery, then showed up on the eve of Colonial at Game 1 of the NHL's Western Conference final. The Dallas Stars beat Edmonton 6-3 with a big third-period rally. 'It was fun going to the hockey game last night,' said Scheffler, who will have an early tee time Friday. 'I was able to still get home and get a decent amount of rest. Waking up the time I'm going to be waking up tomorrow, I'm going to need a little bit of extra rest. Just get home and get ready for tomorrow.' Scheffler hit just five fairways on a warm and windy afternoon, and even found trouble with one of those when he delicately tried to shoo a bug off his ball at the par-4 15th after caddie Ted Scott's towel-waving attempt to create enough breeze didn't work. Scheffler's approach landed 30 feet away, and he two-putted for par. 'On a day where I didn't hit a lot of fairways on a golf course where you have to hit a lot of fairways, I posted a decent score,' Scheffler said. 'Anything under par around here in these conditions isn't a bad score. Obviously, I wish it was a little bit lower, but overall I feel decent about the position I'm in.' Starting on the par-4 10th, Pak holed a 147-yard approach. He added five birdies in a bogey-free round. The 26-year-old Korn Ferry Tour graduate, and one-time winner on the PGA Tour Canada, is the fifth rookie to hold a first-round lead in an individual event this year. The New Jersey-raised Pak found all the motivation he needed when his New York Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of a 138-135 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals. 'I'm a die-hard Knicks fan, and that was historically one of the worst losses I've ever seen in my life,' said Pak, who has one top-25 finish among seven made cuts in 12 events this year. 'There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little (mad) about that.' Joel Dahmen made a hole-in-one on the 186-yard 13th when his tee shot stopped about 25 feet behind the hole, spun back and went in. The 37-year-old's first career ace was followed by seven bogeys as he shot 74. 'Nine years out here, that's a lot of par-3 attempts,' Dahmen said. 'A lot have looked good, and to finally go in was pretty cool.'
