Latest news with #JuniorRyderCup
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
$4.3 million on the line as Shreveporter competes in U.S. Open
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Currently tied for first at the 2025 U.S. Open, Shreveport's Sam Burns is proving once again why he's been a force in golf for over a decade. Burns is competing for $4.3 million in grand prize money and is making an impressive start in this year's tournament. At the time of this article, Burns is tied for first place out of 156 players competing to take home the grand prize. Burns is already making a statement, proving why he's built a track record of excellence at every stage of his career. The Louisiana-raised standout is no stranger to success. He was a three-time state champion in high school at Calvary Baptist Academy, earning the 2014 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year. He was undefeated at the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup and led Calvary Baptist to five straight state titles from 2010 to 2014. When choosing a university, Burns decided to stay local and attend Louisiana State University. He was named the Division I Player of the Year for the 2016–2017 season. As a sophomore, Burns played in 15 tournaments, taking home the champion title in four of them. He holds the LSU single-season scoring record with a 70.05 average (2016–17 season). Burns' success at LSU earned him several prestigious awards, including: 2017 NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year 2017 SEC Player of the Year 2017 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Champion 2017 First-Team All-SEC Professionally, Burns has five wins on the PGA Tour under his belt. His first win was at the 2021 Valspar Championship. He also won the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship, 2022 Valspar Championship, 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge, and the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. He reached a career-high world ranking of No. 9 in May 2022. With $4.3 million on the line, this Shreveporter is coming out swinging. The tournament will be televised on NBC and USA Network. To stream, you can use Peacock, and the USGA app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This father-son duo will play together on PGA Tour for first time at Myrtle Beach Classic
This father-son duo will play together on PGA Tour for first time at Myrtle Beach Classic Fans looking at the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic field this week may think there is an error in the pairings with two players listed under the last name Byrd but they aren't seeing double. That's because veteran pro Jonathan Byrd and son Jackson are playing together in a PGA Tour event for the first time. 'This is a bucket list item for me,' Jonathan, 47, a five-time Tour winner said of playing with his 17-year-old son, one of the top junior players in the country. 'Probably three, four years ago when I started to see him develop and become quite a good player as elite junior player and win tournaments and represent his country in the Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Presidents Cup, it started to become apparent to me that this kid is probably going to have an opportunity to turn pro.' Jackson is a three-time American Junior Golf Association All-American, including a first-team selection in 2024. He is the second-ranked junior golfer in the country according to the AJGA. He'll be a freshman in the fall at Clemson, his father's alma mater and where his Uncle, Jordan, is the head men's coach since 2021. 'I would say he's much more advanced than I was at 18 from a just skill level,' Jonathan said, noting that Jackson drives it 30-50 yards longer off the tee with regularity. 'I win half the time. He wins half the time. We have a pretty good match these days. But I'm leaning more on experience, and he's leaning on just kind of raw youth.' The elder Byrd may be selling himself short. Jonathan was a three-time All-American at Clemson between 1997-2000. He is in his 23rd year on the PGA Tour, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and playing in 487 events while racking up 26 top-five finishes and 46 top 10s beyond his handful of wins. Father-son tandems in golf date all the way to Old and Young Tom Morris. Of more recent vintage, Bill Haas, son of Jay, has notched six Tour titles, including the FedEx Cup; Kevin Stadler, son of Masters winner Craig, claimed the 2014 WM Phoenix Open; and Kevin Tway, son of PGA Championship winner Bob, hoisted the Safeway Open trophy in 2018. But good genes never helped Gary Nicklaus, son of 18-time major winner Jack, to the winner's circle. Jonathan, who is eyeing PGA Tour Champions eligibility in three years, and Jackson are both competing this week on sponsor exemptions, and while both will be in the same wave on Thursday and Friday, they will not be in the same group. 'It was more about me being able to hang on long enough so maybe we could play in a tournament together. I probably felt more pressure than he did for this to happen,' Jonathan said. 'I hope he gets the opportunity to do this as a profession because I think he's very talented, and he doesn't need a whole lot of help from Dad anymore. I just have to let him run.'
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
As Nelly Korda hosts on AJGA, she tells kids not to compare: 'I wasn't even a top junior'
BRADENTON, Fla. – There was a time when Nelly Korda thought seriously about college golf, with Wake Forest and Texas as her top two choices. She was 15, shooting in the 80s and struggling to enjoy the game. 'I wasn't even a top junior,' said Korda while walking down the second fairway of her home course, The Concession Golf Club. 'I played Junior Solheim Cup once. I wasn't selected for Junior Ryder Cup. I wasn't selected for anything growing up.' Her advice to young players in the field at The Nelly Invitational: Don't compare yourself to others. With the help of instructor David Whelan, Korda rebuilt her swing and fell back in love with the game. The 15-time LPGA winner, Olympic gold medalist and current world No. 1 is already in the give-back portion of her career, hosting one of the best junior events in the country at her home club. Guests of The Nelly junior-am were welcomed on Wednesday by Sawyer, a rescue dog from Satchel's Last Resort, a no-kill animal shelter in Sarasota that's one of the event's two designated charities, along with the local Boys and Girls Club. AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin said the event will raise $100,000 for charity, rare air for a junior event, particularly one that's just getting started. Korda has always had a special place in her heart for animals. Earlier this week, she said goodbye to her 15-year-old cat, Rafi. "I was like oh my god, something that's 6 pounds can weigh so much on your heart, right? It's so crazy," she said. "He was with me through so, so much. It's unconditional love no matter what kind of day you're having." The AJGA has had PGA Tour and LPGA pros hosting its events for decades, with Raymond Floyd and Tom Kite among the first. Today, there are 38 tour players' names attached to the AJGA's 147 events and 110 qualifiers in 2025. Korda won her first of two AJGA titles in 2015, weeks before her 17th birthday, at the Yani Tseng Invitational presented by Swinging Skirts. Three years later, she came full circle with her first LPGA title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. Korda never competed in a U.S. Girls' Junior and teed it up in only one U.S. Women's Amateur, losing in the first round to Lydia Choi. Back pain forced a long layoff in 2014, and she fought hard to make up for lost time. Through it all, her parents reminded their three kids that everyone has their own path. 'For us, we were just all very active,' said Korda, whose older sister Jessica is a six-time winner on the LPGA while brother Sebastian is a top-ranked tennis pro. 'We went and practiced, we just stuck to our own bubbles. I think that's why I always say it is, because even growing up, it was family time. It was family and no one else. 'We didn't really look at what anyone else was doing, we just kind of stuck to what we were doing because there was already so much knowledge in the household.' Growing up, Korda had a safari-themed room and a lion was her first stuffed animal. Her late July birthday makes her a Leo, and the lion symbol now lives on in her logo, which is ever-present at Concession this week. 'I was always like referred to as one even when I was young because I was a little feisty, but I always worked really hard and I always kind of fought through it,' she said. 'It just became a symbol for me. There are so many ups and downs in life. You always try to fight through it, right? You always try to be a lion and like grit your teeth and keep going.' That fight was on full display as recently as last week, when Korda fought back after an opening 77 at the Chevron Championship to make the cut and ultimately take a share of 14th. She took this week off from the tour to focus on her event, riding around in a golf cart on Wednesday to meet with sponsors and juniors as they played. Chevron's commitment in 2025 enabled The Nelly to give the highest travel stipends in tour history of $2,000 for U.S. players and $2,500 for international players. The Nelly also strengthened its field in 2025 by extending invitations to the top-10 eligible international players that may not be AJGA members and/or didn't previously qualify for the event through the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Korda oversaw and insisted on small details this week, like allowing parents to come eat with their kids in the clubhouse, to big things, like extending a major championship invitation to the winner. After playing in the junior-am, Chevron Championship executive director Glenn Weckerlin was getting a printed invitation to the 2026 event ready for Sunday's winner. It was at a major championship – the 2013 U.S. Women's Open – that Korda first realized that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. 'I could've played a million junior events,' said Korda, 'but there was some type of different feeling playing in a major championship. … I was like, I want to feel this over and over and over again.' The Nelly offers perks not often seen at this level. The TaylorMade tour truck, for example, was parked on the range on Wednesday. Korda plans to return to the club on Friday for Nike Night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., where players will enjoy a host of Nike goodies and design their own shoes. The Nelly has quickly gained a reputation for having the best swag on the junior circuit. 'No. 1 by far,' said 15-year-old Honorine Nobuta Ferry. 'By far.' Players this week might need an extra carry-on for all their gifts, including two dozen TaylorMade balls, hats and a tournament-logoed head cover, a mini Tumi backpack, Stanley water bottles that are personalized and logoed, a Flye1+ wireless audio transmitter and receiver for the plane and a pin flag signed by the host. The Nike products players will receive include the Nike Free golf shoes Korda helped design, along with a tech fleece hoodie, leggings, slides, a duffle bag and custom off-the-course shoes they'll create on their phones. A grateful Korda lights up when talking about it all, noting that to this day she gets giddy about tournament swag. 'It's so crazy, but it's also like the little things that makes the experience of you wanting to come back," said Korda. The girls spreading the word that, oh, this event is really cool, this is what we got this year, we can't wait to see what we get next year. I couldn't have done any of it without my sponsors. For them to kind of bring my vision, or our vision, to life has been really fun.' Korda will float around the room on Friday night, making herself available to the elite field of 66. That suits her style more than a formal speech or program. Weckerlin noted that Korda's commitment to being involved not just in name but in person was a big selling point for Chevron's multi-year sponsorship. 'I don't know how to put a value on that,' said Weckerlin. 'It makes a difference.' Of course, while The Nelly offers the opportunity to compete in a major championship field, it also exposes young players to Korda's sponsors. The affable Ryleigh Knaub, a senior headed to LSU, was offered an internship on the spot from Ernst & Young by the end of Wednesday's round. Sophia Ellestad of Houston was in Korda's gallery on Sunday at the Chevron Championship and was struck by her calm demeanor. The high school senior signed with Oklahoma State, and The Nelly will be her final AJGA event. 'Everything is perfect,' she said, walking off Concession's 18th green. Korda considers the practice facilities at Concession to be among the best in the state, perhaps even the country, and, like many, jokingly refers to her home course as 'Concussion.' Last year, on the day Korda left for the Chevron Championship, she played nine holes with a member and shot 42. 'I was like, well, this is great prep for a major,' she said with a smile. 'I feel fabulous.' Korda, of course, went on to win that week for her fifth consecutive LPGA title. Concession tests every part of the game, she said, and has especially helped her improve around the greens. Aphrodite Deng won last year's inaugural Nelly Invitational with a 2-under total. Only three players finished the 54-hole event under par. Petr Korda, a Grand Slam tennis champ who will be out with his daughter as she practices this week, takes pride in what Nelly and her team have created for the next generation. 'It's just respect,' said Petr. 'That's what I've been answering, you know, what my daughter does for golf. She does her way; she has her vision.' And she's just getting started.
The Courier
01-05-2025
- The Courier
Alisdair Drummond: Retired Dundee police chief dies at 84
Alisdair Drummond, a retired chief inspector with Tayside Police in Dundee and an active member of the Blairgowrie community, has died at the age of 84. Alexander, known as Alisdair, was an advanced driving instructor at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan. He was also a former president of the Retired Police Officers Association Tayside branch. Born and brought up in Callander, it was there he met his wife Margaret when she was holidaying with her family from Dunfermline. The couple married in 1962. After leaving McLaren High School in Callander, Alisdair worked as a motor mechanic in Dunblane. He joined the police in 1964 and rose through the ranks, first serving as a 'bobby' in Dunblane, Kinross and Alyth. Promotion took him to the Scottish Police College, where he was an advanced driving instructor. He was a traffic sergeant in Perth then a traffic inspector in Angus before finishing his career as a chief inspector at Tayside Police HQ in Dundee. Known for his strong project management skills, Alisdair dealt with everything from security for heads of state to policing industrial disputes. He made media headlines for never being off sick during his 32 years in the police. On retirement, Alisdair worked in security for Dundee United then St Johnstone football clubs. He was a member and past president of the Retired Police Officers' Association Scotland (Tayside) and prominent in the community of Blairgowrie, to where the family moved in 1984. A man of deep faith, Alisdair was active in the Church of Scotland at local and presbytery level. He was a long-time elder and served for 26 years as session clerk of Blairgowrie Parish Church. A keen gardener, traveller and golfer, he was a past captain of Blairgowrie Golf Club and helped host the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup. He was integral in a residents' campaign to save Blairgowrie Cottage Hospital in 2010/11 and an active Round Table member. Alisdair's son, Alex, said: 'When they visited him as youngsters, his grandchildren thought grandad knew everyone in the town because when he took the kids out, he spoke to so many people. 'He was extremely well-liked in the local community and definitely made his mark in Blairgowrie and beyond.' Alisdair is survived by his wife Margaret, son Alex, daughter Gillian and six grandchildren.
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish golfer set for standout debut season on US college circuit
Texas Tech freshman Connor Graham off to strong start in Big 12 Championship in Tulsa Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Connor Graham is on course to complete a standout debut season for Texas Tech after producing a strong start in this week's Big 12 Men's Golf Championship on the US college circuit. The Scot followed an opening three-over-par 73 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa with a second-round 70 that contained four birdies at the venue for three US Opens and five editions of the PGA Championship. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The eye-catching efforts left Graham sitting joint-ninth heading into Wednesday's third round before the 28th edition of the event concludes with a final 18 holes on Thursday. Blairgowrie's Connor Graham has enjoyed a standout debut season for Texas Tech on the US college circuit | Texas Tech Graham is joining forces for the Red Raiders with compatriot Calum Scott, as well as Ireland's Sean Keeling, with the six-man team being completed by Charlie DeLong, Tim Wiedemeyer and Price Hill. Helped by Graham's good work, Texas Tech shared seventh spot at the halfway stage, having recorded a best finish in the event when ending up second in both 2014 and 2015. Three individual wins for the Red Raiders, meanwhile, included Ludvig Aberg landing the title back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 before the Swede then took the professional golf world by storm as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Blairgowrie teenager Graham started his spell in Lubbock last September and has produced a string of consistent performances in his freshman campaign. He tied for 12th in the Inverness Collegiate in September before adding top-30 finishes in both the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational and the prestigious Jones Cup. The 2022 R&A Junior Open winner then finished 12th again in The Prestige before also recording top-20 efforts in the Cabo Collegiate, Pauma Valley Invitational and Valspar Intercollegiate Invitational. After ending up 30th in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, he then claimed seventh spot in the Mountainer Invitational at Pete Dye. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Graham, who was unbeaten in helping Stephen Gallacher's European side win the Junior Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, currently sits 69th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Connor Graham in action at the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup in Rome | Getty Images After this week's event, he will begin gearing up with his Texas Tech team-mates for the NCCA Regionals in the middle of next month, with the goal to also be involved in the season-ending NCAA Championships in California. Having secured an exemption through playing in the 2023 Walker Cup at St Andrews, where he made history as the youngest player at just 16 to compete in the biennial match, Graham is also teeing up in a final qualifier for the US Open in Dallas on 19 May. Once his college campaign is over, he is heading back for a full summer schedule that will take in the St Andrews Links Trophy, Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship, as well as trying to qualify for the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
