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San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Today in Sports - Serena Williams wins her 16th Grand Slam title by winning the French Open
June 8 1935 — Omaha, ridden by Willis Saunders, becomes the third horse to win the Triple Crown by capturing the Belmont Stakes with a 1½-length victory over Firethron. 1950 — Boston beats the St. Louis Browns 29-4 at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox set six major league records: most runs scored by one team; most long hits in a game with 17 (nine doubles, one triple and seven homers); most total bases with 60; most extra bases on long hits with 32; most runs for two games with 49 (20 a day earlier); and most hits in two games with 51. 1958 — Mickey Wright beats Fay Crocker by six strokes to win the LPGA Championship. 1980 — Sally Little wins the LPGA Championship by three strokes over Jane Blalock. 1982 — 36th NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2. 1985 — Creme Fraiche, ridden by Eddie Maple, becomes the first gelding to win the Belmont Stakes, beating Stephan's Odyssey by a half-length. 1986 — Larry Bird scores 29 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-97 victory over the Houston Rockets and their 16th NBA title. 1990 — The 'Indomitable Lions' of Cameroon pull off one of the greatest upsets in soccer history, 1-0 over defending champion Argentina in the first game of the World Cup. 1991 — Warren Schutte, a UNLV sophomore from South Africa, shoots a 5-under 67 to become the first foreign-born player to win the NCAA Division I golf championship. 2000 — Mike Modano deflects Brett Hull's shot at 6:21 of the third overtime, ending the longest scoreless overtime game in Stanley Cup finals history and helping the Dallas Stars beat the New Jersey Devils 1-0 in Game 5. 2002 — British-Canadian Lennox Lewis retains boxing's WBC Heavyweight title with eighth-round knockout of American Mike Tyson. 2005 — Freshman Samantha Findlay hits a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lead Michigan to a 4-1 win over UCLA for its first NCAA softball title. Michigan is the first team from east of the Mississippi River to win the national championship. 2008 — Rafael Nadal wins his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout, again spoiling Roger Federer's bid to complete a career Grand Slam. Dominating the world's No. 1 player with astounding ease, Nadal wins in three sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. 2008 — Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes the first rookie in 10 years to win a major, beating Maria Hjorth on the fourth hole of a playoff with a 5-foot birdie on the 18th hole to win the LPGA Championship. 2012 — I'll Have Another's bid for the first Triple Crown in 34 years ends shockingly in the barn and not on the racetrack when the colt is scratched the day before the Belmont Stakes and retires from racing with a swollen tendon. 2013 — Serena Williams wins her 16th Grand Slam title and her first French Open championship since 2002, beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4. 2014 — Rafael Nadal wins the French Open title for the ninth time, and the fifth time in a row, by beating Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal improves his record at Roland Garros to 66-1. 2015 — The NCAA approves multiple rule changes to men's basketball for the 2015-16 season, including a 30-second shot clock and fewer timeouts for each team. The shot clock was last reduced, from 45 to 35 seconds, in 1993-94. 2018 — Golden State romps to its second straight NBA championship, beating Cleveland 108-85 to finish a four-game sweep. Stephen Curry scores 37 points and Kevin Durant, who is named MVP for the second straight finals, has 20 for the Warriors. It's the first sweep in the NBA Finals since 2007, when James was dismissed by a powerful San Antonio team in his first one. 2019 — Ashleigh Barty, Australia, wins the French Open by defeating Marketa Vondrousoca. The win is Barty's first Grand Slam singles title.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monday Leaderboard: Wild finish includes playoffs, slow play, rules questions, a whiff and a near-drowning
Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend's top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and behold one of the wildest finishes to a major in years… At the first major of the LPGA season, the Chevron Championship saw the Masters' wild playoff finish … and raised it. No, there wasn't a Rory McIlroy-esque legacy-defining win, but the 72nd hole and the one-hole playoff featured stunning shots, maddening slow play, heartbreak misfires, rules controversies … what else do you need? It was seriously one of the strangest finishes to a tournament, much less a major, that's unfurled in quite some time. Start with Ariya Jutanugarn, who probably could have wrapped up the tournament on the 18th with a par. But her tee shot went wide, and she opted to fire at the grandstands as, basically, a handy (and controversial) backstop. But her third shot did not go as planned … Scenes on the 72nd hole. Ariya Jutanugarn struggles on her final hole and finishes with bogey to join the clubhouse leaders at now on NBC. — LPGA (@LPGA) April 27, 2025 The whiff meant she got in with a bogey to fall into a tie with Hyo Joo Kim at seven-under. Soon afterward, Ruoning Yin got up-and-down with a birdie to finish at seven-under. In the final grouping of the day, Haeran Ryu took an extraordinarily long time to play an approach and determine a drop. And then she just went and buried the chip from the drop zone: Haeran Ryu what?! 🤯From the drop circle to the bottom of the cup in a matter of seconds — LPGA (@LPGA) April 27, 2025 But her playing partners, Lindy Duncan and Mao Saigo, both managed to get up and down to finish at seven-under and elbow into the playoff themselves. Somehow, a playoff field of five lasted only one hole, as Saigo was the only one to birdie the 18th and claim the victory. Oh, and just when you thought the day couldn't get any stranger … Saigo nearly drowned on the Chevron's traditional leap into the pond: Mao and her team stayed in the water longer than most! — Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) April 27, 2025 'I'm not really a good swimmer,' Saigo said through an interpreter. 'When I went inside, it was deep and at first, I thought I was going to drown.' After a few stressful moments — the pond is 10 feet deep in some places — Saigo was pulled from the water. What a tournament. Last week, Andrew Novak barely missed out on his first PGA Tour victory, losing to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage. He got his chance for redemption just seven days later at the Zurich Classic team-play event, and this time, alongside Ben Griffin, he held on for the victory. It marked the first win on Tour for either Novak or Griffin. The two won in their 100th and 90th PGA Tour starts, respectively, carding a combined 28-under in the alternating shot/best ball event. Twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard finished one stroke off the lead. Joaquin Niemann continues his reign of terror in LIV Golf, claiming the tour's Mexico event over the weekend to further solidify his hold on the points lead. Niemann began the tournament's final day three strokes behind Bryson DeChambeau and two behind Cam Smith, but held strong as those two major winners faltered to win by three strokes. The victory entitles him to an invitation to the U.S. Open, per the USGA's new LIV-friendly rules. It will now be up to Niemann to back up all his lobbying for major spots; he has never finished in the top 10 in a major. Niemann isn't necessarily the face of LIV Golf — DeChambeau and Jon Rahm hold that honor — but Niemann needs to prove that success on the LIV tour can translate to success on more prestigious larger-field, cut-line events. He'll get his next chance at a major in two weeks at Quail Hollow. Sixty-year-old Stephen Ames — who once had the unfortunate distinction of talking trash about Tiger Woods and then getting beaten 9-and-8 by Woods in a 2006 match play event — had a fine afternoon at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic over the weekend, carding an albatross on the 18th at TPC Sugarloaf. He finished the tournament in solo 8th place, and pocketed roughly an extra $15,000 for this shot: ALBATROSS FOR AMES!!The defending champion ends his week with the rarest shot in golf 🔥@StephenAmesPGA | @MEClassicGolf — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 27, 2025 Chandler Phillips risked dignity, a mud bath and a gator attack on Saturday for this brilliant escape from the muck at TPC Louisiana. Magnificent farmer's tan here, too. beware of the gators @chandlerphilli6 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 26, 2025 Phillips and playing partner Jacob Bridgeman would go on to finish T10 at the Zurich, and solo first for style. Coming up next: PGA Tour: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (TPC Craig Ranch, Texas); LPGA: Black Desert Championship (Ivins, Utah); PGA Tour Champions: Insperity Invitational (The Woodlands, Texas) LIV: LIV Golf Korea (Incheon, South Korea).
Japan Forward
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Mao Saigo Captures Maiden Major in a Five-Player Playoff
For the first time in LPGA Tour history, there was a five-way playoff at The Chevron Championship, and Mao Saigo clinched the title with a birdie putt. Mao Saigo holds The Chevron Championship winner's trophy on April 27, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (©KYODO) It will be impossible for Mao Saigo to ever forget how she won her first LPGA Tour title. After all, she captured the tournament title in the first five-player playoff in LPGA history. For Saigo, a birdie on the par-5 18th hole secured a spot for her in the playoff at The Chevron Championship, the first women's golf major of 2025. That gave Saigo a 2-over 74 (with three birdies and five bogeys) in the fourth round on Sunday, April 27 in The Woodlands, Texas, after carding 70, 68 and 69 in succession in the first three rounds. After the fourth round, Saigo's scorecard showed 7-under 281, the same total amassed by China's Ruoning Yin, South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim, Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and Lindy Duncan of the United States. And then the gathered crowd at The Club at Carlton Woods, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus, witnessed this history-making conclusion to The Chevron Championship. In the playoff, the action returned to the 18th hole, where Kim, Yin and Jutanugarn all shot par. Duncan slipped out of contention with a bogey. That gave Saigo a chance to win it ― and avoid the possibility of a second playoff hole. The Chiba Prefecture native sealed the win with a 5-foot birdie putt. A riveting ― and nerve-wracking ― conclusion for the 23-year-old. What was going through Saigo's mind on the playoff hole? "I was so laser-focused and nervous and really in the zone," Saigo told reporters. "All I could think of was the ball in front of me. I couldn't see anything else." She added, "I was shaking from nervousness, but I did my best to calm down and I shot it and it went in." Mao Saigo (Erik Williams/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS) Entering the final round on Sunday, Saigo and South Korea's Haeran Ryu were tied for the lead at 9-under. Although it was her worst round of the tournament, which started with a bogey, Saigo came through in the clutch, making two big shots ― the back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole. As a result, she became the fifth Japanese woman to win one of the LPGA Tour's five majors. The others: Hisako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship), Hinako Shibuno (2019 Women's British Open), Yuka Saso (2021 and 2024 US Women's Open) and Ayaka Furue (2024 Evian Championship). Saigo was the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2024, a year in which she had seven top-10 finishes, including two runner-up finishes. "I was so close but I was not able to make it," Saigo said, looking back at her 2024 season, during a news conference. "It was very disappointing. This year I was able to win and earn an LPGA title and I'm extremely excited about this." After winning her first major, Saigo also outlined her ambitious goals as a pro golfer. "I still have four more majors to go, and I want to shoot for number one in the world," she said before adding, "I will do my best in the remaining four majors." The US Women's Open (May 29-June 1), in Erin, Wisconsin, is the second major of the year. Mao Saigo tees off on the first hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship. (Erik Williams/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS) In the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings updated on Monday, April 28, Mao Saigo climbed from 24th to 13th. Indeed, her victory in Texas propelled her many spots closer to the top 10. It also produced a surreal feeling for Saigo. "This is like dreaming," she said, describing Sunday's triumph. "It was one of my big dreams and goals this year so I still can't believe it." Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Kyodo News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Golf: Japan's Mao Saigo wins 1st LPGA major of year in 5-way playoff
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 14:38 | Sports, All Japanese golfer Mao Saigo captured her first career title on the U.S. LPGA Tour on Sunday, winning the Chevron Championship major in a five-way playoff. The 23-year-old won with a birdie on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th, at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. Saigo became the fifth LPGA major champion from Japan and first since Ayaka Furue won the Amundi Evian Championship last July. The other winners are Hisako "Chako" Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship, Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 Women's British Open and Yuka Saso at the U.S. Women's Open in 2021 and 2024. On the men's side, Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters Tournament in 2021. Saigo birdied the final hole of regulation to join South Korea's Kim Hyo Joo, China's Yin Ruoning, Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and Lindy Duncan of the United States at 7 under for the tournament. Saigo, a six-time winner on the top-tier Japanese tour, won the LPGA Rookie of the Year award in 2024 after securing seven top-10 finishes. "I've always dreamed of winning (on the U.S. tour)," said Saigo, who earned a winner's prize of $1.2 million. "The birdie at No. 18 (in regulation) gave me confidence for the playoff. I had some tough times, having been unable to win tournaments I wanted to win, but now I'm so happy to get my first win at a major." Saigo began the day tied for the lead with South Korea's Ryu Hae Ran and struggled for most of the final round, especially on the back nine. The Chiba Prefecture native bogeyed the 10th, 11th and 15th holes on her way to a 2-over 74. She carded three birdies and five bogeys. Ryu and South Korean compatriot Ko Jin Young shared sixth place with Sarah Schmelzel of the United States, two strokes out of the playoff. Furue and her countrywomen Chisato Iwai and Miyu Yamashita tied for 30th at 2 over for the tournament. Related coverage: Football: Kaoru Mitoma nets equalizer in Brighton's 3-2 win over West Ham Baseball: Ohtani back in groove, Sasaki solid as Dodgers beat Pirates Snowboarding: Rivalry, training refinements elevate big air in Japan
