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Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
PGA Tour star learns from Sergio Garcia and 'will never join LIV' despite riches
Niklas Norgaard has made a solid start to life on the PGA Tour after earning his card through the DP World Tour, and he insists riches on offer in LIV Golf are not tempting him PGA Tour newbie Niklas Norgaard has said that he will "never join LIV Golf" despite its lucrative offers. And he has confirmed where his true ambitions lie – participating in major championships. Fresh off a triumphant 2024 stint on the DP World Tour, where he claimed victory at the Betfred Masters and landed 11th in the Race To Dubai, Norgaard secured his PGA Tour card for 2025. He's already made a great first impression, nabbing his first top-five finish at the Myrtle Beach Classic a fortnight ago. Having just experienced his first major at the PGA Championship, where he didn't make it past the cut at Quail Hollow, the 32-year-old Dane has developed a hunger for more significant pursuits. With eyes set on flying the European flag at the Ryder Cup, Norgaard said that his drive isn't fuelled by financial gain, and the idea of joining the controversial LIV series is of no interest to him. LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabian wealth, is dishing out £18million purses per event, promising profitable with its smaller 54-player fields. However, the league doesn't hold an Official World Golf Ranking endorsement, which severely cuts down the chances for its players to qualify for majors – exemplified by Sergio Garcia's absence from the US Open next month for the first time in over two decades. Speaking to Bunkered, Nordaard said: "That's why I would never choose to go to LIV, no matter the money. Because what has kept me going all the time has just been I want to play majors. "I want to play Ryder Cup. I want to play against the best on the best courses. It took me six years just to get to the DP World Tour and, once you're there, you really have to love golf to keep going." Norgaard accepts that others may not share his perspective on the sport – with Tom McKibbin, for example, securing one of 10 PGA Tour cards awarded by the DP World Tour in November, before opting instead to join Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team. Despite being ranked 99th in the world and making five cuts in nine PGA Tour starts this year, Norgaard insists it isn't the prize money that fuels his ambition. He added: "Everybody is playing for something different, and, you know, motivated by something different. And for some it's money. "For some it's just golf, and some it's a third thing. But no, I'm not surprised, because I get it. It's such a big amount of money you can get, and you can secure the rest of your life. "For me, the joy comes from knowing I've improved and achieved something significant each day, not from my earnings. When I have really good days, it's when I go to bed at night believing that I've done something worthwhile; that I've become better today. That's what I seek in majors." Since making the move to LIV in 2022, Garcia has seen incredibly limited success in terms of winning events. The 45-year-old achieved his first victory under the banner with a play-off win over Anirban Lahiri at LIV Golf Andalucia last July, before taking his total tally to two triumphs by winning the organisation's Hong Kong event in March. This pales when compared to the 11 wins that the Spaniard achieved on the PGA Tour and the 16 he saw on the European Tour, as well as his 2017 Masters win. Garcia's best finish at the US Open came in the form of T3 back in 2005 alongside Tim Clark and Mark Hensby. But he will not have the opportunity to best that when the major plays out at Oakmont Country club in a matter of months.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phil Mickelson Sends Message to Scottie Scheffler After PGA Championship
Sunday was a massive day in the world of golf as it marked the final round of the second major of the year in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf and Country Club. Scottie Scheffler entered the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday with a three-shot lead over Alex Noren and Scheffler had his eyes set on another win in a major. Advertisement Scheffler began Sunday's final round with a bogey on the first hole but he was able to settle in with a birdie on the second hole. Scottie Scheffler hits his approach shot to the second green during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The No. 1 player in the world then bogeyed both the sixth and ninth holes, ending at two over on the front nine, allowing the rest of the field to have a chance. While Scheffler struggled at times on the front nine, he was able to birdie three holes on the back nine before bogeying the last to pick up a dominant victory in the PGA Championship. It did not come without a fight from other players such as Jon Rahm, who had tied Scheffler on the leaderboard before struggling to end the round, resulting in an eighth-place finish. Jon Rahm of the Legion XIII on the third hole of the first round of the LIV Golf Chicago tournament at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images For Scheffler, he finished 11 under on the day, grabbing a dominant five-shot victory over Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau and Davis Riley, who all tied for second at six under. Advertisement This marks Scheffler's third career major victory during his career in the PGA as he won The Masters in both 2022 and 2024. During the final few holes in Sunday's final round, golf legend Phil Mickelson sent a message to Scheffler on social media before the round was even over. 'Congrats to Scottie Scheffler on an incredible performance. Clearly #1 in the world,' Mickelson posted on X. This was nice gesture by Mickelson, who failed to make the cut in the PGA championship and one that is a clear one. Phil Mickelson plays his shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the Masters Tournament.© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Scheffler has been the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world for quite some time now and he continues to prove why as he has dominated the PGA Tour during his career.
Irish Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tom McKibbin background, net worth boost and Rory McIlroy snub reason
Tom McKibbin fared best of the Irish at Quail Hollow after the opening two rounds of the US PGA Championship. Holywood pair McKibbin and Rory McIlroy are the only two of the Irish quintet to make the cut in North Carlolina as Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power all missed it. McKibbin is seven shots behind Jhonattan Vegas after adding a second round 71 to his opening round 70. Starting on the tenth hole on Friday, the 22-year-old was one-under for the majority on his round after a birdie on the par-five 15th, but finished on level par for the day after a bogey on the par-four 9th, his final hole for the day. McKibbin has made a remarkable start to his LIV Golf career, having declined an offer from the PGA Tour earlier this year. The 22 year old, who honed his skills at Holywood Golf Club alongside McIlroy, earned his PGA card at the end of 2024 after a stellar performance on the DP World Tour. However, instead of joining McIlroy on the prestigious PGA Tour, he opted to join Jon Rahm's Legion XIII under the LIV banner. This choice seems to have paid off for McKibbin, as he's had an excellent start on the circuit so far. He finished T15 in LIV's first event of the year in Riyadh, shooting an overall score of 10-under-par, and then impressed with a T7 finish in Adelaide in February at six-under. Meanwhile, Legion XIII – which includes McKibbin, Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Caleb Surratt – won the team title in Riyadh, before finishing second overall in Adelaide. But what is the professional golfer's net worth, who is his caddie, and what does McIlroy think about him playing under the LIV banner that the four-time major winner once strongly opposed? Here, the Irish Mirror breaks it down.... McKibbin has raked in over €1.8million from the LIV Golf series in 2025 alone, securing €953,600 for his impressive showing in Riyadh and an additional €435,000 with €1.38m split across the team from Adelaide, reports Belfast Live.r. While concrete numbers on McKibbin's total fortune remain elusive, it's safe to say that his earnings from LIV Golf combined with DP World Tour cash have comfortably placed him in the millionaire's club. In terms of personnel changes, McKibbin made waves earlier last year when he swapped out Chris Selfridge for seasoned caddy David McNeilly in February 2023. McNeilly brought a wealth of expertise to the table after years of working with some of the biggest names in golf, including Nick Faldo. Despite this, following a T66 stint at the 2024 Open, McKibbin opted for another change on the fairways, bringing in his friend Ricky McCormick to replace McNeilly. Opening up about the switch, McKibbin said: "Yeah, just sort of needed to switch it up a little bit. "He's someone who knows my game quite well, and he's caddied for me before, so I'm very comfortable with him, and he does a good job for me." McKibbin's decision proved beneficial as he secured his PGA Tour card at the end of the 2024 season, thanks to impressive performances on the DP World Tour. However, he ultimately chose to give up the card to join the LIV Golf league. McIlroy had shown enthusiasm when McKibbin initially obtained his PGA Tour card in 2024, looking forward to what the future held for his fellow golfer. Recalling the moment McKibbin achieved his card, McIlroy said: "I was looking at the leaderboard and I saw Tom got in the top 10 and I thought okay, good. "When I was walking off the last, I didn't see his name and I see him before I signed my card and he was congratulating me, and I didn't want to ask I said, 'yay or nay?' And he said, 'yes.' I'm happy for him. That was a massive goal for him was to get one of those 10 cards and go play in America. Super happy for him." However, McKibbin chose to sign with LIV Golf instead of the PGA Tour. McIlroy had offered his advice before the decision, saying in January: "I think he's got a ton of potential. I said to him, 'if I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you're thinking of making'. "Working so hard to get your tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement. I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to majors, potential Ryder Cup spot, if I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn't make that decision." Despite McIlroy's advice, McKibbin made his choice clear in February, saying: "It was definitely in my mind but to me I wasn't in any of [the majors or Ryder Cup] anyway. The opportunity to play with these guys out here more often and more consistently was definitely a huge factor. "I'm not in those majors anyway at the minute so that really didn't bother me too much. Being young and 22 I've watched this last couple years since [LIV Golf] started. It's something I really like to watch. Something very different. It appeals to more people my age. "The opportunity to learn from some of the best players in the world week in, week out is something that appealed very nicely to me. I liked the whole concept of everything."
The 42
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It's prepared me quite well' - McKibbin says LIV Tour has helped him lead Irish challenge at PGA
TOM MCKIBBIN WAS the only one of the Irish quintet at the PGA Championship to score under par on the opening day at Quail Hollow, and would have repeated the trick on Friday had it not been for a bogey on his final hole, the fiendish 18th. An even-par 71 means McKibbin sits at one-under for the tournament and comfortably within the cut line, which continues his steady, unsung progress at major championships. The 22-year-old is making his third major appearance this week, and made the cut at each of his two previous two: first at last year's US Open at Pinehurst (finishing T41) and then at the Open at Royal Troon, where he finished T66. Advertisement 'I'm as calm as I can be', said McKibbin after his round. 'It's very daunting and very uncomfortable out there sometimes. One bad swing, one bad shot and you can easily make a double out there. You're on the edge of your seat over every shot and praying you get a good one.' McKibbin made the sole birdie of his round on the par-five 15th, from where he made a string of pars before dropping a shot on 18. That bogey was a product of bad luck, with mud attaching to his ball and messing with its flight on McKibbin's second shot. Much of the field have spent the competition thus far complaining the tournament will not allow them clean the mud off their ball in the fairway, which they are collecting owing to the soggy conditions. 'It was my first one of the week, so very lucky', said McKibbin. 'Obviously it's quite tricky and it went a little bit left which wasn't nice, but I got away with them on the first 35 holes so I was bound to get one at one point.' McKibbin ranks among the top 30 in the field so far this week for driving distance, and he says he's added about 10 yards in distance off the tee since last year. That improvement is not the product of a gymwork, he says, looking at his skinny arms when asked if he's added extra muscle and replying with a deprecatory, 'it doesn't look like it.' Instead, he says, the distance has come from a more regular training regime and the additional practice time created by his joining the LIV Tour. McKibbin was due to make his debut on the PGA Tour this year, but was instead tempted by a lucrative move to Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team on the Saudi-backed tour. That move precluded him from qualifying for major championships, but he is playing this week under a special invite from the tournament organisers, who are keen to pack the field with as many elite players as they can. Bryson DeChambeau aside, moving to LIV has seen once-competitive stars struggle for relevance at the majors, but McKibbin says it has worked for him. 'I think it's prepared me quite well', he said. 'I have got to play with a lot of great players and when I came here I felt a lot more comfortable. Especially in the last couple of weeks the pins out there [on LIV] have been very difficult, and when I came here this week they haven't actually felt too bad. I think it's prepared me quite nicely.'
Fox Sports
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf at 2025 PGA Championship: Highlights from Jon Rahm, David Puig, more
The 2025 PGA Championship, the second major of the year, is in full swing at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, and this year's field features 16 LIV Golf players — Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Tom McKibbin, Patrick Reed, Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland , Dean Burmester, John Catlin and David Puig . Some made the field based on current world rankings, while others qualified with recent major wins or by finishing in the top 15 at the 2024 PGA Championship. There are some special cases too, as past PGA champions earn a lifetime exemption for the tournament, and a handful of LIV golfers received invitations to play in this year's tournament. Here are the highlights after Round 1. David Puig puts up gutsy even-par 71 Despite a back injury that cropped up late in his final round during LIV Golf's most recent tournament in Korea, Puig produced a gutsy even-par 71 that leaves him in good position to make the cut. Even though his round ended with a double bogey, the 23-year-old from Spain was pleased, given the circumstances he faced. "If I'm telling the truth, I think it was a great day overall," Puig said. "Especially without practicing and with having some sort of back pain. I think I competed very well." Puig said his back cramped up on him the last five or six holes in Korea, although he managed to overcome it by finishing eagle-birdie-birdie on his final three holes to slip inside the top 20 of the leaderboard. Starting his round off the 10th tee, Rahm played his opening nine holes in a bogey-free 2 under, including three consecutive pars through the dangerous Green Mile. Things went awry from there, with Rahm making bogey-birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey on his next six holes that undid all the good scoring on his first nine. Fortunately, a birdie at the short par-4 eighth left him with a 1-under 70 and in a good spot to make an impact going into Friday's second round. "It's funny because I made bogeys but didn't necessarily make horrible swings," the Legion XIII captain said about this six-hole adventure. "It was just missed it on the wrong places." Rahm is used to starting with a 70 in the PGA Championship – it's the fifth time in nine career starts that he's opened with that number. That includes his first PGA start in 2017 at Quail Hollow. His opening 70 left him tied for 15th but a second-round 75 dropped him out of contention entering the weekend. Eight years later, he'll have a chance to make a more positive move. There were plenty of non-LIV golfers who had strong outings on Thursday as well. Smalley was on the putting green at Quail Hollow, going through his drills and looking like any of the other 156 players at the PGA Championship. But he wasn't. On the eve of the major, Smalley wasn't sure he would have a tee time. And then, in a span of about 20 hours, the North Carolina native went from first alternate to a 4-under 67 that kept his name around the top of the leaderboard on Thursday. "I really prepared just like any other week," Smalley said. "Obviously, it's interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you know, you hear about everybody's ailments being first alternate." In this case, it was Sahith Theegala, who had to withdraw during the Truist Championship last week at Philadelphia Cricket Club. And his neck injury never got better for the Californian to play the PGA Championship, a major he finished in the top 15 a year ago. So he was out. Smalley was in. He had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine (after starting on No. 10), dropped a pair of shots on tough par 4s on the front nine and then shot his way back into the mix by holing a 70-foot putt across the green on the par-5 seventh for eagle. Smalley made a short birdie putt on the short par-4 eighth, managed par on the brutal par-4 ninth hole and had his lowest score in his third appearance at the PGA Championship. Donald and Bradley turned the opening round of the PGA Championship into their own little Ryder Cup competition Thursday. Shortly after Donald carded a surprising 4-under-par 67 — his best opening round at a major in 21 years — Bradley checked in with a 68, leaving both Ryder Cup captains in contention at Quail Hollow with 54 holes remaining. "If it's tied 14-14, are you talking a playoff? I'll grab the trophy and go back to Europe," joked Donald, whose European team bested the Americans 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, meaning they will retain the trophy if they tie or beat the Americans this September at Bethpage Black. Bradley got a chuckle out of Donald's comments and said he planned to text his counterpart and let him know he was "pumped" for him. "It's unique," Bradley said of having both Ryder Cup captains in the top 10. "You know, one of the interesting things about becoming captain, only other captains can understand what you're going through, and the day-to-day process and the pressure and everything that comes with that. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Parts of this piece are courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! 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