Latest news with #RivieraMayaOpen
Kyodo News
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Golf: Mao Saigo sinks rare albatross, moves up to 2nd at LPGA Classic
KYODO NEWS - 21 minutes ago - 13:13 | Sports, All Japanese golfer Mao Saigo scored a rare albatross Saturday on her way to a 6-under-par 65 that will see her tee off the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic trailing leader Lee Il Hee of South Korea by one stroke. The 23-year-old Saigo, a major winner at April's Chevron Championship, added to her highlight reel when she holed out with her second shot from 214 yards on the par-5 3rd hole at Seaview's Bay Course. She also had five birdies and a pair of bogeys to finish the second round of the 54-hole tournament tied for second at 10 under with compatriot Ayaka Furue, as well as Americans Jennifer Kupcho and Elizabeth Szokol. "I wasn't that accurate with my irons and off the tee, but I'm happy with my score," said Saigo, who already has four top-10 finishes in her brief LPGA career. "I didn't think the albatross was going in." Furue had five birdies in a bogey-free round of 66, while Lee followed her opening 63 with a 68. Japan's Miyu Yamashita and Chisato Iwai, who secured her first LPGA win at last month's Mexico Riviera Maya Open, both shot 66 to join four others tied for sixth at 8 under. Related coverage: Golf: Takeda finishes 2nd as Stark wins U.S. Women's Open Golf: Chisato Iwai wins 1st U.S. tour title in Mexico
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Kim, five others tied for US Open lead after day 1
Past champion A Lim Kim of South Korea was part of a six-way tie for the lead after one round of the US Women's Open yesterday at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin. Kim was joined at 4-under-par 68 by countrywoman Jin Hee Im, Japan's Rio Takeda, Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez, Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin. The 2020 US Women's Open marked the only major victory for Kim, and she was eager to make an early mark on the leaderboard in Erin Hills' first time hosting the championship. She began on the back nine and birdied Nos 10-11 and 16-17 while taking a bogey at No 12. Kim made a long birdie putt at N. 1 to tie the lead at 4-under, and another bomb on the third green for the outright lead. It did not last long though, as she went 1-over for her final six holes. "When I hit [it], I feel really solid, but close to the holes, I felt a little strong speed, but [made] it. So I thought [luck was] with me," Kim said. Im and Ramirez posted bogey-free rounds, with Ramirez tying the group near the end of the day with a birdie at her third-to-last hole, No 7. The USGA's course setup was not as kind to Yin, a Los Angeles native with six prior top-10 results at majors. She had six birdies, but reflected on one of her two bogeys. "On 17 I made like the most basic mistake, like the worst mistake you can make. It's like elementary level, terrible," Yin said. "I just needed to make it on to the green. I'm already not like in a great position. I'm trying to make par. "Then I just made a tiny mistake. Didn't hit it as good, and it just goes all the way down. ... This is what this course can do, and it's just challenging all around." The highlight for Noh was a birdie-eagle stretch at the par-3 13th and par-5 14th holes, the eagle coming on a chip-in. "It's funny, I actually had the same exact chip during one of my practice rounds, same spot, same pin," Noh said. "I made it in the practice round, and my caddie and I were joking that I used it up — but apparently not." Chisato Iwai of Japan is fresh off her first LPGA win last week at the Riviera Maya Open. She shot a 3-under 69 yesterday and is tied with countrywomen Nasa Hataoka and Yui Kawamoto, South Korea's Youmin Hwang and Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini one off the pace. Another Japanese up-and-comer, Mao Saigo, is in a tie at 2-under 70 one month after winning the first major of the season, the Chevron Championship, in a five-way playoff. Notable names at 1-under 71 included China's Ruoning Yin and France's Celine Boutier, along with amateur Asterisk Talley. The 16-year-old is in the field again this year after making the cut and tying for low-amateur honours at the 2024 US Women's Open. Talley reached the green in two at No 14 and made the ensuing eagle putt. Someone less fortunate with the flat stick in the first round was world No 1 Nelly Korda, who settled for an even-par round of 72 with one birdie and one bogey. She missed seven birdie putts, all between 2.4m-5.7m. "I was striking it pretty well out there; just under-read some putts and burned a couple edges, too," Korda said. "I think I'm happy with it. Obviously I wish the ball found the bottom of the cup a little bit more. Overall, I can't complain." New Zealand's Lydia Ko opened with a 1-over 73, and defending champion Yuka Saso of Japan shot a 2-over 74. Lilia Vu, ranked sixth in the world and a two-time major champion, struggled to an 8-over 80. — Field Level Media
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Leona Maguire's game moving in right direction ahead of busy five weeks
Missing three consecutive cuts, her first time doing so since 2022, would seem to be reason for Leona Maguire to be worried about her form. After carding a 76 in her opening round at Erin Hills for last week's US Open, the Cavan golfer gave herself a chance of making it to the weekend with a fine front nine on day two. Her ascent of the leaderboard lost altitude after a triple bogey on the 11th. Despite adding to the missed cuts at the Riviera Maya Open and the Americas Open, Maguire believes her game is finding its edge. 'I'm not overly concerned about last week,' said Maguire during a media day for next month's KPMG Irish Open at Carton House. 'If anything, last week was a big step in the right direction. It's probably the best I've drove the ball in about two years. To come away from a US Open and only miss two fairways in two days, I'm quite happy with that. 'I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring, which is a little bit frustrating. But at the same time, I'm not worried because I know I'm playing good golf.' The Meijer Classic later this month, a tournament Maguire won two years ago, begins a busy five weeks. After Michigan, she heads to Texas for the PGA Championship, 2025's third major. Then there's the Dow Championship before she flies back home for another tilt at the Irish Open. The year's fourth major, the Evian Championship in France, finishes the five-week run. Usually, Maguire would only play for three consecutive weeks before taking a break but the schedule has forced her usual routine to change. 'I'm going to have to be disciplined,' she said. 'It'll be a lot of nine hole practice rounds and just being really smart and efficient with how we prepare and practice. 'The nice thing is I've gone to Grand Rapids many times, I know that golf course very well. I've played the Dow before, I've played Carton before, I've played Evian before. 'The only new golf course is the Frisco course for the KPMG PGA Championship. I'm going there at the weekend to scout it out. 'My whole team has known this is coming down the line. This block has been circled on the calendar for a while. We've put in the preparation to navigate that, so that by the time the end of the summer comes around I'm not absolutely spent.' Maguire feeling like her driving is in its best place since 2023 is the result of work which finally clicked. She had been chopping and changing her driver, eventually sticking with the Ping G430 for the US Open. 'Actually after Mexico, I flew up to the US Open early and spent a decent while on the range with Shane (O'Grady, her coach) on FaceTime," she explained. "He'd been going back through old footage of what I was doing when I was driving the ball really well and just noticed a few things; we had a drill that I was doing last week and it really just helped me get through the ball a bit better. I've been doubling down on that this week to even get it dialled in even more.' Earlier this year, Maguire split with caddie Verners Tess after just eight months. Cork native Shane O'Connell is now on her bag. 'He's been a really good addition,' said Maguire. 'He's obviously learning as he goes, it's been a bit of an adjustment coming across to the women's side. 'He said he's definitely getting a lot less steps in. There's some parts of the golf course he doesn't even have to worry about anymore, which is nice for him. 'Then just getting used to how the ball spins; we don't spin it half as much as the lads, having to worry about wedges ripping off greens. The trajectory, getting used to just my numbers and you know the hybrids and how things land. 'He hadn't done any majors before this. Even just seeing a US Open set up last week... He's been quite lucky. We've had some unbelievable golf courses in his first few weeks we played Liberty National, Shadow Creek and Erin Hills. 'I feel like he's adapted really well. He's not afraid to give his opinion when needed. He works extremely hard, always out walking the courses, working things out. It's nice to have someone that matches my preparation with hard work.'
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
A Lim Kim, Angel Yin among 6 tied for U.S. Women's Open lead
Past champion A Lim Kim of South Korea was part of a six-way tie for the lead after one round of the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis. Kim was joined at 4-under-par 68 by countrywoman Jin Hee Im, Japan's Rio Takeda, Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez, Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin. The 2020 U.S. Women's Open marked the only major victory for Kim, and she was eager to make an early mark on the leaderboard in Erin Hills' first time hosting the championship. She began on the back nine and birdied Nos. 10-11 and 16-17 while taking a bogey at No. 12. Kim made a long birdie putt at No. 1 to tie the lead at 4 under and another bomb on the third green for the outright lead. It didn't last long, as she went 1 over for her final six holes. "When I hit , I feel really solid, but close to the holes, I felt a little strong speed, but it. So I thought with me," Kim said. Im and Ramirez posted bogey-free rounds, with Ramirez tying the group near the end of the day with a birdie at her third-to-last hole, No. 7. The USGA's course setup wasn't as kind to Yin, a Los Angeles native with six prior top-10 results at majors. She had six birdies but reflected on one of her two bogeys. "On 17 I made like the most basic mistake, like the worst mistake you can make. It's like elementary level, terrible," Yin said. "I just needed to make it onto the green. I'm already not like in a great position. I'm trying to make par. "Then I just made a tiny mistake. Didn't hit it as good, and it just goes all the way down. ... This is what this course can do, and it's just challenging all around." The highlight for Noh was a birdie-eagle stretch at the par-3 13th and par-5 14th holes, the eagle coming on a chip-in. "It's funny, I actually had the same exact chip during one of my practice rounds, same spot, same pin," Noh said. "I made it in the practice round, and my caddie and I were joking that I used it up, but apparently not." Chisato Iwai of Japan is fresh off her first LPGA win last week at the Riviera Maya Open. She shot a 3-under 69 Thursday and is tied with countrywomen Nasa Hataoka and Yui Kawamoto, South Korea's Youmin Hwang and Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini one off the pace. Another Japanese up-and-comer, Mao Saigo, is in a tie at 2-under 70 one month after winning the first major of the season, the Chevron Championship, in a five-way playoff. Notable names at 1-under 71 included China's Ruoning Yin and France's Celine Boutier, along with amateur Asterisk Talley. The 16-year-old is in the field again this year after making the cut and tying for low-amateur honors at the 2024 U.S. Women's Open. Talley reached the green in two at No. 14 and made the ensuing eagle putt. Someone less fortunate with the flat stick Thursday was world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who settled for an even-par round of 72 with one birdie and one bogey. Per she missed seven birdie putts, all between 8 and 19 feet. "I was striking it pretty well out there; just under-read some putts and burned a couple edges, too," Korda said. "I think I'm happy with it. Obviously I wish the ball found the bottom of the cup a little bit more. Overall, I can't complain." Lydia Ko of New Zealand opened with a 1-over 73, and defending champion Yuka Saso of Japan shot a 2-over 74. Lilia Vu, ranked sixth in the world and a two-time major champion, struggled to an 8-over 80. Field Level Media
The Star
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Japan's Chisato Iwai wins first LPGA title with six-stroke romp at MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - MAY 25: Chisato Iwai of Japan poses with the trophy after the final round of the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba 2025 at El Camaleon at Mayakoba on May 25, 2025 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. -- Photo by/LPGA PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Quintana Roo, Mexico: Japanese rookie Chisato Iwai became the fifth Rolex First-Time Winner on the 2025 LPGA Tour with a six-shot victory at the inaugural MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. Heading into the final round at El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba one shot behind 54-hole leader Jenny Bae of the United States, Iwai quickly turned what could have been an exciting finish into a Sunday romp. The 22-year-old Japanese player seized the lead with a first-hole birdie as Bae made bogey. Four birdies in a row from Holes 3 to 6 saw Iwai surge further ahead, and she never looked back. Iwai's closing six-under-par 66 gave her a 72-hole aggregate of 12-under-par 276 (68-74-68-66), while Bae hung on for second place on six-under-par 282 (69-69-71-73) following a final round 73. Korean Haeji Kang was third on five-under-par 283, one shot clear of compatriots Jenny Shin, Somi Lee and Hye-Jin Choi, China's Weiwei Zhang, and Sweden's Linn Grant. 'I just focused on my routine and stayed calm. No matter how many birdies I made today and how far ahead I was, my mindset didn't change. I just kept thinking of trying to make the next birdie and trying to stay positive,' said Iwai, who is the third rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this season. This is the first time in 10 years that the LPGA Tour has seen three rookie victories before the end of May. Iwai is the 12th different winner on tour this season, pocketing US$375,000 for her efforts. An eight-time winner on the Japan LPGA Tour, Iwai finished second at last year's LPGA Final Qualifying to earn her LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season. Her twin sister Akie is also a rookie on the LPGA Tour and finished tied 16th in Mexico on two-under-par. Malaysia's Ashley Lau, who got into the field through her Epson Tour status, finished tied 32nd on one-over-par 289 (71-73-71-74). The LPGA Tour now heads back to the United States for the second Major of the 2025 season, the US Women's Open presented by Ally at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. - The LPGA Tour
