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Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stuart Macdonald's rollercoaster week ends in best-ever finish on Korn Ferry Tour
Stuart Macdonald's week got off to just about the worst start a professional athlete could think of, but ended with the Vancouver golfer's best-ever result on the Korn Ferry Tour. Macdonald was walking down the stairs of his Airbnb in Tulum, Mexico, when workers outside cut off the power, suddenly plunging the entire house into darkness. He missed a step and his heel landed on something sharp, leaving a gash on his foot. 'It definitely looked worse than it was,' said Macdonald. 'There's not a whole lot of meat on the back of the heel so it doesn't take much to create a bit of a horror scene.' Stuart Macdonald, of Canada, tees off on the second hole during the third round of the Mexico Open golf tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Macdonald had planned to play a full 18-hole practice round the following morning but had to cut that down to nine holes with a Band-Aid and gauze pads on his foot to make standing tolerable. For his time on the driving range, Macdonald took his shoes off, refining his swing while barefoot. 'Honestly, it felt fantastic. I was wondering why I don't do it more,' said Macdonald with a laugh in a phone interview from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday. 'It just just feels good and I actually realized how often I wear shoes. 'I couldn't even tell you before that point, when the last time I was just barefoot on the ground.' Fortunately for Macdonald, the slice on his heel mended quickly before play began at the Tulum Championship last Thursday. He shot an even-par 72 in the first round at PGA Riviera Maya, then a 67 in the second round to see the weekend. A 71 on Saturday had him in contention at the Korn Ferry Tour event and two birdies in his first three holes on Sunday had him closing in on the lead. 'I feel like I've been playing some really good golf, just having gotten a lot out of my rounds,' said Macdonald. 'We just did a really good job of not shying away from the moment. 'I knew I was playing good, and if I kind of stayed out of my own way I was going to have a great week and maybe have a chance to win.' Although Macdonald had a double bogey on the par-4 12th hole, he recovered with birdies on No. 14 and No. 18 to force a two-hole playoff with Bryson Nimmer of the United States. Ultimately, Nimmer prevailed after Macdonald bogeyed on their second try at No. 18. 'It was such a hard golf course that you couldn't afford to let your mind slip or miss a shot,' said Macdonald. 'You just had to be so locked in, and if you weren't, you were going to make a double and I think that kind of helps. 'It being such a difficult course, and so penalizing, it definitely helped me lock in.' It was Macdonald's first runner-up finish on the Korn Ferry Tour and rocketed him 110 spots up the second-tier circuit's points list from 138th to No. 28. 'It gets me back into the hunt for a tour card, which is why we're all out there,' said Macdonald, noting that the top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour at the end of the season will earn promotion to the top-flight PGA Tour. 'That's obviously the goal. 'So I've got some work left there, but it's just nice to be in a position where that is kind of a reality.' TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP — Corey Conners leads the Canadian contingent into the Truist Championship. He's eighth in the FedEx Cup standings heading into play at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa. He's joined by No. 20 Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., Taylor Pendrith (45th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Hadwin (110th) of Abbotsford. MYRTLE BEACH CLASSIC — Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian playing in the opposite field ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He's 47th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Adam Svensson (156th) of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman (177th) of Thornhill, Ont., will join Hughes at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian in this week's Turkish Airlines Open at Regnum Carya in Antayla, Turkey. He's moved up six spots in the past week to sit 116th on the European-based tour's points list. PGA TOUR AMERICAS — A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., is the highest ranked Canadian on the third-tier Americas Tour, sitting 25th on the Fortinet Cup points list. He's one of eight Canadians in the Bupa Championship field at Club de Golf Mexico in Mexico City. LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., will tee it up at the Mizuho Americas Open on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Henderson moved up four spots the past week to sit 43rd on the Race to CME Globe standings. Grewal rose 15 spots to sit 101st. EPSON TOUR — Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian on the Epson Tour, ranked 34th on the Race for the Card standings, three spots ahead of Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que. They're two of the Canadians playing the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic at TPC Scottsdale's Champions Course in Scottsdale, Ariz. Monet Chun (50th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon (105th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Brooke Rivers (125th) of Brampton, Ont., Vancouver's Leah John (128th) and Hamilton's Alena Sharp — who normally plays on the LPGA Tour — will also tee it up. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
NBC Sports
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Johnny Keefer is one of the hottest players on the planet – and he just got into PGA Championship
For a split second, Johnny Keefer didn't think it was real. The email, which popped in his inbox at 12:49 p.m. CT Monday, contained the subject line: John Keefer, you are invited to compete in the 107th PGA Championship. He nearly deleted it. 'It almost looked like something that could've been spam,' Keefer said Monday afternoon from his home in San Antonio. 'But then I saw the top header and was like, 'Whoa!'' It wasn't until last Wednesday that Keefer was even made aware of the possibility that he could be teeing it up in his first major championship next week at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. He shared a pro-am group with someone affiliated with the PGA of America at last week's Tulum Championship, the annual Korn Ferry Tour stop in Mexico, and was asked by the man, 'See you at Quail Hollow?' Keefer, confused, thought to himself, What's at Quail Hollow? He then was enlightened by the fact that the PGA Championship field is traditionally filled with players ranked inside and just outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. At No. 92 in last week's world ranking (No. 93 now), Keefer, unbeknownst to him, was essentially a lock to receive an invite. Other players around the top-100 bubble who aren't yet in the field include Keith Mitchell (90), Gary Woodland (94), Beau Hossler (98), Justin Lower (100), Sami Valimaki (106) and David Puig (107), the latter of whom announced on social media that he'd received his PGA invite. Amateur Luke Clanton is No. 103 in the world, though the PGA historically does not invite amateurs based on world rank. It's rare that full-time KFT players earn their way into the PGA, though Tim Widing did so just last season. Keefer's college coach at Baylor, the legendary Mike McGraw, told Keefer last year that when Keefer qualified for his first major, to save him a ticket because he wouldn't miss it. 'I just didn't think it'd happen this quickly,' McGraw said. Neither did Keefer. Not even 12 months ago, he found himself on the outside looking into the top 25 on the PGA Tour University rankings with only the NCAA Championship to play. But a T-11 finish at Omni La Costa, Keefer moved to No. 25 on the nose, earning himself the final PGA Tour Americas card. 'If I finished one shot worse, I could've theoretically been playing APTs (All Pro Tour events) right now,' Keefer said. Instead, Keefer headed to Canada for the summer without a clue, or as Keefer described it, 'in shambles.' And yet, he put together one of the most impressive seasons north of the border in recent memory – one win, four seconds and four more top-6 finishes in 10 starts – to easily win the points title and graduate to the KFT, where this year he's posted four top-6 showings, including a win two weeks ago at the Veritex Bank Championship in Dallas. If he's lost any momentum since last June, it's because he contracted a stomach virus in Tulum and was forced to withdraw on the fourth tee box on Saturday because he was violently puking. 'It feels like just yesterday I was in Canada, and now it's major time,' Keefer added. 'I can't really describe it. … I don't think I could've expected anything like this.' Keefer, who was born in Baltimore but grew up in Texas, admittedly knows little about Quail Hollow, which annually hosts the PGA Tour's Truist Championship and last hosted the PGA in 2017. But his longtime instructor, Bryan Gathright, recently told Keefer, 'You'll love this place. It's right in your wheelhouse.' Keefer's game took off his fifth year in Waco. Opting to double major in business management instead of getting his MBA in accounting, Keefer had more time to devote to golf. He invested in a launch monitor and dialed in his yardages, especially with his wedges. Before that, it wasn't uncommon for Keefer to aim 30 feet from a flag from 130 yards out. These days, Keefer has improved in just about every facet. He's ninth on the KFT in total driving, No. 22 in greens hit in regulation, sixth in scrambling and No. 26 in putting average. It all adds up to Keefer sitting second in points, behind only Hank Lebioda, though he'll have to miss next week's tournament in Kansas City to play the PGA. Only 20 guys earn PGA Tour cards via the KFT this year, so Keefer has less of a margin for error than previous years. But it's also a good problem to have, especially considering Keefer believes he can play well. After all, since turning pro, Keefer has fired a whopping 17 rounds of 64 or better in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition. To compare, Scottie Scheffler has 11, Ludvig Åberg eight and Rory McIlroy three. 'I just watched Scottie shoot 31 under on a pretty good course,' Keefer said. 'I know what No. 1 in the world looks like. I know what Rory looks like when he's on. But it doesn't really scare me. … On any level, Korn Ferry, Americas, PGA Tour, signature events, major championships, good golf is going to play really well. I'm really excited to test myself against them and against a major championship course because obviously I've never played in one. 'Just go out there, try and have some fun, try and shoot some low numbers, and hopefully have a really late tee time on the weekend.'
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Indian sports wrap, May 2: Solid start for Aditi Ashok in Utah tournament
GOLF Solid start for Aditi Ashok in Utah Indian golfer Aditi Ashok overcame an early bogey to make a strong start that placed her tied 29th on the opening day of the Black Desert Championship, presented by Greater Zion, in Ivins, Utah. Aditi shot three-under 69 on Thursday. Having begun her round on the back nine, Aditi dropped a shot on the 11th hole before picking up birdies on the 13th and 14. She closed the first nine with an even-par 36 after dropping a shot on the 16th. On the second nine, Aditi made birdies on the fourth, and seventh to conclude the day with a total of three-under par. This year, Aditi has made cuts at three of the four events she has played and stands 102nd in the season's rankings. After the first round, Haeran Ryu of Korea led the field with a score of nine-under par for the day. Haeran played a bogey-free round that was dotted with nine birdies. Starting from the back nine, Haeran made five birdies and added four more on the front-nine. Haeran has so far made the cut in five of the six events she has played this season and stands 25th in the rankings. In the Chevron Championship last week in Texas, she posted her best finish of the season so far, ending tied sixth. - PTI Rough start for Rayhan Thomas at Tulum Golf Championship It was another rough start for India's Rayhan Thomas, who carded a five-over 77 and was in danger of missing the cut at the Tulum Championship at the PGA Riviera Maya. He was lying tied 124th after the opening round on Thursday. In nine starts prior to this week, Thomas has made four cuts with a best of tied seventh in Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. Mitchell Meissner opened with a six-under 66 to lead the field by one. He had seven birdies and one bogey. He has three top-10 finishes in nine starts this season, including a tied seventh at last week's Veritex Bank Championship. Zach Bauchou is second at five-under, while rookie Kensei Hirata, a six-time winner on Japan Tour, carded a four-under to be third. Runchanapong Youprayong (three-under), a winner on the All Thailand Golf Tour, recorded a three -under 69 and was tied fourth in a group of nine players. - PTI Related Topics Aditi Ashok
Khaleej Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
This Week in Golf: Stars align in Texas for $9.9m CJ Cup Byron Nelson showdown
While the DP World Tour takes a well-earned breather after its back-to-back events in China, the global golf calendar rolls on with plenty to keep fans riveted. This week's headliner is The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, teeing off at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas with a whopping $9.9 million purse up for grabs. Although Rory McIlroy won't be in the field, local favourite and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be carrying the torch for the home crowd. Expect fireworks. The Korn Ferry Tour heads south to Mexico for the Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya, continuing its $1 million event series. These tournaments are proving grounds for tomorrow's PGA Tour stars—and the standard of play is nothing short of elite. Take last week's Veritex Bank Championship at Texas Rangers Golf Club, for example. With a par-71 setup stretching 7,010 yards, the cut line landed at a jaw-dropping 9-under par. That's right—shoot 8-under, and you're still heading home empty-handed. Dubai's Rayhan Thomas found himself on the wrong side of that brutal cutoff. His rounds of 64 and 70 left him at 8-under, just one stroke shy of making the weekend. It's a harsh reminder of just how competitive life is on golf's second-highest tier—where the top 20 players by season's end will earn coveted PGA Tour cards. For aspiring tour pros worldwide, this is more than a tour—it's a masterclass in just how deep the talent pool runs. Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour stops in Utah for the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion, where players will battle it out for a $3 million purse at the striking Black Desert Resort. This Week's Schedule at a Glance: PGA Tour The CJ Cup Byron Nelson May 1–4 | TPC Craig Ranch, Texas Purse: $9.9 million Korn Ferry Tour Tulum Championship May 1–4 | PGA Riviera Maya, Mexico Purse: $1 million LPGA Tour May 1–4 | Black Desert Resort, Utah Purse: $3 million
