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Hamilton Spectator
40 minutes ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Scheffler wins again at Memorial. Stark takes U.S. Women's Open
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler never lost the lead and never gave anyone much of a chance down the stretch Sunday in another relentless performance, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory to join Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners of the Memorial. Slowed by hand surgery at the start of the year from a freak accident, Scheffler appears to be in full stride with one major already in the bag and another around the corner at the U.S. Open. On one of the tougher PGA Tour tests of the year, Scheffler made one bogey over the final 40 holes at Muirfield Village. He finished at 10-under 278. Ben Griffin tried to make it interesting at the end with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 15th and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to close within two shots with two to play. Scheffler, however, doesn't make mistakes. Griffin made double bogey on the 17th. Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to finish alone in second, worth $2.2 million, more than what he earned when he won at Colonial last week. Sepp Straka (70) finished another shot back. Scheffler now has won three times in his last four starts — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after winning the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since Woods in his peak years. Woods is a five-time winner at Memorial who won three straight from 1999 through 2001. No one had repeated at Muirfield Village since then until Scheffler. United States Golf Association ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Maja Stark of Sweden continued the steady play she demonstrated all week to win the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills for her first major championship. Stark shot an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281, two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan's Rio Takeda. Stark earned $2.4 million in the biggest event of the women's golf season. The 25-year-old Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women's major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women's British Open. The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a U.S. Women's Open since Annika Sorenstam in 2006. Stark won her second second LPGA Tour title. She also won the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, an event co-sanctioned by Ladies European Tour. Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under. European Tour SALZBERG, Austria (AP) — Nicolai von Dellingshausen of Germany closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Austrian Alpine Open by two shots and capture his first title on the European tour. Von Dellingshausen began the final round one shot behind fellow German Marcel Schneider and quickly seized control with three birdies and an eagle on the opening nine. After another birdie to start the back nine, he closed with eight straight pars. Von Dellingshausen finished at 19-under 261, two ahead of Schneider (68) and Kristoffer Reitan, who was coming off a victory in Belgium last week at the Soudal Open. Reitan shot a 60, missing an eagle putt on the final hole in his bid for only the second 59 in European tour history. PGA Tour Champions DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club for his third PGA Tour Champions victory of the year, beating Soren Kjeldsen and Cameron Percy with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Jimenez closed with a birdie on the 311-yard, par-4 18th for a 2-under 70, then made a 4-footer for another birdie on the extra hole. The 61-year-old Spanish star led wire-to-wire, opening with rounds of 63 and 66. Jimenez has 16 career PGA Tour Champions victories, also winning the Trophy Hassan II in February in Morocco and the Hoag Classic in March in Newport Beach, California. Kjeldsen finished with a 63, and Percy shot 67 to match Jimenez at 17-under 199. Kevin Sutherland was a stroke back after a 68. Korn Ferry Tour RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Trace Crowe made five birdies on the front nine to build a comfortable lead, and then survived a few nervous moment before pulling away with a 5-under 65 to win the UNC Health Championship for his second career Korn Ferry Tour title. Crowe had a one-shot lead over Martin Laird going into the final round and was four ahead heading to the back nine. Laird stayed in the game, and a two-shot swing on the 14th — Laird made birdie, Crowe his first bogey of the day — trimmed Crowe's lead to one. Crowe birdied the 15th for a two-shot swing in his favor, and Laird bogeyed the next two. Crowe finished at 21-under 259 for a five-shot win over Laird (69), Davis Chatfield (68) and Hank Lebioda (61). Other tours Mikiya Akutsu closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Mizuno Open by four shots over Young-Han Song and Riki Kawamoto on the Japan Golf Tour. All three players earned a spot in the British Open as part of Open Qualifying Series. ... Rocco Repetto Taylor won his first Challenge Tour title on home soil when he closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Challenge de Cadiz in Spain. ... Malcolm Mitchell closed with a 1-under 71 and defeated Jonathan Broomhead in a playoff to win the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Nanako Inagaki held on with a 1-over 73 for a one-shot victory in the Resort Trust Ladies on the Japan LPGA. ... Yunji Jeong shot a 1-under 70 and for a one-shot win in the Suhyup Bank MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA. ___ AP golf:
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Scheffler wins again at Memorial. Stark takes U.S. Women's Open
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler never lost the lead and never gave anyone much of a chance down the stretch Sunday in another relentless performance, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory to join Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners of the Memorial. Slowed by hand surgery at the start of the year from a freak accident, Scheffler appears to be in full stride with one major already in the bag and another around the corner at the U.S. Open. On one of the tougher PGA Tour tests of the year, Scheffler made one bogey over the final 40 holes at Muirfield Village. He finished at 10-under 278. Ben Griffin tried to make it interesting at the end with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 15th and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to close within two shots with two to play. Scheffler, however, doesn't make mistakes. Griffin made double bogey on the 17th. Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to finish alone in second, worth $2.2 million, more than what he earned when he won at Colonial last week. Sepp Straka (70) finished another shot back. Scheffler now has won three times in his last four starts — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after winning the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since Woods in his peak years. Woods is a five-time winner at Memorial who won three straight from 1999 through 2001. No one had repeated at Muirfield Village since then until Scheffler. United States Golf Association ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Maja Stark of Sweden continued the steady play she demonstrated all week to win the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills for her first major championship. Stark shot an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281, two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan's Rio Takeda. Stark earned $2.4 million in the biggest event of the women's golf season. The 25-year-old Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women's major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women's British Open. The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a U.S. Women's Open since Annika Sorenstam in 2006. Stark won her second second LPGA Tour title. She also won the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, an event co-sanctioned by Ladies European Tour. Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under. European Tour SALZBERG, Austria (AP) — Nicolai von Dellingshausen of Germany closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Austrian Alpine Open by two shots and capture his first title on the European tour. Von Dellingshausen began the final round one shot behind fellow German Marcel Schneider and quickly seized control with three birdies and an eagle on the opening nine. After another birdie to start the back nine, he closed with eight straight pars. Von Dellingshausen finished at 19-under 261, two ahead of Schneider (68) and Kristoffer Reitan, who was coming off a victory in Belgium last week at the Soudal Open. Reitan shot a 60, missing an eagle putt on the final hole in his bid for only the second 59 in European tour history. PGA Tour Champions DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club for his third PGA Tour Champions victory of the year, beating Soren Kjeldsen and Cameron Percy with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Jimenez closed with a birdie on the 311-yard, par-4 18th for a 2-under 70, then made a 4-footer for another birdie on the extra hole. The 61-year-old Spanish star led wire-to-wire, opening with rounds of 63 and 66. Jimenez has 16 career PGA Tour Champions victories, also winning the Trophy Hassan II in February in Morocco and the Hoag Classic in March in Newport Beach, California. Kjeldsen finished with a 63, and Percy shot 67 to match Jimenez at 17-under 199. Kevin Sutherland was a stroke back after a 68. Korn Ferry Tour RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Trace Crowe made five birdies on the front nine to build a comfortable lead, and then survived a few nervous moment before pulling away with a 5-under 65 to win the UNC Health Championship for his second career Korn Ferry Tour title. Crowe had a one-shot lead over Martin Laird going into the final round and was four ahead heading to the back nine. Laird stayed in the game, and a two-shot swing on the 14th — Laird made birdie, Crowe his first bogey of the day — trimmed Crowe's lead to one. Crowe birdied the 15th for a two-shot swing in his favor, and Laird bogeyed the next two. Crowe finished at 21-under 259 for a five-shot win over Laird (69), Davis Chatfield (68) and Hank Lebioda (61). Other tours Mikiya Akutsu closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Mizuno Open by four shots over Young-Han Song and Riki Kawamoto on the Japan Golf Tour. All three players earned a spot in the British Open as part of Open Qualifying Series. ... Rocco Repetto Taylor won his first Challenge Tour title on home soil when he closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Challenge de Cadiz in Spain. ... Malcolm Mitchell closed with a 1-under 71 and defeated Jonathan Broomhead in a playoff to win the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Nanako Inagaki held on with a 1-over 73 for a one-shot victory in the Resort Trust Ladies on the Japan LPGA. ... Yunji Jeong shot a 1-under 70 and for a one-shot win in the Suhyup Bank MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scheffler wins again at Memorial. Stark takes U.S. Women's Open
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler never lost the lead and never gave anyone much of a chance down the stretch Sunday in another relentless performance, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory to join Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners of the Memorial. Slowed by hand surgery at the start of the year from a freak accident, Scheffler appears to be in full stride with one major already in the bag and another around the corner at the U.S. Open. On one of the tougher PGA Tour tests of the year, Scheffler made one bogey over the final 40 holes at Muirfield Village. He finished at 10-under 278. Ben Griffin tried to make it interesting at the end with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 15th and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to close within two shots with two to play. Scheffler, however, doesn't make mistakes. Griffin made double bogey on the 17th. Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to finish alone in second, worth $2.2 million, more than what he earned when he won at Colonial last week. Sepp Straka (70) finished another shot back. Scheffler now has won three times in his last four starts — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after winning the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since Woods in his peak years. Woods is a five-time winner at Memorial who won three straight from 1999 through 2001. No one had repeated at Muirfield Village since then until Scheffler. United States Golf Association ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Maja Stark of Sweden continued the steady play she demonstrated all week to win the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills for her first major championship. Stark shot an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281, two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan's Rio Takeda. Stark earned $2.4 million in the biggest event of the women's golf season. The 25-year-old Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women's major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women's British Open. The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a U.S. Women's Open since Annika Sorenstam in 2006. Stark won her second second LPGA Tour title. She also won the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, an event co-sanctioned by Ladies European Tour. Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under. European Tour SALZBERG, Austria (AP) — Nicolai von Dellingshausen of Germany closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Austrian Alpine Open by two shots and capture his first title on the European tour. Von Dellingshausen began the final round one shot behind fellow German Marcel Schneider and quickly seized control with three birdies and an eagle on the opening nine. After another birdie to start the back nine, he closed with eight straight pars. Von Dellingshausen finished at 19-under 261, two ahead of Schneider (68) and Kristoffer Reitan, who was coming off a victory in Belgium last week at the Soudal Open. Reitan shot a 60, missing an eagle putt on the final hole in his bid for only the second 59 in European tour history. PGA Tour Champions DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club for his third PGA Tour Champions victory of the year, beating Soren Kjeldsen and Cameron Percy with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Jimenez closed with a birdie on the 311-yard, par-4 18th for a 2-under 70, then made a 4-footer for another birdie on the extra hole. The 61-year-old Spanish star led wire-to-wire, opening with rounds of 63 and 66. Jimenez has 16 career PGA Tour Champions victories, also winning the Trophy Hassan II in February in Morocco and the Hoag Classic in March in Newport Beach, California. Kjeldsen finished with a 63, and Percy shot 67 to match Jimenez at 17-under 199. Kevin Sutherland was a stroke back after a 68. Korn Ferry Tour RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Trace Crowe made five birdies on the front nine to build a comfortable lead, and then survived a few nervous moment before pulling away with a 5-under 65 to win the UNC Health Championship for his second career Korn Ferry Tour title. Crowe had a one-shot lead over Martin Laird going into the final round and was four ahead heading to the back nine. Laird stayed in the game, and a two-shot swing on the 14th — Laird made birdie, Crowe his first bogey of the day — trimmed Crowe's lead to one. Crowe birdied the 15th for a two-shot swing in his favor, and Laird bogeyed the next two. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Crowe finished at 21-under 259 for a five-shot win over Laird (69), Davis Chatfield (68) and Hank Lebioda (61). Other tours Mikiya Akutsu closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Mizuno Open by four shots over Young-Han Song and Riki Kawamoto on the Japan Golf Tour. All three players earned a spot in the British Open as part of Open Qualifying Series. … Rocco Repetto Taylor won his first Challenge Tour title on home soil when he closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Challenge de Cadiz in Spain. … Malcolm Mitchell closed with a 1-under 71 and defeated Jonathan Broomhead in a playoff to win the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Nanako Inagaki held on with a 1-over 73 for a one-shot victory in the Resort Trust Ladies on the Japan LPGA. … Yunji Jeong shot a 1-under 70 and for a one-shot win in the Suhyup Bank MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA. ___ AP golf:
NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
U.S. Open 101: History, qualifications, records, courses and most wins
Look back at the top moments from Round 4 of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, as Bryson DeChambeau outdueled Rory McIlroy to win his second U.S. Open in five years. Take a look at some answers to frequently asked questions about the United States Open: How old is the U.S. Open? It is 130 years old. The first one was played in 1895. How many times has the U.S. Open been played? This year will mark the 125th U.S. Open. It was not played in 1917 or 1918 because of World War I, nor was it played in 1942-45 because of World War II. Who started the U.S. Open? The United States Golf Association, an organization formed in 1894 by five prominent golf clubs to be the game's national governing body. Is the U.S. Open the oldest national championship in the world? No. The Open, also referred to as The Open Championship, dates back to 1860. Where was the first U.S. Open played? It was played on a nine-hole course at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. Who was the first U.S. Open winner? Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman, shot 173 for 36 holes to beat Scotsman Willie Dunn by two strokes. Who is the most recent U.S. Open winner? Bryson DeChambeau. He earned his second U.S. Open title (2020) by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to save par and finish one shot clear of Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2. Who has won the most U.S. Opens? Four players have won the U.S. Open four times each: Scotsman Willie Anderson and Americans Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. Hogan also won the 1942 Hale America Open, which some of his supporters claim should be counted as his fifth U.S. Open. The Hale America was a substitute for the U.S. Open, was held in the same time slot and was run like the U.S. Open with local and final qualifying. How many times has a player won consecutive U.S. Opens? Six players have won back-to-back Opens and one has won three in a row. Chronologically, they are Scotsman Willie Anderson (1903-05), and Americans John McDermott (1911-12), Bobby Jones (1929-30), Ralph Guldahl (1937-38), Ben Hogan (1950-51), Curtis Strange (1988-89) and Brooks Koepka (2018-19). Who are the most noteworthy players who have NOT won a U.S. Open? This list would have to start with Sam Snead, whose failure to win a U.S. Open cost him a career Grand Slam. Snead was runner-up in the Open four times – in 1937, 1947, 1949 and 1953. But his most painful loss probably came in 1939, when he came to the final hole needing only a par to win but instead made a triple bogey. As on-course scoreboards did not yet exist, Snead didn't know he needed only a par; a spectator erroneously told him he needed a birdie. Phil Mickelson is also in this category; he has a record six runner-up finishes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013) and a U.S. Open win would also earn him the career Grand Slam. Where is this year's U.S. Open? Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. It will be a record 10th time that the course has played host to the U.S. Open. The most recent occasion was 2016, when Dustin Johnson prevailed. Other past winners include Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994), Larry Nelson (1983), Johnny Miller (1973), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Ben Hogan (1953), Sam Parks, Jr. (1935) and Tommy Armour (1927). Which U.S. Opens have been the most memorable? It's all a matter of opinion, of course. Working backwards in the top 10: 10. 1973: Johnny Miller shoots a record 63 in the final round to win. 9. 1982: Tom Watson chips in from deep rough on the 71st hole to win at Pebble Beach. 8. 2008: Limping on what would turn out to be a broken leg, Tiger Woods edges Rocco Mediate after an 18-hole playoff and one sudden-death hole. 7. 1930: Bobby Jones wins the third leg of a Grand Slam he would soon complete. 6. 2000: Woods destroys the field by a record 15 shots at Pebble Beach. 5. 1950: Less than a year and a half after a near-fatal car accident, Ben Hogan wins at Merion. 4. 1966: Seven shots ahead of playing partner Billy Casper at the final turn, Arnold Palmer is caught and loses in an 18-hole playoff. 3: 1913: Francis Ouimet stuns the golf world. 2. 1962: Rookie Jack Nicklaus takes it to Palmer in front of Arnie's home crowd at Oakmont. 1. 1960: Seven shots back after 54 holes, Palmer drives the green on the first hole, a par 4, shoots 65 and wins his first – and only – U.S. Open. How do you get to play in a U.S. Open? Below are the 2025 exemption categories, per the USGA. Anyone — with a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 — however, can earn a spot in the field through 18-hole local and 36-hole final qualifying. Certain players are exempt into the latter stage, with most players having to go through both. There were 110 local and 13 final sites this year. F-1. Winners of the U.S. Open the last 10 years; F-2. From the 2024 U.S. Open, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place; F-3. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open; F-4. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Amateur; F-5. Winners of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships, and the 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up (must be an amateur); F-6. Winners of the Masters Tournament, 2020-2025; F-7. Winners of the PGA Championship, 2021-2025; F-8. Winners of The Open, 2021-2024; F-9. Winners of The Players Championship 2023-2025; F-10. Winner of the 2024 DP World Tour BMW PGA Championship; F-11. Those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2024 Tour Championship; F-12. Multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup, from the conclusion of the 2024 U.S. Open (June 13-16) to the initiation of the 2025 U.S. Open; F-13. The Top 5 players in the 2025 FedExCup standings as of May 19, 2025, who are not otherwise exempt; F-14. The points leader from the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season using combined points earned on the Official Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points Standings and points earned in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals; F-15. The top two players from the final 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings, who are not otherwise exempt as of May 19, 2025; F-16. The top player on the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings as of May 19, 2025, who is not otherwise exempt; F-17. Winner of the 2024 Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-18. Winner of the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Men's World Amateur Golf Ranking) (must be an amateur); F-19. Winner of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Individual Golf Championship (must be an amateur); F-20. Winner of the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-21. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of May 19, 2025; F-22. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of June 9, 2025; F.23. Winner of the 2024 Olympic gold medal, contested August 1-4, 2024; F.24. The top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19, 2025; F-25. Special exemptions selected by the USGA. Deadline for submission of request: May 15, 2025. Who is the oldest player to win the U.S. Open? Hale Irwin was 45 years and 15 days old when he won in 1990. Who was the youngest U.S. Open winner? John McDermott was 19 years, 315 days old when he won in 1911. Who was the youngest U.S. Open player? In 2012 a 14-year-old amateur from China, Andy Zhang, qualified. Who had the largest U.S. Open victory margin? Tiger Woods won by 15 strokes in 2000. This is the record for any major. Who holds the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record? Rory McIlroy shot 268 in 2011. That was 16 under par – also a record – on par-71 Congressional. Brooks Koepka won in 2017 at par-72 Erin Hills with a 16-under total (272). Who holds the 18-hole aggregate U.S. Open scoring record? This was long known as Johnny Miller's record (even though others subsequently tied it). Miller famously closed in 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. In 2023, however, Rickie Fowler opened in 62 at LACC to establish a new aggregate record. A few minutes after he did that, Xander Schauffele posted a 62 as well. They now co-own the mark. What does a player get for winning the U.S. Open? Last year's winner collected $4,300,000 (out of $21.5 million, overall purse). The winner is also exempt from qualifying for the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years, and exempt from U.S. Open qualifying for the next 10 years. If the winner is a PGA Tour member, he would receive a five-year exemption to all PGA Tour events. What happens if the U.S. Open is tied after 72 holes? There used to be an 18-hole playoff the following day. Now, if two or more players are tied at the end of regulation there is a two-hole aggregate playoff, followed by sudden death.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Amari Avery has to borrow a friend's clubs and still manages to make cut in the U.S. Women's Open
ERIN, Wis. — Amari Avery had to borrow a friend's clubs for one of the biggest rounds of her life and still found a way to make the cut in her first U.S. Women's Open. That was just part of an eventful weekend that also included an attempted break-in at the place where she was initially staying. 'To say it was wild is putting it pretty nice,' Avery quipped after completing her third round Saturday at Erin Hills. Avery's frantic Friday began at about 2 a.m. when she said her family had to notify the police about a suspicious person at the place in Milwaukee where they were sleeping. 'My boyfriend, my mom, and my dad saw the person outside the door, so it was a little bit scary,' Avery said. 'We just kind of stayed back away from the front door, and we were just kind of hoping it would solve itself. It was nice that the guy ended up leaving and the police came and made us feel more safe.' They then packed up their things while Avery's boyfriend, Gavin Aurilia, prepared to board a flight out of town. One problem: Aurilia inadvertently left with Avery's clubs instead of his own. Avery and Aurilia both have played collegiately at Southern California. 'We use the same from USC, so it's obviously the exact same, it looks the exact same,' Avery said. 'I think it's equally my dad and my boyfriend's fault for not checking the bags. But they loaded it in the car, my dad took him to the airport, and he grabbed the wrong set. That was that, and we actually didn't realize until about like 12:15, before my tee time.' Then the potential fallout from this oversight started to sink in. 'I sat in my hotel at 12:30 like, 'I guess I am going to pull out from the U.S. Open after a pretty solid round,' ' Avery said. 'I was obviously devastated.' Avery got rescued by former USC teammate Gabi Ruffels, who played Saturday morning and was unlikely to make the cut after finishing the first two rounds at 7-over par. 'My agent asked, 'Do you want to use her clubs?' ' Avery said. 'I was like, 'Well, how did she play?' Because I was like, if she's playing good, no one in their right mind is giving me their clubs. I probably wouldn't, either, and I'm a nice person. 'But unfortunately for her, she missed the cut, but it was fortunate for me and she's obviously a very class act, great friend of mine, so she lent me the clubs.' Avery carded a 73 with the borrowed clubs in the second round, good enough to enable her to make the cut. She was playing her 17th hole of the day when darkness forced a suspension of play Friday night. Avery finished the round Saturday morning after her own clubs already had been returned to Wisconsin, though United States Golf Association rules required her to finish that round with the same equipment she'd used at the start of it. Avery got her own clubs back because Aurilia's mother had caught a flight from Phoenix on Friday to bring them to her. 'I can't thank her enough,' Avery said. 'I can't thank my whole inner circle enough. To hop on a flight like that is crazy, and I'm just super grateful.' Avery actually posted a better score with the borrowed clubs in the second round than she did with her own clubs in the third round. On a day when scores across the board were much weaker than they'd been in the first two rounds, Avery posted a 76, though she nearly aced the 189-yard, par-3 No. 6. 'Based on the score and just based on how I felt yesterday, I felt like Gabi's clubs were honestly pretty good,' Avery said. 'I joked with her last night after I called her and I said, 'Obviously, thank you so much for lending me the clubs.' I was like, 'I might take your putter.' Like I love my putter, like everyone knows that. But I don't know, my college coach said I gained putts yesterday. "I was like, maybe I should take her putter and maybe like an iron or two. But, no, it was nice to have my clubs back.' golf: /hub/golf
