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CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Canada's Nick Taylor makes it look easy in the rain and shares the lead at Memorial
Nick Taylor walks across a bridge on the ninth hole during the second round of the Memorial golf tournament, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) DUBLIN, Ohio — Nick Taylor brought his best golf on a day that required no less at the Memorial. He putted for birdie on all but one hole Friday, somehow kept bogeys off his card and had a 4-under 68 that gave him a share of the lead with Ben Griffin. Taylor faced the worst of the weather, a rain that wouldn't quit, and the Abbotsford, B.C., native leaned on his college days as a Washington Huskie. He doesn't like these conditions, but he's knows them. Most impressive was keeping the stress at a minimum. 'It was a clean card, which was not necessarily what I expected,' said Taylor, who will play in next week's RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto in Caledon, Ont. 'But it was nice to keep it as simple as possible.' Griffin caught a slight break in the afternoon when the rain relented and Muirfield Village was soft. He had 16 pars, a birdie and a bogey for a 72 that put him at 7-under 137 with Taylor. Akshay Bhatia (69) was two shots behind, followed by defending champion Scottie Scheffler. The world's No. 1 player always seems to be lurking, and his 70 was probably as high as he could have shot the way he was hitting the ball in the rain. Scheffler missed a trio of birdie chances inside 10 feet on the front nine, hit wedge into the water on the 14th for bogey but otherwise was never too far away. 'Really a lot of good ball striking on the front nine to get me a good score there,' he said. Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., was tied for 12th at even par, Taylor Pendrith (72) of Richmond Hill, Ont., was tied for 18th at 1 over. Corey Conners (73) of Listowel, Ont., was tied for 27th at 2 over and Adam Hadwin (73), also from Abbotsford, was tied for 50th at 5 over. It was the highest 36-hole score to lead the Memorial since 2012. The rain was merely a nuisance that added to what already is a difficult test with rough that players feel will get them prepared for the U.S. Open in two weeks at Oakmont. 'The rough is almost second-to-none, at least for a 'regular' tour event,' Taylor said. 'Torrey Pines was pretty thick this year. Bay Hill is always thick. But it seems to be just a little bit thicker here, playing that much more difficult. 'You can catch a break here or there, but you just got to be in the fairway.' Taylor showed that keeping the ball in play and hitting good irons could go a long way, and he wasn't alone. Sam Burns played in the tougher morning conditions and shot 65 — 11 shots better than his opening round — to get within four of the lead. Justin Rose holed out from the fairway on No. 3 for eagle and made six birdies on the back. It added to a 66 — 12 shots better than Thursday — to get him back to even par. The drama came at the cut line. Because this is a player-hosted signature event — Jack Nicklaus in this case — there was a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties. It moved all the way down to 5-over 149, and that remarkably includes Hideki Matsuyama. The Japanese star birdied the 17th and needed par on the 18th to get to the weekend. He hooked his drive so badly on the final hole that it cleared the stream running down the left side of the fairway. From mangled rough, he belted it up toward the green and got up-and-down. When it comes to all-world pars, Jordan Spieth always seems to enter the conversation. Spieth pulled his tee shot on the par-5 11th inside the hazard line, just above the creek. He removed his socks and shoes and rolled his pants up to his knees to try to hack it out. And then he picked up the ball and took a penalty drop. This wasn't a long discussion. 'The creek's too deep so I couldn't actually stand in the water,' Spieth said. 'Also, I could reach the green (by taking a drop on shorter grass), which was a big reason why I took a drop.' If only it were that simple. He sent his 3-wood well to the right, clattering around trees and landing in more rough. But the lie was decent, and he managed to hit a flop shot over the bunkers and onto the green, rolling out to 4 feet for a par save. There was more to his round. Spieth birdied three of the last four holes. for a 69 and suddenly finds himself right in the mix, four shots out of the lead. Only 11 players remained under par. That included Collin Morikawa, who was tied for the lead through six holes and was done in on the par 5s. He played them in 3 over, including taking five shots from 50 feet away from the hole. The rough at Muirfield can make anyone look silly. Morikawa saved par on the 18th from a bunker for a 75 and was in the group at 2-under 142 that included Xander Schauffele, who started his day with a double bogey and finished it with four birdies on his last five holes. Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Pagdanganan among 4 tied for the LPGA lead in Mexico
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Bianca Pagdanganan felt right at home in the stifling heat and humidity Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, using her power to set up a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a four-way share of the lead in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pagdanganan among 4 tied for the LPGA lead in Mexico
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Bianca Pagdanganan felt right at home in the stifling heat and humidity Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, using her power to set up a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a four-way share of the lead in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Pagdanganan, the 27-year-old from the Philippines, managed to hit all but two greens despite not spending much time in the fairway. Her two-putt birdie from 15 feet allowed her to join Chisato Iwai, Jenny Shin and Brianna Do. The wind was enough of a challenge on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba. It was the heat index that became the biggest challenge and limited the scoring chances. Shin was the first to reach 68, making seven birdies but slowed with a double bogey on the 16th hole. Asked about her good start, Shin replied, 'I actually don't remember because it's so hot. I don't remember the first birdie.' But she remembered having a hot putter, mostly for birdie and a few parts. Still, it was hard getting past the stifling conditions. 'I didn't anticipate heat like this,' Shin said. 'I was really shocked when I got here. Definitely does feel like I'm in Southeast Asia. Been hydrating a lot. Drinking a lot of salted water. A lot of electrolytes. I haven't really been practicing, so I'm going to head straight to the hotel room after this.' Chisato birdied two of her last five holes, while Do got off to a superb start and was 4 under through her opening five holes. She cooled after that, with one bogey and a birdie on the 18th to claim a share of the lead. Five more players, including Hye-Jin Choi and Jenny Bae, were at 69. Charley Hull, at No. 15 in the world the highest-ranked player in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open, missed short putts down the stretch and had to settle for a 72. One of those misses came on the par-5 13th, when she hit her second shot to inside 3 feet. Pagdanganan felt at relative ease during the round. 'It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven't felt that in a while,' she said. "To be able to have that out here feels really good. I hit a lot of greens — not a lot of fairways. But I felt like it didn't matter that much to me today. I felt like I was swinging it pretty good. I had a pretty clear headspace. 'So I guess mentally and physically everything just lined up really well for me today.' It was a tough day for two of the more prominent Mexican players. Gaby Lopez, who played a role in getting the LPGA back to Mexico for the first time since 2017, had eight bogeys in her round of 79. Maria Fassi, a former NCAA champion at Arkansas, had two early birdies but struggled to a 75. Mayakoba previously hosted a PGA Tour event, and then it had a LIV Golf event last year. ___ AP golf: The Associated Press
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Pagdanganan among four tied for the LPGA lead in Mexico
Bianca Pagdanganan felt right at home in the stifling heat and humidity Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, using her power to set up a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a four-way share of the lead in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Pagdanganan, the 27-year-old from the Philippines, managed to hit all but two greens despite not spending much time in the fairway. Her two-putt birdie from 15 feet allowed her to join Chisato Iwai, Jenny Shin and Brianna Do. The wind was enough of a challenge on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba. It was the heat index that became the biggest challenge and limited the scoring chances. Shin was the first to reach 68, making seven birdies but slowed with a double bogey on the 16th hole. Asked about her good start, Shin replied, 'I actually don't remember because it's so hot. I don't remember the first birdie.' But she remembered having a hot putter, mostly for birdie and a few parts. Still, it was hard getting past the stifling conditions. 'I didn't anticipate heat like this,' Shin said. 'I was really shocked when I got here. Definitely does feel like I'm in Southeast Asia. Been hydrating a lot. Drinking a lot of salted water. A lot of electrolytes. I haven't really been practising, so I'm going to head straight to the hotel room after this.' Chisato birdied two of her last five holes, while Do got off to a superb start and was 4 under through her opening five holes. She cooled after that, with one bogey and a birdie on the 18th to claim a share of the lead. Five more players, including Hye-Jin Choi and Jenny Bae, were at 69. Charley Hull, at No. 15 in the world the highest-ranked player in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open, missed short putts down the stretch and had to settle for a 72. One of those misses came on the par-5 13th, when she hit her second shot to inside 3 feet. Pagdanganan felt at relative ease during the round. 'It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven't felt that in a while,' she said. 'To be able to have that out here feels really good. I hit a lot of greens – not a lot of fairways. But I felt like it didn't matter that much to me today. I felt like I was swinging it pretty good. I had a pretty clear headspace. 'So I guess mentally and physically everything just lined up really well for me today.' It was a tough day for two of the more prominent Mexican players. Gaby Lopez, who played a role in getting the LPGA back to Mexico for the first time since 2017, had eight bogeys in her round of 79. Maria Fassi, a former NCAA champion at Arkansas, had two early birdies but struggled to a 75. Mayakoba previously hosted a PGA Tour event, and then it had a LIV Golf event last year.
Associated Press
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Pagdanganan among 4 tied for the LPGA lead in Mexico
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Bianca Pagdanganan felt right at home in the stifling heat and humidity Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, using her power to set up a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a four-way share of the lead in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Pagdanganan, the 27-year-old from the Philippines, managed to hit all but two greens despite not spending much time in the fairway. Her two-putt birdie from 15 feet allowed her to join Chisato Iwai, Jenny Shin and Brianna Do. The wind was enough of a challenge on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba. It was the heat index that became the biggest challenge and limited the scoring chances. Shin was the first to reach 68, making seven birdies but slowed with a double bogey on the 16th hole. Asked about her good start, Shin replied, 'I actually don't remember because it's so hot. I don't remember the first birdie.' But she remembered having a hot putter, mostly for birdie and a few parts. Still, it was hard getting past the stifling conditions. 'I didn't anticipate heat like this,' Shin said. 'I was really shocked when I got here. Definitely does feel like I'm in Southeast Asia. Been hydrating a lot. Drinking a lot of salted water. A lot of electrolytes. I haven't really been practicing, so I'm going to head straight to the hotel room after this.' Chisato birdied two of her last five holes, while Do got off to a superb start and was 4 under through her opening five holes. She cooled after that, with one bogey and a birdie on the 18th to claim a share of the lead. Five more players, including Hye-Jin Choi and Jenny Bae, were at 69. Charley Hull, at No. 15 in the world the highest-ranked player in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open, missed short putts down the stretch and had to settle for a 72. One of those misses came on the par-5 13th, when she hit her second shot to inside 3 feet. Pagdanganan felt at relative ease during the round. 'It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven't felt that in a while,' she said. 'To be able to have that out here feels really good. I hit a lot of greens — not a lot of fairways. But I felt like it didn't matter that much to me today. I felt like I was swinging it pretty good. I had a pretty clear headspace. 'So I guess mentally and physically everything just lined up really well for me today.' It was a tough day for two of the more prominent Mexican players. Gaby Lopez, who played a role in getting the LPGA back to Mexico for the first time since 2017, had eight bogeys in her round of 79. Maria Fassi, a former NCAA champion at Arkansas, had two early birdies but struggled to a 75. Mayakoba previously hosted a PGA Tour event, and then it had a LIV Golf event last year. ___ AP golf:
