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New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Evian Championship Has Produced a Lot of Drama
The Amundi Evian Championship, which begins Thursday at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France, has produced its share of drama since Helen Alfredsson of Sweden captured the first tournament in 1994. The event, a major on the L.P.G.A. Tour since 2013, has been held 30 times. In half of those occasions, the winner won by a stroke or in a sudden-death playoff, including five times since 2017. Following are five tournaments that stand out. 2004 Early in the final round, Wendy Doolan trailed Annika Sorenstam, a Hall of Famer, by six strokes. Game, set and … Not match. During a five-hole stretch (holes six through 10), Doolan of Australia, notched three birdies and two eagles. The eagle came on No. 7, a par five, when she hit her second shot to within two feet and knocked in the putt. With three holes to go, she was up by three and wound up winning by one. 'That's a lot of birdies and eagles right there,' she said after clinching the victory. 'I'm going to cherish this because I wouldn't be surprised if it never happens again.' 'I just knew I had it in me to make a lot of birdies on this course,' she added. 'This means what I'm doing is working for me.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A True American Story — LPGA Celebrates 75 Years
A True American Story — LPGA Celebrates 75 Years originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Circa 1940's, United States of America: Babe Zaharias crushing drives past the 250-yard marker while her male competitors scratched their heads. Louise Suggs stepping up to the tee with that silky swing that made golf look like a gentle dance. Patty Berg standing over a 12-foot putt with the tournament on the line, ice water in her veins. Advertisement These weren't just good golfers—they were revolutionaries who happened to carry golf clubs. In 1950, these three women walked into Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas, with ten other players and basically said, "Screw it, we're starting our own tour." No corporate sponsors begging to write checks. No TV executives promising prime-time slots. Just thirteen women with enough guts to bet their careers on an impossible dream. Compare that to today's LPGA, where players will compete for $131 million across 33 tournaments in 2025. Not bad for an "impossible dream." The real explosion came in 1998 when Se Ri Pak showed up as a rookie and demolished the field at both the U.S. Women's Open and LPGA Championship. Suddenly, golf academies across Korea were packed with kids who wanted to swing like Se Ri. She didn't just win tournaments—she created a pipeline of talent that dominates today's leaderboards. Advertisement Annika Sorenstam signs autographs at Moon Valley Country Club after becoming the first player in LPGA history to shoot a 59 during a tournament on March 16, SCHUMACHER/THE REPUBLIC via Imagn Content Services, LLC Want to talk about money? Prize purses have grown by 252,500% since 1950. That's not a typo. The five major championships alone will pay out $47.8 million in 2025. Meanwhile, TV coverage has exploded from a few grainy broadcasts to multi-network deals that put LPGA stars in living rooms from California to South Korea. Technology has completely transformed the game. These players aren't just talented—they're data-driven athletes who know exactly how their 6-iron performs at 147 yards with a 12-mph crosswind. Launch monitors tell them everything. GPS systems map every blade of grass. Fitness programs have created golfers who routinely bomb 270-yard drives and stick approach shots within putting distance. But here's what hasn't changed: the LPGA is still about precision over power, strategy over strength. Watch Lydia Ko (who's earned over $20 million in her career) work her way around a tough course, or see Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul attack pins with the kind of controlled aggression that would make Arnold Palmer proud. Advertisement The tour isn't perfect; with the challenges we face as a society at large finding their way into sports, it's not always easy to make decisions. The pay gap with men's golf remains frustratingly wide. But the LPGA keeps pushing through strategic partnerships, better marketing, and simply putting on great golf tournaments. Progress is slow, but it's real. Seventy-five years later, the LPGA has become something those thirteen founders couldn't have imagined: a global institution where the world's best female athletes compete for millions while inspiring kids in driving ranges from Bangkok to Birmingham to chase their own dreams. The next chapter? It starts with the next tee shot. Advertisement Related: The Soul of American Golf: A Journey Through the Game's Heart and Heritage Related: Keegan Bradley's 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captains Could Deliver Victory to US Related: Allow Me to Introduce Myself This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phil Mickelson is playing in what could be his final U.S. Open this week
The science behind how the world's best players prepare for the U.S. Open The science behind how the world's best players prepare for the U.S. Open The science behind how the world's best players prepare for the U.S. Open Phil Mickelson will be teeing it up tomorrow in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and it could be his final time playing in America's national championship. Mickelson, 54, has one of the most decorated careers in golf history, including six majors, but he's missing one thing in his trophy case -- the U.S. Open. He's finished as a runner-up at the U.S. Open six times. The man known as "Lefty" is playing in his fourth U.S. Open at Oakmont, the only player in the field who also teed it up when Oakmont hosted the tournament in 1994. Following his practice round on Wednesday, fans crowded around the 9th green, trying to get autographs and perhaps, one last chance to see Mickelson play at the U.S. Open as he looks to complete the elusive career grand slam. Phil Mickelson signs autographs for fans at the end of his practice round on June 11th, 2025 at Oakmont Country Club ahead of the 125th playing of the U.S. Open Championship. Mike Darnay / KDKA Mickelson won the PGA Championship in 2021 at Kiawah Island, earning him five years worth of exemptions into the U.S. Open, which run out at the end of this year. With those exemptions running out, Mickelson was recently asked about whether this would be his last appearance at the U.S. Open and he said he hadn't given it much thought. Phil Mickelson says there's a "high likelihood" that next week is his final U.S. Open. 👀 The U.S. Open is the last leg missing for him to complete the career grand slam. — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 4, 2025 "I haven't thought about it too much," Mickelson said. "There's a high likelihood that it will be, but I haven't thought about it too much." USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer said Wednesday that if Mickelson indeed runs out of exemptions, the organization would review the possibility of providing one for next year's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills like they did in 2021. "I think the way that we would also think of Phil is we hope he earns his way in, and I think he'd tell you the same thing," Bodenhamer said. "That's what he did last time. We gave him one and then he went out and won the PGA Championship. So I wouldn't put it past him." Mickelson will start his opening round of the U.S. Open on Thursday at 8:02 a.m. off of the 10th tee. COMPLETE U.S. OPEN COVERAGE:
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Johnny McDermott: America's Forgotten US Open Champion
After sixteen long years, the United States would finally claim a win by a native-born player, ending a long streak of foreign-born winners at the U.S. Open. The first U.S.-born winner of the U.S. Open has a complex history and a golf résumé that reads more like a work of fiction than a true story, an epic rise and fall fit for the silver screen. Johnny McDermott came from humble beginnings. Born to a West Philadelphia mailman, he learned the game of golf while caddying at Aronimink Golf Club and would go on to become the first U.S.-born winner of the U.S. Open and, to this day, remains the youngest winner in the tournament's history. McDermott's early years were tumultuous. His father, McDermott Sr., was quick to anger, and by age six, McDermott Jr. was living part-time with his maternal grandmother. This may have benefited his golf game, as her home was next to a new nine-hole course. At age nine, McDermott began caddying at Aronimink Golf Club. It was said he would go for weeks at a time in immaculately clean, polished clothing, full of spunk and ego, then spend a week wearing the same poorly washed, crumpled clothes, withdrawn and reclusive. It's presumed he was in one of his high phases when he marched into the Aronimink clubhouse and demanded a caddying position, announcing he would be 'the best caddy they would ever hire.' He quickly found beauty in the golf swing. With guidance from club professional Walter Reynolds, McDermott learned to swing, grasped the strategy of the game, and even began manufacturing his own clubs. In 1906, at age 15 and under orders from his father, McDermott left school to join the workforce. Urged to work the docks and 'earn an honest living,' he instead became the assistant professional at Camden Country Club in New Jersey. He began competing in money matches, common at the time, where club members financially backed their pros. Still relatively unknown, McDermott pushed for more recognition and sought a position at a more prestigious club. From the writings of A.W. Tillinghast: 'One day a little fellow came up to me and recalled that he had caddied for me on a number of occasions and that he had become the head pro at a small nine-hole club in Merchantville, South Jersey. He yearned for better things and asked me to help him get the vacancy at Philadelphia Country Club. The suggestion, coming from an utterly unknown, staggered me. When I told him I had already placed former champion Willie Anderson there, he said it was a shame, as he could beat Anderson for red apples or green money. This supreme egoism left me quite cold. I regarded McDermott merely as a bumptious youth who needed a good trimming to show him his place.' Three years later, at age 18, McDermott played in his first U.S. Open. Unlike Francis Ouimet, McDermott faced less resistance entering the tournament as an established professional. However, professionals were still considered socially and morally inferior to their amateur counterparts. He finished 49th. Standing only 5'6' and weighing 130 pounds, McDermott was small even by the standards of the day. But his personality loomed large. Following his debut, he placed ads in New York newspapers challenging anyone to $500 matches (equivalent to over $13,000 today). His arrogance became public at the 1910 U.S. Open, where he finished second after a loss in the playoff. Afterward, he told winner Alex Smith, 'I'll get you next time, you big tramp.' McDermott's game and bravado soon carried him to victory at the Philadelphia Open. That win helped him move from the small nine-hole club to the prestigious Atlantic City Country Club, where he began playing money matches for $1,000. At the 1911 U.S. Open at Chicago Golf Club, McDermott arrived as t he American favorite. His fast, athletic swing, grimacing expressions, large hands, and the audible thwack of ball-on-club distinguished him. He started with a shaky 81 but rebounded in rounds 2, 3 and 4 to tie for the lead. In a playoff, he triumphed, despite rain and wind, thanks to his powerful, aggressive game and swing. At just 19, McDermott became (and still remains) the youngest winner of the U.S. Open. The following year, he defended his title at the Country Club of Buffalo, shooting two under par and winning by two strokes, the first under-par finish in U.S. Open history. Later that year, he placed fifth in his first Open Championship in Britain. British journalists, known for their bluntness, dubbed him the 'Little American Boy.' Shortly after returning, McDermott won the Shawnee Open by eight shots against a field that included Harry Vardon. In his post-round speech, McDermott famously said: 'We hope our foreign visitors had a good time, but we don't think they did, and we are sure they won't win the National Open.' The comment nearly ended his career. The USGA was furious, and despite his two U.S. Open wins and status as the only American-born champion, they considered banning him. His brash behavior, coupled with his status as a professional (rather than an amateur 'gentleman'), alienated many. In 1913, at The Country Club in Brookline, McDermott returned to defend his title. Rattled by controversy, he finished eighth. His reign ended as another American emerged, Francis Ouimet, a mild-mannered amateur who defeated Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff. The media embraced Ouimet. Like McDermott, he had caddied and taught himself the game. But unlike McDermott, he was seen as noble, humble, and deserving. While Ouimet became America's Cinderella story, McDermott was cast aside. His attempted comeback unraveled tragically. After arriving late for the 1914 Open Championship, his ferry having collided with another ship, McDermott withdrew. The incident, though minor, seemed to mentally shatter him. In October 1914, McDermott suffered a major mental breakdown. Today, his behavior might be diagnosed as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Voluntarily institutionalized, he became a patient at Norristown State Hospital but was occasionally allowed to play golf. He frequented Atlantic City Country Club and often played the hospital's modest six-hole course. Walter Hagen, a golf legend of the era, would visit and sometimes play with McDermott. Sitting with Hagen one day, McDermott repeatedly said: 'I don't think I ever saw a more beautiful view than from here. I think it is fine. Tell the boys I'm doing well.' Despite his mental decline, McDermott appeared to find some comfort. Norristown offered early occupational therapy, and patients engaged in making wicker baskets, leather goods, and rugs. However, treatments at the time also included digitalis, electroshock therapy, opioids, binding, and bloodletting. In his later years, McDermott suffered memory and speech loss, often mumbling incoherently and failing to recognize friends and family. In one final indignity, McDermott was removed from a tournament clubhouse for wearing shabby clothing. Arnold Palmer, witnessing the incident, ensured he was allowed to stay and acknowledged his immense contribution to American golf. McDermott died later that year. Johnny McDermott was a remarkable figure in American sports. His meteoric rise placed enormous pressure on his young mind, which eventually collapsed under the strain. He was a pioneer, his swing bold, his voice louder still. But his mind pushed too far, and he spent the majority of his life institutionalized. A boy from humble beginnings who conquered the golf world before being consumed by it, McDermott is a tragic American hero. He reached the summit of golf greatness, but the price of that pursuit was everything else
Washington Post
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
US Open '25: Hogan and Woods and other key anniversaries in the U.S. Open this year
OAKMONT, Pa. — A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the U.S. Open: Site: Worcester Country Club Winner: Willie MacFarlane Runner-up: Bobby Jones Score: 74-67-72-78-291 Margin: Playoff (MacFarlane 147, Jones 148) Winner's share: $500 Noteworthy: Jones felt his club moved the ball in the rough on the 11th hole of the first round. Officials were unable to confirm this and left it to Jones to make a ruling. He called a one-shot penalty on himself. Praised for his sportsman ship, Jones famously replied, 'You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank.'
