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NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Decorated Megha Ganne adds U.S. Women's Amateur title in seventh and final try
BANDON, Ore. – Katie Rudolph's introduction to Megha Ganne came at a driving range in Union, New Jersey. It took just a few swings from the 7-year-old Ganne that day at Galloping Hill to captivate Rudolph, who then raced to Ganne's parents to ask them if she could take the reins as Ganne's coach. 'She was basically a miniature version of who she is right now,' Rudolph said. A big personality with an even bigger game. And it wasn't long before Rudolph was telling Ganne, 'Let's go be the best in the world.' Ganne took a massive leap toward that goal on Sunday at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, where the now 21-year-old Ganne, a rising senior at Stanford, took down Michigan State grad Brooke Biermann, 4 and 3, in the scheduled 36-hole final of the 125th U.S. Women's Amateur. 'I'm not going to lie, I was thinking about this trophy like the entire day,' said Ganne, who never trailed against Biermann. Six times the intricate Robert Cox Trophy had eluded Ganne, a veteran of now 15 USGA championship starts, but no more. She gripped that thing tight and with both hands hoisted it way into the crisp, oceanside air. 'It's so much harder than it seems to win one of these,' Ganne said, 'and it takes not only like a lot of patience, tries at it, but so many things working in your favor – good health, good luck, good fortune, and good timing. All those things coming together just feels like it's fate.' Ganne entered this week ranked 11th in the world amateur rankings and with a sparkling resumé, even from a young age. She was a four-time Drive, Chip and Putt national finalist. She qualified for her first U.S. Girls' Junior in 2017, at just 13 years old, and a few weeks later did the same for her first U.S. Women's Amateur. Two years after that, she was the youngest match-play qualifier by four years at the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur before losing in the semifinals in 19 holes to Albane Valenzuela. Then came Olympic. In her second U.S. Women's Open appearance, a 17-year-old Ganne arrived on the national stage in San Francisco by leading after the first round and later booking her place in Sunday's final pairing. Though she'd slip to T-14, she still captured low-amateur honors – and everyone's attention. 'We flew under the radar for a long time,' Rudolph said, 'but when Olympic happened, it was like, 'OK, let's say goodbye to those days because you're officially on the radar. You're going to be it moving forward.'' Ganne was the Rolex AJGA Junior Player of the Year that winter. The next summer, she went 3-0 in her Curtis Cup debut at Merion before heading off to Stanford, where she's won twice in three seasons while playing a pivotal role in the Cardinal's 2024 NCAA Championship, plus national runners-up in 2023 and this past spring. But when Ganne would hit putts in her family's basement in Holmdel, New Jersey, some 45 minutes south of New York City, it was to win USGA titles. She's always held these championships in high regards – the star-studded fields, elite venues, unmatched history. 'Every time the USGA sends me a feedback form, I never know what to say because I don't know how it could possibly get better,' Ganne said. Ganne was disqualified from her final U.S. Girls' Junior in 2022 for signing for an incorrect score, and she missed last year's U.S. Women's Amateur after withdrawing the week of with food poisoning, a fitting end to a frustrating summer that also saw Ganne miss the Curtis Cup and miss extended time with hip and back injuries. But that adversity strengthened Ganne, now healthier and more pliable, who navigated 119 holes this week on the David McLay Kidd layout. She tied for 10th in stroke play before winning each of her first four matches without needing to play the par-5 18th hole. That momentum, however, came to a screeching halt in Saturday's semifinal opposite Australia's Ella Scaysbrook, who led 4 up with seven holes to play. On the ropes, Ganne thought about that fearless 15-year-old who nearly pulled off the unthinkable. If she could rally then, surely she could again in what will be her last U.S. Women's Amateur (she will be pro by next summer). 'There are so many more things to believe in now, although I had a lot of belief at 15 as well,' Ganne said. 'But at 15, I don't think I had nearly the toolset that I do now; I have so many more shots in the bag, my physical game has evolved, my mental game has evolved. It felt like when I was 15, I had to be playing my absolute best golf just to contend with these players, which is a totally different feeling than I have now. I feel like if I play golf that I know is well within my limits and my control, I feel like I'm going to be tough to beat.' Ganne prevailed in 19 holes to book her place in the championship match against Biermann, who was arguably the sentimental favorite, a bubbly blonde from St. Louis with her dad, Bill, on the bag and younger sister Ashleigh, who has battled a rare chromosomal condition, walking the fairways. Biermann was also a sizable underdog. Ganne birdied two of the first three holes to take a 2-up lead through three holes of the morning portion. Though Biermann immediately responded with lengthy birdie makes to tie the match through five frames, the flatstick would soon be her downfall. She whiffed on 3-footers at Nos. 7 and 13, and Ganne went into the lunch break leading, 3 up. Biermann found a couple sparks in the afternoon, most notably a 12-foot birdie conversion at the par-5 13th to get the ledger back to 3 down. But when she three-putted from just off the green and about 25 feet away at the par-4 14th, Biermann knew that was it. Ganne and her superstar ball-striking, no more evident than the piercing 5-iron she hit to birdie the par-4 11th in the afternoon, were just too much. 'Unfortunately, the putter went cold today,' said Biermann, who will turn pro and enter LPGA Q-School next month, 'but overall, I felt like I gave it my all and I had a blast out here.' Moments later, Ganne landed her tee ball at the par-3 15th just off the left side of the green but only 18 feet from the hole, and after Biermann missed her birdie try, completed her two-putt for USGA immortality. 'To actually have that putt is surreal,' Ganne said. This time, though, she wasn't standing in her basement. When she dropped her putter and immediately put both hands over her mouth, Ganne was illuminated by the setting sun along the Oregon coastline. Golden hour, as they call it, had arrived, and soon, it wasn't hard to notice the shiny tears starting to roll down Ganne's face as she embraced her loved ones, including her parents, Hari and Sudha, and Rudolph. 'I hope this helps her take the lid off things and she just starts winning everything,' Rudolph said. That 7-year-old girl with the bright future? She's still the same girl, only now she's a U.S. Women's Amateur champion.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Megha Ganne, Brooke Biermann to face off in U.S. Women's Amateur championship after historic semis
(Editor's note: Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan is following all the action from Bandon Dunes. Check out his updates from the semifinals here.) BANDON, Ore. — Seven years ago, Megha Ganne and Brooke Biermann faced off in the finals of the 2018 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. On Sunday, they'll face off again, but this time head-to-head in one of the oldest women's amateur championships in golf. Ganne and Biermann survived a historic semifinal Saturday at Bandon Dunes, both winning in 19 holes and advancing to the championship match of the U.S. Women's Amateur. It's only the third time in the championship's 125-year history that both semifinals have gone to extra holes (1900, 2018). Biermann led 3 up with three holes to play, but Biermann made bogey on the 16th, opening the door for rising Kansas junior Lyla Louderbaugh, who proceeded to roll in birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to extend the match. "What a putt to keep it rolling," Biermann said. "Being from Missouri I know her, and so it was a fun match. I mean, that putt on 18 was great. She had to make it and she did. "My dad was just like walking from 18 to 10, like, 'Brooke, calm down. You didn't do anything wrong. She's doing great." The Show-Me-State battle marched back to the 10th tee, where Biermann's jovial smile never left her face, even in the midst of an avalanche. Both players were in the fairway with their tee shots, with Biermann finding the green with her approach shot and was 15 feet from the pin. Louderbaugh was next, but she mailed the green and was long. Her third had no chance at staying on the back-to-front sloping surface, with the wind pushing it off into the front of the green. Her fourth shot was on, but Biermann only needed a par to secure her spot in the championship final. Before this week, Biermann had never made a cut at a USGA event. Now she has a chance to hoist the Robert Cox Trophy. And don't expect her smile to fade. "if I'm not happy, I don't know why I would be doing this. I mean, all I'm thinking, like walking up 18 is two little cute deer babies and I think their mom -- I was more focused on that, probably my fault. But very cute and to me I was like what is special place. Whatever happens, happens. I'm here, I'm with my family. Like feel like I already won in a sense with like what a great week I've had. "So like it's all perspective I guess. Yeah." In the second semifinal, Australian teen Ella Scaysbrook, the 63 seed who hadn't played a match past the 15th hole, held a 4-up lead with seven holes to go on Ganne, ranked 11th in the world. But in match play, and at Bandon Dunes, where the back-nine holes are electric and incredible theater for match play when combined with the wind, anything can happen. "I don't say exactly what I was thinking, but you can imagine," Ganne said. "I think I was a little bit flustered in that moment because I felt like I was gaining some momentum after I went back to 3 down on 10. I reminded myself that I have literally won so many matches from 2 down, 3 down, 4 down. Matches start on the back nine no matter what the score is turning onto the back nine. "Reminded myself of that and how many times I've done it. Today is no different." Scaysbrook struggled on the par-3 12th, her double bogey giving Ganne an easy win. Then on the next hole, Scaysbrook missed about a 4 footer to tie, and Ganne was one step closer. "That was the first putt I've seen her miss all day and it wasn't that short," Ganne said. "Her putting was beyond impressive. Any time she was around the green or near it I knew I could mark her down for a two there." Ganne then birdied the par-3 15th to go 1 down. Scaysbrook then hit her approach shot into the penalty area right of the 17th green, and Ganne pounced, making a clutch 5 footer for par after Scaysbrook buried a long bogey look. In the extra hole, Ganne found the green with her approach and had a good look for birdie from inside 10 feet. But Scaysbrook made the same mistake Louderbaugh did, going right of the green. She was unable to get the ball on the putting surface after two shots and conceded the hole, giving Ganne the win. And after making the semifinals in 2019 and losing in 19 holes to Albane Valenzuela, Ganne flipped the script this time. "If you told yourself at 15 this is where you would be you would be pretty proud of yourself," Ganne said of advancing past the semifinals after falling short in 2019. "I was like, you're exactly the type of person that could make this happen right now. Let's just go do it. Now the championship spotlight is on Biermann, the 22-year-old Michigan State graduate, against Ganne, the 21-year-old rising senior at Stanford. The 36-hole championship final begins at 9:45 a.m. local time Sunday. Biermann and Ganne are plenty familiar with each other, having face off in their junior careers and in college multiple times. Even dating to the Drive, Chip & Putt national finals, the two players have found themselves in the spotlight when it comes to competing for a championship title. The stakes are turned up a bit come Sunday, though.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minor Lines 8/7: Kyle Harrison throws a gem
Worcester Red Sox 2, Buffalo Bisons 1 (BOX) Kyle Harrison had his best outing as a member of the Woo Sox on Thursday afternoon, firing five shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out seven. He left with a 1-0 lead but ultimately received a no-decision. Harrison's fastball averaged 93.9 mph and topped out at 96. He threw the fastball 48% of the time, slurve 26%, slider 18%, and change-up 7%. Ian Cundall was impressed with the fastball but referenced issues with command and an inability to put away some hitters. As a result, Harrison threw 99 pitches over those five innings. Tyler Uberstine worked four innings in relief to get the game to the finish line, gaining the win. He struck out eight. Worcester went ahead early with an RBI walk from Nick Sogard. After Buffalo (TOR) tied it with a home run in the top of the eighth inning, Worcester answered with a game-winning home run from Nate Eaton in the bottom of the eighth. Kristian Campbell's 15-game hitting streak came to an end, going 0-for-4. Tyler McDonough had two hits and a run. Recently promoted Connelly Early will get his first Worcester start against CJ Van Eyk at 6:45 this evening. Harrisburg Senators 5, Portland Sea Dogs 4 (BOX) John Holobetz battled through a tough four-run third inning to get through six on Thursday against Harrisburg (WAS). The Sea Dogs battled back from that 4-0 deficit throughout the game, eventually tying it in the top of the ninth with an RBI single from Ahbram Liendo, part of a two-RBI day. However, in the bottom of the ninth, Maxwell Romero Jr. singled off Jorge Juan for a walkoff win. Liendo, Brooks Brannon, and Tyler Miller all contributed two hits for Portland. The Sea Dogs have not announced a starter for tonight at 7:00 ET against Thomas Schultz. Greenville Drive 7, Rome Emperors 3 (Game 1) BOX Rome Emperors 3, Greenville Drive 2 (Game 2) BOX The bats were hot throughout the seven-inning Game One for the Drive on Thursday. They scored seven runs on eight hits, with the key blast being a two-run shot off the bat of catcher Johanfran Garcia in the sixth. If a nine-inning game requires five innings for a win, shouldn't a seven-inning game require just four? Luis Cohen (no relation to Seth) threw four shutout innings, but the win went to Adam Smith who allowed three runs over the final three innings. In Game Two, a makeup from June, the Emperors (ATL) salvaged a split, 3-2, despite a two-home run effort from first baseman Albert Feliz, his fifth and sixth home runs of the season. Devin Futrell allowed just one earned run over 4 1/3 innings but suffered the loss. Greenville has not announced a starter at 6:45 tonight against Herick Hernandez. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Salem Red Sox 3 (Game 1) BOX Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 2, Salem Red Sox 1 (Game 2) BOX After Wednesday's rainout, Salem got swept in Thursday's doubleheader. With six games to write up today, Salem gets the short end of the stick from me as a punishment for getting swept. Gerardo Rodriguez homered in Game One, Kleyver Salazar homered in Game Two, and Adam Bates pitched well over 4 2/3 innings in the second game. Yhoiker Fajardo (1-3, 3.56) gets the ball at 6:35 tonight vs. TBD.
The Journal
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Liveline audience was down 8,000 in June when Joe Duffy signed off the airwaves
JOE DUFFY SIGNED off the airwaves with an audience drop of 8,000. In May, Duffy announced his retirement from RTÉ Radio One , after 37 years at the broadcaster and 27 years at the helm of Liveline. His final edition of Liveline was on 27 June and he said it was a 'privilege' to host the show. Today, the JNLR listenership figures were released for the 12 months to the end of June, around the time Duffy bid farewell to Liveline. The JNLR survey is conducted among an annual sample of around 16,800 people aged 15 and over. It uses the 'one-day-aided' recall methodology, whereby the respondent recalls all their listening activity for the day prior. According to the latest survey, roughly 3.83 million adults are listening to Irish radio every day. That's a drop from the first quarter of the year, when this figure stood at 3.97 million. Dublin Fire Brigade with pictured with Joe Duffy as he presents his final farewell show in Studio 1 in RTÉ Radio Centre. Andres Poveda Andres Poveda In the 12 months to March , Liveline with Joe Duffy had an audience of 307,000. In the most recent figures in the year to June, this audience dropped by 8,000 to 299,000 listeners. Elsewhere, both Oliver Callan and RTÉ's flagship Morning Ireland saw slight decreases in listenership, down 1,000 to 354,000 for Callan and down 2,000 to 469,000 for Morning Ireland, which remains Ireland's most-listened-to radio show. File image of Oliver Callan Meanwhile, it's good news for Brendan O'Connor who sees a sharp increase in his audience. When compared to the first quarter of the year, the audience for his Saturday show is up 49,000 to 412,000 while his Sunday audience is up 40,000 to 409,000. Today with Claire Byrne meanwhile is up 6,000 to 354,000. Advertisement ile image of Claire Byrne RTÉ Radio One has also increased its weekly reach by 25,000 to hit 1.403 million. Over on RTÉ 2FM, the Breakfast show is down 9,000 listeners to 139,000, Laura Fox has lost 5,000 listeners and has an audience of 122,000, while Drive with Doireann Garrihy is down 8,000 to 125,000. File image of Doireann Garrihy It was announced in January that Garrihy would return to the station after a brief hiatus . Bauer network It's been good news for the Bauer Media Audio Ireland, which includes Today FM and Newstalk, as well as 98FM, SPIN1038, Cork's Red FM, iRadio and Beat. This radio network has a weekly reach of 2.28 million and a daily reach of 1.56 million. On Today FM, the Ian Dempsey Show continues to add listeners, up 9,000 to reach a morning audience of 213,000. Dave Moore has also seen a rise in listeners, up 5,000 when compared to March to an audience of 198,000. Matt Cooper meanwhile has seen a sharp increase since figures from the first quarter of the year – his audience is up 17,000 to hit 181,000. Meanwhile, the station as a whole has a weekly audience of 928,000, up 14,000, while its daily reach is 499,000, up 33,000. Over on Newstalk, The Pat Kenny Show remains the most popular programme on commercial radio, though it is down 8,000 listeners to 216,000. Newstalk's Pat Kenny Kieran Cuddihy has added 12,000 listeners to the Hard Shoulder, with an audience of 165,000, while Off The Ball has seen its audience rise by 8,000 to 59,000. On Off The Ball's weekend offerings, record audiences have been reached, with 158,000 tuning in on Saturday's, an increase of 1,000, while 155,000 listen in on Sunday's, up 9,000. The Anton Savage Show on Saturday's meanwhile is up 6,000 to an audience of 139,000. Elsewhere on the Bauer network, 98FM's weekly reach is down slightly to a figure of 195,000, a drop of 2,000, while Cork's Red FM has a weekly reach of 174,000. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Miami Herald
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
MIT's Light-Only AI Chip Could Supercharge Electric Vehicles
Imagine an EV that doesn't need a bulky cooling system for its brain. Imagine your car processing LiDAR data, high-res camera feeds, and driver monitoring in real time-without sipping a ton of juice from the battery. MIT's new light-only AI chip, which swaps electrons for photons, might just pull this off. This isn't a minor tweak in chip design. It's a potential industry earthquake. The chip runs on photons, meaning it processes data with light instead of electricity. Sounds like sci-fi, right? But the benefits are huge: 90 percent less power consumption, almost no heat generation, and computations that happen at, well, the speed of light. For EVs, which fight tooth and nail for every mile of range, this could be the difference between 300 miles and 350 miles on a single charge. Every modern EV has a digital nervous system that sucks energy. The AI stack - everything from lane-keeping assist to voice commands - relies on energy-hungry chips like NVIDIA's Drive platform. Even when the car's parked, these processors run diagnostics and software updates, quietly draining the battery. Swap those power-hogging silicon chips with something that barely sips energy? You free up power for the motor, heating, and air conditioning. Suddenly, EVs can be smarter and go further without strapping on a bigger, heavier battery pack. And it's not just about range. The photonic chip's speed could slash latency in autonomous driving. Maybe this is exactly what Tesla's Autopilot needs to work without killing people. Imagine your car spotting a cyclist darting across the road and responding faster than your reflexes. That's not marketing hype - that's rather some life-saving tech. Self-driving cars rely on billions of calculations per second. Traditional GPUs do the job, but they're power-hungry beasts that require liquid cooling and complex thermal management. A photonic AI chip can handle these calculations with barely any heat output, which means lighter systems, lower costs, and fewer points of failure. Tesla, Waymo, and every other company chasing autonomy would kill for this kind of efficiency. Even if photonic chips start as co-processors - handling vision or sensor fusion - they'll free up traditional CPUs and GPUs to handle the rest with more breathing room. There's always a catch. These chips are still in the lab, and automotive-grade hardware certification isn't exactly speedy. Cars need chips that can survive scorching heat, freezing temperatures, and years of vibration. Expect a timeline closer to 2027 before you see a production EV using this tech. Still, the writing's on the wall. The next wave of EV innovation won't just be about battery chemistry or charging speed. It'll be about making the brains of the car just as efficient as its brawn. This MIT breakthrough is a reminder that the EV arms race is far from over. Today, it's all about range anxiety. Tomorrow, it will be about how fast your car's AI can think without stealing electrons from the wheels. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
