Scheffler outlasts protest, beats Kim to win Travelers in playoff - Golf (2024)

The Canadian Press - Jun 24, 2024 / 11:38 am | Story: 493918

CALGARY — A busy summer schedule for Brooke Henderson will include two high-profile events where she’ll proudly represent her home country.

After competing at the 50th playing of the CPKC Women’s Open at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club, the 26-year-old superstar from Smiths Falls, Ont., will quickly turn her attentions towards preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

“I have a really exciting summer coming up and then to add Paris to that list is super cool,” said Henderson, who was in Calgary on Monday at a press conference ahead of the LPGA Tour's CPKC Women's Open.

"To become an Olympian as an athlete I think is one of the most special things and probably the highlight of being an athlete is becoming an Olympian. To go and represent Canada is such an honour and I’m very proud of that."

Henderson and veteran golfer Alena Sharp, 43, of Hamilton, qualified to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics as the top two Canadians in the world rankings when the qualification window closed Sunday.

“I always feel, like Brooke said, a lot of pride in wearing the red and white and you go there and you’re part of Team Canada,” said Sharp, who will be competing at her 19th Canadian national championship in Calgary. “You’re playing for yourself, yes, because you want to win a medal, but you’re representing your country and there’s no greater honour.”

It will be the third Olympics for both Henderson and Sharp.

Henderson, a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour who is ranked No. 14 in the world, finished tied for seventh when golf returned to the Olympics after a 112-year absence at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. She finished tied for 29th at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Sharp, ranked No. 292 in the world, was 30th in Rio and 40th in Tokyo. She is coming off a bronze-medal win at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Nick Taylor and Corey Conners were named to the Canadian Olympic team last week.

Earl Grey will be hosting the CPKC Women’s Open for the first time, but the event was held at Priddis Golf and Country Club southwest of Calgary in 1999, 2009 and 2016.

Sharp had the best result of her LPGA Tour career at the 2016 Canadian championship when she birdied her last two holes in the final round to place fourth at 16 under. Meanwhile, Henderson shot 69 in her final round to tie for 14th at 11-under at the age of 18.

"It’s so exciting to be able to be home and compete on home soil and to have the love and support of all the fans and everyone that comes out to watch, it’s pretty incredible,” said Henderson. "It’s kind of hard to put into words how grateful I am to everyone when they come out year after year and as we move across the country the crowds are always still huge and so much fun to be able to play in front of.

"I just hope I can put on a good show and give them something to cheer about."

Henderson won the national championship in 2018 at Regina’s Wascana Country Club by four strokes when she finished at 21 under.

"It’s a huge highlight of my career being able to win this event back in 2018," said Henderson. "I’ve always dreamt of winning this event. It’s always played an important role in my life."

Henderson added she’s proud of the more than $19 million that the tournament has raised through its CPKC Has Heart initiative to support cardiac research, equipment and care across North America.

American golfer Megan Khang will also tee off at Earl Grey. She won last year’s CPKC Women’s Open in a one-hole playoff over South Korea’s Jin Young Ko at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.

"The way I won it, I taught myself that I do have the grit and when it comes to it, you’ve just got to hunker down and go for broke sometimes," Khang said. “To be able to pull it off against Jin Young Ko, who’s a phenomenal golfer, it definitely gave me a lot of confidence. That playoff was definitely the most never-wracking moment in my career up to this point. I wouldn’t change it for anything else just because of all the lessons it taught me."

The field also includes three-time CPKC Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee, Jennifer Kupcho, In Gee Chun, Danielle Kang, Sei Young Kim, Linn Grant and Maja Stark. Lexi Thompson will compete in her final Canadian championship after announcing she will retire from competitive golf at the end of the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 23, 2024 / 5:36 pm | Story: 493847

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler beat Tom Kim with a par on the first playoff hole to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday — waiting out a disruption by climate protesters who sprayed powder on the 18th green — for his sixth win of the year.

That’s the most in one PGA Tour season since Tiger Woods won six in 2009 and the most by a player before July since Arnold Palmer in 1962.

It was Scheffler’s fourth victory of the year in the PGA Tour’s $20 million signature events, earning him a payday of $3.6 million. He also won the Masters and The Players Championship.

Scheffler closed with a 5-under 65 to post 22-under 258 at the TPC River Highlands. After the disruption on the 18th, which delayed play for about five minutes after police tackled the protesters, Scheffler left a 26-foot putt from the fringe on the edge of the cup and tapped in for par. Kim then made a 10-foot birdie putt for a 66 to catch Scheffler.

The hole location on the 18th was moved for the playoff to avoid the parts of the green affected by the protesters. Scheffler hit his approach to 11 feet while Kim found a plugged lie in the front bunker and made bogey. Scheffler two-putted for par and the victory.

LPGA Tour and PGA of America

SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Amy Yang built a huge lead and survived a couple of late mistakes to win her long-awaited first major title on Sunday, a three-shot victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Yang closed with an even-par 72 at Sahalee to finish at 7-under 281. She was nearly flawless for the first 15 holes and reached 10 under for the tournament for a seven-shot lead before running into a little bit of trouble, dropping three shots in two holes. None of her pursuers was able to mount a significant charge.

At age 34, Yang is the oldest major winner on the LPGA Tour since Angela Stanford won the 2018 Evian Championship at age 40.

Yang’s sixth LPGA victory was her first since last year’s CME Group Tour Championship, which was also the most recent victory by a South Korean player. She earned a spot in the Paris Olympics, where she will represent South Korea for the third time.

Lilia Vu and Jin Young Ko each shot 71 to tie for second at 284. Vu shot three rounds under par, but couldn’t overcome a 75 in the first round.

LIV Golf League

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyrrell Hatton won the inaugural LIV Golf Nashville on Sunday, easily holding off Jon Rahm and two-time U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau for the Englishman’s first victory since January 2021 at Abu Dhabi.

Hatton took a three-stroke lead into the round, and shot a 6-under 65 to polish off a six-stroke win over Sam Horsfield at The Grove.

This was Hatton’s ninth event since joining LIV Golf, and a tie for fourth had been his best finish. His lone PGA Tour victory was the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational. With captain Rahm shooting a 68, Hatton helped Legion XIII also win its third team title.

Rahm played his first event since an infection on his left foot kept him out of the U.S. Open after withdrawing from LIV Golf Houston during the second round. He tied for third with DeChambeau (68), Joaquin Niemann (62) and Lee Westwood (66).

European tour

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Guido Migliozzi of Italy holed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th and then birdied it twice more in sudden death to win the KLM Open in a three-man playoff on Sunday.

Migliozzi birdied two of his last three holes for a 1-under 70, joining Marcus Kinhult of Sweden and Joe Dean of England, who earlier birdied the 18th and each posted a 68.

All three players birdied the 18th on the first playoff hole, but the Italian was the only player who managed birdie on the second extra hole, two-putting from about 60 feet for his first European tour victory in nearly two years.

Migliozzi and Dean earned the two spots available for the British Open next month at Royal Troon through the Open Qualifying Series. Dean earned the exemption over Kinhult based on a better world ranking.

PGA Tour Champions

ENDICOTT, N.Y. (AP) — Padraig Harrington won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open for the third consecutive year on Sunday, making a key par save on the par-3 17th to hold on for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Mike Weir.

Weir was playing two groups ahead of Harrington and closed within one shot by making birdie on the 17th hole. Harrington missed the green to the right and faced a difficult lie, with the ball sitting down on a slight slope.

He chipped it about 8 feet past the hole and made the par putt, and then closed out with a par on the 18th at En-Joie Golf Club to finish at 15-under 201.

The victory comes one week after Harrington was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame during the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Weir closed with a 67. Ken Duke (68), Mark Hensby (66) and Ken Tanigawa (70) tied for third, two shots behind. Tanigawa was part of a three-way tie for the 36-hole lead with Harrington and Stephen Ames.

Korn Ferry Tour

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — John Pak capped off his first Korn Ferry Tour victory on Sunday when he closed with a 2-under 70 for a three-shot victory in the inaugural Compliance Solutions Championship.

Pak had a seven-shot lead going into the final round thanks to a 65 on Saturday. He responded to an early bogey with a birdie, played the front nine of the Jimmie Austin OU course even, and played bogey-free on the back nine with birdies on both the par 5s.

Jackson Suber, the alternate who replaced an injured Jon Rahm at the U.S. Open and then made the cut, closed with a 63 to finish alone in second and move to No. 22 on the points list.

Steven Fish (67) finished alone in third.

Pak, who swept all the college awards in 2021 as a senior at Florida State, finished at 23-under 265 and moved from No. 51 to No. 9 on the points list.

Other tours

Soo Bin Joo shot 3-under 69 on Sunday and won the Island Resort Championship in an Epson Tour event that was reduced to 36 holes because of rain. Former LSU star Ingrid Lindblad had a 66 and was among five players who tied for second. ... Ryo Ishikawa closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Japan Players Championship, his 19th career victory on the Japan Golf Tour. ... Minkyu Kim won the Kolon Korea Open for the second time with a 5-under 66, giving him a three-shot victory over Younghan Song. Kim and Song each earned a spot in the British Open through the Open Qualifying Series. ... Frederik Kjettrup of Denmark won in his second start as a pro when the Florida State alum closed with a 2-under 68 for a one-shot victory in The Beachlands Victoria Open in Canada on the PGA Tour Americas. ... John Parry won his third Challenge Tour title when he closed with a 2-under 68 and won the first hole of a playoff with a par to defeat Per Langfors in the Blot Open de Bretagne. ... Marta Martin of Spain closed with a 9-under 63 for a four-shot victory over Rosie Davies in the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour. ... Sakura Koiwai won for the second time this year on the Japan LPGA with a 7-under 65 for a six-shot victory in the Earth Mondahmin Cup. ... Hungkyung Park closed with a 2-under 70 and won a three-way playoff on the fourth extra hole to capture the Hankyung Ladies Cup on the Korea LPGA.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 23, 2024 / 4:20 pm | Story: 493841

SAMAMMISH, Wash. (AP) — Standing in the 18th fairway, Amy Yang leaned over to caddie Jan Meierling and acknowledged the anxiety and nerves she carried for the previous 17 holes.

“This has been the longest 18 holes I’ve ever played in my career,” Yang told Meierling.

After years of near-misses in the majors, Yang finally enjoyed the celebration she’d long sought: standing on the 18th green, doused in Champagne by her peers as a major champion.

“At one point I thought, ‘Will I every win a major championship before I retire?’” Yang said. “And I finally did it and it’s just amazing.”

Steady over four days at demanding, tree-lined Sahalee, Yang built a huge lead and survived a couple of late mistakes to win her long-awaited major title on Sunday, a three-shot victory in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

Yang closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281. She was nearly flawless for the first 15 holes and reached 10 under for the tournament for a seven-shot lead before running into a little bit of trouble. But none of her pursuers was able to mount a significant charge.

At age 34, Yang is the oldest major winner on the LPGA Tour since Angela Stanford won the 2018 Evian Championship at age 40. Anna Nordqvist had recently turned 34 when she won the Women’s British Open in 2021.

This was Yang's 75th major start, the most before a player's first major title since Stanford, who was playing her 76th. As she spoke to reporters, a group of children waited outside the interview tent, chanting “Amy, Amy,” and seeking an autograph from the newest major champ.

“It’s been incredible all this week. Everyone was rooting for me. I want to go sign some autographs for them,” Yang said.

Yang's sixth LPGA victory was her first since last year's CME Group Tour Championship, which was also the most recent victory by a South Korean player. She earned a spot in the Paris Olympics, where she will represent South Korea for the third time.

“The first half of the year she was kind of like in between. Motivation is kind of a roller-coaster ride for her because she's done a lot of things, but there's definitely some goals she wants to accomplish, this being one of them,” Meierling said. “These weeks get her reinvigorated.”

Lilia Vu and Jin Young Ko each shot 71 to tie for second at 4 under. Vu shot three rounds under par, but couldn’t overcome a 75 in the first round.

“If (you) hit like Amy, you can win, too,” Ko said.

Twice earlier in her career, Yang held the 54-hole lead in a major only to fall short. At the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, Yang was tied with Michelle Wie going into the final round, but shot 74 as Wie won. A year later in the same tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Yang had a three-shot advantage, but In Gee Chun shot 66 to win by one.

Nine times, Yang finished second, third or fourth in a major without a title. Until now.

“Golf is really just like a fight against myself. I think I proved myself that I can compete and I can do this,” she said.

Yang was remarkably steady until her final few holes. She made five bogeys over her first 69 holes before she three-putted the 16th. Then she pushed her tee shot on the par-3 17th well right and it bounced into a lake, leading to double bogey.

Yang steadied herself with a perfect tee shot on the par-5 18th, leading to a two-putt par and the Champagne celebration.

Yang held a two-shot advantage when she stepped to the first tee on a cooler Sunday after three straight days of above-average temperatures. The front nine saw breezes whistle through the towering trees to the point play had to be paused so pollen buds could be blown off the greens.

Yang was unfazed. By the time she made the turn, she led by five. Yang birdied the first hole, chipped in for birdie from 23 yards off the green on the fifth and dropped a 7-foot birdie putt on the eighth — the toughest hole on the course — to move to 9 under.

When she hit into the trees on No. 10 and made bogey, Yang responded with a birdie at the 11th and made her final birdie at the 13th.

Playing in the final group with Yang, Lauren Hartlage had a chance to tie the lead at 8 under, but her 5-foot birdie try on the par-5 sixth hole caught the left edge, spun around the cup and stayed out. Hartlage made double bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8 and made the turn six shots behind. She tied for fifth at 3 under, her best career finish.

There was only one round in the 60s on the final day — Japan's Mao Saigo shot 67 to finish at 2 under, tied for seventh.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 23, 2024 / 4:17 pm | Story: 493842

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyrrell Hatton won the inaugural LIV Golf Nashville event Sunday, easily holding off Jon Rahm and two-time U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau for the Englishman's first victory since January 2021 at Abu Dhabi.

Hatton took a three-stroke lead into the round, and shot a 6-under 65 to polish off a six-stroke win at The Grove. Hatton had eight birdies and two bogeys to finish at 19-under 194 trying to avoid looking at a leaderboard until the 17th green.

“It was nice to play the last few holes and it not be super tight,” said Hatton, who shot a 77 and tied for 26th at the U.S. Open last week. “I guess having not won for three and a half years ... you wonder if you'll be able to do it in some ways. So I was happy I was able to prove it to myself.”

This was Hatton’s ninth event since joining LIV Golf, and a tie for fourth had been his best finish. His lone PGA victory was the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational. With captain Rahm shooting a 68, Hatton helped Legion XIII also win its third team title.

Rahm played his first event since an infection on his left foot kept him out of the U.S. Open after withdrawing from LIV Golf Houston during the second round. Nobody could chase Hatton down on a steamy Tennessee afternoon.

Fellow Englishman Sam Horsfield made his own late run with five birdies over his final nine holes for a 65 and finished 13 under.

DeChambeau (68) and Rahm tied Joaquin Niemann (62) and Lee Westwood (66) at 12 under.

Rahm birdied three of his first four holes to pull within two of Hatton. Then the Spaniard hooked his tee shot into the water on the par-4 sixth. He made clear a drone used for TV coverage affected his backswing, and he salvaged a double bogey.

DeChambeau hit the pin on the par-3 15th and watched his birdie putt dribble away from the hole. He watched, then fell to the green and rolled onto his back.

A sudden downpour suspended play with five holes left for 22 minutes before the sun popped back out to conclude the final five holes.

UP NEXT:

LIV Golf's next event is July 12-14 at Real Club Valderrama in Andalucia, Spain.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 23, 2024 / 2:05 pm | Story: 493827

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The Canadian Press - Jun 23, 2024 / 1:40 pm | Story: 493817

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Six climate protesters stormed the 18th green while the leaders were lining up their putts for the final hole of regulation at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship on Sunday, spraying smoke and powder and delaying the finish for about five minutes.

The protesters waved smoke bombs that left white and red residue on the putting surface before Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia finished their rounds. Some wore white T-shirts with the words “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” in black lettering on the front.

“I was scared for my life,” Bhatia said. “I didn’t even really know what was happening. ... But thankfully the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff.”

The PGA Tour issued a statement thanking the Cromwell Police Department “for their quick and decisive action” and noting that there was no damage to the 18th green that affected either the end of regulation or the playoff hole.

Scheffler, who was arrested during a traffic stop at the PGA Championship, also praised the officers.

“From my point of view, they got it taken care of pretty dang fast, and so we were very grateful for that,” said Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, who beat Kim on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff for his sixth victory of the year.

“When something like that happens, you don’t really know what’s happening, so it can kind of rattle you a little bit,” Scheffler said. “That can be a stressful situation, and you would hate for the tournament to end on something weird happening because of a situation like that. I felt like Tom and I both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18.”

Extinction Rebellion, an activist group with a history of disrupting events around the world, claimed responsibility for the protest. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, the group blamed climate change for an electrical storm that injured two people at a home near the course on Saturday.

“This was of course due to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions,” the statement said. “Golf, more than other events, is heavily reliant on good weather. Golf fans should therefore understand better than most the need for strong, immediate climate action.”

After the protesters were tackled by police and taken off, Scheffler left a potential 26-foot clincher from the fringe on the right edge of the cup, then tapped in for par. Kim, who trailed by one stroke heading into the final hole, sank a 10-foot birdie putt to tie Scheffler and force the playoff.

Kim said the protest took his mind off the pressure.

“It kind of slowed things down,” he said. “It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17 and a half holes all you’re thinking about is golf, and suddenly when that happens your mind goes into a complete — like, you’re almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second.”

The crowd surrounding the 18th green heckled the protesters by yelling profanities and cheered the police who intervened. After the players putted out in regulation, workers with leaf blowers came out to clean off the remaining powder.

The hole location was moved for the playoff, which was also on No. 18. Scheffler parred the first hole of sudden death to win.

“They left a lot of marks on the greens, which is not right for us players — especially when two guys are trying to win a golf tournament,” Kim said. “But I’m very grateful for the tour and the tour security for handling that really well and making us players feel a lot safer.”

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The Canadian Press - Jun 22, 2024 / 6:20 pm | Story: 493751

SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Amy Yang shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as she chases her first major victory.

Yang was at 7-under 209 at Sahalee Country Club, remaining steady around the greens on the tree-lined course that requires utmost accuracy and precision.

“I grew up watching so many great players in the past, and I saw them winning all the major championships, “Yang said. “I dreamed about playing out here because of them. I work hard for this.

"It’ll mean a lot, but we still got 18 more holes out there and that’s a lot of golf left for major championship.”

The 34-year-old South Korean player has five LPGA Tour victories, the last in November in the Tour Championship.

Lauren Hartlage and Miyu Yamash*ta were tied for second at 5 under.

Hartlage shot her second straight 69 for the only bogey-free round of the day. The American is winless in three seasons on the LPGA Tour.

“Never been in this position before and this is something that I dreamed about growing up as a kid,” Hartlage said. “So, it’s really awesome to be in this position and just kind of see how it goes and learn from every day, every round.”

Yamash*ta, from Japan, had her second 70 in a row. She’s an 11-time winner on the Japanese tour.

“I’m not thinking about much of winning,” Yamash*ta said through a translator. “I’m just focusing on each shot.”

Sarah Schmelzel, the American who shared the second-round lead with Yang, shot a 74 to drop to 4 under.

First-round leader Lexi Thompson had a 73 to drop into a tie for fifth at 3 under with Lilia Vu (68), Caroline Inglis (69), Jin Young (73) and Hinako Shibuno (73). Inglis is from Vancouver, Washington.

The 29-year-old Thompson recently announced this season will be her last playing a full schedule. Last week in Michigan, she lost in a playoff to Vu in the Meijer LPGA Classic.

“There was some tough pins out there, and of course the golf course is the golf course, so it’s tough,” Thompson said.

Vu had the best round of the day with her 68.

Yang went 39 holes without a bogey before dropping a shot on the par-4 eighth. She quickly recovered, hitting it 8 feet on the par-3 ninth and making the putt to get back to 6 under and take the solo lead.

Yang pushed her lead to two strokes, hitting the green in two on the par-5 11th for a two-putt birdie. She dropped another shot on the par-4 16th – her third bogey of the tournament – but followed with a 36-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 22, 2024 / 6:16 pm | Story: 493752

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Tom Kim made enough birdies on a soft, vulnerable course to stay in front Saturday in the rain-delayed Travelers Championship, getting up-and-down for par on the final hole in near darkness for a 5-under 65 and a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia.

The tone of this pitch-and-putt day at the TPC River Highlands was set long before thunderstorms halted play for nearly three hours. Cameron Young shot 59, the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour and first in nearly four years.

And then the rain made it even softer, and the wind subsided late in the evening as Kim, Scheffler and Xander Schauffele raced to beat darkness.

Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player coming off a rare pedestrian performance at the U.S. Open, was slowed by a pair of soft bogeys — his putter from fringe on No. 11, a bad drive into mangled weeds on No. 14 — and answered with four straight birdies.

“I was pretty frustrated after that bogey on 14, felt like I was putting myself out of the tournament,” Scheffler said. “So it was nice to bounce back and finish it the way I did.”

His wedge on the 18th rolled back within an inch of the cup, which he tapped in for 64. He played with Bhatia, who has two PGA Tour titles in the last 12 months. He poured in a 25-foot birdie putt to match Scheffler at 64.

Schauffele played bogey-free until the final hole when his three — foot par putt horseshoed around the cup and left him with a 64. He was two shots back along with Sungjae Im, who made a birdie putt from some 40 feet on the final hole.

Kim, who turned 22 on Friday, is still leading a large cast of All-Stars. He was at 18-under 192 going into the final round in which 10 players were within five shots of the lead.

“It’s a stacked leaderboard," Kim said. "Out here, a five-, six-shot lead is not safe at all. So I've got to go out tomorrow and do the same game plan and execute.”

The group within five shots includes Young, who was tied for 43rd when he arrived at the course in the morning. He was 5 under through four holes — he holed out with a wedge from 142 yards on No. 3 — made another eagle on the 280-yard 15th hole with a 3-iron to four feet and got to 11 under with a five-foot birdie on the 17th.

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is tied for 12th at 12 under, while Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 17th at 11 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 24th at 8 under and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is tied for 30th at 7 under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford and Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., are both tied for 45th at 4 under.

He was tied when he walked off the course and still in the mix when the round finally ended. Young didn't see this kind of round coming.

“Did exactly what I do every day coming to the golf course — get a coffee, ate, saw the physio, and went out there, warmed up,” he said. “Didn’t feel particularly awesome. I chunked a few less on the range than I did yesterday. Then, yeah, came out and just was very comfortable and things just started coming down close to the hole.”

Tee times for Sunday have been moved forward because of more storms in the forecast, meaning the course isn't likely to get any tougher. Preferred lies were in effect for the second consecutive round.

“Feels like more than ever you’re going to have to keep your head down," Schauffele said. "It's kind of been my motto — ‘Stay in my lane’ — for quite some time, and I think tomorrow it's going to hold pretty true. You can get on a run at any point on this golf course.

“(You) definitely have to earn your birdies,” he said. “But I think they’re going to be coming in bunches tomorrow.”

Five players had at least a share of the lead at some point, some of that made possible by Kim's lone mistake. He three-putted from 10 feet on the fourth hole, his 3-foot par putt not even touching the hole. But he bounced back with three birdies on the par 3s and a tough chip across the 15th green to set up an easy birdie.

He went from the fairway bunker to short of the 18th green, and his pitched rolled out to a short range for his final par to stay in front.

The final signature event of the PGA Tour season certainly looks like one with quality of players chasing — from Scheffler and Schauffele, down to Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas.

“You're not going to separate yourself. Someone is going to play one shot better than anyone else,” Bhatia said. “We'll see what tomorrow entails. It's just going to be a good challenge.”

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The Canadian Press - Jun 22, 2024 / 4:06 pm | Story: 493738

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Englishman Tyrrell Hatton shot a bogey-free 7-under 64 Saturday at The Grove for a three-stroke lead going into the final round of the LIV Golf Nashville event.

Hatton, whose lone win on the PGA Tour was at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, joined the Saudi-funded tour in January. His best finish has been a tie for fourth. Starting a stroke back of first-round leader Abraham Ancer, he birdied six of his final seven holes for a 13-under 129 total.

John Catlin (66) was at 10 under in his second LIV Golf event.

Two-time U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau (66) and Jon Rahm (63) were tied at 9 under. Rahm missed the U.S. Open and withdrew during the last LIV Golf event with an infection on his left foot. He opened with a bogey before finishing with nine birdies.

The Spaniard said he played nearly pain-free Saturday after not knowing if he’d be able to walk 18 when he flew to Tennessee.

“Never really questioned not being able to swing it, and I think that’s what made a difference,” Rahm said.

Carlos Ortiz, who won LIV Golf Houston, shot a 66 and was tied with Cameron Smith (65) at 8 under.

Hatton birdied No. 2 before testing his patience with nine straight pars. Then he got going.

DeChambeau has had little sleep since winning the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 last weekend. On Saturday, he birdied four of his final six holes and showed no signs of exhaustion especially after his tee shot at the party hole, the par-3 15th. He ran around high-fiving fans circling the green.

“I just blacked out, I have no idea,” DeChambeau said.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 22, 2024 / 2:06 pm | Story: 493724

MARKHAM, Ont. — Women dressed as flappers, or in kilts with tam-o’-shanters, or carrying parasols, a few with tie-die shirts and headbands like the hippies of the 1960s, and hundreds of others got together to play golf and celebrate.

The Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto continued its 100th anniversary festivities on Saturday with a tournament around the Stanley Thompson-designed course in Thornhill, Ont., with members encouraged to wear period clothes. Margaret Auld, the chair of club's archives committee, said the event was an example of the special culture at the only golf club in North America that was created by women, for women.

"That's the joy of this club: it has so much history," said Auld, looking out over a practice green as a woman in a long dress and a laced white blouse tried out antique hickory putters. "When we get new members coming in here and we talk to them they're just blown away by the camaraderie, the acceptance.

"It doesn't matter whether you're high handicap or low handicap, just come and join us, come and have fun, and we have today. What a bunch of fun things we did out there."

Saturday's activities included an outdoor lunch, demonstrations of hickory clubs with the Golf Historical Society of Canada, and period dress. The festivities continue in July with a members dinner and a planned book of the club's 100-year history.

The Ladies Golf Club of Toronto was founded by Toronto's Ada Mackenzie in 1924. One of the best golfers of her time — she won The Canadian Press's outstanding female athlete of the year award in 1933 — Mackenzie was frustrated by the common rule at the time that prevented women from playing golf until the afternoon.

"I think what she thought was, 'I can't play until noon and I'm a competitive golfer, and I'm not a happy camper,'" said Auld, noting that Mackenzie was influenced by a trip to the United Kingdom where some clubs had added women's-only nine-hole courses. "So she came back and said, 'I'm going to look for land where I can have a golf course.'"

Mackenzie settled on a swath of land between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Thornhill, Ont., — now Markham — that straddled a branch of the Don River. Women couldn't buy land in Ontario at that time, so she had to pose as a married person to complete the sale.

"And she was 33 when she actually did it," said Auld. "It's incredible. Really, really incredible."

Mackenzie then enlisted famed Canadian course architect Stanley Thompson to help her design an 18-hole track that is a unique collaboration between two of the most important golf minds in Canadian history.

"It's kind of a Thompson-Mackenzie mash-up," said Jaime Steedman, head pro at the Ladies' Golf Club. "Ada's fingerprints are all over the course design.

"She would have had a lot of feedback to give Stanley. That is one of the huge ways that it separates itself from other courses."

Mackenzie was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1971 before her death two years later at the age of 81.

The membership at the Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto remains entirely female with its board of directors exclusively women. Most of the club's operations were handled by members who volunteered their time until 1989 when a general manager was hired. Canadian golfing greats Marlene Streit, Sandra Post and Lorie Kane are all honorary members.

That has created a unique culture different from any other golf club.

"Here you know that every single morning, any time in the morning, you come and it's going to be women," said Deborah Doyle, chair of the 100th anniversary committee, who is also a member at another Toronto-area club and another in Florida. "You look across the whole field and you're just waving at other women. You would never see that anywhere else.

"It is a different kind of environment and it's very supportive and just does have a very different feel. Part of it is the place itself, like the old clubhouse and the course, which still beats me up compared to some other courses."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 22, 2024 / 10:58 am | Story: 493703

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Cameron Young made a par putt from just inside 10 feet for an 11-under 59 on Saturday in the Travelers Championship, the first sub-60 round on the PGA Tour in nearly four years.

Young made two eagles on par 4s, holing out with wedge from 142 yards on the third hole and driving the 280-yard 15th hole within four feet.

It was the 13th sub-60 round since Al Geiberger first shot golf's “magic number” at the 1977 Memphis Classic. Scottie Scheffler had been the most recent at the TPC Boston in 2020 at The Northern Trust.

“I can't say I was expecting it,” Young said. “I've been playing better than the results have shown. Waking up this morning, I wasn't really thinking I'm going to be 5 under through four. It was a lot of fun to do.”

This didn't even get Young the distinction of owning the course record at the TPC River Highlands. Jim Furyk shot a 58 in 2016 at the Travelers Championship, the lowest round in PGA Tour history.

Young still moved from a tie for 43rd to a tie for 10th, five shots out of the lead.

Jordan Spieth became a footnote in history as the only PGA Tour player to twice play with someone who shot 59. Spieth also was in the group with Justin Thomas when he shot 59 in the opening round of the 2017 Sony Open.

Young was able to lift, clean and place his golf ball in the short grass because of soggy course conditions and the potential of more rain.

He could have gone even lower. After his eagle on the 15th hole, Young hit his tee shot to seven feet on the par-3 16th and missed the short birdie putt. On the closing hole, needing birdie to tie Furyk's record, his drive settled on the steep face of a fairway bunker and Young was unable to get it on the green.

He still made par for the seventh round of 59 or lower this year on tours around the world.

“To have a day like today where things start going in, and it feels like you're reward for good shots, it leaves me with a good taste in my mouth,” Young said.

He finished at 13-under par and was tied with Tom Kim, who was watching some of Young's round on a video screen at the practice range as Kim was getting ready for the start of his third round. Kim shot a 65 and led by one over Scottie Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia.

The other six rounds at 59 or lower this year include Joaquin Niemann on LIV Golf and a record-tying 57 by Cristobal del Solar on the Korn Ferry Tour in Bogota, Colombia.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 6:13 pm | Story: 493635

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Tom Kim is looking at the long term with his golf game and is getting short-term results at the Travelers Championship, where he followed an opening 62 with a 5-under 65 on Friday for the lowest 36-hole score of his career and a two-shot lead.

Kim had to settle for eight straight pars on the soggy TPC River Highlands and still finished at 13-under 127, two shots ahead of a group that includes Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa.

Scheffler, coming off his first middle-of-the-road performance of the year at the U.S. Open, had to wait through a storm delay of more than three hours to finish his last two holes. He made an 8-foot birdie on the 18th for a 64.

Morikawa (63) and Akshay Bhatia (65), who also was two behind, finished before the storms.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent, tied for 12th at 7-under after a 2-under 68 on Friday.

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 6-under 64 to climb 32 spots up the leaderboard. He sits two strokes back of Pendrith after two rounds.

Kim and Scheffler both celebrated birthdays during the second round — Kim is 22 and Scheffler is 28 — and did their birthday damage earlier in the week with a trip to one of the Connecticut's best known pizza joints.

Kim already is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, though he has only one top 10 in his last 19 starts worldwide since his victory in Las Vegas last fall.

“I think the work I’ve been doing has ... the past few months it’s just been kind of like making sure that I feel confident out in the competition, not practice rounds,” Kim said. “So I think this stretch is making me more sharper and more ready and I think it’s kind of time to show.”

There certainly should be no rust for the 22-year-old Kim. He has not missed a tournament dating to the Byron Nelson, making this his eighth consecutive tournament.

Scheffler tied for 41st last week in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, a course he never quite figured out. It was the first time since the fall of 2022 that he was outside the top 40.

He looks like the No. 1 player this week, missing only one fairway and one green in the second round. That was key to scoring because officials allowed players to lift, clean and place their golf balls provided they were in the short grass.

“Definitely better than last week,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I found a little stuff in my swing and feel like I'm seeing the breaks a lot better on these greens. Definitely feeling some good momentum from the last two days.”

Scheffler birdied four of his last six holes, the final two after the rain delay. He left his approach below the hole on the 18th to set up his final birdie.

Morikawa, like Kim, did most of his work on the front nine by rolling six birdie putts. He picked up his final birdie on the par-3 16th and will be in the final group with Kim on Saturday.

Morikawa, a two-time major champion, has been getting himself in the mix at the some of the bigger events over the past few months. He played in the last group at the Masters and the PGA Championship until falling back.

This round was largely about putting. Morikawa made a pair of birdies from the 15-foot range early punctuated by a 30-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole. His swing looks to be back to be as consistent as ever.

“I know where the ball’s going, so that helps,” Morikawa said. “Obviously, I want to be able to get the win and that’s kind of what’s stopping me from being on a great run. It’s a big mental mindset. When you know where the ball’s going it’s a lot easier to play golf, and I’ve kind of been able to trust that.”

PGA champion Xander Schauffele had another 65 and was alone in fifth place, three shots behind. Another shot back were Shane Lowry (62) and Justin Thomas (63).

Lowry hit a magnificent approach with a 5-wood on the par-5 13 and rolled in the long birdie. That put him at 8-under par for the day, with a couple of good birdie chances on the in. But the Irishman had a couple of pedestrian wedges — from the fairway, one a pitch — for pars.

And then the horn sounded to stop play, and Lowry had to settle for three pars.

Thomas, who chipped in for eagle on the 13th, had his lowest score since a 61 in The American Express in the California desert to start the year.

The signature event has no cut — the field is 70 players — and a $20 million purse.

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