Koepka deserves Ryder Cup spot: McIlroy

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Brooks Koepka of the US during a practice round prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Updated 01 June 2023
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Koepka deserves Ryder Cup spot: McIlroy

  • Those Masters and PGA results have left Koepka second in the overall US standings for the Ryder Cup team
  • Rahm said in Ohio this week that where players choose to play should not affect Ryder Cup eligibility

WASHINGTON: Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka has earned the right to a place on the United States’ Ryder Cup team following his PGA Championship triumph.

Koepka bagged his fifth major title at the PGA Championship earlier this month, just weeks after a second place finish at the Masters.

Those results have left Koepka second in the overall US standings for the Ryder Cup team, meaning he would normally be a shoo-in to make the American squad.

However, with the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit at loggerheads, it remains unclear whether LIV Golf players will be eligible for Ryder Cup spots.

McIlroy — one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf — believes however that Koepka should be on the US team that will face Europe at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome in September.

“I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of this week’s PGA Tour Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

“I think with how he’s played, I mean, he’s second in the US standings, only played two counting events.

“I don’t know if there’s anyone else on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit and how they’re playing.

“But Brooks is definitely a guy that I think deserves to be on the US team.”

McIlroy, however, is adamant that former European Tour players who have signed for LIV — including Ryder Cup stalwarts such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia — should not be eligible for the tournament.

“I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired,” McIlroy said.

“I don’t think any of those guys should be a part of the European team.”

Europe were initially due to be captained by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson at this year’s Ryder Cup. Stenson was stripped of the captaincy however after joining LIV. He was subsequently replaced by Luke Donald.

Spanish star Garcia — Europe’s all-time leading Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 points from 10 appearances — said recently that Donald had already told him he had “no chance” of making the European team as a captain’s pick.

That decision was greeted with dismay by Garcia’s fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm.

Rahm said in Ohio this week that where players choose to play should not affect Ryder Cup eligibility.

“It’s a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event,” Rahm said on Tuesday.

“It’s the best Europeans against the best American, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn’t matter.”

Rahm added that Garcia’s exclusion from Ryder Cup contention was hard to stomach.

“I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn’t fit to be on the team,” Rahm said.

“It’s unfortunate. I will miss him.”
 


US sweep favorites Europe to take 4-0 lead in opening session at Solheim Cup

Updated 5 min 42 sec ago
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US sweep favorites Europe to take 4-0 lead in opening session at Solheim Cup

  • The previous best start for the US was 3 1/2-1/2 in Wales in 1996
  • Former Spain great Jose María Olazabal brought on the trophy to the first tee and lauded what he called “one of the most important tournaments in women’s golf”

CASARES, Spain: The US enjoyed their best-ever start to a Solheim Cup, sweeping the favored European team in all of the foursomes matches in the opening session to take a 4-0 lead in Spain on Friday.

The Americans, who are trying to avoid losing three Solheim Cups in a row to Europe for the first time, got off to a quick start and were ahead in most matches throughout the morning foursomes. The US trailed briefly in only two of the matches at Finca Cortesin in southern Spain.

The previous best start for the US was 3 1/2-1/2 in Wales in 1996.

The first US point came with the final group, as Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight easily beat Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen 5 and 4. Ewing and Knight made the turn 6 up and were never really challenged.

The Americans also won with the first group as Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang defeated Swedish rookies Maja Stark and Linn Grant 2 and 1. Thompson and Khang, who together have nine Solheim Cup appearances, took an early 3-up lead through three holes. The two Swedes rallied to even the match through 13 holes, but winning Nos. 15 and 17 secured the point for the US

Andrea Lee and Danielle Kang were 1 down through eight holes but came back to win 1 up against Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall.

US Women’s Open champion Allizen Corpuz made a short putt on the final hole to secure a 1-up victory with Nelly Korda against Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist, who is also acting as a vice captain for the Europeans. Maguire had won four matches in her Solheim Cup debut two years ago,

The teams will be back in the afternoon for the fourball matches, when each player will hit their own ball. They alternated shots with one ball per team in the foursomes.

The Europeans, looking for their unprecedented third consecutive title, came in with the label of favorites after bringing an experienced squad to Spain. The Americans arrived with a young team that included five rookies, though many who have won important tournaments recently.

There was a lively crowd on the first hole ahead of the opening tee shots at Finca Cortesin, with the American fans in smaller numbers but being heard just as loud as the Europeans.

Former Spain great Jose María Olazabal brought on the trophy to the first tee and lauded what he called “one of the most important tournaments in women’s golf.”

Spain are hosting the Solheim Cup for the first time, 26 years after they hosted the men’s Ryder Cup at Valderrama.


LIV Golf Jeddah to stage regular season finale next month

Updated 22 September 2023
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LIV Golf Jeddah to stage regular season finale next month

  • Individual and team titles, and 2024 league spots all on the line at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from Oct. 13-15

JEDDAH: LIV Golf makes its highly anticipated return to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club here from Oct. 13 to 15, when the league’s 2023 regular season will reach its conclusion and set the stage for the Team Championship — and the future for many golfers.

The event marks the 13th tournament of the league’s first full season. There are 13 major winners who will compete in King Abdullah Economic City, including 2023 PGA Championship winner and 2023 US Ryder Cup Team selection Brooks Koepka, 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, and two-time major winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer.

There will be much to play for amongst those atop the individual standings. Those further down the standings face a battle to secure their future, with players ranked 45 and below in the “Drop Zone” at season’s end facing relegation and losing their LIV Golf status for next year.

Smith currently leads the individual standings with 170 points after wins in London and Bedminster. In-form American Talor Gooch (149), a three-time individual champion this season, is in hot pursuit of the Australian. They are followed by seven contenders including 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah winner Koepka, 4Aces GC captain Johnson and Crushers GC captain DeChambeau, who shot a sensational 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier earlier this year.

Those who finish in the top 24 in the overall standings will lock-in their position in the LIV Golf League for next season. Players finishing in the “Open Zone,” positions 25 to 44, however, may face trade or release by their respective teams. Meanwhile, those finishing in positions 45 and below sitting in the “Drop Zone” will be relegated and automatically qualify for the league’s promotional tournament, where they will have the opportunity to earn their spot back for the 2024 season.

Aside from the individual race, each player in the 48-man field has good reason to make their scores count, as the final team standings following LIV Golf Jeddah will determine seeds one to 12 for the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami the following week, with the top four teams receiving first-round byes.

Through 11 events, 4Aces GC — featuring Johnson, Reed, Peter Uihlein and Pat Perez — sit atop the team standings with 172 points after wins in Adelaide and London. Torque GC, featuring Chilean stars Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, Colombian Sebastian Munoz, and Spanish rookie David Puig, trail closely behind with 163 total points following wins in Orlando, D.C., Andalucia and Greenbrier.

The all-South African Stinger GC featuring major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, currently sit in third place with 156 points. DeChambeau’s Crushers GC (146 points), including Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri, hold a three-point edge in fourth place over RangeGoats GC (143 points). They boast five top-three finishes this season thanks to standout performances by Gooch, Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters, and captain Watson.


Kapalua to host PGA Tour opener in January, 5 months after deadly wildfires on Maui

Updated 22 September 2023
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Kapalua to host PGA Tour opener in January, 5 months after deadly wildfires on Maui

  • The tour sent a memo to players Thursday that it will be back at Kapalua for the Jan. 4-7 opener
  • The wildfires killed at least 97 people, with at least 31 people still missing

NEW YORK: The PGA Tour is returning to Maui to start the new season with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, five months after deadly wildfires destroyed nearby Lahaina and claimed at least 97 lives.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had said last month he hoped the tournament could be a source of inspiration for Maui and Lahaina, about 10 miles away from where the PGA Tour has started its year since 1999.

The tour sent a memo to players Thursday that it will be back at Kapalua for the Jan. 4-7 opener. The tour previously had said Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told them to “go forward” with plans for the tournament and volunteer registration opened.

The wildfires killed at least 97 people, with at least 31 people still missing. It devasted Lahaina, destroying more than 2,000 structures and wiping out fabled Front Street that runs along the ocean and was a popular destination with its restaurants, shops and art galleries.

The property at Kapalua Resort was not affected, though a third of the staff who live in the Lahaina area lost their homes.

“Like so many around the world, we’re absolutely heartbroken,” said tournament director Max Novena, who lives on West Maui. “It’s a tight-knit community and we’ve experienced and shared compassion and generosity and aloha, and it’s been inspiring.

“Playing the Sentry in January is our responsibility and it’s a privilege,” he said. “We fully intend to use our platform to bring awareness, bring fundraising and community service to help West Maui and Lahaina rebuild.”

Green recently signed a proclamation that most of West Maui will reopen to visitors on Oct. 8. The area has some 11,000 hotel rooms, half of Maui’s total. The Bay Course at Kapalua opened on Wednesday, and the Plantation Course where the tournament is held is to open on Oct. 18.

Tyler Dennis, the tour’s chief competitions officer, said in Thursday’s memo that Green “has been emphatic in his support of our event and others.”

“There is no other organization in sport which rallies around those in need like the PGA Tour,” Dennis wrote. “Given the overwhelming support for playing the tournament, the tour and The Sentry are currently working on plans to further raise awareness and assist with fundraising and community service to Maui in a thoughtful and respectful manner.”

The tournament last year raised $694,705 that went to local charities, bringing the total to over $8.5 million since it became part of the PGA Tour schedule in 1999.

Wisconsin-based Sentry has made initial contributions to Maui United Way, Maui Food Bank and UH-Maui County, and Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are among players contributing to relief efforts.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions, for years only for PGA Tour winners, now is for the top 50 from the previous year’s FedEx Cup along with any tour winner from 2023. Jon Rahm is the defending champion.


LIV Golf star Koepka gets major-level thrill from playing for US at Ryder Cup

Updated 21 September 2023
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LIV Golf star Koepka gets major-level thrill from playing for US at Ryder Cup

  • Koepka was a selection by US captain Zach Johnson after barely missing out on an automatic qualifying spot
  • When it comes to legacy, Koepka sees the Ryder Cup as much about record

CHICAGO: Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka says playing for the US in next week’s Ryder Cup will bring the same thrill as battling for top individual titles.

The 33-year-old American, who captured his third PGA Championship in May at Oak Hill, will compete in this week’s LIV Golf Chicago tournament before joining the US squad next week in Italy for the Ryder Cup.

Koepka, who has a history of playing his best at majors, has been preparing for weeks to face holders Europe as the Americans seek their first victory on European soil in 30 years.

He sees the Cup as an equal test to a major in those terms.

“I think it is,” Koepka said Wednesday. “My whole mindset has been to practice for that the last few weeks.

“I think it’s one of the top six, seven, biggest sporting events you can have, so I like it when there’s a little bit more eyeballs, a little bit more pressure.

“It’s obviously different with the whole team thing. Sometimes you don’t play every match so you are just cheerleading from the side, which can be quite fun as well.

“I’ve enjoyed it. It has been great and I’m looking forward to it.”

Koepka was a selection by US captain Zach Johnson after barely missing out on an automatic qualifying spot despite being banned from the PGA Tour after defecting to LIV Golf last year.

Being on the opposite side of the PGA-LIV divide did not give Koepka any problem on a trip two weeks ago to Rome to see the host course before next week’s showdown.

“Good trip,” he said. “Most of the guys were there. Got to see the golf course. It’s pretty difficult, but it will be interesting to see how they set it up.”

When it comes to legacy, Koepka sees the Ryder Cup as much about record. He played on triumphant US sides in 2016 and 2021 and was also on the American squad that lost in France in 2018.

“Everybody remembers their record, or that’s kind of what you’re known by, wins, losses,” he said. “(Ian) Poulter has pretty much made a career on that.”

Koepka isn’t sure that knowing how it feels to lose in Europe will provide extra incentive this time around.

“I’m not sure how many guys have been part of losing teams in Europe. But yeah, it’s definitely a different feeling,” Koepka said. “Losing is no fun but somebody has got to do it. Hopefully it’s not us this year.”

Koepka didn’t approach the Marco Simone course any differently than any other layout he was analyzing ahead of a future event.

“I just treat it like any other course. Just figure out those two days, figure out where I want to put the ball in the fairway. Then it comes pretty easy,” Koepka said.

“Just figure out the wind and the distance that you’re trying to hit it, and you calculate that all in and that’s the club you hit off the tee.

“I’ll worry about it when we get there next week, but more the green complexes, where things will be and stuff like that. Usually when I go scout a golf course, it’s for lines off the tee.”


Phil Mickelson says he’s done gambling and is on the road to being ‘the person I want to be’

Updated 19 September 2023
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Phil Mickelson says he’s done gambling and is on the road to being ‘the person I want to be’

  • Mickelson: Because of her love, support and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be
  • In his post, he said his addiction led to not being present for those he loved

NEW YORK: Phil Mickelson won’t be betting on football this year — much less the Ryder Cup — saying in a lengthy social media post Monday that he previously crossed the line from moderation into addiction and “it wasn’t any fun.”

“The money wasn’t ever the issue since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm,” Mickelson wrote in the post.

His public admission of a gambling addiction comes more than a month after renowned gambler Billy Walters wrote in his book that Mickelson wagered more than $1 billion over the last three decades and wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while playing for Team USA.

Mickelson denied ever betting on the Ryder Cup, which starts next week outside Rome.

Mickelson has been relatively quiet since Walters did a media tour in August for his book, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk.” He returns to competition this week with Saudi-backed LIV Golf outside Chicago.

Walters said he formed a gambling partnership with Mickelson in 2008 that lasted until 2014.

Two years later, Walters was indicted in an insider trading case that partly involved stock tips that prosecutors alleged he passed to Mickelson. Walters says he never gave Mickelson inside information and could have avoided prison if Mickelson had only testified on his behalf.

Mickelson appears to reference Walters in his post.

“If you ever cross the line of moderation and enter into addiction, hopefully you won’t confuse your enablers as friends like I did,” he wrote. “Hopefully you won’t have to deal with these difficult moments publicly so others can profit off you like I have.

“But hopefully you WILL have a strong and supportive partner who is willing to help you through being your worst self, and through your worst moments like I have in Amy,” he said of his wife.

“I couldn’t have gotten through this without her. I’m so grateful for her strength in helping us get through the many challenges I’ve created for us. ... Because of her love, support and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be.”

Mickelson has previously talked about his gambling habits and said he sought help. In his post, he said his addiction led to not being present for those he loved.

“It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand,” he wrote. “It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening. When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it.”

Mickelson, a six-time major champion who captured the 2021 PGA Championship at age 50, will miss the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1993 as a player or a vice captain. He has three more tournaments this year with LIV Golf.

“After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace,” Mickelson wrote. “I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can.”