Gooch, Garcia, Uihlein tied for lead at LIV Golf Miami

Talor Gooch shot a 5-under 67 at LIV Golf Miami to share the first-round lead. (AP)
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Updated 06 April 2024
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Gooch, Garcia, Uihlein tied for lead at LIV Golf Miami

  • Gooch entered this week ranked sixth in points through the first four events

MIAMI: A year ago last April, Talor Gooch started his hot streak that led to the season-long LIV Golf Individual Championship. It looks like he may be heating up again, as the Smash GC star shot a 5-under 67 at LIV Golf Miami to share the first-round lead with Sergio Garcia and Peter Uihlein.

Meanwhile, Gooch’s former team, RangeGoats GC, opened up a five-stroke lead over Legion XIII thanks to Uihlein’s 67 and a couple of 66s from captain Bubba Watson and Matthew Wolff.

Gooch entered this week ranked sixth in points through the first four events, but he had yet to match the kind of performance he produced on a consistent basis in 2023 when he won three times, including his first LIV Golf victory in Adelaide last April. He said Friday’s round on the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral was the first time his ball-striking was up to his standards.

“This felt a little reminiscent of some of those deep rounds I had last year around this time of year,” said Gooch, who was traded from the RangeGoats to Brooks Koepka’s Smash team during the off-season. “Hopefully, we can catch some of that fire we had this time last year and get it going.”

Garcia, the Fireballs GC captain, crafted the only bogey-free round of the day, thanks in large part to hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation, the best performance by any player in the field Friday. He also had a terrific up-and-down on the par-3 13th to keep his scorecard clean.

“I wasn’t hitting it super-close most of the time, but I was hitting a lot of greens,” said Garcia, who has been part of two of the seven playoffs in LIV Golf history but is still seeking his first LIV individual win. “My lag putting was good. I didn’t put myself under a lot of stress. That obviously helped.”

Uihlein has been one of LIV Golf’s most consistent performers but is also seeking his first individual win. He’s won team trophies with two different teams, and after being traded to the RangeGoats in the offseason, he could join Gooch as the only LIV players to win titles with three different teams. Gooch won team trophies with 4Aces GC in 2022 and the RangeGoats last year, and his Smash team won earlier this season in Las Vegas.

One of LIV Golf’s longest hitters, Uihlein has also emerged as one of its leading putters. He led the field Friday in that category, needing just 23 putts. “Played really well, putted nice and just kind of felt like I was plotting my way around there, which was good,” Uihlein said.

His teammates Wolff and Watson are the closest pursuers, along with Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester and Iron Heads GC’s Scott Vincent. Six more players are tied for eighth, including Koepka and Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm.


Strong field set for season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

Updated 12 October 2024
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Strong field set for season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

  • Major champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Adam Scott will tee off at at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 14-17

DUBAI: The 2024 Race to Dubai is set for a thrilling conclusion, with a host of global stars already confirmed for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 14-17.

Billy Horschel, who recently claimed his second BMW PGA Championship title, will tee off on the Earth Course alongside major champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott, and fellow Rolex Series winner Robert MacIntyre, who won the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

They join reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and his fellow Ryder Cup star and 2017 European No. 1 Tommy Fleetwood, with both already confirmed for the final Rolex Series event of the season.

Horschel’s victory at Wentworth saw him move up to third on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, and the American will be making his second appearance in the season-ending event.

The 37-year-old won the PGA Tour’s FedExCup in 2014 after claiming the BMW Championship and Tour Championship titles in back-to-back weeks, and the eight-time PGA Tour winner is excited by the opportunity to win the DP World Tour’s season-ending title.

“I’m excited to return to Dubai next month to finish my season,” said Horschel. “I really enjoyed my experience at Jumeirah Golf Estates three years ago and I’m looking forward to getting back to the UAE.

“It has been great playing in some of the DP World Tour’s most historic events in the latter part of the season and I hope to finish the year on a high note with another memorable experience in Dubai.

“I’m incredibly proud to have won the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, so to have a chance to add the DP World Tour Championship title to my trophy cabinet would certainly be very special.”

Horschel finished joint runner-up at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon alongside Justin Rose, who has also confirmed his return to the DP World Tour Championship. Joining them in the field is Australian Adam Scott, who won the Masters Tournament in 2013, the same year that Rose won the US Open at Merion.

Fellow major champion Lowry will be competing in back-to-back weeks in the UAE, after also confirming his appearance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The Irishman, who won the 148th Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, has recorded 13 top 20 worldwide finishes in 2024, including a victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour alongside McIlroy.

Scotsman MacIntyre is enjoying a career-best season a year on from making his Ryder Cup debut at Marco Simone, having won both the RBC Canadian Open and his home Genesis Scottish Open in 2024.

The 28-year-old is currently sixth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and is hoping to eclipse his previous highest finish of ninth on the season-long standings, which he achieved in 2019.


Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder Cup return

Updated 09 October 2024
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Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder Cup return

  • Garcia, the all-time leading Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 points in 10 appearances, missed last year’s tournament in Rome after opting to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit
  • Donald said existing regulations meant other LIV players could also be available as captain’s picks
  • US officials have already given the green light for LIV players to play on the American team, as they did in 2023

NEW YORK: Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald revealed on Tuesday he has been in talks with LIV Golf player Sergio Garcia about making a possible return to the team for next year’s clash with the USA.

Speaking at an event in New York to mark the countdown to next year’s Europe-USA Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage, Donald confirmed he had spoken to Garcia about his availability.

Garcia, the all-time leading Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 points in 10 appearances, missed last year’s tournament in Rome after opting to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

However, Donald said on Tuesday that Garcia was now considering applying to rejoin the DP World Tour in a push to be eligible for selection.

“Obviously he resigned his membership a couple years ago,” Donald said of Garcia.

“But we have had some chats. He’s considering rejoining. He’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else, and if he does that, again, he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup.

“We chatted on phone a couple weeks ago. He’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved, and again, the decision has to go to him, whether he’s prepared to do all that.

“But certainly, we’ve had that discussion, yes.”

Donald said existing regulations meant other LIV players could also be available as captain’s picks.

“The DP World Tour’s policies have been very consistent. There’s been a lot of clarity around that,” Donald said.

“It’s really the same as it was in Rome. You have to be a Member of The European Tour and born in Europe. If you fulfill the regulations and the rules that the DP World Tour set, then you’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV that they are eligible now; so I can pick them at will.”

US officials have already given the green light for LIV players to play on the American team, as they did in 2023 when Brooks Koepka was given a captain’s pick to join the team.

US captain Keegan Bradley said Tuesday he planned to select “the 12 best players.”

“So if we feel like there’s a few guys there, one guy, two guys, whatever it is, then we’re going to do that,” Bradley said.

“But we’re too far out to figure out how this is all going to play out. But we’re definitely going to take the 12 best players however that shakes out.”

The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage Black in New York from Sept. 26-28. Defending champions Europe are chasing their first victory in the tournament on US soil since the famous “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.


Shane Lowry looking forward to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship return

Updated 08 October 2024
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Shane Lowry looking forward to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship return

  • Former champion to take part in first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs from Nov. 7-10

ABU DHABI: Former champion Shane Lowry is excited to return to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs taking place from Nov. 7 to 10.

The Irishman claimed the famous Falcon Trophy in 2019 just six months before becoming a Major champion, winning the Claret Jug at The 148th Open.

Lowry will join fellow Major winners Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Adam Scott, as well as Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, in the field for the fourth Rolex Series event of the season at Yas Links.

The 37-year-old has enjoyed an excellent 2024 campaign, recording 13 top-20 worldwide finishes, including sixth-placed results at both The 152nd Open and US PGA Championship.

In addition, he partnered McIlroy to victory at the PGA TOUR’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

“I’m excited to end my season in the UAE, starting with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links,” said Lowry. “It’s always nice to return to a part of the world where you have had success in the past, and I hope to end the year on a high.”

As part of the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs, the championship will have the top 70 available players from the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex at the conclusion of the “Back 9.”

The top 50 players at the end of the week will then advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Also confirmed for the championship are Genesis Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre, who also represented Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, and Thriston Lawrence, currently ranked second on the Race to Dubai Rankings.


Kevin Yu birdies 18th twice and wins Sanderson Farms in playoff for first PGA Tour title

Updated 07 October 2024
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Kevin Yu birdies 18th twice and wins Sanderson Farms in playoff for first PGA Tour title

  • Kevin Yu: I’ve been dreaming this moment since I was 5
  • Yu hit his winning putt, a victory that sends him to the Masters and the PGA Championship for the first time

JACKSON, Mississippi: Kevin Yu made a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole for a 5-under 67, and he birdied it again from 6 feet in a playoff to beat Beau Hossler and win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

Yu was nearly forgotten for most of a final round that appeared to be a duel between Hossler and Keith Mitchell until the 26-year-old from Taiwan made a birdie to tie them for the lead.

Hossler pulled his drive on the 18th in regulation behind a tree, had to pitch out and hit his third shot to 4 feet to save par. Mitchell had a 35-foot birdie putt to win it and it grazed the left edge of the cup. But he missed the 4-foot comebacker for par, shot 70 and missed the playoff.

Mitchell tied for third with former US Open champion Lucas Glover, who played the last six holes in 5-under par — including pitching in for eagle on the par-4 15th — for a 66.

Hossler again was left off the tee on the 18th in the playoff. Yu hit first and sent his approach to 6 feet right of the hole. Hossler had to punch below the trees, and it turned too much and went into a front bunker. He blasted out to 2 feet to secure par.

Yu hit his winning putt, a victory that sends him to the Masters and the PGA Championship for the first time. He also will start his season at Kapalua for The Sentry, a gathering of PGA Tour winners in 2024.

“I’ve been dreaming this moment since I was 5,” Yu said. “This is the dream for all golfers, to win on the PGA Tour. I did it today. I’m thankful for my parents. Without them, I couldn’t have done that.”

Yu and Hossler, who shot a 68, finished at 23-under 265.

This was Hossler’s 200th start on the PGA Tour without ever winning — four of them as an amateur — and it was as close as any. He fell back with a pair of bogeys early on the back nine as he tried to keep pace with Mitchell, and he pulled into a share of the lead with a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole.

But he never gave himself a good look on the 18th or in the playoff.

“Even though I didn’t have my best stuff on the back nine I grinded really hard,” Hossler said “Hit some really quality shots under the gun, and that’s all you can do. Obviously, Kevin played a beautiful hole in the playoff.”

Mitchell might have the most regrets in search of his first win in five years. He was two shots ahead with five to play when he failed to birdie the par-5 14th or the reachable par-4 15th. He still had a putt to win, and that’s where it all went wrong with a three-putt bogey.

“The first putt actually looked good off the face. Right when it missed, I kind of turned my head and didn’t watch the read on the way by,” Mitchell said. “I assumed it was breaking — guess it broke left. It was going to break right back up the hill.”

He played the 4-foot par putt inside the left edge and it stayed out to the left.

“I hate that I finished with a three-putt,” Mitchell said. “Felt like I grinded all the way to the end and gave the first putt a really good chance.”


Celine Boutier clinches Aramco Team Series title with 19-under-par finish in China

Updated 06 October 2024
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Celine Boutier clinches Aramco Team Series title with 19-under-par finish in China

  • French golfer secures her first title of the year

LONDON: France’s Celine Boutier secured her first title of the year, delivering a 19-under-par performance to win the Aramco Team Series event at Mission Hills, China.

Boutier, who began the final day tied for the lead with home favorite Xiyu Lin, carded a bogey-free round for the second consecutive day to claim victory.

She said: “It was a great round. I definitely feel like we started really hot with (Lin), so it was fun to be able to battle it out. I’m very happy with my round (but) I wish a few putts had dropped. I was honestly super happy with how I handled today.”

Boutier acknowledged the intensity of the competition, adding: “It was close the whole day. One or two shots can swing pretty fast after one hole or two, so you definitely have to be on your toes until the end. I’m super happy with the way I played the last few holes.”

She also expressed her enthusiasm for China, saying: “I feel pretty good. I like China, so hopefully I can win some more tournaments here.”

Lin had a huge following while playing in front of her home crowd for the first time since winning bronze in Paris. (Supplied/Aramco Team Series)

Lin, playing in front of her home crowd for the first time since winning bronze in Paris, finished just two strokes behind Boutier at 17-under-par.

Despite the loss, Lin praised Boutier’s performance, saying: “Celine played unbelievably; a 7-under round and bogey-free is hard to beat, especially when my putter is not on. When I got to 18, I was two shots behind, so I knew I had a very slim chance.”

However, she remained optimistic, and added: “I had to give it 100 percent. I hit a good drive and probably one of the best 3-woods I made all week. It’s nice; I came up just short, but hearing the crowds cheering for me was pretty unbelievable.”

The battle for third place saw Shenzhen’s winning team captain, Chiara Tamburlini, and three-time winner Pauline Roussin-Bouchard finish tied, both recording the lowest rounds of the tournament at 65.

Roussin-Bouchard made a late charge with an eagle on the 16th hole, while Tamburlini fell just three strokes short of becoming the first player to win both the team and individual titles in the same event.

Noah Alireza, CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “What an incredible show of golf we experienced this weekend at the Aramco Team Series’ first visit to Shenzhen.

“On behalf of the Golf Saudi team, we extend a heartfelt congratulations to our exceptional winners, who continue to raise the standard of excellence in golf, inspiring players and fans worldwide.”