Adam Scott is looking to keep alive a major streak that dates to 2001 - Golf (2024)

The Canadian Press - May 29, 2024 / 11:50 am | Story: 489791

HAMILTON — Nick Taylor hopes that he or a fellow Canadian win the RBC Canadian Open this year.

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., won last year's men's national golf championship at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

His historic four-hole playoff victory ended a 69-year drought for Canadians at their own national championship.

This year's tournament starts Thursday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont.

A modern-era record of 28 Canadians will be in the 156-player field at the only PGA Tour event north of the border.

Taylor says all the Canadians at the tournament are "trying desperately" to play well and win again.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - May 29, 2024 / 11:06 am | Story: 489782

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor said Scheffler's explanation that he had a misunderstanding with police directing traffic was "corroborated by the evidence.”

“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler," O'Connell said during the short hearing.

Scheffler said in an Instagram post Wednesday that his May 17 arrest and jailing was an “unfortunate misunderstanding” during a “chaotic situation.”

“I wish to put this incident behind me, and I hope (the officer) will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler had been charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course directing traffic after a pedestrian death when he encountered Scheffler.

Video of Scheffler in handcuffs being escorted by officers quickly spread on the Internet, followed by a mug shot of Scheffler in an orange jumpsuit from Louisville's jail.

O’Connell said Wednesday that his office thoroughly reviewed evidence in the case before deciding to dismiss charges.

“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”

Scheffler was not aware there had been a pedestrian death, and several PGA-marked vehicles like Scheffler's were able to enter the course without a problem, O'Connell said. But a passenger bus attempting to enter was halted and told to turn around. Gillis was on the scene stopping vehicles so the bus would have room to pivot, and Scheffler's car was among the first to reach the point where Gillis was stopping traffic, O'Connell said.

Gillis said in a police report that Scheffler then “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

A surveillance video released by Louisville police last week showed Gillis pursuing Scheffler’s vehicle on foot and stopping him from entering the course. Scheffler is later pulled from the car and cuffed. But the video did not show Gillis’ first contact with Scheffler, authorities said.

Gillis has been disciplined for not activating his body-worn camera during the arrest. In a report on that failure, Gillis wrote that Scheffler had “demanded to be let in” the golf course.

The famous golfer spent a brief stint in a jail cell, then returned to the course for the second round. He finished the tournament tied for eighth place.

Romines said eyewitness accounts confirmed that the officer was not dragged by Scheffler’s car.

“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here. And I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they’re one wrong turn ... from going to jail themselves,” he said after the hearing.

Romines also said there were grounds for a civil lawsuit against Louisville police but Scheffler is not interested in pursuing litigation.

“Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want the taxpayers of Louisville to have to pay him a dime,” he said.

O'Connell and Romines also addressed the death of the pedestrian, a 69-year-old tournament volunteer named John Mills.

“The events that led us here today began with a tragedy ... and my hope is more attention will soon be paid to Mr. Mills and his life," O'Connell said.

Romines said he has spoken to Mills' family to extend condolences from Scheffler.

“These kind of tournaments can't go on without people like John Mills working out there,” Romines said.

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Associated Press writer Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report.

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The Canadian Press - May 29, 2024 / 7:02 am | Story: 489744

John Wood has been to nine Ryder Cups as a caddie, a team assistant and an on-course reporter for NBC. Now he’s headed to Bethpage Black next year in a new role as team manager for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

The PGA Ryder Cup Committee selected Wood for this new position, saying he would consult with the captain, assistants, players and the PGA of America management on strategy and operational issues.

“Truly a dream job,” Wood said.

Still to be determined is the U.S. captain. Tiger Woods, with whom Wood is close, is the top choice and still discussing with the PGA of America whether he can devote sufficient time to take on the job for the 2025 matches.

Having Wood as a team manager could alleviate some of the responsibilities that often take up time from a captain's job.

“John is a passionate and dedicated individual. His years of experience in domestic and international team competitions as well as his deep understanding of match play dynamics will be a tremendous asset as we create a strategic plan that delivers success at all future Ryder Cups,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America.

“I’m not sure that we could have invented a better fit for this role in terms of experience, enthusiasm and relevance.”

Wood caddied for Mark Calcavecchia in 2002 at The Belfry, for Chris Riley in 2004 at Oakland Hills, for Hunter Mahan in 2008, 2010 and 2014, and for Matt Kuchar in 2016 at Hazeltine. He was part of winning teams at Valhalla in 2008 and Hazeltine.

He worked as a team assistant in the 2018 matches in France, and was at Whistling Straits and Marco Simone the last two times as an on-course reporter for NBC.

Wood spent more than 20 years as a caddie, his last stint with Kuchar, before joining NBC Sports in 2021.

In his role as team manager for the U.S. team, he will be involved in player selection, recruitment, logistics and creating a positive team environment.

“There is nothing — and I mean nothing — in my professional career that I have been more passionate about than the Ryder Cup,” Wood said.

Wood will still work as an NBC on-course reporter except during the Ryder Cup.

The Americans are coming off another road loss to Europe outside Rome, extending a losing streak on European soil that dates to 1997. The Americans have won the last two times at home, Hazeltine and Whistling Straits.

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The Canadian Press - May 28, 2024 / 2:44 pm | Story: 489648

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The Canadian Press - May 28, 2024 / 1:06 pm | Story: 489631

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Nelly Korda has won six of her last seven tournaments. She tied a record held by two LPGA greats, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam, by winning five tournaments in a row. So it's safe to say she is head and shoulders over everyone else.

She felt that way outside the ropes, too.

One of her favorite moments this year was when Korda became the first LPGA player — and first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2013 — to attend the Met Gala earlier this month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“For me, it was more shocking how tall I was compared to everyone,” Korda said Tuesday with an easy smile. She is 5-foot-10 — her height contributes to one of the most graceful, athletic swings in golf — and Korda was quick to point out she was in heels.

“We were in a tent, and there was no air conditioning and it was really hot, and everyone was like sweating,” Korda said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, the air’s fine up here, guys.'"

She says the best part of such a cool experience was looking around at who was there. “The ultimate people-watching fest,” is how she described it.

Korda should know the feeling. No one gets more eyeballs in women's golf at the moment. She has become the singular star of the LPGA Tour, the No. 1 player in the women's world ranking by more than twice the margin of No. 2.

Expectations have never been greater, and the stage is the biggest of the year.

The U.S. Women's Open starts Thursday at Lancaster Country Club, a classic tree-lined course with all the trappings of a tough, old-fashioned U.S. Open. The prize money is $12 million, the largest in the world for a standalone women's event, with $2.4 million to the winner.

The last time the U.S. Women's Open came to Lancaster, it set an attendance record of 135,000 spectators. The same is expected this week at the championship that long has been considered the biggest on the LPGA schedule.

It's a big opportunity for Korda, and for women's golf.

It took her five-tournament winning streak, which Rose Zhang ended at the Cognizant Founders Cup, to bring the LPGA attention this year.

Even so, it has lagged behind at a time when women's sports are surging.

Leading the way at the moment is Caitlin Clark, from her record-setting college career at Iowa to her debut in the WNBA that has led to spikes in ticket prices and attendance. Soccer and tennis remain more popular than golf, particularly in America.

Never mind that the LPGA Tour has more history and offers more money. The LPGA Tour dates to 1950 and has never received — nor asked for — help from the PGA Tour. Ty Votaw, the LPGA commissioner from two decades ago, once spoke to the LPGA's independence by saying, “If you take the NBA out of WNBA, you'd have the ABL.”

The American Basketball League launched in the mid-1990s right before the WNBA, and it folded in two years.

LPGA prize money this year tops $100 million. Last year, 28 players earned at least $1 million.

Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the LPGA commissioner, points to increasing consumption metrics from spectators to page views to television. She sees progress, and points to more energy and more volume being critical for that moment when women's golf reaches the forefront of the conversation.

Korda would seem to shoulder the bulk of that burden. She prefers to do that with her clubs.

She has been known to duck media opportunities that could help the greater good of the LPGA. One of those moments was at the Women's British Open in 2021 when she declined a news conference. It was her first appearance since winning the Olympic gold medal.

“I think our responsibility is to go out and play golf, to hopefully put on a show for everyone, and to go out there and perform our best,” Korda said. “Hopefully, that brings in the audience. I know there's expectations from players, and I think that our No. 1 priority should be to go out there, enjoy our time on the golf course, and grow the game playing good golf.”

As for expectations of her role as the LPGA's biggest star, Korda said the lesson was to be honest with herself and those around her, to not try to be someone she isn't.

A 13-year-old youth reporter asked Korda what she would say to her 13-year-old self.

“There's going to be expectations from the people around you, and the best thing you can ever do is stay true to yourself, stay your course,” Korda said.

“I just try to be very, very pure and very, very honest with everyone around me,” she said. “And I hope that they see that I am proud of the person that I am at the end of the day. And that is how I hope that I grow the game.”

Winning never hurts, and Korda has certainly done her share. She already has six wins this year, and it's not even June.

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The Canadian Press - May 28, 2024 / 9:20 am | Story: 489566

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Golf is all Lexi Thompson has ever known, and one of the more popular players on the LPGA Tour decided Tuesday this will be her last year playing a full schedule.

Thompson chose the U.S. Women's Open — the major she first played when she was 12 — to announce that she will step away at the end of the year. The 29-year-old American became emotional while talking about the amount of work no one sees and the loneliness she has faced.

Thompson said she has contemplated semi-retirement the last few years and cited mental health as one of the factors that contributed to her decision.

“I think we all have our struggles, especially out here,” she said. "Unfortunately in golf you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continuing to work hard and maybe not seeing the results you want and getting criticized for it. So it’s hard.

“I will stay, yes, I've struggled with it — I don't think there's somebody out here that hasn't,” she said. “It's just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”

Thompson is playing her 18th U.S. Women's Open before turning 30. She won the first of her 15 LPGA title at age 16. She is known as much for the majors she lost as the one she captured at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014 when she was 19.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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She made a vague reference to Grayson Murray, who spoke openly about alcoholism and his struggles with depression and anxiety from life as a tour professional. Murray, who won the Sony Open in January, died by suicide on Saturday.

“Being out here can be a lot. It can be lonely,” she said as her voice began to crack and she wiped away tears. "I just think — especially with what's happened in golf, as of recent, too — a lot of people don't realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete.

“We're doing what we love. We’re trying the best every single day. You know, we’re not perfect. We’re humans. Words hurt. It’s hard to overcome sometimes. ... I might not have a huge friend group, but to have the people that matter the most around me have gotten me through some really hard times."

Exactly what semi-retirement means is not clear. Thompson, whose last LPGA victory came nearly five years ago, said she would love to be on the Solheim Cup team one last time. She likes fitness and is launching an app. But it was time to find something else.

“I’ve only known golf as my life,” Thompson said. “So it’s nice to branch out and be able to enjoy other things.”

The news surprised LPGA players. The notice was posted, and then deleted, a couple of times on various social media channels. Thompson was on the course when it first went out.

“She really dedicated her time to growing the game,” Nelly Korda said. “It’s sad to see that she’s obviously leaving and not going to be out here with us, but she’s had an amazing career, and I wish her the best in this new chapter of her life.”

Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles, at the time the youngest ever to qualify. She also set an LPGA Tour record as the youngest winner when she captured the Navistar LPGA Classic at age 16.

Both records since have been broken.

Thompson was a runner-up four times in the majors. She lost a five-shot lead in the 2021 U.S. Women's Open at The Olympic Club with a 41 on the back nine. Most famous was the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2017, and she got emotional talking about that.

She was headed for an easy victory in the final round when the LPGA discovered she improperly marked her golf ball on a green in the third round. She was penalized two shots for the violation and two shots for signing for an incorrect score because of the penalty.

“Is this a joke?” she said when a rules official informed her on the 13th hole of the final round that she had been docked four shots, turning a three-shot lead into a one-shot deficit. She rallied to force a playoff before losing to So Yeon Ryu.

“That was a huge moment in my career — not a great one,” she said. “I look at it as I grew a fan base that I never thought I would have in that moment. It’s an unfortunate circ*mstance, but to be there and to hear chants of my name on 17 coming down the stretch and just to be able to sign all the autographs and go through that moment ... the hardest moment of my career was like a blessing.

"I gained fans that I never thought I would have.”

Thompson grew up playing with two older brothers, both of whom reached the PGA Tour, and she was renowned for her power. She accepted an exemption to play a PGA Tour event in Las Vegas last year, keeping fans in suspense whether she could make the cut until fading.

Thompson could not say how often she would play, only that she would “take it day by day and see how I feel.”

“But I'm very content with this being my last full-time schedule year,” she said.

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The Canadian Press - May 27, 2024 / 11:04 am | Story: 489438

CALGARY — Steve Blake has a powerful message — don’t give up on your dreams no matter what life throws your way.

The Calgary golf professional is gearing up for playing in Canada's lone PGA Tour Champions event of the season while battling inoperable Stage 4 lung cancer.

"You may be handed a death sentence, but it doesn't mean life's over," said Blake, whose received the shocking diagnosis in September. "You've still got a lot to give, so get out there and give something."

Blake was given a sponsor exemption on Monday, his 56th birthday, to play in his hometown at the 2024 Rogers Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club from Aug. 16 to 18.

"The more I have something like this tournament coming up to look forward to, the more alive I feel," Blake said. "I don’t feel like I’m sick. I feel like I’m just this normal guy who’s going to practise for this tournament coming up and hopefully I’ll be around for the next one and so on and so on.

"As devastating as something can sound, I think if you believe that you can conquer something, you will, especially if you have good support staff and family (and) friends.”

Blake, who also competed at the PGA Tour Champions event in 2018 when the tournament was known as the Shaw Charity Classic, decided to apply for another exemption while in the midst of undergoing eight months of chemotherapy treatments.

He is looking forward to playing the sport he loves, possibly alongside fellow Canadians Mike Weir and Stephen Ames.

"It’s incredible,” Blake said. "The opportunity, it leaves you speechless obviously to compete again with these guys to be on the same stage. The situation being what it is, they were very open to receive my letter and have me in there."

A non-smoker with an active lifestyle, Blake developed a nagging cough in August.

“I made a deal with my wife that if it did get worse that I would go to the hospital,” said Blake. “Long story short, about 16 hours later and my wife had shown up by that time, sitting in emergency going through a bunch of tests and stuff and they came back with the diagnosis.”

Blake faced his prognosis from his oncologist with his family by his side.

"We knew it wasn’t going to be good,” Blake said. "He said 12 to 24 months, but I kind of really grabbed onto that and said, 'I just want this to be the starting point. Like, I’ll see you in 24 months and then we’ll discuss another prognosis if you’ve got another one for me.'

"Being able to look forward to something like this does so much for me mentally, physically, everything, just to get me psyched up to come out here and compete again."

The devastating news was a shock to the system for Blake, his wife Kelly and their kids Connor, 25, and Brooklyn, 22, who are both accomplished athletes.

"When we told the kids, they were so emotional as well," said Kelly. "We didn’t know if Steve would be well enough to golf, let alone out here (at Canyon Meadows)."

Connor is a defenceman playing hockey for the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder, while Brooklyn is a midfielder with Calgary Foothills WFC.

"I’m always looking for something to take my mind off the illness,” said Blake, who works as a financial adviser. “I’m still trying to be very active in work. I’m still trying to be very active in golf and in my kids’ sports and things like that."

After just missing out on qualifying to compete at the U.S. Senior Open Championship last year, Blake will attempt to earn a spot to play at this year’s tournament to be held at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I., from June 27 to 30.

"Having something like the U.S. Senior Open qualifier to look forward to again, just the idea of being able to go down and compete, is something that’s really special to me and my wife," said Blake, who will tee it up for a qualifying round at Goose Creek Golf Club in Jurupa Valley, Calif., on Tuesday. “I’m fortunate I’ve played (Goose Creek) a couple times. I was close the last time I was down there. Hopefully, I just make a few more putts and we’ll see if we can get in the U.S. Senior Open again."

Blake played at the major in 2018 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Col. Although he missed the cut with rounds of 79 and 74, it gave him confidence that he could hold his own against the likes of World Golf Hall of Fame members Vijay Singh and Bernhard Langer.

"It’s just such a great opportunity to come out and compete with them," said Blake, who carded rounds of 70, 77 and 71 six years ago at Canyon Meadows to finish well back of winner Scott McCarron. "It’ll be a little different than the last time. It’ll be similar as far as having family and friends and the crowd around, which I so enjoy having.

“I know in 2018, it was let’s just not embarrass myself while I’m out here too much. It will be different, just playing for something maybe just a little bit bigger than me. I hope people see the message and see that somebody with an illness like this can still get out there and still pursue their dreams."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - May 26, 2024 / 4:19 pm | Story: 489363

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Davis Riley shot even-par 70 while playing in the final group Sunday with Scottie Scheffler, and still won a subdued Colonial by five strokes over the world’s No. 1 player and Keegan Bradley for his first individual victory on the PGA Tour.

Riley finished at 14-under 266. Bradley shot 67, and Scheffler 71 on a day when he hit only seven of 14 fairways and didn’t have a birdie until the 13th hole.

After beginning the final round with a four-stroke lead, Riley gave up a stroke with a bogey on the second hole when he drove into the right rough and then hit into the bunker. But that was the closest Scheffler — or anybody else — would get with wind gusts of 20 mph and more blowing throughout the day.

The 27-year-old Riley’s only other PGA Tour victory came when he and Nick Hardy won the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans last year. The Mississippi native’s win at historic Colonial, which had been completely restored since last year’s tournament, earned him $1,638,000, the traditional winner’s plaid jacket and a fully restored and modernized 1975 Stingray car.

The final round was played on the same day that Grayson Murray’s parents said their 30-year-old son took his own life Saturday, a day after the two-time tour winner had cited illness when withdrawing from the event with two holes left in his second round.

PGA OF AMERICA

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Richard Bland had time off from LIV Golf and made it pay off in a major way when he won the Senior PGA Championship in his senior major debut, closing with an 8-under 63 for a three-shot victory at Harbor Shores.

In a final round delayed by about an hour because of storms, Bland hit what amounted to the winning shot on the par-5 15th, an approach to 6 feet for eagle. That took him from one shot behind Greg Chalmers to a one-shot lead when Chalmers could only manage a par.

The storms finally arrived, and the 51-year-old Bland returned to make three pars and claim his first victory since the 2021 British Masters, the European tour title that unwittingly started Bland on this amazing ride.

Bland did not realize until last year the Senior PGA Championship offers a one-time exemption to players who have won on the European tour in the last five years. He couldn’t play because the Senior PGA was held the same week as LIV Golf Bedminster in New Jersey. But he asked about this year, and the PGA of America provided the invitation.

Bland won by three shots over Richard Green, who shot 65.

EUROPEAN TOUR

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Nacho Elvira of Spain parred his final seven holes to close with an even-par 71 and hold on for a one-stroke victory at the Soudal Open in Belgium.

Elvira won for the second time on the European tour.

The Spaniard started the final round with a four-shot lead and was almost reeled in by Denmark’s Nicolas Norgaard, who missed a 12-foot birdie chance on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.

Norgaard had to settle for a 68 and a tie for second place with home favorite Thomas Pieters (66) and Romain Langasque, who birdied the last for a 68.

Elvira’s other win came at the Cazoo Open in Wales in 2021 and he was in tears after securing the title at Rinkven International Golf Club, where the final round had to be suspended midway through because of heavy rain that flooded the greens.

KORN FERRY TOUR

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Harry Higgs made it two playoff victories in a row on the Korn Ferry Tour when he made eagle on the second extra hole to beat Frankie Capan III in the Visit Knoxville Open.

The victory all but assured Higgs a return to the PGA Tour. The top 35 players at the end of the season earn cards, and Higgs moved up to No. 2 in the points list.

Higgs, who chipped in for eagle to force a playoff at the AdventHealth Championship last week, this time had to settle for par on the par-5 18th and a 5-under 65. Capan birdied the final hole for a 66 to force the playoff.

Both made birdie on the 18th, and then Higgs won it with an eagle for another trophy.

OTHER TOURS

Ryosuke Kinosh*ta ended three years without a victory on the Japan Golf Tour by closing with a 1-under 71 to win the Mizuno Open by two shots. The victory sends Kinosh*ta to the British Open this summer, along with Guntaek Koh and Yuto Katsuragawa. ... Andreas Halvorsen won his first Challenge Tour event when he closed with a 1-under 71 to completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Danish Golf Challenge. ... Morgane Metraux of Switzerland captured her second Ladies European Tour title when she overcame a rough start to close with a 1-over 72 for a three-shot victory in the Jabra Ladies Open at Evian Golf Resort in France. ... Kieran Vincent took advantage of an open week on LIV Golf to close with a 6-under 66 for a four-shot victory in the KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour. ... Akie Iwai won the Resort Trust Ladies with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory over Rio Takeda on the Japan LPGA. ... Sohyun Bae shot even-par 72 and won the E1 Charity Open by three shots on the Korea LPGA.

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The Canadian Press - May 26, 2024 / 3:39 pm | Story: 489357

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Davis Riley was practising a week before Colonial when he got an unsettling call that his older sister had a seizure at work, which led to the discovery of a tumour on her brain and surgery the next day.

Riley wasn't even sure then that he would be able to, or even want to, play in the Charles Schwab Challenge.

“When you have somebody that close to you, all the worst-case scenarios are going through your head," Riley said. "It was certainly a scary feeling thinking about how you could lose your sister.”

The family got a huge sigh of relief when the surgery was successful and the tumour was non-cancerous. His parents told him that his sister wanted him to go play.

So Riley did, and got his first individual victory on the PGA Tour after playing in the final group Sunday with Scott Scheffler. Riley shot even-par 70 to finish at 14-under 266, five strokes ahead of the world’s No. 1 player and Keegan Bradley.

After beginning the final round with a four-stroke lead, Riley gave up a stroke with a bogey on the second hole when he drove into the right rough and then hit into the bunker. But that was the closest Scheffler — or anybody else — would get with wind gusts of 20 miles per hour and more blowing throughout the day, and with firm greens.

Bradley had a 67, and Scheffler shot 71 on a day when he didn’t have a birdie until the 13th hole. Collin Morikawa, the only player in the field to finish all four rounds under par, was fourth at 8 under after his closing 68.

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., was the top Canadian, finished tied for 24th at 1 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., finished tied for 32nd at even par.

The 27-year-old Riley’s only other PGA Tour win came when he and Nick Hardy won the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans last year. The Mississippi native’s win at historic Colonial, which had been completely restored since last year’s tournament, earned him $1,638,000, the traditional winner’s plaid jacket and a fully restored and modernized 1975 Stingray car.

Riley's parents were still with his sister and not there for his victory. But Hardy, who teed off five hours before the final group, was there to greet him after his final 6-foot par putt.

“We’ve got a special friendship and obviously having our maiden PGA Tour in together was certainly special,” Riley said. “We actually played the first two days together this week. So there’s definitely a level of comfort there. Probably a big reason why I got off to a good start.”

The final round was played on the day that Grayson Murray's parents said their 30-year-old son took his own life Saturday, a day after the two-time tour winner had cited illness when withdrawing from the event with two holes left in his second round. The family had insisted to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for play to continue.

Bradley was at 10 under after a four-foot birdie at the 17th hole, but missed a similar-length chance to save par at No. 18 after his tee shot and approach both ended up in the right rough.

“My best round of the year probably. Hung in there,” Bradley said. “I really felt comfortable out there in contention, which is not always the case."

Colonial was his first top 10 since being in a three-way playoff at the Sony Open in January won by Murray.

Riley curled in a 27-foot birdie at the 229-yard par-3 No. 4 that is the middle of the famed “Horrible Horseshoe” that is still the toughest three-hole stretch on the course. Scheffler bogeyed there and again at No. 5 after his into the right rough running parallel to the Trinity River.

“It was certainly nice to start out with a cushion,” Riley said. “You got the Number 1 player in the world breathing down your neck, not really any shot lead is too comfortable. … I tried to treat today as if we both started tied and I just tried to win the day.”

By time Riley closed out the front nine with a nine-foot birdie putt, he was six strokes ahead of Scheffler.

“I just wasn’t able to put as much pressure as I would have hoped to put on Davis early in the round,” Scheffler said. “He made that bogey on 2 and answered it really quick with a birdie on 4 and didn’t really give us much of an opening today. … It was a well-earned win for him.”

Scheffler was playing close to his Dallas home a week after his arrest in the morning darkness before his second round of the PGA Championship, when police were investigating a pedestrian fatality and arrested — and briefly jailed — Scheffler for not following traffic directions.

After tying for eighth at Valhalla, Colonial was the 11th top-10 finish in Scheffler's 12 tournaments this year. Before the PGA Championship, he had taken three weeks off for the birth of his first child after back-to-back wins at the Masters and the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

It was Scheffler's third consecutive top-three finish at Colonial, even after an opening 72 that was the first time this season he failed to break par in a first round. That also included his first triple-bogey of the season, when his tee shot at the par-3 13th hole went into the pond fronting that raised green.

No. 13 was Scheffler's first birdie Sunday, but he was still seven strokes back at that point. After the triple on Thursday, he had played 44 consecutive bogey-free holes — including rounds of 65 and 63, until Nos. 4 and 5 on Sunday.

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The Canadian Press - May 26, 2024 / 1:56 pm | Story: 489346

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Richard Bland had time off from LIV Golf and made it pay off in a major way Sunday when he won the Senior PGA Championship in his senior major debut, closing with an 8-under 63 for a three-shot victory at Harbor Shores.

In a final round delayed by about an hour because of storms, Bland hit what amounted to the winning shot on the par-5 15th, an approach to 6 feet for eagle. That took him from one shot behind Greg Chalmers to a one-shot lead when Chalmers could only manage a par.

The storms finally arrived, and the 51-year-old Bland returned to make three pars and claim his first victory since the 2021 British Masters, the European tour title that unwittingly started Bland on this amazing ride.

Bland did not realize until last year the Senior PGA Championship offers a one-time exemption to players who have won on the European tour in the last five years. He couldn't play because the Senior PGA was held the same week as LIV Golf Bedminster in New Jersey.

But he asked about this year, and the PGA of America provided the invitation.

“The British Masters was very special at 48. This is right up there. I couldn't be happier," Bland said. “I'm going to celebrate the hell out of this one.”

Bland won by three shots over Richard Green, who shot 65 and took second place alone without ever having a serious of chance of winning.

That opportunity belonged to Chalmers, the left-handed Australian who had the lead with four holes to play. But he could only make that par on the 15th. He missed the green to the left on the 16th and took two shots to reach the green in making bogey, and then dropped another shot on the par-3 17th when he couldn't save par from the bunker.

Chalmers also bogeyed the 18th and shot 68.

Jason Caron had the best finish by a club professional, posting a 66 to tie for fourth with Scott Hend (66). The disappointment belonged to Ernie Els, still without a senior major. He was tied for the 54-hole lead with Chalmers and shot 70 to tie for sixth.

This stage belonged to Bland, who got choked up during the trophy presentation thinking about his brother, Heath, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer just over a year ago and learned last week he had cancer in the lungs.

“I just wanted to win for him so bad,” Bland said through tears.

Bland had to get past Chalmers in a terrific battle in which Chalmers was bogey-free with six birdies and Bland had eight birdies in 12 holes to offset two bogeys. And then the Englishman surged ahead with the eagle on the 15th, and no one could catch him.

And now Bland, who finished at 17-under 267, gets more golf than he imagined.

The victory makes him exempt for the U.S. Senior Open on June 27-30 at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, one week after Bland and his Cleeks team compete in LIV Golf Nashville.

Still unclear is what he will do after that. The PGA Tour has banned LIV Golf players. Bland is 25th on the LIV points list and still not guaranteed a spot in the Saudi-funded league next year.

“I don't know how many doors this is going to open,” Bland said. “Obviously, I'm now committed to LIV.”

He has made $9.8 million since joining LIV Golf in June 2022. Bland at least knows he has the game for the 50-and-older set.

“This is my first event. I was interested to see if I brought my game how it would stack up against these guys,” he said. “Thankfully, it does.”

Defending champion Steve Stricker shot 68 and finished seven shots behind in eighth place.

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The Canadian Press - May 26, 2024 / 10:29 am | Story: 489326

Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event. The family asked for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another.

“If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement released by the PGA Tour.

Murray, a two-time PGA Tour winner, spoke in January after winning the Sony Open in Honolulu about turning the corner in his life, his golf and battles with alcoholism and mental death. He died Saturday morning.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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Circ*mstances of his death have not been released. Murray tied for 43rd last week in the PGA Championship, which enabled him to hold his position among the top 60 to earn a spot in the U.S. Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2 in his native North Carolina.

He shot 68 in the opening round at Colonial. The next round, he was 5 over and coming off three straight bogeys when he withdrew citing an illness.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said he spoke with Murray's parents about halting play at Colonial and they insisted the golf tournament continue.

Monahan flew to Fort Worth, Texas, to be with players. Many of them wore black-and-red pins on their caps in honor of Murray. Those are the colors of the Carolina Hurricanes, his favorite NHL team.

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare,” his parents shared in their statement.

"We have so many questions that have no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and — it seems — by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.

“Life wasn't always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.”

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The Canadian Press - May 25, 2024 / 6:51 pm | Story: 489289

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Davis Riley was finishing a 4-under 66 for a four-shot lead over surging Scottie Scheffler at Colonial while PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan conducted interviews about the death of two-time tour winner Grayson Murray.

Another week, another dose of unsettling news off the course, this time at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Scheffler's arrest during the PGA Championship a week ago was triggered by an accident that killed a pedestrian. This death hit closer to home for the players, and Monahan quickly flew to Texas after getting word Saturday that the 30-year-old Murray had died.

Murray, who dealt with alcohol and mental health issues in the past, withdrew late in his second round at Colonial on Friday, and Monahan was told of his death a little less than 24 hours later.

So the Sunday question of whether Riley can hold off world No. 1 Scheffler for his first solo victory is now mixed with how players might honor Murray just four months after he won the Sony Open in Hawaii

“It’s not just about tomorrow,” Monahan said. “It’s about the weeks ahead, it’s about the months ahead. There are a lot of people that are going to be carrying a heavy heart for a long period of time out on the PGA Tour, and there’s a family that is obviously devastated that we need to support.”

Riley was at 14-under 196.

Scheffler shot 63 and was alone in second at 10 under. The hometown favorite has played his last 41 holes in 13 under since his first triple-bogey of the year in the first round, which was his second round over par (72) in the previous three coming off a streak of 41 rounds at par better.

The Masters champ has a new streak going, but once again found himself answering questions that had nothing to do with his round.

“Obviously, the news hasn’t really sunk in quite yet, but I’m thinking about his family and praying hard for all of them,” Scheffler said. “I got to know Grayson a bit better over the last six months. There’s not really a way to put into words how sad and tragic it is.”

Pierceson Coody, the grandson of Texan and 1971 Masters winner Charles Coody, and Hayden Buckley were a stroke behind Scheffler after 69s.

Tony Finau was alone in sixth at 7 under after a 68. Collin Morikawa (67), who played in the final group at the Masters and the PGA Championship this year, was at 6 under. Morikawa was tied with three others, including Keegan Bradley, who was in the three-man playoff Murray won at the Sony Open.

Webb Simpson had known Murray since he was 8, and and Murray was the first winner of the junior tournament named after Simpson, who found out about the death about 10 minutes before teeing off.

“When you hear news like that over the phone, you don’t think it’s real at first,” said Simpson, who shot 75 and was 1 over. “And, you know, you hear the emotion coming from our swing coach and then you realize it’s real.”

Riley, whose only victory was the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans with Nick Hardy last year, birdied five of the first eight holes before consecutive bogeys, just his second and third of the week.

The 27-year-old, who had seven pars and a birdie the rest of the way, contended at Colonial two years ago, settling for a tie for fourth while Scheffler lost to Sam Burns in a playoff.

Now Riley will play with Scheffler, who is bogey-free since the triple-bogey and has 10 wins and a pair of top-three finishes at Colonial since 2022.

“I’ve known Scottie for a long time and played a lot of junior golf with him, college golf, and he obviously is playing some really good golf right now,” Riley said. “So he’s going to come out swinging, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and it will be a fun day competing out there.”

Scheffler was seven shots behind Riley on the back nine but birdied three of the last four holes to close the gap.

“I didn’t obviously know what the leaders were going to do, but just tried to do my best to not look too far ahead and continue to go out there and execute and try and give myself as many looks as possible,” Scheffler said.

Jordan Spieth, Scheffler's fellow hometown favorite, shot 71 and was 1 under. Defending champion Emiliano Grillo, who made the cut on the number, shot 73 and was 5 under, tied for last among those playing on the weekend.

Charles Coody, who grew up in West Texas, is an 86-year-old honorary member at Colonial. His grandson is contending on a sponsor exemption with players seeing the course for the first time since an overhaul that started at the end of last year's event, the longest-running on tour at the same venue.

Pierceson Coody started the round two shots back, but the deficit was seven after his double-bogey at the par-4 ninth.

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