Bradley takes one-shot lead over Scott at BMW Championship - Golf (2024)

The Canadian Press - Aug 25, 2024 / 5:38 pm | Story: 503081

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Adam Scott is playing in the Presidents Cup for the 11th straight time, the most of any player from the International team. That wasn't much of a surprise.

Neither were the six players for the American team.

The BMW Championship was the final tournament for six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. and International teams who will compete Sept. 27-30 at Royal Montreal.

The leading six players remained unchanged.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and newcomer Sahith Theegala qualified for the Americans. Sam Burns could have grabbed the sixth spot only if he had won. He finished one shot behind Keegan Bradley.

The six qualifiers for the International team were Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Jason Day, Scott and Byeong Hun An.

Corey Conners of Canada had a chance with a big finish at Castle Pines, but he closed with a 73 and tied for 22nd. The International team is based on the world ranking.

Jim Furyk and Mike Weir of Canada will announce their six captain's picks after the Tour Championship, and that's where the intrigue lies.

“I hope I didn't throw a huge wrench in everybody's plans,” Bradley said, whose victory moved him to No. 10 in the U.S. standings.

Bradley, 38, already is the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer (34) was a playing captain in 1963. He also has PGA Tour titles in each of the last three years, and his win at the BMW Championship moved him to No. 11 in the world ranking.

Burns moved to No. 7, followed by Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Bradley, Brian Harman and Max Homa. Henley has never played in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team.

Harman and Homa have not been in good form for most of the summer. And then there is Justin Thomas, who has played for every U.S. team since 2017. He is at No. 19, following a year in which he was the lowest-ranked player in the Ryder Cup standings when he was picked. Thomas at least made it to the Tour Championship — the 30th and final spot — giving him a week to perform.

“I feel like I played well in some big tournaments this year. I just did it earlier in the season,” Thomas said. “I know I’m playing well enough, but that’s up to Jim and the rest of the captains and the guys on the team. My hope is that I get to Atlanta and I prove that I belong.”

Weir would like to have Canadians on his side for the home crowd. None qualified. Conners was at No. 7, followed by Cam Davis and Min Woo Lee of Australia, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and three Canadians — Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin.

Pendrith played in the last Presidents Cup. He held it together on the back nine to assure a spot at the Tour Championship next week.

“I want to be at East Lake. I want to be on the Presidents Cup badly. But I’ve had a great season, and if I didn’t play great these last two weeks, I’d be OK with it,” he said. “It would sting a little bit for sure, but to come out here and do it and perform under the pressure, it feels incredible. I can’t wait to keep going.”

Scott has played on every Presidents Cup team since 2003 — one year after Tom Kim was born — but has never been on a winning team. The 2003 matches ended in a tie in South Africa, and the Americans have won nine in a row.

Phil Mickelson played in 12 Presidents Cup, the most of any player.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 25, 2024 / 3:48 pm | Story: 503071

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Keegan Bradley went from the last man in the BMW Championship to a winner Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory that opened up all sorts of possibilities he never imagined possible a week ago.

Bradley pulled away from mistake-prone Adam Scott early on the back nine and delivered a clutch shot into the par-5 17th that all but sealed the seventh victory of his PGA Tour career, and the most unlikely.

He was biting his nails a week ago, needing help just to finish at No. 50 in the FedEx Cup and qualify for the second postseason event. And then he managed the mile-high air, the wind and the Sunday pressure to win at Castle Pines.

The victory moved the 38-year-old Bradley from No. 50 to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup, sending him to the Tour Championship where he will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler in a 72-hole chase for the $25 million prize.

There’s also another cup in play. Bradley, the first Ryder Cup captain to win a PGA Tour event since Davis Love III nine years ago, moved to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. The top six after the BMW Championship automatically qualified, and Jim Furyk gets six captain’s picks. Bradley will surely be in the conversation after winning for the third straight year.

Scott, a runner-up at the Scottish Open last month, was tied for the lead until starting the back nine with three soft bogeys, two of them with a wedge in his hand from the fairway. He birdied the closing par 5s, but lost a big chance when he overshot the 15th green from 101 yards.

He closed with a 72, though it also moved him into the top 30 who qualifying for East Lake.

Sam Burns finished with a Sunday-best 65, including a bogey on the par-5 14th, and shared second place with Scott and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden. Aberg closed with a 71.

Bradley finished at 12-under 276. He earned $4 million for his second title in the BMW Championship, also winning at Aronimink in 2018.

LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Lydia Ko won her third major championship by breaking free from a logjam of world-class talent to win the Women’s British Open by two strokes at St. Andrews, capping a summer that included her Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Ko rolled in a 4-foot birdie putt at the storied 18th hole on the Old Course for a 3-under 69, and then had to wait to see if Nelly Korda, defending champion Lilia Vu and two-time champion Jiyai Shin could catch her.

All four players -- former world No. 1s -- shared the lead at some point down the stretch.

Korda had the lead until a double bogey on the par-5 14th, and she took bogey from the Road Hole bunker at the 17th to lose her bid. Shin also make bogey on the 17th. Vu had a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force a playoff. She came up short, and then missed a short par putt to tie for second.

Ko finished at 7-under 281. It was her first major in eight years.

European Tour

AARHUS, Denmark (AP) — Frederic LaCroix of France played bogey-free for a 6-under 65 that allowed him to track down the mistake-prone leaders and win the Danish Golf Championship for his first European tour title.

LaCroix started the final round four shots behind Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark and closed the gap quick as the Dane took three bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine and never caught up. He closed with a 73.

Romain Langasque could only manage a 71 with two birdies and two bogeys and tied for second with Bjerregaard, four shots behind.

Lacroix finished at 14-under 270.

British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark closed with a 72 and tied for fifth.

PGA Tour Champions

GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) — Stewart Cink won The Ally Challenge for his first PGA Tour Champions title, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory.

The 51-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion, won in his 10th career start on the 50-and-over tour. He became the 22nd player to win on each of the PGA Tour’s three tours — the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour.

Cink finished at 17-under 199 at Warwick Hills to match the tournament record set by Joe Durant in 2021. The eight-time PGA Tour winner has made 14 starts this season, the best a tie for 24th in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

K.J. Choi was second after a 67. Mike Weir (64) was another stroke back.

Korn Ferry Tour

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Matt McCarty won the Albertsons Boise Open for his third Korn Ferry Tour in his last six starts, becoming the 13th player in tour history to earn an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour.

McCarty closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke victory in the regular-season finale. The 26-year-old left-hander finished at 21-under 263 at Hillcrest Country Club.

With the immediate promotion as a three-time winner, McCarty will receive spots in the FedExCup Fall events. The top 30 in the season standings earned PGA Tour cards.

Kevin Roy (68) and William Mouw (70) tied for second. They earned PGA Tour cards, with Roy 10th and Mouw 12th in the standings.

Other tours

Jinichiro Kozuma, who plays for LIV Golf, closed with a 7-under 65 and won on the second playoff hole with a par to beat Yuwa Kosaihira and win the Sansan KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour. ... John Keefer won the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open for his first PGA Tour Americas title. He shot 63-61-71-67 to finish at 26 under, a stroke ahead of Joey Savoie (64) and Neal Shipley (67). ... Joakim Lagergren rallied from four shots behind with a 4-under 68 to win the Indoor Golf Group Challenge in Sweden, his second victory this season on the Challenge Tour. ... Thriston Lawrence, who challenged at the British Open at Royal Troon, closed with a 5-under 67 for a five-shot victory in the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino on the Sunshine Tour. ... Shiho Kuwaki closed with a 2-under 70 for a one-shot victory in the Nitori Ladies on the Japan LPGA. ... Ji Young Park won the Hanwha Classic on the Korea LPGA by closing with a 4-under 68.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 25, 2024 / 3:37 pm | Story: 503068

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — The BMW Championship was one tournament Keegan Bradley never thought he could win, only because he didn't think he would be playing.

Bradley was a bundle of nerves one week ago Sunday as he sat in a hotel room in Tennessee with his bags packed and his season seemingly over. And then he squeezed into the 50th spot in FedEx Cup in the final hour, the last man in Castle Pines for the next playoff event.

From biting his nails in Memphis to holding a trophy in Denver. What a week.

“I can't even wrap my head around it,” Bradley said after an even-par 72 gave him a one-shot victory over Adam Scott, Sam Burns and Ludvig Aberg.

He doesn't have much time to let his seventh career PGA Tour victory sink in. This created possibilities Bradley never imagined a week ago.

He heads to Atlanta for the Tour Championship at East Lake, where Bradley — who went from No. 50 to No. 4 in the standings — will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler at East Lake with a reasonable chance of winning the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize.

And that's not the only cup in play.

Bradley became the first Ryder Cup captain — he was appointed U.S. skipper just over six weeks ago — to win a PGA Tour event in nine years. He is an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup next month in Montreal.

The BMW title moved him to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. Only the top six automatically qualified Sunday, but Bradley is certain to be under serious consideration when Jim Furyk makes his six captain's picks after the Tour Championship.

“I don’t know where that’s going to go, but I’m happy to play whatever role they want me to play,” the 38-year-old Bradley said. “I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration.”

Consideration came from winning, and this a rock-solid performance in the mile-high air and in wind that left several players guessing how far the golf ball was flying.

Bradley had some help from the Scott, who was tied for the lead until starting the back nine with three soft bogeys, all with a wedge in his hand. He missed par putts of seven feet, six feet and eight feet to fall three shots behind. But it was the approach shots that hurt him.

“Ten, 11, 12 kind of blew it for me there,” Scott said after his 72. “I was in position with wedges on every hole and made three bogeys. That’s almost unthinkable, really.”

Burns had a Sunday-best 65, nearly holing a bunker shot on the 18th. Aberg was in position to close the gap until posing over a 6-iron into the par-5 14th right up until it splashed down, leading to a bogey from which he couldn't quite recover. He closed with a 71.

Bradley, who finished at 12-under 276, effectively sealed it with a 5-iron from 227 yards in which he took dead aim behind two bunkers to a back left pin and watched it settle on the firm green 16 feet away, the closest anyone was all day.

“As pure a golf shot as I've ever hit,” Bradley said.

He two-putted for birdie and a two-shot lead, allowing him a cushion and time to soak up chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from thousands who encircled the 18th green and paid tribute to the Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches. Bradley got a lot of those cheers this week.

Scott's last chance really ended on the 15th. Bradley was in deep trouble in a back bunker, forcing him to play some 25 feet away from the pin. Scott was in the fairway, 101 yards from the pin, and his wedge sailed the green into deep rough. They wound up with matching bogeys.

The consolation for Scott was moving into the top 30 who qualify for East Lake.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., finished in a tie for 13th at 5 under, seven shots behind the winner. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for 22nd at 4 under. And Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., ended up tied for 41st at 3 over.

Justin Thomas somehow made it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, even though he was already home in Florida in the same nail-biting spot as Bradley was a week ago.

Thomas needed plenty of help to get the 30th spot, and it came from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman needed a par on the last hole to stay in the top 30 and made double bogey.

Noren, who has never made it to East Lake, was poised to finish in the top 30 when he holed a 25-foot par putt on the 13th hole and made birdie on the 14th. But he finished with three straight bogeys, the most damaging on the par-5 17th, the easiest hole at Castle Pines. He had to lay up from a drive in the rough and hit wedge into a bunker. He shot 75.

Bradley earned $4 million for his second title in the BMW Championship, also winning at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in what was then a 70-man field.

Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) who moved into the top 30 to qualifying for the Tour Championship. They bumped out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 25, 2024 / 11:19 am | Story: 503035

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Lydia Ko covered her face with her hands and cried tears of joy.

An Olympic gold medal. Entry into the Hall of Fame. And now another major championship title — at the home of golf, no less.

Summers don’t come much better than that.

Ko completed what she described as a “Cinderella-like story” by breaking free from a logjam of world-class talent to win the Women’s British Open by two strokes at St. Andrews on Sunday, securing a third major title — and a first in eight years. Just two weeks ago, the 27-year-old New Zealander took gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.

“This is almost too good to be true,” Ko said.

She rolled in a left-to-right birdie putt at the storied 18th hole on the Old Course to shoot 3-under 69 — for 7 under overall — and then had to wait to finish ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda, defending champion Lilia Vu and two-time champion Jiyai Shin.

That quartet of past or present No. 1s shared the lead at one point down the stretch of an engrossing final round played mostly in cold, blustery and wet conditions before ending in sunshine.

Ko was waiting on the practice putting green not far from the 18th green, doing stretches while wearing ear muffs, when Vu lined up a 20-foot putt for birdie that needed to go in to force a playoff. It came up short, and Vu ultimately made bogey to shoot 73 and drop to 5 under alongside Korda (72), Shin (74) and also Ruoning Yin (70) in a four-way tie for second place. Ko wept in the embrace of her caddie.

Ko qualified for the Hall of Fame by winning the gold medal in Paris on Aug. 10 and now has what many believe to be the ultimate prize in the sport — a major championship title at the home of golf.

Ko was asked what feels better: an Olympic gold medal, her first two majors, or winning a third at St. Andrews.

“It’s kind of like saying, ‘Do you like your mother better or your father better?’” she said, eliciting laughter from the crowd around the 18th green. “They are all special in their own way.”

Her last major came at the Chevron Championship in 2016. A year earlier, she won the Evian Championship as an 18-year-old prodigy.

Now, she’s like a veteran — and still winning trophies.

Korda, seeking a second major title of a dominant 2024 containing six victories for the American, started the final round two shots back from Shin, the champion from 2008 and '12 and the overnight leader on 7 under. By her 10th hole, Korda was in the outright lead after three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn and before long she was two strokes clear as Shin and Vu toiled at the start of the back nine in miserable weather.

A turning point came at the par-5 14th, which Ko birdied and Korda later doubled after flying the green and underhitting her chip back onto the green.

Ko played the par-4 17th, the famous Road Hole, impressively by hitting hybrid to 20 feet and two-putting for par and then hit a wedge shot close at No. 18 before draining the pressure putt.

Korda was up on the 17th green and heard the cheers for Ko, just before making bogey after hitting her second into the Road Hole bunker.

Korda needed eagle at the last — she could only make par — leaving Vu as the only player able to deny Ko the fairy-tale end to what has proved a perfect summer.

“Here I am as a three-time major champion,” said Ko, to a backdrop of squawking seagulls. “It's so surreal.”

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The Canadian Press - Aug 24, 2024 / 3:47 pm | Story: 502978

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The Canadian Press - Aug 24, 2024 / 11:12 am | Story: 502942

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Two-time champion Jiyai Shin capitalized on a back-nine collapse by top-ranked Nelly Korda to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews on Saturday.

Nothing will give the 36-year-old Shin more confidence heading into the final round than how she collected the last of her seven birdies in a 5-under 67 at the home of golf.

On the par-4 17th, the famous Road Hole, the former world No. 1 hit a fairway wood that landed at the front of the green and rolled round to inside two feet from the pin.

That took Shin to 7-under par at the fifth and final major of the year, and it's the number the South Korean will set off on Sunday in her bid to follow up her titles at the British Open in 2008 and 2012.

Korda is also seeking her third major title — it would be her first at the British Open — but will start two strokes off the lead after seeing her form of the opening two days desert her in shooting 75.

Starting with a three-shot advantage, the American missed short putts for bogeys at her first two holes to drop into a share of the lead, only to regain it with three birdies before the turn.

Korda lost her way on the back nine, missing a par putt from 4 feet at No. 12, another from 5 feet at No. 13 and then making double on No. 16 after pushing her drive out of bounds.

There was another bogey at the 17th — a tough hole she had birdied on Thursday and Friday — but a birdie at the last left Korda in third place.

“It’s nice to finish with a birdie,” Korda said, “but it wasn’t the best of days.”

Defending champion Lilia Vu, playing alongside Korda in the last pairing, rolled in a birdie putt on No. 18 to shoot 71 and be alone in second place.

Olympic champion Lydia Ko (71) and Jenny Shin (70) were tied for fourth.

Charley Hull faded from contention after shooting 75 and was 2 under, five off the lead.

Jiyai Shin was a prodigy, winning the British Open at Sunningdale in 2008 when she wasn’t yet a member of the LPGA. Her victory at Hoylake four years later was by nine shots and was one of the most commanding title triumphs in a women's major. In between those major wins, she rose atop the world ranking.

However, she resigned her LPGA membership in the United States before the start of the 2014 season and went back to Asia to be close to her father, playing instead in Japan and Korea — all the while continuing to win titles.

“I worry (that I) lost fans, but I met new fans. More new fans," Shin said. “I keep working hard,” she added. “I know myself very well now — even in different condition, I can more handle by myself. That’s why I’m here.”

Shin birdied Nos. 1 and 2 and really made her move with three consecutive birdies from No. 7 to move one behind Korda. She birdied No. 12 to stay one back and that clinic on No. 17 finally put her in the lead.

“I couldn’t see where ball finished because my height,” Shin said. “I couldn’t see it. I can hear a lot of claps but I couldn’t see where they finished. And then my thought was, 'OK, just make (it to) the green, and then when I come up ... to the hole, like wow, so close.”

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The Canadian Press - Aug 23, 2024 / 4:20 pm | Story: 502850

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Adam Scott kept making birdies and changing his outlook on the season until he finished with his lowest score of the year, a 9-under 63 on Friday in the BMW Championship that gave him a three-shot lead going into the weekend.

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley did his best to stay in range until making his first bogey of the week on the 18th hole at Castle Pines. He still had a 68 and was in good position.

The 44-year-old Scott, who first played Castle Pines as a 20-year-old on a sponsor exemption for his first regular PGA Tour event, had a certain freedom he hasn't felt all year. He is top 50 in the FedEx Cup, meaning he can play all the $20 million signature events next year instead of having to rely on sponsor exemptions. That was a big relief.

Having the 36-hole lead is a bargain. A top finish would get him back to East Lake for the Tour Championship and assure him playing all the majors next year.

“Leaving the range, I just kind of wanted to keep moving in the right direction, grind out and shoot under par and keep going that way,” he said. “Then by the middle of the round, I was thinking of how many birdies I can make. It's funny how that happens.

“I feel like I really don't have anything to lose this week,” he said. “I can't go out of the top 50. I'm going to have a good schedule in the signature events next year. Of course, I'd love to make it to East Lake. But now I'd love to win this event.”

But they are only at the halfway point, and so much can happen.

Taylor Pendrith carded a second-round 7-under and moved into fifth place, six shots behind Scott. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is one shot behind Pendrith. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 32nd at 4 under.

Rory McIlroy — 10 shots back after a 71 — was so frustrated he tossed his 3-wood after a poor drive on the 17th and watched it bounce into the water. Denny McCarthy was doing what he needed to get into the top 30 who advance to East Lake until a double bogey on two of the last five holes.

Strangest of all Friday was a leaderboard that ran 20 deep and still didn't include the names Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele.

Scheffler opened with a pair of birdies and his round started to go sideways with a double bogey when he went from the rough into the water to the drop zone to over the green. He shot a 72 and was 12 behind.

Schauffele also opened with two birdies and was 3 under for his round until making four bogeys over his last six holes for a 73. He was 11 shots behind.

“I wasn't hitting it great and was kind of faking it around the property a little bit and it caught up to me,” Schauffele said. “Scottie and I were just kind of blah.”

Scheffler said his back felt normal, as he expected, different from the opening round when he said he had to work hard to turn through shots. As for the golf?

“We started really well, and then I was the first one to go bad and Xander came along,” he said.

Both were virtually assured of staying the top two seeds going into East Lake.

Scott was at 13-under 131 with a cushion.

Ludvig Aberg also had a 63 and was four shots behind. Scott played early, before the wind began to increase, and posted his score early. It was a fairly daunting target to Aberg, who already was 11 shots behind when he teed off.

“It was funny walking down one of the first couple of holes. We talked about it yesterday, too, that we could see a low one,” Aberg said. “We were just fortunate that it was us today.”

Alex Norman had another 68 and was five behind, still plenty of work to catch Scott but in position to advance into the top 30 and reach East Lake for the first time in his career.

Players at the bottom with little chance of winning now have other concerns as it relates to the top 30. Justin Thomas opened 76-72 and was projected at No. 31 going into the weekend. Jason Day was trying to recover from his opening 78. He shot 69 was still projected outside the top 30.

Scott is looking more ahead, riding good iron play and exceptional putting. Only three of his nine birdies were inside the 10-foot range, and he was only in trouble once on the par-3 fourth. He hit a great flop shot to 6 feet and saved par.

Scott was playing so well he was tempted to take on the pin at the 18th for a 62.

“Ten under sounded like it had a nice ring to it,” he said. “But the old wise head on the shoulders said aim a little bit left and see if you can hole a long putt. It's fun to shoot a low round. I can't remember the last time I shot 63 out here.”

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The Canadian Press - Aug 23, 2024 / 1:48 pm | Story: 502819

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Rory McIlroy's tee shot on the par-5 17th hole at Castle Pines went in the rough. His 3-wood went in the water.

That summed up the day, and the PGA Tour postseason, for McIlroy. He managed a par on the hole and 1-under 71 on Friday in the BMW Championship that left him 10 shots out of the lead.

As club throws go, this was pretty tame.

McIlroy, coming off a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole, hit his drive to the right rough and then casually flung the 3-wood toward the left. It bounced once and went in the water. He walked over to the edge of the water, reached down and retrieved it.

It was far worse at Doral in 2015 at a World Golf Championship. McIlroy hit 3-iron into the water, and then heaved the club into the middle of the lake. He used 13 clubs the rest of the way. Former President Donald Trump, who owns Doral, hired scuba divers to retrieve the club.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 23, 2024 / 9:49 am | Story: 502774

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the BMW Championship with a lower back injury on Friday, one day after he shot an opening-round, 5-under 67 to sit one shot off the lead.

Matsuyama won the PGA Tour's playoff opener last week in Memphis, Tennessee. At No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, he is assured of having a strong position for next week's staggered start at the Tour Championship, where the winner will receive a $25 million bonus.

The tour announced Matsuyama's withdrawal shortly before his morning tee time and later released a statement from the 32-year-old Japanese player, who is ranked No. 6 in the world.

“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play,” Matsuyama said. “Thank you to BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience here at Castle Pines.”

The former Masters champion has 10 PGA Tour victories, including two this season.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 23, 2024 / 5:37 am | Story: 502741

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Nelly Korda looks to be back to her dominant best at the home of golf.

The top-ranked American mastered more blustery conditions at St. Andrews by shooting a bogey-free, 4-under 68 in the second round on Friday to take a three-stroke lead at the Women’s British Open.

Korda won the first women's major of 2024 — the Chevron Championship in April — and is on track to capture the last one, too. There have also been five more titles in a year when she has consolidated her status as the best player in the women’s game, even if her top form has deserted her in the last couple of months.

Worse for Korda’s rivals is that she is warming to links golf, too.

“This year in general, I’ve won on just so many different types of grasses, in different types of conditions, that you just kind of always have to adapt,” said Korda, who was 8-under par for the tournament. “That’s the same thing in tennis, same thing in life.

“You’re always adapting to your situations at hand, and I think that’s what’s so fun about links golf — you’re literally starting it 30 yards left of your target, and I’m not a fade player but I’m hitting massive fades. I think it’s fun hitting these little low drivers, too. I’m having fun, and I enjoy links golf a lot.”

Korda has played her first two rounds with defending champion Lilia Vu and England's Charley Hull, a crowd favorite playing in her home major, and the marquee group has lived up to its billing.

Hull, the overnight leader by one stroke after a first-round 67, shot even par and was tied for second place on 5 under with Vu, who shot 70.

They were outplayed by Korda on a day when the wind wasn't quite as brutal as Day 1, but Hull was bullish heading into the weekend.

“Only three shots behind — that’s nothing going into the weekend, especially on this golf course,” said the No. 10-ranked Hull, who is seeking her first major title. “I left a lot of putts out there. I think Nelly had 30 putts and I had 36 putts. So that’s six putts that I’ve lost to her on the greens.”

Ruoning Yin, last year’s Women’s PGA Championship winner from China, shot 72 and was alone in the fourth place on 4 under.

Olympic champion Lydia Ko shot a 70 and was one of six players on 3 under — five strokes off the lead — at the halfway point. In that group was Swedish amateur Louise Rydqvist, who shot 67.

Among the players to miss the cut were No. 3-ranked Jin Young Ko (10 over), No. 5-ranked Hannah Green (7 over), two-time major winner and No. 13-ranked Minjee Lee (9 over) and No. 14-ranked Lauren Coughlin (6 over), who won two of her previous three starts including at the Scottish Open last week.

Only 20 players were under par after 36 holes following two windy days at the Old Course. The forecast is for calmer weather over the weekend.

Korda started out a stroke behind Hull, who bogeyed two of her first five holes after the group began at No. 10 and fell further behind when the American rolled in long putts to birdie both Nos. 17 and 18 for the second straight day.

Playing with a new putter, Korda made another birdie at the par-5 fifth hole and then two-putted from the fringe for birdie at No. 9 after nearly driving the green. Vu and Hull also birdied the last hole to stay three shots back and in touch.

Korda looks destined to better her previous best finish at the Women's British Open — ninth place in 2019. That's her only top 10 at this major.

“I’m just trying to stay very present and not think about anything other than one shot at a time,” said Korda, a two-time major winner. “And whatever golf and links golf throws at me, I’m going to take it head on.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., missed the cut after a second round of 76 left her at 9 over through two rounds.

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The Canadian Press - Aug 22, 2024 / 3:57 pm | Story: 502684

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Keegan Bradley went from a bundle of nerves waiting to see if he would advance in the PGA Tour postseason to a blissful day of birdies in mile-high air Thursday that led to a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the BMW Championship.

Bradley, the newly appointed U.S. Ryder Cup captain, was the last man to get in the 50-man field at Castle Pines and he had to sweat it out Sunday. He was in his hotel room with the TV going, the FedEx Cup standings on another screen and his phone buzzing.

“One of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career,” Bradley said. “It was really brutal. It's such a relief to be here. I just felt a lot calmer today. But I played really, really well.”

It showed on a course that could dole out punishment without a moment's notice. Bradley missed only two fairways and two greens, took advantage of the par 5s and made it look relatively easy on the 8,130-yard course, the longest in PGA Tour history.

The opening round was halted for just over three hours because of thunderstorms, a common occurrence in the late afternoon when The International was held at Castle Pines during its two decades on the PGA Tour schedule.

Hideki Matsuyama, the winner in the playoff opener last week, was at 5 under when play was stopped. He returned to his approach on the 18th to 2 feet. He missed the birdie putt and had to settle for a 67.

Rory McIlroy was just settling over a 20-foot par putt on the 18th when he heard the horn to stop play, smiled and marked his ball. Three hours and two putts later, he had a 70.

Adam Scott, among two players who were at Castle Pines during its two-decade run on the PGA Tour, made a long par-saving putt on the 18th for a 68 and was joined by Sungjae Im, Alex Noren and Corey Conners.

Double major winner Xander Schauffele opened with a 69 while playing alongside Scottie Scheffler, who worked through some mild soreness in his back for a 71. Scheffler is assured of being the No. 1 seed at the Tour Championship next week unless Schauffele were to win.

It's all about numbers at Castle Pines, and that's not just the math required to figure out how far the ball is going in elevation at 6,300 feet above sea level. The simple math is take 10% off the yardage, simple enough except when a pond is guarding the front of the green.

The other number is 30, the players who advance to East Lake next week to compete for the $25 million FedEx Cup title. The higher the seed, the better the chance.

Bradley had reason to think he could join them the way he played, even with three rounds to go. The key was getting to the BMW Championship, which allows him to plan a schedule that will put him in the same place as players aspiring to be on the Ryder Cup team.

“I want to be out there with the guys on the Ryder Cup team,” he said. “I want to be playing with them, on the range with them, in the locker room, in the tournament. It was really important for me to be in this top 50.”

It was a good start for Noren, who has never been to the Tour Championship and is No. 45 in the FedEx Cup. Ditto for Scott at No. 41.

The Australian's experience at Castle Pines is a little overrated. Scott was a 20-year-old who received a sponsor exemption in 2000 to play his first regular PGA Tour event. He remembered a few of the holes, the elevation changes, the tough walk and the beauty.

“I remember being around all the players that I’d looked up to my entire childhood and feeling really not prepared for it, to be perfectly honest,” he said. “But it gave me inspiration to get better and work on my game and make sure I’m good enough to be out here.”

Scheffler stretched his neck to the side a few times, but then on the 17th he appeared to grab his lower back on a long iron shot to the par 5. His last two full shots looked fine, as did so much of the rest of his round. Scheffler said it was nothing to be alarmed about.

“I woke up just a little sore this morning. I had trouble kind of loosening it up,” he said. “I was laboring most of the day to get through the ball. On 17, I was trying to hit a high draw, and that’s a shot where I’ve really got to use a big turn, big motion. Really just felt it a little bit. But other than that, all good.”

Scheffler had a neck issue at The Players Championship and nearly withdrew in the middle of the second round. Two days later, he rallied from five shots behind to win. And the he won the Masters three weeks later.

“He was stiff at the Masters, at The Players and had to get worked on all those times,” Schauffele said. “I guess it’s a bad sign for everyone else.”

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The Canadian Press - Aug 22, 2024 / 12:02 pm | Story: 502623

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Golf balls wobbled on the tees and greens. Players wore big earmuffs and neck warmers and donned oven-style mitts between shots. American star Rose Zhang said she lost balance simply standing up.

Gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) played havoc with the best female golfers in the world at the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews on Thursday.

Charley Hull dealt with it the best.

The No. 10-ranked English player rolled in a 6-foot putt on No. 18 for the last of her six birdies at the home of golf to shoot 5-under 67 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the year’s fifth and final major.

Hull, seeking her first major title, has plenty of high-profile company at the top of the leaderboard.

Not least her playing partner, top-ranked Nelly Korda, who birdied No. 17 — the famous Road Hole — and also the 18th to join fellow major champion Ruoning Yin of China on 4 under.

Among those a further shot back was defending champion Lilia Vu, who produced two monster birdie putts on the front nine of the Old Course — hosting the Women’s British Open for the third time — in her round of 69.

Some were just glad to get through it.

“Definitely some of the toughest conditions I’ve ever played in, for sure,” said England's Georgia Hall, the 2018 champion who eagled her last hole — No. 9 — for a 71.

Hall is the last British player to win her home major. Now her close friend is looking to do the same.

By the time Hull walked down the last, the wind had dropped and she was looking cool in her sunglasses as she waved to the spectators lining the fairway. She would be a popular winner, not least because of her approach and attitude.

Not forgetting the aggressive way she plays golf, either.

Hull was regularly the longest driver in the marquee group containing Korda and Vu, with one tee shot — on the 14th — going 336 yards.

Level par after a bogey on No. 8, she made five birdies on her last 10 holes. There was a 12-footer on No. 12, an 8-footer at No. 15 to join Yin in a share of the lead before Hull played the last — that glorious hole back into town — perfectly by driving to the front of the green, hitting the second to 6 feet and making no mistake with the putt.

Hull was slightly concerned watching the early starters on TV in the worst of the windy weather.

“I said to my coach, it feels like they could call it at any minute because I don’t know how the balls are staying on the green,” said Hull, who was second by six shots to Vu at the British Open last year.

“You know what it’s going to be like before the beginning of the round, so you kind of just mentally prepare for that before.”

That was half the battle on a tough day.

Korda, who won the Chevron Championship for a second major amid a dominant 2024 for the American, wound up enjoying the grind.

“There’s something fun about playing in these conditions,” she said, adding: “Not that I would do it every single time.”

Yin, ranked No. 6 and the winner of the Women’s PGA Championship last year, took it all in her stride.

“The conditions were tough but it’s the same for everyone,” she said. “You’ve just got to try to make the wind your friend.”

Vu was in a six-way tie for fourth place with Jenny Shin and Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea, Andrea Lee of the United States, Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Mao Saigo of Japan.

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