Golf category, Page 31

DETROIT — Justin Thomas may have skipped the Rocket Mortgage Classic once again if this was just another usual year in his career. It hasn’t been. The 2022 PGA Championship winner, who has 15 PGA Tour titles, has fallen out of the top 10 in the world ranking for the...

WASHINGTON — The PGA Tour said Wednesday that it would appear next month before a Senate subcommittee whose leader asked executives from the tour, Saudi golf interests and LIV Golf to testify as Congress investigates the business deal that upended the sport. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced that the Senate...

LOS ANGELES — Eight-time major champion Tom Watson wants answers on the PGA Tour’s new business partnership with Saudi backers of LIV Golf, asking in a letter Monday to commissioner Jay Monahan if the deal was the only way to solve the tour’s financial hardship. That was one of several...

LOS ANGELES — Commissioner Jay Monahan has told congressional members the PGA Tour was “left on our own” to fend off Saudi Arabia’s bid to take over the sport with LIV Golf because of the United States’ geopolitical alliance with the kingdom. Monahan sent the letter to various lawmakers on...

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Open trophy is no longer in Matt Fitzpatrick’s possession. The questions about Saudi involvement in golf and the LIV Golf circuit won’t go away. Not much has changed from Brookline to Los Angeles, from one U.S. Open to the next one, only the nature of...

WASHINGTON — The leader of a Senate subcommittee is demanding the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf present records about negotiations that led to their new agreement and plans for what golf will look like under the arrangement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent letters Monday to PGA Tour Commissioner...

Sometimes sports isn’t just about sports. For decades, athletic events have been used to launder the images and reputations in a tactic called “sportswashing.” Whether embraced by a company or a nation with a regressive policies, sportswashing has particular allure, experts say, because it works. That’s what critics say is...

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Let the sun shine — and Kazuki Higa, as well. The 28-year-old from Japan made the turn at 3 under for an early one-shot lead on the opening day of the weather-delayed PGA Championship at Oak Hill. With the temperature warming to 55 and under a cloudless...

Oakmont head pro Devin Gee and Pine-Richland grad Mike Van Sickle were among the four golfers to advance to the U.S. Open Sectional from The Club at Nevillewood on Monday. Van Sickle and Youngstown State assistant golf coach Brandon Pluchinsky shot 3-under-par 69s, and Gee and Cal (Pa.) grad Ryan...

A University of Illinois golfer, who shot a course record round of 10-under par 62, was forced to disqualify himself for a rules violation, according to a report in Golf Monthly. Tommy Kuhl, a fifth-year senior at the University of Illinois, informed tournament officials that he’d repaired aeration marks on...

A $30 million legal battle between Tiger Woods and his ex-girlfriend has escalated, with Erica Herman accusing the golf superstar of beginning their sexual relationship when she was his employee and threatening to fire her if she didn’t sign a nondisclosure agreement she now wants voided. Herman, in court documents...

LOS ANGELES — Hannah Green of Australia made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole to join a three-way playoff, and then made par on the second extra hole to win the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday at Wilshire Country Club. In a wild finish that featured a...

PGA Tour Canada and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica are merging to form one circuit that will be called “PGA Tour Americas.” It will have a season divided by two swings — South America and the Great White North — that offer at least 10 spots on the Korn Ferry Tour....

Signing up for Saudi riches to play for LIV Golf was always going to come at a cost. One risk was thought to be eligible for the majors, which turned out to be a false alarm, at least for the top players. Augusta National kept its criteria, while U.S. Open...

BY JIM DERRY | Home Field Sports It’s far from a major event on the PGA Tour, but the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is certainly unique. It is the only team event throughout the year-long schedule, and it happens at TPC Louisiana in Avondale from Thursday through Sunday. The...

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — An exhausted, jubilant Jon Rahm wondered if he’d earned a break. The Masters’ champion, worn out from his four-shot victory last week, thought hard about passing up the RBC Heritage and taking some well-deserved rest. In the end, Rahm honored his commitment — and will...

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson never will receive the sort of adulation that once shadowed his every step. Too many missteps along the way. But give Lefty credit. He sure LIVened things up Sunday afternoon at the Masters. Already the oldest major champion in golf history, the 52-year-old Mickelson made...

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tee times for Thursday’s first round of the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club 8 a.m. — Kevin Na, Mike Weir 8:12 a.m. — Matthew McClean, Vijay Singh, Scott Stallings 8:24 a.m. — Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Sandy Lyle 8:36 a.m. — Fred Couples, Russell...

BY JIM DERRY | Home Field Sports Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer. Here are...

AUSTIN, Texas — A trip to the Masters and a chance to play in two $20 million tournaments are among the incentives for PGA Tour players to play this fall if they don’t reach the FedEx Cup playoffs. The PGA Tour sent out a memo Monday that offered a few...

AUSTIN, Texas — Every shot matters every week on the PGA Tour. It only becomes more evident during certain times of the year, such as the cutoff for finishing in the top 50 for the Masters. Min Woo Lee is one case study. His chances of winning The Players Championship...

BRANSON, Mo. — Kirk Elmquist wants Missouri golfers to know how lucky they are. “I think the world has recognized Big Cedar as one of the top resorts to play golf, and it’s right here in your backyard,” says Elmquist, the executive director for the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement...

He used to have long hair that curled out from beneath his hat and covered the back of his neck. But Mark Goetz has been wearing his hair shorter since he turned professional. While his barber will await his return for another trim, Goetz’s livelihood will soon be about cuts...

Tiger Woods is returning to competition for the first time without the use of a cart since July, announcing Friday he will play at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. Woods was hopeful of playing next week’s tournament at Riviera, where he is the host of an event that typically...