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  • Tiger Woods nearing decisions on whether to play in Masters and be Ryder Cup captain

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    LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods is on the clock.

    Woods kept everyone guessing — a favorite hobby of his — with one word and a smug grin last week at Riviera when he was asked if playing in the Masters was off the table.

    “No,” he replied.

    The grin indicated there would be nothing to add. To borrow a phrase from Dan Hicks at NBC when Woods forced a playoff in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, “Expect anything different?”

    He wasn’t about to rule out playing in the Masters with two months to go. And having not competed in more than a year, Woods just doesn’t know yet. But big decisions are looming for Woods in the next month.

    The Masters gets all the attention because a red shirt on Sunday has become nearly as common as a green jacket at Augusta National. But there’s also that small matter of the Ryder Cup.

    Woods is the top choice — the only choice at the moment — to be captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland, just like he was for the last Ryder Cup before he turned it down. Officials were forced to wait longer than ever before announcing Keegan Bradley as captain at Bethpage Black.

    Now the PGA of America is asking Woods to decide before the Masters whether he wants the job. Two people informed of the situation describe it more as a soft deadline than an ultimatum. They spoke on condition of anonymity because these matters are private.

    The Ryder Cup captaincy has become a time-consuming job, and Woods sounds as though he is busier than ever. His most important role is chairman of the Future Competition Committee as it works toward one of the biggest and most complicated overhauls of the PGA Tour schedule.

    Woods offered as much when he said, “I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing in my prime. It doesn’t even compare to what we’ve done in the boardroom.”

    This is what drives him at the moment. He would love to be at the Masters, where in 2024 he set the record by making his 24th consecutive cut. He is a player at heart.

    Woods looked good last week in his role as tournament host at the Genesis Invitational. More than one person noticed the purpose in his step — and how big he looked — just walking through the locker room. He was comfortable in his news conference and in the CBS booth with Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman.

    Good enough to compete while walking 72 holes at Augusta? Woods kept them guessing, too.

    He said he is hitting full shots — “Not well every day, but I can hit them,” he said — and the Achilles tendon he ruptured a year ago is no longer an issue, rather it’s the recovery from a seventh back surgery in September to replace a disk in his lower back.

    Age doesn’t help. He turned 50 at the end of last year and recovery takes longer.

    As for the Ryder Cup captaincy, it’s all about time and priorities. Woods is driven by the idea that as much as he has done for the game already (think prize money), he can do even more as a chief architect that reshapes the model of golf at the highest level.

    So when the Ryder Cup came up, his first response was he hasn’t decided.

    “I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour,” he said. “That’s been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team — Team USA and our players and everyone that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup — if I can do it justice.”

    By the time the azaleas are bursting with blooms in early April, Woods could be wearing yet another hat as Ryder Cup captain. Or the PGA of America will move on to a Plan B that includes predictable options and few surprises.

    Meanwhile, the next two weeks might offer hints on how much progress Woods is making on the job taking up most of his bandwidth.

    PGA Tour Enterprises CEO Brian Rolapp is expected to give an update, pulling back the curtain as much as he can, on the progress of the new schedule. The committee is looking at the sequence of events — a splashy start and a finish that makes sense — with an eye on big markets.

    Woods said the final work might not be done in time for 2027, perhaps only portions of what to expect. That would seem to indicate a later start to the season (Aloha, Hawaii) and moving around some of the postseason events.

    The tour has been looking at moving some of the premier West Coast stops to August for better (warmer) weather and prime-time viewing.

    To move Riviera to August would make sense except golf in LA doesn’t have a history of big attendance in August, and title sponsor Genesis already has a PGA Tour event in July (Scottish Open). Torrey Pines? It was worth noting the strong attendance this year by officials from Wisconsin-based Sentry, currently the title sponsor at Kapalua.

    Pebble Beach has a massive car show that dates to 1950 and is among the best in the world in the middle of August. That tournament is unlikely to move to summer.

    “There’s been a lot of moving parts over the last couple years,” Woods said.

    He was speaking about the tour. He could just as easily be talking about himself.

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    On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season.

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    AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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  • Jacob Bridgeman Holds on at Riviera for First PGA Tour Title

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jacob Bridgeman heard cheers all day long for everyone but himself Sunday at Riviera until the final ovation. He made a nervy par putt on the 18th hole for a 1-over 72 and a most narrow victory in the Genesis Invitational for his first PGA Tour title.

    Bridgeman started with a six-shot lead. He expanded it to seven shots with 12 holes remaining. And it still came down to one clutch swing from the 18th fairway that settled 20 feet below the hole, and a 3-foot par putt with his shadow over the hole.

    But he calmly knocked it in for a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama, who both had a strong finishing kick to make Bridgeman sweat a lot more than he wanted.

    “This is way, way better than I’ve ever dreamt it,” Bridgeman said.

    Not since Adam Scott in 2005 has a player competed at Riviera for the first time and left with the trophy. Bridgeman, a 26-year-old from Clemson, played well enough last year to reach the Tour Championship and has been steadily on the rise.

    He broke through in a signature event against a strong field, winning $4 million and having host Tiger Woods waiting to congratulate him atop the steps overlooking the 18th green.

    Bridgeman finished at 18-under 266 and didn’t make a birdie over the final 15 holes. He heard constant cheers for McIlroy, one of golf’s most popular figures who was never a threat until he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 12th and finished birdie-birdie for a 67.

    Bridgeman, after a marvelous approach to 12 feet for birdie on the third hole that received only a smattering of applause from the LA crowd, didn’t play poorly. He hit a strong chip on the fourth that led to bogey. The rest of the way was a steady diet of 20-foot birdie chances.

    But he found the bunker on the 16th and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt to stay in the lead. His birdie chances on the 17th and 18th were woefully short on greens where short putts can be scary.

    The last par putt brought a mixture of joy and relief.

    “I thought it was going to be a lot easier,” Bridgeman said. “It was honestly easy until I got to 16 and then it got really hard. I made it as hard as I could have made it.”

    Scott, who received a sponsor exemption, ran off five birdies on the back nine and closed with a 63 to finish fourth, two shots behind.

    Scottie Scheffler, who had to make a 7-foot par putt on Friday to make the cut, had a 66-65 weekend and wound up tied for 12th, his worst finish since he tied for 20th at The Players Championship nearly a year ago. He ended his streak of 18 consecutive top 10s.

    Bridgeman already is in the Masters from having reached the Tour Championship last year. He became the first player this year to be ranked outside the top 50 (No. 52) and win on the PGA Tour. The victory propels him inside the top 25.

    He won not only at a storied course like Riviera but with McIlroy, the Masters champion, alongside and getting most of the attention until falling off the pace until his big finish. So many putts burned the edge, and then the last one dropped from 30 feet.

    For a second, it looked like it might give McIlroy extra holes in a playoff when Bridgeman left his first putt short. But just like he has all week, Bridgeman never looked uncomfortable. Turns out he felt that way.

    “I couldn’t even feel my hands on the last couple greens,” Bridgeman said. “I just hit the putt hoping it would get somewhere near the hole, and both of them I left a mile short. But I’m glad it’s done now.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Collin Morikawa Birdies the 18th to Win Pebble Beach and End 16-Month Drought

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    PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Collin Morikawa went 45 starts over more than two years to finally win again on the PGA Tour, and he faced a wait that felt just as long on the final hole Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He kept his poise, hit a 4-iron to the collar of the green and made birdie for a one-shot victory.

    In a wild final round of wind and lead changes, Morikawa had the right response for Scottie Scheffler’s bold charge by making two straight birdies down the stretch, and then making the one that mattered the most — after a 20-minute wait — for a 5-under 67.

    Scheffler began the final day eight shots behind and was 7 under through seven holes before the wind began whipping. He had three eagles in his round of 63, the last one a 6-iron to 30 inches on the final hole that allowed him to tie Morikawa for the lead.

    He didn’t think it would be enough, and it wasn’t.

    Moments later, Morikawa holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th to take the lead. He followed with a 6-iron into 8 feet for another birdie. But a bogey on the par-3 17th — his tee shot was dangerously close to the ocean left of the green — and Lee finishing birdie-birdie for a 65, created another tie.

    For all the drama, it was particularly tense on the par-5 18th.

    In the group ahead, Jacob Bridgeman needed eagle to have any chance of a playoff and he sent his second shot over the bunker and down to the beach. He finally decided to play off the pebbles and that bounced off the rocks and into the ocean. Then, he moved back to where his ball last crossed the hazard. All the while, Morikawa waited.

    It was 20 minutes from hitting his tee shot to hitting his 4-iron, a wait made longer considering what was at stake and the biting cold of the Pacific wind roaring off the ocean.

    “I paced all the way to the ocean 10 times. I just had to keep moving,” Morikawa said. “These long breaks, they’re not good for anyone to stand still. I was able to pull off a great 4-iron, and man, I need a drink.”

    His 4-iron started over a portion of the water and the wind sent it to the right collar. Morikawa putted that down to a foot. Straka made a 10-foot eagle putt for a 68 before Morikawa tapped in.

    Akshay Bhatia, the 54-hole leader by two shots, made only two birdies over his last 29 holes. He fell out of the lead after four holes and never caught up, closing with a 72 to finish three back.

    Scheffler was 10 shots behind after the first day when he shot 72. He was 13 shots back at one point on Friday. He still managed to be a major threat. He wound up in a tie for fourth with Tommy Fleetwood (66), extending his streak to 18 straight PGA Tour starts in the top 10.

    “I had to do something special to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “The back nine, I felt like I had to get to 21 or 22 (under). I played a bit more aggressive than I normally am. It was a fun day overall. These are the weeks I’m proud of. I felt like I was battling to give myself a chance.”

    Among his regrets was a wedge to a back pin on the 15th that was a foot away from spinning back to close range. It hopped hard over the green. He chipped to 6 feet and missed the par putt.

    Morikawa charged his way into the mix with a 62 on Saturday to get within two shots of Bhatia, and he did enough right to stay close — six players had a share of the lead at some point during the final round — until delivering the goods at the end.

    The Cal alum won for the seventh time on the PGA Tour since turning pro a week before the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Winning at Pebble moves him back into the top 10 in the world.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026

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  • More Sports (Sky Sports)

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    Great Britain have claimed a second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics after Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes won the mixed team snowboard cross event.

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  • World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opens among worst rounds at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

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    PEBBLE BEACH – Two fans in puffy vests, with “transfusion” cocktails in hand, walked upstream among the 10th hole’s gallery as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am opened Thursday.

    “Ah, Scheffler. That’s why there is a crowd,” one of the middle-aged men said to the other.

    Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer since May 2023, indeed should be the No. 1 attraction this week, aside from the heavenly landscape.

    He was the odds-on favorite until his even-par debut sank him into a tie for 64th in the 80-man field, while almost all others seized on idyllic sunny weather, with rain forecast for Sunday’s final round.

    Leader Ryo Hisatsune went 10-under in his first-ever round at Pebble, and of the 10 golfers who finished 7-under, six played Pebble Beach while the others conquered Spyglass Hill.

    Only two other golfers, each at 2-over, scored higher at Pebble than Scheffler.

    “I feel like typically I’m good at scoring and today I felt like I didn’t score at all,” Scheffler said after making birdie on the 18th. “Anything that kind of went wrong seemed to be going that direction, and I just felt like I scored poorly.

    “I actually feel like I’m playing pretty well. Just one of those days.”

    The day came and went without a sighting of Taylor Swift, whose fiancé, Travis Kelce, worked the pro-am circuit at Spyglass Hill, along with 49ers legends Steve Young and Alex Smith – the few recognizable faces in what had been an annual celebrity carnival but now serves as the PGA Tour’s first Signature Event this season.

    Also at Spyglass was defending champion Rory McIlroy, who holed out from the 14th hole’s front bunker to go 4-under through five, and that’s where his final score rested.

    Scores were so low that a third of the field — 27 golfers — emerged 5-under or lower.

    Scheffler’s line: three birdies, three bogeys, and one putter flip in disgust after missing a birdie and settling for a tap-in par on 15th. He also had a “huge mud ball” that detoured his second shot on the second hole.

    “When you’re playing later in the day, it can be tough to hole putts on these greens,” said Scheffler, who played into the wind most of the back nine before finishing at 3:25 p.m. “I need to take advantage of holes early in the round and I wasn’t able to do that, knowing that the wind was going to pick up and then we were going to turn into it on the back nine.”

    Hisatsune, the first-round leader, birdied 5-of-7 out the gate. Even better were the six consecutive birdies to open by Chris Gotterup, Sunday’s Phoenix Open winner in a playoff against Hideki Matsuyama, who went 5-under as Scheffler’s playing partner Thursday.

    One magnificent shot among Scheffler’s even-par 72 verified his world No. 1 stature: After a southerly breeze carried his approach past the green and back bunker, his ball stopped a yard shy of the lateral-hazard line and 2 yards from a pit of doom, where a creek separates Pebble’s southernmost hole from a $40 million home once owned by late actor Gene Hackman.

    Scheffler’s delicate flop shot landed on the 10th green’s fringe and he saved par with a 7-foot putt.

    “If that ball lands on the green with how soft the greens are, probably a 15-footer for birdie,” Scheffler said of his wind-derailed, 154-yard approach. “It lands about a foot into the fringe and not only doesn’t go in the bunker, it hops over that bunker. Fortunately, in spite of the hazard, I was able to make par. Little stuff like that is what I was going up against today.”

    A week earlier, Scheffler opened the Phoenix Open with a 2-over 71. He rallied to threaten the leaders and finished tied for third.

    Can he repeat those dramatics here?

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  • England v Nepal scorecard

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    Scorecard: England vs Nepal, T20 World Cup, Mumbai

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  • Patrick Reed Closes in on 2nd Win of the Year. He Builds 2-Shot Lead in Qatar

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    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Patrick Reed kept a clean card Saturday for a 2-under 70 in the Qatar Masters, a round that slightly expanded his lead and greatly expanded his confidence as he goes for his second European tour title in three weeks.

    Reed’s only birdies were a 20-foot putt on the second hole and a simple up-and-down on the par-5 10th. He fell behind Joakim Lagergren on the front nine, but the Swede had four bogeys over his last 11 holes to fall back.

    Reed was at 14-under 202, two shots ahead of former British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark, who had a 68.

    Reed birded only one of the par 5s at Doha Golf Club, a three-putt par from 95 feet on the closing hole. It was the control of his game, particularly the irons, that left him pleased.

    “I felt like I hit the ball better today than I did the last two days … well, really compared to yesterday, and two shots worse. So it’s an interesting game,” Reed said. “The golf game feels good, it feels solid, it feels steady and really just got to go out there and keep the foot on the gas tomorrow.”

    This is the 35-year-old American’s fourth straight week in the Middle East, a career-changing month for the former Masters champion.

    Through all that, Reed lost in a playoff last week in Bahrain and now is one round away from another European tour title that would put him atop the Race to Dubai and move him into the top 20 in the world ranking for the first time since September 2021.

    He also would virtually lock up a PGA Tour card for 2027 from the leading 10 players on the European tour not already exempt. Reed would be close to the points total that earned a PGA Tour card last year, and he still has four majors and five Rolex Series events to play.

    The PGA Tour has said Reed could return as early as September, a year after his last LIV event.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Gotterup Shoots 63, Scheffler Struggles in First Round of Phoenix Open

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chris Gotterup shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take a two-shot lead Thursday in the first round of the Phoenix Open on a rare day when top-ranked Scottie Scheffler struggled.

    Warm weather — even for the desert — led to some long drives and low scores at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

    England’s Matt Fitzpatrick matched the back-nine record with a 29 to shoot 65, and Sam Stevens was among a group of four players at 66.

    Scheffler was not among those going low. The four-time player of the year flubbed two chip shots that rolled back to his feet during a 2-over 73 that put his streak of 65 cuts in jeopardy.

    Brooks Koepka also struggled. The five-time major champion had just one birdie in a 75 in his second tournament since being reinstated by the PGA Tour.

    Gotterup shot a final-round 64 in season-opening Sony Open on Oahu for his third victory in three PGA Tour seasons. He tied for 18th at Torrey Pines last week.

    The 26-year-old missed the cut his two previous trips to TPC Scottsdale, but seemed to have the course figured out in his opening round.

    Gotterup jump-started his round by rolling in a 27-foot eagle putt from just off the green on the par-5 13th hole. He soaked up the boozy roars at the stadium par-3 16th by pouring in a 7-footer for his third straight birdie and added another on 18 to turn in 6-under 30.

    Gotterup two-putted for birdie on the par-5 third and added 26-footer on the long par-3 seventh to match the opening 63 he had in Hawaii.

    Scheffler arrived at TPC Scottsdale on a roll, eyeing his third straight PGA Tour win amid a run of 33 straight sub-par rounds.

    The winner at The American Express two weeks ago, Scheffler showed a rare display of anger when his chip shot at the par-4 18th rolled back to his feet and took another bogey when he did the same thing on the par-4 eighth.

    Scheffler was 10 shots back and in danger of missing a cut for the first time since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. He headed straight to the range after his round, hoping to find something that would allow him to go low Friday to continue the PGA Tour’s longest active cuts streak.

    Fitzpatrick opened with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, then reeled after a run of five straight starting on No. 13. He shot 7 under to tie back-nine record with seven others and added another birdie on the par-5 third before stumbling to the finish with two closing bogeys.

    The 2022 U.S. Open champion has not won since the 2023 RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Sri Lanka v England scorecard

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    Scorecard: Sri Lanka vs England, third T20

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  • Western Amputee Golf Association brings game, community to adaptive golfers

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    The Western Amputee Golf Association (WAGA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing golf and its community to amputees and golfers with special needs across eleven Western states, including California.”Sometimes life throws you a par. Sometimes a bogey,” said Tim Healea, the association’s president. “It’s therapeutic. It’s self-driven. It’s self-competitive.”Healea has found parallels between life and golf over his many years of play. Circumstances in both, he says, can change in an instant.“I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I’ve always been a competitor,” he said. “In 2001, rheumatoid arthritis started eating my ankles and had to have my right leg amputated in January. And then the following year in January, had to have the left leg done.”Despite having both legs amputated, golf remained constant for Healea. Now he’s focused on bringing adaptive golf to others facing a wide range of physical and mental challenges.”It was five weeks and I had my prosthetic on and I was swinging the golf club,” he said.WAGA supports adaptive golfers with more than a dozen disability classifications, ranging from limb differences to neurological conditions, like Down Syndrome.Established in 1968, it provides support to adaptive golfers through tournaments, workshops, and events.”We all love the game and if we haven’t discovered the game, when we do, they love it,” Healea said.The organization relies on community support to continue its mission.Golfers who have lost a limb or the use of a limb are encouraged to get involved.This April, WAGA is teaming up with the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance for a tournament and public golf clinic at Sierra View Country Club in Roseville from April 19 to 21. Registration for adaptive golfers is still open.As part of our 70 Years of Service initiative, we’re highlighting organizations that are making a difference all year long. See more stories in the series here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    ROSEVILLE, Calif. —

    The Western Amputee Golf Association (WAGA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing golf and its community to amputees and golfers with special needs across eleven Western states, including California.

    “Sometimes life throws you a par. Sometimes a bogey,” said Tim Healea, the association’s president. “It’s therapeutic. It’s self-driven. It’s self-competitive.”

    Healea has found parallels between life and golf over his many years of play. Circumstances in both, he says, can change in an instant.

    “I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I’ve always been a competitor,” he said. “In 2001, rheumatoid arthritis started eating my ankles and had to have my right leg amputated in January. And then the following year in January, had to have the left leg done.”

    Despite having both legs amputated, golf remained constant for Healea. Now he’s focused on bringing adaptive golf to others facing a wide range of physical and mental challenges.

    “It was five weeks and I had my prosthetic on and I was swinging the golf club,” he said.

    WAGA supports adaptive golfers with more than a dozen disability classifications, ranging from limb differences to neurological conditions, like Down Syndrome.

    Established in 1968, it provides support to adaptive golfers through tournaments, workshops, and events.

    “We all love the game and if we haven’t discovered the game, when we do, they love it,” Healea said.

    The organization relies on community support to continue its mission.

    Golfers who have lost a limb or the use of a limb are encouraged to get involved.

    This April, WAGA is teaming up with the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance for a tournament and public golf clinic at Sierra View Country Club in Roseville from April 19 to 21. Registration for adaptive golfers is still open.

    As part of our 70 Years of Service initiative, we’re highlighting organizations that are making a difference all year long. See more stories in the series here.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Nelly Korda Has a 64 in the Cold and Wind to Take Lead in LPGA Opener

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    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Nelly Korda played her best golf in the worst of the conditions Saturday with an 8-under 64 in the frigid, blustery conditions that eventually led to play being suspended for the day in the season-opening Tournament of Champions.

    Korda had the best score of the week at Lake Nona, where the temperatures felt like they were in the 40s with a steady 20 mph wind and gusts nearly twice that strong.

    Going after her first win since November 2024, Korda was at 13-under 203, six shots ahead of Brooke Henderson among those who finished. Henderson shot 66.

    Amy Yang was at 10 under with two holes to play, including the par-3 17th, one of the most exposed holes on the golf course. Lydia Ko fell back with a double bogey and bogey on consecutive holes on the back nine. She was at 8 under through 16 holes.

    Youmin Hwang also was 8 under, and it was her putt that led LPGA officials to stop play. Hwang had an 18-foot birdie putt that she missed to the right, and the strong right-to-left wind sent her golf ball a few more feet to the right until it caught a ridge and rolled off the green.

    Hwang called over an official and before long play was suspended. Sue Winter, the LPGA rules official, said it was due to the couple of holes — particularly the 17th — that made it unfair.

    Players wore ear muffs and ski caps to try to stay warm, and it’s supposed to be even worse on Sunday as temperature plunge to freezing or colder.

    Korda got in two holes — both birdies — when the wind began to strengthen. And then she hit a gap wedge that landed a few feet beyond the hole and spun back in for an eagle on the third.

    She shot 30 on the front nine, added three birdies against one bogey on the back and had 64 to build a lead.

    “I knew the conditions were going to be tough, so getting off to a good start like that really helped,” Korda said. “Overall just stayed really focused and super committed on my lines. It’s really easy to doubt yourself and your lines in winds and conditions like this.”

    Korda won seven times in 2024 and then surprisingly went through all of 2025 without winning. Eager to get off to a good start, she seized control with great golf in bad weather, helped by the low, wind-piercing shots that carried her to a 64.

    “When you’re out there you’re so focused on being present and focusing in on the shot that it hasn’t really hit me like how well I played,” Korda said. “You’re almost in survival mode, especially the last holes.”

    Lottie Woad of England, who shared the 36-hole lead with Ko, was 3 over for her round through 16 holes and fell eight shots behind the lead.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Patrick Reed climbs leaderboard with 67 in Bahrain but 10 shots off lead

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    AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain — Patrick Reed shot 5-under 67 in the second round of the Bahrain Championship on the European tour on Friday and was 10 strokes behind clubhouse leader Calum Hill of Scotland.

    Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday and announced on Wednesday he was leaving LIV Golf.

    The American will play on the European tour for the rest of the year, with the aim of finishing high enough in the Race to Dubai standings to earn full status on the PGA Tour in 2027.

    Reed made seven birdies. Hill made 11 — and no bogeys — in his 61 to move onto 16-under par for the tournament and held a four-shot lead midway through the second round.

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    AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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  • Davis Riley Takes 2-Shot Lead in PGA Tour Opener at Wind-Swept Waialae

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    HONOLULU (AP) — Davis Riley birdied four of the last seven holes Saturday at wind-swept Waialae Country Club for a 3-under 67 and a two-stroke lead with a round left in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Sony Open.

    Riley was at 12-under 198 on the oceanside course, with Harry Hall (66), Chris Gotterup (68) and Kevin Roy (69) tied for second.

    “You got to make some gritty pars in these conditions and just try to make some putts on these fast greens in crosswinds in tough putting conditions when you have a chance,” Riley said.

    Riley rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 11th with a birdie on the par-4 12th. He hit a wedge inside 2 feet on the par-4 14th and made a 15-footer on the par-4 15th. On the par-5 18th, he ran his 60-footer 7 1/2 feet past and made the comebacker.

    “I just started feeling really good with the swing and I was hitting my start lines,” Riley said. “That’s the biggest thing in this wind, is hit your start lines and control the curvature, and I felt like I was hitting some really good hold shots against the wind and hitting my start lines.”

    The 29-year-old Riley is ranked 101st in the world. He won the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge for his lone individual PGA Tour title, and teamed with Nick Hardy to win the 2023 Zurich Classic.

    He started slow Saturday, making bogeys on Nos. 1 and 3.

    “I could feel myself a little tense or trying to force it a little early just because we’re coming off the offseason,” Riley said. “We hadn’t had really any competitive juices like this in a couple months. I definitely felt like I was forcing it a little bit early and trying to be a little perfect and I just felt a little tense.”

    Hall rebounded from a bogey on 15 with a birdie on 16. The Englishman won a playoff in the 2024 ISCO Championship for his lone PGA Tour title.

    “Hitting the ball where I’m looking and doing well judging the wind tee to green,” Hall said. “Did a lot better job today of making some putts.”

    Gotterup closed with a 10-foot birdie putt on 18. He won the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic and the 2025 Scottish Open.

    “I would say putting today was probably the toughest,” Gotterup said. “Obviously, hitting shots in this wind is hard, but it’s hard for everyone. I think late in the day some of the greens get a little tough after everyone has walked on them. Not that they’re in bad shape, but when it’s blowing 25 (mph) off your left and you got a left-to-righter, it’s not easy to make anywhere, and especially here.”

    Roy is winless on the tour. He had a share of the first-round lead with defending champion Nick Taylor and was part of a five-man logjam at the top Friday with Riley, Taylor, S.H. Kim and Adrien Dumont de Chassart.

    Taylor struggled on the back nine Saturday in a 70 that left the Canadian three shots back with Ryan Gerard (68) and John Parry (69).

    “I grinded it out and gave myself a chance for tomorrow,” Taylor said. “That’s kind of all you can ask for.”

    Fellow Canadian Corey Conners had a 65 to get to 8 under.

    “I like when it’s windy here,” Conners said. “I think it really puts a premium on the ball-striking. You really got control your ball. Was able to hit a lot of good shots.”

    Jordan Spieth birdied the 18th for his third 68 to reach 6 under. Hideki Matsuyama also was 6 under after a 65. He won at Waialae in a playoff in 2022.

    Vijay Singh was 4 under after a 68. The 62-year-old Hall of Famer is using a one-time career money exemption to play in full-field events. He’s making his 25th start in the event he won in 2005.

    The season started a week later than usual because The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to water issues.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Elvira leads Dubai Invitational after third round with McIlroy still in contention

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    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nacho Elvira will head into the final day of the Dubai Invitational with a two-shot lead after a 3-under 68 in Saturday’s third round, while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry also remained in contention.

    Elvira started the day tied for the lead with Lowry and started slowly with six pars and a bogey on the seventh, but birdies on the ninth, 10th, 13th and 17th meant he pulled away with an 8-under total of 205.

    Lowry is in a three-way tie for second with Marcus Armitage and Dylan Fritelli, who recorded the best round of the day with 65.

    McIlroy is one shot further back in fifth after making three birdies on the back nine for a 68.

    Elvira’s only previous wins on the European tour came at the Cazoo Open in 2021 and the Soudal Open in 2024.

    The Dubai Invitational is held every other year. Two years ago, Tommy Fleetwood benefited from two huge errors on the back nine from McIlroy to win the tournament following a back-and-forth final-round duel. Fleetwood was tied for 20th on even par Saturday.

    Next week sees the Dubai Desert Classic, which McIlroy has won four times. He has also won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai three times.

    ___

    AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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    Ball-by-ball Ashes updates: England face Australia in final Test at SCG

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  • Trump administration takes back control of D.C. golf courses

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    Washington — The Trump administration has terminated the National Links Trust’s lease with the National Park Service to manage, operate and renovate Washington, D.C.’s three municipal golf courses, effectively taking back federal control of the courses.  

    National Links Trust, a nonprofit that says its aim is to make golf accessible to the public, said the Trump administration is asserting they are in default of the lease, a characterization with which the organization strongly disagrees. The lease was five years into its 50-year term covering the district’s Rock Creek, East Potomac and Langston courses. The National Park Service owns the land. 

    “We are fundamentally in disagreement with the administration’s characterization of NLT as being in default under the lease,” the organization said in a statement. “We have always had a productive and cooperative working relationship with the National Park Service and have worked hand in hand on all aspects of our golf course operations and development projects.”

    National Links Trust said the courses will remain open for now, but long-term renovation projects will cease. 

    “At our in-progress Rock Creek Park rehabilitation project, construction has been stopped and our general contractor is in the process of demobilizing,” the organization said. “After five years spent navigating the complex Federal permitting processes, this development is extremely disappointing for all who have supported the project.”

    President Trump, who spends many weekends golfing, has floated the possibility of redoing the district’s courses. “If we do them, we’ll do it really beautifully,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 12. 

    CBS News does not have access to the lease or financial statements to verify the claims of the parties of the lease. 

    “The Trump administration prides itself on getting the job done for the American people and partnering with others who share that same goal,” said the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service.  

    Emma Nicholson

    contributed to this report.

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  • Zanetti: Serving Inter and my mission to help the next generation

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    Javier Zanetti lived out his dreams as a player, lifting 16 trophies in an Inter Milan career that spanned a record 858 appearances, winning 145 caps for Argentina, and earning a reputation as one of the best defensive players of his generation.

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  • LIV Golf Still Waiting on Approval From World Ranking. OWGR Reduces Point for 54-Hole Events

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    LIV Golf will end the year with no decision whether the Official World Golf Ranking will approve the 54-man league to receive ranking points like golf’s other tours around the world.

    The OWGR also said tournaments that are played over 54 holes or even 36 holes will have a reduction in points compared with standard 72-hole events.

    OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman had said two weeks ago one hurdle was the vast majority of LIV players were invited to join instead of earning their way, as is the case with the other 24 tours that are part of the OWGR system.

    An update sent Wednesday said only that the board continues to evaluate LIV’s application the Saudi-funded league submitted in late June.

    “We remain committed to the OWGR’s mission, which requires honoring the meritocracy woven into the professional game,” Immelman said in a statement. “As such, discussions have been regular and remain ongoing. To be clear, progress has been made, but there is no decision to share at this time.

    “We will continue to work closely with LIV Golf as it continues to evolve to ensure its application is handled with fairness, integrity and consistency, as stated previously.”

    Immelman also had previously said the 54 holes that LIV played for its first four years were never that big of an issue. LIV is moving to 72 holes for the 2026 season.

    LIV begins its season Feb. 4 in Saudi Arabia. It has been hopeful of being part of the OWGR system because the four majors used it as part of its qualifying criteria.

    Several tours that are part of the OWGR are scheduled for 54 holes, such as the Big Easy developmental tour in South Africa and the MENA Tour based in Dubai.

    The OWGR said 54-hole tournaments — or those reduced to 54 holes because of weather — will get 75% of the original field rating and points distribution. Tournaments that wind up being played over 36 holes would get 50% of the original field rating.

    The European Tour had a couple of tournaments reduced this year to 54 holes, such as the South African Open and Singapore Classic.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Australia v England scorecard

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    Scorecard: Australia vs England, fourth Ashes Test, Melbourne

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  • Jumbo Ozaki Dies of Cancer at Age 78. He Had the Most Wins of Any Japanese Golfer

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    Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.

    Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the ANA Open when he was 55.

    He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.

    “He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.

    Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.

    Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with golf.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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