Tag: Masters Golf Tournament

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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February 24, 2026
McKibbin earns a spot in the Masters and British Open with dominant win in Hong Kong Open

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HONG KONG — Tom McKibbin earned his first trip to the Masters by pulling away for a 7-under 63 to cap off a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Hong Kong Open. His second win also gets the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland in the British Open.

Getting to Augusta National became a challenge when McKibbin signed with Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2024. But the Masters changed its criteria this year, designating six national opens where the winner earns an invitation.

McKibbin, who opened with a 60, took a two-shot lead into the final round. McKibbin was still two shots clear of Peter Uihlein when he birdied four of five holes to start the back nine and wound up with a seven-shot victory, the second of his career.

He finished on 27-under 253. Uihlein’s hopes ended with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 14th hole. The American closed with a 68.

The Hong Kong Open featured 29 full-time LIV Golf players, for a majority of them a rare chance at getting in the Masters and the British Open next year at Royal Birkdale. Only two LIV players in the field were former Masters champions who have lifetime exemptions.

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November 2, 2025
Rintaro Nakano joins a 3-way tie for the lead at the Asia-Pacific Amateur

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rintaro Nakano of Japan made eagle on the par-5 13th hole for the second straight day and closed with a birdie for a 6-under 66 to move into a three-way tie for the lead Friday at the halfway point of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Khanh Hung Le, the 17-year-old from Vietnam who has committed to play college golf at Illinois, shot 67 and Harry Takis of Australia had a 66 to join Rintaro at 11-under 133.

At stake this weekend on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club is a spot in the Masters and the British Open next year for the winner.

Le is trying to become the first Vietnamese winner since Augusta National and the R&A launched the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2010. Rintaro is hopeful of joining an elite group of Japanese winners that includes Hideki Matsuyama (twice), Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima, all of whom were No. 1 amateurs in the world.

Takis, meanwhile, has added to the recent surge of San Diego State alumni. He was Mountain West Conference freshman of the year this year for the Aztecs. San Diego State alum include major champions Xander Schauffele and J.J. Spaun, while Justin Hastings won the Latin American Amateur last year during his final season with the Aztecs.

The cut for top 60 and ties came at 6-over 150 and that included Geoffrey Lablak, the first player from Lebanon to make the cut in the Asia-Pacific. He was tied for 23rd after rounds of 73-71. Three players from the United Arab Emirates made the cut, led by Ahman Skaik in a tie for 10th.

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October 24, 2025
Scottie Scheffler doesn’t like comparisons to Tiger Woods. But Tiger inspired him

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ATLANTA (AP) — Scottie Scheffler shies away from comparisons to Tiger Woods even as the numbers are starting to make that inevitable.

Scheffler has been No. 1 in the world longer than anyone since Woods. He is the first player since Woods to have five-plus wins in back-to-back years. He comes into the Tour Championship on a streak of 13 tournaments in the top 10.

“It’s very silly to be compared to Tiger Woods,” Scheffler said. “I think Tiger is a guy that stands alone in the game of golf, and I think he always will. Tiger inspired a whole generation of golfers. You’ve grown up watching that guy do what he did week in, week out, it was pretty amazing to see.”

Scheffler was amazed by the only time he played with him in a tournament, a moment nearly five years ago that shaped the way the 29-year-old from Dallas now dominates his sport.

It was the final round of the Masters in November 2020, both of them 11 shots out of the lead with no chance to win. What stands out from that autumn Sunday was Woods making a 10 on the par-3 12th hole and then made birdie on five of his last six holes.

Scheffler remembers the opening hole just as well.

As he looks back to the start of his pro career, Scheffler felt he was guilty of not giving himself enough chances at winning and rarely being in the final group.

“I always found myself just a little bit on the outside looking in, and that’s one of the things I learned from playing with Tiger,” he said.

“We’re in 20th place or whatever going into Sunday at the Masters. Tiger has won five Masters, he’s got no chance of winning the tournament. Then we showed up on the first hole and I was watching him read his putt, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this guy is in it right now.’

“That was something that I just thought about for a long time,” Scheffler said. “I felt like a change I needed to make was bringing that same intensity to each round and each shot. And I feel like the reason I’ve had success in these tournaments is … just the amount of consistency and the intensity that I bring to each round of golf is not taking shots off, not taking rounds off, not taking tournaments off.

“When I show up at a tournament, I’m here for a purpose and that’s to compete hard, and you compete hard on every shot.”

That’s what golf has witnessed since Scheffler finally broke through at the WM Phoenix Open in 2022, and within two months he was a Masters champion and No. 1 in the world.

It doesn’t mean he wins every week — golf is still golf, an impossible game to master.

This week is an example of that. The change to the format in the Tour Championship put emphasis on getting to East Lake, and now the top 30 players start from scratch for 72 holes to see who wins the FedEx Cup.

Scheffler has no advantage by starting at 10-under par, nor does he have a points advantage. It’s a welcome change for most players because they signed off on it. Rory McIlroy, the Masters champion, says he didn’t mind the starting strokes because great play should get some reward.

“I didn’t hate the starting strokes. I thought that the player that played the best during the course of the season should have had an advantage coming in here,” McIlroy said. “But you could also argue if it was starting strokes this week, Scottie with a two-shot lead, it probably isn’t enough considering what he’s done this year.”

Scheffler started with a two-shot lead each of the last three years and it still took him the third try to win the FedEx Cup. He loves the pressure of competing. And besides, not starting with an advantage is sure to get his attention from the start.

He has his caddie, Ted Scott, back on the bag this week as Scott is dealing with a family emergency. Scheffler is quick to point out how his career took off when he brought in Scott to work with all the preparation he put into his job.

This year has been as good as any considering he started late because of hand surgery, and he added the PGA Championship and British Open to his two previous Masters titles.

But it’s not over yet. Scheffler was reminded of that in 2022 when he lost a six-shot lead in the final round to McIlroy. That was the year he won his first Masters, rose to No. 1 in the world and had four victories.

But when he returned home, he was met with condolences for not winning at East Lake.

“It just irked me so bad finishing off the year where guys were like: ‘Hey, great playing, I’m sorry about how it ended.’ It’s like, ‘You know what, man, I won the Masters this year, won a few other tournaments.’ It was a pretty good year.”

The tournament starts Thursday. It’s already been a good year for Scheffler.

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

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August 20, 2025
Guerrier beats Campillo on record-equaling 9th playoff hole of Andalucia Masters for his 1st win

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SAN ROQUE, Spain (AP) — Julien Guerrier needed nine playoff holes in his 230th tournament to claim his first European tour win on Sunday.

Guerrier made an 8-foot par putt on the record-equaling ninth playoff hole to beat Spaniard Jorge Campillo after they finished tied at 21-under par following 72 holes.

“I’m feeling great and I can’t believe I made it. Because it’s been a really long time I’ve been waiting for it,” the Frenchman said. “We work really hard every week for that but we have to stay patient.”

Guerrier had forced the playoff by making a 16-foot par putt on the 18th for a final round of 2-under 70.

Campillo also shot 70 in a round that included three bogeys on his final seven holes, including on the 18th to open the door for Guerrier.

“On the last putt, I was thinking of my kids to give me the strength to hit it, so thanks to my family and my team,” the 39-year-old Guerrier said. “It’s a long wait and I’m very happy.”

Guerrier’s coach, Raphael Jacquelin, had won a nine-hole playoff at the Spanish Open in 2013. The only other European tour event decided by a nine-hole playoff was the 1989 Dutch Open won by Jose María Olazábal.

Englishman Dan Brown finished in third place at 19-under par after shooting 3-under 69 in his final round at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. Jordan Smith of England and Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark ended in a tie for fourth at 18-under.

Jon Rahm, playing in his third European tour event in the past four weeks, finished four shots off the lead in sixth place after a final round of 67.

Rahm, No. 14 in the world, was the top-ranked player in the tournament, which marks the final event of the year on European soil for the tour.

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October 21, 2024
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, takes aim at a second Masters championship

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler is not, by nature, a selfish person. It’s not how he was raised, nor how he chooses to live his life, and if that ever were to change, he knows he can rely on his wife, Meredith, to bring him back to center.

The problem is that Scheffler plays a selfish sport.

“You’re out there by yourself,” he explained, “and when you’re at the peak of your game, you know, people need stuff from you a lot of the time, and you have to be selfish with your time. And it’s not easy to say no, but you have to learn how.”

Nobody is peaking higher these days.

Two years after winning the Masters, Scheffler is back at Augusta National this week, still the world’s No. 1 player and perhaps hotter than ever. The 27-year-old from Dallas has been in the top 10 in seven of eight starts this year, including his back-to-back wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship, where he became the first to ever defend his title.

In his last start, two weeks ago at the Houston Open, his modern-era record of 28 consecutive rounds under par finally ended with an even-par 70 in the second round, and Scheffler wound up one shot off a playoff in second place.

So it’s not surprising that there are heavy demands on Scheffler’s time these days.

He is asked to speak at various functions. Children lining the ropes beg for his autograph. (Adults do, too.) He’s had Netflix crews filming him for its docuseries, “Full Swing,” and the list goes on, seemingly building with every trophy he raises.

“You have to learn how to say no to certain people,” he said, “because ultimately, when you come out to a golf tournament, you’re here to compete, and you’re here to do your best. And you can’t really get caught up in all the stuff that’s going around you.”

Make no mistake: Scheffler’s almost placid demeanor masks an intense desire to win. That was evident after he played a practice round with Nick Dunlap, who earlier this year became the first player since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour event as an amateur, and Scheffler was asked whether he had any insights to pass along.

“No, he’s too good,” Scheffler replied with a smile. “I don’t want to give him any of my secrets.”

Scheffler was kidding, of course, because — as we’ve established — he was not raised to be a selfish person. His parents, Scott and Diane, provided that foundation, just as they made sure that golf was never the most important thing in his life.

“My parents pushed more education and being kind to people on me,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes you see a lot of parents who really want their kid to become really, really good at something, and they think that’s what is going to bring them joy. But becoming a really good golfer may bring you a little bit of momentary joy, but it doesn’t sustain it for very long.”

In fact, Scheffler said that winning a tournament “makes me happy for about five minutes.”

The Masters glow may have lasted just a little bit longer.

“The way I was raised, golf wasn’t really a huge deal in my house. It was just something that I always loved to do,” he said. “I had a very supportive family in doing so. I have three sisters, and I’m sure they went to way more golf tournaments than they would have hoped to when I was growing up. But just had a great support system at home. And I feel like I’ve said it a bunch, golf is not just — it’s something that I do. It’s not my life, you know?”

He happens to be really good at it, though.

That’s why Scheffler is the 4-1 favorite to win this week, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, the most overwhelming favorite to win the Masters since Tiger Woods more than a decade ago. In fact, Scheffler is such a heavy favorite that some sportsbooks are giving betters the opportunity to wager on him or the entire rest of the field.

No pressure there.

“I step up onto the tee at a tournament, my thought process is always about my preparation. I just remind myself: I’ve done the work. I’ve done everything I could. I’ve checked all the boxes,” Scheffler said. “And, yeah, there’s definitely nervousness. There’s definitely excitement, anxiousness. I mean, all those things go through you when you’re out there competing. It’s just about how do you use those feelings and emotions to kind of enhance your focus, and that’s pretty much it.”

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April 10, 2024
The haunting Masters meltdown that changed Rory McIlroy’s career | CNN

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Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in April 2023.

CNN
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Slumped on his club, head buried in his arm, Rory McIlroy looked on the verge of tears.

The then-21-year-old had just watched his ball sink into the waters of Rae’s Creek at Augusta National and with it, his dream of winning The Masters, a dream that had looked so tantalizingly close mere hours earlier.

As a four-time major winner and one of the most decorated names in the sport’s history, few players would turn down the chance to swap places with McIlroy heading into Augusta this week.

Yet on Sunday afternoon of April 10, 2011, not a golfer in the world would have wished to be in the Northern Irishman’s shoes.

A fresh-faced, mop-headed McIlroy had touched down in Georgia for the first major of the season with a reputation as the leading light of the next generation of stars.

An excellent 2010 had marked his best season since turning pro three years earlier, highlighted by a first PGA Tour win at the Quail Hollow Championship and a crucial contribution to Team Europe’s triumph at the Ryder Cup.

Yet despite a pair of impressive top-three finishes at the Open and PGA Championship respectively, a disappointing missed cut at The Masters – his first at a major – served as ominous foreshadowing.

McIlroy shot 74 and 77 to fall four strokes short of the cut line at seven-over par, a performance that concerned him enough to take a brief sabbatical from competition.

But one year on in 2011, any lingering Masters demons looked to have been exorcised as McIlroy flew round the Augusta fairways.

Having opened with a bogey-free seven-under 65 – the first time he had ever shot in the 60s at the major – McIlroy pulled ahead from Spanish first round co-leader Alvaro Quirós with a second round 69.

It sent him into the weekend holding a two-shot cushion over Australia’s Jason Day, with Tiger Woods a further stroke behind and back in the hunt for a 15th major after a surging second round 66.

And yet the 21-year-old leader looked perfectly at ease with having a target on his back. Even after a tentative start to the third round, McIlroy rallied with three birdies across the closing six holes to stretch his lead to four strokes heading into Sunday.

The youngster was out on his own ahead of a bunched chasing pack comprising Day, Ángel Cabrera, K.J. Choi and Charl Schwartzel. After 54 holes, McIlroy had shot just three bogeys.

“It’s a great position to be in … I’m finally feeling comfortable on this golf course,” McIlroy told reporters.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself, I know how leads can dwindle away very quickly. I have to go out there, not take anything for granted and go out and play as hard as I’ve played the last three days. If I can do that, hopefully things will go my way.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow because four shots on this golf course isn’t that much.”

The truth can hurt, and McIlroy was about to prove his assessment of Augusta to be true in the most excruciating way imaginable.

His fourth bogey of the week arrived immediately. Having admitted to expecting some nerves at the first tee, McIlroy sparked a booming opening drive down the fairway, only to miss his putt from five feet.

Three consecutive pars steadied the ship, but Schwartzel had the wind in his sails. A blistering birdie, par, eagle start had seen him draw level at the summit after his third hole.

A subsequent bogey from the South African slowed his charge, as McIlroy clung onto a one-shot lead at the turn from Schwartzel, Cabrera, Choi, and a rampaging Woods, who shot five birdies and an eagle across the front nine to send Augusta into a frenzy.

Despite his dwindling advantage and the raucous Tiger-mania din ahead of him, McIlroy had responded well to another bogey at the 5th hole, draining a brilliant 20-foot putt at the 7th to restore his lead.

The fist pump that followed marked the high-water point of McIlroy’s round, as a sliding start accelerated into full-blown free-fall at the par-four 10th hole.

His tee shot went careening into a tree, ricocheting to settle between the white cabins that separate the main course from the adjacent par-three course. It offered viewers a glimpse at a part of Augusta rarely seen on broadcast, followed by pictures of McIlroy anxiously peering out from behind a tree to track his follow-up shot.

Though his initial escape was successful, yet another collision with a tree and a two-putt on the green saw a stunned McIlroy eventually tap in for a triple bogey. Having led the field one hole and seven shots earlier, he arrived at the 11th tee in seventh.

By the time his tee drive at the 13th plopped into the creek, all thoughts of who might be the recipient of the green jacket had long-since switched away from the anguished youngster. It had taken him seven putts to navigate the previous two greens, as a bogey and a double bogey dropped him to five-under – the score he had held after just 11 holes of the tournament.

Mercifully, the last five holes passed without major incident. A missed putt for birdie from five feet at the final hole summed up McIlroy’s day, though he was given a rousing reception as he left the green.

Mere minutes earlier, the same crowd had erupted as Schwartzel sunk his fourth consecutive birdie to seal his first major title. After starting the day four shots adrift of McIlroy, the South African finished 10 shots ahead of him, and two ahead of second-placed Australian duo Jason Day and Adam Scott.

McIlroy’s eight-over 80 marked the highest score of the round. Having headlined the leaderboard for most of the week, he finished tied-15th.

Tears would flow during a phone call with his parents the following morning, but at his press conference, McIlroy was upbeat.

“I’m very disappointed at the minute, and I’m sure I will be for the next few days, but I’ll get over it,” he said.

“I was leading this golf tournament with nine holes to go, and I just unraveled … It’s a Sunday at a major, what it can do.

“This is my first experience at it, and hopefully the next time I’m in this position I’ll be able to handle it a little better. I didn’t handle it particularly well today obviously, but it was a character-building day … I’ll come out stronger for it.”

Once again, McIlroy would be proven right.

Just eight weeks later in June, McIlroy rampaged to an eight-shot victory at the US Open. Records tumbled in his wake at Congressional, as he shot a tournament record 16-under 268 to become the youngest major winner since Tiger Woods at The Masters in 1997.

The historic victory kickstarted a golden era for McIlroy. After coasting to another eight-shot win at the PGA Championship in 2012, McIlroy became only the third golfer since 1934 to win three majors by the age of 25 with triumph at the 2014 Open Championship.

Before the year was out, he would add his fourth major title with another PGA Championship win.

And much of it was owed to that fateful afternoon at Augusta. In an interview with the BBC in 2015, McIlroy dubbed it “the most important day” of his career.

“If I had not had the whole unravelling, if I had just made a couple of bogeys coming down the stretch and lost by one, I would not have learned as much.

“Luckily, it did not take me long to get into a position like that again when I was leading a major and I was able to get over the line quite comfortably. It was a huge learning curve for me and I needed it, and thankfully I have been able to move on to bigger and better things.

“Looking back on what happened in 2011, it doesn’t seem as bad when you have four majors on your mantelpiece.”

McIlroy’s contentment came with a caveat: it would be “unthinkable” if he did not win The Masters in his career.

Yet as he prepares for his 15th appearance at Augusta National this week, a green jacket remains an elusive missing item from his wardrobe.

Despite seven top-10 finishes in his past 10 Masters outings, the trophy remains the only thing separating McIlroy from joining the ranks of golf immortals to have completed golf’s career grand slam of all four majors in the modern era: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

A runner-up finish to Scottie Scheffler last year marked McIlroy’s best finish at Augusta, yet arguably 2011 remains the closest he has ever been to victory. A slow start in 2022 meant McIlroy had begun Sunday’s deciding round 10 shots adrift of the American, who teed off for his final hole with a five-shot lead despite McIlroy’s brilliant 64 finish.

At 33 years old, time is still on his side. Though 2022 extended his major drought to eight years, it featured arguably his best golf since that golden season in 2014.

And as McIlroy knows better than most, things can change quickly at Augusta National.

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April 9, 2024
Masters Golf Tournament Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
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Here’s a look at the Masters, one of golf’s four major tournaments, along with the US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship. It is held annually at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

April 11-14, 2024 – The 88th Masters tournament is scheduled to take place.

April 6-9, 2023 – The 87th Masters tournament takes place. Jon Rahm wins, claiming his first green jacket and second career major at Augusta National.

Par at Augusta National is 72 and the course is 7,475 yards.

Dr. Alister MacKenzie of Scotland was the architect of the course.

The winner is presented with a green blazer. He can wear the “Green Jacket” home, but must return it to the club the next year.

Jack Nicklaus has won six Masters tournaments (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986), more than any other golfer. Tiger Woods has five Masters wins.

Three players have won consecutive Masters titles: Nicklaus (1965, 1966), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Woods (2001, 2002).

Sergio Garcia played in 19 Masters before he won in 2017. The average number of attempts before a first victory is six.

Woods is the youngest player ever to win the Masters. (21 years, 3 months and 14 days old)

Nicklaus is the oldest player ever to win the Masters. (46 years, 2 months and 23 days old)

January 1933 – The Augusta National Golf Club formally opens in Augusta, Georgia, after being founded by golfer Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts.

March 22, 1934 – The first Augusta National Invitation Golf Tournament is held.

1937 – Members of Augusta National begin wearing green jackets.

1939 – The tournament is officially named The Masters.

1940 – The date of the tournament moves to the first full week of April.

1943-1945 – During World War II, no tournament is held. Play resumes in 1946.

1956 – First Masters television broadcast, only holes 15 through 18 are broadcast.

1972 – The waiting list for Masters tickets is established. The list has since closed. Applications for practice round tickets are now taken a year in advance.

1990 – TV executive Ron Townsend is admitted as the club’s first African-American member.

2003 – The National Council of Women’s Organizations leads a protest against Augusta National’s all male membership.

April 12, 2004 – Arnold Palmer plays in his 50th and final tournament.

August 20, 2012 – Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and private investment banker Darla Moore become the first women admitted as members of Augusta National Golf Club.

April 6, 2019 – Jennifer Kupcho wins the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur to become the first female to win at the site of the Masters.

March 13, 2020 – Originally scheduled for April 9-12, the 2020 tournament is postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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March 27, 2024
Bernhard Langer tears Achilles tendon. This was to be his final Masters

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Bernhard Langer tore his Achilles tendon while exercising and had surgery on Friday, putting the 66-year-old German out of golf during a year he planned to play the Masters one last time.

Langer last year broke Hale Irwin’s record for PGA Tour Champions victories when he won twice to reach 46 titles on the 50-and-older circuit.

He is a two-time Masters champion, the first one coming in 1985, and was preparing for an emotional farewell to Augusta National in April. Masters champions have a lifetime exemption, and it’s possible Langer could still return next year for one last Masters.

“Yesterday, during training exercises in Boca Raton, I tore my Achilles tendon. I will have surgery today to repair the injury, which will cause me to miss time playing competitive golf as I recover,” Langer said in a statement through the PGA Tour.

“Throughout my career, faith and family have been my bedrocks, providing me strength and guiding me through difficult times. I will lean on both as I work towards a return to competition.”

It was not clear how long he would be gone, though typically surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon takes at least four months before walking.

Langer had a conference call Wednesday ahead of the Chubb Classic in Florida, where last year he won for the fifth time and tied Irwin’s record. He spoke of his last time going to Augusta.

“It’s going to be very emotional, especially Augusta, because it’s been a big part of my life,” Langer said. “I love the tournament. I love the golf course. I love what they do for the game of golf. It’s going to be a tough farewell for me walking up the 18th the last time in competitive circumstances.”

Among his two victories last year was the U.S. Senior Open, which gives winners an exemption into the U.S. Open. Langer also had planned to play at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.

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

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February 2, 2024
Tiger Woods Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at one of the most successful golfers in history, Tiger Woods.

Birth date: December 30, 1975

Birth place: Cypress, California

Birth name: Eldrick Tont Woods

Father: Earl Woods

Mother: Kultilda (Punsawad) Woods

Marriage: Elin Nordegren (October 5, 2004-August 23, 2010, divorced)

Children: Charlie Axel and Sam Alexis

Education: Attended Stanford University, 1994-1996

Won the Masters Tournament five times, the US Open three times, the PGA Championship four times and the British Open three times.

Woods is the PGA career money list leader.

With 82 PGA Tour wins, Woods is tied with Sam Snead for most all-time career victories.

His father nicknamed him “Tiger” after a South Vietnamese soldier with whom he had fought alongside during the Vietnam War.

1978 – At the age of 2, wins a putting contest with Bob Hope. The match was staged for the “Mike Douglas Show.”

1980 – Appears on the TV show “That’s Incredible.”

1991 – Wins his first US Junior Amateur golf championship. At 15 years of age, Woods was the youngest champion in history until 14-year-old Jim Liu broke his record in 2010.

1992 – Wins his second US Junior Amateur golf championship.

February 27, 1992 – Competes in his first PGA tournament at the age of 16. He is given a sponsor’s exemption in order to play and is the youngest player ever to play in a PGA tournament at that time.

1993 – Wins his third US Junior Amateur golf championship.

1994-1996 – Wins three consecutive US Amateur golf championships.

August 27, 1996 – Turns professional.

August 1996 – Signs a five-year endorsement deal with Nike worth $40 million.

October 6, 1996 – Wins his first tournament as a professional at the Las Vegas Invitational.

1996 – Forms the Tiger Woods Foundation for the promotion of minority participation in golf and other sports. In February 2018, the charity is renamed TGR Foundation to reflect its growth and scope.

April 13, 1997 – Wins his first Masters Tournament.

May 19, 1997 – Signs an endorsement deal with American Express worth between $13 and $30 million.

June 1997 – Becomes the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world after his 42nd week on the PGA Tour. At 21 years, 24 weeks, he is the youngest player ever to hold the No. 1 spot.

August 15, 1999 – Wins his first PGA championship.

June 18, 2000 – Wins his first US Open by 15 strokes, the largest margin in US Open history.

July 23, 2000 – Wins his first British Open.

September 14, 2000 – Signs a five-year endorsement contract with Nike. It is worth an estimated $85 million, making it the richest endorsement contract in sports history, at the time.

June 16, 2002 – Wins his second US Open.

December 8, 2003 – Named PGA Player of the Year for the fifth straight year.

May 13, 2005 – Woods fails to make the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas. It is the first time since 1998 that Woods is eliminated from a tournament.

November 23, 2005 – Wins the PGA Grand Slam of Golf for a record-breaking sixth time.

February 10, 2006 – Opens the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California.

May 3, 2006 – Woods’ father, Earl Woods, dies of prostate cancer.

July 23, 2006 – Wins his third British Open.

August 20, 2006 – Wins his third PGA Championship.

August 12, 2007 – Wins his fourth PGA Championship.

April 15, 2008 – Undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He had two prior surgeries on the same knee, first in 1994 to remove a benign tumor, and another arthroscopic surgery in December 2002.

June 16, 2008 – Wins the US Open in sudden death, defeating Rocco Mediate.

June 18, 2008 – Woods announces that he will undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee and will miss the remainder of the PGA tour season.

February 26, 2009 – After an eight-month hiatus from golf due to knee surgery, Woods plays the second round of the World Golf Championships Match Play and loses to Tim Clark.

November 15, 2009 – Wins the Australian Masters.

November 27, 2009 – Is taken to a hospital after being injured in a car accident in front of his home in Florida. He is released later the same day.

December 2, 2009 – Woods apologizes for “transgressions” that let his family down – the same day a gossip magazine publishes a report alleging he had an affair. He does not admit to an affair and offers no details about the “transgressions” in his statement.

February 19, 2010 – Makes a televised statement apologizing for being unfaithful to his wife and letting down both fans and family. “I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame,” he says. Responding to rumors, Woods says that his wife never hit him, as some media reported in connection with the car crash on November 27, 2009, and that there has “never been an episode of domestic violence” in his relationship with his wife. Woods also says that he entered a rehabilitation center for 45 days, from the end of December to early February, and that he will continue to receive treatment and therapy.

October 31, 2010 – After 281 straight weeks, the longest in Official World Golf Ranking history, Woods loses his No. 1 ranking to Lee Westwood.

2010 – Loses about $20 million from estimated endorsements after sponsors including Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture end ties. Other sponsors including Nike, Upper Deck and EA Sports remain with Woods.

June 7, 2011 – Announces he will miss the US Open due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries.

July 19, 2011 – Woods announces that after a 12-year relationship, he and caddie Steve Williams will no longer be working together.

August 4, 2011 – Returns to golf at the Bridgestone Invitational, after a nearly three-month break.

August 11, 2011 – Plays one of his worst first rounds of golf in a major championship. He fails to make the cut at the PGA Championship for the first time in his career.

October 3, 2011 – For the first time in 15 years, Woods does not make it onto golf’s top 50 players list, according to the official World Golf Ranking.

October 5, 2011 – Signs a new endorsement deal with Swiss watch-maker Rolex.

March 25, 2012 – Earns his first PGA Tour win since September 2009, in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

June 3, 2012 – With his win at the Memorial Tournament, ties Jack Nicklaus with 73 PGA Tour victories.

July 2, 2012 – Beats Nicklaus’ PGA Tour record with the AT&T National win. Woods’ 74th PGA Tour win ranks him in second place on the all-time list.

September 3, 2012 – Becomes the first PGA tour participant to earn $100 million.

March 25, 2013 – Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the eighth time, and regains the No. 1 spot.

March 31, 2014 – Woods undergoes back surgery for a pinched nerve.

August 23, 2015 – Posts a top 10 finish at his debut at the Wyndham Championships but ends his season as the 257th ranked player in the world. His finish was four shots off eventual winner Davis Love III. Woods has now missed the cut for three majors in a row.

December 1, 2015 – Announces that he underwent his third microdiscectomy surgery last month – a procedure to remove bone around a pinched nerve to allow space for it to heal – and admits he has no idea when he will be back on the course.

July 20, 2016 – It is announced that Woods will miss the PGA Championship due to his continued recovery from back surgery. This marks the first time in his career that he has missed all four major championships.

December 4, 2016 – Woods finishes 14 shots behind the winner in the Hero World Challenge, his first competitive event in more than a year.

May 29, 2017 – Woods is arrested on suspicion of DUI in Jupiter, Florida. He says in a statement that he had “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” and that alcohol was not involved.

June 19, 2017 – Woods announces that he is receiving professional help to manage medication for back pain and a sleep disorder.

July 3, 2017 – Announces that he has completed an intensive program for managing his medications.

October 27, 2017 – Woods pleads guilty to reckless driving. His 12-month probation is contingent on completing any recommended treatment including DUI school, 50 hours of community services and random drug and alcohol testing.

December 3, 2017 – Making his long-awaited return from a fourth back surgery – his first tournament for 301 days since pulling out of the Dubai Desert Classic in February – Woods finishes in a tie for ninth place in the Hero World Challenge tournament in the Bahamas.

September 23, 2018 – Wins the Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, for his first PGA Tour victory since August 2013 and his 80th overall.

April 14, 2019 – Wins his fifth Masters and 15th major title.

May 6, 2019 – President Donald Trump presents Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during a White House ceremony.

October 27, 2019 – Wins his record-equaling 82nd PGA Tour title at the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan. Woods is tied with legendary golfer Sam Snead, who won 82 titles throughout his more than 50-year career.

May 24, 2020 – Woods and Peyton Manning defeat Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady by one stroke in “The Match: Champions for Charity” golf tournament at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. The event raises over $20 million for coronavirus relief efforts and captures an average of 5.8 million viewers to become the most-watched golf telecast in the history of cable television.

February 23, 2021 – Woods is hospitalized after a serious one-car rollover accident in Los Angeles County, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. Wood’s agent Mark Steinberg said the golfer suffered “multiple leg injuries” and was in surgery following the accident. The next day, Woods is “awake, responsive, and recovering” in the hospital after emergency surgery on his lower right leg and ankle at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The leg fractures were “comminuted,” meaning the bone was broken into more than two parts, and “open,” meaning the broken bone was exposed to open air, creating risk of an infection, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anish Mahajan says in the statement.

November 29, 2021 – In an exclusive interview published in Golf Digest, Tiger Woods speaks publicly about his golfing future for the first time since his car crash. “I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did,” Woods tells interviewer Henni Koyack.

March 9, 2022 – Woods is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida.

April 7, 2022 – Tees off in the first round of the Masters, his first tournament in 14 months, completing a remarkable comeback after sustaining serious leg injuries in his February 2021 car crash.

October 2022 – Erica Herman, a former girlfriend of Woods, files a complaint in Martin County, Florida after their six-year relationship comes to end. Herman alleges a trust owned by Woods violated the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act by breaking the oral tenancy agreement. On March 6, 2023, Herman files a second complaint aimed at nullifying the NDA she signed in 2017. On May 17, 2023, a Florida judge rules against Herman, calling her claims that the NDA is invalid and unenforceable “implausibly pled.” In June 2023, Herman drops her lawsuit alleging a trust owned by Woods violated the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act. In November 2023, Herman drops her appeal to nullify the NDA.

April 19, 2023 – Announces he has completed “successful” surgery on his ankle following his withdrawal from The Masters earlier this month.

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November 20, 2023
Keegan Bradley and Denny McCarthy share the Travelers lead at tournament-record 15 under

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CROMWELL, Conn. — Keegan Bradley and Denny McCarthy shared the Travelers Championship lead Friday at a tournament-record 15-under 125.

McCarthy followed his first-round 60 with a 65 in the morning at TPC River Highlands. A few hours later, Bradley shot a 63 to go with his opening 62.

Chez Reavie, the 2019 winner, was two strokes back after a 63. Eric Cole had a 65 to get to 11 under.

McCarthy and Bradley broke the 36-hole mark of 14 under set by Justin Rose in 2010 and matched last year by Xander Schauffele in his run to the title.

“It’s nice, but golf tournaments aren’t 36 holes unfortunately,” McCarthy said. “I know there’s still a lot of golf left and I’m playing some really nice golf, so I’m looking forward to having fun this weekend.”

The 30-year-old from Maryland started slowly, bogeying the second hole. But that was the only blemish on a round that included six birdies, five on the back nine.

McCarthy, who lost in a playoff at the Memorial this month, is trying to become the 18th player to pick up his first PGA Tour victory in Connecticut. Ken Duke was the last in 2013.

Bradley also had a blistering back nine, making five birdies in a row between the 12th and 16th holes. He had just under 174 feet of made putts and after every big make, he held his putter in front of him with two fingers and bowed before handing it to his caddie.

“We just pay our respects,” said the Vermont player, who holed about a 60-footer on No. 3 for his first birdie. “If the putter is working, we’ll do whatever just to keep it going. We just bow and say, ‘Thank you.’”

Cole is the son of former tour players Laura Baugh and Bobby Cole. His father played River Highlands just once professionally, finishing 50th in 1987, but his son didn’t get to see that.

“I was born in ’88, so it would’ve been before me,” the younger Cole said.

Rory McIlroy was tied for 10th at 8 under after a 64. He had a double bogey on the par-3 eighth, the hole he aced Thursday for his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. This time, McIlroy put his tee shot in the water.

“I hit a pretty good shot, I just misjudged the wind a little bit and it came up short in the one place you couldn’t miss today,” he said. “But, other than that, it was a really good round of golf.”

McIlroy got a break on his last hole when his tee shot landed on a cable trench behind a tree on the ninth hole. He was given relief by a tournament official, but hit a limb on his approach shot, which still landed just short of the green, where he managed to get up and down for par.

Schauffele also was 8 under after a 64. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler reached 7 under with a 70.

Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion Sunday in Los Angeles who arrived here Wednesday, had a 67 to get to 5 under. He spent the first part of the week in New York, appearing on numerous talk shows.

A light rain left the greens soft, helping keep the scores low. The cut line was at 4 under, with Masters champion Jon Rahm dropping out with round of 67 and 71.

On Saturday, with heavy rain expected in the morning, the players will start at 10:45 a.m. in threesomes off both Nos. 1 and 10.

____

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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June 23, 2023
Tiger Woods to miss PGA Championship as he continues ankle surgery recovery | CNN

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CNN
—

Tiger Woods will not play in the PGA Championship next week, with the 47-year-old absent from the tournament’s field list released on Wednesday.

The four-time champion was not named among the 155 players set to tee off on May 18 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, for the second men’s major of the season.

Woods underwent “successful” ankle surgery in April after an early withdrawal from The Masters, however no timeline was specified for a return to competitive action.

The fifteen-time major winner’s competitive appearances have been few and far between since he suffered severe leg injuries in a car crash in 2021, but Woods has prioritized appearances at the four major championships.

He had missed only one of five potential major outings – the 2022 US Open – since his return from a 17-month absence from the sport.

His appearance at the 2022 PGA Championship in Tulsa marked his second major appearance since his comeback. Woods made the cut at Southern Hills, but – as at The Masters in April – subsequently withdrew after a painful third round. A nine-over 79, including five straight bogeys, saw him card a career-worst score at the event.

Only five-time winners Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen have more PGA Championship victories than Woods, who defended his title at Tulsa in 2007 to clinch his fourth win at the tournament.

Jordan Spieth will tee up at Oak Hill in his pursuit of a career grand slam, having withdrawn from this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson Classic in Texas due to a left wrist injury.

The Dallas-born golfer expressed his disappointment at missing out on his home tournament under doctor’s orders for “rest and limited movement,” he said in a statement released to Twitter on Monday.

Runner-up in 2015, the 29-year-old is a PGA Championship crown away from becoming only the sixth golfer to win all four majors in the modern era, after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Nicklaus, and Woods.

To do so this month, Spieth will have to overcome a star-studded field headlined by Jon Rahm, who claimed his first green jacket at The Masters in dominant fashion at Augusta in April.

The Spaniard tops the world rankings ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, with the latter looking to add a third PGA Championship to his four-major haul.

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May 11, 2023
Finau holds off Rahm to take Mexico Open for 6th career win

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VALLARTA, Mexico — Tony Finau never gave Masters champion Jon Rahm or anyone else much of a chance Sunday, closing with a bogey-free round of 5-under 66 that gave him a three-shot victory in the Mexico Open.

Finau earned a small measure of redemption at Vallarta Vidanta, where last year he finished runner-up to Rahm by one shot. Finau took a two-shot lead into the final round and was never seriously challenged on the back nine.

“Rahmbo is the best. I knew I was going to have my hands full to the end,” said Finau, who finished at 24-under 260.

Turns out Rahm wasn’t his biggest threat.

Brandon Wu, also a runner-up last year, holed a 45-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixth hole and made a short birdie on the next hole to briefly tie for the lead. Finau answered with a birdie on the seventh, and then Wu fell back with a bogey from the bunker on No. 8 and a tee shot into the water on the 10th that led to double bogey.

“Just a few too many loose swings,” Wu said after a 68 to finish third. “Satisfied with how I went today. I’m glad I gave myself a chance through nine holes.”

Rahm closed with a 67 and certainly had his chances. He was three behind Finau at the turn, but failed to birdie two of the par 5s with a poor drive on the 12th and a poor approach on the 14th that kept him from reasonable birdie chances.

“It was a day where I didn’t do much wrong, but I didn’t do much right, either,” he said.

The Spaniard’s last hope was on the 16th hole. Finau hit his approach into the bunker and Rahm hit a 7-iron into the same bunker. Both made par, and at that point, Rahm simply ran out of holes.

“I feel like if I hit that second shot on 16 on the green and give myself a real look at birdie, Tony’s up-and-down gets significantly more difficult,” Rahm said.

Akshay Bhatia, the 21-year-old who has special temporary membership, faded to a 70 and finished fourth.

Finau now has two victories this season — his other was in the Houston Open last fall — to join Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa as the only multiple winners on tour this season. He now has four PGA Tour titles in the last nine months.

Finau’s sixth career PGA Tour victory was worth $1,386,000. He also moved to No. 11 in the world.

Finau did his best work on the front nine. He left a bunker shot in the sand on the sixth hole and managed to get up-and-down for par. On the eighth hole, another bunker shot from a tough lie didn’t quite reach the green, and he holed a 15-foot putt from the fringe for par.

Rahm was playing for the second time in three weeks since winning the Masters. He is skipping the Wells Fargo Championship — his one opt-out from elevated events with a $20 million purse — and will have a two-week break going into the PGA Championship.

Finau, who went more than five years between his first and second wins on the PGA Tour, now has multiple wins in back-to-back seasons.

“Obviously I wanted to win, but it’s a reminder that everybody out here is a great player,” Rahm said. “Tony came out with a two-shot lead and played fantastic golf. I feel like had I been able to pressure him a little more, we would have seen more birdies from Tony.”

___

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April 30, 2023
Column: Team USA strong enough that it doesn’t need LIV help

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Signing up for Saudi riches to play for LIV Golf was always going to come at a cost.

One risk was thought to be eligibility 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 and British Open organizers have said they would honor everyone eligible, with minor tweaks.

The PGA of America is soon to announce its field for the PGA Championship on May 19-22 at Oak Hill. Its chief championships officer, Kerry Haigh, has said it will strive to deliver the strongest field, as always.

Even players from LIV Golf?

“Absolutely,” Haigh said two months ago.

That’s as it should be. The mission of the major championships is to produce a thorough test for the best players in the world, regardless of where they make their living. It worked just fine at the Masters, where everyone seemed to get along at the Masters Club dinner, in the locker room and inside the ropes.

Further down the road, yet increasingly in view, is the Ryder Cup. LIV Golf will be in the Chicago suburbs the week before the Sept. 28-Oct. 1 matches. There should be no need for any American to catch a flight to Rome.

Haigh made it clear LIV Golf players would have a difficult time earning one of the six automatic spots “if the only events they get in are the majors.”

That’s because the U.S. points list is based on money from PGA Tour-sanctioned events (including majors). And the tour has 10 tournaments that offer more prize money than the majors. Those are tour events Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and the rest of LIV can’t play.

Earning one of the six spots will require winning at least one major along with a top finish in another one. Koepka and Phil Mickelson tied for second at the Masters and moved up to No. 17 and No. 23, respectively.

The question becomes the six captain’s picks.

Are they worthy?

U.S. captain Zach Johnson will have to base that on how they perform in 11 of the 54-hole events or the four majors.

Perhaps the bigger question is do the Americans even need them?

The current six qualifiers are Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. Right behind are two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.

And then there is a mix of newcomers to be considered, such as Kurt Kitayama.

“No decisions have been made,” Johnson said last week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the team event where his partner was Steve Stricker, the previous U.S. captain and an assistant for the Rome matches.

Stricker thought he had it tough because his Ryder Cup was delayed one year by the COVID-19 pandemic, and he had to change the qualifying criteria to account for so much uncertainty. That turned out to be a breeze.

Johnson has to consider players who have big names, big games, and who have defected to a rival league that has offered them generational wealth just for joining.

There’s still plenty of time for this to sort itself out. With three majors and five $20 million designated events to come, the U.S. team won’t become clear for another two months.

Johnson also suggested he would take from the model of Paul Azinger — the real “Captain America” in golf — who in 2008 created a pod system in which the automatic qualifiers had the strongest voice on who was picked.

“So I don’t know who those six are going to be, obviously, but their ownership and their opinions will weigh heavily into what I — what we — decide to do,” he said.

That doesn’t account for team unity, whether to bring in players who “turned their back” — the phrase Tiger Woods used last July — on the tour they now want to represent.

Besides, what does the captain really know about LIV players except for their reputations? As he told Sports Illustrated at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, “It’s probably a little bit more difficult because I’m not face-to-face, nor am I witnessing their games.”

“I don’t know what the conditions are like, probably don’t know what the golf courses are like,” Johnson said. “I mean, there’s competent players out there. But it’s hard to really decipher, I guess, what’s really going on. And frankly, I don’t know how they go about their work. I don’t really follow up much, but I might want to start.”

Dustin Johnson is overwhelmingly regarded as the one LIV Golf player everyone on the PGA Tour misses. He is a freak talent, to be sure, but he also has a reputation of never saying anything bad about anyone.

Johnson’s name appeared in recent days for disparaging remarks about PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, prompting a swift and emphatic denial that he had said anything other than, “No comment.” Turns out it was Pat Perez — shocking — who made the remarks, and Perez owned it.

Johnson told the Sydney Morning Herald he would love to be on the Ryder Cup team, noting he “played pretty well” in the last one. Johnson went 5-0 at Whistling Straits, the first such record by an American since 1979. Then again, he had a 7-9-0 mark going into that week.

“If I play well for the rest of the year,” Johnson said, “hopefully I’ll get a consideration.”

After four LIV Golf events, he is No. 17 in the standings. He tied for 48th at the Masters, 20 shots behind Jon Rahm. Johnson is a long way from consideration. That goes for the rest of the Americans who defected to LIV.

They chose guaranteed Saudi cash. The trade-off is the Ryder Cup. The U.S. team is strong enough it doesn’t need the distraction.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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April 25, 2023
Jon Rahm rallies to win the Masters as Spanish stars align

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jon Rahm turned the longest day into his sweetest victory, starting Sunday with a four-shot deficit in the morning chill and finishing in fading sunlight as the fourth Spaniard to become a Masters champion.

Rahm closed with a 3-under 69 to pull away from mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He won by four shots over Koepka and 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who turned in a tournament-best 65. He is the oldest runner-up in Masters history.

It was Mickelson who declared Rahm would be among golf’s biggest stars even before the Spaniard turned pro in 2016. Rahm now has a green jacket to go along with his U.S. Open title he won in 2021 at Torrey Pines.

Rahm made up two shots on Koepka over the final 12 holes of the rain-delayed third round and started the final round two shots behind. He seized on Koepka’s collapse and then surged so far ahead that Mickelson’s amazing closing round — the best final round ever at Augusta National for the three-time Masters champion — was never going to be enough.

Nothing was more satisfying than an uphill climb to the 18th green to claim the green jacket on a day when Spanish stars aligned. Sunday is the birthdate of his idol, the late Seve Ballesteros, and this is the 40-year anniversary of Ballesteros winning his second Masters title.

Rahm embraced his wife and two children, and as he walked toward the scoring room, there was two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal in his green jacket for the strongest hug of all.

Rahm won for the fourth time this year — just as Scottie Scheffler did a year ago when he won the Masters — and reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking from Scheffler.

This Masters had a little bit of everything — hot and humid at the start, a cold front with wind that toppled three trees on Friday, putting surfaces saturated from rain on Saturday and a marathon finish Sunday as Rahm and Koepka went 30 holes.

Koepka helped to pave the way with one miscue after another, losing the lead for the first time since Thursday afternoon when he chipped 20 feet past the hole from behind the par-3 sixth and made his second bogey. There would be more to come.

Worse yet, Koepka went 22 consecutive holes Sunday without a birdie — from the par-5 eighth hole in the morning of the third round until the par-5 13th in final round. By then, he was three shots behind and Rahm all but sealed it with his next shot.

He hit a low cut around a tree from right of the 14th fairway and it caught a slope just right on the 14th green and fed down to 3 feet for a birdie. When Koepka three-putted for bogey, it was a matter of finishing.

Rahm hooked his tee shot into the trees on the final hole and didn’t reach the fairway. No matter. He played up the fairway, hit wedge to 3 feet and tapped in for the victory.

The leaderboard was littered with major champions and a tinge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Mickelson and Koepka both are part of the rival circuit. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, another player who defected to LIV, closed with a 68 and tied for fourth with Jordan Spieth (66) and Russell Henley.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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April 9, 2023
Jon Rahm rallies to win the Masters as Spanish stars align

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jon Rahm kept hearing how he was destined to win this Masters because so many Spanish stars were aligned in his favor.

Sunday was the birthdate of Seve Ballesteros, his idol and inspiration for playing. This year was the 40-year anniversary of the second Masters title Ballesteros won. If that wasn’t enough, caddie Adam Hayes was assigned white coveralls with No. 49 — April 9.

“I was told a lot of things about why this could be the year,” Rahm said, looking smart as ever in his new green jacket. “And I just didn’t want to buy into it too much.”

His golf was far more valuable than any historical coincidence.

Rahm turned the longest day into his sweetest victory Sunday. The 30-hole marathon finish started with him trailing by four and ended with a walk up to the 18th green that nearly reduced him to tears, and gave him another major that affirmed him as No. 1 in the world.

He closed with a 3-under 69 to pull away from mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He won by four shots over Koepka and 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who matched the low score of the tournament with a 65 and became the oldest runner-up in Masters history.

“We all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualize what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to feel like,” Rahm said. “Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole.

“And a lot of it because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf,” he said. “It’s Spain’s 10th major, fourth player to win the Masters. It’s pretty incredible.”

It was Mickelson who declared Rahm would be among golf’s biggest stars even before the Spaniard turned pro in 2016. Rahm now has a green jacket to go along with his U.S. Open title he won in 2021 at Torrey Pines.

“It was obvious to me at a very young age that he was one of the best players in the world even while he was in college,” said Mickelson, whose younger brother was Rahm’s college coach at Arizona State. “To see him on this stage is not surprising for anybody.”

Rahm made up two shots on Koepka over the final 12 holes of the rain-delayed third round and started the final round two shots behind. He seized on Koepka’s collapse and then surged so far ahead that Mickelson’s amazing closing round — it matched the three-time Masters champion’s best final round ever at Augusta National — was never going to be enough.

The finish was vintage Rahm. He pulled his drive into the pine trees and it ricocheted out, short of where the fairway starts. No problem. He hit 4-iron toward the green and lofted a pitch to 3 feet to end his round with only one bogey.

“An unusual par, very much a Seve par, a testament to him, and I know he was pulling for me today,” said Rahm, who finished at 12-under 276. “And it was a great Sunday.”

Rahm embraced his wife and two children, and as he walked toward the scoring room, there was two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal in his green jacket for the strongest hug of all and a few words that included Ballesteros.

“He said he hopes it’s the first of many more,” Rahm said in Butler Cabin. “We both mentioned something about Seve, and if he had given us 10 more seconds, I think we would have both ended up crying.”

Sergio Garcia was the low amateur in 1999 when Olazábal won his second green jacket, and then Garcia won in 2017, the year Rahm made his Masters debut.

Stars aligned, and Rahm played some world-class golf. And to think he began the tournament with a four-putt double bogey on the opening hole.

Rahm won for the fourth time this year — just as Scottie Scheffler did a year ago when he won the Masters — and reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking from Scheffler.

This Masters had a little bit of everything — hot and humid at the start, a cold front with wind that toppled three trees on Friday, putting surfaces saturated from rain on Saturday and a marathon finish Sunday as Rahm and Koepka went 30 holes.

Koepka had one miscue after another, losing the lead for the first time since Thursday afternoon when he chipped 20 feet past the hole from behind the par-3 sixth and made his second bogey. More would follow.

“Just some days you have it, some days you don’t, and today wasn’t one of those,” Koepka said. “But I feel good, and I expect to be there the other three (majors).”

Koepka went 22 consecutive holes Sunday without a birdie — from the par-5 eighth hole in the morning of the third round until the par-5 13th in final round. By then, he was three shots behind and Rahm all but sealed it with his next shot.

He hit a low cut with an 8-iron from 141 yards around a tree from right of the 14th fairway, and it caught a slope on the green at just the right spot to feed down to 3 feet for birdie. When Koepka three-putted for bogey, it was a matter of finishing.

The leaderboard was littered with major champions and a tinge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Mickelson and Koepka both are part of the rival circuit. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, another player who defected to LIV, closed with a 68 and tied for fourth with Jordan Spieth (66) and Russell Henley.

Tiger Woods wasn’t around for the finish. He withdrew Sunday morning before the third round resumed, saying plantar fasciitis in his foot was aggravating him. Woods also withdrew after three rounds of the PGA Championship last year in similarly cold, windy conditions at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mickelson barely contends over 54 holes in the 48-man LIV Golf league. And then he played like the six-time major champion who two years ago became the oldest major champion at age 50 when he won the PGA Championship.

He stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 sixth, birdied the seventh and then finished in style. His approach to the 17th came within inches of going in for an eagle, and he pumped his fist when his 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th dropped for a 65.

It matched his lowest score ever at Augusta National — he shot 65 in the opening round in the 1996 Masters and was at his Sunday best.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, but it was really a lot of fun for me to play at this level again, and it’s encouraging for me going forward the rest of the year,” Mickelson said.

Rahm called it an incredible day, especially with his father coming over from Spain. He concluded his remarks at the trophy presentation on the 18th green by saying, “Happy Easter. And rest in peace, Seve.”

He then made the sign of the cross, kissed his finger and pointed to the sky, the clearest it had been all week.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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April 9, 2023
Woods withdraws before completing 3rd round of Masters

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the resumption of the third round because of an injury Sunday, ending his streak of completing all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional.

The tournament announced about 90 minutes before play began that Woods, who is still hobbled by the effects of the 2021 car accident that nearly cost him his right leg, had withdrawn. He’d limped through practice rounds early in the week and again during the first and second rounds, but the limp had become more pronounced as the weather worsened.

“I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis,” Woods said on Twitter. “Thank you to the fans and to (at)TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!”

The five-time champion finished his second round in cold, driving rain on Saturday to make the cut on the number at 3 over, extending his Masters streak to 23 straight and tying Fred Couples and Gary Player for the longest in history.

The 47-year-old Woods headed back out for the start of the third round as temperatures struggled to reach 50 degrees, and it wound up being a water-logged slog. Wearing a gray winter hat over a baseball cap, he started on the 10th hole with a bogey, added another at No. 14, and then had back-to-back double bogeys after finding the water on Nos. 15 and 16.

It was the first time Woods has ever had consecutive double bogeys at the Masters.

By the time the horn blew ending play with rain still pouring and puddles beginning to stand at Augusta National, Woods was at 9 over and alone in last place among those that made the cut. That was 22 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka.

“I’ve always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event,” Woods said after his second round Saturday. “Obviously I’ve missed a couple with some injuries, but I’ve always wanted to play here. I’ve loved it.”

Woods also withdrew before the final round of last year’s PGA Championship with what his agent, Mark Steinberg, described as pain and discomfort in his right foot. That came hours after the 15-time major champion limped to a 79 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in similarly cold and windy weather; he had shot 69 in the second round.

Woods captured his fifth green jacket in 2019 when he finished one shot ahead of Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. It was his first major win in 11 years and, at age 43, Woods became the second-oldest player to win the Masters after Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won his sixth green jacket in 1986.

Woods was injured in 2021 when his car careened off a suburban Los Angeles road at over 85 mph, crushing his right leg so badly that he said doctors considered amputation. Asked how much hardware held it together, Woods replied: “A lot.”

Woods recovered and made the cut at the Masters last year before shooting back-to-back 78s on the weekend.

The injuries have forced Woods to play a very limited schedule — the majors and a few select events. He shot two rounds in the 60s and finished tied for 45th at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February, but he skipped Bay Hill and The Players Championship so that he would be healthy and ready for a return to Augusta National.

The question now is whether Woods will play the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May. The U.S. Open is at Los Angeles Country Club in June, not far from where Woods grew up, and the British Open is at Royal Liverpool in July.

“Yeah, mobility, it’s not where I would like it,” Woods said. “I’ve said to you guys before, I’m very lucky to have this leg — it’s mine. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough. The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I understand that.

“That’s why I can’t prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that’s my future, and that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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April 9, 2023
Masters Live Updates | Rahm wins first Masters championship

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Live updates from Sunday’s third and fourth round of the Masters (all times local):

7:25 p.m.

Jon Rahm shot 69 to capture his first Masters championship by four strokes over LIV golfers Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, becoming the fourth player from Spain to win a green jacket.

Rahm finished at 12-under 276, pulling away from Koepka, who entered the final round with a two-stroke lead but struggled all day with his accuracy and shot 75.

Mickelson turned back the clock again, matching his best round ever at the Masters with a 65. The 52-year-old Mickelson had eight birdies as the sun replaced two days of steady rains on Sunday.

Jordan Spieth made a late push with nine birdies in the final round and was 7 under,

It’s Rahm’s fourth win of the season, and his second major championship after winning the U.S. Open in 2021.

Rahm surged into the lead on the par-3 sixth hole after Koepka made bogey, and he didn’t let up from there. As Koepka continued to struggle, Rahm built a four-shot lead after birdies at No. 13 and 14 and cruised to the win.

Rahm becomes the first Spaniard since Sergio Garcia to win the Masters in 2017. Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, also from Spain, both won twice at Augusta National.

___

5:30 p.m.

Phil Mickelson has turned back the clock at Augusta National.

The 52-year-old Mickelson shot a 7-under 65 in the closing round of the Masters, sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at the final hole to give himself a shot at a fourth green jacket.

Lefty walked to the clubhouse with an 8-under 280 and trailing leader Jon Rahm by only two strokes. Brooks Koepka is also at 8 under.

Rahm and Koepka still have eight holes to play.

Mickelson can only sit back and watch, having matched his best round ever at the Masters and a score that might be good enough if the final group falters.

He already is the oldest major champion in golf history, winning the 2021 PGA Championship. Since then, he’s struggled with his game and become the face of the upstart LIV Golf tour, a role that has brought such controversy he skipped last year’s Masters.

5:15 p.m.

Jon Rahm is making the turn in the final round of the Masters with a two-shot lead over Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth.

Koepka began a long day at Augusta National with a two-stroke edge, but he’s now gone 19 holes without making a birdie.

Rahm made a brilliant pitch with his third shot at the par-5 eighth, leaving him with a tap-in birdie. Koepka could do no better than a par after yanking his tee shot into the trees.

Both players in the final group made a bogey at the ninth hole, dropping Rahm to 10 under and Koepka to 8 under.

Koepka hasn’t made a birdie since the eighth hole of the third round, which he played early this morning.

Spieth is at 8 under as he plays his 72nd hole, having made nine birdies in a brilliant round that brought him into contention,

Fifty-two-year-old Phil Mickelson also ias in the mix at 7 under, putting him among seven players within four shots of the lead.

___

.4:15 p.m.

Spain’s Jon Rahm has taken a one-shot lead at the Masters after yet another Brooks Koepka miscue.

Koepka bogeyed the par-3 sixth hole, allowing Rahm to take sole possession of the lead at 10 under. Koepka has now gone 4-over par over the last 16 holes while failing to make a birdie during that span. Koepka is 2 over over for the first six holes of the final round with bogeys on both of the par 3s.

Rahm is a three-time winner this year on the PGA Tour and is looking for his first Masters title.

Jordan Spieth has vaulted into a tie for third place at 6 under with seven birdies through 14 holes in the final round.

___

3:50 p.m.

Spain’s Jon Rahm has pulled into a tie with Brooks Koepka for the lead at the Masters with both players now at 10 under, setting up a potentially exciting finish to the weather-delayed tournament.

Rahm, who has a PGA tour-best three wins this season, began the final round two shots behind Koepka but drained a birdie putt on the par-4 third hole and then picked up another stroke when Koepka missed his par putt on the par-3 fourth.

Koepka has won four major tournaments in his career, but never the Masters.

Both players have 14 holes left to play.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland remains in contention two shot back at 8 under.

___

2:40 p.m.

Now the real action begins.

The final pairing has teed off at Augusta National with leader Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm both vying for their first Masters championship. Koepka, a two-time winner of both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, is at 11 under for the tournament, two strokes ahead of Spain’s Rahm.

Viktor Hovland from Norway entered the final round three shots back of Koepka. He is playing alongside Patrick Cantlay in the group ahead of Koepka and Rahm.

After two days of rain, the sun has emerged and the course is playing easier despite gusts of wind.

Several players from the earlier groups are posting good numbers, including Sahith Theegala, who is 3 under for the round through eight holes, but still eights shots back of Koepka. Cameron Young is 3 under on the round through five holes. ___

12:45 p.m.

The final round of the Masters is underway, with twosomes going off both the first and 10th tees to ensure the weather-plagued tournament finishes on schedule.

Brooks Koepka is 11 under and maintaining a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm. Both players finished up the third round with matching 1-over 73s.

Koepka, a four-time major champion who now plays on the upstart LIV Golf tour, will tee off with the Spaniard in the final group at 2:33 p.m.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland is three shots back, while Patrick Cantlay will be looking to make up a four-stroke deficit.

It looks like there will be a first-time Masters champion. The only former winner in the top eight is Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who is six shots off the lead.

There is no threat of rain, which forced suspensions the last two days. In fact, the sun has come out at Augusta National.

But the wind is whipping and the temperature has yet to reach 60 degrees.

___

11:55 a.m.

Brooks Koepka is 18 holes away from winning his fifth major championship and striking a blow for LIV Golf.

The 32-year-old Koepka holds a two-stroke lead over Spain’s Jon Rahm entering the final round of the weather-delayed Masters. Koepka shot 73 for the third round and is a 11 under for the tournament. Rahm also posted a 73 for the round that started on Saturday prior to being suspended because of weather.

The weather has improved with no rain in the forecast.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland made five straight birdies on the back nine to fight his way back into contention at 8 under, three shots back

Patrick Cantley is in fourth place at 6 under, one shot better than 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Russell Henley.

Amateur Sam Bennett, who shot back-to-back 68s to open the tournament, has fallen off the pace after a 76 in the third round leaving him tied for seventh place with Collin Marikawa at 4 under.

Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament before play resumed Sunday due to injury.

The fourth round begins at 12:30 p.m. with players going off holes No. 1 and 10 in twosomes. Koepka and Rahm will play together in the final pairing. ___

11:05 a.m.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland has climbed back into contention at the Masters following a birdie binge.

The world’s No. 9 player was able to string together five straight birdies on the back nine to climb to 8 under for the tournament, just four shots back of leader Brooks Koepka with two holes left to play in his third round.

Hovland became just the third player since the end of World War II to birdie holes 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 in the same round at the Masters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The others are Tommy Nakajima in 1983 and Paul Casey in 2018. The streak ended when he made par on 16.

Hovland shared the first-round lead with Koepka and Jon Rahm after shooting 65 on Thursday but a 73 in the second round.

___

10:45 a.m.

Scottie Scheffler’s bid to repeat at the Masters is in serious jepardy.

The world’s No. 1 player finished his third round with a 71, leaving him tied for 18th place and 10 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka. The largest final round comeback at the Masters belongs to Jack Burke Jr., who battled back from eight strokes to beat amateur Ken Venturi in 1956.

Scheffler dominated the 2022 Masters, winning by three strokes over Rory McIlroy despite a four-putt for double-bogey at the final hole. He was looking to become the first repeat Masters champion since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002. Scheffler was the betting favorite coming into the tournament.

___

9:25 a.m. It didn’t take long for things to get interesting at the Masters.

Jon Rahm is applying some early pressure on leader Brooks Koepka and trails by just two shots with 10 holes completed in the third round.

Koepka led by four strokes when play resumed Sunday morning with both players starting on the No. 7 green following the suspension of play Saturday due to heavy rains. Koepka misfired on his par putt while Rahm rolled in his birdie, representing a two-shot swing in a matter of minutes.

Koepka, who plays on the LIV tour, is at 13 under.

Patrick Cantley is in third place at 7 under, while amateur Sam Bennett is in fourth place at 6 under.

___

8:30 a.m.

Get set for a long day at Augusta National.

Players are back on the course at the weather-plagued Masters for the completion of the third round, with Brooks Koepka holding a four-stroke lead over Jon Rahm.

The tournament was suspended both Friday and Saturday because of inclement conditions, leading to a condensed schedule for the final day.

One player who won’t face the grueling day is Tiger Woods. He withdrew Sunday morning, noting on Twitter that he had reaggravated his plantar fasciitis.

After the third round is completed, the players will be re-grouped into pairings and sent off at 12:30 p.m. from both the first and 10th tees. That should provide enough time for the usual finish early Sunday evening.

It’s been 40 years since the Masters ended on a Monday.

Koepka’s fitness could be a factor since he’ll have to play 30 holes on Sunday. He’s still got 12 more holes left in the third round before he returns for the final round.

Play will go on without five-time champion Tiger Woods, who withdrew Sunday morning due to injury.

___

7:45 a.m.

Five-time champion Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Masters due to injury.

Woods was in last place among the golfers who had made the cut at 9 over when play was suspended Saturday. He was injured in a car accident in 2021 that nearly cost him his leg, and he spent part of this week in obvious pain limping around the course at Augusta National. Still, he made the cut for the 23rd straight time, tying a tournament record.

When Woods returned to the course Saturday afternoon to begin his weather-delayed third round, he struggled mightily and was 6 over through seven holes when play was suspended again. He did not return to finish the round Sunday.

It’s the first time that Woods has not completed 72 holes at Augusta National as a professional. He withdrew prior to the final round of the PGA Championship last year amid similarly cold, wet conditions at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brooks Koepka is the leader with playing resuming at 8:30 a.m. He is 13 under with 12 holes to play in his third round.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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April 9, 2023
Masters Live Updates | Birdie binge has Hovland back in race

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Live updates from Sunday’s third and fourth round of the Masters (all times local):

11:05 a.m.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland has climbed back into contention at the Masters following a birdie binge.

The world’s No. 9 player was able to string together five straight birdies on the back nine to climb to 8 under for the tournament, just four shots back of leader Brooks Koepka with two holes left to play in his third round.

Hovland became just the third player since the end of World War II to birdie holes 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 in the same round at the Masters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The others are Tommy Nakajima in 1983 and Paul Casey in 2018. The streak ended when he made par on 16.

Hovland shared the first-round lead with Koepka and Jon Rahm after shooting 65 on Thursday but a 73 in the second round.

___

10:45 a.m.

Scottie Scheffler’s bid to repeat at the Masters is in serious jepardy.

The world’s No. 1 player finished his third round with a 71, leaving him tied for 18th place and 10 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka. The largest final round comeback at the Masters belongs to Jack Burke Jr., who battled back from eight strokes to beat amateur Ken Venturi in 1956.

Scheffler dominated the 2022 Masters, winning by three strokes over Rory McIlroy despite finding trouble on No. 18 and bogeying the final hole. He was looking to become the first repeat Masters champion since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002. Scheffler was the favorite coming into the tournament to win it.

___

9:25 a.m. It didn’t take long for things to get interesting at the Masters.

Jon Rahm is applying some early pressure on leader Brooks Koepka and trails by just two shots with 10 holes completed in the third round.

Koepka led by four strokes when play resumed Sunday morning with both players starting on the No. 7 green following the suspension of play Saturday due to heavy rains. Koepka misfired on his par putt while Rahm rolled in his birdie, representing a two-shot swing in a matter of minutes.

Koepka, who plays on the LIV tour, is at 13 under.

Patrick Cantley is in third place at 7 under, while amateur Sam Bennett is in fourth place at 6 under.

___

8:30 a.m.

Get set for a long day at Augusta National.

Players are back on the course at the weather-plagued Masters for the completion of the third round, with Brooks Koepka holding a four-stroke lead over Jon Rahm.

The tournament was suspended both Friday and Saturday because of inclement conditions, leading to a condensed schedule for the final day.

One player who won’t face the grueling day is Tiger Woods. He withdrew Sunday morning, noting on Twitter that he had reaggravated his plantar fasciitis.

After the third round is completed, the players will be re-grouped into pairings and sent off at 12:30 p.m. from both the first and 10th tees. That should provide enough time for the usual finish early Sunday evening.

It’s been 40 years since the Masters ended on a Monday.

Koepka’s fitness could be a factor since he’ll have to play 30 holes on Sunday. He’s still got 12 more holes left in the third round before he returns for the final round.

Play will go on without five-time champion Tiger Woods, who withdrew Sunday morning due to injury.

___

7:45 a.m.

Five-time champion Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Masters due to injury.

Woods was in last place among the golfers who had made the cut at 9 over when play was suspended Saturday. He was injured in a car accident in 2021 that nearly cost him his leg, and he spent part of this week in obvious pain limping around the course at Augusta National. Still, he made the cut for the 23rd straight time, tying a tournament record.

When Woods returned to the course Saturday afternoon to begin his weather-delayed third round, he struggled mightily and was 6 over through seven holes when play was suspended again. He did not return to finish the round Sunday.

It’s the first time that Woods has not completed 72 holes at Augusta National as a professional. He withdrew prior to the final round of the PGA Championship last year amid similarly cold, wet conditions at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brooks Koepka is the leader with playing resuming at 8:30 a.m. He is 13 under with 12 holes to play in his third round.

___

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April 9, 2023
Woods withdraws before completing 3rd round of Masters

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the resumption of the third round because of an injury Sunday, ending his streak of completing all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional.

The tournament announced about 90 minutes before play began that Woods, who is still hobbled by the effects of the 2021 car accident that nearly cost him his right leg, had withdrawn. He’d limped through practice rounds early in the week and again during the first and second rounds, but the limp had become more pronounced as the weather worsened.

“I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis,” Woods said on Twitter. “Thank you to the fans and to (at)TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!”

The five-time champion finished his second round in cold, driving rain on Saturday to make the cut on the number at 3 over, extending his Masters streak to 23 straight and tying Fred Couples and Gary Player for the longest in history.

The 47-year-old Woods headed back out for the start of the third round as temperatures struggled to reach 50 degrees, and it wound up being a water-logged slog. Wearing a gray winter hat over a baseball cap, he started on the 10th hole with a bogey, added another at No. 14, and then had back-to-back double bogeys after finding the water on Nos. 15 and 16.

It was the first time Woods has ever had consecutive double bogeys at the Masters.

By the time the horn blew ending play with rain still pouring and puddles beginning to stand at Augusta National, Woods was at 9 over and alone in last place among those that made the cut. That was 22 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka.

“I’ve always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event,” Woods said after his second round Saturday. “Obviously I’ve missed a couple with some injuries, but I’ve always wanted to play here. I’ve loved it.”

Woods also withdrew before the final round of last year’s PGA Championship with what his agent, Mark Steinberg, described as pain and discomfort in his right foot. That came hours after the 15-time major champion limped to a 79 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in similarly cold and windy weather; he had shot 69 in the second round.

Woods captured his fifth green jacket in 2019 when he finished one shot ahead of Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. It was his first major win in 11 years and, at age 43, Woods became the second-oldest player to win the Masters after Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won his sixth green jacket in 1986.

Woods was injured in 2021 when his car careened off a suburban Los Angeles road at over 85 mph, crushing his right leg so badly that he said doctors considered amputation. Asked how much hardware held it together, Woods replied: “A lot.”

Woods recovered and made the cut at the Masters last year before shooting back-to-back 78s on the weekend.

The injuries have forced Woods to play a very limited schedule — the majors and a few select events. He shot two rounds in the 60s and finished tied for 45th at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February, but he skipped Bay Hill and The Players Championship so that he would be healthy and ready for a return to Augusta National.

The question now is whether Woods will play the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May. The U.S. Open is at Los Angeles Country Club in June, not far from where Woods grew up, and the British Open is at Royal Liverpool in July.

“Yeah, mobility, it’s not where I would like it,” Woods said. “I’ve said to you guys before, I’m very lucky to have this leg — it’s mine. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough. The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I understand that.

“That’s why I can’t prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that’s my future, and that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”

___

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April 9, 2023