ROCESTER, England: Jon Rahm won LIV Golf UK on Sunday for his first victory on the Saudi-funded tour when Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton three-putted his final hole for a bogey.
Rahm closed with a 4-under 68 to finish at 13 under at JCB Golf & Country Club, a stroke ahead of Hatton (69), season points leader Joaquin-Niemann (65) and defending champion Cameron-Smith (69).
“Finally got one done,” said Rahm, who has fought a foot problem this season. “You never want to get those feelings to go on for too long, and to get over the hump feels great incredible. It’s been a fantastic week and a fantastic year, and just relieved that it happened. … Feels like I got a lot of weight off my shoulders on that one.”
On the par-4 18th, Hatton hit a 75-foot putt to 5 feet and missed the par try to hand Rahm his first victory since the 2023 Masters. Rahm and Hatton led Legion XIII to the team title.
“Obviously, you always want to win,” Rahm said. “Selfishly, you always want to get that done. But you don’t want to see a teammate and a good friend missing a putt for that to happen for me. It’s a bit of an unusual situation that I don’t think any of us are used to.”
Rahm is one seven LIV players in the Olympics next week at Le Golf National outside Paris. The 29-year-old Spanish star joined LIV in December.
Hatton, the Nashville winner in June, played in the group behind Rahm.
“Still pretty raw for me as an individual,” Hatton said. “It’s kind of hard to put that to one the side. Golf is generally an individual sport.”
Jon Rahm wins LIV Golf UK
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Jon Rahm wins LIV Golf UK
- Rahm closed with a 4-under 68 to finish at 13 under at JCB Golf & Country Club
- The 29-year-old Spanish is one seven LIV players in the Olympics next week at Le Golf National outside Paris
Sweden’s Maja Stark wins US Women’s Open for her first major championship
- Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women’s major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women’s British Open
- Stark maintained her poise well enough to earn a $2.4 million prize in the most lucrative event of the year
ERIN, Wisconsin: Maja Stark has lost her confidence heading into the US Women’s Open.
Her decision to stop worrying about that sparked her to the biggest title in women’s golf.
The 25-year-old Swede shot an even-par 72 on Sunday and stayed ahead all day. Her four-day total of 7-under 281 at Erin Hills left her two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan’s Rio Takeda.
“I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happen the way it happened,” Stark said. “During the practice days, I realized that, if I just kind of hovered the club above the ground a little bit before I hit, I released some tension in my body. I think that just doing my processes well and knowing, giving myself little things like that was the key this week because I don’t really want to rely on my confidence for stuff.”
Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women’s major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women’s British Open. Stark also won her second career LPGA Tour title.
The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a US Women’s Open since Annika Sorenstam earned her third title in 2006. The only other Swede to win this event was Liselotte Neumann in 1988.
“They texted me yesterday and just kind of said, ‘Bring it home,’ ” Stark said.
Stark’s steadiness made the difference as she held off Korda and a host of other challengers.
Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72 to tie for second. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under.
Stark’s playing partner, Julia Lopez Ramirez, fell out of contention early on her way to 79 that left her tied for 19th. Lopez Ramirez, who entered the day just one shot off the lead, had a triple bogey on 18.
This was as close as Korda has come to winning a US Women’s Open.
Korda discussed her “complicated relationship” with the US Women’s Open this week, as her best previous finish was a tie for eighth place in 2022 at Pine Needles. She missed the cut at this tournament last year after posting a 80 in the opening round.
“I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it,” Korda said. “I mean, definitely it’s gotten my heart broken a couple times. ... To have that showing last year definitely put a dagger into my heart, but that’s just golf. You’re going to lose more than you win a majority of the time.
“I feel like I actually learn a lot about myself and my game and where I need to improve playing the US Women’s Open because it does test every part of your game.”
Korda birdied Nos. 7 and 8, but missed a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 9 that would have tied her for the lead. Korda’s birdie attempt on No. 9 came minutes after Stark’s bogey-free streak ended at 21 on No. 7.
Stark then extended her lead to three by making a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 11 immediately after Korda missed a par putt of just under 5 feet at No. 13.
Korda, Shibuno and Takeda got within two strokes of Stark with birdies on the par-5 14th, though Korda missed a 14-foot eagle putt and Shibuno missed an eagle attempt from 9 1/2 feet.
Stark then made a birdie of her own on No. 14 to regain her three-stroke advantage at 9 under. She maintained that lead despite bogeying the last two holes.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboards until I was on like 17,” Stark said. “I caught a glimpse of it. It was nice. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought that I would be because it felt like I have somewhat control of my game and I kind of know what’s going on.”
Stark credited caddie Jeff Brighton, a former standup comedian who helped keep her loose by telling jokes and making sure she didn’t dwell on what was at stake.
“We just kind of tried to talk about some stuff and not be too into my own putt,” she said.
Said Brighton: “I would say Maja’s quite an intense player. She tries really hard and is really competitive, so when (a player’s) intense, you’re trying between shots to just get their head away from golf.”
He spoke wearing a cheesehead similar to the ones seen at Green Bay Packers games
Stark maintained her poise well enough to earn a $2.4 million prize in the most lucrative event of the year. Now she just needs to figure out how to spend her winnings.
“Maybe move out of my studio apartment can be one thing,” Stark quipped.
Scottie Scheffler rolls to victory at Memorial for 3rd win of year
- At 10-under 278 for the tournament, Scheffler secured a four-shot victory over Ben Griffin — the only other golfer to win a PGA Tour event that Scheffler started in the past month
- Scheffler and Tiger Woods are the only back-to-back winners of the Memorial Tournament
DUBLIN, Ohio: Scottie Scheffler showed once again that he’s ready to conquer whatever challenge he’s faced with on the PGA Tour.
The world’s No. 1 golfer had another smooth round and won for the third time in his last four tournaments, successfully defending his title at the Memorial Tournament with Sunday’s 2-under-par 70 in the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
“This is a golf course that is definitely going to expose your weaknesses,” Scheffler said. “Did some really good battling today. ... Put up another really good round on this very difficult golf course.”
At 10-under 278 for the tournament, Scheffler secured a four-shot victory over Ben Griffin — the only other golfer to win a PGA Tour event that Scheffler started in the past month.
Scheffler hadn’t won in 2025 until capturing the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which is considered his hometown event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and followed that with claiming the PGA Championship. He won seven times in 2024.
Scheffler and Tiger Woods are the only back-to-back winners of the Memorial Tournament. It’s a tournament hosted by legendary Jack Nicklaus, who greeted the current champion as he walked off the green.
“It’s pretty cool,” Scheffler said. “It’s always a hard week. It’s so challenging to play this tournament.”
Much like on Saturday, Scheffler was content with pars as he played the front nine in 1 under with eight pars.
Griffin (73 on Sunday) led for large chunks of the first three days, but lost a share of the top spot with a bogey on Saturday’s final hole. He began Sunday with another bogey, and he was 2 over for the day through 13 holes.
“I’ll learn from some of my swings down the stretch,” Griffin said. “I’ll remember some of the good stuff, and I’ll bounce back and get right back to it.”
An eagle on the par-5 15th with a 12-foot putt followed by a birdie on No. 16 allowed Griffin to extend the suspense. Then the margin went from two strokes to four when Griffin was stuck with a double bogey at No. 17.
“We battled really hard on the weekend,” Scheffler said. “Ben made things interesting down the stretch. Overall, it was a great week.”
A week ago, Scheffler tied for fourth place as Griffin won the Charles Schwab Challenge. Scheffler has secured seven consecutive top-10 finishes.
“The guy’s relentless,” said Sepp Straka, the tournament’s third-place finisher from Austria. “He loves competition, and he doesn’t like giving up shots.”
Griffin said his putting was costly during the weekend. The runner-up spot didn’t seem as rewarding as it would have in previous years.
“I’d take this finish, like, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago,” he said. “I’m definitely a little disappointed to not have made it a little bit closer or gotten it done.”
Straka (70) was third at 5 under and second-round co-leader Nick Taylor of Canada (73) finished fourth at 4 under. Russell Henley (71) and Maverick McNealy (70) shared fifth place at 2 under.
Brandt Snedeker’s 65 was the best score of the final round, moving him to 1 under and into a five-way tie for seventh place.
“I think I probably made 200 feet of putts today,” Snedeker said. “I had the putter working. When you have days like that, it’s just get it on the green, give yourself a chance.”
Also in that cluster at 7 under was Rickie Fowler (73), who qualified for next month’s British Open as a result of his finishing spot.
“We’re heading the right way,” Fowler said. “This week still could have been a lot better, but definitely positive is going over to Portrush. That’s one I’ve wanted on the schedule.”
Scottie Scheffler has flawless card and surges into lead at the Memorial
- Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes, finishing with a birdie from just inside 15 feet
DUBLIN, Ohio: Scottie Scheffler was at his best on a tough day at Muirfield Village, opening with 13 straight pars and then pouring it on at the end for a 4-under 68 that gave him a one-shot lead Saturday over Ben Griffin at the Memorial.
Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes, finishing with a birdie from just inside 15 feet. He took the lead when Griffin missed a 3-foot par putt on the final hole.
At stake for Scheffler is a chance to win for the third time in his last four tournaments and join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners at the Memorial.
“I don’t know what the scoring average was today, but I was definitely proud of the way I finished and it was really challenging,” Scheffler said. “Through 13 holes, I felt like I was playing really good and I was only even par. Just a hard course.”
The scoring average for the 57 players who made the cut was 73.9, and three players failed to break 80. Scheffler, the only player to break par all three rounds, was at 8-under 208.
Griffin, who won last week at Colonial, made five birdies and five bogeys over his last 13 holes.
Scheffler was six shots behind Griffin at one point in the cool, blustery weather. And then it all changed so quickly.
Griffin, who became the only player this week to reach 10-under par when he ran off three straight birdies, gave it all back with four straight bogeys. He was in the fairway or on the tee when he made three of those bogeys.
Scheffler was lurking, as always. The world’s No. 1 player has an uncanny knack of hanging around and winding up with the low score by the end of the day. This was no exception.
“I did see that Ben got to 10 under, but it’s not going to change my play in the middle of a Saturday,” Scheffler said. “This golf course is really challenging and no lead’s safe around this place. I knew if I kept going and played a decent round, I would be in somewhat of a position to chase him down tomorrow.”
He holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th — his first of the day — followed getting on the collar of the green at the par-5 15th for a simple birdie. He hit 7-iron into the wind to 8 feet for birdie and closed with the last one that gave him the lead.
He’s no longer chasing, and he’s a tough customer to track down. Scheffler has won the last eight times when he held the 54-hole lead.
Jordan Spieth also was in the chase, tied with Scheffler in second place at one point, until he failed to save par from a bunker on the 17th and drove into the creek on the 18th for a closing bogey and a 72. He was five shots behind, feeling better about his game.
There was just one problem. Spieth talked about the fun of being in the mix, of making six birdies on a tough course, of needing to keep moving in that direction. And then he paused.
“The bummer for me is Scottie’s at 7 or 8 (under) and he just ... you can’t count on him shooting even tomorrow,” Spieth said. “So it would take something special. But all in all, just trying to shoot a few under each day out here.”
Nick Taylor of Canada wound up three shots behind after a 74, and for that he was thankful at the end. Taylor went into the water and made double bogey on the diabolical par-3 12th, followed that with a bogey and was sliding out of contention. And then he holed out from fairway for eagle at the 14th, birdied the next hole and played that four-stretch in even par.
The best round belonged to Sepp Straka, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year. He posted a 66 as the leaders were just getting started and was in the group at 3-under 213 that included Spieth and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68).
Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler each shot 69 and joined Shane Lowry (73) at 214. It’s a long way off, and it can feel even longer with Scheffler the one they are chasing.
“It’s a tough golf course. I’ll be trying to chase him down,” Taylor said. “He’s obviously playing phenomenal, so I’ll have to play some of my best golf to be in the hunt there with the last few holes to go. But it is playing so difficult that being a few under early will get me back in there.”
A major test: Golfers face new track at 80th US Women’s Open
- The LPGA schedule has reached its summer stretch, when majors dominate the landscape
- The hottest player of the year is World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who has five top-fives and won her most recent start, the Mizuho Americas Open
ERIN,Wisconsin: When it comes to the USGA’s desire to challenge the best players in the world, the US Women’s Open is no different from the men’s version.
“It’s the biggest test in the game of golf,” world No. 1 Nelly Korda said. “Definitely has tested me a lot. I love it.”
The LPGA schedule has reached its summer stretch, when majors dominate the landscape. This week, a field of 156 (including 26 amateurs) will test themselves at the 80th US Women’s Open at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin
The championship’s winning score has been just 3 or 4 under par in three of the last five editions, and players are planning for another stiff test in Erin Hills’ US Women’s Open debut. The most difficult major is also the most lucrative: It featured a record $12 million in prize money in 2024, a number expected to rise again this week.
Erin Hills is on the lengthier side for the ladies as a par-72, 6,829-yard track. That won’t faze Korda, one of the longest drivers in the women’s game, but she’s got an eye on the various fairway bunkers that threaten to eat up tee shots.
Korda is having a much different start to this season than in 2024, when she won five starts in a row and seven tournaments in total. She’s notched three top-10 finishes but no victories just yet.
“Definitely have had a bit of good and a bit of bad,” she said. “Kind of a mix in kind of every event that I’ve played in. I would say just patience is what I’ve learned and kind of going back home and really locking in and practicing hard.”
With one more week in the top spot of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda will become the first American woman to spend 100 weeks at No. 1 in her career.
She’s hardly the only player chasing history this week. Lydia Ko of New Zealand is building toward a career Grand Slam after picking up the Women’s British Open last August. She has yet to win the US Women’s Open or Women’s PGA Championship.
“It’s a great golf course. I think it’s fun,” Ko said of Erin Hills. “I don’t think it’s, like, for one type of player, which is something that I tend to really prefer because it kind of brings the whole field into it. Hopefully I can hit some good shots and get a few good lucky bounces and kind of go from there.”
Ko, who captured the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, is one of 12 different players to win the first 12 events of the LPGA season. Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship last month, emerging from a five-woman playoff, a record for a women’s major.
The hottest player of the year is World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who has five top-fives and won her most recent start, the Mizuho Americas Open. She’s just 22, but she’s keen on adding her first major to her resume.
“I think to me, (the Women’s PGA), British Open and US Open definitely going to test my patience,” Thitikul said. .”.. Playing in tough conditions, tough course, tough mental, because it’s a big stage playing against all the best players in the world, but patience has always been the key that I want to keep until the final round.”
The defending champion is Japan’s Yuka Saso, who became the youngest two-time winner of the US Women’s Open (also 2021).
“I think the USGA prepares me very, very well for this event with its amateur championships,” the 23-year-old said. “But I think I’m used to it, and I think I really need to come here early and really need to get to know the golf course as much as I can in a short period of time.”
Nicklaus surprised by McIlroy skipping his PGA Memorial event
- Nicklaus said he has not heard from McIlroy since the Northern Ireland star captured his fifth major title and first Masters to complete a career Grand Slam
- McIlroy will miss the Memorial for the first time since 2017, instead playing next week’s Canadian Open as his tuneup for the following week’s US Open
WASHINGTON: Jack Nicklaus said Tuesday that he was surprised Masters winner Rory McIlroy did not tell him in advance that he was not playing in this week’s Nicklaus-hosted PGA Memorial tournament.
Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner, predicted McIlroy’s triumph last month at Augusta National after hitting his own ceremonial opening tee shot.
Nicklaus said he has not heard from McIlroy since the Northern Ireland star captured his fifth major title and first Masters to complete a career Grand Slam.
McIlroy will miss the Memorial for the first time since 2017, instead playing next week’s Canadian Open as his tuneup for the following week’s US Open at Oakmont.
“I didn’t have a conversation with him, no,” Nicklaus said, calling that “a little bit” of a surprise.
“It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. And I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It’s just his call,” Nicklaus said.
“I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play... sometimes you have to make those calls.
“I don’t hold anything against Rory for that. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so that’s what he’s doing.
“I mean, I’m a big Rory fan, I always have been. I’m sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.”
Nicklaus said he had no problem about McIlroy not giving him advance warning about his absence.
“I’m not going to throw Rory under the bus. I like Rory too much,” said Nicklaus. “He’s got to make his own calls on things. Could he have done ‘em differently? Probably. But that’s all right. I probably could have done some of mine differently too. So I’m not complaining about Rory.”
Nicklaus said he sent McIlroy a congratulatory letter shortly after the Masters victory last month.
“I told him I don’t think anybody has won by having four double bogeys,” Nicklaus said. “And I said, ‘But that just showed me how much talent you have to overcome that to win and how you played some unbelievably spectacular shots.
“I was very happy for him. It was a great win.”
