Tag: Golf

Trevor Immelman mocks LIV’s Greg Norman over Presidents Cup tweet

Trevor Immelman didn’t have much patience for Greg Norman wishing his International Team well at the Presidents Cup.

Immelman, the captain of the group that’s been ransacked by Norman and LIV Golf, had a one-word response to Norman’s tweet saying he hoped the International Team would hoist the cup for the first time since 1998: “LOL.”

That, Immelman explained, was a literal response.

“Look, any of you that have known me for the longest time know that I’m an extremely open and honest person,” Immelman told reporters Friday. “I pretty much say it exactly as I’m thinking it. What I said was exactly what I was doing when I read that tweet. I was laughing out loud.

Trevor Immelman
Getty Images
Greg Norman
Greg Norman
USA TODAY Sports

“I learned long ago that lying is dangerous because you’ve got to have a good memory. So I’d rather just tell the truth.”

The Internationals lost Friday’s session 4-1 to fall behind 8-2 in the biennial event. After a number of their players defected to Norman’s LIV Golf — including World No. 2 and reigning British Open and Players champ Cam Smith — Immelman’s roster is a shell of itself and not surprisingly playing accordingly.

“Outside of all this angst — golf is golf, competition is competition; something every golfer thrives on,” Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, tweeted on Thursday. “As a former player & Captain of the International Team, I wish @TrevorImmelman & his entire team the very best in repeating our only 1998 @PresidentsCup success in Melbourne.”

Norman was a part of the 1998 International Team that won at Royal Melbourne, the only time the International Team has won the competition.

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Scottie Scheffler chokes up receiving PGA Tour Player of Year surprise on ‘GameDay’

Scottie Scheffler went 58 tournaments over more than two years between getting a PGA Tour card and getting his first win at the Phoenix Open. That turned out to be just the beginning of a year that topped all others in golf.

A month later, Scheffler went to No. 1 in the world. Two weeks after that, he became a major champion by winning the Masters. And on Saturday, he capped off his remarkable rise when he was announced as the PGA Tour player of the year.

Scheffler can do a lot in a short amount of time once he gets going.

Scottie Scheffler won the Masters in April for his first career major.
AP

He became the first player since the awards began in 1990 to win player of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour, rookie of the year on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour player of the year, all in a span of four seasons.

The award is a vote of PGA Tour members who played in at least 15 tournaments. Scheffler received 89 percent of the vote over British Open champion Cam Smith and FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy, both of whom won three times and trail him in the world ranking.

The only surprise belonged to Scheffler. He received the Jack Nicklaus Award during an appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Austin, Texas. Scheffler graduated from the McCombs School of Business at Texas with a finance degree in four years without going to summer school.

He was on stage with the Texas golf team, which won the NCAA title this year, when Longhorns coach John Fields brought him what was described as a special gift. It was the bronze trophy, and the fans began chanting his name.

“That’s pretty cool,” Scheffler said, choking up. “I don’t have much to say. I definitely was not expecting that. But it means a lot to me.”

Scottie Scheffler on “College GameDay”

The Masters was Scheffler’s fourth win in six tournaments, and while he didn’t win the rest of the season, he was never far away. His close friend, Sam Burns, beat him in a playoff at the Colonial. He finished one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick in the U.S. Open.

And then he nearly finished the season with the FedEx Cup until McIlroy tracked him down in the final round of the Tour Championship.

Scheffler had to settle for a tie for second and a $5.75 million bonus. He also won a $4 million bonus for leading the FedEx Cup in the regular season — he was No. 1 the final 23 weeks of the season — and $1 million bonus from the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge.

His earnings in the regular season were a record $14,046,910, giving him total income from his performance at just short of $25 million.

“Undoubtably, one of the highest compliments a player can receive is the endorsement from his peers, and the fact that Scottie’s season was both dominant and consistent spoke volumes to the membership,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.

Smith’s three victories came at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship and the British Open at St. Andrews, where he shot 30 on the back nine.

McIlroy won the CJ Cup in Las Vegas last fall, the RBC Canadian Open in June and the Tour Championship. He was the only player to finish in the top 10 in all four majors. He captured the FedEx Cup for the third time.

Even then, McIlroy could appreciate the year Scheffler had.

“He deserves this maybe more than I deserve it. He played an unbelievable season,” McIlroy said. “Hell of a player, hell of a competitor. Even better person. Love his family.”

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Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy launching TGL virtual golf league

The NFL playing on Monday nights helped transform football. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy hope it does the same for golf.

The two stars are teaming up to launch a tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA Tour that will feature two-hour, three-on-three 18-hole matches on a virtual course that will take place on Monday nights beginning in January 2024.

The new league, dubbed TGL, will include 15 regular-season matches and a postseason made up of the league’s top four teams. McIlroy and Golf Channel president Mike McCarley, who partnered with Woods on the venture, revealed the details on Wednesday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the site of this week’s Tour Championship.

“We’ve been working on this for two years,” McIlroy said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for PGA Tour players to show a different side of themselves, primetime on Monday night. I think it’s great for brand exposure to try to engage a different audience.”

McIlroy also said that Woods, who has competed sparingly since suffering a debilitating leg injury in a car wreck in February 2021,  planned to play in the matches.

“Who knows where we’re going to see Tiger Woods play golf next, right?” McIlroy said. “We don’t know what his schedule is going to be. We don’t know how his body is going to be. But to be able to see him still showcase his skills on prime time, on TV without really any wear and tear on his body, I think to be able to see Tiger hit golf shots and still sort of provide people with a glimpse of his genius — I think it is a really good use of his time.”

The location of the venue hasn’t been announced, but renderings show a stadium-like atmosphere that’s similar to Topgolf, with players hitting into a simulator that has a screen similar in size to IMAX for longer shots and using a real green complex for chipping and putting. The playing area will be about three-quarters of the size of a football field.

The events will be scheduled to compliment the Tour’s schedule, with the idea being to play various Tour courses, depending on where the Tour is in a given week.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
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Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley.
TMRW Sports Group/MEGA

It is also viewed as another way to try to thwart the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, which features team and individual competition as well as music playing on course during its tournaments.

Woods, who has been blunt in his criticism of LIV, said in a statement that the new virtual league is the “next evolution within professional golf.”

“We all know what it’s like to be in a football stadium or a basketball arena where you can watch every play, every minute of action unfold right in front of you,” Woods said. “It’s something that inherently isn’t possible in traditional golf — and an aspect of TGL that will set it apart and appeal to a new generation of fans.”

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Adam Sandler cheers ‘Happy Gilmore’ caddy lookalike Will Zalatoris after first win

Golfer Will Zalatoris got a special shout-out from “Happy Gilmore” star Adam Sandler.

Last year, Sandler, 55, heard about the Masters candidate who resembled his caddy (played by actor Jared Van Snellenberg) from the 1996 sports flick.

At the time, the comedian tweeted a photo of Zalatoris, 26, next to a scene still of Happy Gilmore’s caddy. “Have fun today young man. Mr. Gilmore is watching you and very proud,” he wrote.

To which, the golf pro jokingly responded, “If you’re ever in need of a caddie again let me know. I’ll be better this time. I’m always available for you, Mr. Gilmore.”

Then, on Aug. 14, Zalatoris won his first PGA Tour event, at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.

The “Hustle” actor didn’t miss his moment to show further support. He tweeted on Sunday, “Congrats Will! I’m happy for you! Happy’s happy for you! Enjoy it all!”

Twitter/Adam Sandler

“Happy Gilmore” starred Sandler as an ex-hockey player who finds a new passion in golf. The hot headed athlete then joins a pro golf tour in order to score money to save his grandmother’s house. 

The blockbuster comedy also featured Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Carl Weathers and Francis Bay.

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the golf comedy, which Sandler celebrated by teeing-up with the film’s signature three-step approach. His smartphone camera was rolling as he launched the ball in the style of Gilmore.

Zalatoris won his first PGA tournament on Aug. 14.
Getty Images
“Happy Gilmore” premiered in 1996 and starred Sandler as a man who finds a love of golf.

He dedicated the swing to his character’s rival, Shooter McGavin (McDonald).

“Shooter McGavin, this is for you!” Sandler proclaimed in the video he shared on social media last year. “I’m not lying to you. That is smashed. Smashed. That went pretty well. You’re dead, Shooter!”

PGA tour stars Jordan Spieth and Rory Mcllroy also helped commemorate the occasion with a montage of their attempts at the iconic swing.



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Pebble Beach becomes third U.S. Open anchor site for USGA

Pebble Beach is the third course to become an anchor site for the U.S. Open, with the USGA announcing Wednesday four U.S. Opens and four U.S. Women’s Opens over the next 26 years.

Pebble Beach joins Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakmont Country Club as anchor sites, a strategy that allows the USGA to return to its most famous U.S. Open courses more frequently.

The USGA made sure the women were not left behind.

The U.S. Women’s Open will be held on America’s most famous seaside course for the first time next year, and then it will return three more times in 2035, 2040 and 2048.

Pebble Beach, which opened in 1919 and first hosted a USGA event in 1929 with the U.S. Amateur, was the first public course to host the U.S. Open in 1972. That Open was famous for Jack Nicklaus hitting the pin with a 1-iron on the par-3 17th on his way to victory.

Other big moments include Tom Watson chipping in on the 17th to beat Nicklaus in 1982, and Tiger Woods delivering his greatest performance when he won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 shots, the widest margin in major championship history.

It most recently held the U.S. Open in 2019, when Gary Woodland chipped from one end of the 17th green to the other for a remarkable par save on his way to his first major.

John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer, recalled a conversation with three-time major champion Nick Price, who told him it matters where a player wins a U.S. Open.

“There are certain places you go and stand out on them, they’re meant for a U.S. Open or a U.S. Women’s Open. You play Pebble Beach, it is a bit of a religious experience,” Bodenhamer said at a news conference overlooking the 18th hole. “We’re going where players want to win.”

Pebble Beach also hosts a PGA Tour event every February dating to 1947. It once held a PGA Championship (1977) and the precursor to the Tour Championship (1988).

“This relationship with Pebble Beach, long considered a national treasure, is a historic step forward for golf,” said Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA. “In addition to elevating our Open championships, the USGA and Pebble Beach are committed to working together to ensure a more diverse, welcoming and accessible game.”

Spyglass Hill, regarded as the toughest of the Pebble Beach courses in relatively calm conditions, will host the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Open in consecutive weeks in 2030.

The U.S. Open now has only 10 open slots through 2051, with the next available year in 2028.

Of the current anchor sites, Oakmont has hosted the U.S. Open nine times, the most of any club, and the U.S. Open returns to the Pittsburgh-area course in 2025, 2033, 2042 and 2049.

Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina is the newcomer, first holding the U.S. Open in 1999 and returning in 2005 and 2014. It has the U.S. Open in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. Pinehurst also was chosen as a secondary headquarters for the USGA.

The USGA still could have a fourth anchor site. Among the clubs said to be under consideration are Shinnecock Hills and Winged Foot, both in New York. Shinnecock Hills is hosting its sixth U.S. Open in 2026.

“There so many exciting things to come down the road,” Bodenhamer said. “Every one of these long-term relationships are different. You’ll see more.”

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How to watch the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans on ESPN+

PGA Tour action is usually about one player. Not this week. In a brief break from the usual routine, players will pair up in two-man teams for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, beginning Thursday at TPC Louisiana.

Get ESPN+ here | Download the app | WatchESPN

As always, this event will have four feeds from which to choose:

  • Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from around the course.

  • Marquee group: Showcasing every shot from each player in a specified group.

  • Featured groups: Coverage of two concurrent featured groups.

  • Featured holes: A full look at a scenic, pivotal or iconic hole.

Additionally, more than 50 hours of The Masters Films (1960-2020) are available to watch on ESPN+. The year’s second major, the PGA Championship, will have more than 200 hours of live coverage and 30 hours of library and classic content.

Here is how to watch the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

All times ET.

Thursday

Main feed
8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Marquee group
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured holes (Nos. 3, 9, 11 and 17)
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured groups
8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 1
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 2
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 17)
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 14)
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here

Friday

Main feed
9:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured holes (Nos. 3, 9, 11 and 17)
9:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured groups
10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here
Marquee group
10:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 1
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 2
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 17)
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 14)
3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Watch here

Saturday

Main feed
8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured holes (Nos. 3, 9, 11 and 17)
9:15 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured groups
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Marquee group
9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 1
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 2
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 17)
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 14)
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here

Sunday

Main feed
8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured holes (Nos. 3, 9, 11 and 17)
9:15 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured groups
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Marquee group
9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 1
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured group 2
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 17)
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here
Featured hole (No. 14)
1 p.m.-6 p.m. | Watch here

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Tom Brady and Josh Allen trade online smack talk ahead of The Match golf event

3:09 PM ET

  • Jeremy WillisESPN.com

Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers won’t face Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in this year’s version of Capital One’s The Match until June 1. However, the smack talk has already begun.

The 12-hole exhibition will take place (6:30 p.m. ET on TNT) at Wynn Las Vegas. Brady and Rodgers are veterans of the event, having played in it last year, although not as teammates.

Allen, 25, the Buffalo Bills quarterback, is looking to get his first win of any kind against Brady. Allen came into the league in 2018 but never defeated Brady when the latter was with the New England Patriots. Last December, Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Allen and the Bills.

For now, Brady might also be the better golfer. He registered as an 8.1 handicap ahead of last year’s event. Allen played in the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am in February as a 9.0 handicap.

The two got their jabs in Monday after the pairings were announced, with Allen taking a shot at Brady Brand’s new line of golf gear, which was announced last week.



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Hyo Joo Kim rallies to maintain 3-shot lead in windy LOTTE Championship

EWA BEACH, Hawaii — Hyo Joo Kim rallied with two late birdies for an even-par 72 to maintain a three-stroke lead Friday in the LPGA Tour’s LOTTE Championship.

After dropping strokes on the par-4 seventh and par-3 12th with her only bogeys of the week at breezy Hoakalei Country Club, Kim birdied the par-4 14th and par-5 18th to get back to 10 under with one round left.

“It was very windy today,” said Kim, the 26-year-old South Korean player who won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2019. “There was a lot of wind going back and forth. I think it was difficult because it was not specifically (from one) direction. The pin position was also difficult compared to the first and second rounds. I had a hard time in that regard.”

Kim nearly holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle on 18.

“It was very important because it was a matter of over par or not. I had a chance at the 16th hole, but I missed so I was a little angry,” said Kim, the winner of the major Evian Championship in 2014. “Now I feel much better since I made a birdie on the last hole.”

American Brianna Do (67) and Japan’s Hinako Shibuno (68) were tied for second. Sunday qualifier Do birdied the first three holes.

“It’s kind of nice starting off with a par 5,” Do said. “You go driver, 3-wood and then you have a wedge in hand. Yeah, starting with a birdie always helps. It calms the nerves and kind of gets you settled into the round.”

Do ran into trouble on the difficult 16th hole, which features a split fairway and multiple water features. Her tee shot found a bunker on an adjacent hole, her second hit a nearby tree and left her a shot out of the rough. With her third shot, however, Do found the green from over 200 yards and she went on to two-putt for bogey.

“I thought I hit a good drive,” Do said. “It’s just the wind pushed it a little more and I didn’t see it because there were just some trees over there, but I’m guessing it got an unfortunate kick into that bunker on 12, I think,” Do said.

Shibuno had a bogey-free round.

“Putting was more stronger, and so, yeah that makes me birdie,” Shibuno said.

Somi Lee and Stephanie Meadow were 6 under. They each shot 69.

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Tiger Woods commits to pro-am in Ireland ahead of The Open

A week after competing in the Masters, Tiger Woods has committed to play in the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland, on July 4-5.

The pro-am, which benefits charities in Ireland, will be played 10 days before the start of the 150th Open at St. Andrews in Scotland. Woods committed to play in The Open after his final round at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.

The 15-time major champion said he wasn’t sure if he would play in next month’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, in June.

“It’ll be just the big events,” Woods told Sky Sports on Sunday. “I don’t know if it’ll be Southern Hills or not. But I am looking forward to St. Andrews. That is something that is near and dear to my heart. I’ve won two Opens there. It’s the home of golf. It’s my favorite golf course in the world, so I will be there for that one. But anything in between that, I don’t know.”

Woods, 46, finished 47th at the Masters after making his first start in an official event in more than 17 months following a February 2021 car crash that caused serious injuries. He made the cut after posting scores of 1-under 71 and 2-over 74 in the first two rounds but closed with consecutive rounds of 6-over 78. It was the five-time Masters champion’s worst score in a round at Augusta National.

The pro-am event in Ireland is hosted by JP McManus, an Irish racehorse owner and former shareholder of Manchester United. It will be Woods’ fourth appearance at the event. The anticipated field also includes Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas.

“Tiger has been a great friend and avid supporter of the pro-am for a very long time and we are absolutely thrilled he has committed to play once again in the tournament,” McManus said in a statement. “His presence at Adare Manor will undoubtedly bring huge excitement to the thousands of spectators and we are very grateful to him for giving up his free time to be with us.”

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