Corpuz, Yin tied for lead at Chevron Championship after third round

Corpuz, Yin tied for lead at Chevron Championship after third round
American Allisen Corpuz putts on the 16th green during the third round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament Saturday at The Club at Carlton Woods. (USA TODAY Sports)
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Updated 23 April 2023

Corpuz, Yin tied for lead at Chevron Championship after third round

Corpuz, Yin tied for lead at Chevron Championship after third round
  • A highlight of the third round was a million-dollar shot by In Gee Chun of South Korea
  • She won $1 million for charity with a hole-in-one on the 17th

THE WOODLANDS, Texas: Americans Allizen Corpuz and Angel Yin shared the Chevron Championship lead at 10-under 206 after the third round Saturday.

Corpuz and Yin each shot 5-under 67 at The Club at Carlton Woods in the major tournament that moved from the California desert to suburban Houston this year.

Corpuz started out strong, with birdies on four of the first five holes, including the first three. She had a chance to birdie the 18th in a bogey-free round, but her putt rolled just shy.

“Just tried to put myself in good position, fairways and greens,” she said. “Just hit some really solid shots starting out and was able to convert the putts.”

Yin had four birdies on the back nine, highlighted by one on the 18th that moved her into the tie for first.

“Even though I didn’t hit it as good as I did the first day or the second day, I did manage to score well, and I just adapted and I stayed patient,” she said. “My caddie kept telling me to stay patient, so I’m glad I did that.”

Corpuz and Yin are both looking for their first LPGA Tour title, but the two have very different plans if they win this one Sunday.

When the tournament — best known as the Dinah Shore — was at Mission Hills, it was highlighted by the traditional victory leap into Poppie’s Pond, which surrounded the 18th green. Winners had been jumping into it since 1988.

Organizers of this tournament tried to maintain some of that history and have a much murkier lake on the 18th, causing debate about whether the tradition will continue this year.

Corpuz said she doesn’t think she’ll jump. Yin has a different plan.

“Let me win, and then I’ll do anything,” she said with a laugh.

Saturday was a beautiful and sunny day after the two rain-soaked days forced delays at the tournament.

The third round began after 31 players, including Yin finished the second round Saturday after they couldn’t complete it before dark Friday night in the first women’s major tournament of the season.

“I started out really early,” Yin said. “I was walking down 16, I was like, `Wow, I feel like I’ve been here before. Oh, I did. I was just here this morning.’ I think it really helped me warm up my body early in the morning (but) I’m tired.”

Amy Yang, Albane Valenzuela and Megan Khang tied for third, a stroke behind.

Yang had eight birdies, including three straight on Nos. 7-9 to shoot a 65. Yang has four career victories, with the last coming at the Honda LPGA Thailand in 2019.

“My game felt easier out there,” she said. “Like everything felt in sync, and every shot was pretty solid. I didn’t think the course was easy, but my game felt easy out there.”

Valenzuela had five birdies and one bogey for a third-round score of 68.

Khang shot a 33 on the front nine Saturday but cooled off after that with three bogeys in the last nine holes to finish with a 70.

“Everyone… knows mistakes are going to happen, and to try to minimize it the best we can is our goal,” she said.

World No. 2 Nelly Korda was among four players tied for sixth at 8 under. Korda, who shot a 70, is fully healthy after missing four months and a lot of momentum last year with a blood clot in her arm that required surgery.

“Obviously, it means a lot, not being able to be not playing last year and then a year from now being in contention,” she said.

A Lim Kim, who led after two rounds, had two bogeys and a double bogey Saturday to shoot a 72 and tumble into a tie for sixth with Korda.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko and American Lexi Thompson were among those who didn’t make the cut that was 1 over with 68 players in the cutline.

A highlight of the third round was a million-dollar shot by In Gee Chun of South Korea. She won $1 million for charity with a hole-in-one on the 17th.

Chun, who won the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, jumped around and high-fived members of her team after watching the ball curve and roll in.

Chevron pledged to donate $1 million for the first hole-in-one on the par 3 17th to support partners in diversity, inclusion and education. The money won Saturday will be donated to the LPGA Foundation and Girls Golf of Greater Houston.

Chevron took over sponsorship of the tournament last year and moved to suburban Houston this year. The company, which has more than 8,000 employees in Houston, is also donating $10,000 for each birdie on the 17th hole throughout the tournament.


Harold Varner III leads after first round of LIV Golf DC

Harold Varner III leads after first round of LIV Golf DC
Updated 27 May 2023

Harold Varner III leads after first round of LIV Golf DC

Harold Varner III leads after first round of LIV Golf DC
  • Varner’s RangeGoats GC share the lead with Iron Heads GC at 10 under in the team competition

POTOMAC FALLS: Harold Varner III has made more eagles this LIV Golf League season than any other player, and thanks to his two on Friday at LIV Golf DC, he now leads for the first time since becoming a member.

Fueled by eagles at the par-4 ninth and par-5 13th, Varner shot an 8-under 64 at Trump National Washington, DC, to take a two-stroke advantage over James Piot, with Cameron Smith, Kevin Na, Mito Pereira and reserve Andy Ogletree tied for third at 4 under.

Brooks Koepka, who won the fifth major of his career at last week’s PGA Championship, shot an even-par 72 to provide his Smash GC team with its best counting score, despite having little prep work after arriving onsite Thursday afternoon and dealing with a cracked driver for more than half of Friday’s round.

“It felt good just to play golf again, kind of get it out of the way,” said Koepka after celebrating his fifth major win the past few days at home in South Florida. “Hopefully play a little better the next few days knowing the golf course a little bit more.”

On the team leaderboard, Varner’s RangeGoats GC share the lead with Iron Heads GC at 10 under, with Piot’s HyFlyers GC tied for third with Torque GC and 4Aces GC at 8 under.

Two weeks ago at LIV Golf’s previous event in Tulsa, Varner tied a League record low by shooting 61, a round that included two eagles. His two on Friday came in his first 10 holes, including his hole-out on the ninth hole. He now has 10 on the season.

“Holing out never gets old — and it makes it a lot easier,” said Varner. “… You just want to have eagle looks, honestly. If you do that — I got lucky. I made some long ones in Tulsa, chipped in, but that’s part of it. I feel like I’ve been working on it.”

Varner had a slow start to the 2023 LIV Golf season, finishing outside the points (top 24) in his first two starts. Since then, he’s made steady improvement with each appearance — 19th in Orlando, 17th in Adelaide, 9th in Singapore and 4th in Tulsa, and now the first-round lead in DC.

“The beginning of the year, I was kind of doing other stuff than playing golf,” he said. “If you just put your head down, I think good things happen. I want to play well. I don’t think I’m terrible at golf.”

The 24-year-old Piot has yet to record a points-producing top-24 finish this season. He entered this week 47th in the individual standings and knows the top 24 at the end of the regular season are guaranteed spots for next year, while the bottom four are subject to relegation.

“Yeah, it’s in the back of your head,” he said. “Obviously when it’s time to go, you’ve got to go. But at the same time for me, the goal is keep getting better, keep improving.

“Obviously I would love to play on the LIV tour as long as possible, but for me, as long as I keep improving, that’s really what I want to see right now. That’s my focus. Today was a good start, and hopefully we keep it going.”


Spain’s Carlota Ciganda wins individual title at Aramco Team Series in Florida

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda wins individual title at Aramco Team Series in Florida
Updated 22 May 2023

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda wins individual title at Aramco Team Series in Florida

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda wins individual title at Aramco Team Series in Florida
  • 32-year-old shoots final round 73 to claim the title by 1 over Klara Davidson Spilkova
  • France’s Pauline Roussin captains her side to victory in team event

FLORIDA: Spain’s Carlota Ciganda held her nerve down the last hole to take the individual title by one shot at the Aramco Team Series presented by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in Florida, on the challenging Trump International West Palm Beach layout.

Ciganda, an Arizona State University alumnus, held off the Czech Republic’s Klara Davidson Spilkova to secure her first victory of the year and seventh Ladies European Tour win after a final round of 73. Scoring showed the challenge the Trump International course presented with two-under-par marking the winning score for the second of the five Aramco Team Series events.

“To win is always special. It’s not easy to win nowadays, there is a lot of good players and a lot of youngsters coming in very strong,” the champion said after celebrating with her fellow countrywoman on the 18th green. “So yeah to come here and win, I think it’s big also with the likes of Lexi, Lydia and Alison. It feels very special.”

The challenges of the par-72 layout were the talk of the weekend, with just two players finishing under par for the week. The Spaniard alluded to the winning formula. “Patience was the key for this week. I think it’s a very tricky golf course. Pretty much every hole has a creek or a lake or a hazard. It’s a great ball-striking course, you have to hit it to the right spot so I just wanted to be patient and try to give myself birdie chances.”

The win secures Ciganda vital “Race to Costa Del Sol” points during a Solheim Cup year, which is due to take place in her home country of Spain in September. The Spaniard has previously played a vital role in Team Europe’s 2013, 2019 and 2021 victories.

Spilkova came up just shy of securing her third LET victory with one of the best back nines of the day to put her in contention. Birdies on 13 and 15 lifted the Czech to second place but she could not find another on the tricky final hole to force a playoff. The 28-year-old said after the round: “It was difficult, mentally quite a difficult golf course. I think the first day was my best day, I was in a nice flow and hitting a lot of pars.

“The last two days was like a real rollercoaster but I fought back on the back nine today. It was good and I felt really good. After a tough first nine today, I was very proud of myself, that other one shot or two would have been nice but I’m happy.”

Olivia Cowan tied the low round of the day, a four-under-par 68, to climb 15 places and set the clubhouse lead at level par. Ending up two shots shy of the win, Cowan said after the round: “I managed to get a few birdies out there today, I don’t know what was going on. I guess we were getting the right lines today and hitting it quite close. I gave myself a lot of chances and rolled the putts nicely.

“We had a lot of fun this week and it was nice to have my friend on the bag to support me.”

Cowan finished in a tie for third place alongside world No. 3 Lydia Ko who could not get going shooting a one-over-par 73, matching her third-place finish in her first Aramco Team Series event in Singapore earlier this year. Home favorite and Florida native Lexi Thompson struggled on the final day, shooting 78 to fall into tie for 21st.

It was Ciganda’s compatriot Nuria Iturrioz who held a one-shot overnight lead going into the final day, but Trump International’s challenging water holes proved difficult for many and saw Iturrioz fall back into a tie for 28th individually, but her team had done enough in the first two rounds to secure the team championship.

Earlier in the day the team championship concluded with Team Roussin rising to the top to win by two, securing France’s Pauline Roussin’s back-to-back victories in the series after she won the individual title in Singapore earlier in the year. The French star captained her team of Iturrioz, Solheim Cup legend Trish Johnson and amateur Michael Bickford to victory this week with a score of 25-under-par.

On the win, Roussin said: “It was a lot of fun. We really got along, and we had fun out there, despite how much of a challenge the golf course is. And now here we are with the trophies. It’s pretty cool … I’m proud of this team, and I would not have wished to play it with any other people.”

The next stop for the Aramco Team Series is at Centurion Club from July 14 to 16 before events in Hong Kong and Riyadh to conclude the 2023 series.


Koepka takes PGA for fifth major title in landmark LIV win

Koepka takes PGA for fifth major title in landmark LIV win
Updated 22 May 2023

Koepka takes PGA for fifth major title in landmark LIV win

Koepka takes PGA for fifth major title in landmark LIV win
  • The 33-year-old American captured his third PGA Championship and became the first player to win a major since joining LIV
  • Norway’s 11th-ranked Hovland and American Scheffler, the new world number one, shared second on 273

ROCHESTER, New York: Brooks Koepka outdueled Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler in a back-nine battle Sunday to win the PGA Championship for his fifth major title, giving Saudi-backed LIV Golf a milestone major triumph.

The 33-year-old American captured his third PGA Championship and became the first player to win a major since joining LIV, firing a three-under par 67 to finish 72 holes at Oak Hill on nine-under 271.
“It’s incredible,” said Koepka, only the 20th player to win five or more majors. “I’m not sure I even dreamed when I was a kid I would win this many.”
Norway’s 11th-ranked Hovland, chasing his first major title, and American Scheffler, last year’s Masters winner and the new world number one, shared second on 273.
“I put up a good fight. I played great today,” Scheffler said. “I gave the guys on top of the leaderboard something to think about and I made a little bit much a move.
“But Brooks just played some fantastic golf this week. He played too good this weekend for me to catch up to him.”

 

There were a smattering of boos for Koepka as he walked onto the 18th green to make the concluding putts for the title, a sign of the bitter acrimony that has engulfed golf since the launch of the LIV circuit last year.
But Koepka calmly finished off an impressive romp, his first major win since 2021 knee surgery sidelined him for most of the past two seasons.
“I look back at where we were two years ago,” Koepka said. “I’m so happy right now. I’m at a loss for words. But this is the coolest thing.”
Australia’s Cam Davis and American Kurt Kitayama shared fourth on 277 with another LIV player, American Bryson DeChambeau.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy shared seventh on 278 with Austrian Sepp Straka.
Koepka was among the stars who jumped from the PGA Tour to breakaway LIV Golf, which offered record $25 million purses for 54-hole events, despite concern over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
The PGA banned LIV talent from its events, with a legal fight between them due in court next May. In the meantime, the majors have provided the only outlet for competition between players from the rival tours.
In all, there were six major winners from LIV in the field of 156 with a combined 15 major crowns, none of them won since joining the upstart circuit, including Australian Cam Smith’s British Open title last July.

Brooks Koepka and his trophy. (Twitter: @BKoepka)

Koepka led entering the final round at last month’s Masters but, in his words, “choked” away the green jacket to Spain’s Jon Rahm.
After sharing second at Augusta National with LIV’s Phil Mickelson, Koepka’s three PGA wins puts him behind only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
In the closing drama, Hovland sank a birdie putt from just inside eight feet at 14 but Koepka matched him from just inside four feet to reach nine-under and stay one ahead of the 11th-ranked Norwegian with Scheffler three back.
Hovland was undone by a 9-iron shot from a fairway bunker at 16, where he embedded his ball into the bunker wall and went on to make double bogey.
Koepka sank a birdie putt at 16 from just inside five feet to reach 10-under and lead by four.
“I thought I handled myself pretty well,” Hovland said. “Pretty unfortunate on 16 but I don’t feel like I gave it away.
“Brooks deserved to win. He hit a lot of great putts and a lot of great shots.”
Scheffler birdied 18 from just inside 16 feet and Koepka took bogey at 17 after finding the right rough off the tee, sending Koepka to the final hole two up on the American.
Koepka dropped his approach inside 10 feet and two-putted for victory.

World number three McIlroy from Northern Ireland was trying to win his first major title since 2014.
McIlroy’s playing partner, US club professional Michael Block, aced the 151-yard par-3 15th on the fly with a 7-iron and was cheered all the way along his walk to the hole. It was the first hole-in-one by a club pro in the PGA since 1999.
Block shot 71 to share 15th on 281, earning a spot in next year’s PGA field.
 

 


LIV Golf’s Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA Championship

LIV Golf’s Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA Championship
Updated 21 May 2023

LIV Golf’s Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA Championship

LIV Golf’s Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA Championship
  • Koepka was at his best even during occasional downpours
  • He had a 4-under 66 — the low round at Oak Hill for the second straight day

PITTSFORD, New York: Brooks Koepka says he thrives in majors because they’re the toughest tests. The PGA Championship was every bit of that on a rainy Saturday at Oak Hill, and so was Koepka.

Koepka was at his best even during occasional downpours, and he surged into the 54-hole lead for the second straight major. He had a 4-under 66 — the low round at Oak Hill for the second straight day — and led by one shot over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners.

Now he has to finish it off. Koepka failed to do that last month at the Masters when he had a two-shot lead, played it safe and shot 75 and Jon Rahm tracked him down to win by four.

“I know what I did,” Koepka said. “I promise I won’t show up like that tomorrow.”

The last player to have the low score in the second and third rounds of a major championship was Tiger Woods in the 1997 Masters, which he won by a record 12 shots.

Koepka, who was at 6-under 204, won’t have it that easy.

Conners played Oak Hill like a US Open — that’s what this PGA Championship feels like — by opening with two birdies and 13 pars that kept him in front for so much of the wet, grueling day. And then one swing changed everything.

He was in a bunker right of the 16th fairway when he hit the ball so thin that it disappeared into the lip of the soggy turf. It was plugged deep in the sod, and Conners had to drop it in gnarly rough on top of a mound framing the bunker. He did well to advance that toward the green into more thick grass and took double bogey.

Conners, in control for so long, had to settle for a 70.

Hovland overcame mistakes early with three birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn. But then the Norwegian failed to take advantage of the scoring stretch — Nos. 13, 14 and 15 — and took bogey from the bunker on the 18th hole for a 70.

He will be in the final group of a major for the second time. Hovland was tied with Rory McIlroy at St. Andrews last summer and closed with a 74.

Missing from all this activity was Scottie Scheffler, the No. 2 player in the world, who started with two straight bogeys and didn’t make a birdie — his only one of the round — until the 14th hole. He shot a 73, but is still very much in the mix.

So is Bryson DeChambeau, who played with Koepka and took double bogey on the sixth hole for the second straight day. He ground out a 70 and was three shots behind.

McIlroy was about like the weather — promising and then bleak — during a wild round that ended with a par save for a 69. He was among only seven players under still under par, but still five shots behind the four-time major champion Koepka.

Asked if there was a 65 at Oak Hill, McIlroy said he would have to keep mistakes off his card.

“I have to believe that there is a score like that out there because ... I’m going to have to shoot something like that to have a chance to win,” he said.

And he will need some help from Koepka, who has a 54-hole lead in his second straight major.

Oak Hill in pleasant weather has been a brute. Rain came down at the start of play and never really let up except for a brief burst of sunshine and shadows, and then the showers returned. Fairways were framed by umbrellas. The rough was thick and wet. McIlroy was among players who wore their caps backward to keep rain from dripping off the bill.

Koepka motored along, and he was particularly sharp with the putter on the back nine. He holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th and made one from 18 feet on the par-5 13th. The real boost came on the 17th, when he rolled one in from just outside 45 feet.

“Felt like it was a bit more aggressive today,” Koepka said of his putting. “Especially on the back nine, and putts started banging in the back of the hole.”

And then came Conners’ blunder on the 16th, Hovland’s bogey on the 18th, and Koepka was all by himself atop the leaderboard as he chases a fifth major, and a third PGA Championship. Also at stake: A victory moves him to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings. Because Koepka plays for LIV Golf, he can only earn Ryder Cup points in the majors.

Justin Rose joined Scheffler at 2-under 208, still very much in range. And no one appears to be having more fun than California club pro Michael Block. He had another round of 70 and tied for eighth, the first club pro to be in the top 10 after 54 holes since 1990 at Shoal Creek.

Even Koepka’s great run along the back nine didn’t look like it would be enough to catch Conners, and then that changed on the 16th hole. Conners swung and then tried to figure out where it went, looking up in the air, until realizing it shot right into the lip.

“Wish I could have that one back,” he said.

Scheffler would like to have back his opening seven holes — four bogeys, and it could have been worse. Is shot out of wet rough on the seventh landed in Allen’s Creek and hopped out to the other side. He was bogey-free over the final 11 holes.

“I didn’t shoot myself out of it on a day where the conditions were tough and I didn’t have my best stuff,” Scheffler said. “I hung in there pretty good and didn’t post the number I wanted to, but I’m still only four back going into tomorrow. And if I go out and have a great round, I think I’ll have a decent chance.”


Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Team Roussin lead after Day 1 of rain-delayed Aramco Team Series in Florida

Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Team Roussin lead after Day 1 of rain-delayed Aramco Team Series in Florida
Updated 20 May 2023

Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Team Roussin lead after Day 1 of rain-delayed Aramco Team Series in Florida

Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Team Roussin lead after Day 1 of rain-delayed Aramco Team Series in Florida
  • Iturrioz takes a two-shot lead over Johanna Gustavsson; Team Roussin lead by three in the team competition
  • Home favorite and world No. 7 Lexi Thompson steady in seventh on Day 1

FLORIDA: Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz leads by one shot over Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson after Day 1 of the Aramco Team Series presented by the Public Investment Fund at Trump International, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Round 1 remains incomplete following a storm delay interrupting this afternoon’s play. Thirteen teams and 39 players will complete their first round at 7:15 a.m. tomorrow morning before Round 2 begins.

Iturrioz rounded out her round in spectacular fashion with an eagle, birdie finish on her 17th and 18th holes. It was a rollercoaster round for the Spaniard, carding an impressive six birdies and one eagle to sit atop the leaderboard. Iturrioz, a three-time Ladies European Tour winner, said after the round: “The environment with Pauline (Roussin) and the team was very nice. I loved it. I played with her in Singapore, so good memories. I’m trying to do the same as her.”

The 27-year-old Spaniard was referring to her teammate’s success in winning the first Aramco Team Series event in Singapore earlier this year. Roussin won the individual event in Singapore, at just 22 years old, by four shots over Danielle Kang and two-time major winner Lydia Ko. This week, the duo teamed up alongside Englishwoman Trish Johnson and amateur Michael Bickford and produced a dominant Round 1 to take a three-shot lead over Team Ko and Team Alexander.

In the individual standings, Gustavsson sits alone in second place but still has five holes to complete her first round after darkness suspended play for the day. After 13 holes, the Swede is bogey-free and will restart Round 1 on the fourth hole on Saturday.

Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson lead the way for America on Day 1. Lee sits in a tie for fifth, three shots back after carding an opening round 70, and Florida native and world No. 7 Thompson carded a one-under-par 71 on Day 1 with a steady 16 pars, two birdies and one bogey to sit in a tie for eighth.

“Overall, a very good day. Pretty steady one. We had beautiful weather teeing off at 7:27 a.m. We didn’t have too much wind, thankfully, and kind of beat the heat,” the major winner said after the round. “But overall, had a very steady day and enjoyed playing alongside my teammates.”

Team Thompson sit in sixth place and six shots back of first going into Day 2.

Czech Republic’s Klara Davidson Spilkova and Scotland’s Louise Duncan sit two back of Iturrioz in second after rounds of 70. They enjoyed similar rounds with four birdies and just one blemish each.

The 23-year-old Duncan, who is seeking her first professional victory after turning pro last July, said after the opening round: “It’s a tough golf course, so three-under. I’m exceptionally happy…I hit the ball all right, drove the ball really well, and you need to drive the ball around here or you’ll shoot millions.

“Then also I just kind of stayed calm, which I find quite difficult to do sometimes. But yeah, I’m really happy considering I haven’t really played here in the (US) that much.”