LIV Golf, the breakaway league that caused a civil war in the golfing world, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in a United States court on Monday (Sep 8, 2026). The move comes as LIV's financial backbone, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), abruptly withdrew its long-term backing from the league. According to the court documents, multiple players, including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, are still owed millions of dollars. The move comes as LIV, along with its new prospective investor, BC Partners, plans a relaunch in 2027. Whether the star players, whom LIV lured from the PGA Tour and other tours for exorbitant amounts of money, will stay with the league remains to be seen.<h2>LIV Golf files for bankruptcy protection as players are owed millions</h2>According to the <a href="https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47610/d798eb79-0294-4ccb-b10b-d7ebc9fb53ef_189-1.pdf">court filing</a>, Rahm is owed nearly $7.4 million and DeChambeau is owed about $5.7 million by LIV under their Player Participation Agreements. Among the others owed are Dustin Johnson ($5.4 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million), Tyrrell Hatton ($3.3 million), and Adrian Meronk ($4.4 million).Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lamine-yamal-ballon-dor-comments-mbappe-dembele-barcelona-1788879907390">Lamine Yamal takes stand on Ballon d'Or race amid Mbappe, Dembele claims</a>"This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf – one built around the fans, an innovative, player-first ownership model, and being a part of the global golf ecosystem. We are excited about what lies ahead, yet there is still much to accomplish in the months ahead," said LIV's CEO, Scott O’Neil, in a statement.<h2>What's next for the players?</h2>The players, according to a LIV source as reported by The Times, will have the choice of signing up for LIV 2.0. The other tours, including the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, aren't welcoming the players back without due diligence."Anyone who’s interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations in that legacy model," said Brian Rolapp, chief executive of the PGA Tour, last month.

LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Saudi Arabia's PIF pulled funding. Players like Rahm and DeChambeau are owed millions as LIV plans a 2027 relaunch with prospective partner BC Partners.

LIV Golf, the breakaway league that caused a civil war in the golfing world, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in a United States court on Monday (Sep 8, 2026). The move comes as LIV's financial backbone, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), abruptly withdrew its long-term backing from the league. According to the court documents, multiple players, including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, are still owed millions of dollars. The move comes as LIV, along with its new prospective investor, BC Partners, plans a relaunch in 2027. Whether the star players, whom LIV lured from the PGA Tour and other tours for exorbitant amounts of money, will stay with the league remains to be seen. LIV Golf files for bankruptcy protection as players are owed millions According to the court filing, Rahm is owed nearly $7.4 million and DeChambeau is owed about $5.7 million by LIV under their Player Participation Agreements. Among the others owed are Dustin Johnson ($5.4 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million), Tyrrell Hatton ($3.3 million), and Adrian Meronk ($4.4 million). Also Read - Lamine Yamal takes stand on Ballon d'Or race amid Mbappe, Dembele claims "This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf – one built around the fans, an innovative, player-first ownership model, and being a part of the global golf ecosystem. We are excited about what lies ahead, yet there is still much to accomplish in the months ahead," said LIV's CEO, Scott O’Neil, in a statement. What's next for the players? The players, according to a LIV source as reported by The Times, will have the choice of signing up for LIV 2.0. The other tours, including the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, aren't welcoming the players back without due diligence. "Anyone who’s interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations in that legacy model," said Brian Rolapp, chief executive of the PGA Tour, last month.

LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Saudi Arabia's PIF pulled funding. Players like Rahm and DeChambeau are owed millions as LIV plans a 2027 relaunch with prospective partner BC Partners.

LIV Golf, owing millions of dollars to star players, files for bankruptcy protection

Tiger Woods, who pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence after crashing his car in Florida in March, is expected to formally change his plea, court documents showed Tuesday. A "change of plea" hearing early Wednesday (Sep 2) morning was added to the golf superstar's case docket at a Martin County court, online records showed.Woods' lawyer did not immediately respond to AFP request for comment about the nature of the change of plea.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-city-equal-british-transfer-record-enzo-fernandez-1788287462735">Manchester City equal British transfer record with £125m Enzo Fernandez deal</a>The 15-time major winner crashed his SUV into a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near his Jupiter Island home in March.He was assessed to be impaired by officers at the scene, and had opioid painkillers with him.Woods pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test, telling authorities he was looking at his phone and changing radio channels when he crashed.Days later he said he was "stepping away" to seek treatment and focus on his health.He was cleared by a judge to travel overseas to an inpatient facility, reportedly in Switzerland.Woods made his first public appearance since his arrest at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship in June.The following month, a judge ruled that prosecutors could review Woods' hospital treatment, as well as the golfer's prescription drug records.In both cases the information can be reviewed only by prosecutors and designated law enforcement officers and experts and Woods's defense team.Woods has undergone multiple back operations and surgeries on severe leg injuries suffered in a separate, 2021 California car crash.

The 15-time major winner crashed his SUV into a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near his Jupiter Island home in March. He was assessed to be impaired by officers at the scene, and had opioid painkillers with him.

Tiger Woods, who pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence after crashing his car in Florida in March, is expected to formally change his plea, court documents showed Tuesday. A "change of plea" hearing early Wednesday (Sep 2) morning was added to the golf superstar's case docket at a Martin County court, online records showed. Woods' lawyer did not immediately respond to AFP request for comment about the nature of the change of plea. Also Read - Manchester City equal British transfer record with £125m Enzo Fernandez deal The 15-time major winner crashed his SUV into a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near his Jupiter Island home in March. He was assessed to be impaired by officers at the scene, and had opioid painkillers with him. Woods pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test, telling authorities he was looking at his phone and changing radio channels when he crashed. Days later he said he was "stepping away" to seek treatment and focus on his health. He was cleared by a judge to travel overseas to an inpatient facility, reportedly in Switzerland. Woods made his first public appearance since his arrest at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship in June. The following month, a judge ruled that prosecutors could review Woods' hospital treatment, as well as the golfer's prescription drug records. In both cases the information can be reviewed only by prosecutors and designated law enforcement officers and experts and Woods's defense team. Woods has undergone multiple back operations and surgeries on severe leg injuries suffered in a separate, 2021 California car crash.

The 15-time major winner crashed his SUV into a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near his Jupiter Island home in March. He was assessed to be impaired by officers at the scene, and had opioid painkillers with him.

Tiger Woods set to change his 'no guilty' plea in DUI crash from March

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, trying to end a four-year victory drought, fired a seven-under par 65 to share the lead after Thursday's first round of the PGA Tour St. Jude Championship. Fellow Americans Jake Knapp, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Thorbjornsen and Michael Kim were also at 65 after 18 holes in the FedEx Cup playoff opener at sweltering TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. It marked the most players to share the lead in any playoff event after the first round.Hot at their heels on 66 was a pack including major winners Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama plus defending playoff champion Tommy Fleetwood.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/commonwealth-fencing-championships-2026-india-clinch-maiden-overall-title-1786633880365">Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2026: India clinch maiden overall title</a>"Heat is the biggest challenge," Scott said. "Just pacing yourself. I don't think you can drink enough."You sweat a lot out there. The thing that comes with that is the mental errors. But overall, I played a pretty good round."American Daniel Berger was absent due to a back injury, leaving 69 golfers trying to reach the top 50 in points to qualify for next week's second playoff event in St. Louis.Spieth, who reached the playoffs without a top-10 finish in 2026, won the 2015 Masters and US Open and 2017 British Open but has not taken a PGA title since the 2022 Heritage.He reeled off five birdies in seven holes starting with a 12-foot putt at the ninth. He sank a 40-foot putt at the par-three 11th, a 24-footer at the 13th and closed the run on a 17-foot birdie putt at 15."I just tried to come into this week and be as patient, nonreactive, as possible, dumb it down to try to win," Spieth said. "Just knowing I'm a lot better golfer than I've been in a very long time and continue to believe in that."At 54th in points, he needs a good result to advance in the playoffs but called his round "about as stress-free as it can be."Thorbjornsen battled illness and the heat but had an eagle off an eight-foot putt at 16 and two birdies on the last four holes, closing with a 40-foot chip-in."It was a little tough dealing with the heat and there's still a sickness, kind of hacking up on every hole, but I was very solid tee to green," he said.Knapp birdied his first three and last three holes."I like that part of it. Opening with three birdies is always nice," Knapp said. "I hit the ball really well all day."<h2>‘Right on the edge’</h2>Kim birdied three of the first five holes and two of the final four."Nice to get off to a good start," Kim said. "Hopefully I can keep it going."Kitayama was three-under over the first three holes and also birdied two of the last four."Really liked how I hit it," Kitayama said. "I gave myself a lot of good looks."World number one Scottie Scheffler shared 17th on 68."I didn't feel like I hit a ton of fairways. I was in the first cut a lot," Scheffler said. "I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much."I was right on the edge of having a good day kind of all day."Second-ranked Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, was 68th, next-to-last, on 74 after bogeys at 16 and 17 and a double bogey at 18, where his tee shot found water.

Jordan Spieth amd his fellow Americans Jake Knapp, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Thorbjornsen and Michael Kim were also at 65 after 18 holes in the FedEx Cup playoff opener at sweltering TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, trying to end a four-year victory drought, fired a seven-under par 65 to share the lead after Thursday's first round of the PGA Tour St. Jude Championship. Fellow Americans Jake Knapp, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Thorbjornsen and Michael Kim were also at 65 after 18 holes in the FedEx Cup playoff opener at sweltering TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. It marked the most players to share the lead in any playoff event after the first round. Hot at their heels on 66 was a pack including major winners Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama plus defending playoff champion Tommy Fleetwood. Also Read - Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2026: India clinch maiden overall title "Heat is the biggest challenge," Scott said. "Just pacing yourself. I don't think you can drink enough. "You sweat a lot out there. The thing that comes with that is the mental errors. But overall, I played a pretty good round." American Daniel Berger was absent due to a back injury, leaving 69 golfers trying to reach the top 50 in points to qualify for next week's second playoff event in St. Louis. Spieth, who reached the playoffs without a top-10 finish in 2026, won the 2015 Masters and US Open and 2017 British Open but has not taken a PGA title since the 2022 Heritage. He reeled off five birdies in seven holes starting with a 12-foot putt at the ninth. He sank a 40-foot putt at the par-three 11th, a 24-footer at the 13th and closed the run on a 17-foot birdie putt at 15. "I just tried to come into this week and be as patient, nonreactive, as possible, dumb it down to try to win," Spieth said. "Just knowing I'm a lot better golfer than I've been in a very long time and continue to believe in that." At 54th in points, he needs a good result to advance in the playoffs but called his round "about as stress-free as it can be." Thorbjornsen battled illness and the heat but had an eagle off an eight-foot putt at 16 and two birdies on the last four holes, closing with a 40-foot chip-in. "It was a little tough dealing with the heat and there's still a sickness, kind of hacking up on every hole, but I was very solid tee to green," he said. Knapp birdied his first three and last three holes. "I like that part of it. Opening with three birdies is always nice," Knapp said. "I hit the ball really well all day." ‘Right on the edge’ Kim birdied three of the first five holes and two of the final four. "Nice to get off to a good start," Kim said. "Hopefully I can keep it going." Kitayama was three-under over the first three holes and also birdied two of the last four. "Really liked how I hit it," Kitayama said. "I gave myself a lot of good looks." World number one Scottie Scheffler shared 17th on 68. "I didn't feel like I hit a ton of fairways. I was in the first cut a lot," Scheffler said. "I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much. "I was right on the edge of having a good day kind of all day." Second-ranked Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, was 68th, next-to-last, on 74 after bogeys at 16 and 17 and a double bogey at 18, where his tee shot found water.

Jordan Spieth amd his fellow Americans Jake Knapp, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Thorbjornsen and Michael Kim were also at 65 after 18 holes in the FedEx Cup playoff opener at sweltering TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

PGA Playoffs: Jordan Spieth fires 7-under to share lead with four others

Jon Rahm captured his third consecutive LIV Golf season crown on Sunday while Chile's Joaquin Niemann took a wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf New York for a record ninth series title. Niemann fired a two-under par 69 to finish 72 holes on 16-under 268 and defeat American Harold Varner III by three strokes at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/diego-maradona-hand-of-god-ball-auction-10-million-us-1786263632650">Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball expected to fetch $10 million at US auction</a>"The more they push me the better golfer I became from every experience," Niemann said."I was just hoping to be able to hit the shots I did and make the putts that I did coming down the stretch. I put the credit on myself."England's Lee Westwood and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe shared third, both seven off the pace.Rahm finished tied for 41st after firing a closing 76 Sunday, but clinched the season trophy with an unassailable 219-point lead over Bryson DeChambeau going into the finale in two weeks at Indianapolis.Rahm, whose 2025 season crown came despite no victories, won this year at Hong Kong in March and Mexico City in April. He also had runner-up efforts in Riyadh, Adelaide, South Africa and Andalucia."It has been a great year," Rahm said. "A little sour taste in my mouth because of how badly I played this week but it has been something to be proud of."And after last year not getting a win and possibly having a question mark over the season-long race to win twice effectively and win it again, definitely feels good."Rahm was proud of his early season performances, with two wins, three seconds and a fifth in the first six tournaments of 2026."Proud of earlier in the season. I think to start off as well as I did with a few second-places and not getting in the way," Rahm said."Then going to Hong Kong and getting it done when I needed to, having a lead and then losing it and then birdieing four in a row in the last few holes was probably the most proud moment."Niemann, who opened with a bogey at the first hole but birdied the par-three seventh, sank a 56-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole and a long eagle putt at the 15th to seize a four-stroke edge on Varner.A bogey at 17 only trimmed his victory margin.Crushers, with DeChambeau as captain, won the LIV Golf New York team title on six-over par, defeating Legion XIII and Torque by two strokes.

Rahm finished tied for 41st after firing a closing 76 Sunday, but clinched the season trophy with an unassailable 219-point lead over Bryson DeChambeau going into the finale in two weeks at Indianapolis.

Jon Rahm captured his third consecutive LIV Golf season crown on Sunday while Chile's Joaquin Niemann took a wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf New York for a record ninth series title. Niemann fired a two-under par 69 to finish 72 holes on 16-under 268 and defeat American Harold Varner III by three strokes at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey. Also Read - Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball expected to fetch $10 million at US auction "The more they push me the better golfer I became from every experience," Niemann said. "I was just hoping to be able to hit the shots I did and make the putts that I did coming down the stretch. I put the credit on myself." England's Lee Westwood and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe shared third, both seven off the pace. Rahm finished tied for 41st after firing a closing 76 Sunday, but clinched the season trophy with an unassailable 219-point lead over Bryson DeChambeau going into the finale in two weeks at Indianapolis. Rahm, whose 2025 season crown came despite no victories, won this year at Hong Kong in March and Mexico City in April. He also had runner-up efforts in Riyadh, Adelaide, South Africa and Andalucia. "It has been a great year," Rahm said. "A little sour taste in my mouth because of how badly I played this week but it has been something to be proud of. "And after last year not getting a win and possibly having a question mark over the season-long race to win twice effectively and win it again, definitely feels good." Rahm was proud of his early season performances, with two wins, three seconds and a fifth in the first six tournaments of 2026. "Proud of earlier in the season. I think to start off as well as I did with a few second-places and not getting in the way," Rahm said. "Then going to Hong Kong and getting it done when I needed to, having a lead and then losing it and then birdieing four in a row in the last few holes was probably the most proud moment." Niemann, who opened with a bogey at the first hole but birdied the par-three seventh, sank a 56-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole and a long eagle putt at the 15th to seize a four-stroke edge on Varner. A bogey at 17 only trimmed his victory margin. Crushers, with DeChambeau as captain, won the LIV Golf New York team title on six-over par, defeating Legion XIII and Torque by two strokes.

Rahm finished tied for 41st after firing a closing 76 Sunday, but clinched the season trophy with an unassailable 219-point lead over Bryson DeChambeau going into the finale in two weeks at Indianapolis.

Jon Rahm wins third consecutive LIV Golf season crown

Lucas Herbert stormed into a two-shot lead at the British Open on Friday after the Australian and American Sam Burns equalled the record for the lowest round in major golf history on Friday with eight-under par 62s. Bryson DeChambeau had closed to within one shot of Herbert before being hit by a two-stroke penalty for unintentially improving his lie. World number 97 Herbert doubled over his putter in anguish as a short attempt for par on the 18th slipped by with the chance to become the first man to post a major round of 61.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-doesn-t-want-it-neither-do-we-what-france-coach-didier-deschamps-said-before-the-fifa-world-cup-third-place-game-1784340024748">'England doesn't want it, neither do we': What France coach Didier Deschamps said before the FIFA World Cup third-place game</a>Burns followed suit less than an hour later after six birdies on the back nine, including a chip on from the bunker on 18, to move to five under for the tournament.A dramatic second round took another twist after the close of play when two-time US Open champion DeChambeau was penalised for trampling down grass before his second shot at the fifth hole after a lengthy and animated discussion with rules officials.Under glorious sunshine in Southport on England's north-west coast, Herbert got off to a flying start with birdies on his opening three holes and added three more at the fifth, seventh and ninth to hit the turn in 28, a British Open record for the front nine.His momentum continued with birdies at the 12th and 13th before a perfect approach set up another three at the par-four 16th for a shot at history.Despite a wayward tee shot at the last, he should still have scrambled for a par, but the moment in front of huge crowds seemed to get to the 30-year-old as two tentative putts resulted in his first bogey of the day."It was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record," said Herbert, who has spent the last two years on the breakaway LIV Tour."To tie it as well is still something I'm really proud of."Burns took the opposite route to 62 with a six-under 30 on the back nine to surge into contention.The world number 18 sank a 20-foot birdie at the 17th and then chipped in from the greenside at the last for his share of history."I caught myself by surprise," said Burns. "I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus."Both players equal the course record set by Branden Grace the last time the British Open was held at Birkdale in 2017, one of five previous rounds of 62 at majors.<h2>McIlroy makes the cut</h2>World number four Cameron Young is well in the running for his first major at six under par, alongside overnight leader Jackson Suber and Ryan Gerard.Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is four shots back but could easily have been at least in a share of the lead but for a series of missed short putts with birdie opportunities for the world number one.Rory McIlroy recovered from a difficult opening round of 72, that included six bogeys, to at least put himself in position to mount a surge up the leaderboard over the weekendThe six-time major champion posted a 67 to move to one under for the tournament."I think the main objective today was to be here for the weekend, which I am," said McIlroy. "I think if I can get off to a decent start tomorrow, be four of five under for the tournament, I'll be right in it."Tommy Fleetwood's late charge was met with deafening roars around his home town with three birdies in the final five holes to get to four under par.World number three Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose were among the big names to miss the cut.

Bryson DeChambeau had closed to within one shot of Herbert before being hit by a two-stroke penalty for unintentially improving his lie. 

Lucas Herbert stormed into a two-shot lead at the British Open on Friday after the Australian and American Sam Burns equalled the record for the lowest round in major golf history on Friday with eight-under par 62s. Bryson DeChambeau had closed to within one shot of Herbert before being hit by a two-stroke penalty for unintentially improving his lie. World number 97 Herbert doubled over his putter in anguish as a short attempt for par on the 18th slipped by with the chance to become the first man to post a major round of 61. Also Read - 'England doesn't want it, neither do we': What France coach Didier Deschamps said before the FIFA World Cup third-place game Burns followed suit less than an hour later after six birdies on the back nine, including a chip on from the bunker on 18, to move to five under for the tournament. A dramatic second round took another twist after the close of play when two-time US Open champion DeChambeau was penalised for trampling down grass before his second shot at the fifth hole after a lengthy and animated discussion with rules officials. Under glorious sunshine in Southport on England's north-west coast, Herbert got off to a flying start with birdies on his opening three holes and added three more at the fifth, seventh and ninth to hit the turn in 28, a British Open record for the front nine. His momentum continued with birdies at the 12th and 13th before a perfect approach set up another three at the par-four 16th for a shot at history. Despite a wayward tee shot at the last, he should still have scrambled for a par, but the moment in front of huge crowds seemed to get to the 30-year-old as two tentative putts resulted in his first bogey of the day. "It was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record," said Herbert, who has spent the last two years on the breakaway LIV Tour. "To tie it as well is still something I'm really proud of." Burns took the opposite route to 62 with a six-under 30 on the back nine to surge into contention. The world number 18 sank a 20-foot birdie at the 17th and then chipped in from the greenside at the last for his share of history. "I caught myself by surprise," said Burns. "I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus." Both players equal the course record set by Branden Grace the last time the British Open was held at Birkdale in 2017, one of five previous rounds of 62 at majors. McIlroy makes the cut World number four Cameron Young is well in the running for his first major at six under par, alongside overnight leader Jackson Suber and Ryan Gerard. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is four shots back but could easily have been at least in a share of the lead but for a series of missed short putts with birdie opportunities for the world number one. Rory McIlroy recovered from a difficult opening round of 72, that included six bogeys, to at least put himself in position to mount a surge up the leaderboard over the weekend The six-time major champion posted a 67 to move to one under for the tournament. "I think the main objective today was to be here for the weekend, which I am," said McIlroy. "I think if I can get off to a decent start tomorrow, be four of five under for the tournament, I'll be right in it." Tommy Fleetwood's late charge was met with deafening roars around his home town with three birdies in the final five holes to get to four under par. World number three Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose were among the big names to miss the cut.

Bryson DeChambeau had closed to within one shot of Herbert before being hit by a two-stroke penalty for unintentially improving his lie.&nbsp;

The Open: DeChambeau penalised two strokes as Herbert storms into lead

Unheralded American Jackson Suber leads after the first round of the British Open at five under par, with world number one Scottie Scheffler among a host of major champions in the chasing pack. Rory McIlroy's hopes of ending a 12-year wait to win his home major are hanging by a thread after a two- over par 72. Suber, ranked 115th in the world, had a first ever round at the British Open to remember.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sports-ministry-orders-neutral-probe-into-asunta-lakra-s-allegations-seeks-explanation-from-hockey-india-1784218536666">Sports ministry orders neutral probe into Asunta Lakra's allegations, seeks explanation from Hockey India&nbsp;</a>After making the turn at level par, he picked up five shots in the next eight holes, topped off by an eagle on the 17th to give him a one-shot lead from England's Daniel Brown and South Korean Im Sung-jae.The 26-year-old is playing in just his third major and had never experienced European golf until his first practice round on Monday."Monday was my first round of links golf, so I've played 27 holes before I played the first round today. I've never been to Europe," said Suber."Things just really started going after the birdie on 10. I just felt like the momentum was really in my favour."Scheffler made a steady start to his defence of the tournament with a two under par 68.After his record of 78 successive cuts made dating back four years, came to an end at last week's Scottish Open, Scheffler looked refreshed with four birdies in five holes between the second and the sixth.But bogeys at the seventh and par-five 17th dropped him back and a birdie putt at the last came to a halt just inches shy of the hole."I got off to a hot start in the round today and wasn't able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped to down the stretch," said Scheffler, who has not won on the PGA Tour since January."If I continue to strike the ball the way I did today and just keep giving myself looks, that's part of it. Golf is played over 72 holes, and I definitely liked what I saw today."<h2>Out of sorts McIlroy</h2>Bryson DeChambeau is set to snap his unwanted streak of failing to make the cut at the previous three majors this year after an opening round 67.The two-time US Open champion has often struggled in the wind of links conditions at the British Open but, with the weather set fair for the next three days, he is hoping to take advantage."There's still a lot of golf to be played, but, ultimately from my perspective, I was really excited about the way I played," said DeChambeau.World number four Cameron Young is also poised to strike at three under.McIlroy and the later starters endured the worst of the conditions as the wind picked up and furher dried out a firm course after precious little rain in recent weeks.But the six-time major champion was completely out of sorts in a round that contained six bogeys, including at both par fives.McIlroy faces a battle in Friday's second round just to avoid missing the cut for only the second time in his last 15 majors."Just too many stupid mistakes. But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it," said McIlroy"Not too far away. Hopefully we'll get the better conditions tomorrow and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning."Matt Fitzpatrick, playing in the same group as McIlroy, also struggled with one of the form players on the PGA Tour this year posting a 72.

Rory McIlroy's hopes of ending a 12-year wait to win his home major are hanging by a thread after a two- over par 72. Suber, ranked 115th in the world, had a first ever round at the British Open to remember.

Unheralded American Jackson Suber leads after the first round of the British Open at five under par, with world number one Scottie Scheffler among a host of major champions in the chasing pack. Rory McIlroy's hopes of ending a 12-year wait to win his home major are hanging by a thread after a two- over par 72. Suber, ranked 115th in the world, had a first ever round at the British Open to remember. Also Read - Sports ministry orders neutral probe into Asunta Lakra's allegations, seeks explanation from Hockey India After making the turn at level par, he picked up five shots in the next eight holes, topped off by an eagle on the 17th to give him a one-shot lead from England's Daniel Brown and South Korean Im Sung-jae. The 26-year-old is playing in just his third major and had never experienced European golf until his first practice round on Monday. "Monday was my first round of links golf, so I've played 27 holes before I played the first round today. I've never been to Europe," said Suber. "Things just really started going after the birdie on 10. I just felt like the momentum was really in my favour." Scheffler made a steady start to his defence of the tournament with a two under par 68. After his record of 78 successive cuts made dating back four years, came to an end at last week's Scottish Open, Scheffler looked refreshed with four birdies in five holes between the second and the sixth. But bogeys at the seventh and par-five 17th dropped him back and a birdie putt at the last came to a halt just inches shy of the hole. "I got off to a hot start in the round today and wasn't able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped to down the stretch," said Scheffler, who has not won on the PGA Tour since January. "If I continue to strike the ball the way I did today and just keep giving myself looks, that's part of it. Golf is played over 72 holes, and I definitely liked what I saw today." Out of sorts McIlroy Bryson DeChambeau is set to snap his unwanted streak of failing to make the cut at the previous three majors this year after an opening round 67. The two-time US Open champion has often struggled in the wind of links conditions at the British Open but, with the weather set fair for the next three days, he is hoping to take advantage. "There's still a lot of golf to be played, but, ultimately from my perspective, I was really excited about the way I played," said DeChambeau. World number four Cameron Young is also poised to strike at three under. McIlroy and the later starters endured the worst of the conditions as the wind picked up and furher dried out a firm course after precious little rain in recent weeks. But the six-time major champion was completely out of sorts in a round that contained six bogeys, including at both par fives. McIlroy faces a battle in Friday's second round just to avoid missing the cut for only the second time in his last 15 majors. "Just too many stupid mistakes. But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it," said McIlroy "Not too far away. Hopefully we'll get the better conditions tomorrow and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning." Matt Fitzpatrick, playing in the same group as McIlroy, also struggled with one of the form players on the PGA Tour this year posting a 72.

Rory McIlroy's hopes of ending a 12-year wait to win his home major are hanging by a thread after a two- over par 72. Suber, ranked 115th in the world, had a first ever round at the British Open to remember.

The Open: Jackson Suber leads as Rory McIlroy hangs on barely to make weekend cut

Wyndham Clark is now &nbsp;a two-time US Open champion. The 32-year-old American delivered a wire-to-wire victory at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday (Jun 21), firing a three-over 73 to finish at four-under 276 across 72 holes, edging compatriot Sam Burns by a single stroke. Clark, who also claimed the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became only the ninth wire-to-wire winner in US Open history and the first since Germany's Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst in 2014. It was a Father's Day to remember, made more special when his father Randall, who had largely stayed away from tour events, flew in to surprise him on the 18th green.<h2>Clark hangs on to dream and delivers</h2>Clark's road to the title was anything but smooth. He began the final round carrying a commanding six-shot lead but watched it shrink to a single stroke as Burns launched a stunning charge, making birdies on four of the first eight holes. Clark, battling three bogeys on the front nine, dug deep and grinded through the back nine in true champion fashion. The decisive moment came at the par-five 16th, where Clark holed a 24-foot birdie putt after finding deep rough off the tee - a shot that shifted momentum back decisively in his favour.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-world-cup-2026-lamine-yamal-first-goal-as-spain-rout-saudi-arabia-4-0-in-atlanta-1782066150908">FIFA World Cup: Lamine Yamal stars on return as Spain rout Saudi Arabia 4-0</a>"I played some ugly golf the last two days, but my putter and short game kept me in it," Clark said candidly after the round. He then recovered from a bogey at 17 with a composed two-putt par from 52 feet at 18 to seal the deal."It comes down to just believing good things are going to happen and you're going to make the putt. And fortunately the ones that I needed to make I did," he said.The victory, worth a record $4.5 million from a $22.5 million purse, also carried significant personal redemption. Clark had smashed a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut at the 2025 US Open, an incident that drew widespread criticism and heckles from New York galleries this week. "This one was a lot of redemption. Last year was so tough. A terrible year," Clark said. "It's amazing what a year can do."

Clark, who also claimed the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became only the ninth wire-to-wire winner in US Open history.

Wyndham Clark is now a two-time US Open champion. The 32-year-old American delivered a wire-to-wire victory at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday (Jun 21), firing a three-over 73 to finish at four-under 276 across 72 holes, edging compatriot Sam Burns by a single stroke. Clark, who also claimed the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became only the ninth wire-to-wire winner in US Open history and the first since Germany's Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst in 2014. It was a Father's Day to remember, made more special when his father Randall, who had largely stayed away from tour events, flew in to surprise him on the 18th green. Clark hangs on to dream and delivers Clark's road to the title was anything but smooth. He began the final round carrying a commanding six-shot lead but watched it shrink to a single stroke as Burns launched a stunning charge, making birdies on four of the first eight holes. Clark, battling three bogeys on the front nine, dug deep and grinded through the back nine in true champion fashion. The decisive moment came at the par-five 16th, where Clark holed a 24-foot birdie putt after finding deep rough off the tee - a shot that shifted momentum back decisively in his favour. Also Read - FIFA World Cup: Lamine Yamal stars on return as Spain rout Saudi Arabia 4-0 "I played some ugly golf the last two days, but my putter and short game kept me in it," Clark said candidly after the round. He then recovered from a bogey at 17 with a composed two-putt par from 52 feet at 18 to seal the deal. "It comes down to just believing good things are going to happen and you're going to make the putt. And fortunately the ones that I needed to make I did," he said. The victory, worth a record $4.5 million from a $22.5 million purse, also carried significant personal redemption. Clark had smashed a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut at the 2025 US Open, an incident that drew widespread criticism and heckles from New York galleries this week. "This one was a lot of redemption. Last year was so tough. A terrible year," Clark said. "It's amazing what a year can do."

Clark, who also claimed the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became only the ninth wire-to-wire winner in US Open history

Wyndham Clark hangs on to dream and win second US Open title by one stroke

American Wyndham Clark fired a stunning round oon day 1 (Jun 18) at the 126th US Open, charging to a commanding four-stroke lead before fading light at blustery Shinnecock Hills brought the opening round to an early halt. The 32-year-old former US Open champion, who has been open about seeking redemption after an infamous locker-smashing incident at Oakmont following last year's missed cut, began on the back nine and looked in imperious form throughout. Clark hit a bogey at the par-three second before bouncing back with consecutive birdies, capping his extraordinary back nine with a clutch three-foot eagle putt at the par-five fifth to reach six-under par before safely parring holes six and seven as darkness descended.<h2>Clarks chases history on Day 2 US Open</h2>Clark will return Friday (Jun 19) morning to complete the round on holes eight and nine, and if he holds his lead, he will make US Open history not since 1933 has any player led the championship by four strokes after 18 holes. The feat underlines just how dominant his unfinished card has been in punishing, wind-swept conditions that tested the entire field. Sharing second place in the clubhouse at two-under par 68 were amateur Ryder Cowan and fellow Americans Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy, all well adrift of Clark's stunning pace. Four major champions remained on the course at two-under: Spain's Jon Rahm (13 holes), Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (15 holes), and England's Matt Fitzpatrick (16 holes).Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/colombian-fan-andr-s-gualteros-cycles-over-4-000km-from-bogot-to-mexico-city-to-support-team-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-colombia-vs-uzbekistan-1781787605540">Colombian fan cycles over 4,000km across capitals to support team at World Cup</a><h2>Top 10 leaderboard after Round 1 (suspended)</h2>Wyndham Clark: 6-under (incomplete, 7 holes remaining) Ryder Cowan: 2-under&nbsp; Sam Stevens: 2-under&nbsp; Max McGreevy: 2-under&nbsp; Jon Rahm: 2-under (incomplete, 5 holes remaining) Dustin Johnson: 2-under (incomplete, 3 holes remaining) Gary Woodland: 2-under (incomplete, 3 holes remaining) Matt Fitzpatrick: 2-under (incomplete, 2 holes remaining) Rory McIlroy: 1-under (69) Ludvig Aberg: 1-under (69)

Clark will return Friday (Jun 19) morning to complete the round on holes eight and nine, and if he holds his lead, he will make US Open history not since 1933 has any player led the championship by four strokes after 18 holes.

American Wyndham Clark fired a stunning round oon day 1 (Jun 18) at the 126th US Open, charging to a commanding four-stroke lead before fading light at blustery Shinnecock Hills brought the opening round to an early halt. The 32-year-old former US Open champion, who has been open about seeking redemption after an infamous locker-smashing incident at Oakmont following last year's missed cut, began on the back nine and looked in imperious form throughout. Clark hit a bogey at the par-three second before bouncing back with consecutive birdies, capping his extraordinary back nine with a clutch three-foot eagle putt at the par-five fifth to reach six-under par before safely parring holes six and seven as darkness descended. Clarks chases history on Day 2 US Open Clark will return Friday (Jun 19) morning to complete the round on holes eight and nine, and if he holds his lead, he will make US Open history not since 1933 has any player led the championship by four strokes after 18 holes. The feat underlines just how dominant his unfinished card has been in punishing, wind-swept conditions that tested the entire field. Sharing second place in the clubhouse at two-under par 68 were amateur Ryder Cowan and fellow Americans Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy, all well adrift of Clark's stunning pace. Four major champions remained on the course at two-under: Spain's Jon Rahm (13 holes), Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (15 holes), and England's Matt Fitzpatrick (16 holes). Also Read - Colombian fan cycles over 4,000km across capitals to support team at World Cup Top 10 leaderboard after Round 1 (suspended) Wyndham Clark: 6-under (incomplete, 7 holes remaining) Ryder Cowan: 2-under Sam Stevens: 2-under Max McGreevy: 2-under Jon Rahm: 2-under (incomplete, 5 holes remaining) Dustin Johnson: 2-under (incomplete, 3 holes remaining) Gary Woodland: 2-under (incomplete, 3 holes remaining) Matt Fitzpatrick: 2-under (incomplete, 2 holes remaining) Rory McIlroy: 1-under (69) Ludvig Aberg: 1-under (69)

Clark will return Friday (Jun 19) morning to complete the round on holes eight and nine, and if he holds his lead, he will make US Open history not since 1933 has any player led the championship by four strokes after 18 holes.

US Open Round 1: American Wyndham Clark takes four-stroke lead on suspended day 1

Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time major winner, is also a physic major from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas which he attended from 2012-15. He is currently contemplating what to do with his career if LIV Golf, rival PGA Tour which is he a part of, fails: "content creation on YouTube or professional golf." Recently, DeChambeau appeared on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller - the wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. During the podcast, the golfer talked about a lot of things, including his relationship with US President Donald Trump but the most interesting thing was his take on NASA's moon landing.<h2>What DeChambeau thinks about Moon landing?</h2>The golfer was asked if Alan Shepherd, who walked on moon during Apollo 14 mission in 1971, did play golf on the lunar surface. DeChambeau, a man of science, replied: "Oh, I don’t, here we, conspiracy theory, I don’t know. Look, Elon [Musk] says we’ve definitely gone there. So I tend to go that route, because he’s the man that knows quite a bit about all that. Artemis just went around the moon. So I do believe if we spent a lot of our resources like they say we did, I think we did. I don’t think the footage is real. But I think we did go to the moon. I don’t know about the footage. It’s quite, it’s quite wild." Have a look at the footage below:<h2>What else DeChambeau opined on?</h2>The two-time major winner also said that the believes in existence of extra-terrestrial or inter-dimensional beings. "I do think that there are interdimensional beings out there, for sure," said the physics major said. "I do believe in UAPs [Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena]. UAPs, UFOs, I think they’re more than just aliens from another world. Maybe aliens from another world. But I think there’s more. There’s a lot more to that story," he added.On his relationship with US president Trump, DeChambeau said: "He gives me a lot of crap about pickles, actually."

The US golfer has questioned the authenticity of NASA's moon landing footage but said he believes in ‘inter-dimensional’ beings on Katie Miller podcast.

Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time major winner, is also a physic major from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas which he attended from 2012-15. He is currently contemplating what to do with his career if LIV Golf, rival PGA Tour which is he a part of, fails: "content creation on YouTube or professional golf." Recently, DeChambeau appeared on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller - the wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. During the podcast, the golfer talked about a lot of things, including his relationship with US President Donald Trump but the most interesting thing was his take on NASA's moon landing. What DeChambeau thinks about Moon landing? The golfer was asked if Alan Shepherd, who walked on moon during Apollo 14 mission in 1971, did play golf on the lunar surface. DeChambeau, a man of science, replied: "Oh, I don’t, here we, conspiracy theory, I don’t know. Look, Elon [Musk] says we’ve definitely gone there. So I tend to go that route, because he’s the man that knows quite a bit about all that. Artemis just went around the moon. So I do believe if we spent a lot of our resources like they say we did, I think we did. I don’t think the footage is real. But I think we did go to the moon. I don’t know about the footage. It’s quite, it’s quite wild." Have a look at the footage below: What else DeChambeau opined on? The two-time major winner also said that the believes in existence of extra-terrestrial or inter-dimensional beings. "I do think that there are interdimensional beings out there, for sure," said the physics major said. "I do believe in UAPs [Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena]. UAPs, UFOs, I think they’re more than just aliens from another world. Maybe aliens from another world. But I think there’s more. There’s a lot more to that story," he added. On his relationship with US president Trump, DeChambeau said: "He gives me a lot of crap about pickles, actually."

The US golfer has questioned the authenticity of NASA's moon landing footage but said he believes in ‘inter-dimensional’ beings on Katie Miller podcast.

Bryson DeChambeau, two-time major winner and physics graduate, questions moon landing footage

At the Augusta Masters last month, Englishman Aaron Rai had won par-three contest before the tournament began. He made birdies on the last two holes to win the par-three contest and effectively took the curse which, as the folklore goes, barred him from winning the year's first major. He finished 48th at the Masters and proved the curse right which states that 'no par-three contest winner has been able to wear the prestigious green jacket in the same year.' Rai, however, was not worried about it and had said that time: "I'm not sure if it's a good omen or not, but just really nice to play well, enjoy it and share the experience with my family." Nearly a month later, he is the first English golfer to win the PGA Championship in over a century. Rai won year's second major and his first on Sunday (May 17) with a five-under final round score and nine-under in total.<h2>Who is Aaron Rai?</h2>Aaron Rai, 31, is an English golfer, born in Wolverhampton, who went pro at the age of 17 instead of going to the USA for college golf. He joined the PGA Tour in 2022 after being successful on the DP World Tour, previously European tour. Before winning the PGA Championship on Sunday (May 17), Rai, at best, had finished 19th at a golf major - at 2024 U.S. Open and 2025 PGA Championship.Also Watch - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pga-championship-watch-rory-mcilroy-loses-cool-and-says-shut-the-f-up-to-fan-1779082698359">PGA Championship | McIlroy loses cool and says 'shut the f*** up' to fan</a><h2>Does Aaron Rai have Indian ancestry?</h2>Yes, Aaron Rai does have Indian roots and is married to an Indian golfer as well. He was born on May 3, 1995 to Amrik Singh, son of Indian immigrants, and Dalvir Shukla, who had moved to England from Kenya with her parents as teenager. Rai's wife Gaurika Bishnoi is an Indian female golfer and multi-time winner of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour.<h2>What Rai said about his first golf major?</h2>Rai credited his upbringing in the working-class family for his success and said: Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mom and my siblings were very fast to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things. My dad instilled the importance of work and dedication and trying to consistently build just good, strong habits around the game. My mom worked extremely hard away from golf. She worked a couple of jobs at one time and she did a lot of work around the house."There was a lot of consistent messaging of hard work. It has been something I've just grown up with and I guess as I've got older, something that I've really valued and tried to continue to move forward with."He also acknowledged his multi-nation roots and said: "I'm very proud to be from England. That's where I grew up. That's where a lot of my family still live. I'm very proud of India and Kenya as well. My mom still spends a lot of time in Kenya. Both of my sets of grandparents from my mom and dad's side were from India. I'm very proud of representing all three really."

Aaron Rai, the golfer with Indian roots, has become the first Englishman to win PGA Championship since Jim Barnes’ triumph in 1919. He won $3.69 million prize money.

At the Augusta Masters last month, Englishman Aaron Rai had won par-three contest before the tournament began. He made birdies on the last two holes to win the par-three contest and effectively took the curse which, as the folklore goes, barred him from winning the year's first major. He finished 48th at the Masters and proved the curse right which states that 'no par-three contest winner has been able to wear the prestigious green jacket in the same year.' Rai, however, was not worried about it and had said that time: "I'm not sure if it's a good omen or not, but just really nice to play well, enjoy it and share the experience with my family." Nearly a month later, he is the first English golfer to win the PGA Championship in over a century. Rai won year's second major and his first on Sunday (May 17) with a five-under final round score and nine-under in total. Who is Aaron Rai? Aaron Rai, 31, is an English golfer, born in Wolverhampton, who went pro at the age of 17 instead of going to the USA for college golf. He joined the PGA Tour in 2022 after being successful on the DP World Tour, previously European tour. Before winning the PGA Championship on Sunday (May 17), Rai, at best, had finished 19th at a golf major - at 2024 U.S. Open and 2025 PGA Championship. Also Watch - PGA Championship | McIlroy loses cool and says 'shut the f*** up' to fan Does Aaron Rai have Indian ancestry? Yes, Aaron Rai does have Indian roots and is married to an Indian golfer as well. He was born on May 3, 1995 to Amrik Singh, son of Indian immigrants, and Dalvir Shukla, who had moved to England from Kenya with her parents as teenager. Rai's wife Gaurika Bishnoi is an Indian female golfer and multi-time winner of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour. What Rai said about his first golf major? Rai credited his upbringing in the working-class family for his success and said: Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mom and my siblings were very fast to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things. My dad instilled the importance of work and dedication and trying to consistently build just good, strong habits around the game. My mom worked extremely hard away from golf. She worked a couple of jobs at one time and she did a lot of work around the house. "There was a lot of consistent messaging of hard work. It has been something I've just grown up with and I guess as I've got older, something that I've really valued and tried to continue to move forward with." He also acknowledged his multi-nation roots and said: "I'm very proud to be from England. That's where I grew up. That's where a lot of my family still live. I'm very proud of India and Kenya as well. My mom still spends a lot of time in Kenya. Both of my sets of grandparents from my mom and dad's side were from India. I'm very proud of representing all three really."

Aaron Rai, the golfer with Indian roots, has become the first Englishman to win PGA Championship since Jim Barnes’ triumph in 1919. He won $3.69 million prize money.

From Augusta Curse to History: Aaron Rai, Englishman with Indian roots, is first British golfer to win PGA Championship in a century

Rory McIlroy, the six-time major winner and 2026 Augusta Masters champ, had a forgettable PGA Championship which concluded on Sunday (May 17). The Northern Irishman finished joint seventh with 1-under after four rounds but it was him losing cool on a fan in the final round which grabbed the attention. McIlroy was heckled by a fan in Sunday at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia and he responded promptly using F-word before pointing the security towards the fan. It is not uncommon for USA-based fans to try and get under the skin of European Ryder Cup players with the rivalry between the USA and Europe sometimes getting out of hand.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pga-championship-aaron-rai-becomes-first-englishman-to-win-title-in-107-years-1779072664837">PGA Championship | Aaron Rai becomes first Englishman to win title in 107 years</a><h2>Was Rory McIlroy heckled by a fan at PGA Championship?</h2>During the 16th hole in the back 9, which was a par-5, McIlroy's tee shot landed straight into the rough. From that moment on, a particular fan started chanting 'U-S-A' repeatedly. McIlroy, who usually replies which is game, this time landed the next shot in the greenside bunker. The fan, much to Rory's dismay, continued to shout 'U-S-A' and McIlroy eventually looked at him and appeared to say on CBS telecast 'Shut the f*** up' before pointing the fan to security. Whether the fan was taken out of golf course or not, is not known. Have a look at the video of the incident below:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨🗣️ ‘SHUT THE F— UP!’ 🫨 Rory McIlroy loses it on a fan during his final round at The PGA Championship and appears to direct security to have them removed. <a href="https://t.co/rlIxfPW9ln">pic.twitter.com/rlIxfPW9ln</a>&mdash; NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) <a href="https://twitter.com/NUCLRGOLF/status/2056132087002894680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>What did Rory say about his performance at PGA Championship?</h2>McIlroy has won the PGA Championship two times - 2012 and 2014 - making it more than a decade that he has won this major. After winning the Augusta Masters last month, Rory was expected to put up a strong show at the PGA Championship but failed to do so. He was three strokes off the lead leading to the final round but ended up short of making the necessary plays."I think not birdieing the two par-5s and making the bogey at the drivable par-4 13th," McIlroy said. "To me, I felt like I played the golf I needed to play the rest of the way. If I birdied the two par-5s and turned that 5 into a 3 on 13, the day looks very different."&nbsp;

Not having a great tournament, Rory McIlroy used the f-word after being heckled by a fan who shouted ‘USA’ at him for a couple of poor shots on par-5 16th hole in final round.

Rory McIlroy, the six-time major winner and 2026 Augusta Masters champ, had a forgettable PGA Championship which concluded on Sunday (May 17). The Northern Irishman finished joint seventh with 1-under after four rounds but it was him losing cool on a fan in the final round which grabbed the attention. McIlroy was heckled by a fan in Sunday at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia and he responded promptly using F-word before pointing the security towards the fan. It is not uncommon for USA-based fans to try and get under the skin of European Ryder Cup players with the rivalry between the USA and Europe sometimes getting out of hand. Also Read - PGA Championship | Aaron Rai becomes first Englishman to win title in 107 years Was Rory McIlroy heckled by a fan at PGA Championship? During the 16th hole in the back 9, which was a par-5, McIlroy's tee shot landed straight into the rough. From that moment on, a particular fan started chanting 'U-S-A' repeatedly. McIlroy, who usually replies which is game, this time landed the next shot in the greenside bunker. The fan, much to Rory's dismay, continued to shout 'U-S-A' and McIlroy eventually looked at him and appeared to say on CBS telecast 'Shut the f*** up' before pointing the fan to security. Whether the fan was taken out of golf course or not, is not known. Have a look at the video of the incident below:

Not having a great tournament, Rory McIlroy used the f-word after being heckled by a fan who shouted ‘USA’ at him for a couple of poor shots on par-5 16th hole in final round.

PGA Championship | Rory McIlroy says 'shut the f*** up' to fan after being heckled - WATCH

Aaron Rai won his first major title on Sunday by capturing the PGA Championship, making birdies on four of the last eight holes to become the first Englishman to win the event in 107 years. Rai sealed a tense back-nine shootout with a spectacular 68-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th, firing his career-low major round with a five-under-par 65 to finish 72 holes on nine-under 271 at formidable Aronimink."Very surreal," said Rai, who has fought a neck injury this year. "It has been a frustrating season so to be standing here is outside my modest imagination."He defeated two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain and American Alex Smalley by three strokes with American Justin Thomas, Germany's Matti Schmid and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg sharing fourth on 275.The 31-year-old from Wombourne in central England took home a $3.69 million top prize from a record purse of $20.5 million and the Wanamaker Trophy after a dramatic final day.Rai became only the second English player to win the PGA after Jim Barnes captured the first two titles in 1916 and 1919."Extremely proud," Rai said. "There's a lot of incredible and historic English players over those hundred years who have gone on to achieve incredible things and had phenomenal careers."To be the person that's the first one to have won it in a long time from England is an amazing thing and something to be extremely proud of."Never better than 19th in 12 prior major starts, Rai won his third DP World Tour title last November in Abu Dhabi and his only PGA Tour title in 2024 at Greensboro.<h2>Cautious finale</h2>Playing cautiously in windy weather on Aronimink's sloped greens, the world's top golfers battled the course and each other in a fight that turned as Rai surged into the lead.Rai answered a bogey at eight with a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-five ninth, then sank birdie putts from four feet at 11 and seven feet at 13, becoming the week's first to reach seven-under.Schmid, seeking his first PGA Tour title in his fifth major start and first PGA Championship, sank a birdie putt from just inside nine feet at 13 to pull within one of the lead.Rai responded by reaching the green in two at the par-five 16th to set up a tap-in birdie.He then delivered a knockout blow by curling in his monster birdie putt over a ridge at 17 to reach nine-under while Schmid made bogey at 15 to leave Rai ahead by four strokes."I definitely wasn't trying to hole that putt," Rai said. "The shadow gave the putt a nice line the last 10 feet so that helped. It was about the speed of the putt. Nice to see it go in."Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion, birdied the ninth to reach five-under but made only a bogey and eight pars on the back side."I played really good golf," Rahm said. "Just wish I'd have done better with the speed of the greens. Just couldn't seem to get it to the hole, and that's the reason why I didn't hole any more putts."Even so, what Aaron did today, catching him could have been very difficult. I feel like I was still close on that playing 16 until he made that long putt."World number two Rory McIlroy, who won his sixth major title at last month's Masters, shot 69 to share seventh on 276 with American Xander Schauffele and Australian Cameron Smith.Unheralded Smalley, in only his fifth major, teed off with a one-stroke lead and nine major winners among 22 players within four shots.A double bogey at the sixth and bogey at the par-three eighth plunged Smalley back until his eagle-bogey-birdie finish.American Kurt Kitayama fired a bogey-free, seven-under-par 63 to match the lowest final round in major golf history."I'm ecstatic," Kitayama said.Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot 69 to finish on 278.

The 31-year-old from Wombourne in central England took home a $3.69 million top prize from a record purse of $20.5 million and the Wanamaker Trophy after a dramatic final. Rai became only the second English player to win the PGA after Jim Barnes captured the first two titles in 1916 and 1919.

Aaron Rai won his first major title on Sunday by capturing the PGA Championship, making birdies on four of the last eight holes to become the first Englishman to win the event in 107 years. Rai sealed a tense back-nine shootout with a spectacular 68-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th, firing his career-low major round with a five-under-par 65 to finish 72 holes on nine-under 271 at formidable Aronimink. "Very surreal," said Rai, who has fought a neck injury this year. "It has been a frustrating season so to be standing here is outside my modest imagination." He defeated two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain and American Alex Smalley by three strokes with American Justin Thomas, Germany's Matti Schmid and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg sharing fourth on 275. The 31-year-old from Wombourne in central England took home a $3.69 million top prize from a record purse of $20.5 million and the Wanamaker Trophy after a dramatic final day. Rai became only the second English player to win the PGA after Jim Barnes captured the first two titles in 1916 and 1919. "Extremely proud," Rai said. "There's a lot of incredible and historic English players over those hundred years who have gone on to achieve incredible things and had phenomenal careers. "To be the person that's the first one to have won it in a long time from England is an amazing thing and something to be extremely proud of." Never better than 19th in 12 prior major starts, Rai won his third DP World Tour title last November in Abu Dhabi and his only PGA Tour title in 2024 at Greensboro. Cautious finale Playing cautiously in windy weather on Aronimink's sloped greens, the world's top golfers battled the course and each other in a fight that turned as Rai surged into the lead. Rai answered a bogey at eight with a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-five ninth, then sank birdie putts from four feet at 11 and seven feet at 13, becoming the week's first to reach seven-under. Schmid, seeking his first PGA Tour title in his fifth major start and first PGA Championship, sank a birdie putt from just inside nine feet at 13 to pull within one of the lead. Rai responded by reaching the green in two at the par-five 16th to set up a tap-in birdie. He then delivered a knockout blow by curling in his monster birdie putt over a ridge at 17 to reach nine-under while Schmid made bogey at 15 to leave Rai ahead by four strokes. "I definitely wasn't trying to hole that putt," Rai said. "The shadow gave the putt a nice line the last 10 feet so that helped. It was about the speed of the putt. Nice to see it go in." Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion, birdied the ninth to reach five-under but made only a bogey and eight pars on the back side. "I played really good golf," Rahm said. "Just wish I'd have done better with the speed of the greens. Just couldn't seem to get it to the hole, and that's the reason why I didn't hole any more putts. "Even so, what Aaron did today, catching him could have been very difficult. I feel like I was still close on that playing 16 until he made that long putt." World number two Rory McIlroy, who won his sixth major title at last month's Masters, shot 69 to share seventh on 276 with American Xander Schauffele and Australian Cameron Smith. Unheralded Smalley, in only his fifth major, teed off with a one-stroke lead and nine major winners among 22 players within four shots. A double bogey at the sixth and bogey at the par-three eighth plunged Smalley back until his eagle-bogey-birdie finish. American Kurt Kitayama fired a bogey-free, seven-under-par 63 to match the lowest final round in major golf history. "I'm ecstatic," Kitayama said. Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot 69 to finish on 278.

The 31-year-old from Wombourne in central England took home a $3.69 million top prize from a record purse of $20.5 million and the Wanamaker Trophy after a dramatic final. Rai became only the second English player to win the PGA after Jim Barnes captured the first two titles in 1916 and 1919.

PGA Championship | Aaron Rai becomes first Englishman to win title in 107 years

Americans Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley shared the lead after Friday's chaotic second round of the PGA Championship as cold, windy conditions contributed to carnage at Aronimink. Six others were only one adrift after 36 holes with seven more, including top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler, just two strokes off the lead entering the weekend. McNealy, never in the top 25 after 36 holes in 14 prior major starts, fired a three-under par 67 to match Smalley on four-under 136 at the midway mark.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pga-championship-why-was-garrick-higgo-penalised-golfer-pays-for-mistake-with-two-stroke-penalty-1778829233540">PGA Championship | Why was Garrick Higgo penalised during Round 1?</a>"This is unfamiliar territory to me," McNealy said. "I was surprised to be that high on the leaderboard."McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes.The world number 33 squandered the solo lead, however, with three-putt bogeys at the sixth and par-three eighth holes."My putter is going to have to be my best club," McNealy said. "That's the reason I still have a job out here."Smalley fell out of the solo lead with three bogeys in a row but a closing birdie put him on 69."It was difficult, it was chilly this morning, the wind was up," Smalley said. "Some of the hole locations are very difficult. They're right on the top of a crown."Sharing third on 137 were Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, plus Americans Chris Gotterup and Max Greyserman, South African Aldrich Potgieter, Australian Min Woo Lee and German Stephan Jaeger, who made 18 pars.A bogey-bogey finish doomed 21-year-old Potgieter's bid to become the youngest 36-hole major leader since Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters."Looking at those last two holes as kind of unfortunate, but I felt like I was in control most of the round," Potgieter said.Gotterup closed with three birdies to shoot 65."Just really battled all day," Gotterup said. "It was very hard out there. It was cold. There were some pins it didn't even look like were on the green."Joining Scheffler in ninth on 138 were fellow Americans Cameron Young, Justin Thomas and Harris English plus Spain's David Puig, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and South Korean Kim Si-woo.Scheffler tumbled from a share of the lead with three bogeys in his first four holes but closed with a birdie at nine to shoot 71.The four-time major winner missed seven fairways after hitting 13 of 14 on Thursday but complained most about hole positions."Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd," Scheffler said. "You've just got to try to continue to hit good shots."<h2>McIlroy in hunt</h2>Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, fired a bogey-free three-under par 67 to stand on 141 with Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele among others."Some of these hole locations have been brutal," McIlroy said. "It's a really bunched leaderboard because guys are finding it tough to make putts."McIlroy spent hours on the driving range after a 74 on Thursday and seemed to solve his woes."I just needed to try and find the feeling with the driver. I felt like I found a feel last night and I definitely drove it much better today," McIlroy said."It was a day just to get back in the tournament and that's what I felt I was able to do."Germany's Martin Kaymer made bogeys on five of the first seven holes and shot 75 to stand on 142.England's Justin Rose chipped in for eagle from 76 feet on his final hole to shoot 73 and made the cut with a total of 143 despite two double bogeys and four bogeys.

McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes

Americans Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley shared the lead after Friday's chaotic second round of the PGA Championship as cold, windy conditions contributed to carnage at Aronimink. Six others were only one adrift after 36 holes with seven more, including top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler, just two strokes off the lead entering the weekend. McNealy, never in the top 25 after 36 holes in 14 prior major starts, fired a three-under par 67 to match Smalley on four-under 136 at the midway mark. Also Read - PGA Championship | Why was Garrick Higgo penalised during Round 1? "This is unfamiliar territory to me," McNealy said. "I was surprised to be that high on the leaderboard." McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes. The world number 33 squandered the solo lead, however, with three-putt bogeys at the sixth and par-three eighth holes. "My putter is going to have to be my best club," McNealy said. "That's the reason I still have a job out here." Smalley fell out of the solo lead with three bogeys in a row but a closing birdie put him on 69. "It was difficult, it was chilly this morning, the wind was up," Smalley said. "Some of the hole locations are very difficult. They're right on the top of a crown." Sharing third on 137 were Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, plus Americans Chris Gotterup and Max Greyserman, South African Aldrich Potgieter, Australian Min Woo Lee and German Stephan Jaeger, who made 18 pars. A bogey-bogey finish doomed 21-year-old Potgieter's bid to become the youngest 36-hole major leader since Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters. "Looking at those last two holes as kind of unfortunate, but I felt like I was in control most of the round," Potgieter said. Gotterup closed with three birdies to shoot 65. "Just really battled all day," Gotterup said. "It was very hard out there. It was cold. There were some pins it didn't even look like were on the green." Joining Scheffler in ninth on 138 were fellow Americans Cameron Young, Justin Thomas and Harris English plus Spain's David Puig, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and South Korean Kim Si-woo. Scheffler tumbled from a share of the lead with three bogeys in his first four holes but closed with a birdie at nine to shoot 71. The four-time major winner missed seven fairways after hitting 13 of 14 on Thursday but complained most about hole positions. "Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd," Scheffler said. "You've just got to try to continue to hit good shots." McIlroy in hunt Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, fired a bogey-free three-under par 67 to stand on 141 with Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele among others. "Some of these hole locations have been brutal," McIlroy said. "It's a really bunched leaderboard because guys are finding it tough to make putts." McIlroy spent hours on the driving range after a 74 on Thursday and seemed to solve his woes. "I just needed to try and find the feeling with the driver. I felt like I found a feel last night and I definitely drove it much better today," McIlroy said. "It was a day just to get back in the tournament and that's what I felt I was able to do." Germany's Martin Kaymer made bogeys on five of the first seven holes and shot 75 to stand on 142. England's Justin Rose chipped in for eagle from 76 feet on his final hole to shoot 73 and made the cut with a total of 143 despite two double bogeys and four bogeys.

McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes.

PGA Championship | Americans McNealy and Smalley share lead after second round

In a dramatic turn of event, South Africa's Garrick Higgo was reprimanded during round 1 of the ongoing PGA Championship on Thursday (May 14) at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia. Higgo was just one minute late for his tee off in the first round and ended up paying for it with two-shot penalty. He eventually finished with 1-under 69 card, recovering well and truly from the setback at the start of his day. There was a possibility of him being not allowed to tee off but an exception to rule Rule 5.3a about being on time, which allows a golfer to arrive at the starting point ready to play no more than five minutes late, saved him from being removed from the tournament.<h2>Why was Higgo penalised at PGA Championship?</h2>Golf is usually a laidback sport where players take their own sweet time to get around and play, it clearly takes punctuality very seriously. Higgo was just one minute late for his 7:18 AM ET tee off time during the 108th PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club and the officials did not spare him. He was penalised for two strokes and his par-4 on the first hole was carded as double-bogey six. He recovered with birdies at par-4 third hole and par-5 ninth hole.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pga-championship-defending-champ-scheffler-in-lead-with-six-others-after-first-round-1778812888255">PGA Championship: Defending champ Scheffler gets 1st round lead with six others</a>The 27-year-old golfer was not near the starting point for tee which is defined as per the PGA of America's Local Rules and Terms of Competition by the "rope, gallery stakes, green bike fencing and/or blue stakes, blue dots or blue lines" for holes No. 1 to 10. He was practicing on putting green which was not in the defined the area of presence and hence the penalty.<h2>What did Higgo say about the penalty?</h2>The golfer, more than angry, was just relieved to be able to tee off and said: "I wouldn't have been late if I knew I was running late. Obviously, this is the first time it's happened. I wasn't sure quite what. I was just happy they allowed me to tee off, firstly, you know what I mean? I was bummed when he said I had a two-shot penalty.""If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back," Higgo added. "I don't know. I don't want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time. I was obviously too casual, yeah."

South Africa's Garrick Higgo was given a two-stroke penalty after arriving one minute late past his tee time at round 1 of PGA Championship on Thursday (May 14).

In a dramatic turn of event, South Africa's Garrick Higgo was reprimanded during round 1 of the ongoing PGA Championship on Thursday (May 14) at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia. Higgo was just one minute late for his tee off in the first round and ended up paying for it with two-shot penalty. He eventually finished with 1-under 69 card, recovering well and truly from the setback at the start of his day. There was a possibility of him being not allowed to tee off but an exception to rule Rule 5.3a about being on time, which allows a golfer to arrive at the starting point ready to play no more than five minutes late, saved him from being removed from the tournament. Why was Higgo penalised at PGA Championship? Golf is usually a laidback sport where players take their own sweet time to get around and play, it clearly takes punctuality very seriously. Higgo was just one minute late for his 7:18 AM ET tee off time during the 108th PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club and the officials did not spare him. He was penalised for two strokes and his par-4 on the first hole was carded as double-bogey six. He recovered with birdies at par-4 third hole and par-5 ninth hole. Also Read - PGA Championship: Defending champ Scheffler gets 1st round lead with six others The 27-year-old golfer was not near the starting point for tee which is defined as per the PGA of America's Local Rules and Terms of Competition by the "rope, gallery stakes, green bike fencing and/or blue stakes, blue dots or blue lines" for holes No. 1 to 10. He was practicing on putting green which was not in the defined the area of presence and hence the penalty. What did Higgo say about the penalty? The golfer, more than angry, was just relieved to be able to tee off and said: "I wouldn't have been late if I knew I was running late. Obviously, this is the first time it's happened. I wasn't sure quite what. I was just happy they allowed me to tee off, firstly, you know what I mean? I was bummed when he said I had a two-shot penalty." "If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back," Higgo added. "I don't know. I don't want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time. I was obviously too casual, yeah."

South Africa's Garrick Higgo was given a two-stroke penalty after arriving one minute late past his tee time at round 1 of PGA Championship on Thursday (May 14).

PGA Championship | Why was Garrick Higgo penalised? Golfer pays for mistake with two-stroke penalty

Through three consecutive PGA Tour runner-up finishes, Scottie Scheffler could only wonder what might have been without poor starts. Now he's hoping to find out. Defending champion Scheffler grinded to a three-under par 67 on Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead at the PGA Championship alongside six rivals at challenging Aronimink."Definitely the best start I've gotten off to this year," said Scheffler, who allowed his opening 63 in an American Express victory in January might have been up there too."I felt like, especially going into the weekend when you look at like the Masters and Hilton Head and Cadillac, finishing second was probably not all that bad from where I was starting the weekend.“Definitely nice to get off to a better start this week.”Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pga-championship-separated-the-little-toe-rory-mcilroy-looking-good-for-second-successive-major-after-blister-discomfort-1778746601893">PGA Championship | McIlroy all good for 2nd successive major after toe blister</a>Scheffler fired his worst rounds at the recent tournaments at Hilton Head and Doral on the first day and started 70-74 at the Masters before a bogey-free weekend left him one stroke behind winner Rory McIlroy.Scheffler is set for an 8:40 a.m. (1240 GMT) start on Friday after going off late Thursday while most of those who share the lead have afternoon starts on day two."It's a really tight leaderboard," Scheffler said. "At this moment it's anybody's tournament."World number one Scheffler only missed one of 14 fairways on Thursday in taking an 18-hole major lead for the first time."There are a lot of run-ups on the greens and they put the pins on some of the high points," Scheffler said. "So your scores are definitely going to be lower if you hit the ball on the fairway, but it's still really difficult to make birdies."You hit some really nice iron shots in there to 10 or 15 feet, and you've got putts with a ton of break on them. This golf course, especially on the greens, is quite challenging."Scheffler stood and laughed after missing a four-foot putt at 14 that led to a three-putt bogey."There's a ton of slope on the greens. That putt in particular on 14, it was like the pin was on the very highest point of the green," Scheffler said."I played it what I thought was right center, and it broke pretty severely to the right. There's just not much you can do there other than laugh. That's part of the game."Sometimes you get good and bad breaks. I holed a couple of long putts today and any time you're able to do something like that, you've got to take the good with the bad."Philadelphia-area fans of the NFL Eagles taunted Dallas Cowboys fan Scheffler at times."I got chirped more than I expected for being a Cowboys fan, but it was all in good fun," Scheffler said. "I got quite a kick out of it."

Defending champion Scheffler grinded to a three-under par 67 on Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead at the PGA Championship alongside six rivals at challenging Aronimink.

Through three consecutive PGA Tour runner-up finishes, Scottie Scheffler could only wonder what might have been without poor starts. Now he's hoping to find out. Defending champion Scheffler grinded to a three-under par 67 on Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead at the PGA Championship alongside six rivals at challenging Aronimink. "Definitely the best start I've gotten off to this year," said Scheffler, who allowed his opening 63 in an American Express victory in January might have been up there too. "I felt like, especially going into the weekend when you look at like the Masters and Hilton Head and Cadillac, finishing second was probably not all that bad from where I was starting the weekend. “Definitely nice to get off to a better start this week.” Also Read - PGA Championship | McIlroy all good for 2nd successive major after toe blister Scheffler fired his worst rounds at the recent tournaments at Hilton Head and Doral on the first day and started 70-74 at the Masters before a bogey-free weekend left him one stroke behind winner Rory McIlroy. Scheffler is set for an 8:40 a.m. (1240 GMT) start on Friday after going off late Thursday while most of those who share the lead have afternoon starts on day two. "It's a really tight leaderboard," Scheffler said. "At this moment it's anybody's tournament." World number one Scheffler only missed one of 14 fairways on Thursday in taking an 18-hole major lead for the first time. "There are a lot of run-ups on the greens and they put the pins on some of the high points," Scheffler said. "So your scores are definitely going to be lower if you hit the ball on the fairway, but it's still really difficult to make birdies. "You hit some really nice iron shots in there to 10 or 15 feet, and you've got putts with a ton of break on them. This golf course, especially on the greens, is quite challenging." Scheffler stood and laughed after missing a four-foot putt at 14 that led to a three-putt bogey. "There's a ton of slope on the greens. That putt in particular on 14, it was like the pin was on the very highest point of the green," Scheffler said. "I played it what I thought was right center, and it broke pretty severely to the right. There's just not much you can do there other than laugh. That's part of the game. "Sometimes you get good and bad breaks. I holed a couple of long putts today and any time you're able to do something like that, you've got to take the good with the bad." Philadelphia-area fans of the NFL Eagles taunted Dallas Cowboys fan Scheffler at times. "I got chirped more than I expected for being a Cowboys fan, but it was all in good fun," Scheffler said. "I got quite a kick out of it."

Defending champion Scheffler grinded to a three-under par 67 on Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead at the PGA Championship alongside six rivals at challenging Aronimink.

PGA Championship: Defending champ Scheffler in lead with six others after first round

World number two Rory McIlroy questions LIV Golf's ability to find new investors after Saudi backers pull out but said Friday the PGA Tour should be open to players wanting to return. The reigning Masters champion, a six-time major winner from Northern Ireland, admitted there will be some "bridges to cross" in any comebacks. McIlroy has long been a vocal LIV opponent and unhappy with PGA Tour players who jumped to $25 million events on the Saudi-backed series.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nba-playoffs-pistons-hold-of-cavaliers-to-take-2-0-lead-in-conference-semis-1778207205965">NBA Playoffs: Pistons hold of Cavaliers to take 2-0 lead in conference semis</a>The Saudi Public Investment Fund, however, has announced it will stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, the rebel tour now seeking new investors to continue beyond a scheduled August finish."It doesn't mean that LIV is going to go away," McIlroy said of LIV's financial woes. "They're going to go and try and find alternative investment, whatever that may look like."But when one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you're too expensive for them, that sort of says something."The PGA Tour offered a temporary path back for some LIV players and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka took advantage to make a return.LIV's demise could send dozens of players in search of a PGA spot, including such major winners as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, who has indicated he wants to work more on his YouTube ventures."It's a question if they do want to come back," McIlroy said. "We've seen the quotes over the last few days and it seems like some of the guys -- again, it all depends on what happens to LIV."But if it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, (PGA Tour chief executive) Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that. That's just good business practice."I think there's going to be a lot of, sort of, bridges to cross to get there, just because, the guys over there are under contract and if they are able to keep it going and get a schedule together next year, it seems like those guys are still going to play the majority of their golf on LIV in whatever form it takes."<h2>‘That says something’</h2>McIlroy is fine with players who don't seek a PGA comeback."At the start, I was probably too judgmental with the guys that went because I was seeing it from my point of view and maybe not seeing it from other points of view," McIlroy said."But again, I'm not going to judge anyone for not wanting to play on the PGA Tour."Does that mean that they go play DP World Tour maybe? If that's a pathway, that would make the DP World Tour stronger, and I would be delighted with that, because that's my home tour, at the end of the day."But if you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be. And if you don't want to play here, I think that says something about you."

The Saudi Public Investment Fund, however, has announced it will stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, the rebel tour now seeking new investors to continue beyond a scheduled August finish.

World number two Rory McIlroy questions LIV Golf's ability to find new investors after Saudi backers pull out but said Friday the PGA Tour should be open to players wanting to return. The reigning Masters champion, a six-time major winner from Northern Ireland, admitted there will be some "bridges to cross" in any comebacks. McIlroy has long been a vocal LIV opponent and unhappy with PGA Tour players who jumped to $25 million events on the Saudi-backed series. Also Read - NBA Playoffs: Pistons hold of Cavaliers to take 2-0 lead in conference semis The Saudi Public Investment Fund, however, has announced it will stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, the rebel tour now seeking new investors to continue beyond a scheduled August finish. "It doesn't mean that LIV is going to go away," McIlroy said of LIV's financial woes. "They're going to go and try and find alternative investment, whatever that may look like. "But when one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you're too expensive for them, that sort of says something." The PGA Tour offered a temporary path back for some LIV players and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka took advantage to make a return. LIV's demise could send dozens of players in search of a PGA spot, including such major winners as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, who has indicated he wants to work more on his YouTube ventures. "It's a question if they do want to come back," McIlroy said. "We've seen the quotes over the last few days and it seems like some of the guys -- again, it all depends on what happens to LIV. "But if it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, (PGA Tour chief executive) Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that. That's just good business practice. "I think there's going to be a lot of, sort of, bridges to cross to get there, just because, the guys over there are under contract and if they are able to keep it going and get a schedule together next year, it seems like those guys are still going to play the majority of their golf on LIV in whatever form it takes." ‘That says something’ McIlroy is fine with players who don't seek a PGA comeback. "At the start, I was probably too judgmental with the guys that went because I was seeing it from my point of view and maybe not seeing it from other points of view," McIlroy said. "But again, I'm not going to judge anyone for not wanting to play on the PGA Tour. "Does that mean that they go play DP World Tour maybe? If that's a pathway, that would make the DP World Tour stronger, and I would be delighted with that, because that's my home tour, at the end of the day. "But if you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be. And if you don't want to play here, I think that says something about you."

The Saudi Public Investment Fund, however, has announced it will stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, the rebel tour now seeking new investors to continue beyond a scheduled August finish.

Rory McIlroy wants PGA Tour to open door for LIV players amid financial woes

The Open, scheduled to run from July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale course in England, will be implementing a new policy to control the behaviour and misconduct by players. The tournament, one of golf's four mjaors along with the Master, US Open, and the US PGA, will hand a two-shot penalty to the players if they breach the policy. The news was shared by Mark Darbon, CEO of the Open's parent organization R&amp;A on Monday (Apr 27). The new policies will be implemented across all four majors starting with the Open as Masters, year's first golf major, being already done.<h2>Why Open is implementing two-shot penalty for players?</h2>The new policies of two-shot penalty over misconduct has been implemented to enforce proper behaviour of the players. In the Masters earlier this month, Spain's Sergio Garcia was in the spotlight for damaging a tee box in a frustation for which he was reprimanded. Scotland's Bob MacIntyre also drew a warning from the officials for using abusive language heard over microphones.Speaking to BBC, Darbon shared the reason behind implementing the policy and said: "You want passion from players, you want passion from spectators, but there's a fine line, and one of the amazing things about this sport are the values and integrity that underpin it.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/-fucking-awesome-says-ufc-chief-and-trump-ally-dana-white-on-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-1777265577519">'It was f*****g awesome': UFC chief &amp; Trump ally White on WHCA dinner shooting</a>"So we will watch that line very closely. We, like many of the other major events, are looking to implement a new code of conduct policy that will be in place this summer here at Royal Birkdale. And it will give us another measure by which to help influence and control that behaviour."<h2>How will the two-shot penalty impact players?</h2>The details about the two-shot penalty policy aren't out yet. Darbon has said that the technical aspects will be 'shared closer to the Championship.' The penalty, however, could very well be the difference between the players qualifying for the final rounds on the weekend as well as their ranking on the leaderboard once the tournament is over which, in turn, could affect their prize money and international ranking as well in addition to the title hopes.

The tournament, one of golf's four mjaors along with the Master, US Open, and the US PGA, will hand a two-shot penalty to the players if they breach the policy of misconduct. It is scheduled to run from July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale course in England. The technical aspects will be soon.

The Open, scheduled to run from July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale course in England, will be implementing a new policy to control the behaviour and misconduct by players. The tournament, one of golf's four mjaors along with the Master, US Open, and the US PGA, will hand a two-shot penalty to the players if they breach the policy. The news was shared by Mark Darbon, CEO of the Open's parent organization R&A on Monday (Apr 27). The new policies will be implemented across all four majors starting with the Open as Masters, year's first golf major, being already done. Why Open is implementing two-shot penalty for players? The new policies of two-shot penalty over misconduct has been implemented to enforce proper behaviour of the players. In the Masters earlier this month, Spain's Sergio Garcia was in the spotlight for damaging a tee box in a frustation for which he was reprimanded. Scotland's Bob MacIntyre also drew a warning from the officials for using abusive language heard over microphones. Speaking to BBC, Darbon shared the reason behind implementing the policy and said: "You want passion from players, you want passion from spectators, but there's a fine line, and one of the amazing things about this sport are the values and integrity that underpin it. Also Read - 'It was f*****g awesome': UFC chief & Trump ally White on WHCA dinner shooting "So we will watch that line very closely. We, like many of the other major events, are looking to implement a new code of conduct policy that will be in place this summer here at Royal Birkdale. And it will give us another measure by which to help influence and control that behaviour." How will the two-shot penalty impact players? The details about the two-shot penalty policy aren't out yet. Darbon has said that the technical aspects will be 'shared closer to the Championship.' The penalty, however, could very well be the difference between the players qualifying for the final rounds on the weekend as well as their ranking on the leaderboard once the tournament is over which, in turn, could affect their prize money and international ranking as well in addition to the title hopes.

The tournament, one of golf's four mjaors along with the Master, US Open, and the US PGA, will hand a two-shot penalty to the players if they breach the policy of misconduct. It is scheduled to run from July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale course in England. The technical aspects will be soon.

Open Championship set to impose two-shot penalty for misconduct. How will it impact players?

LIV Golf's scheduled June event in Louisiana has been postponed, according to multiple reports on Monday, as the Saudi-backed series seeks new investment. The Athletic and WDSU television in New Orleans reported that the New Orleans tournament, a new event set for June 25-28 at City Park's Bayou Oaks, will not be played as planned. LIV Golf chief executive officer Scott O'Neil and Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana economic development, spoke days after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) indicated it sought to drop financing for LIV, now in its fifth season, The Athletic reported.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/liv-begins-to-die-players-future-in-limbo-after-saudi-pif-withdraws-funding-beyond-2026-1776403567544">LIV begins to die: Players' future in limbo after Saudi PIF withdraws funding beyond 2026</a>Bourgeois and O'Neil spoke last Friday and agreed to postpone the tournament due to LIV's business model changes, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.The Louisiana tournament remained on LIV Golf's website schedule for June on Monday evening.The Athletic reported the sides hoped to talk about a re-envisioned event this fall, although LIV's final event for the 2026 campaign is set for August.WDSU reported the state of Louisiana would postpone the event until LIV could find other funding sources and restructure.City Park, owned by the state of Louisiana, received $2 million in state funding for upgrades to host the event and the state also set aside $3 million as a hosting fee to lure the event with hopes for $70 million in economic impact for the area, the television station reported.The state would be refunded $1 million already paid to LIV and provide no additional money, WDSU reported.The Athletic said $1.2 million would be returned to the state with the renovation money treated as an acceptable improvement to a state asset.The move raises concerns about what could be the final months for LIV as O'Neil seeks money after this year's potential PIF funding stoppage.LIV arrived in 2022 and lured top PGA Tour talent with big contracts, Spain's Jon Rahm winning the past two season crowns.But the series has struggled for global attention and some players, such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, have jumped back to the PGA Tour or are in the process of doing so.LIV Golf's next scheduled event is at Trump National Golf Club in suburban Washington on May 7-10.Other LIV stops are set for May in South Korea, June in Spain and July in England before the season closes with US stops in August at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, Indianapolis and the team championship in Michigan on August 27-30.

LIV Golf June event in New Orleans being postponed amid funding crunch, say reports

LIV Golf's scheduled June event in Louisiana has been postponed, according to multiple reports on Monday, as the Saudi-backed series seeks new investment. The Athletic and WDSU television in New Orleans reported that the New Orleans tournament, a new event set for June 25-28 at City Park's Bayou Oaks, will not be played as planned. LIV Golf chief executive officer Scott O'Neil and Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana economic development, spoke days after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) indicated it sought to drop financing for LIV, now in its fifth season, The Athletic reported. Also Read - LIV begins to die: Players' future in limbo after Saudi PIF withdraws funding beyond 2026 Bourgeois and O'Neil spoke last Friday and agreed to postpone the tournament due to LIV's business model changes, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday. The Louisiana tournament remained on LIV Golf's website schedule for June on Monday evening. The Athletic reported the sides hoped to talk about a re-envisioned event this fall, although LIV's final event for the 2026 campaign is set for August. WDSU reported the state of Louisiana would postpone the event until LIV could find other funding sources and restructure. City Park, owned by the state of Louisiana, received $2 million in state funding for upgrades to host the event and the state also set aside $3 million as a hosting fee to lure the event with hopes for $70 million in economic impact for the area, the television station reported. The state would be refunded $1 million already paid to LIV and provide no additional money, WDSU reported. The Athletic said $1.2 million would be returned to the state with the renovation money treated as an acceptable improvement to a state asset. The move raises concerns about what could be the final months for LIV as O'Neil seeks money after this year's potential PIF funding stoppage. LIV arrived in 2022 and lured top PGA Tour talent with big contracts, Spain's Jon Rahm winning the past two season crowns. But the series has struggled for global attention and some players, such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, have jumped back to the PGA Tour or are in the process of doing so. LIV Golf's next scheduled event is at Trump National Golf Club in suburban Washington on May 7-10. Other LIV stops are set for May in South Korea, June in Spain and July in England before the season closes with US stops in August at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, Indianapolis and the team championship in Michigan on August 27-30.

LIV Golf chief executive officer Scott O'Neil and Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana economic development, spoke days after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) indicated it sought to drop financing for LIV, now in its fifth season.

The PGA Tour is exploring pathways for players to return from LIV Golf, even as the embattled breakaway circuit scrambles to rebrand and retain its stars ahead of the rumored withdrawal of Saudi funding. The golfing world was shaken last week by widespread reports that LIV only has support from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund guaranteed until the end of the season, after which the high-spending tour would face a major financial deficit if it continues. That has prompted speculation that the entire circuit could soon collapse, leaving marquee players like Bryson DeChambeau plotting their futures.Asked this week if the PGA tour had plans to welcome back defectors from rival LIV like DeChambeau, as it already has with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, CEO Brian Rolapp said the PGA was "thinking about it.""Brooks came back onto the tour because he made a phone call and said, 'Look, I'm out of my contract. I'm ready to come back,'" Rolapp told the Pat McAfee Show on Monday."So we're thinking about it. We'll react when we have an opportunity to react.He added: "I'm interested in whatever makes the PGA Tour better."Whether DeChambeau would want to return to the PGA Tour is not clear, particularly given the punitive financial terms already imposed on the likes of Koepka.DeChambeau's wildly popular YouTube channel regularly draws over two million views per video, and he could feasibly choose to only play golf's four major tournaments.Even if LIV Golf continues next season, DeChambeau's contract will be up, and The Athletic on Monday reported that the two-time major winner is demanding "up to $500 million" to re-sign.LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil, who last week told staff that the tour would continue "full throttle" this season, said the circuit would "probably" have to raise money going forward.<h2>'OKGC'</h2>One option he has frequently touted is selling equity stakes in LIV's 13 teams.On Tuesday, the tour announced it was rebranding the Smash GC team -- formerly captained by Koepka -- as "OKGC", inspired by its new, Oklahoma City-native captain Talor Gooch.It has previously rebranded other teams to help attract fans, sponsors and potential investors from specific international markets, including "Korean Golf Club", and the all-South African "Southern Guards".The "OKGC" rebranding is "a significant step in LIV Golf's strategy to connect its teams to home markets, creating stronger identities and deeper relationships with fans, partners and communities," said a tour statement."As the league continues to grow globally, OKGC highlights the growing impact of localized, domestic team identities within the LIV Golf franchise model," said the statement.Still, selling team stakes alone would not begin to plug the estimated $5 billion that Saudi backers have spent on the four-year-old LIV Golf tour to date.In January, Bloomberg reported that the league was targeting valuations up to $300 million per team. There is currently no public valuation of what the teams are worth.O'Neil has also spoken about other strategies like partnering with established national opens, and redoubling LIV's focus on markets where it has drawn record crowds to events, such as Australia and South Africa.And in the United States, the tour still retains the support of at least one powerful fan.The venue for LIV's next tournament?The US president's own Trump National Golf Club, just outside Washington DC.

The golfing world was shaken last week by widespread reports that LIV only has support from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund guaranteed until the end of the season, after which the high-spending tour would face a major financial deficit if it continues. 

The PGA Tour is exploring pathways for players to return from LIV Golf, even as the embattled breakaway circuit scrambles to rebrand and retain its stars ahead of the rumored withdrawal of Saudi funding. The golfing world was shaken last week by widespread reports that LIV only has support from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund guaranteed until the end of the season, after which the high-spending tour would face a major financial deficit if it continues. That has prompted speculation that the entire circuit could soon collapse, leaving marquee players like Bryson DeChambeau plotting their futures. Asked this week if the PGA tour had plans to welcome back defectors from rival LIV like DeChambeau, as it already has with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, CEO Brian Rolapp said the PGA was "thinking about it." "Brooks came back onto the tour because he made a phone call and said, 'Look, I'm out of my contract. I'm ready to come back,'" Rolapp told the Pat McAfee Show on Monday. "So we're thinking about it. We'll react when we have an opportunity to react. He added: "I'm interested in whatever makes the PGA Tour better." Whether DeChambeau would want to return to the PGA Tour is not clear, particularly given the punitive financial terms already imposed on the likes of Koepka. DeChambeau's wildly popular YouTube channel regularly draws over two million views per video, and he could feasibly choose to only play golf's four major tournaments. Even if LIV Golf continues next season, DeChambeau's contract will be up, and The Athletic on Monday reported that the two-time major winner is demanding "up to $500 million" to re-sign. LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil, who last week told staff that the tour would continue "full throttle" this season, said the circuit would "probably" have to raise money going forward. 'OKGC' One option he has frequently touted is selling equity stakes in LIV's 13 teams. On Tuesday, the tour announced it was rebranding the Smash GC team -- formerly captained by Koepka -- as "OKGC", inspired by its new, Oklahoma City-native captain Talor Gooch. It has previously rebranded other teams to help attract fans, sponsors and potential investors from specific international markets, including "Korean Golf Club", and the all-South African "Southern Guards". The "OKGC" rebranding is "a significant step in LIV Golf's strategy to connect its teams to home markets, creating stronger identities and deeper relationships with fans, partners and communities," said a tour statement. "As the league continues to grow globally, OKGC highlights the growing impact of localized, domestic team identities within the LIV Golf franchise model," said the statement. Still, selling team stakes alone would not begin to plug the estimated $5 billion that Saudi backers have spent on the four-year-old LIV Golf tour to date. In January, Bloomberg reported that the league was targeting valuations up to $300 million per team. There is currently no public valuation of what the teams are worth. O'Neil has also spoken about other strategies like partnering with established national opens, and redoubling LIV's focus on markets where it has drawn record crowds to events, such as Australia and South Africa. And in the United States, the tour still retains the support of at least one powerful fan. The venue for LIV's next tournament? The US president's own Trump National Golf Club, just outside Washington DC.

The golfing world was shaken last week by widespread reports that LIV only has support from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund guaranteed until the end of the season, after which the high-spending tour would face a major financial deficit if it continues.&nbsp;

PGA Tour exploring way back for golfers amid LIV uncertainty

England's Matt Fitzpatrick beat world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a thrilling playoff to win his second RCB Heritage tournament, a PGA Tour event, on Sunday (Apr 19) at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Fitzpatrick hit a sensational approach shot on the first playoff hole and followed it up with a tournament-winning birdie for his second PGA Tour title in space of 28 days. Fitzpatrick has also won Valspar Championship last month and this second RBC Heritage win takes his PGA Tour title tally to four. Fitzpatrick had three-shot advantage heading into the final round but Scheffler's birdies on 15th and 16th hole plus his own bogey on 18th left the scores tied after 72 holes before the playoffs decided the winner.<h2>How Fitzpatrick hit 'out of world' shot to win RBC Heritage?</h2>Using a four-iron, Fitzpatrick hit a brilliant approach shot on the first playoff hole at 152 km/h which fell about 12-13 feet from the hole. He finished it with a birdie as expected and went to win his second RBC Heritage tournament in three starts. Have a look at the shot below:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">His best when he needed it most! Matt Fitzpatrick hits it to 13 feet on the first playoff hole. <a href="https://t.co/fHEEyGZXap">pic.twitter.com/fHEEyGZXap</a>&mdash; PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) <a href="https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/2045989969265672404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

" I felt I was in a good spot and to hit the four-iron there was out of this world. It means the world. This is a tournament I wanted to win growing up, arguably more than any of the majors before I understood about the game. To win it twice means the world. To go out today and go toe-to-toe with Scottie and get over the line there on the 73rd is special," said Fitzpatrick after the win on a course where he came for vacation with family in childhood.<h2>How McIlroy's Masters win helped Fitzpatrick overcome skittled lead?</h2>In the recently played Augusta Masters, defending champions Rory McIlroy lost six-shot advantage halfway into the tournament but still managed to win his second green jacket in a row. Fitzpatrick, who failed to win in regulation after his lead was skittled away, said: “[My caddie Dan Parratt] actually said: ‘Go and get to the tee. We would have taken this at the start of the week’. I know Rory said that the other week so I jokingly said to Dan: ‘OK here he is, [McIlroy’s caddie] Harry Diamond’. We had a good laugh about that."

Fitzpatrick had three-shot advantage heading into the final round but Scottie Scheffler's birdies on 15th and 16th hole plus his own bogey on 18th left the scores tied after 72 holes before the playoffs decided the winner.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick beat world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a thrilling playoff to win his second RCB Heritage tournament, a PGA Tour event, on Sunday (Apr 19) at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Fitzpatrick hit a sensational approach shot on the first playoff hole and followed it up with a tournament-winning birdie for his second PGA Tour title in space of 28 days. Fitzpatrick has also won Valspar Championship last month and this second RBC Heritage win takes his PGA Tour title tally to four. Fitzpatrick had three-shot advantage heading into the final round but Scheffler's birdies on 15th and 16th hole plus his own bogey on 18th left the scores tied after 72 holes before the playoffs decided the winner. How Fitzpatrick hit 'out of world' shot to win RBC Heritage? Using a four-iron, Fitzpatrick hit a brilliant approach shot on the first playoff hole at 152 km/h which fell about 12-13 feet from the hole. He finished it with a birdie as expected and went to win his second RBC Heritage tournament in three starts. Have a look at the shot below:

Fitzpatrick had three-shot advantage heading into the final round but Scottie Scheffler's birdies on 15th and 16th hole plus his own bogey on 18th left the scores tied after 72 holes before the playoffs decided the winner.

RBC Heritage: Matt Fitzpatrick hits 'out of world shot' to beat Scottie Scheffler in playoff - WATCH

As Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has pulled its support from the LIV Golf beyond 2026, the future of the players is now in limbo. Most of the players had left PGA Tour - the powerhouse of golf - to be in Saudi's rebel tour which now is facing uncertain future. Started in 2021, Saudi PIF has spent nearly $5 billion on LIV and now seems to say enough. The decision was taken after the LIV executives met Wednesday (Apr 8) last week in New York during the Master week. Without the PIF backing, LIV will definitely find it hard to continue with each event carrying a purse of $30 million.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-world-cup-2026-iran-has-to-come-says-fifa-chief-gianni-infantino-about-its-participation-1776323752750">Football WC 2026 | 'Iran has to come,' says FIFA chief about its participation</a><h2>Why PIF is withdrawing support for LIV?</h2>Started as Saudi's ambitious plan to disrupt the sports world, LIV saw many top players like Bryson DeChambeau, John Rahm, Brooks Koepka and others. The reason for PIF withdrawing the backing could have stemmed from ongoing trouble in West Asia which has seen the US and Iran engaging in hostilities. In response to the US's aggression, Iran launched attacked on various US bases in the region including Saudi Arabia. Saudi may be also be looking at investments in sports with potential of some return rather than just funding the sports blindly.<h2>What about the players involved with LIV?</h2>The latest development has left the future of players involved in limbo. LIV CEO Scott O'Neil's e-mail in the aftermath also did little to calm the nerves as it didn't mention 2027.'While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organisation that is bigger, louder and more influential than ever before," read a part of the e-mail as reported by the Guardian.As for the players, Koepka has returned to PGA with Patrick Reed expected to complete the journey soon. The path back does not seem smooth for DeChambeau and Rahm who now have lost bargaining chips with the rebel tour's future uncertain. The same goes for Phil Mickelson who has not been on good terms with PGA when her joined LIV.As a result of LIV fallout, DP World Tour, earlier called European Tour, could be the biggest gainer as it has showed interest since long back to be associated with the LIV players.

Started in 2021, Saudi PIF has spent nearly $5 billion on LIV and now seems to say enough. The decision to withdraw funding was taken Wednesday (Apr 8) last week in New York during the Master week. Without the PIF backing, LIV will definitely find it hard to continue with each event carrying a purse of $30 million.

As Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has pulled its support from the LIV Golf beyond 2026, the future of the players is now in limbo. Most of the players had left PGA Tour - the powerhouse of golf - to be in Saudi's rebel tour which now is facing uncertain future. Started in 2021, Saudi PIF has spent nearly $5 billion on LIV and now seems to say enough. The decision was taken after the LIV executives met Wednesday (Apr 8) last week in New York during the Master week. Without the PIF backing, LIV will definitely find it hard to continue with each event carrying a purse of $30 million. Also Read - Football WC 2026 | 'Iran has to come,' says FIFA chief about its participation Why PIF is withdrawing support for LIV? Started as Saudi's ambitious plan to disrupt the sports world, LIV saw many top players like Bryson DeChambeau, John Rahm, Brooks Koepka and others. The reason for PIF withdrawing the backing could have stemmed from ongoing trouble in West Asia which has seen the US and Iran engaging in hostilities. In response to the US's aggression, Iran launched attacked on various US bases in the region including Saudi Arabia. Saudi may be also be looking at investments in sports with potential of some return rather than just funding the sports blindly. What about the players involved with LIV? The latest development has left the future of players involved in limbo. LIV CEO Scott O'Neil's e-mail in the aftermath also did little to calm the nerves as it didn't mention 2027. 'While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organisation that is bigger, louder and more influential than ever before," read a part of the e-mail as reported by the Guardian. As for the players, Koepka has returned to PGA with Patrick Reed expected to complete the journey soon. The path back does not seem smooth for DeChambeau and Rahm who now have lost bargaining chips with the rebel tour's future uncertain. The same goes for Phil Mickelson who has not been on good terms with PGA when her joined LIV. As a result of LIV fallout, DP World Tour, earlier called European Tour, could be the biggest gainer as it has showed interest since long back to be associated with the LIV players.

Started in 2021, Saudi PIF has spent nearly $5 billion on LIV and now seems to say enough. The decision to withdraw funding was taken Wednesday (Apr 8) last week in New York during the Master week. Without the PIF backing, LIV will definitely find it hard to continue with each event carrying a purse of $30 million.

LIV begins to die: Players' future in limbo after Saudi PIF withdraws funding beyond 2026

LIV Golf on Wednesday moved to reassure players and staff that it remains fully funded, as reports circulated that the breakaway tour is on the verge of collapse due to the possible withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financing. The Saudi-backed tour has bitterly divided the world of golf since its 2022 launch, when several of the sport's biggest names were lured to defect from the traditional PGA and DP World tours with huge-money deals. Rumors have mounted in recent days that LIV Golf's deep-pocketed backers in Riyadh have cooled on the extravagantly expensive project, which has reportedly cost them over $5 billion so far.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chess-javokhir-sindarov-20-wins-fide-candidates-with-one-game-to-spare-to-set-up-world-championship-clash-vs-gukesh-1776235557825">Candidates | Sindarov, 20, wins to set up world title clash vs Gukesh</a>And multiple outlets including the Financial Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the near-$1-trillion Saudi sovereign wealth fund's withdrawal was imminent, all citing anonymous sources."I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle," LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil wrote in an email to staff, including players, obtained by AFP.O'Neil's missive came as players assembled in Mexico City ahead of this week's LIV event, where tour organizers were presenting a business-as-usual front.The tour posted first-round tee times as usual, and even poked fun at the rumors on social media."Slow news day? We are ON," said one post, alongside an image with the words "BREAKING NEWS. TUNE IN TOMORROW" and the Mexico City tournament's starting times."LIV Golf funding and operations are continuing as planned," sources familiar with the tour's workings told AFP, pointing to a doubling in tour revenue from 2024 to 2025, and recent record attendances in Australia and South Africa.But Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported that LIV Golf executives had been called into a meeting in New York to discuss the potential fallout from a withdrawal of Saudi funding.The speculation comes as the Saudi fund on Wednesday unveiled a new five-year strategy that will reorganize its investments -- an announcement that came against the backdrop of war in the Middle East.The Gulf region has been hit hard by Iranian barrages on infrastructure, including airports, energy installations and ports following the US and Israeli attack on Iran in late February.Even before the war, Saudi Arabia's economic reforms were coming under pressure, with persistently low oil prices in recent years shrinking government revenues.Cracks have appeared in LIV Golf's player roster, as five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and former Masters champion Patrick Reed have recently ditched LIV for returns to the PGA Tour.<h2>'We are pioneers'</h2>If the LIV Golf tour were to cease operations, it is not clear how it would affect its remaining players.LIV star Sergio Garcia told a press conference in Mexico City that players "haven't heard anything" since the start of the year, when wealth fund's leader Yasir al-Rumayyan told golfers "that he's behind us, that they have a long-term project."In his letter, O'Neil did not directly dispute the rumors of a Saudi withdrawal, but said that "the life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure.""We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo," wrote the executive."We are pioneers, and while the road isn't always smooth, the destination is worth every mile," he added.

Rumors have mounted in recent days that LIV Golf's deep-pocketed backers in Riyadh have cooled on the extravagantly expensive project, which has reportedly cost them over $5 billion so far.

LIV Golf on Wednesday moved to reassure players and staff that it remains fully funded, as reports circulated that the breakaway tour is on the verge of collapse due to the possible withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financing. The Saudi-backed tour has bitterly divided the world of golf since its 2022 launch, when several of the sport's biggest names were lured to defect from the traditional PGA and DP World tours with huge-money deals. Rumors have mounted in recent days that LIV Golf's deep-pocketed backers in Riyadh have cooled on the extravagantly expensive project, which has reportedly cost them over $5 billion so far. Also Read - Candidates | Sindarov, 20, wins to set up world title clash vs Gukesh And multiple outlets including the Financial Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the near-$1-trillion Saudi sovereign wealth fund's withdrawal was imminent, all citing anonymous sources. "I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle," LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil wrote in an email to staff, including players, obtained by AFP. O'Neil's missive came as players assembled in Mexico City ahead of this week's LIV event, where tour organizers were presenting a business-as-usual front. The tour posted first-round tee times as usual, and even poked fun at the rumors on social media. "Slow news day? We are ON," said one post, alongside an image with the words "BREAKING NEWS. TUNE IN TOMORROW" and the Mexico City tournament's starting times. "LIV Golf funding and operations are continuing as planned," sources familiar with the tour's workings told AFP, pointing to a doubling in tour revenue from 2024 to 2025, and recent record attendances in Australia and South Africa. But Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported that LIV Golf executives had been called into a meeting in New York to discuss the potential fallout from a withdrawal of Saudi funding. The speculation comes as the Saudi fund on Wednesday unveiled a new five-year strategy that will reorganize its investments -- an announcement that came against the backdrop of war in the Middle East. The Gulf region has been hit hard by Iranian barrages on infrastructure, including airports, energy installations and ports following the US and Israeli attack on Iran in late February. Even before the war, Saudi Arabia's economic reforms were coming under pressure, with persistently low oil prices in recent years shrinking government revenues. Cracks have appeared in LIV Golf's player roster, as five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and former Masters champion Patrick Reed have recently ditched LIV for returns to the PGA Tour. 'We are pioneers' If the LIV Golf tour were to cease operations, it is not clear how it would affect its remaining players. LIV star Sergio Garcia told a press conference in Mexico City that players "haven't heard anything" since the start of the year, when wealth fund's leader Yasir al-Rumayyan told golfers "that he's behind us, that they have a long-term project." In his letter, O'Neil did not directly dispute the rumors of a Saudi withdrawal, but said that "the life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure." "We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo," wrote the executive. "We are pioneers, and while the road isn't always smooth, the destination is worth every mile," he added.

Rumors have mounted in recent days that LIV Golf's deep-pocketed backers in Riyadh have cooled on the extravagantly expensive project, which has reportedly cost them over $5 billion so far.

LIV Golf reassures players against rumours of Saudi funding withdrawal

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick sank a 14-foot birdie putt on Sunday's final hole to win the US PGA Tour Valspar Championship, defeating American David Lipsky by one stroke. The 31-year-old from Sheffield birdied two of the last four holes to shoot a bogey-free three-under-par 68 and finish on 11-under 273. A week after settling for a runner-up finish at The Players Championship after a last-hole bogey, Fitzpatrick took the $1.638 million top prize from the $9.1 million event at Innisbrook's Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/defending-champion-rory-mcilroy-reveals-augusta-masters-champions-dinner-menu-elk-sliders-bacon-wrapped-dates-1989-bordeaux-wine-yellowfin-tuna-1773895003385">The Masters | Defending champ McIlroy includes 'deer' in Champions Dinner menu</a>"The big thing was, I felt like I was playing well. Going into this week, wanted to continue that and I felt like I had confidence in myself to do so," Fitzpatrick said."To do that for four rounds was special this week."Fitzpatrick, the only player in the final seven pairs to break 70 on Sunday, became the third Englishman to win the title after Paul Casey and Luke Donald.It was the third US PGA Tour title for Fitzpatrick after the 2022 US Open and 2023 Heritage tournament and came just four months after defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the DP World Tour Championship.Lipsky missed out on what would have been his first victory in 145 PGA Tour career starts but matched his best showing."Overall, I'm really happy with how patient I was," Lipsky said.Four shared the lead on the back nine at nine-under but Brandt Snedeker suffered a three-putt double bogey at the par-four 12th to fall back, leaving Lipsky, Fitzpatrick and England's Jordan Smith at the top.Smith, whose only prior top-10 PGA finish was a share of ninth at the 2017 PGA Championship, fired a 66 to finish third on 275.Fitzpatrick sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-three 15th to seize the lead at 10-under but Lipsky made a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five 14th to match him again at the top and they parred to the 18th hole.Fitzpatrick landed his approach 14 feet from the hole and sank the intense birdie putt, delivering a right fist pump as he seized the lead."It wasn't an ideal putt," he said. "It was a nice right-to-lefter but... I wouldn't say I was overly keen on it given my putting performance today. To get it done like that was special."Lipsky missed a 32-foot birdie putt from just off the green and Fitzpatrick had the crown.South Korea's Im Sung-jae began the day with a two-stroke lead over Snedeker and Lipsky, but Im made bogeys on five of his first 10 holes to fall back.

Fitzpatrick, the only player in the final seven pairs to break 70 on Sunday, became the third Englishman to win the title after Paul Casey and Luke Donald.

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick sank a 14-foot birdie putt on Sunday's final hole to win the US PGA Tour Valspar Championship, defeating American David Lipsky by one stroke. The 31-year-old from Sheffield birdied two of the last four holes to shoot a bogey-free three-under-par 68 and finish on 11-under 273. A week after settling for a runner-up finish at The Players Championship after a last-hole bogey, Fitzpatrick took the $1.638 million top prize from the $9.1 million event at Innisbrook's Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida. Also Read - The Masters | Defending champ McIlroy includes 'deer' in Champions Dinner menu "The big thing was, I felt like I was playing well. Going into this week, wanted to continue that and I felt like I had confidence in myself to do so," Fitzpatrick said. "To do that for four rounds was special this week." Fitzpatrick, the only player in the final seven pairs to break 70 on Sunday, became the third Englishman to win the title after Paul Casey and Luke Donald. It was the third US PGA Tour title for Fitzpatrick after the 2022 US Open and 2023 Heritage tournament and came just four months after defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the DP World Tour Championship. Lipsky missed out on what would have been his first victory in 145 PGA Tour career starts but matched his best showing. "Overall, I'm really happy with how patient I was," Lipsky said. Four shared the lead on the back nine at nine-under but Brandt Snedeker suffered a three-putt double bogey at the par-four 12th to fall back, leaving Lipsky, Fitzpatrick and England's Jordan Smith at the top. Smith, whose only prior top-10 PGA finish was a share of ninth at the 2017 PGA Championship, fired a 66 to finish third on 275. Fitzpatrick sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-three 15th to seize the lead at 10-under but Lipsky made a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five 14th to match him again at the top and they parred to the 18th hole. Fitzpatrick landed his approach 14 feet from the hole and sank the intense birdie putt, delivering a right fist pump as he seized the lead. "It wasn't an ideal putt," he said. "It was a nice right-to-lefter but... I wouldn't say I was overly keen on it given my putting performance today. To get it done like that was special." Lipsky missed a 32-foot birdie putt from just off the green and Fitzpatrick had the crown. South Korea's Im Sung-jae began the day with a two-stroke lead over Snedeker and Lipsky, but Im made bogeys on five of his first 10 holes to fall back.

Fitzpatrick, the only player in the final seven pairs to break 70 on Sunday, became the third Englishman to win the title after Paul Casey and Luke Donald.

Matt Fitzpatrick becomes third England player to win Valspar Championship on US PGA Tour

Akshay Bhatia produced a dazzling charge down the stretch to reel in Daniel Berger before snatching victory in a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Sunday. A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club &amp; Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole. Bhatia finished with a closing three-under-par 69, to finish tied on 15 under alongside Berger, who shot a final-round two-under-par 70 for an aggregate 273.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/f1-2026-george-russell-wins-australian-grand-prix-in-mercedes-1-2-finish-in-melbourne-1772949180800">F1 2026 | Russell wins Australian Grand Prix in Mercedes' 1-2 finish</a>The 24-year-old Bhatia had forced the playoff with an electrifying birdie spree over the back nine after trailing Berger by four shots at the turn.Bhatia had drifted off the pace with a bogey five on the par-four ninth, but responded to that setback with a brilliant run of four straight birdies to slice into Berger's lead.The highlight of that charge was a superb 57-foot birdie putt on the 11th, which he followed with birdies on the 12th and 13th.Berger's lead shrank to one shot after a bogey on the 13th, but he increased his lead to two strokes with three holes to play after Bhatia bogeyed the 15th.Once again though Bhatia conjured a response, this time with an eagle three on the par-five 16th, when he drilled his second shot to just under four feet for a simple tap in.Berger responded with a birdie and remained one shot clear with two to play, but his advantage evaporated with a bogey on 17 to leave it all square going to the last.A pair of pars sent it to a playoff and Bhatia immediately seized the initiative, following up a perfect tee shot to the middle of the fairway with a second to the center of the green.Berger subsequently three-putted for bogey while Bhatia coolly completed a par to seal victory.Bhatia said his bogey on the ninth had been the catalyst for his charge after the turn."I missed that putt on nine, that was just a lack of focus. And then I just played with some anger for those couple holes," he said."The putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum."Daniel played amazing. This game is so crazy, it's been crazy for these last couple weeks ... you just never know what can happen in this game," he added.Berger, who had been chasing a wire-to-wire victory after leading after each of the opening three rounds, took positives from his late defeat."I'm proud of myself," he said. "Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that."So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from."Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished tied for third alongside Cameron Young, three shots behind Bhatia and Berger on 12 under.Collin Morikawa was fifth on 11 under after a closing 70, while Shaith Theegala, Russell Henley and Australia’s Min Woo Lee were a further shot back on 10 under in a tie for sixth.

A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole.

Akshay Bhatia produced a dazzling charge down the stretch to reel in Daniel Berger before snatching victory in a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Sunday. A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole. Bhatia finished with a closing three-under-par 69, to finish tied on 15 under alongside Berger, who shot a final-round two-under-par 70 for an aggregate 273. Also Read - F1 2026 | Russell wins Australian Grand Prix in Mercedes' 1-2 finish The 24-year-old Bhatia had forced the playoff with an electrifying birdie spree over the back nine after trailing Berger by four shots at the turn. Bhatia had drifted off the pace with a bogey five on the par-four ninth, but responded to that setback with a brilliant run of four straight birdies to slice into Berger's lead. The highlight of that charge was a superb 57-foot birdie putt on the 11th, which he followed with birdies on the 12th and 13th. Berger's lead shrank to one shot after a bogey on the 13th, but he increased his lead to two strokes with three holes to play after Bhatia bogeyed the 15th. Once again though Bhatia conjured a response, this time with an eagle three on the par-five 16th, when he drilled his second shot to just under four feet for a simple tap in. Berger responded with a birdie and remained one shot clear with two to play, but his advantage evaporated with a bogey on 17 to leave it all square going to the last. A pair of pars sent it to a playoff and Bhatia immediately seized the initiative, following up a perfect tee shot to the middle of the fairway with a second to the center of the green. Berger subsequently three-putted for bogey while Bhatia coolly completed a par to seal victory. Bhatia said his bogey on the ninth had been the catalyst for his charge after the turn. "I missed that putt on nine, that was just a lack of focus. And then I just played with some anger for those couple holes," he said. "The putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum. "Daniel played amazing. This game is so crazy, it's been crazy for these last couple weeks ... you just never know what can happen in this game," he added. Berger, who had been chasing a wire-to-wire victory after leading after each of the opening three rounds, took positives from his late defeat. "I'm proud of myself," he said. "Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that. "So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from." Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished tied for third alongside Cameron Young, three shots behind Bhatia and Berger on 12 under. Collin Morikawa was fifth on 11 under after a closing 70, while Shaith Theegala, Russell Henley and Australia’s Min Woo Lee were a further shot back on 10 under in a tie for sixth.

A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club &amp; Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole.

Akshay Bhatia wins Arnold Palmer Invitational via playoff for third PGA Tour title

Indian-American golfer Megha Ganne etched her name into history by clinching the 2025 US Women’s Amateur title at Bandon Dunes, defeating Brooke Biermann 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final to stun the golfing world. The 21-year-old rising senior, playing in her seventh US Women’s Amateur, overcame the 2025 Michigan State graduate with a composed and clinical performance. Megha’s parents, Sudha, an endocrinologist, and Hari, an IT entrepreneur, immigrated from India to the United States and now live in Holmdel, New Jersey, with Megha and her younger sister, Sirina.<h2>Watch the moment when she became champion:</h2>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">A magnificent week for Megha Ganne! 🏆 The <a href="https://twitter.com/StanfordWGolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StanfordWGolf</a> star is the U.S. Women&#39;s Amateur champion! <a href="https://t.co/QIcI6DA3Md">pic.twitter.com/QIcI6DA3Md</a>&mdash; USGA (@USGA) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGA/status/1954717711432388634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ganne first made headlines in 2021 as a teenager, when she led after the opening round of the US Women’s Open and was tied for third going into the final day, eventually finishing tied 14th. Now, alongside fellow Indian-Americans Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala on the PGA Tour — and Indo-British PGA Tour winner Aaron Rai — she is emerging as one of the most exciting names in the sport.&nbsp;Golfers of Indian origin have been making waves globally this year. Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Indo-American Julian Suri both captured Korn Ferry Tour titles, while on the day Megha lifted her trophy, Bhatia finished tied sixth and Rai tied 22nd at the PGA Tour’s St. Jude Championship, and Yellamaraju placed fourth at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship.&nbsp;With her win in the 125th edition of the world’s second-oldest women’s amateur championship, Megha secured exemptions into the 2026 US Women’s Open at The Riviera Country Club in California and a guaranteed place on the 2025 USA Women’s World Amateur Team for October’s event in Singapore.&nbsp;Her road to the crown was anything but easy. Ranked No. 11 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, she knocked out three consecutive top-20 players — Anna Davis (14), Kary Hollenbaugh (20), and Eila Galitsky (6) — before producing a stunning comeback in the semifinals against No. 63 seed Ella Scaysbrook, rallying from four down with seven holes to play to win in 19 holes.&nbsp;The final itself was far less dramatic. Megha never trailed; the match was all square through 11 holes in the morning, but three consecutive bogeys from Biermann handed her opponent a decisive edge. Megha took a three-up lead into the afternoon and never looked back. Only months earlier, she had beaten then-world No. 1 amateur Lottie Woad, now an LPGA winner — a result that, in hindsight, foreshadowed her breakthrough on one of amateur golf’s biggest stages.&nbsp;“It’s so crazy,” Ganne was quoted saying to USGA. “It's so much harder than it seems to win one of these, and it takes not only like a lot of patience, but so many things working in your favor: good health, good luck, good fortune, and good timing. All those things coming together just feels like it's fate. I feel very blessed right now.”

Indian-American golfer Megha Ganne shines as she wins 2025 US Women’s Amateur

Indian-American golfer Megha Ganne etched her name into history by clinching the 2025 US Women’s Amateur title at Bandon Dunes, defeating Brooke Biermann 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final to stun the golfing world. The 21-year-old rising senior, playing in her seventh US Women’s Amateur, overcame the 2025 Michigan State graduate with a composed and clinical performance. Megha’s parents, Sudha, an endocrinologist, and Hari, an IT entrepreneur, immigrated from India to the United States and now live in Holmdel, New Jersey, with Megha and her younger sister, Sirina. Watch the moment when she became champion:

Megha’s parents, Sudha Ganne, an endocrinologist, and Hari Ganne, an IT entrepreneur, are originally from India. They are first-generation immigrants to the US. They live in Holmdel, New Jersey, with their two daughters, Megha and Sirina

American Cameron Young seized his first US PGA Tour title on Sunday, firing a two-under par 68 in the final round of the Wyndham Championship for a six-stroke victory over Mac Meissner.&nbsp;It was an emotional win for Young, whose seven career runner-up finishes included the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews.&nbsp;He started the day with a five-stroke lead and after an opening bogey reeled off five straight birdies -- a run that included a 26-foot bomb at the third hole.&nbsp;A pair of bogeys at 16 and 17 were immaterial and Young tapped in for a par at the 18th to cap a two-under par 68 that gave him a 22-under total of 258.&nbsp;"I've been waiting for it for awhile," Young said. "I never thought I'd really be that emotional about it, but it's the end of my fourth season and I've had my chances. Never quite like this -- and I wasn't going to let it get away from me today."&nbsp;The win at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, had a little extra resonance for Young, who played college golf at North Carolina's Wake Forest University.&nbsp;He was also hoping the win might catch the eye of US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley with the biennial match play showdown with Europe coming up in September.&nbsp;"Obviously that team is a goal of many of us," the world number 44 said.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a>&nbsp;Fellow American Meissner had five birdies in his four-under 66 to take second on 16-under 264.&nbsp;Sweden's Alex Noren and American Mark Hubbard shared third on 265 while US amateur Jackson Koivun shared fifth place with American Chris Kirk and England's Aaron Rai.&nbsp;Sunday's round marked the end of the PGA regular-season with the top 70 on the points list advancing to the playoffs which start next week at the St. Jude Championship.&nbsp;Of the players hoping to play their way in this week, Kirk's finish was enough to move him up from 73rd in the standings to 61st.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

It was an emotional win for Cameron Young, whose seven career runner-up finishes included the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews.

American Cameron Young seized his first US PGA Tour title on Sunday, firing a two-under par 68 in the final round of the Wyndham Championship for a six-stroke victory over Mac Meissner. It was an emotional win for Young, whose seven career runner-up finishes included the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews. He started the day with a five-stroke lead and after an opening bogey reeled off five straight birdies -- a run that included a 26-foot bomb at the third hole. A pair of bogeys at 16 and 17 were immaterial and Young tapped in for a par at the 18th to cap a two-under par 68 that gave him a 22-under total of 258. "I've been waiting for it for awhile," Young said. "I never thought I'd really be that emotional about it, but it's the end of my fourth season and I've had my chances. Never quite like this -- and I wasn't going to let it get away from me today." The win at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, had a little extra resonance for Young, who played college golf at North Carolina's Wake Forest University. He was also hoping the win might catch the eye of US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley with the biennial match play showdown with Europe coming up in September. "Obviously that team is a goal of many of us," the world number 44 said. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) Fellow American Meissner had five birdies in his four-under 66 to take second on 16-under 264. Sweden's Alex Noren and American Mark Hubbard shared third on 265 while US amateur Jackson Koivun shared fifth place with American Chris Kirk and England's Aaron Rai. Sunday's round marked the end of the PGA regular-season with the top 70 on the points list advancing to the playoffs which start next week at the St. Jude Championship. Of the players hoping to play their way in this week, Kirk's finish was enough to move him up from 73rd in the standings to 61st. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

It was an emotional win for Cameron Young, whose seven career runner-up finishes included the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews.

Cameron Young captures long-awaited first PGA Tour win at Wyndham Championship

From Harry Vardon to Tom Watson, meet the five legendary golfers who have most The Open championships. These five players dominated the golf course during their playing years.

From Harry Vardon to Tom Watson, meet the five legendary golfers who have most The Open championships. These five players dominated the golf course during their playing years.

The Open: Top five golfers with most wins

Keegan Bradley could become the first Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 after jumping to seventh in world rankings following his PGA Tour Travelers Championship victory. The 39-year-old American's fightback triumph Sunday over England's Tommy Fleetwood brought an eighth career PGA crown, his fourth in as many years, and sparked already brisk talk about Bradley playing on his US squad against Europe in September at Bethpage Black.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-real-madrid-jude-bellingham-to-undergo-shoulder-surgery-after-club-world-cup-1750663632851">Madrid’s Bellingham to undergo shoulder surgery after Club World Cup</a>"Yeah, I mean, listen, this changes the story a little bit," said Bradley, previously reluctant to consider a playing captaincy."I never would have thought about playing if I hadn't won. This definitely opens the door to play. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not, but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what's best for the team and we'll see."Bradley leaped 14 spots in the world rankings and into ninth in the US team points qualifying. While still shy of the six automatic qualifying spots, Bradley is in a position that would typically be worthy of a captain's pick."It's still June, so we still got a long ways to go," Bradley said. "This definitely changes things a little bit and we'll all get together and figure out the best way to do this."The six automatic qualifiers will be set after the BMW Championship on August 17 while the six captain's picks will be chosen after the Tour Championship in Atlanta on August 21-24."I will play if I feel like it will help the team," said.Bradley has fielded questions about playing in the Cup all year."I never really planned on playing," he said. "I really wanted to just be the captain. I really felt strongly about that. I want to serve the guys. They asked me to do a job. I want to do it to the best of my abilities."With the amazing vice captains that I have, and I have a better perspective of playing in the Presidents Cup and being around a lot of the guys, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route."If he plays, Bradley would load more responsibilities on his assistant captains -- Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker."I'm really proud of the guys that are vice captains," Bradley said. "You got Jim Furyk, one of the greatest players to play and also an incredibly great captain at the Presidents Cup."Furyk guided the Americans to a 10th consecutive victory over the Internationals in last year's Presidents Cup at Montreal.The Presidents Cup also saw Tiger Woods serve as a playing captain in 2019 at Royal Melbourne, when the US team won 16-14 in Australia.PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh told Bradley a year ago when he was picked as captain that he wanted Bradley to be the first playing captain since Palmer."My head was spinning, I didn't know what they were talking about, but they knew that was a possibility," Bradley said.“A year ago I don't know if I would have thought I would be seventh in the world, but I certainly thought I would be contending in tournaments.”Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Bradley leaped 14 spots in the world rankings and into ninth in the US team points qualifying. While still shy of the six automatic qualifying spots, Bradley is in a position that would typically be worthy of a captain's pick.

Keegan Bradley could become the first Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 after jumping to seventh in world rankings following his PGA Tour Travelers Championship victory. The 39-year-old American's fightback triumph Sunday over England's Tommy Fleetwood brought an eighth career PGA crown, his fourth in as many years, and sparked already brisk talk about Bradley playing on his US squad against Europe in September at Bethpage Black. Also Read - Madrid’s Bellingham to undergo shoulder surgery after Club World Cup "Yeah, I mean, listen, this changes the story a little bit," said Bradley, previously reluctant to consider a playing captaincy. "I never would have thought about playing if I hadn't won. This definitely opens the door to play. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not, but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what's best for the team and we'll see." Bradley leaped 14 spots in the world rankings and into ninth in the US team points qualifying. While still shy of the six automatic qualifying spots, Bradley is in a position that would typically be worthy of a captain's pick. "It's still June, so we still got a long ways to go," Bradley said. "This definitely changes things a little bit and we'll all get together and figure out the best way to do this." The six automatic qualifiers will be set after the BMW Championship on August 17 while the six captain's picks will be chosen after the Tour Championship in Atlanta on August 21-24. "I will play if I feel like it will help the team," said. Bradley has fielded questions about playing in the Cup all year. "I never really planned on playing," he said. "I really wanted to just be the captain. I really felt strongly about that. I want to serve the guys. They asked me to do a job. I want to do it to the best of my abilities. "With the amazing vice captains that I have, and I have a better perspective of playing in the Presidents Cup and being around a lot of the guys, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route." If he plays, Bradley would load more responsibilities on his assistant captains -- Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. "I'm really proud of the guys that are vice captains," Bradley said. "You got Jim Furyk, one of the greatest players to play and also an incredibly great captain at the Presidents Cup." Furyk guided the Americans to a 10th consecutive victory over the Internationals in last year's Presidents Cup at Montreal. The Presidents Cup also saw Tiger Woods serve as a playing captain in 2019 at Royal Melbourne, when the US team won 16-14 in Australia. PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh told Bradley a year ago when he was picked as captain that he wanted Bradley to be the first playing captain since Palmer. "My head was spinning, I didn't know what they were talking about, but they knew that was a possibility," Bradley said. “A year ago I don't know if I would have thought I would be seventh in the world, but I certainly thought I would be contending in tournaments.” Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Bradley leaped 14 spots in the world rankings and into ninth in the US team points qualifying. While still shy of the six automatic qualifying spots, Bradley is in a position that would typically be worthy of a captain's pick.

Keegan Bradley hopes to become playing captain at Ryder Cup after latest PGA Tour win

World number one Scottie Scheffler captured his 16th career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, joining Tiger Woods as the only players to defend titles at the Memorial tournament.&nbsp;The 28-year-old American took his third triumph in a month, firing a two-under par 70 to finish 72 holes on 10-under 278 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-oscar-piastri-extends-championship-lead-with-spanish-grand-prix-victory-1748794337899">Formula One: Oscar Piastri extends championship lead with Spanish Grand Prix victory</a>&nbsp;American Ben Griffin, coming off a victory last week at Colonial, was four strokes back in second on 282 after shooting 73, with Austrian Sepp Straka third on 283, one stroke better than Canada's Nick Taylor.&nbsp;"It's always a hard week to play this tournament," Scheffler said. "I battled really hard over the weekend, and Ben made things interesting down the stretch."&nbsp;The triumph marked the ninth consecutive time Scheffler has turned a 54-hole lead into a victory, this one coming at the event hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus.&nbsp;"Overall, it was a great week and definitely proud to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand at the end of another good week," Scheffler said.&nbsp;Scheffler won last month's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow for his third major crown after taking the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks earlier.&nbsp;By winning his first 16 PGA titles in just under 3.5 years, Scheffler became the fourth-fastest to go from his first to 16th tour wins after Sam Snead, Nicklaus and Woods, a 15-time major winner who took the Memorial from 1999-2001.&nbsp;The victory marked the first defended title among the nine crowns Scheffler won worldwide last year, having edged compatriot Collin Morikawa by a stroke at the 2024 Memorial.&nbsp;It also ensured Scheffler will be seen as the man to beat in two weeks at the US Open at Oakmont, where Scheffler seeks a fourth career major victory and second in a row.&nbsp;"This is definitely a golf course that's going to expose your weaknesses," Scheffler said of Muirfield Village. "I've got a few things I can practice on next week. Overall, it was a really solid week, did some really good battling."&nbsp;Scheffler sank a par putt from just inside 10 feet at the 14th hole and reached 10-under with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 15th.&nbsp;Griffin, however, reached the 15th green in two and sank a 12-foot eagle putt to pull within three strokes with three holes to play.&nbsp;Griffin then followed with a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to pull within two of the lead.&nbsp;Scheffler responded by dropping his approach at 17 just inside 20 feet on the way to a routine par while Griffin needed four shots to reach the 17th green on his way to a double bogey, falling four adrift.&nbsp;Scheffler closed out matters with a seven-foot birdie putt at 18.<h2>Scheffler solid early</h2>&nbsp;Scheffler, who began the day with a one-stroke lead, birdied the first six holes to keep his one-stroke lead while Griffin stayed on his heels by answering bogeys at the first and par-three fourth holes with birdies at the second and par-five fifth.&nbsp;Scheffler left his third shot at the par-five seventh within four feet of the hole and sank the birdie putt to reach nine-under.&nbsp;Scheffler curled in a par putt at the ninth from just inside nine feet to make the turn with a two-stroke lead, but missed a 12-footer for par at the 10th for a bogey that dropped his advantage to one shot once more.&nbsp;At the par-five 11th, Scheffler responded by blasting out of the rough to 14 feet and curling in the birdie putt to restore a two-stroke edge on nine-under.&nbsp;Griffin found a bunker on the way to a bogey at the par-three 12th and never found the fairway at 13 on the way to another bogey that left Scheffler ahead by four with five holes remaining.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

Golf: World no 1 Scheffler claims 16th career PGA Tour win, joins Tiger Woods in elite list

World number one Scottie Scheffler captured his 16th career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, joining Tiger Woods as the only players to defend titles at the Memorial tournament. The 28-year-old American took his third triumph in a month, firing a two-under par 70 to finish 72 holes on 10-under 278 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Also read | Formula One: Oscar Piastri extends championship lead with Spanish Grand Prix victory American Ben Griffin, coming off a victory last week at Colonial, was four strokes back in second on 282 after shooting 73, with Austrian Sepp Straka third on 283, one stroke better than Canada's Nick Taylor. "It's always a hard week to play this tournament," Scheffler said. "I battled really hard over the weekend, and Ben made things interesting down the stretch." The triumph marked the ninth consecutive time Scheffler has turned a 54-hole lead into a victory, this one coming at the event hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus. "Overall, it was a great week and definitely proud to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand at the end of another good week," Scheffler said. Scheffler won last month's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow for his third major crown after taking the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks earlier. By winning his first 16 PGA titles in just under 3.5 years, Scheffler became the fourth-fastest to go from his first to 16th tour wins after Sam Snead, Nicklaus and Woods, a 15-time major winner who took the Memorial from 1999-2001. The victory marked the first defended title among the nine crowns Scheffler won worldwide last year, having edged compatriot Collin Morikawa by a stroke at the 2024 Memorial. It also ensured Scheffler will be seen as the man to beat in two weeks at the US Open at Oakmont, where Scheffler seeks a fourth career major victory and second in a row. "This is definitely a golf course that's going to expose your weaknesses," Scheffler said of Muirfield Village. "I've got a few things I can practice on next week. Overall, it was a really solid week, did some really good battling." Scheffler sank a par putt from just inside 10 feet at the 14th hole and reached 10-under with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 15th. Griffin, however, reached the 15th green in two and sank a 12-foot eagle putt to pull within three strokes with three holes to play. Griffin then followed with a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to pull within two of the lead. Scheffler responded by dropping his approach at 17 just inside 20 feet on the way to a routine par while Griffin needed four shots to reach the 17th green on his way to a double bogey, falling four adrift. Scheffler closed out matters with a seven-foot birdie putt at 18. Scheffler solid early Scheffler, who began the day with a one-stroke lead, birdied the first six holes to keep his one-stroke lead while Griffin stayed on his heels by answering bogeys at the first and par-three fourth holes with birdies at the second and par-five fifth. Scheffler left his third shot at the par-five seventh within four feet of the hole and sank the birdie putt to reach nine-under. Scheffler curled in a par putt at the ninth from just inside nine feet to make the turn with a two-stroke lead, but missed a 12-footer for par at the 10th for a bogey that dropped his advantage to one shot once more. At the par-five 11th, Scheffler responded by blasting out of the rough to 14 feet and curling in the birdie putt to restore a two-stroke edge on nine-under. Griffin found a bunker on the way to a bogey at the par-three 12th and never found the fairway at 13 on the way to another bogey that left Scheffler ahead by four with five holes remaining. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for the WION audience.

The 28-year-old American took his third triumph in a month, firing a two-under par 70 to finish 72 holes on 10-under 278 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

Bryson DeChambeau said in Hong Kong on Wednesday that he was staying with LIV Golf, shooting down rumours he was unhappy on the Saudi-backed circuit and was looking for a way back to the PGA Tour.
Rumours had been swirling online over the past few days that the US Open champion was seeking to leave LIV after his proposal for a $280 million contract renewal was rebuffed.
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Asked by AFP if there was any truth in the rumours ahead of this week's LIV Hong Kong tournament, two-time major winner DeChambeau replied: "No, I'm very excited about the future of LIV Golf.&nbsp;
"I'm very excited to be the captain of the Crushers and continue our legacy that we're starting to create."
The 31-year-old American, whose current deal with LIV runs until 2026, has a huge social media and YouTube following.
As a LIV Golf team captain he has a 25 percent equity stake in his Crushers squad, which also features Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III.
DeChambeau recently bagged a huge sponsorship deal for his team to wear Reebok kit and unveiled a dream to use the millions he earns with LIV to spread Crushers-branded courses and golf academies all over the globe.
"My goal is to create this lasting legacy where we impact millions and millions of golfers' lives around the world," he said in the southern Chinese city.&nbsp;
"That should tell you everything you should know."
DeChambeau will tee up on Friday with his Crushers looking to defend the team title they won a year ago at the historic Fanling club, which recently celebrated its 135th anniversary.
Mexico's Abraham Ancer defends his individual title from 12 months ago, while Patrick Reed plays in the event as Hong Kong Open champion.
The American former Masters champion shot the second-ever 59 on the Asian Tour on his way to lifting the trophy in November on the par-70 championship course.
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

The 31-year-old American Bryson DeChambeau, whose current deal with LIV Golf runs until 2026, has a huge social media and YouTube following. Sports

Bryson DeChambeau said in Hong Kong on Wednesday that he was staying with LIV Golf, shooting down rumours he was unhappy on the Saudi-backed circuit and was looking for a way back to the PGA Tour. Rumours had been swirling online over the past few days that the US Open champion was seeking to leave LIV after his proposal for a $280 million contract renewal was rebuffed. Also Read: Exclusive | Phoebe Litchfield: Making waves in WPL, one shot at a time Asked by AFP if there was any truth in the rumours ahead of this week's LIV Hong Kong tournament, two-time major winner DeChambeau replied: "No, I'm very excited about the future of LIV Golf. "I'm very excited to be the captain of the Crushers and continue our legacy that we're starting to create." The 31-year-old American, whose current deal with LIV runs until 2026, has a huge social media and YouTube following. As a LIV Golf team captain he has a 25 percent equity stake in his Crushers squad, which also features Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III. DeChambeau recently bagged a huge sponsorship deal for his team to wear Reebok kit and unveiled a dream to use the millions he earns with LIV to spread Crushers-branded courses and golf academies all over the globe. "My goal is to create this lasting legacy where we impact millions and millions of golfers' lives around the world," he said in the southern Chinese city. "That should tell you everything you should know." DeChambeau will tee up on Friday with his Crushers looking to defend the team title they won a year ago at the historic Fanling club, which recently celebrated its 135th anniversary. Mexico's Abraham Ancer defends his individual title from 12 months ago, while Patrick Reed plays in the event as Hong Kong Open champion. The American former Masters champion shot the second-ever 59 on the Asian Tour on his way to lifting the trophy in November on the par-70 championship course. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau shuts down PGA Tour return rumours

In an unsurprising turn of events, the British tabloid report of a finalized merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf may have been premature. The Sun reported Saturday that the long-awaited merger between the rival golf circuits was complete and, per the headline, "Golf's civil war OVER." But on Tuesday, Front Office Sports cited industry sources in reporting that the tabloid had jumped the gun. Several details remain to be ironed out, including the major issue of navigating antitrust concerns in the United States.

There is "heavy internal pressure" to finalize the merger before the end of 2024 in the interest of making future scheduling easier, Front Office Sports reported. The PGA Tour has already released its 2025 schedule, and LIV has put out four tournament dates for 2025 so far.

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The shock merger between the PGA Tour and LIV was announced in early June 2023, with a self-imposed Dec. 31, 2023, deadline to finalize the "framework agreement." That deadline came and went, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan continues to meet and play golf with Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan as the 18-month mark approaches.

The Sun's tantalizing report claimed that PIF would receive an 11 percent share in the PGA Tour; that LIV's 14 annual team events would be brought under the PGA umbrella; and that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy "played key roles in the peace talks."

Disclaimer:&nbsp;This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

In an unsurprising turn of events, the British tabloid report of a finalized merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf may have been premature. The Sun reported Saturday that the long-awaited merger between the rival golf circuits was complete and, per the headline, "Golf's civil war OVER.

In an unsurprising turn of events, the British tabloid report of a finalized merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf may have been premature. The Sun reported Saturday that the long-awaited merger between the rival golf circuits was complete and, per the headline, "Golf's civil war OVER." But on Tuesday, Front Office Sports cited industry sources in reporting that the tabloid had jumped the gun. Several details remain to be ironed out, including the major issue of navigating antitrust concerns in the United States. There is "heavy internal pressure" to finalize the merger before the end of 2024 in the interest of making future scheduling easier, Front Office Sports reported. The PGA Tour has already released its 2025 schedule, and LIV has put out four tournament dates for 2025 so far. Also read: Paris Olympics gold medallist boxer Imane Khelif confirmed as man in leaked medical reports The shock merger between the PGA Tour and LIV was announced in early June 2023, with a self-imposed Dec. 31, 2023, deadline to finalize the "framework agreement." That deadline came and went, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan continues to meet and play golf with Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan as the 18-month mark approaches. The Sun's tantalizing report claimed that PIF would receive an 11 percent share in the PGA Tour; that LIV's 14 annual team events would be brought under the PGA umbrella; and that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy "played key roles in the peace talks." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Golf: PGA Tour-LIV merger rumors premature - Report

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