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Phil Mickelson has accomplished just about all there is to accomplish in professional golf save for two things: 1. Winning a U.S. Open, 2. Being the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. The former, while seemingly a pipedream at this point, is still attainable. The latter? Not so much. Not only is Mickelson getting

Feb 25, 2023 Associated Press PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Chris Kirk’s last win on the PGA Tour was nearly eight years ago. He’s put himself in a position to change that at the Honda Classic. Kirk battled his way to a 4-under round of 66 on Saturday, putting him at 13-under 197 for the

Thomas Pieters arrived at Mayakoba last week as one of LIV Golf’s newest members, something he said he had been hoping for since last summer when the Saudi-backed league first launched. He was in good spirts, ready to compete and excited about joining as LIV kicked off its second season. But after arriving in Mexico,

Feb 26, 2023 Associated Press PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Jack Nicklaus thinks the Honda Classic should have a chance at a stronger field because of looming changes to the PGA Tour, which he said Sunday would mean Pebble Beach getting elevated status and the tour going to Mexico before the Florida swing. Nicklaus, appearing

The mass infusion of cash into golf via LIV might have made us drunk on numbers like $200 million (what Phil Mickelson reportedly got for joining) and $4 million (what Charles Howell III got for playing three good rounds in Mexico this past week). But for players not in the top 50 on the PGA

10:00 AM ET With the Honda Classic sandwiched between four of the PGA Tour’s biggest events, it’s no wonder its leaderboard was lacking in star power this past weekend. Many of the tour’s most recognizable names played in back-to-back events at the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational, and they’ll do the same at

Ryan Gerard will not be making his afternoon tee time in Puerto Rico on Monday. Not that that’s a bad thing. A Monday qualifier for last week’s Honda Classic—well, technically, a Tuesday qualifier after getting through a five-for-three playoff—Gerard took full advantage of the extra playing opportunity by cashing his first PGA Tour check. And

6:57 PM ET Associated Press PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Charles Howell III finally made winning feel easy Sunday at Mayakoba when his putter came to life for an 8-under 63 to win the LIV Golf Invitational by 4 shots for his first title in the Saudi-funded series. Howell had seven birdies through 10 holes

Charles Howell III has been surprising just about everyone but himself. Last summer, the 43-year-old Augusta, Ga., native was among the more curious recruits to join the upstart LIV Golf circuit given that he appeared entrenched on the PGA Tour, where he had amassed more than $42 million over 21 years and 609 starts. But

6:48 PM ET Associated Press PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event again. Waiting one more hole on Sunday was no problem. Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him

If you don’t remember Marcel Siem by name, perhaps you might recall him for something else. Specifically, his hair and the distinguishing bun that the 42-year German styles it in. It’s the look he carried through much of his 20-plus-year DP World Tour career that saw him compete in more than 500 events but seemed

6:15 AM ET Associated Press PATTAYA, Thailand — American Lilia Vu rode a hot putter to claim her first LPGA title with a 1-shot victory over home favorite Natthakritta Vongtaveelap at the LPGA Thailand on Sunday. Trailing the local rookie by six strokes at the start of the day, the 25-year-old Vu unleashed eight birdies,

7:57 AM ET Associated Press NEW DELHI — Marcel Siem ended his long wait for a fifth European tour title with victory at the Hero Indian Open by a single shot Sunday. The German’s last win on the tour came eight years and 116 days ago at the 2014 BMW Masters. A closing 68 saw

Lilia Vu’s father told her Saturday night that one good round could let her win her first LPGA Tour title at the Honda LPGA Thailand. The optimism was impressive considering Vu sat six strokes behind leader Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, a 20-year-old LPGA rookie who looked more like a 20-year veteran the first three days of the

On paper, heading into Sunday at the Honda Classic, Chris Kirk, who leads Eric Cole by two shots and Justin Suh by three, should be the most comfortable of the top three. The 37-year-old veteran has played in more than 300 PGA Tour events, with four career wins. He has played on a U.S. Presidents

6:58 PM ET Associated Press PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Talor Gooch made a 4-foot birdie putt on his final hole to tie Peter Uihlein for the lead in the LIV Golf season debut at Mayakoba that looks to be an Oklahoma State alumni reunion. Uihlein was in the lead for most of Saturday at

No matter your skill level in this game, you’ve likely had at least one of those days when you can do no wrong on the greens. When even the bad putts find a way to the bottom of the cup, and you’re wondering if this is the new you. That was Garrick Higgo on Saturday

9:58 AM ET Associated Press NEW DELHI — Yannik Paul‘s lead at the Hero Indian Open was trimmed from five shots to one after the third round of the European Tour event Saturday. Paul, who shot a 1-under 71 to move to 11 under overall, is one ahead of fellow German Marcel Siem. Siem birdied

6:46 AM ET Associated Press PATTAYA, Thailand — Thai rookie Natthakritta Vongtaveelap shot a bogey-free 64 to grab a four-stroke lead over fellow countrywoman Atthaya Thitikul after round three of the US$1.7 million LPGA Thailand on Saturday. The 20-year-old Vongtaveelap began with an eagle and went on to notch six birdies, including three in a

Somewhere Rory McIlroy’s ears are burning. Again. On Thursday, the Northern Irishman found himself the target of criticism from former Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia, the Spaniard calling out McIlroy for “lacking maturity” in the way he handled the end of their friendship after Garcia left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join

MAYAKOBA, Mexico — A three-day training camp Ian Poulter ran for his LIV Golf teammates in Orlando’s Lake Nona area, and Dustin Johnson hosting his squad at Michael Jordan’s exclusive golf club in Jupiter, Fla., are among the ways that former PGA Tour stars are practicing and traveling differently in the second year on their

7:48 PM ET Associated Press PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Paul Casey birdied his last three holes for a 6-under 65 and a share of the lead with Jason Kokrak on Friday as the second season of Saudi-funded LIV Golf began at Mayakoba. Casey was 5 under through 10 holes before he lost ground with

The beta test is over. And now LIV Golf embarks on its second season, rebranded as the LIV Golf League for 2023 and rallying around the team aspect of the competition as the 14-event schedule kicks off at Mayakoba Resort in Mexico. What’s new for 2023? A new TV deal—you can find weekend action in

12:50 PM ET Associated Press NEW DELHI — Yannik Paul extended his lead to five strokes after two rounds of the Indian Open on the European Tour on Friday. The No. 119-ranked German began the day with a 1-shot lead before his 3-under 69 at DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi. Paul made

It doesn’t appear Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy will mend fences any time soon. On Thursday, ahead of the 2023 season opener for the LIV Golf League, where former Masters champ Garcia now plays, the Spaniard said the breakdown of his friendship with four-time major winner McIlroy is a “sad” development. “I think it is

8:00 AM ET IT WAS ALMOST a year ago that author Alan Shipnuck published Phil Mickelson’s controversial comments about the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian monarchy’s history of human rights abuses and alleged involvement in the death of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi. Mickelson, who was allegedly recruiting players to LIV Golf, told Shipnuck

In the midst of the busy early stretch of the season—especially off the back of Tiger Woods’ long-awaited PGA Tour comeback at the Genesis Open last week—the Honda Classic feels like a chance to grab a quick breath. Not just for golf fans, but for players, too.  Billy Horschel raced into the early Honda Classic

10:02 PM ET Associated Press Saudi Arabia is disputing a federal magistrate’s ruling that its sovereign wealth fund and the fund’s governor be required to provide documents and testimony in LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Attorneys for the kingdom filed a letter on Thursday challenging the reasons a magistrate judge cited for

9:30 AM ET Paolo UggettiESPN LOS ANGELES — As the Southern California sky slowly fades to black on Friday night, Marcus Byrd paces back and forth just outside the players’ locker room at the Riviera Country Club. At 6 over after 34 holes, Byrd is going to miss the cut at the Genesis Invitational, where

MAYAKOBA, Mexico — Last week, the golf corners of social media lit up when New Zealand pro Danny Lee was spotted grinding on the range mats of the municipal Rancho Park Golf Course only hours after a poor opening round at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Lee could have used the manicured turf