Gone to Play Golf

Associated Press Jan 26, 2024, 06:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions BRADENTON, Fla. — Nelly Korda birdied three of her final four holes on Friday to shoot a 4-under 67 and take a two-shot lead midway through the LPGA Drive On Championship. Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory since 2022, the former world No. 1

Associated Press Jan 26, 2024, 10:12 PM ET Open Extended Reactions SAN DIEGO — Stephan Jaeger sank a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 18 at Torrey Pines South for a one-shot lead in the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Friday, moments after Thomas Detry‘s third shot landed well past the hole and

Field Level Media Jan 25, 2024, 06:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Nelly Korda and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko are tied atop the leaderboard after one round of the LPGA Drive On Championship on Thursday in Bradenton, Florida. Korda and Ko shot 6-under 65s at Bradenton Country Club, good for a 1-stroke lead over Denmark’s

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 25, 2024, 07:14 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions Anthony Kim, who blazed a red-hot trail on the PGA Tour for four seasons and then disappeared from public view after injuries derailed his

Associated Press Jan 25, 2024, 08:29 PM ET Open Extended Reactions SAN DIEGO — Stephan Jaeger of Germany made a 35-foot eagle putt on his final hole for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark after the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Thursday. Jaeger

Jan 25, 2024, 10:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Days after his rare win as an amateur on the PGA Tour, Nick Dunlap announced Thursday that he is turning pro and accepting membership on the tour. With his victory Sunday at the American Express, Dunlap became the first amateur to win on tour since Phil

Associated Press Jan 24, 2024, 08:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions SAN DIEGO — Kevin Yu of Taiwan shot a bogey-free, 8-under 64 on the North Course at Torrey Pines to take a one-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay and Ryo Hisatsune in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday. The eight lowest

Associated Press Jan 24, 2024, 08:32 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Adrian Meronk, the European tour’s player of the year for 2023, is reportedly set to join LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed league begins its new season next week in Mexico. The Times of London reported Wednesday that the No. 39-ranked Meronk would

Associated Press Jan 23, 2024, 12:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Judy Rankin earned her spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame for her play on the LPGA Tour. Her second career was in television, and Rankin is being honored with the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. She is the 33rd recipient and

Field Level Media Jan 23, 2024, 02:28 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LPGA standout Lexi Thompson and rising star Rose Zhang will join PGA heavyweights Rory McIlroy and Max Homa in next month’s rendition of “The Match,” it was announced Tuesday. Thompson and Zhang are the first women to play in the made-for-television event. McIlroy

Associated Press Jan 21, 2024, 05:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PANAMA CITY — Santiago De La Fuente of Mexico birdied the last two holes for a 6-under 64 on Sunday, giving him a 2-shot victory in the Latin America Amateur Championship and a berth in three majors later this year. De La Fuente became

Associated Press Jan 21, 2024, 06:07 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ORLANDO, Fla. — It took only four rounds for Lydia Ko to put a dismal 2023 LPGA Tour season completely behind her. Ko rediscovered her winning touch Sunday in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, closing with a 2-under 70 for a

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 22, 2024, 03:07 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions Nick Dunlap, the University of Alabama sophomore who on Sunday became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in more than three

ESPN News Services Jan 21, 2024, 07:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LA QUINTA, Calif. — Nick Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour, holding on for a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout at The American Express on Sunday. Dunlap, the 20-year-old University of Alabama sophomore and reigning

Doug Greenberg Jan 21, 2024, 08:32 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Nick Dunlap became the latest long shot to overcome immense odds to win a tournament after the amateur’s 1-shot victory at The American Express on Sunday. Dunlap, the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 and the first

Associated Press Jan 21, 2024, 09:07 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic for a record fourth time after reeling in Cameron Young early in the final round then holding off Adrian Meronk down the back nine to seal a one-stroke victory on Sunday. McIlroy

ESPN News Services Jan 20, 2024, 07:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LA QUINTA, Calif. — University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap fired a 12-under 60 to take a three-shot lead over Sam Burns at The American Express on Saturday, matching the lowest round by an amateur in PGA Tour history and surging into position

Associated Press Jan 20, 2024, 10:14 PM ET Open Extended Reactions KA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — Steven Alker won the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Saturday for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory and eighth in 54 career starts. The winner of the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November in Phoenix, Alker won

Associated Press Jan 20, 2024, 10:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy surged into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic by finishing off a 9-under 63 with an eagle on the final hole that left him 2 shots behind leader Cameron Young on Saturday. The No. 2-ranked McIlroy, the

Associated Press Jan 19, 2024, 07:26 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LA QUINTA, Calif. — Sam Burns shot the best round of his life with “RTR” shaved into the side of his head. The acronym for “Roll Tide Roll” was the LSU product’s follicular punishment for losing a bet with Justin Thomas. Alabama sophomore Nick

Associated Press Jan 19, 2024, 07:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PANAMA CITY — Omar Morales of Mexico shot his second straight 1-under 69 on Friday to take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Latin America Amateur Championship. Morales, a junior at UCLA, was one of two players under par through 36 holes

Associated Press Jan 19, 2024, 12:03 PM ET Jack Burke Jr., the oldest living Masters champion, who staged the greatest comeback ever at Augusta National for one of his two majors, died Friday morning in Houston. He was 100. Burke, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, also won the PGA Championship and

Associated Press Jan 18, 2024, 08:02 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LA QUINTA, Calif. — Zach Johnson embraced the pressure of being the U.S. Ryder Cup captain last year, even if the experience didn’t go the way anybody on his team hoped. A few months later, Johnson is past all the pressure and the second-guessing

Associated Press Jan 18, 2024, 08:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PANAMA CITY — UCLA junior Omar Morales of Mexico opened with a 1-under 69 on Thursday and shared the lead with Santiago de la Fuente of Mexico and Jose Arzu of Guatemala after one round of the Latin America Amateur. Morales hit the opening

David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterJan 18, 2024, 09:51 AM ET Close Joined ESPN in 2014 Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008 Open Extended Reactions On Thursday, LIV Golf announced a partnership with Las Vegas-based firm U.S. Integrity to monitor the betting market, educate its participants and use technology to spot improper gambling on its events.

Jan 17, 2024, 08:48 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Two-time champion Bernhard Langer will make his final Masters start this April, the German said in a Golf Channel interview that aired on Wednesday. The 66-year-old Langer, who missed the cut at each of the past three Masters, made his announcement in Hawaii, where the PGA

Field Level Media Jan 17, 2024, 09:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions As he prepares to tee off at this week’s The American Express in La Quinta, California, world No. 6 Patrick Cantlay said he finds that he’s able to balance playing golf while also serving on the player advisory board. Cantlay, 31, who has

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 17, 2024, 07:55 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions In recent weeks, the push to globalize golf has ignited discussions involving PGA Tour standout Rory McIlroy and the departing DP World Tour CEO,