Gone to Play Golf

Associated Press Jan 15, 2024, 03:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LEON, Mexico — Lee Williams won the Mexico Open on Sunday for his first Nationwide Tour title, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Paul Haley II. Williams, a former Auburn player, finished at 14-under 274 at El Bosque. He earned

Associated Press Jan 14, 2024, 09:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions HONOLULU — Grayson Murray stuffed a wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the 18th hole for a 3-under 67 to join a three-way playoff then won the Sony Open with a 40-foot birdie putt to set himself up for a potentially lucrative year.

Associated Press Jan 14, 2024, 07:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tommy Fleetwood birdied the 18th hole to win the Dubai Invitational by one stroke Sunday from Rory McIlroy, who made bogey at the last after driving into the water. McIlroy led the European tour event by one heading to

Associated Press Jan 13, 2024, 11:07 PM ET Open Extended Reactions HONOLULU — The hard work is not over for Grayson Murray, in golf or in life. The final round of the Sony Open might give him a good idea of how far he has come. Murray got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5

Open Extended Reactions The 2024 PGA Tour season continues this week with the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawai’i. There’s a $8.3 million purse and $1.494 million first-place prize. Si Woo Kim won the event last year, edging Hayden Buckley by 1 stroke. Now, he’s trying to become the first back-to-back winner

Associated Press Jan 13, 2024, 08:08 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tommy Fleetwood surged into the lead of the Dubai Invitational after shooting an 8-under 63 in the third round Saturday to overtake Rory McIlroy by 1 stroke. Fleetwood made eight birdies in a flawless round, including four over his

Associated Press Jan 12, 2024, 11:55 PM ET Open Extended Reactions HONOLULU — Carl Yuan soaked up the views at the Sony Open, not just his name atop the leaderboard when he finished his second round Friday but simply being in Hawaii to start his PGA Tour season. If not for Jon Rahm, the 26-year-old

Jan 12, 2024, 05:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Daniel Berger, who hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since 2022, is set to return at next week’s The American Express. The tour announced the 156-player field Friday, and Berger was among the notable names in it. Berger’s absence from professional golf has been lengthy, with

Associated Press Jan 12, 2024, 08:10 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy recovered from a quadruple bogey to shoot a 1-under 70 on Friday and maintain the lead at the halfway point of the Dubai Invitational. The No. 2-ranked Northern Irishman sank a nearly 30-foot putt for birdie on

ESPN News Services Jan 11, 2024, 08:41 PM ET Open Extended Reactions HONOLULU — Gary Woodland had low expectations at this week’s Sony Open. The former U.S. Open champion had brain surgery on Sept. 18 to remove a tumor that had been causing bizarre and frightening spells of fear and anxiety centered on death. He

Associated Press Jan 11, 2024, 06:28 AM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy is playing the Dubai Invitational as a favor to a friend and to get in some early-year practice in pleasant weather conditions. The way he has started, McIlroy might end up taking home the trophy. The No.

Associated Press Jan 11, 2024, 07:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LISBON, Portugal — Manchester City defender John Stones and Formula One driver Alex Albon have joined Stephen Curry in investing in a franchise in the high-tech golf competition created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Stones and Albon have, through their investment in fund

ESPN News Services Jan 10, 2024, 09:18 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Phil Mickelson said he doesn’t see himself becoming U.S. Ryder Cup captain in 2025 because he’s too divisive as a player and chief promoter of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. “I don’t feel I’m the right guy to be involved with the team because I’m

Associated Press Jan 10, 2024, 04:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Rory McIlroy is offering another proposal to golf’s fractured landscape, suggesting that players need to give up their status as independent contractors unless they want to go back to competing for prize funds from 10 years ago. “Look at other sports – they can

Jan 10, 2024, 06:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Martin Slumbers will step down as CEO of the R&A by the end of 2024 after nine years in the role, the 63-year-old said Wednesday. “It has been a privilege to serve golf at the highest level,” Slumbers said in a statement. “It is a role

Field Level Media Jan 9, 2024, 09:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Gary Woodland dealt with loss of appetite and energy, jolting awake in the middle of the night, tremors and an overwhelming feeling of fear until doctors could figure out what was wrong. A benign lesion resting on his brain had to be removed

Field Level Media Jan 9, 2024, 06:53 PM ET Open Extended Reactions As the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue to negotiate the sport’s future, Rory McIlroy says he has a “dream scenario” with a global approach, tapping into markets such as Australia, South Africa and Japan. “Going forward, if everything is on the table,

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 8, 2024, 12:13 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions Tiger Woods announced Monday that his longtime partnership with Nike has ended after 27 years, closing one of the most iconic brand relationships in

Associated Press Jan 7, 2024, 08:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions KAPALUA, Hawaii — Nearly a year after Chris Kirk made it all the way back by winning, he took another big step Sunday with a clutch 5-iron to 2 feet for birdie on the 17th hole that led to an 8-under 65 and a

Field Level Media Jan 7, 2024, 11:25 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Rickie Fowler promised that his fans “don’t have to worry” about him leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Fowler was the subject of speculation after his longtime sponsors, Farmers Insurance and Rocket Mortgage, disappeared from his hat and shirt during this week’s

Associated Press Jan 6, 2024, 09:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions KAPALUA, Hawaii — Chris Kirk two-putted for birdie from just short of the 18th green at Kapalua on Saturday, giving him a 7-under 66 for a one-shot lead in The Sentry and hardly any room for error going into the final round of the

Associated Press Jan 5, 2024, 11:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions KAPALUA, Hawaii — A new year, the same old Scottie Scheffler. The world’s No. 1 player had eight birdies and an eagle Friday for a 9-under 64 at The Sentry, giving him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the PGA Tour’s season

Jan 5, 2024, 06:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland is in the field for next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, his entry coming just three months after he underwent brain surgery. The PGA Tour announced the 144-player field Friday for the year’s first full-field event. Woodland was diagnosed with

Open Extended Reactions The 2024 PGA Tour season begins this week with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii, will host the event. When is the Sentry Tournament? How can I watch? The event will take place from Jan. 4-7, with live coverage on ESPN+. Jan. 4

Associated Press Jan 4, 2024, 10:23 PM ET Open Extended Reactions KAPALUA, Hawaii — Collin Morikawa already has won two majors and played in the opening session twice in the Ryder Cup. His opening tee shot Thursday at Kapalua felt as special as any moment. Long before Sahith Theegala rolled in his 10th birdie for

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 4, 2024, 10:42 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund haven’t yet finalized a deal to combine their commercial assets, including the rival LIV Golf

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 3, 2024, 04:00 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler won two official PGA Tour tournaments in 2023, while Spain’s Jon Rahm won four times, including his second

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJan 3, 2024, 09:42 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions After a nearly seven-week hiatus, the 2024 PGA Tour season begins Thursday at the Sentry in Kapalua, Hawai’i. The sport still remains divided, as

ESPN News Services Jan 3, 2024, 09:19 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy says he regrets being too quick to judge players who joined LIV Golf and now accepts that the Saudi-backed tour is part of the sport. McIlroy has been a vocal critic since the breakaway tour launched in 2022

Field Level Media Jan 3, 2024, 12:57 AM ET Open Extended Reactions There is a strong argument to be made that Mackenzie Hughes has benefitted as much as any player from Jon Rahm‘s departure from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. At No. 51 after last year’s Tour Championship, Hughes fell one spot shy of