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Scheffler’s the One

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OWINGS MILLS – (Wire Service Report) – Scottie Scheffler pitched in for birdie at the 17th hole and held on to defeat Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre by two shots at the BMW Championship, held at Caves Valley Golf Club just outside of Baltimore.

Scheffler posted a 3-under-par 67 to finish the week at 15-under 265. It took him little time to surpass MacIntyre — the sole leader after each of the first three rounds at the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs — as he struggled to a 3-over 73.

Scheffler had an uneven back nine that included two of his three bogeys. But after both he and MacIntyre missed the green at the difficult par-3 17th, Scheffler aimed a perfect pitch shot that took a full 12 seconds to trickle down the length of the green and directly into the hole.

Maverick McNealy posted a bogey-free 66 and captured third at 11 under. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Sam Burns (68) tied for fourth at 10 under.

Scheffler, 29, earned his 18th win on the PGA Tour — all of them coming since February 2022. He will be the heavy favorite to repeat at the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta, although the 2025 format will have all 30 finalists starting at Even par, rather than Scheffler being (-10) upon the start as in past years.

MacIntyre, who totaled just three bogeys over the first three rounds, bogeyed three of his first five holes Sunday to squander a four-shot lead. He hit only half of the fairways and greens in regulation and did not make a birdie until the par-5 No. 16.

The first hole saw a two-shot swing, as Scheffler played it perfectly for a birdie and MacIntyre missed the fairway, the green and the 7-foot par save.

MacIntyre unraveled. He missed the green in regulation again at Nos. 2 and 5 and failed to save par. The third bogey created a tie with Scheffler at 13 under, and two holes later, Scheffler knocked in a 6-footer for birdie and the outright lead.

Scheffler stuck his approach at the 11th to 3 feet for an easy birdie. His putter acted up on him at Nos. 12 and 14, leading to bogeys from close range, but MacIntyre dropped another shot after missing the green at the par-3 13th.

– Field Level Media

 

Rose Takes FedEx St. Jude

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MEMPHIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – England’s Justin Rose birdied four of the last five holes of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind to force a playoff and birdied the third playoff hole to capture the first leg of the PGA Tour’s season-ending, three-tournament playoffs.

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Rose’s magical finish in regulation – birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 17 — allowed the 45-year-old veteran to pass 54-hole leader Tommy Fleetwood and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and join J.J. Spaun, the reigning U.S. Open champion, in the playoff.

Spaun birdied two of his final three holes in regulation to join Rose in the playoff. Rose and Spaun both had birdie putts on the first playoff hole lip out forcing a return trip to No. 18. On their second tries, they converted birdie putts with Spaun’s coming from 30 feet.

The hole location on 18 was changed for the third playoff hole and Rose dropped his birdie putt from 12 feet. Spaun’s seven-foot attempt for birdie slid left of the cup.

“That was an amazing last 90 minutes,” Rose said. “I never stopped believing.”

The Top 50 in the FedEx Cup points standings advance to the second round of the playoffs, the BMW Championship, which will be held at Caves Valley Golf Club at Owings Mills, Maryland beginning Thursday.

Rose began his charge shortly after a bogey at the par-4 12th hole to move up the leaderboard.

Rose didn’t play any practice rounds before the start of the St. Jude and he skipped the Wednesday pro-am because of illness, but the absences didn’t affect his play.

Rose had a chance to win on the 72nd hole, but his 13-foot birdie putt slid past the hole forcing the playoff with the 34-year-old Spaun. He had the exact same putt on the first playoff hole.

Fleetwood once again was denied the opportunity to win for the first time in 15 years on the PGA Tour. Entering the final round with a one-stroke lead, he was unable to hold a two-stroke lead with three holes to play. He had a par-bogey-par finish.

“I’m obviously disappointed,” Fleetwood said. “I was next to somebody (Rose) who played unbelievable golf down the stretch.”

– Field Level Media

Fleetwood Leads at FedEx St. Jude

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MEMPHIS – England’s Tommy Fleetwood struggled early and lost his lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championships before recovering on the back nine Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the opening leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

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Fleetwood shot 1-under 69 and is at 14-under 196 after the third round at TPC Southwind. He will carry a one-stroke advantage into Sunday’s final round over England’s Justin Rose and a two-shot lead over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Rose posted a 67 and finished with birdies on holes 16 and 18, which sandwiched a bogey at the 17th. Fleetwood bogeyed the final hole after missing the fairway on his drive, his only missed fairway of the round. Fleetwood had a three-shot lead after 17 holes.

Fleetwood, 34, is seeking his first win on the PGA Tour. Rose, 45, is attempting to become the first player in his 40s to win on Tour this season.

Scheffler closed with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to post a 5-under 65, tied for the best round of the day, and is at 12-under 198.

U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun made the biggest move Saturday. He matched Scheffler’s 65 to advance from a tie for 11th to a tie for fourth at 11-under 199. Andrew Novak is also at 199 after making back-to-back pars to end his round.

Rickie Fowler shot a 66 to put himself in position to qualify for the second round of the playoffs. He’s tied for sixth at 9-under 201 and just inside the top 50 in the Cup standings.

Those who finish in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings after Sunday’s round will advance to next week’s BMW Championship — the second of the PGA Tour’s three playoff tournaments — in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Fleetwood has had five top-five finishes this season, including a runner-up showing at the Travelers Championship in June.

Rose was runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters and had two top-20 finishes — sixth at the Scottish Open and 16th at The Open — last month.

– Field Level Media

Fleetwood On Top as Storm Holds FedEx

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MEMPHIS – (Wire Service Report) – England’s Tommy Fleetwood, seeking his elusive first win on the PGA Tour, followed a first-round 63 with a second-round 64 Friday to take the lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening tournament of the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.

Play was suspended in the afternoon with 21 golfers on the course at TPC Southwind as heavy rains flooded the area. Second-round play will resume Saturday morning before the third round begins off two tees in threesomes.

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Fleetwood’s 13-under 127 total was four strokes better than Collin Morikawa and Akshay Bhatia. Morikawa’s 5-under 65 Friday included holing out from the fairway on the par-4 ninth for an eagle. Bhatia, the first-round leader after an 8-under 62, managed a 69 that included 15 pars.

England’s Justin Rose also was tied for second at 9 under with two holes remaining when the rains hit. Kurt Kitayama posted a 7-under 63 to finish at 8-under 132.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who opened with a 67, had a roller-coaster round that included four bogeys and eight birdies, but finished at 4-under 66 and stands at 7 under. Scheffler was visibly frustrated throughout the round, from attempting to kick his club after an errant drive to talking to himself after a poor approach.

A win by the 34-year-old Fleetwood would give the tour back-to-back first-time champions. Cameron Young won last weekend’s Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season event.

“Maybe this weekend is the weekend,” Fleetwood said. “We’ll see.”

Fleetwood, in his 15th year as a pro, entered the second round one stroke behind Bhatia. Fleetwood quickly overtook him by recording birdies in bunches. They came at Nos. 2, 3 and 4 on the front side and at Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 16 on the back nine, building a five-stroke cushion at the time. His only bogey came on No. 18 after his drive found a fairway bunker and his approach missed the green.

From early in the first round through the 17th hole of the second round, Fleetwood played a 30-hole stretch bogey-free with 14 birdies.

“When you shoot two good scores, it’s easy to say everything has been going well, but I think for the most part I’ve been very good off the tee, put myself in position to have a go at the course,” Fleetwood said. “My iron play has been good and solid, and I’ve rolled the ball well. The greens are really true.”

Fleetwood has won seven times on the European Tour, his last victory coming in the 2024 Dubai Invitational. He has come close multiple times on the PGA Tour. Among his three top-10 finishes in 2025 is a tie for second at the Travelers Championship in June.

[Read more…] about Fleetwood On Top as Storm Holds FedEx

While We’re Young!

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GREENSBORO – Cameron Young shot 2-under-par 68 in the final round of the Wyndham Championship and wasn’t challenged on his way to his first PGA Tour victory Sunday in North Carolina.

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Young strung together five consecutive early birdies and cruised to a six-stroke triumph at 22-under 258 at Sedgefield Country Club, where he matched the tournament scoring record.

Young, who began the day with a five-stroke advantage and held the 54-hole lead for the first time on the tour, became the 1,000th different winner in the history of the PGA Tour. He was a seven-time runner-up on the tour.

Mac Meissner posted 66 to finish as the runner-up at 16 under. Mark Hubbard (63) and Sweden’s Alex Noren (64) tied for third place at 15 under. Amateur Jackson Koivun (67), a junior golfer at Auburn University, Chris Kirk (68), and defending champion Aaron Rai (68) of England shared fifth place at 14 under.

Playing not far from the Wake Forest campus where he went to college, Young was in control for most of the tournament.

After a bogey on the first hole Sunday, Young put together his string of birdies for what became a nine-stroke advantage. Young then had pars on nine consecutive holes before bogeys on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. He barely missed a birdie attempt on the last hole.

Colombia’s Nico Echavarria, who was in the final pairing with Young, tumbled from the leaderboard with a disastrous stretch on the back nine. After a bogey at No. 10, he carded double-bogeys on the next two holes. His 75 left him tied for 19th place at 10 under.

Denny McCarthy matched Hubbard’s 63 for the best score Sunday and ended up at 12 under and tied for 11th place.

Rookie Karl Vilips posted his first hole-in-one with a 179-yard shot on the third hole. His 67 put him at 10 under.

The tournament marks the final regular-season event on the tour, with golfers needing to finish in the top 70 of the season standings to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning Thursday.

Kirk played his way into the tournament by jumping 12 spots since the beginning of the tournament.

Davis Thompson (68) nded at 12 under, missing the top-70 position by one spot. Gary Woodland was on the bubble, but his final-day 70 left him at 9 under for the tournament and sharing 23rd place, so he was projected to finish 72nd.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Dahmen Leads After R-1

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GREENSBORO – First round leader Joel Dahmen (1st/-9) in his 232nd start on TOUR, bidding for his second career PGA TOUR title (2021 Corales Puntacana Championship).

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Dahmen totaled 10 birdies, including three consecutive on Nos. 7-9 to finish his round, against one bogey (par-4 14th). His (61) tied his career low round on TOUR (R2/2020 RSM Classic/finished T50).

It was Dahmen’s best finish in six prior starts at the Wyndham Championship is T42 (2017). It marked his sixth career 18-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke play (0-for-5 to date) and his second outright 18-hole lead this season (Corales Puntacana Championship/finished T2).

Notes:
  • Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedExCup standings will qualify for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship (the first of three events in the FedExCup Playoffs):
  • FedEx St. Jude Championship (Top 70 players following Wyndham Championship)
  • BMW Championship (Top 50 players following FedEx St. Jude Championship)
  • TOUR Championship (Top 30 players following BMW Championship)
  • Leaderboard (link)

Kaito Onishi (neck) and Nate Lashley (foot) WD after the first round of the Wyndham Championship

Please check PGATourCom for updated info.

Wyndham | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1 Joel Dahmen 61 (-9)

2 Alex Noren 62 (-8)

T3 Cameron Young 63 (-7)

T3 Aaron Rai 63 (-7)

T3 Nico Echavarria 63 (-7)

T3 Mark Hubbard 63 (-7)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Wyndham Preview

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GREENSBORO – The 2025 Wyndham Championship is the 36th and last event of the 36 scheduled events in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup regular season. Since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, the Wyndham Championship has played host to the FedEx Cup regular season finale (since 2008 at Sedgefield Country Club).

Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Every player ranked from Nos. 60-80 in the FedExCup standings are in the field: Tony Finau (No. 60), Rickie Fowler (No. 61), Davis Riley (No. 62), Kevin Yu (No. 63), Erik van Rooyen (No. 64), Nico Echavarria (No. 65), Emiliano Grillo (No. 66), Cam Davis (No. 67), Patrick Rodgers(No. 68), Byeong Hun An (No. 69), Matti Schmid (No. 70), Nicolai Højgaard (No. 71), Keith Mitchell (No. 72), Chris Kirk (No. 73), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 74), Gary Woodland (No. 75), Kevin Roy (No. 76), Alex Smalley (No. 77), Davis Thompson (No. 78), Eric Cole (No. 79), William Mouw (No. 80).

The Wyndham Championship winner will receive 500 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and $1,476,000; the winner will also be exempt for The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament and PGA Championship in 2026.

  • This year marks the 86th annual Wyndham Championship, having been included on the PGA TOUR schedule since 1938 (the seventh-longest running TOUR event excluding the majors).

Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Every player ranked from Nos. 60-80 in the FedExCup standings are in the field: Tony Finau (No. 60), Rickie Fowler (No. 61), Davis Riley (No. 62), Kevin Yu (No. 63), Erik van Rooyen (No. 64), Nico Echavarria (No. 65), Emiliano Grillo (No. 66), Cam Davis (No. 67), Patrick Rodgers(No. 68), Byeong Hun An (No. 69), Matti Schmid (No. 70), Nicolai Højgaard (No. 71), Keith Mitchell (No. 72), Chris Kirk (No. 73), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 74), Gary Woodland (No. 75), Kevin Roy (No. 76), Alex Smalley (No. 77), Davis Thompson (No. 78), Eric Cole (No. 79), William Mouw (No. 80).

The Wyndham Championship winner will receive 500 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and $1,476,000; the winner will also be exempt for The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament and PGA Championship in 2026.

Kitayama Takes 3M Open

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BLAINE (Minn) – Kurt Kitayama wasn’t sure he would qualify for the final two rounds of the 3M Open. It turned out to be a weekend to remember.

Kitayama shot 6-under-par 65 and held on to win the 3M Open by one stroke Sunday in Blaine, Minn., for his second PGA Tour victory.

“I feel like the game has been trending, and for it finally to kind of pay off now has been awesome,” Kitayama said.

Kitayama finished at 23-under 261 at  TPC Twin Cities for a one-stroke decision on Sam Stevens, who posted 66 on Sunday. Kitayama made a total of 20 birdies in the two weekend rounds.

Prior to that, he wasn’t certain he would make the cut in this tournament.

“On Friday, I was fighting my swing trying to find something,” Kitayama said. “Went to the range, trying to find something.”

He definitely discovered what was needed.

Kitayama, who tied a course and tournament record with a third-round 60 on Saturday, pretty much rode that wave of momentum. He had birdies on the first three holes Sunday — including a chip-in from the green side rough on No. 3 — and was 5 under through six holes on the way to a 29 on the front nine.

But after a bogey on No. 11, his lead was just two on England’s Matt Wallace, who had already completed his round. Kitayama rebounded with birdies on two of the next three holes.

Yet it took him three putts to finish the par-3 17th, with the bogey cutting the margin to one stroke. But Stevens, who had birdies on Nos. 14-16 to pull within striking distance, was all over the place on the 18th with his first three shots into the rough and scrambled for par.

Kitayama, in the next group, had a smooth final hole and won it with par.

The tournament title locked up a position for Kitayama in the FedEx Cup playoffs with one regular-season tournament remaining.

“Jumping up that much is great,” he said. “The goal is to make the playoffs and give yourself a chance.”

There was another special aspect of the result for Kitayama because his older brother, Daniel, was his caddie for the second week in a row.

Stevens settled for his third top-10 finish of the season.

David Lipsky and Wallace both registered 64s to share the distinction for the best score of the round, and they finished tied for third place at 20 under, along with Pierceson Coody (67) and Jake Knapp (68).

Wallace produced a bogey-free round, but finished with pars on his final three holes.

Chris Gotterup, who was aiming for his second title in three weeks, didn’t make a charge en route to a 69, tying for 10th place at 18 under.

Third-round co-leaders Thorbjorn Olesen (73) of Denmark and Akshay Bhatia (75) tumbled down the leaderboard and finished tied for 14th (16 under) and tied for 25th (14 under), respectively. Bhatia had seven bogeys Sunday.

Kevin Roy also registered 64 on Sunday, ending at 13 under.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Take Dodgers Series

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Alex Bregman hammered a go-ahead two-run homer to help the Red Sox defeat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Sunday. The Red Sox took the three-game series, 2-1.

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Bregman’s 13th home run of the year came against Los Angeles starting pitcher Dustin May to conclude a three-run fifth inning.

Michael Conforto had three hits — a solo home run and two doubles — for the Dodgers, who also received two hits from Shohei Ohtani.

The Red Sox prevailed twice in the three-game series. Los Angeles won 5-2 Friday, and Boston earned a 4-2 victory Saturday.

Boston starter Walker Buehler pitched against the Dodgers — his former team — for the first time in his career, and was pulled with two outs in the fifth. Buehler gave up three runs on four hits, struck out four and walked five.

Brennan Bernardino (4-2) earned the win for recording the final out of the fifth inning.

Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman left the game with one out in the eighth. He threw 11 pitches in the inning and walked two. Jordan Hicks got the final five outs for Boston for his second save.

May (6-7) pitched the first five innings for Los Angeles. He surrendered four runs on five hits and struck out five without a walk.

The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Roman Anthony was hit by a pitch, took third on Jarren Duran’s single and scored on Trevor Story’s sacrifice fly to center field. It was the second time the Red Sox have scored first in their nine games since the All-Star break.

Boston regained the lead by scoring three times in the fifth. It was 3-2 after Roman Anthony hit an RBI triple that drove in Abraham Toro, and Bregman followed with his two-run home run that put Boston in front.

–Field Level Media

Olesen Leads at 3M Open

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BLAINE – Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen overcame a double bogey and took over the lead at the 3M Open by posting a 5-under-par 66 Friday at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota.

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Olesen entered the weekend at 14-under 128, one shot above Jake Knapp (65 Friday) and two ahead of Pierceson Coody (65) and Sam Stevens (68).

Olesen was 1 over par six holes into his round after hitting his tee shot out of bounds at the par-4 15th and hitting a poor shot off his drop. He proceeded to birdie the next two holes to erase that blemish, then add four birdies on the front nine.

“There was two great shots there,” Olesen said. “On (No. 16), I hit it to I think 3 or 4 feet, and also on 17 I hit it really close. Yeah, I mean, my iron play has been great. I didn’t — I felt pretty comfortable even though I made a double still, so that’s a good thing.”

Olesen, 35, is a veteran with eight wins on the DP World Tour but none in the United States. He started the week No. 129 in the FedEx Cup standings but said he’s simply taking every week as it comes.

“Every week is an opportunity to try and bounce back and do something special,” Olesen said.

Knapp is bogey-free through 36 holes as he seeks his second PGA Tour win. He opened his round with three straight birdies at Nos. 10-12.

“Feel like I’m kind of doing everything pretty good for the most part,” Knapp said. “I haven’t made too many putts, but yeah, I feel like it’s been, you know, kind of mistake-free for the most part. I haven’t really had to scramble too much.”

Tied for fifth at 11 under were Japan’s Takumi Kanaya (bogey-free 64), German Matti Schmid (68) and Chris Kirk (67).

A collection of notable names at 10 under included Wyndham Clark (65), Chris Gotterup (69), Akshay Bhatia (66) and Joel Dahmen (65). Alex Noren of Sweden joined them there by posting the round of the day, a 9-under 62 with an eagle-birdie-birdie-bogey finish.

“Today I understand why I love golf so much,” Noren quipped. “It’s a fantastic sport because it is tough and then when you get it right, it’s lovely.”

Canadian Adam Svensson broke the course record Thursday with an 11-under 60 but turned the wrong way Friday, posting a 4-over 75 to drop back to 7 under.

Max Homa (8 under following a 68), Rickie Fowler (7 under; 70) and Sam Burns (7 under; 64) made the cut, which landed at 5 under par as Friday’s round finished.

Those who missed the weekend included China’s Haotong Li (4 under), who was in the final Sunday pairing with Scottie Scheffler at last week’s Open Championship; Sahith Theegala (2 under); and Tony Finau (4 over), a former 3M Open champion who made back-to-back double bogeys en route to a 77 Friday.

–Field Level Media