PGA TOUR Archives - Digital Sports Desk - Boston Sports https://digitalsportsdesk.com/category/pga-tour/ Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:55:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_0364-2-150x150.jpg PGA TOUR Archives - Digital Sports Desk - Boston Sports https://digitalsportsdesk.com/category/pga-tour/ 32 32 Echavarria Wins on Home Golf Course https://digitalsportsdesk.com/echavarria-wins-on-home-golf-course/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=echavarria-wins-on-home-golf-course Sun, 01 Mar 2026 23:00:54 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=9050 Echavarria, who trailed by three strokes on the backside, turned in a 17-under 267 at PGA National’s Champion Course

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Nico Echavarria, who together with his wife, on Monday, closed on a new home on the grounds of PGA National,  then played a steady final round of 5-under-par (66) and benefited from late struggles from Ireland’s Shane Lowry to win the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches on Sunday.

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Echavarria, who trailed by three strokes on the backside, turned in a 17-under 267 at PGA National’s Champion Course for his first PGA Tour victory since 2024 and his third overall. He held a two-stroke edge on Lowry, Austin Smotherman and Taylor Moore.

Lowry, who posted 68, appeared heading toward a victory until double-bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 cost him. His tee shots on both holes ended up in the water.

Until then, he was 6 under for the round without a bogey.

The first double-bogey allowed Echavarria, who was in the process of notching a birdie on No. 17, to pull even. The next series of miscues handed Echavarria the lead.

Moore also shot 68. Smotherman, who began the round tied for the lead with Lowry, had a birdie on the last hole to register 69.

Ricky Castillo, with a final-round 68, finished fifth at 13 under.

Brooks Koepka had a notable final day as his 65 was tied for the best score of the round. Koepka ended up at 10 under in a ninth-place tie. Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard also had 65, putting him at 11 under in a sixth-place tie with William Mouw (67) and Keith Mitchell (68).

–Field Level Media

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]]> Morikawa Ends an 848 Day Drought https://digitalsportsdesk.com/morikawa-ends-drought-at-pebble-beach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=morikawa-ends-drought-at-pebble-beach Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:54 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8986 Morikawa earned a cool 700 FedExCup points and moved to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings.

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PEBBLE BEACH – Collin Morikawa had a pretty good weekend. First, he and his wife announced they are expecting. (Congrats, all around). Then, he broke an 848 day drought between PGA Tour wins. And, since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is a Signature event on TOUR, he pocketed $4m dollars for the baby to get “new shoes.”

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Morikawa (Winner/-22) earned seventh PGA TOUR victory in his 145th start at age of 29 years, 9 days. He won again in his 46th PGA TOUR start since his last victory at the 2023 Baycurrent Classic (span of 848 days).

Morikawa’s PGA TOUR wins (7): 2019 Barracuda Championship, 2020 Workday Charity Open, 2020 PGA Championship, 2021 WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession, 2021 The Open Championship, 2023 Baycurrent Classic, 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

It is his third TOUR victory in California (2019 Barracuda Championship, 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park); his first win in a TOUR Signature Event

Morikawa earned a cool 700 FedExCup points and moved to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings. He also moved from No. 19 to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

 

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Final Leaderboard

1 Collin Morikawa 69 SH 68 PB 62 PB 67 PB 266 (-22)

T2 Min Woo Lee 67 SH 65 PB 70 PB 65 PB 267 (-21)

T2 Sepp Straka 66 PB 66 SH 67 PB 68 PB 267 (-21)

T4 Scottie Scheffler 72 PB 66 SH 67 PB 63 PB 268 (-20)

T4 Tommy Fleetwood 67 SH 68 PB 67 PB 66 PB 268 (-20)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

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]]> PGA Tour Brunch | SONY Open https://digitalsportsdesk.com/pga-sony-open/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pga-sony-open Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:00:14 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8781 As part of the agreement, Koepka will write a $5m check to the Tour’s charitable giving efforts

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The 2026 PGA Tour Season | Honolulu, Hawaii

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]]> PGA TOUR: FedEx Fall Series https://digitalsportsdesk.com/pga-tour-fedex-fall-series/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pga-tour-fedex-fall-series Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:00:37 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8332 The PGA Tour returns to its regularly scheduled programming with the second event of its FedEx Fall series

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JACKSON – (Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour returns to its regularly scheduled programming with the second event of its FedEx Fall series taking place in Mississippi this week, while the LPGA Tour is in Hawaii for the Lotte Championship.

PGA TOUR

LAST TOURNAMENT: Procore Championship (Scottie Scheffler)
THIS WEEK: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, Miss., Oct. 2-5
Course: The Country Club of Jackson (Par 72, 7,461 Yards)
Purse: $6M (Winner: $1.08M)
Defending Champion: Kevin Yu
FedEx Cup Champion: Tommy Fleetwood

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Saturday: 4-7 p.m. ET; Sunday: 3:30-6:30 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 2-7 p.m.; Sunday: 2-6:30 p.m.
X: @Sanderson_Champ

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NOTES: Only the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings following the seven fall events will secure fully exempt status for 2026. Those who began the fall series in the top 70 have already clinched their top-100 eligibility, with Nos. 51-70 still working to secure spots in the first two signature events of 2026. … Rasmus Hojgaard is the only player in the field who competed in last week’s Ryder Cup. He went 0-2-0 for the winning European team. His twin brother, Nicolai, is also in the field, as is European vice captain Francesco Molinari and United States assistant Brandt Snedeker. … Former Vanderbilt star Will Gordon is in the field as a sponsor exemption, as is 2025 NCAA individual champion Michael La Sasso and his Ole Miss teammate Kye Meeks. Other sponsor invites include 2017 event winner Ryan Armour, Ben Martin, Zac Blair and Matt NeSmith. … Sam Burns holds the tournament scoring record at the Country Club of Jackson, which he set with a 266 in 2021.

BEST BETS: Akshay Bhatia (+2000 at DraftKings) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 34 and has three top-13 finishes in his past four starts. … Kevin Yu (+2200) is seeking to become the first player to win back-to-back Sanderson Farms Championships. … Min Woo Lee (+2500) has largely struggled since his win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open but is coming off a T5 at the Open de France. … Michael Thorbjornsen (+2800) is one of the game’s rising young stars and has three top-20s in his past six starts. … J.T. Poston (+3000) is a three-time PGA Tour winner and one of the most accomplished players in the field with 34 career top-10s. … Mackenzie Hughes (+3500) won this event in 2022 and is coming off a T7 at the Procore Championship.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Baycurrent Classic, Yokohama, Japan, Oct. 9-12

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]]> Europe Keeps the Ryder Cup https://digitalsportsdesk.com/europe-keeps-the-ryder-cup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=europe-keeps-the-ryder-cup Sun, 28 Sep 2025 22:00:00 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8326 It marks Team Europe’s 11th win in the last 15 Ryder Cups and its second in a row under captain Luke Donald of England.

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Shane Lowry of Ireland drained a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to halve his match, and Team Europe survived a surprise rally by the United States team to retain the Ryder Cup on Sunday at Bethpage State Park’s famed Black course.

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As defending champions, the Europeans needed to reach just 14 points to ensure the Cup stayed with them. Despite starting the day just 2 1/2 points away, it took about five hours, 15 minutes from the first tee time before Europe finally clinched it.

Lowry entered No. 18 1 down in his match against Russell Henley, after Henley missed a 10-footer to put away the match at No. 17. Henley hit a remarkable shot from the sand onto the 18th green, only to miss another 10-footer to seal his victory.

Lowry drained his putt to give Team Europe the final half-point boost it needed to reach 14, and several teammates joined him on the green in raucous celebration.

It marks Team Europe’s 11th win in the last 15 Ryder Cups and its second in a row under captain Luke Donald of England.

The United States was outplayed throughout Friday and Saturday and needed 10 of an available 12 points to pull off the largest comeback in Ryder Cup history.

Despite clutch performances by Cameron Young, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler — who won his first point after an 0-4-0 start — the Americans and first-time captain Keegan Bradley came up short and will have plenty to address before the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.

The United States’ loss also ended a five-match winning streak for the hosts in the event. No visiting team had won the Ryder Cup since Europe’s “Miracle at Medinah” comeback in 2012.

Europe entered the day leading 11 1/2 points to 4 1/2, but the scoreline became 12-5 before a match began.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland withdrew from singles after hurting his neck Saturday morning and being unable to move it when he awoke Sunday. The U.S. took Harris English out of the lineup in the event’s rarely used “envelope rule,” and the match counted as a draw.

–Field Level Media

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]]> TL’s Sunday Sports Column | Sept 29 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/sunday-sports-column-september/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sunday-sports-column-september Sun, 28 Sep 2025 21:30:49 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8330 It’s not unprecedented, as the 1999 “Battle of Brookline” at The Country Country Club in Massachusetts proved to all

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Bethpage State Park (file photo)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

OLD BETHPAGE – The datelines read “FARMINGDALE” but the Bethpage State Park I grew up alongside was in Old Bethpage, New York – one of Long Island’s smaller towns. Old Bethpage was so old …

How old was it?

It was so old that Old Bethpage had a Village Restoration Museum and its records show that the USA Ryder Cup team of 1636 lost to England, 18 1/2 to 9 1/2. We kid, we kid – it was actually England, 11-1 as it wasn’t until 1961 when the number of points available doubled from 12 to 24.

Back in Revolutionary War times, the biggest battle of ‘em all was “The Battle of Long Island” which was fought August 27, 1776, just a little bit more than a month after the USA declared its independence day of July 4, 1776.

Yes, you have to go pretty far back to find a US victory.

Now, why all the gloom and doom. This column is being written after Europe shredded Team USA on Day 1, 5 1/2 to 2 1/2, and then concluded the Saturday morning matches much to the same tune. At publication time, the USA trailed Europe, 8 1/2 to 3 1/2 with the afternoon matches teeing off just as Notre Dame was playing Arkansas (ND 56-13 winners) and a few hours before Cal took on the local Boston College team (Cal won, 28-24).

*Upon further review in the 8 o’clock hour, the European lead over the USA was of record proportions, a la the largest lead going into Sunday singles under the current format that dates to 1979.

ABC sports television commentator Al Michaels once exclaimed, “Do you believe in MIRACLES?” Well, yes we do, but the trouncing Europe has given the USA over the first sets of matches in the 2025 Ryder Cup makes it very difficult to think our man and team captain, Keegan Bradley, can orchestrate a comeback.

It’s not unprecedented, as the 1999 “Battle of Brookline” at The Country Country Club in Massachusetts proved. The USA trailed Europe, 10-6, heading into the Sunday final round of singles. The United States battled back and won the first six matches of the day, then went on to win 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 when American Justin Leonard holed a 45-footer which was followed by Spain’s José María Olazábal miss from 22 feet which halved the hole and gave the USA it’s remarkable win. However, there’s a considerable difference between 10-6 and 11 1/2 to 4 1/2.

If there’s a miracle to be had, think of the day the New England Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons by the score of 28-3 in Super Bowl LI (SB-51 in 2017), only to come back and win, 34-28, in overtime, and cement the legacy of QB Tom Brady as the Greatest NFL QB of All-Time.

Although the NBA’s Michael Jordan is roaming the fairways at Bethpage Black, Tom Brady will not, so the USA might need Brady, Bill Belichick and even James White to comeback on Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm.

Some of you will be reading this late Saturday night and others early on Sunday morning. The Ryder Cup singles matches begin at 12:01pm (ET), so we’ll all see if there’s a new “Miracle Mile” to be constructed on Long Island and that is highly unlikely given the 11 1/2 to 4 1/2 whooping the Europeans handed the Amerks over the Friday-Saturday span.

Column contributor, the Marvelous T, looked out his backyard window with Bethpage State Park in sight, and came up with this:

“The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the American Twelve today

The score stood 11.5 to almost nothing with but one more day to play

And when Henley slumped at the First, then Cantlay did the same

A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons at Bethpage

Then from eighty thousand throats and more there rose a raucous yell;

It rumbled through the Island breeze, it rattled in Farmingdale;

It knocked upon Garden City, and recoiled upon Cliffs of Sea,

For Scottie, mighty Scottie, was advancing to Bethpage’s tee

“Fore” cried the maddened thousands, and Echo answered Rough;

But one scornful look from Scottie and the audience was Fluff,

They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,

And they knew that Mighty Scottie couldn’t let a match go down again.

Oh, somewhere in this favored island, the sun is shining bright;

The Band is playing somewhere, and in Montauk hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

But there’s no joy in thee Island Trees, as Mighty Rory just holed out.”

– Apologies to Ernest Thayer

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: All of the scuttlebutt about Bethpage Black and Bethpage State Park, in general, brings back a lot of memories, mostly from the 1960s and ‘70s when we were growing up on Long Island.

The State Park was a bicycle ride away, even with a set of golf clubs draped over your shoulders. Bethpage Black was – pretty much – forbidden territory. It was just too difficult and would cost an amateur golfer about 36 lost golf balls, at the least. But the great thing about Bethpage was the fact the public golf courses numbered – FIVE! Yes, five golf courses, all color coded, almost like the seats at Madison Square Garden. Without looking it up, I’ll review:

  • Yellow – The Yellow Course was the easiest of the five and one we played often.
  • Green – I enjoyed playing the “Green” the most as it was medium-easy but played to a lefty’s slice. The greens and aprons were well kept and a short chip-in with a 7-iron was my specialty.
  • Blue – The “Blue” was a bit longer and more difficult as it include a ton of trees and some hills. The course could east up lost balls, many under pine cones and needles.
  • Red – The “Red” was long and pretty tough. Hit a chipmunk and you won! There were chipmunks and squirrels everywhere you looked.
  • “The Black” – It was only with neighbor, we’ll call him, Ernie, when we were allowed to accompany the scratch golfer and friend of the starter for a late afternoon round, often just nine holes. It was Ernie who taught us, “The Ernie Explosive,” a technique to easily remove a golf ball from one of the zillions of sand traps (bunkers) protecting every green in Bethpage like a Doberman would protect his family.

The “Ernie Explosive” combined with the “best golf tip I’ve ever heard,” made escaping from sand traps as easy as baking a cake in an “Easy Bake Oven.” Ernie’s advice was to choke up a bit on your sand wedge, with a very firm grip. Then to take some sand and follow through completely. Pretty simple.

Part two – the best tip ever (from Golf Magazine) – was to use Ernie’s exact philosophy but to picture taking a slice out of the sand – the width and shape of a $1 bill – slicing it out directly under the ball in the sand. That vision along with “Ernie’s Explosive” made for the perfect mental and physical combination to hit highly successful and very accurate wedge shots from the sand – worry free – not matter how big or deep the trap might be.

Good old Ernie.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: An hour or so after watching Cal defeat BC in person at a highly entertaining, yet disappointing game for hometown BC fans, the television was turned on to the Alabama at Georgia SEC game. … The reaction? … It’s two different sports. The same goes for Ohio State, Penn State and “The “U” of Miami, Florida, amongst a handful of others. … The size of the players alone put the SEC, the BIG TEN and the upper echelon of the ACC in another category.

THE GREATEST RUSHING OF THE FIELD: “Without regard to human life!”

Says NBA broadcaster Kevin Harlan, quoting his Dad, “If you wake up every morning and your feet hit the ground and you’re excited about your day, that’s what – I found out what it was!”

September 28: Today marks 25 years since the Quarterfinals of the men’s basketball tournament at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The USA defeated Russia 85-70 in that round. Lithuania knocked off the former Yugoslavian Republic, 76-63, to set up the epic Semifinal match of September 29th. Click for the complete bracket: HERE

Reminder: Your NFL Sunday kicks-off early (9:30am ET) as Minnesota will face Pittsburgh at Croke Field in Dublin, Ireland.

THIS JEST IN: The WNBA suspended Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve for Game 4 of the semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury. Reeve was ejected during the final minute of Minny’s 84-76 loss to the Mercury in Game 3 on Friday night and she then unloaded on the game officials in a post game press conference.

“Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court and remarks made in a post-game press conference,” said the WNBA’s statement.

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]]> Ryder Cup | Sunday Pairings https://digitalsportsdesk.com/ryder-cup-sunday-pairings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ryder-cup-sunday-pairings Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:40:40 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8322 Match 4, 12:35 p.m. ET: Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR)

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2025 RYDER CUP | 12 Sunday Pairings for Match Play

Match 1, 12:02 p.m. ET: Cameron Young (USA) vs. Justin Rose (EUR)
Match 2, 12:13 p.m. ET: Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (EUR)
Match 3, 12:24 p.m. ET: Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR)
Match 4, 12:35 p.m. ET: Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR)
Match 5, 12:46 p.m. ET: Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Ludvig Aberg (EUR)

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Match 6, 12:57 p.m. ET: Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Jon Rahm (EUR)
Match 7, 1:08 p.m. ET: J.J. Spaun (USA) vs. Sepp Straka (EUR)
Match 8, 1:19 p.m. ET: Russell Henley (USA) vs. Shane Lowry (EUR)
Match 9, 1:30 p.m. ET: Ben Griffin (USA) v. Rasmus Højgaard (EUR)
Match 10, 1:41 p.m. ET: Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
Match 11, 1:52 p.m. ET: Sam Burns (USA) vs. Robert MacIntyre (EUR)
Match 12, 2:03 p.m. ET: Harris English (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland (EUR)

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]]> RYDER BUB-KIS https://digitalsportsdesk.com/ryder-bub-kis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ryder-bub-kis Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:25:18 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8311 A home-team winning streak is also in jeopardy; Europe’s last Ryder Cup win in the U.S. came in 2012 at Medinah

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Team Europe is all but assured to win the 45th Ryder Cup after Saturday’s one-sided show at Bethpage Black, leaving more spotlight on the home fans’ interactions with Rory McIlroy.

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The Europeans and captain Luke Donald hold a commanding 11 1/2-4 1/2 lead over the United States team ahead of Sunday’s 12 singles matches. They need 2 1/2 points from those matches to retain the Cup and three points to win outright.

On Saturday morning, Europe became the first visiting team in Ryder Cup history to win the first three sessions when it took morning foursomes 3-1. McIlroy and company made it four straight sessions with another 3-1 edge in the afternoon fourball.

Team Europe seemed to make every putt it needed, which the statistics bore out. According to the website Data Golf, Europe is a whopping 9.55 strokes better than the U.S. on the greens this week, including 4.39 strokes gained during Saturday’s fourballs alone.

“These guys are 12 very able guys that know how to prepare and get ready. Certainly I’m not going to take credit for that,” captain Luke Donald said. “That is more about their grit and their determination to hole those putts more than anything.”

They did so in the face of raucous American fans who tried their best to counter European songs with more pointed barbs.

McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Shane Lowry of Ireland defeated Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, 2 up, in the face of constant jeering that prompted extra security guards and around 10 state troopers to join the match at the turn.

The crowd chanted “(Expletive) you, Rory” at the first tee and elsewhere on the course. Another popular chant was “U.S. Open, U.S. Open,” a reference to McIlroy squandering leads there in 2023 and 2024.

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On the 16th hole of his foursomes match, McIlroy yelled at fans to “shut the (expletive) up” when fans heckled while he was addressing his ball. He proceeded to stuff his approach shot to 3 feet, setting up Tommy Fleetwood’s clinching putt in a 3-and-2 win over Harris English and Collin Morikawa.

“Look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine,” McIlroy said after that win. “But just let us — you gave us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess.”

At the ninth green of the fourball match, Thomas signaled to the U.S. fans to be quiet for McIlroy. Word trickled out to the fans on social media that their heckling was becoming the focus of the day. “Don’t say anything naughty about Rory,” one American fan said sarcastically.

McIlroy released some emotion with a yell at the par-3 14th, where he rolled in his first birdie of the afternoon to put Europe 1 up.

At the par-3 17th, Thomas spun his tee shot to 13 inches of the cup and Europe conceded the birdie. McIlroy was loudly heckled up to the moment he hit his birdie try, which slid past. But Lowry sank his birdie to halve the hole, and the pair of friends finished the job at No. 18.

“When you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said. “It’s not for me to say. You know, people can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not. I’m just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”

It also got feisty in the second match, in which Fleetwood and countryman Justin Rose prevailed 3 and 2 over the Americans’ stars, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau.

Fleetwood and DeChambeau got in a shouting match as they walked to the 16th tee, with Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott also involved. The spat began on the previous green.

“I was waiting to putt,” Rose said. “The (Americans) were obviously working on their read … so I sort of waited a few seconds and then I felt like they came up again and I was sort of — I questioned whether — I was like, ‘It’s my putt, right?’ Or however I said it.”

“Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could have said it in the moment, but by no means was there any disrespect or anything like that, but obviously it was taken the wrong way.”

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DeChambeau didn’t address the confrontation afterwards.

Outplayed and outmaneuvered all weekend, Keegan Bradley and the Americans would need to make history to pull off a comeback. The largest Saturday margin overcome in Ryder Cup history was 10-6 — by the U.S. in 1999, and by Europe in 2012.

A home-team winning streak is also in jeopardy; Europe’s last Ryder Cup win in the U.S. came in 2012 at Medinah.

“I think anytime at a Ryder Cup, the captain is to blame or to be celebrated,” Bradley said. “So we all have to do a better job, but most importantly I have to do a better job as a captain, and you know, who knows, I feel like the guys have played pretty well. The Europeans have just played, like, way better.

“Sometimes that happens, but we’ve still got another day. Who knows? You never know. We can go out there and win. What do we got to win, 10? Wild stuff happens in sports all the time.”

J.J. Spaun prevented a shutout when he birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to turn a 1-down deficit into a 1-up win alongside Xander Schauffele over Spaniard Jon Rahm and Austrian Sepp Straka.

The last match also arrived at No. 18 all square, and Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton hit identical approaches within 3 feet of the cup, Hatton’s ball kissing Fitzpatrick’s. Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns couldn’t make birdie, handing Europe a 1-up victory.

Hatton was a late substitute for Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who aggravated a neck injury during morning foursomes and is questionable to play Sunday.

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World No. 1 Scheffler has had a nightmare week, becoming the first player since the Ryder Cup format changed in 1979 to go 0-4 in the opening four sessions of the event. He will face McIlroy in singles on Sunday.

-Field Level Media

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]]> Ryder Cup: Hatton for Hovland https://digitalsportsdesk.com/hatton-hovland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hatton-hovland Sat, 27 Sep 2025 16:47:16 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8313 Hatton for Hovland

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Englishman Tyrrell Hatton stepped onto the first tee instead of Norwegian star Viktor Hovland for the final fourball match of the Ryder Cup Saturday afternoon.

Minutes before the 1:13 p.m. ET tee time, it was announced that Hovland was scratched due to a neck injury.

Hovland was slated to play alongside another Englishman, Matt Fitzpatrick, against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.

The 28-year-old played in the morning foursomes sessions with Robert MacIntyre of Scotland. They beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, 1 up.

Hovland later told reporters it was the same injury that caused him to withdraw from the Travelers Championship in late June, something that’s bothered him “on and off.” Hovland took painkillers and received physio treatment during his foursomes match.

“I didn’t want to risk it for the match in case it got worse, and I couldn’t continue, especially in fourballs when you are hitting every shot,” Hovland said.

Hovland’s availability for Sunday is now in doubt.

“I’m going to get some treatment this afternoon and tonight and hopefully I will be OK for the singles tomorrow,” he said.

If he cannot play, the United States team will have to select a player to scratch, and the canceled match will go down as a half-point for each side. Both captains must put a player’s name in a sealed envelope ahead of time in the event of an injury.

Hovland was the 2023 FedEx Cup champion on the PGA Tour and is playing in his third Ryder Cup. Hatton, meanwhile, is playing his first fourball session of the week after going 2-0-0 with Spaniard Jon Rahm in a pair of foursomes matches.

–Field Level Media

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]]> Europe Makes a Stand https://digitalsportsdesk.com/europe-makes-a-stand/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=europe-makes-a-stand Fri, 26 Sep 2025 22:30:34 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=8303 Per Elias Sports Bureau, Scheffler joins Ian Woosnam (1991) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2002) as the only players ranked No. 1 in the world to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup.

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OLD BETHPAGE (NY) – Europe’s Rory McIlroy stared down USA veteran Patrick Cantlay through the home stretch and made sure a European advantage wouldn’t be dented at the last moment.

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Thanks to stellar performances from McIlroy, Jon Rahm and their compatriots, Team Europe leads the United States team 5 1/2-2 1/2 after the opening day of the 45th Ryder Cup on Friday at Bethpage Black, one of the toughest golf course in the USA and a public course at that.

Europe led 3-1 after foursomes (or alternate shot) in the morning and the United States scored the first point of fourball (best ball) to make it closer. But the other three matches were under some degree of European control.

Spanish star Rahm and Austria’s Sepp Straka closed out a 3-and-2 win over Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun. Then, Justin Rose’s birdie putt at No. 18 sealed a 1-up win for him and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood against Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin. Fleetwood birdied Nos. 11, 14 and 16 to put them at dormie with two holes to go.

Cantlay and Sam Burns played the anchor match against Northern Ireland’s McIlroy and Irishman Shane Lowry. Cantlay tied the match singlehandedly by birdieing Nos. 10, 12 and 13 around a birdie at No. 11 by Lowry.

They stayed all square when Cantlay’s putt lipped out at No. 14, and again when McIlroy followed Cantlay’s 18-foot birdie at No. 16 with a birdie putt of his own. At the par-3 17th, McIlroy and Burns drained birdie putts, leaving the final point hanging in the balance at No. 18.

After Cantlay dumped his approach into a bunker, Burns and McIlroy had identical 11 1/2-foot putts for birdie. Neither managed to convert, making it the first halved match of the week.

Cameron Young stood out for the U.S. in his first Ryder Cup match. After sitting out morning foursomes, the native of Scarborough, N.Y. teamed with Justin Thomas on a 6-and-5 drubbing of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.

Young, who won the New York State Open at Bethpage Black as an amateur, picked up four holes for his team, including Nos. 12 and 13 to end the match early.

Scheffler and DeChambeau, considered the Americans’ two best players, combined to go 0-4-0 on the day. In foursomes, Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton of England took down DeChambeau and Thomas, 4 and 3, while Aberg and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick prevailed 5 and 3 over Scheffler and Russell Henley.

Per Elias Sports Bureau, Scheffler joins Ian Woosnam (1991) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2002) as the only players ranked No. 1 in the world to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup.

– Field Level Media

 

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