Golf Connecting

Dec 7, 2023, 08:27 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Rahm said Thursday that he’s hoping to play in future Ryder Cups even after his move to LIV Golf. Rory McIlroy says that must happen, even with the two European stars now on opposite tours. McIlroy addressed Rahm’s surprise exit to LIV in an interview

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterDec 7, 2023, 03:45 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions The LIV Golf League struck another devastating blow to the PGA Tour on Thursday, as the Saudi Arabian-financed circuit signed Masters champion Jon Rahm

Associated Press Dec 5, 2023, 01:02 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Just how far was Tiger Woods hitting his driver in the Bahamas? How many putts was Scottie Scheffler holing from outside 12 feet? Those details from the Hero World Challenge might not have been available until this year. Those tiny clips all but a

Associated Press Dec 6, 2023, 09:14 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Golf’s ruling bodies are changing the equipment testing to make sure the golf ball goes shorter for everyone from Tiger Woods to the amateur who plays public courses on the weekend. The USGA and R&A announced its decision Wednesday, capping more than five years

ESPN News Services Dec 5, 2023, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Rahm was not among the notable names listed as committed to the American Express field next month as rumors persist that the world No. 3 could be leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Rahm regularly plays the American Express in La

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterDec 5, 2023, 05:14 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions The results were probably what Tiger Woods should have expected in last week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. In his first start in

Field Level Media Dec 4, 2023, 07:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions In what is sure to further rankle LIV Golf players, Tiger Woods vaulted 430 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking after finishing 18th out of 20 golfers in his invitational Hero World Challenge on Sunday. Woods, who was making his first start

Dec 3, 2023, 06:24 AM ET Open Extended Reactions SYDNEY — Joaquin Niemann mastered the Sydney winds to become the first Chilean winner in 119 years of the Australian Open when he beat Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in a playoff to lift the Stonehaven Cup on Sunday. Niemann lipped out a 4-foot eagle putt on the

Dec 3, 2023, 10:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Dean Burmester made two birdies over the final three holes to pull away from the field and win the South African Open on Sunday by 3 strokes, securing back-to-back titles on the DP World Tour following his triumph at the Joburg Open last week. The 34-year-old

Associated Press Dec 3, 2023, 05:40 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler has made great gains in his putting. Add that to the rest of top-ranked game, and he made it look easy Sunday. He closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge. Scheffler, a

Associated Press Dec 2, 2023, 07:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions SYDNEY — Min Woo Lee made a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole to keep his bid of winning back-to-back titles on track despite a challenging day in the third round of the Australia Open on Saturday. Lee produced a trademark dazzling chip from

Associated Press Dec 2, 2023, 06:04 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler made two eagles on Saturday in his round of 7-under 65 that gave the No. 1 player in the world another chance to win the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods will be around at the end, but only to

ESPN News Services Dec 1, 2023, 06:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tiger Woods said Friday he would “hypothetically” be surprised if rumors that several big-name players are on the verge of signing with LIV Golf prove to be true. Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion and world’s No. 3-ranked player, is reportedly weighing an

Associated Press Dec 1, 2023, 05:16 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods opened with four birdies in seven holes. The closing stretch was another struggle Friday in the Hero World Challenge, which included a putt that went off the green and into the bunker. It added to a 2-under 70 that

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 30, 2023, 02:34 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions PGA Tour member Jason Dufner, the 2013 PGA Championship winner, is among the 73 players who are in the field for next month’s LIV

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 30, 2023, 05:48 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — After the first competitive round of his latest comeback, Tiger Woods said his surgically repaired right foot and ankle held up

Associated Press Nov 29, 2023, 04:38 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PARIS — Seven-time Olympic champion sprinter Allyson Felix and seven-time golf major winner Inbee Park are candidates in elections at the Paris Games to represent their fellow athletes at the IOC. The International Olympic Committee announced a list of 32 candidates Wednesday for elections

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 29, 2023, 12:35 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — The PGA Tour’s regular season might be over, but men’s golf silly season is underway, starting with this week’s Hero World

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 28, 2023, 05:14 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Open Extended Reactions NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods is returning to competitive golf for the first time in nearly eight months when he tees it up at

Field Level Media Nov 28, 2023, 01:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka added Graeme McDowell to his four-man LIV Golf team for 2024 on Tuesday. McDowell, 44, played for Cleeks GC in 2023. The Northern Irishman finished 42nd in individual points and Cleeks was 10th out of 12 teams. Only

Associated Press Nov 23, 2023, 06:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions VIRGINIA WATER, England — Bernd Wiesberger is returning to the European tour after two seasons in the breakaway LIV Golf series. The Austrian golfer has had his application for membership for the 2024 season accepted, the tour said Thursday. Wiesberger left to join the

Associated Press Nov 25, 2023, 06:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions BRISBANE, Australia — Min Woo Lee extended his lead to three shots at the Australian PGA Championship after a 5-under 66 in overcast conditions Saturday to move to 17 under after three rounds. “It’s a course you can shoot low, so you’ll be aggressive

ESPN News Services Nov 26, 2023, 10:09 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Dean Burmester shot a bogey-free final-round 64 to win the Joburg Open by three shots Sunday as overnight leader Thriston Lawrence imploded at the Houghton Golf Club. Burmester made six birdies and cruised through his round for a 18-under 262 total to overturn

Nov 26, 2023, 01:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Min Woo Lee has pulled out a few tricks and even donned a chef’s hat on his way to a three-shot Australian PGA Championship title. A bogey on the last dropped him to 20 under for the tournament but the West Australian’s fourth career win was

Nov 25, 2023, 11:02 AM ET Open Extended Reactions South African Thriston Lawrence will take a 3-shot lead into the final round of the DP World Tour’s Joburg Open at Houghton Golf Club after a 67 on Saturday left him on 15 under par as he seeks to regain the title he won in 2021.

Associated Press Nov 23, 2023, 05:20 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Eddie Merrins was known as The Little Pro because of his 5-foot-7 stature, certainly not his influence on golf. The longtime pro at Bel-Air Country Club touched everyone from U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin to Fred Astaire and even Mikhail Baryshnikov. Merrins died Wednesday

Nov 24, 2023, 11:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions World No. 1,214 Nikhil Rama is the surprise leader after Round 2 of the DP World Tour’s Joburg Open, carding an eight-under par 62 at the Houghton Golf Club on Friday, 1 shot ahead of compatriot Thriston Lawrence. South African Rama, 22, followed up his opening

Nov 24, 2023, 04:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Cameron Smith has fought back tears describing his worst day as a pro golfer, the local favourite shooting a seven-over 78 to miss the cut in his Australian PGA Championship defence. While Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott are primed for a title shootout, the three-time

Associated Press Nov 23, 2023, 11:02 AM ET Open Extended Reactions JOHANNESBURG — South African golfer Thriston Lawrence began his bid for a second title at the Joburg Open by shooting 8-under 62 Thursday to lead by three shots after the first round of the season-opening event on the European tour. The 2024 season began

Associated Press Nov 22, 2023, 09:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tiger Woods is returning to the PNC Championship, the 36-hole event that has become one of his favorites because of his partner: his son. Tiger Woods and 14-year-old Charlie Woods are playing the PNC Championship for the fourth straight year, the one tournament he