PGA Tour | Theegala sweeps to maiden PGA Tour victory in California

Theegala sweeps to maiden PGA Tour victory in California

Sahith Theegala cruised to a maiden PGA Tour title on Sunday, romping to victory by two strokes at the Fortinet Championship in northern California.

Theegala, who started the final round sitting on a two-shot lead, never looked like squandering that advantage during a composed final round on the Silverado Resort's north course in Napa.

The 25-year-old from California carded a four-under-par 68 including seven birdies to finish on 21 under for a comfortable win with a crowd of close family and friends looking on from the galleries.

Theegala's procession to the title was effectively sealed on the 14th hole, when he rolled in a superb 20-foot birdie putt to pull five shots clear.

South Korea's Kim Seong-hyeon, playing in the group ahead, raised hopes of a rally with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to trim Theegala's lead to three shots, but the leader would not be denied.

Theegala responded to Kim's challenge by drilling a superb second shot from the fairway to seven feet of the hole on the par-four 16th.

He then coolly rolled in the birdie putt to take a four-shot lead with just two holes remaining.

A solid par on the par-three 17th left Theegala four clear heading to the par-five 18th, and although Kim bagged another birdie on the last to cut the lead back to three, the outcome was never in doubt.

Theegala played conservatively to close with a bogey for an aggregate 267.

"It doesn't feel real, it's probably not going to sink in for a while," an elated Theegala said after the win.

"But man, there was a lot of good golf, and that was probably the most fun I've had on a golf course in my life. Family and friends cheering me on, it's mind-blowing.

"This feeling is incredible and I couldn't have done it without my whole team and everyone out here. It's a team effort and for me to put it together like this means the world."

Kim finished on 19 under after a closing four-under-par 68.Australia's Cam Davis finished alone in third on 17 under after a closing 70, one clear of Eric Cole on 16 under, who also finished with a 70.

Two-time major champion Justin Thomas's challenge faded on the final round with a level-par 72 to leave him in fifth on 15 under, six off the lead.

Brendon Todd finished in sixth on 14 under after moving up the leaderboard with a six-under-par 66 to close.

The day's biggest mover was Troy Merritt, whose seven-under-par 65 was good enough to propel him 30 places up the leaderboard into a four-way tie for seventh on 13 under.

Merritt finished alongside Max Homa, who closed with a three-under-par 69, England's Callum Tarren and US veteran Matt Kuchar.

Leading scores after final round of PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort, Napa, California on Sunday:

267 - Sahith Theegala (USA) 68-64-67-68

269 - Kim Seonghyeon (KOR) 65-67-69-68

271 - Cameron Davis (AUS) 68-68-65-70

272 - Eric Cole (USA) 68-66-68-70

273 - Justin Thomas (USA) 69-67-65-72

274 - Brendon Todd (USA) 69-71-68-66

275 - Matt Kuchar (USA) 70-67-65-73, Troy Merritt (USA) 74-67-69-65, Max Homa (USA) 70-66-70-69, Callum Tarren (ENG) 68-69-67-71

276 - Peter Malnati (USA) 71-68-66-71, JJ Spaun (USA) 71-69-69-67, Matthias Schwab (AUT) 71-70-68-67

- AFP

Birdie spree gives Theegala the edge at PGA Fortinet

Sahith Theegala conjured a back-nine birdie spree to edge into a two-stroke lead after the third round of the PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship in California on Saturday.

Theegala, chasing a first ever individual title on the tour, carded a five-under-par 67 to put daylight between himself and the pack heading into Sunday's final round.

The bogey-free performance included four birdies in the final seven holes of Silverado Resort's North Course in Napa, with Theegala moving to 17 under after 54 holes.

That left the 25-year-old from California two clear of three players locked on 15 under including Justin Thomas, Australia's Cam Davis and South Korea's Kim Seong-hyeon.

"My goal hasn't necessarily been to win, but to keep getting better," said Theegala.

"Keep putting myself in contention on the back nine come Sunday, and that's what I hope to do tomorrow."

Two-time Major champion Thomas vaulted back into contention with a superb seven-under-par 65.

Thomas's round included five birdies and a brilliant eagle three on the par-five 15th, when he chipped in from a greenside bunker.

"I'm putting myself in a lot better positions to have good things happen," said Thomas, who is without a win this season.

"But more than anything, mentally, I truly believe that good things are going to happen, so that's at least a good start."

Davis also posted a seven-under-par round after a scintillating back nine that concluded with four straight birdies.

Six of Davis's seven birdies came after the turn.

"I kept myself out of trouble for the most part and when I did, I got an up and down, which is really good," Davis said.

"To keep bogeys off the card around here isn't easy and I'm always happy when I'm able to keep a whole round together like that."

Kim meanwhile fluffed a chance to move within one shot of the lead after missing a short birdie putt on the 18th green that would have got him to 16 under.

Elsewhere on Saturday, veteran Matt Kuchar was the day's other big mover, posting a seven-under-par 65 to move to 14 under overall, three off the lead.

"Certainly a great leaderboard, some really good names up there at the top," Kuchar said.

"I'm thrilled to be part of those names and looking forward to having some fun out there.

"This is kind of why we all play - golf gets a lot more fun when you've got a chance to win a tournament on Sunday."

Kuchar is tied in fifth alongside Eric Cole, who posted a 68.

 - AFP

Leading scores after third round of PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort, Napa, California on Saturday:

199 - Sahith Theegala (USA) 68-64-67

201 - Justin Thomas (USA) 69-67-65, Cameron Davis (AUS) 68-68-65, Kim Seonghyeon (KOR) 65-67-69

202 - Matt Kuchar (USA) 70-67-65, Eric Cole (USA) 68-66-68

204 - Callum Tarren (ENG) 68-69-67

205 - Peter Malnati (USA) 71-68-66, Robby Shelton (USA) 69-68-68, Martin Trainer (FRA) 71-66-68

206 - Lee Kyung-Hoon (KOR) 70-67-69, Scott Harrington (USA) 70-68-68, Max Homa (USA) 70-66-70

207 - Kelly Kraft (USA) 66-69-72, Justin Lower (USA) 67-69-71, Chad Ramey (USA) 69-69-69, Davis Thompson (USA) 70-68-69

Theegala, Kim lead PGA Fortinet at halfway stage

Sahith Theegala fired an eight-under-par 64 to grab a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship in Napa, northern California on Friday.

The world number 37 reeled off seven birdies and an eagle to surge to 12 under after 36 holes, with South Korea's Kim Seong-hyeon joining him at the top of the leaderboard after a five-under-par 67.

In perfect conditions at the Silverado Resort's north course, Theegala relied on a red-hot putter and some superb approach play to march up the leaderboard.

Theegala and Kim lead by one shot from South Korea's Bae Sang-moon, who is a shot back on 11 under after a six-under-par 66.

Eric Cole, who also shot a 66, is a further shot back on 10 under, two off the lead.

But the low round of the day belonged to Theegala, who made a blistering start with back-to-back 10-foot putts yielding birdies on his third and fourth holes.

He nailed a chip from 48 feet to within two feet of the hole for another birdie on his sixth hole before giving up that shot with a bogey on his seventh.

He made amends just before the turn, when he drilled a 47-yard approach shot to four feet for a simple tap-in birdie.

A monster 48-foot birdie putt on his 11th hole took him to four under for the round, and he then chipped in from a greenside bunker on the par-five fifth, his 14th hole, for an eagle three that took him to six under.

Two more birdies down the stretch followed to leave Theegala firmly in the hunt for his first individual PGA Tour title.

"It was a great round," Theegala said afterward. "It was one of those rounds where I just felt like I needed to give myself chances and if I did, I had a good chance of making it."

Theegala will go into the third round aiming to break clear of co-leader Kim, who shot six birdies and a bogey en route to his 67.

With Kelly Kraft three off the pace on nine under after shooting a 69, a cluster of five players are four off the lead on eight under.

They include Justin Thomas, who showed signs that he is returning to form just in time for this month's Ryder Cup with a five-under-par 67 that included back-to-back birdies on his final two holes.

"I played well, I played really solid, I drove the ball well, felt like I gave myself a lot of chances," Thomas said.

"It was nice to make those putts on the last two holes ... that's why I stay patient, just kind of stay in it and was able to birdie those last two to salvage a good round."

- AFP

Leading scores after second round of PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort, Napa, California on Friday:

132 - Sahith Theegala (USA) 68-64, Kim Seonghyeon (KOR) 65-67

133 - Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 67-66

134 - Eric Cole (USA) 68-66

135 - Kelly Kraft (USA) 66-69

136 - Justin Thomas (USA) 69-67, Max Homa (USA) 70-66, Justin Lower (USA) 67-69, Sam Ryder (USA) 68-68, Cameron Davis (AUS) 68-68

Australia's red-hot Herbert fires 63 to grab early PGA Fortinet lead

Australian Lucas Herbert reeled off six straight birdies before a closing par to grab a two-stroke lead after Thursday's first round of the US PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship.

The 27-year-old made 10 birdies against a lone bogey to fire a nine-under-par 63 at Silverado in Napa, California.

That matched his career-low 18-hole PGA Tour score, which he first managed in last year's final round of the Zozo Championship.

"Found a little groove there," Herbert said. "It felt like anything I did poorly seemed to work out nicely for me and the good shots got rewarded as well.

"Felt like I played OK and just got a lot of good breaks and capitalized on chances as well."

Herbert, who took a seven-week break following a missed cut in July's Open Championship, added: "I felt like coming here I was ready to play again."

South Korea's Kim Seong-hyeon was second after a bogey-free 65.

Six players were a further shot back including England's Harry Hall and South Korea's Kang Sung-hoon.

Herbert's only PGA Tour title came at the 2021 Bermuda Championship.

But he is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, his most recent in April when he won the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan with a birdie on the second playoff hole to defeat Canada's Aaron Cockerill.

After birdies at the third and par-five fifth holes, Herbert took a bogey at six but answered with a 28-foot birdie putt at the seventh and began the back nine with a 24-foot birdie putt.

His epic birdie run, twice as long as his prior PGA career-best streak, began with tap-ins at the par-five 12th and par-four 13th.

He then sank birdie putts from nine feet at 14, just inside five feet at the par-five 15th and 16 feet at 16 and the par-three 17th.

The event launched the PGA's fall season, a series of events after the FedEx Cup playoffs and before the start of the 2024 season that primarily allows players outside the season's top 70 to qualify for spots on next year's tour.

Among the exceptions was two-time defending champion Max Homa, who fired an opening-round 70.

The world number seven, who will play on the US Ryder Cup team later this month, seeks his first win since January.

Justin Thomas, another member of the Ryder Cup team, shot a three-under 69.

- AFP

Hovland outduels Schauffele to win PGA Tour Championship

Viktor Hovland outduelled Xander Schauffele through Sunday's storm-hit final round to win the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship, capturing the $18 million FedEx Cup top prize by five strokes.

The 25-year-old Norwegian fired a bogey-free seven-under par 63 to stand on 27-under after 72 holes at East Lake in Atlanta while American Schauffele was second after matching his season-low round with a 62.

"It's just pretty surreal standing here right now, playing basically my best golf the last two weeks," said Hovland as he held the playoff trophy.

"It couldn't have happened at a better moment."

World number five Hovland shook off a storm delay of one hour and 53 minutes early in his round that dumped nearly half an inch of rain, making four birdies in the first six holes to fight off the reigning Olympic champion.

Starting scores in the FedEx Cup playoff finale were staggered based on season points, with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler at 10-under, Hovland next at 8-under and Schauffele on 3-under.

Hovland made up the deficit in the first round and charged from there.

Schauffele, winless this season, opened with seven birdies in the first 12 holes but settled for the $6.5 million runner-up prize from a $75 million bonus pool.

"The game plan before starting today was middle of the green, make a lot of pars and make Xander get after it, which he did early so I had to change my game plan a little bit," Hovland said.

Schauffele sank an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-3 11th and a 12-foot birdie putt at 12 to pull within three to set up the late drama.

Hovland stayed three ahead by sinking a pressure-packed 23-foot putt - his longest of the week - to save par at the 14th.

"I was happy I didn't make a bogey," Hovland said. "I was staring at five on 14. When that putt went in, that was just huge for momentum because two shots with four holes to go is a lot different from three shots.

"That was just a big one for momentum and after that I really relaxed."

Hovland curled in a birdie putt at 16 from just beyond 10 feet - his first birdie since the sixth hole - and sank a 12-foot birdie putt at 17 to seize a five-stroke edge and seal the triumph.

"He played great. I didn't do enough," Schauffele said. "I thought 62 would have let me get close to him, but the closest I got was three shots back. He played unbelievably well. He made important putts and he's just played like a champ.

"I'll hold my head up high. It was the most fun I had losing in quite some time. It's such a weird feeling. I shot 62. I lost by five. Just kudos to Havi."

It was the sixth career PGA Tour victory for Hovland, who also won the Memorial and last week's BMW Championship this season and managed his best major showing, a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship.

Combined with his victory last week, Hovland's back-to-back triumphs and those by Lucas Glover the prior two weeks at Greensboro and Memphis marked the first time since 1950 the PGA Tour had consecutive back-to-back event winners.

American Wyndham Clark, the US Open winner, was third on 16-under after closing on 65 with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland fourth on 14-under after a 65 and American Patrick Cantlay fifth on 13-under after firing 66. 

Hovland's six-stroke lead entering the final round matched the largest 54-hole lead on tour this season but was also the margin Rory McIlroy rallied from to defeat Scheffler in 2022, so Hovland knew work remained.

Hovland opened with a 16-foot birdie before the storm, then came back to make a 15-foot par putt at the second.

Schauffele birdied three holes in a row starting at the third Hovland answered with birdies at five and six. Schauffele sank an 11-foot putt at the eighth.

He shot 30 on the front nine to Hovland's 31 to pull within five. They had the event's lowest front-nine Sunday final pairing score since 2007.

Scores after Sunday's final round of the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship at par-70 East Lake (USA unless noted, some player scores adjusted up to 10 strokes based on season point totals):

27-under

Viktor Hovland (NOR) 68-64-66-63

22-under

Xander Schauffele 67-64-68-62

16-under

Wyndham Clark 68-67-68-65

14-under

Rory McIlroy (NIR) 70-67-71-6513-underPatrick Cantlay 69-68-68-66

11-under

Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 71-70-65-66, Scottie Scheffler 71-65-73-70, Collin Morikawa 61-64-73-72

10-under

Sam Burns 66-66-71-67, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 67-68-71-68, Max Homa 70-67-69-68, Adam Schenk 63-70-69-69, Keegan Bradley 63-67-70-73

9-under

Russell Henley 65-71-72-66, Sepp Straka (AUT) 66-71-65-69

8-under

Rickie Fowler 68-73-68-66, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 64-67-72-69

7-under

Lucas Glover 72-67-69-70, Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-65-71-74

6-Under

Kim Si-woo (KOR) 70-72-68-66, Tony Finau 70-68-70-68, Tom Kim (KOR) 67-70-72-67

4-under

Brian Harman 68-70-70-72

3-Under

Im Sung-jae (KOR) 71-71-68-69

2-under

Nick Taylor (CAN) 71-67-69-72

1-under

Corey Conners (CAN) 70-71-66-74

1-Over

Jordan Spieth 69-71-70-71

3-Over

Jason Day (AUS) 67-70-74-73

6-Over

Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 73-72-70-71, Taylor Moore 71-75-72-69

- AFP

Norway's Hovland grabs six-shot lead at PGA Tour Championship

Viktor Hovland shrugged off severe heat and a storm delay to seize a six-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship.

The 25-year-old Norwegian fired a four-under par 66 to stand on 20-under after 54 holes at East Lake in Atlanta with American Xander Schauffele a distant second.

"I can't remember (when) I've led by that many shots," Hovland said.

Temperatures soared to 37.7 Celsius before a late-round storm stoppage, but neither weather nor rivals could slow fifth-ranked Hovland, who won last week's BMW Championship and became the man to beat for the $18 million top prize.

"I don't think I've ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together," Hovland said.

"I feel like I've hit the ball better than I have this week and even last week, but it's just about putting it all together and it seemed like the good weeks that I've had before I've always managed to short-side myself or chip a couple times and end up out of contention.

"This year I feel like I've just become a little bit more complete, and I don't have to hit it my best to be in contention. I don't have to hit every shot pure. I can miss it slightly and get up-and-down and move on."

Americans Collin Morikawa and Keegan Bradley shared third on 13-under with Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain sharing fifth on 11-under with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and his US countryman Wyndham Clark, the US Open champion.

Starting scores in the FedEx Cup playoff finale were staggered based on season points, with top-ranked Scheffler at 10-under, Hovland next at 8-under and rivals at lesser levels.

Hovland shot 68 and 64 to share the lead after the first and second rounds, aided by the unique format.

Now he longs to join such past Cup winners as Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.

"To win the FedEx Cup is pretty cool," Hovland said. "The list of names that's been on that trophy is pretty special.

"It would be awesome to have my name on there."

'Playing unbelievable'

Tokyo Olympic champion Schauffele, who has never fired an over-par round at East Lake, shot 68 while Hovland made five birdies against a lone bogey.

"I need to go out and try and put as much pressure on him tomorrow on that front nine as I can and hope for the best," Schauffele said.

"He has just been playing unbelievable golf. He has been working really hard. I saw him working hard through the playoffs. I was out late and he was one of the guys I always saw until dark as well. So, no surprise."

Hovland was about to tee off at the 12th with a four-stroke lead when a storm halted play for 75 minutes.

When he resumed, Hovland found the fairway and green then hit a 10-foot birdie putt and followed by sinking a 22-foot birdie putt at 13 to reach 20-under and lead Schauffele by six.

Hovland took his first bogey at 14, finding the left rough and pitching to the green then missing a 22-foot par putt from the fringe.

Schauffele answered a bogey at the par-3 15th with a 12-foot birdie putt at 16 to stay five adrift but Hovland responded with a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th, stretching the lead back to six.

Hovland lipped out on a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-5 18th but still matched the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour this season.

It's also the same margin McIlroy rallied from on Sunday last year to defeat Scheffler and win the Tour Championship.

Morikawa, who hadn't made a bogey all week, shared the lead with Hovland at 16-under until a double bogey at the par-4 fifth.

Hovland birdied the par-5 sixth from three feet and sank a birdie putt at seven from just beyond 11 feet to grab a four-stroke edge at the turn.

Morikawa, a two-time major winner, and Scheffler each fired 73 to fall back.Rahm and McIlroy each fell back with 71s, McIlroy tumbling 11 adrift.

- AFP

Scores after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship at par-70 East Lake (USA unless noted, some player scores adjusted up to 10 strokes based on season point totals):

20-under

Viktor Hovland (NOR) 68-64-66

14-under

Xander Schauffele 67-64-68

13-underKeegan

Bradley 63-67-70, Collin Morikawa 61-64-73

11-under

Wyndham Clark 68-67-68, Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-65-71, Scottie Scheffler 71-65-73

9-under

Patrick Cantlay 69-68-68, Adam Schenk 63-70-69, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 70-67-71

8-under

Sepp Straka (AUT) 66-71-65, Max Homa 70-67-69, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 67-68-71

7-under

Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 71-70-65, Lucas Glover 72-67-69, Sam Burns 66-66-71, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 64-67-72

6-under

Brian Harman 68-70-705-underCorey Conners (CAN) 70-71-66, Russell Henley 65-71-72

4-under

Rickie Fowler 68-73-68, Nick Taylor (CAN) 71-67-69, Tony Finau 70-68-70

3-under

Tom Kim (KOR) 67-70-722-UnderKim Si-woo (KOR) 70-72, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 71-71-68

Even par

Jordan Spieth 69-71-70, Jason Day (AUS) 67-70-74

5-Over

Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 73-72-70

7-Over

Taylor Moore 71-75-72

Morikawa fires 61 to share lead at PGA Tour finale

Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa fired a nine-under par 61 to seize a share of the lead in Thursday's opening round of the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and injured Rory McIlroy struggled.

Scheffler, this year's Players Championship winner, began the day on 10-under par at East Lake in Atlanta with a two-stroke lead over Norway's Viktor Hovland thanks to staggered scoring based upon season point totals.

But the American was undone by a triple bogey at the par-3 15th, finding water off the tee and needing three putts to finish, as his season points edge evaporated after he fired an opening 71.

Morikawa, who began on 1-under and nine adrift of Scheffler, fired the lowest first round in Tour Championship history, making seven birdies and an eagle on a bogey-free day.

"I've grinded my butt off. I've spent way too much time out there," Morikawa said. "But I figured some things out. It's obviously nice to see."

Due to the odd scoring format, Morikawa was on 10-under and sharing the lead with fellow American Keegan Bradley, who opened with a 63, and Hovland, who shot 68, with Scheffler fourth on 9-under after firing 71.

"I'm pretty frustrated with how I played," Scheffler said. "I guess it's a little bit of a blessing to have a pretty bad day and still be in the tournament. So go out there tomorrow and just keep fighting."

The 61 was Morikawa's career-low PGA Tour round, one under his final round at last year's Tournament of Champions, and one off the course record 60 fired by Zach Johnson in 2007.

Defending champion McIlroy, the world number two and four-time major winner from Northern Ireland, struggled through back pain with a 70 to finish three off the pace, exactly where he began the day.

McIlroy suffered the injury while exercising at home on Tuesday and had no practice before his round.

"My whole lower back spasmed, seized up. I couldn't move," McIlroy said. "I honestly couldn't address the ball this time yesterday. So to get to where I am today is good."

McIlroy was 2-over on the day after 11 holes and eight adrift but made three birdies in four holes and with Scheffler's fade not even a closing bogey could dim his fightback.

"I hung in there and I just felt like if I could get through today, it's better than it was yesterday, hopefully tomorrow's better than it was today, and just sort of try to keep progressing," McIlroy said.

The 30-player fight for an $18 million FedEx Cup season points playoff top prize tightened greatly with Morikawa stealing the show.

"You've got to have your foot on the pedal," Morikawa said. "This is the end of our season for a reason. Even though I had a great round today I want to keep doing that for next few.

"I haven't been this pin-high with my irons in quite some time. That's a sign of control. And then being able to make some putts. I still left some out there but I'm not going to complain at all. I'm very, very pleased with this round."

'One of those days'

Bradley, who began seven off the lead, was thrilled as well after birdies on three of the last four holes to finish a bogey-free round. "It was one of those days where everything was going right," Bradley said.

"I made a bunch of putts, I hit the ball great and when I missed some shots I hit them in great spots and got them up and in."

Bradley said it was crucial to make the move early to make up his deficit quickly.

"It was so important," he said. "When you get here everything sort of amplifies so I'm proud."

Morikawa, whose last win came at the 2021 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, sank a three-foot birdie putt at the first, a 20-foot birdie putt at the fifth then eagled the par-5 sixth after dropping his second shot inside four feet from the hole.

He added a 12-foot birdie putt at 10, a 36-foot birdie putt at the 12th, a 10-footer to birdie 16, a 13-foot birdie putt at the 17th and a six-footer at 18.

- AFP

Hovland fires course-record 61 to capture BMW Championship

Norway's Viktor Hovland birdied seven of the last nine holes to fire a course-record 61 on Sunday and win the PGA Tour's BMW Championship, the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff event.

The 25-year-old from Oslo made 10 birdies against a lone bogey, shooting 28 on the back nine for a nine-under par total that left him on 17-under 263 after 72 holes at Olympia Fields in suburban Chicago.

"Definitely has to be the best round I've ever played," Hovland said.

"Given the circumstances, playoff round at this golf course and finish the way I did the last nine holes was pretty special."

World number one Scottie Scheffler of the United States and England's Matthew Fitzpatrick, last year's US Open winner, fired 66s to share second on 265 with world number two Rory McIlroy fourth on 268 after a 66.

Hovland sank a birdie putt from just beyond six feet at the 18th to break the old course record of 62, set Friday by American Max Homa and matched Saturday by American Sam Burns.

"Obviously I got some great shots, some nice bounces and the putts went in," Hovland said.

"But it wasn't like I mapped the whole thing out. I was just trying to make the best decision every single shot."

Hovland, this year's Memorial winner and PGA Championship runner-up, was four back at the turn but made eight threes and a four on the back side to claim the $3.6 million top prize with a career-low round.

"I wouldn't say making seven birdies on the back nine is trying to be play conservative going into the greens," Hovland said.

"It just kind of worked out that way.

"It was more of a mindset thing. I think instead of, 'Oh my God, I've got a chance to win, I need to birdie this hole and this hole to have a chance,' it was more. 'What's the right decision right here right now?' and then commit to it."

The top 30 in season points advanced to next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, Fitzgerald jumping from 40th to 10th to qualify and bumping out American Chris Kirk in the only change of players from last week.

Scheffler took over as season points leader and will start at 10-under next week at East Lake while Hovland, who jumped from seventh to second in points, will start on 8-under, one stroke ahead of McIlroy and two atop reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, who had led when the week began.

"My ball-striking has just been very consistent this year and my chipping around the green has improved massively," Hovland said of his season, which also included a victory at the Memorial in June.

"Just makes it so that even when I'm not on my game I can still scrap it around at even par and make it to the weekend."

No Ryder for Koepka yet

The BMW also was the final US qualifying event for next month's Ryder Cup and the first six spots were decided on points as Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Homa and Xander Schauffele made the squad.

LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka, the PGA Championship winner ineligible for PGA Tour events, had been in the top six but was nudged out of an automatic qualifier spot by Homa and Schauffele and will need a captain's pick to make the squad.

US captain Zach Johnson will reveal six captain's picks on August 29 to complete the squad that will defend the trophy next month against Europe in Italy.

Hovland dropped his approach inches from the hole at the par-5 first and opened with a birdie, added another on a putt from just inside 20 feet at three and birdied the fifth from just outside 15 feet.

After his lone bogey at seven, Hovland tapped in for birdie from three feet at 10, sank a 12-footer to birdie 11 and birdied 12 from just inside five feet.

Hovland put his approach inches from the hole at 14 to set up a birdie, rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th and another from just inside nine feet at 17 before his closing record-setter.

- AFP

McIlroy, Harman share lead at rain-hit BMW Championship

Second-ranked Rory McIlroy and Open Championship champion Brian Harman sank stunning 17th-hole birdie chip shots to share the lead after Thursday's opening round of the PGA Tour's BMW Championship, the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff event.

Reigning FedEx Cup champion McIlroy, a four-time major winner from Northern Ireland, and US left-hander Harman, who captured the Claret Jug last month at Royal Liverpool, fired five-under par 65s at Olympia Fields in suburban Chicago.

That was good enough for a one-shot lead over five Americans - Sahith Theegala, Chris Kirk, Rickie Fowler, world number one Scottie Scheffler and reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark - plus England's Matt Fitzpatrick, last year's US Open winner.

McIlroy, who won his third Tour Championship last year, made a tricky chip from the left rough that bounced through a bunker at the par-4 17th and set up his incredible 40-foot birdie chip from behind the green.

"Got lucky. Got through the bunker," he said. "Certainly wasn't expecting to make three when the tee shot was in the air. It was a nice one to make. It was a great bonus."

Only minutes later, Harman holed a birdie chip from 32 feet at 17 to match McIlroy for the lead.

That was after sinking a 42-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16th.

"Drove it pretty good," Harman said. "When I missed, I got a little lucky to get it back into play. Chipped in twice, made some putts, played a pretty solid round."

In addition to a $3.6 million top prize, 50 players are chasing a spot in the top 30 in season points to qualify for next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta.

McIlroy, who won last month's Scottish Open, found only three fairways but went bogey-free and made birdie putts from about 13 feet at seven and nine, just inside 10 feet at 10 and, after blasting out of fairway and greenside bunkers, from just beyond four feet at the par-5 15th.

"Luckily, the golf course is soft," McIlroy said. "It wasn't too good off the tee. There were a lot of crosswinds."

McIlroy's new putter, to which he says he's not married, is a good date so far.

"We've been on five dates," McIlroy said. "We're still going OK. We're probably still on for a sixth."

Harman returned last week after enjoying his first major triumph.

"It's nice to get off to a good start," he said. "It was hard to get back into the swing of things but I feel a little more comfortable, a little more ready."

Fowler briefly shared the lead but plunked his tee shot into a creek at 17 and made bogey to fall back.

Fitzpatrick was "really pleased" after solving issues with his driver.

"I've struggled the last few months," Fitzpatrick said. "Just feeling more comfortable and that's obviously so important."

Theegala had "one of my best ball-striking rounds" highlighted by a 167-yard eagle hole-out from the 14th fairway with a 9-iron.

"I just had a perfect number," he said. "I knew it was good right away. That was awesome."

Fourth-ranked American Patrick Cantlay, the two-time defending champion, was in a pack on 68 that also included playoff points leader Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion from Spain.

American Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion who won PGA titles the past two weeks, opened on 70.

The BMW is the last qualifying event for this year's US Ryder Cup team. Six Americans will seal their spots on points on Sunday for the US squad that will defend the trophy against Europe next month in Italy.  

- AFP

Glover beats Cantlay in playoff to win St Jude title

Lucas Glover parred the first playoff hole to defeat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff on Sunday to win the St Jude Championship, sealing his second title in as many weeks in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff opener.

The 43-year-old American, who won last week in Greensboro just to qualify for the playoffs, became the first over-40 winner of consecutive PGA Tour events since Fiji's Vijay Singh in 2008.

"You work hard no matter what, whether you are fighting something or you're playing great, because you never know when it can turn," Glover said. "It has turned very quickly for me and luckily I've been in a good frame of mind to take advantage of it."

Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, sank several dramatic long putts on the back nine while Cantlay, the 2021 playoff champion, charged late to force a playoff, which began at the 18th hole at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Cantlay's tee shot went into water left of the fairway. He blasted his third onto the green just inside 22 feet and just inside where Glover's ball sat after two shots.

Glover two-putted for par, leaving Cantlay a must-make putt. Cantlay's ball rolled past the right edge and Glover had the victory.

"I was fortunate to get into a playoff," Glover said. "I said the guns would be coming and they came and I was just last man standing this week."

Cantlay fired a six-under-par 64 and Glover shot 69 to each finish 72 holes on 15-under 265.

Glover won his sixth career PGA title and became the first over-40 playoff winner since Tiger Woods in 2018.

The 70-player showdown advanced the top 50 in season points to next week's BMW Championship, from which only the top 30 qualify for the Tour Championship in two weeks at Atlanta.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, last year's playoff champion from Northern Ireland, fired 65 to share third with England's Tommy Fleetwood on 266.

American Taylor Moore was fifth on 268. Second-ranked McIlroy would have overtaken world number one Scottie Scheffler with a victory.

Cantlay chipped in at 10 to pull within two of Glover, who sank a clutch seven-foot par putt at 11. Cantlay made an eight-foot birdie putt at 15 to move within one but Glover answered with a tense 20-foot par putt at the 13th.

Glover then sent his tee shot at the 14th into water, falling into a share of the lead despite salvaging bogey on a 30-foot putt.

Cantlay seized the lead with a birdie at the par-5 16th while Glover missed a seven-foot birdie putt at 15.

Glover's tap-in birdie at 16 gave him a share of the lead but he made yet another intense par putt from just inside 12 feet at 17 and parred 18 to force the playoff.

A storm struck just before 54-hole leader Glover and Moore were due to tee off, bringing a 97-minute delay before play resumed. Moore, one adrift to start, found a fairway bunker at the first, a bush way left off the second tee and water at the fourth on the way to bogeys to fall back.

Glover birdied the par-5 third, boosting his lead to two, the margin he enjoyed at the turn.

Matsuyama advances

Glover began the day 49th on the points list but easily advanced.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, had three birdies and an eagle in the last six holes to shoot 65 and advance, jumping from 57th to 47th in points.

"All I knew is I had to make birdies, so I just put my head down and did the best I could," Matsuyama said.

Australian Cam Davis jumped from 62nd to 45th to qualify for the BMW by ending on 269 after a closing 67.

American Nick Hardy and Canada's Mackenzie Hughes fell out of the top 50 to miss out.

- AFP

Glover grabs one-stroke lead at St. Jude Championship

Lucas Glover fired a four-under par 66 to seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the St. Jude Championship, the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff opener.

The 43-year-old American, trying to win for the second consecutive week, birdied four of the first six holes on his way to finishing 54 holes on 14-under 196 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

That put Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, one ahead of countryman Taylor Moore, who shot 65, with England's Tommy Fleetwood third on 198 after a third straight 66.

"Scrappy would be how I would describe that day. Parts of it you could remove the 'S,'" Glover said.

"It was a little bit of smoke and mirrors today, just to be honest. I got a lot out of what I had.

"Short game bailed me out a lot early, and missed a couple putts I thought I should have made coming in. But I'm still in a good spot."

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth and fellow American Max Homa were on 199 while a sixth-place pack on 201 included world number two Rory McIlroy, South Koreans Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae, American Patrick Cantlay, Norway's Viktor Hovland and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.

The 70-player showdown will advance 50 to next week's BMW Championship, from which only the top 30 in season points qualify for the Tour Championship in two weeks at Atlanta.

Glover, who snapped a two-year win drought at Greensboro last Sunday, had been in the top six in three of his four PGA starts last month before his breakthrough.

"I'm going to need more of the same," Glover said.

"I'm going to need to make more putts than I did coming down the stretch."

Glover holed out from beyond 43 feet at the first, sank birdie putts of 16 feet at the second and 21 feet at the par-3 fourth then answered his lone bogey at the fifth, when he missed the green on his approach, with an eight foot birdie putt at the sixth.

From there he finished with 11 pars and a five-foot birdie putt at 13.

Moore shared the lead at the 18th tee but found a fairway bunker and needed three to reach the green, leaving himself a putt from just under 14 feet for par.

He came up short and a closing bogey left Glover alone at the top, but Moore was fired up for the closing drama."Just really stoked," Moore said.

"I'm driving the ball well, putting the ball in the fairway and giving myself chances, some good looks coming in on these greens, and I feel like that has been the recipe.

Moore said winning his first PGA title in March at the Valspar Championship could help him capture his second this weekend.

"With a win under my belt, just more mature and more comfortable in that situation," Moore said.

"Get yourself in position on the back nine on Sunday, that's all I can ask for. Looking forward to the challenge." 

Leading third-round scores on Saturday in the US PGA Tour St. Jude Championship at Memphis, Tennessee, first of three FedEx Cup playoff events (USA unless noted, par-70):

196 - Lucas Glover 66-64-66

197 - Taylor Moore 66-66-65

198 - Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 66-66-66

199 - Max Homa 68-66-65, Jordan Spieth 63-68-68

201 - Viktor Hovland (NOR) 72-64-65, Patrick Cantlay 67-68-66, Rory McIlroy 67-66-68, Tom Kim (KOR) 64-68-69, Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 65-67-69, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 67-65-69

202 - Russell Henley 67-68-67, Collin Morikawa 65-70-67, Cam Davis (AUS) 66-67-69, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 67-66-69

203 - Beau Hossler 71-67-65, Kim Si-woo (KOR) 68-67-68, Ben Griffin 69-66-68, Adam Schenk 69-66-68, An Byeong-hun (KOR) 67-68-68, Stephan Jaeger (GER) 69-65-69, JT Poston 66-67-702

04 - Justin Rose (ENG) 76-67-61, Corey Conners (CAN) 67-72-65, Brendon Todd 67-70-67, Eric Cole 66-70-68, Sahith Theegala 67-68-69, Kurt Kitayama 66-69-69, Aaron Rai (ENG) 66-68-70, Xander Schauffele 66-68-70, Scottie Scheffler 67-66-71

Glover seizes lead with 64 at St Jude Championship

Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, fired a six-under-par 64 to grab a one-stroke lead after Friday's second round of the St. Jude Championship, the FedEx Cup playoff opener.

The 43-year-old American made four birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round to stand on 10-under 130 after 36 holes at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, who led after an opening 63, was second on 131 with a pack on 132 including fellow American Taylor Moore, South Koreans Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and England's Tommy Fleetwood.

Glover won last week's US PGA Tour Wyndham Championship to seize a spot in the 70-player post-season, with 50 advancing to next week's BMW Championship and only 30 qualifying for the Tour Championship in two weeks at Atlanta.

"It's just kind of a carryover from the last few weeks," Glover said.

"Just trying not to overcomplicate things, make good, positive swings and stay aggressive.

"Playing well and executing pretty much what I'm seeing. Don't over think it and no need to change anything, just keep riding it."

Glover, who snapped a two-year win drought at Greensboro last Sunday, had been in the top six in three of his four PGA starts last month before his breakthrough.

"I'm old enough to know it can change the other way in a hurry, too, so ride the wave and just don't overthink it, keep going, and play until it runs out and then figure it out after that," he said.

Glover, who began on the back nine, made a 31-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th and, after driving the green in two at the par-5 16th, sank an eagle putt from just beyond 32 feet.

He sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 third and holed out from the fringe at just over 27 feet on the par-3 fourth.

At six, he dropped he approach three feet from the hole and tapped in for birdie.

"Pleased with how I played," Glover said. "It has been a good few months with the long putter.

"Confidence is high and I'm liking what I'm seeing."

Spieth, the world number 12 who has yet to win this year, had six birdies and four bogeys in shooting 68.

The back-nine starter grabbed second with a 19-foot birdie putt at the seventh hole and a four-footer at the eighth.

"It's funny, I felt like I had better control of my swing today than yesterday," Spieth said.

"I got stuck with a couple numbers where I maybe played the wrong shot, wrong decision, and didn't play patiently early. Then I made a couple bad swings as well."

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy fired a 66 to stand on 133 in a pack that included world number one Scottie Scheffler, who birdied three of the last four holes to shoot 66.

They played alongside reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, the season playoff points leader from Spain who holed out from a bunker to par 18 and shoot 67 to finish on 140.

Leading second-round scores on Friday in the US PGA Tour St. Jude Championship at Memphis, Tennessee, first of three FedEx Cup playoff events (USA unless noted, par-70):

130 - Lucas Glover 66-64

131 - Jordan Spieth 63-68

132 - Im Sung-jae (KOR) 67-65, Taylor Moore 66-66, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 66-66, Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 65-67, Tom Kim (KOR) 64-68

133 - Adam Hadwin (CAN) 67-66, JT Poston 66-67, Lee Hodges 68-65, Scottie Scheffler 67-66, Rory McIlroy 67-66, Cam Davis (AUS) 66-67

134 - Xander Schauffele 66-68, Max Homa 68-66, Stephan Jaeger (GER) 69-65, Aaron Rai (ENG) 66-68

135 - Mackenzie Hughes (CAN) 67-68, Andrew Putnam 68-67, An Byeong-hun (KOR) 67-68, Adam Svensson (CAN) 66-69, Sahith Theegala 67-68, Collin Morikawa 65-70, Kurt Kitayama 66-69, Adam Schenk 69-66, Russell Henley 67-68, Patrick Cantlay 67-68, Kim Si-woo (KOR) 68-67, Ben Griffin 69-66

- AFP

Spieth grabs first round lead at St Jude Championship

Jordan Spieth grabbed a one stroke lead after the first round of the St Jude Championship in Memphis on Thursday, making a strong start to the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Thunderstorms caused a four-hour delay to the start of play in threesomes off two tees and conditions were wet throughout the day.

But the wait did no harm to Spieth, who shot a bogey-free seven-under round of 63 which was crowned with an eagle on the par-5 16th where he brilliantly chipped in from 49 feet.

South Korea's Tom Kim was a stroke behind, dropping out of a share of the lead with a bogey at his 16th hole, the par-four seventh - where he was in the rough off the tee.

Argentine Emiliano Grillo and American Collin Morikawa were both on five-under, two shots behind Spieth.

Three-time major winner Spieth, the world number 12 who has yet to win this year, said the wet course was playing long.

"The pivotal holes where you get wedge in your hand, if you hit a nice drive, you're looking to attack. I did hit the fairways on those holes, and that was important. Then the really hard ones, you're just trying to get it on the surface and tap in for par," he said after tying his lowest round of the season.

Spieth has missed the cut in two of his last three starts in a season that has yet to take off.

World number one Scottie Scheffler and number two Rory McIlroy both shot three-under scores of 67 to sit four strokes off the lead.

McIlroy made eagle on the 16th with a superb approach shot from 205 yards settling just inches from the hole but felt he could have gone lower.

"I don't know if I can remember a round where I've driven it that well, at least in recent memory. I drove it really well today and gave myself so many looks from the fairway," he said.

"Sort of walking off the course disappointed with 3-under. I felt on another day when I have been on song a little bit more, especially with the putter, it could have been a 63 or a 64.

"It was a slow start, and then the eagle on 16 sort of got me going. I played solid. I just feel like I left a few out there," he added.

Disappointing Rahm round

Scheffler, who was playing with McIlroy and Masters winner Jon Rahm and starting on the back nine, bounced back from a double bogey on the 14th where he found the water off the tee.

Spaniard Rahm had a disappointing round, carding a three-over 73 with a double bogey on the 18th, his ninth hole, where he drove into the water.

Lucas Glover, winner of last week's Wyndham Championship, continued his positive form with a four-under 66 and said he felt high in confidence.

"A hundred percent, of course ... I feel pretty good about it.

"I played pretty much exactly how I played last week, just didn't make as many putts," he said.

Kim, coming back from an ankle injury, caused a stir online with his choice of three-quarter length white trousers.

The South Korean said he was simply trying to avoid getting his pants wet from the drenched grass.

"A lot of people seemed to have a lot of laughs on it, but I just thought it was pretty convenient," he said.

"I chose the wrong colour, obviously, for the day, but my caddie Joe actually said he doesn't really care what I do as long as I make birdies and eagles, so it kind of worked," he added after making seven birdies and a bogey.

Leading first-round scores on Thursday in the PGA Tour St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, first of three FedEx Cup playoff events (USA unless noted, par-70):

63 - Jordan Spieth

64 - Tom Kim (KOR)

65 - Emiliano Grillo (ARG), Collin Morikawa

66 - Lucas Glover, Eric Cole, Adam Svensson (CAN), JT Poston, Taylor Moore, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Kurt Kitayama, Xander Schauffele, Aaron Rai (ENG), Cam Davis (AUS)

67 - Nick Hardy, Tom Hoge, Mackenzie Hughes (CAN), Cameron Young, An Byeong-hun (KOR), Brendon Todd, Adam Hadwin (CAN), Im Sung-jae (KOR), Sahith Theegala, Corey Conners (CAN), Denny McCarthy, Russell Henley, Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy (NIR), Hayden Buckley, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Vincent Norrman (SWE)

- AFP

Glover wins PGA Wyndham title as Thomas, Scott miss playoffs

Lucas Glover clinched his fifth career PGA Tour title with a final round of two-under par 68 on Sunday to capture the season-closing Wyndham Championship.

The 43-year-old American won by two strokes over Russell Henley and South Korean An Byeong-hun at Greensboro, North Carolina, in the final event before the PGA playoffs.

The 2009 US Open champion took his first tournament since the John Deere Classic two years ago to ensure his place in the FedEx Cup playoffs, catapulted from 112th to 49th in the season points standings.

Glover has battled with the "yips" frequently through the past decade but said he had found the consistency he needs to win.

"It starts and ends there with me and you know it has been a long road, 10 years of fighting something and to find something that completely changed the momentum and everything was obviously a blessing," he said.

The top 70 players in the standings advance to the playoffs and that prospect added some extra spice to the final round at Sedgefield Country Club.

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas and Australian Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, both missed out on playoff spots by a single stroke.

The FedEx Cup playoffs begin with the St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee next week before moving on to the BMW Championship in Illinois and conclude in three weeks at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Glover began his round with a bogey on the par-4 first hole but birdies on the fourth, eighth and 11th put him back in contention.

The final groups were forced to wait more than two hours due to a storm delay before coming back onto the course.

Glover kept his cool to finish with pars on each of his remaining four holes while Henley concluded with three straight bogeys.

Henley had no doubt that the delay had impacted his game.

"I just never got comfortable, felt a little jittery out there, just never got into a good sync with my swing, felt kind of rushed from the top of my swing, just didn't do a good job of handling the restart," he said.

Thomas finished one place outside the playoff spots in 71st but came agonizingly close to making it on the final hole.

His chip for birdie from well off the green came out off the flagpole, causing Thomas to collapse on his back in frustration.

"I did my part. I played the best I could and I fought as hard as I could and shot the lowest I possibly could," he said.

Scott had never missed out on the playoffs before and gave his all to keep that streak going with his 63 on Sunday.

"I think I'm actually getting to the point where I've got to put that stuff aside and not play to keep a streak of playing playoffs going but play to win stuff, not just be there to make the numbers up," said the Australian after his round but before his fate was known.

"If it does end, I think it's a good thing. I think it gives me a good chance to have a look at what I need to do differently to be more competitive in whatever competition I'm playing in."

- AFP

Glover and Horschel share lead at Wyndham Championship

Lucas Glover and Billy Horschel shared the lead on 18-under par at the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina after Saturday's third round.

Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open championship shot an eight-under round of 62, finishing with back-to-back birdies at Sedgefield Country Club.

Horschel shot a bogey 63 while overnight leader Russell Henley slipped back after his 65, ending with birdies on the 17th and 18th.

Glover's only blemish came on the eighth hole, where he three-putted but he bounced back immediately with birdies on the 9th and 10th holes.

"I hit it nice, hit every fairway and missed a green. Irons were pretty sharp today, hit it close a bunch and putted nicely," said Glover, who said his approach on Sunday would be to avoid being too adventurous.

"I think you try to attack this place a little too aggressively and miss some fairways, it can bite you. I learned that quite a while ago," he said.

"I think it's just a 'fairways first' mentality and then if you get some good numbers and hit it close, you've got a good chance to make some birdies," added Glover.

The 43-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina, said he felt at home on the course.

"I've got a lot of family in this area. I've got two or three uncles that were members here years ago and still got a bunch of cousins in the area. We are three hours from where I grew up and I like the course. Just like it. It's a special place," he added.

The 43-year-old Glover will be targeting his fifth win on the PGA Tour with his most recent victory coming at the John Deere Classic two years ago.

Floridian Horschel has seven wins on the PGA Tour already under his belt while Henley is looking to add to his four victories, the last of which came in November 2022 in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Horschel knows he needs a win or a solo second to make into the FedEx Cup playoffs and says he is looking forward to going head-to-head with Glover in the final pairing.

"I've played a lot with Lucas and I've always enjoyed playing with him. He's had his up and downs in the game of golf - no one's ever gone through not having a period of that.

"So it's going to be an amazing round of golf, we're both going to be battling out there. We've got Russell Henley right behind us and a couple of other guys not too far back," he said.

South Korean An Byeong-hun is three strokes off the lead after his 65 while German Stephan Jaeger is a further two shots back after ending with three birdies in a row. - AFP

Late eagle lifts Henley to Wyndham lead as Scott starts strong

Russell Henley had six birdies and an eagle in an eight-under par 62 on Thursday to grab the first round lead at the Wyndham Championship, where Adam Scott started strong in his bid to earn a PGA Tour playoffs berth.

Henley, who admits the memory of his 2021 Wyndham defeat still stings, put himself in position to challenge again with a solid effort at rainy Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

He took advantage of an afternoon tee time that let him play much of his round after the showers let up, taking the lead with an eagle at the par-five 15th, where his 227-yard second shot left him a six-foot putt.

"I was just kind of hoping [the rain] would slow down a little bit," Henley said. "And it did on the back nine, so we were fortunate. I hit a lot of fairways and felt like from there I could attack the golf course."

He added his sixth birdie at the 17th and had a one-stroke lead over Canadian Adam Svensson and South Korean An Byeong-hun.

Henley has a string of top-10 finishes at Sedgefield including a tie for fifth last year.

The one he remembers, however, is a share of seventh in 2021, when he led most of the week but finished a stroke out of the six-man playoff won by Kevin Kisner and was tied for seventh.

"I think about it a lot," he said. "I was leading by three going in the final round a couple years ago, and was leading the tournament by a few going into No 11 on the last day and didn't get it done."

Svensson had seven birdies without a bogey, including three in his last four holes while An shook off an opening bogey with eight birdies the rest of the way.

American Andrew Novak was alone on 64 while Australia's Scott shared fifth on five-under 65 with American JT Poston.

Scott had seven birdies and two bogeys in the morning rain to take the early clubhouse lead.

The 2013 Masters champion is hoping for a high finish to lift him into the field for the tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.

He's 81st in the standings, with only the top 70 at the end of this week advancing. "At this point, you know, it is what it is," said Scott, who needs a minimum of a two-way tie for ninth to have a chance at forcing his way in.

"I feel like when I come out to play golf, I'm there to give it my best shot and if I make it, I make it, and if I don't, I don't."

Former world number one Justin Thomas, who is also trying to muscle his way into the playoffs from 79th in the standings, was eight off the lead after his even-par 70.

Leading first-round scores on Thursday in the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina (USA unless noted, par-70):

62 - Russell Henley

63 - Adam Svensson (CAN), An Byeong-hun (KOR)

64 - Andrew Novak

65 - Adam Scott (AUS), JT Poston

66 - Thomas Detry (BEL), Ludvig Aberg (SWE), Austin Smotherman, Martin Laird (SCO), Lucas Glover, Vincent Norrman (SWE), Kelly Kraft, Peter Kuest, Kyle Westmoreland

- AFP

Hodges marches to first PGA Tour title at 3M Open

Lee Hodges fired two eagles in a four-under-par 67 on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour title with a wire-to-wire, seven-stroke triumph in the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota.

Hodges finished with a 24-under par total of 260 at TPC Twin Cities, where he'd pushed his lead to as many as seven and seen it shrink to three over playing partner JT Poston before Poston's disastrous triple-bogey at the final hole.

That left Poston, who carded a two-under 69, tied for second with Kevin Streelman and Scotland's Martin Laird.

Streelman carded a 66 while Laird produced a seven-under-par 64 that featured five birdies and a 20-foot eagle at 18.

None of them ever really looked like catching Hodges, who started the day with a five-shot lead.

He pushed that to seven after a birdie at the second and an eagle at the sixth, where his 255-yard approach with a three-wood left him an 11-foot putt.

After a bogey at the ninth he eagled the par-five 12th in spectacular style, again using a three-wood and landing his 257-yard second shot within three feet.

"Those were two of the greatest shots I ever hit," said Hodges, who has secured his berth in the FedEx Cup playoffs as well as an invitation to next year's Masters.

"Anytime you win, you really set yourself up for some special stuff," he said. "My caddie was telling me on 18, I honestly didn't even think about it, we get to play Augusta next year. That's something else. That was probably the coolest thing I heard all day."

Hodges responded to a three-putt bogey at 15 with another birdie at 16, and answered a bogey at 17 - that saw his lead reduced to three shots - with a final birdie at the 72nd hole.

He could enjoy the congratulations of the crowd as he walked to the 18th green having stuck his third shot from the fairway a foot from the cup.

"It's just a dream week, the whole thing," said the 28-year-old ranked 110th in the world, who won for the first time in his 65th tour start.

"Honestly, From Monday to Sunday I played really good golf, even in practice rounds."

Not playing for second

Poston had looked a sure bet for solo second, arriving at the tough par-five 18th three strokes behind Hodges but three clear of Laird and Streelman.

His tee shot landed in the right rough, narrowly avoiding the water hazard.

From an awkward stance on the bank he opted to go for the green rather than laying up but his ball ended up in the lake.

"I had to try and give it a shot and see if there was some way I could make three there at the end and put some pressure on Lee," Poston said.

"It was a shot that was going to be hard to pull off, but we weren't playing for second place."

Dylan Wu and Keith Mitchell shared fifth on 268.

Defending champion Tony Finau was a further shot back alongside Sam Ryder and Aaron Baddeley.

Beau Hossler matched the TPC Twin Cities course record with a career-low 62 that featured eight straight birdies from the ninth through the 16th.

That had put Hossler in a tie for fourth as Hodges and Poston teed off.

"Usually, you shoot that kind of number on Sunday and you ideally have a chance to win," said Hossler, who ended up tied for 13th.

Leading scores after the final round of PGA Tour 3M Open at Blaine, Minnesota on Saturday (USA unless noted, par 71):

260 - Lee Hodges 63-64-66-67

267 - Martin Laird (SCO) 68-68-67-64, Kevin Streelman 64-68-69-66, JT Poston 66-66-66-69268 - Dylan Wu 70-67-67-64, Keith Mitchell 68-66-67-67

269 - Sam Ryder 70-66-65-68, Tony Finau 66-66-67-70, Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 69-66-65-69

270 - Cam Davis (AUS) 68-67-70-65, Sam Stevens 69-69-66-66, Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 65-68-71-66

271 - Beau Hossler 68-69-72-62, Zac Blair 69-66-72-64, Alex Noren (SWE) 71-66-68-66, Garrick Higgo (RSA) 68-69-68-66, Callum Tarren (ENG) 66-68-70-67, Nick Hardy 65-70-67-69, Billy Horschel 66-67-68-70

- AFP

Hodges eyes first win after late birdie spree

Lee Hodges produced a back-nine birdie blitz to take a stranglehold on the PGA Tour's 3M Open in Minnesota on Saturday and stay on course for the first tour victory of his career.

The 28-year-old world number 110 fired a five-under-par third round 66 to open up a five-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round.

Hodges, who is yet to win on the PGA Tour, stands on 20 under through 54 holes at the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine - the first time he has taken a solo lead into the final round.

"I have nothing to lose," Hodges said after Saturday's round. "I'm out here playing with house money. I have a job next year on the PGA Tour, this is all great. This is just icing on the cake."

Starting the day four shots clear of the field, Hodges struggled to generate momentum early on with two bogeys and two birdies to reach the turn at level par.

But he caught fire after the turn, with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes before reeling off three more birdies to take a grip on the leaderboard.

The pick of Hodges' flurry of birdies came on the par-five 18th when he blasted a superb third shot out of a greenside bunker to seven feet before coolly rolling in the birdie putt.

Hodges said he plans to continue his aggressive approach when he tees up it Sunday's final round.

"It's going to be hard tomorrow," he said. "Not like I can go shoot even par tomorrow. "I'm going to have to keep making birdies. I'm just going to stay aggressive like I have been."

JT Poston leads the pursuit heading into the final round, five adrift after carding a five-under-par 66 on Saturday to stand on 15 under.

Poston believes that it will take something special to overhaul Hodges on Sunday.

"Lee's playing some great golf, and I would expect him to do the same tomorrow," Poston said.

"I know he's chasing his first win and it's probably only a matter of time till he gets it done out here.

"For me to get it done I'm going to probably have to shoot something lower than I have this week."

Tony Finau is a further shot back on 14 under after shooting a four-under-par 67, while Australia's Aaron Baddeley is fourth on 13 under after a third round 65.

Finau was bullish about his chances of reeling in Hodges in Sunday's final round despite the six-shot deficit.

"It's definitely something I can come back from," Finau said.

But Lee's playing some great golf, there's no question about it."

Four players - Sam Ryder, Keith Mitchell, Billy Horschel and Kevin Streelman - are tied for fifth spot on 12 under, eight off the lead.  

Leading scores after third round of PGA Tour 3M Open at Blaine, Minnesota on Saturday (par 71; USA unless noted):

193 - Lee Hodges 63-64-66

198 - JT Poston 66-66-66

199 - Tony Finau 66-66-67

200 - Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 69-66-65

201 - Kevin Streelman 64-68-69, Billy Horschel 66-67-68, Sam Ryder 70-66-65, Keith Mitchell 68-66-67

202 - Nick Hardy 65-70-67, Tyler Duncan 64-67-71203 - David Lipsky 69-64-70, Chesson Hadley 71-66-66, An Yu-chun (TPE) 70-66-67, Martin Laird (SCO) 68-68-67

- AFP

Hodges leads 3M Open after dazzling finish

Lee Hodges heads into Saturday's third round of the PGA Tour's 3M Open with a four-stroke lead after shooting an impressive seven-under-par 64 in Blaine, Minnesota on Friday.

A two-hour rain delay meant that play was suspended at TPC Twin Cities due to darkness, with 11 players still on the course, but none of those still to finish their rounds were within 10 shots of the lead after Hodges birdied four of his final six holes.

Tyler Duncan is nearest to Hodges, on 11-under after his bogey-free 67, while Kevin Streelman, J.T. Poston, defending champion Tony Finau and Brandt Snedeker are all five shots behind Hodges.

Overnight leader Hodges was two-under for the day when play was suspended, and returned to drain a 25-foot birdie putt at the ninth hole to seize the solo lead.

He then produced an immaculate back nine with back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 and ended in style with a birdie on the par-3 17th and then the par-5 18th.

Hodges, chasing a first US PGA Tour title, is 74th in the FedExCup standings, with the top 70 heading into the playoffs next month.

"I know where I'm at, but trying harder or changing what I'm doing's not going to make me play better or anything like that. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing and see how it turns out," said the 28-year-old from Alabama.

"With my caddie...we've committed to every shot we've hit so far, which has been great. We'll continue to do it, because what do we have to lose?" he added.

Streelman and Poston shared the clubhouse lead at 10-under when the storm rolled through.

Streelman had three birdies without a bogey after adjusting to the changed course conditions on Friday morning.

"I didn't make a ton of putts, but kind of did what I was supposed to," he said. "The greens were running beautifully today, much faster than yesterday. We all jammed our first putts pretty far past the hole so that took some on-course adjusting."

Poston carded his second straight 66, rolling in five birdies without a bogey.

Finau had to wait out the delay, but had four of his eight birdies on the back nine as he also carded a second straight 66.Former world number one Justin Thomas, who added the event to his schedule as he battles to make the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs, carded an even-par 71 that left him looking at a missed cut.

Thomas's six birdies included four in his last five holes, but he had two double bogeys, including finding the water twice at the par-five 18th, his ninth hole of the day.

That left him at 2-under, two short of the projected cut.

- AFP

Hodges grabs first-round lead at PGA Tour 3M Open

Lee Hodges sizzled in sweltering conditions Thursday, grabbing eight birdies in an eight-under par 63 to take a one-shot first-round lead at the PGA Tour 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota.

Hodges opened with three straight birdies at the 10th, 11th and 12th holes at TPC Twin Cities.

He tapped in from inches away at the 10th then rolled in a 32-footer at 11.

He made another trio of birdies around the turn at 18, one and two, then put together back-to-back birdies at six and seven to break free of a group of four players sharing second on seven-under 64.

"Everything," Hodges said of what went well. "Really committed to every shot out there, hit a lot of really good ones."

Hodges, chasing a first PGA Tour title, said poor starts had contributed to three missed cuts in his last four events, so his strong start was key.

"To see that wedge shot go to an inch on the first hole and then make that 40-footer on the second hole, I was like, "All right, here we go, might as well make a lot of birdies if we're going to make a couple."

The quartet on seven-under included former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, who had seven birdies without a bogey.

Brandt Snedeker and Tyler Duncan also had seven birdies and no bogeys while Kevin Streelman joined the group with an eagle at the 18th, capping a round that also featured six birdies and one bogey.

"All in all it was very solid, didn't miss too many and made an awesome finish there, a great three-iron into 18 and then buried the putt," said Streelman after drilling a 16-footer.

Matsuyama played before the worst of the afternoon's gusty winds, but he needed some treatment for mild heat-related symptoms after his round.

"It got really hot out there on the back nine," the Japanese star said.

"I'll relax this afternoon and hopefully get ready to play well again tomorrow."

Americans Justin Suh and Nick Hardy and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo were tied at six-under.

Hardy closed with an unlikely birdie at 18, where the rookie's drive went well right and finished up behind a tree.

"I had an angle to hit the shot, I just had to hook a nine-iron with no follow-through," said Hardy, who ended up bending his club on the shot that nevertheless left him an 11-foot birdie putt.

Defending champion Tony Finau was in another big group on five-under par 66. He teed off on 10 and was five-under through his first four holes thanks to three birdies and a 49-foot eagle at the 12th.

Struggling former world number one Justin Thomas, who added the tournament to his schedule as he tries to avoid missing the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2014, carded a two-under par 69.

"I played really well," said Thomas, who is also trying to secure a US Ryder Cup berth. "I think everybody that played this afternoon was pretty shocked with that wind. It was not only blowing hard, but it was blowing in different directions."

- AFP

Bhatia edges Rodgers in playoff to win first PGA Tour title at Barracuda

American Akshay Bhatia birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff then edged Patrick Rodgers with a par at the first playoff hole to claim his first US PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship.

Bhatia, 21, shook off two early bogeys and a double-bogey at the fifth hole, making six birdies the rest of the way to score nine points under the Modified Stableford scoring system that awards points for birdies and eagles and deducts them for bogeys and worse.

That took him to 40 points, pulling him level with overnight leader Rodgers who couldn't get his own birdie putt at the 72nd hole to fall for the win.

Rodgers had stretched his lead with three birdies in the first eight holes.

But he had two bogeys and just one birdie coming in, finishing with six points as Bhatia surged into contention.

Rodgers, a 31-year-old seeking a first tour title, got a terrible break when they returned for the playoff to 18, where his solid tee shot landed in a sandy divot.

His shot out was in deep rough short of the green as Bhatia blasted a superb drive down the fairway, then gave himself a birdie chance.

He ended up tapping in for a par that was enough for the win after Rodgers's bogey.

"I can't even talk," said Bhatia, whose runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open had given him temporary tour status.

The win gives him full tour member status and he's now qualified for the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.

Bhatia admitted that he "felt uncomfortable" in the early going at Tahoe Mountain Country Club in Truckee, California.

"I made a really bad double, I hit some really bad shots," the Californian said.

"Then I just kind of made some really nice putts on eight and nine and then started hitting some really good shots coming in.

"It was an agonizing end to the week for Rodgers, who now has four runner-up finishes on tour without a win.

France's Julien Guerrier roared into a share of third place with 10 birdies that gave him a final-round score of 20 points for a total of 37.

He was tied with Sweden's Jens Dantorp who had an eagle and six birdies and two bogeys to score pile up 15 points.

- AFP

Leading scores after Sunday's final round in the US PGA Tour Barracuda Championship at Truckee, California, using the Modified Stableford scoring system that awards points for eagles and birdies and subtracts points for bogeys (x-won at first playoff hole; USA unless noted):

40 - x-Akshay Bhatia 6 8 17 9, Patrick Rodgers 15 11 8

637 - Julien Guerrier (FRA) 11 4 2 20, Jens Dantorp (SWE) 7 6 9

1536 - Ryan Gerard 16 14 3 335 - Chesson Hadley 11 7 3 14, Erik van Rooyen (RSA) 8 3 10 14, James Hahn 14 5 8 8, Beau Hossler 17 5 8

534 - Sean Crocker 10 11 2 15, Sebastian Soderberg (SWE) 9 2 9 14, JC Ritchie (RSA) 5 10 6 13, JJ Spaun 10 4 7 13, Ryo Hisatsune (JPN) 1 16 6 11, Mark Hubbard 8 7 8 11, Joel Dahmen 10 3 16

533 - Marcus Armitage (ENG) 10 5 8 10, Chad Ramey 10 6 9 8, Cameron Champ 9 11 8 5

Resilient Rodgers edges into lead at PGA Barracuda Championship

Patrick Rodgers drained a birdie putt worth two points at the 18th hole on Saturday to take a one-point lead over Ryan Gerard heading into the final round of the US PGA Tour Barracuda Championship.

Rodgers shook off mid-round miscues that included back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth and a double bogey at the 10th, his eagle at the par-five 12th giving him a big boost under the Modified Stableford scoring system in use for the event that awards points for birdies and eagles and deducts points for bogeys and worse.

His third birdie of the day put him on 32 points - one behind overnight leader Gerard, and his clutch birdie at the last was enough to put him in front as he chases the first PGA Tour title of his career.

"It was a day of resilience, for sure," Rodgers said.

"I shot myself in the foot more than once today, especially in this format.

"I missed a couple of really tiny putts on the front nine. Other than those, missed a few opportunities, then made a double on 10.

"I was really super proud of the way that I was resilient and turned the round around and knew there was still a lot of points to be had."

Gerard, who is also seeking a first tour title, came into the round with a four-point lead but in tougher afternoon conditions he, too, had to overcome adversity in the form of three bogeys - including two straight at 10 and 11.

He bounced back with a chip in for birdie at the 12th and rolled in a long birdie putt at 13 to get to 33 points - but his five pars coming in didn't earn him any more points.

"I didn't hit it very well at all today," Gerard said.

"I didn't really make too many putts besides the one on 13. So just a lot of a grind out there today."

American Akshay Bhatia was alone in third on 31 points after posting an eagle and six birdies in his round worth 17 points in more benign morning conditions.

The strong showing wasn't something the Californian would have predicted on the Tahoe Mountain Country Club course.

"I wouldn't say this golf course or the altitude really suits my game," said Bhatia, adding that some shots had been "super confusing on the numbers and everything.

"A few adjustments helped him off the tee. More importantly, a few more putts fell to make the difference in a scoring format in which birdie and eagles are big."

Although he finds it tricky, Bhatia said the high-altitude course was a good fit for the scoring system that can reward aggression.

"You've got drivable par-fours, you've got short par-fives. So it's a great format to make a ton of birdies."

- AFP

Gerard takes 4-point lead in PGA Barracuda Championship

Rising talent Ryan Gerard had seven birdies without a bogey to take a four-point lead at the halfway stage of the PGA Tour Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California, on Friday.

Gerard's seven birdies earned him 14 points under the Modified Stableford scoring system that awards points for birdies, eagles and better and deducts points for bogeys and worse.

His two-round total of 30 points put him four ahead of Patrick Rodgers, who had seven birdies and three bogeys to amass 11 points.

Sweden's Vincent Norrman had an eagle and five birdies with three bogeys, his 12 points taking his two-day tally to 23.

Gerard's strong opening - featuring 16 birdies in the first two days - has the 23-year-old in position to challenge this weekend for a first PGA Tour title in his 16th start.

"I played really solid all day," he said. "I've been hitting it great. I think I've hit 16 or 17 greens both rounds out here. So feel really comfortable at the altitude getting the distances to the right spot where I want them.

"I had a little bit of a mud on my shirt from hitting it out of the water on six, but besides that it was relatively stress-free and always nice to hole a few par putts coming down the stretch."

While the scoring system inspires some players to be more aggressive, Gerard said he was trying to focus on hitting "the proper shots to the proper sides."

"I know this is a format where guys like to go out and kind of pin their ears back," he said. "But [I've] just been trying to pick my spots and play to my strengths."

Rodgers, in contrast, was relishing the green light to attack the course.

"I'm doing a good job of making a lot of birdies, which is fun," he said. "I really enjoy this format. I feel like it frees me up. It's fun to play aggressive."

Rodgers even enjoyed the vagaries of playing at high altitude on the Tahoe Mountain Club course.

"We stood there on one of our last holes having about eight different numbers to consider by the time you're doing uphill, downhill, altitude, carry distances, all of that. It's fun, I like the challenge."

- AFP

Noh soars to Barracuda lead with trio of eagles

South Korean Noh Seung-yul grabbed three eagles to soar to a sizeable lead on 23 points on Thursday in the first round of the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California.

Noh, chasing a second career PGA Tour title to go with his 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans win, eagled all three of the par-fives on the Tahoe Mountain Club course, especially valuable under the Modified Stableford scoring system that awards points for birdies and eagles and subtracts them for bogeys and worse.

Noh also had five birdies and a pair of bogeys, his 23 points putting him six clear of American Beau Hossler, whose two eagles included an ace at the par-three third hole.

Noh said he'd never had three eagles in a PGA Tour round before, and it wasn't the kind of outing he was expecting with the course firming up and winds rising in the afternoon.

"It's just so much fun to play today," said Noh, who earned five points for each eagle. While some players find the points system an invitation to be more aggressive, Noh said he tried to use his usual approach.

"Nothing changed ... Every hole, every single shot. It's just a better result today," he said, noting that he hit three greens on the three par-fives and had one tap-in eagle and one eagle putt of more than 30 feet.

"I putted pretty good today," said Noh, who also had an eagle putt of more than 15 feet.

Hossler had set an early target at 17 points in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title. He eagled the par-five sixth to go along with his hole in one at the third.

"I was kind of in between clubs," Hossler said of the ace. "I think it was like 211 (yards), but at altitude it's playing like 190.

"I hit seven-iron and it landed in a good spot and it went in." His only regret - he couldn't enjoy the highlight footage.

"It looked like it was the only hole on Tour this year that had no camera," Hossler said.

France's Alexander Levy had eight birdies without a bogey and was joined on 16 points by American Ryan Gerard - who had nine birdies and two bogeys.

Carson Young, Patrick Rodgers and Germany's Maximilian Kieffer shared fifth on 15 points.

The tournament is played opposite the Open Championship at Hoylake.

Leading scores after Thursday's first round in the PGA Tour Barracuda Championship at Truckee, California, using the Modified Stableford scoring system that awards points for eagles and birdies and subtracts points for bogeys (USA unless noted):

23 points - Noh Seung-yul (KOR)

17 - Beau Hossler

16 - Alexander Levy (FRA), Ryan Gerard

15 - Carson Young, Patrick Rodgers, Maximilian Kieffer (GER)

14 - James Hahn

13 - Nathan Kimsey (ENG), Martin Laird (SCO), Brent Grant

12 - Carl Yuan (CHN), Kyle Westmoreland, James Morrison (ENG)

11 - Charles Porter, Julien Guerrier (FRA), Wesley Bryan, Chesson Hadley, Vincent Norrman (SWE), Troy Merritt

- AFP

Sweden's Norrman beats Kimsey in playoff for PGA Barbasol title

Sweden's Vincent Norrman won a playoff over England's Nathan Kimsey with a par on the first extra hole Sunday to capture the PGA Tour Barbasol Championship.

The 25-year-old from Stockholm sank a clutch seven-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole in regulation just to force a playoff, then pitched from the rough to two feet in the playoff and made a par putt for the victory.

"I don't think I can process this for a while. I'm at a loss for words," Norrman said. "It's even beyond (a dream). I don't think I've dreamt this big yet honestly. It's amazing."

Norrman fired a six-under par 66 to finish alongside Kimsey on 22-under 266 after 72 holes at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

The PGA Tour rookie claimed his first title in only is 23rd tour start, the 286th-ranked standout booking a place in next week's British Open.

Norrman, whose best prior PGA result was a share of eighth in May at the Byron Nelson, wasn't sure how the triumph would alter his goals and plans.

"We're going to figure that out tomorrow," he said. Norrman led Kimsey by one at the 18th tee but his first two shots found the left rough.

Then Norrman blasted over the green, pitched to just outside seven feet and saw his bogey putt catch the right edge and fall in to force a playoff.

"I just hit it left off the tee and I had a terrible lie," Norrman said. "It was an impossible shot, I felt like. That was a really good bogey."

The playoff began at the par-4 18th with Norrman finding right greenside rough and Kimsey a left greenside bunker.

Kimsey blasted out to 15 feet while Norrman pitched to two feet. Kimsey two-putted for bogey and Norrman tapped in moments later for the victory.

"Have a chance to win a PGA Tour event, I can't complain really," Kimsey said. "I feel like I barely missed a shot all day, holed a few nice putts and did a really good job of executing the whole back nine."

Kimsey, a 30-year-old Englishman who plays on the DP World Tour, missed a chance to become the first player since American Jim Benepe at the 1988 Western Open to win in his PGA Tour debut.

US rookie Trevor Cone, who made double bogey at the par-3 16th and missed a 12-foot birdie putt at 18 to miss the playoff, settled for a share of third with France's Adrien Saddier on 267.

Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, fired his 12th consecutive round in the 60s with a 68 to finish fifth on 268 with Canada's Taylor Pendrith sixth on 269.

Unseen leaderboards

With most of the world's top players at the Scottish Open, the US event offered a prime chance for players trying to keep their tour status to grab valuable points or a victory.

Cone and Norrman each birdied the par-5 15th to reach 23-under as Kimsey made a late charge with birdie putts from 31 feet at the par-3 14th, five feet at the 15th and eight feet at the par-4 17th to finish on 266.

At the par-3 16th, Norrman sank a clutch seven-foot par putt while Cone went into the weeds on the way to a double bogey.

Norrman, one back of Cone when the day began, birdied the first hole from just inside 10 feet, sank a 23-foot birdie putt at the fourth and drove the green in two to set up a tap-in birdie at the par-5 fifth.

He closed the front nine with three birdies in a row to reach 22-under and grab a two-stroke edge before Cone birdied 11 and 13 to pull level.

"I didn't even look at any leaderboards," Norrman said.

"I was just out there trying to post a number."

Leading final-round scores on Sunday in the PGA Tour Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky (USA unless noted, par-72, x- won playoff with par on first extra hole):

266 - x-Vincent Norrman (SWE) 66-67-67-66, Nathan Kimsey (ENG) 69-66-67-64

267 - Adrien Saddier (FRA) 68-66-67-66, Trevor Cone 71-65-63-68

268 - Lucas Glover 63-68-69-68

269 - Taylor Pendrith (CAN) 69-66-68-66

270 - Daniel Brown (ENG) 65-68-70-67, Grayson Murray 70-70-63-67

271 - Akshay Bhatia 68-68-70-65, Masahiro Kawamura (JPN) 69-69-68-65, Doc Redman 69-70-65-67, David Ravetto (FRA) 72-64-67-68, Alexander Levy (FRA) 69-68-66-68

272 - Ryan Moore 64-70-70-68, Marcus Kinhult (SWE) 66-70-67-69

273 - Tommy Gainey 70-69-69-65, MJ Daffue (RSA) 70-66-70-67, Christoffer Bring (DEN) 72-65-69-67, Adam Long 66-67-71-69, Ryan Armour 64-71-69-69, Cameron Percy (AUS) 70-69-65-69, Louis de Jager (RSA) 69-65-69-70, Jayden Schaper (RSA) 68-66-68-71

- AFP

Former US Open champ Glover leads PGA Barbasol Championship

Lucas Glover's switch to a long putter continued to pay off as the former US Open champion, chasing a first win since 2021, carded a nine-under par 63 to lead the US PGA Tour Barbasol Championship on Thursday.

Glover fired an eagle and eight birdies against one bogey on the Keene Trace Golf Club course in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and had a one-shot lead over fellow Americans Ryan Armour and Ryan Moore.

It was Glover's ninth straight round in the 60s - a solid run of form that has seen him finish tied for fourth and tied for sixth in his past two starts.

His improved putting is at "the root of it," the 2009 US Open winner said.

"Just got confidence in the putting and making some of those midrange putts and very comfortable over the short ones again," Glover said.

"Anytime you're putting well it takes pressure off the rest of your game. You don't feel so much pressure to hit it perfect, which is not possible."

Glover rolled in a 19-foot birdie at the second hole and after a bogey at the fourth birdied five straight.

He didn't need the putter at 12, where his pitching wedge from 138 yards out spun into the hole for an eagle.

"That's one of those hole locations where you've got a chance to get it really close because you've got a backstop behind it," he said.

"(You've) just kind of got to get it online and it's going to feed to it, and I did that and it just happened to go in."

Glover said he wasn't surprised that the 63 was his lowest round since 2021, when he won the most recent of his four TITLES AT THE John Deere Classic.

"Getting hot at the right time, and 63 anytime, anywhere is pretty good," he said.

Glover, ranked 112th, is the highest-ranked player in the field of the event played opposite the Scottish Open, which is sanctioned by both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.

In addition to a $3.8 million purse the event offers valuable world ranking points and FedEx Cup points for players trying to make the US tour's playoff series.

The winner also gains a berth in the Open Championship, the final major of the year that starts at Royal Liverpool at Hoylake on 20 July.

Leading first-round scores on Thursday in the PGA Tour Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky (USA unless noted, par-72):

63 - Lucas Glover

64 - Ryan Armour, Ryan Moore

65 - Daniel Brown (ENG), Wesley Bryan, Cody Gribble, Andrew Novak

66 - Marcus Helligkilde (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE), Adam Long, Angel Hidalgo Portillo (ESP), Bo Van Pelt, Vincent Norrman (SWE), Johannes Veerman

67 - Peter Malnati, Clment Sordet (FRA), Niklas Norgaard (DEN), Sean O'Hair, Chad Ramey, Patton Kizzire, JC Ritchie (RSA), Wes Homan, Deon Germishuys (RSA)

- AFP

Austria's Straka fires 62 to win PGA John Deere Classic

Sepp Straka's bid for a sub-60 final round met a watery grave at the 72nd hole on Sunday but he hung on to win the PGA John Deere Classic.

Despite closing with a double bogey, the 30-year-old Austrian fired a PGA career-low nine-under par 62 in the final round to finish 72 holes on 21-under 263 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

That was good enough for a two-stroke victory over Americans Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley, who couldn't overtake Straka down the last holes.

"It was pretty crazy. I'm just pumped about it. It feels awesome," Straka said about his second career PGA title.

"The putter was hot and I was able to take advantage of it with some good iron play."

Straka was 11-under on the day before finding water at 18 and reaching the clubhouse only two strokes ahead of Todd, who had five holes remaining as he tried to end a four-year win drought.

Todd and Smalley each birdied 14 to pull within one but Todd missed a six-foot birdie putt at 15 and made a three-putt bogey at the par-3 16th to fall two adrift again.

Both closed with back-to-back pars to hand Straka hand the triumph.

"The 59 was nowhere in my head really," Straka said of his closing holes.

"I knew I had a chance but in that situation the only thing that really matters is trying to win the golf tournament."

That seemed in doubt after he found the water on his approach at 18.

"It was not a good shot, pulled it," Straka said.

"Wind was off to the right but I was just trying to go to the middle of the green, let it feed down to the left toward the hole. Pulled it early and then the wind drug it over to the water."

It was unfortunate but that was the first bad shot I hit today so I'll give myself a little bit of slack there. Hit a good putt. Broke a little more than I thought it would."

Straka won his only prior PGA title at last year's Honda Classic but lost two other 2022 events in playoffs.

Straka's impressive round began with a birdie putt from just outside five feet at the first hole, followed by a 20-foot eagle putt at the par-5 second.

"Ball just stopped short of the bunker where I could have a stance and hit a really nice iron shot in there and made the putt," Straka said of his eagle.

After a birdie putt at the fourth from just outside eight feet, Straka landed his approach barely two feet from the hole and birdied the par-4 sixth, then sank a 29-foot birdie putt at the par-3 seventh.

Straka closed the front nine with a 40-foot birdie putt for a 7-under 28 start, his lowest nine-hole score.

He reeled off four birdies in a row with a seven-foot birdie putt at 11, another from just inside 14 feet at the par-3 12th, a nine-foot birdie putt at 13 and another from half that distance at 14.

Straka was just off the left edge of the hole on a 41-foot birdie putt at 15 and saved par from a greenside bunker at the par-5 17th before the double bogey finish. - AFP

Todd closes strong to grab lead at PGA John Deere Classic

Brendon Todd birdied three of the last six holes, closing with a clutch par putt, to seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the PGA John Deere Classic.

The 37-year-old American, seeking his first PGA title since 2019 and fourth overall, fired a bogey-free four-under par 67 to stand on 16-under 197 after 54 holes at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Alex Smalley, who fired a 62, shared second on 198 with fellow Americans Adam Schenk and Denny McCarthy with American Peter Kuest fifth on 199.

Eight others were only three adrift, including 36-hole leader Cameron Young, who stumbled back with a closing double bogey to shoot 71.

"Probably [need] another round like today," Todd said.

"Looks like there are a lot of pursuers there. It's a pretty bunched leaderboard so I'll have to go out there, play my game, make a bunch of birdies and see what happens."

World number 78 Todd, who has converted two of his five career 54-hole PGA leads into victories, was a runner-up at Pebble Beach earlier this year.

Todd's PGA triumphs came at the 2014 Byron Nelson Championship and the 2019 Bermuda Championship and Mayakoba Classic in Mexico.

Todd sank a 26-foot eagle putt at the par-5 second hole, then closed strong with a six-foot birdie putt at the 13th, a 17-foot birdie putt at 15 and a stunning 45-foot birdie shocker at the par-3 16th.

It took a tense 12-foot par putt at the 18th for Todd to claim the edge over his countrymen.

"Anybody who is within three shots of the lead is looking to go as low as they can, so there's certainly going to be no defense for me," Todd said.

"It's going to be the same stuff."

World number 85 Smalley, who shared ninth two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship for his best finish of the year, matched his career low PGA round to leap into contention.

Smalley, 26, made seven birdies and an eagle to give himself a chance to become the 24th first-time PGA winner in the history of the event.

"I don't see why it couldn't be," Smalley said.

"Just got to go out there and if I play like I did today. I feel like I have a pretty good chance. Just got to have the same mindset."

His successes included an approach to three feet at the par-5 second to set up an eagle and birdie putts of 34 feet at the par-3 12th and eight feet at the first, fourth and 17th.

World number 19 Young, last year's British Open runner-up, birdied 16 and 17 to pull within one of Todd but found a fairway bunker and water at 18 on his way to a closing double bogey.

The 26-year-old American is chasing his first PGA Tour title after six second-place showings, including this year's WGC Match Play. - AFP

SA's Higgo in the hunt as Young seizes two-stroke lead at PGA John Deere Classic

Cameron Young, last year's British Open runner-up, fired a seven-under par 64 to grab a two-stroke lead after Friday's second round of the PGA John Deere Classic.

The 26-year-old American, chasing his first PGA Tour title after six second-place showings in two years, stood on 13-under 129 after 36 holes at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois."Nice to have two really good days to start the tournament," Young said.

Young, a runner-up most recently in March's WGC Match Play, has as many runner-up showings without a victory as any player in the past 40 years.

"It's really just a 'one foot in front of the other' kind of thing, executing the plan we've made for the week," Young said of chasing his first triumph.

"If I can control my mind and stay in some control of my golf ball, hopefully I'll give myself a chance in a couple of days."

South Africa's Garrick Higgo and Americans Adam Schenk and Brendon Todd shared second on 131. Sweden's Ludvig Aberg was on 132 with Americans Denny McCarthy, William Mouw and Kevin Roy.World number 19 Young credited work on his putting with his successful start.

"Made a few mechanical changes, just really the tempo, and I think it's helping me control my speed a lot better, which is leading to some better green reading," Young said.

"I'm seeing good signs. Even the ones that don't go in, I feel like my speed has been really good and I've been rolling it how I mean to -- I've been able to take a little more confidence."

Back-nine starter Higgo, who shot 66, opened with an eagle and closed with a bogey to fall two adrift.

"I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I'm not going to change much," Higgo said. "It's good momentum going into the next couple weeks."

US back-nine starter Jim Herman reeled off seven consecutive birdies from the par-3 16th through the par-4 fourth holes on his way to a 63 to share 10th on 134.

Sweden's Jonas Blixt, who led after an opening 62, followed with a 73.

Leading scores after Friday's second round of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic at Silvis, Illinois (USA unless noted, par 71):

129 - Cameron Young 65-64

131 - Adam Schenk 65-66, Garrick Higgo (RSA) 65-66, Brendon Todd 66-65

132 - Ludvig Aberg (SWE) 68-64, William Mouw 66-66, Denny McCarthy 68-64, Kevin Roy 69-63

133 - Mark Hubbard 67-66

134 - Grayson Murray 64-70, Lucas Glover 69-65, Kevin Streelman 71-63, Peter Kuest 67-67, Cody Gribble 68-66, Jim Herman 71-63, Chris Kirk 68-66, Nate Lashley 65-69

135 - JT Poston 68-67, Akshay Bhatia 66-69, Yuto Katsuragawa (JPN) 72-63, Greyson Sigg 65-70, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 62-73, Seamus Power (IRL) 66-69, Adam Svensson (CAN) 69-66, Keith Mitchell 68-67, Jimmy Walker 67-68, Doug Ghim 70-65, Tano Goya (ARG) 67-68

- AFP

Blixt blitzes into lead at John Deere Classic

Sweden's Jonas Blixt snatched a two-shot lead over American Grayson Murray after a superb nine-under 62 in the first round of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic on Thursday.

Blixt was on fire at the TCP Deer Run in Silva, Illinois producing eagles on the par-five second and the par-four 14th.

The only blemish for the 39-year-old, three-time winner on the PGA Tour, was a bogey on the par-four 5th hole where he two-putted after getting in trouble in the rough.

But Blixt was in blistering form on the back nine, shooting 29, with three further birdies following his brilliant eagle on the 14th.The Swede blasted his drive 361 yards to the green and then drained a 43 foot putt.

After, he said his round had come as a surprise after a difficult season so far.

"I had six weeks off and worked a lot with my swing coach back home. I had struggled a lot I feel like (for) a few months and I think I found something this week after playing the Korn Ferry last week," he said.

Blixt's last win was almost six years ago and he had back surgery in 2019.

"At this point when you don't have that much confidence in your game and you find something, you just kind of go out and see where you swing at it, and that's what happened. I mean, 62 doesn't happen very often on the PGA Tour, at least not for me.

"I'm very happy about it. Extremely happy about it," he said.

- AFP

Leaderboard:

62 - Jonas Blixt (SWE)

64 - Grayson Murray

65 - Nate Lashley, Richy Werenski, Adam Schenk, Greyson Sigg, Cameron Young, Garrick Higgo (RSA)

66 - Seamus Power (IRL), Akshay Bhatia, William Mouw, Brendon Todd, Alex Smalley

Rickie Fowler sank a birdie putt from just inside 12 feet on Sunday to win a playoff for the PGA Rocket Mortgage Classic title and snap a four-year win drought.

Fowler defeated fellow American Collin Morikawa, a two-time major champion, and Canada's Adam Hadwin to capture his first victory since the 2019 Phoenix Open and his sixth PGA triumph overall."It's just nice to have this one out of the way," Fowler said.

"I'm obviously going to soak this one in and celebrate a bit. It has just been a long road. I'll get emotional at some point."

Fowler, 34, won the 2017 Players Championship but has struggled in recent years, falling to 185th in the world rankings last year before reviving his form this season with nine top-20 finishes in his past 10 events.

"Had to keep putting the time in, keep grinding, keep pushing," Fowler said.

"Then started to see some positive results and to build some confidence and momentum last fall.

"A lot of great stuff this year. I knew it was a matter of time the way I've been playing."

In the four years, four months and 29 days between his titles, Fowler became a husband and father and smiled as he held his daughter Maya on the 18th green.

"Winning is great," Fowler said.

"But there's a lot more to life than that."

Morikawa, Fowler and Hadwin all finished 72 holes on 24-under par 264 at rain-softened Detroit Golf Club, where players started early in threesomes to escape a stormy afternoon forecast.

Fowler, Morikawa and Hadwin shared the lead at 23-under as they came down the stretch.

Morikawa and Hadwin each birdied the par-5 17th, but Fowler needed three to reach the fringe there and settled for par.

At 18, Fowler dropped his approach just over three feet from the hole and tapped in to reach the playoff."Our back was against the wall," Fowler said.

"Didn't take advantage of some opportunities I had on the back nine to win in regulation, but I'll take it any way we can get it."

The playoff began at 18, and Fowler booked his tee shot right into the crowd with his rivals in the fairway.

But Fowler dropped his approach just inside 12 feet from the hole while Morikawa went over the green and, like Hadwin, ended up just over 21 feet from the hole.

Hadwin's putt rolled past, Morikawa's chip was short, and Fowler then made his putt, standing in place and smiling at his long-sought victory.

"It was a nice moment just to kind of feel like the weight on my shoulders was finally off," Fowler said.

'Old Collin' is back

Morikawa and Hadwin had also been trying to snap victory droughts, with Hadwin's only PGA victory coming at the 2017 Valspar Championship.

"Would have liked to have made a couple more putts," Hadwin said.

"But I did a lot of really good things. I'm proud of the way I kept going and had some fun. Hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come."

Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open winner hasn't won a PGA event since capturing the Claret Jug at Royal St. George's.

His most recent triumph was at the 2021 European Tour's season-ending championship at Dubai.

"You've got to execute the shots, and we did a lot of that really good," Morikawa said.

"It was awesome to see. Haven't seen that for 72 holes in a while. It's kind of the old Collin hopefully back... It will be really exciting for me heading to The Open."

World number nine Max Homa, the highest-ranked player in the field, aced the par-3 15th from 140 yards with a pitching wedge.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger matched the course record with a 63 to share ninth on 270.

- AFP

Fowler makes late charge to grab PGA lead at storm-hit Detroit

Rickie Fowler, trying to snap a four-year victory drought, birdied six of the last eight holes for a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The 34-year-old American, who last won at the 2019 Phoenix Open, sizzled down the back nine to fire an eight-under par 64 and stand on 20-under 196 after 54 holes at Detroit Golf Club.

"Just felt good," Fowler said. "Swing felt nice. I wanted to keep giving myself as many looks as I could. Good swings and made some putts."

Canadian Adam Hadwin matched the course record with a bogey-free 63 to finish one back of Fowler on 197 with countryman Taylor Pendrith third on 198 after taking his first bogeys of the week at the par-3 15th and 18.

England's Aaron Rai and American Peter Kuest, a Monday qualifier, shared fourth on 199.

Afternoon storms halted play for an hour and 42 minutes and a stormy forecast prompted officials to move Sunday tee times to early morning in threesomes off first and 10th tees.

"I'm just hoping we can finish," Fowler said.

Fowler, a five-time PGA winner whose titles include the 2017 Players Championship, has struggled for the past three seasons but revived his form this year with nine top-20 finishes in his past 10 events.

He's confident a triumph is not far off.

"Whether it happens tomorrow or not, it's going to happen here soon," Fowler said. "I'm not pressing that I need to go get it done tomorrow or it means absolutely nothing.

"I've been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions. This definitely won't be the last, but yeah, it will be fun tomorrow."

Fowler sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the second and birdied all four par-5 holes - the fourth, seventh, 14th and 17th.

After taking his lone bogey at 10 when he landed his tee shot behind a tree in the far left rough, Fowler birdied the 13th with a 12-foot putt, the 14th on a tap-in and the par-3 15th from just outside four feet.

Fowler tapped in for birdie at 15 to match Hadwin for the lead and then dropped his approach just inside three feet at 18 and tapped in for the lead.

Hadwin went four-under over the last five holes with a 17-foot eagle putt at 14, a 12-foot birdie putt at 15 and a tap-in birdie at 17.

"This is the round I needed to give myself a chance tomorrow," Hadwin said.

"Guys are going low. I've got to keep making birdies, keep hitting fairways, staying out of my own way and keep making decisions quickly."

Hadwin, whose only PGA victory came at the 2017 Valspar Championship, fired a 59 at LaQuinta Country Club in the 2017 PGA CareerBuilder Challenge and pondered another 59 on Saturday.

"It kind of passed through my mind. I did quick match after eagle-birdie on 14-15," he said.

"I just didn't think there were enough holes coming in."

World number 127 Pendrith, chasing his first PGA title, was last year's Detroit runner-up. His only top-10 finish this season was a share of seventh at Pebble Beach.

- AFP

Leading third-round scores on Saturday in the US PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Michigan (USA unless noted, par-72):

196 - Rickie Fowler 67-65-64

197 - Adam Hadwin (CAN) 66-68-63

198 - Taylor Pendrith (CAN) 67-64-67

199 - Peter Kuest 64-70-65, Aaron Rai (ENG) 65-68-66

200 - Carl Yuan (CHN) 70-66-64, Dylan Wu 65-69-66, Collin Morikawa 66-67-67, Justin Lower 68-65-67, Taylor Moore 64-67-69

202 - Lucas Glover 69-69-64, Brian Harman 68-68-66, Nicolai Hojgaard (DEN) 67-68-67, Peter Malnati 69-66-67, Chris Kirk 67-68-67, Adam Schenk 65-68-69

203 - Alex Noren (SWE) 68-68-67, Troy Merritt 68-68-67, Cam Davis (AUS) 69-65-69

Canada's Taylor Pendrith fired a bogey-free eight-under par 64 to share the lead with American Taylor Moore after Friday's second round of the US PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Pendrith, chasing his first PGA title, and Moore, who won his first tour crown in March, stood on 13-under 131 after 36 holes at Detroit Golf Club.

World number 127 Pendrith has only managed one top-10 effort this season, a share of seventh at Pebble Beach, but is bogey-free so far.

"I played very solid, no bogeys again today, which was great," he said.

"Hit a lot of really good wedge shots on my front nine. Back nine was a little bit more of a grind, but putter kept me in it.

"All in all, super happy and excited for the weekend."

Moore, ranked 51st, was sixth at last year's event and on Thursday shared the 18-hole lead for the first time in any PGA event with an opening 64.

"I got off to a good start, felt like I got into a pretty good rhythm," Moore said.

"Saw some putts go in and was pleased about that. Feeling good for the weekend."

Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg and Rickie Fowler shared third on 132 with two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, fellow Americans Adam Schenk and Justin Lower and England's Aaron Rai sharing fifth on 133.Pendrith was a runner-up last year at Detroit.

"Learned a lot from last year, got to play aggressive," Pendrith said.

"There's still tons of birdies out there, so just stay aggressive and keep making birdies."

Pendrith began with a birdie at 10 after putting his approach just outside three feet, then sank a 31-foot birdie putt at the 12th and reeled off three birdies in a row starting with an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th.

His approach landed inches from the hole at 16 and he sank a five-foot birdie putts at the par-5 17th and par-4 first.

Pendrith added back-to-back birdies from just inside 18 feet at three and 22 feet at the par-5 fourth to grab a share of the lead at 13-under.

Moore won his first tour title at the Valspar Championship in March but has missed three cuts since finishing 72nd in May at the PGA Championship.

Moore began his round with a birdie at the 10th hole, made bogey at 16 and answered with birdie putts at the next three holes, including a 21-footer at 18 and a 16-footer at the first.

He added birdies at the third and the par-5 fourth and seventh before stumbling with a bogey at the eighth after finding a fairway bunker.

Defending champion Tony Finau shot 71 to stand on 143 and miss the cut.

Qualifier Kuest shares PGA Tour lead in Detroit

Monday qualifier Peter Kuest nabbed nine birdies in an eight-under par 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead with Taylor Moore at the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

Kuest, who said he would "probably be fishing right now" had he not earned his tournament berth on Monday, got off to a blazing start at Detroit Golf Club with six birdies in the first nine holes.

He followed a birdie at the 12th with three more birdies and held the clubhouse lead until Moore grabbed four birdies in a late five-hole stretch to join him.

"We did it all pretty well," said Kuest, who is ranked 789th in the world and trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour title since Corey Conners at the Texas Open in 2021.

"We chipped one in on the front, hit a bunch of fairways, hit a bunch of greens, rolled a couple putts in. Just kept it simple."

Moore, who won his first tour title at the Valspar Championship in March, had eight birdies and a chance to tie the course record and take the solo lead at 18, where he couldn't get his 15-foot birdie putt to drop.

"I got off to a better start today and drove the ball pretty good on my front nine," Moore said.

"Got into a good rhythm, and obviously the putter got a little bit hot on the back nine, which was cool to see.

"Very pleased with the start."

The duo were one stroke clear of a group of seven players on 65.

That bunch included Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg, who had a chance to impress playing alongside European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

Aberg was nine-under after seven birdies and a chip-in for eagle at the seventh, his 16th hole, but finished with back-to-back bogeys.

"I think right now it's a little bit disappointing, but when I get some perspective on it I think I'll be pretty OK with that round," said Aberg, who turned pro earlier this month.

Aberg was joined on seven-under by England's Aaron Rai and Americans Sam Ryder, Sam Bennett, Dylan Wu, Justin Suh and Adam Schenk.

Wu carded two eagles, holing out from 262 yards out in the fairway at the 14th and making a three-foot eagle putt at the seventh.

Ryder also holed out for an eagle, Rai and Bennett both eagled the seventh and Suh had seven birdies without a bogey.

Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa headlined a trio on 66 but on a low-scoring day defending champion Tony Finau settled for an even par 72 that included four birdies and four bogeys.

Max Homa, the highest-ranked player in the field at ninth in the world, carded a three-under par 69.

- AFP