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Live

Palos Verdes Championship 2022: Highlights of the final round of the winner Marina Alex

After four competitive days in the California sun, Marina Alex gets to take the crown at the end of the Palos Verdes Championship 2022. With a one-stroke lead over South Korean Jin Young Ko, the American secured only her second title on the LPGA Tour. Megan Khang (USA) and Lydia Ko (Australia) share third place.

Long wait for Marina Alex

The American had to tremble for a few minutes before her victory, because she returned to the clubhouse ahead of many of her opponents thanks to a brilliant comeback. The 31-year-old started the final day on five under par: At that point, she was three shots behind the leader, Hannah Green. In the final round, she increased her score to 10-under-par while Green flopped, securing victory. Watch the highlights of Marina Alex’s final round in the video.

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European Tour

European Tour: Adri Arnaus wins on the 6th playoff hole

Adri Arnaus European Tour Catalunya Championship
Adri Arnaus wins first title of his career on the DP World Tour (Foto: Getty)

The Catalunya Championship has come to an end. Adri Arnaus is the more than happy winner of the tournament, which was held for the first time. In a playoff he prevailed against the South African Oliver Bekker. After six playoff holes Arnaus secured his first title on the DP World Tour, formerly European Tour. Best German-speaking player is Bernd Wiesberger on the sole eighth place. The two best Germans of the week are Marcel Schneider and Nicolai von Dellingshausen. Both are tied for 13th place at the end of the tournament.

Adri Arnaus with longer breath in the playoff

Already in the regular playing time Adri Arnaus was the better player on the course than Oliver Bekker. Bekker only managed an even par 72, but Adri Arnaus made a spirited recovery and played an outstanding seven under par round on the difficult PGA Catalunya Stadium Course. He remained bogey-free, making five birdies and an outstanding eagle on the second nine to close the gap to the South African by seven strokes.
In the playoff, things got tough. Both players were visibly nervous and the difficult 18th hole did not help either. The two opponents went to the 18th hole five times, each time sharing a par. Although sometimes one and sometimes the other had good starting chances after the tee shots, neither could profit from them. Important was a chip by Arnaus on the fourth extra hole. He mastered the difficult situation confidently, otherwise he stayed relatively cool on the greens in the playoff. But both of them did not manage to play out good birdie chances for the victory.

In the end, the change to the 17th hole of the course helped. The sixth playoff hole should then also bring the decision. Oliver Bekker pulled his driver and missed the fairway right in the rough. Arnaus took his driving iron and hit the ball cleanly down the fairway. His starting position was a dream, and so was his shot into the green. From 180 meters he played the iron with a slight left-right curve into the green, the ball comes up five meters before the flag and rolls towards the hole. Although it just missed the hole, it stopped just behind it at about two meters. Bekker had to deliver and didn’t, his second shot landed left in the rough next to the green. From there he saved himself cica 1.5 meters from the hole a chance at par.
Arnaus had a chance to win, but, how could it be otherwise, he missed. Now it was up to Bekker again: His par putt also lipped out and Arnaus again saw himself in the position to finally decide the tournament for himself. This time he took advantage of the situation, what followed was an understandable outburst of joy and relief. After two hours of playoff, there was finally a winner, Arnaus taking home his first DP World Tour title.

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Highlights Tours

Tiger Woods fuels hopes for participation in the 2022 PGA Championship

Tiger Woods together with the head pro of the Southern Hills Country Club on a practice round before the PGA Championship 2022. (Photo: Twitter/@PGAChampionship & @okgolf2)
Tiger Woods together with the head pro of the Southern Hills Country Club on a practice round before the PGA Championship 2022. (Photo: Twitter/@PGAChampionship & @okgolf2)

It’s reminiscent of the scenes that sent the golf world into hysterics a couple of weeks ago: a plane being tracked and a practice round that raised hopes of a appearance in a major. Only this time the surprise is not quite so great, given the feat Tiger Woods had achieved at the US Masters in 2022. Now the superstar was out on a practice round at Southern Hills Country Club to gauge the strain for the 2022 PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods on a practice round at Southern Hills Country Club

On Thursday, the 15-time major winner’s private jet touched down at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after which Tiger Woods played a practice round at Southern Hills, where the second major of the year will be played in about three weeks. Woods completed the 18 holes alongside Cary Cozby, the golf club’s head pro, reports the Golf Channel, and was spotted by numerous cameras; his putting drills were even filmed from a helicopter. According to a “Golf Channel” reporter, Cozby said that “Tiger had great speed with swing and was engaged regarding the lines to take with shots and the differences in green complexes since winning there in 2007.”

On his round, the 46-year-old was spotted wearing shorts that exposed a view of his damaged right leg, which is encased in a compression sleeve. On his feet, Woods is wearing the Footjoy shoes that first made his participation in the prestigious major at hilly Augusta National possible.

Immediately after the tournament, the five-time Masters winner announced that he would participate in the second Major of the year if possible and set his sights on the 150th Open Championship. Hall-of-Famer sources now say that after his practice round, Woods intends to play the 2022 PGA Championship in May, provided there are no further setbacks. This is reported by Golf Digest, which goes on to say that they will wait to see the body’s reactions to the increasing strain in the coming weeks before making a final decision on participation.

PGA Championship 2022 in Oklahoma

The PGA Championship 2022 will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa from 19 to 22 May. Originally, the second major of the year was to be held at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, but after the riots at the beginning of 2021 with the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, the former US president’s club was stripped of its hosting status.

Tiger Woods has already played two major tournaments at Southern Hills; in 2007 he won the PGA Championship there for the fourth and for the moment last time. In 2019, however, the course was thoroughly renovated and therefore presents a new challenge this year. It was only recently announced that the golf legend is on the list of participants for the most important tournament of the PGA of America, as is defending champion Phil Mickelson. With the practice round, participation becomes more and more likely.

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PGA Tour

Phil Mickelson signs up for PGA Championship and Saudi opener

Phil Mickelson is keeping all his options open. (Photo: Getty)
Phil Mickelson is keeping all his options open. (Photo: Getty)

The first tournament of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series kicks off in less than a month, and it will feature 15 golfers from the top 100 in the world rankings. This was reported by Sport Illustrated, citing a statement from LIV Golf. Among the 15 players is probably Phil Mickelson, who despite increased criticism in recent months wants to keep open the chance to participate in the first event in London. But that’s not the end of Mickelson’s return to tournament golf. The defending PGA Championship champion would like to start his comeback to the PGA Tour at this very tournament.

Phil Mickelson’s return to the tournament stage

Phil Mickelson is planning his return to the PGA Tour after withdrawing from all upcoming tournament starts for the time being in February as a result of heavy criticism. His proximity to the LIV Golf Invitational Series (formerly the Saudi Golf League) repeatedly brought him into the negative media spotlight last year, but now he wants to make his comeback and will start at the PGA Championship. Mickelson won the second major of the golf season last year. But his start at Southern Hills Country Club is not enough for Mickelson. At the same time, he applied for a permit to play in the first Saudi League tournament in June. A statement from his agency said, “We have also applied on his behalf for clearance to play in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational in London from June 9-11. This request meets the April 25 deadline set by the PGA Tour to participate in a competitive Tour event.” It is unclear at this time whether he will take advantage of this release, but he wants to keep all options open, the statement added.

15 players from the top 100 will compete in London

According to Sports Illustrated, 14 other players from the top 100 in the world rankings are taking advantage of the 30-day period before the start of the tournament. The names of those players remain non-public and are subject to confidentiality agreements, according to a spokesperson for the LIV Golf Invitational Series. So far, about 70 players have registered for the event, but with a planned field of 48 players, not all professionals will be able to compete. It remains to be seen how and according to which criteria the field of participants will finally be put together. It also remains to be seen how the PGA Tour will handle future Saudi Tour events on American soil. At this point in time, the PGA Tour does not want to issue any permits for participation in these events. This would affect at least two of the eight tournaments, with the tournament in Portland in early July, as well as other events at Trump National Golf Club and the scheduled team finale at Trump National Doral in Miami in late October.

Daly pleads for merger of tours

John Daly sees a simple solution to the eternal back-and-forth between LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Daly is calling for the Saudi Tour and the PGA Tour to merge. To him, he says it’s the easy solution and also a great opportunity for golf. “I mean, you want to keep golf going and keep it strong, and the foundation of the European Tour and the foundation of the Asian Tour and the Australian Tour and all the tours and our tour the players have built through a lot of great sponsors that we’ve had. I just think it would be really good if they could work together instead of competing against each other.” He himself has not been offered a starting spot on the new tour, but he likes the concept and sees a great opportunity in the increase in prize money.

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European Tour

The K Club to host Horizon Irish Open in 2023, 2025 and 2027

horizon irish open dp world tour european tour
Horizon Irish Open will be played at the K Club in the future (Foto: DP World Tour)

The Horizon Irish Open will return to The K Club as part of a long-term deal with the DP World Tour, which will see the island of Ireland’s national Open played at the former Ryder Cup venue in 2023, 2025 and 2027.

The K Club’s commitment to the development of Irish professional golf is further enhanced by the news that the resort’s second Arnold Palmer-designed course, Palmer South, will also play host to the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge in the intervening years, beginning this July and again in 2024 and 2026.

The announcement continues the momentum surrounding the Horizon Irish Open, with Horizon Therapeutics – the global biotechnology company headquartered in Dublin – having signed a six-year title sponsorship deal in February, beginning with this year’s event at Mount Juliet Estate from June 30-July 3.

Next year will be just the second time The K Club has hosted the Irish Open, having done so for the first time in 2016, when four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy claimed a famous victory which will live long in the memory of Irish sports fans.

First Irish venue to host the Ryder Cup

Ten years prior to that momentous occasion, the stunning Kildare venue made history when it became the first Irish venue to host the Ryder Cup. Under Captain Ian Woosnam, Europe marched to a commanding 18½-9½ victory over the USA – with recently-announced European Captain for 2023, Henrik Stenson, holing the winning putt on his debut in the biennial contest.

Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour’s Deputy CEO, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We share a special connection with The K Club through their hosting of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and we thank them for their commitment to the development of Irish golf through this long-term deal with both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour.

“This news, along with the announcement earlier in the year of Horizon as title sponsors of the Irish Open until at least 2027, underlines the strength of our sport in Ireland, as we build towards the return of the Ryder Cup to Irish shores for its centenary edition in five years’ time at Adare Manor.”

Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers TD, said: “Ireland has a rich tradition in producing world-class golfing talent and I am particularly delighted to see so many Irish golfers in the field for the 2022 tournament.

“The Government’s investment in the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme continues to assist Ireland’s emerging professional players as they strive to progress through the ranks. The Horizon Irish Open is a wonderful showcase for Irish golf and for Ireland as a tourism destination.

“Our passion for golf, combined with our renowned tradition of hospitality, makes us want to share our courses and our companionship with visitors. The K Club will be the perfect host for the spectators present and for an international audience, following play from around the world.”

Paul Heery, General Manager of The K Club, said: “The K Club has always been well known as a venue for hosting successful, international golf events and now with the guidance and fresh energy from new ownership, we are delighted to be back hosting tournaments of this calibre once again.

“Establishing a new legacy at the resort”

“The K Club is evolving. We are on a journey to establish a new legacy at the resort where supporting the golfing community in Ireland is an extremely important focus for us. The team at The K Club are incredibly proud to be making this long-term commitment to Irish golf which will see us host six years of high profile tournaments in Ireland.

“We very much look forward to welcoming players from all over the world to The K Club and watching the dramatic action unfold on the fairways of our Arnold Palmer designed courses once again.”

Timothy P. Walbert, Chairman, President and CEO, Horizon Therapeutics: “To have this historic tournament associated with one of Ireland’s most prized golf venues signifies the momentum that is building for the sport and for the Horizon Irish Open.

“As we continue to grow as a company in Ireland, we also look forward to doing our part to grow the interest in the island’s national open and are excited for what the future will bring with The K Club and the DP World Tour partnerships.”

Dr Una May, CEO Sport Ireland, said: “It’s an exciting time for this tournament and I look forward to working with the DP World Tour and all of the tournament hosts over the next few years to help bring this great event to new levels of success.

“I am delighted that Sport Ireland, through its sponsorship of the Horizon Irish Open, has been able to offer two invitations to emerging Irish golfers. This will provide players with the opportunity to play in a top class DP World Tour event on home soil, and help further their careers as professional golfers.”

Like the Ryder Cup, the Irish Open was also first played in 1927 and it is now one of the world’s most famous national opens, boasting former champions such as Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Pádraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Jon Rahm.

Tournament is a part of the Open Qualifying Series

The 2022 edition will once again form part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the top three players not already exempt earning a coveted place in the 150th edition of the Open Championship, taking place two weeks later on the Old Course at St Andrews.

The Irish Challenge returned to the Challenge Tour back in 2015 and has been played every year since – barring 2020 due to the pandemic.

The Ladies European Tour, meanwhile, will return to Irish shores for the first time in ten years when the Women’s Irish Open takes place at Dromoland Castle this September.

It was announced in February that all general admission tickets for Sunday at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open have sold out, the earliest sell-out day in the history of the DP World Tour. Limited tickets still remain for the Wednesday Celebrity Pro-Am, as well as the first three tournament days – Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Premium Experience hospitality packages are also selling fast, with The Range Club – an ideal offering for smaller groups wishing to relax in style and enjoy outstanding service in a relaxed hospitality environment – already sold out on Sunday.

(Text: DP World Tour)

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Live

Final Round Highlights from the LPGA Tour’s 2022 DIO Implant LA Open

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[parone_rss_video_player campaign=”156″ feed=”ve7x3qfqv5″ env=”prod” defaultlang=”en” /]Watch highlights from the final round of the 2022 DIO Implant LA Open

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Live

Nasa Hataoka’s Winning Round Highlights | 2022 DIO Implant LA Open

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[parone_rss_video_player campaign=”154″ feed=”ve7x3qfqv5″ env=”prod” defaultlang=”en” /]Watch highlights from Nasa Hataoka’s final round 67 at the 2022 DIO Implant LA Open

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PGA Tour Champions

After months of recovery: Steve Stricker returns to the Champions Tour

Comeback: Steve Stricker will play on the Champions Tour next week. (Photo: Getty)
Comeback: Steve Stricker will play on the Champions Tour next week. (Photo: Getty)

These have been tough months for Steve Stricker. After leading the U.S. Ryder Cup team to victory last year, a mysterious illness struck Stricker. The 55-year-old suddenly suffered from a wide range of symptoms: from cough and sore throat to jaundice and an inflammation of the heart. The consequences of these strains were extreme: Stricker could not eat solid food for a long time and lost about 25 pounds. Now the golfer announced his return to the Champions Tour.

Steve Stricker fought against a mysterious disease outbreak

Steve Stricker has had an illness record to show for it since last fall, and it’s not without its challenges. After his Ryder Cup victory as captain of the U.S. team, things went downhill for the then 54-year-old. A mild cough was followed by a high fever and an allergic reaction to a medication. Shortly thereafter, Stricker was informed of very poor liver values and cardiac arrhythmias. His health deteriorated rapidly, while doctors were at a loss as to the cause of this. Stricker spent eleven days in the hospital, after which he felt “like an 85-year-old man.” His doctors announced he would be in rehabilitation for months.

Comeback on the Champions Tour

After Stricker was unable to eat solid food for a while and going to the bathroom had been a challenge for him, a former golf coach suggested he not return to professional sports and take it easy. For Stricker, that wasn’t an option: “That’s not my style, you know? I like to work at things.” For Stricker, one thing was certain: he would return to the Champions Tour. Next week’s Insperity Invitational is expected to be the time, and the twelve-time PGA Tour winner and seven-time Champions Tour winner announced his participation. In Houston, he will be competing for prize money of more than 2 million euros. We will find out in the coming week how well his comeback is going and whether his body can already withstand the rigors of a professional tournament.

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European Tour

Regarding LIV Golf Events: European Tour sends out warning to players

Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour, warns his players. (Photo: Getty)
Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour, warns his players. (Photo: Getty)

In a memo to players on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour Group, has issued a strong warning against defection to the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series, reports the GolfChannel. The memo was about the “release protocols” as some players want to attend the tournaments initiated by Greg Norman and financed by Saudi Arabian money.

European Tour: Urgent appeal from the boss

Conflicting events, regardless of how attractive they might appear to you personally, potentially compromise our efforts in these areas and could significantly hurt your tour in both the short and long term,” Pelley wrote. “Please continue to bear this bigger picture in mind.” In addition, Pelley explained that some of the tournaments in the LIV Golf Invitational Series would be held at the same time as heritage events, including the Irish Open, Italian Open and Open de Espana.

In his memo, Keith Pelley also refuted rumours that they had turned down a multi-million dollar Golf Saudi investment. “Although we had discussions with Golf Saudi about extending our relationship beyond the Saudi International tournament, we never received a formal written offer from them,” GolfChannel quoted from the memo. However, the European Tour (now DP World Tour) had received an offer from Raine Capital in 2020, who were linked to a Premier League Golf at the time.

LIV Golf Invitational Series by Greg Norman

The LIV Golf Invitational Series is now being funded by the Saudi Arabian Private Investment Fund (PIF) and is tempting with huge prize money. Earlier this week, it was announced that a first professional from the PGA Tour and further professionals from the DP World Tour have asked for permission to participate in the inaugural event (09-11 June in London) of the tournament series launched by Greg Norman.

Now the head of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) warned his players against a defection and appealed for loyalty to the tour. The PGA Tour had also threatened to exclude its players from the Majors and Ryder Cup when the rumours of a new Saudi League first emerged and urged its stars to stay on the PGA Tour with pledges of loyalty and new sources of income, such as the Players Impact Program.

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European Tour

DP World Tour touches down in Europe for ISPS Handa Championship

Bernd Wiesberger is teeing it up on the European Tour this week. (Photo: Getty)
Bernd Wiesberger is teeing it up on the European Tour this week. (Photo: Getty)

The DP World Tour touches down in Europe for the first time in the 2022 season, as the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain marks the first of two successive events on Spanish soil.

Bernd Wiesberger, Guido Migliozzi and Ewen Ferguson – winner of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the last DP World Tour event aside from the Masters Tournament – are among those teeing it up at the stunning Infinitum just outside the Catalonian city of Tarragona.

Pablo Larrazábal returns home for the first time since claiming his sixth DP World Tour title at last month’s MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood in South Africa, while Alejandro Cañizares and Zander Lombard – who shared victory when Qualifying School Final Stage was held here in 2018 – as well as the 2019 Qualifying School winner at Infinitum, Benjamin Poke, are also in the field.

This week’s event will be followed by the Catalunya Championship at PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, while October will also see back-to-back Spanish events, the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid and the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Real Club Valderrama.

Bernd Wiesberger: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a little bit too long by about a week or so for my liking, but unfortunately I wans’t able to sneak into the Match Play at Austin so I had a week there without any tournaments.

“It was nice to be home obviously for three weeks but it just felt like after the season started with a nice run of events, I had a bit too long of a break but it is what it is and I tried to get ready as much as I could and I’m really looking forward to playing here for the first time.

“It’s a really good track to start what will be a good run of events through the year on the DP World Tour. I’ve tried to get some info from the guys who have been here at Qualifying School, and it is has been quite low scoring in the past.

“But I think they’ve done a really good job to trick it up for us. The rough is up, it’s quite penal, you need to be good off the tee and the fairways aren’t super-wide. It looks like there will be a bit of wind and the greens are quite firm so all that adds up to be a good test. You need to get yourself in good positions and I like that, so I’m looking forward to a strong test.

“First two weeks of the year were disappointing. I played well on the Sunday in Abu Dhabi but I just didn’t finish off the round well enough to clinch a top five. Sunday in Dubai was really tricky and I couldn’t find anything on the greens and everything just added up to shots lost.

“I’m not quite satisfied with the start. I definitely played some good golf at the Valspar Championship on the PGA TOUR but there’s plenty of good stuff. It just needs to be bundled up into four good rounds, it’s a building process and all of the parts of the game are there so it’s just a matter of time before it all clicks. I’m looking forwards to when that happens and hopefully I can give it a go this week.”

Ewen Ferguson: “I definitely feel very comfortable in my own skin. I had for the last little while too, but it’s nice mentally in your own head to feel like you’ve won here and you’ve got across the line for the first time. I know I can do it again so hopefully if I’m in that situation another time, I’ll know I’ve done it so I’m sure it will help me a stand me in good stead.

“It’s definitely sunk in now and I feel like I’m ready to move on from it and I’m ready to move on from it to be honest and get my game in order and get ready to compete again so I’ve been doing a lot of work the past few days to keep my game sharp and hopefully that will pay off this week.

“I had so much to do with the people who have helped me a long the way so I’ve spent a lot of time with them and given them my time and let them know how thankful I was, and then I had some media in Scotland so I dealt with all of that.

“I had a couple of nights out with friends and family, nothing too crazy. Then I had some football games supporting Rangers, so it was good fun.”

Pablo Larrazábal: “It has been three weeks at home, but I had a tournament in my home course, El Prat, called the Barcelona Open by Pablo Larrazabal that I held on the PGA of Spain. It has been a nice three weeks at home. Infinitum is one hour and 15 minutes up the road, so I came this morning. It is nice to see my caddie again, my friends and see the people in my second home.

“I am ready to go. I have been playing great, been practising great at home. There is nothing wrong with three weeks at home. To keep the momentum, you have to keep working and keep the routines going. That is all about preparation.

“Well, as a professional golfer you have to realise that you are an entertainer. You are a sportsman but mostly we are entertainers. The first year to 16 months of golf during the Covid-19 pandemic were tough. As I said to you, I am an entertainer of people and we were not. We played 16 months with no crowds and that didn’t help my golf, my attitude at all. To play for money is not the way I play golf nowadays.

“There is history around here but when I was growing up here in Tarragona, we were playing Reus that is nearby, we were playing Costa that is up north. I never played this golf course before. Today is my first nine holes out here.

“I came here four years ago to see a couple of friends on the last day of the Final Stage at Q-School. Those are my only two days at this course. But after nine holes you realise how good this golf course is and the conditions are brilliant. Hopefully the rain stays away from here so that we can see how good the work is of the groundsmen.

“There are a lot of lakes, but you guys know me. I have been on Tour for 15 years; I didn’t come here for holidays and to make business you have to make birdies. Birdies are going to bring you trophies. That is why we came and that is how I play golf.”

Text: DP World Tour