Tag: Professionals

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Professionals

Rory McIlroy Secures Early Spot for 2025 Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy qualifies for the 2025 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy qualifies for the 2025 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)

Rory McIlroy has become the first player to qualify for Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup in Bethpage Black. The Northern Irishman will celebrate his eighth consecutive appearance and will once again play a key role under captain Luke Donald. With four wins this season and an impressive Ryder Cup track record, McIlroy underscores his importance to Europe.

Rory McIlroy: The Hard Road to Qualification

Rory McIlroy secured his Ryder Cup spot early through outstanding performances on the PGA Tour. Thanks to the European Points List system, which ranks players based on DP World Tour and co-sanctioned event results – he quickly rose to the top. His four season victories, including his Masters triumph at Augusta, made him the undisputed number one. For McIlroy, this qualification confirms not just his consistency but also his unwavering class at the highest level.

The Ryder Cup: A Special Challenge

For Rory McIlroy, an eighth Ryder Cup appearance represents both a special honor and a significant responsibility. As the team’s most experienced player under captain Luke Donald, he’ll take a leadership role at Bethpage Black. The course’s demanding architecture and the away-game atmosphere present one of golf’s toughest challenges.

McIlroy’s record speaks for itself: Five wins in seven appearances demonstrate his reliability in this event. Whether in Foursomes, Fourballs, or Singles, he consistently delivers under pressure. But his value extends beyond play – as a bridge between veterans and rookies, he strengthens team cohesion and assists Donald with tactical decisions. This combination of competitive excellence and leadership makes McIlroy indispensable for Europe’s New York campaign.

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Highlights Tours

Phil Mickelson Produces Magic Ahead of What May Be A Final US Open

Phil Mickelson during the last year's US Open (Photo: Getty)

The magician is at it again: Phil Mickelson’s short game wizardry is the stuff of legend, and if you needed a fresh reminder, just watch his latest sleight of hand from the rough at the LIV event in Virginia. With a wildly unconventional stance and angle of attack, “Lefty” holed out in a way that only he could.

The six-time major champion has hinted that the upcoming 125th US Open—his 54th major start—may very well be his last appearance at the national championship. His exemption from winning the 2021 PGA Championship expires after this year, and without another win or high enough ranking, automatic qualification will no longer be guaranteed.

The US Open has long been Mickelson’s white whale. It’s the only major missing from his résumé, the one title that stands between him and the elusive career Grand Slam. That he has finished runner-up six times only adds to the cruel poetry of it all. As he prepares to tee it up once more, just days before his 54th birthday, the question lingers: can golf’s great escape artist pull off one last trick?

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European Tour

Sergio Garcia Returns to DP World Tour After Settling Fines

Sergio Garcia returns to the DP World Tour. (Photo: Getty)

Sergio Garcia is officially back in the fold. The former Masters champion has settled his outstanding fines related to unapproved appearances on LIV Golf, clearing the path for a long-awaited return to the DP World Tour.

Garcia, 45, has been absent from European Tour competition since his sudden withdrawal from the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Now, nearly two years on, the Spaniard is slated to tee it up at two high-profile events: the BMW International Open in Munich this July, and his national Open, the Open de España, later this autumn.

Sources close to Garcia confirm that additional starts are on the horizon, as the veteran eyes a late push for Ryder Cup consideration. Though he narrowly missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Open, Garcia remains motivated to meet the minimum eligibility requirements necessary for a potential Captain’s Pick.

With Team Europe set to defend the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September, Garcia’s renewed presence on the DP World Tour could prove timely—not just for his own ambitions, but for European hopes in hostile territory.

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PGA Tour

PGA Championship: How LIV Golfers Join Quail Hollow’s Strong Field

Bryson DeChambeau Leads LIV Charge at PGA Championship as McKibbin, Puig Join Elite Quail Hollow Field (Photo: Getty)
Bryson DeChambeau Leads LIV Charge at PGA Championship as McKibbin, Puig Join Elite Quail Hollow Field (Photo: Getty)

The PGA Championship 2025 promises one of the strongest fields of the year and now two more LIV Golf players have joined. Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin and Spain’s David Puig have received late invitations to the major at Quail Hollow, increasing LIV’s presence amid ongoing debates about world ranking points and qualification criteria.

PGA Championship: Golf’s Deepest Major Field?

The PGA Championship is renowned for its inclusivity. While the Masters maintains strict entry limits, the PGA of America traditionally invites nearly all top-100 players, unless they qualify otherwise. Since LIV events offer no world ranking points, stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka rely on past major wins or special exemptions. Others, such as Joaquín Niemann, depend on invitations despite consistent LIV performances.

Tom McKibbin: Northern Ireland’s Rising LIV Star

Tom McKibbin could have played on the PGA Tour after securing his card via a strong 18th-place finish in the 2024 DP World Tour Race to Dubai. Despite warnings from Rory McIlroy, the 22-year-old joined LIV Golf, where he now plays for Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII.

Currently ranked 115th in the world, which is too low for automatic PGA Championship qualification, McKibbin’s steady LIV performances, including a team win in LIV’s season opener in Saudi Arabia, convinced the PGA of America to extend an invite. Legion XIII confirmed his participation via social media on Tuesday.

David Puig: Spain’s Bold College-to-LIV Prospect

David Puig jumped straight from college to LIV Golf. The 23-year-old sits 20th in LIV’s individual standings and recently impressed with a T4 at the Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour.

Yet Puig’s world ranking slipped to 107th, typically insufficient for PGA Championship entry. Like McKibbin, he earned a late invitation, a golden opportunity to compete against golf’s elite and chase crucial ranking points.

LIV Stars at the PGA Championship

Beyond McKibbin and Puig, marquee LIV players like Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith will tee off at Quail Hollow. These major champions remain world-class despite LIV’s ranking-points drought.

All eyes are on DeChambeau as a potential contender, while veterans like Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Reed add experience. Rising talents like Niemann, Dean Burmester, and Eugenio Chacarra round out the field. Even Richard Bland, Laurie Canter, and McKibbin underscore LIV’s depth. For all, the PGA Championship is a chance to chase glory and global legitimacy.

LIV’s World Ranking Dilemma

The PGA Championship highlights LIV players’ qualification hurdles. Without ranking points on their tour, majors and sporadic DP World/Asian Tour starts are their only paths to climb the standings.

Niemann secured a U.S. Open spot via LIV’s performance, aided by a new rule granting starts to three top unqualified LIV players. For McKibbin and Puig, Quail Hollow offers a critical opportunity to play their way up the rankings.

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PGA Tour

Record Crowds Expected at Royal Portrush for 153rd Open Championship

The British Open at Royal Portrush expects record breaking crowd. (Photo: Getty)

Royal Portrush is set to make history once again. The R&A announced that it expects a staggering 278,000 fans to descend on the famed links this July for the 153rd Open Championship — a figure that would make it one of the most attended Opens of all time.

The turnout will mark the largest sporting event ever staged in Northern Ireland, with an estimated economic impact of £213 million. Ticket demand has been unprecedented, with over one million applications submitted. Only the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022 — which drew 290,000 spectators — has attracted a larger crowd.

Lowry and McIlroy Set for Homecoming Battle

Portrush last hosted The Open in 2019, when Shane Lowry thrilled the home crowds with a commanding six-shot victory, drawing a then-record 237,750 fans over four days. Six years later, anticipation is reaching a fever pitch as Lowry prepares for a potential showdown with fellow fan favorite Rory McIlroy — fresh off his long-awaited Masters triumph and the favorite to capture more major glory in 2025.

 
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Panorama

Embarrassing defeat: Scottie Scheffler loses to 10 handicap

Scottie Scheffler takes his unexpected defeat with humor. (Photo: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler takes his unexpected defeat with humor. (Photo: Getty)

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the world number one, Olympic champion and two-time major winner Scottie Scheffler: last weekend, he was beaten by a friend with a handicap of 10 during a private round of golf. The two played an exciting match for money – and in the end, Scheffler had to pay up.

Scottie Scheffler defeated on 18th hole

Scottie Scheffler gave his friend strokes according to their difference in level of play. The decision was made spectacularly at hole 18: His opponent holed out of the bunker and secured the victory. “I got out of the way because I thought he could potentially shank it, and he ended up holing it,” Scheffler describes the decisive moment.

Despite the personal setback, Scheffler emphasizes that it is precisely experiences like this that make golf so appealing and fun: no matter what level the players are at, the handicap system ensures that every match remains exciting and can take unexpected turns: “One of the great things about golf is that I can out with a guy who’s going to play 90, and I can give him enough strokes to where we’ll have a good competition,” he says.

When asked how he dealt with the defeat, Scheffler openly admits: “I didn’t like losing.” But he took it in good humor, joking that he thanked his friend for the boost to his self-confidence before his upcoming start on the PGA Tour this week. Scheffler will tee off as one of the favorites in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The fourth PGA Tour Signature Event features a total prize purse of $20 million and the full PGA elite is participating.

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PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Shane Lowry’s ball hits Volunteer

Shane Lowry at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Photo: Getty)
Shane Lowry at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Photo: Getty)

In the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, an incident in the leading flight caused a brief moment of shock: Shane Lowry hit a ball that then struck a volunteer.

Lowry slightly misjudged his tee shot on hole 15 of the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links and missed the fairway on the right-hand side. A volunteer was standing there and the ball hit him on the left shoulder in flight. He fell to the ground, but fortunately remained uninjured: CBS reporters announced shortly afterwards that the volunteer was fine and in good health.

Shane Lowry’s behaviour criticised

The incident caused a lot of discussion on social media. The particular misfortune of the volunteer, who was in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, was summarised by a comment on X: “Wow… that’s like getting struck by lightning. What are the odds? He’s all by himself too”.

Sky Sports commentator Andrew Coltart criticised Shane Lowry for not warning the volunteer loudly: “Didn’t hear him shout ‘fore’. We need to be hearing players shout ‘fore’.” But some fans on X defended Lowry: “That volunteer was irresponsible. He should have been looking at the ball or standing further in the rough. There’s no reason for him to be standing that close to the fairway”. One suggestion from the community was: “I’ll never understand why the spotters in the landing areas aren’t given hard hats with sponsor logo??!! Perfect opportunity for volunteer safety and good pr for sponsor!!!”

Another volunteer who was on site at Pebble Beach posted in the comments and confirmed that the person concerned was fine, but that he would still be feeling the pain the next day. It is also said that the volunteer received a medal from a PGA rules official.

Shane Lowry went into the final round in a tie for second place and played for the title in the final flight together with Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka. Lowry finished the tournament in second place behind McIlroy with a round of 68 (-4).

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Professionals

Rory McIlroy: “Three goals for the rest of my career”

Rory McIlroy on his career goals. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy on his career goals. (Photo: Getty)

In an interview with BBC Sport, Rory McIlroy spoke about the big goals he has set himself for his golf career: “Winning the Masters, winning an Olympic medal and winning another away Ryder Cup, they are my three goals for the rest of my career,” said McIlroy. While the possibility of an Olympic medal will not become a reality again until 2028, he could realise victories at the Masters and the Ryder Cup as early as this year.

The desire for the green jacket

Rory McIlroy is still missing the Masters for the Grand Slam. The four-time major winner won the US Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and added another major victory in 2014 with the British Open.

Despite significant recent successes, such as the FedEx Cup victory in 2022, and his consistent presence as one of the best players in the world for over a decade, his last major win was several years ago. In 2024, victory at the US Open seemed within reach, but McIlroy finished a close second to Bryson DeChambeau. This year, he has resolved to play fewer tournaments and concentrate fully on the majors: “All of my practice, all of my prep, even the tournaments that I’m playing, it’s all geared towards being ready for those four events”, said McIlroy.

At the start of each year, his focus is on a single week in April – the week when the Masters takes place at Augusta National Golf Club and offers him another chance to finally secure that long-awaited green jacket. This year, the Masters will be held from 10 to 13 April. A win at the Masters would give McIlroy the Grand Slam and cement his status as one of the best golfers of all time.

He also has his sights firmly set on the US Open at Oakmont Country Club and the British Open, which will be held in his home country of Northern Ireland this year: “I’ve realised that all I can control is myself. What’s right for me right now is to fully focus on myself and to get the best out of myself and get back to winning the biggest tournaments in the world.”

The away Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup will take place on the Bethpage Black Course in New York in autumn 2025. After the European team achieved a clear victory in Rome in 2023, it will do everything in its power to defend the Ryder Cup in 2025. However, history shows that it is extremely difficult to win a Ryder Cup on foreign soil. In 2012, the European team managed to do so with Rory McIlroy after trailing by four points – a comeback that became known as the ‘Miracle of Medinah’. The American team has not won in Europe for over 30 years. McIlroy describes winning a Ryder Cup away from home as “one of the greatest achievements in the game right now”.

Under the leadership of captain Luke Donald, the European team will do everything in its power to triumph again in 2025. “It’s a very strong American team, a very partisan crowd. But we’ve got a wonderful captain and we’re going to have a wonderful team and we’re relishing the challenge”, said McIlroy.

This text was written on the basis of information from BBC Sport.

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Live Panorama

TGL: Atlanta Drive Makes a Statement Against New York

Wrap-up at the TGL match between Atlanta Drive GC and New York GC. (Photo: X/@TGL)
Wrap-up at the TGL match between Atlanta Drive GC and New York GC. (Photo: X/@TGL)

The third match day of the TGL brought a new match and a new record in the still young history of the league. Atlanta Drive GC, led by Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay, beat New York Golf Club 4-0 at the SoFi Centre in Palm Beach Gardens. This was the first shutout victory in the young history of TGL.

TGL: Atlanta Drive Takes Early Command

Atlanta controlled the action right from the start. Even in the ‘triples’ format, in which all three players on the team take it in turns to hit, the team’s dominance prevailed. The very first hole set the tone for the entire match. Cameron Young’s tee shot landed out of bounds and Atlanta Drive took the opportunity to take the lead with a solid par. In contrast, New York continued to struggle with accuracy on the greens in the triples session.
Justin Thomas established himself as the driving force behind Atlanta Drive GC. The two-time major winner holed a 7-metre putt on the fourth hole to take a 2-0 lead into the individual matches.

Justin Thomas Leads Atlanta to a Perfect Debut

Atlanta Drive followed up in the individual matches. Justin Thomas defeated Young with a birdie on the tenth hole, while Billy Horschel scored against Matt Fitzpatrick after the latter landed in the water and then in two bunkers. Thomas went one better with another long putt on the 13th hole and finally secured Atlanta’s historic shutout – and didn’t even have to resort to the strategic ‘hammer’ option to secure the 4-0 win.

Preview to the Upcoming Challenges

With this win, Atlanta Drive moves to the top of the SoFi Cup standings and now prepares for a doubleheader on 17 February against Los Angeles GC and The Bay Golf Club. New York Golf Club, on the other hand, with two losses under their belt, will take on Jupiter Links GC in an attempt to salvage their season.

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PGA Tour

Jon Rahm and the Status of his Ryder Cup Relationship: It’s Getting Complicated

Photo: Getty
Photo: Getty

What’s the difference between Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton? No, it’s not the fact that one looks like a Basque bear, while the other – albeit English – looks like an Irish leprechaun in a tall hat under his baseball cap and all too often behaves like one. Like on Saturday at the Dubai Desert Classic, when Hatton smashed a tee marker in anger.

Rather, what is meant is the loudly proclaimed claim of both to be called up for Bethpage Black, for the European Ryder Cup team’s away match on Long Island in September.

Hatton Strengthens Ryder Cup Bid, While Rahm Faces Struggles

While Hatton underlined his claim again yesterday with victory in Dubai after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October, his eighth title in his 200th start on the DP World Tour, Rahm lacks precisely such successes. Instead, the Spanish LIV star made a false start to the 2025 golf year, firing an underground 77 after an opening 69 on Friday and missing the weekend – also because he lost out in the battle with a bush.

Now, of all times, the supposed Ryder Cup top performer has missed his first cut at a Rolex Series event and his third in more than four years. Now, of course, it is premature and completely inappropriate to pass the sporting baton on the 30-year-old. Team boss Luke Donald will hardly be able to avoid giving Rahm the wild card for his fourth continental competition anyway; after all, he finished second and sixth in his two Spanish home appearances in autumn 2024. Nevertheless, the status of the relationship with regard to the Ryder Cup is likely to remain unchanged: It’s going to be complicated.

Rahm’s Ryder Cup Chances Clouded by Legal Issues

After all, Rahm is virtually operating in a legal vacuum and is speculating that he will ‘survive’ in it until September. That does have a certain flavour. As a reminder, the Spaniard – like Hatton – has lodged an appeal against the multi-million fine imposed by the DP World Tour for the unauthorised switch to the LIV League, is playing under a temporary injunction and is counting on the expected judgement against him not being passed until after the Ryder Cup. The competent appeals court has already legitimised the Tour’s sanctions in other cases, and should a decision be made in Rahm’s case before September, he would have to pay in order to actually be able to play in the USA.

Anyone who doubts that Rahm would also pay without hesitation if, as hoped, the fine is not due until after Bethpage Black. The man to whom the Saudis are paying a guaranteed fee of 450 million dollars for four years and who was already worth over 50 million dollars beforehand has a family of four to feed, so you have to keep your pennies together. Irony off again. Instead, it would be desirable for Rahm to do the same as Hatton – not in terms of tea markers, but to mask the stale odour of his tactics with the fragrance of sporting success. The Englishman also plays with the proviso of a revision. But at least he wins. And gets a lot of encouragement for it: