Category: Golf

• PGA, LIV Golf and DP World Tour aiming to strike deal
• The 34-year-old spoke to Webb Simpson about taking his seat

Rory McIlroy has said “hard feelings” will need to be put aside to achieve peace in golf’s civil war but believes he “can be helpful” if he returns to the PGA Tour policy board.

As first reported by the Guardian on Monday, McIlroy is set to rejoin the PGA Tour board just months after stepping down. The 34-year-old will hope to assist in striking a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.

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• New chief executive of European Tour group welcomes move
• McIlroy motivated by desire to end split in elite men’s golf

The newly installed chief executive of the European Tour group, Guy Kinnings, has urged the PGA Tour to seize the opportunity provided by Rory McIlroy’s willingness to return to the boardroom to help heal divisions in the game.

The Guardian revealed on Monday that McIlroy will assume roles on the PGA Tour’s policy board and the PGA Tour Enterprises board, subject to a vote on Wednesday. McIlroy is motivated by a strong desire to end the current split in elite men’s golf, where the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Tour are essentially operating independently of each other.

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• World No 1 wins RBC Heritage on Monday morning
• American has 40 consecutive rounds at par or better

A Masters green jacket wasn’t enough for Scottie Scheffler. The American was running on emotional fumes fresh off his four-shot victory at Augusta National, but full of purpose that more than made up for his lack of preparation for the RBC Heritage. The result not only was similar, it has come to be expected.

He rarely missed a shot. He gave little hope to those chasing him. And he walked away from Harbour Town on Monday morning with another victory that extended a dominance not seen since the peak years of Tiger Woods. Scheffler now has won four of his last five starts, the exception a runner-up finish in the Houston Open when he misread a 5ft birdie putt that would have forced a playoff.

“I didn’t show up here just to have some sort of ceremony and have people tell me congratulations. I came here with a purpose,” Scheffler said after polishing off a three-under 68 for a three-shot victory.

Victory was inevitable – Scheffler had a five-shot lead with three holes to play when the final round, delayed because of storms on Sunday afternoon, was suspended by darkness.

He considers Harbor Town one of his tougher wins because it followed the Masters.

“Coming off the high last week to going into here, not really with a ton of energy, not really with a ton of prep work,” Scheffler said. “I think it’s underrated how difficult it is to do the stuff that Tiger was doing, and win like every single week. It takes a lot out of you emotionally and physically, especially major championships.”

Scheffler now has 40 consecutive rounds at par or better, a streak that began at East Lake in the Tour Championship last August. His position at No 1 in the world is so great that he became the first player since Woods to crack the 15-point average mark.

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• Korda wins her second major title with two-shot win in Texas
• American ties record for most consecutive LPGA wins

American Nelly Korda won the Chevron Championship by two shots in Texas to secure her second major title and a remarkable fifth straight tournament win.

The 25-year-old’s victory at The Woodlands saw her tie the record for most consecutive LPGA wins, with Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) the only other women to achieve the feat.

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• Nelly Korda wins second major title
• Korda becomes only third player in history to win five successive LPGA events
• Official leader board

Henderson’s tee shot into the par-three 7th lands a couple of feet short and snags in greenside rough. Korda makes it on, but having pulled her shot she’s a long way from the flag. Korda putts first, and lags up to three feet; Henderson then gets a bit of a flyer out of the rough and her chip trundles six feet past. You’d think she’s not got much wriggle room in terms of dropping any more shots; big putts coming up.

Another no-nonsense par for Im Jin-hee, still sitting just a couple off the lead on her major-championship debut. Real Ludvig-Åberg-at-the-Masters energy here. But Atthaya Thitikul isn’t bringing her Sunday best at all. Having completed her third round this morning with three bogeys, she’s made another three over the opening stretch of round four. Dropped strokes at 2, 3 and 5, with birdie at 4, and the young Thai sensation – who already has six top-ten finishes at the majors at the age of 21 – currently looks unlikely to better her tie for fourth here last year. Having started the day in the lead, she’s now back in the pack at -6.

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• World No 2 has been vocal critic of Saudi-backed tour
• Viktor Hovland has also been linked with LIV move

Rory McIlroy has brushed aside reports he is considering a move to LIV Golf, and insists he is committed to playing on the PGA Tour.

The world No 2 has been a vocal critic of the Saudi-backed series but City AM this week reported he is considering a move to LIV worth $850m that would also give him a 2% equity in the tour.

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After four days of great action which culminated in Scottie Scheffler’s victory, we take a look back at some of our favourite images from the first major of 2024

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The world No 1 Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters in three years, beating out the impressive Masters debutant Ludvig Åberg by four shots for the green jacket. After the tournament, Scheffler said: 'I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when I'm sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.'

• Scottie Scheffler storms to Masters win after four-way fight becomes procession

• The Masters 2024: final round at Augusta – as it happened

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• Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters after pulling away from the chasing pack in sensational style
• Ludvig Åberg finishes second on his major-championship debut
• Official leader board

Tommy Fleetwood sends his wedge into 1 before giving it a contented twirl. His ball lands safely in the heart of the green. Then he rakes in a 25-footer for an opening birdie. The perfect start for the Evertonian, who will perhaps benefit from a little extra spring in the step in the wake of one of this afternoon’s football results. He’s -2. Also heading in the right way: Matt Fitzpatrick with birdie at 3. He’s level par.

The young Korean couldn’t get home unscathed. He went over the back of 17 and that’s never a good place to be, especially with the pin tucked on the narrowest section of the putting surface. He failed to hold the green with his chip back, though he did well to get up and down from the front for bogey. Par at the last, and that’s an excellent 66. He ends the week at +5, and for what it’s worth, he’s the new clubhouse leader. That particular crown is currently worth the square root of bugger all, of course, but it could be worth something later on should somebody further up the leader board make a break from the pack, and the greens harden in the late-afternoon sun as heartbeats begin to race.

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• Scottie Scheffler wobbled but regrouped to grab the sole lead after a drama-fuelled Moving Day at Augusta National
• Official leader board

If there’s one player out there who’s overdue a major championship, it’s Xander Schauffele. The 30-year-old Californian tied second here in 2019 and third in 2021; he’s also got a tied-second on his Open CV, plus eight other top-ten finishes in the majors. An Olympic gold in his back pocket, mind, but still. Anyway, Schauffele did well to grind out 72s in both of his rounds so far, without bringing his best stuff, but there were signs he was beginning to hit his straps towards the end of yesterday. That’s been borne out by his start today: a birdie at 3 brings him up to -1, the first player to break into the top ten of the leader board today.

-6: Homa, DeChambeau, Scheffler
-4: Hojgaard
-3: Davis, Morikawa
-2: Aberg
-1: Schauffele (3), Pavon, Young, Fleetwood, Willett, Fox, An, Smith
E: Straka (2), Fitzpatrick (2), Schenk (1), Kitayama (1), Glover (1)

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• Max Homa, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler lead after wind wreaked havoc at Augusta National
• Official leader board

“I don’t have the slightest clue where that ball went.” That’s never the greatest sign, is it? Yes, it’s the ever-entertaining, ever-commentating Jordan Spieth, coming off the back of birdie at 13 as he sets about repairing a round that started dismally with double bogey at Tea Olive. He’s +1 at the moment, but he’s just sent his second down the bank at the back of 14. Fortunately his caddie was keeping an eye on the ball, and Spieth has a Seve-esque ability to wriggle out of the tightest spots, but that’s going to be a testing up and down. Meanwhile Nicolai Hojgaard pars the last and signs for a 67.

-7: DeChambeau (F)
-6: Scheffler (F)
-5: Hojgaard (F)
-4: Willett (F), Homa (15)

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• Bryson DeChambeau leads the way after glorious 65
• Scottie Scheffler stays on his tail with 66 | Official leader board

Danny Willett joins the leading bunch with birdie at the par-five 8th. He’s on the fringe in two and nearly drains the long eagle putt. Meanwhile Phil Mickelson’s competitive juices are still flowing despite that cold start: birdie at the short par-four 3rd and the three-time winner, last year’s surprise joint runner-up after that final round of 65, is level par again.

The honorary start. Twenty minutes before Erik van Rooyen hit the first competitive stroke of the 2024 Masters, the legendary trio of Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson took their ceremonial tee shots. Between them: 246 years, 11 Masters. All three sent their little dappled orbs down Tea Olive to great cheer; Player, the oldest of the three at 88 but the youngest at heart, followed his shot with an elegant swivel and high kick that would pop out the hip of many a man half his age.

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• Dropped dumb bell fractures Australian’s wedding finger
• 26-year-old also battling bout of flu ahead of year’s first major

Australian golf star Min Woo Lee has revealed he will play the Masters with a broken finger after suffering the freak injury in the gym last week.

Lee is also entering the year’s first major with an untimely bout of the flu but is remaining upbeat after detailing exactly how he fractured the wedding finger in his right hand.

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