Category: Golf

Xander Schauffele beat Tony Finau in a play-off to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

Finau, one of the few stars for the United States team at the Ryder Cup, took a three-shot lead into the final day but Schauffele birdied the final two holes to force a play-off.

The 25-year-old went on to birdie the sudden-death par-five 18th to claim his third PGA title.

Britain’s defending champion Justin Rose was third after final-round 72.

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Tony Finau takes a three-shot lead into the final day of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai after Justin Rose faltered towards the end of round three.

Englishman Rose had a one-shot advantage after nine holes but dropped three shots on 17 and 18 for a two-under-par 70 to sit three off the lead.

He is alongside American duo Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele on 10 under.

Finau, who was one of few stars for the United States in the Ryder Cup, ended his two-under round with three birdies.

By contrast, Rose, who could move above Americans Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson to the top of the world rankings with a win, found the bunker at 17 for a double bogey and the water at 18 for a bogey.

Reigning Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood is five shots off the lead alongside American Andrew Putnam.

Englishman Fleetwood had been one off the lead after birdieing the third, fourth and 10th and dropping a shot on the fifth. But he triple-bogeyed the 14th after finding the water before picking a shot back up on the last.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy’s problems continued with a 75 and the four-time major champion is tied for 60th on eight over, while Koepka is one over and Johnson is four over.

“I’ve got a world-class field chasing after me,” said Finau, who is searching for his first European Tour win. “This is the position you want to be in and I’ll be looking to close out my first tournament in this position, which is exciting for me.

“I didn’t have a lot going my way for the first half of the day and Rosey was making his run.

“I was just really pleased I was able to finish that way and get some momentum going into tomorrow.”

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Rory McIlroy dropped 16 shots off the pace at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai after an error-ridden five-over 77 in Friday’s second round.

The 29-year-old reached the turn in 35 after three birdies and two bogeys.

But he bogeyed his 10th, the first, triple bogeyed the next after twice finding water and double-bogeyed 16.

Tony Finau’s 67 left the American three ahead of English duo Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Justin Rose (67) plus overnight leader Patrick Reed (72).

McIlroy’s problems at his 11th, the second, came after he had hit a perfect drive that left him only a short iron into the par five.

However, the world number five’s second shot flew over the green into a water hazard and after he mis-hit his chip, his ball trickled into the same hazard again.

The former world number one is in a share of 58th in the 77-man event heading into the final two days of the no-cut tournament.

McIlroy has not won since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational – which was his first victory since 2016 – in the United States in March.

He shared second at the Open Championship in July and claimed top-10 finishes at the final two play-off events in the US before helping Europe regain the Ryder Cup in France.

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Television viewers in the United States will be charged a “suggested” price of $19.99 to watch the pay-per-view exhibition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in Las Vegas on 23 November.

The two Americans will meet at Shadow Creek Golf Course in an 18-hole, winner-takes-all $9m (£7m) event, which was first announced in August.

‘The Match: Tiger vs. Phil’ will be shown the day after US Thanksgiving.

A pay-per-view price for viewers outside the US has not been announced.

The course is expected to be closed to the general public for the event, which will also feature charity side bets on top of the winner’s purse.

According to the programme’s producers, Turner Sports, that could involve Woods or Mickelson “challenging the other to a long-drive, closest-to-the-pin or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice”.

At present, the US Open delivers the largest winning pay cheque of the four major championships at about $2.16m (£1.68m), though the winner of the FedEx Cup – awarded for an accumulation of points on the US PGA Tour – can expect to earn a bonus of $10m (£7.8m).

Woods has won 14 major championships, trailing only Jack Nicklaus on the all-time list, while Mickelson has collected five majors, and the possibility of a duel between the Ryder Cup team-mates has been mooted repeatedly down the years.

Woods ended a five-year victory drought by winning the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in September.

However, both Woods and Mickelson endured Ryder Cup disappointment as captain’s picks later in September, the pair combining for six defeats in as many matches as the US were well beaten.

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Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick is three shots off leader Patrick Reed after the first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Fitzpatrick, who made eight birdies in his round of 67, finished on five under par with countryman Tommy Fleetwood one stroke further adrift in Shanghai.

Masters champion Reed carded a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to lead by two from fellow Americans Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau.

“It feels great,” said Reed, competing for the first time since the Ryder Cup.

“To be able to come out here and to be the first event back and to feel like I hit the ball really solid. I had full control, especially with how windy it was today.

“It felt really good because if you can go out and shoot rounds like that in these kind of conditions, you know you’re going to have confidence when the wind dies down and there are perfect conditions out there.”

Defending champion Justin Rose carded a bogey on the final hole for a three-under 69, level with fellow Englishmen Ian Poulter and Matt Wallace.

Rory McIlroy had to play a shot with his alternate hand to salvage a double-bogey on the par-four 16th, alongside new world number one Brooks Koepka.

The world number five, beginning on the back nine, sprayed his tee shot near a large trunk giving him no room for a right-handed swing.

The Northern Irishman turned the club face to connect a left-handed clearance on his way to dropping two shots, but recovered well with four birdies on the front nine to finish eight strokes off the pace at level par.

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Sergio Garcia won his third Valderrama Masters in a row after the event was reduced to 54 holes and completed on the fifth day because of bad weather.

The 2017 Masters champion was three clear on 10 under with 11 holes remaining going into day five and finished on 12 under after a 69.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry was second after a round of 66 left him on eight under.

Lowry got to within a shot of Garcia with three consecutive birdies after the turn but the Spaniard held on.

England’s Lee Westwood made four birdies on Sunday to move up to second but was fifth after shooting a 70.

His compatriot Ashley Chesters finished fourth after a closing 72.

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Wales’ Becky Morgan secured her first professional title with a two-shot win at the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Morgan, 44, had shared the overnight lead with England’s Ellie Givens and Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark.

She shot a three-under 69 in Sunday’s final round to finish on seven under, ahead of Broch Larsen, Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, Austrian Christine Wolf and Felicity Johnson of England.

It was her 119th tournament on the Ladies European Tour.

She had tied for second at the Indian Open in 2015, one of 22 top-10 finishes.

“It’s taken me 18 years and it’s a mixture of excitement and relief that finally I have done it,” Morgan said.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard until the 18th green because I knew anything could happen.

“I knew I was doing fairly well because I was playing well – but I kept to myself and let it happen.”

Meanwhile, England’s Bronte Law finished in a tie for ninth at the inaugural LPGA Shanghai.