MATTHEW WOLFF

Matthew Wolff is in position for his first win in LIV Golf.

Matthew Wolff is pushing back on critical comments from his LIV Golf captain, Brooks Koepka.

U.S. Open qualifying starts this week and a dozen or so LIV Golf players already have decided they won't be playing the third major of the year.

Dustin Johnson is on a roll in the Saudi-backed LIV series.

Matthew Wolff is now a footnote in LIV Golf history.

The Saudi-funded LIV Golf series has added three more players to its roster for its second tournament.

Jason Day describes himself as “obsessed” with the new swing he's working on with instructor Chris Como.

A new year means the start of the PGA Tour's new media rights deal.

A new year in golf brings several questions that will take time to sort out.

The field for the Masters in April is now at 83 and counting.

Talor Gooch is one round away from his first PGA Tour victory.

Not even the best season of her young career is keeping Nelly Korda from trying to get better.

Jason Kokrak is the Houston Open winner after a big rally on the back nine.

Scottie Scheffler is closer than ever to his first PGA Tour victory.

Sungjae Im has run the tables in Las Vegas.

Sang Kang was doing everything right except putting his tee shots in play.

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are finally getting their day in the sun.

Harris English shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday to match his lowest PGA Tour score and take the first-round lead in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Andy Sullivan was among the last to make the field at the British Open and part of the first group out when play began.

Mackenzie Hughes and Louis Oosthuizen brought the memories of Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines back to life.

Richard Bland, a 48-year-old Englishman who won his first tournament just a month ago, is tied atop the leaderboard at 5 under at the midway point of the U.S. Open.

The opening round of the U.S. Open has been suspended due to darkness with 36 players left on the course.

Already the most fickle event in golf, the Dell Technologies Match Play on Friday was an endless frenzy. “You just never know what can happen out there," Billy Horschel said after beating Max Homa on the third playoff hole. 64 seed in Match Play history to make it to the weekend. 60 seed, while Erik van Rooyen (62) advanced by beating Daniel Berger with a par on the second playoff hole. The eight playoffs to decide group winners broke the previous mark of five in 2017 since group play began six yeas ago.

Viktor Hovland of Norway plays on the 1st Hole during the final round of the PGA Tour Mayakoba Golf Classic, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. It sure didn't look that way at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he captured another PGA Tour title with another big putt at the end. It was the first time since the Mayakoba Classic began in 2007 that it was won with a birdie putt on the final hole. Hovland won the Puerto Rico Open in February for his first PGA Tour title by holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the last hole. The former NCAA champion at Oregon also was going for his second PGA Tour win, the first one coming at the AT&T Byron Nelson two years ago.

Five-time and defending champion Tiger Woods dropped a turn-back-the-clock round of his own, relying more on experience than current form to post a 68. “There is a sense of ease when I come here, just because I understand how to prepare for this golf course,” Woods said after hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. Small wonder, then, that Woods flashed a wide grin when asked what was most encouraging about the round. “This golf course, as much as I’m trying to attack it, it can bite back,” he said. Still to be determined is how much firmer the greens and the rest of the golf course will get.

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2019, file photo, Tiger Woods celebrates after winning the Zozo Championship golf tournament at the Accordia Golf Narashino country club in Inzai, east of Tokyo, Japan. The Zozo Championship is the second Asia-based event to move to the United States this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PGA champion Collin Morikawa was at Sherwood back then, as a young spectator looking for an autograph (he didn't get it). The happiest memories belong to Woods, who won his tournament five times at Sherwood and was runner-up on five other occasions. The Zozo Championship made its debut last year in Japan, and it was a big success despite rain that wiped out one day and led to a Monday finish.

He had to return to the par-3 17th in a three-man playoff to finish the job with a birdie. “It's been a while since my last one, and you have some doubts at times whether you're going to get another one,” Laird said. To see that putt go in, it was pretty special.”It was the third time Laird has been in a playoff in Las Vegas, all of them involving three players. He still had status that carried over because of the shutdown, but fell so far down the list that he needed as sponsor exemption for Las Vegas. Laird needed a pair of top-10 finishes in opposite-field events at the end of the 2019 season just to keep his card.

LAS VEGAS – Bryson DeChambeau put on another power display Thursday and it worked just as well as when he won the U.S. Open. “I was not happy it didn't go in, but I'll take a 62,” said DeChambeau, who won this tournament two years ago. It was the perfect recipe for Las Vegas, with the warm desert air and barely a breath of wind. This is the only tournament DeChambeau plans to play ahead of the Masters on Nov. 12-15, which means skipping a pair of big-purse, no-cut fields in Las Vegas and California the next two weeks. DeChambeau played alongside two other big hitters, U.S. Open runner-up Matthew Wolff and Cameron Champ, who hits it as far as DeChambeau without looking as though he's trying as hard.

The first one was early in the week, when he played a practice round at Winged Foot with Phil Mickelson. NEW LIFEThe PGA Tour stop in the Dominican Republic should be a candidate for comeback tournament of the year. Neither the LPGA Tour nor the PGA Tour, or the majors they play, have had fans this year. The only spectators in the U.S. have been on the PGA Tour Champions in South Dakota. ... Sam Horsfield of England, who played his college golf at Florida, is playing the PGA Tour event in the Dominican Republic on a sponsor exemption.

Over the course of four days, DeChambeau unnerved the folks who run the U.S. Open and carved up Winged Foot’s unyielding reputation one divot-sized slice at a time. In the bargain, DeChambeau turned one of the golf’s foundational myths — the game is about how many, not how — inside out. It’s called the “bomb and gouge” strategy and DeChambeau has become both its loudest and most successful advocate. There’s no way to know how long DeChambeau will have that same advantage nor whether he’ll hold up over the long run. DeChambeau shredded that defense by cutting the corner with a tee shot that measured 365 yards.

Matthew Wolff, of the United States, walks up to the 15th green during the final round of the US Open Golf Championship, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The player Wolff was chasing, Bryson DeChambeau, didn't make those kind of mistakes. After carrying a two-shot lead into Sunday, Wolff shot 5-overr 75. While giving all respect to DeChambeau, Wolff was hardly convinced he'd played 10 strokes worse than Saturday when he shot 65 to take the lead. In fact, were it not for DeChambeau, this would’ve been some kind of walk to the 18th green for Wolff. DeChambeau, who was just behind Wolff on the same line, rolled in his clinching par putt and thrust his fists up to celebrate.

A balky putter cost him any shot at a second U.S. Open title. Unable to get much going from the start, Johnson closed out his tournament with a even-par 70 on Sunday in final round. The 2016 U.S. Open champion opened this year's tournament with a 3-over 73 and never really got on track at Winged Foot. “I felt like I hit a lot of good putts, just none that went in the hole,” Johnson said. Fred Couples (1979), Brad Faxon (’83) and Phil Mickelson (’90, ’91) and are among previous low amateurs at the U.S. Open.

Bryson DeChambeau was not the least bit concerned by the narrow fairways or the ankle-deep rough that shape Winged Foot into historically the toughest of all U.S. “You can’t take Bryson out because obviously he won, but shooting even par for four rounds at Winged Foot is pretty exceptional," Wolff said. It was a breathtaking performance, four rounds at par or better, the first player to manage that at Winged Foot. Opens at Winged Foot among 894 competitors, DeChambeau is only the third to finish a tournament under par. Still to play was the back nine, where so much has gone wrong at Winged Foot over the years.

He led DeChambeau by two strokes entering the final round. Wolff shot 75 to finish second, six strokes back. Overnight leader Matthew Wolff was 2 over, picking up his second bogey on No. It was an ugly start to the final round for Rory McIlroy and Harris English. Leader Matthew Wolff is at 5 under and started his round with a drive that hit the fairway.

Bryson DeChambeau, of the United States, checks his lie on the 15th green during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Using a combination of muscle and mind, DeChambeau carved out an even-par 70 Saturday in the third round of the U.S. Open to remain in contention for his his first major championship. DeChambeau was in contention Sunday at the PGA Championship before finishing fourth and was 22nd in the 2020 FedEx Cup standings. DeChambeau opened with a three putt on the first hole and pulled his second tee shot left, leading to a second straight bogey. The next tee shot went a mere-for-him 329 yards and he converted that into a seven-foot birdie putt. He was unable to hack the ball over the huge slope at the front of the green and watched a nine-foot par putt just slide by the hole.

Patrick Reed, of the United States, reacts after missing a putt on the eighth green during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)Patrick Reed loves the grind. It was replaced by a two-hour barrage of missed fairways and terrible lies, all exacerbated by a putter that seemed to deteriorate by the minute. Reed made six bogeys and a double over the back nine and shot 8-over-par 43 to finish his day at 7-over 77. “Well, I got all my bad shots out of the way,” Reed said when asked what he took from the round. Over the last nine holes, Reed missed seven of eight fairways, and averaged 1.77 putts.

The only number that mattered to the 21-year-old Californian was a two-shot lead going into the final round. “Anyone in my position would be frustrated, especially with having the lead going into today," Reed said. It’s the U.S. Open, and I have a lead,” Wolff said. “I’m going to try to keep my nerves as calm as they can be. I did everything that I could do up until this point, and tomorrow I’m going to go out there, I promise you I’m going to try my best.”He was at 5-under 205.

Lee completed an 8-over 78 at Winged Foot, but decided after the round he couldn't continue. ___3:20 p.m.Paul Casey had the second score under par Saturday at Winged Foot, which told only half the story. “In all honesty, I kind of wanted to walk in after the first five, six, seven holes,” Casey said. ___2:05 p.m.Alex Noren showed the leaders that low scores can be had at Winged Foot in the third round of the U.S. Open. Typical for a U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Maybe because the two players atop the leaderboard heading into Round 3 at the U.S. Open are not exactly — how to put this? More irritating, from the players’ perspective, is that Reed seems to thrive in tough spots like the one he finds himself in at the moment. If the past is prologue, almost no one else on the ground at Winged Foot has a realistic shot. The one thing you can be sure of is that Winged Foot will be at the center of the drama. “The wind can make a par-3 course difficult, so put that on a U.S. Open setup, it’s going to be even more so,” Schauffele said.

Patrick Reed embraced every aspect of it Friday when the U.S. Open lived up to its reputation as the toughest test in golf, and so did Winged Foot. Amateur champion and current muscleman who powered and putted his way to a 68, the lowest score on a day Winged Foot played to an average score of 75.25. After an opening round in which 21 players broke par, Winged Foot allowed only three players under par. Because I’m pretty tired.”There's still 36 holes to go, and no indication that Winged Foot is going to get any easier. “I love when it’s hard, when you have to be creative on all different golf shots,” he said.

Not coincidentally, the big question heading into Round 1 was whether the century-old course would prove too tough even for the world’s best golfers. In five previous Opens played at Winged Foot, only two players have ever finished the tournament under par. We’ll find out whether, and how much, the USGA feels stung by the assault on par beginning with Round 2. And there’s plenty of spots left on those fast greens where a clown’s mouth would actually be a welcome distraction. “They certainly were looking to have the lowest scores (in the first round), given the conditions that we have as well.

6:40 p.m.Benign conditions at Winged Foot have led to some rare low scores at the difficult course. The 24-year-old is competing in his second U.S. Open after a stellar junior career and playing at Wake Forest. 2:35 p.m.Phil Mickelson opened his return to Winged Foot with two birdies but gave both shots back over the next two holes. Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa were waiting on the second tee when Spieth in the group ahead arrived in a golf cart. ___7:30 a.m.Brandon Wu kicked off the 120th U.S. Open with a drive into the right side of the fairway at Winged Foot.

Collin Morikawa poses with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, in San Francisco. Since then, he has played 28 tournaments around the world and already has three victories on the PGA Tour, one of them a major championship. That alone puts him among the elite, except that Morikawa didn't need to win the PGA Championship to feel that way. When I woke up today, I was like, This is meant to be. This is where I feel very comfortable, Morikawa said. Rare is Sunday at a major with so many possibilities at the beginning, at the turn and down the stretch.

BLAINE, Minn. Michael Thompson birdied two of the last three holes Sunday for a 4-under 67 and a two-stroke victory in the 3M Open, finishing off his second PGA Tour win seven years after his first. Thompson finished at 19-under 265 at TPC Twin Cities. With Long in the clubhouse, having played five groups ahead, Thompson had two putts to win. Finau was the only one in contention this weekend who'd already secured his U.S. Open spot, thanks to his seventh-place finish in the FedEx Cup standings last year and No. His tee shot was well wide of the fairway, and his fourth try from the rough did not reach the green.

Richy Werenski celebrates after a birdie on the 18th hole to give him the lead of the during the first round of the 3M Open golf tournament in Blaine, Minn., Thursday, July 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)

Richy Werenski celebrates after a birdie on the 18th hole to give him the lead of the during the first round of the 3M Open golf tournament in Blaine, Minn., Thursday, July 23, 2020. The 24-year-old, who's winless on the PGA Tour, followed up with a 67. You know youre playing good golf, Finau said. Thompson, who played in the first group of the day with a 6:50 a.m., moved even with Werenski on the 194-yard 17th hole. The big thing is just try not to overpower the golf course, stay within myself, make good, comfortable swings, Thompson said.

Tony Finau tees off on the fourth hole during the first round of the 3M Open golf tournament in Blaine, Minn., Thursday, July 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)BLAINE, Minn. Richy Werenski made a short birdie putt on the par-5 18th for an 8-under 63 and the first-round lead Thursday in the 3M Open, while Dustin Johnson withdrew because of a back injury after a 78. The 24-year-old Werenski is winless in on the PGA Tour and ranked 248th in the world. Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Finau were the only entrants in the top 25 of the world ranking. At the end of his first nine, Johnson started the 599-yard, dog-leg 18th hole with a solid drive off the tee.

Bryson DeChambeau pumps his fist after a birdie putt on the 10th green during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. With jaw-dropping drives and some clutch putts, DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three strokes Sunday for his first victory of the season and sixth overall. DeChambeau shot a 7-under 65 at Detroit Golf Club, birdieing four of the first seven holes and closing with three straight. He made a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 16, a short putt for birdie on the next hole and uncorked a 367-yard drive to set up another short putt at 18.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits on the 17th fairway during the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Saturday, July 4, 2020, at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT Matthew Wolff had a roller-coaster round that went well enough Saturday to give him a three-shot lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Wolff shot his second straight 8-under 64 to move into position for his second PGA Tour victory. He was at 19-under 197 at Detroit Golf Club. None of the top five players is at the Detroit Golf Club, where Simpson (No.

Chris Kirk drives on the 15th tee during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Friday, July 3, 2020, at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Bryson DeChambeau hits from the ninth tee during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Friday, July 3, 2020, at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT Bryson DeChambeau chose to compete in the Rocket Mortgage Classic while many of the PGA Tour's top players skipped the tournament. DeChambeau had four birdies on his back nine Friday to close with a 5-under 67, giving him a share of the lead among the early starters in the second round. Kirk started his second round with a 6-under 30 on the front nine and added two birdies early on his back nine after shooting 5 under in the opening round. He had a bogey-free second round after overcoming bogeys in the opening day.

Another appeal to the Sunday made-for-TV exhibition, The Match: Champions for Charity, is a chance to see Tiger Woods swing a golf club for the first time in 98 days. One difference is the players will be in their own carts, whereas the four PGA Tour players last week carried their bags. Mickelson won their first made-for-TV match over Thanksgiving weekend in 2018, a pay-per-view event that ran into technical problems and was free for all. Woods was going for his seventh straight PGA Tour victory when Mickelson beat him at Torrey Pines in 2000. After this exhibition, golf has two weeks before the PGA Tour is set to return at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.

(AP Photo/Jenna Fryer)Fans who had been starving for live sporting events had their appetites somewhat sated last weekend. Network executives knew the first weekend with multiple live events would draw good numbers but for the most part they exceeded expectations. It is also only the second weekend this season that Bundesliga matches were viewed by over 100,000 fans on Fox Sports 1. Fox's strong weekend continued with the NASCAR race at Darlington, South Carolina, averaging 6.32 million. Tirico anchored the golf coverage from his home in Michigan, while Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon called the NASCAR race from Charlotte.

It was the first live golf on television since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf and other sports on March 12. We dont want them having to wear masks and be doing what weve been doing for the last number of months. McIlroy criticized Trump on the McKellar Journal podcast this week for politicizing the pandemic and says he would not play golf with him again. Tirico raised McIlroys name as being among those who have played with Trump and what they talk about on the golf course. I guess the ones that dont, I dont get to see as much.

Rory McIlroy delivered the money shot Sunday as live golf returned to television for a Skins game that revealed plenty of rust and raised more than $5 million for COVID-19 relief funds. Down to the last shot, McIlroy barely stayed on the shelf left of the pin, measured at 13 feet. The final carryover gave McIlroy and Johnson $1.85 million for the American Nurses Foundation. Fowler's seven birdies were worth $270,000 in a separate fund from Farmers Insurance, while McIlroy made four birdies in regulation worth $175,000 and Wolff had three birdies for $135,000. The last live competition on TV was March 12, the first round of The Players Championship.

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)Live golf returns to television on Sunday, and it might not look entirely familiar except for the players. The only rake on the golf course will be carried by a PGA Tour rules official. Farmers Insurance is pledging $1 million toward birdies and eagles that goes to healthcare workers, and PGA Tour Charities has an online donation program during the telecast. Within the golf community, the golf course is a big part of why people are excited about it, McIlroy said on the podcast. The PGA Tour has had 10 tournaments canceled or postponed since the last one completed, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tirico is one of many announcers who has had to trade the press box for a home office. Tirico will be in the corner of his office in Michigan, some 1,300 miles away. The soft return of golf includes testing for COVID-19, thermal readings, social distancing and limited access. Rich Lerner from Golf Channel is doing play by play, with NBC analysts Paul Azinger and Gary Koch. You could get a lot of people become Matt Wolff fans if he has the game he showed in Minnesota, Tirico said.