TRUCKEE, California: Nick Dunlap became the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same year, rallying Sunday for a two-point victory in the Barracuda Championship.
In January at The American Express in La Quinta, the 20-year-old Dunlap — then a sophomore at the University of Alabama — became the eighth amateur to win a tour event and the first in 33 years. He turned professional days later.
“I never thought that I would have my name next to that, but it’s definitely an honor,” Dunlap said about the amateur-pro double. “It’s been a little tough after AmEx. You kind of lose a little bit of confidence and wonder if you can do it again.”
On Sunday at Tahoe Mountain Club in the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system, Dunlap took the lead with a 55-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th.
Players receive eight points for a double eagle, five for eagle and two for birdie. A point is deducted for bogey and three for double bogey.
“I hadn’t made an eagle yet this week, so that was kind of the goal, and just play aggressive, not reckless,” Dunlap said. “This course, it allows you to make a lot of birdies if you’re in position.”
Dunlap added a birdie on the par-4 17th, cutting the dogleg with a 304-yard drive and chipping to 3 feet.
Nine points behind leader Mac Meissner entering the day, Dunlap had 19 points in the bogey-free round to finish with 49. He birdied six of the first 12 holes on the tree-lined Old Greenwood course.
“The only sour thing about this is that winning moment goes quickly,” Dunlap said. “It doesn’t stay as long as you may think, just because tomorrow I’m flying to Minnesota and trying to repeat and do the exact same thing.”
Vince Whaley finished second, making a 17-foot birdie putt on par-4 18th for a nine-point day.
“I didn’t hit it very good the whole day and I kind of kept myself in it with the short game,” Whaley said. “Then missed a couple I felt like I could have made coming in.”
Patrick Fishburn had 46 points, holing a 10-footer for birdie on 18 to cap a 12-point round.
“It was a great week,” Fishburn said. “This is probably one of my favorite stops of the year.”
Meissner was fourth at 44. He closed a five-point round with a bogey.
“I’m definitely pretty bummed,” Meissner said. “It was a frustrating day. I had a couple good looks early for birdie through the first 10 holes and didn’t capitalize. It was just tough.”
Taylor Pendrith and Patrick Rodgers tied for fifth at 43.
With two events left in the regular season, Dunlap jumped from 95th to 63rd in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 70 will advance to the playoffs.
“It’s been a goal,” Dunlap said. “It’s, honestly, one of the reasons I played here.”
Dunlap becomes first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a pro in the same year
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Dunlap becomes first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a pro in the same year
- On Sunday at Tahoe Mountain Club in the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system, Dunlap took the lead with a 55-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th
Scottie Scheffler shoots scorching 61 to lead Byron Nelson
- The world No. 1 is still seeking his first win of the year after racking up seven PGA Tour titles in 202
- A Dallas native, Scheffler said he wasn’t too broken up about missing last year’s Byron Nelson since he had a good reason — the birth of his first child
MCKINNEY, Texas: Scottie Scheffler shot his best round of the season, a 10-under-par 61, to set the pace on the first day of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas.
When Scheffler’s final putt dropped in the late afternoon at TPC Craig Ranch, he had a two-stroke lead over Rico Hoey of the Philippines and Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela.
The world No. 1 is still seeking his first win of the year after racking up seven PGA Tour titles in 2024. With eight birdies, an eagle and no bogeys Thursday, Scheffler put himself in prime position to break through and win in his home state of Texas for just the second time in his pro career.
A Dallas native, Scheffler said he wasn’t too broken up about missing last year’s Byron Nelson since he had a good reason — the birth of his first child. But he was glad to be back, and he played like it.
“It’s a ton of fun for us to be able to play in front of the fans here at home,” Scheffler said. “Jordan (Spieth) and I love playing here this week. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years, and so it’s really good to be here this week playing again.”
Scheffler ran off four birdies in a row starting at the third hole. His irons and wedges were dialed in, as he put his tee shot at the par-3 fourth to about 4 feet of the pin and his approach at the par-4 sixth to just 2 feet.
He made a 4-footer for eagle at the par-5 ninth to go out in 7-under 29.
“I hit some good shots to start the round, gave myself some looks, and was able to capitalize with a good iron shot on 3 and hit another iron shot on 4,” Scheffler said. “I kept hitting fairways and greens. Hit that nice pitch into 6, good pitch into 5 as well. Was able to take advantage of the holes I needed to on the front nine, like 5 and 6 are holes you got to take advantage of, and 9 as well.”
Scheffler made just one birdie over the next seven holes before sticking his tee shot at the par-3 17th to 2 feet. He had a 26-foot eagle putt at the par-5 18th that would have given him a round of 60, and it came up just a few feet shy.
Scheffler rocketed past Hoey, who had the early lead with an 8-under 63. He opened on the back nine with eight straight pars before making a 36 1/2-foot eagle putt at No. 18, followed by a run of five birdies between the second and sixth holes.
“The eagle was great,” Hoey said. “I knew it’s a long track and being first off it’s just hard to get your mind and body going. I did that, and felt like I was playing well.”
Vegas sank an eagle of his own, but it came on a par-4. The 40-year-old drained a 44 1/2-foot uphill putt at the 14th hole to go with six total birdies.
Vegas missed his previous four cuts before this week.
“You can’t really get too caught up on playing good or bad,” Vegas said. “Just keep doing your work and at the end of the day believe you’re doing the right things.
“Feel like I’ve been doing the right things, put in the work. We know this: If you do the right things, at some point things are going to turn the right way.”
Tied at 7-under 64 were Patton Kizzire, Will Gordon, Cameron Champ, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam and Germany’s Stephan Jaeger.
Defending champion Taylor Pendrith of Canada opened with a 4-under 67. Spieth turned in a 2-under 69.
Jon Rahm out to break 2025 win drought ahead of PGA Championship
- Rahm vowed to clean up his game in South Korea with the second major of the year, the PGA Championship, only two weeks away
- The two-time major winner will tee off in Friday’s first round at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon alongside the in-form Joaquin Niemann of Chile
SEOUL: Former world No. 1 Jon Rahm said Wednesday he had not done himself “any favors” in his winless start to the season ahead of LIV Golf’s South Korea debut.
The Spaniard has endured an indifferent 2025 by his own lofty standards, admitting “small mistakes” had cost him.
He failed to mount a serious challenge at last month’s Masters and he vowed to clean up his game in South Korea with the second major of the year, the PGA Championship, only two weeks away.
“I’m just not doing everything I need to do right,” Rahm said ahead of LIV Golf Korea, which will also feature US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside eventual winner Rory McIlroy in the final group at Augusta.
“Sometimes you also need a little bit of luck in your favor, not that I haven’t been lucky.
“I just haven’t done myself any favors on the golf course, I would say it like that,” added Rahm.
The two-time major winner will tee off in Friday’s first round at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon alongside the in-form Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who won his third LIV tournament of the season in Mexico last weekend.
The 2023 Augusta champion had a frustrating time at this year’s Masters, starting poorly with a three-over 75 and leaving himself with too much to do heading into the weekend.
He picked up his game but the damage had been done as he finished eight shots behind McIlroy for a share of 14th place.
Rahm was second in the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit’s season-opening event in Riyadh and has finished in the top 10 in all six tournaments, which have a field of 54 players.
“While I like having top 10s and I like being a good player week-in and week-out, winning obviously is what matters more,” he said.
“I would gladly give up some of those top 10s for more wins.
“I keep playing well, I keep putting myself close enough, just every once in a while there’s been enough mistakes where I’m just not quite close enough going into the back nine on Sunday.”
Niemann’s victory in Mexico secured his berth at the US Open at Oakmont in June.
The Chilean added to the titles he won in Singapore and Adelaide this season.
“It’s been an exciting last six events here at LIV, the way I’ve been playing, the way I’ve been feeling on the course,” said the 26-year-old.
“I felt like there’s been a lot of trust and a lot of faith in the work that I’ve been putting in.”
Joaquin Niemann wins LIV Golf Mexico City with stellar final round
- Niemann began his day two shots off the lead, but three birdies on his first seven holes put him in an enviable position
Joaquin Niemann was virtually flawless Sunday, firing a 6-under-par 65 at Club de Golf Chapultepec to earn his third championship of the season at LIV Golf Mexico City.
Niemann began his day two shots off the lead, but three birdies on his first seven holes put him in an enviable position. He added birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 16 and 18 to finish three strokes in front of the field at 16 under for the tourney.
The win came in front of family and friends.
“Yeah, it’s special,” Niemann said. “My mom came all the way. I think the first time my mom has seen me win, so that’s pretty cool. So yeah, I had my mom here, Didi, my wife, my friends, my team. It’s been a really good couple months, so yeah, happy.”
The Torque GC captain from Chile had one bogey, on the 14th.
Following his third tournament win, Niemann remains in the lead for the individual season-long championship, a title that narrowly evaded him in 2024 as he finished second to Jon Rahm.
He also locked in a spot at the US Open in June.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Niemann said. “I feel like I wanted to be there (at the US Open), so yeah, it’s great to keep doing what I’m doing, hitting the ball great, making putts, and yeah, hopefully keep it rolling.”
The 26-year-old was barely pressed late, with the best charge coming from the incredible round turned in by Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert, a 10-under 61 beauty that featured an eagle and eight birdies.
Herbert essentially ran out of runway to complete the comeback, coming into the day too far behind the leaders to catch up. However, he did help Cameron Smith’s (72) Ripper squad finish in second in the team standings, behind Jon Rahm’s (68) Legion XIII.
“Just one of those rounds where everything comes together,” Herbert said. “I thought I played pretty decent the last two days, I just didn’t get many breaks, and I just felt like today every time there was a line ball sort of thing I got the right kick and I’d make a putt where I needed to or just anything — just that sort of stuff. It just kept the momentum going through the round.
“Look, I played great, really enjoyed feeling everything I felt the last few holes, but it’s just one of those rounds where it all just clicks for you, and it was a pretty cool feeling to do it at an event like this.”
Bryson DeChambeau, leading the pack coming into the day, was attempting to go wire-to-wire but came up well short with a final-round 71 and had to settle for a tie for second with Herbert at 13 under.
Rahm was fourth among individuals at 12 under, while Smith and Legion’s Tyrrell Hatton (68) finished in a tie for fifth (11 under).
“It’s pretty hard to make it more special than this moment right now,” Niemann said. “I mean, this place is amazing. It was a good battle with Bryson, with Cam, so I’m happy to be in this position right now.”
Torque finished the tournament in third place, while 4Aces was fourth.
South Korea’s Ryu and Japan’s Saigo share LPGA Chevron lead
- Ryu fired a 4-under par 68 and Saigo shot 69 to leave each on nine-under 207 after 54 holes at Carlton Woods in the year’s first major women’s tournament
- Both co-leaders are chasing their first major title
HOUSTON: South Korea’s Haeran Ryu and Japan’s Mao Saigo, both aided by long birdies, shared the lead after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA Chevron Championship.
Ryu fired a 4-under par 68 and Saigo shot 69 to leave each on 9-under 207 after 54 holes at Carlton Woods in the year’s first major women’s tournament.
“Another good day,” Ryu said. “I was just trying for the good spots, for the easy putts, and I wanted to try to make some birdies. That was good for me.”
American Lindy Duncan was third on 208 with American Sarah Schmelzel and China’s Liu Yan on 209.
After a bogey at the third hole and a birdie at the par-5 fourth, Ryu reeled off four birdies to close the front nine, the last a spectacular chip-in from well off the front of the green.
“I just think, wow, it’s amazing,” said Ryu, who parred her way through the back nine.
Saigo, however, was not to be outdone. She made a birdie at the par-three third, took a bogey at the fifth, answered with birdies at the sixth and par-five eighth and then holed out from the fringe at the par-five 13th to reach nine-under.
“The course condition was pretty hard. It was pretty difficult to make birdies so I kind of struggled,” Saigo said. “Two of them were chip-in birdies from outside, so I was pretty lucky.”
Both co-leaders are chasing their first major title.
“I think that’s a good pressure for me,” Ryu said. “I don’t have a major trophy in my home, so that’s a goal for my life and in golf.”
Saigo added, “I just need to focus on my golf game (and) try to control my mental control and hopefully I’ll win.”
Ryu led by a stroke entering last year’s final round but shot 74 and finished fifth.
“Last year the final round for me was not good,” Ryu said. “But I learned to be more calm and more comfortable and more slow. This year I wish to be more enjoying the course.”
Liu shared the lead at 9-under until a stumble at the par-three 17th, where she found a bunker, then chipped into sloped rough just above the bunker on the way to a double bogey.
Winds tested players in the late afternoon.
“The front nine was so good for me,” she said. “The back nine was such a challenge for me because the wind started to be stronger and the pins were so tough.”
“Definitely tested my patience out there,” Schmelzel said. “I’m sure there will be more of that tomorrow.”
Yan Liu has an albatross and a late birdie to hang onto the lead in the Chevron Championship
- Liu holed her 175-yard second shot on the 505-yard, downwind par-5 eighth with a 7-iron for the albatross
- Top-ranked Nelly Korda rallied late in the afternoon to make the cut in her title defense, following an opening 77 with a 68
THE WOODLANDS, Texas: Yan Liu had an albatross to offset three front-nine bogeys and rebounded from a late bogey for an even-par 72 and a one-stroke lead over four players Friday in the Chevron Championship, the first women’s major tournament of the year.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda rallied late in the afternoon to make the cut in her title defense, following an opening 77 with a 68. She won last year at The Club at Carlton Woods for the last of her record-tying five straight victories.
She used a different putter Friday.
“I putted for an hour and a half after the round yesterday, so just needed something different,” Korda said. “Sometimes that’s all you need.”
Fog delayed the start of play, with nine players unable to finish the round because of darkness.
Liu, the 27-year-old Chinese player who shared the first-round lead with Haeran Ryu after a 65, admitted she would feel some pressure Saturday.
“I think, definitely, I will feel a little bit, because, well, this is major,” Liu said. “I know the course is going to be harder, harder, so I think I just stay patient, calm because I’m very emotional person.”
Hyo Joo Kim (71) was a stroke back with Lindy Duncan (66), Sarah Schmelzel (68) and Mao Saigo (68). Kim won the Ford Championship a month ago in Arizona for her seventh LPGA Tour title, while the other four players at the top of the leaderboard are winless.
Liu holed her 175-yard second shot on the 505-yard, downwind par-5 eighth with a 7-iron for the albatross.
“I saw the ball how to go in, so that’s really cool thing,” Liu said. “But I think they don’t have video for that hole. Little sad.”
Liu then bogeyed No. 9 and opened the back nine with seven pars. She dropped into a six-way tied for the lead with a bogey on the par-3 17th. Her tee shot hopped left into fluffy Bermuda rough, she chunked her second to the fringe and missed a 15-foot par try.
She got the stroke back with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th, finishing about an hour before sunset.
“Last hole, is my first birdie today,” Liu said. “I’m glad I made it.
Ryu had a 74 to fall two strokes back in a group with Angel Yin (70) , Manon De Roey (71) and Hye-Jin Choi (71). Weiwei Zhang also was 5 under with three holes left when play was suspended.
Lexi Thompson was 4 under, following an opening 73 with a 67. The 30-year-old Florida player retired from full-time play at the end of last season.
“I’m still practicing and training,” Thompson said. “I love working out. I’m still striving to be better for when I do tee it up because every time I tee it up I still want to win. It’s not like I’m just going out here to show face. I’m still very competitive, but just trying to enjoy the few times I will play.”
She won the 2014 event — then the Kraft Nabisco Championship — at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.
