Charging Scheffler closes on British Open lead

SINGAPORE: French hero Leon Marchand and Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh headline as swimming’s world championships begin in Singapore on Sunday with thoughts already turning toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Marchand is appearing at his first major competition since rocketing to global fame at last year’s Paris Games, where he won four golds in front of an adoring home crowd and lived up to his billing as the next Michael Phelps.

The 23-year-old skipped the world short course championships in Budapest in December, saying he was “exhausted” after his Olympic exertions.

He returned to action in May and will concentrate on the individual medley events in Singapore.

Having broken Phelps’s 400m medley world record at the world championships in Japan two years ago, Marchand now has his sights set on Ryan Lochte’s long-standing 200m medley mark.

“He wants to see what happens in the 200m medley, without having any other races on his plate,” Marchand’s club president in Toulouse, Michel Coloma, told AFP.

While Marchand is still feeling his way back to action after his Olympic heroics, McIntosh heads to Singapore in red-hot form.

The 18-year-old broke three world records in a matter of days at the Canadian trials last month, including Hungarian great Katinka Hosszu’s decade-old 200m medley mark.

It was the first time any swimmer had broken three different long course world records at one meet since Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

McIntosh won three gold medals at the Paris Games and said she was “super pumped” after her scintillating start to 2025.

“I think the goal is always to be faster and that’s how I approach every day in training,” warned McIntosh, who is set to compete in five individual events in Singapore.

McIntosh smashed Australian Ariarne Titmus’s 400m freestyle world record but the pair will not go head to head in Singapore, with Titmus taking time off before she prepares for the LA Games.

Several other leading swimmers are doing the same, with Britain’s Adam Peaty, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Hungary’s Kristof Milak among those sitting out.

There will be no shortage of stars competing in Singapore, however, with American great Katie Ledecky high on the billing.

Ledecky has also broken a world record this year, updating her own 800m freestyle mark that had stood since the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 28-year-old is competing at her seventh world championships and is looking to add to her collection of 21 gold medals.

“I have been to a lot of these but I still feel like I get the same excitement, the same energy from the team,” she said.

Ledecky and McIntosh will clash in the 400m and 800m freestyle, with the latter race billed as the one to watch in Singapore.

The US team also features Gretchen Walsh, who lowered her own 100m butterfly world record twice in one day in May.

Bobby Finke, Torri Huske, Jack Alexy and Regan Smith also compete for the Americans.

At the other end of the experience spectrum is 12-year-old Yu Zidi, who was picked by China after announcing herself in stunning fashion at her country’s national championship.

Yu, sporting a cartoon dog on her swimming cap, qualified for three individual events and is part of a Chinese team that also includes men’s 100m freestyle world record holder Pan Zhanle and breaststroke contender Qin Haiyang.

China will be looking to finish high in the medal table but they will be hard pushed to break up the battle for top spot between the United States and Australia.

The Australians might be missing Titmus but Olympic champions Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O’Callaghan and Cam McEvoy should ensure they bring home plenty of gold.

The Australian squad also features several new faces, including 16-year-old Sienna Toohey.

Head coach Rohan Taylor called Singapore crucial experience for the 2028 Olympics.

“The end goal is LA, but to be great in LA this very young team, which boasts 10 rookies, is going to learn what is needed on the global stage in Singapore,” Taylor said.

Olympic champions David Popovici of Romania, Germany’s Lukas Maertens and Italy’s Thomas Ceccon are all also in action.

BLAINE: Adam Svensson of Canada eagled the final hole at TPC Twin Cities to shoot a course-record 60 and take the first-round lead at the 3M Open on Thursday in Blaine, Minnesota

Svensson was already working on a sterling round, with nine birdies and no bogeys through 17 holes. He reached the green at the par-5 18th hole in two shots and had two putts to break the course record.

He only needed one.

Svensson’s uphill eagle attempt from just more than 48 feet hit the flagstick and dropped for an eagle, finishing an 11-under round with matching 30s on both nines.

“I just didn’t want to leave it short,” Svensson said. “It was carrying a little bit of speed and (caddie Jace Walker) gave me a good line and it just happened to go in.”

It was a round few would have predicted. Svensson, who won the 2022 RSM Classic, has plummeted to 234th in the Official World Golf Ranking while missing 11 of his first 21 cuts in 2025. That includes his two most recent starts entering this week and four of his past five.

But Svensson could feel a memorable round incoming after what he described as a great range session before his tee time.

“Just really putted amazing,” Svensson added. “I made a bunch of breakers. It was probably my best putting round I ever had, so I’m pretty happy.”

He broke the previous course record of 62 originally set by Scott Piercy in 2019, and matched by Sam Stevens’ round that was completed just a few groups ahead of Svensson on Thursday.

Stevens is tied for second at 9 under with Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen.

Stevens was on 59 watch when he reached 10 under through 16 holes. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 17th hole and then put his approach on 18 in the water. Stevens had to settle for a 62 after closing with a bogey.

“I had a good drive and I probably made the decision trying to shoot 59 because I was in between — I have a pretty big gap between my 3-iron and my 3-wood, and I hit a terrible shot,” Stevens said. “But I thought if I hit a 3-wood, it was just going to fly to the back of the green, and I kind of had to hit a 3-iron perfect to even cover the water. But I figured that was my best chance to shoot 59, so I gave it a go.

“Didn’t hit a good shot, but made a nice up-and-down for 6, so I guess that’s a positive. Yeah, not the best way to finish the round, but gave it a crack.”

Chris Gotterup continued his hot streak after winning the Genesis Scottish Open and placing third in his debut at the Open Championship. Gotterup fired a bogey-free, 8-under 63 and was tied for fourth with Chad Ramey and Germany’s Matti Schmid.

“Someone asked me last week if you’ve ever been on a heater, and I said I guess this is kind of my first one,” Gotterup said. “Yeah, you know, I’m just going to try to ride it out as long as I can.”

Jake Knapp, Chris Kirk, Zac Blair and Brendan Valdes were tied at 7-under 64. Rickie Fowler was among those to shoot a 65, as he turned in a card with six birdies and no bogeys.

“A lot of good swings, a couple loose ones, but I’m definitely happy about (his round),” Fowler said. “Obviously, playing fairly easy out there with the soft conditions. Svensson put together a nice round. It was definitely out there, a lot of birdies to be made, but at the same time there’s a few holes that you have to keep your guard up in a way and make sure you execute.”

Fowler is searching for a jolt as the regular season winds down, as is Max Homa, a former top-five player in the world currently outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. Homa opened with a 5-under 66.

Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela posted a 3-under 68, and 2022 champ Tony Finau shot a 2-under 69.