Golf news

• Ko seeks to end year-long drought

  19-07-2017 20:31
  
  Lydia Ko is looking to successfully defend her title and end the longest winless spell of her remarkable career when the Marathon Classic begins Thursday.
  Ko’s last LPGA title came one year and one day ago in Toledo, Ohio. She birdied the fourth extra hole to defeat Ariya Jutanugarn and Mirim Lee in a playoff.
  “I love coming back to places where you’ve got a lot of great memories,” Ko told reporters Wednesday.
  After winning four LPGA titles in the first seven months of la
  
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• The 2020 #USJuniorAm is headed to Hazeltine National, the site of Payne Stewart's first #USOpen victory in 1991. https://t.co/JHLwDR128w

  19-07-2017 18:13 via twitter.com
  
  The 2020 #USJuniorAm is headed to Hazeltine National, the site of Payne Stewart's first #USOpen victory in 1991. https://t.co/JHLwDR128w
  
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• Live blog, 146th The Open at Royal Birkdale

  19-07-2017 15:30
  
  Follow all the action from the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with our live blog.
  
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• Viewers pick marquee groups for The Open

  19-07-2017 14:35
  
  The votes are in and here are the marquee groups fans have chosen to watch during Round 1 of the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale
  Fans voted to view the threesome of 2013 Open champion Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari and Marc Leishman. They go out at 10:10 a.m. ET.
  European fans, through TheOpen.com, also voted to view the threesome of defending champion Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Players champion Si Woo Kim. They go out at 4:47 a.m. ET.
  You can watch exclusive live, shot-by-shot coverage
  
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• Open prop bets released on low score, winning score

  19-07-2017 14:28
  
  Scoring at Royal Birkdale is expected to be difficult, but on the eve of The Open there are options for placing bets if you feel especially confident in how players will fare.
  The Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has created a number of scoring prop bets for this week's action in England, including estimates on the low single-round score and winning total:
  Winning score: Over/Under 275.5 (par 280)
  Lowest single-round score: Over/Under 64.5 (par 70)
  Will there be a playoff? Yes +300, No -360
  Will the
  
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• Punch Shot: Burning Questions for the 146th Open

  19-07-2017 13:32
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – He were are, on the eve of the 146th Open and each of the last seven major winners have been first-timers. Will that trend continue? Who will contend this week that we may not expect to contend? What will the magic score be to capture the claret jug? Our team at Royal Birkdale answers all of the above.
  Will the trend of first-time major winners continue this week?
  REX HOGGARD: YES. Not only is it likely that the trend of first-time major winners will continue, but it s
  
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• Only certainty is uncertainty at The Open

  19-07-2017 13:25
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – The last time the game’s oldest member-guest was played along this stretch of Irish Sea coast an Irishman blew through more championship dogma than the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA finals.
  Much like LeBron James and company, who became the first team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit last year, Padraig Harrington became the first European player to successfully defend his title at The Open since James Braid did it at the turn of the 20th century (1906), a
  
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• McNealy going pro? He's preparing that way

  19-07-2017 13:06
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – The will-he-or-won’t-he? drama that has surrounded Maverick McNealy for the past few years is beginning to die down.
  The former Stanford star is nearly ready to announce a decision about his future plans.
  “I’m preparing as if I’m going to play professional golf and trying to sort all that out,” he said Wednesday at The Open, which he qualified for as the recipient of the 2016 McCormack Medal, given to the No. 1-ranked player at the end of
  
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• Snedeker (ribs) WDs from The Open; Hahn in

  19-07-2017 12:43
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Brandt Snedeker withdrew from the Open Championship on Wednesday because of a rib injury. He was replaced in the field by James Hahn.
  Snedeker, in a message posted on Twitter, did not provide an immediate timetable for a return to competition.pic.twitter.com/NGFyh3PHNF
  — Brandt Snedeker (@BrandtSnedeker) July 19, 2017The moment you find out you're playing in the Open Championship! Let's go! #PXGTroops pic.twitter.com/M8U0XxPcsC
  — James Hahn (@JamesHahnPGA)
  
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• The Open forecast: 25 mph gusts, heavy rain expected

  19-07-2017 12:14
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Weather was not nearly as rainy as expected Wednesday at Royal Birkdale, as players made final preparations for the 146th Open.
  There will be considerable wind and rain during the championship and it’s likely that the winner, as usual, will come from the side of the draw that played in the best weather conditions over the first two rounds.
  According to The Open weather forecast, Thursday should produce “a damp start but soon brightening up for, or soon afte
  
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• Rory knows: It just takes a spark to ignite a run

  19-07-2017 11:50
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Rory McIlroy is capable of playing such mesmerizing, poetic golf that it’s a wonder how his game could ever go sideways.
  But the only one who doesn’t seem to panic in those situations is McIlroy.
  He knows he’s been here before – several times, in fact.
  There was the months-long slump in 2013, brought on by an equipment change and off-course drama.
  There was the bizarre stretch in 2014, when his Friday blowups would spoil a good tournament.
  Even
  
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• President Trump interfered with Day's Open prep

  19-07-2017 11:50
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Throughout his career, Jason Day has held to the theory that luck favors the prepared, particularly at major championships.
  At this year’s Masters, for example, the Australian arrived at Augusta National the Friday before to assure he was comfortable with his swing, game plan and course conditions.
  At this week’s Open Championship, however, he decided to go with a different plan, although it wasn’t entirely of his own making.
  Day planned to arrive in
  
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• Rory puts 98 percent of putting blame on himself

  19-07-2017 11:22
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Prior to the third round of last month’s Travelers Championship Rory McIlroy spent nearly two hours experimenting with five different putters before settling on a different model then the one he started the week with.
  A day later, McIlroy tried another type of putter all in an attempt to reverse his fortunes on the greens this season.
  After a few weeks of trial and error, McIlroy said on Wednesday at The Open that he has settled on that same model, TaylorMade&rsq
  
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• McIlroy at 20-1 odds? 'Good time to back me'

  19-07-2017 11:04
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Perhaps the most telling indication of the state of Rory McIlroy’s game these days are his betting odds for this week’s Open Championship.
  At 20-1, McIlroy is well behind the betting favorites this week (Jordan Spieth leads the way at 14-1), which is not entirely surprising given his performances in 2017. The Northern Irishman has missed the cut in three of his last four worldwide events and his best finish was a playoff defeat to start the year at the BMW
  
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• R&A's Slumbers touches on several hot-button issues

  19-07-2017 11:00
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – The R&A had its annual eve of The Open news conference Wednesday at Royal Birkdale and chief executive Martin Slumbers commented on numerous topics ranging from anchored putters to distance to drug testing to The Open’s place in the major championship schedule.
  As GolfChannel.com reported on Tuesday, The R&A quickly instituted internal out of bounds right of the ninth fairway when they were asked if a player would be permitted to blow a tee shot into the
  
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• Slumbers: Tiger awed, but game moves on

  19-07-2017 10:20
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says he’s spent the “second half of his golfing life” marveling at Tiger Woods’ accomplishments on the golf course.
  Now, in his second Open Championship at the helm of the R&A, Slumbers was asked Wednesday at Royal Birkdale if he believes Woods will ever again play in The Open.
  “I would love to see him tee it up here again,” Slumbers said. “I hope he gets well. I hope he gets fit. I h
  
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• Watch: Walker goes Griffey Jr. in Open beach baseball

  19-07-2017 09:56
  
  The boys are back in town, and that means so is a little backyard baseball.Much like last year when Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker and plenty of others shared a house for The Open and passed the time with some stickball, this year the bros took their game to the beach near Royal Birkdale, where Walker showed off a swing that would make Ken Griffey Jr. blush.Check it out::Just hitting hammers!!! Sandlot Foooorrrrreeevvvvveeerrrrr!!!!! A post shared by Jimmy Walker (@jimmywalkerpga) on
  
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• Suri ready for The Open despite more missing clubs

  19-07-2017 08:46
  
  SOUTHPORT, England – Julian Suri arrived on the range at Royal Birkdale Wednesday with a blank TaylorMade bag.
  It’s his fourth week in a row with baggage issues, and this one threatens to disrupt his first career major.
  Suri, who played college golf at Duke and this year has taken the European Challenge Tour by storm, is still without his usual clubs after his bag was lost somewhere between Rome and Manchester.
  Even worse: Vueling Airlines still hasn’t located Suri’s set.
  
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• Remember when: One-year anniversary of Phil hat clip

  19-07-2017 08:29
  
  Phil Mickelson is always thinking outside the box on the golf course, and last year at The Open he showed us that creativity doesn't just apply to shaping certain shots.One year ago this week, Mickelson used a binder clip to keep his hat held tightly on his head as the wind blew up to 30 mph at Royal Troon, a look that set social media on fire and almost nabbed him a second claret jug.
  "I know it looks terrible, but it is what it is," Mickelson said at the time.However it looked, it's hard
  
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• Sponsored: Take Callaway's 'Duel at Troon' quiz

  19-07-2017 06:17
  
  How much do you know about the epic Henrik Stenson-Phil Mickelson Duel at Troon in last year's Open? Click below to take Callaway's quiz to test your knowledge.
  
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