TYRRELL HATTON

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — (AP) — Rory McIlroy finished the year as Europe's top-ranked golfer for the fourth time - and first since 2015 - despite Jon Rahm winning the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday. The Spaniard’s two-shot victory over England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Sweden’s Alex Noren was his third in six years at Jumeirah Golf Estates. But McIlroy finished the season top of the DP World rankings after Matt Fitzpatrick, his only rival for the Harry Vardon Trophy, blew up around the turn. The US Open champion needed to win and McIlroy to not finish runner-up, or to finish second and the Northern Irishman to be outside the top seven. I’ve won three FedEx Cups since I last won,” McIlroy, who lifted his third PGA Tour FedEx Cup in August, told Sky Sports television.

Rory McIlroy finished the year as Europe’s top-ranked golfer for the fourth time - and first since 2015 - despite Jon Rahm winning the DP World Tour Championship.

Rory McIlroy is well-placed for another Race to Dubai title after his 7-under 65 left him three shots off the lead heading into the final round at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

One major takeaway from the just-concluded Italian Open at the Marco Simone club outside Rome that will host next year’s Ryder Cup is that the course is being set up to reward accurate tee shots with narrow fairways surrounded by nasty rough and even higher grass beyond.

Rory McIlroy’s first competitive round on next year’s Ryder Cup course was a success.

This is turning out to be a strong group of rookies on the PGA Tour, including three players with one thing in common down the home stretch: None has won yet.

British Open Golf Collin Morikawa of the US after putting on the 16th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) (Peter Morrison)ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):8:30 p.m. Defending British Open champion Collin Morikawa is set to miss the cut. ___5:30 p.m.Cameron Smith is producing a putting clinic to pull away from the field at the British Open. ___1:20 p.m.Dustin Johnson has made another great start to a British Open at St. Andrews.

British Open Golf Cameron Smith, of Australia, misses a putt on the 6th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) (Alastair Grant)ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):___4:25 p.m. The two Camerons are jostling for first place at the British Open. The sun is finally out, the scoring is low and some big names have climbed onto the leaderboard at the British Open. The American's exemption as a past champion ran out in 2020, the year the British Open was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

British Open Golf Tiger Woods of the US misses a putt on the 2nd green during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) (Peter Morrison)ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):___3:20 p.m.Tiger Woods has finished what could be his last competitive round at a British Open on the Old Course. The sun is finally out, the scoring is low and some big names have climbed onto the leaderboard at the British Open. ___1:20 p.m.Dustin Johnson has made another great start to a British Open at St. Andrews. ___10:20 a.m.Tiger Woods is out on the course for his second round at the British Open.

British Open Golf Scottie Scheffler of the US plays from the 18th tee during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) (Alastair Grant)ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):___2:20 p.m. The sun is finally out, the scoring is low and some big names have climbed onto the leaderboard at the British Open. The American's exemption as a past champion ran out in 2020, the year the British Open was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. ___10:20 a.m.Tiger Woods is out on the course for his second round at the British Open.

Defending British Open champion Collin Morikawa is set to miss the cut.

Bryson DeChambeau says it's a business decision to play for the LIV Golf series.

Kevin Kisner is back in the semifinals of the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Sixteen players have made it to the weekend in the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Match Play Golf Richard Bland putts on the fifth green during the third round of the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament, Friday, March 25, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) (Tony Gutierrez)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — The Latest on Match Play (all times local):___3 p.m.Richard Bland won the Battle of Blighty and is headed to the knockout stage of the Dell Technologies Match Play. The 49-year-old Bland faced 48-year-old Lee Westwood in an All-England match that featured the two oldest players in the field. Bland won on the 17th hole and won his group. The winning streak of Billy Horschel at the Dell Technologies Match Play is over.

Takumi Kanaya of Japan is headed to the weekend of the Dell Technologies Match Play in a surprising turn of events.

As if the Dell Technologies Match Play isn't fickle enough.

Scottie Scheffler didn't win the U.S. Open on Sunday.

Scottie Scheffler didn't win the U.S. Open on Sunday.

This time, he has a good idea what to expect on the weekend at Bay Hill. Tied for the lead, McIlroy missed a 4-foot par putt, putts from 8 feet on the next two holes for birdie and par, and he finished off his 72 by missing a good birdie chance from 15 feet. Hovland was two shots out of the lead going into the weekend last year when he closed with rounds of 77-78 and wound up 15 shots behind. “Those are the sort of greens you expect to see late on a Sunday, not late on a Friday,” McIlroy said. McIlroy, who had 30 putts, was told that Hovland needed only 23 putts and Hatton only 22.

Viktor Hovland took advantage of an early start with a 66 to lead the Arnold Palmer Invitational by two shots at Bay Hill.

Rory McIlroy made it something of a ritual to write his goals for the season on the back of his boarding pass on the flight to the Middle East for his first tournament of the year.

A holiday exhibition in the Bahamas suddenly is shaping up to be a lot more.

The chances of an American golfer being crowned as European No. 1 for the first time were already strong heading into the Race to Dubai finale this week.

All the drama Saturday at the Ryder Cup was to see if Europe could make a game of it.

Bryson DeChambeau provided must-see TV in his first Ryder Cup match of the weekend, showcasing the power and go-for-broke style that made him one of the game’s most dynamic players.

Youth is being served for this U.S. team in the Ryder Cup.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas almost surely will be paired together in both foursomes and fourballs beginning Friday at the Ryder Cup.

Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Shane Lowry have been picked by European captain Padraig Harrington to fill out the team for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

VIRGINIA WATER, England — (AP) — Billy Horschel became the second American, after Arnold Palmer, to win the BMW PGA Championship following a dramatic final round that saw Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton secure the final automatic qualifying places in Europe’s Ryder Cup team on Sunday. Horschel had to get over the disappointment of missing out on a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team this week, and did so by winning his first regular event on the European Tour. The race for spots on the European team for the Ryder Cup went to the final round of the last qualifying event, and was predictably frantic considering so many points were on offer at the tournament. Wiesberger, who shot 72, will make his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits this month after qualifying via the European points list, along with Hatton. That bumped Rory McIlroy into the five qualifying spots on the world points list.

Billy Horschel became the second American after Arnold Palmer to win the BMW PGA Championship following a dramatic final round.

The hardest part of Sergio Garcia's day was before he even got to Royal St. George's.

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

Louis Oosthuizen and Sergio Garcia are among Olympic qualifiers who aren't going to Tokyo next month.

US Open Golf Paul Casey, of England, plays a shot from a bunker on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez)SAN DIEGO — (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):2:30 p.m.Rory McIlroy is working his way into contention at the U.S. Open. 11 a.m.Jason Gore played in the U.S. Open for the first time in 11 years. Gore played as a non-competing marker Saturday with Akshay Bhatia, who otherwise would have played the third round by himself. If Gore plays again in the final round, it will be with someone else.

US Open Golf Paul Casey, of England, plays a shot from a bunker on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez)SAN DIEGO — (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):11 a.m.Jason Gore played in the U.S. Open for the first time in 11 years. Gore played as a non-competing marker Saturday with Akshay Bhatia, who otherwise would have played the third round by himself. If Gore plays again in the final round, it will be with someone else. In his last official U.S. Open appearance, Gore tied for 47th at Pebble Beach in 2010.

US Open Golf Paul Casey, of England, plays a shot from a bunker on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Casey made it back to even par for the U.S. Open with a 31 on the front nine at Torrey Pines. Fitzpatrick was 4 over through his first five holes and seven shots behind Casey. Casey and Spieth will be done with the third round about 90 minutes before the final group even tees off. ___More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Chesson Hadley moved a step closer to his first PGA Tour victory in seven years, opening a four-stroke lead over Harris English at Palmetto Championship at Congaree before the third round was halted severe storms and lightning with one hole remaining Saturday.

The Belmont Stakes will limit attendance to 11,000 spectators for the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series.

Will Zalatoris shot 68 and Brian Harman a 69 to close within a shot of leader Justin Rose at the Masters.

“It was a tough match,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I was dying to win that match,” MacIntyre said. The Spaniard, whose American home is in Austin, won his second match and thus eliminated Hatton, the No. He missed the birdie putt and Rahm, who would have had a putt from the same range, smile a sigh of relief. Johnson was 10 feet away for eagle, and MacIntyre still had him putt it (Johnson made it).

In the Dell Technologies Match Play, every day can feel like Sunday. “I turned out to hit that shot really well, went super high over the trees. It was his biggest loss in Match Play since Ben Crane beat him, 8 and 7, in the second round of 2011. Kevin Kisner, the defending champion from 2019 — the Match Play was the third event to be canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic — won his seventh straight match by beating Louis Oosthuizen. When you're up against an opponent who plays really, really well and you play just a little better, it's really satisfying."

Conners surged into the lead with a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole — his second eagle on that hole in two days — for a 3-under 69 and a one-shot advantage over former Bay Hill winner Martin Laird (67). He was two shots behind, along with Viktor Hovland and Lanto Griffin, who each had a 68. The forecast featured plenty of rain Saturday, which figures to make Bay Hill play longer and tougher, while also keeping the greens from getting as crusty as they were last year when Tyrrell Hatton won with a closing 74. He won at Bay Hill in 2011 on a final round so tough a 75 was enough to get the job done. He played in the morning, had a pair of birdies and came to the 16th, the easiest at Bay Hill.

The fans were limited in numbers but they all wanted the same dose of entertainment provided by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton shot a 77, while past Bay Hill winner Francesco Molinari took a step back from his progress with a 78. He made three of his birdies on par 3s, the strength of Bay Hill. Through it all, it was the activity outside the ropes at Bay Hill that stood out. The tournament is allowing 25% of capacity — roughly 5,000 fans a day — and when most are watching some of golf's bigger draws such as McIlroy, DeChambeau and Spieth, it feels even larger.

It's just sometimes results take a little bit longer.”There are photos to illustrate what Koepka did to his clubs, but those stay among his posse. A lot of players feel that way, but not to the point of naming their son after Riviera (Johnson's youngest is River). “I feel like it’s a tough golf course,” Johnson said. “Generally, the quality of golf course they’re played on is at a very high standard and Riviera fits that category. I feel like if you’ve had a good week here, it’s a good measure certainly generally of where your game is at.”

Tiger Woods remains in the mix with one birdie and seven pars to complete a 71, leaving him four shots behind. As the sun broke through the clouds when the second round ended, it revealed a Masters that even without spectators was shaping up to be as exciting as always. Rahm joined the lead pack at 9-under 135 with a wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the par-5 13th to resume his second round, but the next par 5 meant just as much. The cut was at even-par 144, a Masters record and a reflection of how rain has affected this Masters in November. That included Woods, who won his fifth green jacket last year by coming from behind for the first time in a major.

So much else has changed at Augusta National this week, when the first fall Masters will be held without many of the traditions that make it a tradition unlike any other. Another tradition diminished without fans: golfers trying to skip their shots across the surface of the pond in front of the 16th green. “We do think Butler Cabin is something that is really, not only part of the history, but emblematic of what the Masters is all about, giving the champion the green jacket,” Ridley said. “So we will be in Butler Cabin. The fall date also messed with the Masters' spot on the sports schedule.

Throw in a wild tee shot for double bogey, three bogeys and only five pars and it added to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead. That led to a 4-over 76 — by two shots his worst score in 49 rounds at Sherwood Country — that left him 12 shots out of the lead and in no mood to talk. He is a five-time winner at Sherwood, along with five runner-up finishes, against small fields in a holiday exhibition. On the par-5 13th, he sent his tee shot again to the right, partially blocked by a tree. The sand shot didn't quite reach the green.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In his 10th season, in his 233rd tournament, Jason Kokrak can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Kokrak earned every bit of it Sunday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. The CJ Cup moved from South Korea this year to Shadow Creek because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kokrak also was in the left rough, hacked out to the right rough and put his third shot in the bunker. Kokrak earned a spot in the Masters next month from reaching the Tour Championship a year ago in August.

England's Tyrell Hatton on the first fairway during day four of the PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, England, Sunday Oct. 11, 2020. Hatton shot 5-under 67 to finish on 19-under 269 overall, capping a week when he shot in the 60s every round around Wentworth's storied West Course. “It's unbelievable,” said Hatton, who acknowledged in a walkalong TV interview during the round that he was nervous. Hatton was unaware of the state of play and almost sent his second shot on the 18th into the water. “Part of me is sad I didn’t get to experience the crowds, but it’s just amazing to win this trophy,” Hatton said.

Sungjae Im walks on the green with his ball on the 18th hole during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Johnson could at least see his entire golf ball from the first cut on the par-5 18th at East Lake, setting up a two-putt birdie for an even-par 70 and a one-shot lead lead over Sungjae Im. And it took some help from the leading players who stumbled on an East Lake course that punished mistakes. 8 when he chipped in from 40 feet and the final hole, one of the two par 5s at East Lake. Rahm was frustrated as ever, mainly because he couldn't capitalize when he was in the fairway and felt it was another round at East Lake that would cost him.

The U.S. Open has been scheduled to end on Father's Day every year since 1976, but it was moved to September this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The RBC Heritage filled the spot on the schedule and Simpson, now a father of five, became a winner for the second time this year with a record score at Harbour Town. It was a crazy day, Simpson said. It was a tough runner-up finish for Ancer, trying to become the fifth straight winner of the RBC Heritage to capture his first PGA Tour victory at Harbour Town. Until the first tournament back at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, the area around Harbour Town was crowded with the start of summer vacation.

Tyrrell Hatton of England had one of six rounds at 63 as he tries to win back-to-back starts for the second time in his year. Abraham Ancer rode his strong iron play to a 65, while Ryan Palmer had a 66 to join the lead at 15-under 198. A week ago at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 14 players were separated by three shots going into the final round. The six rounds at 63 marked the third time since October that at least six players shot 63 in a round. There were seven such rounds at the RSM Classic in November, about 80 miles down the Atlantic coast at Sea Island.