Tag: late

PGA Tour: Cam Davis wins Rocket Mortgage Classic after late three-putt from Akshay Bhatia in Detroit | Golf News

PGA Tour: Cam Davis wins Rocket Mortgage Classic after late three-putt from Akshay Bhatia in Detroit | Golf News
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Australia’s Cam Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time in
four years following a last-hole blunder from Akshay Bhatia.

Bhatia had a birdie putt from 32 feet on the 18th to win his third PGA Tour title but left it four feet short and also missed the par attempt.

That gifted the win to Davis, whose closing 70 had set a clubhouse target of 18 under which none of the other contenders were able to match at Detroit Golf Club.

Fellow Australian Min Woo Lee had birdied the 14th, 15th and 17th to claim a share of the lead only to bogey the last, while American Davis Thompson birdied the same holes to reach 17 under but left a birdie attempt on 18 short.

England’s Aaron Rai was part of the four-way tie for second after following a birdie on the 14th with four straight pars in a closing 72.

“From where I was a couple of weeks ago to today, it’s just completely different. I’m a little emotional actually,” Davis told CBS.

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to Akshay on anyone but I’ve done a lot of grinding to try and get myself out of a hole and to just all of a sudden do that, it’s pretty good.

Image:
Cam Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for a second time

“I’ve got so many people behind me that have helped me along the way. I had a lot of support to kind of get me out of the doldrums there. I saw a little bit of a spark last week but nothing to show this coming so this is great.”

Asked about the three-putt on the 18th, a disappointed Bhatia said: “That green’s old school, so a lot of slope, downhill left to right. It’s a tricky putt just to get the speed correct and I did such a good job all day of my speed being really good until that last hole.

Akshay Bhatia reacts to missing a par putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at Detroit Country Club, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Image:
Akshay Bhatia narrowly missed out on Rocket Mortgage Classic victory

“I hit a good putt, I probably just under-read it a little bit or it lacked a little bit of speed so nothing I can do about it.”

Rai, who had shared the lead with Bhatia after 54 holes, said: “Overall a good week. Obviously being in the position that we were in today, there was a great chance to maybe do a little bit more.

Aaron Rai
Image:
Aaron Rai mixed three birdies with three bogeys in his final round

“Got off to a really good start today, just a few too many loose shots and just didn’t really keep the round going as well as what I could have and as well as the last three days. That part was a little bit disappointing for sure, but so many positives to take. Yeah, really pleased with how my game feels overall.”

Cameron Young bogeyed two of his last three holes to finish three strokes back in tied-sixth alongside Eric Cole, Erik Van Rooyen and Rico Hoey.


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What’s next?

The PGA Tour heads to Illinois next for the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run, where Austria’s Sepp Straka is defending champion. Early coverage begins on Thursday from 3.30pm via the red button and 7.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 9pm.

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Andy Murray to make Wimbledon decision ‘as late as possible’ to give himself best chance of competing | Tennis News

Andy Murray to make Wimbledon decision ‘as late as possible’ to give himself best chance of competing | Tennis News
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Andy Murray will leave a decision on his participation at Wimbledon “as late as possible” as he aims to give himself “the best chance” of making what could be his last appearance at the event.

Murray, Wimbledon champion in 2013 and 2016, had surgery on a spinal cyst on Saturday after retiring at Queen’s earlier this month during his second-round match against Jordan Thompson following numbness in his right leg, with the Scot later saying he wished he had not gone on court.

With Wimbledon beginning on Monday, Murray’s team released a statement revealing the 37-year-old had resumed training and that he is “working towards” participating, although Murray said in an interview with The Times that “it’s probably more likely that I’m not able to play singles right now.”

Murray – who has indicated he will soon retire from tennis, with this summer’s Olympics in Paris a “fitting” endpoint – could still play in doubles with brother Jamie.

The statement from Murray’s team read: “Andy is recovering well from his surgery and has started training again.

“At this stage it is too soon to confirm for definite whether he will play Wimbledon, but he is working towards that and a final decision will be made as late as possible to give him the best chance of competing.”

Murray said he rued going on the court after retiring with a back injury during his match against Australian Jordan Thompson at the Queen’s Club

‘I don’t want Queen’s to be my last time on a tennis court’

Speaking to The Times, Murray said: “Maybe it’s my ego getting in the way, but I feel that I deserve the opportunity to give it until the very last moment to make that decision.

“If I was to be playing on Monday, I may know on Sunday there’s no chance that I can play. It’s complicated and it’s made more complicated because I want to play at Wimbledon one more time.

“I don’t want the last time that I play on a tennis court to be what happened at Queen’s. I know there’s more important things in the world than how I finish playing my last tennis match.

“But because of what I put into the sport over the last however many years, I would at least like to go out playing a proper match where I’m at least competitive.”

Emma Raducanu relates to Murray’s injury struggles and hopes that he will be fit to play at Wimbledon

“I was made aware that if I decided to try to play Wimbledon that there’s some risk associated with that and it’s whether or not I’m willing to take on that risk. The operation has gone really, really well and I’m recovering really well.

“I’m not in much pain at all, but the nature of nerve injuries is that they’re quite slow to recover.

“I don’t know exactly how long it’s gonna take for the nerve to get to a stage where I’m able to compete or play, whether that’s three days or whether it’s three weeks or five weeks. It’s impossible to say.”

Murray could play on if he is not fit for Wimbledon or Olympics

Murray, who won Olympic gold at Wimbledon in 2012 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, was named in Great Britain’s squad for the 2024 Games.

He is hoping to play singles as well as in the men’s doubles with Dan Evans at Roland Garros from Saturday July 27.

“I can’t say for sure that if I wasn’t able to play at Wimbledon and I didn’t recover in time to play at the Olympics that I wouldn’t consider trying to play another tournament somewhere.

“But if I’m able to play at Wimbledon and if I’m able to play at the Olympics, that’s most likely going to be it.”

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

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  • Mallorca Championships (ATP 250) – June 23-29
  • Bad Homburg (WTA 500) – June 23-29

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Bryson DeChambeau: US Open champion says Rory McIlroy’s late collapse will only fuel his quest for a fifth major title | Golf News

Bryson DeChambeau: US Open champion says Rory McIlroy’s late collapse will only fuel his quest for a fifth major title | Golf News
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Bryson DeChambeau said he hopes for lots more final-round battles with Rory McIlroy and believes the Northern Irishman’s collapse over the final few holes of their epic US Open battle will only fuel his quest for a fifth major title.

DeChambeau took a three-shot lead into the final day at Pinehurst but found himself two behind before birdieing the 13th. McIlroy then bogeyed three of his final four holes, missing two putts from inside four feet over the closing stretch, handing the 30-year-old American his second US Open.

“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” DeChambeau said. “Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. I’d love to have a lot more battles with him.

Highlights from the final round of the US Open at Pinehurst No 2.

“I have nothing but respect for how he plays the game of golf… to be honest, when he was climbing up the leaderboard, I was like, ‘Uh-oh’, but luckily things went my way today.

“For him to miss that putt [on the 18th], I’d never wish it on anybody.

A look back at the big misses that cost Rory McIlroy a first major in 10 years on a dramatic final day of the US Open.

“I’m sure it will fuel Rory’s fire even more. He’s a strong-minded individual. He’ll win multiple more major championships, there’s no doubt.”

DeChambeau: Bunker save at 18 the ‘shot of my life’

McIlroy second missed put from short range, this one from inside four feet at 18, gifted DeChambeau a one-stroke lead, only for him to pull his tee shot into the native area and miss the green with his second.

Sky Sports’ Wayne Riley and Dame Laura Davies analyse Rory McIlroy’s late collapse at the US Open and assess his ability to bounce back.

What followed, however was extraordinary, with DeChambeau’s chip out of the front-right bunker hailed by Dame Laura Davies on Sky Sports as “one of the all-time greats up-and-downs to win a major championship”.

“That bunker shot was the shot of my life,” DeChambeau reflected.

“I knew where Rory was. After my tee shot, I was up there going, ‘Man, if he makes par, I don’t know how I’m going to beat him’. I just really didn’t know.

“Then I heard the moans. It was like a shot of adrenaline got in me. I said, ‘Okay, you can do this’.

“I’m so happy I got that shot up-and-down.”

Bryson DeChambeau wins his second US Open at Pinehurst No 2 with a final round one-over-par 71.

DeChambeau’s insistence on McIlroy’s ability to bounce back from this latest major near-miss is perhaps based on his win here following swiftly off the back of a second-placed finish to Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship last month – albeit in not quite such heart-breaking fashion.

Reflecting on that disappointment, as well as his eagerness to win at Pinehurst, DeChambeau paid tribute to his father, who died in 2022, and one of his golfing idols, the late Payne Stewart, who was victorious on the same course at the 1999 US Open.

Bryson DeChambeau reflects on a dramatic US Open victory and the journey he has been on – both on and off the course – to earn a second major title.

“Oh, man, I didn’t want to finish second again,” DeChambeau said. “The PGA really stung. Xander played magnificent.

“I wanted to get this one done, especially at such a special place that means so much to me, SMU [Southern Methodist University where DeChambeau and Stewart both studied], my dad, what Payne meant to him, the 1000th USGA championship. Stack them on top.”

He added: “I don’t know what to think. It fully hasn’t sunk in yet. As much as it is heart-breaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA. I really wanted this one.

Bryson DeChambeau’s put on a show for the Sky Sports cameras as he celebrated his US Open victory with the crowd.

“I was a little lucky. Rory didn’t make a couple of putts that he could have coming in. I had an amazing up and down on the last.

“I don’t know what else to say. It’s a dream come true.”

What’s next?

McIlroy is due to be back in action at the Travelers Championship, the latest of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events, with early coverage live on Thursday from 12.30pm via the red button and 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.

The final men’s major of the year is The Open, taking place at Royal Troon from July 18-21, where DeChambeau will again be among the pre-tournament favourites. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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