While technically not a major championship, The Players Championship provided some major theatre on Sunday, as Justin Thomas chased down Lee Westwood and Bryson DeChambeau and then held on to win at TPC Sawgrass. Here’s everything you need to know:
Leaderboard: Justin Thomas (-14), Lee Westwood (-13), Brian Harman (-12), Bryson DeChambeau (-12), Talor Gooch (-11), Paul Casey (-11)
How it happened: At the beginning of the day, it looked like Westwood, the leader by two, and DeChambeau, looking for back-to-back trophies, would again battle it out for the second straight week – and even more so as Westwood birdied the first hole. But neither had their best stuff on Sunday. In fact, the fourth hole was downright dreadful – DeChambeau topped and shanked shots, Westwood sliced one and they combined to go 3 over on the short par 4.
Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood played the fourth hole in nightmarish fashion Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
While both players still had a chance to win entering the last few holes, they also allowed Thomas to take control. Thomas couldn’t buy a putt early on and didn’t make a birdie until the ninth hole, but that’s when he caught fire, birdieing No. 10, eagling No. 11 to take a one-shot lead and adding to his advantage with a birdie at No. 12. Westwood tied Thomas with an 8-foot birdie make at No. 14, but he hit two poor shots on the par-5 16th hole and then three-putted No. 17 to end his bid. DeChambeau played Nos. 12-16 in 3 under with an eagle at No. 16, but his early struggles dug him too deep of a hole. Thomas’ closing 68 capped a 14-under weekend performance at the Stadium Course, where Thomas was outside the cut line through 27 holes.
What it means: It hadn’t been an easy start to the year for Thomas. Some of it was self-inflicted, as Thomas uttered a homophobic slur at the year opener in Hawaii and was subsequently dropped by his clothing sponsor. But he also lost his grandfather, PGA professional Paul Thomas, in February, and Thomas’ play on the course had suffered with two missed cuts and no top-10s in four starts since Kapalua. “I’ve had definitely my fair share of lows this season,” he said after shooting 64 on Saturday, a low round that set up Sunday’s heroics. Now, Thomas is back in the winner’s circle for the first time since the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis last summer, and he’s won a Tour event for the seventh straight year.
Rounds of the day: Several players made nice runs up the board on the final day, including Corey Conners, Charles Howell III and Sungjae Im, who all shot closing 66s to increase the size of their checks. Conners moved up to solo seventh while Howell also posted a backdoor top-10 finish.
Shot of the day: Thomas’ eagle at No. 11 came from just inside of 20 feet, but we thought the celebration was even better.
Not to be overlooked, though, was his heart-stopping drive on the par-4 18th.
Biggest disappointment: The final pairing. Westwood and DeChambeau combined to shoot 1 under, and neither had a chance to win on the 18th green. That’s incredibly disappointing. Westwood was constantly trying to salvage par and ultimately failed on the 17th. DeChambeau never seemed to get on track after the debacle at No. 4.
Quote of the day: “I fought so hard today, stayed patient. Probably one of the best rounds of my life, tee to green.” – Thomas
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
