Bubba Watson among 7 LIV golfers to WD from U.S. Open qualifier

Bubba Watson was one of seven players tied to LIV Golf that opted to withdraw from a U.S. Open final qualifying site on Monday in Rockville, Md.
Monday is the final day of U.S. Open qualifying, often billed as "the longest day in golf," as players at 10 sites across North America play 36 holes to compete for the final spots in the major championship field.
A number of LIV Golf members signed up to play at the Woodmont Country Club qualifying site before the league plays outside Washington, D.C., later this week.
Watson opted not to move forward with the qualifier, joined by Ben Campbell of New Zealand, David Puig of Spain, Matt Jones of Australia, Thomas Pieters of Belgium and Englishman Lee Westwood.
Additionally, Australia's Wade Ormsby, a reserve who has appeared in two LIV events in 2025, dropped out.
Not all LIV players decided to skip out, of course. Marc Leishman of Australia shot a 1-under-par 70 in his first 18 holes. Brendan Steele and India's Anirban Lahiri were in the mix after even-par 71s.
However, only the top four players at the site will qualify for the major, slated for June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh.
Several of LIV's most prominent players are already in the U.S. Open field. Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Spaniard Jon Rahm are invited as U.S. Open winners from the past 10 years; DeChambeau is the defending champion.
Englishman Richard Bland was invited after winning the 2024 U.S. Senior Open. A pair of other recent major winners Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith are exempt as well.
Sergio Garcia of Spain fell one stroke shy of a playoff at a final qualifying site last month in Dallas.
Field Level Media

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

News18

an hour ago

• News18

Carlos Alcaraz Beats Jiri Lehecka To Claim Queen's Crown

Last Updated: The 22-year-old posted a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 triumph over his Czech opponent in the summit clash at the Andy Murray Arena on Sunday. Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jiri Lehecka to claim the Queen's Club title for the second time in his career on Sunday as the Spaniard warmed up for the upcoming grass court Grand Slam event at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old posted a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 triumph over his Czech opponent in the summit clash at the Andy Murray Arena. Alcaraz started his campaign in the tune-up event with a straight-sets win over Australian Adam Walton, before showing compatriot Jaunme Munar the exit door in the Round of 16. Arthur Rinderknech was no match for the Spaniard Alcaraz, who cruise past the Frenchman in straight sets in the quarterfinals before he ousted another fellow countryman, Roberto Bautista Agut in the semis en route to the championship clash win over Lehecka. More To Follow…

The Hindu

2 hours ago

• The Hindu

Alcaraz wins Queen's Club Championships ahead of Wimbledon title defence

Top-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz claimed his second title at the Queen's Club in London on Sunday, ahead of Wimbledon 2025 where he will be the two-time defending champion. World No. 2 Alcaraz, who bagged his maiden grasscourt title at the same ATP 500 event in 2023, defeated Czechia's Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 inside a packed Andy Murray Arena to extend his unbeaten streak to 18 matches. With his fourth title on grass, the 22-year-old Alcaraz also tied Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez for the most titles amongst Spanish men on the surface in the Open Era. Alcaraz pounced at 5-5 to break the Lehecka serve and duly bagged the opening set in 45 minutes. King Carlos II 👑 The moment @carlosalcaraz was crowned the King of Queen's for a second time! # — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 22, 2025 Lehecka, bidding to become the first Czech to win the Queen's title since Ivan Lendl in 1990, continued going toe-to-toe with the five-times Grand Slam champion and edged the second set tie-break with some clinical tennis. Alcaraz had more in his locker though and forged 4-1 ahead in the decider as Lehecka's level finally began to drop. He then broke the 23-year-old Lehecka's serve again to complete victory, letting out a roar of a delight as Lehecka struck a backhand into the net. Wimbledon will be held from June 30 to July 13. (With inputs from Reuters)

First Post

3 hours ago

• First Post

Sunil Gavaskar stirs another controversy around Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, slams ECB: 'Tendulkar will always be above him'

Sunil Gavaskar has now raised another concern about the naming of the newly launched Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and urged Indian fans to call it by a name he suggested. read more Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has sparked a new debate over the naming of the newly launched Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In his latest column, Gavaskar said that while the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can name the trophy whatever they want, Indian fans might find it strange that James Anderson's name has been put before Sachin Tendulkar's. Gavaskar slams ECB Gavaskar explained that Tendulkar is not only India's greatest cricketer but also much senior to Anderson in terms of experience. He pointed out that Tendulkar has scored the most runs and centuries in Test cricket, and even in ODIs. Meanwhile, Anderson is third on the all-time Test wicket-takers list, and his ODI record is nowhere close to Tendulkar's. 'The ECB is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose but for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers it is jarring to know that Anderson's name comes first. Not only is Sachin Tendulkar along with Kapil Dev the greatest Indian cricketer, but also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years. He is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket but also at the one-day level too he has more runs than anybody else. Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar in one-day cricket,' Gavaskar wrote for Mid-Day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gavaskar also criticised the explanation given by the ECB that the names were put alphabetically. He called it a 'lame' reason and said there is simply no comparison between Tendulkar and Anderson in terms of what they've done for their countries. He added that he has great respect for Anderson, but as an Indian, Tendulkar will always be above him in his eyes. 'Tendulkar is also part of a World cup-winning team which Anderson has not been. Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler but mainly in English conditions and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar's is. So, by all accounts Tendulkar's name should come first. This argument that they are going by the letters of the alphabet where the letter A comes before T is such a lame one for there's simply no comparison with what Tendulkar has done and achieved and what Anderson has for their respective countries. Please don't misunderstand, there's massive respect for Anderson but as an Indian, for me Tendulkar will always be above him. I also urge all Indian cricket lovers including the Indian media to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy,' he added. Gavaskar had earlier expressed his doubts over the renaming of the trophy, raising concerns about the legacy of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, after whom the original cup was named. Tendulkar then stepped in and urged the ECB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to maintain a connection with Pataudi. Following these concerns, the ECB decided to introduce the Pataudi Medal for Excellence, which will be awarded to the winning captain.