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Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Singaporean golfers Chen Xingtong, Guo Junxi qualify for US Girls' Junior C'ship
Chen Xingtong (left) secured her place at the tournament with an even-par 72 on June 16, while Guo Junxi had booked her place in May. PHOTOS: CHEN FAN, JUNXIGUA/INSTAGRAM SINGAPORE – A promising debut in the United States has boosted national golfer Chen Xingtong's confidence ahead of the US Girls' Junior Championship, which will take place from July 14 to 19. The 16-year-old secured her place at the tournament with an even-par 72 at a one-day qualifier at Crescent Farms Golf Club in Missouri on June 16. She topped a 20-player field to claim the only spot available, mixing three birdies with three bogeys to finish one shot ahead of Americans Lisa Zhang and Eva Brown. Joining her at the Atlanta Athletic Club's Riverside Course in Johns Creek, Georgia, will be junior national squad player Guo Junxi. The 15-year-old had booked her place in May through another qualifier in Florida, where she is based, clinching the second of two available berths with a birdie in a play-off against American Charlotte Cantonis and Brazil's Maria Antonia Gaviao. The trio were tied at one-over 71 in regulation play. Xingtong was thrilled to have qualified, noting that the one-day format with just one spot on offer made it challenging. Unlike typical three- or four-day tournaments where there is time to recover from mistakes, she felt that this left little margin for error and acknowledged that luck likely played a part in her success. The Singapore Sports School student added: 'It's my first time in the US, so I'm glad to have started out strong and hopefully will continue to do well here. 'I'm really looking forward to competing as this is a good opportunity to measure myself against the world's best in my age group, as well as seeing my friends who have also qualified for the tournament.' It is not the first time that she will be playing with some of the world's best; she has also played in the last two editions of the HSBC Women's World Championship after winning the national qualifying tournaments in 2024 and 2025. The 274th-ranked amateur has had a month to remember. Just a fortnight ago, she won the Singapore Junior Golf Championship with a five-under 211 giving her a six-shot win over Thailand's Kanyarak Pongpithanon. Xingtong and Junxi will be following in the footsteps of fellow Singaporean Jaymie Ng, who played in the 2022 edition of the US Girls' Junior Championship. Pleased with the teenage duo's performances in the US, national coach Murray Smit said: 'It is very significant that both Junxi and Xingtong have qualified for the US Girls' Junior. 'From what I understand it is the first time that Singapore have had two players qualify, which is really exciting. 'The qualifiers are traditionally really tough to get through. So for both of them to get through that route, shows that they are both ready for the incredible opportunity to compete with many of the best female juniors in the world.' The US Girls' Junior Championship is one of 15 US national golf competitions organised by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur girls under the age of 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA handicap index of 9.4 or less. It consists of two days of stroke play, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a match-play competition to decide the champion. Notable past winners include two-time LPGA champion Rose Zhang, Australian double Major winner Minjee Lee, as well as former world No. 1s Ariya Jutanugarn, also a two-time Major champion, and South Korea's Olympic gold medallist Park In-bee, who has won seven Majors. Smit believes the competition will be beneficial for the duo's development, saying: 'This is going to be a wonderful experience for both players. USGA events are always extremely well-organised but the competition is as strong as it gets and the courses are always a stern test. 'It will give them a great idea as to how they compare with the best Under-19s in the world and will pinpoint the areas in their respective games that need improvement for the years ahead.' Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Another quick major chance for top-ranked Nelly Korda when Women's PGA tees off in Texas
Associated Press FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda was still in contention on the closing holes and feeling the adrenaline rush of trying to win another major championship before coming up short less than a month ago. The world's top-ranked player, still without a win this season, doesn't have to wait long before another major opportunity. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship tees off Thursday on the 6,604-yard Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, three weeks after Korda was a runner-up to Maja Stark in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. 'There's nothing like it, being in contention, so I think that's kind of what makes me hungrier to come back and to work harder and put myself into that position," Korda said. 'You can look at it in a positive way, you can look at it in a negative way, but at the end of the day, three weeks after, I can spin it in a positive way." While that much-desired U.S. Women's Open title has so far eluded the 26-year-old Korda, who first played that event at age 14, she has two majors among her 15 career wins: the 2021 Women's PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and the Chevron Championship last year. Korda, Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko — the top three players in the world — will play together in the first two rounds on one of the two courses at the PGA headquarters that opened just two years ago in North Texas. 'Every major, I just want to make the cut, to be honest,' said Thitikul, the 22-year-old from Thailand already with five career wins. 'What I have now under my belt, I'm pretty happy with all I've achieved. If I can get it, it would be great.' After missing two tournaments late last year during the LPGA's Asia swing because of a minor neck injury, Korda said her neck 'went into a full spasm' after she hit a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday. She skipped the champions dinner that night, and had therapeutic tape on her neck after playing Tuesday, but said she would be ready Thursday. This will be the 10th start for Korda in a season when there have been 15 winners in 15 tournaments, including first-time major champions Stark and Mao Saigo at the Chevron Championship in April. Korda missed the cut at the Women's PGA last year at Sahalee after a second-round 81, only weeks after her opening 80 that led to a missed cut at the U.S. Women's Open. That was after the Chevron Championship had capped an incredible stretch of winning five consecutive tournaments. 'I know that this golf course is a little newer, so I'm guessing the greens ... they're going to be pretty firm. If it does get windy out here, you'll see a lot of girls have trouble holding the greens,' she said. 'But at the end of the day, this is what I love about playing in majors, this is what I love about the game, is that it tests you in every single way.' Defending champion Since her first major win at the Women's PGA last year, Amy Yang has only one top-10 finish in 20 tournaments. She has missed the cut in two of her last three starts, with her best finish since February a tie for 36th at the U.S. Women's Open. The 35-year-old Yang won by three strokes last year and her peers doused her in Champagne during the celebration on the 18th green. Last major winner Stark said she hasn't really had time to digest her U.S. Women's Open victory before getting ready for another major. 'Just really hasn't landed yet,' the 25-year-old Swede said. '(Life) hasn't changed that much. I feel like maybe a bit less stress about keeping the tour card and that stuff.' After winning at Erin Hills, Stark missed the cut the following week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic before taking off last week. 'I don't really feel that much pressure going into majors in normal cases, but I think my perspective is kind of changed in that (the) U.S. Open was something that I always wanted to win,' she said. 'I am feeling it more and more coming into this week that I'm getting more and more excited about this major.' Major stretch and a new course The Women's PGA is the second of four majors in a span of eight events over two months. There will be only one other tournament before the Evian Championship in France, then one more before the Women's British Open. The par-72 Fields Ranch East also hosted the Senior PGA Championship two years ago. The PGA Championship is set to be played there in 2027 and 2034, with the Senior PGA returning in 2029 and the Women's PGA in 2031. 'I think (architect) Gil Hanse and the team, they designed this course to host championships,' Ko said. 'It's designed with a purpose.' ___ AP golf:
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Another quick major chance for top-ranked Nelly Korda when Women's PGA tees off in Texas
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda was still in contention on the closing holes and feeling the adrenaline rush of trying to win another major championship before coming up short less than a month ago. The world's top-ranked player, still without a win this season, doesn't have to wait long before another major opportunity. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship tees off Thursday on the 6,604-yard Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, three weeks after Korda was a runner-up to Maja Stark in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. 'There's nothing like it, being in contention, so I think that's kind of what makes me hungrier to come back and to work harder and put myself into that position,' Korda said. 'You can look at it in a positive way, you can look at it in a negative way, but at the end of the day, three weeks after, I can spin it in a positive way.' While that much-desired U.S. Women's Open title has so far eluded the 26-year-old Korda, who first played that event at age 14, she has two majors among her 15 career wins: the 2021 Women's PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and the Chevron Championship last year. Korda, Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko — the top three players in the world — will play together in the first two rounds on one of the two courses at the PGA headquarters that opened just two years ago in North Texas. 'Every major, I just want to make the cut, to be honest,' said Thitikul, the 22-year-old from Thailand already with five career wins. 'What I have now under my belt, I'm pretty happy with all I've achieved. If I can get it, it would be great.' After missing two tournaments late last year during the LPGA's Asia swing because of a minor neck injury, Korda said her neck 'went into a full spasm' after she hit a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday. She skipped the champions dinner that night, and had therapeutic tape on her neck after playing Tuesday, but said she would be ready Thursday. This will be the 10th start for Korda in a season when there have been 15 winners in 15 tournaments, including first-time major champions Stark and Mao Saigo at the Chevron Championship in April. Korda missed the cut at the Women's PGA last year at Sahalee after a second-round 81, only weeks after her opening 80 that led to a missed cut at the U.S. Women's Open. That was after the Chevron Championship had capped an incredible stretch of winning five consecutive tournaments. 'I know that this golf course is a little newer, so I'm guessing the greens ... they're going to be pretty firm. If it does get windy out here, you'll see a lot of girls have trouble holding the greens,' she said. 'But at the end of the day, this is what I love about playing in majors, this is what I love about the game, is that it tests you in every single way.' Defending champion Since her first major win at the Women's PGA last year, Amy Yang has only one top-10 finish in 20 tournaments. She has missed the cut in two of her last three starts, with her best finish since February a tie for 36th at the U.S. Women's Open. The 35-year-old Yang won by three strokes last year and her peers doused her in Champagne during the celebration on the 18th green. Last major winner Stark said she hasn't really had time to digest her U.S. Women's Open victory before getting ready for another major. 'Just really hasn't landed yet,' the 25-year-old Swede said. '(Life) hasn't changed that much. I feel like maybe a bit less stress about keeping the tour card and that stuff.' After winning at Erin Hills, Stark missed the cut the following week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic before taking off last week. 'I don't really feel that much pressure going into majors in normal cases, but I think my perspective is kind of changed in that (the) U.S. Open was something that I always wanted to win,' she said. 'I am feeling it more and more coming into this week that I'm getting more and more excited about this major.' Major stretch and a new course The Women's PGA is the second of four majors in a span of eight events over two months. There will be only one other tournament before the Evian Championship in France, then one more before the Women's British Open. The par-72 Fields Ranch East also hosted the Senior PGA Championship two years ago. The PGA Championship is set to be played there in 2027 and 2034, with the Senior PGA returning in 2029 and the Women's PGA in 2031. 'I think (architect) Gil Hanse and the team, they designed this course to host championships,' Ko said. 'It's designed with a purpose.' ___ AP golf:
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nelly Korda and Co. get another major opportunity at KPMG Women's PGA
Nelly Korda speaks with the media ahead of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, recounting her history of neck injuries and a recent flare-up in a practice round, before detailing her mindset for the weekend. FRISCO, Texas — Nelly Korda was still in contention on the closing holes and feeling the adrenaline rush of trying to win another major championship before coming up short less than a month ago. The world's top-ranked player, still without a win this season, doesn't have to wait long before another major opportunity. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship tees off Thursday on the 6,604-yard Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, three weeks after Korda was a runner-up to Maja Stark in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. 'There's nothing like it, being in contention, so I think that's kind of what makes me hungrier to come back and to work harder and put myself into that position,' Korda said. 'You can look at it in a positive way, you can look at it in a negative way, but at the end of the day, three weeks after, I can spin it in a positive way.' While that much-desired U.S. Women's Open title has so far eluded the 26-year-old Korda, who first played that event at age 14, she has two majors among her 15 career wins: the 2021 Women's PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and the Chevron Championship last year. Korda, Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko — the top three players in the world — will play together in the first two rounds on one of the two courses at the PGA headquarters that opened just two years ago in North Texas. 'Every major, I just want to make the cut, to be honest,' said Thitikul, the 22-year-old from Thailand already with five career wins. 'What I have now under my belt, I'm pretty happy with all I've achieved. If I can get it, it would be great.' After missing two tournaments late last year during the LPGA's Asia swing because of a minor neck injury, Korda said her neck 'went into a full spasm' after she hit a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday. She skipped the champions dinner that night, and had therapeutic tape on her neck after playing Tuesday, but said she would be ready Thursday. This will be the 10th start for Korda in a season when there have been 15 winners in 15 tournaments, including first-time major champions Stark and Mao Saigo at the Chevron Championship in April. Korda missed the cut at the Women's PGA last year at Sahalee after a second-round 81, only weeks after her opening 80 that led to a missed cut at the U.S. Women's Open. That was after the Chevron Championship had capped an incredible stretch of winning five consecutive tournaments. 'I know that this golf course is a little newer, so I'm guessing the greens ... they're going to be pretty firm. If it does get windy out here, you'll see a lot of girls have trouble holding the greens,' she said. 'But at the end of the day, this is what I love about playing in majors, this is what I love about the game, is that it tests you in every single way.' Golf Channel Staff, Defending champion Since her first major win at the Women's PGA last year, Amy Yang has only one top-10 finish in 20 tournaments. She has missed the cut in two of her last three starts, with her best finish since February a tie for 36th at the U.S. Women's Open. The 35-year-old Yang won by three strokes last year and her peers doused her in Champagne during the celebration on the 18th green. Last major winner Stark said she hasn't really had time to digest her U.S. Women's Open victory before getting ready for another major. 'Just really hasn't landed yet,' the 25-year-old Swede said. '(Life) hasn't changed that much. I feel like maybe a bit less stress about keeping the tour card and that stuff.' After winning at Erin Hills, Stark missed the cut the following week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic before taking off last week. 'I don't really feel that much pressure going into majors in normal cases, but I think my perspective is kind of changed in that (the) U.S. Open was something that I always wanted to win,' she said. 'I am feeling it more and more coming into this week that I'm getting more and more excited about this major.' Major stretch and a new course The Women's PGA is the second of four majors in a span of eight events over two months. There will be only one other tournament before the Evian Championship in France, then one more before the AIG Women's Open. The par-72 Fields Ranch East also hosted the Senior PGA Championship two years ago. The PGA Championship is set to be played there in 2027 and 2034, with the Senior PGA returning in 2029 and the Women's PGA in 2031. 'I think (architect) Gil Hanse and the team, they designed this course to host championships,' Ko said. 'It's designed with a purpose.' Maja Stark joins the media ahead of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship to reflect on how her life has changed after winning her first major at the U.S. Women's Open and how she's preparing for another one.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
J.J. Spaun is still processing his U.S. Open win on the eve of the Travelers Championship
J.J. Spaun is still processing his U.S. Open win on the eve of the Travelers Championship Life is changing fast for 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, who said Wednesday that he's still coming down from his Oakmont triumph. CROMWELL, Conn. — J.J. Spaun hasn't had the quiet, still moment where the world fades, the noise quiets, and the magnitude of what just happened finally hits. The 33-year-old from Los Angeles is a U.S. Open champion, and on Wednesday morning at TPC River Highlands, a few days removed from draining a 64-foot putt to win at Oakmont, he admitted it hasn't fully sunk in. 'I'm not like fully in the clouds still,' Spaun said with a grin on Wednesday morning. 'We're getting a little below the ceiling.' That was Spaun's way of saying: this is still surreal. His phone is stacked with messages he hasn't answered. He's appeared on national TV. His beloved Los Angeles Dodgers reached out. So did Mookie Betts. George Lopez texted. In the middle of it all, he's doing his best to get his head around his accomplishment and recalibrate to life as a major champion — and find a time and place to exhale. 'I got back (to his hotel from Oakmont) at 1:30 a.m., and I just kind of sat in bed, trying to maybe go through my phone,' Spaun said, recalling what happened after the trophy presentation ended, he signed mountains of memorabilia, and completed his duties as the new U.S. Open champion. 'Took a quick shower, started going through my phone to respond to some people, and just tried to see what was going on to help me soak it in and realize that it actually happened. It's just been such a blur since then.' That's not the way Spaun instinctively likes to soak in his accomplishments. 'It would be nice to just sit on my couch at home and have the trophy sitting right next to me and watch some SportsCenter or something,' he said. 'That's kind of how I like to enjoy things.' That moment, he says, is coming next week, after this week's Travelers Championship where he is scheduled to play Thursday afternoon with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The weight and the wonder What Spaun accomplished at Oakmont is no small thing. He won on what many believe is the toughest U.S. Open course. He did it by going 3 under over the final nine holes, in swirling wind, on a soaked course, after a weather delay. It was as gritty as golf gets. The win vaulted Spaun to No. 8 on the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 3 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. It earned him a spot in the history books and put a spotlight on his back. Life changes fast after your first major, and his fellow pros know it. 'The first time you come back out to the course is a bit of a circus,' said Scheffler, who has won two Masters and last month's PGA Championship. 'There's more people, more stuff to sign. It's a different energy, but J.J. earned it.' Keegan Bradley, who is the United States Ryder Cup captain, won the first major he ever played, the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. 'Everything changed after Atlanta,' Bradley said Wednesday at TPC River Highlands. 'I remember coming home and going out to dinner with my friends and walking into the restaurant. I could feel that people knew who I was. I had never felt that. The thing I told J.J. was I hope he really enjoys this.' Spaun has talked openly about wondering recently whether he was going to lose his PGA Tour card and whether his professional career might end soon, but after losing to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Players Championship in March, and now winning the U.S Open, he's the one doing the inspiring. Jordan Spieth, who has won three majors and returned to the PGA Tour this season after a wrist injury, said, 'To see J.J. grind it out, to say last year, 'If this is the end, so be it,' and then turn it around, and now he's almost won two of the biggest four events this year? That's the kind of story that reminds you why you love this sport.' Walking the tight rope The balancing act Spaun must perform now is appreciating what he has done while maintaining the high level of play that won him the U.S. Open in the first place. 'I definitely need to keep the hunger,' he said on Wednesday. 'Winning the U.S. Open is going to be a huge boost to that sort of inner ego, I guess you could say, to keep that self-belief alive and burning.' Self-doubt and wondering whether he had what it takes to be successful on the PGA Tour was something that challenged Spaun in the past, and something he had to overcome. 'I feel like that's kind of been my biggest barrier throughout my entire career – just trying not to be so hard on myself and not ruining any sort of confidence that I've built from all these experiences on my journey as a golfer,' Spaun said. Player after player who competed last week at the U.S. Open has said this week's Travelers Championship, a tournament that prides itself on a relaxed atmosphere, player-friendly amenities (Pizza trucks and an espresso bar on the driving range, anyone?) and low scores comes at the perfect time. For Spaun, this no-cut PGA Tour Signature Event might be the perfect low-stress environment he needs before the British Open, FedEx Cup Playoffs, and now, the Ryder Cup. Keegan Bradley discussed Spaun on Wednesday as if he were already on the team. 'I think he's a guy that people at Bethpage will really resonate with and a guy that on our team is the heartbeat,' Bradley said. 'He's now the U.S. Open champion. That's a heavy burden to bear, but he's also -- that's also a great thing to have on your team.' At some point next week, sitting on his sofa with the U.S. Open trophy beside him, that will be something nice for Spaun to quietly think about.
