logo
ENع

Latest from NBC Sports

In battle of tour pros' sons, Gutschewski beats Kuchar for Western Junior title
In battle of tour pros' sons, Gutschewski beats Kuchar for Western Junior title

NBC Sports

time18 minutes ago

  • Sport
  • NBC Sports

In battle of tour pros' sons, Gutschewski beats Kuchar for Western Junior title

Trevor Gutschewski proved Thursday that winning golf is never that far away. Gutschewski, the incoming Florida freshman and son of tour pro Scott Gutschewski, had mostly struggled since capturing the U.S. Junior Amateur last July. But fresh off a missed cut at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Gutschewski got back to his victorious ways with a one-shot win over another son of a PGA Tour veteran, Cameron Kuchar, Matt Kuchar's oldest. With three birdies in his last six holes at the Harvester Club in Rhodes, Iowa, Gutschewski carded a closing 2-under 70 to finish at 7 under. Kuchar, who is committed to TCU for 2026, joined Gutschewski in playing his back nine in 2 under, though a second-round 74 proved too costly after his leading 67 after the first round. Gutschewski beat recent Sunnehanna Amateur winner Tyler Watts in last summer's U.S. Junior final, but he followed with a missed cut at the Korn Ferry Tour's Pinnacle Bank Championship, T-262 at the U.S. Amateur, T-55 at the AJGA Junior Players, T-13 at Nebraska Open and T-24 at the Jones Cup Junior to close the year. Then last March he beat only four players at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. He followed with a T-71 at the Terra Cotta Invitational and then posted back-to-back 80s last week at Oakmont. He now joins a list of past Western Junior champions that dates to 1914 and includes Bobby Clampett (1978), Willie Wood (1979), Jim Furyk (1987), Trip Kuehne (1991), Hunter Mahan (1999), Rickie Fowler (2005), Patrick Rodgers (2010), Collin Morikawa (2013) and Kevin Yu (2015).

Jeeno Thitikul makes nearly 200 feet of putts to lead KPMG Women's PGA
Jeeno Thitikul makes nearly 200 feet of putts to lead KPMG Women's PGA

NBC Sports

timean hour ago

  • Sport
  • NBC Sports

Jeeno Thitikul makes nearly 200 feet of putts to lead KPMG Women's PGA

After an errant second shot on the par-5 eighth hole, Nelly Korda capitalizes with a fantastic pitch shot to set up her birdie putt at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. FRISCO, Texas — Jenno Thitikul walked off the fifth green after a double bogey in the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship reminding herself to stay patient and that some missed shots are going to happen. 'Majors, you're going to miss anyway,' said Thitikul, who's No. 2 in the women's world ranking. 'A way to bounce back, it's more important.' Thitikul certainly found a way to do that on a hot and windy Thursday, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead over Minjee Lee (69). Haeran Ryu, Rio Takeda and Somi Lee all shot 70. That only hole over par for Thitikul was followed by a par before she made five birdies in a six-hole stretch, with a 60-footer on the par-3 eighth hole in the middle of three in a row. 'My putter went really well,' said the 22-year-old from Thailand, who is seeking her first major title. 'In the front nine we had a lot of breeze going, and more than the back nine, but like (made) putts 7, 8, 9, which boosts the confidence up making the turn to the back nine.' Thitikul, who lives in the Dallas area, needed only 25 putts on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco. Her makes measured 199 1/2 feet. Thitikul played with top-ranked Nelly Korda (72) and No. 3 Lydia Ko (75). Korda, who reaggravated a neck injury with a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday, opened with seven consecutive pars in a round that had two birdies and two bogeys. Ko was the only in the group to make a birdie at the 513-yard, par-5 first hole, but didn't make another the rest of the day. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain 'just with rotation' of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable to sleep at night. 'It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice,' she said. 'Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now.' Korda opened with seven pars, including at the 317-yard, par-4 seventh hole, where she hit a 294-yard drive into a valley just short of the green. Her initial pitch from there ricocheted off the edge of the green and rolled back down the slope to where she was. Korda hit her next shot to 2 feet. Associated Press, That fifth hole for Thitkul started with a drive out of bounds and a penalty. Her birdie streak began with a nearly 18-footer at No. 7 before the long one at the eighth. She rolled in a 35-foot birdie at No. 17, and just missed making another one more than twice that long on the 434-yard, par-4 18th. Two-time major winner Lee, a 29-year-old Australian, hasn't won since 2023. She opened Thursday with a bogey and finished with two bogeys over the last three holes. In between, she made seven birdies. 'I feel like they were pretty soft bogeys. ... Well, on 16, that was a bit soft and obviously the first hole is a par 5. I should be making birdie or par at the least,' Lee said. 'Obviously there will be bogeys, but I think for me, I just try to stay patient. If I make a bogey I just try it back it up with something better than that. Can't get ahead of yourself, especially in this kind of weather. I think it's more just the heat that's draining your focus.' Lee bogeyed the 425-yard 12th hole, where she drove into thick rough to the right and from there went into the left rough. She saved par at the par-3 13th by blasting from a bunker to 5 1/2 feet and had consecutive birdies to get to 5 under — the lowest by anyone in the first round. Then came her late bogeys, missing a 7-foot par on the 16th and hitting her approach on the 18th into a bunker.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store