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The Masters: Rory McIlroy defeats Justin Rose in playoff for his green jacket, completes grand slam

The Masters: Rory McIlroy defeats Justin Rose in playoff for his green jacket, completes grand slam

Yahoo13-04-2025
Rory McIlroy is a Masters champion — finally — after one more perfect iron shot on a Sunday that no one who witnessed it will soon forget.
McIlroy hit a gap wedge from 126 yards to 4 feet on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose, who hit his own fine approach to the par-4 18th. But Rose missed from 15 feet and McIlroy holed out for birdie and the long-awaited victory. He collapsed to the ground and let out a joyous roar before hugging his caddie, Harry Diamond.
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McIlroy becomes the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam by winning all four of golf's major championships. The last was Tiger Woods when he won the British Open at St. Andrews in 2000.
The 35-year-old McIlroy won his first Masters in his 17th attempt and became the first player since Arnold Palmer came up with the idea of a modern Grand Slam to finish it off by winning at Augusta National.
McIlroy had been trying for a decade for the Grand Slam and his fifth major title overall. His last was at the 2014 PGA Championship.
Channel 2 Action News will have reaction to the exciting playoff finish, TONIGHT on SportsZone Sunday.
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Japan's golden era is here: Miyu Yamashita wins first major at AIG Women's British Open
Japan's golden era is here: Miyu Yamashita wins first major at AIG Women's British Open

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Japan's golden era is here: Miyu Yamashita wins first major at AIG Women's British Open

As golf's major season comes to end, the LPGA's historic march of champions rolls on. One day after Japan's Miyu Yamashita celebrated her 24th birthday, the petite Japanese star gave herself what she surely wanted most: a major victory. Yamashita becomes the tour's 21st different winner this season, closing with a 2-under 70 to finish at 11 under and edge out English sensation Charley Hull and compatriot Minami Katsu by two strokes at the 2025 AIG Women's British Open. The record number of champions to this point in the season stands in stark contrast to 2024, when Nelly Korda won seven times and Lydia Ko played her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame. From dominance to diversity, Yamashita becomes the fourth rookie to win on tour this season. 'To win such an historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is such an incredible feeling,' said Yamashita with the aid of an interpreter. A 13-time winner on the JLPGA, Yamashita is a rookie on the LPGA in name only given her vast success on home soil, including three majors on that tour. She came into the Women's British Open ranked 15th in the world. She leaves with a trophy and a big payday. The first-place prize this year was $1,462,500 out of a record total purse of $9,750,000. The week began with England's newest star Lottie Woad the bookmakers' betting favorite in only her second professional start. A late triple-bogey on Friday halted Woad's bid to win two in a row, but a top-10 finish for a second straight year in this championship is a fine showing, given her recent whirlwind stretch. 'Just walking out from the first tee, I got a loud cheer,' said Woad, 'and I could tell everyone was rooting for me. That was nice.' Woad ultimately took a share of eighth. Yamashita's good fortune started with the pairings, when she found herself grouped with good friend and compatriot Rio Takeda for the first two rounds, a rare opportunity on the LPGA. That comfortable pairing along with the luck of the draw in weather going off late/early in the first two rounds, helped her build a three-shot lead heading into the weekend. On Saturday, however, the straight player with the sweet short game suddenly turned crooked and her putter went ice cold, taking 34 putts. NBC booth analyst Morgan Pressel summed it up best as Yamashita limped home at Royal Porthcawl: "Almost everything has gone wrong for Miyu Yamashita, and she's still in the lead." She stayed on the range late Saturday evening with her father trying to straighten out a two-way miss. Billed as the biggest women's sporting event ever staged in Wales, the crowds were strong all week, even when the weather started out rough on Sunday with rain, wind and cold keeping the early-goers from making much of a move. Perhaps it was Yamashita's cheery yellow sweater that coaxed out the sun late in the afternoon as the leaders made their way along the coast. Stanford's Paula Martin Sampedro showed what was possible down the stretch at Porthcawl, as she put an exclamation point on her week in Wales with a back-nine 30 that included five consecutive birdies. It marked the lowest inward nine for the week by two strokes. The Spaniard, who played alongside two-time Smyth Salver winner Lydia Ko, closed with a 4-under 68 to zoom up the board and cap a summer that included victories at the British Women's Amateur and European Ladies' Amateur Championship in Germany. 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Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another
Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another

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Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another
Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another

Associated Press

time7 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Stephanie Kyriacou already made an ace at the Women's British. Then she assisted on another

PORTHCAWL, Wales (AP) — Stephanie Kyriacou played a role in a pair of aces at the Women's British Open this week. She made the first hole-in-one of the championship at Royal Porthcawl. And on Sunday, she assisted on the other. Mimi Rhodes of England made a hole-in-one on the par-3 fifth hole when her tee shot glanced off the golf ball belonging to Kyriacou and caromed right into the cup in the final round. Her shot would have rolled by if not for Kyriacou's golf ball being there. Kyriacou had hit first and nearly made her second ace until the ball rolled just left of the hole, inches away. Kyriacou made a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth in the second round on Friday. ___ AP golf:

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