Latest news with #JCBGolfandCountryClub
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star reaches £43m as ex-Ryder Cup ace who beat Rory McIlroy refuses prize money
The world of golf continues to buzz with headline-grabbing drama, surprise developments and eye-catching storylines involving some of the sport's biggest names The final major of the season might be done and dusted, but the golfing landscape is still ablaze with stories of triumph, redemption, and jaw-dropping earnings. Scottie Scheffler's recent victory at The Open Championship further solidified his dominance, clinching another major title with a masterful performance at Royal Portrush, pushing his PGA Tour earnings this season above the £14million mark. But the American isn't the only one making a killing, with LIV Golf's lucrative purses propelling players like Joaquin Niemann to new financial heights. Elsewhere, a former Ryder Cup star who once outshone Rory McIlroy made headlines by turning down prize money after a stunning return. Meanwhile, McIlroy himself turned heads with an expected appearance, and Kurt Kitayama etched his name into PGA Tour history with an extraordinary feat. Here, Mirror Sport provides a roundup of the latest news from the fairways. Niemann's LIV Golf riches soar Joaquin Niemann's victory at LIV Golf UK on Sunday added another £3m to his already impressive earnings, pushing his total LIV prize money to £43m. The Chilean star, who missed the cut at The Open, has now played 43 events in the Saudi-backed series. His latest triumph at JCB Golf and Country Club in England saw him outpace a strong field, cementing his status as one of LIV's top earners. With £43m banked, Niemann trails only Talor Gooch and Dustin Johnson in the LIV money list. This year, however, he's top of the earnings table with £15.8m collected, edging out big-name stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Dubuisson refuses prize money Victor Dubuisson, the enigmatic Frenchman who pipped Rory McIlroy to win the 2015 Turkish Airlines Open, made a sensational return to competitive golf by clinching the Biarritz Cup on the Alps Tour. The former Ryder Cup star, who retired in 2023 to focus on coaching, fired rounds of 62-65-61 to win in a playoff against Jorge Maicas. Remarkably, Dubuisson declined the £6,600 winner's cheque, citing "a gesture of personal principle," allowing Maicas to claim the top prize instead. The 35-year-old, who has been running clinics in Tenerife, hinted at a permanent comeback but remains undecided. McIlroy's surprise appearance Rory McIlroy, fresh from a post-Open Championship holiday in France, made an unexpected appearance at the Senior Open at Carnoustie, Scotland. The world No. 2, who has faced scrutiny after failing to keep his Masters momentum going, was spotted supporting the over-50s field, including former Ryder Cup team-mates like Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington. The Northern Irishman's presence at the event sparked speculation about his late-season plans. While he didn't compete, his attendance highlighted his enduring passion for the game and its history. With all four majors in the rear-view mirror, McIlroy's focus will now switch to next month's Wyndham Championship, FedEx St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship as the season begins to wind down. Kitayama's record-breaking win Kurt Kitayama stormed to victory at the 3M Open, securing his second PGA Tour title in style and etching his name into the record books. The 32-year-old American carded an astonishing 20 birdies over the weekend, a feat not seen on the PGA Tour in over 40 years. Finishing at -23, Kitayama held off a strong field, including Jake Knapp and Matt Wallace, to claim the title at TPC Twin Cities. With just two wins in 107 PGA Tour events, Kitayama's performance signals a resurgence, raising hopes that he can challenge golf's elite in future events.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jon Rahm's true character on show for all to see after wild shot strikes LIV Golf fan
Jon Rahm issued an apology after a wayward tee shot flew towards LIV Golf spectators before striking a fan in the stomach, adding the the Spaniard's woes at the JCB Golf and Country Club Jon Rahm was compelled to swiftly apologise during the second round of LIV Golf UK on Saturday, after his tee shot at the par-four 12th struck a spectator. Rahm was back at JCB Golf and Country Club with hopes of defending the title he clinched 12 months ago. However, he was ultimately unable to do so, with Joaquin Niemann taking the top spot by the end of Sunday's play with a total of 17-under-par. For context, that's three strokes clear of tournament runner-up, Bubba Watson, and seven strokes ahead of Rahm, who settled for T5 alongside Dean Burmester. One of the tournament's biggest talking points, however, came when Rahm attempted to take on the drivable par-four 12th on Saturday, before his teeshot veered astray from the target. A rare overdraw saw Rahm's tee shot lag far left of the green and towards a group of spectators, reports the Mirror US. The ball ended up hitting one fan in the stomach, who was taken by surprise despite Rahm and tournament officials shouting fore. Luckily, the affected spectator seemed fine but did display some bruising to the TV cameras afterwards. There was a silver lining for his mishap, as Rahm showed his true character by first apologising before giving the fan a signed glove. The pair laughed off the incident and shared a handshake, with the Legion XIII star thanking him for stopping his ball in its tracks. In classic Rahm style, the Spanish golfer managed to recover quickly, executing a brilliant up-and-down from the dense JCB rough. It came among six birdies for the European Ryder Cup veteran on Saturday, though he remained considerably adrift of Niemann for the duration. The Chilean's commanding performance effectively crushed Rahm's chances of retaining the crown he claimed in 2024, which came as his first LIV triumph, as he edged out his Legion XIII team-mate Tyrrell Hatton to secure the £3million jackpot. Despite crossing the finish line first, Rahm confessed the victory felt somewhat hollow when reflecting on it last week, given Hatton's final-hole blunder. He said: "In a weird way, it's always going to be a bittersweet memory because I don't know if there's been many cases where two team-mates have gone at each other to win the individual title and then go on to win the team title as well, and you never want to see a teammate and a friend make a mistake on the last to win. "In a weird way, as much as I like that I won here, it's not something that I can celebrate in that sense, just because it was such an unusual circumstance. "It's one of those things that happen in LIV, and as we get better, as the league gets better, I think it's something that's going to happen more and more often." Rahm, who holds two wins on the LIV circuit in total after doubling down at LIV Golf Chicago last year, will now turn his attention to the final two singles events of the season as he hopes to finish strong in the league standings. The breakaway circuit lands at the Bolingbrook Golf Club for LIV Golf Chicago between August 8 and 10, before LIV Golf Indianapolis plays out at The Club at Chatham Hills a week later. The LIV Golf Team Championship then takes place at The Cardinal at Saint John's, Michigan, between August 22 and 24.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
The vanishing of Bubba Watson – how golf's forgotten icon and double Masters champ is fighting back
Bubba Watson is showing signs of life again following serious knee surgery and dropping off the big-time radar Bullish Bubba Watson reckons he's emerging from the anguish of serious injury and a major career slump. The American star was once a huge name in the game having claimed two-time Masters wins at Augusta and peaking at World No.2 in the rankings. Watson was a Ryder Cup regular and won 15 times on the circuit in total before a move to join LIV Golf. The 46-year-old was out for eight months after a serious knee injury required surgery and he returned to the game at the beginning of 2023. Watson has been a pale shadow of his former self in the time period since, but there have been real shards of light in recent weeks and again at this week's LIV event in England. The colourful star managed a tied-14th at the Masters this year having missed the cut in the previous two years, has had two LIV Top 10s this term and now sits second with a round to go at JCB Golf and Country Club. It's been slow progress, but Watson can finally feel good things happening and explained: 'The last couple years, it's been a struggle. Been a struggle mentally, physically and golf-wise. You want to play better, right? 'You don't think about it until it happens, where my knee, my forward knee is where I like to put all my weight on chipping and putting, and then when you go through surgery and go through muscle changes, you kind of create bad habits, and so my bad habits, getting back on my heels, maybe even on my other side, so I'm not the same technique that I've always used, if that makes sense. 'So in all my years of practicing and playing, my technique has now changed over these last couple years, so we really dug in and tried to figure out what it is. So we've tried to figure out that, and I think we made a big step forward in finding out what it is. 'As my leg gets stronger, it takes two years for your leg to get stronger in that position, so here we are. Now we're talking about some of my best finishes. Hopefully we can keep it going.' Watson is second with 18 holes to go in Staffordshire behind runaway leader Joaquin Niemann, but said: 'A high finish puts me, I think I'm like 30th or 31st in points, so it'll probably put me back close to top 24. 'I want to have a strong finish to the year and I see that I can do it. Now, will I do it is the question. But I would love to finish in the Top 20 if not better and have a chance to win and then challenge the Team Championship in match play. 'All of this is a positive step forward going forward in my career. Obviously the better finish I can do, the better it is for me, better for the team, better for everything. Yeah, I'm going to get out there and battle. 'Second place right now looks like it's a good place to finish, so it's going to be a battle for the second place, if nothing else.'
