Latest news with #MillerBrady
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
PGA Tour Champions announces new event in Portugal at golf course designed by Ernie Els
The PGA Tour Champions is heading to Portugal. Officials from PGA Tour Champions, Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal and Turismo de Algarve announced Monday a five-year deal to host a new professional golf tournament in Portugal. The Portugal Invitational will debut the week of July 27, 2026, and will feature a field of 78 players, including World Golf Hall of Fame and PGA Tour Champions members, as well as Legends Tour members. It will be the first PGA Tour-sanctioned individual stroke play event to be held in Portugal and will feature a purse of $3 million USD. It will follow the ISPS Handa Senior Open and precede the Staysure Senior PGA Championship on the Legends Tour in a compelling three-week swing of European golf featuring some of the game's most iconic players. 'We are thrilled to partner with Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal, Turismo de Algarve and Ernie Els to announce this exciting, first-of-its-kind PGA Tour Champions event in Portugal,' PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said in a release. 'This Tour is a global showcase of the game's legendary players, and we know the great golf fans in Portugal and throughout Europe will welcome the opportunity to watch them compete in person at The Els Club Vilamoura.' The event will be contested at The Els Club Vilamoura, designed by Els – a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions and World Golf Hall of Fame member. The newly-redesigned Els Club hosted the DP World Tour's Portugal Masters from 2007-22, producing winners such as Shane Lowry (2012) and Padraig Harrington (2016). Portugal's only prior hosting of a PGA Tour-sanctioned event came at the 2005 World Cup of Golf, a former team competition. 'Whenever our firm designs a golf course, we always have an eye on what makes it a successful tournament venue, so this was always a big part of our plans for The Els Club Vilamoura. It's wonderful to see those plans now coming to fruition and we're grateful to PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady, the team at Arrow Global Group and Turismo de Portugal and Turismo de Algarve, for sharing in our vision and bringing this exciting new tournament here,' Els said. 'Working with Arrow Global and everyone at Vilamoura has been an absolute pleasure these past few years; they had a clear vision and mission from the get-go, which allowed us to focus our efforts on creating the very best golf course that we could. We're very proud of this course; it looks incredible. There are a lot of great holes, a lot of memorable holes, and overall, it's a really well-balanced test of golf. The practice facilities here are world-class, too. Everything about The Els Club Vilamoura makes it the ideal tournament venue. The players are going to love it, not just the golf course but this whole destination. It's such a beautiful part of the world.' All three rounds of the Portugal Invitational will be televised on Golf Channel. Longtime PGA Tour executive Todd Rhinehart, who ran a number of the Tour's biggest events and most recently oversaw PGA Tour Latinoamérica as Vice President and Executive Director, was announced as the tournament director of the Portugal Invitational.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72
Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72 originally appeared on The Spun. A famous golfer known for beating Tiger Woods has died at 72 years old. Ed Fiori, known for his win against Tiger Woods at the 1996 Quad City Classic, passed away on Sunday. He died following a battle with cancer. Advertisement The PGA Tour announced his death. PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady announced the tragic news over the weekend. 'Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro's pro," Brady said. "In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end. He will be missed by all of us at the Tour.' UNITED STATES - MARCH 11: Ed Fiori chips on to the 3rd green during the first round of the Champions' Tour 2005 SBC Classic at the Valencia Country Club in Valencia, California March 11, 2005. (Photo by)Fiori, nicknamed "The Grip" for his unusual grip of the golf club, won four times on the PGA Tour. However, he is now most known for chasing down Tiger Woods in 1996. Advertisement Woods held a lead over Fiori heading into the final round Quad Cities Classic at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois in 1996. However, Woods quickly imploded, making a quadruple-bogey at No. 4 and a four-putt double bogey at No. 7. Fiori ended up winning for the first time in 14 years. "There's no other way to put it: The kid self-imploded," Fiori told in 2019. He reportedly told his caddie, 'Bullet, let's see if we can get this one in to the house.' Our thoughts are with his friends and family members following this difficult time. May the former PGA Tour golfer rest in peace. Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72 first appeared on The Spun on Jul 7, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former PGA Tour Winner Dead Sunday Night
Former PGA Tour Winner Dead Sunday Night originally appeared on The Spun. A former PGA Tour winner is dead on Sunday evening. The PGA Tour announced on Sunday that Ed Fiori, a four-time winner on the tour, died at the age of 72 years old. The standout PGA Tour golfer was perhaps best known for chasing down a then-20-year-old Tiger Woods at age 43 to win the 1996 Quad Cities Classic. Advertisement He passed away on Sunday due to cancer. PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady announced the news. 'Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro's pro," Brady said. "In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end. He will be missed by all of us at the Tour.' OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 12: Fans walk across the eighth hole during the first round of 125th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club on June 12, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)Fiori, known as 'The Grip,' won the the 1979 Southern Open, the 1981 Western Open and 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Advertisement He was a standout golfer at the University of Houston. Our thoughts are with the friends and family members of the PGA Tour golfer. May he rest in peace. Former PGA Tour Winner Dead Sunday Night first appeared on The Spun on Jul 7, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Al Arabiya
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Ed Fiori, Known for Taking Down Tiger Woods, Dies of Cancer
Ed Fiori, who for 13 years was the only player to rally from a 54-hole deficit to beat Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour, died Sunday, the tour said on its website. He was 72. The tour said Fiori had been battling cancer. It provided no other details. A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, no victory was more memorable than the 1996 Quad City Classic, now the John Deere Classic. Three tournaments into his pro career, a 20-year-old Woods had a one-shot lead over Fiori going into the final round at Oakwood Country Club. Woods had a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and a four-putt double bogey on the seventh hole. He shot 72 to tie for fifth, four shots behind Fiori. Woods won two starts later in Las Vegas. He never lost a 54-hole lead in another PGA Tour–sanctioned event until Y.E. Yang beat him in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Lee Westwood overcame a deficit to beat Woods in 2000 in a European tour event in Germany. Fiori also beat two other Hall of Fame members in playoffs: Tom Weiskopf in the 1979 Southern Open and Tom Kite in the 1982 Bob Hope Classic. In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. 'That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end,' said Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions. 'He will be missed by all of us at the tour.' Fiori played only 58 times on the senior circuit after turning 50, winning in 2004 in Mexico. 'I hung on for a few more years and played for a while on the senior tour, but my back was always a problem,' Fiori said in a 2019 interview with 'I had spinal fusion surgery in 2005, and from then on I struggled to break 80. Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've had a great life in a game I love.' 'It was never easy. Lots of times I was on that flight heading home on Friday nights,' he said. 'But I would not trade it for anything. Even today, people call me the 'Tiger killer.' They don't always get their facts straight, but I don't mind. I'll never forget that weekend at the John Deere.'
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ed Fiori, known for taking down Tiger Woods, dies of cancer
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ed Fiori, who for 13 years was the only player to rally from a 54-hole deficit to beat Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour, died Sunday, the tour said on its website. He was 72. The tour said Fiori had been battling cancer. It provided no other details. A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, no victory was more memorable than the 1996 Quad City Classic, now the John Deere Classic. Three tournaments into his pro career, a 20-year-old Woods had a one-shot lead over Fiori going into the final round at Oakwood Country Club. Woods had a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and a four-putt double bogey on the seventh hole. He shot 72 to tie for fifth, four shots behind Fiori. Woods won two starts later in Las Vegas. He never lost a 54-hole lead in another PGA Tour-sanctioned event until Y.E. Yang beat him in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Lee Westwood overcame a deficit to beat Woods in 2000 in a European tour event in Germany. Fiori also beat two other Hall of Fame members in playoffs, Tom Weiskopf in the 1979 Southern Open and Tom Kite in the 1982 Bob Hope Classic. 'In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end,' said Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions. 'He will be missed by all of us at the tour.' Fiori played only 58 times on the senior circuit after turn 50, winning in 2004 in Mexico. 'I hung on for a few more years, and played for a while on the senior tour, but my back was always a problem,' Fiori said in a 2019 interview with 'I had spinal fusion surgery in 2005, and from then on, I struggled to break 80. 'Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've had a great life in a game I love. It was never easy. Lots of times, I was on that flight heading home on Friday nights,' he said. 'But I would not trade it for anything. Even today, people call me the Tiger killer. They don't always get their facts straight, but I don't mind. I'll never forget that weekend at the John Deere.' ___ AP golf:
