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CTV News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Harris English's caddie is denied a U.K. visa over his past drug conviction
Harris English, right, celebrates a birdie on the 18th green with his caddie during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 27, 2021, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Harris English is spending the next two weeks in the United Kingdom for the Scottish Open and British Open, two tournaments that could be critical in his bid to play in another Ryder Cup. His caddie, Eric Larson, is stuck at home without being able to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the U.K., a regulation that now applies to Americans. Grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offence in the U.K. or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison. Thirty years ago, Larson pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest. Though he wasn't a user or big-time dealer, he spent 10 years and three months in prison and was released from a halfway house in June 2006. Mark Calcavecchia hired him back and got him on his feet. Since then, Larson worked for three players at the Ryder Cup — Anthony Kim in 2008, Jeff Overton in 2010 and most recently English, with whom he has worked the last eight years. 'I guess the United Kingdom doesn't look highly on his past,' English said Tuesday at The Renaissance Club before his pro-am round. 'And apparently it's a work in progress.' English, who is No. 19 in the world and 10th in the U.S. standings for the Ryder Cup, said he didn't become aware of Larson's plight until right after he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago. English said he reached out to Warren Stephens, the ambassador to the U.K. who put him in touch with his chief of staff. 'They wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter. It's not for a lack of effort,' English said. 'I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere.' Joe Etter is filling in — for now — as his caddie. Etter, who started out working for English more than a decade ago, currently works for Davis Thompson, who is not playing the Scottish Open. Thompson, however, received the final spot in the field for the British Open next week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.). 'Joe was my Plan B,' English said. 'Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B.' English is holding out hope that someone will pave the way for Larson to get the ETA visa he needs for U.K. entry. Larson has worked the last four years at the British Open for English and previously for Overton and Kim. 'It's just a matter of the right people seeing it,' he said. 'I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. How long does this stay with him?' End of a streak Hale Irwin is the only player to win a PGA Tour Champions event four consecutive years, a record that will remain intact because of scheduling. The Dick's Sporting Goods Open was held in August last year. The previous two years it had been held in late June. It moved this year to July 11-13, which ultimately put an end to Padraig Harrington's bid to win the same tournament four years in a row. The Irishman is sticking to his plan of three straight weeks in the U.K. He'll be at the Scottish Open this week, eligible through the European tour from its 'Legends Category.' Harrington then will go over to Royal Portrush for the British Open as a past champion, and then Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the Senior British Open. Irwin actually won the Turtle Back Championship in Hawaii five times in a row — 2000 through 2003, and then in 2005. The tournament was not held in 2004. Glover's outlook Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, outspoken as ever, sounds to be a bit conflicted when it comes to any form of unification with the PGA Tour and the defectors to Saudi-funded LIV Golf. There is Glover the player who doesn't want to see them return. And there is Glover the PGA Tour member who wants to see the tour grow and realizes a small number of big names on LIV can help that cause. 'We have to clarify 'we' at some point,' he said last week on his his SiriusXM PGA Tour radio show. Glover said he doesn't blame anyone for deciding to cash in on the Saudi money and join LIV. But speaking for himself: 'I don't think they should be back there. I don't want them here.' 'As a PGA Tour player and somebody that dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour, and have poured my heart and soul into this tour and game for 21 seasons, I don't want somebody that chose another path, and a path of less resistance,' he said. 'I don't want them back here competing and taking part of my pie and these kids' pie that are trying to make it now.' And then he shifted to the broader term of 'we,' meaning the tour and the fans everything else. 'The top four, five, six players over there, if they were playing on the PGA Tour, would benefit all of us because our TV deal in 2030 would be great, would be bigger,' he said. 'That's the big question right now in my opinion. Does it behoove all of us as tour members, who have equity now, to grow our sport by bringing some of those guys back? I'm having a hard time with it.' Winners and stars Winning on the PGA Tour moves a player into the top category when it comes to tee times, although it's clear there is a distinction between a PGA Tour winner and a needle mover. Brian Campbell is the latest example. He won the Mexico Open in late February for his first PGA Tour title. Over the next five months at PGA Tour events, Campbell was never in the same weekday group as anyone from the top 30 in the world ranking. Only three of them were among the top 50 — Davis Thompson (No. 48) and Byeong Hun An (No. 32) at the Cognizant Classic, and Sam Burns (No. 39) at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Campbell now is one of five players with at least two individual titles this year after winning the John Deere Classic. Divots The PGA Tour's newest tournament has a title sponsor. The Bank of Utah Championship will be at Black Desert Resort the last week in October in southern Utah. It made its debut last year as the Black Desert Championship. ... Michael Kim was added to the British Open field from the world ranking. This marks the first time in his career he plays all four majors in the same season. ... The LPGA is expanding the pathway to the Epson Tour for top college players with the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway (LCAP). Starting next summer, it will award 10 graduating seniors with some form of Epson Tour status and Q-school exemptions. Stat of the week Americans hold seven of the top 10 spots in the world ranking. Final word 'I remember talking about some sort of mountain and climbing up it. This is a steep, steep mountain now.' — Xander Schauffele on reaching No. 1 in the world. ___ Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Xander Schauffele is trying to flush what feels like his worst season
Xander Schauffele reacts to his tee shot on the first hold during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 20, 2025, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — The best thing Xander Schauffele has going for him in the worst season of his career is a good attitude. That much was evident Tuesday when he walked into the media center at the Scottish Open and saw his picture. It was on a wall beneath a sign that said, 'TOILETS.' 'That was heartwarming,' Schauffele said with a grin that never seems too far away. 'Summed up how I feel about what's going on right now. I actually chuckled when I saw that one.' He is the only American to win the Scottish Open over the last 10 years. He defends his title next week in the British Open, a victory that made him a double major winner in 2024, which allowed him to take his place among the elite in golf. That can feel like much longer than a year ago. Schauffele had reason to have big expectations this year. What he didn't see coming was a twinge in his ribs to start the season in Hawaii that turned out to be much worse — an intercostal strain and a cartilage tear. He missed two months with the first significant injury of his career. He has not been the same since then, with only one top-10 finish, a tie for eighth in the Masters. His greatest achievement was extending his cut streak on the PGA Tour to 67 consecutive tournaments, the longest such streak in 20 years. 'I probably downplayed it in my own mind — 'Yeah, you'll be fine, you've been playing great golf, you just came off the best year of your career' — and I've backed it up currently with the worst year of my career. It's been a hot one.' This is not where he expected to be coming into the final stretch of the year. 'The belief is good,' he said. 'I don't think I've given myself a lot of reasons to believe that I'm playing OK. It's been a pretty bad year to be completely honest. ... I think the best part of my game has probably been my mental just fortitude, whatever you want to call it, just to try to stay positive and behave as if I am playing really well. 'But coming off a year like last year, getting hurt, coming back, my expectations and playing ability have not cued up very nicely.' The injury is no longer an issue. The game has looked good at times. What he lacks is a spark, which comes from results, to get him going. Schauffele has great discipline that gets lost behind that San Diego vibe of his. He chose to not add tournaments to his schedule to make up for lost time, even though he finds himself chasing this late in the year. He won twice as a rookie, including the Tour Championship. Chasing is not something he does. The Ryder Cup is not an issue. Winning the PGA Championship and the British Open has allowed him to stay at No. 2 in the U.S. standings. But he is at No. 57 in the FedEx Cup — only the top 70 make the postseason — and these two weeks on links golf could go a long way toward making sure he gets there. 'It's been a weird year for me just from coming off the year I had last year into sort of what I did, just kind of disappearing and then playing bad coming out of it,' he said. 'So any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing from a feel standpoint has been sort of reset, and I am in full chase mode, like a kid.' He hopes links golf will be part of the tonic. Part of Schauffele wishes he could have come earlier across the Atlantic, where he could play golf that consists of seeing the target and hitting the ball, nothing more complicated than that. 'Something about being here, you start taking your hands off the wheel, and that's how I played my best,' he said. Schauffele was in peak form a year ago. He broke through with his first major at the PGA Championship that asked a lot of him on a soft course at Valhalla, particularly the last hole. He had to stand in a bunker to play a shot from the rough with a 4-iron, the ball well above his feet, water down the right side. From there, he pitched to 6 feet and swirled in the birdie putt for a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau. Two months later, he withstood rain and wind at Royal Troon with a 65 in the final round to give him a second major. He was No. 2 in the world. Scottie Scheffler was still miles ahead, but Schauffele was at a point where he felt he could win wherever he played. Those were happy times. This only feels like the worst of times. There is also something about the chase that takes him back to being a kid, when he wasn't the highly recruited star and was virtually an unknown before he earned his recognition. This feels like starting over. 'I've been spoiled to play at a pretty high level for quite some time,' he said. 'This has been a fun experience to try to get back on the horse.' ___ Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
US Open Winner J.J. Spaun De-Commits From PGA Tour Event
US Open Winner J.J. Spaun De-Commits From PGA Tour Event originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's been a whirlwind week for J.J. Spaun. The unlikely winner of the 2025 U.S. Open found himself juggling the emotions of a major championship victory with the intense media spotlight that followed. Advertisement Spaun, 34, had little time to reset before teeing off at TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship. He struggled in the opening round on Thursday, posting a 3-over 73 on the scorecard. It looked like the grind of the past week had caught up with him. That fatigue likely factored into his decision to withdraw from the next PGA Tour event on the schedule. Tony Paul of the Detroit News reported on Friday morning that Spaun will not compete in next week's Rocket Mortgage Classic. Spaun, a former standout at San Diego State, not only captured his first major win but also earned his first career top-10 finish in a major. He missed the cut in his only other U.S. Open appearance in 2021. Advertisement Earlier in the year, Spaun finished 50th at The Masters and tied for 37th at the PGA Championship. His only other PGA Tour victory came in 2022 at the Valero Texas Open, where he held off Matt Jones and Matt Kuchar by two strokes. J.J. Spaun tees off at Muirfield.© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Cameron Young will now take Spaun's place in the Rocket Mortgage Classic field. Young, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2021-22 season, is still chasing his first Tour win. Despite that, he's recorded top-10 finishes in all four majors, including a runner-up at the 2022 Open Championship. The 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic is scheduled for June 26-29 at Detroit Golf Club. The event has been part of the PGA Tour since 2019. Last year, Cameron Davis claimed his second victory in Detroit, having also won in 2021, by two strokes and earning $1.6 million. The total purse for the 2025 tournament has increased from $9.2 million to $9.6 million. Advertisement Related: Rory McIlroy Makes Strong Career Statement After US Open Related: Tiger Woods News Emerges Before US Open This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
$30 Million Golfer Receives Personal Message from PGA Tour
$30 Million Golfer Receives Personal Message from PGA Tour originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Si Woo Kim, the South Korean pro boasting a career earnings of approximately $30 million, was part of the field at the Travelers Championship but had to withdraw. Advertisement After completing 12 holes in the second round at TPC River Highlands, he cited a back injury and exited the tournament—a tough break given his solid first-round 1‑over 71. Today, June 28, marks his 30th birthday (born June 28, 1995), and the PGA Tour didn't miss the chance to celebrate. This morning, they shared a personalized birthday greeting. 'Happy birthday, Si Woo! Please celebrate accordingly.' They posted. Alongside the message, they reposted a video clip from his viral moment at the Presidents Cup last year. After sinking a clutch chip, Kim famously ran around the green and mimicked Steph Curry's 'Night‑Night' celebration, hands to his head as if sleeping. Advertisement That chip, which tied his match on the 16th hole, was a defining highlight of the Internationals' comeback during the event. The celebration became viral golf gold, emblematic of Kim's flair and sense of humor. Si Woo Kim tees off on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship.© Aaron Doster-Imagn Images He is not participating in the ongoing Rocket Classic event, so he will have ample time to spend this day with friends and family. Kim is part of the field at next week's John Deere Classic. Kim's wife is fellow golfer Ji Hyun Oh, a South Korean professional with seven KLPGA wins, who turned pro in 2014 and joined the Korean LPGA Tour in 2014. They got married in December of 2022. "I will now be Kim's wife, rather than a professional golfer." Oh confessed back when Kim won the Sony Open. Advertisement "When we were dating, we had to spend so much time apart from each other. Now that we're married, I don't have to worry about being away from him. This is the happiest moment of my life." Related: Unfortunate News on Brooks Koepka Emerges on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Keegan Bradley Shows Poetic Flair Days after Travelers Win
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Keegan Bradley is an emotional guy. You can see it whenever he talks about the Ryder Cup or his beloved New England Patriots. You could see it last Sunday when he won the Travelers Championship, his first title of the season. In fact, you can see it right now if you scroll through his X account. A couple of days after his spectacular performance at the TPC River Highlands, Bradley used his X account, which has over 408,000 followers, to celebrate his triumph with a poetic note — sort of an ode to his New England roots. "Forgive my northern attitude Oh, I was raised out in the cold If the sun don't rise 'Til the summertime Forgive my northern attitude Oh, I was raised on little light" Forgive my northern attitude Oh, I was raised out in the cold If the sun don't rise 'Til the summertime Forgive my northern attitude Oh, I was raised on little light@NoahKahan — Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) June 24, 2025 If you recognize these Noah Kahan lyrics, you're on the right track to understanding Bradley's feelings. Kahan is well-known for his love of New England, particularly his home state of Vermont, which is also where the eight-time PGA Tour winner was born. These sentiments are undoubtedly one of the defining themes in Kahan's work as a songwriter. Northern Attitude, the song that contains the lyrics Bradley used, is recognized as one of the most New England-rooted songs in Kahan's catalog. Winning a Signature Event as the hometown hero — the Travelers Championship is played in Connecticut — was definitely a big deal for Bradley. It's no wonder he unleashed his poetic flair by celebrating with a song so emblematic of that region. Naturally, the Travelers Championship has been a central feature of Bradley's schedule throughout his career. The 2025 edition is his second win at River Highlands, where he has two other top-10 finishes, including a second place, in 15 starts. "It was the first PGA Tour event I've ever been to back when I was a kid," Bradley said after winning for the first time (2023). "I drove from Vermont and drove here to come here and watch David Duval play... Other than the majors and those types of tournaments, this was always the top of my list. What a special thing to be the winner of this tournament." Keegan Bradley of the United States reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 22, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. Keegan Bradley of the United States reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 22, 2025 in Cromwell, then, Bradley also seemed emotional about winning in New England. However, his reaction was more talkative than poetic: "One of my favorite things about myself is where I'm from. The bond that you have with people from New England is different than anywhere in the world, any country I've ever been. I'm very proud," he said. "I've lived all over New England, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and I'm very, very proud of where I come from. And I love every sports team in this area, so to hear the fans cheer for me like they would a sports team, it means a lot." Keegan Bradley will soon be leading the American team to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, not far from New England. He's sure to feel the fans' support there, too. More Golf: PGA Tour Rocket Classic Sees Former LIV Golfer in the Field
