Amazing story of how fan battling cancer met Tiger

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Viktor Hovland won again on the PGA TOUR, this time without a clutch finish. The Norwegian star was too dominant to give anyone else a chance Sunday in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Hovland seized control with three birdies on the front nine, and never let Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas or anyone else get closer than three shots the rest of the way. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot lead over Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, making him the first repeat winner since Mayakoba began in 2007. Hovland won last year with a birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory. He also made birdie on his last hole when he won the Puerto Rico Open in the spring of 2020. There was no need for that this time. For the final two hours, everyone was playing for second. “I wish I could putt like I did today more often,” said Hovland, who made 28 birdies for the week at El Camaleon. “It was just a blast all week.” Hovland finished at 23-under 261 and moved to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings and No. 10 in the world ranking. Ortiz made a 30-foot par putt after a plugged lie in the bunker on the 18th for a 66 to finish alone in second, a difference of $144,000 if he had two-putted for bogey and tied with Thomas, who also saved for on 18 for a 69. Thomas had an early bogey and didn’t make as many birdies to make up a three-shot deficit on Hovland, especially the way Hovland was putting. “I just didn’t drive it well, didn’t get off to a good enough start to really put any pressure on Viktor,” Thomas said. The strongest challenge came from Scheffler, who starred on the final day in the Ryder Cup and is hopeful his first PGA TOUR victory is around the corner. Sunday wasn’t the day. Scheffler missed a pair of short-range birdie putts only to ram in an 18-foot birdie on the 12th to get to within three shots. Hovland answered with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and the lead was back to four shots. Scheffler’s chip just right of the 13th green hit the pin and bounced about 5 feet away, which he made for eagle. Hovland made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 11th moments later. Scheffler blinked first. His tee shot on the 14th peeled to the right into the mangroves. After a penalty drop, he did well to get it up near the green, only to pitch over the back on to the collar and make double bogey. Scheffler shot 66 and finished alone in fourth. “Viktor’s playing some good golf so he’s obviously going to be tough to catch,” Scheffler said. “I had to make a few more birdies towards the end and wasn’t able to do that.” Matthew Wolff, the 36-hole leader who fell out of the mix with a 74 in the third round, bounced back with a 65 on Sunday to tie for fifth with Joaquin Niemann (66). Hovland is the fifth consecutive foreign-born winner on the PGA TOUR, a streak that began with Sungjae Im of South Korea winning in Las Vegas. He was followed by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Lucas Herbert of Australia.

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ATLANTA – Notes and observations from the third round of the TOUR Championship, where Paul Casey holds a two-shot lead after shooting 65 on Saturday. For more from East Lake Golf Club, click here to read the Daily Wrap-Up. CASEY NOT BACKING DOWN Casey may lead the TOUR Championship, but the FedExCup’s top two players used late rallies Saturday to keep their FedExCup chances alive. Justin Thomas, who’s T4 in the TOUR Championship, is just 220 points behind Casey in the projected standings, while Jordan Spieth is just 246 points back. Spieth is T13 in the TOUR Championship. Thomas struggled for most of Saturday, but made birdie on two of his final three holes to shoot 70. He’s in a three-way tie for fourth at 7-under 203, five shots behind Casey. If Casey, who has one PGA TOUR win in 219 career TOUR starts, wins the TOUR Championship, Thomas can still win the FedExCup with a third-place finish. The last time the TOUR Championship winner didn’t also win the FedExCup? In 2009, when Phil Mickelson won the tournament and Tiger Woods claimed the FedExCup. Spieth is eight shots off the lead, but his FedExCup chances also are still alive. He birdied three of his final six holes to shoot 69 on Saturday. He’s trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win the FedExCup multiple times. “I was 2 over through 11 holes and I missed about a 3‑footer for birdie on the 12th and I really could be at 1 or 2 over for the tournament right now pretty easily,â€� Spieth said. “I did a great job of keeping myself in the FedExCup race and really in a solid position. I know that I’m capable of going low on this golf course.â€� If Casey wins the TOUR Championship, Spieth could still win the FedExCup with a T4 finish at East Lake. He is three shots out of fourth place. KIS CONTENDING Kevin Kisner took to Twitter on Friday night to request a helicopter ride from East Lake to Athens, Georgia, so that he could watch his beloved Georgia Bulldogs play Saturday night. He may be able to buy a helicopter come Sunday. Kisner shot Saturday’s low round, a 6-under 64, to put himself in contention for the TOUR Championship and FedExCup. He’s tied for second, two shots behind Casey.   I need a helicopter to take me to Athens tomorrow after the round to make the game. Who has one in ATL?— Kevin Kisner (@K_Kisner) September 22, 2017 Saturday’s 64 was Kisner’s low career round at East Lake by three shots. He broke par in just one of his first eight rounds at East Lake, but has shot in the 60s in all three rounds this year, shooting 68-68-64. Kisner gave the local fans something to cheer about before he cheered on Georgia in its Saturday evening game against Mississippi State. “It’s awesome being able to hear all the ‘Go Dawgs’ out there,â€� Kisner said. “There’s a lot of people I know and a lot of people that love me and like me out here, so I feel like it’s kind of a hometown event.â€� CALL OF THE DAY XANDER GOING LOW Xander Schauffele squeaked into the field at East Lake with a furious finish at the BMW Championship. Now he has a second PGA TOUR title within his reach. Schauffele shot Saturday’s second-lowest round, a 5-under 65, to pull within two shots of Casey. Schauffele already is a virtual lock for the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year award. A win this week would add another accomplishment to an impressive rookie season. Schauffele got into the TOUR Championship by shooting 6 under on the final six holes of last week’s BMW Championship. He won this year’s The Greenbrier Classic and posted top-20 finishes at two majors (U.S. Open and the Open Championship), the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and two of the first three events of the FedExCup Playoffs. “It’s all surreal,â€� Schauffele said of this season’s success, “and I’m going to try and keep that mindset for tomorrow, just kind of have that nothing‑to‑lose mindset and see where it takes us.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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