Live leaderboard: Who will win Sony Open?

DUBLIN, Ohio – A procession to victory just wouldn’t have been the Spanish way. Jon Rahm rode a final round rollercoaster to secure the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village in true Spanish style by surviving some tricky short game shots, a two-shot penalty, and the evaporation of a huge lead. RELATED: Final leaderboard | What’s in Rahm’s bag? His idol Seve Ballesteros would have been proud. And believe it or not, despite the heart palpitations, Rahm wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure he could have kept the incredible eight-shot lead he held over his Zurich Classic of New Orleans partner Ryan Palmer at the turn and ensured the last nine holes was a casual waltz to his golf destiny. But where’s the fun in that? Ballesteros was a maestro when things got tough, finding ways to escape from trouble. Rahm needed some of the same magic on Sunday at a brutal Muirfield Village that played hard and fast in swift winds. The 25-year-old had seen his eight shot lead drop to three shots when he and Palmer stood on the 15th tee. He was bleeding, momentum against him. Surely he couldn’t possibly let it slip … but then he had done so on the last two occasions he held the 54-hole lead. But despite the fact his accuracy on approach continued to desert him, Rahm focused in hard. He refused to surrender to the internal demons and got up and down for clutch pars on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes and chipped in for what was initially considered a birdie on the 16th hole only for a two-shot penalty to be added after the fact. Rahm had inadvertently made the ball move as he addressed the shot and hadn’t replaced it, turning his score into a bogey. Thankfully it mattered not. The magic had lasted long enough to stay three shots up and give Rahm a fourth PGA TOUR title, securing his ascension to world No. 1 on the way. He is just the second Spaniard, behind Ballesteros, to hold that status. “One of the best performances of my life,” Rahm said afterwards. “Yesterday was probably one of the best rounds of my life and finished today with some clutch up-and-downs. And as a Spaniard, I’m kind of glad it happened that way. Every shot counts, and I tried every shot and got those two last up-and-downs, as a true Spaniard would. “My short game has been unbelievable all week. It’s been so good, and I’ve gotten close to chipping in a couple times. You always hear about people saying champions make it happen, and at that point I made it happen.” In the past Rahm admits he would not have made it happen in similar circumstances. Emotion plays a huge role in his golf and in the past, on occasion, it has worked against him. But now, despite the fact he admitted he would celebrate by watching a children’s movie with his wife, Rahm says he has matured. He’s found ways to grow and channel his emotion into good. “I’m a person who unfortunately I’m fully aware I learn from mistakes. I act, foolishly or not. I’ll do my action, and I’ll learn from it, good or bad,” he explains. “Luckily I’ve been pretty good at learning from my mistakes and getting a little bit better each time and today was a clear example of it. I could have completely lost it many times. Maybe in the past I would have, but I didn’t. I just kept fighting. I knew it was a complete grind, and it’s a true honor to be now the Memorial Tournament champion presented by Nationwide and to be part of Jack’s legacy.” Rahm, who moved to eighth in the FedExCup with the win, was still in shock at his move to the top of the world. He’s never shied away from this being a huge goal despite the fact admitting in the past when the chance was right there in front of him, it affected his play. “I made that deal with myself very young, I believe at 13 or 14 I started working towards that goal, and everything I’ve done golf-wise has been to become No. 1 in the world and become the best player I can be,” Rahm said after taking top spot from Rory McIlroy. “It’s pretty surreal to think it’s happened this quickly, in less than 10 years. I mean, how many people get to achieve a lifelong dream in their mid-20s? It’s incredible. To be a Spaniard, the second Spaniard to ever do it, given there’s not many Europeans that have gotten to this spot, it’s a pretty unique feeling, so I’m going to enjoy it for a while.” Enjoying the achievement … now that is the Spanish way.

Click here to read the full article…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Brooks Koepka is looking to wrap up the top spot in the Wyndham Rewards a week early with a win at the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Koepka overtook Matt Kuchar as the FedExCup and Wyndham Rewards leader with his tie for fourth at The Open Championship last week, his fourth top-four finish in major championships this season. The current PGA TOUR Player of the Year won the PGA Championship and was runner-up at both the Masters and U.S. Open. He also won THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES this season. As such, he is now on top, but just 37 points ahead of Kuchar, who had led since he was runner up to Kevin Kisner at the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play in late March. With 550 points on offer to the winner this week at TPC Southwind, Koepka could theoretically wrap up the top spot with a victory along a poor outing from Kuchar, among others. There are 500 points on offer to the winner of the Wyndham Championship next week, so any lead over that mark after play in Memphis would secure the title and the $2 million Wyndham Rewards Top 10 bonus. Of course, Rory McIlroy (142 behind), Xander Schauffele (507 behind), Gary Woodland (548 behind) and others can still have a significant say in the outcome. “(Winning the FedExCup is) the goal every time you step out and play an event out here on the PGA TOUR. You’re trying to build up FedExCup points, you’re trying to build as big as a lead as possible,â€� Koepka said. “That’s why we play, to make it to Atlanta. I’m sure everybody that tees it up on the PGA TOUR, that’s their goal, to make it to Atlanta and to have a chance to win. “So to be able to put myself in the spot that I have, it’s been an enjoyable ride to say the least and I think (winning the FedExCup) would just cap off a two-year stretch of great golf.â€� Koepka is not yet slated to play the Wyndham Championship, but has until Friday afternoon to commit. He did not rule out signing up, but said his early play in Memphis would dictate that. “If I do what I’m supposed to do this week and win, then everything takes care of itself. But yeah, there’s a lot of scenarios that can happen,â€� he confirmed. “I don’t know the actual breakdown of them, but there is a possibility that next week I could be out there and playing for a lot. So we’ll see where everything kind of falls.â€� Koepka is also in a battle with Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and a few others for a $1 million bonus in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…