Van Tonder hits right note to beat Jazz in playoff

Shanshan Feng’s ascendance defied such steep odds. Growing up in China, when golf was in its infancy, where opportunities and support were so hard to come by, where the game was sometimes challenged as too elitist for the culture’s tastes, Feng turned herself into the greatest of pioneers. She turned herself into China’s first major championship winner, its first Olympic medalist in golf and now its first world No. 1. With Feng’s victory Saturday at the Blue Bay LPGA in China, she will move to the top of the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, according to the projections. She did it in a most meaningful way, winning on Hainan Island in her homeland. “I’m really, really excited and very proud of myself,â€�

The Sony Open is where Justin Thomas broke the PGA Tour’s scoring record, starting with his 59. And it was that round when Jordan Spieth got a taste of his own medicine. Thomas and Spieth were paired together for the opening round at Waialae Country Club, and no one celebrated more than Spieth when he watched his longtime friend make eagle on his 18th hole for a 59 . But here’s what was so amazing about that round: Spieth actually had better chances. Spieth was an average of 18 feet, 4 inches on his approach shots, best in the field for the first round. Thomas averaged 25 feet, 7 inches, ranking him seventh. Not only was Spieth closer to him most of the round, at times they were on the same line.