Golf

Top-ranked Dustin Johnson fired a one-under-par 69 to head a group of four players sharing the first-round on Thursday as a wind-whipped Shinnecock Hills offered a classic US Open test. As Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson saw their hopes of milestone major victories suffer serious setbacks, it was England’s Ian Poulter, and Americans Scott Piercy and Russell Henley who stood …

Heading into the 118th U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson was the 8/1 favourite after winning last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic. Now well into his first round, DJ is as low as 2/1 to add his second U.S. Open to a bulging trophy cabinet. Conditions were brutal this morning, with the likes of Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth shooting …

The Irish contingent have struggled in the early going at the U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy was one of the pre-tournament favourites going into the event, but a +10 round of 80 has likely put paid to his hopes of a fifth major win this week. 2010 U.S. Open victor Graeme McDowell is five over par after just six holes, after …

Hopes were as high as they have been in years that Tiger Woods could finally add to the 14 majors he has won in his illustrious career. The tough Shinnecock Hills set-up wasn’t going to allow anyone to romp away from the field as Brooks Koepka did last year, so all Woods had to do was to hang around until …

A brutal set-up in challenging conditions at Shinnecock Hills is claiming victims left, right and centre at the U.S. Open. Initial thoughts were that the USGA’s revamp of the course would yield a fiendish challenge, before optimism took hold that the longer hitters may bully the course if the wind didn’t materialise. Now that 10-15 MPH of wind has greeted …

The USGA have gotten their wish at Shinnecock Hills after Brooks Koepka’s -16 romp in 2017. The organisation scrambled to lengthen and narrow the course after last year’s U.S. Open, and the 2018 iteration at Shinnecock is already playing supremely difficult just hours after the first tee-off, with only six players under par at present. Nowhere is that more evident …

A persistent back injury, culminating in a spinal fusion procedure in 2017, has meant that for the past five years Tiger Woods has spent more time off the course than on it. But after impressing at the Valspar and The Players Championship this season, the most gifted golfer of all time is edging closer to one of the greatest comebacks …

The 118th U.S. Open begins this Thursday in Southampton, New York at one of the oldest courses in the United States. Golfers from all over the world are heading to Shinnecock Hills with hopes to come home a champion. Here are five questions ahead of the historic tournament. ___ 1. Who are the top contenders? At a glance, our top contenders …

Ahead of the 118th U.S. Open this week, we power rank the top twenty players in contention per the bookmakers’ odds. While conflicting thoughts abound on how difficult the set-up at Shinnecock Hills will be, we will focus on form, statistics, and event/course suitability in determining who is best-placed to claim victory in the year’s second Major. Although they don’t …

Time may be growing short, but that doesn’t mean Phil Mickelson can afford to hurry as he vies for the US Open title that has long eluded him at Shinnecock Hills this week. “The last thing I’m thinking about right now is trying to win,” Mickelson told reporters on Monday. “When you try to go out and win a US …

Dustin Johnson warmed up for the US Open by reclaiming the world number one ranking on Sunday, cruising to a six-shot victory at the Fedex St.Jude Classic. Johnson, who started the day alongside Andrew Putnam at the top of the leaderboard, held his nerve to close with a four-under-par 66 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. The 33-year-old sealed his …

The Irishwoman has earned a top 15 finish at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. Maguire joined the professional ranks this week along with sister Lisa, and her first start in the senior game couldn’t have gone much better. The 23-year-old started the 54 hole event with rounds of 69 and 67, leaving her in 13th on -6, …

Ahead of the 118th U.S. Open this week, we rank the top twenty players in contention per the bookmakers’ odds. While conflicting thoughts abound on how difficult the set-up at Shinnecock Hills will be, we will focus on form, statistics, and event/course suitability in determining who is best placed to claim victory in the year’s second Major. Here we rank …

Leona Maguire has lost none of her fantastic touch since entering the professional ranks. The 23-year-old, whose twin Lisa has also just shed her amateur status, is making her pro bow at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Maguire, who owns the all-time women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings record for most weeks ranked No. 1 (135), is considered among the best amateurs …

It’s been 10 years since Tiger Woods limped to victory in the 2008 US Open, an unlikely triumph that has been followed by a once-inconceivable major championship drought. Woods defied the pain of a damaged left knee and two stress fractures to defeat Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff at Torrey Pines 10 years ago — forcing the decider in …

​Ireland's Shane Lowry and former world number one Adam Scott booked their US Open berths in sectional qualifying on Monday.

The year’s second major is just around the corner as the PGA Tour heads to Memphis. TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee has hosted the St. Jude Classic since since 1989, and measures 7,239 yards, which is lengthy for a par 70. The immediate concern for many players will be next week’s US Open, with the St. Jude Classic serving as the …