The Korea Herald

McIlroy seeks hat trick, Woods missing at PGA

LOUISVILLE (AFP) ― Top-ranked Rory McIlroy took his first look at the Valhalla layout Monday ahead of the 96th PGA Championship while Tiger Woods was in Florida having treatment on his aching back.Golf’s current and former superstars were on vastly different trajectories for the year’s final major tournament with McIlroy going for a hat trick of triumphs and Woods’ status in doubt a day after a painful exit at the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio.McIlroy won his third major title la

Aug. 5, 2014

McIlroy seeks hat trick, Woods missing at PGA

Oh Su-hyun leads U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying

GLEN COVE, New York (AP) ― Australia’s Oh Su-hyun shot a 4-under 66 on Monday in the U.S. Women’s Amateur to take the first-round lead in stroke-play qualifying.The 18-year-old Oh had six birdies and two bogeys at Nassau Country Club. The top 64 after the second round Tuesday will advance to match play.“I’m playing quite solid,” said Oh, a quarterfinalist last year at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina. “Just giving myself a lot of opportunities and making a few.”Eighth in the worl

Aug. 5, 2014

N. Korea may host international golf contest next year

North Korea may host an international golf tournament on Mount Geumgangsan next year, a move to vex South Korean investors, according to a news report Tuesday.This year’s North Korea Golf Open took place at the Pyongyang Golf Complex on the outskirts of the capital city on July 28-29 in a yearly event that has been sponsored by Britain’s Lupine Travel since 2011, reported the Radio Free Asia.In an interview with the Washington-based RFA, the British firm’s president, Dylan Harris, said it has re

Aug. 5, 2014

McIlroy back to No. 1

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― From links of Britain to the parkland of America, Rory McIlroy is on top of the world again.In his first start since a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, McIlroy wiped out a three-shot deficit in only three holes and closed with a 4-under 66 on Sunday to win the Bridgestone Invitational and return to No. 1 in the world.And just like at Royal Liverpool two weeks ago, Boy Wonder made it look easy.Sergio Garcia had a three-shot lead going into the final round at Firestone. McI

Aug. 4, 2014

Another decent start for Tiger at Firestone

Korea’s Noh Seung-yul lines up a putt on the fifth green on Thursday. ( AFP-Yonhap)AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― Tiger Woods showed signs of a positive recovery Thursday at the Bridgestone Invitational.Not just from back surgery, but from making bogeys.Woods bounced back with birdies all three times that he made mistakes, opening with a 2-under 68 on a soft, gentle day for scoring at Firestone. It left him four shots behind Marc Leishman of Australia, and hopeful that this time he can build on a solid star

Aug. 1, 2014

Another decent start for Tiger at Firestone

A place of comfort

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― Tiger Woods finds out over the next two weeks if his season is over or just getting started.The first stop is Firestone, where Woods is an eight-time winner and the defending champion. After that, he heads to Valhalla Golf Club for the PGA Championship, where he won in 2000 on his way to an unprecedented sweep of the majors.At stake is a chance to extend a season already cut short by back surgery.“I would like to win these two events and not have to worry about anything,” Wood

July 31, 2014

McIlroy ready to get back to work

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― The claret jug is not out of sight. Rory McIlroy is just trying to get it out of his mind.McIlroy had plenty of fun with golf’s oldest trophy after his wire-to-wire win in the British Open. He celebrated with friends in England, took the jug out for a night on the town in Belfast with his buddies, and brought it with him when he returned home to Florida. And yes, it’s with him at Firestone this week at the Bridgestone Invitational.“I’ve sort of been taking pictures of it besid

July 30, 2014

Tiger faces 2 big weeks that shape rest of season

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― The landmark at Firestone Country Club is among the most popular in America, a massive water tower in the shape of a golf ball on a tee.Tiger Woods has reason to see only a big ATM machine.Woods has eight wins at Firestone, one more than Matt Kuchar has won on the PGA Tour. In 15 appearances, he has made $11.06 million, which is roughly the same as Tom Watson has made in four decades on the PGA Tour.OK, that’s not a fair comparison. Watson played at a time when total prize mon

July 30, 2014

Korea finishes 3rd at International Crown

Spain’s Belen Mozo lifts Beatriz Recari after making a birdie on the 16th hole on Sunday. (AP-Yonhap)South Korea finished in third place at the inaugural International Crown on the LPGA Tour on Sunday in Maryland.At Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore, South Korea picked up four points in the singles matches on the final day of the competition, for a four-day total of 10 points. South Korea won two singles and lost two others.Spain, which won all four of its singles mat

July 28, 2014

Korea finishes 3rd at International Crown

Furyk opens 3-shot lead in Canada

MONTREAL (AP) ― Jim Furyk moved into position for his third Canadian Open victory, shooting a 5-under 65 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead at Royal Montreal.The 44-year-old Furyk, the 2006 winner at Hamilton and 2007 champion at Angus Glen, had a 15-under 195 total after opening with rounds of 67 and 63. He won the last of his 16 PGA Tour titles in 2010.“(I’m) not really worrying about what position I’m in,” Furyk said about his Sunday approach. “Not looking at the leaderboard too much. Go

July 27, 2014

Korea eliminates U.S. in Crown

Korea’s Ryu So-yeon celebrates after sinking a putt on the 16th green to defeat the United States on Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap)OWINGS MILLS, Maryland (AP) ― Park In-bee and Ryu So-yeon both birdied the first playoff hole Saturday as South Korea eliminated the top-seeded United States and earned a wild-card berth in the final round of the International Crown.The Koreans will join Spain, Thailand, Japan and Sweden on Sunday in a duel for title.After the American team of Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson

July 27, 2014

Korea splits matches with Australia

South Korea split its two first-day matches with Australia on the opening day of the inaugural international competition on the LPGA Tour on Thursday in Maryland.The team of Park In-bee and Ryu So-yeon defeated the duo of Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright 3 & 2 in their four-ball match at the International Crown on Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore.In the next match, Australia’s Karrie Webb and Lee Min-jee edged past Choi Na-yeon and Kim In-kyung 2-up.The first editio

July 25, 2014

Putnam, Petrovic share Canadian Open lead

Yang Yong-eun tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)MONTREAL (AP) ― Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic shared the first-round lead in the Canadian Open on Thursday, shooting 6-under 64 in sunny conditions at rain-softened Royal Montreal.The 47-year-old Petrovic was the last player to get in the field, grabbing a spot when Benjamin Alvarado withdrew on Tuesday.“I didn’t set my expectations

July 25, 2014

Putnam, Petrovic share Canadian Open lead

Weir, DeLaet look to end drought

MONTREAL (AP) ― Mike Weir was well aware that it has been 60 years since a Canadian won the Canadian Open.“It’s going to end at some point, so hopefully, if not myself, it’s another Canadian that gets it done this week,” said Weir, one of 19 Canadians in the field for the tournament that starts Thursday at Royal Montreal. “It would be nice to get the streak over so we don’t have to talk about it.”Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner, taking the 1954 event at Point Grey in

July 24, 2014

Ferry tragedy gives Koreans extra drive

BALTIMORE (AFP) ― South Korea’s women golfers dedicated their efforts at this week’s inaugural LPGA International Crown team matches to lifting their homeland’s spirits after a ferry disaster that killed nearly 300 people.The ferry sank on April 16 with 476 people on board, including 325 high school students, and 294 were confirmed dead.“After that, all Koreans were feeling pretty sad. Everybody still thinks about that and all the young kids and feels really sad,” ninth-ranked Ryu So-yeon, the 2

July 23, 2014

Korea set to take on Australia

Park In-bee, a former world No. 1 in women’s golf, will lead the South Korean team against Australia to open an international competition to be inaugurated by the LPGA Tour on Thursday in Maryland.Park will be one of the four golfers on the South Korean squad at the first edition of the International Crown, which will open at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore, on Thursday, local time.The four highest-ranked players from eight countries, based on their world ranking po

July 23, 2014

Asian stars excited for LPGA team showdown

After two decades of watching U.S. and European women golfers play for the Solheim Cup, top worldwide rivals have their chance at a team title in the LPGA International Crown.The inaugural edition of the event will begin Thursday at suburban Baltimore’s Caves Valley Golf Club with eight teams of four women seeking global bragging rights and the richest share of $1.6 million in prize money.“Every time I was watching the Solheim Cup, I always wish I can be there playing,” Taiwan’s third-ranked Tse

July 22, 2014

Asian stars excited for LPGA team showdown

McIlroy seeks green jacket

HOYLAKE, England (AP) ― Rory McIlroy clutched the treasured piece of silverware, his reward for winning golf’s oldest major championship.Now he’s got his eyes on a new jacket. Something in green, preferably.With a grind-it-out performance on the final day of the British Open, McIlroy checked off another requirement for joining perhaps the most exclusive club in the game.U.S. Open? He’s won that. PGA Championship? Yep, got one of those too.British Open? Took care of that on Sunday.“I’m immensely

July 22, 2014

Ko takes Marathon with closing birdie

SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) ― Now that she’s officially a millionaire, Lydia Ko joked she’ll have to keep a closer watch on where her paychecks go.“I’ll probably see that going into my mom’s account,” she said with a laugh, referring to the $210,000 she got for winning Sunday’s Marathon Classic.The 17-year-old broke free from a late tie with Ryu So-yeon, hitting a wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the 72nd hole to take the lead. Then she tried in vain ― she’s just 5-foot-5 ― to see past the large gallery at

July 21, 2014

McIlroy, Tiger deliver at Brit Open

Korea’s Choi Kyung-ju chips onto the 16th green at the British Open on Thursday. ( UPI-Yonhap)HOYLAKE, England (AP) ― Rory McIlroy had everything go his way Thursday in the British Open. A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. He made half his six birdies on the par 5s and kept bogeys off his card. And on the day Tiger Woods made a promising return, McIlroy took the lead with a 6-under 66, his best score in nearly two years at

July 18, 2014