ATLANTA (AP) — Scottie Scheffler’s second FedEx Cup title, and his 22nd victory on the PGA Tour during this astonishing five-year run, was different from all the others, even if it looked all too familiar.

Scheffler celebrated with a beer.

He had just closed with a 4-under 66 in the Tour Championship on Sunday — no one else from the leading six players broke par — and Scheffler had to wait for the last two groups to finish to make it official.

“There was an open bar inside and I’m like, ‘All right, I’m grabbing a beer.’ It tasted great,” Scheffler said. “I don’t really drink often. My wife and manager were like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen you have a beer in a long time.’ Well, season’s over now. I’m going to have a beer. Well-earned beer.”

There was no arguing that, and there’s no longer a debate over who had the best season in golf.

Scheffler took care of that at East Lake when he made up a three-shot deficit in four holes and pulled away to win the Tour Championship, claim a second FedEx Cup title and move past Tiger Woods for most PGA Tour earnings.

Scheffler signaled his rally with a 5-iron to within 2 inches of the cup on the 211-yard second hole. He caught Viktor Hovland with a 25-foot birdie on the fourth hole, pulled ahead for the first time on the 13th and wound up with a three-shot victory.

It was his first time with the low 72-hole score at the Tour Championship.

When he won in 2024, he had a two-shot lead before the tournament began given to the No. 1 seed under the “starting strokes” format. He won by four shots, even though two other players had a lower actual score. That still bugs him.

“When you’re coming down the stretch of a tournament and you’re tied or one shot back, it’s different than when you’re adding it up at the end and there’s starting strokes and all that stuff,” Scheffler said. “I think having a real tournament to finish the year, where I am the winner and the lowest score at East Lake, feels like a bit more of an accomplishment.”

Scheffler won for the third time this year — twice in the last three weeks during the PGA Tour’s postseason — to match Chris Gotterup, Matt Fitzpatrick and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark for most titles in 2026.

Players vote on the Jack Nicklaus Award for PGA Tour player of the year. Scheffler has won the last four years — another would tie him with Woods for most consecutive awards.

Taking over the top spot in career earnings was inevitable. The $40 million purse at the Tour Championship now counts as official money. Scheffler won $10 million, pushing his career total to $130,390,661.

Woods, who never played for more than a $10 million purse during his peak years from 1997 through 2009, had been at the top of the career money list for nearly 26 years.

It was a small slice of redemption for Scheffler, who lost in a playoff to Hovland at the Travelers Championship, one of his five runner-up finishes this year.

Hovland made only one birdie and closed with a 72 to finish alone in second, worth $5 million. Most aggravating for the Norwegian was having three putts hit the lip in a four-hole stretch on the back nine, two of them for birdie and one for par.

“He’s just good, and he played good every day,” Hovland said. “I could have shot 66 easily as well today. Just didn’t have it. … It wasn’t like anybody else really played all that great in contention, and that’s what you see — a lot of guys just gagging and throwing up. And that’s where he just kind of stays in it and shoots a nice score. That gets the job done.”

Scheffler had two bogeys — one an aggressive miss with a wedge from the fairway on No. 7, the other from a gnarly lie in the rough on the 14th — and otherwise felt he didn’t miss much over a tough day of wind and firm turf that made the landing spots feel smaller.

East Lake played to a cumulative average of 67.35 through three rounds. On Sunday, the average score was 70.07.

Ryan Gerard, one shot behind Hovland staring out, made double bogey on the opening hole, followed with 13 straight pars and shot 72 to finish alone in third.

“They made it as difficult as they could today, and that’s kind of what we were looking for,” Gerard said. “I just wasn’t on enough to execute shots to really tucked hole locations.”

Scheffler said winning the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup doesn’t change his outlook on the season. That’s for others to judge. Even so, he had a point to prove.

He felt as though he had underachieved in the PGA Tour postseason — losing a six-shot lead to Rory McIlroy in 2022, not putting up much of a fight when Hovland won in 2023 when he started with a two-shot lead and finished 16 shots behind.

“To come in this year maybe not winning the tournaments that I could have won throughout the regular season, to come in and win two out of three playoff events, is definitely a nice way to finish off the season,” Scheffler said.

“That was my motto going into the playoffs. Maybe in years I’ve underperformed in the postseason, and maybe this is a year I’ll perform better than I have in the regular season.”

That he did, and the beer no doubt went down smoothly.

ATLANTA (AP) — Ryan Gerard hit it well enough for five relatively easy birdies Friday and dropped a surprise from just inside 80 feet for another, giving him a 5-under 65 and a share of the 36-hole lead with Viktor Hovland at the season-ending Tour Championship.

Hovland had one of five birdies on the peninsula-green 15th hole, a par 3 at only 155 yards but tucked to the left near a sharp slope that feeds off the putting surface. He had a 66 to join Gerard at 10-under 130 going into the weekend.

Right behind? Just about everybody.

That includes Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who had a 67 and was two back. And it included Cameron Young, in last place after the first round and atop the leaderboard for much of the day after a 62. He also wound up two behind.

Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup each shot 67 and were one behind at 9-under 131.

Gerard has more on his mind than the $10 million prize and the five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. The captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup will be announced after the Tour Championship, and it’s on the mind of the 27-year-old from North Carolina.

“It’s hard not to think about it a little bit,” Gerard said. “I’m very aware that a good week this week goes a long way to help my chances. I’m playing this week for myself and to try and put up some good scores and hopefully win a trophy at the end of the week.”

The trophies — one for the Tour Championship and one for the FedEx Cup — are up for grabs at the halfway point. One third of the field is separated by three shots on a course that has been relatively soft with either rain Thursday or overcast Friday, even with a little wind late in the day.

No one took advantage quite like Young, who remains in the picture for PGA Tour player of the year with his signature win at The Players Championship and a big win at a signature event at Doral.

He opened with two early bogeys in the opening round when everyone was going low and jokingly said it made him wonder about his career choice. He shot 70 that left him tied for last place and going off as a single Friday in the 29-man field (J.J. Spaun has withdrawn).

He made the turn in 30, and then poured in two more birdies to reach 7 under through 11 holes. Young cooled slightly with a bogey from the bunker at the 12th and missed opportunities the rest of the way until a 40-foot eagle putt slammed into the back of the cup on the par-5 18th for a 62.

The put him in a tie for the lead as the final group was starting, and Young would have been a little surprised to be within two shots by the end of the round. Low scores were there, and he had reason to believe someone would motor well past him.

“I was in last place about three-and-half hours ago,” Young said. “There’s not much wind today, and the field seems to be playing pretty well for even par being last place after yesterday. I think I can pat myself on the back for shooting 8 under, but that doesn’t change how much work there is left to even give yourself a chance.”

He ended the way with a mock handshake for the partner he didn’t have. Young didn’t race his way around the course. It felt like a practice round he plays by himself. There was one moment where it looked like any recreational round when he removed the flag on No. 12 and set it on the fringe because his caddie was busy raking the bunker.

Now that single falls to Robert MacIntyre, the only player not under par at East Lake. MacIntyre shot a 76 — eight shots over the field average — and was 13 shots behind.

Scheffler had two early bogeys to fall five shots behind and then answered with five birdies in a stretch of six holes around the turn to get back in the game. He was closing in until his approach sailed over the 17th green — the pin was in the back — and he stooped over for the longest time.

“I watched it get in the jet stream up there and fly,” Scheffler said.

He made up for it with a two-putt birdie on the 18th and was in a good position — along with so many others — with two days left in the season.

ATLANTA (AP) — The PGA Tour is reshaping its postseason for 2028 by ending the year with a Tour Championship played over two weeks at different golf courses involving match play.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the changes Tuesday before the Tour Championship, which has been 72 holes of stroke play for the top 30 players since it began in 1987. Under the current format, whoever wins the tournament is declared the FedEx Cup champion and earns $10 million in official money from the $40 million purse.

Starting in 2028, the BMW Championship — to be held that year at Olympia Fields near Chicago — will be for the leading 90 players on the points list. Points from the season continue, and the No. 1 player will be the season champion with bonus money paid out accordingly.

The top 32 after the BMW Championship will be broken into eight groups of four-player pools for the first week of the Tour Championship. The leading two players from each pool advance to the final week, which will be match play over four days. Even players eliminated early will play through Sunday to determine final positions.

“This sets the stage for a reimagined Tour Championship, a separate, stand-alone competition that will emerge as one of the most difficult tournaments to qualify for and win,” Rolapp said. “It’s match play over two weeks, an opportunity to make this an extended moment that commands the attention of golf and sports fans.”

Key details, such as where the final two weeks will be played and how much money will be at stake, have not been announced. The Future Competition Committee is still working on those details, along with the rest of the 2028 schedule overhaul.

Two people with knowledge of the discussions said Sleepy Hollow in New York, Interlachen Golf Club outside Minneapolis and Los Angeles Country Club, which held the 2023 U.S. Open, are under consideration. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because nothing has been finalized.

“This new format creates an exciting opportunity to showcase some of the most renowned venues in our sport, including places the modern tour has never been before,” Rolapp said.

As for the money, Rolapp said he hoped to have that sorted out by November. Scottie Scheffler earned $23 million from about $100 million in a bonus pool for leading the points list. The $40 million for the Tour Championship is additional — and official money — for the top 30.

“I think there’s an open question how we will allocate that in a new competitive model,” Rolapp said.

The Tour Championship first came to East Lake in Atlanta in 1998 and has been there every year since 2024. Rolapp said it would still be part of the rotation, suggesting the venues would change annually. Currently, the BMW Championship is the only postseason event that moves around.

Under the new format, that means the BMW Championship will offer three trophies — one for the BMW Championship, one for the Western Golf Association that has run the tournament for 126 years and the PGA Tour Championship Series Finale.

The first week of the Tour Championship will have no trophy at all. That’s all about being among the 16 players who advance to the final event.

Also undecided is whether a corporate title sponsor will be involved. FedEx took over in 2007 when the PGA Tour attempted a postseason for a clear finish to a golf season that for decades had been defined by the four majors.

The format has changed five times since 2007 in an attempt to define a season champion without taking away from whoever played the best golf that year.

This will be the first time match play, the most fickle format in golf, will be used in the postseason. Match play was last used on the PGA Tour in 2023, a separate World Golf Championship. One of the concerns was the television product having only two players the last day.

In the 2028 format, everyone plays all four days, with other matches deciding final positions. The winner will be the only player who didn’t lose a match.

ATLANTA (AP) — PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp offered a path back to a small number of LIV Golf players at the start of the year with a tight deadline to accept it and a warning that “once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”

It’s a hot topic now that the LIV Golf League is done with its shortened season. The speculation is just starting to ramp up on which players might be wanting back, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau chief among them.

Brooks Koepka mutually ended his contract with LIV Golf when he left at the end of 2025, and that would be a starting point now.

“Anyone who’s interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations they might have in that legacy model,” Rolapp said Tuesday. “Brooks certainly did that, and until then, we weren’t really able to consider anything seriously. I would say the same thing here.”

Any path back does not sound like a smooth one. Along with preaching meritocracy, Rolapp brought up rules that applied to the players who bolted for LIV Golf with big signing bonuses. LIV players typically have been banned from PGA Tour-sanctioned events for one year from the time of their last LIV appearance.

“The tour is a membership organization. It has rules. Those rules exist for lots of reasons — for fair, competitive reasons,” Rolapp said.

“Rules only matter if they’re enforced,” he said. “So accountability and discipline are essential to any organization, and certainly for the integrity of the tour and for the game, especially in a game that prides itself on rules and integrity.”

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of a PGA Tour record Tiger Woods has held for more than 26 years, one that means next to nothing to the world’s No. 1 player because of so many factors in play.

Scheffler is coming off his 21st career PGA Tour victory, all in the last five years. Last week’s win was worth $3.6 million, the fifth time this year he has earned $2 million or more. That brought him to within $1,034,756 of surpassing Woods on the career earnings list.

He could do that with a three-way tie for third in the BMW Championship. Just don’t look for any sparkling wine, much less a celebration. Prize money began to soar because of Woods, and it spiked with the arrival of LIV Golf. It was a matter of time.

Besides, that’s not the way Scheffler keeps score.

“That has a lot to do with the purses and all that,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “I’m not really too close to him in terms of career wins. What am I, like a fourth of the way there?”

Close enough. Woods is at 82 wins, tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead.

Money topics at Bellerive Country Club, hosting the BMW Championship for the first time since 2008, is all about 30 players trying to get to East Lake to play for a $40 million purse — $10 million for the winner — and the FedEx Cup.

That’s not a concern for Scheffler, either, or for the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy and a host of others who were among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup to advance to the second FedEx Cup playoffs event.

But it is to Gary Woodland, still recovering from brain surgery and at No. 31 with a chance to reach the Tour Championship for the first time in six years. And it is to 46-year-old Adam Scott, the only player in the field who was at Bellerive for the last BMW Championship.

Getting to East Lake all but assures a spot in all four majors. That’s a big perk, along with the chance to win a $10 million payoff.

“Making the Tour Championship has always been important,” Scott said. “It’s always been a marker of your performance throughout the year.”

There’s a little more at stake for a short list of players — Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Young, perhaps even McIlroy. No one has really stood out as PGA Tour player of the year. Scheffler moved to the front with his eight-shot win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week. It’s only his second win this year, but it goes along with five runner-up finishes and five other top 4s.

Scheffler has played so well he already is guaranteed the $23 million bonus for leading the FedEx Cup through the BMW Championship. That doesn’t count toward official earnings.

That number stands at $119,964,411. Perhaps another testament to changing times is that Woods earned his last official paycheck in the 2024 Masters ($44,000), moving his total to $120,999,166. Scheffler won the Masters that year and moved to No. 12 at $57,658,464.

So he has made just over $62.3 million in his last 48 tour starts over two years and four months. Great golf. Big money. It was a matter of time.

And it really doesn’t matter to Scheffler.

“Tiger did a lot for the game of golf and he put us in a position where we’re able to earn some pretty good stuff financially, so that’s something we’re very grateful for,” Scheffler said. “When you look at where the purses were at before he came out on tour to where they’re at now is a pretty stark difference. And we’re very thankful for his contributions to the game and hopefully we’ll see him back out here competing again soon.”

Scheffler’s first PGA Tour check was $25,080 for a tie for 43rd at the 2018 St. Jude Classic. Last place at the BMW Championship this week pays $66,000.

The testament to Woods is how long he kept his name atop the career money list.

He took over for Davis Love III — Love was at the top for all of two weeks — when Woods tied for second in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines (total purse was $3 million) on Feb. 13, 2000. Six players in the BMW Championship field weren’t even born then.

Talk of money took Scheffler back to his early days of grinding. He had financial freedom with an endorsement deal he signed with Nike, so there was no concern on entry fees in Monday qualifiers or even gas money to get there. But those were fun times to him.

“Just trying to find my place in the game,” Scheffler said.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The British Open came to life Friday when Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns took their place in history by tying the major championship record with 62s, and Bryson DeChambeau getting penalized two shots after his round for inadvertently improving the path of his swing.

In the midst of all the late drama was Jon Rahm getting an official conduct warning for throwing his club after a bad tee shot.

Herbert was slightly disappointed with his record-tying round because he missed a 5-foot par putt that would have given him a 61. Burns didn’t even know he tied a record. But there was no mistaking the frustration of DeChambeau, who tends to draw attention no matter what he does.

DeChambeau was hand-slapping with the gallery when he finished birdie-birdie for a 4-under 66, leaving him one shot behind Herbert going into the weekend. That changed when officials asked him to review his shot from the fifth hole.

DeChambeau asked to be taken to the scene of the infraction, in thick, high grass to the right of the 321-yard hole, and television cameras picked him up arguing with them.

He hit into knee-high grass to the right and was stomping around as he tried to figure out how to navigate a shot 72 yards from the hole. At issue was whether he violated Rule 8 that governs the intended swing.

DeChambeau was seen waving his arms and pointing in clear frustration. Officials eventually deemed a section of grass behind the ball was tamped down that might have affected his backswing on the shot.

DeChambeau made bogey on the hole, which became a triple bogey. His score went from a 66 to a 68. Instead of one shot behind, he was three shots behind and tied for fifth. Even more drama followed when DeChambeau — who has stopped talking to the media — stormed off to the range.

His agent, Brett Falkoff, was asked if the two-time U.S. Open champion would play on Saturday and replied, “We’ll see,” he said. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Herbert was long gone when all this was taking place, with mixed emotions about a short miss on the final hole but proud to become the sixth person to shoot 62 in a major. And then 22 minutes later, Burn holed out from a pot bunker for a birdie-birdie-birdie finish to become the seventh.

Burns wasn’t even supposed to be at The Open. His wife was due with their second child this week, but when she had a daughter earlier than expected — July 3 — Burns decided last Friday to come across for another shot at a major. He was runner-up by one shot in the U.S. Open.

When the dust finally settled on the brown-baked links of Royal Birkdale, the only clarity was Herbert at 8-under 132 with his first 36-hole lead in a major. And golf’s oldest championship, which rarely lacks for drama, had almost more than it could handle.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler couldn’t buy a putt until a 12-footer for par on the final hole gave him a 68 and left him only four shots behind.

Jackson Suber and Ryan Gerard, a pair of newcomers to links golf, were tied for second with Cameron Young.

Rahm, who missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole and shot 67, was very much in the mix just four shots behind and not about to change his intensity, even though another conduct violation would be a two-shot penalty.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Wyndham Clark couldn’t remember being in a darker place. He was publicly reviled for a moment of petulance when he smashed a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut in the U.S. Open last year. His game, his reputation, he felt it all was slipping away.

Sunday at Shinnecock Hills wasn’t much better. The New York crowd behind Scottie Scheffler in his bid for a career Grand Slam turned on Clark, cheering his misses and wishing for the worst.

That’s what made this U.S. Open title so much sweeter.

On the edge of the greatest collapse in U.S. Open history, Clark held his nerve against a charge by Sam Burns and a Shinnecock Hills crowd that never gave him much love until he showed his mettle with his second U.S. Open title in four years.

“The first one was kind of just the breakthrough of knowing I can do it,” Clark said after a two-putt par from 50 feet for a 3-over 73 and a one-shot victory. “And then this one was a lot of redemption. Last year was so tough, a terrible year. I left this place in shambles, and it’s amazing what a year can do. I’m leaving here this Sunday as a champion, and I’m just so blessed.”

Clark, who won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became the first wire-to-wire winner of the U.S. Open since Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014.

This sure didn’t feel like a stroll through the Hamptons.

He had the largest 54-hole lead in the U.S. Open in 15 years. It was down to a single shot in just five holes, and stress followed him the rest of the way.

The clincher for Clark was on the par-5 16th, where on Saturday he made the only eagle of the week. This time it was his worst drive, well left into the gnarly fescue. He gouged that out and narrowly cleared a bunker. His 8-iron barely stayed on the back of the green. He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt for a two-shot lead with holes to play.

It was a signature moment with muted applause. The gallery rooted against him all day, putting all their support behind Scheffler, who made his own share of mistakes and never got closer than three shots of Clark all day.

“Winning major championships is extremely difficult,” Scheffler said after a 71 to tie for fourth. “He had some stones down the stretch. … Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today. And he is a well-deserving champion.”

Clark had the highest final round of a U.S. Open champion since Graeme McDowell closed with a 74 to win at Pebble Beach. No matter. The 32-year-old American has two U.S. Open titles, and two wins in the last month.

Burns closed with a 67, his second chance in as many years to win the U.S. Open. He bounced back from a three-putt bogey on the 15th with a an 18-foot birdie to stay within one shot. He made a weak pass at a 10-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead on the 17th. What haunts him is a 17-foot birdie chance on the 18th that grazed the right edge of the cup, causing him to drop to his knees.

“I would say last year at Oakmont I felt more I lost the golf tournament. I certainly don’t feel that way today,” Burn said. “I did everything I could to have a chance to win today.”

Clark finished at 4-under 276 and got a surprise at the end when his father, Randall, took an overnight flight from Denver to watch his son win for the first time.

Even the New York crowd had no choice but to salute him.

“New York didn’t really like me — I love you guys,” Clark said at the closing ceremony, hoisting the silver trophy. “But I get it. Some of it’s self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times and I’m still sorry, so hopefully I can win you guys over eventually.”

Clark noticed fans leaving early on Saturday and hoped for a big crowd and big energy for the final round. He got every bit of that, and it was uncomfortable at times. One was ejected when he shouted, “Don’t choke, Wyndham.” The grandstand behind the seventh green broke into cheers when his shot rolled off the green and into the bunker.

“I get it — they were rooting for Scottie,” Clark said. “Grand Slams only happen a few times. He’s going to get it. He’s the best player in the world. But today it’s my day.”

It almost wasn’t.

But Burns never caught caught him. No one did.

Tom Kim, who like Scheffler celebrated a birthday on Sunday, was on the fringes of seriously contending until he fell back with a bogey on the 17th and shot 70 to finish third.

Clark’s hit a superb wedge that spun back to 4 feet for birdie on the 10th to restore the lead to two shots. But then he went long on the 13th with a pitching wedge and couldn’t save par. And then came his big moment on the 16th, and one last act of lagging a 50-foot putt to tap-in range.

That’s how it was at Los Angeles in 2023, when he needed two putts from 60 feet and lagged it close. Clark simply is at his best against tough tests, and rough arenas. Three years ago, he denied Rory McIlroy. This time it was Scheffler.

“The first one was amazing, and this one seems even better,” Clark said. “I think especially after such a sour taste last year in this championship, to have some redemption and win this again is almost surreal.”

A month ago, he was two years without a win and No. 75 in the world. Then he shot 60 in the final round to win The CJ Cup, contended the next two weeks and won his second major. It moves him to No. 8 in the world.

The smile he wore holding that U.S. Open trophy would suggest he feels on top of the world.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Wyndham Clark had two good looks at history Friday morning and settled for the lowest opening round in a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, a 6-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in a first round that took some 26 hours to complete.

Dustin Johnson, in the final year of his U.S. Open exemption from winning at Oakmont in 2016, atoned for a double bogey late Thursday with birdies on two of his last three holes and a superb par save for a 66, keeping him in touch with Clark.

Gary Woodland — playing alongside Clark and Johnson — and Matt Fitzpatrick were at 67. Among those another shot back was Jon Rahm, who missed two good chances Friday morning but still managed a 68 without a bogey on his card.

The scores were surprisingly low for Shinnecock Hills, where only three players in the previous four U.S. Opens here have finished under par in the last 40 years. But the real surprise was fog at the start of the championship, which led to a two-hour delay.

That meant Clark and Johnson had the advantage of playing Thursday evening in far less wind. The USGA made sure Shinnecock was kind and gentle to account for gusts that consistently topped 30 mph. Without that wind late in the day, players could take advantage.

And they did.

Clark had a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch late Thursday that put him at 6 under. Johnson ran off four straight birdies until his blunder on No. 6, when he three-putted from 6 feet for double bogey.

They returned early Friday, along with 48 other players, to complete the first round. Clark faced Nos. 8 and 9, both with a favorable wind. Clark narrowly missed an 18-foot birdie putt on the eighth, and one from about 30 feet on the ninth.

The Shinnecock record is 63, set by Tommy Fleetwood in the final round of 2018 after the USGA soaked the course to make up for a third round that dried out and got out of control. The U.S. Open record is 62 by Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

Clark was more than pleased with a 64. The lowest opening round at Shinnecock had been 66, by three players in 2004 and one player in 1995.

Rory McIlroy faced the worst of the wind on Thursday and thought he did well to post a 69. Scottie Scheffler was in the same wave and had to rely heavily on his short game to salvage a 72, his 10th consecutive round at the U.S. Open without breaking par.

Sam Stevens had the low round from those who faced the toughest wind at 68. He was joined later by Rahm and a group that included Ryder Cowan, who just finished his junior year at Oklahoma. Another Sooner alum, Max McGreevy, also was at 68.

Clark and Johnson had enough time to hit a few shots on the driving range before heading right back out for the second round.

At stake Friday was the 36-hole cut for the top 60 and ties. Scheffler was narrowly inside, but still looking toward trying to stay in range of the lead as he chases the one major keeping him from the career Grand Slam.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler missed a 4-foot putt and laughed. Jon Rahm angrily swung his club after an errant shot and the grass divot hit a volunteer in the face. Garrick Higgo was 10 seconds late to the first tee and penalized two shots before he even swung a club.

Aronimink waited 64 years to host another PGA Championship and made up for lost time in a big way Thursday, including the biggest logjam in a major championship since 1969.

When the long day was over, most predictable was seeing Scheffler’s name atop the leaderboard at 3-under 67, along with six other players. Another surprise: It’s the first time the world’s No. 1 player has at least a share of the lead after 18 holes of a major.

Scheffler wasn’t buying it.

“Is it a really a lead when you’re tied with like six guys?” he told ESPN with a laugh.

Scheffler took advantage of two long birdie putts and one big break on the 17th hole for his lowest start to a tournament since January. He was tied with six others — former PGA champion Martin Kaymer perhaps the most surprising — on a tough day in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Joining them at 67 were Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Min Woo Lee, Ryo Hisatsune and Alex Smalley. The seven-way tie was the largest since nine players shared the lead in the 1969 PGA Championship at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio.

“At this moment, it’s anybody’s tournament,” Scheffler said. Indeed, 48 players were within three shots of the lead. The difference between missing the cut and being part of the lead was six shots.

And to think it could have been eight players. Higgo had a 69, which included a two-shot penalty before he even hit a shot for being 10 seconds late to the tee for his group’s starting time.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy bogeyed his last four holes for a 74 that sent him to the practice range for most of the afternoon.

Not since Oakland Hills in 2008 — Jeev Milkha Singh and Robert Karlsson at 2-under 68 — has the low score to par after the first round of the PGA Championship been worse than 3 under. Aronimink with its severely sloped greens, fast fairways and plenty of wind that shooed away morning clouds was every bit a major challenge.

Scheffler has struggled with opening rounds for most of the year since opening with a 63 in his season debut at The American Express, his only victory. But this was quality work. He missed only one fairway, which cost him one of his two bogeys on the day.

“Definitely the best start I’ve gotten off to this year, maybe besides American Express,” Scheffler said. “Your scores are definitely going to be lower if you hit the ball on the fairway, but it’s still really, really difficult to make birdies.”

He made one from just inside 40 feet on the par-4 seventh, and another birdie from just inside 30 feet on the par-4 10th. And even the No. 1 player in the world needed a little help.

Scheffler was in the thick collar of rough to the right of the par-3 17th, facing a chip over a ridge and down toward the hole. But his golf ball was close enough to a sprinkler cap that he was given free relief, dropped on the fringe and putted it to close range for a par.

Kaymer won the PGA Championship in 2010 at Whistling Straits, giving him a lifetime exemption. Kaymer joined LIV Golf in 2022 and has yet to finish in the top 10 in the few European tour events he has played since then. He is No. 1,160 in the world ranking. He hasn’t been in the top 10 after one round of any major since the 2020 PGA Championship.

During the champions dinner on Tuesday, he said one PGA of America officer asked the German if he planned to play this week.

“I said, ‘Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip with you guys, you know?’ Of course, I’m playing. And that really motivated me.”

Patrick Reed was the only player who made it around Aronimink without a bogey, his two birdies giving him a 68 and in the large group with Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry, who played the two par 5s in 3 under.

Jordan Spieth, lacking only the PGA Championship for the career Grand Slam, bogeyed two of his last three holes — and did not birdie the par-5 ninth, the easiest hole at Aronimink — to join the group at 69 that included Brooks Koepka, Rahm and Justin Thomas.

“Just didn’t quite finish the way I wanted to the last three holes, but under par was a good score,” Spieth said. “It was blowing really hard, and it was cold this morning. The course played very, very difficult. It was a good start. I’m going to need to improve on it, I think, each day.”

Rahm was headed for another rough start in a major until he holed out for eagle from the 11th fairway, chipped in for birdie on the tough par-3 eighth and shot 69. He was told some people thought scoring would be better in the morning. This surprised him.

“People thought it would be lower?” he replied. “Have you been out there? Have you seen this course?”

McIlroy had the toughest finish. He struggled out of the damp, dense rough. He struggled on the greens. He closed with four straight bogeys and described his round in one word that translates loosely to doo-doo.

No one struggled quite like Bryson DeChambeau, who didn’t make a birdie until he ended on the par-5 ninth. That kept him from matching his highest score in the PGA Championship. He shot 76 and now has to work toward avoiding a second straight missed cut in a major.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy joined more elite company Sunday at the Masters when he pulled away with a pair of birdies around Amen Corner and, as usual, saved a little drama for the end before taking his place in Augusta National history as only the fourth back-to-back champion.

In a final round where three players had a two-shot lead, McIlroy seized control for good with a bold shot over Rae’s Creek to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th. Then he blistered a 350-yard drive on the par-5 13th that set up another birdie to move three shots ahead.

There were a few dicey moments, including a shot over the par-3 16th green that required him to use the slope to get in close for par, having to get up-and-down for par on the 17th and a wild drive on the 18th that wound up closer to the 10th fairway.

He tapped in for bogey and a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler.

A year ago, his playoff victory over Justin Rose made McIlroy only the sixth player with the career Grand Slam. With another green jacket, McIlroy joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat winners of the Masters.

“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and I get two in a row,” McIlroy said. “I think all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off. It was a tough weekend. I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday.

“But just so, so happy to hang in there and get the job done.”

McIlroy stood tall when he tapped in the final putt to finish at 12-under 276. There was no relief like last year of going 17 years trying to win the Masters. This was pure joy. And for the first time since 2002 when Woods went back-to-back, it was up to the Augusta National chairman, Fred Ridley, to help him into the green jacket.

“It still fits, which is nice,” McIlroy said at the trophy presentation.

President Donald Trump congratulated McIlroy on social media as he flew back to Washington from Florida.

“With each year, Rory is becoming more and more a LEGEND!” Trump wrote. McIlroy’s next tournament is likely to be the Cadillac Championship in two weeks at Trump Doral outside Miami.

It was more heartache for Rose, and frustration for the others who had a chance.

Rose had a two-shot lead that evaporated around Amen Corner with two bogeys and a three-putt par. He couldn’t make up enough ground the rest of the way and had to settle for a third close call at the Masters.

Cameron Young lost his two-shot lead much earlier with a long three-putt bogey on the par-3 sixth and taking bogey on the next hole when he hit wedge from the fairway into a bunker. One shot behind going to the back nine, Young closed with nine straight pars.

“There is no negative to take away other than obviously I would’ve loved a different result,” Young said. “I pretty much had a birdie chance on every hole and didn’t make any. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

As for Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player was in position to shatter the Masters record with the largest 36-hole comeback in history. He was 12 behind going into the weekend. He was two shots behind as he approached the turn. But he ran off 11 straight pars — that wasn’t going to cut it during a final round with accessible pins to create excitement.

Scheffler had to settle for his third runner-up finish in the majors to go along with four titles. His 65-68 weekend made him the first player since 1942 to go bogey-free on the weekend at Augusta.

“I put up a good fight in order to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said.

Rose, at age 45 trying to become the second-oldest Masters champion behind Jack Nicklaus (46) in 1986, made it feel as though this was going to be his time. He made a most improbable birdie with a shot out of the trees to a foot on the seventh. That was the start of three straight birdies to close out the front nine and give him the lead.

But his approach to the 11th was well to the right and he failed to save par. His tee shot on the 12th was long, and his delicate chip didn’t reach the green, leading to another bogey. And then his 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th ran 8 feet by the hole and he missed the birdie putt.

“Chance that got away,” Rose said. “I was by no means free and clear and was nowhere kind of close to having the job done, but I was right in position. … I was really in control. And the mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done.

“I was playing great, but just momentum shifted for me around the Amen Corner.”

That’s where McIlroy thrived. No shot at Augusta is more terrifying that the par-3 12th with the deceptive, swirling wind. McIlroy said he thought back to a practice round at his first Masters in 2009 when Tom Watson told him to wait for the right wind and hit.

His three-quarter 9-iron aimed at the middle bunker drifted more to the right that he imagined, but it turned out perfect, 7 feet away, closer than anyone all day.

“That was a really good golf shot at the right time,” he said. “Huge shot in the tournament.”

And the on the 13th, where he had put his drives into the trees right of the fairway the first three days, he came up with one of his best swings of the week, leaving him an 8-iron to the green.

At the end it was a now familiar champion, McIlroy, once tormented by his chase for the green jacket and now a two-time winner whose love for the Masters only deepens.

His sixth major puts him in a group that includes Faldo. One more and he can tie Harry Vardon for the most majors by a European.

McIlroy was so ecstatic a year ago that he asked the media when it was over, “What are we going to talk about next year?” Now the topic is easy. No one has ever won three in a row.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young teed off in the final round of the Masters on a hot, sunny day at Augusta National, where some very accessible hole locations were producing low scores early and could mean a Sunday of high drama.

McIlroy blew a record 36-hole lead of six shots on Saturday with a round of 73, which allowed Young to pull into a tie with him at 11 under following his 65 — tied for the low round of the tournament. They began Sunday with a one-shot lead over Sam Burns, though two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and a host of other big names were ready to give chase.

Scheffler began the day at 7 under and promptly birdied the difficult par-4 opening hole to start his round in style, while Burns also birdied the first hole, sending him into a tie with McIlroy and Young atop the leaderboard.

The hole locations were generous for the final round, which was producing some low scores early in the day.

Keegan Bradley and Gary Woodland took advantage of the hole locations and ideal conditions earlier in the day, each posting rounds of 6-under 66, while Viktor Hovland shot 67 despite putting a ball in the water and double-bogeying the par-5 15th.

The scoring average on Thursday was very high, making some wonder whether Augusta National would get even tougher as it dried out and sped up. Instead, the club appeared to make the course easier — or at least, no harder — and the scores have reflected it; the average score of 70.63 on Saturday was the lowest in Masters history in a third round.

McIlroy spent some time at the practice range after his round Saturday night, hoping to find confidence in his driver. He ranks last in driving accuracy among those who made the cut, though McIlroy was able to scramble enough to stay atop the leaderboard.

While he’s trying to become the fourth player to win twice in a row and the first since Tiger Woods, Young is trying to capture his first major championship, and follow in the footsteps of fellow Wake Forest alum Arnold Palmer, a four-time Masters champion.

McIlroy is No. 2 in the world ranking, one spot ahead of Young, who won The Players Championship in March. The last time two of the top three players in the ranking were in the final group at the Masters was 2001, when Woods was No. 1 and Phil Mickelson was No. 2. Woods ended up winning by two strokes over David Duval.

“The whole field is not going to help you out, put it that way,” said Justin Rose, who lost to McIlroy in a playoff last year, and began the day in the mix again at 8 under. “It’s going to take a special round tomorrow, so there’s a chance, which is great. I’m going to try to channel a bit of last year and see what happens.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — That one-man show at the Masters gave way to a wide-open chase for the green jacket with a stunning turn of events that forced Rory McIlroy to remind himself where he was at the end of Saturday instead of where he started.

The six-shot lead was gone in 11 holes. Instead of only two players within six shots of him, there were nine players within six shots of McIlroy and co-leader Cameron Young by the of the day.

“There’s a lot of guys in with a chance tomorrow. I’m still tied for the best score going into tomorrow, so I can’t forget that,” McIlroy said. “But I do know I’m going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.”

It felt like the coronation had started when McIlroy put himself in the Masters record book with the largest 36-hole lead in history, even though the defending champion had cautioned, “I know what can happen around here, good and bad.”

The good belonged to Young, that mixture of power and calm carrying him to a 7-under 65, and to Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player and two-time Masters champion whose 65 took him from 12 shots behind to suddenly in the mix just four back

The bad?

McIlroy was in the trees, in the water, in all sorts of places he would rather not be, including sharing space atop the leaderboard. He finished with a 73, surprising only because it was the lowest scoring average (70,63) ever for a third round at Augusta National.

“Didn’t quite have it today,” McIlroy said before going off to the range to figure out what went wrong. He is last in the field in driving accuracy among the 54 players who made the cut.

Young set his own Masters record, the first player to have at least a share of the 54-hole lead when starting eight shots behind.

But he was steady and brilliant, chipping in for birdie on the par-3 fourth, converting a huge break when his tee shot on the par-5 13th crashed out of the tree and into the fairway, even salvaging a bogey with a bold wedge from the same spot where he had just come up short and into the water on the par-5 15th. He briefly took the lead with a 20-foot birdie on the 16th.

“You just are constantly aware of the fact that this place can bite you,” Young said. “So to me, it’s just a really, really clear mandate that an easy par is never bad. And if you’re playing that well, you’re going to back your way into some birdies at some point.”

They were at 11-under 205, one ahead of Sam Burns who played bogey-free for a 68. Shane Lowry, who made a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole to become the first player to have a pair of aces in the Masters, had a 69 and was two shots behind.

And suddenly very much in the picture was Scheffler, who had his lowest round ever at the Masters with a 65 despite not making birdie on the par 5s on the back nine for the third straight day.

“We’ll see what happens this afternoon. I don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament,” Scheffler said.

What happened? Just about everything.

McIlroy was plodding along with pars when he stuffed his shot on the 10th for a birdie. But then his journey through Amen Corner might have left him wanting to say a few choice words.

His shot into the 11th went left and rolled into the water, he missed a 5-foot putt and made his first double bogey of the tournament. He pulled his wedge on the par-3 12th over the green and chipped poorly, missing a 15-foot par attempt. His drive on the par-5 13th sailed into the trees to the right for the third straight day, his wedge went long and he had to scramble for par.

“There’s certainly no lead that’s safe out there,” Young said. “But at the same time, Rory loves it here. I don’t think anyone would have been surprised if he went out and shot 65. But if he does open the door, you have to take advantage.”

McIlroy at least steadied himself after losing the lead. He holed a 20-foot birdie putt across the 14th green to tie Young, and then hit a beauty into the 15th to set up a two-putt birdie. But he was in the trees again on the 17th left of the fairway, punched out with a shot that ran over the green and fell back into a tie.

The top eight on the leaderboard, separated by four shots, include five major champions and four players who have been No. 1 in the world.

Among those with in five shots of the lead are former Masters champion Patrick Reed, despite having to settle for a 72, and Patrick Cantlay, who opened the Masters with a 77 and became the first player in seven years to play bogey-free two straight days with rounds of 67-66.

McIlroy still has a good chance to join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as back-to-back winners at Augusta National. Young is trying to make it three straight years the winner of The Players Championship went on to win the Masters.

“I’m owed nothing. My past results don’t dictate what I do tomorrow,” Young said. “I’ve got to go earn whatever I get out of tomorrow, and the best way that I know to do that is kind of try to attack the day like I have the last three.”

It was the second time a career Grand Slam champion lost a big lead on Saturday at the Masters. Jack Nicklaus led by five shots in 1975 when he shot 73 and fell one shot behind, only to win in what is regarded as one of the most exciting Sundays in Augusta National lore.

Perhaps another chapter is in store Sunday. There’s no shortage of contenders.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy delivered a dynamic finish to the Masters on Friday, looking every bit like someone who has done this before. Six birdies over the last seven holes gave him a 7-under 65 and a six-shot lead that set a Masters record through 36 holes.

Maybe he should start thinking about next year’s menu for the Masters Club dinner.

McIlroy was locked into a fascinating duel with old nemesis Patrick Reed, and then he was all alone. His tee shot over Rae’s Creek on the dangerous par-3 12th landed 7 feet behind the flag. He birdied both par 5s after having to lay up from the trees. He seized on the lower pin at the par-3 16th for what amounted to a tap-in birdie.

If that wasn’t enough, he chipped in from 30 yards on the 17th. The run continued when his approach to the 18th caught the ridge and rolled 6 feet away.

That put him at 12-under 132, six shots clear of Reed (69) and Sam Burns (71). The previous record for the largest 36-hole lead at Augusta National was five shots by Jordan Spieth (2015), Raymond Floyd (1976), Jack Nicklaus (1975) and Herman Keiser (1946). All went on to win.

He’s seeking to become the fourth player to win back-to-back at the Masters, joining Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.

McIlroy had a 36-hole lead in 2011 and stretched it to four shots going into the final round before he famously imploded. That was the start of his Masters heartache that lasted until a year ago, when he won in a playoff to finally prove he could win at Augusta National.

This was starting to look like a victory lap.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy began his title defense in the Masters with a tee shot that rolled next to a spectator’s seat. Another one was in the trees. His tee shot on the seventh hole went into the 17th fairway. The prevailing thought was not concern, not the slightest bit of panic.

He’s the Masters champion. That brought a measure of patience and a load of freedom.

“I just trusted that eventually I’ll start to make some good swings. So that was a little different,” McIlroy said after opening with a 5-under 67, his best start at Augusta National in 15 years, to share the lead with Sam Burns.

It seems as though McIlroy has been wearing his Masters green jacket all week — to the weekend activities, to his news conference on Tuesday (Tiger Woods never did that), to the Masters Club dinner that night. And after his opening round?

“It’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on at the end of the day,” he said.

It wasn’t his best golf, but he got everything out of his round in his bid to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back at Augusta National.

“By the way, Rory may never lose this thing again after last year,” Fred Couples said he told his caddie when he heard another cheer, presumably for McIlroy.

Only one other player in the last 10 years — Hideki Matsuyama when he won in 2021 — shot 67 while hitting only five fairways. McIlroy was the sixth defending champion to have at least a share of the 18-hole lead, though only Jack Nicklaus (1966) went on to win.

There’s a long way to go, and a course that already has everyone’s attention because of how fast and firm it already was on Thursday.

Burns was among the early starters. He played the par 5s with three birdies and an eagle and wound up with his lowest score in his fifth Masters appearance.

“Historically, people who have success here play the par 5s really well, and we were able to do that today. So it’s a good recipe around this golf course,” Burns said.

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world going for a third green jacket in the last five years, was 3 under through three holes in the tougher afternoon, when the light gusts began playing tricks and the greens got crispy. He had one bogey and 14 pars the rest of the way for a 70.

The whole day was tough, and the forecast — this could be the first Masters in 25 years without any rain — has everyone on edge thinking what the next three days could hold. Yes, the weather was gorgeous. But dry and firm conditions are scary, even in this marvelous garden.

“It’s not right on the edge, but it’s playing nice and firm where you can get yourself in a lot of trouble if you lose control somewhere,” Adam Scott said after a 72.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion and a two-time winner on the European tour this year, was at 69 along with Jason Day and Kurt Kitayama. Reed was atop the leaderboard for so much of the day due to two eagles on the front nine that sent him out in 31.

But he dropped a shot on the 10th, and then was flummoxed by what he thought was an ideal shot for his second into the par-5 15th. Such are the firmness of the greens that his shot hit hard off the back of the green, bounded down the slope and didn’t stop rolling until it was in the pond on No. 16.

“Water?” Reed asked his caddie as he looked toward the green. “It landed on the green.”

He later described it as a “head-scratcher.”

“I knew if it went over the green, we would be fine,” Reed said. “Didn’t really think I was going to go 30 yards over the green.”

Justin Rose, twice a playoff loser in the Masters, was in range of the lead until he dropped three shots over the last five holes and had to settle for a 70, tied with Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry.

The greens are already are so firm that Rose quipped, “You might get a yellow jacket if you win.” That was a reference to the shade of the greens — a yellow sheen means firm and fast, and that color on Thursday can make players nervous.

Augusta National can still take a bite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision, or bad shots that wind up in the wrong spot.

Bryson DeChambeau found that out on the 11th hole when he put his approach in the right bunker and it took him three to get out on his way to a 76. Jon Rahm turned potential birdie or better into a double bogey with a shot into the azalea bushes on the par-5 13th. He didn’t make a birdie in his 78.

Only five players broke 70, and only 16 players broke par, the lowest in five years at the Masters for the opening round.

Ten players failed to break 80. One of them was Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, the No. 8 player in the world. He was among three players to take quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 15th.

McIlroy wasn’t sure want to expect in his 18th appearance, his first as the Masters champion. Only twice had he started with rounds in the 60s, his best a 65 in 2011. That year, he went on to shoot 80 on the final day.

There were still nerves. It’s still Augusta National.

“My hope was to get off to a solid start,” he said. “I feel like the way I played, 5 under, exceeded where I thought I would be or what I wanted to do.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Maria Jose Marin allowed herself to picture what it would be like to walk up the 18th hole as the first Colombian winner at Augusta National, and it was everything she dreamed.

Asterisk Talley never imagined the nightmare that helped make it possible Saturday in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness — her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters.

“I just reminded myself that I had to stay really, really patient because anything can happen out here,” Marin said after closing with a 4-under 68 for a four-shot victory. “When that last putt sank in, I just thought to myself, ‘Well, I made it.’ All of my hard work has paid off, and I’m just extremely proud of myself.”

Talley was devastated. The 17-year-old Californian twice went from the back bunker into Rae’s Creek for a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12th hole. That allowed Marin to go from a tight contest to a five-shot lead.

Talley, who didn’t make her first bogey of the tournament until the 11th hole of the final round, shot 42 on the back nine for a 75 to finish six shots behind.

“I’m just a little emotional, not only because I didn’t get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive,” Talley said. “It’s hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today even though that one hole just kind of got me.”

Marin, a junior at Arkansas, becomes the third NCAA champion to win at the home of the Masters, following Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang, and this one featured a shocker on the back nine.

Talley, who led by as many as four shots early, missed a short birdie chance on the 10th and a short par putt on the 11th to fall into a tie with Marin.

And then it all came undone.

Talley went long with an 8-iron into a back bunker on the 12th, the hole that ruined Jordan Spieth’s chances of a repeat Masters victory in 2016. She went at the right pin with a shot too strong, and the ball rolled off the front, down a slope and into the water. Talley decided to drop in the bunker, and then did the same thing again.

“I didn’t think going to the other side was the best option at the time,” Talley said. “I thought since we could rake the bunker, maybe we could get it to not be so hard. It was still the same after dropping. The same thing happened. Just couldn’t really get under the ball there.”

Stunned, she took her next penalty drop on the other side of the water, pitched to about 8 feet and holed that for a quadruple-bogey 7.

“Probably should have done that the first time,” Talley said. “But you don’t really think of that when you’re in the moment.”

Marin had far better fortune on No. 12. Her shot came up short, and was close enough to the bunker that it stayed up on a small shelf of grass instead of rolling into the water. She saved par, and began to pull away with her two-putt birdie on the 13th and Talley’s big blunder on No. 12.

“I think it was just God holding the ball there,” Marin said.

The last challenge for Marin came from Andrea Revuelta, who birdied Amen Corner to stay on the fringes of contention.

Marin finally saw a leaderboard showing her four shots ahead and said the adrenaline played a part in hitting a wedge over the green. She had to make a 5-foot putt for bogey, right after Revuelta narrowly missed an 8-foot birdie.

Marin hit 7-iron to 6 feet for her sixth birdie that put it away.

Revuelta closed with a 68 and was runner-up. Talley took a double bogey on the 16th — she played par 3s in 6 over on the back nine — and wound up in a five-way tie for fourth. Meja Örtengren of Sweden, playing in the final group with Talley, shot 74.

Marin set an Augusta National Women’s Amateur record at 14-under 202. The smile never left her face as she walked up the 18th green, raising her right hand when she tapped in for par. Among those who celebrated with her was Maria Fassi of Mexico, another Arkansas star who was runner-up in the inaugural tournament. Marin has called that moment a big inspiration.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley presented the trophy to her in Butler Cabin, and Marin held it aloft, smiled wide and said, “It’s so pretty.”

“Winning in this place, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a feeling to describe it. It’s just magical,” she said. “This is the temple of golf, and just getting this win, it’s amazing for me.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy might have set the tone for the 90th edition of the Masters shortly after he finally won that coveted green jacket. “What are we all going to talk about next year?” he said.

Next year arrives on April 9, and McIlroy will be relieved of questions that constantly dogged him about when he was ever going to conquer Augusta National. Now that burden falls to the 73 players in the field who have yet to win.

Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite because he already has won the Masters twice and he has been No. 1 in the world for nearly three straight years. He won in his season debut and has gone quiet by his standards the last month.

Bryson DeChambeau has won his last two tournaments on Saudi-funded LIV Golf, with a 57-man field and limited supply of stars in their prime. The two-time U.S. Open champion played in the final group with McIlroy last year.

Augusta National is roughly the same, except for perhaps the color. The azaleas and dogwoods were blooming two weeks before the gates open.

No matter. Amid what seems like constant change in golf, the Masters brings a degree of normalcy as golf’s rite of spring and for many, the true opening week of the sport.

Here is a look at what you need to know leading up to the Masters.

When does the Masters start?

The Masters is April 9-12, keeping its traditional spot on the calendar the first full week in April. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson again are scheduled to hit the ceremonial tee shots about 7:30 a.m. before Thursday’s opening round.

The Par 3 Contest is on Wednesday, April 8, created in 1960 to replace what previously was a clinic the golfers performed. Now it’s become a showcase for Masters players young and old, and caddies who are mostly young — the children of players.

Who is playing?

The field currently is 93 players, keeping with another Masters tradition. Augusta National prefers fewer than 100 players in the field, and it’s been that way dating to 1967.

What about Tiger?

Tiger Woods will miss the Masters for the second straight year. He already was struggling to get his legs in shape for the tournament when he was arrested March 27 in Florida on a driving while intoxicated charge. No alcohol was found in his system, but drug experts determined he was impaired and Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Woods entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday, and then issued a statement that he was taking an indefinite leave to seek treatment. A Florida judge granted a motion for Woods to seek help at an inpatient facility outside the country.

What happens on the weekend before the Masters?

The best female amateurs in the world are the first to take the stage. The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is Saturday at the home of the Masters, after two rounds determined a 36-hole cut at Champions Retreat.

How can I watch the Masters?

The options are practically limitless. Thursday and Friday rounds start at 1 p.m. ET on Prime Video, the latest broadcast partner for Augusta National. ESPN will take over at 3 p.m. on the weekday rounds through 7:30 p.m. Then on the weekend, Paramount+ will get started at noon, and CBS will carry live tournament coverage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

But that’s not all.

The Master is offering live video channels on https://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html with a menu that includes featured pairings; live action from the fourth, fifth and sixth holes; Amen Corner (Nos. 11-13); the 15th and 16th holes. Prime Video will have a stats-enhanced stream on Amen Corner.

Is anything new with the golf course?

Other than the blooms peaking a little early, not really. Players long have suspected tweaks here and there without saying so. All that’s known is the front of the 17th tee was reduced by 12 yards and the tee marker was relocated to make the scorecard show 450 yards (up from 440 yards).

What’s new off the golf course?

The buzz is the new Player Services Building located behind the driving range, a three-level structure with an indoor parking garage beneath the members range. It has a gym and recovery room on one level, an enormous locker room on the second level and dining for players, family and support staff on the third level.

And for those who manage to get a ticket, the Masters has a new candy bar in its concession. The name of it: Candy Bar.

Who are the favorites?

Scheffler is the betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, which lists the world’s No. 1 player at +500. He is followed by McIlroy and DeChambeau (+1000), former Masters champion Jon Rahm (+1200), and then Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele (+1400).

What happened last year?

In what ranks among the greatest Masters ever, Rory McIlroy lost a four-shot lead on the back nine, regained the lead, lost it again and wound up in a playoff with Justin Rose. McIlroy won on the first extra hole with a gap wedge to 3 feet for birdie, making him the six player to capture the career Grand Slam.

Who are some of the first-timers at the Masters?

The most interesting of the 22 newcomers is Chris Gotterup. He’s only the third player since World War II to win four times before he plays in his first Masters. Gotterup first qualified by winning the Scottish Open. He won the Sony Open and Phoenix Open earlier this year.

Three players from the top 20 in the world are making their debut — Ben Griffin, who played in his first Ryder Cup last September, and Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman, who went to nearby Clemson.

Also playing are Kristoffer Reitan of Norway and Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson of Denmark, part of a record eight players from Nordic countries.

JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover traveling at “high speed” on a residential road clipped a truck and rolled onto its side.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was able to crawl out of passenger side and was not injured.

“He did exemplify signs of an impairment,” Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken “some type of medication or drug.” He said Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test and was arrested.

Under Florida law, he would have to spend eight hours in jail before he could post bail.

Budensiek said the sheriff’s office will follow the law regardless of who has been accused of a crime. He said Woods was being held in jail but separate from others.

“He’s not going to be with other inmates that could hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did,” he said. “He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail.”

It was the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of the influence of alcohol. He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.

President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law is dating Tiger Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.

“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.”

The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island.

Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30 mph (48 kph) speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.

The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side.

The sheriff said Woods was “cooperative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.” He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities “will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.”

Woods’ manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said later doctors considered amputation. He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career.

Woods returned from multiple back surgeries to win the 2019 Masters for his 15th major. His 82 titles on the PGA Tour is tied for the career record with Sam Snead. Since that LA crash, he has played 11 tournaments without being closer than 16 shots to the winner the four times he was able to finish 72 holes.

Friday’s arrest comes as Woods was trying to decide if he was fit enough to play the Masters, which starts April 9. He also was to be in Augusta, Georgia, on April 5 to unveil a golf course project with Masters chairman Fred Ridley.

Woods also was days away from what was described as a “soft deadline” to decide whether to be the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland.

Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from a seventh back surgery in September.

His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and that kept him off the course all season even before the back surgery. He managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league on Tuesday night.

He has remained deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chair of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the model of the tour.

AP’s Cody Jackson contributed to this report

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — For those who can’t get enough of the Masters, Augusta National is providing even more coverage this year. Its new deal with Prime Video will include a stats-driven broadcast of Amen Corner.

The Masters released its broadcast schedule Thursday for the April 9-12 tournament, which offers its usual full menu of viewing on its digital platforms. Prime Video and ESPN will have live coverage for the opening two rounds, and CBS has the weekend with two hours of lead-in on Paramount+.

CBS has televised the Masters for 70 years, while ESPN began broadcasting the weekend rounds in 2008.

New to the Masters this year is a deal announced in September with Prime Video, which will stream two hours (1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET) on Thursday and Friday that lead to the ESPN coverage. ESPN also has added “Welcome to the Masters,” two hours (10 a.m. to noon) of a pregame show before the opening two rounds.

The relationship with Prime already has led to a documentary on Rory McIlroy’s historic win last year that allowed him to complete the career Grand Slam. “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait” premiers March 30.

There also will be “Inside Amen Corner” that will be available exclusively on Prime from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 11:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. the final two rounds.

The dedicated feed will offer a stats-enhanced viewing experience that features an in-depth look into playing three of the most famous holes on the back nine at Augusta National — the par-4 11th, the par-3 12th over Rae’s Creek and the par-5 13th.

Prime Video is expected to announce more details on “Inside Amen Corner” next week.

NBC plans to air a mini-documentary on Sunday, April 5, titled, “Photographer No. 24,” on Hall of Fame center fielder Ken Griffey Jr.’s role as an official photographer for the Masters last year.

The Masters’ digital platforms during the tournament again will have live coverage of featured groups, Hole Nos. 4 through 6, Amen Corner, Hole Nos. 15 and 16, and On The Range.

“Range Tracker” returns for a second year, providing live and recorded data of every shot from every player on the practice range. Another addition for 2026 is “Masters Vault Search,” allowing fans to watch specific tournament clips from more than 50 years of Sunday broadcasts.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cameron Young delivered the biggest birdie of his career on the most notorious hole on the TPC Sawgrass, a sand wedge to 10 feet to tie for the lead in The Players Championship. And then he was even better on a shot equally daunting.

Young finally won a big title to go with his major talent on an electric stage with pressure at every turn. He produced the goods on the final two holes — the birdie on the wind-blown island-green 17th, and a 375-yard drive down the 18th that set up a one-shot victory Sunday.

“It’s so loud on 17. You just know kind of all eyes are right there on you so there’s nowhere to hide,” Young said. “And I feel like I stepped up really well and hit a bunch of good shots those last couple holes, so I’m very proud of that.”

Most impressive was the previous day on the 18th hole, his drive ended with a splash and a double bogey. There was no margin for error this time, tied for the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick. Young picked out his line and had one final thought: “I’m going to hit the best shot of my life right here.”

He had never had a thought like that because he had never been in this position before. But he couldn’t think of a better shot he ever hit. Moments later, Fitzpatrick failed to save par from the trees when he missed an 8-foot putt.

Young tapped in for par and a 4-under 68.

“The nerves kicked in over the 8-inch putt on the last,” Young said. “That hole looked really, really small there from pretty close range.”

It was only his second victory on the PGA Tour. He tied the tour record with seven runner-up finishes before finally winning late last summer in the Wyndham Championship. But this is the PGA Tour’s crown jewel, loosely known as the fifth major, on a Stadium Course that taxes brains and more than not breaks hearts.

It was like that for Ludvig Aberg, who had a three-shot lead going into the final round and was still in control until he imploded on the back nine with shots into the water on consecutive holes. He shot 40 on the final nine for a 76 and tied for fifth.

And it felt that way for Fitzpatrick, who thought he nailed his drive on the 18th only to see it run through the fairway and into the pine straw. He pitched out to the front of the green, pitched beautifully to 8 feet and missed the putt to force a playoff. He closed with a 68.

“I felt like I hit a good drive,” Fitzpatrick said. “And once you’re out of position it’s difficult to make your par.”

Young finished at 13-under 275 and earned $4.5 million with a victory that moves him to No. 4 in the world. His objective early in the year was to get into contention as often as possible to prepare for the Masters, and he did better than that.

Fitzpatrick was the first to seize on Aberg’s collapse, hitting wedge to tap-in range for birdie on the 12th and a tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 13th. Young matched the great tee shot on the 13th for birdie to stay one behind, and it was duel from there.

Young felt that mixture of nerves and confidence, a lesson learned from his Ryder Cup debut last fall at Bethpage Black in his native New York. There were a few chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” as he played with Fitzpatrick of England when it became clear the winner would come from that group.

“That was literally child’s play compared to Bethpage,” Fitzpatrick said about the crowd. “If they think that that was anything, then they need to reassess. Get yourself up to New York.”

Fitzpatrick three-putted from 60 feet on the 14th to lose the lead, and he regained it with a 12-foot birdie on the 15th. The closing two holes belonged to Young on a course where he had not finished in the top 50 in four previous tries.

“This place has had my number the last few years,” Young said. “And yeah, it is incredibly taxing. Every shot all day long you can get yourself into trouble. There’s no easy ones. There’s no givens. And you’re going to make mistakes. So it’s a great test of will, a test of patience and obviously a test of hitting some good shots.

“So I feel like I did a lot of those things really well this week.”

Xander Schauffele birdied three of his last four holes, including a 20-foot birdie on the 18th, to close with a 69 and finish third, one shot ahead of Robert MacIntyre (69).

MacIntyre watched a chip from deep rough on the 16th roll across the entire green and into the water. Sepp Straka (71) had two double bogeys on the last five holes, including the 18th when his shot out of the woods bounced off a cormorant sitting on the wood-framed edge.

Aberg, however, was the real shocker.

He was still two shots ahead and in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 11th when he flared one out to the right and into the water, leading to bogey. On his next tee shot, he pulled that badly into the water, hit over the green and took three to get down for double bogey.

That put him three behind, and he never recovered.

“I would have loved to be standing where Cameron is standing right now,” Aberg said. “It definitely stings a little bit.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods did not rule out a return to the Masters just under two months away, even as his immediate future appears to include just about everything but golf.

Woods again painted an uncertain future about when or where he plays next because of a seventh back surgery to replace a disk. He said Tuesday at the Genesis Invitational that he remains plenty occupied, mostly with trying to reshape the PGA Tour schedule.

“I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing in my prime,” Woods said. “It doesn’t compare to what we’ve done in the boardroom.”

Those hours also are an obstacle in his decision whether to be the U.S. captain for the Ryder Cup for the 2027 matches in Ireland. Woods turned down the job two years ago because he didn’t think he had the time to do the job justice.

Foremost this time of the year is the Masters, which Woods last played in 2024 when he made the cut for a record 24th time in a row. Woods is a five-time Masters champion.

Asked if playing the Masters, which starts April 9, was off the table, Woods replied without elaboration, “No.”

As for his golf anywhere — he turned 50 at the end of last year and is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions — Woods said he is still working his way back from the disk replacement surgery in October and has no timetable for a return. He has yet to play in the indoor TGL matches, either.

“Well, I’m trying — put it that way,” he said, adding that he can hit full shots but not every day “and not very well.”

Last year was the first time in his career he did not compete in a single tournament. He had surgery in March 2025 for a ruptured Achilles tendon, which is no longer holding him back. He said his lower back was sore, and at his age, “It’s probably going to take me a little bit longer.”

“My body has been through a lot,” Woods said. “Each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again.”

His chief interest is indoors. He is on the board of the PGA Tour and the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises, heading the “Future Competition Committee” that is trying to create a model to meet CEO Brian Rolapp’s goal of fewer tournaments that are more meaningful for the best players.

The only thing clear is that a new model most likely won’t be ready by 2027. The committee has reached agreement on a big start to the season — that could be the week after or before the Super Bowl — taking the big events to bigger markets and becoming the must-see sport of the summer.

Another players-only meeting was scheduled Tuesday at Riviera. Rolapp is expected to pull back the curtain on some aspects at The Players Championship in March, with a little more clarity expected in the summer.

Among items under consideration is moving some prime California stops — Riviera and Torrey Pines get most of the attention — to August as part of the PGA Tour’s postseason.

“We’re looking at things like that, looking to go to bigger markets later in the year for the playoffs. Just trying to make our competitive model better, and how do we do that?” Woods said, adding that moving the Genesis Invitational to August “certainly is on the table.”

All the while, Woods said it was important to create a path for the next batch of stars.

“We’re trying to create opportunities for that turnover … to get more youth out here because eventually they’re going to take over the game,” Woods said. “So trying to create that opportunity, trying to create the right competitive model and the environment to foster that, that’s been the greater challenge of it all.”

As for the Ryder Cup, that also is in the wait-and-see mode.

The PGA of America waited longer than it ever has before choosing Keegan Bradley for the ’25 matches at Bethpage Black because it was waiting on an answer from Woods.

He doesn’t appear to have made much headway.

“They have asked me for my input on it, and I haven’t made my decision yet,” Woods said. “I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour. That’s been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team — Team USA and our players and everyone that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup — if I can do it justice with my time.”

Woods became involved at Riviera in 2017 when his TGR Venture began running the event, and now he is the official host in the same capacity of Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial and the late Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill. Those three signature events are the only ones with a 36-hole cut.

Genesis announced it was renewing as title sponsor at Riviera, even amid questions whether it might move to late summer. Genesis also is title sponsor of the Scottish Open in July. There also is a question of how Riviera could be held in August 2028 a month after the Olympics.