American Brendan Steele held his nerve on an error-free back nine for a one-shot victory over compatriots Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title at the Texas Open on Sunday.
Steele, a 28-year-old rookie who had not played a single round on the PGA Tour until this season, began the day with a one-shot lead and made it hold up during another wind-whipped afternoon at the TPC San Antonio carding a final round one-under-par 71.
After a birdie at the second followed by his only bogey of the round at the fifth and another birdie at seven, Steele reeled off 11 consecutive pars to finish with a winning total of eight-under 280.
“I don’t even really know what happened,” said Steele, a winner in his 12th PGA Tour start. “Kevin and I were kind of battling it out there the last few holes, then he made the mistake on 17 and I made a mistake on 18, but I was able to sneak in the putt for par.”
“So, I’m not even sure what is going on right now, I’m just trying to capture it all in my mind,” Steele said.
Chappell had mounted an early charge dropping his third birdie of the day at the 10th to join Steele atop the leaderboard setting the stage for a back nine shootout.
However, the two PGA Tour rookies, playing together in the last threesome, matched each other par-for-par until Chappell blinked with a bogey at the 17th and settled for a two-under 70 to finish joint second with Hoffman, who closed with a 68.
“I’ll be honest, I think I just fell asleep,” Chappell said about his only bogey. “I felt the wind was dead into me and I kind of hit left center of the fairway.”
“I should have known it was a little left to right and I actually felt like I struck the ball the way I wanted to,” Chappell said. “When I found the ball in flight, it was right of the hole and like whoa, what just happened?”
“I hit a good pitch from where I was and actually feel like I hit a good putt to hit it a little hard,” he said. “I hit it where I was aiming.”
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or