Golf

As expected, the PGA of America followed the PGA Tour’s lead on most health and safety protocols for next week’s PGA Championship, including a move to allow players who continue to test positive for COVID-19 but have been given the green light to return to work under CDC guidelines. On Monday the Tour’s policy board approved an adjustment to the policy that allows players in this category – which includes Harris English and Dylan Frittelli, who are both qualified for next week’s PGA Championship – access to locker rooms, clubhouses, fitness trailers and normal tee times. BY Ryan Lavner  — July

Mariah Stackhouse could recite the Gettysburg Address by the age of 3. She had no idea what it meant, of course, but the little girl with the booming voice had a knack for memorizing, and would land key roles on stage, like the Gingerbread Man, because she was the only one who could remember all the lines. You created me Black and beautiful, and with your blessing as my guide, every night I pray, and every day I praise your name. Ken Stackhouse first came up with the idea of writing an affirmation for 3-year-old Mariah to memorize as a

The LPGA is making its restart amid the coronavirus pandemic this week with two of the top three players in the world uncertain when they will make their return to the American-based tour. Rolex world No. 1 Jin Young Ko hasn’t teed it up in an LPGA event in eight months, since the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of last season. Rolex world No. 3 Sung Hyun Park also hasn’t played the tour in that same time span. Neither Ko nor Park will play the next four LPGA events, including the AIG Women’s Open, the year’s first women’s major.

Few in sport have enjoyed a more spectacular walk-off moment than Suzann Pettersen. That winning putt at the 2019 Solheim Cup, after a 20-month break from competition, instantly changed her from villainess of the match-play spectacle to beloved heroine. The legendary moment prompted longtime sponsor Dow to put together a documentary entitled “Her Final Putt – Suzann Pettersen’s Story.” The 30-minute program aired on CBS earlier this month. The 39-year-old Norwegian won 15 times on the LPGA, including two majors, and compiled a 18-12-6 record in nine Solheim Cup appearances. Golfweek recently caught up with Pettersen to talk about retirement,

Every year Roy Williams makes it a point to attend at least one home event for every sport on campus at the University of North Carolina. When he’s out watching a golf tournament, said women’s head coach Jan Mann, Williams doesn’t ask for a cart. The Tar Heels’ men’s basketball coach will talk to anyone who approaches and poses for pictures upon request. He knows the UNC players by name, too. After spring sports teams had their seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an anonymous donor stepped up to cover the cost of scholarships for any senior who

The White House has eased travel restrictions for players, caddies and other essential personnel entering the United States to compete on the PGA Tour. Players were informed late Friday via e-mail that the move is based on groups who are “subject to COVID-19 testing and screening through the Tour’s rigorous health and safety protocols throughout a tournament week” and that they won’t be subject to the current 14-day quarantine period. The timing of the move is crucial for players with two of the season’s biggest events scheduled for the next two weeks – the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the

Jennifer Kupcho will tee it up in her first men’s professional tournament alongside a familiar face: her brother, Steven. After winning her first professional title at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open at Green Valley Ranch in Denver last June, Jennifer received an invitation to compete against the men July 23-26 on the same course. “I’m not really setting any expectations,” Jennifer told Golfweek in a text, “but definitely plan to play my best and am feeling very motivated by the challenge of playing against such a great field. Regardless of the outcome, I’m really just appreciative of the opportunity to

Sandy Scott, a two-time second-team all-American for the Texas Tech golf team, will return as a fifth-year senior for the upcoming school year. He made the announcement Tuesday. Scott is No. 8 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and was ranked among the nation’s top 20 college golfers this spring by Golfstat and Golfweek. Scott had planned to turn pro after the 2020 college season, but the COVID-19 outbreak that shut down sports limited his opportunities. In recent weeks, Tech coach Greg Sands said all signs were pointing toward Scott’s return to Tech. “It has been a difficult time,” Scott

AIG announced Wednesday that it is extending its title sponsorship of the Women’s British Open for two years, through 2025. As part of a rebrand, the championship will now be called the AIG Women’s Open. Japan’s Hinako Shibuno is set to defend her title with the AIG Women’s Open scheduled Aug. 20-23 at Royal Troon, which will make it the LPGA’s first major of 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic causing a reshuffling of the tour’s schedule. BY Randall Mell  — July 21, 2020 at 1:56 PM Japan’s Hinako Shibuno will play the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open on a special

The Rolex Rankings are back – with a significant modification. While the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, the Women’s World Golf Rankings Board of Directors announced on Monday in a release that points and divisors will only change and age on weeks when an athlete competes. On weeks when a player does not compete, her individual points, average points and divisors will not change or age, though her ranking could still shift based on the performance of other athletes who are competing. Photos: LPGA players who earned $1 million on tour in 2019 This allows for unusual breaks