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SPORTS Wednesday 29 March 2023
Column: End of the WGCs with more to come, minus Match Play

By DOUG FERGUSON The difference is that those
AP Golf Writer other players will all be PGA
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Nick Tour members.
Price and Rory McIlroy are To Young’s point, in every
footnotes in World Golf tournament, you know who
Championships history. you’re going to get. They
Price hit the first shot when will all be very good. They
this series began in 1999, will fill a unique space. They
at La Costa in an open- will be fun to play. And ev-
ing match against Frankie eryone gets rich.
Minoza of the Philippines. Missing, of course, is the
McIlroy hit the last one, a avenue for players around
6-foot par putt on the 17th the world. Most of them
hole at Austin Country Club have an ambition of joining
to beat Scottie Scheffler. the PGA Tour, anyway. But
Too bad it was only for third there was a charm about
place. the WGCs in having play-
That was the last of 2,022 ers from every corner of the
matches over 24 years on globe having a chance to
six golf courses in two coun- shine on a big stage.
tries. Match Play started One year at Doral, officials
and ended the WGCs. In were trying to get a rising
between were 57 others star in the same group as
played on 13 courses. Woods. They settled on a
The eulogy requires an as- Sam Burns, right, kisses his trophy after defeating Cameron Young in the final match at the Dell young South African Louis
terisk. Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament in Austin, Texas, Sunday, March 26, Oosthuizen, who two years
The WGC-HSBC Champions 2023. Michael Dell, left, presented the trophy. Associated Press later had that name en-
in Shanghai has a contract graved on the claret jug at
through 2025. It was last enough, since Woods won group of guys.” in next year’s schedule. St. Andrews.
played in 2019 because of 18 of the 47 times he played Gone is the WGC that origi- That’s because the 2024 Shubhankar Sharma of In-
the COVID-19 pandemic in WGCs. nally alternated between schedule is loaded with dia got into the WGC in
and the PGA Tour hasn’t “Not quite the majors, but the U.S. and Europe, then WGCs. It’s just that now Mexico City in 2018 at age
said what will happen. The they were their own thing replaced the regular PGA they will be known as “DEs,” 21. He held the 54-hole
China Golf Association ul- that was really cool,” Young Tour event at Doral in 2007, which stands for “designat- lead until fading on Sun-
timately decides if it gets said after losing the cham- went to Mexico in 2016 and ed events.” It’s an acronym day. Far more memorable
played, though there is a pionship match to Sam made a final stop in Florida that mostly gets used at was when Sharma saw Phil
clear sense the tour would Burns. “They kind of filled a in 2021. Gone is the WGC the GH (that’s an acronym Mickelson on the practice
love for this one to quietly unique space. It’s been re- at Firestone, which in 2018 for “global home” the tour green at Chapultepec be-
go away. ally fun the last two years took over a regular tourna- uses to describe its head- fore the third round and

But is this really the end of coming to play this one ment in Memphis, Tennes- quarters). went to introduce himself.
the WGCs? Only in name, unfortunately, the only one see, and then quietly went Think about it. These $20 Mickelson thought he was
or initials. left. It’s a different experi- away when Memphis be- million tournaments will media and said: “Not right
Cameron Young grew up ence. You get the best 64 came a FedEx Cup playoff. have limited fields with no now. After the round.”
around golf as the son of players in the world in one And now the Match Play is cuts for the best players in Otherwise, the concept
Sleepy Hollow’s head pro, place. “You just know every gone, at least as a WGC. the world, along with room hasn’t changed. The WGCs
and while he’s only 25, he year this is who you’re go- PGA Tour Commissioner for a few other players who started with three, then ex-
still remembers Tiger Woods ing to get and it’s just fun Jay Monahan said earlier have earned their way into panded to four in 2009 with
winning most of them. Fair testing yourself against that this month it “didn’t work” the field. Shanghai. q

Elena Rybakina hits 10 aces in Miami

for 12th straight win

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) son. rib injury.
— Reigning Wimbledon The 23-year-old, who repre- So far in Rybakina’s career,
champion Elena Rybaki- sents Kazakhstan, improved 13 of her 18 semifinal ap-
na extended her winning to 20-4 in 2023, including a pearances have come on
streak to 12 matches and run to the Australian Open hard courts. She will face
delivered at least 10 aces final in January and a title No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No.
for the fourth straight outing at Indian Wells, California, 27 Anastasia Potapova for
while beating 25th-seeded last week. a berth in the final.
Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-0 on She is trying to become Trevisan reached the
Tuesday to reach the Mi- only the fifth player to win French Open semifinals in Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan returns to Martina Trevisan of Italy
ami Open semifinals. the women’s trophies at In- 2022. during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 28,
Rybakina’s 10 aces raised dian Wells and Miami in the In fourth-round men’s ac- 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Associated Press
her totals to 46 through four same season. Top-ranked tion Tuesday, Taylor Fritz
matches at the hard-court Iga Swiatek did it a year and Jannik Sinner beat No. 9 Fritz compiled twice dropped serve once during
tournament in Florida and ago. She withdrew from Mi- seeded opponents in as many winners, 22, as un- a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 7
a WTA-leading 201 this sea- ami this time because of a straight sets. forced errors, 11, and only Holger Rune.q