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SPORTS Monday 17 June 2019
Woodland denies history with U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) tap-in range.
— Gary Woodland denied That effectively ended
Brooks Koepka's bold bid the U.S. Open. Woodland
at history with two clutch played conservatively
shots and made U.S. Open down the 18th and made
memories of his own, start- one last birdie that only
ing with that silver trophy in mattered in the record
his hands at Pebble Beach. book. He finished at 13-un-
Woodland finished in style der 271, one shot better
Sunday. He holed a 30-foot than Tiger Woods' historic
birdie putt for a 2-under 69, rout in 2000.
giving him the lowest 72- The difference was Woods
hole score in six U.S. Opens won by 15 shots and was
at Pebble Beach and a the only player under par.
three-shot victory over Ko- With a marine layer block-
epka, who was going for a ing the sunshine, and no
third straight U.S. Open. significant wind at Pebble
Koepka had to settle for Beach all week, 31 players
a footnote in history as finished under par.
the first player with all four Koepka closed with a 68 for
rounds in the 60s at the U.S his second runner-up in the
Open without winning. But majors this year, along with
he made Woodland earn his second straight PGA
every bit of his first major Championship title.
championship. Justin Rose was the only
And he did. one who caught Wood-
Clinging to a one-shot lead land, with a birdie on the
with more pressure than he opening hole. Rose bo-
has ever felt, Woodland geyed from the bunker on
seized control by going for Gary Woodland celebrates with the trophy after winning the U.S. Open Championship golf tour- No. 2, and fell out of the
the green on the par-5 14th nament Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Pebble Beach, Calif. race with three bogeys in
hole with a 3-wood from a four-hole stretch on the
263 yards, narrowly clear- Woodland hit the edge of back of the green, leaving Woodland delivered back nine. He shot 74 and
ing a cavernous bunker the green on the par-3 17th him a chip for eagle to tie, again. Unable to use put- shared third with Xander
and setting up a simple up- all the way to the right, with with a birdie likely to do ter to get it close, he per- Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm
and-down for a two-shot the pin on the hourglass the trick considering what fectly clipped a pitch over (68) and Chez Reavie (71).
lead. green on the other side. Woodland faced. Koepka the mound, and it checked Woods birdied six of his last
Even more significant was Ahead on the 18th, Koep- chipped to just inside 10 about 12 feet short of the 12 holes and was never a
a shot from 90 feet. ka's 3-iron went just over the feet and missed the putt. hole and trickled down to factor.q

Henderson wins Meijer LPGA to break Canadian victory record

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) sprayed her with cham- Just trying to hit good shots she was coming off a victo-
— Brooke Henderson won pagne to celebrate. and hopefully make a lot ry last week in New Jersey.
the Meijer LPGA Classic on "It's really special," Hender- of birdies. Didn't make as "Unfortunately, I didn't hit
Sunday to break the Cana- son said. "I'm so happy that many as I wanted, but just it that great today, but I
dian record for tour victo- both my mom and my dad enough." made some really good
ries with nine. can be out here to watch Her lead reduced to a putts on my second nine,"
The 21-year-old Henderson my sister and I win this. stroke after a bogey on the Thompson said. "I had a
led wire-to-wire for her sec- It's always special when par-4 16th, she three-putt- little bit of a muscle spasm
ond victory in three years they're here, especially on ed the par-5 18th from 45 in my shoulder all day, but
at Blythefield Country Club, Father's Day." feet for the winning par. it is what it is, you can't con-
closing with a 2-under 70 in Also the Lotte Champion- "When I was walking up trol that. So, overall great
chilly conditions to hold off ship winner in April in Ha- here I thought maybe I week." Hataoka shot 65,
Lexi Thompson, Nasa Hata- waii, Henderson matched would have to birdie or ea- also making an eagle on
oka, Su Oh and Brittany Al- the tournament record of gle this hole to get the job the par-5 18th. Oh had a
tomare by a stroke. 21 under that she set in 2017 done, but when I looked at 66, and Altomare shot 68.
Henderson broke a tie with Brooke Henderson, of Cana- (when the course played the scoreboard I was sort Jennifer Kupcho, four
Sandra Post for the Canadi- da, holds the championship to a par of 71) and also was of shocked that all I need- strokes behind Henderson
an record on the LPGA Tour trophy after winning the Mei- tied last year by So Yeon ed to do was three-putt entering the day, had a 76
jer LPA Classic golf tourna-
and also moved ahead of ment, Sunday, June 16, 2019, Ryu. Henderson opened and par," Henderson said. to drop into a tie for 23rd
George Knudson and Mike in Grand Rapids, Mich. with consecutive 64s, play- "I'm really grateful about at 11 under in her third pro-
Weir for the overall country Associated Press ing 30 holes Friday after rain that because I was shak- fessional start. The former
mark. delayed the start Thursday, ing pretty bad on those last Wake Forest star won the
"That's really cool," Hender- ally excited for the rest of and had a 69 on Saturday couple putts." inaugural Augusta National
son said. "Earlier this year the summer and hopefully to take a two-stroke lead Thompson followed her Women's Amateur in April.
to get my eighth win and many more wins in the fu- into the final round. course-record 62 in the The KPMG Women's PGA
to tie that record was a ture." "It's a lot like the courses third round with a 68, clos- Championship, the third
huge deal for me. To now With caddie/sister Brit- I grew up playing back ing with an eagle for the major championship of the
to kind of breakthrough tany and mother Darlene home in Canada," Hender- second straight day. The year, is next week at Hazel-
that is awesome. I'm just re- looking on, father Dave son said. "I love it out here. 2015 winner at Blythefield, tine in Minnesota.q