Category Sports News

Myrtle Beach Classic final leaderboard

-15 R Fox (NZ), M Hughes (Can), H Higgs US) Fox wins at first play-off hole; -14 K Yu (Tpe); -13 N Norgaard (Den) A Smalley (US)

Selected others

-12 T Oleson (Den); -10 H Hall (Eng); -6 S Power (Ire)

New Zealander Ryan Fox clinched a place at this week’s US PGA Championship in dramatic style with a 50-foot chip-in from the fringe of the green to win the Myrtle Beach Classic in a three-way play-off.

It was a first US PGA Tour title in 68 starts for the 38-year-old after he finished on 15 under alongside Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes and American Harry Higgs.

Fox earned his spot in the play-off when Hughes let a one-stroke lead slip with a bogey at the 18th and Higgs was only able to par the last at the tournament, which was played at the same time as the Truist Championship in Philadelphia, won by Austrian Sepp Straka.

He will now line up in the second major of the year which begins at Quail Hollow, North Carolina on Thursday.

Fox, whose father Grant played 46 times for the All Blacks and won the inaugural World Cup in 1987, previously played on the DP World Tour, winning three times including at the BMW PGA Championship in 2023 before trying his luck in the United States.

On the day when Mother’s Day was celebrated in America, he celebrated his win in South Carolina with his wife Anneke Ryff and two young daughters.

“So my wife sort of joked on Friday when I said, ‘What can I get you for Mother’s Day?’ And she goes, ‘Well, a trophy would be nice’. So I guess I lived up to my end of the bargain there,” said Fox, who also earns a two-year PGA Tour exemption.

“To have the wife and kids here is amazing.

“I haven’t transitioned probably as well as I would have liked over the PGA Tour. It was tough last year, I managed to just keep my card, and it’s been a scratchy start this year as well.

“In this game, you don’t get to win very often. You don’t get job security very often either.

“So it’s certainly nice to have that. And at the back of my mind, can feel like for the rest of the year, I can freewheel it a little bit. Hopefully that takes some pressure off.

David Beckham’s star-studded Inter Miami were thrashed 4-1 by Minnesota United but it was the opposition’s social media activity that he took exception to – and the former England captain went straight to the comments section.

Saturday’s loss was the heaviest Inter had suffered since eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi joined the club in July 2023.

Argentina captain Messi, 37, scored in the second half but Inter suffered a fourth defeat in their past five matches in all competitions.

After their home win, Minnesota posted a photo from the game on Instagram with the caption “Pink Phony Club” – a reference to the colour of Miami’s kit and the Chappell Roan song Pink Pony Club.

They also included a snapshot of the league table showing Minnesota moving above Inter.

Beckham, who co-owns the Major League Soccer club, commented on the post, writing: “Show a little respect, be elegant in triumph.”

Minnesota, who are managed by Welshman Eric Ramsay, then posted a picture of a banner from the game that read: “History over hype, culture over cash”, with the words “hype and cash” highlighted in pink.

Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy midfielder Beckham, 50, again commented on the post, writing: “Respect over everything.”

Inter won last season’s Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record, but lost in the first round of the play-offs.

They hired former Argentina and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano in November but lost in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup and are currently fourth in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Three years ago Tottenham beat Arsenal 3-0 and weeks later beat the Gunners to a Champions League place.

It marked the sixth consecutive season that Spurs finished above Arsenal in the Premier League.

Things have changed since then.

The Gunners have finished above their north london rivals ever since and this Premier League campaign will go down as one of the worst in Tottenham’s history.

There remains a light on the horizon – with Tottenham looking forward to a Europa League final against Manchester United, knowing victory will give them a Champions League spot next campaign.

But this won’t stop the speculation about manager Ange Postecoglou’s future after another hugely disappointing league campaign.

“One has gone forwards and one has gone backwards – it’s as simple as that,” said BBC pundit Danny Murphy.

Harry Kane scored twice for Spurs and Son Heung-min netted the other in that Tottenham win.

Rob Holding was sent off for Arsenal.

A Gunners win would have sealed their Champions League spot with two games to spare, but they ended up losing their next game too and Spurs beat them to a top-four spot.

The mood was high at Tottenham after Antonio Conte had taken them up from eighth place after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in November.

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty, who was at that game, said: “Tottenham Hotspur’s decisive win pointed to a golden future under Antonio Conte.

“Arsenal were frail and vulnerable, while Spurs were irresistible and looked in prime position to continue on an upwards curve under the inspirational Conte.

“As so often, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were the inspiration.

“Instead, it proved to be the high watermark of the Conte era.

“The night of joy and celebration when Spurs swept aside their neighbours can now be viewed as another part of another false dawn.”

Tottenham fan Anna Howells, a content creator for Spurs XY, said: “That day had so much promise, a united team with fans, a manager with a proven record, returning to the Champions League and Harry Kane scoring goals for fun – what could go wrong?”

As it turned out, Tottenham could not keep Conte happy.

He left by mutual consent in March 2023 after calling his players “selfish” and criticising the culture of the club.

They finished eighth, and lost in the Champions League last 16 to Milan.

There were big changes the following summer as in came Celtic manager Postecoglou, and out went the club’s all-time top scorer Kane to Bayern Munich.

“This is only Ange’s second season, and before that you had Conte, and Mourinho before that,” said ex-England and Liverpool midfielder Murphy.

“So since the end of 2019 Spurs have had three managers while Arsenal have had this stability under Arteta and they have given their manager time to build something.”

It all started so well under Postecoglou, with Spurs top of the table and unbeaten after 10 games going into November.

But a 4-1 home loss to Chelsea, with Spurs having two defenders sent off, sent them on a run of losing 12 of 28 games – and they missed out on a Champions League place by finishing fifth.

Domestically, Tottenham have had a wretched season this time around. They sit 17th and are facing their lowest finish since they were in the second tier in 1977–78.

Yet it could end up being their best season in terms of trophies since 2008, after setting up a Europa League final with Manchester United.

“This season in isolation has been really poor, but they also missed out on the Champions League last season too,” said Murphy, who played for Spurs from 2006 to 2007.

“They would have been really hopeful that they would have been as competitive again this time – fifth again this year would have got them in, but instead they have fallen off a cliff.”

Postecoglou has repeatedly pointed to injuries, but there has not been an upswing in results since several of them returned.

In the Carabao Cup they reached the semi-final, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg before meekly losing the second leg 4-0 at Anfield.

Murphy added: “I don’t think it [their current situation] is a catastrophe for Spurs because they have got some brilliant young players and they have still got some good experienced players.

“Their league form this season and their position is so far short of what that squad should produce and that is ultimately down to the manager.

“I think this is quite an anomaly what has happened to them this season, with the injuries they have had and their lack of confidence at times.

“What I think Spurs need to find is a balance between where they have been under Ange, and where they were in that season they finished fourth under Conte.”

Spurs fan Howell said: “Looking back, the writing has been on the wall since we didn’t back Mauricio Pochettino in terms of signing and going after the players he wanted.

“Spurs might have won the battle that year but Arsenal have absolutely won the war,” said Arsenal fan writer Laura Kirk.

Arsenal kept faith in Arteta, who took over in 2019, and are set for their third second-placed finish in a row, having not finished that high since 2016 before.

Kirk said: “Since Arteta has taken over Arsenal there has always been a very clear direction and identity in how he does things, and how he wants his team to play.

“Building sustainable success takes time, even if it looks like it happened overnight. After Arsenal finished outside of the Champions League places in 2022, there then followed their first season genuinely challenging for the title.”

Arsenal were eight points clear in April 2023, but a run of four games without a win – including a 4-1 loss at Manchester City – saw Pep Guardiola’s team go on to take the title.

Kirk continued: “That season might have looked like it came out of nowhere but success is not linear, and it was the result of small improvements over the course of Arteta’s time at the club.

“Getting to this stage has included ups and downs, but the general direction has been positive.

“Arsenal clearly have faith in Arteta and could see this trend, even if the results weren’t where we wanted to be back in 2022.”

Arteta was backed in the transfer market in 2023 and brought in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a total of about £200m.

Last season they finished on 89 points, two behind champions Manchester City, and reached the quarter-finals in their first Champions League campaign in six years.

This season they are second behind Liverpool in the league – and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League where they lost to Paris St-Germain.

“Arsenal look in a much more competitive place, with a much-better rounded squad than Tottenham, that is there for all to see,” said Murphy.

It is not all doom and gloom for Tottenham though, says Murphy – who played 29 times for the club.

“If they do bring in a new coach – which I think they will do – who just changes and tweaks things a little bit, and gets them a little bit more defensive minded and brings in a couple of players, then they can soon be competing for those Champions League places again,” says Murphy.

“I don’t think Tottenham can bridge the gap to Arsenal in a summer but with the right appointment and some really good recruitment, why they can’t be fighting for the top four or five next season?

“I’d expect Tottenham to be back to what we’ve seen from them before this season.

“Arsenal are at least a couple of years ahead of them, though. To close that gap again, basically Spurs need to do what Arsenal have done under Arteta.

“The right managerial appointment, some really good recruitment and then the stability Arsenal have had in the past few seasons.”

They say you drive for show and putt for dough but Rory McIlroy’s remarkable record at Quail Hollow, the home of this week’s second major of the year, suggests otherwise.

McIlroy has won no fewer than four titles at a Charlotte venue where he happens to hold a spectacular course record. He also made into to a play-off in 2012, which was won by Rickie Fowler.

It is little wonder that Jordan Spieth referred to the home of the upcoming US PGA Championship as the “Rory McIlroy Country Club”, when the two players exchanged pleasantries before last week’s Truist Championship in Philadelphia.

Masters winner McIlroy, fresh from completing his full set of major victories, suggested the American, who has won the Masters, US Open and Open Championship, would become the next player to complete the career Grand Slam. Spieth seemed more realistic.

It was designed by George Cobb and recently updated by Tom Fazio. Everything about it fills McIlroy with confidence, and that is largely founded in his incredible power off the tee.

“The way he drives the ball gives him a bigger advantage there,” says DP World Tour stalwart Oliver Wilson, who lives close to the North Carolina course.

“Some holes become far easier when you can take the bunkers out of play with your length off the tee. The 16th for example.”

Having won there for the first time as a callow 20 year old in 2010, McIlroy is a combined 102 under par on this properly robust major championship test. He set his course record 61 when winning in 2015.

Twelve months ago McIlroy beat the in-form Xander Schauffe – who is defending the PGA Championship title this week – by five shots to triumph for the fourth time. He topped the strokes gained stats off the tee that week despite hitting only 29 of 56 fairways.

Missing the short stuff so regularly did not matter. Only one player managed to beat his tally of 49 greens in regulation and no one came close to topping him on the leaderboard.

McIlroy’s prowess with the big stick provides the bedrock. “This is a golf course that lets you hit driver a lot and you can really take advantage of length off the tee if you have it,” he said.

“It’s one of the big factors why I’ve been able to do so well here over the years.”

The US PGA was first played at Quail Hollow in 2017 and curiously McIlroy was not a factor, posting rounds of 72,72,73 and 68.

The course had only been recently renovated and its greens played firmer and faster than anticipated, with Justin Thomas winning at eight under par. “It’s a completely different golf course,” McIlroy observed at the time.

That championship was played in steamy August, another contributing factor to the layout feeling unfamiliar. Now the big changes have bedded with further refinements carried out two years ago.

McIlroy posted his most recent wins there in 2021 and last year and will be delighted the PGA is played in May these days. Quail Hollow, boasting 61 bunkers and four water hazards, will feel reassuringly familiar and just how he likes it.

But it will be set up tougher than it usually is for the Wells Fargo Championship (now known as the Truist). Chief championships officer Kerry Haigh is known for delivering stern but fair examinations.

The rough is likely to be half an inch longer and a new ninth tee adds length to the scorecard. Slopes on a dozen greens have been softened, which should offer a wider range of hole locations to challenge the 156-man field.

Of those competitors, though, no one should have more confidence than McIlroy. As much as it can in this capricious game, everything appears to be falling into place.

Unburdened by ending his 11-year wait for a fifth major to join the all time greats as a grand slammer, he is now heading to his favourite venue on and off the course.

The traditional May date for Quail Hollow’s regular tour stop means he has celebrated the majority of his adult birthdays in the Charlotte area. “I love coming back here,” he says.

“It’s a place that I’m very comfortable at. With Quail Hollow, the city of Charlotte in general and the people.”

He will gain a rapturous following this week, coming in as a redemptive and all conquering hero of Augusta. “All these people have watched me grow up,” he added.

“I won here for the first time as a 20-year-old. They’ve seen my progression throughout the years.”

When the then curly haired youngster won in 2010 he fired weekend rounds of 66 and 62 after making the cut with nothing to spare. He beat Phil Mickelson by four shots.

It was a true glimpse into the future.

Forever finding the most dramatic storylines, on that occasion McIlroy capped his victory by outrageously holing out on the closing green from more than 40 feet. It lodged the first of so many glorious memories at this venue.

Which begs the question of whether there is another just around the corner? Victory this week would move McIlroy alongside Sir Nick Faldo’s six majors and tie the record for any European in the modern era.

Weather forecasters predict a stormy build up, suggesting a soft golf course to put an even greater premium on length off the tee. And that suits McIlroy and his booming driver just fine.

Golf is notoriously difficult to predict, but there can be no argument that there are many reasons for continued optimism for McIlroy’s legion of fans.

The man himself has observed: “I feel like there’s not a place on this golf course where I haven’t hit it from and don’t have some sort of memory of what to do.”

Tottenham are considering sacking manager Robert Vilahamn this summer after a disappointing campaign.

Vilahamn led the club to the Women’s FA Cup final in his debut season but Spurs finished second-bottom in the Women’s Super League this year.

He joined from Swedish side BK Hacken in 2023 and was given a three-year contract extension last July.

Only relegated Crystal Palace shipped more goals than Tottenham in 2024-25 and Spurs’ points tally of 20 was 11 fewer than they recorded last season.

The club had ambitions of closing the gap on the WSL’s top four but sources suggest they are unhappy with the direction under Vilahamn.

Senior assistant coach Vicky Jepson has already left the club to take up a role with the United States women’s youth teams.