Koepka captures fourth LIV title with win in Singapore
Brooks Koepka became the first golfer to record four victories on the LIV circuit after posting a twostroke win on Sunday at LIV Golf Singapore.
Koepka carded a 3-under-par 68 to cap his threeday tournament total of 15-under 198, which was two shots better than Australians Cameron Smith
(64) and Marc Leishman
(66) at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course in Singapore.
Defending champion Talor Gooch (67) finished three strokes back of Koepka, who will head into the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club beginning May 16 with confidence as he attempts to capture his sixth major.
He won the PGA last year at Oak Hill Country Club — his third win at that event.
“Yeah, it’s all starting to come around,” Koepka said. “I’ve put in a lot of work. I feel like on the golf course, off the golf course, it’s been a good two weeks, to say the least. Take a week off and then grinding pretty hard with Claude (Harmon III, his coach) over the last few days, I thought that was very important. Kind of started to see it turn maybe Wednesday, Thursday of Adelaide, so to see it pay off here is huge.”
Smith and Leishman powered their Ripper GC to the team title. Ripper GC finished three strokes better than Cleeks GC and Fireball GC.
“I kind of knew all year that we were going to get the ball rolling at some point,” said Smith, whose team finished at 32 under.
“I think internally that we’re the best team out here, and we’re going to be tough to beat when we all have our best stuff.”
Tyrrell Hatton (66) of England and Thomas Pieters (69) of Belgium finished in a tie for fifth place at 11-under.
Elsewhere: Scott Dunlap recorded his second career PGA Tour Champions victory after weather affecting the greater Houston area both overnight and Sunday morning forced the cancellation of the third round at the Insperity Invitational. In accordance with the tour’s regulations, the results of the first 36 holes would stand as final. The field was forced to play those 36 holes on Saturday after Friday’s action was postponed due to rain accumulation at The Woodlands Country Club. Dunlap’s victory was his first on the PGA Tour Champions since the 2014 Boeing Classic. He carded a 7under-par 65 through his first 18 holes before polishing off his Saturday with a 2-under showing. His 9under 135 was one stroke better than the total of both Joe Durant and Australian Stuart Appleby.
ETC.
Soccer: Legendary goalkeeper Tim Howard, who played in 121 matches for the U.S. Men’s National Team, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas on Saturday. Howard played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups during his stint on the national team from 200217. “Here’s what I want you to know about me: The bell rang 121 times for me, and 121 times, I answered the bell for the greatest country in the world,” Howard said during his induction speech. “For that I’m most grateful.” Also inducted on Saturday were former U.S. women’s midfielder Tisha
Venturini-Hoch, former U.S. National 7-a-side Paralympic Team captain Josh McKinney and executive
Francisco Marcos. Howard, now 45, holds the World Cup record for most saves in a match with 16 when the U.S. faced Belgium in the 2014 World Cup. It was the second straight World Cup that Howard stood out in goal.
Tennis: On the brink of defeat, Poland’s Iga Swiatek saved three championship points and rallied to win the Mutua Madrid Open title with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) victory Saturday over defending champion
Aryna Sabalenka ina matchup of the top two ranked players in the world. The top-seeded Swiatek needed three hours, 11 minute to outlast No. 2 seed Sabalenka and avenge last year’s loss to her in the Madrid final. It was her first time winning the Madrid title. Down 5-6 in the third set, Swiatek faced two match points on her serve before she salvaged both and ultimately won the game. In the tiebreaker, top-ranked Swiatek had her own match point on serve at 6-5 but lost the point and faced another match point by No. 2-ranked Sabalenka at 7-6. Swiatek rallied to win the final three points of the tiebreaker, including championship point on Sabalenka’s serve for her 20th career WTA title. Those include three French Open titles, including each of the last two on the clay in Paris. The 22-year-old became the youngest player to win 20 WTA titles since
Caroline Wozniacki in 2012. Swiatek also became the youngest to win eight clay-court titles since
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1994.
NFL: J.J. Watt left the door open for a potential NFL comeback, although he admitted that the door is closing quickly. Watt, who announced his retirement after the 2022 season, said at his charity softball game on Saturday in Houston that he’d suit up for the Texans if he was truly needed. “I’m a very fortunate, lucky man, I have a beautiful wife, I have a beautiful son,” Watt said. “I’ve had 12 great years in this league and I’m very thankful to have walked away healthy and playing great. Watt, 35, played for the Texans from 2011-20 before finishing his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals (2021-22). Watt is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, five-time All-Pro and fivetime Pro Bowl selection. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team. Watt currently is an NFL analyst for CBS
Sports . ... The Seattle Seahawks
announced coming to terms with their firstround draft pick, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, following his first minicamp practice Friday. “I feel like there’s some things I need to work on, but I feel like I’m learning, still getting in the groove of things,” Murphy said. “Growing up, Seattle has been my favorite team, so just to be a part of this team and this organization, it really means a lot. I’m going to give everything I’ve got each and every day, 110 percent.” Seattle chose Murphy, a native of Texas, No. 16 overall with their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft . ... Former Chicago Bears quarterback
Bob Avellini, who helped lead the team to the 1977 NFL playoffs after a 14year drought, died at age 70, the team announced. Avellini died Saturday, per the Bears. The team confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that the cause of death was cancer. The starter in 1976 after four starts as a rookie, Avellini played with the Bears until he was released in the 1984 season. He threw for 7,111 yards, 33 touchdowns and 69 interceptions in 73 games as the team went 23-27 in his 50 starts. His best season was in 1977, when the Bears started 3-5 but earned a wild-card berth by winning their final six games.
College basketball: Former Rutgers center
Cliff Omoruyi committed to play for Alabama, he announced Sunday on social media. Omoruyi selected the Crimson Tide over North Carolina, Kansas State and Georgetown. The 6-foot-11 center from Nigeria eaveraged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 32 games (all starts) in the 2023-24 season.