Hadley, chasing PGA Tour card, leads at Sanderson Farms
Chesson Hadley played bogeyfree Thursday in the Sanderson Farms Championship and posted an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead in his latest bid to secure his PGA Tour card.
This is the third straight year Hadley has been on the bubble to finish among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup. At least now he has time on his side and faith in swing that he tweaked at the start of the year.
He had two stretches of three straight birdies on a day of evershifting weather at the Country Club of Jackson to move past Henrik Norlander, who had a 65 in the morning, and Brandon Wu, who made an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole in the afternoon for a 65.
Ludvig Aberg, the 23-year-old Swede who made his Ryder Cup debut last week at Marco Simone, had a 67 that left him a little frustrated. He missed three birdie putts from 7 feet or closer on the back nine.
Aberg was the No. 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking, and thus is assured his PGA Tour card for 2024.
Kim on top by 2 at The Ascendant: Hyo Joo Kim took the first-round lead Thursday in The Ascendant LPGA, breaking away at Old American with a back-nine birdie run in a 7-under 64.
Kim, the 28-year-old South Korean player ranked No. 7 in the world, had a two-stroke lead over Azahara Munoz of Spain, Sofia Garcia of Paraguay and Yu-Sang Hou of Taiwan. Sarah Kemp of Australia and American Marina Alex followed at 67.
Fitzpatrick grabs Dunhill lead: Matt Fitzpatrick is showing no sign of any emotional hangover following Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup.
The Englishman shot 8-under 64 at Kingsbarns on Friday to take a one-stroke lead at the Dunhill Links Championship, the European tour event that also takes place at St. Andrews and Carnoustie. After a round at each of the three Scottish courses, the final round is back on the Old Course on Sunday.
Rybakina advances to semis at China Open
Elena Rybakina advanced to her eighth semifinal of the year by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 on Friday at the China Open.
In their third meeting of the year, after splitting the two finals they have contested this season, the fifth-seeded Rybakina was dominant with her serves, hitting 12 aces and never faced a break point.
In the semifinals, Rybakina will face unseeded Liudmila Samsonova, who earlier defeated 13thseeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2.
MLS: Lionel Messi’s absence from Inter Miami’s lineup may be over.
The team used social media on Friday to post “Nos vemos mañana” — translation, “see you tomorrow” — with a photo of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. Inter Miami plays host to Cincinnati on Saturday night.
The 36-year-old Messi has missed five of Inter Miami’s last six matches.
In other soccer news, Minnesota United FC dismissed Adrian Heath, their only coach since starting Major League Soccer play in 2017.
The team announced the move Friday, thanking Heath for his nearly seven seasons leading the club.