Bubba Watson among five to withdraw from British Open
Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama, Matthew Wolff, K.H. Lee and Danny Lee also out.
Three more players withdrew from this week’s British Open at Royal St. George’s, a growing list that includes Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, who was concerned about practice time and travel.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and former British Open champion David Duval also withdrew Sunday. That brings to 13 the number of players who withdrew.
Matsuyama tested positive for the coronavirus during the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week in Detroit and has been self-isolating. He remains symptom-free, though subsequent tests have come back positive. “I’m feeling fine but haven’t been able to practice in preparation for the Open,” he said in a statement released by the R&A. “Combining that with the difficult travel to the U.K., my team and I have decided it’s best to withdraw to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Watson had to withdraw after he said he was in close contact with someone who had a positive COVID-19 test. The R&A didn’t say why Duval withdrew.
U.S. Senior Open: Jim Furyk recovered from a rough start Sunday in the final round to hold off Retief Goosen and Mike Weir by three strokes.
Making his debut in the event, Furyk closed with a 1-over 71 to become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Open and Senior Open. He finished at 7-under 273 at Omaha Country Club. He won the regular Open in 2003, is a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour and won his first two PGA Tour Champions events upon turning 50 last year. This was the third senior major he’s played. He tied for 16th in the Senior PGA and was sixth in the Senior Players Championship.
Furyk played his final 15 holes in 2 under and finished at 7-under 273 to win the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy and $720,000. Weir tied for lowest round of the day with a 67, and Goosen shot 69.
Scottish Open: Min Woo Lee won a playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry at the Scottish Open in North Berwick on Sunday to clinch his second European Tour title. Lee birdied the first extra hole after the trio had finished tied at 18-under par at The Renaissance Club following a 90-minute weather delay late in the round.
Lee and Detry also secured places in the British Open, with Jack Senior claiming the final one on offer thanks to a tie for 10th.
The 22-year-old Lee had birdied six holes in a row from the third on his way to a flawless closing 7-under 64.
Ian Poulter, Ryan Palmer and last week’s Irish Open winner Lucas Herbert finished a shot behind, with U.S. Open champ Jon Rahm another stroke back in seventh, a result that means he loses his No. 1 ranking to Dustin Johnson.
Marathon LPGA Classic: Nasa Hataoka of Japan was declared the winner when the final round Sunday was washed out by relentless, heavy rain in Sylvania, Ohio. Hataoka had a six-shot lead over Elizabeth Szokol and Mina Harigae. She won for the fourth time on the LPGA tour, and it was her first LPGA title in two years. The LPGA said the forecast was not favorable for a Monday finish, and it didn’t help that the Evian Championship – the year’s fourth LPGA major – is scheduled to start on Wednesday.
Celebrities: Vinny Del Negro became the first basketball player to win the American Century Championship, birdieing the par-5 18th hole twice Sunday to beat John Smoltz in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The 54-year-old former NBA player and coach, making his 20th appearance in the celebrity tournament, birdied the 18th in regulation to force a playoff and won with another birdie on the first extra hole.