Jason Day and Lydia Ko win mixed team. Toms and Andrade lead late US rally in World Champions Cup
Lydia Ko, left, and Jason Day, right, celebrate with the championship trophy after winning the Grant Thornton Invitational, the first mixed-team golf tournament since 1999, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Naples, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Lydia Ko hit a fairway metal to 8 feet to set up the birdie she and Jason Day needed to win the Grant Thornton Invitational on Sunday. They closed with a 6-under 66 in modified fourballs to capture the first mixed-team event in 24 years.
Playing the par-5 17th hole, Ko and Day were tied with the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson, who had to settle for two closing pars and a 63.
The format allowed for both players to hit tee shots, then switch to the other player’s golf ball and finish out the hole. Day was in a bunker left of the green at the par-5 17th, no easy up-and-down. Ko had 208 into a slight wind and her fairway metal never left its target.
It landed near the hole and rolled out about 8 feet. Her eagle putt never had a chance, but the hard work was done. Both secured easy pars on the 18th to finish at 26-under 190.
It was the first time the PGA Tour and LPGA had a mixed-team event since the JC Penney Classic in 1999.
Ludvig Aberg, the sensational rookie to won on the PGA Tour and European tour and played in the Ryder Cup since turning pro in June, teamed with fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom to post a 60 in the final round. They finished third.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — David Toms and last-minute replacement Billy Andrade each won crucial points over the last three holes of their nine-hole singles matches as the Americans rallied late to win the inaugural World Champions Cup.
Andrade, an assistant captain who replaced injured Jim Furyk, birdied the seventh hole and picked up 3.5 points over Vijay Singh from the International team. In the anchor match, Toms made birdie on the eighth hole to give the Americans the lead, and they clinched it when Retief Goosen made double bogey trying to make up ground.
The matches were among players from the United States, Europe and everywhere else in the world. Points were awarded to each hole over each of the alternate-shot, better-ball and singles matches.
The Americans had 221 points, while the International team had 219 and Europe had 208.
Jerry Kelly led all scorers with 61 points for the week.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma won the three spots on LIV Golf rosters for 2024 by claiming the top three spots in the first LIV Golf Promotions event.
Samooja was 8-under 136 in the 36-hole shootout that followed 18-hole rounds on Friday and Saturday, each with a cut before the scores were reset. Vincent and Kozuma were part of a three-way playoff for the final two spots.
Kozuma hit into the water on the par-5 18th and still saved par. Laurie Canter, who played 11 times and made $2.25 million this year as an alternate on LIV Golf, three-putted for par from 50 feet. But on the second extra hole, Canter topped his shot from a hard-pan lie into the water. Vincent made birdie, Kozuma made par and both made it through.
Canter had to settle for exemptions into all the International Series events on the Asian Tour by finishing in the top 10. All getting those exemptions were Kevin Chappell and Martin Trainer, both past PGA Tour winners.
EUROPEAN TOUR AND SUNSHINE TOUR
MALELANE, South Africa (AP) — The final round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship was postponed because of dangerous weather conditions. The final round is set for Monday.
South African major champions Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen were each 1-under par for their rounds at 16 under for the tournament through seven holes.
Players were taken off twice because of a threat of lightning. After the second time at 4:42 p.m. local time (1442 GMT), officials said there would be no more play.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout was 3 under through seven and trailing the co-leaders by three.
OTHER TOURS
Peter Baker closed with a third straight 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Peter Fowler and Patrik Sjoland to win the MCB Tour Championship-Mauritius and close out the year on the European Legends Tour.
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