US Ladies Capture Their First International Crown Tournament

The US team led by Stacy Lewis won its first International Crown defeating South Korea, England, Taiwan and Japan. Cristie Kerr's 3-and-2 victory over England’s Mel Reid clinched the championship for the US ladies, including Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller. Kerr closed out Reid on the 16th hole when Reid’s birdie try from the fringe that would have extended the match raced past the hole. Unaware of the importance of the match, Kerr found out she had clinched the title when Lewis and Piller ran onto the green to congratulate her. The win gives the U.S. its first International Crown after the Americans were shut out of Sunday Singles two years ago in the event’s inaugural playing. Lewis defeated Japan’s Mika Miyazato, 3 and 2, in the second match off on Sunday, while Piller took down Chinese Taipei’s Yani Tseng, 4 and 3, in the match behind. Shortly after Kerr’s win, Lexi Thompson was closed out by runner-up South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, 2 and 1, but it didn’t matter. Can the US ladies continue their success against the Europeans in the Solheim Cup in 2017? Share your comments with the Pro Golf Tour.

Open Championship: Henrik Stenson Wins First Career Major - Are There More to Come?

Cross one more name off the list of greatest players never to have won a Major. With a stunning performance in The Open, Henrik Stenson claimed the Claret Jug for his own at Royal Troon today and then declared, “This one’s for Sweden.” Job well done! Anybody who witnessed Stenson’s battle royale with Phil Mickelson – who threw everything he had at the 40-year-old Swede – will ever forget what unfolded on the famous Ayrshire links. Put simply, it defied belief. Stenson played 36 holes with Mickelson over the weekend and likened it to a prize fight. They traded shot for shot, blow for blow, and pulled away from the rest of the field as if they weren’t there. The winning margin was three strokes, which is something in itself, but the gap between Stenson and JB Holmes, in third, was an incredible 14. If Mickelson, who started the day one stroke behind, had been offered the 65 he scored before setting off in the final round, he would almost certainly have taken it. No one could have predicted that Stenson would better it by two and claim victory by three, setting a record-breaking score for the Championship of 264. Parnevik, who led by two heading into the final round at Troon in 1997, but lost out to Justin Leonard, was watching from afar and rooting for his countryman. “Good luck this weekend Henrik Stenson,” he tweeted. “Finish off what I never did. Sweden has waited long enough.” He need not have worried. “I felt like this was going to be my turn,” said Stenson, who had previously had three second place finishes and six thirds in Major Championships.Are there more Major victories in Stenson's future? Share your predictions with the Pro Golf Tour.

Open Championship - Update: Phil Mickelson Holds One Stroke Lead After Round 2

Despite wind and rain Phil Mickelson says the pressure is off going into the weekend. He's already tasted from the Claret Jug. Mickelson's closest pursuer, however Henrik Stenson, doesn’t have the same advantage. He never won The Open Championship, he’s never won any major in 41 starts. Entering the weekend in solo second, one stroke behind Mickelson, Stenson knows it may be difficult trying to avoid pressing for his first major win. “What does he have – five majors?” Stenson said of Mickelson. “Yeah, it’s going to be easier (for him) in that way. It’s always harder to push the first one over the line, I would imagine, than the fifth one. Outside of the last two Open Championship winners, Zach Johnson (5th) and Rory McIlroy (T15), no other player inside the top 20 on the leaderboard has won The Open. Mickelson, at age 46, would be the fourth oldest winner of a major should he seal the deal this weekend. But he says his experience, not his age, will be an advantage. Especially the experience of winning the Open three years ago, his last career win. “I don’t feel the pressure like probably a lot of players do to try to win the Claret Jug because I’ve already won it, and that takes a lot of pressure off me,” Mickelson said. “The desire to capture that Claret Jug puts a lot of pressure on. The fact that I’ve done it relieves some of that. Which player has the edge going into weekend play? Send your picks to the Pro Golf Tour.

Open Championship - Update: Phil Mickelson Leads Field By 3 Strokes After Round 1

American Phil Mickelson shot an opening round -8 under par to finish Round 1 three strokes ahead of Germany's Martin Kaymer and America's Patrick Reed. Kaymer and Reed are both Olympic-bound. Meanwhile, defending champion Zach Johnson sites at -4 under par. Scotland's own Colin Montgomerie had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot of The 145th Open at Royal Troon today. this week’s Open promises to deliver a measure of competitive clarity to a season defined by distractions and dissension. And the wildly premature declarations of a Big 3 have at least been tempered by parity and a party crasher. If Jason Day is the byproduct of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy as the Australian joked last year, Dustin Johnson has evolved into a freakish hybrid of all three in recent weeks. Johnson overcame the demons of past major misses at Oakmont last month, with or without a one-stroke penalty, and added a World Golf Championship to his resume in his follow-up start. That Johnson seems just as adept on the links of Scotland as he is on the fields of Oakmont only makes his status as a potential game-changer that much more imposing. Last year at St. Andrews, Spieth was paired with Johnson for two deflating days and watched as DJ took a one-stroke lead after opening with rounds of 65-69. “I played with Dustin the first two rounds and thought, 'Man, there’s nobody beating him this week,'” Spieth said. “He was just absolutely tearing it up.” But as impressive as Johnson’s run has been, the other members of golf’s foursome de jour could just as easily be considered the favorite, including McIlory, the 2014 champ who was dubbed the Ringo Starr of the game’s Fab Four by some in the U.K. media this week. Which player(s) has the advantage moving into a predicted rainy and windy Round 2? Share your pick's with the Pro Golf Tour.

LPGA: Brittany Lang Wins US Women's Open in Playoff With Anna Nordqvist

Brittany Lang made her major breakthrough by winning the US Women's Open for the first time.Lang rose 20 spots in the global Rolex Rankings to No. 20 after winning the U.S. Women's Open in a three-hole playoff for her first major title. She defeated, Anna Nordqvist,  jumped four spots to No. 11 despite an ill-timed penalty that cost her a shot at the title. After another close call at the U.S. Women's Open, Amy Yang jumped three spots to No. 6. Gerina Piller's T-8 finish at CordeValle was enough to move her up one spot to No. 15, earning her an Olympic bid in the process. Lydia Ko, the world's number 1 ranked ladies player finished at -4 under par T3. All of the above players have their tickets punched for the Olympics in Rio this August. Moreover, the future looks bright for young Brittany Lang as she eyes additional wins on the LPGA. With the rise of Asian and Europeans players on the LPGA tour what does the future hold the US women's chances of regaining the world number one position? Share your comments with the Pro Golf Tour.

US Women's Open: Mirim Lee Holds One Stroke Lead In Round 2 (play in-progress)

When Mirim Lee from South Korea walked off the course following her record-tying round, she described her day with words usually not heard when talking about the U.S. Women's Open. ''So today's round was easy day - easy round, yeah,'' Lee said. She sure made it look that way when she became the fifth golfer to shoot a round of 8-under par at the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday, making 10 birdies on the way to a 64 to take the early lead at CordeValle. With the greens not quite as firm as they likely will be later in the week and the wind not playing a major factor, there were low scores to be had throughout the field - at least for the opening morning of the tournament. ''I definitely expect it to change,'' said Christie Kerr, who was three shots behind Lee in a tie for second. ''I don't think the USGA likes when we shoot 8-under on their golf course. You have to expect it to change, and if it doesn't, then you'll have opportunities to score.'' Lee is the first woman to shoot that much below par at the U.S. Open since. Which lady holds the advantage going into weekend play? Moreover, will world #1 ranked Lydia Ko make a charge for the winner's trophy on Sunday? Share you picks' with the Pro Golf Tour. 

Dustin Johnson Beats Jason Day to Win WGC Bridgestone - Moves to OWGR #2

With his impressive win on Sunday over OWGR #1 Jason Day, Dustin Johnson put a lock on his #2 OWGR position inching closer to #2 ranked Jordan Spieth.Moreover, DJ  virtually assured himself a spot on the US Oylmpic golf and Ryder Cup teams.  For the second time in as many starts, DJ has knocked a prominent player down a peg in the Official World Golf Ranking. Johnson deposed Rory McIlroy at No. 3 with his win at the U.S. Open, and now after claiming the WGC-Bridgestone he has edged ahead of Jordan Spieth at No. 2 in the world by only 0.002 points. It marks a career-best ranking for Johnson, who turned 32 last month. Elsewhere in the rankings, Thongchai Jaidee and Francesco Molinari both benefited from high finishes at the Open de France. Jaidee rose 20 spots to No. 37 in the world, while Molinari's runner-up result helped him move up 23 spots to No. 55 in the latest standings. Scott Piercy's runner-up at Firestone, his second such result behind Johnson in as many starts, moved him up 18 spots to a career-best No. 25 in the world. Matt Kuchar finished T-3 in Akron, jumped two spots to No. 15 while Kevin Chappell moved up six spots to a career-best No. 32 after a T-3 finish. Next up, the Open Championship. What will be DJ's fate? Share your comments with the Pro Golf Tour.

WGC Bridgestone: McGirt Holds 4 Stroke Lead Over Spieth, Lingmeth & Day in Round 2

William McGirt had a hot putter in the first round lead at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational  going out early and besting the field by three shots; while Jordan Spieth  stole the show down the stretch, closing with four straight birdies after a rough start to shot 68. Here’s the skinny with 54 holes to play at the esteemed Firestone Country Club. McGirt is still riding the momentum of his first PGA Tour victory at the Memorial earlier this month, and he’s off to a great start at the WGC-Bridgestone as he tries to become the only player to win both tournaments in the same year other than Tiger Woods who has done it four times. McGirt started fast, carding four birdies on the front side and turning in 31. He made five straight pars on the back side before carding circles on two of his last three holes for a 6-under 64. While there were better scores than Spieth’s 68, including Day (67) and Walker (67), nobody battled harder than the two-time major champion. Spieth opened in 37 and was 2 over with four holes to play before closing with four straight birdies to rocket up the leaderboard and finish Round 1 in a tie for fifth. Defending champion Shane Lowry decided to defend his title at the WGC-Bridgestone instead of playing the French Open, opened with a 6-over-76. The Northern Irishman was coming off his best-ever finish in a major at the U.S. Open, a tie for second after entering the final round with a four-stroke lead. Almost every round on the PGA Tour a player does something that makes your jaw drop. That was the case with Hideki Matsuyama on the par-5 16hole 16 on Thursday. Staring at a 297-yard approach, Matsuyama pulled driver off the deck and hit his ball through the green. From there his eagle chip lipped out and he tapped in for birdie. Which players hold the advantage going into weekend play? Send your pick's to the Pro Golf Tour.