SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Thomas Detry nearly aced the rowdy par-3 16th hole in a stretch of four closing birdies, shooting a 6-under 65 on Sunday to win the Phoenix Open by seven shots for his first PGA Tour victory.
A year after soggy conditions led to multiple delays, perfect weather greeted players at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. The fans also were on their best behavior — as much as they can be at the PGA Tour’s wildest stop — following a mayhem-filled 2024 tournament.
Detry took advantage of the ideal conditions and navigated the rowdiness to enter the final round with a five-shot lead. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger all made charges, but Detry hit it to 16 inches on 16 to seal his first win in 68 PGA Tour starts.
Detry added two more birdies to finish at 24-under 260, becoming the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour.
Berger (67) and Michael Kim tied for second. Spieth shot 68 to tie for fourth at 16 under in his second tournament since wrist surgery last summer.
Scheffler shot 31 on the front nine to reach 14 under, only to fade. He gad a 5-over 41 on the back nine for a 72, dropping into a tie for 25th at 8 under in his second start since he injured his hand on a broken glass.
LPGA Tour
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Yealimi Noh turned a one-shot deficit into a three-shot lead over three-time champion Jin Young Ko in the span of two holes on the back nine Sunday and cruised from there to her first LPGA Tour victory in the Founders Cup.
The 23-year-old from Northern California shot a 3-under 68 to finish at 21-under 263 at Bradenton Country Club, four shots better than Ko (71). Noh made her last bogey of the week on her final hole Friday, then surged into the lead Saturday with a 63.
Noh was making her 111th career start, the first of her sixth season on tour. She made 10 straight pars, allowing Ko to edge in front, but holed birdie putts of about 15 feet on the 13th and 12 feet on the par-4 14th while Ko made bogey on each — her first bogeys of the week.
Ko missed a chance to win the event that honors the tour's founders on a fourth venue. She won in 2019 at Desert Ridge in Phoenix, 2021 at Mountain Ridge in New Jersey and 2023 in a playoff at Upper Montclair, also in New Jersey.
Megan Khang (68) was another shot back. Miyu Yamashita, Hannah Green and Jin Hee Im tied for fourth at 13 under. Top-ranked Nelly Korda, who won a different tournament on this course last year to kick off a seven-win season, closed with a 71 to finish nine shots back.
LIV Golf League
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Adrian Meronk of Poland won LIV Golf’s first tournament under the lights Saturday night, shooting a 1-under 71 to complete a wire-to-wire victory.
Meronk finished at 17-under 199 after opening with rounds of 62 and 66 at Riyadh Golf Club. Jon Rahm and Sebastian Munoz tied for second, two strokes back after rounds of 67.
Rahm’s Legion XIII won the team title.
European tour
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Li Haotong of China made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday for a 3-under 69 and a one-stroke victory over Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen in the Qatar Masters.
Li let out a loud roar, pumped both fists and wept in the arms of his caddie after his winning putt at Doha Golf Club. He finished at 16-under 272 for his fourth European Tour title.
Neergaard-Petersen closed with a 65.
PGA Tour Champions
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Trophy Hassan II on Saturday at age 61 for his 14th PGA Tour Champions victory, beating Steven Alker by two strokes.
Jimenez drove the green on the par-4 17th to set up an eagle in a closing 4-under 69 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam. The Spanish player finished at a tournament-record 11-under 208. Alker shot 71.
Korn Ferry Tour
BOGOTA, Columbia (AP) — Kyle Westmoreland won the Astara Goplf Championship for his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday, shooting a 1-under 71 in light rain for a one-stroke victory.
Westmoreland won a day after shooting a career-best 61 on the Lagos Course at Country Club de Bogota. The 33-year-old Air Force Academy graduate finished at 18-under 265.
Pierceson Coody (66) and Christo Lamprecht (68) tied for second.
Other tours
England's Cara Gainer beat India’s Diksha Dagar in a playoff in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco for her first Ladies European Tour title. Gainer closed with a 4-under 69 to match Dagar (67 ) at 9-under 210. ... Josh Geary won the Vic Open on Sunday at 13th Beach Golf Links for his first PGA Tour of Australasia title in almost 12 years. The New Zealander shot a 6-over 78 in high wind to finish at 13 under, four strokes ahead of Connor McKinney. ... Jamie Rutherford of England won the Cape Town Open on Sunday for his first Sunshine Tour title. He shot a 3-under 69 in windy conditions to finish at 14 under. Keenan Davidse was two strokes back after a 67.
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The Associated Press
