Horschel, Piercy win Zurich Classic team event

AVONDALE, La. (AP) Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy won the Zurich Classic team event Sunday, closing with a bogey-free 5-under 67 in alternate-shot play.

Horschel became a two-time winner at TPC Louisiana. He captured his maiden PGA Tour triumph at the 2013 Zurich Classic when it was a traditional every-man-for-himself event.

Horschel and Piercy surged into the lead with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. They followed that with seven pars to hold off Jason Dufner and Pat Perez by a stroke. Dufner had a 14-foot putt for the tie on 18, but left it a foot short.

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This was the second year of the Zurich’s switch to a two-player team format.

The victory was Horschel’s fifth and Piercy’s fourth. They each earned $1.04 million and 400 FedExCup points.

The result did not count toward the world ranking.

A year ago, the Zurich format called for best-ball play in the second and final rounds, with alternate-shot on the first and third. But organizers decided this..

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Zurich extends sponsorship of New Orleans PGA event to 2026

AVONDALE, La. (AP) Zurich Insurance executives say they’re extending the company’s title sponsorship of the New Orleans-area PGA Tour event for seven years.

The extension begins after next year’s Zurich Classic and runs through 2026.

Zurich began its sponsorship of the event in 2005, just months before Hurricane Katrina devastated the area and damaged the host course, the TPC Louisiana.

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PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says Zurich’s commitment to remain as sponsor for 20-plus years is ”extraordinary.” Monahan also complimented tournament organizers for their innovation, from the two-player team format to the first-tee ”walk-up” music chosen by each team.

Steve Worthy heads the Fore! Kids Foundation, which serves as the tournament’s local host organization. He says the extension does not bind the tournament to a specific course. But Worthy stresses that officials have been happy at the TPC Louisiana and don’t foresee a change.

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Alexander Bjork of Sweden wins European Tour’s China Open

BEIJING (AP) Alexander Bjork of Sweden shot a final-round 65 to claim a one-stroke victory for his maiden win on the European Tour at the China Open.

Bjork, who trailed by one stroke after three rounds, had a 72-hole total of 18-under 270 on the Topwin Golf and Country Club.

Adrian Otaegui of Spain, who had moved into a share of the third-round lead with England’s Matt Wallace after shooting 67 on Saturday, matched that score on Sunday to finish in second.

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Wallace finished tied for third with two others after a 68, two strokes behind.

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Lydia Ko leads at Lake Merced, seeks first win since 2016

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) Days after turning 21, Lydia Ko is surrounding herself with family and friends and soaking up good vibes on a golf course she loves as she seeks to end a victory drought.

The former No. 1 shot a 5-under 67 at Lake Merced on Saturday for a one-shot lead over Jessica Korda at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.

Ko has two previous victories at Lake Merced among her 14 LPGA Tour wins, but she hasn’t won since July 2016 and has changed instructors twice since then, along with switching caddies and equipment.

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”I love San Francisco and I’m a member here, so sometimes I get some friendly member bounces. But it brings back a lot of good memories for me,” Ko said. ”Coming into the week I knew that no matter how I was going to play, I knew I was going to have a great time. The members here and all the fans have been super supportive.”

The New Zealander, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, hit 14 greens in regulation to match the low round o..

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Kevin Kisner, Scott Brown team for one-shot lead at Zurich

AVONDALE, La. (AP) Kevin Kisner had another great day at TPC Louisiana, rolling in putts seemingly from everywhere. Teammate Scott Brown wasn’t having as much success, but a clutch birdie on the closing hole gave the duo a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Zurich Classic.

Kisner holed three birdie putts from 20 feet or more and teamed with Brown to shoot an 8-under 64 in better ball on Saturday. They topped a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 teams within four shots of the lead.

”It was a dogfight for us today,” Brown said. ”I felt like Kevin played great. I kind of left him high and dry a couple times.”

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But Brown came up big on the par-5 18th when his third shot from a greenside bunker settled within 2 feet.

Kisner and Brown started the round one shot off the lead and made five birdies on the front nine. The back nine wasn’t as smooth, with two bogeys mixed in with five more birdies, giving the team a three-day total of 20-under 196…

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Jessica Korda takes 1-shot lead at Lake Merced (Apr 28, 2018)

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) Jessica Korda is trying to leave everyone else behind – and not get too far ahead of herself in the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.

Korda shot a 5-under 67 on Friday afternoon in warmer-but-still-chilly conditions at Lake Merced to take a one-stroke into the weekend.

”It’s only Friday, still two more days to go,” Korda said. ”Play the same way I have been the last two days. Hopefully, some putts drop. Stay patient and stick with my process.”

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The winner in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery, the long-hitting Korda had six birdies – three on the first four holes – and a bogey to reach 9 under.

”Just staying calm,” the five-time LPGA Tour winner said. ”I knew I was going to get certain bounces that weren’t going to be super favorable as the greens got firmer during the afternoon. Just stayed patient and stayed with my process and here we are.”

Monday qualifier Annie Park was second after a 66 in the morni..

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Michael Kim-Andrew Putnam lead Zurich Classic team event (Apr 28, 2018)

AVONDALE, La. (AP) Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown nearly won the Zurich Classic last year after Kisner’s stunning chip shot forced a playoff that they eventually lost. Another good round Friday put the duo back in contention at TPC Louisiana.

Kisner and Brown shot a 2-under 70 to pull within one shot of leaders Michael Kim and Andrew Putnam.

The format switched to alternate shot for the second round, with one player hitting the tee shots on even-numbered holes and the other on odd numbers. Kim and Putnam made five birdies and were able to recover from a double bogey on No. 5 for a 69 and a 13-under 131 total.

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Kisner and Brown are comfortable in the event that switched to a team format last year. Kisner made a 95-foot chip for eagle on the final hole last year, forcing a sudden-death playoff that they lost on the fourth hole to Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt.

The tournament goes back to best-ball play Saturday. The final round will be played in alternate sh..

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Ben Crane, Alex Cejka went full 80s rock concert on the first tee at the Zurich Classic

After much discussion and breakdown, first-tee music is finally here on the weekend at the Zurich Classic, and it started off with a BANG. Here's the team of Ben Crane and Alex Cejka going full 80s rock concert this morning at TPC Louisiana, rocking out to Whitesnake's “Here I Go Again”:
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/990222065784438787
Equally outstanding levels of execution and awkwardness by this team. First, the song choice is usually reserved for solo missions, like when Frank the Tank is working on his car in the driveway, blasting Whitesnake while drinking a beer, eventually playing a role in his divorce (Hey Mike!). We're sure most of you got the Old School reference:
It's a great tune, no doubt. Then there's the fact that it doesn't look like its “walk-up” music, as they are already standing on the first tee when the song gets played. All things considered though, A+ performance from Cejka with the hair, and A++ cringeworthy, air guitar, drive..

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Otaegui, Wallace share 3rd-round lead at China Open

BEIJING (AP) Adrian Otaegui of Spain moved into a share of the third-round lead with England’s Matt Wallace after shooting a 5-under 67 Saturday at the China Open.

Otaegui and Wallace, who led by one stroke after the second round, had three-round totals of 12-under 204 on the Topwin Golf and Country Club course to lead by one stroke going into Sunday’s final round.

Wallace had a 69 Saturday.

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Sweden’s Alexander Bjork (67), Julien Guerrier of France (68) and Jorge Campillo of Spain (68) were tied for third in the European Tour event.

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