TOMMY FLEETWOOD FADES AGAIN WHILE JUSTIN ROSE TAKES $3.6M FEDEX ST. JUDE PAYCHECK

Tommy Fleetwood again fell just short of his first PGA Tour title, finishing tied for third at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The Englishman started the third round leading by one stroke but was unable to avoid being overtaken by Justin Rose and JJ Spaun.

Justin Rose defeated JJ Spaun in a play-off at the FedEx Championship (Getty Images)

Fleetwood carded three birdies and two bogeys on Sunday for a final round score of 69, taking his 72-hole score to 15-under. His three birdies came between holes 12 and 15, when he temporarily regained the lead, but a bogey on the 17th eliminated his chances of challenging for the title in a playoff.

"I'm obviously going to be disappointed," he told the reporters after his final-round performance. "I think -- I said last time, there's a lot of positives to take, as much as I don't really -- I won't feel like that right now. I'm just going to look at what I feel like I could have done and how close it was. You know, we move on. There's another week that's next and I've just got to reflect on today and obviously keep pushing forward and try and put myself in that position again."

This is Fleetwood's sixth third-place finish in his PGA Tour career, with six other second-place finishes. The most recent of these came at the Travelers Championship, when he also lost to Keegan Bradley on the final hole.

Meanwhile, JJ Spaun and Rose finished tied in regulation at 16-under. Spaun fired 5-under for the final round to climb three spots on the leaderboard, while Rose carded three under, to tie for the lead.

The playoff extended to three holes. The Englishman took home his 12th career PGA Tour title, as well as the $3.6 million paycheck reserved for the winner.

"Played unbelievable golf coming down the stretch," Rose told the reporters after winning the event. "I had so much fun with it. 18 was playing perfectly for me today. If I pulled it, I carried it, if I held it up -- I hit a couple good putts in regulation and in the first playoff hole as well. Obviously J.J. dropped a bomb on me, I topped him. It was a lot of fun today."

"That's why I practice. That's why I play. I've been saying for some time now, obviously Augusta, when I bring my best, I know I'm good enough to play and to compete, and to now win against the best players in the world. Very gratifying day for me and a lot of hard work coming to fruition."

With this victory, Rose will climb to fourth in the FedEx Cup rankings, behind only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and JJ Spaun. Rose already knows what it's like to win the FedEx Cup, having done so in 2018.

- Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, Newsweek

RORY MCILROY'S PRIZE MONEY REVEALED AS HE'S HANDED A HOST OF AUGUSTA PRIVILEGES

Rory McIlroy is in line for a significant financial windfall following his victory at The Masters

Rory McIlroy has won a Masters green jacket after an extraordinary final Sunday at Augusta, with the rewards for the greatest triumph of his career set to flow for years to come.

McIlroy hailed a “dream come true” after beating Justin Rose in a Play-Off to win the 89th Masters and finally complete the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy threatened to squander a five-shot lead with eight holes to play before holding his nerve to birdie the first extra hole after an extraordinary final day at Augusta National.

“It’s a dream come true,” McIlroy said. “I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember.

“Watching Tiger (Woods) here in 1997 do what he did, winning his first green jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did.

“It feels incredible. This is my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.

“The last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulder and trying to achieve it, I wonder what we’re going to talk about going into next year.

“I’m absolutely honoured, thrilled and proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”

World No.2 McIlroy won $4.2m (£3.21m) in prize money from his Masters win, while he also closed in on No.1 Scottie Scheffler at the top of the world golf rankings.

His Masters glory comes with a host of privileges that ensures he will always have a date in his diary at Augusta for as long as he is playing golf.

He will host the annual dinner for former champions ahead of the 2026 Masters and will get a chance to select the menu for that event.

Along with his green jacket, McIlroy will get a replica of the Masters trophy he held aloft in an emotional trophy presentation at Augusta on Sunday evening.

He will have been presented with a Masters gold medal, with this tradition dating back to the first Masters in 1934. The 3.5-inch medal features a raised image of the clubhouse on the front.

McIlroy will be presented with a locket at the 2026 champions dinner, which is said to be a gift for the wife or partner of the champion.

He will be a lifelong member of Augusta National Club and will have his own locker in the champions area from this point forward.

McIlroy will also have the chance to practise on the ‘champions only’ golf range at Augusta every time he returns and he will also gain entry to all Major Championships for the next five years.

Another tradition sees the defending champion bring a guest to play a round at Augusta on the Sunday before the Masters gets under way, with 2024 champion Scheffler playing a round with his mother in 2025.

Once the emotion of this incredible win subsides, McIlroy will set his sights on more Major glory at the PGA Championship, which gets under way on May 15 at Quail Hollow Club.

- Kevin Palmer

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU PLAYED MASTERS FINAL MASTERS ROUND IN SILENCE BECAUSE RORY MCILROY REFUSED TO SPEAK

© PETER CASEY-IMAGN IMAGES

Rory McIlroy was locked in during his final round at The Masters. While that Sunday performance was a bit up and down, he ultimately emerged victorious in a playoff versus Justin Rose. In doing so, McIlroy became a Grand Slam winner.

The elusive Masters victory was finally achieved. The golfer was overcome with emotion after the fact.

McIlroy broke down in tears on the 18th green. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau, saw his opponent’s determination throughout that final day.

DeChambeau said he was forced to play his final round in silence. McIlroy was too locked in.

“He didn’t talk to me once all day,” he said after the tournament. “He wouldn’t talk to me.”

The two players have a bit of history as it relates to the recent LIV-PGA Tour split. DeChambeau bolted for LIV money. McIlroy stayed put while championing moral superiority with The Tour. It was almost fitting to see them battle it out for the Masters win.

The duo had much different ways of dealing with the pressure atop of the leaderboard.

Bryson DeChambeau spent Friday night hanging with fans at The Masters.

He reportedly took a walk to clear his mind before the final rounds. He stumbled across a custom putting green in someone’s back yard.

He reportedly took a walk to clear his mind before the final rounds. He stumbled across a custom putting green in someone’s back yard.

A gathering took place at the home of Paul Pearman, an Augusta resident that enjoyed the golf action over the weekend. DeChambeau spent an hour or so hitting balls and getting to know the fan while taking his mind off of the competition for a brief moment.

It offered a much different approach that what we saw from a laser-focused Rory McIlroy. It’s somewhat expected, though, given DeChambeau’s ability to play loose and build off the energy of the crowd.

It seemed to pay immediate dividends, too, when he shot a 69. Unfortunately, DeChambeau wasn’t able to capitalize. He struggled on Sunday, shooting +3 on the day. He fell from second to fifth in the standings.

McIlroy, meanwhile, was able to fend off Justin Rose, who shot -6 in his final round. One extra hole was needed to decide this year’s Masters champ. The Northern Irishman came out victorious following a speechless Sunday finish.

- JACOB ELSEY

JUSTIN ROSE LEADS ROUND 1 (-7) | ROUND 1 RECAP | 2025 US MASTERS

 

JUSTIN ROSE'S FIRST ROUND | EVERY SINGLE SHOT | 2025 US MASTERS

 

PGA TOUR AND LPGA COME TOGETHER FOR MIXED-TEAM TOURNAMENT IN FLORIDA

PGA TOUR AND LPGA TOUR

GRANT THORNTON INVITATIONAL

Site: Naples, Florida.

Course: Tiburon GC. PGA Tour yardage: 7,382. LPGA Tour yardage: 6,595. Par: 72.

Prize money: $4 million. Winners' share: $720,000.

Television: Friday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-5 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-4 p.m. (NBC).

Previous winners: John Daly and Laura Davies (1999).

Last week: Scottie Scheffler won the Hero World Challenge.

Notes: This takes over for what formerly was known as the Shark Shootout, making it the first mixed team event with the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour since the 1999 JC Penney Classic. ... The event is unofficial and will not count toward either tour. ... Lexi Thompson previously played the event with a PGA Tour partner. She is playing this year with Rickie Fowler. Her previous partner, Tony Finau, is playing with Nelly Korda. ... Ludvig Aberg is playing with fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom. The 16 teams include 11 PGA Tour players who are among the top 50 in the world. Jason Day is the highest-ranked at No. 19. He will be playing with Lydia Ko. The LPGA has five of the top 10 from the women's world ranking, and 10 of the top 20. ... The LPGA had its season-ending Tour Championship at Tiburon two weeks ago. ... Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor is playing with Women's PGA champion Ruoning Yin, while Justin Rose and Georgia Hall make up an all-England team.

Next tournament: The Sentry (PGA Tour) on Jan. 4-7 and Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (LPGA Tour) on Jan. 18-21.

- AP

BRITISH OPEN UNDERWAY WITH RECORD PRIZE MONEY UP FOR GRABS

Reuters 

Englishman Matthew Jordan said it was an "amazing honour" to hit the opening tee shot of the 151st British Open on Thursday at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, where he has been a member since the age of seven.

The 27-year-old, a native of Hoylake, came through qualifying to earn a place in the 156-man field.

INDONESIAN MASTERS: JUSTIN ROSE WINS BY 8 SHOTS IN JAKARTA

Justin Rose was the hero in Jakarta as he won the Indonesian Masters by 8 shots...