Golf: Xander Schauffele wins Scottish Open in British Open warmup
Xander Schauffele keeps making up for lost time.
Winless for more than two years, Schauffele picked up his fourth victory in the last 12 months Sunday when he overcame a rough patch in the middle of his round with two key birdies and a par save for an even-par 70 to win the Scottish Open.
Next up is another test on Scottish soil, this one the purest of all, the British Open at St. Andrews. Schauffele heads to the home of golf as among the hottest players in the world.
It was the first time the PGA Tour co-sanctioned a European Tour event.
Schauffele has seven career titles on the PGA Tour. His eight-foot par save on the par-three 17th at The Renaissance Club gave him a two-shot lead, and the 28-year-old from San Diego played it smartly from there. He took iron off the 18th tee to avoid trouble and wound up missing an eight-foot par try.
Schauffele finished at seven-under 273, one shot ahead of Kurt Kitayama (66).
The consolation for Kitayama was earning of three spots in the field at the British Open, his third straight time at golf’s oldest championship. The other two spots went to Brandon Wu and Jamie Donaldson, who tied for sixth.
Mullinax prevails for first PGA Tour win
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Trey Mullinax won the rain-delayed Barbasol Championship for his first PGA Tour title, holing a 15-foot putt from the edge of the 18th green to beat Kevin Streelman by a stroke.
The 30-year-old Mullinax followed the breakthrough putt with a celebratory fist pump and scream. He played 33 holes Sunday, completing a five-under 67 in the delayed third round and following with a 66 to finish at 25-under 263.
“I stayed focused for 72 holes,” Mullinax said. “I missed a couple of opportunities with the putter and just told myself to keep putting, been putting great. Been hitting my irons beautifully all week, probably the strongest part of my game. I knew I was going to have that shot a couple of times, and I hit a great shot at the right time.”
Streelman’s hope of forcing a playoff ended when his nine-foot birdie putt rolled right. He settled for par and a 67.
“I’m frustrated I hit two incredible shots there the last two holes and hit two good putts,” Streelman said. “One of them went, one of them didn’t.”
Mullinax earned the last spot in the British Open at St. Andrews, with that tournament starting Thursday. The former Alabama player also gets spots in the 2023 PGA Championship and Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Tiger Woods struggled to make an impact during the first round of the PGA Championship as he continues his comeback from a horrific car crash 15 months ago.
Senior Players Championship
AKRON, Ohio — Jerry Kelly won the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship for the second time in three years, breaking away with two late birdies to beat defending champion Steve Stricker by two strokes.
Kelly closed with a two-under 68, taking the outright lead with a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-five 16th and running in a 10-footer on the par-four 17th. He finished at 11-under 269 on Firestone’s South Course.
Kelly also won at Firestone in August 2020 and finished second last year. The 55-year-old Madison, Wis., player has 10 PGA Tour Champions victories, also winning the Principal Charity Classic last month in Iowa, He won three times on the PGA Tour.
The 55-year-old Stricker, also from Madison, matched Kelly with a 68. Stricker missed a chance for his second major victory of the season after taking the Regions Tradition in May in Alabama.
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