Shane Lowry is still waiting for a first win since his 2019 Open triumph as Jordan Spieth beat Patrick Cantlay in a play-off at the RBC Heritage.

The Irishman was leading at Hilton Head in Sunday’s final round when he double-bogeyed the par-three 14th after finding water with a chip.

He carded a two-under 69 to end on 12 under and in a group of seven players one shot behind Spieth and Cantlay.

Spieth defeated his fellow American on the first play-off hole.

Lowry started the day one shot behind overnight leader Harold Varner III and he carded three birdies on the front nine before another at 11 saw him hit the front.

Two excellent par saves followed but he was undone on the difficult 14th when sent his tee shot well left of the green.

Lowry’s chip rolled quickly by the hole and into the water as he registered a five before missing a good birdie chance on the 17th to tie for the lead.

Spieth (66) won with a par on the first hole in a sudden-death play-off while Cantlay (68) made a bogey after his second shot plugged in a greenside bunker.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished two shots back with former US Open winner Graeme McDowell on eight under after both players posted 68s.

The big-hitting American, 28, fractured a bone in his hand and injured his hip when he slipped on a marble floor while playing table tennis in February.

DeChambeau was out for six weeks before missing the cut at both the Texas Open and last week’s Masters.

“This has not been easy physically and mentally for me,” he said.

DeChambeau said he hopes to be back competing “at the highest level” within the next two months, but he is likely to miss May’s PGA Championship.

The 2020 US Open champion finished 2021 ranked fifth in the world but has since slipped to 19th.

“I made attempts to play through this injury at three recent events, including the Masters, but this is typically an injury that requires surgical treatment,” he said in an Instagram post.

“Through continued discomfort from the fracture, it has caused me to alter my grip and swing, resulting in my inability to compete at golf’s highest level.”

Tiger Woods finished his latest appearance at the Masters with a six-over 78 as he capped off his remarkable comeback at Augusta National after nearly 17 months away from golf.

The 15-time major winner stunned the golfing world earlier this week when he announced that he would be making a dramatic return to the sport after suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021.
After shocking many by making the cut on Friday with some determined play, his injuries and lack of match fitness seemed to catch up with him over the weekend.

He carded a six-over par 78 on Saturday, his worst score in a Masters round, and finished with the same score on Sunday to finish on 13-over.

While he might be well down on the leaderboard, overall it was a successful four days for the five-time Masters winner who showcased the spirit that’s made him so successful in his first competitive golf action in almost a year and a half.

Afterwards, Woods confirmed he will play at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews, Scotland in July. Woods said he was still undecided about playing in golf’s next major, the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in May.

When he was asked if he thinks this week was one of the greatest achievements of his career, Woods said: “For not winning an event, yes.”

“To go from where I was to get to this point, I’ve had an incredible team that has helped me get to this point and incredible support from — as I alluded to in the press conference on Tuesday, the amount of texts and FaceTimes and calls I got from players that are close to me throughout this entire time has meant a lot,” Woods explained.
“Then to come here on these grounds and have the patrons — I played in a Covid year, and then I didn’t play last year. 2019 was the last time for me that I experienced having the patrons like this, and it’s exciting. It’s inspiring. It’s fun to hear the roars, to hear the hole-in-ones. I think Kitchen made one the other day. To hear that roar down there at the bottom on 16, just to hear that excitement of what this tournament brings out.

“We have just an amazing day today with now the wind is starting to pick up, it’s starting to swirl a little bit. I think it’s going to get tight, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

“To go from where I was to get to this point, I’ve had an incredible team that has helped me get to this point and incredible support from — as I alluded to in the press conference on Tuesday, the amount of texts and FaceTimes and calls I got from players that are close to me throughout this entire time has meant a lot,” Woods explained.
“Then to come here on these grounds and have the patrons — I played in a Covid year, and then I didn’t play last year. 2019 was the last time for me that I experienced having the patrons like this, and it’s exciting. It’s inspiring. It’s fun to hear the roars, to hear the hole-in-ones. I think Kitchen made one the other day. To hear that roar down there at the bottom on 16, just to hear that excitement of what this tournament brings out.

“We have just an amazing day today with now the wind is starting to pick up, it’s starting to swirl a little bit. I think it’s going to get tight, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

His round was littered with bogeys and birdies, as well as two double-bogeys — a rare occurrence for Woods at the Masters — as he slipped down the leaderboard.
On Sunday, playing alongside Jon Rahm under the bright Georgia sun, Woods was the center of attention during the early pairings to go out, receiving huge cheers from the patrons as he made his way around the course.

Wearing his famous red and black clothing — the colors he traditionally wears on the final day of majors — Woods delighted fans with some delicate touches and trademark excellence, including a monster putt on the 14th hole to salvage a bogey.
Overall, he carded one birdie, five bogeys and a double bogey during his final round to finish 13-over par — but walked off the 18th hole to a standing ovation and cheers from spectators.

While he didn’t trouble the top of the leaderboard, Woods’ appearance at the Masters was about more than what happened on the course.

It gave everyone a sign: Tiger is back.

Scottie Scheffler has won The Masters after holding off the challenge of Cameron Smith and a sublime final-round performance from Rory McIlroy at Augusta to secure a first major title.

It completes a stunning rise and caps a dominant run for the 25-year-old American, who in the space of 56 days has won his first professional tournament at the Phoenix Open, reached number one in the world rankings after a further two wins in four starts, and now claimed the green jacket.

McIlroy, who started his round at +1 and at one point this week was 13 shots off the pace, carded a wonderful seven-under-64 to claim a surprise second-place finish with the joint-lowest final round in Masters history.

His magnficant charge was sealed as he chipped in for birdie from the 18th bunker but ultimately his run came too late in the day and his wait for an elusive Masters title goes on. Scheffler wrapped his victory over the closing five holes and finished three shots clear with a total score of -10, even if required a four-putt double bogey at the last.

Sam Burns began the final day seven shots off the pace at Colonial Country Club, but stormed back to force a play-off against Scottie Scheffler and triumph with a 38-yard putt for birdie – his third victory of the PGA Tour season.

The pair replayed the par-4 18th at Colonial Country Club and, having putted from the first cut of rough, Burns read the long double-breaker to perfection.

Scheffler could not match it with a long birdie putt of his own, giving the 25-year-old an improbable victory – his third of the PGA Tour season to lift him to second place in the FedEx Cup standings.

Burns recovered a seven-shot deficit from the start of play – equalling the largest any player has overcome to win at the Texas venue – and denied Scheffler what would have been a fifth victory in his past 10 appearances.

“When you start the day seven back, I knew Scottie was at 11 under,” said Burns. “I mean, the way that guy is playing right now, who would have ever thought that you’d have a chance seven back?

“I just played such a good round of golf today and [caddie] Travis Perkins did a great job all day just keeping us in it. I’m proud of the way we finished, and then to make that putt is just icing on the cake.”

Burns posted a five-under-par 65 to finish on 271, nine under, while Scheffler was one of five players tied for the lead at one stage with his rival already in the clubhouse.

The world no 1, who had held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds, shot a two-over 72 with two bogeys and no birdies – his crucial up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the last saving par and ensuring the play-off.

Brendon Todd, playing in the final pairing with Scheffler, bogeyed the 10th and 11th and carded a one-over 71.

PGA Tour rookie Davis Riley held the outright lead at 11 under after making three straight birdies, but he lipped out a four-foot par putt at the 13th and lost his next tee shot, leading to a double bogey six at the next.

Riley finished with a 69, tied for fourth at seven under with Scott Stallings (72), while Kevin Na (69), Jordan Spieth (70), Mito Pereira (71), Cam Davis (72) and Patrick Reed (72) tied for seventh at five under.

Harold Varner III had been tied with Scheffler, Todd, Riley and Stallings at 10 under before his hopes were wiped out by a back-nine implosion.

Varner four-putted for triple bogey at the 12th, twice missing putts inside four feet and his tee shot at the next hole, the par-three 13th, found the water.

Finishing with two double bogeys and another triple bogey for a back-nine 45, he eventually shot a 78 and slid to joint 27th at even par.

Rory McIlroy set the pace in Tulsa after a five-under 65 while Jordan Spieth started his bid for the career Grand Slam with a two-over 72; Tiger Woods sits nine behind after an opening-round 74 – Watch the PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy ended his torrid first-round record in majors to race into a one-shot lead after the opening day of the 104th PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

McIlroy had posted a combined 35 over par in the first round of majors since his most recent victory at the 2014 PGA Championship, including a one-over 73 at The Masters last month, only to improve that statistic by dominating his star-studded group on the opening day in Tulsa.

Playing alongside Jordan Spieth – chasing the career Grand Slam – and Tiger Woods, who won the 13th of his 15 majors when this venue last hosted the event in 2007, McIlroy pulled clear of the field and set a target that was not beaten with an impressive five-under 65.

Beginning on the back nine, McIlroy opened with back-to-back pars before a brilliant approach into the par-four 12th left him inches from the flag and marked the start of a run of four consecutive birdies.

McIlroy got up and down from a greenside bunker to take advantage of the par-five 13th and rolled in from 25 feet at the next, with a 10-foot birdie at the 15th lifting him into the solo lead and helping him reach the turn in 31.

The Northern Irishman holed a 15-footer at the second but missed a birdie opportunity from half the distance at the fourth, only to convert from 12 feet at the 665-yard par-five next to temporarily go three ahead.

McIlroy’s hopes of a ’61 round’ and the lowest in major history were ended when he missed from nine feet to save par at the sixth, before losing his outright advantage after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker on his penultimate hole.

The 32-year-old responded by nailing a 20-footer at the ninth to register a seventh birdie of the day, giving him a one-shot advantage after the morning wave over American duo Will Zalatoris – who birdied two of his last three holes – and Tom Hoge.

Matt Kuchar and Abraham Ancer both sit two off the lead, with 2017 champion Justin Thomas joining the share of third place when he posted a three-under 67 – the lowest score from the afternoon wave.

Cameron Smith recovered from a slow start to join Xander Schauffele in carding a two-under 68, a score matched by Matt Fitzpatrick in the afternoon, while Woods and Spieth were unable to replicate McIlroy in building on their impressive starts.

Former US Open champion pulls out after not recovering from injury to left wrist

Bryson DeChambeau has withdrawn from the US PGA Championship on the eve of the first round in Tulsa.

The former US Open champion has not competed since missing the cut in last month’s Masters with rounds of 76 and 80 at Augusta National, after which he underwent surgery on his left wrist.

DeChambeau had practiced at Southern Hills for the last three days, but decided on Wednesday afternoon he was not ready to return to action.

His place in the field has been taken by fellow American Denny McCarthy.

“I didn’t think it was going to be the right decision for me to play this week,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel. “For me it was going to be a stretch.

“This week I’m unfortunately not going to play but I want to give someone else a chance who was fully prepared and ready to go out there and be healthy.

“I could play a couple of rounds, but considering I was doing half days and feeling fatigued and tired, four days is a big stretch for me right now. Endurance-wise my wrist is just not able to hold up, it’s still swollen. I’ve got to give it more time.”

DeChambeau said ahead of the Masters that he had ignored the advice of his doctors and taken a “huge risk” to compete at Augusta National after being sidelined for six weeks with wrist and hip problems.

Woods, who won the Wanamaker Trophy in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007, has been grouped with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth for the first two rounds in Oklahoma.

Woods marked his first appearance in nearly 17 months with a 47th finish at the opening men’s major of the year, his first top-level event since sustaining career-threatening leg injuries in last February’s car crash.

The former world No 1 admitted the aftermath of his competitive comeback “was not fun”, although took just one day off before resuming training to prepare for his appearance at Southern Hills.

Woods, who won the most recent of his four PGA Championship titles when the Tulsa venue hosted the event in 2007, believes he will find it easier to play courses which are not as undulating as Augusta National.

“There was a huge lull, Monday [smiling] that was it,” Woods said about his post-Masters rehabilitation. “That was it. Monday, it was not fun. It hurt. Ice baths and just trying to get the swelling out of there. Then we went back at it, leg day on Tuesday and we kept going from there.

“Figured the first mountain you climbed was Everest. That’s the steepest golf course you’re going to play and that was the first one you climbed. It’s going to get flatter and better. But still, I still have tough days, and things aren’t going to be as easy as people might think.

“I feel like I’m doing better. I’m having more days which are better, more positive. Able to practice a little bit longer. I’m able to do activities and things that I was hoping to do, and I’m finally able to do them.”

Woods has been grouped alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth, who can complete the career Grand Slam with a victory this week, with the 46-year-old pleased with the physical progress he has made.

“There’s a lot of hardware in there and there’s going to be limitations to what I’m going to be able to do, but I’m going to get stronger,” Woods added. “I don’t know how much that is or how much range of motion I’ll ever get back, but sure is a hell of a lot better than it was 12 months ago.

“I didn’t have the endurance [at The Masters] that I wanted. I shouldn’t expect it because I didn’t earn it. I didn’t go out there and I hadn’t done the work, but we were able to put in a little bit more work and it’s going to get better as time goes on. As the months pass, it’s going to get better.”

When asked about the possibility of contending, Woods added: “I feel like I can, definitely. I just have to go out there and do it. I have to do my work. Starts on Thursday and I’ll be ready.”