Carlos Sainz Teams Up with Justin Thomas to Claim First-Ever Netflix Cup Trophy

Carlos Sainz is celebrating his Netflix and thrill moment…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, and pro golfer Justin Thomas teamed up to win the first-ever Netflix Cup, a crossover event featuring PGA TOUR players and F1 drivers competing in an eight-hole scramble.

Carlos Sainz, Netflix CupThe first-of-a-kind event was held Tuesday at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The duo hoisted the Cup together in the post-match ceremony, with Thomas then drinking from the Cup. Then Sainz had his turn, and he dropped the trophy, which broke.

Thomas and Sainz defeated the tandem of Tony Finau and Pierre Gasly in the closest-to-pin contest on the final hole after the four-team field was cut in half following eight holes of match play.

The competition qualified as silly at times, but the spectators lining the course to watch seemed to find it entertaining.

A number of celebrities were on hand for the event, which also included controversial topics.

Protesters, apparently representing PETA, came onto the course to demand that F1, with parent company Liberty Media, cut ties with the Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska.

While golf was the designated sport, it was far from any typical round.

There were plenty of antics with the golf itself. For instance, on the first tee, four golfers teed off at the same time and then raced to their golf carts, following the designated “race course” onto the fairway to get to their balls. Golfers raced to get to the green and to see who could arrive fastest, locate their golf balls and then putt amid the mayhem on the greens.

As part of the race to get to the greens, golfer Rickie Fowler was driving the cart with F1 driver Lando Norris as the passenger.

The other team was Max HomaAlex Albon. Finau was credited with the competition’s first birdie.

This competition was a prelude to the weekend’s Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This was Netflix’s first live airing of a sports event.

Emiliano Grillo Wins Playoff to Capture Charles Schwab Challenge Title

Emiliano Grillo is celebrating a first PGA Tour victory in nearly eight years…

The 30-year-old Argentine professional golfer overcame a double bogey at the 72nd hole to shoot 2-under 68 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday and defeat Adam Schenk in a two-hole playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Emiliano Grillo Grillo curled in a 5-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, the 186-yard 16th hole where he had taken the solo lead before needing a playoff Sunday.

Grillo and Schenk, who both finished at 8-under 272, had two-putt pars from 26 feet at No. 18 to start the playoff.

A 20-foot birdie at No. 16 in regulation had Grillo up by two strokes before his tee shot at No. 18.

“I’ve done it before. I’ve hit the exact same shot to the right of the tree,” he said. “When I saw one of the marshals walk right of the tree, I knew it was going to be a long wait until that ball stopped. … It stopped for like five, 10 seconds at one moment. I actually thought I got lucky. Then five seconds later, the ball kept moving.”

The ball finally came to rest against a rock in the middle of the flow about 150 yards downstream. Grillo took a penalty stroke with a drop where the ball had entered the canal, and had to set his ball on the concrete. His approach was short of the green, and he two-putted from about 20 feet for double bogey to drop to 8 under.

One bad swing all day,” he said.

It was the second PGA Tour win for Grillo, whose only other win was at the Frys.com Open in Napa in October 2015. He had four other top-10 finishes this season. He had a closing 2-under 68.

Along with a $1.566 million check, plaid jacket and fully restored 1973 Bronco vehicle, the win at Hogan’s Alley pretty much set Grillo up for all four majors. He now is set for the Masters and PGA Championship next year, and is in line for this year’s U.S. Open and British Open after moving from 80th to 42nd in World Golf Ranking.

Nico Echavarria Wins Puerto Rican Open for First PGA Tour Title

It’s a special first for Nico Echavarria.

The 28-year-old Colombian professional golfer, a rookie in the PGA, seized control with two straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a 2-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.

Nico Echavarria Echavarria was soaked on a sunny day at Grand Reserve, with friends and family dousing him with champagne after he tapped in for par. He tied the tournament record at 21-under 267.

“I’m happy with life right now,” Echavarria said. “After missing four cuts in a row, only making two cuts, you just doubt yourself. I’m very grateful I kept pushing and got it done.”

Akshay Bhatia, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, closed with a 65 to finish alone in second. Carson Young, who led through 36 holes, had a 71 and finished third, tied with Nate Lashley (69).

Echavarria, who played at Arkansas, becomes the third Colombian to win on the PGA Tour, joining Sebastian Munoz and Camilo Villegas. 

Villegas finished some two hours earlier and stuck around to celebrate with his fellow Colombian. Villegas had sent him a voice message on Saturday, when Echavarria built a 2-shot lead, telling him that there would be a moment Sunday when the rookie felt the tournament slipping away.

That came on the sixth hole, where Echavarria escaped with a bogey when it could have been worse. He birdied the seventh, bogeyed the next hole and didn’t make a mistake the rest of the way.

“I was able to keep it together in a stressful moment,” Echavarria said. “I’m grateful he mentored me in that way.”

The victory gets him into The Players Championship, with its $25 million purse next week at the TPC Sawgrass. He also earned a spot in the PGA Championship and has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Echavarria now lives near TPC Sawgrass, and he dreaded being home that week because all the best are playing down the street.

“I’m glad I got my spot there,” he said.

Jon Rahm Wins Genesis Invitational to Reclaim PGA Tour’s No. 1 Ranking

Jon Rahm is back on top…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer has returned to No. 1 in the world after winning the Genesis Invitational with a performance that left no doubt who’s playing the best golf.

Jon RahmCaught in a battle with hometown favorite Max Homa at Riviera, Rahm delivered two big moments with a 45-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 14th and then a tee shot to 2 feet for birdie on the par-3 16th.

He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot win over Homa.

“Pretty incredible,” Rahm said. “[To win] at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by Tiger Woods, is such an honor.”

This week will be the 44th that Rahm will sit at No. 1, which ties Nick Price for the 11th-most all-time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Among active PGA Tour players, only Woods (683), Rory McIlroy (122) and Jason Day (51) have spent more weeks atop the rankings.

Patrick Cantlay got within one shot on the back nine until two bogeys. He had a 67 to finish alone in third, moving him to No. 4 in the world.

Woods had four bogeys in an eight-hole stretch and shot 73 to tie for 45th.

“Unfortunately, my streak continues,” Woods said with a smile, alluding to his 12 appearances at Riviera as a pro without ever winning.

His success was measured in progress. It was his first time playing 72 holes since the Masters last April — Woods only played twice more since then as he tries to cope with leg and back injuries that will make PGA Tour appearances rare. He did not know if he would play again before the Masters.

Woods still had the largest gallery all the way to the end, thousands of fans packed on the hill over the 18th green to watch him close out with a par in that familiar red shirt under a black vest.

And then the spectators turned their attention to a terrific duel between Rahm and Homa, each with two victories on the PGA Tour this season.

Rahm now has five wins in his last nine starts worldwide, dating to his win in the Spanish Open. He has not finished out of the top 10 in his last 10 tournaments.

It was his third win in five starts on the PGA Tour this year, and he already has earned more than $9 million the last two months.

This wasn’t as easy as it looked at the end.

“That was a tough week and a tough Sunday,” Rahm said.

Homa, who won at Riviera two years ago, began the final round three shots back. He quickly closed to within one shot, only for the Spaniard to come within inches of holing out from the fairway at No. 8 for a tap-in birdie, while Homa made bogey from behind the green to slip three shot behind again.

And then it changed quickly.

After Homa birdied the ninth from 15 feet, he drove to the far edge of the 10th green and got down in two for a birdie. Rahm went well left. His pitch was short and rolled down the back of the green, behind a bunker. He pitched onto — and then over — the green into another bunker, and he had to make a 6-footer for bogey.

Two holes later, Homa took the lead for the first time when Rahm three-putted for bogey, only for Homa to give it back with a bogey from a bad tee shot.

The par 3s won it for Rahm, with his putter and a full swing. He finished at 17-under 267 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, the second straight elevated event on the PGA Tour.

Rahm now has won just over $9.4 million in the last two months on the PGA Tour — wins at Kapalua and the California desert and on the classic course of Riviera off fabled Sunset Boulevard. He finished third in Phoenix and tied for seventh at Torrey Pines in his other two starts this year.

This is the fifth time Rahm has been No. 1 in the world, and the way he’s playing, it looks as if he might stay there for some time.

McIlroy, who began the year at No. 1 and won his first event of the year in Dubai on the European tour, was not a factor for the second straight week. McIlroy had a 73-71 weekend and tied for 29th.

Jon Rahm Erases Collin Morikawa’s 7-Shot Lead to Win Tournament of Champions

Jon Rahm is leaving Hawaii as an unexpected champion…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer left Maui with the Tournament of Champions trophy following the collapse in play of Collin Morikawa.

Jon RahmRahm started the final round of the tournament seven shots behind. He bogeyed his first hole. He was six shots back at the turn to Morikawa, who had yet to make a bogey the entire week at Kapalua Plantation Course.

“Bit of a crazy day, I’m not going to lie,” Rahm said.

A wild hour featured a seven-shot swing in four holes when Rahm ran off three straight birdies and an eagle, and Morikawa, playing two groups behind him, made three straight bogeys on holes the rest of the field collectively played in 44-under par.

It ended with Rahm making one last birdie for a 10-under 63 and a two-shot win over Morikawa (72), who went from a sure victory to a footnote in PGA Tour history as the ninth player to lose a six-shot lead going into the final round.

“It’s going to hurt, but I’ve got to get over it because we’re still in the very early parts of the season,” Morikawa said.

So began the bold new year on the PGA Tour of elevated tournaments that average $20 million in prize money in a bid to bring the best together more often and reward them amid the challenge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf.

Rahm is riding a big wave, winning for the third time in his past five starts worldwide.

“In my mind, I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world,” he said.

Rahm finished at 27-under 265, and it was a small measure of redemption. Last year he finished at 33-under par at Kapalua, which was a PGA Tour record that lasted only a few seconds.

Rahm now is 60 under in his past two appearances at Kapalua. The victory was his ninth on the PGA Tour and 17th worldwide, and assures he will be back on Maui to start 2024.

He won $2.7 million from the $15 million purse at Kapalua, the first of the “elevated” events on the PGA Tour schedule. He also gets 25% of his Player Impact Program bonus money — he finished No. 5 in the PIP for $6 million.

The Spaniard now has won in each of his seven full years on the PGA.

Jon Rahm Outlasts Competition to Win Mexico Open

Jon Rahm has returned to the winner circle…

After a stressful final two hours of competition, the 27-year-old Spanish professional golfer held on to win the Mexico Open and claim his first victory since the U.S. Open last summer.

Jon RahmRahm rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole to pull out of a four-way tie for the lead, and he had to make two tough pars and a finish more nervy than he expected.

The relief and satisfaction was evident when he tapped in for par on the final hole at Vidanta Vallarta for a one-shot victory. He pumped his arm and then pounded his fist downward, and at one point he looked skyward and exhaled.

“Today was a battle,” Rahm said. “But I got it done.”

Tony Finau and Brandon Wu each closed with a 63, while Kurt Kitayama birdied the final hole from a back bunker for a 68. They tied for second.

Rahm had a couple of close calls in Mexico City when it was a World Golf Championship at Chapultepec. Now the Mexico Open, which has a history dating to 1944, is a regular PGA Tour event for the first time. And it got a popular winner.

Against one of the weaker fields of the year — Rahm at No. 2 was the only player from the top 15 in the world — the Spanish golfer was a heavy favorite and played that way from his opening 64.

“I like to think every time I tee it up I’m a favorite. I play to win,” Rahm said. “Fortunately, I got my seventh PGA Tour win. It was a pretty stressful weekend, all the way to the end.”

Staked to a two-shot lead going into the final round, he never trailed. But it was never easy.

Rahm had a one-shot lead after his lone bogey of the round on the tough par-4 10th.

Well ahead of him, Wu holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to join him at 16 under. Kitayama, playing in the final group with Rahm, got up and down from right of the green on the par-5 12th to tie. And then Finau went birdie-eagle-birdie to get in the mix and capped off his 63 with a birdie to make it a four-way tie.

“I really wanted to put together a nice week and I was able to do that this week and gave myself a chance to do something special right at the end,” Finau. “Making a 3 on 18 probably would have been a big deal, but making that putt for birdie, a lot of confidence builders on a day like today, and I’ll carry that with me the rest of the season.”

Rahm never lost his patience. His chip left of the green on the par-5 14th raced 12 feet by the hole, but he hit his best putt of the round and made it for birdie for a one-shot lead.

His wedge to the 15th came up short, and his chip ran 5 by the hole. He made that to stay in front and then had to two-putt from 50 feet on the 16th for his par. Rahm missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him room for error.

Still, the closing par 5 at Vidanta Vallarta is easily reachable, and Rahm birdied it the three previous times. This time, his fade stayed straight and instead of dropping into the bunker, it nestled in deep rough on a steep slope just above the sand. He did well to punch that out just over a waste area and into the fairway.

His approach to a back pin just trickled off the green, and he navigated the slick putt perfectly to a few inches. Instead of waiting for Kitayama and Cameron Champ to finish, Rahm quickly stepped in and closed the deal.

“I didn’t think a par 5 that requires a fade that I’d be stressing this much,” Rahm said. “It wasn’t my best putting weekend, but I stayed aggressive. I was confident in what I was doing. I have faith in every part of my game, and it showed.”

Champ, who like Kitayama started the final round two shots behind, took himself out of the mix with a triple bogey on the par-4 eighth hole. He never recovered, shot 70 and finished three shots behind in a tie for sixth.

Rahm has 14 victories worldwide. He had gone 17 starts without winning, matching the longest such streak in his career. The victory moves him a little closer to Scottie Scheffler in his bid to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, and he’ll have another opportunity at the PGA Championship in three weeks.

Rahm has at least one victory in six full years as a pro.

Producers Guild to Honor Rita Moreno with Stanley Kramer Award

Rita Moreno is earning yet another honor…

The Producers Guild will present the 90-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer with the 2022 Stanley Kramer Award at the 33rd annual PGA Awards, set for March 19 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

Rita MorenoThe honor goes to a production, producer or other individuals “whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.”

Moreno, an EGOT winner, will join previous recipients including Jane Fonda as well as Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, Bombshell, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda.

Kramer’s work included such iconic films as Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

“With grace, intelligence, charisma, and kindness, Rita Moreno made her mark in history as a brilliant entertainer and leveraged that star power to shepherd stories that tap into the human experience and represent people and communities we rarely see celebrated in film and TV,” PGA presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher said Wednesday. “Beyond her on-screen contributions, she has used her unmistakable voice to hold a mirror to the prejudices and inequities that she so often experienced throughout her career. Her activism, strength, and artistic contributions set the precedent for how to be a changemaker in Hollywood, and it is our great honor to present Rita with the Stanley Kramer Award this year.”

Moreno most recently appeared and executive produced Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story after winning an Oscar for the original film, the latest in a seven-decade career that began with her Broadway debut at 13. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films and countless TV series including most recently Norman Lear’s remake of One Day at a Time. Her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world debut at Sundance Film Festival last year.

Moreno previously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, the SAG Life Achievement Award, the Peabody Career Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.

“The last thing I ever dreamed of in my young life was being honored in any circumstance,” Moreno said. “That the Producers Guild of America has chosen to honor me not only for my work but for the principles I have tried to uphold and live by throughout my life is so gratifying. I am thrilled.”

Jon Rahm Wins PGA of America’s Points-Based Player of the Year Award

Jon Rahm is celebrating a points-tastic honor…

 The 26-year-old Spanish professional golfer has won the points-based player of the year award from the PGA of America, and it was a birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Tour Championship in East Lake that made all the difference.

Jon Rahm

Rahm finished with 75 points, with Bryson DeChambeau coming in second at 70 points.

Rahm received 30 points for his U.S. Open title this summer, along with 20 points for leading the PGA Tour money list and 20 points for winning the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average.

And although Rahm was runner-up to Patrick Cantlay in the Tour Championship, the PGA of America recognizes the actual score at East Lake. Cantlay started with a 2-shot lead at 10 under par because he was the No. 1 seed. Rahm started 4 shots behind as the No. 4 seed.

For the week, Rahm and Kevin Na finished at 14-under 266. That means they split the 10 points awarded for a regular PGA Tour win.

DeChambeau had 30 points for his U.S. Open win last September, 10 points for winning at Bay Hill, 14 points for being fourth in scoring average and 16 points for being third on the money list.

On the par-5 18th at the Tour Championship, Rahm hit a 5-iron that just ran through the back of the green. He needed to chip in to have any chance of forcing a playoff against Cantlay, who hit 6-iron to 12 feet. Rahm’s chip narrowly missed, leaving a short birdie putt.

That allowed him to tie Na at 14 under, giving him the five points that put him atop the points standing for the PGA of America award.

The PGA Tour award for player of the year is a vote of the membership. The ballot went out Tuesday and included Rahm, Cantlay, DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa and Harris English.

Justin Thomas won the PGA of America award last year, while Dustin Johnson was voted PGA Tour player of the year.

Rahm’s adjusted scoring average was 69.3. Johnson was second at 69.62.

Abraham Ancer Claims First-Ever PGA Tour Title at FedEx St. Jude Invitational

It’s a special first for Abraham Ancer

The 30-year-old Mexican American professional golfer has claimed the first PGA Tour victory of his career at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Abraham Ancer

Ancer outlasted third-round leader Harris English, who was at 20 under midway through the final round. Ancer, playing the 10th hole, was 5 strokes behind at TOC Southwind.

“I said to [my caddie]: ‘Harris is running away with it, I’ve got to make some birdies, I’ve got to make a move,'” Ancer said.

Ancer didn’t run off a string of birdies, but he played steady, bogey-free golf and won his first title — in his 121st start — beating Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns with a 6-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff.

Abraham Ancer

“It was a dream come true to win on the PGA Tour,” Ancer said.

Ancer won the World Golf Championships event after Burns’ 5½-foot putt — on the same line as Ancer — lipped out.

“This is surreal,” said Ancer, the former University of Oklahoma player who was born in McAllen, Texas. “I felt I left so many shots out there on the back nine, but you never know.”

Ancer, who finished second at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, played more aggressively on the second extra trip down the par-4 18th.

“I went right at it and the shot played perfectly in my mind and it came out just how I pictured it,” he said.

English, the leader after each of the first three rounds, faltered on the back nine to give Ancer, Burns and Matsuyama a chance.

English made a double-bogey 5 at No.11 after hitting his tee shot in the water.

“I played good on the front nine and just kind of hit a road bump on 11,” he said. “I got the wind [reading] wrong and it kind of went downhill from there.”

Ancer closed with a 2-under 68 to match Matsuyama and Burns at 16-under 264. Matsuyama shot a 63, and Burns had a 64. English, the 2013 champion at TPC Southwind, was a stroke back after a 73.

On the first extra hole, Ancer, Burns and Matsuyama, coming off a bronze-medal playoff loss at the 2020 Tokyo Games, made decent runs at birdies. Matsuyama had the shortest attempt — from 20 feet — and it nearly went in the cup before lipping out.

“It’s tough to lose in a playoff,” Matsuyama said. “but I wasn’t able to hit the fairway with either tee shot [in the playoff]. I did my best.

English was seeking the fifth title of his career — and third this season — but collapsed on the back nine. Ahead by 2 strokes at 20 under at the turn, he played the back nine in 5 over. He missed a 13-foot birdie putt on 18.

Ancer made only one birdie on the back nine.

“It was definitely a surprise to win,” Ancer said. “I couldn’t believe I was tied for the lead on [No. 16]. I thought I was 4 behind. But you never know in golf.”

Sergio Garcia Wins Sanderson Farms Championship, Ending Yearlong PGA Tour Title Drought

Sergio Garcia is flying high like a bird(ie)

The 40-year-old Spanish professional golfer, who’d gone a little more than a year without a victory, has won the Sanderson Farms Championship with an 8-iron to 30 inches for birdie on the final hole.

Sergio Garcia

“The perfect ending for an amazing week,” Garcia said.

Garcia, who’d failed to make the FedEx Cup playoffs and fell out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since 2011, hit a 5-wood that barely cleared a bunker and set up an eagle putt from just inside 4 feet to tie for the lead, before hitting the birdie for the win.

Peter Malnati, whose lone PGA Tour victory was at the Country Club of Jackson five years ago, rallied from five shots behind with a career-best 63, punctuated by a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

That set the target, and Garcia needed his two big shots to catch and then beat him. The 5-wood from 260 yards on the 14th hole hit the top collar of the bunker, hopped onto the fringe and rolled out close to the hole.

But it was the 482-yard closing hole into the wind that made him proud.

“I stood up on 18 and I did what I’ve been doing all week. I trusted myself,” Garcia said. “I aimed down the right side of the fairway and just hit a hard draw — really, really nice drive — and it gave me the ability to have an 8-iron into the green instead of having a 6 or something like that.”

It was his first PGA Tour victory since he won the Masters in 2017 with a back-nine rally highlighted by an 8-iron that glanced off the pin on the 15th and set up eagle. He eventually beat Justin Rose in a playoff.

“This time it was an 8-iron on 18, and to almost hit the pain again and hit it close, it was a dream come true,” he said.

Garcia now has won at least once worldwide in each of his last 10 years, a streak he shares with Rose. He won for the 11th time on the PGA Tour, and the 31st time worldwide.

He finished at 19-under 269 and moves to No. 38 in the world.

Garcia heads for Las Vegas, with the Masters just over a month away.

“A boost of confidence, there’s no doubt,” Garcia said. “Every time you play well, even if I would have not won it, it still would have been a massive high for me this week. To be able to do a lot of the things that I did, it meant a lot. It showed me a lot of what I still have and what I still can do.”