15/07/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | JULY 15, 2025

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Gotterup outguns McIlroy American golfer earns second career win with victory at Scottish Open T HE biggest win of Chris Gotterup’s career brought an emotional response. Gotterup shot a 4-under par 66 to outduel Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and win the Genesis Scottish Open yesterday at North Berwick, Scotland. of golf,” McIlroy said. “He was so solid. Made the bogey on 15 but bounced back with a really nice birdie on 16. Yeah, after he got a couple ahead, I just couldn’t claw back.”

A CAREER that appeared stuck in second gear took a dra matic turn yesterday as Grace Kim produced a stunning finish to become Australia’s fifth major winner in women’s golf at the Evian Championship. The former Youth Olympics champion was three shots adrift of the lead after 14 holes at Evian-les-Bains in the French Alps but went birdie-birdie-par-eagle to force her way into a playoff with Thai world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul. Kim’s charge looked over when she dunked her approach to the 18th into a green-side pond in the first extra hole. Kim becomes fifth Aussie to claim major

Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard (64) and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (67) shared fourth place at 12 under. Gotterup used four birdies on a six-hole stretch ending at No. 12 to move to the top. He held a two-shot edge until his bogey on No. 15, where he hit his tee shot in the rough. But on the next hole, Gotterup rolled in a 10-foot birdie for a two-shot advantage again. He sensed it was a key situation. “This is it,” he said of the moment, “and it went right in the centre” Gotterup said he was most proud of how he held steady during the crucial stretches. “It’s just so cool,” he said. “I played really well this week, and I knew today was going to be tough. I hung in there like a champ and finished it off in style.” Now with the opportunity to stay in Europe and play in The Open Championship, Gotterup will show up with new-found confidence. “I was a one-time champion,” he said. “Two-time champ sounds a lot better. I know what I’m capable of and I know when I feel the way I did today, I can beat the best.” McIlroy, the Masters champion, said he’s in a good groove as he looks ahead to the coming week as he’ll try to win a major for the second time this year. “It has been a great week,” he said. “Missing the tro phy, that’s about it.” Like Gotterup, Hojgaard also secured a spot in the Open Championship based on his work in Scotland. The best round of the day belonged to England’s Justin Rose, who shot 63 and moved to sixth place at 11-under, which was one shot bet ter than Austria’s Sepp Straka (67).

“This is awesome,” Gotterup said, fighting back tears. “I’m not going to be able to keep it together.” But he kept it together at key moments in the final round. Gotterup’s 15-under 265 total was two strokes better than McIlroy and England’s Marco Penge at The Renaissance Club. Gotterup won for the second time on the PGA Tour. Sunday’s outcome guaranteed him a spot during the coming week in The Open Championship. Penge shot 66 in the final round and McIlroy posted 68. McIlroy, aiming to win the tournament for the second time in three years, led

Instead, she chipped in for birdie over the same pond to force another hole, then drained a 20-foot eagle putt to deny Thitikul and claim one of the great wins in major golf. In her third season on the LPGA Tour, Kim had been treading water with only one top-10 finish in her previous 11 starts but said she had come to Evian-les-Bains with a different mindset. “Obviously it’s a huge achieve

ment for me. I’ve had a lot of doubts early this year. I was kind of losing motivation,” said the 24-year-old, whose only previous win was in Hawaii in 2023.

after back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes. But after a birdie on No. 8, he had pars

“I kind of had to get some hard conversa tions done with the team. Yeah, kind of had to wake up a little bit. “So to be sitting here next to this tro phy is definitely surreal.” Australian women’s golf is in a good spot. Kim’s win comes weeks after compa triot Minjee Lee won the Women’s PGA Championship, shrugging off a lean period for her third major. Lee watched as Kim holed the winning putt yesterday and bolted onto the green to spray her with champagne. Kim joins a select list of

across each of the last 10 holes. “ C h r i s played a great round

Australian major winners in women’s golf, the others being seven-times champion Karrie Webb, three-times winner Jan Stephenson and Hannah Green. “I saw there is a picture of Karrie as you walk into the locker room, walking down 18 as well, so seeing that each day is moti vating,” said the Sydney native. “Obviously Minjee’s first major was this one and this is now mine as well.” – Reuters

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished tied for eighth at 9-under after his second 67 of the tournament. Colombia’s Nico Echavarria, who began on the back nine, hit a hole-in one on the par-3 sixth hole, with the ball dribbling into the cup. He had a 67 for the round and was at 5-under for the tournament. Defending champion Robert MacIntyre of

Australia’s Grace Kim poses with the trophy after her victory. – AFPPIC

Scotland had a 71 for the second time in the tourna ment and finished at 2 over and tied for 65th. – Field Level Media

Christopher Gotterup. – REUTERSPIC

Joseph leads Windies fightback WEST INDIES fought back yester day to reduce Australia to 99 for six in their second innings, a lead of 181, as the pink-ball Test at Sabina Park remained on a knife edge at the close on day two. Australia extended their first Then Alzarri Joseph ripped the heart out of the middle order, taking the prize wicket of Steve Smith (5) and also bagging Beau Webster (13) and Alex Carey (0). “We were looking for seven wickets tonight and got six, so we’ll take that,” said Shamar Joseph. “West Indies have

India collapse against England at Lords INDIA suffered a dramatic top-order slump to set up a thrilling finale to the third Test against England at Lord’s on Sunday.

100, was still there on 33 not out following several typically elegant boundaries. “India will win, probably just after lunch,” a bullish Sundar told Sky Sports after stumps. But England batting coach Marcus Trescothick, speaking to the BBC , said: “When the ball gets a little bit softer there are more runs to be had out there, but if you get it enough in the right place it’s very tricky. “We would have loved 250 and beyond but we would have taken 190 and our chance to bowl on that pitch and it’ll come down to who holds the pressure best tomorrow.” Earlier, Root and Stokes joined forces with England in trouble at 87-4. But a partnership worth 67 ended when Root, who made a hundred in the first innings, was bowled behind his legs trying to sweep Sundar. Root’s 40 was the top score of England’s second innings. Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, removed Carse and Chris Woakes with Sundar ending the innings when he knocked over last man Shoaib Bashir’s stumps. “I’m always trying to hit the stumps,” said Sundar. “The fact Jasprit was bowling from the other end definitely helped, the fact we have him in our team is amazing.” – AFP

The tourists had the upper hand after dismissing England for just 192 in their second innings, with off-spinner Washington Sundar taking 4-22, including the wickets of Joe Root, Jamie Smith and England captain Ben Stokes on the fourth day. That left India needing 193 to go 2-1 up in this five-match series after both teams made 387 in their first innings. India, however, collapsed to 58-4 at stumps, with the tourists requiring a further 135 runs to win on Monday’s final day. Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for a duck, skying a hook off fast bowler Jofra Archer to wicketkeeper Smith. Karun Nair was lbw to Brydon Carse with India captain Shubman Gill, who has already scored a double hundred and two centuries this series, falling in similar fashion. And with what became the last ball of the day, Stokes bowled nightwatchman Akash Deep to raucous cheers from the home crowd at a sun-drenched Lord’s.

innings lead of 82 but were kept in check by the West Indies bowlers as the pink ball proved almost unplayable under floodlights in the final session for the second day in a row. Alzarri Joseph snared three wickets and Shamar Joseph two to keep their team in the game after their batters earlier collapsed to 143 all out in an eventful mid dle session. Shamar Joseph took his series haul to 20 victims with only Australia’s Cameron Green pre venting a complete capitulation by compiling an unbeaten 42. Shamar Joseph removed both openers – Sam Konstas for a duck and Usman Khawaja for 14 – to raise the West Indies’ hopes.

always had that great legacy of fast bowl ing so this genera tion just wants to continue that tradi tion and do our best.” Despite his efforts, Joseph was mindful of Australia pulling themselves out of reach of the West Indies if their tail can extend the lead beyond 200. – AFP

But India opener KL Rahul, fresh from his first-innings score of exactly

Alzarri Joseph. – AFPPIC