Golf Rory McIlroy Patrick Reed Nelly Korda Joaquin Niemann Angel Cabrera Phil Mickelson Jeeno Thitikul Ingrid Lindblad Justin Thomas Lexi Thompson David Duval Ben Polland Marc Leishman Thomas Longbella Rose Zhang Tim Widing Louis Oosthuizen Sergio Garcia Neal Shipley Mexico City New Orleans Mexico China Sports Scott McCarron Paul Casey Brett Quigley Bubba Watson Dustin Johnson Vijay Singh Shane Lowry Stanford Cardinal Retief Goosen Stephen Ames Lottie Woad Angel Jimenez Carlton Woods Matt Kuchar Gary Woodland Keita Nakajima Eugenio Chacarra Peter Baker Hao-Tong Li Arnold Palmer Eric Cole Carla Bernat Brandon Wu Matt Fitzpatrick Luke Donald Ashun Wu Camilo Villegas Rasmus Hojgaard Hank Lebioda Jeremy Paul
# Rory McIlroy returns at Zurich Classic in New Orleans. LPGA holds year's first major in Houston

By The Associated Press  
April 22nd, 2025 02:34 PM

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## PGA Tour

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

Site: Avondale, Louisiana.

Course: TPC Louisiana. Yardage: 7,425. Par: 72.

Prize money: $9.2 million. Winner's share: $1,329,400 for each player.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champions: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

FedEx Cup leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Justin Thomas won the RBC Heritage.

Notes: Rory McIlroy plays for the first time since winning the Masters, teaming with Irish golfer and bestie Shane Lowry as the defending champions. ... This is the eighth year of the Zurich Classic switching to a team format. ... The teams include two sets of identical twins — Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark, and Yannik and Jeremy Paul of Germany. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing with close friend Camilo Villegas. ... Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer who announced his retirement last year, is playing on a sponsor exemption with close friend Eric Cole. ... Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is playing with younger brother Alex, who is on the European tour. ... Each player from the winning team gets in the PGA Championship but not the Masters. ... There are no world ranking points for this team event.

Next week: AT&T Byron Nelson.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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## LPGA Tour

CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: The Woodlands, Texas.

Course: The Club at Carlton Woods. Yardage: 6,911. Par: 72.

Prize money: $7.9 million. Winner's share: $1.2 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (NBC Sports app), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Nelly Korda.

Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul.

Last week: Ingrid Lindblad won the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Notes: This is the first major of the year for the LPGA and the third year in Houston since getting a new title sponsor and moving from Rancho Mirage, California. ... Jeeno Thitikul is the fourth player to have at least a share of the lead in the Race to CME Globe this year. ... Lexi Thompson, who said last year she is retiring from a full schedule, is playing for the fourth time this year. She is eligible as a past champion. ... Nelly Korda leads four Americans in the top 10 of the women's world ranking. ... Korda won the Chevron last year for her record-tying fifth consecutive victory. She has yet to win in five starts this year. ... Rose Zhang has pulled out with lingering neck problems that first came up at the Match Play in Las Vegas three weeks ago. ... Lottie Woad and Carla Bernat, the last two winners of the Augusta National Women's Amateur, are among eight amateurs in the field.

Next week: Black Desert Championship.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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## LIV Golf League

LIV GOLF MEXICO CITY

Site: Mexico City.

Course: Chapultepec GC. Yardage: 7,410. Par: 71.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.

Television: Friday, 3-5 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 5-8 p.m. (FS2); Saturday, 2-5 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 5-7 p.m. (FS1); Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (FS1).

Defending champion in Mexico: Joaquin Niemann.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last tournament: Marc Leishman won the LIV Golf Doral.

Notes: The LIV Golf tournament in Mexico last year was held at Mayakoba. Now it moves to another former PGA Tour site at Chapultepec, which hosted a World Golf Championship from 2017 through 2020. ... LIV Golf players won all the WGCs at Chapultepec — Dustin Johnson in 2017 and 2019, Phil Mickelson in 2018 and Patrick Reed in 2020. ... Reed is coming off a third-place finish at the Masters, the fifth straight major a LIV player has finished among the top 10. ... Reed still has yet to win in the Saudi-funded circuit. Other players from the initial signings yet to win are Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen. ... The circuit plays next week in South Korea, a 7,500-mile (12,000-kilometer) trip. ... The leading player not already exempt from the top three in the standings after next week gets in the U.S. Open. Currently that would be Sergio Garcia.

Next week: LIV Golf South Korea.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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## European Tour

HAINAN CLASSIC

Site: Hainan Island, China.

Course: Mission Hills Resort Haikou (Blackstone).

Prize money: $2.55 million. Winner's share: $425,000.

Television: None.

Defending champion: New tournament.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Ashun Wu won the Volvo China Open.

Notes: The inaugural tournament gives the European tour back-to-back weeks in China and wraps up the "Asian Swing," the third of five segments that form the first phase of the Race to Dubai points list. ... The field is similar to the Volvo China Open last week, led by Haotong Li and Eugenio Chacarra. ... Stanford alum and New York native Brandon Wu is playing for the second straight week through the category that grants up to four spots to players who finished from No. 126 to No. 200 in last year's FedEx Cup. ... Mission Hills has 10 championship courses. The Blackstone course used this week also hosted the World Cup of Golf in 2011, won by the American team of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland. ... Keita Nakajima, a former No. 1 amateur, is in the field. He had back-to-back runner-up finishes on the European tour until missing the cut last week in the China Open.

Next tournament: Turkish Open on May 8-11.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

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## PGA Tour Champions

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CLASSIC

Site: Duluth, Georgia.

Course: TPC Sugarloaf. Yardage: 7,179. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.

Television: Friday, 3-5 p.m. (NBC Sports app); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Stephen Ames.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Last tournament: Angel Cabrera won the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.

Notes: TPC Sugarloaf hosted a PGA Tour event through 2008, and then became part of the PGA Tour Champions schedule in 2013. ... Angel Cabrera is coming off a victory three weeks ago in Florida, his first on the PGA Tour Champions that now makes him exempt. He won as an alternate. ... No one from the PGA Tour Champions made the cut at the Masters for the first time since 2022. ... Vijay Singh is in the field. He tied for 18th the week before the Masters and then withdrew from the Masters with an undisclosed injury. ... David Duval, Retief Goosen and Scott McCarron won PGA Tour titles at the TPC Sugarloaf. ... Miguel Angel Jimenez is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year. The sponsor exemptions were given to Mario Tiziani and Brett Quigley. ... This begins a stretch of five tournaments in six weeks, including two senior majors.

Next week: Insperity Invitational.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

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## Korn Ferry Tour

VERITEX BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Arlington, Texas.

Course: Texas Rangers GC. Yardage: 7,010. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: Tim Widing.

Points leader: Hank Lebioda.

Last week: Neal Shipley won the Lecom Suncoast Classic.

Next week: Tulum Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

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## Other tours

PGA of America: PGA Professional Championship, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Florida. Defending champion: Ben Polland. Television: Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC Sports app); Monday-Wednesday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Online: https://www.pga.com/

Epson Tour: IOA Championship, Morongo GC at Tukwet Canyon (Champions), Beaumont, California. Defending champion: Juliana Hung. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

Japan Golf Tour: Maezawa Cup, MZ Golf Club, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/

PGA Tour Americas: Kia Open, Quito Tennis and GC, Quito, Ecuador. Defending champion: Thomas Longbella. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas

Legends Tour: Barbados Legends, Apes Hill Barbados, Holetown, Barbados. Defending champion: Peter Baker. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/

Korea LPGA: Dukshin EPC Championship, Kingsdale GC, Cheongju, South Korea. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf