BERNIE WILSON, Associated Press

12 hours ago

Australia SailGP team helmed by Tom Slingsby, front left, leads the fleet ahead of New Zealand SailGP team helmed by Peter Burling, right, and Denmark SailGP Ttam helmed by Nicolai Sehested, center, on Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix races in Cadiz, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 14 2023. (Bob Martin/ SailGP. via AP)

Three-time defending SailGP champion Tom Slingsby skippered Team Australia into the lead of the Spain Sail Grand Prix Cádiz on Saturday, finishing well ahead of his top rivals as he pursues his first victory of Season 4.

Slingsby steered the Flying Roo foiling catamaran to finishes of 5-2-1 to take a one-point lead over Nicolai Sehested’s ROCKWOOL Denmark, with Spain’s Diego Botin six points back in third. Botin, who won in Los Angeles in late July, thrilled the home crowd with a victory in the first race.

Britain’s Sir Ben Ainslie had a rough start in his pursuit of a third straight regatta victory, going 8-10-6 to settle into ninth in the 10-boat fleet. Peter Burling and Team New Zealand returned to the racecourse with a new wingsail but struggled with finishes of 4-5-8 to sit in sixth place, nine points off the lead.

Jimmy Spithill’s Team USA is fourth, seven points off the lead, after going 2-3-10. Taylor Canfield is filling at flight controller for Hans Henken, who was seriously injured three weeks ago when the catamaran crashed hard off its foils.

“We’re stoked with today, and it’s definitely a confidence booster going into tomorrow, considering we are expecting similar light air conditions,” said Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist and former America’s Cup champion.

The Aussies came into the regatta with a six-point lead over Ainslie and Botin in the season standings despite not having won yet this season. Their last victory was in the $1 million, winner-take-all grand finale of Season 3 in May in San Francisco, the third straight time they clinched the championship of tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s global league.

“It’s been quite frustrating,” Slingsby said. “Although we have been consistent and sailed well, we haven’t managed to get a win this season. I’ve got to do everything I can to secure this win for the team.”

This is the second anniversary of SailGP’s Women’s Pathway Program and strategist Nina Curtis rejoined the Aussie crew after taking maternity leave. She was the first woman to win a SailGP regatta when the Aussies were victorious in Cádiz in 2021.

“It’s amazing to see how much the program has developed in two years and the role it has played in inspiring young female sailors across Australia,” said Curtis, an Olympic silver medalist and ocean racer. “It’s a pretty special moment for me to be back racing here with the team, and now having my own daughter Dylan watch on.”

The Kiwis were back on the water for the first time since their $1 million wingsail suddenly shattered and fell into the Mediterranean just minutes after they finished racing in the opening day of the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez on Sept. 9. They were unable to race in the following regatta at Taranto, Italy, and were awarded fifth place.

“We definitely had a pretty tough day where we never quite found our groove fully,” said Burling, the two-time reigning America’s Cup champion and a three-time Olympic medalist. “It’s our first day racing in a while, so we can go away, tidy that up and come out swinging tomorrow.”

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Three-time defending SailGP champion Tom Slingsby skippered Team Australia into the lead of the Spain Sail Grand Prix Cádiz on Saturday, finishing well ahead of his top rivals as he pursues his first victory of Season 4.

Slingsby steered the Flying Roo foiling catamaran to finishes of 5-2-1 to take a one-point lead over Nicolai Sehested’s ROCKWOOL Denmark, with Spain’s Diego Botin six points back in third. Botin, who won in Los Angeles in late July, thrilled the home crowd with a victory in the first race.

Britain’s Sir Ben Ainslie had a rough start in his pursuit of a third straight regatta victory, going 8-10-6 to settle into ninth in the 10-boat fleet. Peter Burling and Team New Zealand returned to the racecourse with a new wingsail but struggled with finishes of 4-5-8 to sit in sixth place, nine points off the lead.

Jimmy Spithill’s Team USA is fourth, seven points off the lead, after going 2-3-10. Taylor Canfield is filling at flight controller for Hans Henken, who was seriously injured three weeks ago when the catamaran crashed hard off its foils.

“We’re stoked with today, and it’s definitely a confidence booster going into tomorrow, considering we are expecting similar light air conditions,” said Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist and former America’s Cup champion.

The Aussies came into the regatta with a six-point lead over Ainslie and Botin in the season standings despite not having won yet this season. Their last victory was in the $1 million, winner-take-all grand finale of Season 3 in May in San Francisco, the third straight time they clinched the championship of tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s global league.

“It’s been quite frustrating,” Slingsby said. “Although we have been consistent and sailed well, we haven’t managed to get a win this season. I’ve got to do everything I can to secure this win for the team.”

This is the second anniversary of SailGP’s Women’s Pathway Program and strategist Nina Curtis rejoined the Aussie crew after taking maternity leave. She was the first woman to win a SailGP regatta when the Aussies were victorious in Cádiz in 2021.

“It’s amazing to see how much the program has developed in two years and the role it has played in inspiring young female sailors across Australia,” said Curtis, an Olympic silver medalist and ocean racer. “It’s a pretty special moment for me to be back racing here with the team, and now having my own daughter Dylan watch on.”

The Kiwis were back on the water for the first time since their $1 million wingsail suddenly shattered and fell into the Mediterranean just minutes after they finished racing in the opening day of the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez on Sept. 9. They were unable to race in the following regatta at Taranto, Italy, and were awarded fifth place.

“We definitely had a pretty tough day where we never quite found our groove fully,” said Burling, the two-time reigning America’s Cup champion and a three-time Olympic medalist. “It’s our first day racing in a while, so we can go away, tidy that up and come out swinging tomorrow.”

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After Ruffels broke the 20-year Epson Tour 36-hole scoring record on Saturday, Ruffels started the final round with a six-stroke lead.

A bogey on the second hole – only her second bogey of the week – would be her only misstep as she closed with a one-under 71 for a five-shot win from Isabella Fierro (62), Agathe Laisne (63) and Ga Yul Kan (65).

Her total of 19 under par equaled the 54-hole scoring record, and after winning the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic in March, Ruffels is just one win away from automatic promotion to the LPGA Tour with three wins.

Even without her, she’s all but assured of a 2024 LPGA Tour ticket, further extending her lead at the top of the Epson Tour money list.

“This win is a big step in the right direction,” Ruffels said of her LPGA Tour ambitions.

“We’re all out here for the same reason, which is to take the LPGA Tour to the next level. There’s still a long season ahead of us, but I’m definitely making some progress.”

The win earns Ruffels $30,000 to take her yearly tally to $89,262, enough to place seventh in the 2022 Race To The Card.

The 23-year-old broke the Buffalo Dunes course record with 10-under 62 on Friday and backed that up with 8-under 64 in Round 2 to set a new low for the Epson Tour.

Even the biggest leads can bring expectation and pressure, but Ruffels was never really threatened, and birdies at 14 and 16 ensured she always had at least a three-shot lead through the back nine.

“I was definitely very nervous, but I knew I had a big buffer, which really helped,” Ruffels said.

“I just tried to play every shot as it was and not overdo it.

“I just tried to be super consistent and I managed that today, so I was very happy.”

Four of Australia’s current LPGA Tour contingent did their country proud at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in San Francisco.

Seeded 7th at the start of the week, the Australian team of Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Steph Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp defeated both Korea and Japan in the round robin matches to earn a place in the semifinals.

With a format change for the final day, the Aussies secured a spot in the finals with a clean win over Sweden in the semis. In the two singles games, Stephanie Kyriacou defeated Anna Nordqvist 4&3 and Hannah Green defeated Caroline Hedwall 3&2 while Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp achieved a 5&3 four-a-side victory over Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark.

But in a repeat of their last round robin duel, Team Thailand again proved too strong in the final.

Atthaya Thitikul provided Kyriacou 4&2, Patty Tavatanakit defeated Green 4&3 and Sisters Jutanugarn, Moriya and Ariya defeated Lee and Kemp 4&3

Adam Scott’s fifth-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship was his best PGA TOUR result since last August, resulting in a rise to 37th in the world rankings and a check for $772,500.

Scott had plans to rein in runaway leader Wyndham Clark early in the final lap, but bogeys on one and six made the task all the more difficult.

A two-putt birdie on the seventh par-5 and a 15-foot birdie putt on the eight provided some positive momentum, but a back nine from a 37-plus prevented Scott from making a bigger impression on the course .

Results

Epson tour
Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes
Buffalo Dunes Golf Course, Garden City, Kansas
1 Gabriela Ruffels 62-64-71-197 $30,000
T21 Robyn Choi 69-69-70-208 $2,260
T29 Cassie Porter 69-68-72-209 $1,764
T36 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 71-69-70—210 $1,420
MC Emily Mahar 74-74-148

PGA TOUR
Wells Fargo Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Wyndham Clark 67-67-63-68-265 $3.6 million
T5 Adam Scott 67-68-67-71-273 $772,500
T59 Cam Davis 71-70-73-72-286 $44,600
T59 Harrison Endycott 74-66-71-75-286 $44,600
MC Jason Day 72-70-142

LPGA Tour
Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
final
Atthaya Thitikul defeated Steph Kyriacou 4&2
Patty Tavatanakit def. Hannah Green 4&3
Moriya Jutanugarn/Ariya Jutanugarn def. Minjee Lee/Sarah Kemp 4&3

semifinals
Stephanie Kyriacou defeated Anna Nordqvist 4&3
Hannah Green def. Caroline Hedwall 3&2
Minjee Lee/Sarah Kemp def. Madelene Sagstrom/Maja Stark 5&3

round robin
Australia vs Korea
Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou defeated Hye-Jin Choi/In Gee Chun by 2 points
Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp def. Jin Young Ko/Hyo Joo Kim 2&1

Australia vs Japan
Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou defeated Nasa Hataoka/Ayaku Furue by 2 points
Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp separated Hinako Shibuno/Yuka Saso

Australia vs Thailand
Patty Tavatanakit/Atthaya Thitikul def. Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou 1
Moriya Jutanugarn/Ariya Jutanugarn def. Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp 3&2

DP world tour
DS Automobiles Italian Open
Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy
1 Adrian Meronk 68-68-66-69—271 €500,495.38
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 69-78-147
MC Jason Scrivener 74-75-149

Asia tour
The 42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open
Namseoul Country Club, Korea
Event reduced to 54 holes due to rain
1 Chanmin Young 63-68-66—197 $US222,222.22
T31 Zach Murray 75-67-69-211 $8,018.52
T43 Wonjoon Lee 71-70-72—213 $6,000
T43 Kevin Yuan 76-64-73—213 $6,000
T51 Terry Pilkadaris 69-71-74-214 $4,888.89
T60 Junseok Lee 72-70-73—215 $4,074.07
T60 Scott Hend 71-71-73-215 $4,074.07
MC Todd Sinnott 74-73-147

PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric classic
TPC Sugar Loaf, Duluth, Georgia
1 Stephen Ames 65-64-68-197 $300,000
T10 David McKenzie 72-70-66-208 $41,714
T17 Stuart Appleby 72-66-71-209 $29,150
T17 Rod Pampling 66-71-72-209 $29,150
T52 Richard Green 71-76-69-216 $5,200
T64 John Send 74-75-70—219 $2,600

challenge tour
UAE challenge
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
1 Maximilian Rottluff 68-73-63-70-274 €43,481.95
T46 Jarryd Felton 74-70-73-71—288 €1,277.28
T51 Maverick Antcliff 71-68-76-74—289 €1,096.11
T54 Hayden Hopewell 72-72-74-72—290 €1,005.52
MC Jordan Zunic 73-72-145

PGA TOUR Latin America
be open
Quito Tennis and Golf Club, Quito, Ecuador
1 Toni Hakula 64-76-65-67-272
T34 Harry Hillier (NZ) 70-70-73-69-282
T37 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 74-64-71-74-283
MC Aaron Pike 73-71-144
MC Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 74-82-156

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[Photo: Getty Images]

Team Australia are positioned for a shock performance in the semi-finals after a clean-shooting Round 1 win over No. 2 seed Korea at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in San Francisco.

Ranked 7th based on the world rankings of team members Minjee Lee (six), Hannah Green (14), Stephanie Kyriacou (118) and Sarah Kemp (161), the Aussies held their ground early and failed to fall behind in either four-ball game.

The pairing of Lee and Kyriacou held a three-hole lead against Hye-Jin Choi and In Gee Chun, with Kyriacou providing the perfect platform with an early birdie.

They were 3 to 11 holes before the Korean team mounted a stunning comeback.

Choi screwed 12 and 13 and then made par on 14, enough to win three holes in a row to put her team back evenly.

Lee responded with a birdie on the par-4 15, and the two teams traded pars over the next two holes.

With a guaranteed half point, Kyriacou then ripped a 3-wood from 209 yards for six feet on the par-5 18, her closeness to the hole effectively ending an impressive 2-up win.

“I didn’t watch the recording of In Gee or Hye-Jin because I didn’t want it to come to mind,” Kyriacou said.

“It was a pretty open shot I think. The pin was very easy to get so I just tried to knock the crap out of a 3 wood.”

The combination of LA Championship winner Hannah Green and patriotic veteran Sarah Kemp also proved strong against World No. 3 Jin Young Ko and World No. 9 Hyo Joo Kim.

Two birdies from Green and one from Kemp gave the Aussies a 2-up lead through four holes and from there they never went ahead.

Birdies from Ko on 12 and Kim on 14 reduced the deficit to just one hole, but Kemp’s clutch birdie on 14 and Green’s impressive half on 16 secured the Australians a 2&1 win.

“I’m not surprised that happened,” said Kemp, who is in her tournament debut.

“We had a great time last night. We had a great week. We’re all just having a good time and it doesn’t surprise me that we did what we did today.

“For my first day with my first international crown, it’s pretty awesome to start like that.”

Lee hinted that the pairings are unlikely to change on day two, saying two wins in Round 1 would set them up for a great shot at the title.

“Because all the teams in our pool are really strong, coming out on day one and having a really good day, that really sets the pace for the next few days,” said the reigning US Women’s Open champion.

“I think it was really an important win for us today.”

Australia’s next game is in Round 2 against Japan after the Japanese side lost both games against Thailand on day one.

Team Sweden defeated Team England in both Group A games, while Team USA and Team China each won one game in their clash.

It was also a strong start for Adam Scott at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Looking for his first PGA TOUR top-10 since last August’s BMW Championship, Scott opened with a four-under 67 on the par-4 11 despite a double bogey.

He made another bogey on the par-3 13, but birdies on 12, 14 and 15 brought him back to two but two on Round 1 leader Tommy Fleetwood (65).

2018 Quail Hollow champion Jason Day opened Thursday with a win over 72, with Cam Davis on 71 and a 58 share.

Four straight bogeys early in his round put Harrison Endycott on the backfoot and signed a three-over-74.

Maverick Antcliff is the highest-ranked Australian after Round 1 of the UAE Challenge on the Challenge Tour, while Terry Pilkadaris is the only Australian in the top 30 when Round 2 of the Maekyung Open begins in Korea.

Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown

Results round 1

Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou def. Hye-Jin Choi/In Gee Chun 2 and up

Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp def. Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim 2&1

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