BERNHARD LANGER

Shanshan Feng was planning to retire after 10 years of professional golf.

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MI – Joe Durant is hoping a return to Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club will jumpstart his 2022 season. Durant won his fourth PGA Tour Champions event by shooting a tournament record 17-under-par 199 to nip senior tour legend Bernhard Langer by one shot. “This was always a fun place to come in the regular Tour days and now the Champions Tour days. I just have to stick with it.”Durant was a regular at the Buick Open when the PGA Tour event was played at Warwick Hills. Furyk will be in this year’s Ally Challenge field after winning the 2020 tournament during his Champions Tour debut.

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MI – The first four winners of The Ally Challenge are among the early commitments for next month’s $2-million PGA Tour Champions event at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. Also in the field will be Champions Tour superstar Bernhard Langer, who won the Charles Schwab Cup for the sixth time last year. Langer has won 43 times on the Champions Tour and is the circuit’s all-time leading money winner with more than $32 million. Durand 56th on this year’s money list with $187,000 in 14 events. Broadhurst has five top-10 finishes in 13 tournaments this year and is 14th on the money list.

Tom Kidd won the first British Open at St. Andrews.

Kirk Triplett shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Jerry Kelly, Ken Tanigawa and Brett Quigley after the first round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic.

Miguel Angel Jimenez felt the breeze at his back and pulled a 6-iron, believing it would be the perfect club at Tucson National’s 196-yard seventh hole. Jimenez's ace propelled him to a 6-under 66 in breezy conditions Friday to match Jeff Sluman for the first-round lead at the Cologuard Classic. “The ball never left the flag,” Jimenez said.

Megan Watanabe is the first woman to be president at Riviera Country Club.

A devastating fire swept through the century-old clubhouse Thursday at Oakland Hills Country Club, the suburban Detroit course that housed artifacts of some of golf’s biggest stars and the championships they won there.

Athletes with Special Olympics Washington got the chance to skate around the Kraken Community Iceplex on Sunday.

Phil Mickelson birdied three of the final holes Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Bernhard Langer held on to win his sixth PGA Tour Champions season points title.

Phil Mickelson stood on the 18th green at Phoenix Country Club, a wide smile across his face as he held yet another PGA Tour Champions trophy. Next to him was 64-year-old Bernhard Langer, grinning just as broadly as he hoisted the Charles Schwab Cup trophy at an age when most players are playing from the front tee boxes, not fighting for championships. Mickelson birdied three of the final holes Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Langer held on to win his sixth PGA Tour Champions season points title.

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are finally getting their day in the sun.

Nobody has collected more wins at the Ryder Cup than Sergio Garcia.

Civic-minded Wisconsinites wanted to make sure Bryson DeChambeau, who was chomping on a sandwich during a practice round Tuesday, sampled the local fare.

– Five weeks away from the course and a new putting grip did wonders for Joe Durant’s golf game. After a poor showing at the U.S. Senior Open in July – he missed the cut after shooting 10-over-par – Durant was so frustrated he felt like walking away from golf completely. After shooting 72-78 at the Senior Open, he skipped the next three events – including the British Senior Open – before returning to the Champions Tour at Warwick Hills. Durant was one shot behind Langer after shooting 65 in the first round and a second-round 66 left him one shot behind co-leaders Langer and Doug Barron. “It’s great to see him win.”New Zealand’s Stephen Alker, a member of the Korn Ferry Tour, shot 67 in the final round for a total of 15-under 202 and solo third place.

Bernhard Langer is tied for the lead after 36 holes in the 2021 Ally Challenge. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | Mlive.com

Bernhard Langer shot 64 on his 64th birthday Friday to grab a piece of the first-round lead in the 2021 Ally Challenge. (MLive File Photo by Kaiti Sullivan)Kaiti Sullivan

Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Darren Clarke and David Toms will all be in the field for the $2-million PGA Tour Champions event that will be played for the fourth time. Langer, 63, is one of the most successful players in Champions Tour history with 41 victories that include three senior majors. Els, 51, is a two-time U.S. Open champion and two-time British Open champion who made his Champions Tour debut last year. He tied for 27th in last year’s Ally Challenge and won the 2020 Insperity Challenge while finishing second in four other tournaments. He is a two-time Ryder Cup captain who will be making his Ally Challenge debut.

Maybe the first hint that Will Zalatoris had what it took came when he was 6, and Ken Venturi went over to him on a driving range to show him a grip that he hasn’t changed since.

Tiger Woods, left, walks on the 11th fairway with his son Charlie during a practice round at the Father Son Challenge golf tournament, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)ORLANDO, Fla. – Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods turned pro about the same time and have played in some 170 tournaments around the world together. “This is the first tournament I've ever played in that Tiger Woods is playing in that he's not the star of the show,” Harrington said Friday. Everybody is stopping to watch Charlie.”That would be Charlie Woods, the 11-year-old son of the 15-time major champion. Plus, he's the son of Tiger Woods. Even so, this cozy event in the holiday season has come to life with Woods playing for the first time.

The PNC Championship announced Thursday that Woods will play with 11-year-old son Charlie in the tournament that has paired major champions with their sons since 1995, the year before the 44-year-old Woods turned pro. “I can't tell you how excited I am to be playing with Charlie in our first official tournament together,” Woods said. The PNC Championship is Dec. 19-20 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando in central Florida. It allowed Fuzzy Zoeller to play with his daughter, Gretchen, and Arnold Palmer to play with his grandson, Sam Saunders. Until deciding to play in the PNC Championship, it was thought Woods ended the year at the Masters.

Johnson overcame a jittery start that conjured memories of past majors he failed to finish off. He turned that into a command performance, making sure this one-of-a-kind Masters with no fans also had no drama. His five-shot victory was the largest at the Masters since Woods won by 12 in 1997. “As a kid, you're dreaming about winning the Masters, having Tiger put the green jacket on you. 1 player in the world to win the Masters since Woods in 2002, was the main event.

___12:20 p.m.Dustin Johnson has made the turn in the final round of the Masters with a two-shot lead over Cameron Smith. That broke a stretch of 33 consecutive holes without a bogey going back to the second round. The Masters leader three-putted from just off the front of the green at the par-3 fourth hole in the final round. The final round of the Masters began with another weather delay, this one only 10 minutes because of fog. Johnson is the 16th player to lead by four shots or more going into the final round at Augusta National.

Langer, a two-time Masters champion and ageless wonder, gets to play two more rounds. He became the oldest player to make the 36-hole cut at the Masters, topping the record by Tommy Aaron in 2000 by 33 days. Tiger Woods constantly cites Langer and Fred Couples as examples of Masters champions who can find their way around the course and post good scores. When golf returned from the pandemic in June, Langer teed it up twice on the PGA Tour because the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions had not resumed. Langer still decided to check on the policy on Tuesday night during the Masters Club dinner for past champions.

It wasn't from any of the patrons because they're not allowed in this most usual Masters in November. That gave Thomas a share of the lead with Dustin Johnson (65-70), Cameron Smith (67-68) and Abraham Ancer (68-67), a Masters rookie who doesn't know this course any other way. What two days have shown is that Masters experience only goes so far on a soft course with rye grass that isn't grown in quite the way it usually is in April. “Balls are making pitch marks with chip shots and pitch shots.”Woods left the course Thursday with only three players ahead of him. The two-time Masters champion shot 68 in the morning on a long, soft course.

The opening round was delayed nearly three hours at the start by heavy rain, and with limited daylight in November, there was no way to complete the round. Greg Norman still holds the record for lowest opening round, a 63 in 1996, the year he lost a six-shot lead to Nick Faldo in the final round. There were 53 rounds under par in the 92-man field and 24 rounds in the 60s, both Masters records for any round. The previous mark was 47 rounds under par in the second round of 1992 (83-man field). This is his fifth Masters, and not only his lowest score, but the first time he has shot par or better in the opening round.

Play has been suspended in the second round of the Masters, with 48 players yet to finish. While the second round won’t be completed until Saturday morning, Langer is assured of getting through. Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith and Abraham Ancer all have a share of the lead after finishing the second round at 9-under 135. ___11:50 a.m.Dustin Johnson is pulling away from the field in the second round of the Masters. The second round is underway at the Masters, and the first round hasn't quite finished up yet.

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley announced Wednesday a $10 million donation to help with the redevelopment of what he said were once-thriving communities that have gone through decades of poverty, crime and unemployment. Bernhard Langer received that assurance at the Masters Club dinner Tuesday night with Chairman Fred Ridley. “But the issue is a lot larger than Augusta National and the Masters.”He was only certain that it would not change for the next Masters. And it wasn't in 1976, when Masters Chairman Fred Ridley stayed there for the first time. In fact, Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said it was decided before the pandemic forced the Masters to be postponed in April.

Jordan Spieth putts on the 10th green during the first round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Thursday, June 18, 2020, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard set the pace for good scoring through a brief spell of rain at Hilton Head. Spieth didn't figure to be part of the conversation until bouncing back from a triple bogey with eight birdies for a 66. It was the kind of break Spieth has seen far too often during three years without a victory. He was on such a roll that Spieth began to contemplate eight straight birdies to end his round. Michael did a great job of reminding me that today when it wasnt going well on my front nine, Spieth said.