Tag: Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia, wife Angela raise another $2 million for Texas children and families

Sergio Garcia was born a continent and ocean away in Borriol, Spain, but he’s made up for lost time since moving to Austin, Texas.

A common phrase in Texas for those who weren’t conceived or delivered in the Lone Star State says, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.”

Sergio Garcia was born a continent and ocean away in Borriol, Spain, but he’s made up for lost time since moving to Austin, Texas. After marrying former Golf Channel reporter Angela Akins, Garcia has become a staple at Texas golf functions, including Ben Crenshaw’s Save Muny gala to benefit Austin’s Lions Municipal Golf Course.

The LIV Golf star and his philanthropist wife had another successful run with their Fore Kids ATX event in the Texas capital last week as a host of players and celebrities came out to the two-day event. Patrick Reed, Abraham Ancer, Nick Watney and David Puig were among the golfers who gathered at Tom Fazio’s Foothills course at Omni Barton Creek, ranked as one of the best 10 golf courses in the state you can play, according to Golfweek’s Best.

A number of other celebrities attended the gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, including comedian Ron White, former University of Texas football star Derrick Johnson, motivational speaker Kondo Speaks, and actresses Becca Tobin and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison served as emcee of the event.

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According to a release from the organization:

Fore Kids ATX 2024 benefitted organizations near and dear to Sergio and Angela’s hearts, including Dell Children’s Medical Center, Foster Village, The Muny Conservancy Austin Youth Golf Academy and The UGLI Foundation – organizations dedicated to providing youth medical care, support for foster children, anti-bullying solutions and youth golf community programming.

One highlight of the event was a painting by Garcia’s father-in-law, Marty Akins, which fetched $100,000 in an auction. Akins, whose nephew is Drew Brees, was a first-team All-American as the University of Texas quarterback in 1975 and was also the Southwest Conference Player of the Year.

Here are some photos of the event:

Watch: Abraham Ancer takes the clubhouse lead for best club toss of the year

It’s not the first time Ancer’s let loose in anger this year.

Don’t tell Abraham Ancer that he doesn’t care about how he plays now that’s he’s joined LIV Golf.

The 33-year-old Mexican melted down on Sunday, letting his emotions get the better of him after chunking a critical shot late in his round at LIV Golf Andalucia at Valderrama in Spain.

Ancer, a member of Team Fireballs, who were clinging to the lead in the team portion of competition, was short of the green on the fifth hole, his 17th hole of the day, when he decelerated and chunked his pitch short of the green. That would eventually lead to a costly bogey, but it’s what happened next that will make highlight shows: Ancer chucked his club in disgust and it likely covered more distance than his ball. It’s the leader in the clubhouse for the best club toss of the year.

You can see it here.

High marks for Ancer’s technique but he forgot Tommy Bolt’s famous advice to always throw a club forward so you don’t have to walk back – or in Ancer’s case to the side – to fetch it.

Ancer, who shot 72, answered with a chip-in on the next hole and he and teammate David Puig helped the Fireballs to victory in a playoff in the team portion of the LIV competition.

It’s not the first time Ancer’s let loose in anger this year. He showed his versatility as a club tosser with this two-handed, overhand tomahawk. But his latest effort topped it. Nearly half the year still remains to see if he can do one even better.

Abraham Ancer leads at LIV Golf Nashville, but Tyrrell Hatton is nipping at his heels

Hong Kong in early March was the host of the first and only LIV Golf event that Ancer has won

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. — After a 7-under, bogey-free round, Abraham Ancer is in the lead after the opening day of LIV Golf’s Nashville event.

“Definitely really happy with pretty much everything today,” Ancer said Friday. “It was really nice off the tee, (I) hit some really good shots in there, and I rolled it nicely.”

Tyrrell Hatton was in second place at 6 under.

LIV Golf tournaments tee off with a shotgun start, in which all players start at the same time but at various holes throughout the course. Friday’s Round 1 saw Ancer begin his day at No. 18 with Cameron Smith and Patrick Reed.

Smith ended tied for 11th with a score of 2 under, while Reed tied for 41st at 1 over.

Hong Kong in early March was the host of the first and only LIV Golf event that Ancer has won, but he is using that as a boost of confidence in hopes of recreating another victory.

“The win in Hong Kong was huge. And I guess in the fashion that I did, it wasn’t the most stress-free way to do it, but it definitely gives you a little more confidence just to make the putts easier to make or get the shots easier to hit,” he said.

Ancer is set to tee off at 12:15 p.m. CT Saturday, but this time in a group with Hatton and John Catlin, who is in third place. Though he is in sole possession of first place now, Ancer is not letting that cloud his mind as he heads toward his ultimate goal — a win on Sunday.

“I just try to forget about it. I feel like with this sport, even if you had a great round or a terrible round, it doesn’t really help to be thinking about it too much, so I forget about it,” he said. “(I) go about my regular routine, same as yesterday and then do the same thing tomorrow. (I try) not to be thinking where I’m at on the leaderboard but try to figure out (each) shot at a time.”

2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong prize money payouts for each player and team

It pays to play well in the Saudi-backed league.

It pays to play well in the LIV Golf League, just ask Abraham Ancer.

The 33-year-old won for the first time on the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit after a three-way playoff on Sunday to claim 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club’s Fanling Course.

For his efforts, Ancer will take home the top prize of $4 million. Paul Casey and Cameron Smith each earned $1.875 million for their runner-up finishes. Joaquin Niemann and Carlos Ortiz round out the top five at T-4 and banked $900,000.

Check out how much money each player and team earned at 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong.

MORE: Best shots from LIV Golf Hong Kong

Individual prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1  Abraham Ancer -13 $4,000,000
2  Paul Casey -13 $1,875,000
2  Cameron Smith -13 $1,875,000
T4  Joaquin Niemann -12 $900,000
T4  Carlos Ortiz -12 $900,000
T6  Kevin Na -11 $650,000
T6  Bryson DeChambeau -11 $650,000
T8  Richard Bland -10 $396,071
T8  Graeme McDowell -10 $396,071
T8  Charles Howell III -10 $396,071
T8  Ian Poulter -10 $396,071
T8  Dean Burmester -10 $396,071
T8  Jon Rahm -10 $396,071
T8  Henrik Stenson -10 $396,071
T15  Lucas Herbert -9 $278,750
T15  Adrian Meronk -9 $278,750
T15  Harold Varner III -9 $278,750
T15  Eugenio Chacarra -9 $278,750
T19  Sam Horsfield -8 $245,000
T19  Louis Oosthuizen -8 $245,000
T21  Dustin Johnson -7 $204,286
T21  Talor Gooch -7 $204,286
T21  Martin Kaymer -7 $204,286
T21  Scott Vincent -7 $204,286
T21  Tyrrell Hatton -7 $204,286
T21  Sebastián Muñoz -7 $204,286
T21  Matt Jones -7 $204,286
28  Brooks Koepka -6 $180,000
T29  Peter Uihlein -5 $165,000
T29  Marc Leishman -5 $165,000
T29  Patrick Reed -5 $165,000
T29  Andy Ogletree -5 $165,000
T29  Bubba Watson -5 $165,000
T34  Brendan Steele -4 $146,250
T34  David Puig -4 $146,250
T34  Cameron Tringale -4 $146,250
T34  Anirban Lahiri -4 $146,250
T38  Caleb Surratt -3 $137,500
T38  Sergio Garcia -3 $137,500
T38  Pat Perez -3 $137,500
T41  Charl Schwartzel -2 $129,375
T41  Danny Lee -2 $129,375
T41  Jinichiro Kozuma -2 $129,375
T41  Kalle Samooja -2 $129,375
T45  Lee Westwood -1 $124,167
T45  Matthew Wolff -1 $124,167
T45  Branden Grace -1 $124,167
T48  Mito Pereira E $90,000
T48  Thomas Pieters E $90,000
50  Anthony Kim 3 $60,000
51  Jason Kokrak 6 $60,000
T52  Hudson Swafford 8 $50,000
T52  Phil Mickelson 8 $50,000
54  Kieran Vincent 9 $50,000

Team prize money

Position Team Score Earnings
1 Crushers GC -35 $3,000,000
2 Torque GC -33 $1,500,000
3 Ripper GC -23 $500,000

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Abraham Ancer wins three-way playoff at 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong; Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers claim another team title

Anthony Kim shot one of the low scores of the day on Sunday for his first round under par with LIV.

Abraham Ancer loves a playoff.

His lone win on the PGA Tour went to extra holes and the same can be said of his first LIV Golf victory. Ancer defeated Cameron Smith and Paul Casey with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong on Sunday.

After rounds of 7-under 63 and 8-under 62 on Friday and Saturday at Hong Kong Golf Club’s Fanling Course in Sheung Shui, Ancer struggled on Sunday to a 2-over 72, which opened the door for Casey (64) and Smith (66) to tie him atop the leaderboard at 13 under. Joaquin Niemann shot the low-round of the day, a 7-under 63 to finish T-4 alongside Carlos Ortiz (66), one shot outside of the playoff.

“Man, I made that so hard on myself. The ball-striking wasn’t there, but mentally I was really strong, so I felt really good. I felt like I was not going to give up. That round could have gone south really quickly,” Ancer explained. “Hit some good bunker shots, some good putts that I needed to and just kept myself in it and hit the right shot at the right time there in the playoff.”

MORE: Best shots from LIV Golf Hong Kong

On the team side, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won for the second consecutive week after another strong Sunday to finish at 35 under, two shots clear of Niemann’s Torque GC. Smith and his Ripper GC earned their first top-three finish of the season at 32 under.

“I love these guys. They fight for every shot, and I can tell you when four scores are counting, we’re a pretty deadly team,” said DeChambeau. Before this season LIV switched its format to make all four player scores count to the team score in the final round. The worst score is dropped in the first two rounds.

“We know with four scores counting, we’re going to be in it no matter what the last day,” he added. “We put the pedal to the metal today and showcased who we are.”

Last year’s team champions, the Crushers have finished 2-4-1-1 in LIV’s four events so far this season. After winning the season opener, Jon Rahm’s new squad, Legion XIII, finsihed T-5 and fifth the last two events before coming in dead last this week in Hong Kong.

Anthony Kim has struggled in his return to pro golf with LIV, but after shooting over par in his first five rounds, the 38-year-old finally found the red numbers with a 5-under 65 on Sunday. Kim made seven birdies and two bogeys and finished 50th in his second event.

LIV is off for the rest of the month and returns to Trump National Doral, April 5-7, for 2024 LIV Golf Miami.

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Abraham Ancer, Dean Burmester tied for lead at LIV Golf Hong Kong; Phil shoots 80

Scores were all over the place in the opening round.

LIV Golf is at Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong for its fourth event of the 2024 season, a unique course measuring only 6,700 yards.

Some players, like Abraham Ancer and Dean Burmester, took advantage Friday during the opening round. Others, like Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson, did not.

Ancer and Burmester are tied for the lead after 7-under 63s on Friday. Burmester carded six birdies, an eagle and a bogey while Ancer fired a bogey-free round.

“I think it’s definitely a golf course that everybody likes,” said Ancer. “Like Dean was saying, even the long hitters enjoy it, as well, because if they’re going to hit some irons, they prefer hitting irons over 3-woods whenever it’s a really tight fairway. I think it just brings everybody in. It’s a great golf course to showcase where everybody is at.”

Meanwhile, in his fourth round of professional golf since his return, Anthony Kim shot 6-over 76, but he isn’t in last place on the leaderboard. He’s beating Lefty, who shot 10-over 80 in the first round. Mickelson had no birdies, three doubles and four bogeys.

Kim once again had a slow start, as he was 4 over after four holes.

There are six players tied for third at 6 under, including Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are sitting at 5 under. Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann are T-18 at 3 under after the opening round.

Abraham Ancer outlasts Cameron Young to win 2023 PIF Saudi International

Ancer won wire-to-wire to claim his fourth professional victory.

Another LIV Golf and PGA Tour duel played out on Sunday, this time on the Asian Tour and with a little less hostility.

The field at this week’s PIF Saudi International featured a heavy dose of LIV Golf, as well as a few PGA Tour players who were granted releases to play. Cameron Young – who has expressed his interest in LIV in the past – gave chase in the final round but came up short of LIV’s Abraham Ancer, who won wire-to-wire by two shots at 19 under. Lucas Herbert, also a player on Tour, finished third at 15 under.

Ancer, 31, shot 64-68 on the weekend at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City for his fourth professional win. The Mexican-American previously claimed the PGA Tour’s 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational as well as the PGA Tour of Australasia’s 2019 Emirates Australian Open and 2015 Nova Scotia Open on the Korn Ferry Tour before he joined LIV Golf last year. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is LIV’s financial backer, as well as the title sponsor of the Saudi International.

The Saudi International was created in 2019 by the regime’s Public Investment Fund and offered lucrative appearance fees to attract PGA Tour stars like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who all later jumped to LIV. The tournament was originally a DP World Tour stop, but the European circuit, like the Tour, is also now being sued by LIV, which invested more than $200 million in the Asian Tour last year.

The LIV Golf League makes its 2023 season debut later this month at Mayakoba in Mexico while the Asian Tour returns to play next week with the International Series Oman.

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It’s a PGA Tour-LIV Golf showdown, this time between Abraham Ancer and Cameron Young at PIF Saudi International

It’s a two-horse race.

It’s a two-horse race, and Abraham Ancer has a slight edge coming around the final corner.

Ancer and Cameron Young have pulled away from the field at the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia, with Ancer sitting at 17 under and Young at 15 under, five shots clear of a trio tied for third place. Ancer, who has led after every round, shot 6-under 64 in the third round while Young shot his third consecutive 5-under 65.

Matthew Wolff, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Lucas Herbert are tied for third at 10 under in the Asian Tour event.

Last week, it was Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed battling it out in Dubai. Now, it’s Ancer and Young, the PGA Tour’s 2022 Rookie of the Year, at the venue where LIV Golf’s championship event will be come November.

“Yeah, another very solid round. Happy with no dropped shots,” Ancer said. “That’s always my goal. On a golf course like this where it’s blowing pretty good, I’m really, really happy.

“Not really focused on what everybody else is doing. Just trying to play the same game I’ve been playing the past three days.”

Wolff had the round of the day, shooting 7-under 63 to vault up the leaderboard. However, Young is Ancer’s closest pursuer, and he’s looking forward to Sunday.

“Yeah, I think I’ve played really solidly,” Young said. “Obviously Abe’s playing some really nice golf. So I think tomorrow will be fun.”

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As LIV golfers like Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson miss cut, this 15-year-old is T-6 at PIF Saudi International chasing Abraham Ancer

A 15-year-old made the cut while Cameron Smith didn’t.

Golf is a strange game.

At the PIF Saudi International, an Asian Tour event that’s littered with LIV Golf players and a couple from the PGA Tour, it’s a 15-year-old who’s stealing the show near the top of the leaderboard.

Ratchanon Chantananuwat, from Thailand and ranked 16th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is 7 under and four shots off the lead heading to the weekend at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia. Abraham Ancer paces the field for the second straight day, and Cameron Young, the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year for 2021-22, is a shot behind.

“I think one of the reasons I played really well today was — the past two days was I had no expectations,” Chantananuwat said, “and not looking at the leaderboard, and ironically as soon as I started looking at the leaderboard on 8 and when the cameras came, that’s when I started not being as sharp. I think I’m just going to try and shut myself off tomorrow, Sunday, as well, keep my head down.”

2023 PIF Saudi International
Ratchanon Chantananuwat of Thailand tees off from the 5th hole during Day Two of the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 03, 2023 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Cameron Smith (2 over), ranked third in the Official World Golf Ranking, is heading home after missing the cut (even), along with other LIV golfers Phil Mickelson (1 over), Bryson DeChambeau (7 over) and Bubba Watson (2 over).

However, Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen are in a tie for third at 8 under, along with Sadom Kaewkanjana, chasing Ancer, who shot 66 on Friday after opening with a 7-under 63.

Young has fired consecutive 5-under 65s to begin.

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LIV Golf (and one PGA Tour player) dominate early leaderboard at PIF Saudi International

Of the 37 players under par after the first day of play, 24 play for LIV Golf and three are on the PGA Tour.

It’s a LIV Golf party in the Kingdom this week, and a few PGA Tour players have been invited.

After the opening 18 holes of the 2023 PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Abraham Ancer finds himself at the top of the leaderboard at 7 under, one shot clear of LIV’s latest reported player, Sebastian Munoz.

Cameron Young – one of the few PGA Tour players granted a release to play in the Asian Tour event sponsored by the Public Investment Fund, the same financial backer for LIV Golf  – is T-3 at 5 under alongside LIV’s Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen. Other PGA Tour players in the field include Lucas Herbert (T-18) and Cameron Champ (T-30).

Of the 37 players under par after the first day of play, 24 play for LIV Golf.

The Saudi International was created in 2019 by the regime’s Public Investment Fund and offered lucrative appearance fees to attract PGA Tour stars like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who all later jumped to LIV.

The tournament was originally a DP World Tour stop, but the European circuit is also now being sued by LIV, which invested more than $200 million in the Asian Tour last year.

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