Scheffler win Hero World Challenge for 9th title this year

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Scheffler win Hero World Challenge for 9th title this year

2024-12-09 06:35 Last Updated At：06:40

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler won the Hero World Challenge on Sunday with a 9-under 63 to tie the tournament record at Albany Golf Club and win by six shots.

Scheffler, the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to spend an entire calendar year at No. 1 in the world, won for the ninth time in 21 starts, a tally that included a second Masters title, an Olympic gold medal and the FedEx Cup.

He started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas, took the lead on the par-5 third hole, stayed in front with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4 and never looked back. Tom Kim tried to stay close until he missed a 19-inch par putt on the par-5 11th. He birdied the final hole for a 68 and was runner-up when Thomas bogeyed the last hole for a 71.

Scheffler finished at 25-under 263 to tie the tournament record at Albany first set by Bubba Watson in 2015, and his six-shot victory was the largest in the nine years Tiger Woods’ holiday tournament has been held in the Bahamas.

SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) — American Johannes Veerman claimed his second title on the European tour by closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Aldrich Potgieter in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Potgieter could have won with a birdie on the 18th hole. But he missed the green to the right, chipped to 10 feet and missed the putt to finish one behind. He closed with a 75 and tied for second with Matthew Jordan (72) and Romain Langasque (71).

Veerman, a 32-year-old Californian who is No. 209 in the world ranking, started the final round five shots behind. His other European tour win was he Czech Masters in 2021.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Joaquin Niemann made birdie on the second playoff hole to beat Cameron Smith and Caleb Surrat in the Saudi International, an Asian Tour event that ended Saturday.

Niemann, who closed with a 4-under 67, finished the year with three wins, two of them early in the LIV Golf League season. It was his second win this year in Saudi Arabia.

Smith rallied with a 62 and got into the playoff when Niemann and Surrat (66) each bogeyed the 18th hole.

Niemann wound up atop the ranking in the International Series on the Asian Tour, ahead of Peter Uihlein and Ben Campbell.

Cory Crawford closes with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Tyler McCumber in the Victoria PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Anthony Quayle, who assessed himself seven shots of penalties for misunderstanding the preferred lies rule in the opening round, shot 69 to finish in third place, two shots behind. ... Peter Baker finished birdie-birdie for a 68 and then beat Simon Griffiths on the third playoff hole to win the MCB Tour Championship on the European Legends Tour.

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

Asia rings in 2026 and Australia is defiant after its worst mass shooting

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.

South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.

Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.

A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.

An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.

“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.

In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.

The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.

Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.

Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.

Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.

The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.

In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.

Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.

Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.

Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.

Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

After the ball drops in Times Square, it will rise once again, sparking in red, white and blue, to mark the country’s upcoming 250th birthday celebration. It will be one of several patriotic flourishes throughout the night, organizers said.

Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.