PGA Tour's swing through Florida wraps up in Tampa. European tour goes to Singapore

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PGA Tour's swing through Florida wraps up in Tampa. European tour goes to Singapore

2025-03-18 21:16 Last Updated At：21:30

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.

Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 71.

Prize money: $8.7 million. Winner's share: $1,566,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Peter Malnati.

FedEx Cup leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Rory McIlroy won The Players Championship.

Notes: The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is reputed to be one of the best tournament courses in Florida. Coming off big weeks at Bay Hill and The Players Championship, it still attracted eight of the top 25 players in the world ranking. ... Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas are the only players from the top 10. Schauffele is playing his third straight week after two months away because of a rib injury. ... Florida State junior Luke Clanton, assured of a card through the PGA Tour University accelerated program, is among the sponsor exemptions at the Valspar. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald makes his second PGA Tour appearance of the year. Among prominent Europeans in the field are Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Detry. ... Two weeks remain before the top 50 in the world get into the Masters. Among those on the bubble and playing at Innisbrook are Michael Kim and Ben Griffin.

Next week: Texas Children's Houston Open.

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

PORSCHE SINGAPORE CLASSIC

Site: Singapore.

Course: Laguna National Golf Resort Club. Yardage: 7,420. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.5 million. Winner's share: $416,667.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-6 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Jesper Svensson.

Race to Dubai leader: Laurie Canter.

Last tournament: Calum Hill won the Joburg Open.

Notes: Robert MacIntyre is going from The Players Championship in Florida to Singapore for his second European tour start of the year. He previously went from the Sony Open in Hawaii to Dubai the following week. ... Paul Casey and Tom McKibbin are two LIV Golf players who are staying in Singapore for a second straight week, having competed at Sentosa Golf Club for a LIV event last week. Most other LIV players are going to Macau on the Asian Tour. ... Two players in the field are defending champions this week on the Challenge Tour (John Parry) and PGA Tour of Australasia (Matthew Griffin). ... Former PGA champion Jimmy Walker is in the field. This will be his sixth European tour start since September, and fourth this year. He has missed the cut in the other three this year. ... This is the third tournament in Singapore in the last four weeks, following the LPGA (HSBC Women's World Championship) and LIV Golf.

Next week: Hero Indian Open.

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

HOAG CLASSIC

Site: Newport Beach, California.

Course: Newport Beach CC. Yardage: 6,725. Par: 71.

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

Television: Friday, 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Padraig Harrington.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els.

Last tournament: Steven Alker won the Cologuard Classic.

Notes: This is the second of three PGA Tour Champions tournament in the West, concluding next week in the California desert. ... Club professional Jason Caron is the highest-ranked player (No. 5) in the Schwab Cup without having won any of the four tournaments this year. ... Bernhard Langer is in the field as the German tries to win for a 19th consecutive season on the PGA Tour Champions. ... Ernie Els is a two-time winner of the Hoag Classic. He has a slim lead over Steven Alker in the Schwab Cup. ... The tournament dates to 1995 and has been played every year except 2017. ... Langer, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir are the four former Masters champions in the field. ... Els declined his exemption to The Players Championship last week. ... Duffy Waldorf holds the tournament record at 20-under 193 when he won the Hoag Classic by two shots in 2015.

Next week: The Galleri Classic.

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

Last tournament: Rio Takeda won the Blue Bay LPGA.

Next week: Ford Championship.

Race to CME Globe leader: A Lim Kim.

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

Last week: Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Singapore.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Doral on April 4-6.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

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

Last tournament: Logan McAllister won the Astara Chile Classic.

Next tournament: Club Car Championship on April 3-6.

Points leader: Hank Lebioda.

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

Asian Tour: International Series Macau, Macau Golf and CC, Macau, China. Defending champion: John Catlin. Television: Thursday-Friday, 1:30-5:30 a.m. (NBC Sports app); Saturday-Sunday, 12-4 a.m. (NBC Sports app). Online: https://asiantour.com/

Challenge Tour: Delhi Challenge, Classic Golf & CC, Haryana, India. Previous winner: John Parry. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/hotelplanner-tour/

Ladies European Tour: Ford Women's NSW Open, Wollongong GC, Wollongong, Australia. Defending champion: Mariajo Uribe. Television: Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. (NBC Sports app). Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

PGA Tour of Australasia: Heritage Classic, The Heritage Golf and CC (St. John), Chirnside Park, Australia. Previous: Matthew Griffin. Online: https://pga.org.au/

Sunshine Tour: The Serengeti Playoffs, Serengeti Estates, Kempton Park, South Africa. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

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

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.