CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Two months after the inaugural TGL season, the indoor golf league has expanded.
Motor City Golf Club representing Detroit will be the seventh team in TGL, the league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as part of their TMRW Sports entertainment company.
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Bryson DeChambeau reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Adam Scott, of Australia, checks the wind on the second hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Sergio Garcia, of Spain, putts on the 14th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
FILE - Luke Clanton hits on the third hole during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Rory McIlroy of Boston Common Golf watches a digital projection of his shot on the 13th hole during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) against Jupiter Links Golf Club, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Motor City will not start playing until 2027.
It will join teams that represent Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Atlanta and Jupiter, Florida. Atlanta, with Billy Horschel and Justin Thomas, won the inaugural title.
The Motor City ownership group is led by Middle West Partners. The principals are Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher, all with Detroit roots. The Hamp family has been longtime co-owners of the Detroit Lions.
“This is a great moment for Detroit sports and a proud moment for me personally,” Michael Hamp said. “My grandfather, William Clay Ford Sr., was an avid golfer, and I believe bringing a new format of the game he loved would make him really proud.”
The ownership group includes Denver Broncos owner Rob Walton and Jordan Rose, president of Arizona-based Rose Law Group.
Each team features four players (Woods is with Jupiter, McIlroy with Boston).
A group representing Dallas was working on a bid last month. With Detroit not starting until 2027, it was unlikely for TGL to start next year with more than its current six teams.
The amazing year of Luke Clanton hit another high note when the Florida State junior was selected for the Ben Hogan Award as the top college player based on performances in college, amateur and professional events.
Clanton is the No. 1 player in the amateur ranking and No. 1 in the PGA Tour University, already securing a PGA Tour card after the NCAAs end next week.
Clanton already has two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, at the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic, and he has two other top 10s playing on sponsor exemptions. Not since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 has an amateur had at least three top 10s on the PGA Tour in the same season.
He has four wins this year at Florida State, most recently at the NCAA regional. The NCAA Championship starts later this week at La Costa Resort north of San Diego.
Clanton is the second Florida State player to win the award, joining John Pak in 2021.
Most of the LIV Golf League players at the PGA Championship had a logo on their sleeve that suggests a new sponsorship for the Saudi-funded league. Sports Business Journal and Athlon Sports are reporting that Salesforce, a Dow 30 company, is signing an umbrella partnership.
LIV Golf does not resume until June 6 in Virginia.
The reports say Salesforce, which specializes in customer relationship management technology, would be the largest deal for LIV since it began in 2022.
Asked about the logo at the PGA Championship, Bryson DeChambeau told Athlon, “It’s the first of many potential sponsors that are looking at LIV, LIV’s not going anywhere for a long time.
“And I think that Salesforce sees the potential partnership with LIV and what we can do globally, around the world.”
Sergio Garcia took bogey on his final hole of U.S. Open qualifying on Monday that cost the Spaniard a spot in what turned out to be a 7-for-1 playoff for the last of seven spots at Bent Tree in Dallas.
That ends a streak of 25 consecutive U.S. Open appearances for Garcia that began in 2000 at Pebble Beach. His streak nearly ended last year, but he got into the field at Pinehurst No. 2 as an alternate.
He had played in 82 consecutive majors — dating to Carnoustie in 1999 — until he tested positive for the coronavirus and missed the 2020 Masters. He was eligible for 94 straight majors until joining LIV, dropping in the world ranking and missing the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
Adam Scott has played 93 straight majors dating to the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and he is guaranteed to be in the next three majors.
Still safe is the streak set by Jack Nicklaus. He played in 146 consecutive majors, and he was eligible for 154 in a row.
A couple of players on different continents are piling up victories.
One of them is Mimi Rhodes of England, who helped Wake Forest to the NCAA title in 2023 and played on the winning Curtis Cup team for Great Britain & Ireland last year. She turned pro after the Curtis Cup, earned a Ladies European Tour card and now has won three of her last four starts on the LET.
She has moved up nearly 1,000 spots to No. 88 in the women's world ranking.
And then there's Luis Carrera of Mexico, who was his country's No. 1 junior before going to Sam Houston State and then finishing at Central Florida. He is listed as a LIV Golf alternate, though he has yet to play.
Carrera went down to the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and has won the last two tournaments.
The U.S. Open again held a qualifying site in Japan. Now the Japan Golf Tour is coming to America.
The Japan Golf Tour will hold first and second stages for its 2025 qualifying school in the United States for the first time.
The tour anticipates about 100 players going to first stage on June 29 at Oak Valley in Beaumont, California, 72 holes with no cut and roughly 35 players advancing. The second stage, also at Oak Valley, is July 7.
Between 15 and 20 players advance out of the second stage. The third stage is Dec. 2-5 at three sites in Japan, with the final stage at Chiba Isumi the following week.
“This is part of our initiatives to create new playing opportunities and easier access for golfers in the Americas to take the first steps to qualify and compete on the Japan Golf Tour in 2026,” said Yutaka Morohoshi, the tour’s chairman. “The journey for aspiring golfers can now begin in California next month.”
Bryson DeChambeau is now on a list with Dustin Johnson, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead for being a runner-up in the PGA Championship in consecutive starts. ... Hideki Matsuyama missed the cut at the PGA Championship to end his streak at 19 consecutive cuts in the majors. The current active streak now belongs to Xander Schauffele at 13 straight. Scottie Scheffler is next at 12 in a row. ... ESPN said its live telecast of the second round at the PGA Championship averaged 1.3 million viewers, with a peak of 1.8 million in the final 15 minutes when Scheffler was capping off his five-hole stretch at 5 under. That was down from an average of 1.6 million viewers for the second round last year, when coverage included Tiger Woods' entire round. It also was the day Scheffler was arrested. ... Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley tied for eighth in the PGA Championship and made $454,781, enough to make him the 21st player to surpass $50 million in career earnings.
Dating to 2017, every winner of the PGA Championship is a multiple major champion — Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.
“I’ve got to learn how to be a little more precise with the wind, not let the wind affect the ball as much. It’s a tough task to do because I hit it so high and the ball just kind of moves in the air. I’ve got to figure that out.” — Bryson DeChambeau.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Bryson DeChambeau reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Adam Scott, of Australia, checks the wind on the second hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Sergio Garcia, of Spain, putts on the 14th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
FILE - Luke Clanton hits on the third hole during the final round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Rory McIlroy of Boston Common Golf watches a digital projection of his shot on the 13th hole during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) against Jupiter Links Golf Club, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran appeared to make conciliatory statements in an effort to defuse the situation after Trump threatened to take action to stop further killing of protesters, including the execution of anyone detained in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran’s crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The sound of gunfire faded Thursday in the capital, Tehran. The country closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday and some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” travel to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
Here is the latest:
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, said on Thursday that “criminal gangs” were responsible for the situation in Iran, accusing them of carrying out an “American-Israeli” scheme.
“Criminal gangs in Iran killed Iranian citizens, security forces and burned mosques,” he said without providing evidence. “What’s being committed by criminal gangs in Iran is horrific, bearing an American stamp as it includes slaughter and burning some people alive.”
He also said that the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on Iran to create a crisis leading to the current issues in the country with the end goal of controlling Iran.
Yet he said the U.S. has “failed in Iran” and that Iranians “will not yield to America.”
The president of the European Union’s executive arm says the 27-member bloc is looking to strengthen sanctions against Iran as ordinary Iranians continue their protests against Iran’s theocratic government.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday following a meeting of the EU’s commissioners in Limassol, Cyprus that current sanctions against Iran are “weakening the regime.”
Von der Leyen said that the EU is looking to sanction individual Iranians —apart from those who belong to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard — who “are responsible for the atrocities.”
She added that the people of Iran who are “bravely fighting for a change” have the EU’s “full political support.”
Canada’s foreign minister says a Canadian citizen has died in Iran “at the hands of the Iranian authorities.”
“Peaceful protests by the Iranian people — asking that their voices be heard in the face of the Iranian regime’s repression and ongoing human rights violations — has led the regime to flagrantly disregard human life,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand posted on social media Thursday.
“This violence must end. Canada condemns and calls for an immediate end to the Iranian regime’s violence,” she added.
Anand said consular officials are in contact with the victim’s family in Canada. She did not provide details.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced Thursday that a local staff member was killed and several others were wounded during the deadly protests in Iran over the weekend.
Amir Ali Latifi, an Iranian Red Crescent Society worker, was working in the country’s Gillan province on Jan. 10 when he was killed “in the line of duty,” the organization said in a statement.
“The IFRC is deeply concerned about the consequences of the ongoing unrest on the people of Iran and is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” the statement continued.
U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed as “good news” reports that the death sentence has been lifted for an Iranian shopkeeper arrested in a violent crackdown on protests.
Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani had said he faced imminent execution.
Trump posed Thursday on his Truth Social site: “FoxNews: ‘Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise others.’ This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”
Iranian state media denied Soltani had been condemned to death. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
Trump sent tensions soaring this week by pledging that “help is on its way” to Iranian protesters and urging them to continue demonstrating against authorities in the Islamic Republic.
On Wednesday Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying he had been told that “the killing in Iran is stopping.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union’s main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were “gravely concerned” by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they “strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people.”
The statement, published on the EU’s website Thursday, said the G7 were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and condemned “the deliberate use of violence” by Iranian security forces against protesters.
The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken with his counterpart in Iran, who said the situation was “now stable,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abbas Araghchi said “he hoped China will play a greater role in regional peace and stability” during the talks, according to the statement from the ministry.
“China opposes imposing its will on other countries, and opposes a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” Wang said.
“China believes that the Iranian government and people will unite, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” he added. “China hopes all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.”
“We are against military intervention in Iran,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Thursday. “Iran must address its own internal problems… They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed.”
Ankara and Tehran enjoy warm relations despite often holding divergent interests in the region.
Fidan said the unrest in Iran was rooted in economic conditions caused by sanctions, rather than ideological opposition to the government.
Iranians have been largely absent from an annual pilgrimage to Baghdad, Iraq, to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the twelve Shiite imams.
Many Iranian pilgrims typically make the journey every year for the annual religious rituals.
Streets across Baghdad were crowded with pilgrims Thursday. Most had arrived on foot from central and southern provinces of Iraq, heading toward the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim in the Kadhimiya district in northern Baghdad,
Adel Zaidan, who owns a hotel near the shrine, said the number of Iranian visitors this year compared to previous years was very small. Other residents agreed.
“This visit is different from previous ones. It lacks the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims, especially in terms of providing food and accommodation,” said Haider Al-Obaidi.
Europe’s largest airline group said Thursday it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital Amman for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into wider regional violence.
Lufthansa — which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — said flights would run only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East.” It said the change would ensure its staff — which includes unionized cabin crews and pilots -- would not be required to stay overnight in the region.
The airline group also said its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours early Thursday without explanation.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority, which oversees Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was operating as usual.
Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man arrested during Iran’s recent protests was condemned to death. The statement from Iran’s judicial authorities on Thursday contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.
State television didn’t immediately give any details beyond his name, Erfan Soltani. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday that his government was “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression” in Iran.
“We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters,” Peters posted on X.
“Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information – and that right is currently being brutally repressed,” he said.
Peters said his government had expressed serious concerns to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington.
Women cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A demonstrator lights a cigarette with a burning poster depicting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
