NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama holed out from the 10th fairway for eagle on his way to an 8-under 64 and stuffed his 9-iron to 2 feet on the 18th hole in a playoff to defeat Alex Noren and win the Hero World Challenge for the second time.
Noren also shot a 64, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation to force a playoff. His 20-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole missed to the left.
Scottie Scheffler, going for a third straight title at Albany Golf Club, fell back on the par-5 11th when he hit driver off the fairway with a speck of mud on his golf ball. It led to a bogey and he never caught up. Scheffler shot 68 and tied for fourth. Sepp Straka also made bogey on the 11th to fall out of the lead. He also shot 68 to finish third.
Matsuyama won the first tournament of the year in Hawaii and the final tournament of his season in the Bahamas.
MELBOURNE, Australian (AP) — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen won the Australian Open and earned a spot in the Masters when he scrambled for par on the final hole for a 1-under 70 to crush the hopes of home favorite Cam Smith, who missed a 5-foot par putt to force a playoff.
Smith and Neergaard-Petersen came to the 72nd hole tied at 15-under par. The Dane went after the right pin and it faded beyond the bunker into difficult rough. He did well to flop that to 10 feet.
Smith found the green but faced a long, sloping putt to the hole that he ran some 5 feet by the hole. Neergaard-Petersen holed his par putt, and Smith missed his to the left in his bid to win for the first time in more than two years.
Si Woo Kim (70) finished third, followed by Michael Hollick of South Africa (65) and former Masters champion Adam Scott (70). All three earned spots in next year’s British Open.
SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) — Kristoffer Reitan of Norway held on over the back nine and closed with an even-par 72 to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, his second European tour title of the year that will send him to the Masters for the first time.
Reitan began the final round with a five-shot lead, but he saw the lead shrink to a single stroke when he played the back nine without a birdie. He held his nerve against Jayden Schaper of South Africa (68) and Dan Bradbury of England (66) for a one-shot victory.
Reitan, who earned a PGA Tour card for 2026 by finishing eighth in the Race to Dubai, also won the Soudal Open. His second victory moves him just outside the top 30 in the world ranking, assuring he will finish in the top 50 with one tournament left this year.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Colin Montgomerie set the tone in the leadoff singles matches and Bernhard Langer and Soren Kjeldsen finished off a European tour victory in the Skechers World Champions Cup over the American and International teams.
Europe finished with 230 points over three days of nine-hole matches. The International team had 213.5 points, while the Americans managed 204.5 points as the defending champions.
Montgomerie, who never lost a singles match in his Ryder Cup career, earned 10.5 points in the opening match that allowed Europe to expand the lead it build after two days of nine-hole matches in modified alternate shot and better ball at Feather Sound.
Kjeldsen and Langer each won 12 points out of a possible 18 points in the last two singles matches.
Takashi Ogiso closed with a 5-under 65 to win the season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup on the Japan Golf Tour. Kota Kaneko tied for seventh to claim the tour's money title. ... Greg Owen lost a five-shot lead on the back and then birdied the 18th hole for a 7-under 65 and a one-shot victory in the MCB Mauritius Legends for his first European Legends Tour title.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Kristoffer Reitan of Norway tees off the 6th hole during the final round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen holds the Stonehaven Cup after winning the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, right, poses for a photo with golf legend Tiger Woods after winning the Hero World Challenge PGA Tour at the Albany Golf Club, in New Providence, Bahamas, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings had no bigger problem in this messy season than turnovers, with a league-worst minus-15 margin entering this week.
In a much-needed momentum-builder for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, they finally kept a firm grip on the ball — up and down the field.
McCarthy threw a career-high three touchdown passes in his first turnover-free game, returning from his latest injury absence in prime form for the Vikings in a 31-0 victory on Sunday that sent the Washington Commanders to their eighth straight loss.
“It’s just something I feel like should’ve happened a lot earlier,” McCarthy said. “I absolutely love those guys for the grace and patience they’ve had with me, but we’ve got to continue to do it again.”
McCarthy went 16 for 23 for 163 yards in his seventh NFL start, after sitting out last week in Seattle with a concussion while the Vikings were shut out for the first time in 18 years and dropped their fourth consecutive game with the offense in disrepair. One week later, they got to deliver the shutout — in just their second turnover-free game of the season.
They also stopped a three-game losing streak at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Vikings heard plenty of boos the previous time they played at home.
“It felt good to play to the standard our fans expect,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie year after knee surgery and five games earlier this season with a sprained ankle, targeted his tight ends for all three scores — the first two to Josh Oliver and the last one to T.J. Hockenson.
As smooth as the afternoon went for the Vikings (5-8), the return of the starting quarterback for the Commanders (3-10) produced nothing positive — only pain.
Jayden Daniels, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner, was forced out midway through the third quarter when he was blocked during an interception return and landed hard on the left elbow he dislocated last month to require a three-game absence. Daniels missed three games to injury earlier this season, too. Marcus Mariota, who is 1-5 as the starter, threw an interception and lost a fumble in relief.
“When you get beat 31-0, it’s not about offense or defense. That’s just bad,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “We just didn’t play any kind of complementary football, and this is the result.”
McCarthy, who took four sacks and faced plenty of pressure, looked like a seasoned pro from the start as the Vikings elected to take the ball first and opened with a seven-play, 61-yard drive for their first touchdown in nine quarters.
The defense stopped the Commanders on fourth-and-goal from the 2 when Deebo Samuel stumbled in the back of the end zone and failed to hang on to the throw from Daniels — a third straight incompletion despite owning one of the league's best rushing attacks and averaging 4.7 yards per attempt on the ground on Sunday.
Then McCarthy directed a 19-play, 98-yard drive that drained 12:01 off the clock, as the Vikings converted all five third downs — including three with 6-plus yards to go. Jordan Mason capped the possession with a touchdown run, as the Vikings leaned on him and Aaron Jones for a combined 128 yards on 25 carries.
Justin Jefferson, who has totaled just four receptions for 15 yards over his past two games, frequently pumped his fist in support of McCarthy after completions that moved the chains. The two-time All-Pro was so relieved to experience a well-rounded victory such as this with his teammates that he didn't mind McCarthy missing him wide open on a post route from their 34-yard line late in the third quarter, when McCarthy scrambled for a first down instead.
“It’s definitely one of those plays I wish would’ve come to me, but it happens sometimes and that’s part of the game," Jefferson said. "As long as we win, that’s what I really care about.”
The time of possession during Minnesota's second touchdown drive was the longest in the NFL since 2021, when San Francisco had the ball for 13:05 on a Week 11 possession at Jacksonville.
This was the longest drive duration for the Vikings since at least 2000, as far as Sportradar data goes back on this category. Their most recent possession that hit 19 plays was in Week 3 in 2008 against Carolina. That ended with a field goal.
After Daniels left, 13-year veteran TE Zach Ertz hurt his right knee on a hard and low hit during an incompletion from Mariota. The Commanders feared he tore his ACL.
The Commanders play at the New York Giants next Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings visit the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday night.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to pass while being chased by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after throwing a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after running back Jordan Mason, foreground left, scored a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
