Spieth returns to John Deere with an eye on Royal Birkdale practice and FedEx Cup standings

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Jordan Spieth altered his schedule with one eye toward his return to Royal Birkdale and another on his standing in the FedEx Cup.

For only the second time in the 11 years since he last won the John Deere Classic, Spieth is returning to the Deere and will skip the Scottish Open the following week.

“I wanted to add an event," Spieth said Sunday after the Travelers Championship. “I thought unless I went to Birkdale before the Scottish, I'm not going to get in until Sunday night. The majors this year, I've liked the ones I've been to early and played prior to the week, just because the practice rounds are brutal. So the plan was to do that early.”

Instead of the Scottish Open — he has missed the cut his past two times — he plans to arrive at Royal Birkdale on the weekend. The Lancashire links where he delivered a dynamic finish to win in 2017 is slightly different. The fifth hole has been reshaped. Plus, the par-5 15th is now the 14th hole, and a new par-3 15th hole follows.

But there's more, of course.

“I'm around 50th in the FedEx Cup, and that's a big deal,” Spieth said. “Now I’ll do the Deere, potentially Minnesota (the week after the British Open) and potentially Greensboro (the final regular-season event).

He tied for 66th in the 72-man field at the Travelers, one week after he tied for 56th in the U.S. Open. That dropped him out of the top 50 to No. 52. And it's a big deal. The top 50 are in all the signature events for 2027, and last year Spieth finished 54th.

Harris English is looking forward to the British Open as much as any tournament all year. He first played links golf when he was part of the U.S. Walker Cup team at Royal Aberdeen. He was runner-up by four shots a year ago to Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush.

His caddie, Eric Larson, is still hopeful to join him.

Larson was denied entry last year when UK government officials did not approve his Electronic Travel Authority visa, a regulation that applies to Americans. Grounds for refusal include serving 12 months or more in prison for a criminal offense.

Larson some 30 years ago pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest and spent 10 years and three months in prison. He was released from a halfway house in June 2006 and resumed caddying on the PGA Tour. He has worked three Ryder Cups for different players.

Asked his status Sunday at the Travelers Championship, Larson said, “Not sure yet — TBD.” But he remained hopeful.

“It's a good application. I added some more letters of support and countered their reasons to denying me last year,” Larson said. “I don't know why they haven't answered yet. I had it expedited. They said it was under review.”

Scottie Scheffler was five shots behind and in the final group with Wyndham Clark going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. At stake was the career Grand Slam.

Nelly Korda was four shots behind in a tie for sixth going into the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship as she tried to win the third leg of the calendar Grand Slam, something only Inbee Park had done in on the modern LPGA.

Their outlook was different.

From Scheffler on Saturday afternoon going into the final round: "I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake. I’ve worked really hard for a long time to have a chance to win golf tournaments and to win major championships. Yeah, I think understanding the moment and giving it your best shot is all part of the process.”

From Korda on Sunday after she tied for eighth: “You guys made that such a big thing. I didn’t think about that, no. I was just kind of disappointed in the way that I played this week, not that I came up short really. I was just thinking about the way that I played, not like the realistic big picture that everyone is talking about.”

Scottie Scheffler needed to birdie one of the last two holes at The Travelers Championship to shoot 59. His last chance was a 25-foot birdie on the final hole that narrowly missed.

Golf now heads into July without anyone on any recognized tour around the world having posted golf's magic number or better. That only stands out considering someone has shot 59 or better every year since 2012.

There have been 30 sub-60 rounds in the past five years alone. It's a product of the standard rising, as in any sport, and more opportunities in more tours around the world.

There were eight sub-60s rounds last year, nine of them in 2024 and six in 2023. Scheffler was close to joining Jim Furyk as the only player with two rounds in the 50s.

Now it's on to the John Deere Classic, which has produced two 59s in tournament history — Paul Goydos in 2010 and Hayden Springer in 2024.

Xander Schauffele might be able to relate to Bobby Jones in one aspect.

Jones famously tore up his scorecard at St. Andrews in his British Open debut in 1921, withdrawing from the championship in the third round. Schauffele made his debut at Royal Birkdale in 2017. It apparently did not start well.

Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, recall having a 1-iron in the bag.

“I shanked it twice,” Schauffele said. “And then I shanked it again on the next hole. I said (to Kaiser), ‘I’ve never broke a club.’ Kaiser grabs it and breaks it over his knee and says, ‘We’re not using this anymore.’”

Schauffele finished the story and Kaiser shrugged and said, “We had to keep the streak going.”

The Travelers Championship was the second time this year Scottie Scheffler shot 259 over 72 holes and failed to win. The other was The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. ... Corey Conners registered his first top 10 of the year when he tied for seventh in the Travelers Championship. ... Marco Penge is playing the BMW International Open in Germany, his first tournament since the PGA Championship when he said he was stepping away to get fully healthy. ... The world ranking after this week is the one used for a reserve list at the British Open. Nico Echavarria at No. 52 is the highest-ranked player not already in the field for Royal Birkdale.

Collin Morikawa, who turned pro in 2019, crossed the $50 million mark in career PGA Tour earnings with this third-place finish in the Travelers Championship.

“Whether I win or lose or whatever, I just want to play good golf and have fun out here again.” — Viktor Hovland after winning the Travelers Championship.

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

Nelly Korda talks to her caddie on the first hole during the final round of the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Chaska, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Collin Morikawa's putt for birdie rolls around the lip of the hole and out at 17 during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Scottie Scheffler looks up at his driver before teeing off the first playoff hole of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Harris English hits from the fairway on the first hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Jordan Spieth hits from the fairway on the 14th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Floods and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain in the capital cities of Ghana and Ivory Coast have left at least 24 people dead, authorities said Tuesday, as emergency workers continued to pull hundreds of stranded residents from submerged buildings.

Entire buildings and roads were submerged in Accra on Monday, cutting off access to several areas of the Ghanian capital and in the neighboring city of Tema.

At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in Ghana, including a mother and her child who were both swept away in the Achimota-Agbogbloshie district, Alex King Nartey, a spokesperson for Ghana National Fire Service told The Associated Press.

In Ivory Coast, several days of rain brought flooding that left more than a dozen people dead, most of them in municipalities of Attécoubé and Yopougon in the capital, Abidjan, according to the Minister of National Cohesion Myss Belmonde Dogo.

Local media reported at least nine of the dead were trapped under the rubble in the same area in the Mossikro neighborhood following the rains that started on Saturday.

Videos of the floods in Accra showed residents swimming through neck-deep water to rescue trapped neighbors, while vehicles were abandoned on flooded roads.

Access to affected areas was “a big problem” for the emergency services which had to request the help of the military, said Nartey. Several neighborhoods remained partially flooded by Tuesday morning.

Ghana's National Disaster Management Organisation said emergency calls began pouring in around 7 a.m. on Monday as residents realized floodwaters were entering their homes. “The whole place was flooded. It’s alarming,” said Mariam Dongyela Millah, deputy director of communications at the disaster agency.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency urged locals to prepare for more rain this week in Accra.

Deadly floods are common in parts of Africa, which is among the regions most vulnerable to extreme weather events despite being responsible for a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

A house damaged by landslides in an informal settlement of Attecoube, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Diomande Ble Blonde)

A view of the houses damaged by landslides in an informal settlement of Attecoube, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Diomande Ble Blonde)

A house damaged by landslides in an informal settlement of Attecoube, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP/Photo Diomande Ble Blonde)

Houses damaged by landslides in an informal settlement of Attecoube, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP/Photo Diomande Ble Blonde)