Whatever data Mark Horton is supplying his PGA Tour clients these days, it seems to be paying off.

The English statistician counts both Sam Burns and Billy Horschel among those coming to him for guidance in their golf games. And each registered Tour wins in consecutive weeks last month, as Burns captured the Charles Schwab Challenge before Horschel cruised to victory at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

"Hortsy (Horton) is unbelievable," Horschel said after his win. "He's been on my team since 2014. First year he comes on the team we win the FedExCup. He's very English and he's very blunt, and we had a conversation before he joined my team about my record on the PGA Tour and things I didn't do well.

"My short game wasn't very good and I had stone hands. And this week I showed him finally that I have a short game that can live up to the golf course and save me at times."

Horschel's game at the Memorial wasn't just good, it was unprecedented. His +13.58 Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green was the most at an event in his PGA Tour career and best since the 2018 Wyndham Championship (+10.74, tied for 11th). It broke his long-time career record of +13.07, set a decade ago at the 2012 Sanderson Farms Championship.

He was the fourth Memorial winner since 2003 to rank first in both Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green as well as Greens in Regulation (53), joining Patrick Cantlay (2021), Jason Dufner (2017) and Tiger Woods (2012). He also finished the week ranked second in Proximity to the Hole, his third time on Tour ranking in the top-two and more than four feet closer than his previous average in eight previous starts at the Memorial.

Credit to Horschel for his performance. And in the meantime, Horton will keep crunching the numbers.

"He just tells me where I need to be on holes, where guys are making bogeys, where the birdies are coming from, the perfect way for me to plot my way around the golf course," Horschel explained. "That's what I love to do. I love to put my ball here, put the ball there. And he backs me up with that data that's he's been giving me for the last eight years."

SCHAUFFELE FINALLY CONVERTS

Xander Schauffele knew the record. The numbers don't lie.

0-4 lifetime. Oh for four. Goose egg.

That was Schauffele's career record on the PGA Tour when holding a 54-hole lead or co-lead. The now six-time Tour winner was still waiting to successfully convert a third-round position atop the leaderboard into a victory, and the Travelers Championship was one more opportunity to do it.

"In the past when I had a 54-hole lead or close to the lead, my Sundays felt really fast," he said. "And I'd be sitting back in the hotel or at a house on Sunday [afterward] thinking, 'What happened today?'"

This time, he said, Schauffele wanted to stay in the present and focus on the task at hand, which was each and every shot. They would all be critical to stave off Cantlay, who trailed him by only a stroke entering the final round, with more players not far behind.

"I told [my caddie] to hold me accountable on the first hole walking up there," Schauffele said. "And he did a really great job, and both of us were pretty much dialled in from the first hole."

That they were. Schauffele finished the week hitting 63 greens in regulation, leading the field and tying his most hit during an event on Tour in his career. He also hit 63 earlier this season at the WM Phoenix Open, where he tied for third, and hit 60 twice at both the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Championship (T2) and CIMB Classic (T3).

That precision helped Schauffele finish with a Strokes Gained: Total of +16.39, the most at an event in his career. His previous best total was +15.31, set in 2020 at The CJ CUP.

Schauffele trailed Sahith Theegala by one stroke as he approached the last, but the tournament leader closed with a double-bogey before Schauffele hit his approach to 3 feet, setting up the winning birdie. It marked his first individual PGA Tour title since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

"It's been a year where my stats have been very solid, just haven't really put in four good rounds of golf," Schauffele said afterward. "I think subconsciously or without myself even really knowing I was getting a little impatient. And this week I was just trying to be self-aware as possible to just stay as patient as possible. I had to just realise that I put the work in and if I can just sort of do what I've been doing and just focus a little bit more throughout the day that it will pay off in a big way, and fortunately it did."

MCILROY DIALS IT IN

When Rory McIlroy looked ahead to the final-round forecast at the RBC Canadian Open, a simple glance at the wind direction told him all he’d need to know about his chances for victory.

"Seeing that southerly wind again, I knew I needed to go out and shoot 5-or-6-under par to have a chance to win," he said.

Simple enough. McIlroy posted an eight-under 62 to edge Tony Finau by two strokes for his 21st PGA Tour victory.

"You needed to keep your foot down, you needed to keep your foot on the pedal," McIlroy said of his mindset. "I got off to a faster start today than I have done the previous few days."

McIlroy has feasted in final rounds this year, joining Finau as one of only two players on Tour with four final rounds of six-under or better this year. Prior to his eight-under 62 in Canada, he also posted a pair of six-under 66s at The Players Championship and The CJ CUP to go along with an epic eight-under 64 at The Masters.

It marked his third final round of 62 or better en route to a PGA Tour win, something no other winner has done more than once since 1983. He also shot a final-round 61 to win the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, as well as a 62 at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The Northern Irishman was buoyed by an incredible approach shot performance, as he averaged just over 3 feet to the hole from 100 to 125 yards out, 14 feet closer than the field average in the final round.

Tiger Woods is unsure how long he will be able to play elite-level golf as he prepares for his 22nd Open appearance, having missed last month's U.S. Open in order to ensure his fitness for another outing at St Andrews.

Fifteen-time major champion Woods made a sensational return at the Masters in April, defying the odds to make the cut after suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021.

The 46-year-old has won three Open titles, the most recent of which came in 2006 when he edged out fellow American Chris DiMarco for a two-shot victory, becoming the first man since Tom Watson in 1982 and 1983 to win the tournament in consecutive years.

And Woods says missing last month's U.S. Open, won by Matt Fitzpatrick at Brookline, was a decision he took in order to protect his participation at St Andrews, where he won Open titles in both 2000 and 2005.

"The plan was to play the U.S. Open, but physically I was not able to do that," he told BBC Sport.

"There's no way physically I could have done that. I had some issues with my leg, and it would have put [The Open] in jeopardy, and so there's no reason to do that."

Woods also said he experiences "very difficult days when moving off the couch is a hell of a task, and that's just the way it is."

As the golf legend looks forward to The Open, which begins on July 14, he accepts his window to play at the majors is closing due to his injury troubles.

Asked how long he could continue at the top level, Woods said: "I don't know. I really don't.

"If you asked me last year whether I would play golf again, all of my surgeons would have said no. But here I am playing two major championships this year.

"I will always be able to play golf. Whether it's this leg, or someone else's leg, or a false leg, or different body pieces that have been fused, I'll always be able to play.

"Now if you say play at a championship level, well, that window is definitely not as long as I would like it to be."

The WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai has again been cancelled "due to ongoing COVID-19 related restrictions", the PGA Tour has announced.

The event was last played in 2019, when Rory McIlroy took the title.

But the breakout of coronavirus in 2020 denied McIlroy the opportunity to defend his crown, before the tournament could not be held again the following year.

While the PGA Tour is now back in full swing, remaining COVID restrictions in China will again prevent the WGC-HSBC from taking place.

The Tour announced the Bermuda Championship would be played with full FedEx Cup points and an elevated purse of $6.5million.

Rory McIlroy believes players who have joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series should not be "having their cake and eating it" by being eligible to compete on other tours.

On Monday, Ian Poulter was informed he could play at this week's Scottish Open after an appeal against his ban was upheld, despite the DP World Tour barring him from playing.

Poulter was also one of several high-profile players to have been indefinitely suspended by the PGA Tour by signing up with LIV Golf.

One of the more vocal supporters of the PGA Tour, McIlroy insisted players should have to live with the consequences of choices to earn more money if they do sign with the breakaway competition.

"I think at this stage, if you go over and play on a different tour, then go over and play on a different tour," he said.

"You're sort of basically leaving all your peers behind to go make more money, which is fine. But just go over there. Don't try and come back and play over here again.

"This whole having your cake and eating it type thing is what the resentment [stems from] within the membership."

McIlroy's comments follow Branden Grace taking out LIV Golf Portland last weekend, with Billy Horschel also saving harsh criticism in the lead up to the Scottish Open, which will be an important preparation for the Open Championship.

Fronted by former world number one Greg Norman, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is the majority shareholder of LIV Golf Investments, allowing for substantially larger prize money and an eased schedule.

Horschel, who won the Memorial Tournament in June, believes it is hypocritical of defectors to cite a lighter schedule and then play on multiple tours.

"They shouldn’t be coming back over here to play the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour, he said. "To say that they wanted to also support this tour or the DP or PGA Tour going forward, while playing the LIV Tour, is completely asinine in my opinion.

"To play the PGA Tour, you’ve got to play 15 events and their [LIV] schedule is eight events, [planned to be] 14. So to say they are going to play 29 events a year and still hold membership on the PGA Tour is ridiculous. They decided to go play on a tour and they should go play that tour.

"The last week’s events I’ve been really frustrated by because there are a lot of guys who are hypocrites that are not telling the truth and lying about some things."

Players on the LIV Golf roster will be allowed to compete in the DP World Tour's Scottish Open after their bans for featuring in the Saudi-backed league were temporarily stayed as their appeals are considered.

Both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour had refused to grant waivers for players to participate in LIV Golf's lucrative tournaments, with the first two events being held in London and Portland over the past month.

Ian Poulter has been leading the chorus of dissent from the European LIV Golf players, as the biggest names in the sport descended on Ireland's Adare Manor this week for the JP McManus Pro-Am.

He told the media he was going to fight any restrictions that tried to keep him away from a tour he feels he has dedicated a large chunk of his life to.

"My commitment to the European Tour has been there since day one," he said. "And it's still there today. 

"I'm proud of playing so often, when it was to the detriment of world ranking points and FedEx Cup points I could have earned playing more in America.

"I feel disappointed and offended that I've been suspended from playing golf on a Tour that I've played for 24 years."

Chief executive of the DP World Tour, Keith Pelley, said the ruling does not mean players from the Saudi-funded tour will be granted full access to the European tour, but the field for the Scottish Open will be expanded to fit the LIV Golf players.

"I will simply say we are disappointed by the outcome of today's hearing, but will abide by the decision," he said.

"It is important to remember, however, this is only a stay of the sanctions imposed, pending the hearing of the players' appeal as to whether those sanctions were appropriate.

"The make-up of the field for the Scottish Open will be advised in due course, but based on this decision the field size will increase beyond 156. 

"We will make further comment on this in due course, but not during our time at Adare Manor."

J.T. Poston claimed his second PGA Tour win on Sunday, holding on to win the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.

The 29-year-old posted a two-under 69 in the fourth and final round to finish on 21-under for the tournament, three shots clear of Emiliano Grillo and the fast-finishing Christiaan Bezuidenhout, tied for second at 18-under.

As well as qualifying for The Open Championship, Poston becomes the first player since David Frost in 1992 to go wire-to-wire at the John Deere Classic and only the third in the tournament's history along with Scott Hoch, who achieved the feat in 1980.

Poston revealed it was not easy to remove the possibility of that achievement from his mind following his round, but with his last win coming at the 2019 Wyndham Championship, believes it is a boost for his confidence.

"It is hard," he told CBS. "I mean, wire-to-wire, having the lead for that long, it's just hard not to think about it and think about that finish line.

"I tried to stick to the game plan. We got off to a great start and then, kind of started to try and give some back, but I hit a lot of good shots down the stretch.

"I was just trying to breathe. I think there were a lot of nerves, more than the first few days. I was just trying to battle through them and I think, after this week, knowing I can play with those nerves. I can still win, I can still shoot a solid score considering the pressure and trying to win out here."

Poston started strongly, opening the round with consecutive birdies on each of the first three holes, but his momentum was halted with bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes.

His round stabilised on the back nine, however, with a birdie on the par-five 17th effectively securing the tournament.

Poston was able to see off Grillo and Bezuidenhout, who claimed three birdies over the closing five holes, with Christopher Gotterup and Scott Stallings finishing a further stroke back on 17-under.

Adrian Meronk became Poland's first winner on the European/DP World Tour after he emerged victorious at the Irish Open on Sunday.

Meronk ultimately ended the tournament at the Mount Juliet Estate with a healthy three-shot cushion on 20 under, but that does not tell the whole story.

Although he started the final day with a one-shot lead, he was one off the top of the leaderboard heading into his final five holes.

Ryan Fox carded a wonderful eight-under 64 to put himself in the driving seat, reaching the clubhouse on 17 under for the tournament.

But Meronk came on strong in the latter stages, with unlikely birdie putts coming off on the 15th and 16th to put him back at the summit, and an even more surprising eagle on the penultimate hole sealed it.

"It's such a relief to be honest," Meronk said. "I've been coming quite close a couple of times this year, and to finally open the door, it's just a dream come true. That's why we practise every day – such a relief and so happy.

"I'm going to keep going forward. It's another step for me. And I'm excited I achieved it here in Ireland, such a great history, and I'm just super excited. I can't describe it.

"It was an unbelievable feeling and to hit such a good shot on the last hole, I'm super proud of myself and my caddie, and yes, super happy."

Meronk's success also captured the attention of another famous Polish sportsman.

Former Poland and Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek sent Meronk a personal video message saluting his historic triumph.

"Adrian, congratulations," Dudek began.

"You were waiting for that moment so many years. That's a first Pole on the podium in this beautiful sport.

"You are a legend of this game. We're very proud of you. Enjoy every single moment. All the best, come on!"

Several members of Jamaica’s history-making team to the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship in Puerto Rico returned to the island with their trophies on Friday night.

England’s Paul Casey, ranked 26th in the world, has become the latest player to join the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf Invitational.

Casey has won 21 times as a professional, including three times on the PGA Tour and another 15 on the European Tour. He also represented Team Europe five times in the Ryder Cup.

A back injury has kept Casey sidelined since he took part in the WGC Match Play Championship in March. He played two holes of his opening match when he conceded due to back spasms, before withdrawing from the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

He plans to make his LIV debut later this month at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Casey joins a growing list of players to accept PGA Tour bans and join the breakaway series, fronted by CEO Greg Norman and funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson are some of the marquee names that have come on board with the promise of big signing bonuses, hefty prize purses and an eased schedule.

Branden Grace posted a seven-under 65 in the final round on Saturday, leapfrogging Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz to win LIV Golf Portland.

Two shots behind the co-leaders at the start of the third round, Grace reeled off four birdies in the final six holes, including three consecutive birdies between 15 and 17, to take out the tournament.

With the victory, the South African follows up compatriot Charl Schwartel's win in London at LIV Golf's inaugural event in June.

The South African quartet that makes up Stinger GC - Grace, Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Hennie du Plessis – could only manage second in the team standings, though, with Johnson's 4 Aces GC taking out first.

"What a day. It's been like this the whole day, the crowd came out and I played flawless golf," Grace said afterwards. "I played, really, really well when I needed to do something special. It came up and I managed to pull it off, but what a great day.

"I knew the back nine, I had to kind of dig deep. Carlos was playing great golf, DJ was coming back and I think, one of the big things for me today was the birdie on 13.

"Then I thought, 'Now, I'm in with it.' Obviously, the finish was just amazing."  

Amid the news former Ryder Cup player Paul Casey defected from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed breakaway competition, Grace finished the tournament on 13-under, two strokes ahead of Ortiz who posted a three-under 69 on Saturday.

They were followed by 2020 Masters winner Johnson and another recent defector in Patrick Reed, who finished on nine-under after 54 holes.

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson finished tied for 40th this week with a 54-hole score of 10-over. Through two LIV Golf events, Mickelson is a combined 20-over par.

J.T. Poston holds a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the John Deere Classic after shooting a four-under 67 on Saturday.

Trying to complete a wire-to-wire victory after tying for second last weekend at the Travelers Championship, Poston sits on 19-under after 54 holes at TPC Deere Run.

The 29-year-old started strongly with three birdies on the front nine, but suffered a blip on the closing nine holes, with a birdie on 14 softening the blow of bogeys on 12 and 15.

He recovered to take momentum into Sunday with an eagle on the par-five 17th, forcing his way past the bunkers on his approach to the green to then one-putt and restore breathing room from the chasing pack.

Despite the solid form coming into this weekend in Silvis, Poston's lone win on the PGA Tour came in 2019, taking out the Wyndham Championship.

He leads a three-way tie for second between Scott Stallings, Denny McCarthy and Emiliano Grillo, who birdied four of the last five holes on Saturday to finish on 16-under.

Out of the top four players on the leaderboard, McCarthy is the lone player not to have won a tournament on the PGA Tour, with Stallings and Grillo's last wins coming in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Trailing them is Callum Tarren on 15-under, with Bo Hoag and Chris Naegel tied for sixth on 14-under.

Hoag, the world number 524, was Saturday's big mover with a third-round score of eight-under, opening the first four holes with two birdies and an eagle.

He more than compensated for his solitary bogey on 15 with birdies on 14, 16 and 17 to finish with the day's lowest score.

Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz are tied for the lead at LIV Golf Portland after two rounds of play, heading into the final day at eight under, two strokes clear of the chasing field.

Ortiz was the outright leader after his first-round 67, following it up with a three-under 69. Johnson was outright second after Thursday, posting a 68, and he proceeded to shoot another 68 in his second trip around Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.

Arguably the biggest star on the LIV Golf roster after Phil Mickelson, Johnson had six birdies and one bogey on the front-nine, with three bogeys and two birdies on the back-nine keeping him from running away with a lead.

In outright third place is Branden Grace at six under, while Justin Harding is alone at five under, with the group of Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen, Jinchiro Kozuma, Patrick Reed and Sihwan Kim rounding out the top-10 in a tie for fifth.

With Johnson and Reed both near the top of the leaderboard, it puts their team – 4 Aces GC, along with Pat Perez and Talor Gooch – atop the teams leaderboard at 15 under, four strokes clear of the South African team Stinger GC, consisting of Grace, Oosthuizen, Hennie du Plessis and Charl Schwartzel.

After an even par opening round, Bryson DeChambeau put himself back into contention with a three-under Friday, giving him a share of 10th with Sam Horsfield.

4 Aces partners Gooch and Perez are both at two under, tied for 12th, while Martin Kaymer, Matthew Wolff and Kevin Na are the last of the players under par.

Abraham Ancer is at even par, Sergio Garcia is at two over, and Mickelson shot his second consecutive 75 to finish play at six over.

J.T. Poston continued his terrific run of form on Friday to extend his lead to four strokes at the John Deere Classic, sitting at 15 under through 36 holes.

Coming off a second-place finish at the Travelers Championship last week, Poston shot Thursday's round of the day with a 62, and followed it up with a 65. Only six players had better rounds on Friday, with Maverick McNealy the sole 63.

Through two rounds, Poston now has 14 birdies, one bogey and one eagle.

In outright second place is Denny McCarthy, with rounds of 66 and 65, including going bogey-free on his second trip around the course to head into the weekend at 11 under.

The rest of the top-10 has strong international representation, with Austria's Matthias Schwab and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo part of a four-way tie for third place at 10 under, while Taiwan's C.T. Pan, England's Callum Taren and Canada's Michael Gligic are a further shot back in the log-jam at nine under.

South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Canada's Adam Svensson are at eight under, America's Charles Howell III is at seven under, while India's Anirban Lahiri and Australia's Cam Davis highlight the large group at six under.

After narrowly missing out on a win at the Travelers Championship last weekend – losing due to a double-bogey on the 72nd hole – Sahith Theegala finished right on the cut-line at three under, highlighting the friendly scoring conditions.

John Huh missed out on the weekend's play by one stroke, Webb Simpson finished one under, and Cameron Champ missed the cut by three shots at even par.

The torrential downpours at intervals may have tested the players' resolve, but it was a case of all's well that ends well, particularly for hosts Puerto Rico, who maximised their familiarity to take top team honours ahead of the Dominican Republic and scored several category wins as well. Jamaica captured third place overall.

In the senior boys (18 and under) Kurt Rivers of Turks & Caicos (with a three-Round aggregate of 226 foiled what would otherwise have been a sweep for the hosts, as Kelvin Hernandez, with a total of 210, led the 1-2 tandem ahead of compatriot Gustavo Rangel (222).

For the senior girls, it was a "case of the two Emilys" with Jamaica's Emily Mayne tying for first place with Barbadian Emily Odwin. Mayne's 2nd round 1 under par 70 was enough to ensure both golfers finished the 3 Round with the same aggregate score (224). Holly McLean of the Cayman Islands was just one stroke back, with 225.

There was better news for the Caymans in Boys 15 & under the action, and Danny Lyne, with an aggregate of 226 overcame early leader Huerta of the Dominican Republic to claim too honors. Huerta, with 230, finished third behind Puerto Rico's Hector Boria (227).

In the 15 & Under Girls, Jamaica's Samantha Azan, with 231 finished just ahead of Mattea Issa of Jamaica and the Puerto Rican pair Victoria Rivera and Krishny Erwin, for a three-way tie at 232.

Another Puerto Rican pair topped the Boys 13 & under age group on the leaderboard. Evan Peña in lead was followed by a tie between Fernando Leduc and Aidan Gorospe of the Bahamas.

The honours for the Girls 13 & under were basically a runaway for Ava Saavedra of Puerto Rico, with her compatriot Naomi Muniz finishing third behind Maria Fernandez of the Dominican Republic.

Spirits were high at day's end going into the trophy presentations, with the consensus being that this had been among the more competitive and evenly contested Junior Tournament for some time.

Congratulations to all winners, team members and all involved. Anticipation is already high for the 2023 CAJGC in the Cayman Islands.

Samantha Azan and Emily Mayne closed the championship on top of their respective age groups but Jamaica fell short of the team title at the 34^th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships that ended on Thursday.

Azan won the 15 & Under category while Mayne was tied for first place in the 18 & Under categories.

Azan led on day one, dropped to third on day two but bounced back to win outright on the final day by just one stroke ahead of the day-two leader Mattea Issa.  Issa was tied for second with Victoria Rivera and Elvin Krishny of Puerto Rico.

Azsan shot a six over par 78 for a three-day total of 231 while Issa posted her worst score of the competition of nine over par 81 to end on 232.

Mayne enjoyed a good tournament, moving from third on day one to first on day two. Her final day score of 80 saw her end with a three-day total of 11 over par 224, tied with Emily Odwin of Barbados. Meanwhile, Eryn Blakely maintained her second-day position of seventh place after she scored 80 to close the championship on 251.

Alessandra Coe was Jamaica's lone female in the 13 & Under category.  She finished in eighth place with scores of 103, 99 and 106 for a combined total of 308.  Ava Saavedra of Puerto Rico won the category after posting an overall score of 237.

The results of the female golfers are significant as it is the first time any female was winning any of the age group categories.  The coaches, Jason Lopez and Jonathan Newnham, who won an age group category as a player, as well as team manager Alison Reid, were extremely proud of their performances.

Ryan Lue was the best-placed Jamaican male.  He competed in the 15 & Under category and closed the championship with a score of 239, good for fourth place.

Aaron Gosh scored 167 for 10th place while Lek Drummond was tied for 14th place with Camdyn Forbes of the Bahamas on 275.

The 15 & Under category winner was Danny Lyne of the Cayman Islands after scoring 76 on the final day with a combined total of 13 over par 236.

Rocco Lopez ended eighth in the 18 & Under category.  He scored 234 over the three days.  Trey Williams came 10th with 241 while Aman Dhiman was tied for 14th on 244.  Alexander Dupuch of the Bahamas posted the same three-day total.

The 18 & Under category went to Kelvin Hernandez of Puerto Rico with scores of 73, 68 and 69 for a combined total of three under par 210.

The final male age group of 13 & Under went to Evan Pena of Puerto Rico who led on all three days.  He posted scores of 73, 74, and 81 for a combined total of 15 over par 228.  The two Jamaicans - Kemari Morris 269 and Shasa Fedlefsen 272 were eighth and ninth respectively.