Charles Howell III put together a blistering eight-under final round to secure a dominant victory at LIV Golf Mayakoba on Sunday.

In the first event of the LIV Golf season, Howell just got better as the week rolled on, posting a three-under 68 on Friday, before closing with a 66 on Saturday and a 63 to put the icing on the cake.

He finished four strokes clear of the field, also carrying his team Crushers GC to the team title. Along with Paul Casey, also in the top five at seven under, and captain Bryson DeChambeau at one under, Crushers GC gapped the competition by nine strokes.

It was Howell's first professional win since the 2018 RSM Classic, earning a $4million prize as the individual champion, as well as his share of $3m for the team's success.

Peter Uhlein ended up in second place at 12 under, but he had his sights set on the win prior to an ugly triple-bogey following a shanked drive, and a shanked provisional.

Branden Grace was third at 10 under, and then there was another three-stroke gap to the rest of the field.

Reigning Open champion Cameron Smith produced a four-under final round to climb into a tie for fifth at six under.

After winning the inaugural team title, 4 Aces GC were weighed down by a horrific seven-over final round from captain Dustin Johnson, but they still finished second in the team standings thanks to Uhlein and Pat Perez (five under).

Phil Mickelson will be pleased with his four-under final round, pulling him to one over for the tournament, while Bryson DeChambeau ended up at even par.

Marcel Siem pipped Yannik Paul to the Indian Open title as a brilliant four-under-par final round clinched victory on Sunday.

Paul headed into the third round on Saturday with a five-shot lead, but a troublesome day three saw his advantage cut to just one at the top of the standings.

Despite Paul steadying himself with a two-under final round to finish on 13 under, it was fellow German Siem who roared to victory with five birdies to reach 14 under and secure his first win on the DP World Tour since 2014.

Dutchman Joost Luiten finished a shot behind Paul in third, while Jorge Campillo and Kazuki Higa shot final rounds of three under and four under respectively to be tied for fourth.

An excellent day four for Alexander Knappe propelled him up to joint-sixth, managing two eagles in a six-under-par final round to leave him level with Thorbjorn Olsen.

Veer Ahlawat and Shubhankar Sharma were the best of the home favourites, both finishing strongly to be among a group of players on four under.

Speaking after his victory, Siem said: "This means a lot because two years ago I wasn't even sure if I could still compete on the European Tour, and now I'm a winner again."

Chris Kirk will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Honda Classic after carding a 66 on Saturday to close in on his first PGA Tour title in eight years. 

The American, who claimed the last of his four top-tier triumphs back in 2015, leads a field that is devoid of any of the world's top-17 golfers.

His nearest rival is world number 330 Eric Cole, while playing partner and overnight leader Justin Suh is three strokes back after signing for an even-par 70.

Kirk, fresh from a stunning second-round 62, birdied the 17th and 18th to take charge at PGA National, although at least one household name is in the hunt.

World number 20 and 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry put himself firmly in the mix with a 65 that leaves him with a four-stroke deficit to overcome on Sunday. 

And the Irishman is playing with added motivation as he seeks to pay a fitting tribute to his uncle Jimmy Lowry, who died on Thursday.

"It's a very sad week for our family," he said. "To be honest, I wanted to go home on Thursday when I heard the news. A lot of people talked me out of it.

"I'm here now. I'm trying to play for him and play for his wife and his kids and my cousins and my uncles and my aunts and everyone at home because we're a very close family and very proud of our name and very proud of where we come from."

More than 60 golfers teed-off at the Caymanas Golf Club in St Catherine for the first Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) qualifier for 2023.

Tee-time was 7:30 am.

A special feature of this year's tournament is that the eight competitors in the Men & Men Senior 0-6 (WAGR) category will play 54 holes over the two days in a bid to gain world amateur golf ranking points.

The Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) got approval last year to play 54 holes over two days instead of the normal three days in order to gain ranking points from the R&A and the USGA (Royal & Ancient Golf Club, Unites States Golf Association).

This will allow them earn ranking points quickly and able to participate in more tournaments across the region and the world that are open to ranked golfers.

Two of the local golfers that have world golf ranking points are Justin Burrowes (347) and William Knibbs (741). Both were invited to play in this year's Latin America Amateur Golf Championships in January as the two highest ranked amateur golfers in Jamaica at the time.

In this weekend’s tournament Burrowes, who is the defending champion, expects to be tested by the format.

"I am looking forward to get going this weekend. I haven't played a 54-hole tournament in two days since this tournament last year so I am looking forward to the test,” he said.

“Expectation-wise I try to keep it very simple. I just want to go out and execute as best as possible and count the scores at the end.  It’s going to be long but I think it provides a good test and it will show me where my game is at and where I need to improve on.

“I feel like I have worked on some of the areas where I have been weak on in the last six months so I am looking forward to put that to the test in a tournament and we will see how that goes."

The other six golfers who will compete in the Men & Men Senior category are Sean Morris, Zandre Roye, Trey Williams, Tenny Davis, Robert Sterling and Wayne Chai-Chong.

Roye and Knibbs placed second and third, respectively, in last year's tournament.

The remainder of the golfers on the course will play 36 holes over the two days.

The will play in several categories including Men & Men Senior 0-6, Men & Men Senior 7-12, Men & Men Senior 13-24, Men Super Senior 0-12, Men Super Senior 13-24, Masters, Junior Boys 18 and Under, Junior Boys 14-15 and Junior Boys 11-13.

Jodie Mun-Barrow is the defending Ladies champion.

Reigning Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Justin Suh has a chance to win his first PGA Tour event after finishing Friday's second round of the Honda Classic with the outright lead.

Suh, 25, produced a near-perfect campaign last season on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing number one overall in points, winning the Tour Championship and being voted the tour's Player of the Year.

He has made the cut in eight of his 11 events to start his PGA Tour career, and after collecting his first top-20 in January's Farmers Insurance Open, he is looking to break through in a big way.

After his opening 66 at PGA National, Suh followed it up with a six-under 64 to reach 10 under overall and take a one-stroke lead into the weekend.

Alone in second place is Chris Kirk, who sits one shot back at nine under after posting a 62 for Friday's round of the day.

England's Ben Taylor is joined by American Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard in a tie for third at eight under, while the trio of Ben Martin, Eric Cole and Brice Garnett round out the top-five at seven under.

After finishing the opening round tied for the lead, both Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett fell back into a tie for 28th, following their 65s with a pair of 73s.

With none of the world's top-17 golfers in the field, world number 20 Shane Lowry will feel he still has a chance from his position at four under, tied for 16th, while 18th-ranked Im Sung-jae is at two under.

Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett are co-leaders at five under after Thursday's opening round of the Honda Classic.

Horschel came into the event as the second-highest ranked player in the field, at world number 19, as many of the world's best opted to take the week off ahead of bigger prize pools at the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players.

Looking to capitalise on the weaker field, Horschel posted six birdies and one bogey during his first trip this week around PGA National in his home state of Florida. Meanwhile, Bramlett went bogey-free for his 65, joining Horschel at the summit after a birdie on his final hole.

Rounding out an all-American top-five are Pierceson Coody, Justin Suh and Carson Young tied for third at four under, and Young still has three holes to play after his round was cut short by fading light.

The only player in the field ranked higher than Horschel – world number 18 Im Sung-jae – is part of the logjam at three under that includes English duo Ben Taylor and Matt Wallace, while world number 20 Shane Lowry headlines the group one further back with Australia's Min Woo Lee.

Defending champion Sepp Straka made a safe start at one under, with last season's title the first and only of his PGA Tour career so far.

Tiger Woods got some backing on Tuesday from two-time LPGA major winner and Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen when asked about his controversial tampon stunt at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods received backlash after cameras caught him handing a tampon to playing partner Justin Thomas after out-driving him.

The 15-time major champion apologised when asked about the motive behind the joke, saying he did not intend to cause offence.

"If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry," he said. "It was not intended to be that way. 

"It was just – we play pranks on one another all the time, and virally, I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was different."

Speaking to the media after being named the European Solheim Cup captain for the next two editions of the event, Pettersen said she knows Woods, and believes his "boyish" humour had no malice.

"I know Tiger quite well," she said. "I don't know Justin Thomas as well, but I know kind of Tiger's humour, and that's a very probably boyish joke between the two of them and I don't really take it too personal.

"I think that was supposed to be a gag between the two of them and unfortunately some cameras caught it in the heat of the moment. I don't know, I don't think he meant to be offensive in any way.

"I'm pretty easy on stuff like that. I'm sure it was meant as a joke, not as a harassment to women in general."

Pettersen's vice-captain, Dame Laura Davies, acknowledged that the joke was sexist, but said "it's just banter on a golf course".

"I think it's misplaced jokes, a laddy kind of joke," she said. "Maybe he misread the situation – I personally am not offended by it.

"People seem to be looking for things to worry about. It's a shame it happened. We are talking about this rather than them entertaining thousands of people – I'm sure Tiger meant no harm by it. 

"I can't believe there was any malice in it. It was really poorly judged, I am sure he would regret he did it now. He will be disappointed that he has been shown to be a bit sexist with what he did. 

"It's just a bit of fun, it's just banter on a golf course. When Tiger does it, unfortunately, everything gets magnified."

Jon Rahm insists he does not need the validation of being the world's number one golfer after returning to the top of the rankings with his win at the Genesis Invitational.

Rahm held off Max Homa to claim his third PGA Tour title of 2023 on Sunday, having gone back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January.

The Spaniard is the first player since Johnny Miller in 1975 to win three PGA Tour titles in a calendar year before the start of the March, while he has now triumphed on five of his last nine worldwide starts.

Rahm's win at California's Riviera Country Club – at a competition hosted by Tiger Woods – secured his fifth stint atop the world rankings, but the 28-year-old has little interest in that accolade.

"I've never had three PGA Tour wins in a season, and to do it this early on is incredible – and to do it at this golf course," he told reporters after his victory.

"You talk about the history of Riviera as a golf course, the history of Tiger Woods as a player… it's a pretty big deal. As a historian of the game, to win the tournament hosted by Tiger is pretty incredible.

"I've won five out of my last nine starts and I've won three tournaments already. 

"I don't a ranking to tell me… to validate anything, right? I'm having the best season of my life and hopefully I can keep it going." 

Jon Rahm remains the hottest player in golf after securing the Genesis Invitational title on Sunday with a final score of 17 under.

The win was his fifth from his past nine worldwide starts, and his third PGA Tour title of 2023 after going back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January. He also won the Spanish Open in October, and the DP World Tour Championship in November.

He led by three strokes coming into his final round at Riviera Country Club, and he remained with a multi-stroke lead after posting a two-under front nine. But things went haywire on the home stretch, with bogeys on 10 and 12 briefly handing Max Homa a one-stroke lead.

Homa would bogey the 13th, tying things up at 15 under, before Rahm pulled away again with a 45-foot birdie putt on 14, and a tap-in birdie after a picture-perfect tee shot on the par-three 16th.

Homa ended up two strokes behind Rahm at 15 under, giving him his fourth top-three finish from eight PGA Tour starts this season, including two wins.

Patrick Cantlay finished one further back at 14 under, Will Zalatoris rode the best score of the day – a seven-under 64 – up into outright fourth place at 13 under, and Keith Mitchell rounded out the top five at 12 under.

Speaking to CBS after stepping off the final green, Rahm was asked to explain the joy of his 10th PGA Tour win, having surpassed the total of his childhood hero Seve Ballesteros (nine).

"I could explain exhaustion right now," he said. "Because that was a tough week, and a tough Sunday.

"Max battled out there, and Patrick kind of gave us a scare, but I'm just glad I could come through at the end.

"Beating Seve – I know he didn't play full-time PGA tour, and I know five of those wins are majors – but still, to reach that milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible.

"To do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history, and hosted by the man himself Tiger Woods – it's a true honour, I can't really explain it."

Woods carded a two-over 73 on Sunday to finish equal 45th at one-under overall.

Tiger Woods confirmed he plays to play all four majors but little else this year after finishing under par on his latest comeback at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods, playing his first non-major PGA Tour event since October 2020, posted rounds of 69, 74 and 67 before closing on Sunday with a two-over 73 on his final trip around Riviera Country Club, to score one under par overall.

It was the first time Woods had completed a 72-hole tournament since the Masters in April, and he noticeably had far less of a limp this time around as he continued to manage his badly damaged ankle.

He was interviewed by CBS after finishing, reflecting on his week, and said: "My game is fine.

"Yeah, it is rusty, I made some silly mistakes here and there. I didn't quite pick up the speed of the greens each and every day fast enough – like I normally would if I was playing – but overall, I feel like I hit the ball like I have been hitting it at home.

"Now I just happened to bring it out here where I had to walk from point A to point B, and that was always the difficulty of it.

"I'm just so thankful for all my team for getting me ready each and every night, and morning, and at least giving myself a chance to go out there and play – and I was able to do it."

After a better-than-expected showing, the 15-time major winner was asked when he plans to play again.

"Competitively, I don't know," Woods said. "My goal each and every year from here going forward is to play in all the majors.

"I'm not going to play too much more than that. My body – my leg, and my back – just won't allow me to play much more than that any more.

"That was my goal last year, and I was able to play three of the four. This year hopefully I can play all four. That is going to be my schedule going forward, because of all the limitations I have."

Woods shared part of the reason he decided to play this week, highlighting the special place in his heart held by Riviera Country Club.

"This wasn't the first PGA Tour I ever attended… but I was here [at the 1983 US PGA Championship] when Hal [Sutton] beat Jack [Nicklaus]," he said.

"This is truly – either here or maybe even St Andrews – one of the most historical tee shots, because they can't go anywhere but that same tee box. You look back in history at this club and everyone has hit from the exact same tee spot on 18.

"I was lucky enough to be part of that history, and play the golf course, and unfortunately my streak still continues, I've never won here, but hopefully next year.

"I'm a So-Cal kid at heart, and to be able to go to from my PGA Tour debut… to now being the host of this event, I would never have foreseen that. I'm very lucky, and very thankful."

Thorbjorn Olesen won his second DP World Title in the space of a year after carding a bogey-free 66 final round at the Thailand Classic.

Olesen, whose victory at the British Masters in May 2022 had ended a four-year wait for a win, won by a comfortable four strokes having taken a two-shot lead into the final day.

The 33-year-old finished at 24 under for the tournament as he collected the seventh DP World Tour title of his career.

Olesen, who will move back into the top 100 next week, has gone on to win six tournaments on the Tour when holding a 54-hole lead.

"It's very special. Obviously the British Masters win was incredible, with my family, and it had been a long time since I won the last time," said the Dane after claiming his first title in Asia.

"But equally this one, all the hard work and all the sacrifice from my wife. It's really nice.

"It felt really good, felt steady, I felt like I was in control and I just enjoyed playing golf."

Olesen's compatriot Oliver Hundeboll, meanwhile, played the shot of the round as he sunk a hole-in-one on the 13th.

Alexander Knappe carded a brilliant 67 after seven birdies from his final nine holes, with the German finishing T3 along with Joost Luiten, two shots back from second-place Yannik Paul.

Jon Rahm rolled in a birdie on the 18th hole to claim a three-shot lead after the third day at the Genesis Invitational on Saturday, while Tiger Woods produced his best round of the tournament.

The Spaniard overtook halfway point leader Max Homa by carding a bogey-free six-under-par 65 on Saturday, taking him to 15-under overall at Riviera Country Club.

Rahm was part of a trio of players, alongside Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges, one stroke behind Homa heading into the third round but moved into the lead buoyed by four birdies on his front nine.

Woods narrowly made the cut on Friday and backed that up with a three-under round for 67 that included an eagle on the first hole, his 10th of the round, with a brilliant approach setting up a tap-in putt.

The 47-year-old remains well back on the leaderboard at three-under overall but moved up 32 spots for the round.

Homa slipped from the lead with back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes proving costly as he managed a round of two-under-par 69 to be 12-under overall.

Mitchell is one stroke behind him at 11-under, with Patrick Cantlay fourth on 10-under followed by Gary Woodland after his four-under-par 67 moved him up to nine-under overall.

There is a group of four players at seven-under overall ahead of the final day, including Denny McCarthy who shot the best round of the day with a seven-under-par 64 that included an eagle on the par-four 10th hole. He is tied with Collin Morikawa, Tom Hoge and Adam Svensson.

Max Homa is seeking his third title of the PGA Tour season after taking the outright lead into the weekend at the Genesis Invitational, while Tiger Woods also made the cut.

Homa followed his opening 64 with a three-under 68 on his second trip around Riviera Country Club, finishing his round at 10 under overall after a bogey on 18.

Currently ranked a career-high 12th in the world, Homa has a chance to break into the top-10 for the first time with another strong result.

Meanwhile, Woods' putter let him down as he posted a three over round, but despite three bogeys from his final four holes, he snuck in right on the cut-line at one over.

One stroke behind Homa at nine under are the trio of Jon Rahm, Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges, with Hodges the only player to shoot a 66 or better on Friday.

Collin Morikawa is alone in fifth at eight under, Patrick Cantlay is the only player at seven under, while Rory McIlroy (six under) and Will Zalatoris (five under) also find themselves in the top-10.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is one further back at four under, and former world number one Jason Day clawed his way back into contention with a 67 to sit at three under.

The shot of the day came from world number six Xander Schauffele, who was two strokes outside the cut-line before a slam-dunk eagle on the par-five 17th, making it through on the number.

Tiger Woods made his first cut since The Masters in April despite leaving plenty of shots on the greens during his second round at the Genesis Invitational on Friday.

Woods, who closed his opening round Thursday with three consecutive birdies, finished in a more disappointing fashion his second time around Riviera Country Club with three bogeys from his final four holes.

He ended up with two birdies and five bogeys for a three-over 74, leaving him at one over for the tournament – landing right on the weekend side of the cut line.

Reflecting on his round, Woods' focus was all on his putter, pointing out that he played far better than his score indicates.

"I did not putt well today, I blocked a lot of putts early and this is probably the highest score I could have shot today," he said. "Probably should have shot probably five or six better than this easily. 

"I just didn't make the putts early and the middle part of the round when I had those opportunities – and they weren't very hard putts – I just hit bad putts and obviously had a very bad finish, too.

"I just blocked them, they were just bad putts. They were not very hard, good reads. I brought Joey [caddie Joe LaCava] in on a couple of them and I just hit bad putts. 

"So I could have easily got off to a very hot start and I did not, and then in the middle part of the round I could have turned it around a little bit and I did not."

This was Woods' non-major PGA Tour start since October 2020, and he sits 11 shots off leader Max Homa.

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.

City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.

The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.

Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.

"Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest. 

"If [Arsenal] won at Everton when they played to win, we lost at Spurs, we lost to Arsenal then we are 10 points behind and the game is over.

"Now we could be 10-12 points behind even [with Arsenal having played] one game less. We're top of the league after two nights when they have been top all season.

"You never, ever, ever can give up. The biggest athletes never do. This weekend is the best weekend because Tiger is back. He's playing at the Genesis Invitational.

"We have to learn from the greatest and he never gives up. He is two over, one over, then finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie. Never give up, continue until the end."

Guardiola said in the wake of City's win in north London that his first-half tactics had been "horrible".

Bernardo Silva was deployed as a left-back until Manuel Akanji replaced Riyad Mahrez early in the second half,  enabling the Portugal international to switch to the right wing.

City, who took the lead through Kevin De Bruyne but were pegged back by Bukayo Saka's penalty, went on to clinch the points through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

"I meant in general how I imagined the game, it didn't work, not because Bernardo played left-back," said Guardiola, explaining his post-match comments.

"If it works I am brave, if it doesn't work I am overthinking. Arrogant. 'What is Pep believing, changing tactics? Why don't you play Kevin De Bruyne all the time? Why don't you play the other ones?'

"Because Kevin De Bruyne cannot play all the games. He needs to be fresh here [in the head]. He has to get the message, he can do better.

"I cannot go to sleep or wake up in the morning, have something inside of me visualising what the opponent can do and think: 'The normal thing is play the starting XI that people around the world say is the best.'

"In 14 years, starting with the second team Barcelona, I never took a decision like: 'I am going [to show off].'"

Haaland's neat finish brought up his 26th league goal of the season, though City's use of their star striker had been called into question after the 1-0 loss at Spurs.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went as far as to say Haaland "might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him".

Asked about Carragher's comments, Guardiola said: "I understand it. What can I say – I'm open to all opinions. So [Jamie] will have his argument.

"It's important I have the feeling that [Haaland] feels so happy here. Committed. Not because he already scored 26 goals, but it was a surprise for all of us, a real surprise.

"We didn't know him. We knew his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he played at Dortmund, but we are all of us really surprised at how he is as a boy – because he's a boy."

Guardiola is also hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new contract at City, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.