Americans rally to win Presidents Cup and Fitzpatrick holds on to win French Open

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker won’t have to second-guess the outcome of this Presidents Cup. He went from blaming himself for a three-point deficit to watching the Americans deliver the biggest Sunday rout in tournament history to win for the 11th straight time.

Outplayed over three days in team matches at Medinah, the Americans flipped two key singles matches on the back nine — one from two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, the other from 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun. And it was a rush of red scores at the end.

President Donald Trump was on the first tee for the start of 12 singles matches, and he kept his speech short. “It’s going to be a very interesting game of golf,” he said.

That it was, even if the outcome was all too familiar.

The Americans won nine of the 12 singles and halved the final match on the course when the Presidents Cup already was decided, adding to a 17-13 victory.

PARIS (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick closed with a 1-under 70 and eased to victory at the French Open on Sunday for his fourth title of the year.

Fitzpatrick saw his five-shot lead get trimmed to two shots at various points at Le Golf National before pulling away for a three-shot win over Spaniard Ángel Hidalgo (67). The win capped a special few weeks for Fitzpatrick who, with his wife Katherine, recently welcomed their first child.

Local favorite Tom Vaillant, a two-time winner on the smaller Alps Tour but still looking for his first European tour title, tied for third after a 70.

Hidalgo’s second-place finish guaranteed him a spot at the British Open at St. Andrews next year through the International Qualifying Series.

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Yuna Nishimura played a flawless back nine after allowing the chasing pack to get close early and won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship by five shots on Sunday for her first LPGA victory.

A six-time winner on the Japan LPGA, the 26-year-old Nishimura closed with a 5-under 66 for a three-day total of 21-under 192 at Pinnacle Country Club.

Leading by five shots entering the day after back-to-back 63s, Nishimura shot even-par 36 on the front nine while another Japanese player, Aki Iwai, made a charge with six birdies in seven holes to start the back nine. Iwai shot a bogey-free 62 and tied for second with Chanettee Wannasaen (65) and In Gee Chun (67).

Casandra Alexander of South Africa won for the second time in three Ladies European Tour events when she closed with a 3-under 69 for a three-shot victory over Sophie Hausmann and Anna Morgan in the Buccellati Ladies Italian Open. ... Kaito Onishi held on with a 3-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Taichiro Ideriha and Satoshi Kodaira in the Richard Mille Charity Tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. Chien-yao Hung of Taiwan captured his first Asian Tour title with a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory over Wade Ormsby of Australia in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. ... Kyle De Beer capped off a six-shot victory with an 8-under 64 in the Rwanda Open on the Sunshine Tour. ... Women’s British Open champion Shiho Kuwaki closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open, her third title this year on the Japan LPGA.

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