Golf: Breaking Stories and all the Latest from The New York Times

Spieth Cards 64 to Trail by One Stroke at Byron Nelson
Jordan Spieth backed up his words with a six-under-par 64 to move within one stroke of the first round lead at the Byron Nelson in Texas on Thursday.

On Golf: Muirfield Golf Club Picks Discrimination Over the British Open
The vote against admitting women seems to come from a bygone century, one in which men and women didn’t coexist in boardrooms and government.

Mika Miyazato Shoots 65 to Take Kingsmill Championship Lead
Mika Miyazato had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and finished with a 6-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship.

Golf Capsules
Kenny Perry birdied the final hole for an 8-under 64 and a two-stroke lead Thursday in the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.

Lincicome One Off the Pace at Kingsmill
Brittany Lincicome took advantage of rain-softened conditions and a deft touch on the greens as she charged into contention at the Kingsmill Championship on Thursday in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Rose Forced Out of Wentworth Event Due to Back Injury
Briton Justin Rose has pulled out of next week’s European PGA Championship at Wentworth due to a back injury, the world number 10 said on Thursday.

Kenny Perry Takes Regions Tradition Lead With Opening 64
Kenny Perry birdied the final hole for an 8-under 64 and a two-stroke lead Thursday in the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.

Inspired Willett Sets the Pace at Irish Open
U.S. Masters champion Danny Willett conjured up eight birdies in a sparkling first-round 65 to lead the Irish Open by two strokes from Rory McIlroy on Thursday.

Muirfield Just Latest Club to Face Discrimination Backlash
The backlash engulfing Muirfield isn’t the first time discrimination issues have had a negative impact on a potential site for a major golf championship.

Muirfield Barred as British Open Host After Vote Against Female Members
After the vote, the Royal & Ancient said that, going forward, it would not stage the event at a golf club that does not allow women as members.

Muirfield Loses the Open After Declining to Let Women Join
Muirfield will be removed from the list of courses that host Britain’s Open championship, after a vote to admit women members fell short of the required two-thirds majority, the Royal and Ancient said on Thursday.

McIlroy Not Concerned About Winless Start to the Year
Rory McIlroy has expressed frustration at the “negative spin” that has been aimed at the Northern Irish golfer’s winless start to the season, adding there is nothing wrong with his game.

Rory McIlroy Seeks Elusive Home Win at Soggy Irish Open
England’s Ross Fisher and Germany’s Martin Kaymer played through heavy morning rains Thursday as they shared the early Irish Open lead with opening rounds of 3-under 69.

A Sports Gambler and a Former Dean Foods Chairman Charged With Insider Trading
William T. Walters, known for sports betting, and Thomas C. Davis, who stepped down as chairman of Dean Foods, face charges.

BYU to Start NCAA Championships Early to Avoid Sunday Play
The BYU women’s golf team has been allowed to get an early start in the NCAA championships this week because of the Mormon school’s longstanding stance against participating in athletic events on Sundays.

PGA Tour Champions Back at Greystone for Regions Tradition
The PGA Tour Champions starts a stretch of major tournaments at a course that’s quite familiar to some of the elder statesmen.

Spieth Has Score to Settle in Hometown Event
Jordan Spieth returns to very familiar territory for this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas, though he has a score to settle at the TPC Four Seasons Resort where he has finished no better than joint 16th in six starts.

Motivated Spieth Back Home at Nelson, His 1st PGA Tour Event
Jordan Spieth is back home, at the tournament he and his father have hopped a fence to watch and at the TPC course where as a 16-year-old he played his first PGA Tour event.

Goosen Receives Special Exemption to US Open
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen has received a special exemption to this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Jason Day in It for the Long Haul
To see him now, it’s hard to believe Jason Day had only one victory in his first six years on the PGA Tour.

Golf, More Golf: Nearly 50 Hours of Live TV for British Open
Take the longest day in major championship golf and a network devoted exclusively to golf and the result is unprecedented coverage. NBC Sports and Golf Channel will combine to provide a record 49.5 hours of live coverage over four days from the British Open at Royal Troon.

Royal Troon Consults Members on Allowing Women to Join Club
Royal Troon Golf Club, the host of this year’s British Open, is consulting members on whether its male-only membership policy should end.

Tiger Says ‘Progressing Nicely,’ No Date for Return
Tiger Woods said on Monday he is making progress in his recovery from back surgery last year but still has no idea when he will make his return to the PGA Tour.

Jason Day Starting to Draw Comparisons With Tiger Woods
Nothing is good enough for Jason Day.

Tiger Says He Is ‘Progressing Nicely,’ No Date for Return
Tiger Woods says he’s “progressing nicely” in his return from two surgeries on his back but he’s still not sure when he’ll return to competitive golf.

On Golf: Motivation Keeps Jason Day on a Tiger-esque Roll
Day’s victory on Sunday was his seventh in his last 17 PGA Tour starts, a stretch during which he and his wife had their second child.

In Role Reversal, a Birdie Gets Els
It is safe to say Ernie Els did not have the happiest start to his final round at the Players Championship on Sunday after the South African bogeyed the first and a bird defecated on him as he bent over to pick the ball out of the hole.

Players Victory Earns Day Accolades, and Perspective
Jason Day’s wire-to-wire four-stroke victory at the Players Championship on Sunday earned accolades from his fellow competitors, but some perspective as well

Golf Capsules
The best field in golf was no match for Jason Day at The Players Championship.

Trey Mullinax Wins Rex Hospital Open for First Web.com Title
Trey Mullinax won the Rex Hospital Open on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, shooting a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Brady Schnell.

Erica Popson Rallies to Win Symetra Classic
Erica Popson won the Symetra Classic on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title, rallying for a two-stroke victory.

Day Goes Wire-To-Wire to Win Players Championship
Jason Day wanted to win The Players Championship so badly that he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.

Jason Day Makes Players Championship His Third Win of the Season
Day, who finished with a 15-under-par 273 to beat Kevin Chappell by four strokes, completed his second wire-to-wire victory of 2016.

Knox Rues ‘Epic Fail’ on Day of Disasters at Players’ Championship
On a day when golf’s finest were brought to their knees by slick greens and tough pin placements at TPC Sawgrass, Briton Russell Knox lamented a disastrous nine on the short 17th hole that sent him crashing out of contention at the Players Championship.

Day Holds Lead, Slams ‘Unplayable’ Course
Jason Day survived greens that were almost unplayable at times, overcoming two early double-bogeys to maintain a four-stroke lead after the third round at the $10.5 million (7 million pound) Players Championship in Florida on Saturday.

Knox Goes From in the Mix To in the Water at Island Green
Russell Knox saw the flag on the front part of an island when he stood on the 17th tee, knowing another birdie would keep in the hunt Saturday at The Players Championship. Instead, he became the latest victim of the most notorious par 3 in golf.

Fast Greens Leave Players Shocked, Grumbling at Sawgrass
So much for that soft, gentle TPC Sawgrass.

Kendall Dye Shoots 7-Under 65 to Take Symetra Classic Lead
Kendall Dye birdied the last three holes Saturday for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead in the Symetra Classic.

Golf Capsules
Jason Day set the 36-hole record at The Players Championship on Saturday morning. By the end of a long and laborious day of big numbers, he was hanging on by the seat of his pants on a TPC Sawgrass that was as frightening as ever.

As Jason Day Dominates the Field, Jordan Spieth Misses the Cut
Day owned a four-stroke lead at the Players Championship after a third round in tough conditions, while Spieth imploded in the weather-delayed second round and fell one shot short of playing on.

Garcia Suffers Six-Putt Agony at Players Championship
Sergio Garcia’s putting woes plumbed new depths when he six-putted the fifth hole in the third round of the Players Championship in Florida on Saturday.

At the Players Championship, a Cast of Unusual Suspects Moves to the Top
Jason Day, the world No. 1, was leading the Players Championship after play was suspended on Friday, but his closest pursuers included players who only recently became winners.

Day Sets Record to Claim Four-Shot Halfway Lead at Players
Jason Day broke the 36-hole Players Championship tournament record held by fellow Australian Greg Norman as he opened up a four-shot lead after the second round on Saturday.

Irish Great Christy O’Connor Senior Dies, Aged 91
Christy O’Connor senior, one of the towering figures of European golf, left Irish sport in mourning when he died on Saturday at the age of 91.

Rahman Takes Lead at Mauritius Open After Dodt’s Collapse
Siddikur Rahman shot 69 to lead the Mauritius Open after the third round on Saturday as overnight leader Andrew Dodt dropped seven shots on the back nine.

Jordan Spieth Misses Cut, Tries to Go Easy on Himself
Jordan Spieth finished with a 15-foot birdie putt, the kind he could have used on the previous two holes at The Players Championship in a failed bid to make the cut. He at least managed a smile before stepping inside the scoring room to sign his last card of a short week.

Christy O’Connor Sr., Irish Golfer Who Played on 10 Ryder Cup Teams, Dies at 91
O’Connor, who played in an era when top British and Irish golfers did not have as much access to the American majors as they do now, won 24 times on the European Tour.

Top Irish Golfer Christy O’Connor Sr. Dies at 91
Christy O’Connor Sr., the Irish golfer who played on 10 Ryder Cup teams and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, died Saturday. He was 91.

Day Sets 36-Hole Record at The Players; Spieth Misses Cut
Jason Day set the 36-hole record Saturday morning at The Players Championship and built a four-shot lead going into the weekend of golf’s richest tournament.

Day Is Leading and Won’t Let Up at Players Championship
Jason Day has been practically flawless for two days at The Players Championship, and equally relentless.

Golf Capsules
Jason Day finished with two big birdies as the sky darkened Friday to reach 14 under and stay in firm control of The Players Championship.