8am Round-Up: Jordan Spieth holes bunker shot for 10th PGA Tour title

Jordan Spieth and caddie Michael Greller celebrate after his holed bunker shot in the Travelers Championship. Picture: Getty Images

The Texan celebrated his wonder shot to win the Travelers Championship in Connecticut by tossing his club away before chest-bumping caddie Michael Greller.

Spieth reached double-digits in victories on the US circuit at the age of just 23 with a wire-to-wire success at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

Woods won 14 times before he turned 24, but Spieth’s feat in getting into double figures is equally impressive, especially as the two-time major winner has achieved it in less than four years.

He’d also holed a bunker shot to land the first of those triumphs in the John Deere Classic in 2013, a triumph that got him into that year’s Open Championship at Muirfield.

“That was one for the ages,” said Spieth of his latest hole out, having closed with an even-par 70 to match Daniel Berger, who birdied three of the final six holes for a 67, on 12-under 268.

“I put the same kind of swing on it as my earlier bunker shot,” added Spieth as he celebrated his second win of the season after landing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

“I was just at a little different angle and it took a right bounce and cut spin to roll with the hill. I jumped up and saw it coming down right on the pin and I went nuts. That was fun.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a moment equivalent to that again - something like that to win a tournament - but we certainly soaked it in.”

Berger, who’d won the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis a fortnight earlier, just missed a 50-foot putt from off the 18th green left that would have forced a second playoff hole.

“Jordan does Jordan things,” said Berger afterwards. “So there’s not really much you can say.”

World No 3 Rory McIlroy closed with a 64 to finish 17th while defending champion Russell Knox had to settle for 62nd after a disappointing 73 on the last day.

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The women’s game has a new world No 1 for a second time in a few weeks.

It follows South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon jumping to the top of the rankings after winning the NW Arkansas Championship by two shots.

The 26-year-old finished the 54-hole LPGA Tour event on 18-under-par for her second tournament victory of the season and 15th career title.

Ryu, winner of the season’s opening major, the ANA Inspiration in April, closed with a two-under 69 to finish ahead of compatriot Amy Yang and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn.

“Dreams come true,” said Ryu on becoming world No 1 for the first time, toppling Ariya Jutanugarn after her short reign after she’d ended Lydia Ko’s long run in top spot.

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Fred Couples foiled Paul Broadhurst’s bid to complete a wire-to-wire win in the American Family Insurance Championship on the Champions Tour.

Broadhurst, the Senior Open champion, had led after opening rounds of 201 in Madison, Wisconsin.

But, as the Englishman closed with a 73, Couples stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a 66 for a winning 15-under-par 201 aggregate.

Colin Montgomerie finished in a tie for 68th after one of his worst performances on the US circuit. The Scot shot rounds of 74-73-74.

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Jamie McLeary, the 2009 winner, is heading into this week’s SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge in Aviemore in fine fettle after finishing with a flourish in the Danish equivalent.

The 36-year-old bagged nine birdies in a closing 65 - the best of the day - as he finished joint-fifth, three shots behind Swedish winner Oscar Stark, in the Made in Denmark Challenge at Royal Oak Golf Club.

“I played out of my boots,” declared McLeary, a two-time winner on the second-tier circuit, having also triumphed in the KPMG Trophy in 2015 as he earned a step to the European Tour through the Road to Oman rankings.

“I hit 16 greens in regulation in a howling wind and putted really well. My short game hasn’t been too sharp this year but this week my driving, iron play and putting were all really good.

“This is is definitely a boost heading into the Scottish Challenge and hopefully I can keep up the form in Aviemore.”

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Two Americans, pro Peter Badawy and amateur Callum Brown, are in action today at Panmure as the Angus venue stages a regional qualifier for the Open Championship for the second time.

Also in the field at the start of the “Road to Royal Birkdale” are two Icelanders, Andri Bjornsson and Gudmundur Kristjansson, while the home hopefuls include Tartan Tour No 1 Greig Hutcheon and former Walker Cup player Wallace Booth.

The likes of Scottish Boys champion Eric McIntosh and former Scottish Amateur champion John Gallagher are heading to Northumberland Golf Club instead to try their luck in the first of two stages.

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Balmore’s Christopher Maclean secured the win his form this season has merited as he picked up the Tennant Cup at Glasgow Golf Club.

The Stirling University student followed his rounds of 69 and 77 at Gailes Links with closing effort of 68 and 69 at Killermont for a one-over-par 283 aggregate.

He won by three shots from defending champion Matt Clark (Kilmacolm) in a field that included 1999 Walker Cup player Graham Rankin.

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Peebles player Darren Howie closed with a 66 to finish second in the the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters, one of the top under-18 events of the season.

Howie, last year’s Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy winner, finished 10 shots behind runaway winner Benjamin Jones after the Northamptonshire youngster posted rounds of 69-69-63-69 for an 18-under 270 total.