AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― From links of Britain to the parkland of America, Rory McIlroy is on top of the world again.In his first start since a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, McIlroy wiped out a three-shot deficit in only three holes and closed with a 4-under 66 on Sunday to win the Bridgestone Invitational and return to No. 1 in the world.And just like at Royal Liverpool two weeks ago, Boy Wonder made it look easy.Sergio Garcia had a three-shot lead going into the final round at Firestone. McI

Korea’s Noh Seung-yul lines up a putt on the fifth green on Thursday. ( AFP-Yonhap)AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― Tiger Woods showed signs of a positive recovery Thursday at the Bridgestone Invitational.Not just from back surgery, but from making bogeys.Woods bounced back with birdies all three times that he made mistakes, opening with a 2-under 68 on a soft, gentle day for scoring at Firestone. It left him four shots behind Marc Leishman of Australia, and hopeful that this time he can build on a solid star

Tiger eyes more good memories at Firestone

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ― The claret jug is not out of sight. Rory McIlroy is just trying to get it out of his mind.McIlroy had plenty of fun with golf’s oldest trophy after his wire-to-wire win in the British Open. He celebrated with friends in England, took the jug out for a night on the town in Belfast with his buddies, and brought it with him when he returned home to Florida. And yes, it’s with him at Firestone this week at the Bridgestone Invitational.“I’ve sort of been taking pictures of it besid

Spain’s Belen Mozo lifts Beatriz Recari after making a birdie on the 16th hole on Sunday. (AP-Yonhap)South Korea finished in third place at the inaugural International Crown on the LPGA Tour on Sunday in Maryland.At Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore, South Korea picked up four points in the singles matches on the final day of the competition, for a four-day total of 10 points. South Korea won two singles and lost two others.Spain, which won all four of its singles mat

Korea’s Ryu So-yeon celebrates after sinking a putt on the 16th green to defeat the United States on Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap)OWINGS MILLS, Maryland (AP) ― Park In-bee and Ryu So-yeon both birdied the first playoff hole Saturday as South Korea eliminated the top-seeded United States and earned a wild-card berth in the final round of the International Crown.The Koreans will join Spain, Thailand, Japan and Sweden on Sunday in a duel for title.After the American team of Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson

South Korea split its two first-day matches with Australia on the opening day of the inaugural international competition on the LPGA Tour on Thursday in Maryland.The team of Park In-bee and Ryu So-yeon defeated the duo of Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright 3 & 2 in their four-ball match at the International Crown on Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore.In the next match, Australia’s Karrie Webb and Lee Min-jee edged past Choi Na-yeon and Kim In-kyung 2-up.The first editio

Yang Yong-eun tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)MONTREAL (AP) ― Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic shared the first-round lead in the Canadian Open on Thursday, shooting 6-under 64 in sunny conditions at rain-softened Royal Montreal.The 47-year-old Petrovic was the last player to get in the field, grabbing a spot when Benjamin Alvarado withdrew on Tuesday.“I didn’t set my expectations

After two decades of watching U.S. and European women golfers play for the Solheim Cup, top worldwide rivals have their chance at a team title in the LPGA International Crown.The inaugural edition of the event will begin Thursday at suburban Baltimore’s Caves Valley Golf Club with eight teams of four women seeking global bragging rights and the richest share of $1.6 million in prize money.“Every time I was watching the Solheim Cup, I always wish I can be there playing,” Taiwan’s third-ranked Tse