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Spieth Dominates a Masters That Shows Golf in Good Hands

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The Florida National News learned Jordan Spieth wins Masters Green Jacket according to the Associated Press.

Jordan Spieth never really suffered. Certainly not like Phil Mickelson, who came close so many times before finally winning his first major title.

Yet, not long after Spieth slipped on the green jacket at age 21, the second-youngest champion in the history of the Masters, he pondered what pushed him to one of the game’s greatest performances.

There was that runner-up finish in the 2014 Masters, when he had a two-shot lead with 11 holes to play but faded to a runner-up finish behind Bubba Watson. A fine showing, indeed, for someone so young playing Augusta National for the first time.

But it gnawed at Spieth.

“I was already hungry from last year,” he said. “I had an opportunity and watched it slip away.”

When he drove down Magnolia Lane this year, Spieth was even more ticked off. In his two previous tournaments, he finished second and lost in a playoff. Never mind that he had won right before those two close calls, stamping him as the hottest player on the PGA Tour.

That’s the thing about this generation of golfers.

They’re not very patient.

It sure bodes well for golf in this inevitable changing of the guard, from players such as Mickelson and Tiger Woods — who aren’t done yet, by the way — to the youngsters like Spieth and 25-year-old Rory McIlroy, now 1-2 in the world ranking with five major titles between them.

Spieth, who was bothered by “having a chance to win the last couple of weeks and not quite pulling it off,” made everyone pay at the Masters.

Leading from start to finish, he began with an 8-under 64 for the lowest opening round at the Masters in 19 years, set scoring records for 36 and 54 holes, made a staggering 28 birdies (another tournament mark), and became the first player in Augusta history to reach 19 under when he rolled in a birdie putt at the 15th hole Sunday.

He sucked all the drama out of the final round, making sure no one got closer than three shots to the lead.

Spieth closed with a 2-under 70 to finish four shots clear of Mickelson and Justin Rose.

About the only thing Spieth missed was having the 72-hole record all to himself. He bogeyed the last hole to finish with at 18-under 270, tying Woods’ performance while winning his first green jacket in 1997.

“It all happened so quickly,” Spieth surmised. But he quickly added, “I feel ready to carry that baton.”

His victory sets up a tantalizing new rivalry with McIlroy in a sport that has always thrived on matchups, whether it was Hogan vs. Snead and Nelson; Nicklaus vs. Palmer and Watson; or Woods vs. Mickelson.

Spieth isn’t ready to call it an even matchup, considering Boy Wonder already has four major titles and arrived at Augusta looking to complete a career Grand Slam.

But this past week at Augusta sure turned it up a notch.

“He’s got four majors. That’s something I can still only dream about,” Spieth said. “I look forward to getting in the heat of the moment with him a couple of times in the near future and see if we can battle it out and test our games.”

McIlroy didn’t have a chance in this one.

No one did.

The world’s top-ranked player was 10 shots behind going to the final round and realistic about his chances. A sluggish start doomed any hope of putting some heat on Spieth, though McIlroy did close with six birdies on his final 12 holes for a 6-under 66 that left him six shots behind.

“I played well,” he said. “I can take a lot of positives from it.”

It wasn’t all about youth.

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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Celebrity

LPGA Pros Shutout Celebs at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions “Break The Glass” Challenge

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Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (Florida National News) – Some big names in sports, entertainment, and music can be found with golf clubs in hand at The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, this weekend. About 50 celebrities will compete for a $500,000 purse, while LPGA Tour players try to grab their share of $2 million in prize money.

Today, LPGA pros Megan Khang, Alexa Pano, and Bailey Tardy took on celebrities Landon Donovan, Major League Soccer legend, Michael Peña, award-winning actor, and Kira Dixon, Reporter and Miss America 2015 in the annual “Break The Glass” challenge. The LPGA pros shutout the celebs 3-0. You can watch the action here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFYsQKbyiAi/?igsh=YzZlNG9rNXhvbnRy. (And be sure to follow Florida National News on Instagram and Facebook.)

Lydia Ko returns to defend her title, after adding an Olympic gold medal and membership in the LPGA Hall of Fame to her resume since last year’s tournament. Actors Don Cheadle and Larry The Cable Guy, NBA stars Blake Griffin and Ray Allen, and Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Charles Woodson are just some of the celebs hitting the links Thursday, 1/30 through Sunday, 2/2. Tickets and more information are available online at http://www.HGVLPGA.com.

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Golf

The ANNIKA Golf Tournament Welcomes WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark

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Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

BELLEAIR, Fla. (FNN) – The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair tees off Wednesday, 11/13 with a Pro-Am featuring WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday, as the LPGA golfers compete for their share of a $3.25 million purse, while also trying to secure their spot in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It’s the fifth year of competition for this tournament, named after Annika Sorenstam, who is one of just two players to currently have a tournament named after her on the PGA Tour. Proceeds from this tournament benefit the ANNIKA Foundation, which aims to develop, empower, and advance young women around the world through golf and in life.

The ANNIKA Award (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The field of 120 includes Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Lydia Ko, Brittany Lincicome, and many more top golfers. Annika Sorenstam will particpate in the Pro-Am, but the appearance of Caitlin Clark has certainly boosted ticket sales, and helped to sell out tickets for the Women’s Leadership Summit, where Clark spoke Tuesday.

Back-to-back hurricanes knocked down 40 trees and left twenty inches of rain on the fairways and greens for days. But the course is ready for this weekend’s tournament.

If you’d like to check out the tournament, visit www.theannika.com for tickets and additional information. Be sure to follow www.FloridaSportsChannel.com and www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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