GOLF

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Harold Varner III worked up the courage to ask a favor of Tiger Woods for a close friend with colon cancer.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Masters in his rearview mirror, Justin Rose is excited about what he calls the next stage of the golf year.

AVONDALE, La. (AP) Ryan Palmer and Jon Rahm shot a 3-under 69 in the alternate-shot final round Sunday to win the Zurich Classic, beating Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood by three strokes in the PGA Tour''s only team event.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) Tiger Woods hopes winning the Masters to end 11 years without a major will be a spark in his renewed pursuit of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) Two-time champion Ernie Els has been given a special exemption to the U.S. Open for the second straight year.

Masters champion Tiger Woods is adding to his international travels at the end of this year, announcing Wednesday night that he will compete in Japan for the first time in 13 years at the new Zozo Championship.

The phone started ringing in the days after Tiger Woods won the Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Four members of a Texas family have been charged with federal crimes in what prosecutors say was a scheme that used stolen identities to get tickets to the Masters golf tournament, then resell those tickets at a healthy profit.

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) Scott McCarron topped the leaderboard at 4 under with two holes left Friday when first-round play in the rain-delayed Mitsubishi Electric Classic was suspended because of darkness.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The player who takes the fewest strokes might not win the Tour Championship because of the radical scoring change for the FedEx Cup in which the top seed will start at 10-under par with a two-shot advantage.

The 2019 Masters, golf’s first major of the year, will tee off from the historic Augusta National Golf on April 11.

The second major of the season, the US Open, makes a long-awaited return to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York on Thursday. Shinnecock Hills, a 7,440-yard par 70, will host this event for the fifth time in it's 127-year history and the first since 2004.

The PGA Tour heads to the TPC Southwind, a par-70, 7,244 yard course in Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the final stop before the US Open.