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PGA news: Jordan Spieth hands back U.S. Open trophy

By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
Jordan Spieth holds trophy after winning the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay on June 21, 2015 in University Place, Washington. Spieth won by one stroke with five under par. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
1 of 5 | Jordan Spieth holds trophy after winning the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay on June 21, 2015 in University Place, Washington. Spieth won by one stroke with five under par. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Jordan Spieth is looking forward to defending his title in the U.S. Open in two weeks at Oakmont.

Recently, he had to part ways with the trophy from the national championship event.

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"I already had to give it back, so I already went through that process, so that's good," said Spieth who also had to leave the Green Jacket he won in 2015 at Augusta National, as now he can only wear it on the grounds after having it with him for a year.

"It's over with. ... Yeah, I had to give the trophy back."

Spieth claimed a one-stroke victory in the U.S. Open last year at Chambers Bay when Dustin Johnson three-putted the final green with a chance to win.

At Oakmont, he will try to become the first back-to-back U.S. Open winner since Curtis Strange in 1988-89.

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"I had a last few moments with (the trophy) and said, 'Don't worry, you'll be back here,'" Spieth said. "Yeah, took one last drink out of it, and then we cleaned it up and sent it back."

And what was Spieth's beverage of choice for the last drink?

"Water."

Senior PGA Championship

KitchenAid, presenting sponsor of the Senior PGA Championship since 2011, will become title sponsor of the tournament beginning next year, the PGA of America announced.

The eight-year title sponsorship will extend through 2024.

"We're delighted with the evolution of our relationship with KitchenAid," PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua said. "Since 2011, KitchenAid has had an integral role in elevating this Championship to unprecedented heights, and the brand's commitment to major championship golf enables us to collectively explore new frontiers in all areas of player, fan and sponsorship engagement."

The 2017 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is scheduled to be played at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va. It will return to the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich., where it was played last week, in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

The Senior PGA Championship dates to 1937, when Jock Hutchinson claimed the title at Augusta National.

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Women's PGA Championship

Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark, one of the top players on the Ladies European Tour, accepted a special exemption to play in the 2016 KPMG Women's PGA Championship from June 9-12 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

Larsen, 23, is No. 8 on the 2016 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit, or money list, and No. 77 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. She is Denmark's top-ranked women's player and is expected to represent her country in the 2016 Olympics Games at Rio de Janeiro in August.

In her third year on the LET, Larsen will be making her first appearance in the United States as a professional and will play in only her third major championship.

Last year, Larsen competed in the Ricoh Women's British Open and the Evian Championship in France.

In 2015, Larsen was voted the LET "Players' Player of the Year" after finishing third on the Order of Merit. She started playing golf at age 9 and was selected to the Danish national team at 14.

Julianne Alvarez

Freshman Julianne Alvarez lipped out a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole that would have given Washington the national championship.

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Given another chance, Alvarez chipped to within inches of the cup for a winning par on the 20th hole to give the Huskies a 3-2 victory over defending national champion Stanford in the match-play final of the NCAA Women's Championships at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

Alvarez, from New Zealand, turned back senior Lauren Kim, who barely missed a 12-foot putt to prolong the match, and gave Washington its first NCAA women's golf title.

"I knew Lauren is a good player and that she wasn't going to give up," said Alvarez, who had a 3-up lead before Kim won the last three holes of regulation to pull even. "I knew I had to do it for my team and had to just go on to the next shot.

"I was just focused on getting the ball in the hole as quickly as I could."

Ying Luo, a Washington senior from China, put the Huskies on the verge of the national title when she wedged her third shot into the 18th hole from the fairway to claim a 1-up victory over junior Casey Danielson, who was 5-0 in NCAA match play for Stanford the last two years before that moment.

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Said Luo: "I stood behind my ball and imagined it going into the hole."

Senior Mariah Stackhouse, who scored the decisive point for the Cardinal in the final against Baylor last year, rallied from 3 down with four holes to play to get Stanford even at 2-2 when she beat Washington freshman Sarah Rhee with a par on the 20th hole.

"I'm just so proud," said Mary Lou Mulflur, who has coached the Huskies for 32 years. "I knew today was going to be a battle. We just kept going and didn't give in. And the chip-in on the 18th hole by Luo was unbelievable. To come through like that was just incredible. ... It's almost like it was fate, it was destiny."

Sophomore Shannon Aubert gave Stanford its first point with a 3-and-2 victory over senior Charlotte Thomas of England, while freshman Wenyung Keh of New Zealand put Washington on the board with a 4-and-3 win over freshman Sierra Kersten.

Stewart Cink

Stewart Cink announced recently that he would take a leave of absence to be with his wife, Lisa, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

So it was a little surprising that Cink played last week in the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.

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Cink posted a note on Twitter announcing his decision to play.

"Last minute decision to compete this week @DeanDeLucaInv in Fort Worth. @lisacink bouncing back in her third week of first chemo cycle. Future schedule uncertain, likely to be sporadic. Mainly plan to be there for @lisacink. Will throw in some events when she's feeling well."

Lisa Cink went through a battery of tests at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which revealed stage 4 breast cancer.

She is undergoing treatment, which includes chemotherapy.

"Her organs are clear so far," Cink said. "We know what we are facing. Now it is about the treatment. We're in a fight. ... We were in a huge cloud of doubt and fear of what may lie ahead. We didn't know what we were facing. ...

"Earlier this month, I didn't feel like I'd ever want to play again. Now we have a handle on what it is, and we know what we're dealing with and what to expect."

Cink shot 72-75--147 and missed the cut by six strokes at Colonial Country Club.

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