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Jhonattan Vegas wins the 3M Open with a closing birdie, his first victory in 7 years

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Jhonattan Vegas wins the 3M Open with a closing birdie, his first victory in 7 years
Sport

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Jhonattan Vegas wins the 3M Open with a closing birdie, his first victory in 7 years

2024-07-29 07:37 Last Updated At:07:42

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas won for the first time in nearly seven years, holing a 3-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 and a one-shot victory over Max Greyserman at the 3M Open on Sunday.

Vegas finished at 17-under 267 at the windy TPC Twin Cities. It’s his fourth PGA Tour victory and first for the 39-year-old from Venezuela since he won his second straight Canadian Open in 2017. He finished second in the 2021 event.

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Sahith Theegala waits to hit on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Sahith Theegala waits to hit on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Taylor Pendrith hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Taylor Pendrith hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maverick McNealy hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maverick McNealy hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Max Greyserman hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Max Greyserman hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas walks on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas walks on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar reacts after making his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar reacts after making his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas, right, celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yourio after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas, right, celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yourio after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas waves to fans after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas waves to fans after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas kisses the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas kisses the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his wife Hildegard, left, son Louis and daughter Sharlene after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his wife Hildegard, left, son Louis and daughter Sharlene after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

“We’re just trying to have a great week and obviously a great week turned into a win. I’m out of my head right now, so it’s incredible,” Vegas said with the trophy a couple of feet away.

After a more than 11-minute wait on the tee box at the 598-yard, par-5 final hole, Vegas hit an ideal drive. Another lengthy delay followed, and he pulled his 7-iron approach to the far left corner of the green, leaving a 96-foot putt.

Vegas, who did not three-putt all week, had perfect pace on his long eagle try to set up his short winner.

“I didn’t really think much about the length of it. It was just another putt, right? At the end of the day you have to try to figure it out. I know we putted really well, those long putts I’ve been hitting them pretty solid,” he said.

Playing on a major medical extension after being limited to seven starts last season because of right elbow and shoulder surgeries, Vegas is still experiencing complications.

“I felt (the shoulder) right away on the first hole,” he said. “It was a nightmare, but luckily stayed calm and I was able to play pretty solid and not make huge mistakes.”

The victory helped ease any pain.

“Nothing feels better than this,” he said.

Greyserman, a 29-year-old PGA Tour rookie, made a charge with an 8-under 63, including a 30 on the back nine that was capped by a spectacular birdie on the 18th.

After missing his drive to the left, he hit a hard draw with a 4-iron through a trio of trees from 260 yards. The ball landed on the green, 79 feet from the hole, and he two-putted for birdie and his lowest round of the year.

“Normally I think about, ‘Oh, you have to play a little bit to the fat side of the pin if there’s trouble or not.’ At that point in the tournament you’ve just got to go for it, so I just went for it,” Greyserman said.

Moments later, Vegas birdied the 15th hole for the fourth time this week to match Greyserman at 16 under.

Maverick McNealy (70) and Matt Kuchar (71) finished third, two shots back. Kuchar was looking for his first win since the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii; McNealy remains winless.

“I hadn’t had this opportunity in a while and to be in the last group Sunday to have the lead for a moment there was an exciting day. Certainly wish I could have done more,” Kuchar said.

Taylor Pendrith (67), the leader after two rounds, finished fifth at 14 under, one shot better than Kurt Kitayama (66), Patrick Fishburn (70) and Sahith Theegala (70).

Vegas and Greyserman moved into the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings and into position for the PGA Tour playoffs, which begin in three weeks.

Greyserman started the week 88th in the standings. Vegas was 149th, six spots ahead of Kuchar, the only player to qualify for the playoffs every year since they began in 2007. The 46-year-old Kuchar moved up 44 spots to No. 111.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Sahith Theegala waits to hit on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Sahith Theegala waits to hit on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Taylor Pendrith hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Taylor Pendrith hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maverick McNealy hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maverick McNealy hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Max Greyserman hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Max Greyserman hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas walks on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas walks on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar reacts after making his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar reacts after making his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas, right, celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yourio after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas, right, celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yourio after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas waves to fans after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas waves to fans after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas kisses the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas kisses the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his wife Hildegard, left, son Louis and daughter Sharlene after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his wife Hildegard, left, son Louis and daughter Sharlene after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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The Gulf of Whatnow? Mapmakers grapple with Trump's geographic renaming plans

2025-01-23 15:31 Last Updated At:15:40

What's in a name change, after all?

The water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba will be critical to shipping lanes and vacationers whether it’s called the Gulf of Mexico, as it has been for four centuries, or the Gulf of America, as President Donald Trump ordered this week. North America’s highest mountain peak will still loom above Alaska whether it’s called Mt. Denali, as ordered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, or changed back to Mt. McKinley as Trump also decreed.

But Trump's territorial assertions, in line with his “America First” worldview, sparked a round of rethinking by mapmakers and teachers, snark on social media and sarcasm by at least one other world leader. And though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put the Trumpian “Gulf of America” on an official document and some other gulf-adjacent states were considering doing the same, it was not clear how many others would follow Trump's lead.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America “Mexican America.” On Tuesday, she toned it down: “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.”

Map lines are inherently political. After all, they're representations of the places that are important to human beings — and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world.

There’s no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features across the Earth.

“Denali” is the mountain's preferred name for Alaska Natives, while “McKinley" is a tribute to President William McKinley, designated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. China sees Taiwan as its own territory, and the countries surrounding what the United States calls the South China Sea have multiple names for the same body of water.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. Many Arab countries don’t recognize Israel and instead call it Palestine. And in many official releases, Israel calls the occupied West Bank by its biblical name, “Judea and Samaria.”

Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo.

Trump's executive order — titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” — concludes thusly: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”

But what to call the gulf with the 3,700-mile coastline?

“It is, I suppose, an internationally recognized sea, but (to be honest), a situation like this has never come up before so I need to confirm the appropriate convention,” said Peter Bellerby, who said he was talking over the issue with the cartographers at his London company, Bellerby & Co. Globemakers. “If, for instance, he wanted to change the Atlantic Ocean to the American Ocean, we would probably just ignore it."

As of Wednesday night, map applications for Google and Apple still called the mountain and the gulf by their old names. Spokespersons for those platforms did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

A spokesperson for National Geographic, one of the most prominent map makers in the U.S., said this week that the company does not comment on individual cases and referred questions to a statement on its web site, which reads in part that it "strives to be apolitical, to consult multiple authoritative sources, and to make independent decisions based on extensive research.” National Geographic also has a policy of including explanatory notes for place names in dispute, citing as an example a body of water between Japan and the Korean peninsula, referred to as the Sea of Japan by the Japanese and the East Sea by Koreans.

In discussion on social media, one thread noted that the Sears Tower in Chicago was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, though it's still commonly known by its original moniker. Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg, renamed its Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and then switched back to Market Street several years later — with loud complaints both times. In 2017, New York's Tappan Zee Bridge was renamed for the late Gov. Mario Cuomo to great controversy. The new name appears on maps, but “no one calls it that,” noted another user.

“Are we going to start teaching this as the name of the body of water?” asked one Reddit poster on Tuesday.

“I guess you can tell students that SOME PEOPLE want to rename this body of water the Gulf of America, but everyone else in the world calls it the Gulf of Mexico,” came one answer. “Cover all your bases — they know the reality-based name, but also the wannabe name as well.”

Wrote another user: “I'll call it the Gulf of America when I'm forced to call the Tappan Zee the Mario Cuomo Bridge, which is to say never.”

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Peter Bellerby, the founder of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers, holds a globe at a studio in London, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Peter Bellerby, the founder of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers, holds a globe at a studio in London, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - The water in the Gulf of Mexico appears bluer than usual off of East Beach, Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Galveston, Texas. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

FILE - The water in the Gulf of Mexico appears bluer than usual off of East Beach, Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Galveston, Texas. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

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