SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Phil Mickelson is used to being a spectator when the Ryder Cup comes to Europe.

In a repeat of four years ago, Mickelson didn’t play at all Saturday at Le Golf National, reduced to a role of cheerleader and occasional coach while the rest of the team got on the course for at least one session.

Mickelson wasn’t happy with his omission in Gleneagles, ripping into captain Tom Watson after the Sunday singles finished off Europe’s 16 1/2-11 1/2 triumph.

The leader of this team, Jim Furyk, said Mickelson was more understanding about getting left on the sideline. He was out cheering during the afternoon foursomes, even allowing his teammates to rub his belly for good luck.

“Phil is a really good friend,” Furyk said. “We talked earlier this week about his play and how he was playing and his opportunities for play this week. He fully understood the role that he had today. Gave me a pat on the back and put his arm around me … (and) we had a great conversation. He said he would be ready tomorrow.”

Mickelson lost his only match Friday, dropping his career Ryder Cup record to 18-21-7. He has the most losses than any player in U.S. history, though Tiger Woods is now only one behind after three straight defeats in France.

Mickelson went out to practice Saturday morning, hopeful of getting another shot at playing the afternoon. But Furyk texted him about the time the pairings were submitted, letting him know he would be sitting out again.

Furyk conceded that he expected Mickelson to play more at the beginning of the week. But he’s struggled with his driving, and a poor showing Friday led the captain to go a different way.

But Furyk said Mickelson is still an asset to the team, even when he’s not playing.

“You’ve got him in your team room,” Furyk said. “He’s funny, he’s sarcastic, witty, likes to poke fun at people, and he’s a great guy to have in the team room. I think the younger players had fun having a go at him as well this week, which was fun to see. He provides a lot more than just play.

“I know Phil. He wants to be out there just like everyone else. That’s part of being a team and part of this event. We have 12 amazing players, and they can’t all play every match, and you accept what you get.”

Lefty will be back on the course one more time for singles matches Sunday, facing one of the hottest European players, Francesco Molinari. The British Open champion teamed with Tommy Fleetwood to win all four of their matches, propelling Europe to a 10-6 edge heading to the final day.

Furyk is counting on the 48-year-old Mickelson to give the Americans a boost at the back end of the singles draw. He’ll be playing in the ninth of 12 matches.

“I hope that our guys get off to a fast start and put him in that position,” the captain said.

FINAL MESSAGE

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas won both their matches Saturday, both at the expense of Ian Poulter, who has built his reputation at these matches. Poulter’s signature move is to pound the Ryder Cup crest on his chest with his fist.

Spieth had the final word.

When he made birdie on the 15th hole to close out Poulter and Rory McIlroy in fourballs, he pounded his chest four times.

“He pounded his chest earlier on us today, so I was waiting for the right moment, and I think to win the match this afternoon felt like the right time,” Spieth said. “Clearly, we’re down four points, so in the scheme of things, we shouldn’t necessarily be celebrating. But for us two to get that point and the way that we played today and the battle that we had with those guys both matches, it was emotional.”

Spieth has one TV memory of Poulter, from the 2012 matches at Medinah. Poulter is most famous for making birdie on the last five holes to win the last team match Saturday evening. He pounded his chest because of the raw emotion, and Europe rode the momentum to rally from a 10-6 deficit the next day.

RORY’S OUTBURST

A taunt from a spectator beside the third green prompted an aggressive response from Rory McIlroy.

After rolling in an 8-foot putt for birdie to halve the hole with Ian Poulter against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the foursomes, McIlroy reacted by turning to the crowd and seemingly picking out one spectator in particular.

“Who can’t putt?” McIlroy shouted, before tapping his chest. “I can putt. I can putt.”

As he spun to pick the ball out of the cup, McIlroy uttered some more words.

European captain Thomas Bjorn said he was unaware of the incident.

“If it was a big problem for Rory,” Bjorn said, “he would have mentioned it to me.”

CAPTAINS’ PICKS

European captain Thomas Bjorn apparently picked the right four players for his team, even though three of them have not won a tournament this year.

Sergio Garcia, already a boost in the team room, teamed with rookie Alex Noren to split their two foursomes matches and with Rory McIlroy to win in fourballs. Henrik Stenson delivered the key putts in a foursomes victory with Justin Rose. Ian Poulter won a fourballs match Friday and gave a boost to McIlroy.

Add them up and his picks have contributed a combined six points.

As for Jim Furyk?

Tiger Woods is 0-3. Phil Mickelson lost his only match – he didn’t even play on Saturday. Bryson DeChambeau has lost foursomes matches while paired with Mickelson on Friday and Woods on Saturday. The only point came from Tony Finau – his final pick – in the opening match of the Ryder Cup.

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – He’d had a rough morning, the only player to start Day 1 of the Ryder Cup without making birdie.

The afternoon for Rory McIlroy at Le Golf National wasn’t proving that much better. He found a bunker on No. 2, missed a sinkable putt on No. 3, then another on No. 11. Had it not been for the steadying dependability of partner Ian Poulter, it seemed McIlroy might melt down altogether.

So when, on No. 13, McIlroy decided to go for what seemed like an impossibly optimistic approach shot, alarms rang. Really, Rory? Is this wise?

–The ball was nastily placed, stuck on a steep grass bank and below his feet. McIlroy had to squat to reach it. Slip and he’d slide into the lake directly in front of him. Another lake lurked up ahead, ready to swallow the ball if McIlroy failed to get under it.

That McIlroy delivered the ball onto the green with an assured plop, as though the outcome had never been in doubt, said as much about his mental strength as it did about his golfing skills. It was quite possibly the shot of Day 1 . McIlroy’s grin was ear to ear.

“I had full faith in Rors to get it somewhere on the green,” Poulter said. “I said 60 foot would be nice, but what a clutch shot to get it to 25, 30 feet.”

From there, Poulter did the rest, ignoring the stiff breeze that scratched at the ancient oaks which surround the hole. When the ball dropped, Poulter thumped his chest and shoulder-barged McIlroy, who tipped his head back and roared at the sky in joy.

“A little bit of a wind assist to hold its line as it was rolling towards the hole,” Poulter said. “It was nice to see it drop in.”

The one-two blow from McIlroy and then Poulter on that hole knocked the last fight out of the U.S. pairing of Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson. The birdie putt moved the European pairing to 3-up. They wrapped up victory three holes later, winning 4 and 2 to do their bit in an historic Friday afternoon for Europe. All four European pairings won, the first time that has happened in foursomes.

Although McIlroy and Poulter played fourballs together at the Ryder Cups of 2014 and 2012, this was their first pairing in foursomes. They started poorly: Poulter hit into water off the first tee. They were 2-down after three holes.

McIlroy kick-started the recovery with a 7-foot birdie putt on No. 6. Staring intently at a group of U.S. fans in the crowd, he raised a finger to his lips. The message was clear: Zip it.

The European pair won the next three holes, too, for a shift in momentum that McIlroy’s magical shot on No. 13 then helped set in concrete.

Having lost his morning match in a fourballs pairing with Thorbjorn Olesen, the win was a welcome fillip for McIlroy, given that there’s plenty more golf to play.

“You have to persist,” he said. “Persist, persist, persist, until it turns around for you.”

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Tony Finau took the scenic route around Le Golf National.

Down to the edge of the water at the first hole.

Up and over a fence at the seventh.

Right into the water at the 15th.

Then, with three holes to go Friday and the Americans desperately needing a break in the opening match of the Ryder Cup, Finau went to his bank shot.

That would seem a better option in basketball, a sport he once played so well he was offered a college scholarship.

Well, Finau made it work at the golf course.

“Sometimes the ball rolls your way,” he said with a shrug, “and sometimes it doesn’t.”

At the par-3 16th, where the water spreads out in front of the green, promising to swallow up any errant shot, Finau launched one toward the flag 177 yards away.

As soon as he struck the ball, he knew it was close.

So did his caddie. So did his fourballs teammate, Brooks Koepka. So did everyone who watched it get caught by the stiffening breeze.

“I knew it needed to get up,” Finau said. “I was kind of wishing for that while it was in the air. I got lucky.”

Lucky, indeed.

His shot caught one of the wooden planks that divide the water from dry land, deflected onto the green and stopped about 3 feet from the cup.

A few minutes later, with the European fans actually booing his good fortune, Finau tapped in the birdie to even the match. At the 18th hole, Justin Rose dumped one in the water, Jon Rahm missed a putt and the Americans somehow escaped with a 1-up victory.

It was the first time they had led all day.

Afterward, all the talk was about No. 16.

“That was a huge turning point in our match,” Finau said. “I was able to brush that one in and get our match all-square. Honestly, the momentum was on our side because they were 2-up and looking to close us out, and we were able to stretch that match out, and then we played incredible golf on 18 to win the match.”

Not bad for a Ryder Cup rookie.

Finau, who is Tongan and Samoan descent and grew up in Utah to working-class parents who scraped together every spare dollar so he’d have a chance to play, earned his spot on the U.S. team with a strong season that included Top 10s at three of majors and a spot in the finals of the FedEx Cup playoff.

Still, it was a bit of a surprise when he was picked to play the opening fourballs match with Koepka – and then got the honour of hitting the very first shot of the weekend.

Clearly pumped as he stood before a massive grandstand holding nearly 7,000 fans, Finau nearly knocked his ball into the water – some 300 yards away – with a 3-iron that was merely intended as a lay-up.

“The first tee shot was not like anything I’ve been involved in before,” Finau said. “It was like a feeling of a football game back in the States, an NFL football game, and I’m in the middle of the field and I have to hit a tee shot. I have to make a golf swing with all that adrenaline. It was incredible.”

So began an adventurous day that included a tee shot slicing out of bounds, a shot that did get wet, not to mention a chip-in for eagle at No. 6.

Koepka had his struggles, too, notably when a woeful tee shot caught a fan in the eye, leaving her bleeding and in need of medical care. It wasn’t immediately known how seriously she was injured.

Through it all, Finau and Koepka never got flustered.

“In these type of matches, you can’t show your weakness. You can’t show that you have any kind of emotional weakness or you’ll get eaten alive,” Finau said. “It’s frustrating not to hit the shot you want to hit, but you’ve got to control your emotions. We were able to do that and that’s why we were able to pull this match off.”

That, and a big break at No. 16.

MAMARONECK, N.Y. –  A quartet of Canadian junior golfers became one step closer winning it all at the esteemed Winged Foot Golf Club, one of 10 regional qualifiers for the 2019 Drive Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National.

Leading the group that advanced was Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, who returns for a record-tying fourth championship. The 12-year-old captured last year’s 10-11 division to become the second Canadian to win a title (Savannah Grewal won the Girls 14-15 division in 2017).

“Brooke Henderson and Tiger Woods are her idols and she wants to follow in their footsteps,” said her dad, Dino, noting that Vanessa is also a two-time winner of the U.S. Kids World Championship.

Joining Borovilos are three first-time participants: Carter Lavigne (Moncton, N.B. | Boys 7-9), Andy Mac (Candiac, Que. | Boys 10-11) and Nicole Gal (Oakville, Ont. | Girls 14-15).

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2018 champion Vanessa Borovilos was 1 of 4 Canadian juniors to advance to the @DriveChipandPutt finals from the Winged Foot Regional Qualifier ???? – Carter Lavigne (Moncton, N.B. | Boys 7-9) Andy Mac (Candiac, Que. | Boys 10-11) Nicole Gal (Oakville, Ont. | Girls 14-15) #DriveChipandPutt

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Sep 28, 2018 at 7:06am PDT

“I heard that going to the Masters is a religious experience and this is pretty close,” said Darsey Lavigne, whose son Carter, from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, advanced by winning the Boys 7-9 age group.

Earlier in September, Canadian Anna Jiaxin Huang of Vancouver advanced to the final in the Chambers Bay qualifier at Chambers Bay, Wash.

There are two more regional qualifiers to be conducted to fill the final field of 60 juniors.

All five juniors will look to be crowned champion at the Drive, Chip & Putt final on April 7, 2019.

Click here for scoring.

The Canadian equivalent—Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge National Event— will be contested on Saturday, June 1 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Borovilos finished 2nd in the 2017 Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Il n’y a pas à s’étonner que la chronique de golf en devienne une d’affaires avec la confirmation de la vente de non pas un mais deux clubs de golf.

Il s’agit de Summerlea, à Vaudreuil-Dorion, et Le Mémorial, à Shawinigan, sur lequel on élabore davantage dans un autre texte internet et infolettre selon la plate-forme sur laquelle vous nous suivez.

Une autre très bonne nouvelle est que les acquéreurs affirment leur volonté de maintenir la vocation golf aux deux endroits ce qui n’a pas été toujours le cas lors d’autres transactions avec l’immobilier ayant  souvent été le motif de la transaction.

À Summerlea, la transaction annoncée en juillet a été officialisée ces derniers jours avec le temps qu’il faut pour régler les détails.

Le coût, 11,5  millions de dollars, pour le site hôte de la LPGA en 1981 et 2002 (Omnium canadien) et du quatuor Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo et Nick Price (Skins Game) en 1996.

36 trous, un minimum de cinq ans et un investissement immédiat

Jean-Marie Bourassa est à la barre d’un quatuor des nouveaux proprios complété par son frère Marcel, Raymond Allard et Sylvain Ménard. Le principal porte-parole s’est montré très rassurant à propos de la suite.

Les 36 trous à Summerlea, un club de prestige à l’endroit actuel depuis 1963 et qui célébrera son centenaire en 2021 en ajoutant les débuts à Lachine, sont là  pour rester. Neuf trous sont dans la mire pour la construction, mais cela pas avant cinq ans.

Cela dit, l’endroit ne restera pas pour autant en situation de statu quo. Une relance est entreprise ou sur le point de l’être sur le site passé de 1200 à 450 menues.

Dans un premier temps, une somme de 1,5 million de dollars sera investie durant l’entre saison pour rafraîchir le pavillon et les installations.

La relance déjà entreprise 

«Mais le changement le plus majeur surviendra du côté de l’ambiance», de  dire M. Bourassa à John Meagher, du journal The Gazette.

Selon le président Rick Bougie, l’acquisition et le nouvel élan font le bonheur des membres qui deviennent ex-actionnaires. L’idée est de recruter de 75 à 100 membres en prévision du printemps 2019 et une trentaine se sont déjà enrôlés.

Les quatre propriétaires ont recruté Marco Jetté, longtemps associé au club voisin de Whitlock, à titre de nouveau directeur général afin de faire dorénavant équipe en compagnie Jim Vandette, populaire professionnel / directeur des opérations golf et le surintendant John Scott en n’oubliant surtout pas le pro émérite Duke Doucet, efficace dans son rôle d’ambassadeur.

Summerlea compte dans ses rangs le champion golfeur-architecte et membre du Panthéon canadien Graham Cooke de même que Céleste Dao et Christopher Vandette, le fils de Jim, qui sont les deux titulaires au pays chez les juniors ce qui représente un très rarissime honneur en histoire.

***

Annie Gilbert revient au bercail pour y acquérir le club Mémorial    

À compter de novembre prochain, le club Le Mémorial aura une propriétaire très familière aux affaires. La famille Buisson, de la Société Laurentides, confirme la vente du parcours, dans le secteur Shawinigan-Sud, au Groupe Angil Inc.

Voilà une heureuse nouvelle pour les membres puisque la famille ne comptait pas vraiment poursuivre en 2019 voulant repenser ses opérations.

La présidente Annie Gilbert est un ex-Shawiniganaise. Après vingt ans de succès dans les projets immobiliers sur la rive sud de Montréal, la dame revient au berceau y investir. Malgré la vacation de l’entreprise de Madame Gilbert, le Mémorial va rester un golf à l’instar de Summerlea comme vous pouvez lire dans un texte sur internet ou l’infolettre.

Signes rassurants pour les membres 

Annie Gilbert et son conjoint André Auclair, professionnel depuis 1989 et qui dirige son école de golf à Carignan, se font vite faits rassurants envers les membres. Des investissements y seront planifiés pour bonifier l’expérience.

«Je suis heureuse de contribuer à la relance du golf de la ville où j’ai grandi. Mon  équipe et moi sommes prêts à reprendre le flambeau de la famille Buisson», a commenté Madame Gilbert.

Les membres seront davantage fixés très bientôt. Madame Gilbert devait les rencontrer au tournoi de fermeture du 28. La famille Buisson remercie ses employés, les membres et les habitués du Mémorial au fil des ans.

Aucun chiffre au sujet de l’acquisition n’a été dévoilé et ne le sera probablement jamais, les deux entreprises étant privées. Le prix demandé était de 1,5 million pour le golf et les terrains avoisinants avant les négociations évidemment.

Adam Helmer – Golf Canada’s director of Rules, competitions and amateur status – has been at the heart of Canadian golf championships for over 10 years.

The Ottawa native oversees the administration of over 30 championships conducted annually by Golf Canada. Among his responsibilities are refereeing the premier Canadian professional events: the RBC Canadian Open (PGA TOUR) and CP Women’s Open (LPGA Tour). In addition to the competitions, Helmer plays an integral role in the Rules of golf modernization project that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

As the lead on Rules and competitions, high on Helmer’s list of challenges is addressing pace of play.

The International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA) has more on Helmer here.

ROBERTS CREEK, B.C. – Golf Canada’s eighth and final regional junior golf championship of 2018 is set to take begin on Friday as the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series continues at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club.

The tournament marks the second instalment of the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series — a two-championship extension taking place for the first time in the fall of 2018. With the addition, the Future Links championship series now features eight tournaments through the course of the season, each hosted in conjunction with the respective provincial association.

The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on Sept. 27 before the tournament gets underway with round one on Sept. 28.

Originally designed by Ernie Brown, with later additions from Les Furber, the Sunshine Coast course has boasted stunning mountain and ocean views since opening in 1969. The lush fairways and winding forest holes will challenge up-and-coming junior golfers in Golf Canada’s final championship of the 2018 season.

“British Columbia Golf is excited to host our first Fall Series event with Golf Canada at one of our province’s many beautiful facilities,” said Greg Moody, tournament director with British Columbia Golf. “Hosting another Future Links regional championship provides additional opportunity for Canada’s top junior golfers to showcase their skills and continue their development.”

The field will consist of 62 junior golfers with the top six earning exemptions into their respective Canadian Junior National Championship.

Forty-five boys will vie for one of three spots into the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 11-15, at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.

The Junior Girls Division will see 17 girls battle to earn an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 29 – Aug. 2, at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

A tie for the third position in the Junior Boys division will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play.

Results for previous 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Championship can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Quebec, Prairie, Atlantic, Fall series (Quebec).

Click here for scoring, pairings and additional information.

Golf Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) are proud to name the two athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in golf at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Ares, Argentina from October 6-18, 2018.

Celeste Dao, 17, of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. will represent Canada in the girls’ golf competition while William Duquette, 17, of Laval, Que. will compete in the boys’ event.

The two golf athletes earned their spots on the Canadian Youth Olympic Team based on a collection of 2018 championship results as well as their standing on the Canadian Golf Order of Merit as of August 9^th, 2018.

“We are very pleased to announce that Celeste Dao and William Duquette have been selected as the athletes to represent Canadian golf at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “Both of these talented competitors are eager to succeed in representing Canada on the international stage and have shown tremendous progress in their development.”

The Golf competition at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games will be held at the Hurlingham Club, from October 9-15. The boys’ and girls’ 54-hole individual competition runs October 9-11 with a 54-hole mixed-gender competition running October 13-15.

A total of 64 golfers are eligible to take part in the golf competition including 32 male and 32 female athletes.

Celeste Dao

Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. is in her first year as a member of Golf Canada’s National Development Squad. She won the recent 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship as well as the 2018 Mexican Junior Girls Championship. In May, she played her way into the 2018 US Women’s Open by earning medalist honours at a Regional Qualifier. In August, she earned an exemption to compete in her first-ever CP Women’s Open at The Wascana Country Club in Regina. She was also named to one of Canada’s two entries in the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship at Camelot Golf and Country Club in Ottawa where she finished fifth in the individual competition and helped Canada One finish fourth among 19 countries. 

William Duquette

A native of Laval, Que., William Duquette’s season includes a fourth place finish at the Quebec Junior Boys Championship, T29 at the Quebec Men’s Amateur, T22 at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and T48 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Last season, he won the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship and had top-five finishes at both the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational and Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship.

The Quebec duo will be accompanied by Matt Wilson, Golf Canada’s Director, Next Generation and Women’s Development Team Coach.

The 2018 Games will mark the second time that the sport of golf is included in the Youth Olympic Games after making its inaugural including in the 2014 Games in Nanjing, China.

PRATTVILLE, Ala. — Entering the final round of the second annual Guardian Championship, Kendall Dye (Edmond, Oklahoma) trailed by two shots, but a 6-under par 66 performance this afternoon erased that deficit and helped claim her fourth career Symetra Tour title.

The University of Oklahoma alumna concluded the 19th event of the Symetra Tour season at 16-under par overall to raise the trophy, one shot ahead of Ruixin Liu (Dalian, China) and Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea).

“I never really thought that I would get four professional victories out here, but I am so grateful,” said Dye, who recorded seven birdies and only one bogey today. “There was a lot of great competition and I thought if I gave myself a lot of good opportunities, make a few more putts than the last few days, then I could shoot something low. I’m thankful we got it done.”

In a week that shook the golf world with the tragic loss of Celia Barquin Arozamena (Puente San Miguel, Spain) last Monday, Dye joined the 120-player field in wearing Iowa State University hats donated by New Era and memorial ribbons throughout tournament play. During the trophy presentation, the first thing Dye talked about was dedicating the win to Barquin Arozamena.

“It was a very important week for all of us across the sport, especially in the women’s game,” Dye said. “I wanted to be the person to win this week in honor of Celia. We are going to carry on her legacy and play our hearts out for her each and every day. This is for her and her family.”

Meanwhile, the occasion etches Dye into the history books as the first two-time winner on the Symetra Tour in 2018. Up to this point, there had been 18 different champions for the season, but Dye becomes the first to step into the winner’s circle multiple times.

“I don’t set a ton of goals, but when I was told that no one had a repeat victory this year, I wanted to be that person to do it,” said Dye, who also won the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY in late July. “I was late getting out here since I spent most of the year on the LPGA Tour, so it’s important to get my full membership for next year. I was really excited to play this week and if you can wake and still be excited late in the fourth quarter of the season like this, that’s a good thing.”

The result launches Dye from No. 23 to No. 7 in the Volvik Race for the Card. With two events remaining, the battle for the top-10 to earn full LPGA membership for 2019 still faces its biggest tests yet.

“It’s kind of like today, you can’t play prevent defense out here, you have to go and be hungry to win,” Dye said. “I don’t look at the money list because I’m not that smart to add it all up, I just come out here and play golf, get the ball in the hole. My experience will hopefully pay off. I’m really excited for the finish.”

Canadian Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City finished in a tie for 5th at 12 under par after an even-par 72 on Sunday. The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member held the 36-hole lead after setting a personal record through two rounds, but couldn’t keep it rolling into the finale.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Florida – The 2018 Web.com Tour season came to a close on Sunday in Atlantic Beach, Florida, as the Web.com Tour Championship wrapped up the sixth-annual Web.com Tour Finals. University of Virginia alum Denny McCarthy won the season-ending event, where 25 players secured their PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season.

The Web.com Tour awarded a first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season at the conclusion of the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz in August, with a second set of 25 solidified at the conclusion of the Finals.

South Korea native Sungjae Im began his rookie season with a win at the season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. The 20-year-old backed up his win with a runner-up finish the following week, essentially locking up a spot in The 25 at the end of the Regular Season. Im continued his momentum throughout the year, winning the Regular Season-ending WinCo Foods Portland Open to end the year with two victories and six additional top-10 finishes. Im’s performance continued into the Finals, allowing him to win the combined money list. Im became the first player in Tour history to lead the money list wire-to-wire for the duration of the season and became the first Korean-born player to be named a money list winner.

McCarthy graduated from the Web.com Tour via the Web.com Tour Finals in 2017, picking up three top-20 finishes in the four-event series to earn his first PGA TOUR card. The 25-year-old struggled in his rookie season on TOUR, however, carding just one top-10 finish in 22 starts. The three-time Maryland Open winner found his stride in the 2018 Web.com Tour Finals, notching four top-13 finishes, capped off by a win Sunday in Atlantic Beach.

By virtue of winning their respective money titles, Im and McCarthy have earned fully-exempt status on the PGA TOUR next year, which includes a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, located just minutes from Atlantic Beach.

Meet The 50 newest @PGATOUR members, as they receive their 2018-19 TOUR cards @WebTourChamp. https://t.co/2gshI6PvHM

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 23, 2018

Jim Knous picked up the 25^th and final card with a par-save on the last. The Colorado School of Mines alum had a breakout sophomore season on Tour in 2018, picking up five top-25 finishes in the Regular Season to earn his first Web.com Tour Finals berth. Knous continued his strong play into the Finals, where he finished T10-T25-T24 in the first three events before eventually finishing at No. 25 on the Finals-only money list.

Finishing 26^th on the Finals money list Justin Lower, who earned $41,441 to finish $490 behind Knous. Lower had a career-best season on Tour in 2019, earning a Web.com Tour Finals berth for the first time in his career. The Malone University alum was on the bubble all week, but ultimately missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 72^nd hole at Atlantic Beach CC to come up just shy.

The 25 players from the Web.com Tour Finals money list will join the 25 players from the Regular Season money list on the PGA TOUR. The 25 from the Regular Season are below: