Hughes trails Mickelson by 1 heading into the weekend
CROMWELL, Conn. – Phil Mickelson figures age might be an asset.
Playing his first tournament since turning 50 this month, the five-time major champion shot a 7-under 63 on Friday in the Travelers Championship to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend.
Lefty said said it was perhaps the wisdom that comes with his age that made him stay within himself instead of going toe-to-toe with his long-hitting playing partners, top-ranked Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.
“There’s some holes I can open it up and try to hit driver, but really I just want to get it in play on a lot of holes and let my wedges take over, and I’ve hit a lot of good wedge shots this week,” said Mickelson, the 2001 and 2002 tournament winner.
Two more players withdrew because of the coronavirus Friday – Denny McCarthy for a positive test, and Bud Cauley, who tested negative, but decided to pull out after playing alongside McCarthy on Thursday. There have been seven COVID-19-related withdrawals.
First-round leader Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., followed an opening 60 with a 68 to drop into a second-place tie with 23-year-old Will Gordon, who led most of the day after shooting an early 62.
Since winning at Pebble Beach early last year for his 44th PGA Tour title, Mickelson has mostly struggled, with far more missed cuts than good finishes.
On Friday at tree-lined TPC River Highlands, Mickelson made a bogey on his second hole before moving up the leaderboard. He made the first of his eight birdies from a green-side bunker on No. 5 and shot 30 on the back nine.
While Mickelson is making his 624th PGA Tour start, Gordon is in his eighth tour event on a sponsor’s exemption.
He had nine birdies and just missed a few others, including on the fourth hole where his 35-foot birdie putt came to rest on the edge of the cup.
The former Vanderbilt star is carrying on a long tradition of young players who received a break at TPC River Highlands. Since 1996, 77 of the tournament’s 98 unrestricted sponsor invitations have gone to players with fewer than 15 starts on the tour and those players have gone on to combine for 90 victories.
“I was supposed to play in three events that got cancelled over COVID, so for those guys to take a chance on me and believe in me means the world,” he said.
McIlroy followed his first-round 63 with a 68. He was tied for fourth, four strokes off the lead and happy to be in contention.
“I know what it feels like to go low out here, so I’ll need a couple of good ones over the weekend,” he said. “But the game feels in decent shape, and obviously get out early tomorrow and try to get back in the mix.
DeChambeau, the third member of the marquee trio, had the most entertaining round of the three. He was 8 under after a 67 that included the strangest bogey of the day.
His tee shot on the par-4 10th hole hit the cart path, rolled and rolled and ended up 428 yards from the tee and 48 yards from the hole.
But after pitching over the green, then chipping back well short of the hole, he missed a 7-foot putt.
“I tried to hit a 35-yard shot and it came out 50 yards, and I’m like, `What is going on?”’ he said. There’s some things I’ve still got to work out and some stuff I clearly don’t understand yet with the wedging.“
McCarthy, who shot an opening-round 67, said he began began feeling sick Thursday night and tested positive for the virus Friday morning.
“I woke up in the middle of the night with additional aches and soreness and sensed something was off,” he said. “I felt like the only thing to do was get tested at that point before I went to the course.”
Cauley, who opened with a 69, had two negative tests Friday. He withdrew “out of an abundance of caution for my peers and everyone involved with the tournament,” he said.
Matt Wallace, the third member of their group, teed off by himself early Friday, shot a 72 to miss the cut.
“I haven’t felt better myself,” he said. “I’m playing with a chance to change my career if I win, so why wouldn’t I play? It’s black and white for me. I tested negative and I can go play.”
McCarthy was the third PGA Tour player to test positive for the virus since its restart and the second this week, joining Cameron Champ, who withdrew Tuesday.
Nick Watney withdrew just before the second round of last week’s RBC Heritage Championship. Webb Simpson, Graeme McDowell, Brooks Koepka and his brother Chase also withdrew from the Travelers after coming into contact with people who had the virus.
McDowell and Brooks Koepka’s caddies both tested positive. Simpson cited the positive test of a family member.
Collin Morikawa, also is heading home, but not because of COVID-19. The 23-year-old Californian missed the cut for the first time in his PGA Tour career after rounds of 72-71.
Morikawa had made 22 straight cuts since turning pro, the longest such streak since Tiger Woods began his PGA Tour career with 25 consecutive cuts.
“It was bound to happen at some point,” Morikawa said. “Who knows when that was going to be. But now I guess we’re going to stop talking about it and I can go and just go on to next week. I’m going to learn a lot from this week.”
Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is the only other Canadian to make the weekend at 4 under following a 1-under 69.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., shot 66 Friday to move to 1 under, missing the 4-under cutline, while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot his second straight 72 to finish 4 over.
There is rain in the forecast for Saturday, with the players grouped in threesomes and started on the first and 10th tees.
Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes shoots 60 at opening round of Travelers
CROMWELL, Conn. – Mackenzie Hughes had the best round of his professional career Thursday morning, but in his mind it’s still not the best he’s ever played.
The Canadian shot an opening round 10-under 60 at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship, making 10 birdies and no bogeys to lead Rory McIlroy by three shots among the round’s early finishers.
“I’ve probably had more like meaningful rounds of say 65 or 66, but as far as going low and how I felt about the game, it’s definitely probably top five,” Hughes told reporters over a remote news conference.
Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., had a chance to shoot the 12th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, but missed a 40-foot putt for birdie on hole No. 9, his 18th hole of the day.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is the only Canadian to shoot under 60, carding a round of 59 at the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge.
Hughes did beat his previous best round on the tour, however, a 61 in the first round of the RSM Classic in November 2016. He went on to win that tournament in a five-way playoff after shooting a fourth-round 69 at Sea Island Golf Club.
Come on. After this putt @MacHughesGolf needs 1 more birdie on his last hole to shoot 59 pic.twitter.com/XJzh6TgANI
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) June 25, 2020
Jim Furyk shot a 12-under 58 on the same par-70 TPC River Highlands course four years ago, the lowest score in a tour event.
“I kind of joked walking off there that 59 wasn’t even the record because of Jim’s 58,” Hughes said. “It’s probably not even that special around here. But as a personal milestone it would have been neat.”
Hughes alluded to his previous best at the RSM Classic, saying that he learned a lot from that experience and how to carry the momentum into later rounds.
“Really the mentality tomorrow is to go out there and make a bunch of birdies again,” said Hughes, who said he intended to have a brief afternoon round of practice before relaxing. “The golf course is kind of yielding some scores, and in order to be there on Sunday, I’ll have to keep making birdies.”
Phil Mickelson, paired with McIlroy in his first competitive round since turning 50, was one of five players to shoot 64. Bryson DeChambeau’s 65 was the worst score in the marquee threesome.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., are also in the field.
Hughes’ bogey-free round included a 30-foot birdie putt on his second-to-last hole, the par-3 eighth. Patrick Cantlay also shot 60 at TPC River Highlands as an amateur in 2011.
McIlroy, who also started on the back nine, eagled the par-5 13th and followed that up with two straight birdies. He made four more birdies on the front nine for a 31.
“It’s just been nice to get back into some competitive golf again,” McIlroy said. “You know, it doesn’t feel the same because you’re not having thousands of people reacting to your birdies and getting that going. I felt the weekends have been a little flat for me just because that’s when you’re in contention and that’s where you sort of start to feel it. Thursdays and Fridays don’t feel that different to be honest, but into the weekends they do.”
Mickelson learned earlier Thursday that he was granted an exemption into this year’s U.S. Open for being in the top 70 in the world on March 15, when golf was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hughes wore a facemask when approaching the podium for his virtual news conference, sitting in a chair that had been repeatedly wiped down by PGA Tour staff. Off-site media were given the opportunity to speak with Hughes through a videochat since in-person access to the event was so limited. He said that the protocols have been “top notch” and that all the other precautions didn’t “feel that strange.”
But he did miss having spectators.
“The absence of fans really hurts,” said Hughes. “That would be a lot of fun to play a round like that with the gallery kind of getting into it, but the new normal is here, and we’re all just going to try to adapt and do our best.”
Simpson celebrates a Father’s Day win at Harbour Town, Conners finishes T21
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Nothing can top the first time Webb Simpson won on Father’s Day, a U.S. Open title eight years ago at Olympic Club and hearing his father’s laughter on the phone to share the joy.
Harbour Town was special in its own right.
Dressed in his Sunday yellow shirt – his late father’s favouritecolour – Simpson emerged from a crowd of contenders with five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine for a 7-under 64 to win the RBC Heritage by one shot over Abraham Ancer and set the tournament scoring record.
“Crazy day,” Simpson said.
A three-hour storm delay nearly kept it from finishing. Nine players were still in the mix with an hour to go. Simpson was two shots behind and had only two birdies on his card when he dropped in a 10-footer at No. 12 and off he went.
“I think it’s a good thing that guys were making birdies because they kind of forced me to be a little more aggressive and know that pars weren’t going to cut it,” said Simpson, who finished at 22-under 264 to break by two shots the tournament record Brian Gay set in 2009.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who started the day two strokes off the lead, finished eight strokes back and in a tie for 21st at 14 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 41st at 11 under and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., tied for 70th at 3 under.
Father’s Day has been the final round of the U.S. Open every year since 1976, but it was moved to September in this most unusual year because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down golf for three months. The RBC Heritage filled the spot on the schedule and Simpson, now a father of five, became a winner for the second time this year.
“I won The Players on Mother’s Day after my dad passed away, and that was really special. That was an emotional win,” Simpson said. “U.S. Open on Father’s Day, I’ll never forget calling my dad after on the way to the press conference, and when he picked up the phone, he just was laughing. That’s kind of what he did when he was happy, he would just laugh. So I’m going to miss that laugh today for sure.
“But I thought a lot about him,” he said. “This morning I thought about him, and when I was on the golf course, I thought about him. … He loved golf. He would have loved watching today.”
It was quite a show.
Simpson, Ancer, Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton were tied at 20 under at one point late in the round. It was a matter of who blinked first.
Ancer, who hit every green in regulation, pushed Simpson to the end in his bid to win his first PGA Tour title. He holed a birdie putt from 10 feet on the 17th to get within one, but his approach to the 18th was 40 feet away and his putt to force a playoff came up short. Ancer closed with a 65.
“That’s just golf. You’ve just got to keep trying,” Ancer said. “I’m not going to change anything or work on anything. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, and I think that will eventually happen.”
Colonial winner Daniel Berger also stayed in the mix by chipping in for birdie on the 17th and closing with a 65. Hatton, whose last tournament was his victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, was leading until a poor tee shot led to bogey on the 13th, and bogeys were hard to recover from on this day. He shot 66 and tied for third.
Simpson, who won the Phoenix Open in February, moved to No. 5 in the world. He also moved to the top of the FedEx Cup.
Dylan Frittelli had the low score of a tournament filled with them, a 62 that put him in the lead before the final groups even teed off. Justin Thomas had a 63 and tied him. Both knew it wasn’t going to hold up, especially after returning from a storm delay to still conditions and even softer conditions.
But it led to a revolving door of challengers, and even Brooks Koepka got in the mix.
Koepka hit driver on the 331-yard ninth hole that hit on the slope above the bunker and settled 3 feet for his eagle. He birdied the next two to get within one of the lead, but his hopes ended with a 5-foot birdie putt he missed on the par-5 15th. He closed with a 65 and finished seventh, his best result since the Tour Championship.
“Six months off – three with the lock down and then three on my knee – so yeah, it feels like it’s been a really long time since I’ve even felt some juices flowing,” Koepka said. “It just felt nice to be in contention.”
Rory McIlroy closed with a 70 and tied for 41st, his second straight result out of the top 30 after going seven consecutive events worldwide with no finish worse than fifth.
The PGA Tour now heads to the Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, and it’s still to be determined who will be playing until coronavirus tests are released for those on the charter flight.
The uncertainty stems from the first positive test – Nick Watney on Friday – along with 11 tests for those who had been in close contact with Watney. Until the first tournament back at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, the area around Harbour Town was crowded with the start of summer vacation.
Those not on the charter will be tested upon arrival in Connecticut. Any positive test means a player must withdraw.
Conners sits 2 back heading into finale at RBC Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The PGA Tour’s return to competition has brought together the strongest fields of the year on courses that have not been overly punishing, and the result is the same.
It’s another free-for-all at the RBC Heritage.
Webb Simpson practically had to apologize for a 3-under 68, in which he managed just one birdie on the back nine. He was part of a four-way tie for the lead, and that was good enough for him. He also knows good probably won’t cut it Sunday at Harbour Town,.
“It’s not like I’ve got a three- or four-shot lead and could shoot a couple under,” he said. “It’s going to take a good one.”
Tyrrell Hatton had one of six rounds at 63, giving the 28-year-old from England a share of the lead as he goes for his second straight victory, albeit three months apart because of the shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abraham Ancer, so solid with his irons, had a 65 and joined the lead along with Ryan Palmer, who had a 66.
They were at 15-under 198, a number that didn’t even start to explain the low scoring.
Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., posted a 2-under-par 69 to sit 13 under for the tournament, trailing the leaders by two strokes. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., sits T28 while fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is T38.
Even with Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele sputtering to 75s, the field was 223-under par, the lowest for any round since the RBC Heritage began in 1969. There were 35 players at 10 under or better, compared with only one player (Dustin Johnson) a year ago. The previous mark was seven players at double digits under par through 54 holes.
Most telling were the opportunities on Sunday.
There were 21 players separated by just three shots going into the final round. A week ago at Colonial, there were 14 players separated by three shots.
“I think the fields have been extremely strong,” Ancer said. “Everybody out here was just eager to come out and play. Thre greens are a little bit soft, especially this week, and the ball isn’t really rolling out as much as you’re used to on the greens and on the fairways. That’s yielding a little bit more birdies, for sure.”
Carlos Ortiz, who started this tournament with two double bogeys after playing only five holes, suddenly has a chance to grab his first PGA Tour victory after two eagles in a round of 63. He was one shot behind, along with Colonial winner Daniel Berger and Joel Dahmen, both with 63s.
And there was more testing than usual.
Players and caddies on the charter flight to Connecticut for next week’s event had to take a saliva test Saturday for the coronavirus before they can get on the plane. Eleven others had testing Friday night because they were deemed to have been in close contact with Nick Watney, whose positive test on Friday was the first in golf’s return.
Among them was Sergio Garcia, who flew with Watney from Austin, Texas. The initial test was negative. Garcia was nervous as he waited for the result, though not so nervous he couldn’t put down a 65 to join the chase. He was two shots behind, along with Ian Poulter and Joaquin Niemann.
Bryson DeChambeau, starting the day one shot behind, hit his approach into the par-5 second in the trees and it never came down. He has added 40 pounds of mass, still not enough to uproot the tree and shake it loose. That led to a bogey, and more damaging was no birdies on the back nine for a 70.
Even so, he remained three shots behind in a group that included Johnson, who birdied three of his last four holes to go from around the middle of the pack to 12-under 201, three shots behind and very much in the picture. That’s all it took Saturday, and it likely won’t be any different in the final round.
Brooks Koepka quietly posted a 68 and was in the group three shots behind.
Chalk it up to June, a new date for the RBC Heritage because of the pandemic. The tournament usually is the week after the Masters in April, when the temperature is slightly cooler, the greens are firmer and the rye grass hasn’t been taken over by Bermuda. It’s soft. And these are the best players in the world, all of them eager to get going again.
“Because we’re not at a major championship-style golf course last week or this week, where you’re going to have separation because of bad scores, I think that’s probably why,” Simpson said when asked to explain the bunched score.
Perhaps that explains why Justin Thomas called it “the worst 66 I’ve ever shot in my life.”
Hatton has won back-to-back before in his career, under entirely different circumstances. In 2017, he won in Scotland and Italy in consecutive weeks. Now he goes after two in a row three months apart, having won at Bay Hill in March before the pandemic shut down sports.
It apparently wasn’t long enough for anyone to accumulate much rush.
“I think we’ve all had enough notice to try and get ready to play tournaments again,” said Hatton, who rented a house in Orlando, Florida, during the stay-at-home mandate. “So it’s not massively surprising to see guys playing as well as they are, and hopefully the guys at home are enjoying it, watching on TV.”
Conners sits 1 back halfway through RBC Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Webb Simpson and Bryson DeChambeau were trading birdies with vastly different games. Canadian Corey Conners charged into contention with a bogey-free round. And the biggest move of the day at the RBC Heritage belonged to a player who made it to the course, but not the tee.
Nick Watney became a footnote in golf history Friday as the first player to test positive for the coronavirus.
“I was a little shocked, to be honest,” said Vaughn Taylor, who played with Watney in the opening round and went for testing immediately after his 69. “Heart started racing, got a little nervous. Just hope Nick’s doing well and we get through this.”
Watney tested negative when he arrived Tuesday, experienced symptoms Friday and took another test that came back positive. He now faces self-isolation for at least 10 days as the tournament goes on.
The weekend buzz at Harbour Town figures to be about more than just birdies and bogeys.
Simpson got the last word with a 6-foot birdie on his final hole at No. 9 for another 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead after another day of watching DeChambeau and his additional 40 pounds of mass swing out of his shoes for a 64. DeChambeau made six birdies on his back nine, missing a 5-footer on the last that would have tied for the lead. Conners, from Listowel, Ont., also was one back after a bogey-free 63.
“It’s very satisfying knowing I’m not near as long as some of these guys and I’m able to kind of use my skills of distance control and shot shape to pick me back up when I’m 40 yards or 30 yards behind these guys,” Simpson said. “I would like to hit it further. I set out on a journey three years ago to get stronger, hit it further, but do it a lot slower than Bryson. But he’s made it look easy and seamless.”
Conners hit 88.89 per cent of greens in regulation.
“Obviously, pretty awesome round,” Conners said. “Stress free, hit a lot of really good shots. I felt great about my game. Rolled in a bunch of birdie putts to pay off with good shots. Really happy with the round.”
Conners was in contention for much of last week’s kickoff of the revamped PGA Tour schedule before fading into a tie for 19th at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
“I took a lot of positives away from last week,” Conners said. “There wasn’t much rust there. I was feeling pretty good and ready to go back into competition. Yeah, just tried to keep my confidence going and play aggressively here.
“I haven’t had a lot of success at this course before. It will be my first time playing the weekend. I think my experience over the last few years helped me. I’m definitely comfortable out here, and I like the golf course a lot.”
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., also is in contention. He is 8 under for the tournament after shooting a 3-under 68 on Friday. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is 5 under.
Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., missed the cut.
Simpson was at 12-under 130, and scoring remained bunched. Thunderstorms that rolled through the island and halted play for two hours only gave players more time to talk about Watney and the ramifications. Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, who is on the PGA Tour policy board, said a positive test was bound to happen as the tour returns from a three-month shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The whole plan put in place was not if, but when somebody tests positive, what’s the protocol, and what are the next steps,” Spieth said. “So I feel confident, just in being on those phone calls, in what the PGA TOUR’s going to do going forward here, and hopefully contact tracing doesn’t lead to anybody else testing positive within the bubble.”
McIlroy, who shot 66 to make the cut with one shot to spare, said he saw Watney on the putting green before the test result was returned. Brooks Koepka, who was three shots behind after a 66, said he saw Watney in the parking lot.
“It’s unfortunate Nick got it, but at the same time, hopefully, it stays with just him and doesn’t spread,” Koepka said. “Because I think we’ll have a big issue on our hands if it keeps going as the weeks continue.”
For so much of Friday, Simpson had the lead and DeChambeau had the spotlight, with his incredible bulk making him stand out like the lighthouse behind the 18th green.
He decided at the end of last season to get stronger and bigger so he could swing faster and hit it longer, and the transformation has everyone’s attention. Even while adding 40 pounds of mass, he hasn’t lost his love for science. That was evident on his final hole.
DeChambeau had the honours and let Simpson go first so he could figure out what to do. Simpson poked his hybrid 221 yards down the fairway on the 334-yard ninth hole. DeChambeau opted for a 3-wood, mainly because he feared his driver would go well over the green.
He took two violent practice swings, and huffed out breath like an Olympic weightlifter preparing for the clean and jerk. He sent it soaring only to say, “Ah! Too much spin, dang it.”
It found a bunker in front of the green, 309 yards away, and he was far more bothered missing the short birdie putt, even though his 64 left him right in the mix again. He hasn’t finished worse than a tie for fifth since February – only four tournaments because the pandemic shut down golf for three months.
“He’s been able to take this body that he’s never played with before and still play just as good, if not better,” Simpson said. “So that’s really impressive.”
The time off didn’t appear to hurt, and DeChambeau said time in the gym – and in the buffet line – allowed him to go from a ball speed of about 188 mph to the lower 190s. That doesn’t always work at Harbour Town, a tight course that winds through the oaks, and DeChambeau laments that he hasn’t been able to “launch the Kraken.”
At least he’s not holding back at dinner. DeChambeau says his fitness plan is a 2-to-1 ration of carbs and protein and “I literally just have it. I eat whatever, whenever.” The majority of bulk is muscle, all for more speed. He believes he can get it up to 197 mph on a course that allows for more drivers.
The biggest benefit is where it leaves him.
“The distance gain has helped me hit 9-irons and pitching wedges into holes compared to hitting 7-irons and 6-iron,” he said. “That’s a huge change for me that’s allowed me to go and attack flags a lot more, be more aggressive, not really have to try and fit it into this little spot down on the fairway out here and really attack those flags.”
Simpson has more to worry about than DeChambeau. Twenty players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes Koepka and Dustin Johnson.
– With files from The Canadian Press.
Canada’s Hadwin ready for new socially distant normal at Colonial
Adam Hadwin feels like it’s been back to normal on the PGA Tour, albeit a little less social when walking around Colonial Country Club this week.
Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., is one of three Canadians in the field at the Charles Schwab Challenge this week, the first full PGA Tour event since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the men’s golf circuit to put its schedule on hold. Hadwin arrived at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday and said that although there are strict protocols in place to protect players and tournament staff, things are relatively normal.
“I don’t know if anything would be weird,” said Hadwin on Tuesday. “Normally, I would walk into the Calloway equipment trailer and chat and sit down and say hi to everybody and all of that stuff but we’re not allowed to go in there anymore.
“The strangest thing is probably just the limited contact that we have with people. We’re so used to dealing with multiple people during the week, having conversations with certain people.”
The unscheduled break from the PGA Tour came at a good time for Hadwin, as his wife Jessica gave birth to their daughter Maddox in early January. Although the Hadwin family planned to travel together throughout the season, the stoppage in play because of the pandemic meant they were able to stay together near Jessica’s hometown of Wichita, Kansas.
“It was nice to be with them in one location at our home and you know kind of be able to control everything and just get that extra time,” said Hadwin, who was able to practice regularly as golf courses remained open in the state of Kansas.
Although Hadwin could have driven to the Charles Schwab Challenge – it’s a little over five hours from Wichita to Fort Worth – he elected to fly so he would have a little extra time with Jessica and Maddox.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., are the other Canadians in the field.
All players and event organizers at Colonial have to undergo a COVID-19 test more than a mile away from the clubhouse. After a test comes back negative – and to date, everyone has tested negative – the personnel are issued a bright orange wristband or lanyard so their status is apparent to everyone.
The clubhouse itself is split into zones, by floor, with people inside “the bubble” kept separate from those outside of it. Some of the services that are usually part of any PGA Tour stop have been done away with. The usual buffet-style lunch in the players’ clubhouse is now a grab-and-go boxed meal.
“We decided to err on the side of caution,” said tournament director Michael Tothe, who is from Limehouse, Ont. “Making sure that they all feel good and we stripped back a lot of the services again just to kind of set the table that we’re back, we want to do it right.”
A complement of 1,600 volunteers are usually present at the Charles Schwab Challenge but without any fans in attendance – and in an effort to maintain physical distancing – that number has been reduced to between 300 and 400 volunteers this year, said Tothe.
The volunteers will still help spot balls and measure distances, but an entire detail of them are dedicated to regularly disinfecting surfaces. Every player, staff member, and volunteer has also been issued hand sanitizer, a face mask, and three packs of disinfectant wipes.
Although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order on May 28 allowing sporting events to have spectators up to 25 per cent of a venue’s capacity, Tothe said the order came too late for fans to be permitted at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
St. George’s Golf and Country Club agrees to host 2021 RBC Canadian Open
TORONTO – Golf Canada and title sponsor RBC have confirmed that the membership of St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto has agreed to host the 2021 RBC Canadian Open, with nearby Islington Golf Club housing the official practice facility for the tournament.
The two facilities were scheduled to host the 2020 RBC Canadian Open this week (June 8-14), prior to the event being cancelled because of international travel and government restrictions related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The 2021 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 7-13.
“Together with our partners at RBC and the PGA TOUR, we are very pleased with the overwhelming support by the members of St. George’s Golf and Country Club to host the RBC Canadian Open in 2021,” said Golf Canada CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “The cancelation of our 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic was disappointing and there is now a great enthusiasm as we pivot our full efforts alongside our partners and team of volunteers to making 2021 a great success. I want to thank the membership and the board of directors at both St. George’s and Islington for continuing in this journey towards what will be a truly special edition of the RBC Canadian Open.”
“We are thrilled to host the 2021 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “As one of the top five golf courses in Canada, and one of the top 30 in the world, St. George’s is not only an incredible golf course but a world-class venue. Building off of last year’s momentum, we look forward to working together with our partners at Golf Canada and the PGA TOUR to make next year’s event one to remember.”
St. George’s Golf and Country Club has previously hosted the RBC Canadian Open on five occasions, dating as far back as 1933 and most recently in 2010.
Part of the FedExCup and conducted by Golf Canada for more than a century, the RBC Canadian Open provides an opportunity for Canada’s top talents to compete against the world’s best golfers while also leaving a significant impact in the event’s host community.
The RBC Canadian Open is proud to support the Golf Canada Foundation as the event’s official charity partner. Established in 1904, Canada’s national open golf championship is the third-oldest national open golf championship worldwide next to the British Open and the U.S. Open. The RBC Canadian Open is proudly sponsored by RBC, Audi, Acushnet, Steam Whistle, Hilton, Levelwear, Coca-Cola and the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
PGA TOUR announces debut of PGA TOUR University
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced today a new program designed to strengthen and elevate the path to the PGA TOUR through the Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Series – China. PGA TOUR University will reward elite collegiate play with varying levels of playing access to Tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics.
Players eligible for the PGA TOUR University Ranking List will be NCAA Division I golfers who complete a minimum of four years in college.
“With the level of immediate success from the top collegiate players in the last decade, our team has done extensive research over time and developed a plan to provide a pathway for those players as they begin their journeys into the professional ranks,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “By focusing our efforts on players who have completed a minimum of four years, PGA TOUR University will not deter from the college game while ensuring its graduates benefit from their maturity and experience.”
The top 15 finishers from the final Official PGA TOUR University Ranking List at the conclusion of each NCAA collegiate spring season (defined by the conclusion of the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship) will be awarded exempt status to the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series – China, based on their respective finish.
The top five finishers from the final Official PGA TOUR University Ranking List will receive Korn Ferry Tour membership and will be exempt into all open, full-field events beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship through the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour regular season. The top five finishers will also be exempt into the Final Stage of that year’s Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.
Finishers Nos. 6-15 will secure membership on one of the International Tours for the current season and a spot in the Second Stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (if necessary). At that point, these players will have their choice of which International Tour their exempt status applies to.
The eligibility for each respective Tour will begin the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship. The 2021 NCAA Men’s Championship is scheduled to be held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, from May 28 – June 2.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for these players to begin their professional careers on a path to the PGA TOUR. Just as importantly, we are able to continue building on the great momentum the Korn Ferry Tour and our International Tours have enjoyed in recent years by strengthening the field of competition with the addition of these collegiate stars,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin.
“We have always been proud of the talent level on our International Tours and have enjoyed observing the success players have had as they’ve moved on to both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR after competing in Latin America, Canada and China,” said Rob Ohno, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, International Tours. “Now with the addition of these accomplished college golfers entering the professional ranks, we are grateful that many of them will choose the International Tours as their desired path. As they start their careers, we will warmly welcome those who choose to pursue their dreams on any of our Tours.”
The PGA TOUR will partner with the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), which is administered by The R&A and the USGA, to create the PGA TOUR University Ranking List. The WAGR system ranks the top amateurs on the basis of their average performance in counting events on a rolling cycle over the previous 104 weeks. The list will be filtered to include those players and results meeting the PGA TOUR University eligibility criteria.
Events which will count towards the Official PGA TOUR University Ranking List include NCAA Division I Men’s Golf events and official PGA TOUR events, including the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
The first Official PGA TOUR University Ranking List will be unveiled this summer leading into the start of the 2020-21 Division I season, with the Ranking List updated each week during the season.
PGA TOUR University will partner with GOLF Channel to provide extensive coverage of NCAA Division I golf to complement the Ranking List and showcase the race to the top 15. GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, televising six college golf championships, including the men’s NCAA Championships since 2014.
For more information on PGA TOUR University, including a Frequently Asked Questions page, please visit PGATOUR.com/University.
Woods, Manning win a TV charity match as good as real thing
Tom Brady delivered the shot of the match that made it easy to forget the rest of his swings. Tiger Woods didn’t miss a fairway and earned a small measure of revenge against Phil Mickelson.
The PGA Tour is set to return in just over two weeks, and it has a tough act to follow.
In the second and final charity match that brought live golf to TV, this exhibition was as entertaining as the real thing.
Woods lagged a long birdie putt close enough that his partner, Peyton Manning, didn’t have to putt. That secured a 1-up victory over Mickelson and Brady in “The Match: Champions for Charity.”
The goal was to raise $10 million or more for COVID-19 relief funds, and online donations sent money climbing toward about twice that much.
This made-for-TV exhibition would have been worth pay-per-view, the model Woods and Mickelson used for a $9 million winner-take-all match in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving weekend in 2018 that Mickelson won in a playoff under lights. It felt forced, lacked banter and turned out to free because of technical issues.
Throw in two NFL greats in Brady and Manning, and this allowed viewers to ride along for 18 holes at Medalist Golf Club among four of the biggest stars in sports.
Justin Thomas pitched in as an on-course reporter, bringing a mixture of humour and insight with the right amount of words.
Woods and Manning took the lead on the third hole and never trailed, building a 3-up lead in fourballs on the front nine, with Manning making two birdies (one was a net par).
Brady, whose six Super Bowl titles are more than any NFL quarterback in history, took a beating on social media and in the broadcast booth from Charles Barkley, who twice offered $50,000 of his own money toward charity if Brady just hit the green on a par 3. He missed so far right it would be comparable to a pass that landed three rows into the stands.
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton weighed in on Twitter, noting Brady signing as a free agent with Tampa Bay by saying he liked the “Florida” Brady much better.
Brooks Koepka offered $100,000 if Brady could just make a par.
I’ll donate 100k through the @bkcharityfund if @TomBrady makes a par on the front 9 #TheMatch #TNT
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) May 24, 2020
One shot shut everyone up.
Never mind that Brady had to take a penalty drop before getting back to the fairway on the par-5 seventh. With his fourth shot, with Barkley needling him relentlessly, Brady’s shot landed beyond the pin and spun back into the cup.
“Shut your mouth, Chuck,” said Brady, whose microphone piece dangled off the back of his pants.
Woods still thought he won the hole with a 25-foot eagle putt that instead spun hard off the back of the lip. All that, and they ended up halving the hole.
Never doubt @TomBrady.
Charles Barkley learned the hard way … pic.twitter.com/muZ0xkt5xJ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2020
Donations for COVID-19 relief funds kept piling up, and the entertainment didn’t stop even as the rain returned. It caused a 45-minute delay at the start, and as Woods said on the practice range, “I don’t normally play in conditions like this.”
Mickelson brought out his “Tiger Slayer” putter that he used to shoot 64 at Pebble Beach in 2012, the last time they were in the final group on the PGA Tour. Woods shot 75 that day. It didn’t help Lefty with a few critical birdie putts to square the match, though he rolled in a 15-foot par putt to stay 1 down with two to play.
The back nine was modified alternate shot – all players hit tee shots, and it was alternate shot from there. It was key for the quarterbacks to find the fairway for the pros to hit shots into the green, and Brady came through until the 18th.
Woods was playing for the first time since Feb. 16 when he finished last at Riviera in Los Angeles. He chose not to play the next four weeks with his back not feeling just right, and then the pandemic shut down golf and sports worldwide.
Woods looked sharp for the most part, with his game and his words. Mickelson on the fifth hole asked Woods to mark his ball from some 80 yards away.
“You want me to mark with a U.S. Open medal?” said Woods, a three-time champion of the only major Mickelson hasn’t won.
“Do you have one? I have some silver ones,” Mickelson said, referring to his record six runner-up finishes.
Mickelson boasted about taking Woods down on his home course at Medalist, and now their TV matches are tied at 1, even with each getting a little help. Mickelson says he was a little nervous on the front nine until he found his groove, driving the green on the par-4 11th with Brady making a 20-footer for eagle that began their rally.
“Phil said he was nervous. I know Tom and I were comparing notes,” Manning said. “To be behind the ropes in these guys’ worlds, to be in the arena with them, it was really a special experience. I was not comfortable the entire time. Knowing $20 million was raised and helping people going through tough times, it was an honour to be invited.
“It’s something I’ll always remember.”
USGA finalizes 2020 championship schedule, eliminates qualifying
The COVID-19 pandemic, which already has postponed the U.S. Open at Winged Foot from June to September, has forced the USGA to do away with qualifying for the first time since 1924.
Open qualifying is the hallmark of golf’s second-oldest championship. The USGA often points out that typically half of the 156-man field has to go through either 36-hole qualifying or 18-hole and 36-hole qualifying.
It even invested in a marketing campaign that was rolled out in February titled, “From Many, One,” to illustrate that more than 9,000 people apply to play in the U.S. Open, eventually yielding to one winner.
The USGA did not announce Monday how other players would become exempt.
Among those who have yet to qualify is Phil Mickelson, a runner-up six times in the only major he hasn’t won.
Mickelson said in February he would not ask the USGA for an exemption, and that if he didn’t qualify or become exempt, he wouldn’t play. Winged Foot is where Mickelson made double bogey on the final hole in 2006 to lose by one.
The field presumably will be smaller because of the later date, though the USGA did not mention the field size in its April 6 announcement that the U.S. Open was moving to Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot, in Mamaroneck, New York.
“As you can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult decision, as qualifying is a cornerstone of USGA championships,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of championships for the USGA. “We take great pride in the fact that many thousands typically enter to pursue their dream of qualifying for the U.S. Open and we deeply regret that they will not have that opportunity this year.”
Bodenhamer said no qualifying provides “the best path forward” to holding the U.S. Open.
The USGA said there would not be qualifying for three other championships it will hold this year – the U.S. Women’s Open (moved to December in Houston) and the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur, both still scheduled for August.
The U.S. Open, which dates to 1895, had so many players wanting to compete in the years after World War I that it introduced qualifying in 1924. Then, it went to two stages of qualifying in 1959 – 18-hole local qualifying and 36-hole sectional qualifying.
Ken Venturi in 1964 and Orville Moody in 1969 are the only U.S. Open champions who got through both stages. Lucas Glover in 2009 was the last U.S. Open champion to go through 36-hole qualifying.
The USGA had 108 local qualifiers planned in 45 states and one in Canada, followed by 12 sectional qualifiers _ nine in the U.S., one each in Canada, England and Japan.
When the U.S. Open was postponed, 50 players were exempt through various categories, such as past champions the last 10 years or top 10 from last year’s U.S. Open, major champions from the last five years and the top 30 players who reached the Tour Championship last year.
The pandemic shut down golf on March 13, two months before the top 60 in the world ranking would have been exempt for the U.S. Open. The world ranking has been frozen since the shutdown. It was unclear when it would resume because while the PGA Tour is to resume on June 11, circuits in Europe, Japan and Asia have not said when they would return.
The USGA, meanwhile, has lost 10 championships to the coronavirus. It said Monday that four more were cancelled – the U.S. Mid-Amateur and Women’s Mid-Amateur, and the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.