This Masters tradition is a pictorial surprise for champions
Reed, who won in 2018, says he doesn't keep a lot of golf photos in his office or around the house in Houston. Kuchar rolled his putt up to 3 feet, Scheffler hit wedge to 40 feet for his fourth shot and Kuchar won the hole. Kuchar won his consolation match. Long won the British Amateur last summer and will play in the Masters next week. The Austrian Golf Open returns to the European Tour schedule and will be played the week after the Masters.
Jones wins Honda Classic by 5 shots, earns spot in Masters
Jones won the Honda Classic by five shots Sunday, a final round of 2-under 68 good enough to finish the week at 12-under 268 at PGA National. J.B. Holmes was in the final group with Jones, three shots back to start the day, and his chances were gone very quickly. He ended up with a costly final-round 79 for Holmes; second place, where he started the day, paid Hagy $763,000 while the tied-for-46th finish paid Holmes $19,070. AdHe went on to make double bogey there, and when Jones birdied the par-5 third Holmes’ deficit had gone from three to eight shots in about 45 minutes. “You can't get a tougher golf course to win on than this one, in these conditions," Jones said.
Jones survives a challenging day, takes 3-shot lead at Honda
“I'm happy to go low with the ball flight and I'm probably a little more conservative when the wind is up," Jones said. That’s when his woes started, and what became a nine-shot turnaround between he and Jones began. Jones grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie at the par-4 14th. And when Wise made bogey at the par-3 15th, Jones was the outright leader again. “Just keep doing what I'm doing," Jones said.
Big finish sends Garcia to big lead at Players Championship
Garcia thought he had plenty of time to get from the range to the 10th tee to start his round. Then he fired off a 7-under 65, capped off by a birdie-birdie-eagle finish for a two-shot lead over Brian Harman. AdWhen darkness brought the first round to a halt — 21 players didn't finish — there already were 13 scores of 80 or higher. “For some reason, it just kind of fits my eye,” said Garcia, who won The Players in 2008 and has twice been runner-up. British Open champion Shane Lowry took bogey on his final hole for a 68 and was tied with Corey Conners and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Better than most? One putt on the 17th that actually was
“I was standing on the wood at the back left of the green, right when you walk up there, just off the green,” Allenby said. A PGA Tour digital media specialist recently reviewed the entire broadcast and said it was never shown. One person who saw it was PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who had been returning from a meet-and-greet and paused to watch Allenby putt. MICKELSON 101Eight regular PGA Tour events did not have corporate sponsors in their title names. The British Open was not considered an official PGA Tour victory.
Spieth takes another step with a 67 to lead at Pebble Beach
Whether it's good golf or good breaks, it's making him feel a lot better about his game at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He shot a 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill on Friday for a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger going into the weekend. Berger shot a 66 at Pebble Beach by going 2-3-2 along the ocean on a day filled will sunshine and a Pacific breeze. Mickelson hit two shots in the ocean on the 18th at Pebble Beach and took a quadruple-bogey 9 for an 80. “It’s just when it happens, it’s obviously really nice.”The cut was at 1-under 143 after 36 holes on Pebble Beach and Spyglass.
Cantlay ties course record with 62 and leads at Pebble Beach
Patrick Cantlay follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Patrick Cantlay looked just as good Thursday at Pebble Beach as the last round he played 18 days ago. That tied the course record at Pebble Beach last matched 24 years ago by David Duval, and it gave Cantlay a two-shot lead in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Bhatia hit all 18 of the small greens at Pebble Beach, the first player to do that at Pebble since Ryan Palmer in 2008. AdIt helped being at Pebble Beach, typically the easiest course when the weather is dry and relatively calm. The AT&T Pebble Beach and Honda Classic offered him exemptions.
Maui Musings: 5 questions for a new year in golf
And no one is more concerned than Ryder Cup officials. THE RYDER CUPNo other golf tournament relies so much on noise than the Ryder Cup, which is why it was postponed from last September. Phil Mickelson has played in every Ryder Cup since 1995 — Morikawa wasn't even born then. Since the last Ryder Cup, Lefty has finished a combined 84 shots behind in the five majors he made the cut. McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas all have had moments of brilliance.
Masters field at 84 players heading into the final 3 months
55 after closing with a 77 in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to drop to a tie for 23rd. That he accumulated the most world ranking points (463.54) was no surprise. Johnson received credit for the victory with the staggered start based on the FedEx Cup (he tied for third in world ranking points). DIVOTSDustin Johnson earned an average of 25.75 world ranking points in his 18 starts worldwide in 2020. That's more than the total ranking points Tiger Woods earned (19.08) in the nine tournaments he played.
The Latest: Johnson ties Masters' 54-hole record at 16 under
He quickly distanced himself from the pack with an eagle on the second hole, then followed with birdies on Nos. Mickelson drove into a batch of pine trees, then actually went backward when his second shot ricocheted off one of the trees. ___12:30 p.m.Dustin Johnson eagled the second hole at Augusta National to move into the lead alone in the Masters. On the 575-yard, par-5 second hole, Johnson followed a 363-yard drive with an approach that ended up 3 feet from the pin. ___8:10 a.m.Vijay Singh has withdrawn from the Masters because of illness after completing 10 holes in the second round.
A return to Sherwood for Tiger, Mickelson but few others
FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2019, file photo, Tiger Woods celebrates after winning the Zozo Championship golf tournament at the Accordia Golf Narashino country club in Inzai, east of Tokyo, Japan. The Zozo Championship is the second Asia-based event to move to the United States this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PGA champion Collin Morikawa was at Sherwood back then, as a young spectator looking for an autograph (he didn't get it). The happiest memories belong to Woods, who won his tournament five times at Sherwood and was runner-up on five other occasions. The Zozo Championship made its debut last year in Japan, and it was a big success despite rain that wiped out one day and led to a Monday finish.
The road to the Masters is a long way from Augusta National
( (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – This is no ordinary road to the Masters. Four of the top five players in the world are at Shadow Creek, with top-ranked Dustin Johnson pulling out after his positive test for the coronavirus. Rory McIlroy thinks Shadow Creek might be even better than what Florida offers because of the bentgrass greens that are fast with big slopes. “It's not a bad place to prepare for Augusta,” McIlroy said Wednesday. McIlroy is at Shadow Creek and Sherwood the next two weeks.
Missed tap-in costs Fowler the weekend at PGA Championship
Rickie Fowler watches his tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in San Francisco. Fowler's silly mistake a miss from 6 inches on the sixth green cost him a weekend starting time at the PGA Championship. Tringale's error signing an incorrect scorecard saved him a couple hours of waiting around before he headed home, as well. They were among the 75 players to miss the cut at Harding Park, meaning an early departure from San Francisco. It marks the first time he's missed a cut at the PGA since 2012 at Kiawah.
Todd shoots 1-under 69 for 54-hole lead at WGC in Memphis
He shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of this World Golf Championship event. He won on this course in 2018 before the event became a World Golf Championship in 2019. Todd took the lead back to himself on the next hole with a 22-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth. Todd hit into the rough off the tee and couldnt sink a 13-footer to save par. Todd hit his approach 166 yards to 3 feet on No.
Brendon Todd takes 2-stroke lead with 65 at WGC in Memphis
Todd trailed defending champion Brooks Koepka after the first round by two strokes. Rickie Fowler closed with birdies on his final two holes for a 67 and 131 total just behind Todd. Koepka had the lead to himself at 10 under before falling apart on his back nine with a double bogey and two bogeys. Todd won back-to-back tournaments last November for his first win on tour since winning the Byron Nelson in 2014. That put Todd atop the leaderboard at 9 under, and his putter helped him birdie consecutive holes including the big putt on No.
Koepka matches career best round for lead at WGC in Memphis
The defending champ matched his career best with an 8-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Brendon Todd after the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Then Fowler two-putted for bogey after putting his tee shot in the left rough on his final hole to finish at 64. He hit his tee shot on the par-3 No. ... Tee times for the second round were moved to Friday morning to avoid predicted thunderstorms. ... With no fans allowed at an event that has benefited St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital since 1970, St. Jude had to get creative to raise both money and attention for a hospital that never bills its patients.
Asia swing unlikely as PGA Tour weighs going to western US
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)DUBLIN, Ohio The PGA Tour first started going to Asia in 2009 with the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship. David Lipsky wouldnt have guessed then how that would parlay into his best shot at finally getting a PGA Tour card. The Dunhill was a co-sanctioned European Tour event, which put him in the top 10 in the Race to Dubai. Being among the top 10 in points at the end of the season at least can get him into opposite-field PGA Tour events, and it will go a long way toward a PGA Tour card for the fall of 2021. Lipsky reached the final stage of Q-school in 2012 the last time it awarded PGA Tour cards and finished poorly.
Redman, Stallings take early lead at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Doc Redman is interviewed after the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Thursday, July 2, 2020, at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT Doc Redman took a step toward remaining among those to make the cut in every event since the PGA Tour resumed, opening with a 7-under 65 to share the early lead Thursday in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Redman went from being a Monday qualifier last year at the Detroit Golf Club to finishing second at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic. He is hoping to take the next step on Sunday with his first PGA Tour victory. With no fans out here, it almost feels like its not a golf tournament," Lashley said.
Simpson returning to PGA Tour after family coronavirus scare
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)Webb Simpson is competing on the PGA Tour again after his family had a coronavirus scare. I mentioned to the commissioner last week that based on our numbers, our stats, I told him the safest place anyone can be in the United States right now is on the PGA Tour," Simpson said. While the PGA Tour has resumed play, the pandemic is keeping the fans away. In the previous three PGA Tour events, the top five competed each week. The Donald Ross-designed Detroit Golf Club is a short course by PGA Tour standards.
Varner takes early 1-shot lead over Spieth at Colonial
The leaderboard is a 'who's who' of golf right now, McIlroy said after a 63, with a bogey on the last hole, that left him two behind Varner among the early starters. Dating to the ShotLink era in 2003, it was the lowest score on the PGA Tour by a player who began his round with a triple bogey. I just wanted to make that putt just to get me back to even (for the round), Varner said. No spectators are allowed at the first five events on the PGA Tour. I felt like I gave myself some grace to say, Look, I havent really been practicing a ton of those kind of short-range putts,' Spieth said.
Golf passes initial test with no positive results from virus
Players return to a new set of rules, starting with mandatory tests for the coronavirus when they first arrive and having their temperatures taken before they can get to the parking lot. Of equal concern is what they do off the golf course, even with a designated hotel. And I think its an important week because golf can show that we can play in a socially distant manner, he said. But he recognized the importance of getting through this week without incident, so that golf can continue until just short of Christmas. I think its important to make sure that we go through all these things because I want to play, Koepka said.
Steele takes 1-shot lead at midpoint of The Honda Classic
Steele shot a 3-under 67 on Friday, getting to 5 under for the week and putting himself a shot clear of J.T. This is Steele’s ninth time playing the Honda and the first time he’s ended any round at PGA National with the lead. I don't feel like it's a course you can just jump out your first time and have it nailed. ... Michael Thompson’s record streak of Honda rounds without a ball in the water on the Bear Trap is over. Thompson put his tee ball on the par-3 15th in the water, his first such mistake in 30 Honda rounds at PGA National.