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2023 PGA Championship leaderboard: Brooks Koepka wins fifth major, third PGA in return to elite form 

Scaling the mountaintop once is difficult; staying there is nearly impossible. Returning to the summit is almost unheard of, but don't tell that to Brooks Koepka. Four years removed from capturing his last major championship, Koepka stood victorious at one of the sport's premier tournaments winning the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club by two strokes over Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler.

The victory is first for Koepka (-9) at a major since the 2019 PGA Championship. It marks a return to form for one of the game's brightest stars, who had been plagued over the last three years by knee injuries that led him to question whether he had a future atop the sport he once dominated.

Koepka scored consecutive 4-under 66s to storm to the top of the star-studded field over the weekend, adding a 67 on Sunday to join Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the third golfer to win three or more PGA Championships in the stroke-play era. He also becomes the fifth player to win as many PGAs and at least two U.S. Opens -- standing alongside Woods, Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen -- and the 20th in history with at least five major titles on their mantle.

While Koepka had seven top-10 finishes across the 13 majors he played since that 2019 PGA victory, he finished no better than 55th with two missed cuts in last season's four majors. To start 2023 with a pair of top-two finishes at the Masters and PGA, there's no question that Koepka has returned to form.

It all confirms what many already believed: Koepka is one of the great major championship competitors ever.

"I look back on where we were two years ago, everything that's gone on, I'm just so happy right now that I'm kind of at a loss for words," Koepka said after hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy. "To be with those group of names is absolutely incredible, something, I'll be honest, I'm not even sure if I dreamed of it as a kid winning this many."

Despite what the final score may suggest, Koepka's fifth major came with its fair share of adversity -- not only in the years leading up to it but just last month at the 2023 Masters (where he stood as the 54-hole leader only to finish second) and Sunday within the final round of the PGA Championship itself.

Kick-starting his day with three consecutive birdies on holes 2-4, Koepka saw his overnight lead balloon to three. And then he hit a speed bump. When his tee shot found the penalty area on the difficult par-4 6th, Koepka did well to just drop one before dropping another on the next.

All his hard work had temporarily been erased, and the added cushion he had built over Hovland suddenly evaporated. He made the turn in 1 under, as did Hovland, and went to the back nine face-to-face with the 25-year-old as Scheffler, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, was up ahead making a charge of his own.

Two birdies sandwiched a bogey on the 11th for Koepka, and while the par breakers added some breathing room, it was a par conversion on the par-5 13th that was vintage. Missing the green with his third and chipping his fourth to 10 feet above the hole, the 33-year-old successfully navigated a slippery par save to maintain a one-stroke edge over a surging Hovland.

Scheffler clawed his way to two back, but that would be as close as the Texan came to Koepka. Running out of holes, Scheffler's inability to apply pressure down the stretch -- along with birdies from Koepka and Hovland on the 14th -- meant the three-horse race was down to just the final pair.

Pars were exchanged on the tricky 15th, and the championship's deciding moment came soon after. With Hovland scrambling after hitting his second shot from the fairway bunker and into the lip, Koepka saw his moment to pounce. From the lush rough, his second tumbled towards the pin on the 16th and settled near tap-in distance for his seventh and final birdie of the day.

Koepka entered the hole leading by one and left up four. After that, Koepka's fifth major victory and spot among golf's immortality was secured.

Here's a breakdown of the rest of the leaderboard at the 2023 PGA Championship.

T2. Viktor Hovland (-7): For the third straight major championship, Hovland found himself with a legitimate chance to win. Unlike the first two, he still had that opportunity heading into the back nine as he matched Koepka punch for punch nearly the entire day. Birdie conversions on holes 13-14 maintained his one-stroke deficit before disaster struck two holes later. Hovland's chance to become the first major champion from Norway vanished when his second from the fairway bunker on the 16th embedded in the lip and led to a double bogey. 

To make matters worse, Koepka went on to birdie the hole and stretch his lead to four. Hovland was able to cut the lead in half when all was said and done, but this major finish has to be more disappointing than the two prior given how close he was entering the back nine. Hovland is fun-loving, wide-smiling and capable of playing with the best of 'em.

"It's cool," said Hovland. "First place is a lot better than tied for second, but it is fun to even just have a chance to been one of these. Just making the cut and finishing 20th, you know, that's -- you haven't played poorly, but you've been a non-factor in the tournament. So to be in the last group, that was my second time and been in contention for three of these. That's pretty cool."

T2. Scottie Scheffler (-7): The world No. 2 once again snuck up on the field on Sunday. Stalling in the initial portion of his final round, Scheffler found some birdies before the turn just as Koepka began to struggle. He went from seven down to three down in the span of 30 minutes and suddenly launched himself into the conversation. Scheffler got as close as two with birdies on Nos. 13-14, but it ultimately proved to be too little too late.

After getting to 5 under at the 36-hole mark, Scheffler played his final 36 in 2 under lowlighted by his third-round 73. A victory would have been Scheffler's second major in six tries and his third rather large trophy (including the Players Championship). While it was not meant to be, Scheffler continues to stake his claim as the best player in the world -- he will steal that No. 1 spot from Jon Rahm on Monday when the Official World Golf Rankings are updated -- and he hasn't finished outside the top 12 on a leaderboard since October 2022.

T4. Bryson DeChambeau, Kurt Kitayama, Cameron Davis (-3): Golf is better when DeChambeau is playing well. He shot out the gates with a 4-under 66 only to play his final 54 holes in a 1-over fashion to claim his first worldwide top five since the 2021 BMW Championship. After gaining nearly six strokes with the big stick the first two days, the 2020 U.S. Open champion struggled with off the tee but showed a ton of guts in the process. 

T7. Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka (-2): McIlroy's up-and-down final round was an encapsulation of his week. The 34-year-old arrived on site with a visible chip on his shoulder, lamenting that he was feeling less than 100% physically. Then, he got off to yet another poor start in a major championship. The world No. 3 battled back Thursday and continued his march over the next 54 holes. He again showed that he had more than enough firepower to contend down the stretch. McIlroy carded 10 birdies over the weekend, but the mistakes piled up. Where does Rory go from here? Now nine years removed from his last major triumph at the 2014 PGA Championship, he appears to be searching for his identity as he leaves yet another one inside the top 10 but without a trophy.

"I'll look back on this week as proud of how I hung in there, and I guess my attitude and sticking to it, not having my best stuff," said McIlroy. "Probably not a ton of memorable golf shots hit. My playing partner today hit a couple memorable golf shots, though. Yeah, the atmosphere out there, playing with Michael [Block], was unbelievable. We both got amazing support, but you know, he got unbelievable support, understandably so, being in this position as a club pro and playing so well and, you know, competing into the latter stages of a major championship. It was really impressive."

T9. Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith, Justin Rose (-1): It will go down as Cantlay's fourth straight top 15 finish in a major championship, but even he knows there is still work to be done. The world No. 4 got off to a dreadful start Thursday and played his final 54 holes in 5 under. He polished off his time in Rochester with a 4-under 66. Cantlay ranked second in strokes gained off the tee on a course that demanded excellence with the big stick but fell woefully short on and around the green. He was never close to sniffing contention.

T15. Michael Block, Tyrrell Hatton and two others (+1): What more is there to say? The club pro from Southern California took New York by storm in his fifth appearance at a PGA Championship. He nearly touched the lead Friday and got welcomed into the weekend with tee times alongside 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose on Saturday and McIlroy on Sunday. As if that wasn't enough, Block gave the rowdy Rochester faithful even more to cheer about with a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th. Even that wasn't his best moment in the final round as the 46-year-old converted an unlikely up-and-down on the 72nd hole to secure his spot in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla. 

Source: CBSSports

No. 1 or not, Jon Rahm will head to the PGA Championship in prime position to capture another major

Jon Rahm couldn’t believe it when he first heard about the history he had achieved by winning the 2023 Masters.

In fact, when informed in the press room following his victory last month at Augusta National that he had become the first European player to win both a Masters and a U.S. Open, his initial response was, “Huh?”

As in, you’ve got to be kidding.

Once he was assured it was true and he let that sink in, he said, “I find it hard to believe. If there’s anything better than accomplishing something like this, it’s making history. So the fact that you tell me that, to be the first-ever European ever to do that, hard to explain (how I feel).”

Since the inaugural Masters was played in 1934, the European golfer with the most career major championship victories is England’s Nick Faldo with six (three Masters, three British Opens, never a U.S. Open or PGA Championship). Seve Ballesteros won five and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is next with four, but he has never won the Masters.

And then you have a list of European greats such as Rahm’s compatriots from Spain, Sergio Garcia, and Jose-Maria Olazabal, Germany’s Bernhard Langer, and England’s Tony Jacklin and Justin Rose who have a Masters or a U.S. Open, but not both.

Yes, Rahm is the first, though if you’ve seen him play since he debuted out on the PGA Tour in 2016, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s the one making said history.

“I don’t know what to tell you. It is a pretty good duo of majors,” Rahm said. “Out of all the accomplishments and the many great players that have come before me, to be the first to do something like that, it’s a very humbling feeling.”

Obviously, should Rahm go on to win the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, he’d be the first European to achieve that triumvirate of major victories, and then the conversation would shift in a big way to the same one that has dogged McIlroy and American Jordan Spieth for several years.

Only five players in history have won all four major championships, otherwise known as the career grand slam. They are Americans Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, and South African Gary Player.

McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 PGA Championship and the 2014 British Open (he also won the 2014 PGA), so at the impossibly young age of 25 he stood only a Masters victory away from the career grand slam. It has proven quite elusive and when he missed the cut at Augusta in April, it was his ninth consecutive lost opportunity to join that exclusive club.

Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, and the British in 2017 when he was just 24, so when he arrives at Oak Hill, he will be trying for the seventh time to complete his career slam by winning the one he lacks, the PGA Championship.

Rahm is only halfway to the career slam, but when the 28-year-old takes aim at the East Course, he will do so as the favorite in the field, perhaps even the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking (pending Scottie Scheffler’s outcome at the AT&T Byron Nelson), and as a 19-time winner as a professional — 11 on the PGA Tour which ties him with Garcia for most by a Spanish-born player, and 10 on the European Tour.

Four of his PGA victories have come in 2023 as he won the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua (Hawaii) Golf Club and The American Express at PGA West in LaQuinta, California in January, and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera outside Los Angeles in February, prior to his Masters triumph.

There was almost a fifth, too. In late April, trying to defend his 2022 victory at the Mexico Open, Rahm shot 21-under-par including a 9-under third-round 61, but finished runner-up to Tony Finau. He’s been on a serious roll, and Finau knew that outlasting him was a big-time feather in his cap.

“Any time you can battle with a guy like Jon Rahm who’s in the form that he was and come out on top, it makes me feel good,” Finau said. “Rahm is a good friend of mine, we practice quite a bit together, so having Rahmbo as like a sparring partner for me has only made me better. And I hope he can say the same.”

Max Homa, who finished second to Rahm at Riviera and will come to Oak Hill ranked seventh in the world and seeking his first major championship, recently referenced the Avengers Marvel universe when he was asked who Rahm reminds him of.

“Yes, he’s probably Thanos,” Homa said. “He has a lot of the stones in his toolbox. He’s a tremendous golfer. He has zero weaknesses.”

Rahm isn’t out there destroying fictional world populations, but he has destroyed a golf course or two, or more, since joining the Tour following a stellar amateur and college career at Arizona State.

He won 11 tournaments as a Sun Devil, second in school history to the 16 won by Phil Mickelson, and is the only two-time winner of the Ben Hogan Award which since 1990 has been presented to the best college golfer in the country. No amateur in history has been ranked No. 1 in the world longer than the 60 weeks Rahm occupied that spot between 2015 and 2016.

After playing in the U.S. Open as an amateur in 2016 and finishing tied for 23rd, he turned pro and enjoyed his first big-time moment at Torrey Pines in January 2017 when he rolled in a 60-foot putt for eagle at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open, his first pro victory. He has been in ascension mode ever since. 

Torrey Pines was also the site of his first major championship victory, the 2021 U.S. Open. He never led until he made birdie at the 71st hole to get even with Louie Oosthuizen, then went on to make an 18-footer for birdie at the last to win the tournament. It was the first time a player birdied the final two holes to win the Open since Tom Watson caught and passed Nicklaus at Pebble Beach in 1982.

Rahm has yet to play a competitive round at Oak Hill, and while a fine driver of the ball, he occasionally hits it offline and doing that too often on the East Course, where the rough is expected to be thick, will be problematic.

Still, his iron play and ability to get up and down should be more than enough to keep Rahm in contention Sunday afternoon, and perhaps even kickstart the conversation about whether he, Spieth or McIlroy will be the next to complete the career grand slam.

Source: Golfweek.USA

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Rickie Fowler experiencing career resurgence in 2023 leads to renewed hope for first victory in four years

Here is a non-exhaustive list of players who have been statistically worse than Rickie Fowler since the start of 2023: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Tom Kim.

Again, that's non-exhaustive.

Fowler hasn't received the praise I certainly expected because, after three years of wandering, he still hasn't won since the 2019 Phoenix Open. Make no mistake about it, however, he's playing at an incredible clip worthy of inclusion in discussion among the best players in the world.

On Monday, Fowler was invited to next week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill based on the number of PGA points (separate from FedEx Cup points) he's earned so far this season. He also rose to No. 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest placement on the list since November 2020. As Brentley Romine of Golf Channel pointed out, if he can maintain that level in the OWGR, he will also qualify into the U.S. Open in June and Open Championship in July.

Fowler has only played three majors since the November 2020 Masters. He got an exemption into the 2021 PGA Championship, where he finished in the top 10, earning a spot in the following year's PGA. He also got into the 2021 Open Championship, which Collin Morikawa won. He missed six other majors because he fell to nearly No. 200 in the OWGR. 

He's been a menace on the course so far this year. Top 20s at Torrey Pines, Phoenix and Riviera were followed by a T13 at the Players Championship, a T10 at the Texas Open and two top 15s in a row at the RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo Championship, both of which carry the new designated event status on the PGA Tour schedule.

"It's definitely been a bit more consistent," Fowler said of his play so far this year before a T14 at the Wells Fargo. 

"Feel like it's been weeks where I've been able to rely on maybe one or two parts of the game. Really haven't had everything yet, but I'd say the state that I feel like I'm at in the last few years, that would be a missed cut or finishing in the back of the pack and now being able to manage and keep things moving forward, build momentum, that's turning those weeks into top 20s and top 10s."

Fowler's iron play -- always a signature of his game -- had dropped way off the last several years. He went from consistently being a top 25 approach play golfer in the world to hitting approach shots at a worse-than-Tour-average clip. 

Much of this happened as Fowler transitioned away from swing coach Butch Harmon to John Tillery. Fowler recently reunited with Harmon, and the results have been evident. (Fowler credits Tillery for setting him up to take off again with Harmon.)

Fowler is having the single best season he's ever had when it comes to approach play. And while his driving has been average to above average, he's thriving because of his iron play. Among players with at least 25 measured rounds since January 1, only Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa and Jon Rahm have been better on approach shots. Combined wins: seven. It's pretty great company to keep.

Now Fowler sets his sights on something bigger than just getting into the field at majors. Harmon predicted a win at some point this year, and what may have sounded crazy four months ago no longer sounds crazy. Fowler is a legitimate threat to win every time he tees it up, even if nobody has realized it yet.

That's a good thing, too. Because no matter how you feel about the former Oklahoma State superstar, it's almost impossible to deny this fact which will play out in obvious ways at the PGA Championship and beyond: Rickie Fowler is great for golf, and professional golf is better off when he's playing at the highest level.

Source: CBS Sports

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Can all the king’s horses and all the king’s men put golf’s Humpty Dumpty back together again?

Tiger Woods is sidelined for an indefinite amount of time after undergoing surgery on his right ankle to address post-traumatic arthritis caused by injuries suffered in his single-car crash in Los Angeles in February 2021. Woods withdrew during the rain-delayed third round of this year’s Masters in April after showing considerable discomfort walking the hills of Augusta National in bad weather.

Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 majors is looking more safe with every passing day and every injury Woods sustains, prefaced his comments about Woods during a press conference ahead of his appearance in the Greats of Golf exhibition Saturday during the Insperity Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.

“I don’t know a lot about what he’s been through,” Nicklaus began.

“He’s showed a lot of guts and courage to play and try to be part of what’s going on with the way he’s been,” he continued. “He’s actually swinging pretty well; he just can’t walk.”

Nicklaus recounted how he sat next to Woods at the Champion's Dinner at the Masters, as he does most years.

“We talk quite a bit,” Nicklaus said. “He said, ‘I’m really playing well. I’m hitting the ball great. My short game’s great. My putting’s good.’ He said, ‘I just can’t walk.’ And he says, ‘If it helps where I can walk, I’m willing to do it.’ ”

That’s about as good an explanation for why Woods agreed to go under the knife yet again as we’ve heard to date.

“He wouldn’t be having the operations if he wasn’t interested in wanting to continue to play,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a very motivated and dedicated young man to continue to play the game of golf.”

Nicklaus added of the 47-year-old golfer, whose body has been through the ringer: “The dedicated young doesn’t last very long.”

Annika Sorenstam, winner of 72 LPGA titles, walked away from the game on her own terms and has returned to play a handful of celebrity events, last year’s U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which she won in 2021. She has a keen eye for Woods’ plight.

“I can just see it from a fan’s standpoint,” Sorenstam said. “I think he’s in more pain than he lets everybody know. I think it’s a lot more serious. But he is so tough. And so courageous.”

How long Woods will be sidelined this time is anyone’s guess, but his participation in this year’s remaining three majors – the PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July – seems unlikely.

“I think we’d all like to see him play,” Sorenstam said. “He adds so much to the game every time he tees up. Whether he makes the cut or not, he adds to the tournament in so many ways.

“But you don’t want to see anybody in pain. You don’t want to see anybody, they’re hurting. Especially in his case. So hopefully this surgery will be the last of it. And will be good for him. Who knows.”

At this stage, not even Woods knows whether Humpty Dumpty can be put back together again.

Source: Golf Week

Winning on the PGA Tour is difficult. Each and every year, the circuit is replenished with fresh new talent while the mainstays remain at the top. Just ask Davis Riley and Nick Hardy who are in the middle of their second seasons and claimed their first career titles at the 2023 Zurich Classic at 30 under after rounds of 64-66-63-65.

"This is so special and to share it with one of my best friends out here on Tour is a dream come true," Riley said. "The progression of playing high school, college golf and playing PGA Tour golf is super special and to share this moment with Nick is pretty cool."

While Riley wasn't even supposed to play in this event after he teamed up with injured Will Zalatoris in 2022, Hardy originally sought the services of his former collegiate teammate Thomas Detry. The Belgian decided to pair with a potential European Ryder Cup teammate Victor Perez, and as such, Hardy looked in the direction of Riley, a fellow PGA Tour sophomore and longtime friend.

Their relationship that began at the age of 14 proved to be fruitful as they set the all-time tournament scoring record and surpassed the mark set by defending champions Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Beginning the day three strokes off the pace set by Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler, the winning duo didn't really get into gear until the back nine on Sunday. Turning in a respectable 2 under, Hardy and Riley found their stride with five back-nine birdies including a near ace on the par-3 14th struck by Riley.

"All I had to do was hear it," Hardy said of Riley's shot. "It was the purest 5 iron I have ever heard, I didn't even watch it and it almost went in obviously. It was really solid down the stretch and it just feels great to close."

This would pull them into a share of the lead with a surging Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and a sputtering Hossler and Clark. With the Canadians setting the clubhouse lead at 28 under, the young guns kept their heads down and went to work. A clutch birdie on the short par-4 16th put them in control before an unlikely bid from off the green on 17 slammed the door shut on Hossler and Clark who were behind them on the golf course.

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2023 Masters: From Tiger to Phil to sleeper picks, here's everything you need to know

The first major of the year is here, and the anticipation for this year's Masters could not be higher.

Between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being back, the first meeting of LIV Golf and PGA Tour players at Augusta National Country Club, as well as Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy continuing to play hot potato with the No. 1 world ranking, there are plenty of compelling storylines as the golf world descends on the sport's most famous venue.

Here's what to watch for in Georgia this week:

What can we expect from Tiger this week?

Mark Schlabach: Last year, Tiger hadn't played competitively in 508 days and showed up at the Masters and made his 23rd consecutive cut. He played well over the first 36 holes, but the cold weather caught up with his surgically repaired right leg and back, making one of the most difficult walks in all of golf even tougher. He carded a 6-over 78 in each of the last two rounds, his worst score at the Masters. He looked better physically at the Genesis and said his right leg is stronger than it was a year ago, but he's still being bothered by his right ankle. I think he'll make the cut again because he knows the course better than anyone else in the field. I think a top-25 finish isn't completely out of the question for Tiger, but I'd find it difficult to believe he can do better than that.

Paolo Uggetti: Given what we saw at Riviera, where Tiger looked a bit more comfortable walking while his game showed plenty of promising flashes, I think making the cut will be the low bar that he should be able to clear. In an ideal world, the five-time champion would have had at least one more appearance before arriving at the Masters, but health is more paramount than ensuring his game is sharp. If Tiger can succeed at any place with just one competitive tournament under his belt, it's Augusta. Even if the walk is tougher than most courses, the warm weather should help him, and I'd venture to guess he is going to get an early start Thursday and a long break before his second round Friday. I won't go as far as to say he will contend, but it should be another promising step in this new stage of his career.

What can we expect from Phil this week?

Schlabach: Given the way Mickelson played in the majors last year and what he did in LIV Golf's first three tournaments this season, finishing 27th in Mexico, 32nd in Tucson, Arizona, and 41st in Orlando, Florida, I wouldn't expect much of anything. He isn't playing well and hasn't in a while, and it's going to be a circus around him in Augusta. Mickelson won't address the media in a formal news conference before the Masters starts Thursday, so there's going to be a microscope on him during practice and the early rounds, after he skipped this event, which he has won three times, in 2022. There will still be some patrons cheering for him.

Uggetti: I honestly have no idea. Mickelson has looked like a shell of himself -- figuratively and literally -- since bolting for LIV, and his performance at last year's U.S. Open (the last major he participated in) was particularly poor. Since thumbs-upping his way out of that tournament, Mickelson has shown absolutely no signs of life in any of LIV's events, consistently finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard. He has finished 27th or worse in eight of his 10 appearances. Then again, Mickelson is a past winner here, and it would be some kind of dark twist to the whole PGA Tour-LIV Golf saga if he somehow turned back the clock and competed this week.

Speaking of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf, how much of the feud is going to be on display?

Schlabach: I don't think it's going to be as much of a storyline as expected because everyone is going to be on their best behavior at Augusta National. The LIV Golf players are probably going to be sporting their team logos on shirts and hats, so the elephant in the room isn't going to be completely invisible. I just don't know how many of LIV Golf's 18 participants are going to be real contenders. Australia's Cameron Smith, who tied for second in 2020 and tied for third last year, has played well here. He hasn't played much this season, though, and his form hasn't been great lately, finishing 26th in Tucson and 29th in Orlando. Past champions Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed haven't played much, either. Brooks Koepka won the Orlando event and is suddenly playing better. With the LIV Golf League placing such an emphasis on the team competition -- go RangeGoats! -- can they simply flip the switch and get back to playing as individuals? And finish 72 holes? Chances are one or two of them will be on the leaderboard Sunday, though.

Uggetti: I honestly have no idea. Mickelson has looked like a shell of himself -- figuratively and literally -- since bolting for LIV, and his performance at last year's U.S. Open (the last major he participated in) was particularly poor. Since thumbs-upping his way out of that tournament, Mickelson has shown absolutely no signs of life in any of LIV's events, consistently finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard. He has finished 27th or worse in eight of his 10 appearances. Then again, Mickelson is a past winner here, and it would be some kind of dark twist to the whole PGA Tour-LIV Golf saga if he somehow turned back the clock and competed this week.

Speaking of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf, how much of the feud is going to be on display?

Schlabach: I don't think it's going to be as much of a storyline as expected because everyone is going to be on their best behavior at Augusta National. The LIV Golf players are probably going to be sporting their team logos on shirts and hats, so the elephant in the room isn't going to be completely invisible. I just don't know how many of LIV Golf's 18 participants are going to be real contenders. Australia's Cameron Smith, who tied for second in 2020 and tied for third last year, has played well here. He hasn't played much this season, though, and his form hasn't been great lately, finishing 26th in Tucson and 29th in Orlando. Past champions Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed haven't played much, either. Brooks Koepka won the Orlando event and is suddenly playing better. With the LIV Golf League placing such an emphasis on the team competition -- go RangeGoats! -- can they simply flip the switch and get back to playing as individuals? And finish 72 holes? Chances are one or two of them will be on the leaderboard Sunday, though.

Who's your dark horse pick for the week?

Schlabach: It's probably not too much of a stretch to say that a guy who finished runner-up in his first Masters appearance and tied for eighth in his third would be a dark horse, but I'm not sure there are too many people picking Sungjae Im to win a green jacket this week. In 2020, the South Korean became the first Asian player to finish runner-up, and he held the first-round lead two years later. Im has won two times on tour and loves playing at Augusta National. Im doesn't hit the ball especially far off the tee, but he keeps it in the fairway and has a solid all-around game.

Uggetti: It feels like every big tournament these days is going to be won by either Scheffler, McIlroy or Rahm, which makes it difficult to look beyond them to find an unexpected winner. I'll take Jason Day. He's obviously been trending in the right direction -- five top-10s in the past six tournaments and 11 top-20 finishes this season -- and it appears the swing changes he has made have paid dividends. Day has missed the cut in the past two Masters he has played in, but he finished top-5 in 2019. A win at Augusta would be a fitting, storybook-like way to cap what has been a long, up-and-down road back to the top of the game.

Who are you definitely not picking this week?

Schlabach: Patrick Cantlay is one of the best players in the world, especially with a driver in his hand. But his performance in major championships is perplexing, to say the least. He has only one top-5 finish in a major -- a tie for third at the 2019 PGA Championship -- and one top-10 at the Masters, a tie for ninth in 2019. The light switch is going to go off for Cantlay at some point and he's going to contend for a major championship. I just don't think it's going to be this week.

Uggetti: Will Zalatoris. This could look like a poor choice in retrospect, given that Zalatoris has proved to be a supremely better player when playing in majors, but be it injury or putting woes, Zalatoris has struggled this season. After finishing tied for 11th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Zalatoris finished tied for 36th and missed the cut before finishing fourth at Riviera. In the past three tournaments, however, Zalatoris has finished tied for 53rd, 73rd and tied for 59th. Even more damning, Zalatoris is ranked 137th in strokes gained putting one year after finishing 103rd in the same stat last season.

SOURCE: [ESPN.COM]

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'What a week': Sam Burns storms through field, wins Match Play

AUSTIN, Texas -- The final hours of the last WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play turned into a dud for everyone but Sam Burns.

Burns went on a tear Sunday afternoon in the championship match with eight birdies on his final 10 holes and enough help from Cameron Young for a 6-and-5 victory. It was the second-largest margin in an 18-hole match in this tournament.

Burns won for the fifth time on the PGA Tour. Young, who had a late rally with clutch birdies to eliminate Rory McIlroy in the semifinals, had to settle for his sixth runner-up finish in the past 18 months.

"What a week," Burns said. "I'm so tired."

Burns made it to the championship match Sunday afternoon only when defending champion Scottie Scheffler missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 20th hole of their semifinal match. Given new life, Burns made birdie from a fairway bunker with a 15-foot putt to advance.

Young had an early lead. Burns squared the match on the fifth hole and took the lead with a chip-and-putt birdie on the par-5 sixth. And then on the next hole, Young missed a 6-foot par putt to fall 2-down. It was his first bogey since the seventh hole Thursday.

All the momentum Young had built up over the week seemed to vanish. And the silky putting stroke of Burns was never better.

He holed a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 8. He made a 12-footer on No. 10 to go 4-up. He birdied the 11th hole from 25 feet -- Young made his from 20 to halve the hole -- and then it ended so abruptly.

Young pulled his shot from rough into the water on the par-5 12th, and then he came up short of the green and into the water on the reachable par-4 13th.

Burns chipped to just inside 3 feet, and Young removed his cap without making him putt.

"It's easy to think you're so close," Young said. "There's one guy standing between you and winning the tournament. And that one guy is Sam Burns playing really well."

The highlight was his semifinal win over McIlroy, who was in full flight for so much of the week. McIlroy was 2-up with three holes to play when Young won the 16th with a birdie and then hit a nifty pitch-and-run up the slope and his purest putt of the week.

On the first extra hole at the par-5 12th, Young was in such a bad spot in the bunker next to the lip that he could blast out to only 169 yards, with McIlroy just over 200 yards for his second. Young hammered pitching wedge to 9 feet and made birdie. McIlroy played short and right of the green, chipped to just inside 9 feet and missed.

That was the kind of theater that graced Austin Country Club all week, particularly Sunday morning. Scheffler was trying to join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners, and he had a 2-up lead over Burns through 10 holes.

Burns rallied back against his best friend on tour, and Scheffler had to get up-and-down from short of the 18th green for birdie to force overtime. He had it won on the second extra hole at No. 13 -- except he missed the putt -- and Burns escaped.

"That's the nature of this match play," Burns said. "It's one holed putt or missed putt away from winning or losing. He gave me a gift there on 13."

Burns in the championship match was close to unbeatable.

"There might not have been anybody beating him today the way he played," Young said.

McIlroy and Scheffler wound up in the consolation match, which McIlroy won 2 and 1. That gave the thin crowd something to watch when Burns ended the title match early. Scheffler played four years for the Longhorns. McIlroy is popular everywhere.

Taylor Moore outlasts Jordan Spieth, Adam Schenk at Valspar for first Tour win

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Taylor Moore was never really the star attraction Sunday at the Valspar Championship until he had finished hitting all the right shots and posed with the trophy for his first PGA Tour title that sends him to the Masters.

Adam Schenk and Jordan Spieth provided enough compelling theater for so much of the day, locked in a battle on the back nine of the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.

When it was over, all they shared was misfortune.

Moore surged into the mix with a 9-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the 15th hole and a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, followed by two tough pars for a 4-under 67.

That turned out to be a winner when Spieth hit his tee shot into the water on the 16th and Schenk, going for his first PGA Tour victory, hit a drive on the final hole that settled next to a large pine tree. He made bogey and finished one shot behind.

Moore, who grew up outside Oklahoma City, was on the practice range anticipating a playoff when he realized he had won at 10-under 274.

“I might have been under the radar to some people watching, but I felt like I was in the golf tournament from the time I teed off today and was just excited to control what I could control and get it done,” Moore said.

The victory sends him to the Masters in three weeks, a welcome addition to his schedule.

Spieth was tied for the lead when he sent his tee shot into the water on the 16th and managed to stay in the game by getting up-and-down from 163 yards to salvage bogey. On the par-3 17th, which yielded only two birdies all day, Spieth hit 4-iron to 6 feet — only to miss the birdie putt.

Tommy Fleetwood was part of a three-way tie early on the back nine until he took bogey on the par-5 14th. Spieth didn’t realize anyone else was in the mix.

“I thought it was me and Adam. I thought it was down to us two,” Spieth said. “I was thinking it was Tommy one back of us with a few holes to go and so I thought we could still kind of control it from the last group. Then I saw 10 (under) was posted walking off 16 green.”

The real heartbreak belonged to Schenk, whose wife flew down to Florida for the final round a month before she is due with their first child. Schenk holed a 70-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole. He made tough par saves on the 16th and 17th holes to stay tied.

On the 18th, however, he pulled his tee shot to the left. It was roughly the same line as Moore had hit his tee shot earlier, only Schenk’s ball rolled through the gallery and stopped next to a pine tree.

“Wish I could have lightly hit somebody and stayed where I had a chance to get to the green, but it did not, and I didn’t deserve it,” Schenk said.

His only shot was hitting an inverted gap wedge left-handed, and it was a dandy, shooting across the fairway into the rough. His third shot came up just short of a ridge and rolled onto the fringe 40 feet away. The par putt to force a playoff hit the hole, but had too much pace and hopped out.

Schenk, playing for the 10th consecutive week so he can take time off when his son is born, closed with a 70.

“It stinks to get so close,” he said.

Spieth missed a par putt on the 18th that was worth FedEx Cup points and money, signed for a 70 and tied for third with Fleetwood.

No one was paying all that much attention to Moore until the 29-year-old who played at Arkansas started hitting one quality shot after another. He stuffed his approach to 2 feet on No. 12 for a birdie. He effectively won the tournament with a great swing with a 9-iron on the 15th and his big putt on the next hole.

Moore got up-and-down for par with a long bunker shot on the 17th, and he two-putted from about 70 feet just off the green at the 18th.

The victory for Moore was worth $1,458,000 and moved him to No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings. Along with the Masters, he gets in the PGA Championship. He moved from No. 103 to just inside the top 50 in the world.

SOURCE [golfchannel.com]

Scottie Scheffler on top of golf world after dominant Players Championship win

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Scottie Scheffler was going to win the golf tournament. 

No drama remained in this 49th Players Championship. Scheffler, like a surgeon, had drained every ounce of drama out of the final round before he made the turn. The thing was all over but the trophy ceremony and the $4.5 million winner’s check being handed to him. 

Yet there Scheffler was standing in the middle of the 18th fairway alongside his caddie Ted Scott holding a five-shot lead and he was still as stone-faced as he’d been all day around TPC Sawgrass. 

It wasn’t until Scheffler, who had to punch out from the pine straw to the fairway after an errant drive on the last, hit his third shot onto the 18th green that he exhaled. He took his hat off, crouched over and had some words with Scott, smiling for the first time all day. 

“Let’s win this thing by five,’’ Scheffler told Scott.

So, he did. 

Scheffler calmly got up-and-down from the fairway for par and finished 17-under par, five shots clear of runner-up Tyrrell Hatton and seven-shots better than Viktor Hovland and Tom Hoge. His 3-under-par 69 bettered his final-round playing partner, Min Woo Lee, by seven shots. 

It’s been 392 days since Scheffler broke through for his first PGA Tour victory, at the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Sunday marked his sixth win in that dizzying span, last April’s Masters being one of them. 

Not only did the win elevate Scheffler back to No. 1 in the world rankings, but he now owns the impressive distinction as only one of three players to hold a Masters green jacket and a Players Championship title at the same time. 

The other two? 

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. 

“He’s had an amazing 15-month stretch of golf,’’ Hatton said. “He’s very impressive, incredibly consistent. [I] played with him last Sunday [at Bay Hill] and it was clear like he didn’t have his best that day, but he still hung around and had a chance there right at the end (Scheffler finished tied for fourth). It’s a pretty tough thing to do to be up there when you don’t have your best golf and still give yourself a chance to win.’’ 

Scheffler on Sunday made his move on Lee and the rest of the field, separating himself when he chipped in for birdie on No. 8 to move to 14-under par, good for a four-shot lead at the moment. 

He has a running bet with Scott for an undisclosed sum of cash on how many chip-ins he’ll have this year. The agreed-upon number was 10. Scheffler’s chip-in on No. 8 on Sunday was his 11th already. 

And it’s only March. 

“I think he chipped in three times this week and when he got his 11th, he was like, ‘Do I get a bonus for this?’ ’’ Scott said. “I’m like, ‘No, you are. You met your quota.’ ’’ 

It was a chip-in on the third hole at Augusta last April that propelled Scheffler to win his first career major championship. 

“It definitely got me going,’’ Scheffler said. “I played great after that. It definitely kick-started me a little bit. I mean, this chip-in was a little bit easier than the one at Augusta.’’ 

Jordan Spieth, one of the game’s best short-game wizards, said, “He’s got great hands. He’s got every shot. I think that Teddy made a very bad bet. I think Teddy will probably reevaluate considering we’re not even midway through March.’’ 

Scheffler, who’s remarkably unaffected by any and all chaos around him, has the perfect disposition to handle what he went through Sunday and to handle the No. 1 ranking. As the decibels rise, he’ll carry on as he always does — unaffected. 

“He’s obviously used to being in this position now, he’s done it so many times already,’’ Aussie Cam Davis, who finished tied for sixth, said. “I think he’s just got the attitude for it. It just looks like he’s calm, just doing his business, not really worrying what everyone else is doing and churning out birdies, which is what you need to do out here. 

“Obviously, he’s got his system down and figured out and I think the closer everyone else can get to finding theirs and sticking to it regardless of what’s going on the better chance we’ll have of keeping up with him.’’ 

Perhaps the only thing that was more impressive than what Scheffler did on the golf course Sunday was the fact that his 87-year-old grandmother, Mary DeLorenzo, kept up with him walking the golf course with a walker. 

“I mean, it’s pretty impressive she’s walking so many holes out here,’’ Scheffler said. “She’s a trooper. I really don’t know what to say. She’s had a rough last year with Grandpa passing away, and we have an uncle that’s pretty sick. I’m just happy that we’re able to kind of enjoy all this together.’’

SOURCE: [NYPOST.COM]

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Wild finish as 30-year-old underdog stuns McIlroy in maiden PGA win

30-year-old Kurt Kitayama has claimed his first-ever PGA Tour win with a stunning victory at the $20m USD Arnold Palmer Invitational, beating Rory McIlroy by one shot in a stunning boilover.

Kitayama turned professional in 2015, but in his 50th tournament the American finally claimed his maiden victory in sensational fashion, with a host of the world’s top players breathing down his neck throughout the final round.

A clutch 14-foot birdie putt on 17 gave him a one-shot lead entering the final hole at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando Florida.

From 191 yards in the rough, Kitayama landed a sensational approach shot onto the green.

He only needed to two-putt for victory, but his 47-foot attempt was almost perfectly struck – ending up teetering on the edge of the cup.

Even McIlroy was left in disbelief as he watched on, shaking his head that the ball didn’t fall.

Remarkably, Kitayama had suffered a triple bogey on the ninth hole while leading, before fighting back to win, making him the first player since 1983 to win despite a triple bogey or worse in the final round.

His even-par final round saw him finish nine-under overall.

The victory earns him $3.6m USD, nearly as much as his previous career earnings of $4,194,548 USD. It also rockets him up 33 spots on the FedExCup hunt into sixth place ahead of the Players Championship this week.

Harris English was tied with McIlroy one shot back on eight under, with world number two and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, 2020 champion Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay all one shot further back. Australia’s Jason Day was equal tenth on five under overall.

“It was really hard. I’m going to sleep really well tonight. It’s everything I kind of mentally prepared myself for,” said Kitayama.

“I’ve always dreamed of winning on the Tour and to finally do it, it’s pretty amazing.”

McIlroy said: “Disappointment, obviously. I feel like I gave myself a great chance … It was a battle all day, I felt like I hung in there really well but just came up one short.”

SOURCE: [FOXSPORTS.COM]

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Chris Kirk wins Honda Classic in playoff; 1st title since 2015

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event again. Waiting one more hole on Sunday was no problem.

Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past Eric Cole for the victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday.

Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But it lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his fifth career win -- his first since prevailing at Colonial in 2015.

"I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long," Kirk said. "Coming down the stretch, I felt good."

And he'll be the last Honda winner. The car company is ending its title sponsorship of the event after 42 years, with a new sponsor set to be in place -- the PGA Tour hopes, anyway -- in the coming weeks.

They finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 266, Kirk shooting 69 on Sunday, Cole shooting 67.

Kirk earned $1,512,000 for the win, and is now eligible to play the Masters again for the first time since 2016. Cole earned $915,600 for the runner-up finish, a check that more than doubles what the 34-year-old has earned in 14 previous tour starts.

"I loved it. It was a lot of fun," Cole said. "I can't wait to get back and do it again. I didn't have my best stuff today, and I was proud of how hard I fought."

Kirk went to the par-5 18th with a one-shot lead. His tee shot found the fairway. His second shot found the water, leading to bogey. Cole made par, giving Kirk new life in the playoff.

"Bad swing at the wrong time. ... Thank God it worked out," Kirk said.

Kirk hadn't held a trophy since 2015. That's not to say he hasn't done any winning in that span.

He walked away from the game in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression. He dealt with anxiety and struggled with handling pressure, even though he had a penchant for making it seem like no big deal on the golf course -- he was a four-time winner, plus made a big putt to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup at South Korea in 2015.

The tour gave him a major medical extension for the time he missed, meaning he had a set number of tournaments to do well enough to regain his full status. He got it back by the slimmest of margins at the Sony Open in 2021.

And now he's a champion again.

"I just have so much to be thankful for," Kirk said. "I'm so grateful for my sobriety, I'm so grateful for my family, I'm so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years."

Tyler Duncan, ranked No. 360 in the world coming into the week, shot 66 on Sunday and was third at 12 under. Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard, playing the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour, shot 67 and finished fourth at 10 under.

Gerard's career earnings on tour went from $0 to $411,600. His plans for the next few weeks might be changing based on this finish.

"I've got to go book some flights and hotel rooms, swipe the credit card," said Gerard, who came into the week ranked 472nd in the world. "We'll see what happens."

Defending champion Sepp Straka (68) was in a group tied for ninth at 9 under, with all four of his rounds in the 60's. Also in that group: Shane Lowry, who had a chance to win the Honda last year and finished with an even-par 70.

"I played lovely, and I just couldn't get it going," Lowry said.

SOURCE [ESPN.com]

Genesis Invitational payout: Jon Rahm adds to unbelievable two-month haul

Jon Rahm earned his third PGA Tour victory of the year at the Genesis Invitational, pushing his 2023 earnings to an amazing amount.

In just five starts this year, Rahm has made $9,402,750 on the Tour. That doesn't include the $462,000 he made at the CJ Cup in October, which is part of this wraparound season. Scottie Scheffler set the Tour's single-season earnings record last year, with $14,046,190 (not including the Tour Championship payout).

Rahm's haul this week was $3.6 million, thanks to the Genesis being a designated event. He also won the Sentry Tournament of Champions (a designated event as well) and The American Express.

Here are the full purse and FedExCup breakdowns for those who made the cut at Riviera Country Club:

SOURCE: [golfchannel.com]

2023 WM Phoenix Open purse: Payout info, winner’s share at TPC Scottsdale

Buckle up, golf fans. We have a wild Sunday ahead at the WM Phoenix Open.

Not only do we have two of the world’s top three players set to battle for the title and the right to ascend to World No. 1, we also have a designated event purse: $20 million is up for grabs, including a sweet payday of $3.6 million for Sunday’s winner. That’s more than double the money at stake in “regular” PGA Tour events.

To put that increase in perspective, 65th place will take home $43,000 at TPC Scottsdale. At last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach, which featured a $9 million purse, 65th place earned $19,350.

Scottie Scheffler, 13 under par through 54 holes, holds a two-shot over Canadian Nick Taylor and Jon Rahm, who are 11 under. Jordan Spieth is lurking at 10 under alongside Adam Hadwin. And just four shots back is a bevy of big names: Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Jason Day, Sungjae Im and Tyrrell Hatton.

Given the drama that awaits on TPC Scottsdale’s closing holes, this will certainly be a tournament finish to remember.

You can check out the complete payout breakdown below.

WM Phoenix Open payout info, winner’s share

Win: $3,600,000

2: $2,180,000

3: $1,380,000

4: $980,000

5: $820,000

6: $725,000

7: $675,000

8: $625,000

9: $585,000

10: $545,000

11: $505,000

12: $465,000

13: $425,000

14: $385,000

15: $365,000

16: $345,000

17: $325,000

18: $305,000

19: $285,000

20: $265,000

21: $245,000

22: $225,000

23: $209,000

24: $193,000

25: $177,000

26: $161,000

27: $155,000

28: $149,000

29: $143,000

30: $137,000

31: $131,000

32: $125,000

33: $119,000

34: $114,000

35: $109,000

36: $104,000

37: $99,000

38: $95,000

39: $91,000

40: $87,000

41: $83,000

42: $79,000

43: $75,000

44: $71,000

45: $67,000

46: $63,000

47: $59,000

48: $55,800

49: $53,000

50: $51,400

51: $50,200

52: $49,000

53: $48,200

54: $47,400

55: $47,000

56: $46,600

57: $46,200

58: $45,800

59: $45,400

60: $45,000

61: $44,600

62: $44,200

63: $43,800

64: $43,400

65: $43,000

SOURCE [GOLF.com]

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NEWS

Justin Rose leads by two at AT&T Pebble Beach as players prepare for Monday finish

• Justin Rose's impressive fairway bunker shot and eagle at AT&T Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Playing golf sunrise to sunset on the Monterey Peninsula sounds like a delectable opportunity, even when the weather comes at you with an assortment of conditions from hail to sunshine and everything in between.

To know that you can have a few more holes on Monday morning with a chance to win $1.62 million is . . . well, it’s this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where Justin Rose started his day with some fire at Monterey Peninsula CC and ended it with some early-evening magic at Pebble Beach to put his name atop the leaderboard.

Buoyed by a scintillating 215-yard bunker shot to set up a 6-foot eagle at the par-5 sixth and then a deft 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 seventh, Rose pushed into a two-shot lead in an effort to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR since the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open.

The 42-year-old Englishman was 3-under in the final round, 15-under for the tournament when he ran out of daylight walking down the 10th fairway. He will return Monday morning to hit a 143-yard approach into the No. 10 green and continue through Pebble’s back nine.

He’ll have plenty of company close behind, because playing competitor Peter Malnati is sitting at 13-under, tied with Brendon Todd and Denny McCarthy, both of whom will return to face birdie putts – Todd from 8 feet at No. 13, McCarthy 14 feet at No. 16.

Taylor Pendrith, one of 20 players to finish their fourth rounds before play was called , closed with a 64 – 275 to have the clubhouse lead at 12-under. But clearly this is not Pendrith’s tournament to win, it’s Rose’s.

And should the Englishman snap a stretch of 67 PGA TOUR tournaments without a victory, he’ll likely give credit to his heroics at the sixth hole.

“No, it’s not comfortable,” said Rose of his position in the bunker down the left side of the fairway. The second shot at the sixth is a blind shot up and over a massive hill that feels like a mountain.

Rose weighed his options – a high 7-iron, perhaps? – before settling on a 4-iron that required him to hit it flush. Rose pulled it off. “I was really focused, just made sure I hit the back of the ball,” he said.

“You’ve got to strike it. You know that if you catch it half-an-inch fat, you could be in the ravine. Obviously, for it to climb up there to 6 feet (was a bit fortunate). But I did my part. I struck it, stayed out of trouble, committed to it.”

That it led to an eagle and ushered him into a birdie at the seventh and a gut-check par at the demanding par-4 eighth was a huge relief to Rose.

He had returned to Pebble Beach for his fourth round after having played 10 holes in 6-under at Monterey Peninsula CC to seize the lead at 12-under, but a sloppy bogey at Pebble’s pedestrian opening hole almost sucked all the air out of his great morning.

The play at the sixth “was a momentum builder,” said Rose, who focuses not on his lengthy skid but his positive play of late (four straight cuts made, a top 10 and two top 20s).

“I’ve been trending,” he said.

Were you to narrow your focus to just Sunday’s partial final round at Pebble, no one was trending quite like McCarthy, a veritable putting machine when he gets it cooking. Surely, he did over Pebble’s front nine as he rolled in seven birdie putts that totaled no more than 27 feet.

“A great day. I felt really comfortable all day,” said McCarthy, who played nine holes at Monterey Peninsula CC to finish Round 3, then came to Pebble and hit five shots inside of 15 feet.

Whether McCarthy can maintain his roll, or whether he has enough holes to catch Rose and win for the first time on the PGA TOUR remains to be seen. But the onetime University of Virginia standout does know this – he has finally seen what all the hoopla is about when people talk about “Pebble weather.”

“I’ve played this tournament three times before and had perfect weather,” he said. “So this is the year, I guess, that I was due to get some bad weather.”

SOURCE: [pgatour.com]

Weekly Read Fore! Things: Max Homa's Rally, Jon Rahm's Run and Two Cuts Made in One Week

The Farmers Insurance Open had a impressive winner with Max Homa's Sunday rally, and a rare story in 72nd place.

Fore! Things

1. Max Homa’s victory at the Farmers Insurance Open was impressive in many ways, including rallying from five back. His final-round 66 was one of just 11 scores under par and one of just three—along with Keegan Bradley and Jason Day—under 69.

2. Jon Rahm was unable to pull off a third straight victory, but there is no shame in another top 10. Starting with the FedEx St. Jude—the PGA Tour’s first playoff event last August—Rahm has gone T5, T8, T16, T2, win, T4, win, T8, win, win, T7.

3. U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is the only top-10 player in the world entered at Pebble Beach this week. Jordan Spieth is also in a field that has just 22 of the top 100 in the world.

4. Harold Varner defends his title at the PIF Saudi International, the Asian Tour event that will see nearly every LIV Golf player tee it up. Bubba Watson is making his first start since having a knee procedure following last year’s PGA Championship.

Fore! More Things

1. After contending the week prior in Abu Dhabi, Padraig Harrington, 50, shot an opening-round 81 in Dubai—then bounced back with a 16-shot improvement, a 65. He still missed the cut.

2. Circumstances allowed Scott Brown to play in two events last week, not without controversy. Brown made the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas, which concluded on Wednesday. But because he got into the field at the Farmers Insurance Open, he withdrew to head to San Diego. It’s hard to pass up a PGA Tour start and it was also impossible for Brown to know he’d get in. He ended up finishing 72nd after shooting 77-77 over the final two rounds.

3. LIV Golf is expected to fill out the rest of its 48-player field for the start of its league season this week while the Saudi International tournament is being played outside of Jeddah. But this announcement has been delayed several times.

4. There are 66 days until the first round of the Masters.

SOURCE: [si.com]

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT 

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Jeff Brown! 

Thursday, January 26th

5pm -8pm 

Call to make your Reservation NOW! 

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Come test your knowledge on Wednesday! 

Trivia Night 

WEDNESDAY, January 25th

Game Starts at 6pm 

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Enjoy Dinner & a Game
Call to make your reservation NOW!
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Hope to see you there!

Jon Rahm earns fourth title in five starts at The American Express

Jon Rahm wins second title of 2023 at The American Express

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Jon Rahm shares a group chat with two accomplished NFL pros, Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz and recently retired defensive lineman J.J. Watt. “Complete golf nerds,” he describes them.

Rahm appreciates the commitment and grind to sustain success for a long period of time, notably Watt’s dietary sacrifices to maintain optimal health and recovery levels throughout his career as a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I mean, eating 10 dry chicken breasts a day has to get old very quickly,” Rahm said.

In the highly competitive world of professional sports, someone’s always coming for those at the mountaintop. Rahm is playing some of the world’s best golf, if not the best, and uncovering all possible clues is essential to maintaining that edge.

Rahm’s current recipe is proving quite effective. He carded a four-round total of 27 under at The American Express for a one-stroke victory over TOUR rookie Davis Thompson, his fourth win in five official starts worldwide. With his ninth career PGA TOUR title, he moves atop the FedExCup standings and continues one of the more impressive hot streaks in recent memory at the game’s highest level.

Two weeks ago, Rahm rallied from six strokes back in the final seven holes to edge Collin Morikawa at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. This week, Rahm shared the 54-hole lead with Thompson at 23 under, and a steady Sunday sufficed. The ultimate edge came at the par-5 16th hole. Rahm’s second shot flirted with a cavernous bunker on the Stadium Course’s iconic San Andreas hole before settling in the fairway, 33 yards from the hole. He pitched to 9 feet and drained the putt, which caught the lip and spun nearly all the way around before dropping.

Rahm felt a comfort level Sunday in the California desert, cultivated through a work ethic that he describes as “obsessive.” It translated to a trophy.

“I think today was about as comfortable as I’ve been in a long time on the golf course, tee to green,” Rahm said Sunday evening. “Every time I felt like this in the past, I’ve ended up going on to win, just because it takes a lot of pressure off a lot of parts of my game, knowing that basically I’m going to hit the shot that I’m envisioning. And that’s a really unique zone to put yourself in.

“That doesn’t happen as often as I wish. I wish I could be like that every single time, that I know I’m going to stripe it into the middle of the fairway and hit the shot at the pin. But it doesn’t always happen. So I’m glad I enjoyed a day like that today.”

The victories are nice, and Rahm intends to savor this one. Four wins in five official starts is rarified air. But he knows that for those who wish to remain among the game’s elite, there’s no time for complacency. The search for the extra edge is eternal.

That’s where observation of other peak performers comes in. For Rahm, a notable source of inspiration is the late Kobe Bryant, the five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and 18-time NBA All-Star.

Rahm felt a connection with Bryant around “obsession” for the craft, and although he takes work-life balance seriously as a husband and father raising a young family, he knows the importance of recognizing the traits that brought him to the game’s highest level – and can keep him there long-term.

“I spent a lot of time (in college) listening to a lot of his interviews and videos, because I see a lot of similarities between us in the way we approach our craft,” Rahm said. “Because ‘craft’ is the key word for Kobe. And having that obsessiveness that we both have over the game, it’s somebody to learn from for sure.

“Work ethic beats talent any day of the week, period. And I like to think that I have a really hard work ethic and I put a lot of time in.”

Talent is key to earning a PGA TOUR card, but it’s the intangibles that separate good from great. How can you find that extra stroke that so often proves the difference, as it did Sunday for Rahm?

J.T. Poston played in Sunday’s final grouping alongside Rahm and Thompson, carding a closing 68 for a T6 finish, his fourth consecutive top-21 showing on TOUR. Poston has hit a stride in the past year, earning his second TOUR title at the John Deere Classic last summer and moving to the fringes of potential Presidents Cup captain’s selection.

Poston is an established TOUR pro with an eye on taking the next step into the game’s elite. A Sunday in the final group with Rahm proved instructive.

“You knew what kind of heater he was on and how good he was playing and the scores he’s been shooting,” Poston said. “You knew he was going to be hard to beat. Watching him today, he obviously played great, but my takeaway is that he’s human too. He didn’t go out there and shoot 64 again and just blow everybody away; he had to earn it.

“For somebody that’s watching from a distance, it almost gives you a little bit of confidence where you’re like, ‘OK, that’s the guy who’s obviously playing the best of anyone in the world right now, and he’s still making mistakes, he’s not perfect.’ It gives you confidence that you don’t have to be perfect, and you can go out and win too.”

Rahm is doing plenty of winning these days. He’ll keep striving to uncover clues in the quest to remain on the “elite” side of the razor-thin edge between elite and very good.

Just don’t expect him to adopt Watt’s chicken diet.  

SOURCE: [PGATour.com]

Come Sing The Night Away!

Karaoke Night

with Poppy 

Sponsored by Tammi Cacciatore & Tom Reeves from DECCA Real Estate

TONIGHT, January 19th 

5pm - 8pm

Call and make your reservation!

Power Rankings: The American Express

Yet another thrilling lineup is promised in the Coachella Valley: Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris, Tom Kim, etc.

What, you were expecting Bad Bunny, Rosalía and Frank Ocean? Come back to these parts for those artists and many, many more in mid-April for the annual music and arts festival. This week’s focus is on The American Express, although Gwen Stefani and Darius Rucker will be entertaining in the event’s concert series later in the week.

A trio of courses is set to host the tournament. Details on the format and more below.

 

RANK		PLAYER	COMMENT
15 Sahith Theegala In his tournament debut last year as a PGA TOUR rookie, the SoCal native carded a career-low 62 at Nick Tourney in the second round and finished T33. Three top-six finishes this season.
14 Sungjae Im Serves as a litmus test for his game right now. Since splashing here in 2019, he’s gone T12-T10-T12-T11, but after opening 2023 with a T13 at Kapalua, he missed the cut at Waialae by four.
13 Cameron Young Back for redemption after getting upended by a closing 77 to finish T40 in his debut last year. He sat T5 and just three shots off the lead entering the finale. Opened 2023 with a T13 at Kapalua.
12 Taylor Montgomery If only he was more comfortable with a PGA TOUR card... The (very) early Rookie of the Year favorite is 8-for-8 with seven top-15 finishes, including a T12 last week at Waialae.
11 Tom Kim Tom Kim … The 20-year-old is making personal history of sorts this week because this is the first host site on TOUR where he’s making his second appearance (MC, 2021). T5 at Kapalua two weeks ago.
10 Tom Hoge With a T6 (2020) and a solo second (2022) in the last two editions with a 54-hole cut, he’s earned this faith. And, hey, at least TCU lost by a zillion since his T3 as a first-timer at Kapalua.
9 Sam Burns The 26-year-old still struggles in putting four rounds together, but his floor is so high. Also, in two appearances with 54-hole cuts at PGA WEST, he finished T18 in 2019 and T6 in 2020.
8 Brian Harman The lefty has been a fixture here throughout his career. Since 2016, he’s 6-for-7, all paydays going for a top 25, including a pair of T3s (2017, 2022). All 24 rounds this season are par or better.
7 Andrew Putnam Arrives with a pair of strong streaks in tow. For one, he’s cashed in 13 straight starts with three top-five finishes; T4 at Sony. And at PGA WEST since 2018, he’s 5-for-5 with four top 25s.
6 Si Woo Kim It’s Si Woo SZN. He’s fresh off the surge to win the Sony Open in Hawaii and he’s only two years removed from his victory at PGA WEST in 2021. Also placed T11 in his title defense.
5 Will Zalatoris Ended his injury sabbatical by limbering up with a T11 in his first appearance at Kapalua where he was sub-70 in every round. Opened last year with a T6 in his debut at The American Express.
4 Tony Finau Sixth appearance and fourth consecutive since returning with a T14 in 2020. Added a solo fourth in 2021. Shed whatever rust he had with a well-balanced T7 at Kapalua two weeks ago.
3 Patrick Cantlay He’s a machine for whom there’s no reason not to expect him to contend. He’s mastered the art of cadencing competition with rest. He’s also gone T9-2nd-9th in his last three appearances.
2 Scottie Scheffler His quartet of title defenses are on the horizon, but this is neither a bridge nor a primer for all of that. He’s finished third (2020) and T25 (2022) at PGA WEST. Rested after a T7 at Kapalua.
1 Jon Rahm With three wins, a T2 and a T4 in his last five official starts worldwide, he’s a default No. 1 here. Oh, and not that he needs more evidence, but he’s also a former champion (2018) at PGA WEST.

 

Eight courses across three tournaments in three weeks. That’s how the West Coast Swing opens, so for any golfer scheduled to launch into the stateside version of the 2023 slate, patience will be a weapon. Naturally, for rookies and other first-timers, the learning curve will be getting a workout.

The American Express is anchored by the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA WEST. The Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA WEST (a/k/a “Nick Tourney”) and La Quinta Country Club share in the duties. Each of the 156 in the field will get one lap around each course before the cut falls at the conclusion of the third round. The champion will be decided among the low 65 and ties on the Stadium Course on Sunday.

Every entrant will be paired with an amateur for the first three rounds. That usually leads to longer time spent inside the ropes, but there can be a nice balance of pleasure with the profession for all who embrace the experience.

Each course is a stock par 72 ranging from 7,060 yards at La Quinta to just 7,187 yards on the Stadium Course. The latter was extended by 40 yards with a back tee at the par-5 16th hole that now can reach 600 yards. In consideration of fairness across all courses – and this goes for next week’s Farmers Insurance Open and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the week after – hole locations remain in similar spots on the greens until the rotation is complete. While foot traffic always is concentrated around holes, they will be separated by as few paces as possible.

La Quinta CC is the easiest of the three, but even its scoring average of 69.917 last year was its highest of the last six times it’s been utilized. (It sat out the 2021 edition due to the pandemic.) With TifDwarf bermuda greens now fitted on its back nine, the aforementioned learning curve will apply to all there. The primary rough is up half-an-inch to 1.75 inches this year.

Nick Tourney checked up at 70.256 in 2022. Although it’s been among the easiest par 72s most seasons, this is likely a new norm since its greens were modified to TifEagle bermuda and increased to an average of 7,000 square feet prior to the 2021 edition of the tournament. The thickest rough on both tracks at PGA WEST is trimmed to two inches.

The Stadium Course averaged 70.571 a year ago, and that includes a final-round split of 70.914. That’s the bull’s-eye when weather cooperates, which it will again this week. After rain clears out on Monday, a dry pattern will dig in for the remainder. Daytime temperatures will climb into the mid-60s and winds will be light.

All greens are prepped to run no longer than 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, so even the amateurs will be busy penciling circles.

 

SOURCE: (PGATOUR.COM)

Burger & Wing Night 

At the Oak Room Bar & Grill 

Wednesday, January 11th

4pm - 8pm

Call and make your reservation!
352.861.1818 ext. 2 

Rahm went on a heater in the final round at at Kapalua to overtake Collin Morikawa

The 2023 Tournament of Champions looked to be Collin Morikawa’s to lose for the first 67 holes. In complete control of his game and holding a six-stroke lead heading into Sunday, the rest of the field was simply playing for second place. Everyone except for Jon Rahm, that is. Seeing his name drop as many as nine strokes behind Morikawa’s, the Spaniard kept his head down and went to work. The result? He totaled 27 under and was rewarded with a two-stroke victory at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.

Beginning his final round with a bogey, the former world No. 1 fell to 16 under and appeared to be on the cusp of nice finish, but certainly not a memorable one. A birdie on his second hole immediately put Rahm back to even par on the day, and four additional par breakers on his outward half saw him reach 21 under for the tournament.

“If you told me at the beginning of the round after that bogey that I was going to do what I did and have a three-shot lead after finishing, I don’t know if I would’ve believed you,” said Rahm.” But at that point, it’s not like winning is really in mind. You just have to get to work and start making birdies and that’s what I did. That stretch of four through six, making those three birdies, birdieing nine allowed me to get into a rhythm and the stretch of 12 through 15 was very important as well.” 

A birdie on the 12th put Rahm within five of Morikawa and in with a chance to pull off a stunner. Two more birdies on 13 and 14 put him within three. With Morikawa still needing to play the more accessible holes on the back nine, on paper, this Herculean effort from Rahm was another performance at Kapalua which would come up short.

Coming into the week with five top-10 finishes in as many starts at the Tournament of Champions, Rahm has experienced his fair share of close calls at this event. Shooting 33 under at this tournament a year ago, a record-setting performance from Cameron Smith was the only thing that stood in between Rahm and his first victory at Kapalua.

There would be none of that this season as an emphatic eagle on the par-5 15th propelled Rahm to 26 under. At that same time, Morikawa began to show cracks with his newly revamped chipping and putting reverting back to their troubled selves. A bladed bunker shot on the drivable par-4 14th led to his first bogey of the championship before more short-game woes occurred on 15 and 16 with bogeys following.

“So 15 is when it truly became a reality when I had that putt to get within one shot and knowing how good I was playing 16 and 18 are good birdie options,” said Rahm. “When that putt went in and then on 17 I couldn’t believe it when I missed the green right we had a one-shot lead and everything changed. It took quite an effort to settle myself down and change my mindset … it was a bit of a rollercoaster five minutes there.”

A birdie on the closing hole put the finishing touches on a stellar 10-under 63 in which Rahm played his final 17 holes in 11 under. Going 27 under on the week and now 60 under at the Plantation Course over his last eight rounds, the consistent greatness from the former world No. 1 was finally enough to bag him a much deserved, and perhaps overdue, trophy in Hawaii.

Source: cbssports.com

Dance Party at Bella Cucina
TONIGHT, December 2nd

6pm - 9pm 

Call and make your reservation!
352.861.1818 ext. 2 

Hosted by Decca Real Estate and The Oak Room Bar & Grill 

Karaoke Night with Poppy!

TONIGHT, November 17th

Enjoy some good food and sing your heart out, while you're at it!

Call to make your reservation!
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Burger & Wing Night!
TONIGHT, November 16th

One of your guys' favorites and it is here. Come on in and enjoy some wings and burgers. 

Call and make your reservation!
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Thursday, November 10th 

Live Entertainment 
with
BLU & SHELBY 

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Trivia Night
THIS WEDNESDAY, November 9th

Trivia starts at 6pm 
Dinner from 4pm - 8pm

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Come Dance the Night Away!

Dance Party at Bella Cucina 

Friday, November 4th

6pm - 9pm 

NO RESERVATION NEEDED

Come join the fun! 

Come Join Us! 

Oktoberfest Dinner

TONIGHT, October 28th

4pm - 8pm

We will be serving all your favorite German Specials.

Weiner Schnitzel, Sausage Platter, and Schweinebraten. 

Make your reservation NOW!

Before it's too late!

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Who doesn't love Burgers & Wings? 
Well, we have a whole night full of them!

Burger & Wing Night 

Wednesday, October 26th
4pm - 8pm

Be sure to make your reservation NOW! 
(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Hope to see you there!

Come test your knowledge TOMORROW! 

Trivia Night 

Tuesday, October 25th
3pm - 7pm

Enjoy Dinner & a Game
Call to make your reservation NOW!
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Course Closed

Monday, October 24th - Thursday, October 27th

Royal Oaks will be closed for overseeding next week. The 24th - 27th and will resume normal hours that following Friday, October 28th. 

Thank you for understanding. 

- Royal Oaks Golf Club

Who doesn't love steak? 

Steak Night is TOMORROW! 

TONIGHT, October 15th

4pm - 8pm

Choose between a delicious filet or ribeye.

All meals are served with baked potato, chef’s choice of vegetable, salad, rolls & butter, wine & dessert. 

Call to make your reservation now!

(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Live Entertainment Outside 

Palm Groove

Thursday, October 13th

5pm - 8pm

Come enjoy some drinks and some dinner as well as some entertainment to go with it!

Make your reservation NOW!

Before it's too late!

352.861.1818 ext. 2 

Come Join Us! 

Oktoberfest Dinner

Wednesday, October 12th

4pm - 8pm

We will be serving all your favorite German Specials.

Weiner Schnitzel, Sausage Platter, and Schweinebraten. 

Make your reservation NOW!

Before it's too late!

352.861.1818 ext. 2 

Come Dance the Night Away!

Dance Party at Bella Cucina 

THIS FRIDAY

6pm - 9pm 

Call to make a reservation 

352.861.1818 ext. 2

Come join the fun! 

Fall Scramble! 

Sunday, October 23rd, 2022

8:30am Shotgun Start

Tournament & Lunch: $30.00 plus applicable course fees.

Lunch without Golf: $25.00

Tournament Price includes $5.00 prize fund

The delicious menu for the day: Baked Ziti, Italian Sausage, Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Caesar salad, Apple Cobbler and Draft Beer

After Tournament Activities start at 1pm!

Please sign up in pro-shop and bring a check when signing up or if using member account let staff know, and we can apply it to your account!

Game Rules

This will be a Step back scramble

A four-person team event in which each player hits his/her tee shot and the best shot is selected. The player whose shot is selected steps aside for the next shot. Continue this step back format on each shot until the ball is holed. You must select a minimum of 2 tee shots from each player

Payout will be for the top two teams and also the last place team, with gift cards redeemable in the pro shop for merchandise.

  We will have closest to the pin and long drive prizes for men and women

Team dynamics, emerging stars and what's next for the U.S. team: Takeaways from the 2022 Presidents Cup

The U.S. team captured the Presidents Cup again, taking down the International team 17½ to 12½ at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday. It was the Americans' ninth straight victory and 12th in 14 editions of the event.

Over four days, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas emerged as the face of American team golf, now that Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed are competing on the LIV Golf circuit. South Korea's Tom Kim became a household name, and the International team showed a lot of heart in competing better than expected.

Here are five things we learned this week at Quail Hollow:

These guys like each other

Everyone needs someone to love them like JT loves Jordan, and vice versa.

There's no question the International team has inherent hurdles the Americans don't have to deal with, starting with language barriers, cultural differences and unfamiliarity with each other.

International team captain Trevor Immelman wasn't exaggerating (that much) when he called this U.S. team the greatest ever assembled. The 12-man U.S. squad included five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Each of them was in the top 25.

And when U.S. team captain Davis Love III can roll out the tandems of Thomas-Spieth and Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay each session, it's like having Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in a five-game series.

Spieth and Thomas, who have known each other since they were kids, went 4-0 in foursomes and four-ball matches. Cantlay and Schauffele, who are friends, both hail from California and won the PGA Tour team event in New Orleans this past season, went 2-1. The players went a combined 3-1 in singles.

"It's really fun, right?" Spieth said earlier this week. "He's my best friend in the whole world. We've played a lot of golf together. We've played a lot of golf against each other. Now we've played quite a bit with each other. There's nothing more fun than these team events, playing alongside JT."

When it looked like the Presidents Cup might turn into another rout on Friday, one of the most exciting things to watch was Spieth and Thomas feeding off each other, fist bumping, chest bumping and screaming at each other along the way.

"Having the opportunity to not only win a point for your team but win a point with one of your best friends, it's just one of those things," Thomas said. "We know each other's games. We know how to feed off each other. We know how to help each other. We know how to stay out of each other's way."

And that's what makes the core of U.S. stars so dangerous in team events going forward. LIV Golf might have actually done the Americans a favor by luring away Reed, who was popularly known as "Captain America" by fans but wasn't so popular in the team locker room. Reed infamously complained of captain Jim Furyk's "buddy system" in choosing pairings at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, which the Americans lost, 17½ to 10½.

The 12 players who competed for the U.S. this week genuinely seemed to like each other. There wasn't an elephant in the room because of Bryson DeChambeau's ongoing beef with Brooks Koepka, or because Reed was unhappy about having to play with Tiger Woods instead of Spieth.

A few times this past week, Presidents Cup rookie Max Homa, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, mentioned that he wasn't particularly close to anyone else on the U.S. team. But when Homa said it again during a news conference after Sunday's victory, Sam Burns quipped, "Love you, Max."

"Love you, Sam," Homa replied.

"Sam's a perfect example of somebody I've always gotten along with great and somebody I was looking forward to getting to spend real time with," Homa said.

Tom Kim is a superstar

The South Korean phenom's name is Joohyung Kim, but he prefers Tom, a childhood nickname given to him because of his fondness for Thomas the Tank Engine. These days the 20-year-old has as much steam building as his namesake.

After winning the Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour victory a month ago, Kim's pro debut in a team event was a coming-out party. He was the youngest player on either team and the third youngest to ever compete in the Presidents Cup, behind only Ryo Ishikawa and Jordan Spieth.

Kim went 2-3 in matches this week, and he was the pulse of the International Team and a crowd favorite at Quail Hollow Club because of his exuberant celebrations. On Sunday, Kim showed up at the first tee wearing sunglasses and egging the crowd to cheer. He was a rock star.

After losing his first two matches, Kim and his partners at least gave the International Team a glimmer of hope on Saturday.

In the Saturday morning foursomes, Kim paired with South Korea's K.H. Lee to take down world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. That afternoon, Kim and Si Woo Kim stunned the seemingly unbeatable tandem of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in four-ball competition. Kim had an eagle on the par-4 11th hole and then made a 10-footer for birdie on the 18th to defeat Cantlay and Schauffele.

"I think the sky's the limit," said Kim's caddie, Joe Skovron, who was on Rickie Fowler's bag until recently. "When you're 20 years old and you've already won as much as he has around the world and to respond in this environment like he did, you know, and he seems to have a work ethic to go with it and a plan. "

Homa isn't bad, either

It's difficult to imagine that not long ago Homa didn't have much confidence in his game. He was one of the funniest pro golfers on Twitter (and still is), but he didn't have much to show for his work in terms of results. At the end of the 2020 season, he was 70th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Since February 2021, however, Homa has won four times on tour. He won the Genesis Invitational in 2021, the Fortinet Championship and Wells Fargo Championship this past season and then defended his Fortinet Championship title in Napa, California, last week. He didn't arrive in Charlotte for his Presidents Cup debut until early Monday morning.

Homa, 31, delivered a signature moment of the Presidents Cup on Friday. Playing with Billy Horschel, their match against Canada's Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners was tied after 16 holes. Homa made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to go 1 up. Then, after Pendrith made a clutch 15-footer for birdie on the 18th, Homa made another 12-footer to win the match.

After defeating Tom Kim on Sunday, Homa improved to 4-0 in his Presidents Cup debut. He is only the fourth Presidents Cup rookie to go 4-0-0 or better in his debut.

"I've said it a million times, but last year, at Kiawah [Island], doing the fitting for the Ryder Cup, knowing I didn't really have much of a chance anymore was tough," Homa said. "Looking at yourself in the mirror and all the USA gear, it was hard. But I've got a thing seared into my brain, and my main focus this season was to make this team, to play with these guys.

"A lot went into that. And to be here was one thing, and then to come out and play some great golf was another. And this week has been beyond special, validating, meaningful, all of the above. It meant a lot."

The PGA Tour needs more superstars, especially after so many big names like Dustin Johnson, DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and others defected to LIV Golf. The tour should embrace Homa's personality more than ever before.

Read More: [SOURCE: ESPN.com]

Who doesn't love steak? 

Steak Night is BACK! 

Saturday, September 24th

4pm - 8pm

Choose between a delicious filet or ribeye.

All meals are served with baked potato, chef’s choice of vegetable, salad, rolls & butter, wine & dessert. 

Call to make your reservation now!

(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Come share some laughs with great people!

Comedy Night 

with GREGG GOOD TIME HOUR 

Friday, September 23rd

4pm - 8pm

Call to make a reservation now!

(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Hope to see you there!

Burger & Wing Night 

Wednesday, September 21st

4pm - 8pm

Come enjoy some delicious food with good people!

At the Oak Room Bar & Grill 

Call and make a reservation before it's too late!

(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Sawyer Country

Sponsored by

Tammy Cacciatore Gottfried & Tom Reeves

Thursday, September 15th 

5pm - 8pm

at the Outdoor Pavilion 

at

The Oak Room Bar & Grill

Husband/Wife performing together, specializing in Country, Southern Rock.

All requests are welcomed! 

Come Eat, Drink & Dance!

Don't Miss Out On This Special Entertainment Night!

** CALL AND MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW**

(352) 861-1818 ext. 2

Rory McIlroy rallies to win Tour Championship, third FedEx Cup title

ATLANTA -- This year it became easy to overlook Rory McIlroy's four majors, 30 wins on four continents and two years at No. 1 in the world. He has been viewed mostly as the strongest voice and staunchest defender of the PGA Tour in its battle against Saudi-funded LIV Golf.

So perhaps it was only fitting that a most tumultuous year for the PGA Tour culminated Sunday with McIlroy holding its biggest prize.

He had the final say with his clubs.

Six shots behind before the Tour Championship started, 10 shots back after two holes, McIlroy rallied from a six-shot deficit in the final round against the No. 1 player in the world and closed with a 4-under 66 to become the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup.

"It's been a tumultuous time for the world of men's professional golf in particular,'' he said. "I've been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I'm trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world.

"It's in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different.''

It came at the expense of Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who birdied four of six holes Sunday morning to finish the storm-delayed third round at 66 and build a six-shot lead. Not even McIlroy, who birdied the last two holes in the morning to get into the final group, thought he had a great chance.

But then Scheffler never regained his groove, missing fairways and greens and par putts. He made only one birdie in a closing round of 73 and tied the PGA Tour record for losing a six-shot lead in the final round.

"I just didn't get off to a good start early, but after that I grinded as hard as I could,'' Scheffler said. "For whatever reason my swing wasn't where it had been the first few days this week.''

McIlroy had a 17-under 263 for his raw score, the best of the week. He started at 4 under as the No. 7 seed and finished at 21 under to capture the $18 million bonus.

Sungjae Im fell back with a double bogey on the 14th hole and still managed a 66 to tie for second with Scheffler.

McIlroy referred to the final round as a "spectacle," and not just because of the pro-McIlroy crowd that chanted his name along the closing holes.

"Two of the best players in the world going head-to-head on the best tour," he said.

McIlroy needed plenty of help from Scheffler, who never trailed until the 70th hole. Scheffler looked out of sorts early, and McIlroy capitalized. With three straight birdies, he tied Scheffler on the seventh hole. And then it was a nail-biter to the end.

It was a stunning display at East Lake that turned on two shots.

McIlroy holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th hole to tie for the lead.

After he flew the green by some 20 yards, his pitch was running fast and headed off the front of the green when it hit the pin and settled 7 feet away. He saved par. Scheffler blasted out of a bunker to just inside 10 feet and missed, making bogey that put him behind for the first time all week.

Scheffler badly misread a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th to tie, sending the Tour Championship to the final hole with $18 million on the line.

Scheffler's 4-iron on the par-5 18th sailed short and right into a bunker, and he blasted out over the green. McIlroy went left against the grandstand, took relief and got onto the green for an easy par.

"I wanted to win the season-long title,'' Scheffler said. "I've had a really great year and I wanted to finish it off with a win here, and unfortunately I wasn't able to do that.''

McIlroy won the FedEx Cup in 2016 in a playoff. He won the FedEx Cup again in 2019, the first year of a staggered start. This might have been the sweetest of all, coming off a year in which the PGA Tour has been in a nasty battle with LIV Golf, which already has attracted some two dozen players and now is part of an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

It was McIlroy who has declared fierce loyalty to the PGA Tour over the past few years when rival leagues were coming into view. And it was McIlroy who joined Tiger Woods in leading a momentous player-only meeting last week that led to significant changes ahead for the tour.

So, yes, this had an extra level of satisfaction. And no, he didn't mind the burden he carried as the de facto voice of the tour.

"If you believe in something I think you have to speak up, and I believe very strongly about this. I really do,'' McIlroy said. "I hate what it's doing to the game of golf. I hate it.

"I think when you believe that what you're saying is the right things, you're happy to stick your neck out on the line.''

Even at the Tour Championship, typically a celebration of the end of the year, there was talk all weekend of more defections coming in the next few days. The Daily Telegraph reported three weeks ago that British Open champion Cameron Smith was leaving for LIV Golf, and sources confirmed his expected move to ESPN.

Harold Varner III, Marc Leishman and Anirban Lahiri also are expected to leave, sources told ESPN. Cameron Tringale announced his decision on Twitter.

Still to be determined is Joaquin Niemann, whose manager said the Chilean golfer would discuss the options with his father later Sunday.

"Everyone on tour has had to deal with a lot," McIlroy said. "Even the guys that have went to LIV have had to deal with a lot. It's just been a very tumultuous sort of era in our game. This is the best place in the world to play golf. It's the most competitive. It's got the best players. It's got the deepest fields. I don't know why you'd want to play anywhere else.''

With all that speculation, the Tour Championship that looked to be a runaway turned into a dynamic show. And in the end, the tour's biggest voice had its biggest trophy.

SOURCE: (ESPN.com)

Steak Night is Approaching!

Saturday, August 27th 2022

4pm - 8pm

Choose between a delicious filet or ribeye.

All meals are served with baked potato, chef’s choice of vegetable, salad, rolls & butter, wine & dessert.

Call to make a reservation!

352.861.1818 ext. 2 

Will Zalatoris claims first PGA Tour victory after impossible bounce on final hole

This was one of the craziest bounces in PGA Tour history.

The final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship — the first round of the PGA Tour playoffs — provided some incredible drama on Sunday evening. Will Zalatoris and Sepp Straka entered a playoff tied at 15-under after the 18th hole. After trading pars on the first two holes of the playoff, the two golfers headed to the par-3 11th, where Zalatoris was the first to tee off.

The 25-year-old American hit an errant tee shot that looked to be headed straight toward the water, which would have set Straka up for a victory. But in what can only be described as a miracle, his ball hit the stone wall that guards the water, bounced up in the air several times, and somehow managed to come to rest safely on the ledge – and out of the drink.

While Zalatoris escaped the penalty, he still had a near-impossible lie below the grass line on the top of the wall, setting the stage for Straka to win if he could get the ball onto the green. Instead, the Austrian hit a near identical shot to Zalatoris – only his ball was not as fortunate and ended up in the water.

Straka took it back to the tee for his third shot after the penalty, and was unable to find the green yet again, hitting the bunker. After watching the advantage shift even further in his direction, Zalatoris then decided to take a penalty himself, as hitting the ball off the stone ledge had disaster potential.

He managed to find the green on his second tee shot – and sunk a putt to win the tournament and earn the $2.7 million winner’s check.

The win was Zalatoris’ first on the PGA Tour, though he has gotten agonizingly close on multiple occasions. He finished second in the 2021 Masters in his first season on the PGA Tour, and in 2022 he lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff at the PGA Championship and came in second yet again in the 2022 US Open at Brookline.

In the first round of the PGA Tour playoffs, the Wake Forest product finally tasted victory.

SOURCE: nypost.com