How much money each player won at the WGC-Workday Championship

How much money each player won at the WGC-Workday Championship https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask this week’s winner, Collin Morikawa.

The reigning PGA champion held it together coming down the stretch at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, to finish at 18 under and three shots ahead of another up-and-coming talent, Viktor Hovland, along with Brooks Koepka and Billy Horschel.

Morikawa has now collected four titles on the PGA Tour despite being just 24. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win a major championship and a WGC title before turning 25

Check out how much money each player earned this week at the 2021 WGC-Workday Championship.

WGC-Workday: Leaderboard | Photos | Winner’s bag

Prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Collin Morikawa -18 $1,820,000
T2 Viktor Hovland -15 $783,333
T2 Brooks Koepka -15 $783,333
T2 Billy Horschel -15 $783,333
5 Scottie Scheffler -14 $430,000
T6 Louis Oosthuizen -12 $320,667
T6 Rory McIlroy -12 $320,667
T6 Webb Simpson -12 $320,667
T9 Jason Kokrak -11 $237,500
T9 Patrick Reed -11 $237,500
T11 Cameron Smith -10 $189,667
T11 Kevin Na -10 $189,667
T11 Matthew Fitzpatrick -10 $189,667
14 Tony Finau -9 $165,000
T15 Carlos Ortiz -8 $147,333
T15 Justin Thomas -8 $147,333
T15 Hideki Matsuyama -8 $147,333
T18 Brendon Todd -7 $125,500
T18 Aaron Rai -7 $125,500
T18 Jason Day -7 $125,500
T18 Abraham Ancer -7 $125,500
T22 Bryson DeChambeau -6 $100,833
T22 Lanto Griffin -6 $100,833
T22 Tyrrell Hatton -6 $100,833
T22 Sebastian Munoz -6 $100,833
T22 Max Homa -6 $100,833
T22 Will Zalatoris -6 $100,833
T28 Joaquin Niemann -5 $82,500
T28 Thomas Detry -5 $82,500
T28 Sungjae Im -5 $82,500
T28 Min Woo Lee -5 $82,500
T32 Jon Rahm -4 $72,000
T32 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -4 $72,000
T32 Sergio Garcia -4 $72,000
T35 Chan Kim -3 $64,500
T35 Daniel Berger -3 $64,500
T37 Erik van Rooyen -2 $59,000
T37 Trevor Simsby -2 $59,000
T39 Marc Leishman -1 $55,000
T39 Xander Schauffele -1 $55,000
T41 Kevin Kisner E $52,500
T41 Jason Scrivener E $52,500
43 Gary Woodland 1 $51,000
T44 Brandon Stone 2 $48,500
T44 Mackenzie Hughes 2 $48,500
T44 Tommy Fleetwood 2 $48,500
T44 Matt Kuchar 2 $48,500
T48 David Lipsky 3 $44,500
T48 Shane Lowry 3 $44,500
T48 Cameron Champ 3 $44,500
T48 Yuki Inamori 3 $44,500
T52 Wade Ormsby 4 $41,500
T52 Victor Perez 4 $41,500
T54 Ryan Palmer 5 $38,300
T54 Justin Rose 5 $38,300
T54 Bubba Watson 5 $38,300
T54 Adam Scott 5 $38,300
T54 Dustin Johnson 5 $38,300
T59 Bernd Wiesberger 7 $36,250
T59 Rafael Cabrera Bello 7 $36,250
T61 Robert MacIntyre 8 $35,000
T61 Brad Kennedy 8 $35,000
T61 Lee Westwood 8 $35,000
T64 Laurie Canter 9 $33,875
T64 Sami Valimaki 9 $33,875
66 Harris English 10 $33,500
67 Rasmus Hojgaard 12 $33,250
T68 Andy Sullivan 13 $32,875
T68 J.C. Ritchie 13 $32,875
70 Lucas Herbert 14 $32,500
71 Daniel van Tonder 15 $32,250
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Tiger Woods responds to golfers wearing his Sunday-red as he recovers from accident

Tiger Woods responds to golfers wearing his Sunday-red as he recovers from accident https://ift.tt/3r2Y76V

It looks like Tiger Woods is watching some golf on TV while he recovers from last week’s car accident in Los Angeles.

During Sunday’s final rounds, players in the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship, Puerto Rico Open and Gainbridge LPGA showed their support for Woods in various ways.

Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Carlos Ortiz, and Cameron Champ rocked similar versions of his signature Sunday-red shirt and black pants. Billy Horschel had “TW” etched on his hat while Matt Kuchar, Jason Day and Bryson DeChambeau played with golf balls stamped with “TIGER.”

Golfers on supporting Tiger

Rory McIlroy: “It’s just a gesture to let him know that we’re thinking about him and we’re rooting for him. Obviously things are looking a little better today than they were on Tuesday, but he’s still got aways to go. He’s got a huge recovery ahead of him.”

Tony Finau: “We’ve enjoyed so many Sundays watching Tiger do his thing. Red and black, we know that’s what Tiger does on Sundays, so to just join in and just let Tiger know we’re supporting him in the best way we can. We’re still playing and we miss him out here, but it was cool just to be a part of that today.”

Sebastian Munoz: “He was my idol. He’s the reason I played golf today. It’s just a little tribute I wanted to pay to him today, just how much his life and his work have impacted my life.”

Jason Day: “Just paying respect to Tiger. Obviously we hope for the best in wishing him a very quick recovery, just wanted him to know that we’re thinking about him.”

Justin Thomas: “I think it’s just important for him to feel some kind of support. I think this shows support to him. It’s not something that’s going to happen every week, it’s not something that people are doing every day, but obviously Sunday’s a pretty special day for him and what he’s wearing and just seemed like a great chance that people had the opportunity to do it.”

For all the latest news on Woods, click here.

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Kevin Sutherland rallies to win Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions

Kevin Sutherland rallies to win Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions https://ift.tt/3uFxvez

TUCSON, Ariz. — The last time Mike Weir and Kevin Sutherland each won, they did so in the state of Arizona.

Sutherland’s win was just three months ago at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix. Mike Weir, meanwhile, hasn’t won  since 2007. That’s a stretch of 13 years, four months and seven days since he won the Fry’s Electronics Open on the PGA Tour at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.

On Sunday, when Weir birdied the eighth hole at the Cologuard Classic, the second PGA Tour Champions event in 2021, he took a four-shot lead. It started to look like the drought would finally be over.

But on a chilly and windy day, Sutherland, who started the final round two shots back of the lead, made his move on the back nine at the Omni Tucson National Resort.

He birdied the 10th and 12th and then chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th, the only birdie on that hole on Sunday. When Weir bogeyed the 16th, there was a tie for the lead with two to go.

On the par-5 17th, Sutherland made a short birdie putt to take a one-shot lead. Both striped their drives on the 18th hole and after Sutherland stuffed his approach to about 10 feet, he made a par putt to clinch the win at 15 under.

Weir bogeyed the last to finish 13 under.

Cologuard Classic

A backyard sign showing support for Phil Mickelson at the 2021 Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

An eventful week

Phil Mickelson posted 14 birdies over the course of three days but had a double bogey in each of his first two rounds and a triple on the ninth hole on Sunday.

In both his first and second rounds, Mickelson also had an adventure on the 15h hole. Two days in a row, his ball nearly went into the lake and both days, he made amazing saves. Friday he hit off the mud to make birdie, Saturday he saved par after taking off his socks and shoes to stand in the lake to hit again from the mud.

When he got to the 15th tee on Sunday, he quickly charted a different path.

This time, he had caddie/brother Tim Mickelson pull a stake out of the ground to lower the rope, motioned a course volunteer out of the way, aimed right off the box and punched his tee shot through a small opening of trees up the 17th fairway.

Cologuard Classic

Phil Mickelson and caddie/brother Tim Mickelson look through an opening of trees on the 15th tee box to the 17th fairway, where Mickelson would play his tee shot on Sunday in the final round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort. (Photo: Todd Kelly/Golfweek)

After arriving at his ball in the fairway, he said “What’s up?” to the oncoming group of Billy Andrade, Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk.

“Then I only had about 215 to the hole and took a 4-wood over the trees,” Mickelson said. His ball landed between the 15th green’s front-facing bunkers. From there, he chipped on and two putted for par but expressed frustration about it.

“This is the stuff I’ve been doing. I hit a decent chip but I left it above the hole, missed the putt, make a 5. I hit three decent shots and I got a 5, and I gotta fix that somehow.”

It’s not an uncommon strategy at Tucson National. Woody Austin, for one, does it all the time, according to frequent spectators at the event.

Mickelson finished in a seven-way tie for 20th at 4 under, his bid for an unprecedented third win in his first three Champions tour starts falling short.

He wore a red shirt under his black pullover Sunday, part of the show of support across the golf world for Tiger Woods.

“So two things happened today. I wore red in honor of Tiger to let him know that the players support him and appreciate all that he’s done,” he said. “I had to buy a red shirt and of course every red shirt here (in Tucson) has a big A on it (for the University of Arizona, arch rival to Mickelson’s Arizona State). I’m not going to flash it (the A) but it’s under here (his black pullover). I hope he knows that we’re supporting him. Because that was a lot for me to do that.”

Other notables

Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker finished T-3 with Scott Parel. Jeff Maggert finished solo fifth. Tournament ambassador Jerry Kelly finished 9 under and tied for sixth with Tim Petrovic. Defending champion Bernhard Langer parred the 18th hole to shoot an even-par 73 and finish 6 under, tied for 14th. Local favorite Jim Furyk tied for 17th at 5 under.

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How much money each PGA Tour player won at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open

How much money each PGA Tour player won at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open https://ift.tt/3r2Y76V

Just five weeks after his father died due to COVID-19, Branden Grace earned an emotional second win on the PGA Tour.

Playing in the event held opposite the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship, Grace finished with a hole-out for eagle on the par-4 17th and then made birdie from the sand on the par-5 18th to reach 19 under and claim the trophy, the top prize of $540,000 and 300 FedEx Cup points.

Jhonattan Vegas finished second at 18 under and will take home $327,000. Falling short in his home country once again, Rafael Campos finished T-3 alongside Grayson Murray, with both players earning $177,000.

Check out how much money each player earned in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Open: Leaderboard | Winner’s bag

Prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Branden Grace -19 $540,000
2 Jhonattan Vegas -18 $327,000
T3 Grayson Murray -16 $177,000
T3 Rafael Campos -16 $177,000
T5 Brice Garnett -15 $115,875
T5 Andrew Putnam -15 $115,875
T7 Rob Oppenheim -14 $91,125
T7 Ted Potter Jr. -14 $91,125
T7 Brandon Wu -14 $91,125
T7 Cameron Percy -14 $91,125
T11 Emiliano Grillo -13 $72,750
T11 Ryan Brehm -13 $72,750
T13 Wes Roach -12 $60,750
T13 Lee Hodges -12 $60,750
T15 Joohyung Kim -11 $45,750
T15 Chase Seiffert -11 $45,750
T15 Bo Van Pelt -11 $45,750
T15 Vincent Whaley -11 $45,750
T15 Fabian Gomez -11 $45,750
T15 Thomas Pieters -11 $45,750
T15 Nelson Lauta Ledesma -11 $45,750
T22 D.J. Trahan -10 $28,950
T22 Greg Chalmers -10 $28,950
T22 Roger Sloan -10 $28,950
T22 Josh Teater -10 $28,950
T22 Seamus Power -10 $28,950
T27 Tim Wilkinson -9 $22,350
T27 Will Gordon -9 $22,350
T27 Adam Schenk -9 $22,350
T30 Aaron Baddeley -8 $18,780
T30 Xinjun Zhang -8 $18,780
T30 Bill Haas -8 $18,780
T30 Andres Romero -8 $18,780
T30 Patrick Rodgers -8 $18,780
T35 Justin Suh -7 $15,263
T35 Byeong-Hun An -7 $15,263
T35 Ian Poulter -7 $15,263
T35 Charlie Beljan -7 $15,263
T39 Bronson Burgoon -6 $10,962
T39 Davis Riley -6 $10,962
T39 Sam Ryder -6 $10,962
T39 Anirban Lahiri -6 $10,962
T39 Lucas Glover -6 $10,962
T39 Jonathan Byrd -6 $10,962
T39 Bryson Nimmer -6 $10,962
T39 Vaughn Taylor -6 $10,962
T39 Roberto Castro -6 $10,962
T39 Peter Uihlein -6 $10,962
T49 Jason Bohn -5 $7,635
T49 Satoshi Kodaira -5 $7,635
T49 Kristoffer Ventura -5 $7,635
T49 Joseph Bramlett -5 $7,635
T53 Taylor Pendrith -4 $7,062
T53 Ryan Blaum -4 $7,062
T53 David Lingmerth -4 $7,062
T53 Scott Brown -4 $7,062
T53 Dalton Ward -4 $7,062
T58 Edward Figueroa -3 $6,750
T58 Stephan Jaeger -3 $6,750
T58 Michael Gellerman -3 $6,750
T58 Paul Barjon -3 $6,750
T58 Padraig Harrington -3 $6,750
T63 Dylan Meyer -2 $6,510
T63 Mark D. Anderson -2 $6,510
T63 Michael Gligic -2 $6,510
T66 Will Cannon -1 $6,360
T66 Zack Sucher -1 $6,360
T68 Richard S. Johnson E $6,150
T68 J.J. Spaun E $6,150
T68 Tommy Gainey E $6,150
T68 George McNeill E $6,150
T68 Marcelo Rozo E $6,150
73 Ben Martin 1 $5,970
74 Michael Kim 2 $5,910
75 John Senden 3 $5,850
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Winner's Bag: Collin Morikawa, WGC-Workday Championship

Winner's Bag: Collin Morikawa, WGC-Workday Championship https://ift.tt/37WoCDF

A complete list of the golf equipment Collin Morikawa used to win the 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship:

DRIVER: TaylorMade SIM (8 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade SIM Titanium (14 degrees), SIM2 (19 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX shafts

IRONS: TaylorMade P-7MC (4-6), TaylorMade P730 (7-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (52, 56 degrees), TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 (60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider FCG

BALL: TaylorMade TP5

GRIPS: Golf Pride Z Grip (full swing) / SuperStroke Traxion Tour 1.0 (putter)

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Collin Morikawa earns fourth win at WGC-Workday Championship

Collin Morikawa earns fourth win at WGC-Workday Championship https://ift.tt/37WoCDF

The world’s best golfers descended on Florida this week for the first World Golf Championships event of the season, and they did not disappoint.

Amid a field of 14 of the top 15 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin men’s ranking, Collin Morikawa emerged as the winner, claiming the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, at 18 under. The former Cal Bears star shot a 3-under 69 in the final round, holding off Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka, who each made a run up the leaderboard on Sunday.

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s now four wins for the 24 year old in just two years on Tour.

WGC-Workday: Leaderboard | Photos | Winner’s bag

Morikawa won his first event at the 2019 Barracuda Championship just months after turning pro, then claimed last July’s Workday Charity Open in a playoff with Justin Thomas before winning his first major at the PGA Championship a month later.

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Winner's Bag: Branden Grace, Puerto Rico Open

Winner's Bag: Branden Grace, Puerto Rico Open https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

A complete list of the golf equipment Branden Grace used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Puerto Rico Open:

DRIVER: Callaway Epic Speed (9 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana TB 60 shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus 6 Blue shaft

IRONS: Callaway Apex UT (3), with Fujikura prototype shaft, X Forged CB (4-PW), with Project X 6.5 shafts

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS MD5 (52, 56, 60 degrees), with Project X 6.5 shafts

PUTTER: Odyssey 2-Ball Ten

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

GRIPS: Golf Pride MCC (full swing) / SuperStroke Taxion Claw 1.0 (putter)

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Gabriela Ruffels collects first paycheck on the LPGA; here's how she can earn a tour card

Gabriela Ruffels collects first paycheck on the LPGA; here's how she can earn a tour card https://ift.tt/2Mz0aRm

ORLANDO, Florida – Gabriela Ruffels wrapped up her first LPGA start as a professional at the Gainbridge LPGA with an even-par 72 to finish T-37. She collected an $11,197 paycheck for her efforts.

“I thought I hit it went really well,” said Ruffels, who called Lake Nona one of the most challenging courses she has played. “A little bit disappointed at the moment because I never really got anything going.”

Ruffels, who turned professional two weeks ago, forgoing her final semester at USC, competed in the Gainbridge on a sponsor exemption. She currently does not have status on any tour as Q-Series was canceled last year.

Both non-members and members are allowed up to six sponsor exemptions each year on the LPGA. Her upcoming spot in the ANA Inspiration, however, does not count against the six as she earned her way in via a top-15 finish in 2021.

Ruffels, 21, might also get into some Monday qualifying fields later in the year. Brooke Henderson secured her LPGA card in 2015 by Monday-qualifying for the Portland Classic and then winning the tournament by eight strokes.

Ruffels was recently offered a spot in the Symetra Tour’s IOA Championship in Beaumont, California, March 26-28. She’ll play in the IOA if she doesn’t get into the LPGA’s Kia Classic, held the same week (she’s still waiting to hear about the exemptions for that event). The Beaumont event is about 30 miles from where Ruffels’ family has a place at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells.

She also has a start in the Symetra Tour’s inaugural Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, in late April.

To earn her LPGA card and avoid Q-School, Ruffels would have to either win an LPGA event or earn the equivalent of the top 40 on the CME points list by season’s end. (In that past, it was the equivalent of the top 40 on the money list.)

Last year Ruffels, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur winner, posted top-15 finishes in both the ANA and U.S. Women’s Open.

She’ll have to go through qualifying to get into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club in San Francisco. Points from that event will count toward her earning her LPGA card, a rule that was changed after Stacy Lewis finished third at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2008 and got nothing for it.

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Just weeks after his father died due to COVID-19, Branden Grace finishes eagle-birdie to win Puerto Rico Open

Just weeks after his father died due to COVID-19, Branden Grace finishes eagle-birdie to win Puerto Rico Open https://ift.tt/3r2Y76V

Branden Grace sure has a flair for the dramatic.

Back in 2016, Grace won his first PGA Tour event with a final-round 66 at the RBC Heritage. On Sunday afternoon, he did the same, holing-out for eagle on the par-4 17th and then making birdie from the sand on the par-5 18th to reach 19 under and claim the trophy at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

All wins are emotional, but this one hit close to home for Grace. Just weeks ago, the 32-year-old South African lost his father to a bout with COVID-19.

“He was a rock in my life and career and I am going to miss him dearly,” Grace said via a post on his Twitter account last month. “I will be taking some time off to be with family. Stay Safe.”

Puerto Rico Open: Leaderboard

Jhonattan Vegas made birdie on the par-5 18th to reach 18 under, briefly tying Grace for the lead and ultimately finishing second. Rafael Campos, who was born in San Juan and now resides in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, fell short once again in his home country, earning a third top-10 finish at the tournament.

Campos and Grayson Murray finished T-3 at 16 under, while Brice Garnett and Andrew Putnam round out the top five at 15 under.

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Year of the Kordas continues as Nelly Korda collects three-shot win at Gainbridge LPGA

Year of the Kordas continues as Nelly Korda collects three-shot win at Gainbridge LPGA https://ift.tt/3qSoYTG

So far, 2021 has been the year of the Korda sisters on the LPGA. After Jessica Korda, the older of the two LPGA players, won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last month, little sister Nelly followed on Sunday with a three-shot victory at the Gainbridge LPGA played at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida.

Korda finished at 16 under after a final-round 3-under 69.

This is Nelly Korda’s fourth career LPGA title, but the first time she’s won on home soil after picking up previous wins at the 2018 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship plus winning the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in 2019 and defending her title at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts event that year.

Korda took a one-shot lead on rookie Patty Tavatanakit into the final round at Lake Nona, but Korda started pulling away quickly. Birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 6 moved Korda to 16 under for the week and that’s where she sat for the remainder of the day.

Tavatanakit couldn’t get anything going, and slid down the leaderboard with her final-round 74. She finished an eventual T-5 at 10 under.

Korda’s closest pursuers were Lexi Thompson, who had a closing 4-under 68 for one of the best rounds of the day, and Lydia Ko, who is playing on her home course this week. Both players ended 72 holes at 13 under, three shots behind Korda.

Jin Young Ko, the No. 1-ranked player in the world finished solo fourth at 11 under.

Annika Sorenstam, at 13 over, finished 74th, last among those to make the cut.

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Photos: Players show support for Tiger Woods by wearing his Sunday colors

Photos: Players show support for Tiger Woods by wearing his Sunday colors https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Many around the professional golf world are rallying to show their support for one of the game’s greats on Sunday.

Numerous players are wearing red and black for Tiger Woods, who was involved in a single-vehicle rollover car crash on Tuesday.

The crash took place at just after 7 a.m. PT, and Woods’ vehicle sustained major damage, according to the report. After being pulled from the vehicle, Woods was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Anish Mahajan, interim CEO and chief medical officer of Harbor-UCLA, announced Thursday night that Woods had been transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center “for continuing orthopedic care and recovery.”

The show of support for Woods on Sunday also came from the maintenance staff at the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

Tiger Woods’ crash: Here’s what we know

WGC-Workday: Leaderboard

Gainbridge LPGA: Leaderboard

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Nichols: Wouldn't it be great if Annika Sorenstam hosted the LPGA every year at Lake Nona?

Nichols: Wouldn't it be great if Annika Sorenstam hosted the LPGA every year at Lake Nona? https://ift.tt/3sCkKzM

ORLANDO, Florida – This can’t be a one-and-done for Annika Sorenstam. Instead, it should be the spark that leads to something long overdue: The ANNIKA.

There isn’t a single event on the LPGA schedule that’s hosted by a former player. An annual LPGA tournament at Lake Nona, hosted by Sorenstam, would instantly become a marquee event on the tour’s schedule. Surely officials can figure out a way to package the magic of this week and turn it into an annual affair.

In this writer’s perfect world, the 50-year-old Sorenstam would play, of course. She’d get warmed up with the PNC Championship in December, continuing to play with her father until her son, Will, is ready to take the stage. (And, my goodness, is he adorably fun.)

She then would again compete in the celebrity division of the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions in January, while hosting her annual AJGA event in Orlando the same week. The Sorenstam Winter Swing would conclude at The ANNIKA, where she’d host the best in the world at Lake Nona, her home since 2000.

“I would rank it one of the top golf courses we’ve played for sure,” said Nelly Korda of the impeccably kept Tom Fazio design.

Annika Sorenstam during round three of the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

There would be so much natural synergy between an LPGA event and Sorenstam’s foundation. There are 40 players in this week’s field who are ANNIKA alumni. Maria Fassi, Celine Boutier, Patty Tavatanakit, Angel Yin and Linnea Strom are among those who have won her events. Leona Maguire, Bronte Law and Fassi are recipients of the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, given annually to the best Division I player in women’s college golf.

Spots in Sorenstam’s LPGA event could be reserved for the ANNIKA Award winner as well as the winner of the AJGA Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational, ideally played the week before.

Sorenstam decided to play this week in large part to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in August. Her commitment to the young championship, now in its third year, will go a long way toward establishing its place in the game.

Many LPGA players leave the tour to start families or get off the road when their kids reach school age. Sorenstam’s return to golf at 50 for the Senior Women’s Open sends a strong message that you can always go back. (What she did this week, however, making the cut in an LPGA event after nearly a 13-year layoff, is peak GOAT.)

Should Sorenstam decide to make it a run at the Senior Women’s Open and play the next five years, perhaps etching her name on the trophy several times, she’d provide an immeasurable boost to a championship that took far too long to come to life.

Annika Sorenstam walks during the first round of the 2021 Gainnbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

In June, Sorenstam will host the Scandinavian Mixed on the Ladies European Tour in Sweden along with fellow Nona resident Henrik Stenson. Given that the event takes place ahead of the Senior Women’s Open, maybe she’ll use the opportunity to get back inside the ropes closer to Brooklawn.

On Wednesday, when a reporter tried to ask Sorenstam about taking a spot in the ANA Inspiration in April, the 10-time major winner was shaking her head “no” before he could even finish the question.

“I’m in a different place in my life,” she said.

No one is looking for a comeback from Sorenstam. She’s made it clear that’s not happening. But a handful of meaningful starts each year from one of the greatest to ever play the game would provide an intriguing bridge between the past, present and future.

Coming into the event, Sorenstam said she felt like playing this week made her more relevant to younger generations. Rather than simply listening to stories from the past, they can instead learn from a legend at work in real time.

This week has been a gift. A gift that has left us wanting more.

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Mike Weir, winless since 2007, leads Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions

Mike Weir, winless since 2007, leads Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions https://ift.tt/3r2AeMZ

Mike Weir hasn’t won a golf tournament since 2007 but he’s in position to snap a streak of more than 13 winless years on Sunday.

After his second-round 67, Weir is atop the leaderboard at the Cologuard Classic, the second PGA Tour Champions event in 2021, at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona.

His last victory anywhere came at the short-lived Fry’s Electronics Open on the PGA Tour at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. A win Sunday would be his first in 233 starts—194 PGA Tour, 19 Korn Ferry Tour, 11 PGA Tour Champions, nine European Tour—worldwide.

This week in Tucson, Weir is 4 under on the front nine and 10 under on the back and has posted rounds of 66 and 67. He is at 13 under and will take a two-shot lead over Kevin Sutherland into Sunday’s final round.

“I can’t recall a time where I’ve hit so many shots close to the hole,” Weir said. “I’ve hit really a lot of shots that have been almost tap-in to just outside of tap-in. I don’t know, probably six, seven, eight shots. So my wedges have been very good, even mid iron game’s been very good, so that’s really been good. And I’m driving it good.”

Sutherland, who won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix in November, eagled the 17th to get to 11 under.

Scott Parel is in third at 10 under, three shots back. Scott Verplank bogeyed the last and is 9 under, four back. Jeff Maggert, who started the day in 28th, posted the low round of the day with a 7-under 66. He had eight birdies in his round and is tied for fifth at 8 under with David Toms and Tim Petrovic, who made a hole-in-one for the second day in a row. On Friday he aced the 16th, on Saturday, the 14th.

“I called my wife yesterday and I said, ‘You see my card?’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, you made an eagle.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s part of it, but it was on a par 3.’ She goes, ‘Oh, my God, hole-in-one,'” said Petrovic. “I think they got this one (on Saturday) on video, though, so my dad will probably, he’s probably still laying on the floor in his living room right now, watching that one go in.”

Phil Mickelson had a double-bogey on the par-5 second hole but he responded with birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 6. On 15, he had another memorable mud ball save from the edge of a lake and walked off the course with a 1-under 72.

“I thought I might have made another birdie from the mud. I couldn’t hit that wedge shot any better,” he said.

He is nine shots off the lead and will have some work to do on Sunday as he chases a first-ever third straight win in his first three starts on the Champions circuit.

Cologuard Classic Jim Furyk

A sign showing support for Arizona Wildcat alum Jim Furyk is seen at the Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Defending champion Bernhard Langer is six under and is T-11, seven shots back as he chases his 42nd victory on the Champions tour, which he joined in 2007. He has at least one win in 14 years on the circuit. Local favorite Jim Furyk shot a second-round 69 and is T-15, eight shots off the lead.

Others of note: Steve Stricker (T-8), Fred Couples (T-11), Cologuard ambassador Jerry Kelly (T-11), Ernie Els (T-15), John Smoltz (T-51). John Daly withdrew after 12 holes.

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PGA champ Collin Morikawa sees lead fall to 2 heading into final round of Workday at The Concession

PGA champ Collin Morikawa sees lead fall to 2 heading into final round of Workday at The Concession https://ift.tt/3svAIvw

BRADENTON, Fla. – The rest of the field was getting a headache looking at the scoreboards during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship.

At the top was Collin Morikawa, who was giving The Concession Golf Club a concussion. The reigning PGA champ was battering the diabolical course that drives most players batty with eight birdies in his first 12 holes and headed to the 13th tee with a five-shot lead.

But Morikawa limped home with two bogeys and was forced to make two gut-check par putts to remain in the lead. Thus, heads have cleared and Sunday’s final-round no longer looks to have the makings of a runaway.

Morikawa, who made nine birdies in his second round, still signed for a 5-under-par 67 and his once imposing lead is down to two through 54 holes.

At 15 under, Morikawa is two shots clear of Billy Horschel (69) and Brooks Koepka (70), who battled through a neck injury to remain in contention.

WGC-Workday: Leaderboard | Photos | Tee times, TV info

Webb Simpson (69) is three back and Rory McIlroy (66) and Patrick Reed (69) will start four behind. Four others are at 10 under.

“Got off to a really good start and just kept rolling birdie after birdie, really didn’t think about it, game was playing really boring, playing simple, hitting fairways and hitting greens,” Morikawa said.

But he three-putted for bogey on the par-5 13th and he never got it going again.

“I just kind of psyched myself out and in my head it was going to be a tough hole, but that doesn’t mean I should be three‑putting, doesn’t mean I should leave my putt five feet short,” Morikawa said. “Tomorrow I’m just going to stay committed for every hole, every shot I hit and we’ll see what happens.

“There’s so many positives to take from those first 12, but I have a lot to learn from those last six. I didn’t play great the last six, but a lot to learn from heading into tomorrow. Just to kind of clear my head to get ready for the 18‑hole grind.”

Koepka hopes his neck feels better in the final round.

“It sucks,” he said of the injury. “Doesn’t feel any better. Just one of those things, I’ve had it for a long time, so I’m ready for an off week next week. Go get some treatment here now and get worked on in the morning, and from there just hope for the best. Hopefully it loosens up.

“Have to go through a whole bottle of Aleve and Advil just trying to make it for two days. It’s annoying because I spotted a few shots just to the field, but it is what it is.”

A few shots can disappear quickly at The Concession. McIlroy said the course yields a lot of birdies but it can bite you very quickly even without doing much wrong. Or as Reed said, it’s definitely a course where no lead is big enough.

McIlroy gave himself an outside chance despite his swing still being a work in progress as he tries to win for the first time since the fall of 2019.

“I’m getting it around, put it that way,” McIlroy said. “I don’t feel like I’m flushing it by any means, but it’s a work in progress and I’m seeing some good signs, which I guess is encouraging.

“After I made birdies on 7 and 8 and I got to 6 under for the tournament, I said to Harry (Diamond, his caddie), ‘Let’s get to 10 by the end of the day and let’s see where that leaves us.’”

Rory McIlroy during the third round of the 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

McIlroy made four birdies and an eagle coming home.

“I shot one better than that,” he said. “I think if you’re within three or four, you still feel like you’ve got a reasonable chance.”

Morikawa has his best chance of winning for the first time since the PGA.

He had been scuffling a tad since leaving TPC Harding Park in San Francisco with the Wanamaker Trophy. While he’s still the No. 6 player in the world, he had nearly as many missed cuts – three – as top-10s – four in 13 starts since the PGA Championship. He also had four other finishes north of 40th.

This led Morikawa to chance to a saw putting grip, especially seeing as the stats showed he was in the 200s on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. The move didn’t work in last week’s Genesis Invitational but it’s doing just fine this week.

And he got a chipping lesson from Paul Azinger that has helped his confidence.

“I’m feeling well with my irons, I’m feeling good, but when I do miss, I’m able to make up‑and‑downs and that’s kind of the best feeling you want to have when you’re staying aggressive with 18 more,” Morikawa said.

As for his putting, he said he’ll likely make more adjustment but right now he loves his new stroke. As far as the lead, he knows it’s not very big.

“Anything can happen,” he said. “I know all the guys behind me, they’re very capable of going low. That’s why I’ve got to be ready from hole 1 and be ready all the way through the round tomorrow.

“You’ve got to have a mind of a goldfish, right? You’ve got to be able to forget and forgive. So come tomorrow I’m sure there’s going to be a couple wayward shots or a bad shot here or there, but I’ve got to know that I’m still putting one foot forward in front of the other and trying to close out the tournament.”

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Players will wear red and black Sunday to show support for Tiger Woods

Players will wear red and black Sunday to show support for Tiger Woods https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Days after a horrific car crash that sent one of the greatest players in the history of the game to the hospital for multiple surgeries, players around the professional golf world are rallying to show their support on Sunday.

Rory McIlroy is wearing red and black on Sunday to show support for Tiger Woods, who was involved in a single-vehicle rollover car crash on Tuesday.

Woods had emergency surgery to deal with multiple injuries to his right leg, ankle, and foot. According to a statement his team released Friday night, he is recovering and in good spirits following more procedures to his leg.

Woods, the 15-time major champion and winner of a record-tying 82 PGA Tour titles, famously wore a red shirt and black pants on Sundays. That’s why McIlroy will don a similar outfit, he told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, for the final round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship in Bradenton, Fla.

Add Patrick Reed to the list. He also told Lewis he is “definitely” wearing red and black in honor of Woods.

And World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who is playing her first LPGA Tour tournament in 13 years, will wear red and black in the final round of the Gainbridge LPGA in Orlando.

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WGC-Workday Championship: Sunday tee times, TV and streaming info

WGC-Workday Championship: Sunday tee times, TV and streaming info https://ift.tt/3svAIvw

The PGA Tour’s West Coast swing has come and gone, with all the attention shifting to South Florida for the first World Golf Championships event of the year.

A field of quite literally the world’s best players is on hand this week at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, with the top 18 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin Pro Rankings all teeing it up.

Collin Morikawa heads into Sunday with a two-shot lead after carding 5-under 67 in the third round. Tied for second are Billy Horschel and Brooks Koepka at 13 under. Webb Simpson sits in solo fourth at 12 under while Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed round out the top 5 at 11 under.

Check out Sunday’s tee times, TV and streaming info for the final round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship below.

WGC-Workday: Leaderboard | Photos

Tee times

Hole 1

Tee Time Players
7:35 a.m. Lucas Herbert
7:40 a.m. Roberrt MacIntyre, Andy Sullivan
7:50 a.m. Lucas Canter, Danie van Tonder
8 a.m. Bernd Wiesberger, JC Ritchie
8:10 a.m. Ryan Palmer, Brad Kennedy
8:20 a.m. Lee Westwood, Wade Ormsby
8:30 a.m. David Lipsky, Justin Rose
8:40 a.m. Sami Valimaki, Rafa Cabrera Bello
8:50 a.m. Brandon Stone, Victor Perez
9 a.m. Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson
9:10 a.m. Harris English, Erik van Rooyen
9:20 a.m. Kevin Kisner, Rasmus Hojgaard
9:40 a.m. Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman
9:50 a.m. Adam Scott, Jon Rahm
10 a.m. Dustin Johnson, Mackenzie Hughes
10:10 a.m. Cameron Champ, Tommy Fleetwood
10:20 a.m. Chan Kim, Joaquin Niemann
10:30 a.m. Trevor Simsby, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
10:40 a.m. Matt Kuchar, Carlos Ortiz
10:50 a.m. Yuki Inamori, Bryson DeChambeau
11:10 a.m. Tyrrell Hatton, Lanto Griffin
11:20 a.m. Thomas Detry, Jason Scrivener
11:30 a.m. Brendon Todd, Daniel Berger
11:40 a.m. Gary Woodland, Cameron Smith
11:50 a.m. Aaron Rai, Sebastian Munoz
12 p.m. Sungjae Im, Kevin Na
12:10 p.m. Max Homa, Min Woo Lee
12:20 p.m. Jason Day, Justin Thomas
12:40 p.m. Jason Kokrak, Will Zalatoris
12:50 p.m. Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia
1 p.m. Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen
1:10 p.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Matthew Fitzpatrick
1:20 p.m. Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler
1:30 p.m. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed
1:40 p.m. Brooks Koepka, Webb Simpson
1:50 p.m. Collin Morikawa, Bill Horschel

TV, radio information

Sunday, Feb. 28

TV

Golf Channel (Watch for free on fuboTV): 12-2:30 p.m.
NBC: 2:30-7 p.m.

STREAMING

PGA Tour Live: 12:15-7 p.m.
Twitter: 8-9:15 a.m.

RADIO

PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

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Grayson Murray is hoping his surprisingly hot putter can keep him on the PGA Tour

Grayson Murray is hoping his surprisingly hot putter can keep him on the PGA Tour https://ift.tt/3aYk9SI

For Grayson Murray to keep getting starts on the PGA Tour, he knew heading into the Puerto Rico Open that his putter needed to get cooking.

Murray can hit the ball, but putting has long been his bugaboo — he was 189th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season and has dropped to 230th through the early portion of the current campaign.

But this week, with his PGA Tour future in jeopardy, Murray has been masterful on the greens at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and the scores have followed — his 7-under 65 during Saturday’s third round was good enough to push him into a tie for the 54-hole lead at 14 under.

Murray was a white-hot 31 on the front Saturday, pushing atop the leaderboard with second-round leader Rafael Campos.

“Obviously, 5 under in nine holes is kind of a dream start. I had the putter rolling and just kind of kept it rolling throughout the round,” said Murray. “And I putted well yesterday, too, so kind of carried the momentum from yesterday.”

Puerto Rico Open: Leaderboard

Murray is no stranger to winning opposite-field events. His lone PGA Tour victory came in 2016 at the Barbasol Championship. He has recently been on a medical major extension, but is back in the Korn Ferry category, hoping to gain a few more starts on Tour.

He knows that a big Sunday could make life much easier over the next few years.

“I got to buckle down when I get the opportunities. And we’re fighting for just as much on the line this week as any other week, except for just a few less points,” he said. “But a two-year exemption is still on the line, and Maui, and PGA and the Players Championship.

“I won an opposite-field event before and it changed my, you know, my life or my career, and I know how important these are, and I don’t take these for granted at all.”

After a positive COVID test briefly derailed him last summer, Murray has missed the cut in five of his eight starts on the PGA Tour this season, and hasn’t finished in the top 40 when he has reached the weekend (his top finish was T-42 in Phoenix, near the Arizona State University campus where he finished his collegiate career).

He didn’t anticipate much from his trip to Puerto Rico, either, as he was restricted on practice time due to chilly temperatures in his Charlotte, North Carolina, home.

“Honestly, I touched a club for about 30 minutes last week one day. I didn’t even — the weather — I was just doing a five-week-in-a-row stretch, and I was out there actually seven weeks, so I was really tired. And I just, my body needed it. My mind needed it. And, yeah, I saw Coach back home for like 30 minutes. And I had no expectations whatsoever coming in here, so yeah.”

Meanwhile, Campos seemed to have the lead secured until a flubbed putt on the day’s final hole cost him a stroke, and dropped him back into a tie with Murray.

The locals are certainly pulling for Campos, who in 2016 was the first Puerto Rican golfer to lead a Tour event since World Golf Hall of Famer Chi Chi Rodriguez won the Tallahassee Open in 1979. Campos stayed in the hunt that year until Sunday, notching a T-8 and finished T-10 a year later.

Cameron Percy and Brenden Grace are tied for second, just a stroke off the leaders.

But Murray insists he isn’t fazed by a packed leaderboard, and he thinks he has the right approach for Sunday’s final round.

“Just stay confident and just hopefully have a good night’s rest and have a good warm-up in the morning. It’s been a long time since I have been in a situation like this, but I’m not afraid of the moment,” Murray said. “At the end of the day, you’ve still got to play good golf, no matter who’s chasing you or who I’m chasing. So Sunday pressure is always a little different.

“But, yeah, I mean, there’s some good players at the top, and it will be a good fight out there.”

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