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Pirates and Johnnies Lead the League

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NEWARK – (Staff report from Official News Release – A typical Saturday in the BIG EAST, filled with drama and a surprise or two, left the league standings with a four-way tie for first place at 3-1 among Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Connecticut.

Seton Hall’s 3-1 mark shows all three wins coming against ranked opponents. The Pirates (10-4) knocked off No. 7 Marquette 78-75 at Prudential Center behind the offensive punch of Al-Amir Dawes (23 points) and Kadary Richmond (21). The Hall led 76-66 with 2:25 left and withstood a frantic rally by the Golden Eagles that cut the lead to one point. Oso Ighodaro led Marquette (11-4) with 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

St. John’s got to 3-1 with its wire-to-wire 81-71 win over Villanova at Finneran Pavilion. Joel Soriano led the Johnnies (11-4) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Daniss Jenkins added 18 points and five assists. In his first start, freshman Brady Dunlap netted 15 points. St. John’s is 3-1 for the first time since 2010-11. TJ Bama was outstanding for Villanova (10-5) with a game-high 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Georgetown got its first league win when it held off DePaul 68-65. The Hoyas (8-7, 1-3) led 62-61 with 4:11 left, but kept their lead against the Blue Demons (3-11, 0-3). A potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer by DePaul missed the mark. Supreme Cook led four Hoyas in double figures with 14 points. Ismael Massoud added 13 points and seven rebounds. Da’Sean Nelson paced DePaul with a game-high 19 points.

Creighton saw an 18-point second-half lead reduced to one, but the Bluejays recovered to post a 69-60 victory against visiting No. 23 Providence. Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton (11-4, 2-2) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Trey Alexander had 21 points, five boards and five assists. The Friars (11-4, 2-2), playing their first game without the injured Bryce Hopkins, got a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds from Devin Carter. The Bluejays made a 3-pointer for the 1,000th straight game.

BIG EAST play resumes Tuesday with Seton Hall at Georgetown and Creighton at DePaul.

PGA Tour: Theegala Leads in Maui

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KAPALUA, HAWAII – Collin Morikawa posted a clubhouse-leading, eight-under (65) and looked great doing it until Sahith Theegala came along and bested Morikawa and four others with a first-round leading (64) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. Theegala, making his second start at The Sentry (33rd/2023), opened with a career-best (10) birdies. (His previous-high was nine during the third round of the 2022 ZOZO Championship). Theegala also posted a career-best birdie streak with six in a row on Nos. 10-15.

The Sentry is the first event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Season and is serving as the season-opening event on the PGA TOUR schedule for the first time since 2013. Since 2013, the PGA Tour went with 10 “wrap-around” seasons.

In 2024, the TOUR returns to a calendar year schedule, with 36 FedEx Cup Regular Season events followed by the FedExCup Playoffs and FedEx Cup Fall season.

The Sentry is the first of eight Signature Events in 2024, which offer increased purse sizes ($20 million) and FedEx Cup points to the winner (700).

Making his first start since winning the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship in back-to-back starts, reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland (T2/-8) opened with a (65), just one stroke off the lead.

Camilo Villegas (T2/-8) also posted a (65), his 16th consecutive under-par round on the PGA TOUR. He has the most rounds of 65 or better in the last four events (13 rounds) on the TOUR.

Sentry: First Round Leaderboard

1 Sahith Theegala 64 (-9)

T2 Collin Morikawa 65 (-8)

T2 Camilo Villegas 65 (-8)

T2 Sungjae Im 65 (-8)

T2 Jason Day 65 (-8)

T2 Viktor Hovland 65 (-8)

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

PGA Tour: Greg Norman Thanks Rory McIlroy

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“For Falling on his Sword”

ORLANDO – Golf legend Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, said he is grateful to Rory McIlroy for taking a step toward acceptance of the fledgling tour.

McIlroy has been one of LIV’s harshest critics, but on the “Stick to Football” podcast on Tuesday, McIlroy conceded to being overly “judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start”.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m very appreciative of what Rory said,” Norman said on the LIV Golf Podcast. “It’s been a painful couple of years.

“The reason I say I appreciate Rory to fall on his sword to some degree is the fact that he did judge us by not knowing the facts. He judged us on other people’s thoughts and opinions. I say, ‘Hey, thank you Rory’. This is a significant turning point for everybody.”

Phil Mickelson, one of the early defectors to LIV Golf, also acknowledged McIlroy’s new stance, saying on social media this week: “It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future.”

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, blasted PGA Tour members who jumped ship for the financially greener pastures of LIV for “betrayal” and accusing them of “tearing the game apart.”

“I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’ position,” McIlroy said on the podcast.

“We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realized over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is continuing negotiations to finalize an alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV. The deadline was Dec. 31 before it was extended.

The PGA Tour revealed a so-called framework agreement to merge interests with the PIF, which finances LIV Golf, in a surprise announcement on June 6.

A news release posted to the PGA Tour’s website over the weekend said the tour’s goal was to bring on the PIF, Strategic Sports Group and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) as minority co-investors in PGA Tour Enterprises — the tour’s new for-profit organization — in 2024.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: 2024 PGA Tour Brunch

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KAPALUA, HAWAII – Happy New Year 2024 and Welcome Home to PGA Tour Brunch and six-times-a-week coverage of the PGA Tour and other assorted news from the world of golf. From today through the Tournament of Champions (conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs), you’ll receive a mobile friendly, e-news drop to your inbox. In most cases it will be around Noon with the following schedule:

  • Wednesday – Tournament Preview with Odds; Field, Tee Times
  • Thursday – Look at 1st Round; News; Field Update(s)
  • Friday – Recap of 1st Round; Leaders; Look at R-2
  • Saturday – Recap of 2nd Round; Notable MTCs; Weekend Preview
  • Sunday – Recap of 3rd Round; Leaderboard; News
  • Monday – Tournament Recap; First Look at Next Tournament
  • Tuesday – Off Day

As the Tour heads east to Eastern Standard, and then Eastern Daylight Time, PGA Tour Brunch will post earlier to be ahead of tee-off times. The general idea is for PGA Tour Brunch to provide a little light reading at breakfast or lunch – thus “brunch.”

Here we go for 2024. Enjoy the season and don’t let the negotiations between the Tour, LIV Golf and all the other distractions get you down.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions is the first of eight Signature Events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule. The Signature Events will bring together the game’s top players, competing on historic courses while playing for elevated purses and increased FedExCup points.

This year, the Sentry field is comprised of all tournament winners from 2023, along with the Top 50 in last season’s FedExCup standings. FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will highlight the 59-man field. Reigning Sentry champion, Jon Rahm will not compete after signing a $600 million deal with LIV Golf. Rahm will await the completion of PGA Tour-LIV Golf negotiations now expected to be finalized before The Masters. Rory McIlroy (load management) will not compete this week but 21 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will play. The 59-player field is the largest field in tournament history (breaking the mark of 42 set in 2021).

In 2022, Cameron Smith posted a pair of (64s) book-ended by a pair of (65s) to post an amazing 258 (-34) to take T of C honors and the $1,476,000 prize. In 2021, Harris English won in Maui despite not winning a tournament the previous year.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua was the easiest course on Tour relative to par during the 2022-23 season with an average of 4.078 strokes under par, its third consecutive season with the lowest scoring average on the schedule.

Much of the PGA Tour’s charitable efforts for this tournament are dedicated to helping the Maui Community recover from deadly and devastating fires that destroyed Lahaina. See the considerable and ongoing efforts HERE.

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Sentry_TOC

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Basics

The Tee Times to begin the new year at the Sentry start Thursday at 12:45pm (ET) to 4:39pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a 10% chance of rain. As per usual, the trade winds blow in Kapalua and they’re forecast to be at 8-14 mph with gusts to 20mph. Temperatures will range from 67-80 degrees. Chance of rain increases to 25% for Friday-Sunday.

Tournament Overview: (link)

FedEx Cup Info: (link)

PGA Tour, LIV Extend Negotiations

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Claiming negotiations were “active and productive,” commissioner Jay Monahan told his PGA Tour members in a memo Sunday that the tour was working to extend the deadline to finalize a merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The PGA Tour revealed a so-called framework agreement to merge interests with the PIF, which finances LIV Golf, in a surprise announcement on June 6. Sunday marked the deadline the two sides originally set for a final agreement.

Monahan previously called New Year’s Eve a “firm target” to complete the deal, but The Telegraph reported this week that the target had been moved to early April before the Masters is played.

A news release posted to the PGA Tour’s website said the tour’s goal was to bring on the PIF, Strategic Sports Group and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) as minority co-investors in PGA Tour Enterprises — the tour’s new for-profit organization — in 2024.

“These partnerships will allow us to unify, innovate and invest in the game for the benefit of the players, fans and sponsors,” Monahan said in the memo.

Monahan told members that the tour had made “meaningful progress” in negotiating with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S.-based professional sports owners led by Fenway Sports Group and including figures like the New York Mets’ Steve Cohen and the Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank.

“As we move forward in our discussions (with SSG), we are focused on the finalization of terms and drafts of necessary documents,” Monahan said in the memo, according to ESPN and the Associated Press, as both media outlets obtained a full copy.

–Field Level Media

McIlroy Resigns from PGA Tour Board

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former PGA Tour FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy unexpectedly resigned as a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board on Tuesday.

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McIlroy, a four-time major champion who is the No. 2 golfer in the world, was set to serve in the position until 2024 after joining last year. But he announced his resignation in a letter to the entire board, stating that “professional and personal commitments” caused him to step down.

“Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory — and all of his fellow player directors — have invested in the tour during this unprecedented, transformational period in our history, we certainly understand and respect his decision to step down in order to focus on his game and his family,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo sent to players.

McIlroy’s decision came one day after the board met to mull over alternate investment options since the Tour has yet to finalize a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf.

As one of the golfers who is against a merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, McIlroy had stepped into a leadership role after the Tour’s decision on June 6 to create a framework agreement that would establish a partnership between the two sides.

After the news of a potential partnership, McIlroy voiced his frustration during a news conference on June 7 at the RBC Canadian Open. He was informed of the Tour’s plan to buddy up with Saudi Arabia’s PIF just hours before Monahan made an official announcement.

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens,” McIlroy said at the news conference on June 7.

Then on Tuesday, Norther Ireland’s McIlroy told reporters that he wasn’t pleased with his position on the board.

“Not what I signed for whenever I went on the board,” McIlroy said ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. “But yeah, the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years. Again, the overall game I think is in really good shape. But everyone focuses on this top level because it is what it is, and it’s an entertainment product and it’s a show, but the faster that it gets rectified, I think the better for everyone.”

Per tournament regulations of the PGA Tour, the other player directors still on the board must elect a golfer to serve out the rest of McIlroy’s term.

–Field Level Media

Rory, Keegan Join Boston Common Golf

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FENWAY – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Boston Common Golf, the new tech-forward golf team representing Boston and New England, named four world-class PGA TOUR golfers to its new team, including Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, and Tyrrell Hatton.

“These four remarkable golfers have achieved an extraordinary list of accolades as individuals, and together as a group, they convey an unmistakable sense of exceptionalism that not only commands respect but also instills a profound sense of awe, especially among their competitors,” said Fenway Sports Group principal team owner John Henry.

“Rory, Tyrrell, Keegan, and Adam stand at the very heart of our team’s potential for success in this groundbreaking venture and we extend our gratitude to each of them for embarking on this journey with us.

“As a co-founder of this visionary league, I want to express my sincere appreciation to Rory and for the partnership we have with Sean O’Flaherty of Symphony Ventures who has been indispensable in helping us build Boston Common Golf. The Symphony team have placed their trust in Fenway Sports Group, and it is an honor and a privilege to share this path with them.”

McIlroy currently ranks as World No. 2 and has spent more than 100 weeks as World No. 1 during his career. Along with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, he is one of only three players to win four majors by the age of 25. McIlroy turned professional in 2007 and has since recorded 24 PGA Tour victories, nine international victories, and three FedEx Cup championships. His most recent victory came at the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open in June. McIlroy grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and in 2022 became the first player from outside the United States to serve on the PGA TOUR Policy Board. He is a co-founder of TMRW Sports, the parent company of TGL.

“I’m thrilled to join Boston Common Golf and to be representing Boston and New England’s rich sports culture,” said McIlroy. “TGL brings a unique dimension to the game, and I can’t wait to stand with Adam, Keegan, and Tyrrell as my teammates. It’s a fantastic opportunity that will offer us all a chance to build lasting connections and to foster regional pride that you don’t often see in the game of golf.”

Bradley currently ranks as World No. 17 and has ranked as high as World No. 10. Bradley has recorded six PGA TOUR wins, including the 2011 PGA championship, and has made two Ryder Cup appearances for the U.S. team (2012, 2014). His most recent victory came at the 2023 Travelers Championship in June. Originally from Woodstock, Vermont, Bradley currently splits his time between Jupiter, Florida and Newburyport, MA.

“I’m incredibly proud to be a part of Boston Common Golf, especially as a kid from New England,” said Bradley. “This region has a rich golfing history, and to have the opportunity to represent it is a dream come true. I come from a family deeply connected to the sport, and to represent that heritage while also contributing to a team backed by Fenway Sports Group is a unique honor.”

Scott currently ranks as World No. 45 and has ranked as high as World No. 1, most recently in 2014. Since turning professional in 2000, Adam has recorded 14 PGA Tour victories and 14 international victories. His most recent victory came at the 2020 Genesis Invitational. Scott has been selected for the Presidents Cup 10 times (first being selected in 2003 and most recently selected in 2022) and the World Cup four times (2001, ’02, ’13, ’16). Born in Adelaide, Australia, Scott currently resides in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. He became the first Australian to win the Masters when he beat Angel Cabrera in a playoff at the 2013 tournament at Augusta National.

“My first win on the PGA TOUR was in 2003 at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Massachusetts which makes being part of the New England team especially meaningful,” said Scott. “Australia may be a world away from New England, but the golfing spirit is universal. Joining Boston Common Golf feels like a unique opportunity to be part of a team deeply connected to the heart of the game and to represent a region with such a rich golfing tradition.”

Hatton currently ranks as World No. 12 and has ranked as high as World No. 5, most recently in 2021. He has one PGA Tour victory (2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational) and six international victories. His most recent success came at the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Since turning professional in 2011, Hatton has been selected for three Ryder Cup teams (2018, ’20, ’23), the World Cup (2018), and the Eurasia Cup (2018). Hatton grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England and now splits his time between Marlow, England and Orlando, Florida.

“Being a part of the Fenway Sports Group family through Boston Common Golf is truly surreal,” said Hatton. “As a lifelong Liverpool F.C. fan, it’s a dream come true to be part of the same ownership group. This is an incredible opportunity to represent the spirit of excellence and winning that Fenway Sports Group embodies, and to play with some of the golfers I have admired throughout my career.”

TGL (presented by SoFi) is a new golf league offering a fresh approach to the sport with a focus on technology, innovation, and fan engagement. The new league will feature the world’s top players in a two-hour, team golf competition that merges physical and virtual golf airing in primetime and beginning January 9, 2024 on ESPN. The Boston Common Golf team will play in five regular season matches against the other TGL teams, followed by a four-team postseason, with a semi-final and finals series. SoFi Center, a custom-built venue in Palm Beach, Florida, will combine a data-rich virtual course with a state-of-the-art short game complex creating a unique experience for fans in the stands as well as those watching around the world.

The Return of Maverick McNealy

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CABO, MEXICO – PGA Tour star Maverick McNealy is a Stanford graduate, and the 27-year-old used his business hat rather than his heart in patiently waiting to make his return to the Tour this week.

McNealy is in this week’s field at the World Wide Technologies Championship in Mexico, his first start since missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open in June. No. 26 in the FedEx Cup standings at the time, McNealy decided it was time to address a shoulder injury that had been plaguing him for four months.

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He considered returning at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, but wasn’t physically ready. McNealy really wanted to play the Shriners Children’s Open just 10 minutes from his home in Las Vegas, but that would have only provided him a minor medical extension to begin 2024.

Instead, McNealy circled this week’s event in Cabo San Lucas. Now 121st in the standings, McNealy is battling for status on tour next year, but he will now be playing on a major medical extension that provides more events to retain his status.

“I don’t know if my number’s good enough to hold up and I don’t want to leave it up to chance to maybe not be able to get all the events to start 2024,” he said Tuesday. “It was a hard business decision to not play Shriners, but I knew that World Wide Technology was going to be an event I could play.

“I’ll have probably around 11 events on this medical, so probably no more than 20 points needed over those 11 events. And I always play well in Mexico and I was really excited to get back out here. Feels like two events I can ease my way, get back in the routine, see where my body and my game are at and then hit the 2024 season running.”

McNealy’s 2023 season began to unravel with a “funny swing” following a long wait on the seventh tee at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. Ranked 60th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time, McNealy would end up withdrawing from that event and the Waste Management Phoenix Open the following week.

He managed to make his next three cuts, but finished no better than a T36 at the Valspar. Six events and four missed cuts later while also sliding to 92nd in the OWGR, McNealy decided it was finally time to properly address the shoulder injury.

McNealy opted against surgery, choosing rather to focus on physical therapy along with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. He also made some alterations to his swing mechanics to alleviate stress on the area, where he said he tore the ligament that connects his collarbone to his sternum.

Now in his sixth season as a professional golfer, McNealy also used the time away from the course to get his pilot’s license. He accomplished that goal, but also discovered that he truly missed life on the PGA Tour when it was taken away from him.

“I think being away from the tour has made me realize all the things I loved and missed about it,” he said. “It’s really easy to get caught up in the FedEx Cup rankings and try to make the playoffs, trying to hit a certain world ranking, working on your game, stressing about all these different things.

“At least for me, I kind of lost sight of the fact that it’s just really, really cool to be on the PGA Tour and be a PGA Tour player. This is the greatest job on the planet.”

McNealy said he has put flying on the backburner for now. It has been “all golf lately” as he has prepared for his return. It’s that daily grind in quest of being in contention come Sunday that McNealy found he also missed.

“Sitting out for four months made me realize I missed the travel. Not that I love sitting in airport terminals for a layover, but I love seeing different parts of the world, the country, eating different foods, meeting different people, hanging out with 50 of the best golfers on the plant and playing practice rounds and $5 birdie games with those guys, testing myself, pushing myself,” he said.

“I love being outside for six to eight hours a day. I love the fact that we get to walk 50 miles.”

There are plenty of major accomplishments for McNealy to pursue in his still-young PGA Tour career. He’s still chasing his first victory — and his first ticket to play in The Masters. McNealy’s has a pair of runner-up finishes on tour — both coming in 2021 — but he has only made one career cut in a major, finishing T75 at last year’s PGA Championship.

McNealy is returning to the tour in a dogfight to retain his status in marquee events, but with a newfound perspective.

“This is what people do for recreation and we get to do it for a job,” he said. “I’m really excited to hit golf shots that matter … like really matter and really count, and test myself and play that way. It just putts things in perspective for me.

“It’s so cliche, you don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it. You always think about it, your years on the PGA Tour are limited and how do I want to spend them. And I’m just going to love being here.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Wide World Technology

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Golf at a Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

PGA TOUR

LAST TOURNAMENT: Zozo Championship (Collin Morikawa)

THIS WEEK: World Wide Technology Championship, Los Cabos, Mexico, Nov. 2-5
Course: El Cardonal at Diamante (Par 72, 7,452 yards)
Purse: $8.2M (Winner: $1.476M)
Defending Champion: Russell Henley
FedEx Cup Champion: Viktor Hovland

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HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Saturday, 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET; Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
X: @WWTChampionship

NOTES: This is the first PGA Tour event to be held on a course designed by Tiger Woods. The tournament had been held in Riviera Maya for the past 16 years. … This is the fifth of seven events of the FedEx Cup Fall that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 season. Nos. 1-50 after the Tour Championship locked in their positions. Nos. 51-60 after the Fall series will qualify for two signature events next year: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. The top 125 will be exempt into full-field events and The Players Championship, while Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on the PGA Tour next year. … Maverick McNealy makes his first start since the RBC Canadian Open in June. McNealy, who is the only tour player gaining more than a shot on the greens this season, has been rehabbing a shoulder injury and fell from No. 26 to No. 121 in the standings during his absence. … Michael Block, the teaching pro who finished 15th at the PGA Championship, is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Chris Gotterup, amateur Preston Summerhays and open qualifier Billy Davis. … Winners during the Fall series receive world rankings points, a two-year PGA Tour exemption and invitations to next year’s Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship.

BEST BETS: Ludvig Aberg (+900) is seeking his first PGA Tour win, with the rookie Ryder Cup member posting a T2 and T13 in his first two fall events. … Cameron Young (+1200) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 17 as he also seeks his maiden win on tour. This is Young’s first start since a T15 at the BMW Championship in August. … Sahith Theegala (+1600) claimed his first tour title at the Fortinet Championship and backed it up with a T19 at the Zozo Championship. … Lucas Glover (+2500) is also making his first start since the Tour Championship, where he finished T18 after winning the Wyndham and the first leg of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude. … Emiliano Grillo (+2800), who won the Charles Schwab Challenge earlier this year, rebounded from a pair of missed cuts to finish T10 at the Zozo. … Chris Kirk (+3300) hasn’t teed it up since the BMW. He has missed five of his past nine cuts, but Kirk won the Honda last spring and has the veteran experience to be a dark horse against a somewhat modest field.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Southampton, Bermuda, Nov. 9-12

PGA: Morikawa Ends Two-Year Drought

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CHIBA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Collin Morikawa entered Sunday’s final round at the Zozo Championship in Japan, two shots behind leader Justin Suh. When it was all over, Morikawa turned the deficit into a six-stroke victory, shooting a 63 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club to win his first title since 2021.

“Would have had to play, as it turns out, really well today to win,” said Beau Hossler, whose 70 was good enough for a tie with Eric Cole for second place at 8-under 272 for the tournament. “And that’s what champions do, right? Collin’s a proven champion on the biggest stages, so kudos to him.”

Morikawa’s Sunday round started with four birdies on the front nine. Suh, playing in the group behind Morikawa, countered with three bogeys, and by the time he made the turn, Morikawa had vaulted into the lead.

Morikawa’s bogey-free 63 was the lowest final-round score to win the Zozo in tournament history. His 14-under finish and six-stroke win was the biggest margin of victory in tournament history, besting Hideki Matsuyama’s five-stroke win in 2021.

“The game felt really good,” Morikawa said. “… Everything just kind of clicked, and we were able to not make any errors really, make the par putts when needed, and it was nice to finish off that front nine with a birdie on 8 and 9.”

Morikawa’s last PGA Tour win came at The Open Championship in 2021. Sunday’s win was his first overall since the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.

“It feels incredible,” he said of his sixth PGA Tour title. “Every win’s so different, and every experience, whether it’s winning or losing, you learn a lot, but this one just meant the world.”

Cole and Hossler entered the round tied for second at 8-under and both shot par 70 on Sunday to finish in the same spot. .

Robby Shelton fired his second 65 of the tournament — he also opened with a 65 — to move into a fourth-place tie with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (67). Americans took four of the first five places.

Another American, Suh, held his first-ever 54-hole lead but struggled throughout the round on Sunday with six bogeys and only two birdies. His 74 left him at 5-under for the tournament and in a tie for 10th.

Morikawa pocketed $1.53 million on Sunday. Perhaps more importantly, he walked away with both a sense of satisfaction and relief after the two-year winless drought.

“It feels so good, I can’t even explain it,” Morikawa said of his sixth PGA Tour win. “I knew I was going to get here at some point. It’s like getting your first win, your first major.”

–Field Level Media