PGA Tour Brunch

Poston Leads John Deere

July 3, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

SILVIS – After 54 holes of play, “J.T.” is usually in position to win a tournament, but this week it’s not PGA TOUR superstar Justin Thomas topping the leaderboard, it’s J.T. Poston who will begin the final round with a three-stroke lead at the John Deere Classic.

Poston is positioning for his second career PGA Tour title, the first and only at the 2019 Wyndham Championship, following a fifth consecutive round of (67) or better.

Scott Stallings carded a bogey-free 7-under (64) on Saturday, his 21st consecutive round of par-or-better at the John Deere Classic and sixth consecutive round in the 60s on the Tour this season. He is T-2.

Emiliano Grillo birdied four of his last five holes in bid for second career Tour title and first since the 2015 Fortinet Championship. Grillo is T-2 with three players.

John Deere | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

J.T. Poston 62-65-67—194 (-19)

Scott Stallings 67-66-64—197 (-16)

Emiliano Grillo 68-64-65—197 (-16)

Denny McCarthy 66-65-66—197 (-16)

Callum Tarren 68-65-65—198 (-15)

Poston Leads at John Deere

July 1, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

SILVIS – Coming off a T-2 at last week’s Travelers Championship, J.T. Poston opened his fifth John Deere Classic with a (62). It was his second straight week of opening a tournament with a score of (62) and he became the first player on record (since the record was kept – 1983) to open consecutive PGA Tour events in 62 or better.

After missing the cut in his first start at last year’s John Deere Classic, Canada’s Michael Gligic opened with a bogey-free 7-under (64) and is only two shots back.

In his bid for a third Top 10 finish at the John Deere Classic, Vaughn Taylorcarded a 6-under (65), his 46th score of par or better in 49 rounds at TPC Deere Run.

Playing on a sponsor exemption in his third start as a professional, Christopher Gotterup offset two bogeys with eight birdies – good enough for 6-under (65) and he is T-3.

John Deere Classic Board member, 2012 champion and USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson carded a 2-under (69) in 20th consecutive appearance at the tournament.

John Deere | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

J.T. Poston 62 (-9)

Michael Gligic 64 (-7)

Vaughn Taylor 65 (-6)

Christopher Gotterup 65 (-6)

PGA Tour: John Deere Preview

June 30, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

SILVIS – John Deere Classic favorite, Steve Stricker, WD from the tournament after a runner-up outing in last week’s Senior U.S. Open. He shot (-9) 275 and fell one stroke behind tournament champion Padraig Harrington.

The John Deere Classic has a long history of successful outings by Sponsor Exemptions. Players competing on sponsor exemptions this year that have not yet been a PGA Tour member include:

Schauffele vs Cantlay | Final at Travelers

June 26, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

CROMWELL – Xander Schauffele is seeking his sixth career PGA Tour title today and his first individual stroke-play victory since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Patrick Cantlay, who partnered with Schauffele to win this season’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, is in pursuit of his eighth career Tour victory and seventh Top-5 finish of the season after carding the low score of the day on Saturday with a (63).

Schauffele and Cantlay will play in the final round together for the second time in their careers on Tour.

After making his professional debut at the 2020 Travelers Championship (MC), Sahith Theegala seeks his first career Tour title in his 38th start. He can become the second rookie winner on Tour this season.

In only his third PGA Tour start, 20-year-old amateur Michael Thorbjornsen(T-7) is playing to become first amateur to win on Tour since Phil Mickelsonat 1991 Northern Telecom Open.

Travelers Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Xander Schauffele 63-63-67—193 (-17)

Patrick Cantlay 64-67-63—194 (-16)

Sahith Theegala 67-65-64—196 (-14)

Kevin Kisner 67-64-66—197 (-13)

Schauffele Leads Going Into Hot Weekend at The Travelers

June 25, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

PGA Tour Stop at TPC River Highlands Stacked with Talent

CROMWELL – Coming off a T-14 at last week’s U.S. Open, Xander Schauffele made big strides towards his sixth career PGA Tour title and first individual stroke-play victory since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions by shooting his second straight (63) at TPC River Highlands. He leads Patrick Cantlay by five strokes heading into the weekend.

Reigning FedEx Cup Champion Patrick Cantlay (T-2/-9) opened his eighth Travelers Championship in (64-67). In his first start at TPC River Highlands in 2011, Cantlay posted a second-round 10-under (60), which still stands as his career-low score. Cantlay, who partnered with Schauffele to win this season’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, closes in on a seventh Top-5 finish of the season.

Harris English will attempt to become the second player to successfully defend a Travelers Championship title (Phil Mickelson/2002) and fifth player to successfully defend a title in the 2021-22 season.

Travelers Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Xander Schauffele 63-63—126 (-14)

Patrick Cantlay 64-67—131 (-9)

Harris English 66-65—131 (-9)

Nick Hardy 67-64—131 (-9)

Cam Davis 65-66—131 (-9)

Kevin Kisner 67-64—131 (-9)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour Swings Into Hartford

June 22, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

CROMWELL – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines a very strong field which includes six of the Top-15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking; Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Patrick Cantlay (6), Sam Burns (9), Jordan Spieth (11) and Xander Schauffele (15).

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A would-be seventh of that group, Justin Thomas (5), withdrew from the tourney.

Longtime Travelers favorite and former champion, Bubba Watson, is not in the field as he’s still recuperating from surgery.

With a win (RBC Canadian Open) and T-5 (U.S. Open) in his last two starts, McIlroy moved to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest ranking since July 25, 2020.

Harris English returns to TPC Highlands as the defending champion as he defeated Kramer Hickok in an eight-hole playoff to win his fourth PGA Tour title at the 2021 Travelers Championship. After playing in the West Coast Hawaii swing earlier this year, English underwent right hip surgery in February but returned to action in June at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (MC). In his most recent start, he finished T-61 at the U.S. Open.

Remember this? After matching pars with Kramer Hickok on the first seven extra holes of the 2021 Travelers Championship, Harris English made birdie on the eighth hole of sudden death (No. 18) for the win. The 2021 playoff is tied for the second longest playoff in Tour history.

While the TPC River Highlands annually attracts an amazing field, no matter if it’s positioned before or after the U.S. Open, this year the tournament comes smack in the middle of a newfound controversy as both Abraham Ancer and Brooks Koepka announced this week that they will switch to the LIV Golf circuit. The two players were suspended by the Tour.

To counter the lure of the LIV, the PGA TOUR announced it will undergo significant changes, including staging and additional six tournaments with $20 million-plus purses.

“These changes will further strengthen the FedExCup and create a strong, coordinated global schedule,” Monahan wrote, detailing a condensed FedExCup season that will run from January to August, “offering a more compelling product for our players, fans and partners.

“While different than it’s been in the past, I think it’s going to be very exciting for fans and I think will create great energy in the fall,” said Monahan, who added that he expects the fall events to be “very consequential, very meaningful.”

“There is more work to be done and details to confirm,” Monahan said in a lengthy press conference at TPC River Highlands, “but implementing substantial changes to our schedule gives us the best opportunity to not only drive earnings to our players, but also improve our product and create a platform for continued growth in the future.”

In his pre-tournament press conference at the Travelers Championship, two-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy reflected on the impact that the PGA TOUR has on the communities it plays in while also reflecting on the organization’s future.

“I think it’s not lost on me what PGA TOUR events … can do for the communities that they’re played in,” he said. “I think that’s not lost on the players that when they come and play PGA TOUR events they’re helping to do something really good in the community … and I think that’s important.”

Wet and Wild at the U.S. Open

June 19, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

BROOKLINE – Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick, the two highest-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking without a win on the PGA Tour, share the lead at the U.S. Open entering today’s final round.

Last player to earn first PGA Tour win at a major championship was Danny Willett, at the 2016 Masters while the last player to earn first PGA Tour win at the U.S. Open was Graeme McDowell in 2010.

At the recent PGA Championship, Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick both entered the final round T-2. Fitzpatrick played in the final pairing and finished T-5 while Zalatoris went on to lose in a playoff.

Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club.

Defending champion Jon Rahm made a double bogey at No. 18 and will enter the final round one stroke back. The last player to successfully defend title at a major championship was Brooks Koepka, 2019 PGA Championship.

Scottie Scheffler (T-4), Sam Burns (T-7) and Rory McIlroy (T-7), who have combined for nine TOUR wins this season, are within three strokes of the lead.

36-hole leader Collin Morikawa carded a 7-over (77), tying his highest score on the PGA Tour, his second score of (77) in his last four rounds on Tour.

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 54 Holes

Will Zalatoris 69-70-67—206 (-4)

Matt Fitzpatrick 68-70-68—206 (-4)

Jon Rahm 69-67-71—207 (-3)

Keegan Bradley 70-69-69—208 (-2)

Adam Hadwin 66-72-70—208 (-2)

Scottie Scheffler 70-67-71—208 (-2)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Final round Tee Times at The Country Club start at 8:49am (ET) and go to 2:45pm (ET) when 54-hole leaders Matt FItzpatrick and Will Zalatoris tee-off on No. 1.

Weather: Sunday morning rain and cloudy skies will greet the patrons and golfers for the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club. Chilly temperatures from 52-to-63 degrees. Showers diminish between 11am and 1:00pm while winds drop from 14 to 9 mph.

A Challenging Moving Day at U.S. Open

June 18, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

BROOKLINE – Collin Morikawa, winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, holds a share of the lead as he attempts to win a major for the third consecutive season and would be well on his way for the career Slam.

The top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking are all within two strokes of the lead:

‘22 Masters Tournament winner and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler (No. 1)
Defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm (No. 2)
Four-time major champion and winner last week Rory McIlroy (No. 3)

Joel Dahmen, playing in his ninth career major, is tied for the lead with Morikawa. Dahmen has his first 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour.

Notables to miss the cut include Cameron Smith, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau and Phil Mickelson.

Cameron Young made a hole-in-one at No. 6, his first career ace on Tour. Young, who began the round on No. 10, also made a quadruple-bogey-8 at No. 3 and was 9-over with five holes to play before finishing 4-over and missing the cut by one stroke (Nos. 5-9: birdie, ace, birdie, birdie, par).

ESPN dot com noted: As stat guru Justin Ray pointed out on Twitter on Friday, 25 of the past 26 U.S. Open winners have been tied for sixth or better after two rounds. That’s enough of a trend to make seventh place — or worse — the spot you don’t want to be headed into the weekend. That’s not good for Scheffler (T-7), Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns (T-13) and more. The weekend could bring another exception to the rule.

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 36 Holes

Collin Morikawa 69-66—135 (-5)

Joel Dahmen 67-68—135 (-5)

Hayden Buckley 68-68—136 (-4)

Jon Rahm 69-67—136 (-4)

Rory McIlroy 67-69—136 (-4)

Aaron Wise 68-68—136 (-4)

Beau Hossler 69-67—136 (-4)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Hadwin Leads at U.S. Open

June 17, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

BROOKLINE – Adam Hadwin recorded a 4-under (66), his lowest score in a major championship, and leads the U.S. Open by one stroke after 18 holes while Rory McIlroy, winner of last week’s RBC Canadian Open, stands T-2.

The last player to win on Tour and win a major the following week was, indeed, McIlroy, at the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship the next weekend.

Five of the six players at T-2 or better (all but McIlroy) earned spots in the U.S. Open via Final Qualifying.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, 2022 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas enter the second round T14 (1-under 69s)

FedEx Cup leader and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opened with even-par 70 (T-26).

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 18 Holes

Adam Hadwin 66 (-4)

Callum Tarren 67 (-3)

David Lingmerth 67 (-3)

Rory McIlroy 67 (-3)

Joel Dahmen 67 (-3)

M.J. Daffue 67 (-3)

The Country Club is Ready

June 16, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

BROOKLINE – Early tee-times at 6:45am in the ‘burbs of Boston, and the beautiful golf course at The Country Club. From Newton to Chestnut Hill to Brookline, the traffic will be horrendous. More importantly, the golf will be great.

Theoretically, a connected sports fan could be watching the U.S. Open in the morning, zip over to Fenway Park for the 1:35pm afternoon start, then head over to the North End, grab a bite of pasta and catch the Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of The NBA Finals. Rough day for a Boston sports fan, eh?

On the links, 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm will tee-off at 7:18am as he is the first player from Spain to be in title defense of any U.S. Open championship.

The last players to win on Tour, then win a Major was Rory McIlroy in 2014 when he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and then the PGA Championship. As winner of last week’s RBC Canadian, McIlroy can do it again at the U.S. Open.

Vermont-born, Massachusetts-reared and New York-schooled (St. John’s),Keegan Bradley threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Tuesday night before the Red Sox vs Oakland Athletics game. Bradley won the PGA Championship in 2011. When he stepped to the mound at historic Fenway, he threw a strike and was on the field for a $25,000 presentation to First Tee of Massachusetts by the USGA.