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PGA Tour: Rookie Hall Holds Lead

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DALLAS/FORT WORTH – PGA Tour rookie Harry Hall seeks his first win in his 26th start on Tour after shooting 62-66 to lead the tournament by three strokes.

Harris English aced No. 8, his third hole-in-one on Tour, and the first ace at the 8th hole since 2011. English remains in sole position of second and is three back.

Emiliano Grillo seeks his second PGA TOUR title, almost eight years after winning his first. He shot an impressive 67-65 over first two rounds.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T-7) has finished T-12 or better in each of his last 13 starts on Tour while defending champion Sam Burns sits T-19 at 3-under in bid to join Ben Hogan as only players to successfully defend the tournament’s title.

Jordan Spieth missed the cut for the first time in 11 appearances at this event after posting back-to-back over-par rounds for the first time at Colonial Country Club (42 rounds) while last week’s phenom Michael Block – playing on a sponsor exemption -followed his first-round (81) with 4-over (74) to miss the cut.

Among the players missing the cut by a stroke were Tour winners Cam Davis, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Adam Long, Ryan Palmer and Nate Lashley.

Leaderboard | After 36 Holes at The Colonial

Harry Hall 62-66—128 (-12)

Harris English 65-66—131 (-9)

Emiliano Grillo 67-65—132 (-8)

Adam Schenk 66-67—133 (-7)

Robby Shelton 66-67—133 (-7)

Byeong Hun An 67-66—133 (-7)

Full Leaderboard (Link)

Koepka Wins His Third PGA Championship, Fifth Major

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ROCHESTER NY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – American Brooks Koepka dialed up seven birdies and slammed the door on playing partner Viktor Hovland to win the PGA Championship on Sunday at Oak Hill Country Club, securing his fifth career major title and the first by an active member of LIV Golf.

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Koepka stuck his approach at the last hole pin-high and received an ovation as he ascended to the green. He pumped his fist and embraced his caddie after a final-round, 3-under 67, finishing at 9-under 271 for the week.

Koepka won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens and the 2018 and 2019 PGA Championships and battled knee and hip injuries for some time after that. With his fifth major, he surpassed names such as Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els and tied the likes of Byron Nelson and Seve Ballesteros.

Hovland, the 25-year-old Norwegian, made a long birdie at No. 18 to tie Scottie Scheffler for second at 7-under 273. It was his best finish at a major and his third straight top-10 finish.

Trailing by one at the 16th hole, Hovland attempted to get out of a fairway bunker and his ball embedded in the face of the bunker in front of him — the same misfortune that befell Corey Conners of Canada when he led the championship Saturday evening. Hovland was given free relief but had to punch out.

 

Koepka Leads by One at PGA Champ

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105th PGA Championship | Final Round

ROCHESTER, NY – Brooks Koepka became the first player to have multiple rounds of (66) or better in an event at Oak Hill Country Club when he posted his second straight (66), his 17th round of 66 or better in a major.

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The 2018 and 2019 PGA Champion Koepka seeks his fifth major title and third PGA Championship holds the 54-hole lead by one stroke heading into the final round today.

Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners each seek their first major title and history is in their favor as the last two winners at Oak Hill were first-time major winners (2013 PGA Championship/Jason Dufner, 2003/Shaun Micheel).

Since 2000, 10 players have won the PGA Championship for their first major title: 2020/Collin Morikawa, 2017/Justin Thomas, 2016/Jimmy Walker, 2015/Jason Day, 2013/Jason Dufner, 2011/Keegan Bradley, 2010/Martin Kaymer, 2009/Y.E. Yang, 2003/Shaun Micheel, 2002/Rich Beem, 2001/David Toms).

Four players have three rounds of even-par or better: Viktor Hovland, Corey Conners, Justin Rose, and PGA Tour pro Michael Block

Block has second-most birdies by field with 13 (most: 14, Justin Rose)

PGA Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

1 Brooks Koepka 72 66 66 204 (-6)

T-2 Viktor Hovland 68 67 70 205 (-5)

T-2 Corey Conners 67 68 70 205 (-5)

4 Bryson DeChambeau 66 71 70 207 (-3)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Championship | Preview

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ROCHESTER, NY – (Staff Report from PGA Tour Brunch) – The 2023 PGA Championship is the 31st event of the FedEx Cup regular season and second major championship of the year. Just 14 events played over the next 12 weeks remain before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course in Rochester, New York, is hosting its seventh major championship and first since the 2013 PGA Championship.

The 2015 PGA Championship winner – Jason Day – is coming off a win at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, his 13th career PGA Tour title and first since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship (5 years, 8 days prior). Day has won in back-to- back starts twice in his Tour career: 2015 PGA Championship-2015 FedEx St. Jude Championship (then The Barclays) and 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard-2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

The last player to win on Tour and win a major the following week was Rory McIlroy, who won the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational followed by the PGA Championship.

Two PGA Tour members are making their major championship debuts: Tour rookies Nico Echavarria and Ben Griffin. Echavarria, who won the Puerto Rico Open, is the only rookie to win on Tour this season, while Griffin played in the final group on Saturday at THE PLAYERS Championship with eventual champion Scottie Scheffler (finished T35). Among the other 14 players making their major debuts is David Micheluzzi, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 2023 who made his PGA Tour debut on a sponsor exemption at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson (T-67).

At No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Patrick Cantlay is the highest-ranked player that has not won a major championship. Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup Champion, has seven wins over the last five seasons, the third-most of any player in that span and most of any player that has not won a major (McIlroy/9, Rahm/9). Cantlay has three Top-10s in 24 prior starts in majors (T-3/2019 PGA Championship, T-8/2022 Open Championship, T9/2019 Masters Tournament).

Wyndham Clark is making his first start since winning the Wells Fargo Championship, his first career PGA Tour title. Clark is one of eight first-time winners on the tour this season and enters the week No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking (first start as a top-50 player in the OWGR). He is making his sixth career major start.

Rickie Fowler has five consecutive Top-20 finishes on Tour and following a T-14 at the Wells Fargo Championship in his most recent start, Fowler moved into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since the ranking published November 29, 2020.

PGA Tour: All Day Long

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MCKINNEY, TEXAS – Jason Day won the AT&T Byron Nelson, earning his 13th career PGA TOUR title and first since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. It was a slump-breaker, for sure, as the victory came in Day’s 106th start since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship (5 years, 8 days ago).

Day, who also won the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2010, became the seventh player in tournament history with multiple titles. Day’s final-round 62 is the low finish by a winner on Tour since Tom Kim at the 2022 Wyndham Championship (61).

World No. 2 and Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler finished T-5, his 12th consecutive result of T-12 or better.

Two-time defending champion K.H. Lee finished T-50.

AT&T Byron Nelson Final Leaderboard

Jason Day 64 69 66 62 261 (-23)

Si Woo Kim 65 66 68 63 262 (-22)

Austin Eckroat 69 65 63 65 262 (-22)

C.T. Pan 67 66 68 62 263 (-21)

Scottie Scheffler 64 64 71 65 264 (-20)

Tyrrell Hatton 68 67 65 64 264 (-20)

Zecheng Dou 63 70 64 67 264 (-20)

Full Leaderboard (link)

PGA Tour: Byron Nelson Classic Final Round Preview

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AT&T Byron Nelson | Final Round

MCKINNEY, TEXAS – In the 30th of 44 events in the 2022-23 PGA Tour regular season, Austin Eckroat, Zecheng Dou and Texan Ryan Palmershare the 54-hole lead at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Three players tied for the 54-hole lead is the most on Tour since the 2022 Valero Texas Open (four).

Note the 54-hole leads in individual stroke-play events on Tour: Eckroat (participating in first), Dou (participating in first) and Palmer (1-for-5 to date)

All three 54-hole leaders currently stand outside No. 135 in the FedExCup standings

Three players T-4 or better seek their first PGA Tour victory (Eckroat, Dou, Vincent Norrman).

Texas native Palmer seeks his fifth Tour victory and first since the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with partner Jon Rahm).

Following an even-par 71, second-round leader and Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler trails by two. With a win, Scheffler would return to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Happy Mothers Day

AT&T Byron Nelson Leaderboard | After 54 Holes

Austin Eckroat 69 65 63 197 (-16)

Zecheng Dou 63 70 64 197 (-16)

Ryan Palmer 64 65 68 197 (-16)

Vincent Norrman 68 66 65 199 (-14)

Jason Day 64 69 66 199 (-14)

Si Woo Kim 65 66 68 199 (-14)

Scottie Scheffler 64 64 71 199 (-14)

Full Leaderboard (link)

Wells Fargo Championship | Recap

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By TERRY LYONS

CHARLOTTE – Wyndham Clark picked-up his first PGA Tour victory in his 134th start at the age of 29 years, 4 months, 28 days. He won with the lowest 72-hole score (265) in Wells Fargo Championship history. Clark became the sixth player to record his first Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship and the eighth first-time winner of the season.

Seven-time PGA Tour winner Xander Schauffele finished runner-up for the 11th time in 152 starts on the Tour while Aussie Adam Scott (T-5) picked-up his first Top-10 finish since the 2022 BMW Championship (T-5).

As the top three players not already exempt, Wyndham Clark, Michael Kim and Denny McCarthy qualified for The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Wells Fargo Championship | Final Leaderboard

1 Wyndham Clark 67 67 63 68 265 (-19)

2 Xander Schauffele 66 69 64 70 269 (-15)

T-3 Harris English 71 66 66 69 272 (-12)

T-3 Tyrrell Hatton 69 65 68 70 272 (-12)

T-5 Tommy Fleetwood 65 71 67 70 273 (-11)

T-5 Adam Scott 67 68 67 71 273 (-11)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Wells Fargo Final Round

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By TERRY LYONS

Wells Fargo Championship | Final Round

CHARLOTTE – In search of his first career PGA Tour victory, Wyndham Clark leads by two strokes over World No. 5 Xander Schauffele. Clark carded a season-low (63) for low round of the tournament.

Schauffele seeks his eighth career PGA Tour title but first of the season.

Adam Scott seeks first Top-10 finish since the 2022 BMW Championship. He is currently (T-3).

Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood (T-5) each strive to become a record fourth English winner on the Tour this season, and it could be a Coronation of their own.

Defending champion Max Homa (T-9) sits eight shots off the lead. No player has ever successfully defended this event.

Editor’s Note: A clerical glitch caused yesterday’s PGA Tour Brunch to be sent in the evening as opposed to the 6am hour. Apologies to our loyal readers.

Wells Fargo Championship | After 54 holes

1 Wyndham Clark 67 67 63 197 (-16)

2 Xander Schauffele 66 69 64 199 (-14)

T-3 Adam Scott 67 68 67 202 (-11)

T-3 Tyrrell Hatton 69 65 68 202 (-11)

T-5 Harris English 71 66 66 203 (-10)

T-5 Tommy Fleetwood 65 71 67 203 (-10)

T-5 Sungjae Im 69 66 68 203 (-10)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Fleetwood Leads Wells Fargo

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CHARLOTTE – Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood carded a 6-under 65 and holds a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship. Fleetwood holds the 18-hole lead/co-lead for the third time on Tour and second time this season (The PLAYERS Championship).

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World No. 5 Xander Schauffele cards a 5-under 66, his lowest score in 13 rounds at the Wells Fargo Championship

K.H. Lee carded a first-round (66) at the Wells Fargo Championship for the third consecutive year (won the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic the following week in 2021 and 2022).

Three-time Wells Fargo Champion Rory McIlroy recorded a 3-under (68) on his 34th birthday and stands T-6.

Defending champion and two-time Wells Fargo Championship winner Max Homa opens with a 1-under 70 and stands T36

Wells Fargo Championship | After 18 holes

Tommy Fleetwood 65 (-6)

Kevin Streelman 66 (-5)

K.H. Lee 66 (-5)

Taylor Moore 66 (-5)

Xander Schauffele 66 (-5)

Ryan Palmer 66 (-5)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Tour Turns to “The Green Mile”

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CHARLOTTE – The Wells Fargo Championship is the 29th event of the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Season and seventh designated event, featuring six of the Top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (33 of top 50), 25 of the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings and 19 of the 23 players that have won on TOUR this season.

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Prize money is a lofty $20m with the winner getting $3.6 million from the bank’s coffers.

Two-time Wells Fargo Championship winner Max Homa (2019 at Quail Hollow Club, 2022 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm) is one of four players with multiple titles this season (Fortinet Championship, Farmers Insurance Open) and is seeking to successfully defend a title for the second time this season (Fortinet Championship).

No player has ever successfully defended a title at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Five players successfully defended a title during the 2021-22 season, the most since 2007 (5), and Homa is one of three that have done so this season (Rory McIlroy/The CJ CUP in South Carolina, Scottie Scheffler/WM Phoenix Open).

Three-time Wells Fargo Championship winner Rory McIlroy, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will be making his 12th start at the event. The Wells Fargo Championship is one of six TOUR events at which McIlroy has collected multiple victories and the first that he won three or more times.

Quail Hollow Club’s 16th, 17th and 18th holes make up the most difficult three-hole finish on Tour, known as the Green Mile. Among non-major courses that have been played in at least five seasons since 2003, “The Green Mile” ranks as the toughest finishing three holes (+0.904 on average).

Max Homa is one of 18 players in the field that competed in the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club. Those items included:

  • International Team: Corey Conners (Canada), Cam Davis (Australia), Sungjae Im (South Korea), Si Woo Kim (South Korea), Tom Kim (South Korea), K.H. Lee (South Korea), Taylor Pendrith (Canada), Adam Scott (Australia)
  • United States: Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young

Wells Fargo | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina

YARDS/PAR: 7,538 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECT: George Cobb

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $20,000,000/$3,600,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Max Homa

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @WellsFargoGolf