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PGA Tour Brunch

PGA Tour: Kokrak Comes From Behind

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PGA Tour Brunch – Kokrak Takes Colonial

FORT WORTH – After posting his low 54-hole score on Tour, 14-under (196), Jason Kokrak made five birdies (with five bogeys) to post an even-par (70) and claim his second career PGA Tour title and second this season (2020 THE CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek). Kokrak began the day trailing Dallas, Texas native Jordan Spieth by a stroke and became the 10th player among the last 13 winners of the Challenge to come from behind to win in the final round.

Kokrak became the first player over the age of 35 to claim his first two PGA Tour victories in the same season since Francesco Molinari in 2018.

Saturday’s 54-hole leader, Jordan Spieth, bogeyed three of his first four holes and two of his last four to finish second.

Patton Kizzire claimed a second consecutive T-3 finish this season, with both coming in the Dallas/Ft. Worth MetroPlex.

Final Leaderboard at Colonial CC

Jason Kokrak 65-65-66-70—266 (-14)

Jordan Spieth 63-66-66-73—268 (-12)

Charley Hoffman 71-62-72-65—270 (-10)

Patton Kizzire 67-65-71-67—270 (-10)

Sebastián Muñoz 67-65-70-68—270 (-10)

Ian Poulter 68-70-64-68—270 (-10)

PGA Tour: Spieth Equals 54-Hole Record

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Charles Schwab Challenge Final Round Coverage

FORT WORTH – After equaling his low 54-hole score on the PGA Tour (63-66-66-195), Jordan Spieth holds a third-round lead/co-lead for the 20th time, including his fourth of the season (tied with Sam Burns for most of the season).

Spieth can supplant Ben Hogan as the youngest player to record his second victory at the event

The top three players on the leaderboard vying to become the third multiple winners of the season

Twenty years after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge (Colonial) for the first of his 11 PGA Tour wins, Sergio Garcia is in search of his second win at Colonial Country Club.

Leaderboard After 54 Holes:

Jordan Spieth 63-66-66—195 (-15)

Jason Kokrak 65-65-66—196 (-14)

Sergio Garcia 63-69-68—200 (-10)

Ian Poulter 68-70-64—202 (-8)

Sebastián Muñoz 67-65-70—202 (-8)

 

PGA Tour: Spieth Leads After 36 Holes

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FORT WORTH – Tournament leader and local favorite Jordan Spieth is the only player bogey-free through 36 holes. He holds his 13th second-round lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour. Spieth is 6-for-12 when holding lead/co-lead at the halfway point.

Last week’s PGA Championship winner and 2000, 2008 Charles Schwab Challenge winner Phil Mickelson missed the cut.

Jason Kokrak (65-65) is trying to become the third player with multiple titles during the 2020-21 season, joining Bryson DeChambeau (U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard) and Stewart Cink(Fortinet Championship, RBC Heritage). Kokrak is solo second and only one stroke behind Spieth.

Patton Kizzire (T-3/-8) is coming off a solo third at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago, his best finish on Tour since winning the 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Defending champion Daniel Berger is T-16 at 4-under.

Scott Piercy was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Si Woo Kim withdrew during R-2 (back injury). Brandon Grace (76 in R-1) withdrew Friday.

Aside from Mickelson, other notables to miss the cut (+1) were: Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler, Lee Westwood, and Henrik Stenson.

Leaderboard After 36 Holes:

Jordan Spieth 63-66—129 (-11)

Jason Kokrak 65-65—130 (-10)

Sebastián Muñoz 67-65—132 (-8)

Sergio Garcia 63-69—132 (-8)

Patton Kizzire 67-65—132 (-8)

PGA Tour: Charles Schwab Challenge R-2 Coverage

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Garcia and Spieth Share Lead After 18 Holes

FORT WORTH – Is it old-timer’s month for the PGA Tour? 2001 Charles Schwab Challenge winner Sergio Garcia opened with his lowest score on Tour since 2016.

On the younger side, local favorite Jordan Spieth birdied his last three holes (Nos. 7-9) to post his best score in 33 rounds at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Spieth won the 2016 Charles Schwab Challenge champion and now seeks his second win of the season and third consecutive Top-10 finish in this event.

Playing on a sponsor exemption and in just his fourth Tour event since the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Erik Compton opens with a bogey-free 5-under 65, his lowest score on Tour in six years. (See story below).

Defending Charles Schwab Challenge champion Daniel Berger opened with 2-under (68), while 2000, 2008 Charles Schwab Challenge winner and last week’s PGA champion Phil Mickelson opened with a 3-over (73) in his 17th Colonial start.

Since 1990, the first-round leader/co-leader has won the Charles Schwab Challenge just three times.

Leaderboard After 18 Holes:

Jordan Spieth 63 (-7)

Sergio Garcia 63 (-7)

Erik Compton 65 (-5)

Jason Kokrak 65 (-5)

This Week on PGA Tour: Opening Round at Charles Schwab Challenge

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PGA Tour Brunch – Charles Schwab Challenge

COURSE: Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth, Texas)

ARCHITECT: John Bredemus/Perry Maxwell

YARDS/PAR: 7,209 yards/Par 70

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $7,500,000/$1,350,000

DEFENDING Champion (June 2020) – Daniel Berger – (2020 Leaderboard)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @CSChallengeFW

OFFICIAL SITE: (Charles Schwab Challenge) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Today and Friday, May 27 and 28: 4:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. On Saturday, May 29 Golf Channel’s coverage runs from 2:00pm to 5:30pm EDT and CBS takes over from 5:30pm to 7:00pm EDT. On Sunday, May 30, Golf Channel’s coverage runs from 1:00pm to 2:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over from 2:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT).

STREAMING: It’s back to usual with PGA Tour Live streaming coverage of Featured Groups on both today and Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm (EDT). On the weekend, PGA Tour Live expands coverage with Featured Groups and Holes. On Saturday, Featured Groups runs from 9:00am to 5:30pm (EDT) and Featured Holes from 5:30-7:00pm (EDT). On Sunday, streaming coverage runs from 8:30am to 2:00pm (EDT) with Featured Groups, then finishes off with Featured Holes from 2:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE:  Beginning today, May 27 and continuing Friday, May 28, PGA Tour Radio coverage airs 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT). On Saturday, hear live hole-by-hole coverage from 2:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) and Sunday’s final round will be covered 1:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT) (or until completion of play). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

How to Watch: In case of changes, see: (PGATourCom)

There are 121 players teeing-it-up at The Colonial CC today.

Kevin Na tied a tournament record by shooting a (61) in R-4 of 2018 and won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2019. Na last won at the SONY Open, the second tournament of the current (winter/spring/summer) season and the first full field tournament of 2021.

Defending champion Daniel Berger currently stands as the No. 16 player in the world golf rankings and is No. 20 in FedEx Cup points with 1,114. Berger won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season.

There have been just five first-time PGA Tour winners this season: Carlos Ortiz, Vivint Houston Open; Jason Kokrak, THE CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek; Joel Dahmen, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship; Sam Burns, Valspar Championship; and K.H. Lee, AT&T Byron Nelson. The last time there were fewer than 10 first time winners in a season was 2012 when there were nine. The fewest in any season was only four (1992).

Michael Visacki, who received widespread attention after his Monday qualifying for the Valspar Championship, is in the field on a sponsor exemption this week. Visacki missed the cut at the Valspar Championship after carding scores of 74-71 (+3).

Charles Schwab Challenge First Look

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PGA Tour: Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial

COURSE: Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth, Texas)

ARCHITECT: John Bredemus/Perry Maxwell

YARDS/PAR: 7,209 yards/Par 70

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $7,500,000/$1,350,000

DEFENDING Champion (June 2020) – Daniel Berger – (2020 Leaderboard)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @CSChallengeFW

OFFICIAL SITE: (Charles Schwab Challenge) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Thursday and Friday, May 27 and 28: 4:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. On Saturday, May 29 Golf Channel’s coverage runs from 2:00pm to 5:30pm EDT and CBS takes over from 5:30pm to 7:00pm EDT. On Sunday, May 30, Golf Channel’s coverage runs from 1:00pm to 2:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over from 2:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT).

STREAMING: It’s back to usual with PGA Tour Live streaming coverage of Featured Groups on both Thursday and Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm (EDT). On the weekend, PGA Tour Live expands coverage with Featured Groups and Holes. On Saturday, Featured Groups runs from 9:00am to 5:30pm (EDT) and Featured Holes from 5:30-7:00pm (EDT). On Sunday, streaming coverage runs from 8:30am to 2:00pm (EDT) with Featured Groups, then finishes off with Featured Holes from 2:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE:  Beginning on Thursday, May 27 and continuing Friday, May 28, PGA Tour Radio coverage airs 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT). On Saturday, hear live hole-by-hole coverage from 2:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) and Sunday’s final round will be covered 1:00pm to 6:30pm (EDT) (or until completion of play). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

How to Watch: In case of changes, see: (PGATourCom)

Welcome to PGA Tour Brunch – 1st Look at Charles Schwab Challenge

The 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge is the 35th of 50 events on the PGA Tour. The tournament is played at the famed Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas and is set-up at 7,209 yards.

Last year, the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge marked the PGA Tour’s return to competition after a 12-week hiatus due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The 91-day gap between the cancellation of THE PLAYERSChampionship and the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge represented the longest unscheduled break from PGA Tour competition since World War II.

Phil Mickelson, 50, won his sixth major championship title at last week’s PGA Championship, becoming the oldest major winner in history and the sixth-oldest winner of any tournament in PGA Tour history. Two of Mickelson’s 45 career PGA Tour victories have come at the Charles Schwab Challenge (2000, 2008) and he will be making his third start in the event since 2010 (T-29/2017, MC/2020). The last player to win the week after winning a major: Tiger Woods, 2006 (PGA Championship, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational)

Dallas native Jordan Spieth has three consecutive top-10s in the state of Texas, highlighted by his 12th career PGA Tour title at the Valero Texas Open. His others: T-9/WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, T-9/AT&T Byron Nelson). Spieth, who won at Colonial in 2017, enters the week at No. 9 in the FedExCup standings.

Tournament Tee Times begin Thursday at 7:10am (local)/8:10am (EDT) through 1:39pm (local)/2:39pm (EDT).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s. Winds will blow at 14 mph with 69% humidity and a 10% chance of rain. The Friday forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms and a 40% chance of rain in 80% humidity.

Lefty Sends Father Time Packing

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KIAWAH ISLAND – In the Year 2021, Father Time is 0-2. First it was Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady turning the NFL upside down with his 2021 Super Bowl victory at age 43. This weekend, it was Phil “Lefty” Mickelson winning the PGA Championship, a major in pro golf, at age 50. He earned $2,160,000 for the effort.

Mickelson won his sixth major championship title, and second at the PGA Championship, at the age of 50 years, 11 months, 7 days, becoming the oldest major winner in PGA Tour history and first player to win a major after age 50.

The victory span of 30 years, 4 months, 10 days passed since Mickelson’s first PGA Tour title at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as an amateur, and it marks the longest time between wins by a player in Tour history.

Mickelson is now the fourth player to win PGA Tour events in four different decades. The others: Sam Snead, Raymond Floyd, Davis Love III)

Brooks Koepka finished T-2, his seventh win or runner-up finish in a major since the start of 2017.

Louis Oosthuizen (T-2) recorded his fifth runner-up in his 49th major championship start. No player has more runner-up finishes in PGA Tour majors since 2012.

Harry Higgs finished T-4 in his first major appearance

 

Final Leaderboard at the PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson 70-69-70-73—282 (-6)

Louis Oosthuizen 71-68-72-73—284 (-4)

Brooks Koepka 69-71-70-74—284 (-4)

Shane Lowry 73-71-73-69—286 (-2)

Padraig Harrington 71-73-73-69—286 (-2)

Harry Higgs 72-71-73-70—286 (-2)

Paul Casey 71-71-73-71—286 (-2)

PGA Championship: Phil @ 50

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THIS WEEK: The 2021 PGA Championship 

COURSE: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (South Carolina)

YARDS/PAR: 7,876 yards/Par 72

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @PGAChampionship

OFFICIAL SITE: (PGA Tour on the PGA Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: On Sunday, May 23 – ESPN’s coverage runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over from 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: ESPN will stream coverage online and ESPN+ ($) will provide Featured Groups and Featured Holes. See: (link)

ONLINE RADIO COVERAGE:  Radio coverage begins at 1pm (EDT) and continues through the completion of the tournament this evening. Hear live hole-by-hole coverage co-produced by SiriusXM and Westwood One. PGA Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com. PGA Tour Radio will be back this week. For additional information, see: Sirius XM Blog

How to Watch: (PGATourCom)

PGA Tour Brunch – PGA Championship Notebook 

Five-time major champion and 2005 PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson holds a one-stroke lead and is looking to become the first player to win a men’s major championship after turning 50 years old. Mickelson is the fourth player to hold the 54-hole lead/co-lead in a major at age 50 or older during the modern era (1934-present).

Mickelson is 3-for-5 with the 54-hole lead/co-lead in major championships (21-for-36 in 72-hole PGA Tour events).

Sunday’s final pairing includes two players that have combined for nine major championship titles (Mickelson/5, Brooks Koepka/4). Koepka, the 2018 and 2019 PGA Championship winner, is one stroke back of Mickelson.

Koepka will attempt to win the same major three times in a four-year stretch. The last player to accomplish that feat was Tom Watson at The Open Championship (1980, 1982, 1983).

PGA Championship Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Phil Mickelson 70-69-70—209 (-7)

Brooks Koepka 69-71-70—210 (-6)

Louis Oosthuizen 71-68-72—211 (-5)

Kevin Streelman 70-72-70—212 (-4)

Christian Bezuidenhout 71-70-72—213 (-3)

Branden Grace 70-71-72—213 (-3)

Louie, Lefty Tied for PGA Lead

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PGA Tour Brunch – PGA Championship Notebook

KIAWAH ISLAND – Three of Louis Oosthuizen’s four 36-hole lead/co-leads on the PGA Tour have now come in Majors.

With a win at the PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson (50) would become the first player to win a major championship at age 50 or older. To date, the oldest player to win a major is Julius Boros, at the 1968 PGA Championship when he was 48 years, 4 months, 18 days old.

Mickelson became the sixth player since 1900 to lead/co-lead after any round of a Major in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s). The others: Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Raymond Floyd)

Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is two shots off the lead; the last player to win multiple majors in the same season: Brooks Koepka (2018 U.S. Open, PGA Championship).

Three of the top-four players in the Official World Golf Ranking missed the cut: Dustin Johnson (1), Justin Thomas (2), Xander Schauffele (4).

There have been no bogey-free rounds through 36 holes at Kiawah Island Ocean Course.

PGA Championship Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Phil Mickelson 70-69—139 (-5)

Louis Oosthuizen 71-68—139 (-5)

Brooks Koepka 69-71—140 (-4)

Branden Grace 70-71—141 (-3)

Christian Bezuidenhout 71-70—141 (-3)

Hideki Matsuyama 73-68—141 (-3)

Connors Leads PGA at Kiawah Island

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THIS WEEK: The 2021 PGA Championship 

COURSE: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (South Carolina)

YARDS/PAR: 7,876 yards/Par 72

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @PGAChampionship

OFFICIAL SITE: (PGA Tour on the PGA Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Friday, May 21: 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) on ESPN. On Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 – ESPN’s coverage runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over from 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: ESPN will streamcoverage online and ESPN+ ($) will provide Featured Groups and Featured Holes. See: (link)

ONLINE and RADIO COVERAGE:  Radio coverage begins at 1pm (EDT) today and continuing through the completion of each day’s play, hear live hole-by-hole coverage co-produced by SiriusXM and Westwood One. PGA Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com. For additional information, see: Sirius XM Blog

How to Watch: (PGATourCom)

PGA Tour Brunch – PGA Championship Notebook

Corey Conners holds the third 18-hole lead/co-lead of his PGA Tour career and second of the season but he is 0-for-2, to date, converting. This is Conners’ best position after any round in a major championship entering the week. His previous best was solo-sixth after the third round of the 2021 Masters Tournament.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa stands T-8; seven different players have won back-to-back at the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka opened his PGA Championship with a score in the 60s for the sixth consecutive year, the longest such streak at any major championship in the modern era (since 1934). The previous record of five was held by Jack Nicklaus, who recorded five consecutive first-round scores in the 60s at the Masters Tournament from 1972-1976.

Entering the week with top-10s in each of his last four starts on the PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth (T-41) carded a 1-over (73). Spieth can become the sixth player to complete the Career Grand Slam with a win this week (major championship titles: 2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 U.S. Open, 2017 The Open Championship).

PGA Championship Leaderboard After 18 Holes

Corey Conners 67 (-5)

Keegan Bradley 69 (-3)

Viktor Hovland 69 (-3)

Brooks Koepka 69 (-3)

Aaron Wise 69 (-3)

Sam Horsfield 69 (-3)

Cam Davis 69 (-3)