Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

PGA Tour Brunch

PGA Tour This Week – The Valspar

by

Welcome to PGA Tour Brunch Coverage – The Valspar Championship

This is the first time in tournament history the Valspar Championship will be played in April/May. Paul Casey, the 2018 and 2019 champion, is the only player in tournament history to win back-to-back. He’s returning in search of a third consecutive victory at the event.

YouTube player

The top-two players in the Official World Golf Ranking, Dustin Johnson (1) and Justin Thomas (2), are both in the strong field.

To that end, 11 of the Top 30 in the FedExCup standings are competing at Copperhead this week, led by No. 2 Justin Thomas and No. 7 Viktor Hovland while 18 of the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, as previously noted with No. 1 Johnson and No. 2, Thomas.

Overall, 97 PGA Tour winners, the second-most of any tournament to date during the 2020-21 season are in the field. The most was the 110 at The PLAYERS Championship.

Lastly, 17 major championship winners combining for 24 major victories are playing in the Tampa Bay Area this week, led by Phil Mickelson (5).

The Valspar Championship is the 31st of 50 events in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season.

Tournament Tee Times begin Thursday at 6:55am (EDT) through 2:15pm (EDT).

Weather: A high pressure system will begin to slowly shift East allowing more humid conditions to return Thursday into Friday. Mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies can be expected each day with highs in the mid-80s to upper 80s. The models have slowed down the approaching cold front and it’s looking more likely that the front will stall across the northern gulf this weekend. This will keep Central Florida mainly dry with only a slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm developing during the afternoon hours (winds 10-15 mph).

PGATourBrunch will be posting before 6:55am (EDT) early tee times Thursday and Friday.

Next Week: Wells Fargo Championship (Charlotte, NC)

PGA Tour: Wrap-Up at Zurich Classic

by

PGA Tour Brunch Coverage of Zurich Classic

NEW ORLEANS  – Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith defeated 54-hole leaders Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzelof South Africa with a par on the first hole of sudden death playoff to mark the first playoff in the event since 2017 when Smith and Jonas Blixt defeated Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner. With the win, Smith becomes the first player to win the event twice in the team format.

Embed from Getty Images

Partnering together for the first time, the Australian natives overcame a 1-shot deficit beginning the final round to close with a 2-under (70) and then win with a par on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th.

Runner-up Louis Oosthuizen was seeking his second career PGA Tour win more than 10 years after his 2010 The Open Championship title.

Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay combined for eight birdies in the final round to tie the record for most par-breakers in a Foursomes round since the Zurich Classic of New Orleans became a team event in 2017.

Defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer finished seventh at 17-under (271).

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans switched from individual stroke play to the two-man team format in 2017 and is the only official FedExCup team event on Tour.

Zurich Classic Final Leaderboard

Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith 63-72-63-70—268 (-20)*

Louis Oosthuizen/Charl Schwartzel 63-71-63-71—268 (-20)

Richy Werenski/Peter Uihlein 65-69-68-67—269 (-19)

Billy Horschel/Sam Burns 63-73-65-69—270 (-18)

Keith Mitchell/Brandt Snedeker 66-71-64-69—270 (-18)

Keegan Bradley/Brendan Steele 63-73-64-70—270 (-18)

*Won with a par on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th

Rose Holds Slim Lead After 36 Holes at The Masters

by

PGA Tour Brunch Coverage of the Weekend at The Masters

By TERRY LYONS

AUGUSTA – England’s Justin Rose will attempt to become the first wire-to-wire winner at the Masters since Jordan Spieth (2015). Rose followed up his opening round (65) with a hard-fought par (72) on Friday. Rose has nine birdies on the back nine through two rounds, tied for the most at the Masters in the last 30 years.

Will Zalatoris birdied his final three holes for a 4-under (68), which moved him within one stroke of Rose, the 36-hole leader. Zalatoris is seeking to become the first player to win in his debut Masters appearance since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Embed from Getty Images

Jordan Spieth (T-4) at five under (-5) leads the field with 30 greens hit in regulation, his most through two rounds at the Masters, including his 2015 tournament when he won the Green Jacket.

Bryson DeChambeau (T-17) followed his first round (76) with a 5-under (67) for a nine-stroke turnaround – his largest in a major championship between rounds one and two.

Brian Harman (T-2) at six under (138) is the only player in the field to shoot sub-70s with 69-69.

Matthew Wolff shot 76-79 (155) but was DQ’d. The Statement from Masters Tournament HQ: Following his second round, Matthew Wolff returned a scorecard with a hole score lower than he actually made on hole 17. He was subsequently disqualified under Rule 3.3b(3).

Early tournament leader Hudson Swafford at (-2 after four holes), MTC with 73-83 (156).

Defending Masters champion Dustin Johnson missed the cut after shooting 74-75. Other “big names” to MTC included: Georgia native Matt Kuchar, past Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, and Sungjae Im.

Masters Leaderboard After Second Round:

Justin Rose 65-72—137 (-7)

Will Zalatoris 70-68—138 (-6)

Brian Harman 69-69—138 (-6)

Marc Leishman 72-67—139 (-5)

Jordan Spieth 71-68—139 (-5)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

36-hole cut: 54 professionals at 3-over (147) from a field of 85 professionals and three amateurs. An amateur failed to advance to the weekend for the first time at the Masters since 2015.

For complete access to PGA Tour Brunch (sent to your inbox six days a week), click HERE