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PGA Tour: Four-Way Tie at Valspar

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PALM HARBOR – Four players, including defending champion Sam Burns, share the first-round lead, tying the most in Valspar Championship history (2014). Burns holds the best first-round position by a defending champion in Valspar Championship history and he became the second defending champion to hold the first-round lead/co-lead in a Tour event this season. The other? Kevin Na, Sony Open in Hawaii.

Co-leaders Burns (2021) and Adam Hadwin (2017) seek to become the fourth multiple winners of the event.

Dustin Johnson opened with a 4-under 67 in his 300th PGA Tour start while Lee Hodges became the first player during the Shotlink era to birdie the first five holes of a round at the event.

After battling the weather and sub-par rounds a week ago, 89 players posted under-par scores in the first round, a Valspar Championship record upending the 76 in 2012.

Valspar Leaderboard After 18 Holes:

Jhonattan Vegas 64 (-7)

Sam Burns 64 (-7)

Adam Hadwin 64 (-7)

David Lipsky 64 (-7)

Four players 65 (-6)

Full Leaderboard (link)

Valspar Tees-Off with Sunny Skies

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PALM HARBOR – Happy St. Patrick’s Day as the PGA Tour tees-it-up at the Valspar Championship at Innesbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Florida. After a rain-soaked, thundershower-laced and one-day delayed PLAYERS, the PGA Tour is looking forward to sunny skies today.

Since Sunday, 10 players have withdrawn from the Valspar as of this morning (see list below).

This week’s Valspar Championship returns to its traditional March date and will wrap up the PGA Tour’s four-tournament Florida Swing after previously being contested in May, 2021. The three winners in Florida so far have included a first-time winner (Sepp Straka, The Honda Classic) and two players who entered the week in the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking and picked up their second wins of the season (Scottie Scheffler/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Cameron Smith/The PLAYERS Championship).

Five of the Top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are scheduled to compete in the Valspar Championship, the most for the tournament since 2015 (5). This is the seventh event this season with at least five of the Top 10 players and second consecutive. No. 2 Collin Morikawa, No. 3 Viktor Hovland, No. 8 Justin Thomas, No. 9 Xander Schauffele, and rounding it out, No. 10 Dustin Johnson.

There have been 11 Holes-in-One at the Valspar.

Among all the players in the field this weekend, only Denny McCarthy and Sam Ryder have made the cut in the three prior Florida Swing events. Meanwhile, Shane Lowry has pocketed the most FedEx Cup points during the three Florida events with 357. Viktor Hovland registered 298 points.

The 2020 FedEx Cup champion Dustin Johnson is making his 300th career start on the Tour this week. In his first 299 starts, Johnson collected 24 wins (8.0%), and 113 Top-10s (37.8%). DJ has won on Tour in each of the last 14 seasons (2008 through 2020-21), which is tied with Tiger Woods for the third-longest streak to start a career.

 

Smith Takes The PLAYERS

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – Cameron Smith won The 2022 PLAYERS Championship, earning his fifth PGA Tour title and second win of the season as the PLAYERS became the first PGA TOUR event with an unscheduled Monday finish since the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

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Smith became the third consecutive winner of the event to enter the week in the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking and 13th since the inception of the official rankings in 1986.

Smith also became the fifth Australian to win The PLAYERS, joining Steve Elkington (1991, 1997), Greg Norman (1994), Adam Scott (2004) and Jason Day (2016).

Smith moved from No. 10 to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings, the highest position of his career. He’s led the field in SG: Putting in all three of his individual titles on the Tour (2020 Sony Open in Hawaii, 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions, and this, the 2022 PLAYERS Championship).

 

PLAYERS | Final Leaderboard

Cameron Smith 69-71-69-66—275 (-13)

Anirban Lahiri 67-73-67-69—276 (-12)

Paul Casey 70-69-69-69—277 (-11)

Kevin Kisner 68-74-68-68—278 (-10)

Keegan Bradley 72-71-68-68—279 (-9)

No Matter Rain, Sleet, Snow or Wind

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The 2022 PLAYERS Championship went from rain and thunderstorms to high winds and darkness. Today, more windy conditions are in store for the best PGA Tour players in the world.

Due to dangerous weather on Saturday morning, the second round did not start until 12 Noon (ET) and then due to darkness, the second round was suspended at 6:29pm (ET) with 48 of 71 players in the first wave having completed the second round. But, 45 of 72 players in the second wave began the second round Saturday and none of them completed.

Second-round play resumed at 8:15 am (ET) this morning. Keep in mind, the USA adjusted to Daylight Savings Time overnight which will allow for extended play this evening.

Current second-round scoring average is 75.625 (71.902 in R1). There were 29 total balls hit in the water at No. 17 on Saturday (10 during completion of round one, 19 during round two).

Bubba Watson (68) and Justin Thomas (69) recorded the only bogey-free rounds among those who completed round two and of the 48 players who completed 36 holes, Watson and Thomas (T-15) sit highest on the leaderboard.

Henrik Stenson withdrew following Saturday’s suspension of play

PGA Tour officials are planning to complete play on Monday.

The last Monday finish at THE PLAYERS came in 2005, with Fred Funk as champion.

Stormy Weather at The PLAYERS

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – First-round tee times at The PLAYERS were delayed by one hour due to overnight rain and area thunderstorms. Unfortunately, stormy weather will be the storyline as ‘the fifth major’ is underway, and the golfers who can navigate the weather (rain/wind/humidity) will rise on the dripping wet leaderboard.

This week’s PLAYERS Championship will be more of a challenge than the Tournament Players Club of Sawgrass usually can dish out. The weather report is not cooperating as thundershowers, high humidity and a 30-degree dip in temperature from Friday to the weekend could wreak havoc for the contenders when the sun shines on Sunday.

The PLAYERS Championship is the first of five tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule offering 600 FedEx Cup points to the winner, along with the four major championships.

The field includes 47 of the Top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking and 109 PGA TOUR winners combining for 418 titles. Justin Thomas is looking to become the first player to successfully defend a title at The PLAYERS Championship. The best result by a defending champion of The PLAYERS is T5 (Jack Nicklaus/1977, Tom Kite/1990, Hal Sutton/2001). In the last six attempts, only one defending champion has finished in the Top 50 (Webb Simpson, 2019). Thomas, a 14-time Tour winner (most recently at The PLAYERS in 2021), has successfully defended a title once on the PGA Tour (2016 CIMB Classic) and has earned multiple titles at three different PGA Tour events.

With his win at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Scottie Scheffler moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings for the first time in his career. Three players have won the week before The PLAYERS and then won The PLAYERS: Raymond Floyd (1981), Tom Kite(1989) and Tiger Woods (2001).

The people of the Ukraine were recognized by the PGA Tour and its Commissioner. As the tournament began at TPC Sawgrass with round 1 of The PLAYERS Championship, representatives of the Tour expressed its unified support for the people of the Ukraine.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced support via Golfers For Ukraine, an industry-wide effort that is collecting donations for UNICEF, the United Nations agency that provides humanitarian and developmental aid to children impacted by the crisis.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and those caught in the crosshairs of the conflict,” Monahan said. “We hope for an end to this senseless violence and a peaceful resolution. The game of golf has a way of rallying around important causes and this is one.”

PGA Tour: Scheffler Wins at Bay Hill

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ORLANDO – Scottie Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke, earning his second PGA Tour title 21 days after his first victory (Phoenix). Scheffler’s last three starts on Tour: Won/WM Phoenix Open, T-7/The Genesis Invitational, Won/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Scheffler’s 72-hole total of only 5-under is the highest by a winner on Tour since the 2020 BMW Championship (Jon Rahm, -4). With his second win of the season, Scheffler moves to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his career.

Third-round co-leader Billy Horschel (T-2) at (-4) earned his eighth career runner-up on Tour and first since the 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession (Viktor Hovland also T-2). Horschel fell to 2-for-4 with the 54-hole lead/co-lead on the circuit.

Second-round leader Viktor Hovland (T-2) at 9-4) earned his third career runner-up on Tour and first since the 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship (Horschel also T-2). Hovland fell to 1-for-3 with the 36-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play PGA Tour events.

First-round leader Rory McIlroy (+1) finished T-13, snapping a streak of five consecutive Top-10s at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

API | Final Leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler 70-73-68-72—283 (-5)

Tyrrell Hatton 69-68-78-69—284 (-4)

Viktor Hovland 69-66-75-74—284 (-4)

Billy Horschel 67-71-71-75—284 (-4)

Gary Woodland 70-72-70-73—285 (-3)

Chris Kirk 69-76-68-72—285 (-3)

Final Leaderboard: (link)

Horschel, Gooch Lead at Bay Hill

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ORLANDO – The 2014 FedEx Cup Champion Billy Horschel and 2021 RSM Classic champion Talor Gooch share the third-round lead after posting 71, 72, respectively. When they hold the 54-hole lead/co-lead, Horschel is 2-for-3 in converting, while Gooch is 1-for-1.

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For the second consecutive week on Tour, the third-round scoring average was more than two strokes over par.

Second-round leader Viktor Hovland is in 3rd place (-6) and fell one stroke behind the co-leaders following his 3-over 75. Hovland, at 24 years, 5 months, 16 days today, can become the fifth-youngest winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Gary Woodland is in 5th place (-4) and is searching for his fifth PGA Tour victory and first since the 2019 U.S. Open.

Max Homa recorded his first ace on Tour draining the ball with a pitching wedge from 163 yards at the par-3 14th hole.

Rory Sabbatini withdrew during round three with a leg injury.

Leaderboard After 54 Holes at API:

Billy Horschel 67-71-71—209 (-7)

Talor Gooch 69-68-72—209 (-7)

Viktor Hovland 69-66-75—210 (-6)

Scottie Scheffler 70-73-68—211 (-5)

Gary Woodland 70-72-70—212 (-4)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Hovland Leads at Bay Hill

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ORLANDO – Viktor Hovland holds a two-stroke lead, his third career 36-hole lead/co-lead in an individual stroke-play event on the PGA Tour. He is 1-for-2 to date converting the 36-hole lead to a win.

First-round leader Rory McIlroy fell to T-2 following even-par (72) effort in R-2.

Three of the four past Arnold Palmer Invitational champions in the field are T-6 or better, including Tyrrell Hatton (T-2/2020), Rory McIlroy (T-2/2018), Martin Laird (T-6/2011), and Marc Leishman (T-20/2017)

World No. 1 Jinx? Jon Rahm (T-13/-2) trails by seven at midway point. The last World No. 1 to win the event was Tiger Woods (2009) and the last World No. 1 to win on the PGA Tour was Dustin Johnson (2020 Masters Tournament).

Yesterday’s 3-over cutline marks the highest 36-hole cut this season.

Leaderboard After 36 Holes at API:

Viktor Hovland 69-66—135 (-9)

Tyrrell Hatton 69-68—137 (-7)

Talor Gooch 69-68—137 (-7)

Rory McIlroy 65-72—137 (-7)

Billy Horschel 67-71—138 (-6)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Tour Tees-Off at Bay Hill and Puerto Rico

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ORLANDO – The Arnold Palmer Invitational, presented by Mastercard, is one of three PGA Tour events with elevated status, along with The Genesis Invitational and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Those three events offer a larger purse ($12 million; up from $9.3 million in 2021), an increased allotment of FedEx Cup points (550 to the winner) and a three-year PGA Tour exemption for the winner.

The 2022 field features 10 of the Top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking, led by World No. 1 Jon Rahm who will make his Arnold Palmer debut. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau withdrew Monday from the tournament due to injury.

Jason Day also withdrew.

In 2021 the collective Palmer field hit only 56.84% of greens in regulation at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, making it the fifth-toughest to play as measured by Green in Regulation percentage overall on TOUR last season. It was second toughest among non-majors.

RIO GRANDE – While the “A” team is playing Bay Hill, the Puerto Rico Open will be taking place in the Islands. Since the tournament’s 2008 inception, the Puerto Rico Open has helped elevate the careers of future PGA Tour stars, including Daniel Berger (T-2/2019) and past sponsor exemptions Jordan Spieth (T-2/2013) and Brooks Koepka (T-19/2014). Bryson DeChambeau lost in a playoff at the 2017 Puerto Rico Open but went on to win his first PGA Tour title later that season, while Tony Finau (2016) and Viktor Hovland (2020) each won their first Tour titles at the Puerto Rico Open. Branden Grace, who won the 2021 Puerto Rico Open, is in the field at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

The tournament is held at the Rio Grande Grand Reserve Country Club, almost a full hour away from San Juan.

Berger Leads the Pack at Honda

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – Daniel Berger tied largest 54-hole lead in Honda Classic tournament history and holds largest 54-hole lead on Tour since Jon Rahm at the 2021 Memorial Tournament. Berger is seeking his fifth career PGA Tour win and his third consecutive season with a win on Tour.

Shane Lowry posted low round of the day, at 3-under (67) and is five strokes off the lead.

There are two non-PGA Tour members in the top 20 on the leaderboard, with Monday Open Qualifier Martin Contini (T-7) and sponsor exemption Andrew Kozan (T-19). A Top-10 finish by a non-member can earn a berth into next week’s Puerto Rico Open.

With a cumulative average of +1.666 through three rounds, PGA National is playing as the hardest non-major course on Tour since the 2020 BMW Championship (Olympia Fields Country Club/North).

The Honda Classic | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Daniel Berger 65-65-69—199 (-11)

Shane Lowry 70-67-67—204 (-6)

Sepp Straka 71-64-69—204 (-6)

Kurt Kitayama 64-69-71—204 (-6)

Chris Kirk 65-68-71—204 (-6)