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A Challenging Moving Day at U.S. Open

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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

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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

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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.

RBC Canadian: Star Studded Leaderboard

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TORONTO – The RBC Canadian Open leaderboard features the stars of stars in the game of golf. Take that LIV!

Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns and a hot Wyndham Clark are within two strokes going into the final round of the tournament, sure to be rain-soaked and exciting.

Today’s final grouping (Finau, McIlroy, Thomas) has 37 PGA Tour wins, three FedEx Cup titles, six majors, and an average OWGR of 10.7 on their collective resumes.

Defending champion and two-time FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy holds a share of the lead entering the final round, and with a victory, he would move into a tie for 31st on the all-time PGA Tour wins list with 21

Tony Finau tied his career-low score (62) Saturday to move into a tie for the lead.

Justin Thomas recorded his 19th score of (63) or better since joining the Tour, the most of any player in that span while World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler carded a 1-over (71) and fell to T-29.

Nick Taylor is T-15 at 5-under (205), the best of any Canadian in the field.

All tee times and overall play are being adjusted to avoid thundershowers in the forecast.

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RBC Canadian | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Tony Finau 66-71-62—199 (-11)

Rory McIlroy 66-68-65—199 (-11)

Justin Thomas 69-69-63—201 (-9)

Sam Burns 67-69-65—201 (-9)

Wyndham Clark 63-70-68—201 (-9)

Alex Smalley 67-67-67—201 (-9)

Full Leaderboard (link)

RBC Canadian | Tournament Facts

COURSE: St. George’s Golf and Country Club, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

YARDS/PAR: 7,014 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECT: Stanley Thompson

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: $8,7000,000/$1,566,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @RBCCanadianOpen

TV COVERAGE: Sunday coverage is set for 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 3:00 to 6:00pm (ET) on CBS, weather permitting

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 10:30am to 7:00pm (ET).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live coverage of the RBC Canadian on Sunday with airtime at 1:00pm to 6:00pm (or completion of event). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATourCom.

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

Clark Leads at RBC Canadian Open

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TORONTO – Wyndham Clark, seeking his first career PGA Tour title in his 107th start, executed a key “up and down” to save par from a green-side bunker at No. 18 to maintain his one-stroke lead headed into the weekend.

Following his 6-under (64) in round one, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick played his last five holes in 4-over and shot (70). He and four others trail Clark by only a stroke.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy sits T-2 in bid to successfully defend a PGA Tour title for the first time while World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler will begin round three just three strokes back at 4-under (136).

At 2-under (138), Nick Taylor and Aaron Cockerill lead the contingent of 19 Canadians in the field as the RBC Canadian Open is being played for the first time since 2019 after two cancellations due to COVID-19.

The cut was 70 players at 1-over (141) from a field of 153 professionals and three amateurs.

RBC Canadian | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Wyndham Clark 63-70—133 (-7)

Alex Smalley 67-67—134 (-6)

Keith Mitchell 67-67—134 (-6)

Rory McIlroy 66-68—134 (-6)

Matt Fitzpatrick 64-70—134 (-6)

Jim Knous 67-67—134 (-6)

Memorial: Horschel Shakes WIth Jack

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DUBLIN, Ohio – The 2014 FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel converted a five-stroke lead beginning the final round into his seventh career PGA Tour title, winning by four-shots over Aaron Wise. Horschel improved to 3-for-5 when attempting to convert a 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour.

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Horschel’s 52’ 10” putt at the par-five 15th marked his first eagle in 576 holes played at the Memorial Tournament and secured the victory while it ended the Tour streak of winners coming from behind in a final round at four, including seven-shot rallies from Justin Thomas (PGA Championship) and Sam Burns (Charles Schwab Challenge).

Wise was seeking his second career PGA Tour title and first since the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson, where coincidentally, Horschel was defending champion.

Reigning FedEx Cup champion and defending Memorial Tournament champion Patrick Cantlay finished T-3 in his bid to join Tiger Woods (2000 and 2001) as players to successfully defend a Memorial Tournament title.

The Memorial | Final Leaderboard

Billy Horschel 70-68-65-72—275 (-13)

Aaron Wise 70-69-69-71—279 (-9)

Patrick Cantlay 72-69-69-71—281 (-7)

Joaquin Niemann 71-69-70-71—281 (-7)

The Memorial: After 56 Holes

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DUBLIN, Ohio – The 2014 FedEx Cup Champion, Billy Horschel, leads by five-strokes, tying the largest 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour this season. Horschel holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the fifth time in his career and is 2-for-4 to date converting to victory.

Second-round leader Cameron Smith seeks his first Top-10 in seventh start at the Memorial while reigning FedEx Cup champion and defending Memorial Tournament champion Patrick Cantlay sits T-7 and is seven strokes off the lead.

Aaron Wise sits T-2 and (-8) as he seeks his second PGA Tour victory in his 117th start. Wise won at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson.

The Memorial | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Billy Horschel 70-68-65—203 (-13)

Aaron Wise 70-69-69—208 (-8)

Cameron Smith 67-69-72—208 (-8)

Daniel Berger 70-72-67—209 (-7)

Francesco Molinari 71-68-70—209 (-7)

Jhonattan Vegas 69-69-71—209 (-7)

Whole Lotta Camerons at The Memorial

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Cameron Smith vs Cameron Young vs The Field!

Cameron Smith is making a bid to join Tiger Woods (2001) as the only other player to win the Memorial Tournament and The PLAYERS Championship in the same season. Meanwhile, Cameron Young, Denny McCarthy, and Davis Riley are in search of their first Tour victory.

K.H. Lee (T-2/-7) looks for second win in his last four starts; won AT&T Byron Nelson in back-to-back years (2021-22) for first two PGA TOUR victories; one of three players to successfully defend a title in 2021-22 (Viktor Hovland/World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, Sam Burns/Valspar Championship).

Defending champion Patrick Cantlay sits T-17 at 3-under.

Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau are among notable players to miss the cut.

The Memorial | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Cameron Smith 67-69—136 (-8)

Denny McCarthy 68-69—137 (-7)

K.H. Lee 67-70—137 (-7)

Davis Riley 67-71—138 (-6)

Cameron Young 67-71—138 (-6)

Jhonattan Vegas 69-69—138 (-6)

Luke List 67-71—138 (-6)

Billy Horschel 70-68—138 (-6)

Six Tied After 18 Holes at The Memorial

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Cameron Young, who entered the week with Top-3 finishes in his last three starts, has the most Top-fives on Tour this season without a win (5). He is currently among six players tied after 18 holes at The Memorial. That marks the most in tournament history (previously: 4, 1997, 1998).

With an opening 5-under (67), Cameron Smith recorded his lowest score in 17 rounds at the Memorial Tournament. It marks the second time he has posted a sub-par score in his seventh start in the event (previously: 71/R2/2017). Smith has made the cut in the event twice (2017, 2020).

Will Zalatoris (T-7) at (68), has two playoff losses and four additional Top-10s on the season, is one stroke off the lead. He missed cut in only other start at the Memorial Tournament (MC/2018).

In first start since the 2022 Masters Tournament and left wrist surgery in April, 2018 Memorial Tournament winner Bryson DeChambeau opened with a 4-over (76) while Harris English played for the first time since the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii and hip surgery in February, and posted a 5-over (77).

Chad Ramey withdrew after the first round (back injury).

2014 Memorial Tournament winner Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified for using a non-conforming club (Rule 4.1a). The equipment rules specify what is not allowed (4.c3). Matsuyama apparently applied a substance to his 3-wood club head.

PGA Tour: The Memorial Up Next

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Just like a holiday party held in January, The Memorial comes rolling in the weekend AFTER Memorial Day in the United States of America, but because of the stature of the great Jack Nicklaus, no one seems to care. Certainly, the strong field is indication of a tournament worthy of GOLF’s GOAT.

The tournament holds elevated status with a prize pool of $12 million and a winner’s share of $2,160,000, a take-away of 550 FedEx Cup points Patrick Cantlay enjoyed last season.

The Memorial is one of three PGA Tour events with such elevated status, along with The Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Muirfield Village golf club – Jack Nicklaus’ signature course – underwent some renovations in the years 202-21 and its green speed is back up to the traditional Memorial tournament zip. The renovation saw irrigation work done, bunkers rebuilt, the reconstruction of greens, resurfaced tee boxes and length added. The course opened in 1974 and has hosted a PGA Tour event every year since 1976.

Spain’s Jon Rahm, who enters the week No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking and returns as a past event winner (2020). At the 2021 Memorial Tournament, Rahm held a six-stroke lead after the third round, what would be the largest 54-hole lead on Tour that 2021-22 season, but was forced to withdraw on Saturday evening after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Memorial | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio

YARDS/PAR: 7,533 yards/Par 72

ARCHITECT(S): Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: $12,000,000/$2,160,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Patrick Cantlay

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 550

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @MemorialGolf

TV COVERAGE: The first two rounds (June 2 and 3) are scheduled for coverage from 2:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. On Saturday and Sunday, coverage is set for 12:30pm to 2:30pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 2:30 to 6:00pm (ET) on CBS.

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus Thursday and Friday with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 7:00am to 6:00pm (ET). Weekend ESPN+ streaming from 7:30am to 6:00pm (ET).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live coverage of The Memorial beginning at 12:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) on Thursday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday’s coverage will air 1:00pm to 6:00pm (or completion of event). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATourCom.

In Golf Industry News: With the first event upcoming in London, PGA Tour pro Dustin Johnson was among the list of players listed in the field for the inaugural Saudi-funded LIV tour