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PGA Tour Swings Into Hartford

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CROMWELL – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines a very strong field which includes six of the Top-15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking; Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Patrick Cantlay (6), Sam Burns (9), Jordan Spieth (11) and Xander Schauffele (15).

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A would-be seventh of that group, Justin Thomas (5), withdrew from the tourney.

Longtime Travelers favorite and former champion, Bubba Watson, is not in the field as he’s still recuperating from surgery.

With a win (RBC Canadian Open) and T-5 (U.S. Open) in his last two starts, McIlroy moved to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest ranking since July 25, 2020.

Harris English returns to TPC Highlands as the defending champion as he defeated Kramer Hickok in an eight-hole playoff to win his fourth PGA Tour title at the 2021 Travelers Championship. After playing in the West Coast Hawaii swing earlier this year, English underwent right hip surgery in February but returned to action in June at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (MC). In his most recent start, he finished T-61 at the U.S. Open.

Remember this? After matching pars with Kramer Hickok on the first seven extra holes of the 2021 Travelers Championship, Harris English made birdie on the eighth hole of sudden death (No. 18) for the win. The 2021 playoff is tied for the second longest playoff in Tour history.

While the TPC River Highlands annually attracts an amazing field, no matter if it’s positioned before or after the U.S. Open, this year the tournament comes smack in the middle of a newfound controversy as both Abraham Ancer and Brooks Koepka announced this week that they will switch to the LIV Golf circuit. The two players were suspended by the Tour.

To counter the lure of the LIV, the PGA TOUR announced it will undergo significant changes, including staging and additional six tournaments with $20 million-plus purses.

“These changes will further strengthen the FedExCup and create a strong, coordinated global schedule,” Monahan wrote, detailing a condensed FedExCup season that will run from January to August, “offering a more compelling product for our players, fans and partners.

“While different than it’s been in the past, I think it’s going to be very exciting for fans and I think will create great energy in the fall,” said Monahan, who added that he expects the fall events to be “very consequential, very meaningful.”

“There is more work to be done and details to confirm,” Monahan said in a lengthy press conference at TPC River Highlands, “but implementing substantial changes to our schedule gives us the best opportunity to not only drive earnings to our players, but also improve our product and create a platform for continued growth in the future.”

In his pre-tournament press conference at the Travelers Championship, two-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy reflected on the impact that the PGA TOUR has on the communities it plays in while also reflecting on the organization’s future.

“I think it’s not lost on me what PGA TOUR events … can do for the communities that they’re played in,” he said. “I think that’s not lost on the players that when they come and play PGA TOUR events they’re helping to do something really good in the community … and I think that’s important.”

 

Wet and Wild at the U.S. Open

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BROOKLINE – Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick, the two highest-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking without a win on the PGA Tour, share the lead at the U.S. Open entering today’s final round.

Last player to earn first PGA Tour win at a major championship was Danny Willett, at the 2016 Masters while the last player to earn first PGA Tour win at the U.S. Open was Graeme McDowell in 2010.

At the recent PGA Championship, Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick both entered the final round T-2. Fitzpatrick played in the final pairing and finished T-5 while Zalatoris went on to lose in a playoff.

Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club.

Defending champion Jon Rahm made a double bogey at No. 18 and will enter the final round one stroke back. The last player to successfully defend title at a major championship was Brooks Koepka, 2019 PGA Championship.

Scottie Scheffler (T-4), Sam Burns (T-7) and Rory McIlroy (T-7), who have combined for nine TOUR wins this season, are within three strokes of the lead.

36-hole leader Collin Morikawa carded a 7-over (77), tying his highest score on the PGA Tour, his second score of (77) in his last four rounds on Tour.

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 54 Holes

Will Zalatoris 69-70-67—206 (-4)

Matt Fitzpatrick 68-70-68—206 (-4)

Jon Rahm 69-67-71—207 (-3)

Keegan Bradley 70-69-69—208 (-2)

Adam Hadwin 66-72-70—208 (-2)

Scottie Scheffler 70-67-71—208 (-2)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Final round Tee Times at The Country Club start at 8:49am (ET) and go to 2:45pm (ET) when 54-hole leaders Matt FItzpatrick and Will Zalatoris tee-off on No. 1.

Weather: Sunday morning rain and cloudy skies will greet the patrons and golfers for the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club. Chilly temperatures from 52-to-63 degrees. Showers diminish between 11am and 1:00pm while winds drop from 14 to 9 mph.

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.

McIlroy Defends RBC Canadian Title

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TORONTO – Rory McIlroy successfully defended his title at the RBC Canadian Open, carding a final-round (62) to win by two strokes over Tony Finau.

With his 21st career win, McIlroy moved into a tie for 31st on the all-time PGA Tour wins list and became the sixth player this season with multiple victories and fourth to successfully defend a title.

Justin Rose made bogey at No. 18 to card a 10-under (60), tying his career-low score and lowest score on Tour this season.

Corey Conners (solo-6th) took honors with the Rivermead Cup as the low Canadian professional.

Keith Mitchell and Wyndham Clark (both T-7) earned spots in The Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series.

54-hole co-leader Tony Finau carded a final-round (64) to finish solo-second, earning his 10th career runner-up on Tour and 50th Top-10. … Finau has three Top-fives in his last five starts (T-2/Mexico Open at Vidanta, T-4/Charles Schwab Challenge, 2nd/RBC Canadian Open), but he fell to 0-for-5 with the 54-hole lead/co-lead.

Justin Thomas (solo-3rd) tied his career-high birdie streak with six in a row at Nos. 6-11 and moved to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings while World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler finished T-18.

RBC Canadian | Final Leaderboard

Rory McIlroy 66-68-65-62—261 (-19)

Tony Finau 66-71-62-64—263 (-17)

Justin Thomas 69-69-63-64—265 (-15)

Justin Rose 69-70-67-60—266 (-14)

Sam Burns 67-69-65-65—266 (-14)

 

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)