A trio of PGA Tour members who played their college golf in Georgia – two ex-Bulldogs and a former Yellow Jacket – got off to fast starts on the 2019-20 season with ties for third Sunday in the season opener at the Greenbrier. Georgia natives Harris English and Brian Harman, former UGA teammates, and Georgia Tech’s Richy Werenski all finished tied for third, with all three … [Read more...]
Rory McIlroy Wins for Second Time at East Lake; Takes Home $15 Million Bonus
For the sixth time since 2012, Rory McIlroy entered Sunday’s final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake with an opportunity to take home a nice trophy and an exorbitant check. McIlroy converted just one of his first chances, a .200 batting average that placed him squarely on baseball’s Mendoza line, a benchmark for light hitting utility infielders. Three times he shot … [Read more...]
Players Near Bubble Have 2 Weeks to Qualify for FedExCup Playoffs
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, some PGA Tour members are scrambling to qualify for the Playoffs, which begin August 8 at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J., and conclude with the Tour Championship at East Lake August 22-25. The Playoffs events preceding the Tour Championship have been reduced from three to two, with the tournament in Boston … [Read more...]
Golf’s Elite Look Strong Heading into U.S. Open; So Does Matt Kuchar
After the run of problems encountered by the USGA with the U.S. Open in recent years, they return to the one site seemingly immune from the recent snafus regarding course selection/set-up or application of the rules. This year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach features multiple story lines featuring the game’s elite players, starting with Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka and … [Read more...]
Woods Rallies for First Time in a Major to Take Fifth Masters Title
While he was winning 14 majors between 1997 and 2008, Tiger Woods established a 100 percent predictable model for divining whether he was going to win a Grand Slam event going to the final round. When leading or sharing the lead after 54 holes, Woods was 14-0 in Grand Sam events. When he was trailing going to the final round, he was 0-for-everything else. His spotless … [Read more...]
Masters preview: McIlroy the Favorite, No Green Jacket for Tiger or Phil
The list of potential 2019 Masters champions is long, with a clear but not overwhelming favorite who comes into the tournament as the game’s hottest player, but who does not have the best relationship with Augusta National. Everything points to a Rory McIlroy victory in Augusta next week. He has finished sixth or better in each of his six starts in PGA Tour stroke play … [Read more...]
Kuchar Tops Large Field of Georgians in Players Championship
A large contingent of golfers with Georgia ties will compete in the Players Championship, which will be played March 14-17 at TPC Sawgrass outside Jacksonville, returning to its early Spring date after being held in May since 2007. Of the 144 players in the field, 22 have Georgia ties, led by Matt Kuchar (Georgia Tech/St. Simons resident), who won the Players in 2012 and … [Read more...]
Ex-Bulldog Mitchell Scores First Win in Honda Classic
The first PGA Tour victory for former Georgia Bulldog Keith Mitchell could not have come in much more dramatic fashion. Mitchell, in just his second season on the PGA Tour, rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the 72nd hole of the Honda Classic to break a 3-way tie with Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler, capping a clutch back nine performance by the St. Simons Island … [Read more...]
PGA Tour Preview: Significant Changes Highlight 2019 Schedule
The 2019 portion of the PGA Tour schedule began with two events in Hawaii, and will be followed by four annual stops in California and one in Arizona, the same as it has for the past two decades. After that, the usually standard sequence of tournaments has been significantly shuffled, along with a number of rules changes that are slightly confusing but not overly impactful. … [Read more...]