The 2019 British Open enters uncharted territory in more ways than one, as Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will serve as tournament host for the first time since 1951. The course was the first outside England or Scotland to host golf’s oldest championship, but the event has not returned to Northern Ireland for almost 70 years due to the internal strife within the country … [Read more...]
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Kisner Top Georgia Contenders in PGA Championship
Fewer than half of the approximately 30 players on the PGA Tour qualified for the 2019 PGA Championship, which is being played in May this year (16-19) at New York’s Bethpage Black, the site of two U.S. Opens in 2002 and ’09. After his comeback victory in last month’s Masters, 2002 U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods will draw the lion’s share of attention at the 2019 PGA, with … [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...]
Kisner Defeats Kuchar in Finals of WGC Match Play
For the second straight year, former Georgia Bulldog golf team member Kevin Kisner found himself in the finals of the WGC Match Play Championship against a familiar competitor. Last year it was fellow ex-UGA golfer Bubba Watson, who used his considerable distance advantage to put a 7&6 beating on Kisner in the title match. This time, Kisner drew a player whose style … [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...]
Georgians Fill Leader Boards on PGA, Web.com Tours
Golfers with Georgia ties were all over the leader boards on both the PGA and Web.com Tours this past weekend, combining for six top-10 finishes, with three others placing among the top 15. Charles Howell, Michael Thompson and Vaughn Taylor posted top 10s on the PGA Tour in Los Angeles , with Luke List and Bubba Watson both coming up one shot shots of a top-10 showing. J.T. … [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...]
9 Players with Georgia Ties Among Early 2019 Masters Invitees
With the 2018 golf calendar down to a handful of international tournaments, invitations are about to go out for the 2019 Masters, and a smaller than usual group of golfers with Georgia ties will be among those getting an invite in the mail. Only nine players with Georgia ties will be receiving Masters invitations over the holidays, and four of them have won in Augusta, which … [Read more...]
New PGA Tour Season Tees off in California with Large Georgia Contingent
Ten days after the 2017-18 PGA Tour season ended, the 2018-19 season begins this week in Napa, Calif., with the first of eight Fall tournaments played over the next seven weeks. Three of the events will be played in Asia, including a WGC tournament in China. There will also be a tournament that week in Jackson, Miss., with the 2018 portion of the schedule wrapping up with … [Read more...]