Day: October 3, 2021

The First Look: Shriners Children’s OpenThe First Look: Shriners Children’s Open

October 3, 2021October 3, 2021| 13:00

Martin Laird looks to continue his love-affair with TPC Summerlin as he defends his title at the Shriners Children’s Open. A handful of Ryder Cuppers from the victorious U.S. side will also make their return to the PGA TOUR for the first of two consecutive events in Las Vegas. THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT will be conducted the following week. FIELD NOTES: Eleven of the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking are scheduled to compete, led by No. 8 Louis Oosthuizen… Brooks Koepka and Ryder Cup teammates Harris English and Scottie Scheffler also will play at TPC Summerlin, while two former Ryder Cuppers, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed, will make their return to action. Each will be making their first start of the season… Masters winners Danny Willet and Hideki Matsuyama are competing in Las Vegas… In all, nine major champions are set to play TPC Summerlin… A few members of Team Europe are returning to action on TOUR, as well, including Ian Poulter and Viktor Hovland and vice captain Graeme McDowell… Will Zalatoris, recently named the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year, will look to build off his T5 in Las Vegas a year ago… Martin Laird returns to defend his Shriners victory from 2020 (captured after a dramatic playoff). Laird finished 75th in the FedExCup standings last season… Sponsor exemptions this year include Harry Hall, Kevin Yu, United States Air Force captain Kyle Westmoreland, and three-time European Tour winner Rasmus Hojgaard, who is just 20 years old. Yu finished fourth in this year’s PGA TOUR University rankings and parlayed that status into two top-10s in eight Korn Ferry Tour starts, including a runner-up. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: TPC Summerlin, par 71, 7,255 yards. For nearly 20 years TPC Summerlin has hosted the PGA TOUR’s Shriners Children Open. Bobby Weed designed the course – which is carved through rugged desert terrain – alongside Fuzzy Zoeller as the player consultant. It boasts raw landscape features, lush bentgrass greens, numerous water features, and meanders through canyons and arroyos. STORYLINES: Funny enough, the winning score the last two years has been 23 under, with both the 2019 and 2020 editions of the tournament going into playoffs… Twelve golfers with ties to the Las Vegas area, including two-time Shriners winner Kevin Na, will look to take advantage of the familiar setting… The first couple of events on the PGA TOUR schedule are perfect opportunities for rookies to test their mettle against some of the best in the world and also earn valuable FedExCup points… This year’s Shriners marks the 25th anniversary of Tiger Woods earning his first PGA TOUR win at TPC Summerlin. He defeated Davis Love III in a playoff to win in just his fifth start as a pro. 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Ryan Moore (2012), Webb Simpson (2013). 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Chip Beck (3rd round, 1991 at Sunrise GC). TPC Summerlin record: 60, J.J. Henry (1st round, 2013), Rod Pampling (1st round, 2016) LAST TIME: In the field on a sponsor’s exemption, Martin Laird broke a seven-year PGA TOUR victory drought at the Shriners Children’s Open. If you recall: Laird was on the tee box when Jonathan Byrd ended the 2010 tournament with a walk-off ace in a sudden-death playoff. This time around Laird, on the second playoff hole, drained a 23-foot birdie putt to defeat Austin Cook and Matthew Wolff. This was Laird’s fourth career TOUR title. His final round included a shot-of-the-year candidate eagle hole out on No. 9 (he popped one in from a plugged lie in the bunker). This was the Scotsman’s second win at TPC Summerlin. He also won here in 2009. Abraham Ancer finished fourth, while Peter Malnati, James Hahn, and Will Zalatoris rounded out the top five. Fifty-four-hole leader Patrick Cantlay finished T8 alongside Bryson DeChambeau, amongst others. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (Featured Groups). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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American Pharoah Stakes Day at Santa AnitaAmerican Pharoah Stakes Day at Santa Anita

October 3, 2021October 3, 2021| 3:59

Friday kicked off “Win and You’re In” weekend at Santa Anita with Corniche winning the featured American Pharoah Stakes (G1) over Pappacap. Also on the card, Ain’t Easy won the Chandelier Stakes (G2), Lieutenant Dan won the Eddie D Stakes (G2), and One Timer won the Speakeasy Stakes. Get the results, charts, and photos here.

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Sahith Theegala leads by one at Sanderson Farms ChampionshipSahith Theegala leads by one at Sanderson Farms Championship

October 3, 2021October 3, 2021| 1:44

JACKSON, Miss. — In his first weekend contention on the PGA TOUR, California rookie Sahith Theegala is handling the pressure and his golf just fine in the Sanderson Farms Championship. RELATED: Leaderboard | Opportunity knocks at Sanderson Farms Championship Theegala began the back nine Saturday at Country Club of Jackson with three straight birdies, had an eagle chip spin 360 degrees around the cup and finished with a 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round. Cameron Tringale had a pair of eagles from long range with his putter and his wedge and matched his career best on the PGA TOUR with a 62. He was one shot behind, along with Sam Burns and Denny McCarthy, who each shot 65. Theegala was at 18-under 198. “Definitely a little nerves in there for sure,” Theegala said. “But I think people have said before pressure is a privilege, and I’m trying to use those nerves to my advantage.” Will Zalatoris, the rookie of the year last season while playing on unlimited sponsor exemptions, was tied for the lead with Theegala and Nick Watney. Zalatoris didn’t make a birdie over the final 12 holes. He shot 72 and fell five shots behind in a tie for 16th. Watney took a late double bogey on the 16th hole and shot 71, leaving him four back. Theegala was the consensus NCAA player of the year as a senior at Pepperdine, which was cut short by the pandemic. He had to bide his time between the Korn Ferry Tour and limited PGA TOUR starts until making it to the big leagues with ease at the Korn Ferry Tour finals. His brilliant back nine could have been even better. Theegala drove through the green on the reachable 15th and hit a beautiful pitch that somehow spun all around the cup without dropping, sending him to his knees in disbelief. “I can’t wait to see the replay of that to see what happened because it literally looked like more than a 360,” Theegala said. “I didn’t have the greatest vantage point, but it was literally going right at the stick, and I’m like, ‘OK, that’s in, with good speed.’ I can’t believe that lip-out.” Still, he has a chance to earn a two-year exemption and a spot in the Masters and PGA Championship next year if he can hold on. The list of challengers includes Burns, who already won this year at the Valspar Championship and was in the final conversation to be a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup. Tringale is still looking for his first win in his 311th start on the PGA TOUR. The 62 matched his low from the RSM Classic at Sea Island last November. He wasn’t about to read too much into this one. He kept the ball in position and the greens are pure. Plus, Tringale holed a 55-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth hole, and then holed a bunker shot from 100 feet away on the par-5 14th. He had four birdie putts from the 12- to 15-foot range. “This was a combination of hitting a lot of good shots and having good breaks just on the same day,” Tringale said. “I did give myself a lot of chances. I was never out of position. I was putting uphill most of the time. And a (55-footer) and a hole-out, you know, if I three-putt that one and don’t get up-and-down, that’s four shots difference right there.” But he has a chance in what figures to be a shootout. Fifteen players were separated by four shots, and nine of those players have yet to win on the PGA TOUR. “You definitely have to get the breaks,” Burns said. “But also it just goes to show you how many talented players there are out here. I think with how bunched up it is there’s probably at least 20-something maybe more guys that could win tomorrow. So really it’s just going out there and trying to put a solid round together.”

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