Day: July 13, 2022

Billy Andrade honored with PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern CompanyBilly Andrade honored with PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, Billy Andrade, who has enjoyed a 35-year career on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, has been named the 2022 recipient of the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Andrade will be honored on Tuesday, August 23, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-8 p.m. ET at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 23 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,” was the TOUR Championship presenting sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. Previous recipients have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “It’s very special. Payne was unbelievable to me and I got to know him very well. I’m speechless really, to think that now I’m part of this elite group of past recipients who have all done it the right way,” Andrade said. “It’s really nice to see that people have watched and seen that I can inspire others, and I can’t thank Southern Company, the TOUR and Jay Monahan enough to now call myself a Payne Stewart Award recipient.” Andrade, 58, was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, but has called Atlanta home since 1988 when he first joined the PGA TOUR. As an Atlanta resident, Andrade developed an affinity for the history of East Lake Golf Club, which will soon add his name next to the other Payne Stewart Award recipients on a plaque located in the clubhouse’s Great Hall. Since joining the PGA TOUR, Andrade used his platform to give back to charitable causes close to his heart, and has continued that commitment over three decades of playing on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. He and his wife, Jody, have two children: Cameron and Grace. “Billy Andrade is an ideal representation of a Payne Stewart Award recipient,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As someone who exudes kindness and respect, Billy is a stranger to no one, and has spent his career fostering meaningful relationships. “Those relationships have helped fuel his chartiable endeavors, which have spanned more than three decades. That unwavering commitment to helping others is what draws so many people to Billy, and what would certainly make Payne proud.”

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Tiger Woods won two of his three Open Championships at St. Andrews, finishing a combined 13 shots ahead of the field in 2000 and 2005. This week, he’s back at the Old Course for what may be his final opportunity to add another victory at the course that he says is his unrivaled favorite in the game. He’s pulling out all the stops to try and win one last time at St. Andrews. That includes four tweaks to his equipment setup before play gets underway Thursday. RELATED: Is it one last dance for Tiger Woods and St. Andrews? In Woods’ last tournament, the PGA Championship in May, he was using a 9-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX shaft. He’d been using that shaft since 2018, but he has a new one in his driver this week. On Tuesday, Woods was using a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft in his TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver. Woods also has a new shaft in his P770 3-iron, switching from True Temper’s new Dynamic Gold MID Tour Issue X100 shafts. The MID shaft was launched in 2022 and is designed for slightly higher spin and launch angles compared to the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts he uses in his TaylorMade P-7TW irons (4-PW). On Tuesday, Woods had a TaylorMade M3 5-wood and a P770 3-iron in the bag, opting for the fairway wood over a 2-iron. The P770 3-iron, however, is now equipped with a True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft. According to a TaylorMade representative, Woods changed shafts in the driving iron because the MID version was “going too high.” Woods has also made adjustment to his short-game setup to deal with the unique characteristics of links golf. St. Andrews is playing firm and fast but the greens are slower than American players are accustomed to. In fact, the fairways may be running faster than St. Andrews’ large, sloping putting surfaces. If they get too fast, then there’s the threat of play being delayed because balls can’t remain still on the putting surface. Woods was using two TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Raw wedges, a 56- and 60-degree. The MG3 Raws are newer models of the MG2 TW-Grind wedges he used at the Masters. This week, it appears Woods is playing a combination of the two wedge setups. Taking a closer look at photos taken by GolfWRX on Tuesday, it appears Woods is using an MG2 56-degree wedge (which has a raw face but a chrome finish on the rest of the head), and an MG3 Raw 60-degree wedge (which doesn’t have a finish at all). As for his putter, Woods has added lead tape to the back cavity of his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS at The Open. This change is common for Woods when he plays in the Open Championship, as the extra weight helps induce a heavier strike on the typically slower greens overseas, and it can also help add face awareness and stability in the wind. See below for Woods’ expected equipment setup for this week at the Old Course: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70T X 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3-iron), TaylorMade P-7TW (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (56 degrees), TaylorMade MG3 Raw (60 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype Ball: 2022 Bridgestone Tour B XS Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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Pick ‘Em Preview: The Open ChampionshipPick ‘Em Preview: The Open Championship

All right, you know the drill. We did this last week. The Open Championship at St. Andrews is just 12 miles due north of The Renaissance Club, so, yes, it’s in the same time zone. This means that the tournament begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Thursday in the United States. That’s 10:35 p.m. on Wednesday on the West Coast. That’s the given, but what we don’t know is if PointsBet will open a market for the Top 20 bet during the tournament. It was not made available after both R2 and R3 at the Genesis Scottish Open. Plan accordingly. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT Rob … Joohyung Kim (+15000) Wrestled back the honor with a 24th-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. It’s my seventh top 30 in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live. Not too shabby given, as predicted in this space last week, I wouldn’t be awake in time to adjust my (failed) bets for R1 and R2 leader. This week presents a rare challenge. St. Andrews is going to crown a big, big name as its champion. It’s the 150th edition and, well, that’s just how these things tend to develop. However, as much as I’d like to just sit on Rory McIlroy (+1000) or Jon Rahm (+1600) deep into Sunday, we have a game to play! It ain’t broke, so I ain’t gonna break it. The Tank Engine is the reason why I finished 24th last week. He talked about how much he enjoyed his foray at links-style golf. His solo third was evidence. At 20, he’s probably young enough not to have the fully formed feel of the significance of what a victory here and now represents, and I like it like that for the purpose of this opening selection. Glass … Kevin Kisner (+20000) Did you think I was going to trot Rory out here at +1000? Kisner was an afterthought at Carnoustie in 2018 before finishing T2. Earlier that season, he finished second at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Wanna guess how he finished at Match Play this year? Kisner paints fairways, and the firm and fast should help shorten the yardage book. Grinder mentality evident with five straight paydays at this event. Reminds me a bit of Zach Johnson in 2015, plus Kisner has a comfortable pairing with Chris Kirk for the first two days. Plenty of time to reload if this longshot doesn’t fire. Last week’s winner hopped on Xander Schauffele at +8000 after Round 1. It can happen! TOP 10 Rob … Joohyung Kim (+1000) Reset and repeat. He was +2000 for this finish last week and delivered. Always room on the bandwagon for ya, especially since Glass refuses to take a seat. Glass … Thomas Pieters (+750) Rolls in on six straight with three top 10s, so I’m leaning into his form, plus he’s never MC in four attempts at this championship. The “other” news is that he’s never painted the top 10 here, but for +750 that’s not surprising. As is the case weekly with this pick, hit the window and change it when it goes sideways. TOP 20 Glass … Stewart Cink (+600) Admittedly, I’ve struggled to intersect value with form, but that’s the best part of this game: Perfect is NOT required. Chances can be taken, even 49-year old chances. His best performances this year were on demanding ball-striking layouts like Innisbrook and TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Also finished T23 at Southern Hills and T24 last week at The Renaissance Club. Rob … Keita Nakajima (+1400) I went into more detail in Sleepers on why the long-standing world’s top-ranked amateur is attractive this week, but the abridged version is that if an amateur is going to connect at an Open, it’s going to be at St. Andrews. Three ams recorded a top-15 finish in the last time the course hosted in 2015, and it’s the last time it’s happened in any Open. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Webb Simpson (+10000) First group out, perfect greens. I’m not going to overthink this. My USUAL selection of McIlroy can still be in play 18 groups later but at +1200, I can patiently wait. Or sleep in. Or both. Rob … Rory McIlroy (+1200) With all 52 threesomes in single file off 1, there’s a greater likelihood that I’ll be alert before this window closes as compared to last week. Still, I’m doing what Glass will regret … again. In his last six starts, McIlroy has averaged 66.17 in the first round. Yes, it includes a 62 a TPC River Highlands, but it also includes two majors and another two tough tracks. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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Pick ‘Em Preview: The Open ChampionshipPick ‘Em Preview: The Open Championship

All right, you know the drill. We did this last week. The Open Championship at St. Andrews is just 12 miles due north of The Renaissance Club, so, yes, it’s in the same time zone. This means that the tournament begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Thursday in the United States. That’s 10:35 p.m. on Wednesday on the West Coast. That’s the given, but what we don’t know is if PointsBet will open a market for the Top 20 bet during the tournament. It was not made available after both R2 and R3 at the Genesis Scottish Open. Plan accordingly. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT Rob … Joohyung Kim (+15000) Wrestled back the honor with a 24th-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. It’s my seventh top 30 in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live. Not too shabby given, as predicted in this space last week, I wouldn’t be awake in time to adjust my (failed) bets for R1 and R2 leader. This week presents a rare challenge. St. Andrews is going to crown a big, big name as its champion. It’s the 150th edition and, well, that’s just how these things tend to develop. However, as much as I’d like to just sit on Rory McIlroy (+1000) or Jon Rahm (+1600) deep into Sunday, we have a game to play! It ain’t broke, so I ain’t gonna break it. The Tank Engine is the reason why I finished 24th last week. He talked about how much he enjoyed his foray at links-style golf. His solo third was evidence. At 20, he’s probably young enough not to have the fully formed feel of the significance of what a victory here and now represents, and I like it like that for the purpose of this opening selection. Glass … Kevin Kisner (+20000) Did you think I was going to trot Rory out here at +1000? Kisner was an afterthought at Carnoustie in 2018 before finishing T2. Earlier that season, he finished second at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Wanna guess how he finished at Match Play this year? Kisner paints fairways, and the firm and fast should help shorten the yardage book. Grinder mentality evident with five straight paydays at this event. Reminds me a bit of Zach Johnson in 2015, plus Kisner has a comfortable pairing with Chris Kirk for the first two days. Plenty of time to reload if this longshot doesn’t fire. Last week’s winner hopped on Xander Schauffele at +8000 after Round 1. It can happen! TOP 10 Rob … Joohyung Kim (+1000) Reset and repeat. He was +2000 for this finish last week and delivered. Always room on the bandwagon for ya, especially since Glass refuses to take a seat. Glass … Thomas Pieters (+750) Rolls in on six straight with three top 10s, so I’m leaning into his form, plus he’s never MC in four attempts at this championship. The “other” news is that he’s never painted the top 10 here, but for +750 that’s not surprising. As is the case weekly with this pick, hit the window and change it when it goes sideways. TOP 20 Glass … Stewart Cink (+600) Admittedly, I’ve struggled to intersect value with form, but that’s the best part of this game: Perfect is NOT required. Chances can be taken, even 49-year old chances. His best performances this year were on demanding ball-striking layouts like Innisbrook and TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Also finished T23 at Southern Hills and T24 last week at The Renaissance Club. Rob … Keita Nakajima (+1400) I went into more detail in Sleepers on why the long-standing world’s top-ranked amateur is attractive this week, but the abridged version is that if an amateur is going to connect at an Open, it’s going to be at St. Andrews. Three ams recorded a top-15 finish in the last time the course hosted in 2015, and it’s the last time it’s happened in any Open. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Webb Simpson (+10000) First group out, perfect greens. I’m not going to overthink this. My USUAL selection of McIlroy can still be in play 18 groups later but at +1200, I can patiently wait. Or sleep in. Or both. Rob … Rory McIlroy (+1200) With all 52 threesomes in single file off 1, there’s a greater likelihood that I’ll be alert before this window closes as compared to last week. Still, I’m doing what Glass will regret … again. In his last six starts, McIlroy has averaged 66.17 in the first round. Yes, it includes a 62 a TPC River Highlands, but it also includes two majors and another two tough tracks. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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