Thomas purposely drives ball onto wrong fairway

Former European Tour winner and local St. Augustine resident Julian Suri has surged to the lead after the first round of the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour tournament at the Slammer & Squire Course of the World Golf Village. MORE ON APGA TOUR: Dent following in father’s footsteps | College star sees APGA as key to next level Suri, who grew up just a short drive from the World Golf Village and was a two-time Florida state high school champion before becoming an All-American at Duke University, notched up six birdies and two eagles during a sublime 10-under 62 on Thursday. The 29-year-old leads by two over Georgia’s Tim O’Neal (64) while Kentuckian Patrick Newcomb sits third in the 36-hole event after his round of 65. Cincinnati’s Kevin Hall, who lost his hearing as a toddler, is part of a tie for fifth at 4-under. Suri, an American with both Indian and Mexican heritage, had a huge 2017 where he won on the secondary Challenge Tour in Europe in May before taking out the Made In Demark event on the European Tour in August. After a T19 finish in the 2018 PGA Championship, Suri reached a peak of 60th in the world but has slipped back to 265th after battling through some nagging injuries, including a hernia. His best PGA TOUR finish from 13 career starts was a T8 at the 2018 Houston Open. O’Neal, who won the APGA event earlier this year at Torrey Pines that was played during the Farmers Insurance Open, had eight birdies and an eagle that were only offset by two bogeys. The 47-year-old veteran African American has played seven TOUR events over the last few decades, his last as the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption player at the 2019 Genesis Invitational. The APGA was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. In addition to conducting up to eight tournaments awarding $250,000 in prize money annually, the APGA conducts the Charlie Sifford Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers.

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Kevin Chappell announced on Instagram that he will undergo a microdiscectomy procedure on his back this week. He did not give a specific return date. “2018 has been a tough year for me physically,� Chappell wrote. “After considering all my options with my team, we have decided having a microdiscectomy is the best option for my future.� Chappell fell to 83rd in the FedExCup standings in 2018 after making the TOUR Championship in the previous two seasons. In 2017, he won his first PGA TOUR title at the Valero Texas Open and was a member of the victorious Presidents Cup team. He was runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship and TOUR Championship in 2016 to finish a career-best eighth in the FedExCup. Chappell had seven top-25s last season, but only one came after March 1 (T6, The Open Championship). He made the cut in three starts this season, including a T10 at the CIMB Classic. “(I) will get to work to get myself back to where I know I can be as a player,� he wrote. “Thank you all for the support. See you in 2019.�

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