Thomas fires 63, leads CJ Cup in South Korea

JACKSON, Miss. – Brandon Matthews does not necessarily enjoy dancing. Last Saturday was an occasion for such activities, though. The TOUR rookie married his college sweetheart Danielle in a ceremony outside Philadelphia – the two met in college at Temple; Danielle, a reporter for the school’s OwlSports Update show, covered Matthews’ first collegiate victory. The off-week brought an opportune time for nuptials, with the first dance set to Dave Matthews Band’s “You and Me” ballad. “He hates dancing, and we were going to take a dance lesson, but both of our schedules are crazy, so we weren’t able to,” Danielle laughed. “So we just went with it, and the crowd seemed to like it.” “For me, I think it was a 10 out of 10,” Brandon added. “10 out of 10,” Danielle confirmed. The wedding vibes carried into this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship, where the newlyweds arrived on a honeymoon of sorts. Matthews opened in 5-under 67 at the Country Club of Jackson for a share of the morning-wave lead in just his second TOUR start as a member. There’s only one chance for a debut competitive round as a newlywed, and Matthews delivered. “Just a big smile on my face, watching him do what he loves,” Danielle said on a crisp Thursday afternoon, “on our honeymoon.” The journey has made the destination all the sweeter. Matthews earned his first TOUR card via the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season, highlighted by a victory at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in Bogota in February. Matthews, long regarded as one of the game’s longest hitters, faced adversity early in his career – largely brought on by injury – before finding his groove. The Pennsylvania native developed his power from a young age, where he would tee up a driver with his sole focus on carrying a creek, then move back a few yards upon succeeding. This developed an instinctive power move that has carried to his professional career; Matthews ranked No. 4 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour in driving distance. He ranked No. 2 in the category as a Korn Ferry Tour rookie in 2018 behind only Cameron Champ, then finished the 2019 season atop the list. That trying 2019 season provoked a vicious cycle of injuries and bad habits, though. He fell into a rut and eventually lost his card. Ever the optimist, with a consistent appreciation for the opportunity to play professional golf for a living, Matthews fought his way back. He gained notoriety for his grace after missing a putt to extend a playoff on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in fall 2019. A fan with Down syndrome yelled during his birdie try, but rather than cast blame, Matthews tracked down the fan post-round and spent some time with him. “Some things in life are just bigger than golf,” Matthews said at the time. He returned to PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and didn’t miss a beat, finishing atop the 2020-21 Order of Merit to earn full 2022 Korn Ferry Tour status. He concluded his time on that circuit in dramatic fashion. At the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, Matthews drove the green on the 432-yard, par-4 18th at Victoria National GC – 368 yards on a direct line – needing eagle to make the cut. He just missed, but the golf world had been put on notice. Matthews’ prodigious game was soon to hit the biggest stage. “It’s a superpower,” fellow Korn Ferry Tour graduate Philip Knowles said of Matthews’ length off the tee. “You can’t teach that kind of stuff.” Matthews might not say the same about his dancing ability – aside from on his wedding night, that is – but in his interactions with Danielle after the opening round at the Sanderson Farms Championship, the honeymoon vibe was alive and well. His first month as a TOUR pro brings similar sentiments. “I love doing this for a living,” Matthews said Thursday at the Country Club of Jackson. “I’m fortunate enough to do it for a living. Every day I get to play golf in competition for a living is pretty special to me, and I’m very fortunate to do it. “I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in the world to be able to do this for a living, because I love it so much.” And he sports a 67.00 stroke average as a married man. “I told her when I walked off,” Matthews laughed, “we should have gotten married sooner.”

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – After a second-round 67 at the U.S. Open, Scottie Scheffler was asked by his wife Meredith to name three emotions he felt that day. “Well, I played golf today,” answered Scheffler, “so I was happy and sad.” That sentiment could also be applied in Saturday’s third round at The Country Club. Scheffler, the FedExCup No. 1 and world No. 1, holed out for eagle on the par-5 eighth hole as part of a front-nine 32. Entering the day two strokes off the lead, he led by two strokes as he reached the par-3 11th. But Scheffler went long on the 141-yard hole, leading to a double bogey that was followed by three consecutive bogeys. He steadied the ship to play the final four holes in 1-under, and after a roller coaster of a windy afternoon outside Boston, he ended the day right where he started, two strokes back of two co-leaders. Scheffler signed for a third-round, 1-over 71; he stands 2-under total, two back of Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick. Scheffler has earned four PGA TOUR titles this season, including the Masters, and he’s on the verge of joining historic company. Only 10 players have won five TOUR titles and two majors in a single season (17 times overall). Nine are in the World Golf Hall of Fame; the other is Jordan Spieth. Scheffler, 25, has a chance to enter the club Sunday at Brookline. “Anytime you can win a golf tournament, especially a major, is really special,” said Scheffler, who followed his first TOUR title at the WM Phoenix Open with victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and Masters. “For me, I’m not thinking about what I did a month ago. I’m not thinking about what I did two months ago. Right now I’m here at the U.S. Open, and I’m going to try to win the golf tournament tomorrow. If I do, it’s going to be really fun. If I don’t, life will go on. “Hopefully this won’t be my last U.S. Open, but you know, you never know. Can’t take anything for granted in this life.” The short par-3 11th – which wasn’t in the routing for the 2013 U.S. Amateur at Brookline, in which Scheffler reached the quarterfinals – proved vexing for the field Saturday. Scheffler was not immune. His tee shot flew into the rough past the back-left hole location, settling on the hazard line. His second shot caught up in the rough before reaching the green, and he couldn’t get up and down. Three bogeys later, his lead had turned into a multi-shot deficit. But he continued to tell himself that he was still in the golf tournament – knowing how demanding the course was playing. With an up-and-down birdie from 35 yards on the short par-4 17th, and a 15-foot par save at No. 18 after finding a greenside bunker upon approach, he proved himself correct. “I think the U.S. Open is very taxing, mentally and physically,” Scheffler said. “I think that’s all part of what makes this tournament so fun. You’re going to get tested all kinds of different ways. “That’s why I show up here. I think that’s kind of the fun of it. If every golf tournament was like this, it would be in for a long season for all of us. A few times a year, I think it was a ton of fun.” Three emotions: happy, sad, fun.

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It was bound to happen — a field without big names. It happened in Houston. But now, the big names head on the Asian swing, Tiger returns, Phil tries to avoid a big drop and more.

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