Greg Norman is pumping the brakes on Tiger Woods comeback hype

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — Justin Thomas was looking at a three-stroke lead at THE CJ CUP with one hole to play Saturday, which would have set him up nicely for his second win in three years at South Korea’s only PGA TOUR event. But the 18th hole saw a big swing in the scoring at the NINE BRIDGES course. South Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee holed a long eagle putt to finish with a 68. Thomas, who won the inaugural CJ CUP in 2017, bogeyed the 18th for a 70 and he and Lee were tied with a three-round total of 15-under 201. Australian Cameron Smith was in third place, three strokes behind, after a 68. Jordan Spieth shot 70 and was in a three-way tie for fourth, four behind. Related: Leaderboard The biggest movers Saturday were last year’s runner-up Gary Woodland and first-year professional Collin Morikawa. Their 65s moved them into a tie for seventh place which included Ian Poulter (66) and Graeme McDowell (68). Defending CJ CUP champion Brooks Koepka withdrew from the tournament before the third round after aggravating a left knee injury a day earlier when he slipped on wet concrete. J.B. Holmes also withdrew after the first nine holes of his third round with an unknown ailment. Koepka, playing his second event since stem cell treatment on the knee Aug. 25, shot a 3-over 75 on Friday at NINE BRIDGES after opening with a 69. He was 13 strokes behind Thomas in the limited-field event with no cut. “After consulting with my doctor, I have decided to withdraw from the CJ CUP and head home for further tests,” Koepka said in a statement. “I appreciate everyone’s concerns and support. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.” Koepka returned to Florida to meet with his doctors, leaving his status for the HSBC Champions in two weeks in China uncertain. He missed the cut two weeks ago in his season debut at Las Vegas. The CJ CUP is the first of three PGA TOUR events in Asia, continuing next week at The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan — which will feature Tiger Woods — and ending with the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai.

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Kang wins KPMG Champ. for 1st LPGA title

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR and its tournaments generated more than $180 million for charitable causes in 2017, surpassing last year’s record amount by approximately $14 million. This total includes donations made by tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR-China.   The announcement brings the all-time total generated for charity by the PGA TOUR to $2.65 billion. The TOUR surpassed $1 billion in 2005 and $2 billion at the beginning of 2014. “The entire PGA TOUR family takes tremendous pride in the positive impact that we continue to make each year through the millions of dollars that are raised for very deserving charitable organizations,� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As we often note, beyond the sheer dollar amount, the real story is in the hundreds of thousands of lives that benefit from these contributions every year. Thank you to all of the tournaments, players, sponsors, volunteers and fans who make all of this possible.� In 2017, five PGA TOUR events raised more than $10 million for charity – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Valero Texas Open, DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, the John Deere Classic and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In addition to those tournaments, the biennial Presidents Cup announced a record donation of more than $10.7 million as a result of the 2017 event held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. The PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship, generated $8.7 million in 2017, a large portion of which benefits local children’s charities as part of the tournament’s commitment to generate $50 million for youth-related charities over 10 years. Since that commitment was made in April of 2011, $45 million has been raised toward that goal. Six PGA TOUR Champions events generated more than $1 million to charity in 2017, with the Shaw Charity Classic leading the way at more than $6 million. Three Web.com Tour events generated more than $1 million, led by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at more than $2.1 million. Unlike other professional sports organizations, the PGA TOUR relies on more than 100,000 volunteers annually to run its tournaments, and the vast majority of its tournaments are structured as non-profit organizations designed to donate 100 percent of net proceeds to charity. Community beneficiaries include a broad range of organizations such as hospitals and shelters; youth development programs; food banks; groups that support the military and their families; organizations that support senior citizens; those that help abused women and children, and growth-of-the-game initiatives.

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