Justin Thomas committed to Honda Classic

NAPA, Calif. – Tony Romo got more than halfway to making his first PGA TOUR cut, Stephen Curry entertained in the pro-am, and Phil Mickelson showed off his new physique. But no story was more compelling than that of Cameron Champ. On a day that was fraught with emotion, Sacramento native Champ made a clutch birdie on 18 to edge Adam Hadwin by one, then dedicated the victory to his paternal grandfather, Mack “Pops� Champ, who got him started playing the game and was watching it all play out on TV while in hospice care back home. Welcome to the Monday Finish. THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Champ was playing for more than himself. Grandpa Mack was denied the opportunity to play golf for years, but taught himself the game while stationed overseas in the Air Force. He made sure Cameron had the opportunities he did not, buying the boy a set of plastic clubs and setting up games in which they played what Cameron termed “jack it around the backyard� golf. Now, though, Mack is in hospice back with Stage IV stomach cancer in Sacramento. Cameron said his grandfather’s situation put golf in perspective, and dedicated the victory to Mack. For more on Champ, click here. 2. He got back at the par 5s. One day after failing to birdie any of the par 5s, Champ, one of the game’s longest hitters, birdied three of the four when he needed it most. No birdie was bigger than the one he made on 18, after Hadwin had birdied three straight to briefly tie for the lead. Champ reared back and hit easily the longest drive of the day on the hole, leaving himself just an 8-iron second shot into the final par 5. He came up short, but with his father, Jeff, and a large contingent of other family and friends on pins and needles, made a clutch up and down to win.   3. He led the field in driving distance, with no drive more crucial than his 369-yard missile at the last. The shot was 33 yards longer than the next longest on 18 in the final round, and set him up for a final birdie to edge Adam Hadwin by one. But Champ’s brawny game also paid dividends at the end of the front nine, when after his drive missed left of the fairway he was somewhat blocked out by the trees at the par-5 ninth hole. No worries. Into the wind, Champ blistered a 232-yard long iron around the tree to just in front of the green, and got up and down for birdie. OBSERVATIONS Hadwin reminds how good he is: There’s still time to impress International Presidents Cup Captain Ernie Els, and Adam Hadwin (67, solo second) is on the right track. His play at the Safeway marked his best finish on the PGA TOUR since winning the 2017 Valspar Championship. “I feel like I’m continuing some of the momentum coming from last year,� he said. “Results didn’t show it, but I was playing some pretty good golf at the end of last year, I just couldn’t put weekends together. To go out, make eight birdies today, I think, on what can be a difficult golf course, depending on where you put your golf ball, I’m proud of the way I played, proud of the way I fought, and yeah, hopefully good things to come.�   Leishman’s back feeling better: It wasn’t that long ago that Marc Leishman had to withdraw from A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier with back pain. “It’s feeling good,� he said after signing for 65, which was tied with Canada’s Corey Conners for the lowest round of the day. “… Been getting treatment. It was a little stiff at the start of the week, but it got better as the week went on, which was nice. Yeah, feeling good again. Happy with how I’m striking it.�    Thomas off to strong start: Justin Thomas (69, T4) opened the new season with another top-five finish, his third straight and the second time in his career that he has posted three in a row. This, after a melanoma scare led to leg surgery and limited some of his preparations for the Safeway. “I just need to keep doing what I’m doing,� he said. “I played very well this entire week, I felt like. I hit a lot of really good putts that just didn’t quite drop, or some things here or there. … Just get ready for Korea and Japan, but just try to get the game sharp and get some rest next week, and see if we can try to go get one or two over in Asia.�    QUOTEBOARD “At least I made him think about it a little bit, didn’t I?� – Hadwin (67) after his three closing birdies briefly tied Champ atop the leaderboard. “I didn’t panic.� – Champ, who bogeyed 17 but won with a birdie at the par-5 18th. “It’s a strange game, isn’t it?� – Marc Leishman (65, third), who birdied from over 23 feet on 18 after having missed twice from inside 6 feet on 16 and 17. “It’s just big for the confidence to get it done and play well.� – Zac Blair (68, T4) SOCIAL SNAPSHOT

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods pleaded guilty Friday to reckless driving and agreed to enter a diversion program to settle a charge of driving under the influence that began when he was found passed out in his Mercedes. Woods, 41, spoke only briefly during a hearing at a Palm Beach County, Florida, courthouse that coincidentally is on PGA Boulevard. He answered the judge’s questions about his plea agreement with prosecutors but did not make any broader statement. In the diversion program, Woods will spend a year on probation and pay a $250 fine and court costs. He also must attend DUI school, perform 20 hours of community service and attend a workshop where victims of impaired drivers detail how their lives were damaged. The judge indicated he had completed those requirements. Since he was intoxicated with prescription drugs and marijuana, according to court records, he will also be required to undergo regular drug tests. The judge warned Woods to stay out of trouble. “This particular plea agreement has no jail time on it. However, if you violate your probation in any significant way, I could revoke your probation and then I could sentence you to jail for 90 days with a fine of up to $500, is that understood?” Judge Sandra Bosso-Pardo said. Woods, 41, nodded. Woods arrived at a Palm Beach County courthouse in a sport utility vehicle, wearing sunglasses and dark pants and a sport coat. Police officers surrounded him as he walked down a hallway inside the courthouse. Woods was arrested about 2 a.m. May 29 when officers found him unconscious in his Mercedes-Benz, which was parked awkwardly on the roadside and had damage to the driver’s side. It’s not clear how he damaged the car. Officers checked the area but didn’t find that he had hit anything. He was about 15 miles from his home. His arrest was recorded by an officer’s dashcam video and released to the public. Woods had the active ingredient for marijuana, two painkillers — Vicodin and Dilaudid — the sleep drug Ambien and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system but no alcohol, according to a toxicology report released in August. He completed a drug treatment program in July. Woods has said he had been self-medicating to relieve the pain from his fourth back surgery and insomnia. The DUI arrest was the first time Woods had been in trouble since Thanksgiving weekend 2009, when he plowed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his then-Windermere, Florida, home. That led to revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs and a divorce from his wife Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children. He spent 45 days in a Mississippi clinic where he was treated for an addiction. Woods’ 79 PGA Tour victories and 14 major titles both rank No. 2 all-time. He has not competed since February because of his back injury and is not expected to return this year. His last win was in August 2013. Woods has said his back is improving. Even though he has been a non-factor on the PGA TOUR, Forbes Magazine lists Woods as the 17th best-paid athlete in the world in 2017, making $37 million, almost exclusively from endorsements.

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Quail Hollow Club, the venue for this week’s Presidents Cup, is rightfully regarded as a big ballpark. But don’t focus solely on the length of this layout that measures at more than 7,500 yards. With two drivable par-4s, a range of more than 60 yards in the par-3s and reachable par-5s mixed in with beastly par-4s, every piece of equipment will be challenged, especially when you consider the variety of formats in use this week. As the International Team looks to win its first Presidents Cup since 1998, and the United States team hopes to continue its winning streak, GolfWRX has broken down the five key golf clubs for each team, with insight from the respective players. Below are the clubs that we think could play a big role for the underdog International Team if it hopes to score the upset. TAYLOR PENDRITH’S DRIVER Ping G410 LST (9 degrees; Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green Small Batch 70TX) 2022 stats: 12th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee; 10th in Driving Distance (316.1 yards) Pendrith says: “It’s an older model, but I’m comfortable with it. Just when I set it down, it looks great to me. Sits a little open. …I’ve got lots of confidence with it. I’ve been using the same model for three years, probably, now, and I’ve driven it great the last three years. So the numbers, I don’t think, really can get much better. I’m quite happy with it.” GolfWRX says: If there’s an older model driver in a PGA TOUR pro’s bag, it’s probably for good reason. As one of the best drivers on TOUR, Pendrith seems to find confidence with the familiarity of his Ping G410 LST, which hit the market in May 2019. It’s important to remember that if new technology doesn’t provide better numbers than your current gamer in terms of dispersion and distance, then don’t feel the need to upgrade. As a PGA TOUR player, Pendrith has access to the latest and greatest drivers on the market, but he still sticks with his 3-year-old model. When it’s crunch time with a tournament or match on the line, Pendrith has three years of good memories to lean on, especially after a successful rookie season on TOUR that included a runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and top-10 in a FedExCup Playoffs event (T8, BMW Championship). SUNGJAE IM’S WEDGES Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (48, 54 and 60 degrees) 2022 stats: 12th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green; 12th in Proximity from the Sand (8’, 1”); 5th in Scrambling (66%) Im says: “I use an SM7, Titleist SM7, which is maybe a couple generations old with 4 degrees of bounce – not a lot of bounce – with a little bit of relief on the back and have used it for about four years. Nothing really special, but that’s the model that I like and I’ve been using for the last four years.” GolfWRX says: With Quail Hollow playing so long, as well as birdie opportunities for those who can get up-and-down on the short par-4s and par-5s, Im’s scrambling could be key. Titleist has new SM9 wedges out on the market now. The company’s SM7 versions came out in 2018. As some of the most personal clubs in the bag, wedges must be selected based on look and feel preferences, but it’s also important to match the sole construction and grind to how you deliver the club to the ball, and to the course conditions you typically play on. High bounce wedges are typically better suited for those with steep angles of attack (i.e. players who take deep divots), or soft conditions, whereas low bounce wedges – like the ones that Im uses – are better for those with shallow angles of attack, or firmer conditions. Higher bounce wedges (10-12 degrees) often provide greater margin for error, so beware of using a 4-degree option like Im. COREY CONNERS’ DRIVER Ping G400 LST (8.5 degrees, UST Mamiya Elements AU shaft) 2022 stats: 5th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee; 78th in Driving Distance (302.7); 20th in Driving Accuracy (66.8%) Conners says (about his swing): “I think just having good rhythm has always been sort of a hallmark of my game and something that I focus on every week. The last few days (at the Presidents Cup), just been feeling the good rhythm. That allows me to hit the ball solidly, and usually it results in it going where I am looking. I … just take some practice swings, try and feel the body moving in sync, (take) a few practice swings … with my right foot kind of behind me a little bit, feeling the body moving, club staying in front of the body, and that helps with my rhythm, as well.” GolfWRX says: Like Pendrith, his fellow Canadian and former Kent State teammate, Conners is one of the TOUR’s top players in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, but he does it differently. He gains strokes with his accuracy off the tee, a hallmark throughout his bag. Conners also was second in greens in regulation last season. Another similarity between Conners and Pendrith is that they both play older Ping drivers. Pendrith’s G410 LST came out in 2019, and Conners’ G400 LST is even older, hitting the market in July 2017. By coupling low-spin technology with a stable design, Ping’s G400 series of drivers was a killer in the market and on TOUR. Clearly, it’s still making an impact half a decade later. HIDEKI MATSUYAMA’S SHORT IRONS Srixon Z-Forged (4-9 iron), Cleveland RTX 4 Forged wedges (46, 52, 56 and 60 degrees) 2022 stats: 6th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green; 1st in proximity from 125-150 yards (19’, 1”) Matsuyama says: “To be honest, I feel like I wasn’t playing that good. So I’m not really sure about that stat. I wasn’t playing very well.” GolfWRX says: Matsuyama famously has high standards, as evidenced by the many times we’ve seen him hit a shot, hang his head and take a hand off the club in disgust, only to see the ball land near the hole. His above quote also shows that he is not easily pleased with his play, even though it resulted in two wins last season. After triple-checking the stats, Matsuyama did indeed finish sixth in Strokes Gained: Approach – the eighth time in the last nine years he’s finished in the top 10 of that stat — and he finished first in proximity from 125-150 yards. It’s scary to think what it would look like if he hit the ball as well as he thinks he’s capable of. Matsuyama made big equipment headlines when he switched to an unreleased Srixon ZX5 MKII LS prototype at last week’s Fortinet Championship. His irons and wedges are a bit older – his Srixon Z Forged irons came out in 2019, and the Cleveland RTX4 wedges released in 2018. CHRISTIAN BEZUIDENHOUT’S PUTTER Odyssey White Hot OG #7 2022 stat: 6th in Strokes Gained: Putting Bezuidenhout says: “I recently changed to an Odyssey No. 7, that fork one. I actually changed to it five months ago. I used to putt with a similar putter when I was younger. I just changed to that. I feel like I’m starting the ball on-line better, and the stroke of the putter just flows better with that. … I’ve always used a mallet putter, face balanced mostly. What I’ve got now, it’s a face-balanced mallet. So it’s basically the same style of putter that I grew up putting with.” GolfWRX says: To celebrate its 20-year anniversary of the original White Hot insert, Odyssey released a lineup of White Hot OG putters last year. Bezuidenhout’s putter model is part of the White Hot OG family, and his specific option comes with a double-bend hosel. The hosel construction allows the putter to be face balanced, which means the putter face will face the sky when fixated on its balance point on the shaft, i.e. if you balance the shaft on your finger; this helps add stability to the stroke and keep the face from rotating. It’s best suited for golfers with a straight-back and straight-through stroke style (as opposed to having an open-and-closing arc style stroke).

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