Tiger Woods’ tee times and pairings released for the first and second rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open

Ernie Els has charged the youngest-ever Presidents Cup team with the task of taking down the U.S. juggernaut. No matter how you slice it, the International Team captain knows it is going to take a special group to take down a dominant U.S. squad that holds a 10-1-1 record in the competition. They haven’t lost since 1998. Els is an intense competitor who wants nothing more than to be at the helm of the drought-breakers and, as such, he has turned over every possible stone to round out his International Team of 12. The South African legend used his four captain’s picks for the battle at Royal Melbourne in Australia from Dec. 12-15 to create an exact balance. He added Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Adam Hadwin and Joaquín Niemann. Els now has six rookies and six players with experience in the competition. One half of his team is free from scars. Cameron Smith, Abraham Ancer, Haotong Li, C.T. Pan, Im and Niemann get their first taste of it. The other half – Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama, Day and Hadwin – can draw motivation from previous wounds. With an average age of 29.3 it is the youngest side to ever go to battle in this biennial team play. Only veteran Scott has tasted any sort of success in the competition. He was a rookie in 2003 when the Cup ended in darkness as Els and Tiger Woods, his opposing captain this year, could not be split in an epic playoff. After discussion between captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, the Cup was shared. It was a great gesture of sportsmanship and should be applauded. But Els has no intention of sharing this time out. He wants a historic victory. “We’ll be ready to go come December,â€� Els said. “I’m really excited by the new blood that’s come in, and I’m really excited that we have experience. … I think it balances the team really well.â€� Els says he had no hesitation in taking his rookie tally up to six with his picks. He also had no concern in the fact Im and Niemann will be just 21. He could have easily picked another veteran like his countrymen Branden Grace but knows the Internationals need new life. Only once before – in 2013 – have the Internationals had more rookies with seven. Leishman, Oosthuizen and Matsuyama were three of those rookies. “Whether it is in the day and age that we are living in. … I definitely wasn’t that good when I was 20, 21 years old, I can promise you that, but these kids, these guys are world-class players and they have proven themselves,â€� Els said. “Obviously I threw age out of the equation. … but they have one hell of a big future in this event.â€� Niemann celebrated his 21st birthday with his pick. The recent winner at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier has been smiling since that win but it widened again after he got the call from Els. Now he wants to be a difference maker. Els called him a “kidâ€� but added that he “played like a grown man this season.â€� Im is fresh off winning the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and already has two top-3 finishes this new season. “With so many young players on the team this year, I think there will be a lot of passion and energy and I think that positive energy can help the team positively with everything moving forward,â€� the Korean said. “I really want to beat the United States team.â€� Rookie or not, Els says he won’t be protecting any player and his pairings may surprise people. Of course there is the famed analytics Els has promised to use prominently in his thinking. More of that will be unveiled in due time, particularly when he decides who plays Four-ball and Foursomes. But you can gather from his four picks that putting was a key component. “Reading into the statistics of what they have been doing for the last ten to 12 months, that also indicates really how well these guys have played, so they have earned their spot on to this team, through long-term and current form, and that’s the way I wanted to look at it,â€� Els explained. “We want guys who are really solid long-term players. We’ve got a lot to do, but I’m picking guys to make the team to play. I’m not here to guide anybody. “I’m here to try and win enough points to get us over the line, and that’s what the players’ mission is, is to try and get enough points to get the Cup back. If that’s off the back of the rookies, so be it.â€� Els knows he will have to manage several cultural and some language issues. He has been planning for this since he accepted the role well over a year ago. Details, down to individual catering, have been taken care of. But there is no doubt the Australian quartet must take a lead role in preparations for this classic sandbelt course. “The Aussies will play a huge part in getting these guys prepared… I’m very fortunate I have four playing and assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy,â€� Els said. “Definitely between now and then, we’re going to have a lot of chatting going on (with them).â€� At the end of the day all the meticulous planning in the world won’t hide the cold simple truth. They will need to play at their best to take down a stacked U.S. side led by Woods. The talent and enthusiasm are there and now it appears there is balance. With that, they just might find a way to pull off a win for the ages. The young ages.

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People travel from all over the world to experience the natural beauty of Bermuda’s pink-sand beaches and scenic ocean views. Protecting this natural environment is crucial for not only it’s tourism-based economy, but also for the health and well-being of its 64,000 residents. Being that the small island nation is only 21 total square miles and located 653 miles from the nearest mainland, everyone must be considerate of their impact. Large events must be especially thoughtful of the waste they generate. This is certainly the case for the PGA TOUR’s official stop on the island, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The tournament is committed to being intentional and responsible with all aspects of the event, which this year has implemented several new and innovative sustainability solutions. The tournament, however, isn’t accomplishing this alone. “Collaboration and partnership with local leaders have been key to all of our sustainability progress,” said Danielle Baiunco, Tournament Director of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. “Guidance from Keep Bermuda Beautiful, the Ministry of Public Works, and support from our Sustainability Partner, Aspen Bermuda Limited, have made this all possible.” The sustainability program starts with a significant reduction of single-use plastic used throughout Port Royal Golf Course during the week. Ticket holders are encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles and the tournament will be giving away bottles to the first 500 fans each day courtesy of Aspen Bermuda Limited. Water stations will be positioned around the course so spectators can refill their bottles and concession stands will serve drinks in reusable cups rather than single-use plastic. All Butterfield Bermuda Championship volunteers will also be provided a reusable bottle and 90 percent of the polo shirt they will be wearing is made from recycled plastic. In addition to reducing plastic on site, the tournament is focused on recycling the items accepted on the island. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works, the tournament has adopted a TAG – tin, aluminum, glass – recovery program. Bins will be placed throughout the golf course to separate these items from general waste, ensuring that they can be correctly processed at the local recycling facility. Tin and aluminum are sold for a small return, but the Ministry of Public Works has innovated the re-use of its recycled glass. With the help of a machine that crushes the glass into various grades, the facility is able to provide a permeable drainage solution for construction projects on the island, namely used under the grass-playing surface of sporting fields and golf courses. “It is so cool to know that glass from our event will be turned into something else used on the island,” Baiunco said. “Promoting circularity and re-use is one of our main goals.” All other general tournament waste will be disposed of at Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility, where an incinerator converts waste to energy. This facility generates produces enough energy to power 10 percent of Bermuda’s residential dwellings, or 3,000 homes. To reduce paper waste, the tournament has also moved to digital tickets, pairings guides, and course map. These items that were printed in previous years will be accessible via smartphone and QR code in 2022. Throughout the year, the tournament works with Keep Bermuda Beautiful to ensure that the areas of the island that were directly impacted by the tournament are maintained and that the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is doing all it can to minimize its environmental footprint. “We are still at the beginning of our sustainability journey, but we are proud of the strides we have been able to make this year,” Baiunco said. Through an honest and thoughtful approach, the tournament hopes to set sustainability standards that can be followed by sporting events held in Bermuda and other golf tournaments around the world.

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