Canadian rookie Svensson leads Sony Open

THE OVERVIEW IRVING, Texas – Jordan Spieth will remember TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas as the venue for his first start on the PGA TOUR, back when he was a 16-year-old junior in high school at Dallas Jesuit Prep. That first tee shot, off the 10th tee in the opening round, will forever reside in his memory bank. “Tough to pin one memory,” he said, “but that one is probably the most special at this point.” Sergio Garcia has a similar history with the course. He had just turned pro in 1999 as a 19-year-old and was making his first TOUR start at TPC Four Seasons. He tied for third that week – albeit seven shots behind winner Loren Roberts, who beat Steve Pate in a playoff. Five years later, Garcia won at TPC Four Seasons for his fourth TOUR win. Last year, he won for the second time at the course, his ninth win on TOUR. He comes into this week looking to become the first AT&T Byron Nelson defending champ to successfully defend since Tom Watson completed his string of three consecutive wins at Preston Trail 37 years ago. So yeah, Garcia has fond memories here too. “It’s always going to have something extra special in me, this golf course,” Garcia said. Same for Jason Day, who in 2010 won for the first time on TOUR. Same for Keegan Bradley, who followed Day the next year by posting his first TOUR win here – and then followed it a few months later by winning the PGA Championship. After 35 years, the TPC Four Seasons Resort is hosting the AT&T Byron Nelson for the last time. Next year’s event will move to Trinity Forest, a new course just six miles from downtown Dallas. Thus, this week offers players the chance to bid farewell. For those who’ve enjoyed success here – and even for some, like Spieth, who haven’t – there will be some sadness. “It’s a bit bittersweet,” said Spieth, whose tie for 16th in that 2010 debut remains his best finish in his hometown event. “I’m looking forward to creating the best memories yet this week.” Said Garcia: “I’m sure the new place we’re moving to, it’s going to be amazing. But … a little piece of my heart is always going to stay here, no matter where we go.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Dustin Johnson His track record at TPC Four Seasons doesn’t include a win, but he sure does seem to play well in this event. Jason Day Was ranked 171st in the world when he won in 2010. Last week he fell in the rankings … to No. 4. Brooks Koepka Was in the playoff against Sergio Garcia last year. Maybe this turns into a big-hitter duel with DJ and Day? THE FLYOVER A closer look at the AT&T Byron Nelson’s closing hole, the 429-yard par-4 18th. Last year, it was the fourth most difficult hole on the course, playing to a stroke average of 4.079. THE LANDING ZONE The 528-yard third hole is the longest par 4 on the course, and ranked as the most difficult last year, playing to a stroke average of 4.158. The field managed just 58 birdies, fewest of any hole. Water running down the right side offers danger, but there are also bunkers on the left, leaving players with a narrow tee shot. The approach to a small green continues the challenge. Check out the scattershot chart of all the tee shots struck at the 12th hole last year. WEATHER CHECK Rain is in the forecast this week, with the highest chance on Saturday. According to PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams, an upper-level low pressure system will move into the region Thursday night, then a cold front follows. After morning showers Sunday, conditions should improve for the leaders that afternoon. TEMPS: A high of 90 on Thursday and possibly Friday, with slightly cooler temperatures on Sunday. RAIN: There’s an 80 percent chance of rain Saturday, and 30 percent chance the other three days. WINDS: Gusts of up to 25 mph for the first two rounds, and slightly less on the weekend. Still, it’s Texas, so wind will be a factor. For the latest weather news from Irving, Texas, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. ODDS AND ENDS 1. TALE OF TWO JORDANS. Something happens to Jordan Spieth after making the cut at TPC Four Seasons – he turns from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. In his first six appearances, he’s 29 under collectively in the first two rounds, but 17 over on the weekend rounds. He’s suffered twice as many bogeys in the final two rounds (53) than the first two (23). Just … weird. 2. POULTER’S RECOVERY SHOT. Yes, Ian Poulter has seen the replay of his fourth shot through the trees at the 18th hole Sunday at TPC Sawgrass several times. “It’s hard not to see it on social media,” said Poulter, who’s in the field this week after his tie for second. He nearly holed the shot for 116 yards for a walk-off par after a shank and a penalty forced him into a go-for-broke situation. “It’s probably the highest, toughest shot I’ve ever pulled off,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to go back and have another go at it, if that’s what you’re asking me.” 3. WATER? NO BOTHER. Last year, Sergio Garcia found the water twice in the final round at TPC Four Seasons yet still won. That made him just the third player in the ShotLink era to hit two balls in the water in the last round and still win. Adam Scott did it earlier in 2016 at the then-World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, and Russell Henley did it in 2014 at The Honda Classic. 4. GOTTA SHOOT IN THE 60s. Of the last 22 winners at TPC Four Seasons, 16 have recorded all rounds in the 60s, including the last five champions. WATCH THE PREVIEW

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PGA TOUR bettors have jumped on Muirfield Village specialist Jon Rahm ahead of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday but Ireland’s Shane Lowry leads the handle tally at BetMGM in the leadup to the elevated invitational event hosted by Jack Nicklaus. Rahm has shown recent dominance in the event, winning in 2020 by three shots and then fashioning a six-shot lead through three rounds in 2021 only to be forced to withdraw following a positive COVID-19 test result. Course history is a proven trend at Muirfield Village which also places a premium on finding the fairway and hitting good iron shots, more so than putting. Rahm ranks No. 1 on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and is second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green this season. Because of this, and being ranked No. 2 in the world, it’s no surprise the Spaniard has the best golf odds to win this week at +1000. At BetMGM as of Tuesday, Rahm was pulling in the most tickets at 6.3% but the fourth-most handle at 7.8%. Regarding handle, Lowry (+2500) and Hideki Matsuyama (+2800) were pulling in the most money, with Lowry at 12% and Matsuyama right behind at 10.3%. Lowry enters in great form – three top-3 finishes in his last 11 worldwide starts as well as a T-6 finish at the tournament last year – while Matsuyama won the event in 2014 and has three finishes of T-13 or better since. Japan’s superstar has been up-and-down this year, though, which may scare away some bettors. Current Handle & Tickets Handle 1. Shane Lowry – 12% 2. Hideki Matsuyama – 10.3% 3. Collin Morikawa – 8.8% 4. Jon Rahm – 7.8% 5. Patrick Cantlay – 7.3% Tickets 1. Jon Rahm – 6.3% 2. Collin Morikawa – 5.6% 3. Cameron Smith – 5.1% 4. Jordan Spieth – 5.1% 5. Patrick Cantlay – 4.6% According to the odds, Rory McIlroy is the second favorite at +1100 but he was only pulling in 3.8% of the tickets and 3.1% of the handle. Collin Morikawa (+2000) is BetMGM’s biggest liability. He’s had some success at Muirfield Village as a runner-up last year while he also won the Workday Charity Open, which was held at the course in 2020 during the COVID-19 affected schedule. Last year’s winner, Patrick Cantlay, has tightened from +1800 to +1600, but the FedExCup champion is coming off a missed cut at the PGA Championship. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

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AVONDALE, La. – In New Orleans they do almost everything with music. And so it was the perfect town to implement walk up music for the first time on the PGA TOUR at the Zurich Classic. Some teams picked tunes to pump them up. Others to make them smile and relax. And there were certainly some great moments. Take Justin Rose – a former champion – he couldn’t resist a quick dig at his teammate Henrik Stenson. Rose had the DJ play “Goldâ€� by Spandau Ballet – of course in reference to him besting the Swede at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After raising his arms in triumph on the first tee he walked to Stenson for a high five and a “Sorry Bro,â€� much to everyone’s amusement. The biggest cheers might have come for the duo of Alex Cejka and Ben Crane. The pair cranked out Whitesnake’s “Here I go Againâ€� and performed a quick lip-syncing and headbanging performance. One fan let them know, “Y’all got to hit a good shot after all that now!â€� To which they did. Chris Stroud and Brian Stuard picked Metallica’s “Enter Sandmanâ€�. It was a popular choice as the fans rocked along with it. While the song had clipped off before the famous line one clever observer quipped as they walked off the tee, “Off to never never land.â€� England’s Tommy Fleetwood had his partner Chis Paisley in stitches with their choice of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhereâ€�. As the lyric pounded out… “I want to be with you everywhere,â€� Paisley couldn’t contain himself. His tee shot was immediately followed by a loud “fore rightâ€�. The first player to hit off in the morning, Joel Dahmen, also lost his ball well right after “I’m Alrightâ€� from Kenny Loggins – made famous in the Caddyshack soundtrack – had him too pumped up. But paired with Denny McCarthy the duo carded a 10-under 62 to rocket to 15-under and into contention. Charles Lewallan and his daughter Tiffany arrived at the first tee on hour before play started just to get a prime spot. The 61-year-old from Long Beach Mississippi was incredibly keen to see how the players took to the new concept. “I think it’s great. It’s a bit different and they seem to be having a good time with it. I loved the headbanging,â€� Lewallan said. “We game early just for this and it has been very entertaining.â€� The man in charge of the music was local lawyer Brett Bonin who DJ’s in his spare time at schools, volunteer groups and local golf tournaments. “You’ve got to do something cool on the side,â€� Bonin – who works for the Louisiana office of alcohol and tobacco control – said. “A good friend of mine got asked to do it but he had several other events going on; I’ve filled in for him whenever he had a conflict. “I’ve done a lot of golf tournaments here with music; I’ve done golf tournaments where they play loud music the whole time; that’s how I ended up being asked to do it.â€� Manned with his computer, an iTunes playlist and an amp and mixer Bonin had clipped each team’s song request down to 10 seconds. He and two friends were up to 1am making sure everything was in order and teed up to the right moment in the song after not getting the final cleared list until after 9pm Friday night. Three different players even called to make sure they had it right. “It’s a level of complexity that you never, ever deal with regular DJ work,â€� Bonin laughed. One of those levels came soon after with Charley Hoffman’s caddy asking for his song, “California Loveâ€� by Tupac, be played longer and during Hoffman’s swing. Bonin said he didn’t have that authority but when Hoffman himself insisted the Presidents Cup player did indeed hit his ball with the tune still blaring. “There’s like 20 different people giving you instructions and trying to figure out who trumps whom is very difficult,â€� Bonin said. They also had to do sound checks in the early hours Saturday with people placed on other holes on the course, making sure the volume wouldn’t adversely affect players out there already playing. Another Presidents Cup player – Louis Oosthuizen – had “Hakuna Matataâ€� play prior to his opening shot. Of course, it means, “no worries, for the rest of your days,â€� but Oosthuizen’s ball sailed left into a bunker. The team still made birdie. Other clever choices from teams included “Down Underâ€� from Men at Work with all-Australian team Cameron Percy and Greg Chalmers; a bagpipe version of Flower of Scotland from Russell Knox and Martin Laird and Toto’s “Africaâ€� from South Africans Tyrone Van Aswegen and Retief Goosen. Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar went with local favorite Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints Go Marchingâ€� and had them dancing in the stands. And the 36-hole leaders Michael Kim and Andrew Putnam gained respect for poking a little fun at themselves. Choosing “Still D.R.Eâ€� by Dr. Dre they clipped at the lyrics, “Guess who’s back. Still doing this huh? Yeah, Check me out,â€� Putnam is currently 105th in the FedExCup and Kim is back in 171st. Keeping it light and with a fun vibe this week has helped them to a hot start. Those vibes are set to continue for all when the music returns Sunday.

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