Poston claims 1st PGA Tour victory at Wyndham Championship

The first time then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem went to Dallas to speak at one of the Salesmanship Club’s weekly luncheons, he looked out over an impressive crowd of about 300 people. “I said, boy, that’s really flattering that all these people would come out to see me speak,â€� Finchem tells the story on himself. “Byron Nelson came over, and I said to the then-current president, ‘I’m really flattered.’ He said, “Tim, this is the way it is at all our luncheons. Get over it.’â€� Imagine, then, what Finchem, now retired, might think this week. Thursday would have marked the opening round of the AT&T Byron Nelson, but unfortunately, the tournament has been canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. THE IMPACT OF BYRON NELSON During what would’ve been AT&T Byron Nelson week, PGATOUR.COM is celebrating the tournament’s legendary namesake and his impact on golf with a series of stories. Previous stories include: • His impact on my life and career, by Tom Watson • His impact on the modern golf swing • His impact on winners of his event On Friday, we’ll take a look at his impact on the PGA TOUR’s record book. Instead, Peter Lodwick, the president of the Salesmanship Club — which has helped the AT&T Byron Nelson raise more money for charity than any other PGA TOUR event — has decided to resume the lunches. Only this time they’re doing it virtually, like so many these days on Zoom, with two speakers to rally the troops. At a safe distance, of course. “I would just tell you it’s been very hard on our members not to be able to meet,â€� Lodwick said recently. “… We have the same program, the same format. We’re going to have speakers and we’ll have over 400 attend. We had a town hall to discuss recent developments on our tournament side and we had over 400 join that call. “So, people care, they’re involved, and they’re engaged.â€� This year’s AT&T Byron Nelson was going to be a special one, too. But the plans to celebrate the Salesmanship Club’s 100th birthday, as well as Lord Byron’s signature 1945 season that saw him win 18 events, including 11 consecutively, have been put on hold. “This whole tournament was supposed to be a celebration of the the 75th year of his accomplishments, and then a reminder about all the good work we’ve done in those hundred years for our charity,â€� Lodwick says. Turns out, these two go hand in hand – Byron Nelson and the Salesmanship Club, which has raised more than $160 million to help transform the lives of troubled children. Officials of the civic organization went to the World Golf Hall of Famer in 1967 and told him they wanted to hold a golf tournament the following year at the course in Dallas he helped develop, Preston Trail, and call it the Byron Nelson Classic. “I was flabbergasted,â€� Nelson said in a 2002 interview, cognizant of the fact that there had never been a tournament named after a player. “And I knew the work they did, so, of course, I was very honored. So, we had a big kickoff luncheon in the largest ball room in downtown Dallas with right over 1,300 people. “Governor John Connally … was there, and Glen Campbell did some entertaining and so various people, big people were there — even my mother was there that afternoon. So that’s the way it got started.â€� Nelson was extremely proud of the tournament, particularly the money raised for charity by the Salesmanship Club. Until his death in 2006, Nelson was a fixture by the 18th green on Sunday, with his beloved wife, Peggy, to greet the players as they finished their rounds. Nelson once ranked his association with the event as being “better than winning the Masters or the U.S. Open or even 11 [wins] in a row. Because it helps people.â€� And that’s where the Salesmanship Club, a group of more than 600 businessmen and women whose core value is “never say no,â€� comes in. “Make no bones about it, I say a lot of times, my golf record is wonderful, and I am proud of that,â€� Nelson once said. “But I am more pleased at this stage of my life to be connected with a group of people like this and for what they do, the rehabilitation of children and … helping them with their problems. “I feel very proud with that and I am very pleased about it and I am sure that from all we have known and talk about, why, I am sure that when I am dead and gone, why, they will still be doing it.â€� Tom Watson, a four-time champion of the event, had often heard his long-time friend talk about the work of the Salesmanship Club. “They were trying to help these kids get on a good life track,â€� Watson says. “He was very, very proud of that fact, that the tournament raised so much and helped so many kids.â€� Lodwick met the legendary golfer the first year he worked at the tournament in 2004. It was late in the day, and he and his then-5-year-old son saw Nelson riding down the fairway in a cart, handing out autographed programs to the kids. Nelson stopped and spent 5 or 10 minutes with them. “No cameras, nobody around,â€� Lodwick says. “(He was) just an incredibly kind and generous, thoughtful and caring man. … My son still has that program and I’ll always have that memory.â€� Now that he’s seen the organization with the cornerstones of fellowship, commitment, respectfulness and humility from so many different vantage points, Lodwick says it’s difficult to overstate what Nelson means to the Salesmanship Club and its efforts to raise money for the Momentous Institute. “He was and still remains a great inspiration and a regular inspiration to everything we do,â€� he says. “I mean, we’re truly honored to be affiliated with a man of such character and a such accomplishment. And I think it’s absolutely true to say that we make every effort to try to reflect his values and honor his legacy. It’s really important.â€� The Salesmanship Club’s charitable efforts began 100 years ago by funding a camp for orphans. What has become the Momentous Institute now offers a three-pronged approach that includes a school, as well as therapeutic services for children and families and research and training. “We serve 5,500 children and family that are directly impacted by the Momentous Institute through our school and our therapy session,â€� Lodwick says. “We also, through our research and training, have been able to extrapolate our programs far beyond Dallas-Fort Worth. … I’m told that we’ve impacted over 100,000 lives that way.â€� Finchem often used the AT&T Byron Nelson and Salesmanship Club as a model for other tournament organizations. All have figured into the PGA TOUR’s $3 billion in charitable contributions – but none so much as the event named after Nelson. “I’ve said this a number of times publicly around the country, community organizations in city after city have looked at Dallas and seen what can happen when a tournament gets integrated with the community, and we see more and more tournaments that are reaching their potential now in terms of giving back,â€� Finchem said in 2009. “Twelve years ago, it was made part of our mission statement. We took the step of saying as a policy we would not add any tournament to the Champions Tour, the (Korn Ferry) Tour or the PGA TOUR going forward that wasn’t organized for a charitable purpose with 100% of the net proceeds going to charity. It’s that important to what our culture is today. “And so much of that is because of Byron, in his nice way, pushing and pushing and pushing to focus on charity. And we owe him a great debt of gratitude to get us to this point.â€� The people who live in the Metroplex owe the Salesmanship Club the same kind of gratitude. This year will be difficult for the men and women sporting those iconic red pants. The tournament they poured their best efforts into isn’t being held at Trinity Forest this week. Don’t expect the group’s commitment to charity to waiver, though. In its 100th anniversary, the Salesmanship Club has proven it can endure and maintain its goals of helping all children achieve their full potential. “We’ve gone through wars, depressions, recessions and now pandemic,â€� Lodwick said. “And the resiliency of the club and its memberships is pretty humbling to see. So being able to draw upon that history is actually pretty inspiring. “Yeah, it’s been really disappointing, but our partners and our sponsors and our donors understand what we’re trying to do and they’re supportive even in these tough times.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Time for the final delivery in the FedExCup Playoffs as the top 30 players tee it up this week at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta. Bobby Jones’ East Lake Golf Club has been the only host to the FedExCup finale since it was introduced in 2007. Stretching to 7,346 (Par-70) this Tom Bendelow-Donald Ross-Rees Jones will reward those who find the Zoysia fairways and won’t have to judge fliers out of the nest-like Bermuda rough. No crowds this year also means no trampling of the rough so crooked shots could be penalized even more as they dive into the Bermuda. Once on the mini-verde Ultra dwarf Bermuda greens, keeping the ball below the hole is the only way to score. Putts above the hole will test the nerves as Bermuda will push 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. The 6,000-square foot complexes will give plenty of room to bail out but the more accurate iron players will be able to attack. First time on Bermuda since Wyndham as well! The way to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this week will require solid ball-striking tee-to-green and grinding out pars. Henrik Stenson’s tournament record of 13-under was matched last year by Rory McIlroy extending the streak of winners to four who were double digits under par. You’ll have to do your own math on the scoreboard as the field will be assigned a score based on their final ranking before the event starts. It’s pretty simple to follow: lowest score wins! A five-year exemption on TOUR will also accompany the bonus money so there’s plenty to fight for over 72 holes starting Friday and ending on Labor Day Monday. Of the 30 players, 21 return to East Lake while almost a third of the field is first time participants. Recent Winners at East Lake 2019: Rory McIlroy (-18) Began the event on 5-under in fifth place. … Posted 13-under over four rounds to win by four. … Sat two back after 54 holes. … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Off-the-Tee, Tee-to-Green, Par-5 scoring, Driving Distance and was T1 in Bogey Avoidance. … Only player to post four rounds in the 60s. … Joins Tiger Woods as only multiple FedExCup winner. … Will look to become the first to win three. … No player has defended the FedExCup. … No player has defended a FedExCup event. Notables Playing This Week: 2017 tournament champion Xander Schauffele led by one after 54 holes before cashing second. … Schauffele’s 64 to open was the low round of the week. … 2017 FedExCup Champion Justin Thomas (T3) led the field in Strokes-Gained: Around the Green and was second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. … Tony Finau (T7) posted his second top 10 in three years. … Kevin Kisner (T9) and Hideki Matsuyama (T9) collected second consecutive top 10s while Patrick Reed (T9) posted a career-best payday. … Only seven players made LESS than 10 bogeys. 2018: Tiger Woods (-11) Went wire-to-wire to win for the second time but the FedExCup trophy went to Justin Rose (T4) on total points. This is why the system finally changed last year! … Only winner in the last four years NOT to lead Strokes-Gained: Off the Tee (6th). … Only winner in four not to finish in the top 2 of Strokes-Gained: Tee to Green (7th). … Led the field in Bogey Avoidance, Scrambling and Putting: Birdie or Better Percentage. Notables Playing This Week: 2014 FedExCup champion Billy Horschel (2nd) picked up his third top 10 in three starts. … Dustin Johnson (3rd) cashed his best finish and fifth top 10 in nine trips. … Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson shared fourth. … McIlroy, Schauffele and Thomas rounded off the top 10 at T7. … 65 was the lowest round of the week. 2017: Xander Schauffele (-12) Rookie debutant posted all four rounds in the 60s to win by two. … Justin Thomas, who finished second, won the FedExCup Playoffs. … Led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and was second Tee to Green. … Third in Ball-Striking. … Won Greenbrier earlier that year. Notables: Four players finished double digits under par including Kevin Kisner (T3). … Tony Finau and Jon Rahm each debuted with T7 and haven’t missed a TOUR Championship since. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Previous FedExCup event winner Strokes-Gained: Tee to Green 1 *Justin Thomas 2 Hideki Matsuyama 3 *Rory McIlroy 4 Collin Morikawa 5 *Jon Rahm 7 *Xander Schauffele 8 Tony Finau 10 Daniel Berger 11 *Dustin Johnson 12 *Webb Simpson 14 Tyrrell Hatton 15 Scottie Scheffler 17 *Bryson DeChambeau 19 Harris English 20 Joaquin Niemann 23 Viktor Hovland 25 Ryan Palmer 28 *Patrick Reed Ball-Striking 3 *Jon Rahm 4 *Webb Simpson 8 *Xander Schauffele 11 Harris English 14 *Dustin Johnson 16 *Scottie Scheffler 21 Collin Morikawa 22 Tyrrell Hatton 35 *Bryson DeChambeau 39 Daniel Berger 39 Viktor Hovland 47 *Justin Thomas 48 *Rory McIlroy 48 *Billy Horschel Bogey Avoidance 1 *Webb Simpson 2 Harris English 3 *Jon Rahm 5 *Xander Schauffele 6 *Bryson DeChambeau 8 Daniel Berger 9 *Justin Thomas 11 Abraham Ancer 20 Tyrrell Hatton 21 Hideki Matsuyama 23 Brendon Todd 25 Tony Finau 27 Kevin Kisner 34 Sungjae Im Frequent Fliers (previous visits) Dustin Johnson (10): Only one podium finish but has cashed half of his trips inside the top 10. Webb Simpson (7): T4 in 2018 is the best over the last three years bookended by T16 last year and T13 in 2017. Rory McIlroy (6): Twice a winner and five times in the top 10 ends any speculation. Patrick Reed (6): T9 suggests he might have finally figured it out. Hideki Matsuyama (6): Streaking with consecutive top 10s and his seventh consecutive appearance, as noted above. Giddy Up Justin Thomas (4): 34-under the last four years (68.50); winner of the FedExCup Playoff but never the event as he’s cashed T3-T7-2nd-T6. Xander Schauffele (3): Win, T7 and second. 67.75 stroke average and nothing above 70. Billy Horschel (3): T7 on debut followed up with the 2014 title; 2nd 2018 and worst round of 12 is 71. Caution Kevin Na (6): Only six rounds in the red with T16 the best of the six trips. Marc Leishman (4): Only four rounds of 16 attempts in the red; best payday T21. Daniel Berger (3): T12 on debut followed by T15 and 15th. Bryson DeChambeau (2): Starting to figure it out as T12 last year followed T19 in 2018.

Click here to read the full article…

A winner will be crowned Sunday at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. RELATED: Live scoring, tee times, bracket | How to watch | Recaps from Saturday Here’s a look at the early Semifinal matches … Victor Perez vs. Billy Horschel, 10:05 a.m. ET Matt Kuchar vs. Scottie Scheffler, 10:20 a.m. ET MATCH RECAPS Check back throughout Sunday for match recaps.

Click here to read the full article…