Leaderboard: Second round of Travelers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Having celebrated the first decade of the FedExCup last September with Rory McIlroy’s memorable charge to the championship, the PGA TOUR and FedEx Corp. have announced a long-term extension of the shipping giant’s sponsorship of the FedExCup season-long competition on the PGA TOUR. “The FedEx relationship has been invaluable to the PGA TOUR on multiple fronts for more than 30 years, beginning with its sponsorship of the FedEx St. Jude Classic,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “The FedExCup revolutionized the fan viewing experience and competitive landscape of the PGA TOUR, establishing a cohesive narrative throughout the schedule and a compelling conclusion to the season with the FedExCup Playoffs.” “We are proud to extend our historic sponsorship of the FedExCup, which has dramatically changed the PGA TOUR,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president, Integrated Marketing and Communications for FedEx. “The FedExCup is the ultimate prize on the PGA TOUR, and the season-long competition has delivered some of the most exciting finishes in recent memory.” As part of the sponsorship renewal, FedEx has committed $1 million in annual donations to benefit non-profit organizations. The donations align with FedEx Cares, a global giving initiative, in which FedEx is investing $200 million in over 200 global communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver solutions for people around the world. Beyond defining the season champion, the FedExCup has made every tournament more meaningful through the season-long points competition and has created a consistent platform for media partners to tell the PGA TOUR story. The FedExCup Playoffs give fans the opportunity to see golf’s greatest players compete at the highest level in four high-profile events, culminating with the crowning of the FedExCup Champion. Rory McIlroy emerged as the 10th champion with a memorable title run featuring two FedExCup Playoffs victories, capped by a dramatic Sunday finish at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. McIlroy holed out from 137 yards for an eagle-2 on East Lake Golf Club’s 16th hole and then birdied No. 18, forcing a three-way playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell. McIlroy finally secured the victory and the FedExCup champion’s title with a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole – appropriately, No. 16. In doing so, McIlroy joined an impressive list of FedExCup Champions: Tiger Woods (2007, 2009), Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014) and Jordan Spieth (2015). 

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Cameron Smith returns to defend last season's Sony Open in Hawaii victory, while past THE PLAYERS champion Webb Simpson and 10 of the top-25 golfers in the world tee it up at Waialae Country Club. In its longtime spot on the schedule, the Sony Open marks the first full-field event of the calendar year. FIELD NOTES: Collin Morikawa looks to build off his two victories in 2020, including his first major championship, with his second Hawaii start in a row. Morikawa finished T21 at least year's Sony Open after holding the first-round lead... Thirty-two of the 42 golfers who teed it up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions will make the jump over to the Sony Open and complete in both events of the Hawaii swing... Sponsor exemptions include major winners Y.E. Yang and Mike Weir, along with Ryo Ishikawa and Takumi Kanaya, who turned pro last year after reaching No. 1 in the world amateur rankings. Kanaya recently won on the Japan Tour and is already ranked 120th in the world... Five of the top 10 golfers in the FedExCup standings (as of the weekend at the Sentry Tournament of Champions) will be teeing it up at the Sony Open, the highest-ranked being Viktor Hovland at No. 3... Simpson was just one shot out of a playoff between Smith and Brendan Steele a year ago. Steele, who started Sunday with a three-shot lead, returns to try to earn the title that eluded him, while Simpson is on the hunt for his eighth PGA TOUR title. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points COURSE: Waialae Country Club, par-70, 7,044 yards (yardage subject to change). The Seth Raynor design, founded 94 years ago, has hosted the Sony Open ever year since 1965. The narrower, flatter layout is a contrast to last week's venue, Kapalua. STORYLINES: University of San Diego golfer and former Hawaii state champion Evan Kawai will make his PGA TOUR debut this week after winning a qualifier in November. His college coach is TOUR winner Chris Riley... Can Charles Howell III continue his impressive effort at Waialae? He has 13 top-25s, including 10 top-10s, in 19 starts at Waialae. That includes two runners-up and two third-place finishes... Smith's 11-under score was the highest winning total at the Sony Open since 2012. He was 4 over par on his first two holes of the tournament... Smith is looking to become the first golfer to defend his title at the Sony Open since Jimmy Walker in 2014-15. There have been just four golfers to go back-to-back at Waialae... Morikawa has a lot of family that lives on Maui and Oahu and visited the island many times growing up. Although there will be no spectators allowed on site, he'll have plenty of good vibes on the island. 72-HOLE RECORD: 253, Justin Thomas (2017) 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Justin Thomas (1st round, 2017) LAST TIME: Smith defeated Steele in a playoff to capture his first PGA TOUR title as an individual (he and Jonas Blixt won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans the first year it was a team event) with a birdie on the 72nd hole and a matching birdie on the first playoff hole. Steele was 2 over for his final six holes and opened the door for Smith, who had offered to donate $500 for every birdie and $1,000 for every eagle on the week to his home country's effort against the raging Australian bushfire crisis. On the 72nd hole, Steele misjudged his approach shot and had to take a drop, but he still nearly dropped a snaking 30-foot birdie try for the win. He missed, and couldn't get it done in the playoff, either. Simpson finished third (missing a 14-foot birdie try on the final hole to get into the playoff) while Graeme McDowell, Ryan Palmer, and Kevin Kisner rounded out the top five. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Sunday, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET. Sunday, 5 p.m.- 10 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)

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South Korea’s Seung-yul Noh, a past winner on the PGA TOUR, announced this week that he will soon begin serving his mandatory two-year military commitment for his country. The CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, the TOUR’s first regular-season event in Korea, is expected to be Noh’s last TOUR start. The 26-year-old Noh plans to begin his military service in November. The conscription applies to all Korean males between the ages of 18 and 35. Sangmoon Bae, a two-time TOUR winner, recently returned to the PGA TOUR after serving his commitment following the 2015 Presidents Cup. K.J. Choi, winner of THE PLAYERS Championship in 2011 and Korea’s most successful golfer, served at age 22. There are exceptions that eliminate or reduce the commitment time. By winning a gold medal in the men’s team golf competition at the 2006 Asian Games, Sung Kang became exempt from service. Last year, Noh – who won the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans — was hoping to qualify for the Rio Olympics, where he said winning an Olympic medal would reduce his commitment time to just a few weeks. But he did not make the two-man Korean team. Since Noh finished inside the top 125 in FedExCup points during the 2016-17 season (110th), he has membership status secured for this new season. For the 2018-19 season, he will be eligible for a Major Mandatory Obligation extension. Of course, he’ll still be in the military at that point, so that extension will carry over into the 2019-20 season when he returns to competition following the completion of his two-year stint. The Major Mandatory Obligation category, which plays out of the Major Medical category in terms of priority order, will give Noh the opportunity to make an as-yet-undetermined number of PGA TOUR starts in hopes of acquiring enough FedExCup points greater than or equal to No. 125 for this season. The Mandatory Obligation Extension was added to the Major Medical/Family Crisis Extension in July of 2015 to PGA TOUR Regulations by the PGA TOUR Policy Board, when it became official Bae would have to serve his mandatory military obligation following the Presidents Cup. Noh was eliminated from the 2017 FedExCup Playoffs when he missed the cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first Playoffs event. Since then, his only start before this week was the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour in September. He had reduced his playing schedule while preparing for his commitment and originally was not scheduled to play the CJ CUP. But when Ernie Els withdrew due to the flu, a spot opened up and the tournament extended an invitation to Noh, who was born in Gangwon-do, Korea. He said the lack of practice contributed to his opening 7-over 79, but he bounced back in the second round to shoot a 7-under 65. “I have not played much golf for the past three weeks after the Genesis Championship,â€� Noh said. “I arrived here on Monday and worked very hard to prepare for this Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday. But that three weeks of absence seemed to be quite significant and I just did not know how to swing yesterday. I practiced for about an hour after my round yesterday, and I think I was able to regain my sense of swing, which made the difference.â€� No matter how he finishes, the four rounds at Nine Bridges will be special for him, especially since his dad is also his caddie this week. “When I first became a pro, my dad used to caddie for me for a couple of years and we traveled a lot together,â€� Noh said. “After that, I was traveling alone or my sister was by my side. As you know, since I will be joining the army, I currently do not have a caddie. My dad caddied for me in the last tournament and thought he was still good enough, and that’s why he joined me for THE CJ CUP.â€�

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