Todd leads, DJ in hunt at Travelers

Three-time PGA TOUR winner and longtime golf instructor Dave Ragan, who proved himself a steady, consistent presence on the leaderboards in the 1950s and 1960s, passed away Tuesday. He was 82 years old. Ragan turned professional in 1956 after finishing a stellar career at the University of Florida, where he earned All-America honors that year after winning an SEC individual championship. The Gators have since enshrined the Daytona Beach, Florida, native into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. In his time on TOUR, Ragan missed just six cuts over 278 starts, finishing with 54 top-10 finishes and those three aforementioned victories. His first career victory came in June 1959, when he won the Eastern Open Invitational, before encountering his best run in late 1962, when in the span of a month he won the Beaumont Open Invitational and the West Palm Beach Open Invitational in a playoff over Doug Sanders. “My second year, I went right out to Los Angeles— finished seventh, I think—and I was kind of on my way,� he told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2014. “From there, I was consistently in the money, but we weren’t playing for very much then.� In 1963, he earned a spot on the Ryder Cup team, which the U.S. won, 23 to 9, thanks to his performance. He teamed with Billy Casper to win 1 up in foursomes, and won 2 & 1 in singles over Neil Coles. That year also saw his best finish in a major, when he finished second to Jack Nicklaus at the PGA Championship. His other showings in majors are highlighted by a pair of T25 finishes at the Masters and a T12 at the U.S. Open in 1963. “He was a peaceful gentlemen and the kindest soul who devoted his life to his family, the game of golf and the good book,� his son, Chuck Ragan, posted on Instagram. “Just like his sweet parents, he inspired and lifted up anyone that came close to him. He taught my brothers and I more about life, fishing, the outdoors, the game of golf, sportsmanship, love and never quitting than anyone ever had.� Ragan, who also spent time on PGA TOUR Champions, discovered instruction after his playing days ended. He was the Director of Golf and Teaching Professional at Pine Tree Country Club and Inverness Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Earlier this year, Pine Tree renamed their club’s tournament the Dave Ragan Cup in honor of his service. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, and five sons.

Click here to read the full article…

MEXICO CITY – South African Erik van Rooyen made nine birdies for a course record-tying 62 and is just one off the lead of Bryson DeChambeau (63) halfway through the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Now comes the prospect of keeping it going, nudging his world ranking ever so slightly upward and potentially cracking the field for his first start in THE PLAYERS Championship. “I’ve got to get in the top 50 in two weeks’ time,â€� said van Rooyen, who came into the week 52nd. Related: Leaderboard | Bubba Golf enjoying mini-revival | Cabrera Bello a one-man WGC Relatively unknown in America, van Rooyen plays full-time on the European Tour, but he is not without his bona fides here. He captained the University of Minnesota golf team, and it was during his collegiate career, on a Spring Break trip, that he saw the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass for the first time. “I just walked around the grounds,â€� he said. “We walked 18, 17, got a bit of a tour of the clubhouse. It was maybe junior year, with my teammates. We played in the morning somewhere, and Coach was like, ‘OK, guys, a special little treat: We’re going to Sawgrass. With his caddie not feeling well and his trainer on the bag for Thursday’s first round, van Rooyen went 3 over for his first nine holes before a chip-in eagle on his 10th hole, the par-4 first, turned things around. (He shot 1-under 70.) His regular caddie returned Friday, when van Rooyen could do no wrong. Fittingly, the career-low round came on his 30th birthday. “A little bit of a gift to myself,â€� he said. What would he savor most, if he’s able to keep it going and crack THE PLAYERS? “Sixteen, seventeen and eighteen,â€� he said. “I remember watching Adam Scott win it a long time ago, and thinking that was super cool, and since then I’ve really wanted to play it.â€� Considering he’s gone 13 under for the last 27 holes and shows no signs of slowing down, he appears to have all but booked his tee time. But where is this coming from? Even van Rooyen isn’t sure. He won the 2019 Scandinavian Invitation, holding off Matt Fitzpatrick and Henrik Stenson for his maiden European Tour victory, but his best result this year is a T12 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January. “I haven’t played fantastic golf in Europe, with our stretch in the Middle East,â€� he said. “But off the golf course, I’ve been playing really well, hitting some really good shots, doing really good things, and I was kind of waiting for it to come together on the golf course, and today was the day.â€� Two more good rounds and he could be headed back to TPC Sawgrass – this time with a scorecard in his hand.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…