How the pandemic is likely to a cost one of the hottest players in the world a spot in the Masters

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four PGA TOUR players will play a nine-hole exhibition match to benefit The First Tee of the Triad on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The 81st annual Wyndham Championship, which will determine the outcome of the $10 million Wyndham Rewards Top 10, starts Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 2011 Masters champion and 15-time international winner, Charl Schwartzel, will team with fellow South African and 13-time international winner Branden Grace, two International Team Presidents Cup veterans. The two will take on three-time PGA TOUR winner Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak. The match will be contested on the back nine at Sedgefield Country Club at 2 p.m. ET and will be televised as a special presentation of PGA TOUR LIVE and simulcast on Golf Channel and other PGA TOUR media platforms including GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR to carry the event internationally. The teams will use the Chapman Format in the nine-hole exhibition. Each golfer hits a tee shot, and each plays the other’s ball for second shots. The best of the second shots is selected, and the two partners complete the hole playing alternate shot. Players on the winning team will receive a Wyndham Rewards “Vacation Ready” Gift Bag. The Wyndham Rewards Challenge will be worth $160,000 with all funds going to The First Tee of the Triad, central North Carolina’s chapter of the international organization, in the names of the participating golfers. Schwartzel and Grace will play for The First Tee of the Triad after-school programs; Perez and Kokrak will play for The First Tee of the Triad summer camps. Holes 10 through 12 will be worth $10,000 each, holes 13 through 15 will be worth $15,000 each, and holes 16 through 18 will be worth $25,000 each for a total of $150,000. After players hit their tee shots at the par-3 16th hole, each will participate in the Wyndham Rewards Bonus Shot: one swing from the front tee on the 16th hole to the Club Wyndham Beach. The golfer whose shot is closest to the target will win an additional $10,000 for his First Tee of the Triad program.

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Hyo Joo Kim rallied with two late birdies for an even-par 72 to maintain a three-stroke lead Friday in the LPGA Tour’s LOTTE Championship.

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There are few things as comforting as seeing Phil Mickelson stalking the fairways of Pebble Beach. For some reason, Mickelson and the Monterey Peninsula just make sense. The California native made his pro debut in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and he's played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 1995. He's a five-time winner at Pebble Beach, most recently in 2019, and finished third here last year at the age of 49. He's been playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for so long that he's competed against players born in every decade from the 1920s (Arnold Palmer) to the 2000s (Akshay Bhatia, who's playing this week on a sponsor exemption). As with any great player, it's always interesting to look at the evolution of his equipment. In Mickelson's case, his equipment setup has evolved since his second win at Pebble Beach in 2005, when he bested Mike Weir by four strokes. You can learn a lot about how Mickelson's mind works digging into his bag. These days, the top of the bag is built for long, unapologetic missile launching and the bottom is an artist's toolbox built for variety and satisfying every creative whim. As you will see from 2005 to now, the top of the bag stayed fairly traditional, and as time went on, hybrids, 5-woods, and utility irons found their way in. The wedge set up has always stayed quintessentially Phil, however. Let’s take a look at what he had the bag for three of his wins (2005, '12, '19) and what he has in play today. 2021 Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 2-wood: TaylorMade "Original One" Mini Driver Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X 4-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 80 C5 TX Irons: Callaway Epic Forged (4), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (5-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+ Wedges: Callaway PM Grind '19 "Raw" (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 125 S+ Putter: Odyssey Milled Blade "Phil Mickelson" Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour Grips: Golf Price MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X with Triple Track 2019 Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 3-wood: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (13.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki J 80 X Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (4,5), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (6-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 19 (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Putter: Odyssey Versa No. 9 White Grip: SuperStroke Slim 3.0 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (with Triple Track Technology) 2012 Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC7.2 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 80 X Hybrid: Callaway X Prototype (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki 73 X Irons: Callaway X-Forged CB (4,5), Callaway RAZR X MB (6-P) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway X Series Jaws (52@54, 60, 64) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG PT82 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Hex Black Tour 2005 Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 70 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha WarBird 4+ (16 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 80 X Irons: Callaway X-Tour (3-PW) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway Vintage Forged (52, 56, 60) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey PM Proto Milled Blade Grips: Royal Grip Sand Wrap Ball: Callaway HX Tour 56

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