How to watch Safeway Open, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

HONOLULU – Australian Matt Jones was getting attention last week after a record breaking 23 under weekend in Maui, but even a favorable ruling and resulting great par save in Honolulu wasn’t enough to get the two-time PGA TOUR winner to the weekend. Jones hit his approach shot on the par-4 8th hole at Waialae Country Club just above the lip of a greenside bunker in Friday’s second round of the Sony Open, forcing him into a strange stance with one foot in and one foot out of the sand. Scrambling to try to make the cut Jones faced a stance where his body dropped well below its usual position meaning the only way he could make a stroke was by gripping halfway down his 3-wood and creating a putting like motion. However, this meant the end of the club was running up Jones’ left arm, leaving the 2021 Honda Classic winner worried he might be accused of anchoring. “I had a stance that was very unconventional and I had to grip a long way down the shaft. I just wanted to check it wasn’t classified as anchoring because as we know anchoring is somewhat banned,” Jones explained after rounds of 70-68. Jones called in Senior Tournament Referee Stephen Cox for clarification and was given the all-clear by the veteran official. “It was very easy for Coxy to see I wasn’t trying to subvert any rules,” Jones added. “I was trying to play it kind of across my body. It was more running up my arm and in between arm and body but during the stroke it kind of got over to my left side so I just wanted to be sure before I did anything.” Cox spent a minute or so with Jones running through the scenario which coincidentally had happened over on the first green with Lucas Glover and another official earlier in the round and as such had been a point of discussion amongst the committee. “The awkward nature of Matt’s stance resulted in him gripping the club down the shaft and as a result the club was going to extend beyond the forearm and might touch the upper arm or the side of the body while making the stroke,” Cox added. “I felt that as he was not deliberately holding the club against a part of the body above the forearm it would not be considered anchoring. Any accidental contact during the stroke is not prohibited by the Rule.” Rule 10.1b. outlaws players using an anchor point for a stroke or from making deliberate contact with their clothing during a stroke. However inadvertent contact is specifically not a breach to ensure circumstances just like those Jones and Glover faced are not penalized. The Australian also mentioned some minor exposure of bunker lining in his discussion with Cox but it was of no consequence. “Matt also had questions relating the to the bunker liner which was not considered abnormal,” Cox confirmed. “As per PGA TOUR Local Rules, exposed bunker liners may be treated as ground under repair for lie of ball or area of intended swing but no relief is provided for stance.”

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The deepest field in golf will be challenged by the longest track in major championship history this week at The Ocean Course at Kiawah to decide the 103rd PGA Championship. Kiawah Island, South Carolina, will host 99 of the top 100 players in the world and they will be challenged by arguably Pete and Alice Dye’s toughest test. Stretching to 7,876 yards (Par-72), the Ocean Course at Kiawah overtakes Erin Hills as the longest major championship set-up in history. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks The PGA Championship was hosted here in 2012 and became the first major championship contested on Seashore Paspalum grass from tee thru green. The putting surfaces average 6,000 square feet and will run at tournament speed and there are 28 acres of fairway to swing at off the tee. Conversely there are 30 acres of sandy areas running along, behind and in front of most holes. The rough is Bermuda but will be over-seeded with ryegrass (up to three inches) to thicken and green it up. The 2021 edition will play 200 yards longer and in the month of May, not August like 2012. Springtime in the Carolinas will bring cooler temperatures and more consistent breezes to add to this already difficult Dye challenge. When the wind blows, the fairways and greens will shrink so controlling the golf ball in the breeze is required. While there will be spectators, there won’t be any grandstands to obstruct views or knock down errant shots. Closely mown areas around the sandy areas greenside will provide more decisions to be made to get it close. Getting up and down to grind out pars will be paramount. For more on the course design and history read THIS from our Sean Martin. As with any major championship examination mental toughness will also factor this week. While not many races have been run on Kiawah Island, there are many Pete Dye examples to examine, especially Whistling Straits, host of three previous PGA Championships. Those who have embraced the Dye designs and have found past successes on these layouts will feel they have a leg up on the rest of the field. The field of 156 players was completed with KH Lee after his win last week at AT&T Byron Nelson. Also, 20 PGA Professionals are entered this week along with any former champions. The purse for the event in 2020 was $11 million with $1.98 million plus 600 FedExCup points and a five year exemption on TOUR to the winner. Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners and Notables Recent Winner and Notables 2012: Rory McIlroy (-13, 275) Fired a bogey-free 66 to win his second major championship. … Set the PGA Championship record for margin of victory as he won by eight shots. … Only needed 24 putts in the final round. … Carded 67 in Round 3 to lead by three after 54 holes. … Signed for 75 in Round 2, three shots better than the average that day, to sit two back after 36 holes (-2). … Opened with 67, one of four players one off the lead. … One of three players to card less than 10 total bogeys. … Second major win and second by eight shots. … First top 10 in a major since his 2011 U.S. Open triumph. … Hits the podium for the third time in four starts (Win-T40-T3-T3) at the PGA Championship. … 2012 majors finishes: T40 (Masters), MC (US Open defense) and T60 (Royal Lytham & St Annes). … Played the week before (T5) WGC-FESJC (WGC-Bridgestone at the time), his seventh top five of the season. … Won Honda in March. Notables Entered This Week: Defending champion Keegan Bradley (T3) was playing in just his second PGA Championship. … Ian Poulter (T3) picked up his best PGA Championship check to this day. … Justin Rose (T3) led the field in GIR and was T2 Birdies (18). … Steve Stricker (T7) was one of nine players who played both weekend rounds in the red. … Adam Scott (T11) ranked T2 Putting. … Bubba Watson (T11) made nothing but was T8 GIR. … Louis Oosthuizen (T21) also circled 18 birdies (T2). … McIlroy and Rose both posted 66 on Sunday, one off the best round of the week. … Perfect weather in Round 1 saw 44 players break par. … Round 2 scoring average was 78.1 and only four golfers broke par (49-year old Vijay Singh 69, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter, 71). … Cut was +6 and only 10 players were under par after 36 holes. … Round 3 had eight rounds in the 60s as a thunderstorm halted play in the afternoon. … Round 4 had 18 rounds in the 60s. … 74.6 scoring average for the week. Of 72 players making the cut, 24 hit 71 percent or better Fairways. … Rose was one of only seven players to hit 50 or more GIR. … There were only six Americans in the top 17. … Others playing in 2021: T18 John Daly (1991 winner) T18 Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008 winner) T21 Jimmy Walker (2016 winner) T27 Jason Dufner (2013 winner, 2011 runner up) T27 Marc Leishman T36 Rich Beem (2002 winner) T36 Phil Mickelson (2005 winner) T36 Vijay Singh (1998, 2004 winner) T36 YE Yang (2009 winner) T42 Martin Laird (led the field in Total Driving) T42 Gary Woodland T48 Dustin Johnson T54 Francesco Molinari T59 Charl Schwartzel T62 Chez Reavie T66 Alex Noren 70 Zach Johnson 72 Cameron Tringale Missed Cut: George Coetzee Sergio Garcia Webb Simpson Bernd Wiesberger Stewart Cink Jason Day Lee Westwood Branden Grace Rickie Fowler Matt Kuchar Shaun Micheel (2003 winner) Charley Hoffman Ryan Palmer Martin Kaymer (2010 winner) Paul Case Kevin Na (DQ) Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses

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The PGA Tour goes to a team event this week. Here’s how to watch the two-man teams go at it at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on ESPN+.

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