Rory McIlroy leads by one at the Abu Dhabi Championship

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Former European Tour winner and local St. Augustine resident Julian Suri has surged to the lead after the first round of the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour tournament at the Slammer & Squire Course of the World Golf Village. MORE ON APGA TOUR: Dent following in father’s footsteps | College star sees APGA as key to next level Suri, who grew up just a short drive from the World Golf Village and was a two-time Florida state high school champion before becoming an All-American at Duke University, notched up six birdies and two eagles during a sublime 10-under 62 on Thursday. The 29-year-old leads by two over Georgia’s Tim O’Neal (64) while Kentuckian Patrick Newcomb sits third in the 36-hole event after his round of 65. Cincinnati’s Kevin Hall, who lost his hearing as a toddler, is part of a tie for fifth at 4-under. Suri, an American with both Indian and Mexican heritage, had a huge 2017 where he won on the secondary Challenge Tour in Europe in May before taking out the Made In Demark event on the European Tour in August. After a T19 finish in the 2018 PGA Championship, Suri reached a peak of 60th in the world but has slipped back to 265th after battling through some nagging injuries, including a hernia. His best PGA TOUR finish from 13 career starts was a T8 at the 2018 Houston Open. O’Neal, who won the APGA event earlier this year at Torrey Pines that was played during the Farmers Insurance Open, had eight birdies and an eagle that were only offset by two bogeys. The 47-year-old veteran African American has played seven TOUR events over the last few decades, his last as the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption player at the 2019 Genesis Invitational. The APGA was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. In addition to conducting up to eight tournaments awarding $250,000 in prize money annually, the APGA conducts the Charlie Sifford Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers.

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Tournament host Greg Norman announced today the 24 players set to compete in the 2017 QBE Shootout, scheduled for December 6-10. Fifteen of the top 50 players in the world will comprise this year’s field which includes Lexi Thompson, the highest ranked American player on the LPGA Tour at No.3, as well as defending champions Harris English and Matt Kuchar, who’s ranked No. 14 in the world on the men’s circuit. Tournament officials also announced today that Sunday’s final round will be broadcast live on NBC from 2-4 p.m. The first two rounds will be carried live by Golf Channel as the event returns for the 17th year to Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. The field includes ten players who have either won last season or the early part of this year’s PGA TOUR schedule for a combined 12 victories. That group is led by Brendan Steele and Pat Perez who have won twice during that span, including this month’s Safeway Open and CIMB Classic, respectively. Other current champions are Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Jason Dufner, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner and Kyle Stanley. Steele and Dufner are also part of a group of eight past QBE Shootout champions scheduled to compete. Sean O’Hair, Brandt Snedeker, this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup captain Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley, English and Kuchar are the others. Six players will compete for the first time in the $3.3 million event–Tony Finau, Shane Lowry, Harman, Perez, Henley and Stanley. Two-time TOUR winner Gary Woodland as well as four-time champion and a member of this year’s Presidents Cup team Charley Hoffman are among the 18 players returning to the Shootout field. Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion, is part of a five-some that has won major championships during their careers. Zach Johnson, winner of the Masters and Open Championship, as well as U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, and PGA Championship winners Bradley and Dufner are among that elite group. “Looking at this list of players for our 29th edition I can’t help but be excited about the prospects for this year’s tournament,â€� Norman said. “Not only is this a group of competitive and successful players in the game of golf but they are also quality people away from the game. Bringing them all together for a week, along with our amateurs and corporate partners, is a recipe for another memorable moment in the history of this event as we welcome QBE Insurance.â€� “As we prepare for QBE’s first Shootout as title sponsor, we could not be happier with the collection of players who have been assembled to compete this December. QBE is looking forward to welcoming many of golf’s best to Naples and is excited to have our customers interact with this world class field,â€� Russ Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of QBE North America said. The 12 two-person teams will be finalized in early November. The criteria for players qualifying for the 24-person field was adjusted this year to accurately reflect today’s PGA TOUR standards. The Shootout’s field is comprised of its defending champions playing as a team, the top 12 committed professionals from the final 2017 FedExCup standings and 10 special exemptions; a minimum of four which will come from the top 40 on the PGA TOUR Career money list. The QBE Shootout will once again feature a scramble format during the first round, a modified alternate shot format on Saturday and a final-round better ball on Sunday. CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is the tournament’s primary charitable beneficiary. Additionally, to support the relief efforts of Hurricane Irma, the QBE Shootout has recently launched a hurricane relief fund to support the local recovery efforts. Since 1989, the Shootout has raised more than $13 million for charitable causes. New for this year’s tournament will be a Friday night concert featuring the popular Ben Allen Band from 5-8 p.m. on the Tiburon clubhouse lawn. The Family Golf Clinic returns and will be held Saturday, December 9th immediately following play on the practice facility. Tickets are currently on sale with prices starting at $25 for grounds tickets. The popular Shark Pass Booklets are available for $110.   THE FIELD Daniel Berger Matt Kuchar Keegan Bradley Shane Lowry Kevin Chappell Graeme McDowell Jason Dufner Sean O’Hair Harris English Pat Perez Tony Finau Brandt Snedeker Brian Harman Kyle Stanley Russell Henley Brendan Steele Charley Hoffman Steve Stricker Billy Horschel Lexi Thompson Zach Johnson Bubba Watson Kevin Kisner   

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