Gary Woodland, Scott Piercy test positive for COVID-19, withdraw from The Honda Classic

Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. I’m trying to figure out why the rest of the people didn’t play Matsuyama this week. I would love to hear the reasons why he was omitted from lineups based on his last four years on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. He was 59-under-par in those events entering this week. Bill-ding a Lead Bill Haas has provided nothing but frustration to weekly and season-long fantasy owners in the 2018 season. His T17 to open the new season at the Safeway Open was followed by a five-event stretch that included three missed cuts and nothing better than T54. He had success on the “old” TPC Scottsdale but he didn’t break par in his only visit to the redesign in 2015. Haas was selected on less than one percent of rosters this week in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. He hit 16 of 18 greens, circled five birdies and an eagle against zero bogeys for 64 (-7) but I’m not getting out the ink pen just yet. Billy Clubs Another renowned ball-striker is just two back as Billy Horschel stalks the lead. Horschel’s last few months are very similar to the leader but he at least has three consecutive top-30 finishes at TPC Scottsdale the last three seasons. Bogey avoidance was one of the keys this week in The Confidence Factor and Horschel’s card (66) didn’t have any either. He painted 10 of 14 fairways, three more than Haas and hit just one less green. It’s his first, bogey-free round since last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard on Sunday. Automatic for the People Bubba Watson used to be one of the first names on the team sheet annually at the WMPO. From 11 starts prior to this year he accumulated seven top-25 and four top-10 finishes from nine weekends. He rattled off a stretch from 2012 to 2016 where he didn’t finish worse than 15th before a MC last year. Watson only had three top-10 finishes in the entire 2017 portion of the season. Don’t Do Me Like That Here comes Jon Rahm, again! This week we heard defending his first title on TOUR, plus his win the week before at CareerBuilder Challenge mixed in with some poor ball-striking and putting was the reason he couldn’t get over the finish line at the Farmers Insurance Open. Well, that’s fixed. He led the field in strokes-gained: off-the-tee and in fairways hit (12/14) plus found 14 of 18 GIR. I’m back on board in the desert! Caution Chris Kirk opened with 66 Thursday and that’s the fifth time in seven trips to Scottsdale that he’s posted 67 or lower in the opening round. The biggest check he’s collected from these five events has been T24. Where’s Webb? The fifth-most picked player in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO is toiling with Jordan Spieth, J.B. Holmes and others at 1-over-par (T83). Every week I point out some bizarre stat or quandary that gamers scratch their heads about and Simpson covers me tonight. In his previous seven starts here he’s played his first round under par. That streak was broken. The last three events here he hasn’t broken par on Friday. Gamers will hope down is up this year but there wasn’t much on Simpson’s scorecard that suggested an anomaly. Gulp. Spaun and Done I’ll have the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO stats for you tomorrow but that won’t do you any good if you went with J.J. Spaun this week. He withdrew after 10 holes on Thursday so if he’s in your PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, he needs to be subbed out. Study Hall Interesting reading from Rob Bolton, who is on site this week, that Billy Horschel suggested that pins were tough on Thursday. The weather is non-existent this week so your lineup will reflect how aggressive you choose to be with your six-man teams. I’m still shocked that almost half of you did not roster Matsuyama this week. WHAT ARE YOU SAVING HIM FOR??? Rant over. … Playoff participants Alex Noren and Ryan Palmer both shot even-par 71 today and will need a response tomorrow. … Tom Hoge was featured at PGATOUR.COM earlier in the week. He carded a 73. There’s not a jinx for this, right? RIGHT? … Monday qualifier John Oda couldn’t continue his Monday magic as he shot a 76. … Martin Laird, who led after 36 and 54 holes last year, is back at it again after opening with a 68 (-3).

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Here are some of the best photos from Friday at the Safeway Open:

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Each school receives $10,000 for student-athletes, coaches and equipment to fly United and compete in tournaments across the country Program addresses one of the biggest barriers to golf programs’ growth and success: limited access to funds for air travel CHICAGO – United Airlines along with the PGA TOUR today announced that United will award 51 golf teams at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with more than half a million dollars in grants, divided equally among the schools, to fund travel for golf tournaments and recruiting efforts. The donation is part of United Airlines and the PGA TOUR’s shared commitment to diversify and grow the sport and provide resources that allow HBCUs to recruit and compete at the highest levels of collegiate golf. Each school will receive $10,000 in travel credits, enabling more than 250 student-athletes, coaches and their equipment to fly United to compete in high-profile tournaments that were previously out of reach. HBCU golf coaches attribute the lack of access to air travel among the greatest barriers to developing successful golf programs. “Removing barriers for HBCU students to have the same opportunities given to other collegiate athletes will open doors for countless young Black golfers to achieve their dreams and for HBCU golf programs to develop to their full potential,” said United President Brett Hart. “United is committed to advancing inclusion and racial equity and that begins with making meaningful mentorship and scholarship investments in the communities we serve.” These grants will allow each team the opportunity to attend more tournaments this season, including events like the prestigious PGA Works Collegiate Championship, Mardi Gras Golf Invitational and Black College Golf Coaches Association Houston National Invitational. Previously, many HBCU golf teams would not have the resources to compete at these events or would have to drive, which requires student-athletes to take multiple days away from school. “The golf program at Winston-Salem State University came back to the school for the first time in 10 years last fall. This year, the United Airlines grant will impact our program’s ability to travel tremendously,” said Winston-Salem State University Head Golf Coach Charles Penny, II. “It now allows for our program to consider more tournaments to play in the fall. Specifically, this past fall, we were only able to play one tournament due to limitations in our travel budget. This fall, we will be able to add close to four.” For the student-athletes, the opportunity to compete in more tournaments isn’t just about improving their game – the relationships they build off the course with mentors and golf and industry professionals can make a difference in their ability to pursue the sport as a career. “We are super grateful and excited to have the support of United Airlines to make for excellent and safe travel to our tournaments,” said Christyn Carr, a golfer at North Carolina A&T State University. “It gives us the freedom to compete in different states that we have not been able to go to before, and it allows us to have more time on the course than on the road. I’m looking forward to reaching new heights this semester, not only in our game but in our travel.” United is the “Official Airline of the PGA TOUR,” and the organization’s first sponsor to support the TOUR’s larger HBCU Grant Program. Developed in early 2021 by the TOUR’s HBCU task force, the program aims to leverage the TOUR’s partner network in order to offset the financial burdens many HBCU golf programs face. “On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I’d like to express my appreciation to longtime partner United Airlines for their support of HBCU golf programs and the many collegiate golfers who will benefit going forward,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We have made a pledge to help diversify the landscape of competitive golf and this collaboration between United Airlines and these colleges and universities will be a significant step towards leveling the playing field and enhancing the student-athlete experience along the way.” In addition to travel grants, student athletes will have access to mentorship and career coaching from United employees. This summer, United will work with golf influencer Roger Steele along with select PGA TOUR professionals to showcase the depth and skill HBCU golf programs offer across the country through a four-part digital content series. To keep up with the HBCU golf programs travel journeys this season, follow @United and @PGATOUR on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. United’s travel grants through the PGA TOUR’s HBCU Grant Program will serve 51 current golf programs offered at HBCUs, including: MEN’S GOLF Alabama A&M University Alabama State University Bishop State Community College Bluefield State College Chicago State University Elizabeth City State University Fayetteville State University Fisk University Florida A&M University Howard University Jarvis Christian College Johnson C. Smith University Kentucky State University LeMoyne-Owen College Lincoln University Livingstone College Miles College Morehouse College North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Central University Prairie View A&M University Saint Augustine’s University Savannah State University Talladega College Tennessee State University Texas Southern University University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff University of Maryland Eastern Shore Virginia State University Virginia Union University West Virginia State University Wilberforce University Winston-Salem State University WOMEN’S GOLF Alabama State University Bethune-Cookman University Bishop State Community College Bluefield State College Chicago State University Delaware State University Fisk University Howard University Jarvis Christian College Lincoln University North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Central University Prairie View A&M University Savannah State University Tennessee State University Texas Southern University University of Maryland Eastern Shore Wilberforce University

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