Christiaan Bezuidenhout quickly becoming household name on TOUR

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka delivered on the biggest stage again, this time with Tiger Woods at his side. At times overlooked even after winning three majors in the last two years, Koepka gave thousands of fans a round to remember Thursday morning at brawny Bethpage Black with a record-setting start to his title defense in the PGA Championship. He had a 7-under 63, making him the first player in 101 years of the PGA Championship to shoot that score twice. He broke the course record at Bethpage Black and became the first player to post 63 at a major in consecutive years. “That was one of the best rounds I’ve played probably as a professional,” Koepka said. “This golf course is brutal.” Danny Lee was nearly as impressive and made eight birdies in the afternoon, including the final two holes. He finished with a 64 to close the gap to one shot, exceeding his own expectations. “My mindset was honestly some kind of under-par round would be good,” Lee said. “I did a lot better than that today.” That wasn’t the case for Woods, who had not played Bethpage Black since his nine-hole practice round Monday, and had not played a tournament since he won the Masters. He opened with a pair of double bogeys on the back nine and ruined a torrid start to the front nine — two birdies and a 30-foot eagle in a four-hole stretch — with a pair of three-putt bogeys. That gave him a 72, leaving him nine shots behind and ending 12 consecutive rounds at par or better in the majors dating to the U.S. Open last summer. Make no mistake: A gallery that trudged through muddied walkways to the 10th tee in the early morning was there primarily for Woods. What they saw was a major performance. Just not from him. So special was Koepka’s round, even on a course still soft from rain earlier in the week, that only 16 players broke par. He was 10 shots better than the average score in the opening round. Tommy Fleetwood had a 67, while the group at 68 included Pat Perez, who played a practice round with Koepka on Tuesday. Jordan Spieth overcame a double bogey on the 10th hole for a 69 and was in a group that included Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day. “The course is not easy, but Brooks obviously made it look real easy,” Perez said. “I saw that on Tuesday when I played with him. I actually congratulated him on his win.” But it’s far from over, even before Lee made his afternoon move to cut into the lead. Fowler was bemused when asked how close he would have to be to Koepka heading into the final round Sunday. “What makes you think he’s going to be leading?” Fowler said. “I would say there’s no lead really safe here.” Woods is the only player to win back to back at the PGA Championship in stroke play — he did that twice — and Koepka had an ideal start in a bid to catch him. He won at Bellerive in steamy St. Louis last August by two shots over a hard-charging Woods. Koepka played in the group in front of Woods at Augusta National and finished one back. This time they were together, along with Francesco Molinari (72), and it was a one-man show. It began with a 40-foot birdie putt from just off the back of the 10th green. It ended with a birdie putt from just inside 35 feet on the ninth hole for the 17th score of 63 in the PGA Championship. “I think that was probably the highest score he could have shot today,” Woods said. Koepka failed to birdie the two par 5s, missing a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 13 and scrambling for par on the easier fourth hole. He also missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 11th and an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 2. Yes, this could have been special. Then again, he also made four birdie putts of 15 feet or longer, including the long ones at the start and end of his round. “When that putt went in on No. 10, that was kind of the momentum that set me,” Koepka said. “But I never once thought about the course record or anything. I was just trying to shoot the best I could. Simple as that. Just keep going and total them up at the end.” He is the ninth player to open a major with 63, and only two of them went on to win — Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol in the 1980 U.S. Open, and Raymond Floyd at Southern Hills in the 1982 PGA Championship. There is a long way to go. Considering Koepka’s record in the majors — three wins and a runner-up in his last seven majors — this felt shorter. Koepka came seriously close to a bogey only one time, and he made a 10-foot par on the sixth hole. Woods managed to get under par, but only briefly. His opening tee shot took enough bounces to barely get into the rough, and it left him no option but to hack out. The mistake was a wedge that went over the back of the green, and Woods threw his head back knowing his mistake. His fast pitch went 6 feet by and he missed to open with a double bogey. His other double bogey came on the par-3 17th when he went into the face of a bunker, blasted out longer and took three to get down from there. A birdie-birdie start to the front nine, and a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth, brought him to 1 under. And then he bogeyed three of the next four holes. “I fought my way back around there, and unfortunately, I just didn’t keep it together at the end,” he said.  

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Twenty-five high school graduates have been selected to the First Tee College Scholarship Program. This is the largest class to date and a significant milestone as the youth development organization celebrates 25 years of helping young people build their strength of character through golf. The Scholars Class of 2022 includes aspiring physicians, computer scientists and lawyers, all of whom will be attending stand-out colleges and universities, including Harvard University, New York University and Columbia University. Selected from a national pool of First Tee teens, the diverse group of Scholars – 15 young women and 10 young men – are from both urban and rural communities across the United States. Nine of the Scholars will play on their college’s golf team; several are heading into STEM, business, and medical fields; and many already have impressive plans for careers that will support underrepresented and underserved populations. “I offer congratulations and a warm welcome to our Class of 2022 First Tee Scholars,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of First Tee. “With the support of our donors, we’re able to provide this ongoing support as they matriculate through college and prepare for future careers. These outstanding young leaders have bright futures ahead, and we believe the skills and values developed through First Tee will empower them throughout their collegiate journey and beyond.” First Tee College Scholarship Program extends its impact to alumni by providing support throughout their post-graduate careers. Each of the Scholars is paired with a dedicated, trained adult mentor who will help encourage and guide them throughout their college experience, including virtual and in-person meetups. The program also provides professional development workshops held in-person throughout the year, and up to $5,000 per year toward tuition. The program, which re-launched in 2020, is an evolution from the First Tee Scholars Program established in 2003. The program began after participant Steven Outlaw gave a moving speech in 2001 at the age of 16 and was provided an impromptu scholarship from a generous donor. Two years later, Outlaw graduated high school and was part of the inaugural First Tee Scholars Class. Since 2003, First Tee headquarters and its chapter network have awarded more than $15 million in college scholarships to alumni. Applications for the Class of 2022 were received from participants across the First Tee network. Following an online application process, finalists were selected by a committee for one-on-one interviews. In addition to academic performance, applicants were considered based on financial need, chapter involvement, volunteerism, and other criteria. First Tee College Scholarship Program is made possible by donors and corporate partners who stand behind the program and First Tee’s mission, including 3M, A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Astros Golf Foundation, Brendan and Shay Cavanagh, Charles Schwab, Chevron Corporation, David and Geri Epstein Private Foundation, Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund, Edward and Lisa Vaughan, Jon Clay, Nelson and Michele Carbonell Family Foundation, Paul and Ruth Flowers, Peter A. Bonanni Scholarship Fund, PURE Insurance, Timothy W. Finchem Scholarship Fund, TruGreen, USSGA Memorial Fund, and Zotec Foundation. First Tee College Scholarship Class of 2022: Average GPA: 4.1 on a 4.0 scale Average SAT score: 1,470 out of 1,600 Average ACT score: 31 out of 36 Breonna Boyd, First Tee — Tennessee University of Michigan; Major: Business Administration Breonna plans to start a nonprofit that will provide natural hair care products to African American girls who need them. Nicholas Canales, First Tee — Greater Houston University of Nebraska; Major: Political Science and History Nicholas is a first-generation college student and will play on the men’s golf team. Antonio DelCastillo, First Tee — Orange County University of Alabama; Major: Pre-Med Pursuing a career as either a neuro-orthopedic surgeon or anesthesiologist. Srishti Dhurandhar, First Tee — Metropolitan New York New York University; Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering Srishti will play on the women’s golf team under the leadership of her former First Tee coach and NYU head coach, Katie Rudolph. Vivian D’Orazi, First Tee — Metropolitan New York York College of Pennsylvania; Major: Marketing; Minor: Hospitality Management Vivian will play on the women’s golf team and aspires to work in the golf industry post-graduation. Dylan Ebs, First Tee — Greater Austin George Washington University; Major: Journalism Dylan plans to pursue his goal of becoming a political reporter in Washington, D.C. Esther Etherington, First Tee — Indiana Franklin College; Major: Elementary Education Esther will play on the women’s golf team and plans to later receive a Master’s degree in Special Education. Maleyna Gregorio, First Tee — Coachella Valley University of California Riverside; Major: Business Maleyna will play on the women’s golf team and aspires to work in the golf industry. Raiyan Johnson, First Tee — Savannah Georgia Institute of Technology; Major: Astrophysics Raiyan will pursue her goal to become an astrophysicist and ultimately an astronaut. Lea Han, First Tee — Greater Sacramento Harvard University; Major: History Lea plans to become either an immigration or civil rights lawyer and pursue her passion for social justice. Zara Karim, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. George Washington University; Major: Computer Science Graduating with 4.5 GPA, Zara aspires to become a computer scientist or software engineer. Nelia Leong, First Tee — Upstate South Carolina University of Florida; Major: Public Health Nelia will be pursuing the pre-dentistry track with plans to use her degree to have her own pediatric dentistry practice. Myles Manor, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Major: Chemistry Myles has a desire to bring interest and awareness to STEM careers in his community. Abigale Morris, First Tee — Phoenix Biola University; Major: Cinematography Abigale will play on the women’s golf team. She aspires to own a film company that provides film and media for nonprofits. Hannah Newell, First Tee — Greater Houston LeTourneau University; Major: Chemical Engineering Hannah will play on the women’s golf team while working toward her goal of building a career in chemical engineering. Sabrina Poole, First Tee — Greater Seattle St. Martin’s University; Major: Psychology Sabrina will play on the women’s golf team. Her future aspirations include helping high school and college student-athletes with mental and psychological struggles or crises as a clinical psychologist. Nancy Rivera, First Tee — Silicon Valley Middleburg College Vermont; Major: Pre-Med Nancy wants to be the voice for Latinx families who have had limited representation in the medical field. She plans on becoming an OB-GYN. Ahmad Raoul, First Tee — Greater Chicago Winston-Salem State University; Major: Computer Science While playing on the men’s golf team and majoring in computer science, Ahmad plans to leverage his STEM knowledge to further his passion for golf and improve his golf performance. Daniel Sears, First Tee — Massachusetts Franciscan University of Steubenville; Major: Philosophy and Finance Daniel plans on a career in either real estate or law. Connor Shooks, First Tee — Benton Harbor Loyola University Chicago; Major: Sports Management Connor aspires to either be an athletic trainer or physical therapist. Kenneth Treece, First Tee — Pine Mountain University of Alabama; Major: Aerospace Engineering and Political Science Obtaining a 35 out of 36 on the ACT, Kenneth has plans to become a public defense attorney. Alexa Vela, First Tee — Greater Houston Rice University; Major: Psychology and Pre-Law Alexa aspires to become a lawyer to grant the underrepresented the opportunity to recognize their constitutional rights and the powers granted to them by their government. Jaylon Wilson, First Tee — Metro Atlanta North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Major: Finance With plans to become a financial advisor, Jaylon aspires to serve the African American community through providing financial literacy, specifically to athletes and musicians. Iris Xue, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. Columbia University; Major: Computer Science and Engineering Iris hopes to one day build artificial intelligence models that tackle healthcare challenges, such as disease modeling and disease prevention. Jacob Zakaria, First Tee — Central Coast University of California Berkeley; Major: Biology Inspired by his father’s family being raised in a war-struck refugee camp in Lebanon without access to healthcare, Jacob plans on becoming a medical doctor.

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