Bryson DeChambeau has ‘no expectations’ in return to action

Broken home. Low income. High crime in the neighborhood. DeAndre Diggs grew up in Baltimore and was faced with these harsh realities from an early age. He wasn’t alone. Many families and kids in the area could relate to the challenges of overcoming financial hardships and crime-ridden neighborhoods. When things seemed as though they couldn’t get harder, Diggs’ home was broken into. His family had to rebuild all that had been taken from them, which was not a lot to begin with. Trying to financially recover, the Diggs family continued to try to give their son two things they still did have – love and structure. “My story is similar to others in Baltimore,” said Diggs, “but my family made sacrifices. At the end of the day, it’s not where you were born, but how you were raised. “I had a loving environment and I had structure. I was told right from wrong.” Just as hope began to be restored, less than a year later, the unimaginable happened – a house fire that destroyed their family home. “We lost everything – twice,” said Diggs. “My family was poor, going further into debt and they still tried to keep me in private school. It just kept pushing us further back.” Although Diggs and his family felt like they were in a dark tunnel with no light, Diggs always wanted to keep pushing forward to “see something.” And, while he may not have realized it then, that light he saw at the end of the tunnel was Caves Valley Golf Club. “It was life changing since my first day at Caves Valley,” said Diggs. Caves Valley is where Diggs took his first job, and the club has rallied around him and his story ever since. “It was a great platform to see a cohesive team and work for someone that paid attention to their team and had community involvement,” said Diggs. “It was one of the best clubs that had a community that showed how to become a leader.” Diggs had been part of the First Tee – Baltimore since he was eight years old, his first exposure to golf, and Caves Valley helped to really stir his passion for the sport. “I was interested in playing for my team in high school, but I got cut the first time,” he said. “I was still very passionate about golf and kept participating at First Tee – Baltimore. “Every event, I was there. Sunup to sundown. Later one summer, I won the RBC Wealth Management Shot for College Tournament, which gave me a $2,500 scholarship.” Crediting his persevering attitude and work ethic to his experiences at First Tee – Baltimore, Diggs was able to make the golf team as an alternate the following season. He continued to improve, starting at the five slot for his team and working hard to be in the number one spot by his senior year of high school. Finding success on the golf course, Diggs knew his studies were also extremely important. He set his sights on higher education, driving himself to do his best in the classroom as well as learn as much as possible from leaders at Caves Valley. As his family continued to recover from their second home tragedy, Diggs started to chip away at the college application process. Naturally, he worried about the cost of higher education and exploring financial aid and student loan options. To Diggs’ surprise, however, he learned he had been selected as the recipient of a $100,000 scholarship from the Caves Valley Golf Club Foundation. While Diggs recalls that his golf game at the time of receiving the scholarship may not have been up to par just yet, there were many people that believed in him and knew his story, and that was plenty. Diggs continued to work hard and went on to enroll at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the only HBCU that has a Professional Golf Management program. “Going to a university like UMES, I found there to be a lot of students with similar stories to mine, but at the same time, embraced that we all are unique,” said Diggs. “The other students had passions and desires, just like I did, so they were very beneficial to be around.” Diggs played for the golf team at UMES and was able to compete against other strong HBCU golf teams such as Hampton and Florida A&M. “It was great to play with other people that have been in our shoes,” said Diggs. With the scholarship from the Caves Valley Golf Club Foundation, the months of August through April were covered. It was during the summers that Diggs had to find a way to continue to support himself financially. “I was thinking, ‘How can I make it from April to August with not much?’” said Diggs. Through the PGM program at UMES, students must complete 16 months of internships to be certified. Most of his summers, Diggs filled his time working at different golf clubs. His first internship was at Caves Valley as an outside attendant. The second was in Colorado Springs working in player services. He then became an assistant intern at Congressional working in the pro shop, serving as a marshal and overseeing the employees in the cart barn and driving range. Eager for more golf experience in different parts of the industry, Diggs even decided to work at a golf cart rental company, where he helped increase sales 20-30 percent, despite the pandemic. Currently, Diggs works at Cherokee Town and Country Club as an intern in food and beverage, where he continues to pave his way toward a career as a general manager at a club. “One thing I took away (from my Caves Valley mentor) is that you have to do a great job as far as managing your team and staff,” said Diggs. “This is the mindset I have when I’m in a management role. Everyone is a part of the team.” Diggs’ story hasn’t been easy. It has taken a lot of hard work and endurance to overcome his past. But between the help of his family and the Caves Valley Golf Club Foundation, Diggs had the support group to lead to his current success – and encouragement towards his long-term goals in the golf industry. Though Diggs’ story started similarly to those growing up in the tough neighborhoods of Baltimore, he’s determined to make sure it inspires others in the end.

Click here to read the full article…

The PGA TOUR wraps up in Texas this season with its fifth and final event at the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial Country Club. Last week the TOUR was just south of Dallas at brand-new Trinity Forest. The script flips 100 percent this week as Colonial Country Club is one of the most respected and historic stops annually. The rich history of Colonial stretches back with this event to 1946 and is the longest running event on TOUR at the same course. The John Bredemus-Perry Maxwell design was made over by Keith Foster in 2008 but still resonates with the modern game over 80 years later. Playing 7,209 yards to par-70, it’s neither short nor long but it’s not straight either. Kevin Kisner returns in an attempt to defend his title. His winning total of 10-under-par 270 saw an American don the plaid jacket for the ninth time in the last 10 years with Adam Scott in 2014 being the exception. Kisner will try and attempt a feat that has only been accomplished by the great Ben Hogan: successfully defending. There’s a reason this place has the moniker of “Hogan’s Alley,” one of many to be fair, as the legendary Texan won this event five times and twice defended his victory. But, if leaning on Texans is your plan for selecting a winner this week, remember only two native sons have won in the last 30 years (Ben Crenshaw, 1990; Jordan Spieth 2016). The winner, regardless of where he’s from, will pocket $1,278,000 and 500 FedExCup points for his victory. As we can see above, there are multiple ways to find success at Colonial so it’s hardly a surprise this course rates so highly annually with the TOUR pros. The one factor that will have the attention of every player in the field will be the weather. Last year the cut fell at 144, 4-OVER-par, the highest total since 1999 as the event began with temperatures in the 90s and winds gusting up to 30 mph. As has been the case in eight times over the last nine, the 54-hole leader did not hang on to win. Webb Simpson began the final round two shots to the good, but Kisner rallied from three shots behind to claim victory. Kisner got up-and-down from the back bunker on the last to avoid a three-man playoff with Jordan Spieth, who with Jon Rahm and Sean O’Hair, led the field in birdies with 21. Rahm had the best chance of the trio to force the action but his 12-footer at No. 18 for birdie didn’t go. Kisner’s victory was his third consecutive top-five finish at Colonial. Steve Stricker had the low round of the week with 63. Every year when Colonial rolls around, gamers are reminded about how good Spieth plays here. The 2016 champ also has a pair of T2s, a T7 and T14 and 16 of 20 career rounds are in the 60s. The weather was wet in 2016 and ball-in-hand was used in closely mown areas the first three rounds. Spieth’s dominance included birdies on the final three holes and included making 150 feet of putts on the day. He co-led the field in birdies (22) and bogeys (5) and led the field in scrambling. Spieth’s victory was also symbolic as he won by three shots making him only the second winner in the last 11 years to win by more than one shot and he also is the only winner in the last eight years to hold the 54-hole lead. The top five players posted all four rounds in red figures for the week while the top 16 players accounted for only six total rounds over par. Spieth’s winning total of 263 was the second-lowest this decade behind tournament-record setter Zach Johnson in 2010 (259). Chad Campbell and Matt Kuchar both carded 63s for the co-low round of the week. Campbell is the last person to set the course record with 61 in 2004. He impressively set the mark with two bogeys. The Ben Hogan Award, presented this week annually since 2002 to the best collegiate golfer, has only had one winner at Hogan’s Alley. Chris Kirk was the first to claim both in 2015. He posted 12-under-par 268 as preferred lies in closely mown areas were in effect for Rounds 1 through 3 and through the green in the final round. Kirk made every birdie putt he looked at and led the field with 21 for the week. For those of you keeping score, Spieth circled 20 in this edition. Colonial, at par-70 doesn’t get “low” but there aren’t many bad rounds conceded, either. The top 17 players had a total of four rounds above par for the event. I wrote for THE PLAYERS Championship about the 54-hole leaders at that event who couldn’t close the deal. Interestingly enough, you’ll find some of their names here again this week as players that have lingered entering the final round. I’m not a detective but even I can connect those dots. 2015: Kevin Na and Ian Poulter, both 11 under. 2016: Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer, both 11 under, one shot back. 2017: Webb Simpson was 9 under, two ahead of Danny Lee. Simpson and Lee were the final pairing at TPC Sawgrass two weeks ago and Na was in the hunt last week at Trinity Forest collecting T6. I’ll point out Palmer is a member at Colonial as well! NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25 in each statistic on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2010 or is a former winner. Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer  2  *Jordan Spieth  4  *Adam Scott  5  *Kevin Streelman  7  *Pat Perez  8  *Scott Piercy 13 *Rickie Fowler 14 C.T. Pan 15 Russell Knox 18 Emiliano Grillo 19 Patrick Cantlay 20 Andrew Putnam 21 Cameron Percy 22 *Brian Harman 23 *Jon Rahm 25 *Adam Hadwin 25 *Chez Reavie Birdie or Better Percentage Rank  Golfer  2  *Jon Rahm  5  Justin Rose  8  Grayson Murray 10 Cameron Smith 12 Aaron Wise 14 Chesson Hadley 15 Bryson DeChambeau 16 *Ryan Palmer 17 Ollie Schniederjans 18 Sam Saunders 19 *Pat Perez 21 Brandon Harkins 22 *Jimmy Walker Scrambling Rank  Golfer  1  *Webb Simpson  3  *Jordan Spieth  6  *Rickie Fowler  7  Louis Oosthuizen  9  *Kevin Na 10 *Kevin Streelman 11 *Chris Kirk 12 Alex Cejka 13 *Chez Reavie 15 Cameron Smith 19 *Brandt Snedeker 21 Aaron Baddeley 23 William McGirt 26 Justin Rose   Par-4 Scoring Rank  Golfer  4  *Rickie Fowler  4  *Jordan Spieth  4  Justin Rose  9  *Webb Simpson  9  *Chez Reavie 13 *Kevin Streelman 13 *Scott Piercy 17 Chesson Hadley 17 Cameron Smith 17 J.J. Spaun 17 *Brian Harman 17 Emiliano Grillo 17 *Zach Johnson 17 *Matt Kuchar Last week the brand-new Trinity Forest had no trees, no rough and no water leaving its defense to 88 bunkers and Mother Nature. The massive landing areas off the tee consisted of 100 acres of Trinity Zoysia fairway. The Champions Bermuda greens provided 13,000 square feet, on average, to aim at and only were running at 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. What a difference a week makes! Colonial Country Club will provide tree-lined and dog-legged fairways that will require players to work the ball both ways off the tee and only provide 24 acres landing space. Errant shots will find Bermuda around 3 inches that will make the pros think twice as they attack greens that measure on average 4,500 square feet. With 85 bunkers plus four water hazards lurking, accuracy isn’t a premium this week but poor shots have a much better chance of being punished. Patience will be tested in the first five holes as Colonial will lull the field to sleep with a gimme par-5 (easiest last year) and a short par-4 to open. Then it’s off to the “Horrible Horseshoe” to see who is paying attention. Annually these holes play in the top five of most-difficult holes for the week. Those who don’t take advantage of the first two holes won’t be in a good mood anyhow, arriving to this trio that will set the tone for the rest of the round. The pros will have to adjust this week as well as Bentgrass greens return for the first time since the Masters. This is great news for all putters as the greens here are notoriously some of the best conditioned on TOUR so don’t be surprised to see plenty go in! As is the case with below-average sized greens, hitting the proper spot will give plenty of chances for birdie. As this event has shown over the years, one style of play doesn’t dominate and that’s one of the main reasons this field is always very solid. It doesn’t hurt that every hole doesn’t need a 300-yard carry, either. With only two par-5 holes and one measuring comfortably over 600 yards, the bomb-and-gouge crew won’t have much of an advantage this week. The 85 bunkers are plentiful but time has shown us, like the greens, they are almost perfect as well. The speedy Bentgrass greens and navigating the wind down the stretch on Sunday are both acquired tastes. Sergio Garcia (2001) is the last maiden winner and the last, first-time winner on TOUR so experience pays this week. As always, there are exceptions to the rule and I’ve counted 10 first-timers since 2010 that have cracked the top 10. The list of winners here also points to successful players at the Masters over the years as well. It shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that Perry Maxwell finished up Augusta National after Alistair Mackenzie’s death before the completion of the design. Colonial is not for everyone and Ben Hogan famously remarked that the only ball that can get you in trouble around this place is a straight ball. Sharp gamers will notice the players who are NOT here this week and might work backward from there. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention! NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation.     

Click here to read the full article…

PGA TOUR STATISTICS: Money leaders | Victory leaders | Career earnings | Total money | Non-member earnings Each week during the 2017-18 season, PGATOUR.COM’s Equipment Report highlights the top five players in a statistical category, and the gear they used to get to the top. We continue with the equipment used by the top five (as of September 10, 2018) in the current FedExCup standings.  1. Bryson DeChambeau (5,789 points) Driver: Cobra King F8+ Nardo (TPT Model 14 MKP LT shaft at 45.5 inches), 8 degrees 3-wood: Cobra King LTD 3/4 (Project X HZRDUS Black 85X shaft at 43 inches), 14.5 degrees 5-wood: Cobra King F8+ Baffler (Project X HZRDUS Black 85X shaft at 41 inches), 17.5 degrees Irons: Cobra King One Length Utility (4-5; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches), Cobra Forged One Length (6-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches) Wedges: Cobra King V Grind (50 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shaft at 37.5 inches), Cobra King WideLow Grind (55 and 60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches) Putter: SIK Pro Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X 2. Justin Rose (4,391 points) Driver: TaylorMade M3 440 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 70TX shaft), 9 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade M4 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 80TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 80TX shaft), 19 degrees Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-iron; KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ shaft), TaylorMade P730 “Rose Proto” (5-9; KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48, 52 and 56 degrees; KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X shafts), TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (60 degrees; KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X shaft) Putter: TaylorMade TP Red Ardmore 2 Ball: TaylorMade TP5 3. Tony Finau (3,479 points) Driver: PING G400 Max (Accra Tour Z X485 M5 shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: PING G400 (Accra Tour Z X4100 M5 shaft), 13.7 degrees Irons: PING i500 (3-iron; Nippon Modus 3 120TX shaft), PING iBlade (4-PW; Nippon Modus 3 120TX shafts) Wedges: PING Glide 2.0 Stealth 50-SS degrees; Nippon Modus 120X shaft), Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (56-10S and 60-08M degrees; Nippon Modus 120X shafts) Putter: Piretti Elite Ball: Titleist Pro V1x 4. Dustin Johnson (3,425 points) Driver: TaylorMade M4 (Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec X shaft), 10.5 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade M4 3HL (Project X HZRDUS Black 6.5 95X shaft), 16.5 degrees) Irons: TaylorMade P-730 DJ Proto (3-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52 and 60 degrees; KBS Tour Black 130X shafts), TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (64 degrees; KBS Tour Black 130X shaft) Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Juno Ball: TaylorMade TP5x 5. Justin Thomas (3,327 points) Driver: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana BF 60TX shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Blue 80TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: Titleist 915Fd (Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X shaft), 18 degrees Irons: Titleist 718 AP2 (4-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), Titleist 718 MB (5-9; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (46-08F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft) Wedges: Vokey Design SM5 (52-12F and 56-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts), Vokey Design SM6 (60-08K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft) Putter: Scotty Cameron X5 Flow Neck Prototype Ball: Titleist Pro V1x   PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

Click here to read the full article…