Hayden Buckley eyes first title at Sony Open in Hawaii

Jason Day is hoping an old friend can help him return to the winner’s circle. Day, who hasn’t won since May 2018, put the black TaylorMade Spider putter that he used during his big 2015 season back in the bag for his first event of the new season. RELATED: Day ready to chase Presidents Cup captain’s pick He used it to shoot 66 on Thursday at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Day sits alone in third place, two strokes behind leader Byeong Hun An. “(I’m) trying to get some memories back from 2015,â€� Day said. “I won quite a few tournaments with that putter, so to have the black putter in the bag was nice, to be able to look down and see that.â€� Day went winless last season and finished 54th in the FedExCup, missing the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2012. He also finished ninth in the International Team’s points standings, and will need a captain’s pick from Ernie Els to participate in this year’s Presidents Cup. Day had his best season in 2015. He won five times, including the PGA Championship and two FedExCup Playoffs events, to finish a career-best third in the FedExCup standings. He reached No. 1 in the world ranking after winning the BMW Championship for his fourth win in six starts. The putter is a TaylorMade Ghost Spider IB Black Prototype. Day also has used red and white versions of the mallet putter. He used the red version in 2016, including in his win at THE PLAYERS. He used the white version in his previous start, at the BMW Championship. Day finished 30th in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2019 after ranking second the previous season. He was sixth in that statistic in 2015. In 2016, he had the highest single-season mark in that statistic’s history. Day hit 14 greens on Thursday and averaged 1.64 putts per green in regulation, ranking 13th in that category. He made six birdies and no bogeys. “I think overall, I had the driver, the irons and the putter working, which was nice,â€� he said. “Today the wind was down, so you needed to take advantage of the benign conditions. Fortunately, I was able to do that.â€�

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Today Mayakoba and the PGA TOUR introduced World Wide Technology, a $13 billion technology solutions provider, as title sponsor for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in a seven-year partnership that extends through 2027. The 15th annual event, hosted at El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, will be held November 1-7, 2021, with Norway’s Viktor Hovland expected to defend his 2020 title. Hovland, who will represent Norway in the 2020 Summer Olympics, claimed his second career PGA TOUR victory last December in Mexico with a birdie on the 72nd hole. “The global expansion and resulting positive impact of the PGA TOUR makes Mayakoba a natural fit for WWT,” said Jim Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of WWT. “At WWT, we do whatever it takes to create the best possible technology experiences and business outcomes for customers and communities around the world. We are proud to support the tournament as it showcases top golf talent while also inspiring leadership and opportunity through the expansion of youth golf in Mexico and Latin America.” In 2007, Mayakoba made history as the PGA TOUR’s first official full-field event held outside the United States or Canada. The tournament is a pioneer for the sport of golf in Mexico and Latin America and has opened the door for Tours such as PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and multiple professional golf events held annually throughout the region. “We are excited to partner with World Wide Technology as we continue to foster the growth of golf in Mexico and Latin America through the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and its charitable initiatives,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba broke new ground as the first PGA TOUR event in Mexico in 2007, and we look forward to properly celebrating this new partnership and the 15th anniversary of the event come November.” This year’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, a FedExCup Regular Season event, will again bring the world’s top golfers to Mexico’s most important tourist destination to experience the warm hospitality and natural beauty of the Mexican Caribbean. Since its inception, the growth of golf in Mexico and creating a positive charitable impact on the community have been key objectives for the event and Mayakoba as a destination. This growth recently manifested itself on the PGA TOUR as Guadalajara’s Carlos Ortiz became only the third player from Mexico to win on the PGA TOUR at the 2020 Vivint Houston Open. Ortiz joins Victor Regalado and Cesar Sanudo as winners hailing from Mexico. In its history, a total of 25 different Mexican players have competed in the PGA TOUR’s event at Mayakoba, and thousands of Mexican youth have been introduced to the sport of golf through the tournament’s community golf development program, Golf PARa Todos. More than $3 million has been generated for local, national and international charities focused on a variety of issues, including education, environmental sustainability and health and wellness for young people. “We are honored to have hosted the PGA TOUR since 2007 and we couldn’t be happier with this partnership with World Wide Technology that assures the continued positive impact of our event,” said Borja Escalada, CEO of RLH Properties. “Fifteen years ago, we made a great investment in golf and sport with which RLH shares many values. And the sponsorship of World Wide Technology, as well as the support of all our sponsors and supporters across Mexico and Latin America, make me confident that the best is yet to come. We look forward to continue supporting the development of this great sport in Mexico and the region as well as to hosting World Wide Technology at beautiful Mayakoba and celebrating many more years of PGA TOUR golf at Mayakoba.” All four rounds of the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba will be carried live on Golf Channel in the United States and on Golf Channel Latin America and GOLFTV in Mexico and Latin America.

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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Cameron Tringale made a 10 at the par-5 16th hole. Carlos Ortiz quadruple-bogeyed 17. And Marc Leishman double-bogeyed 17, bogeyed 18, and missed the cut by one. The last five holes may as well have been a meat grinder at the 103rd PGA Championship at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, and almost no one was spared. RELATED: Oosthuizen, Mickelson share lead | DJ headlines big names to miss cut “Mentally, I don’t think I did anything wrong,” said Branden Grace (71, 3 under), who was at 6 under and leading the tournament when he stepped onto the tee at the fearsome par-3 17th hole. “I stood up there, I picked my target, I hit the shot that I wanted to, but it just didn’t come off.” His ball found the water, and he made double bogey. He bogeyed the 18th to fall two behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson (69) and Louis Oosthuizen (68) – each of whom also bogeyed 18. Dustin Johnson bogeyed 15 and shot 74 to miss the cut by one. Adam Scott (72) bogeyed 15 and 16 to miss by a shot, and Xander Schauffele bogeyed 15 and 18 to finish with them at 6 over. Ian Poulter (70, even) could only laugh about how hard it was at the end. He was cruising at 6 under through 12 holes, but about to turn into the teeth of the wind when he saw a scoreboard in the distance that said he was 6 under and threatening the course record. “And I just started laughing to myself,” he said after going 4 over for his last six. “Like, who in the world would write that and put that on a board with that last five holes to play?” Even with some of the tees moved up, he added, “It’s a brutally difficult finish (into the wind). Straight in, very slightly at times just off the left, and you’re aiming at targets which if you pull it very slightly, you’re in the dunes, and if you cut it, you’re wet or on the beach. It’s intense.” The scariest of the fearsome five finishing holes was 17, which played the hardest in the second round. Mickelson bogeyed it, as did Brooks Koepka (71, 4 under). Kevin Streelman (72, 2 under), who hit the green and two-putted from over 77 feet to par it, called 17, “One of the hardest par-3s we’ve ever played in professional golf right now.” The hole played to a 3.682 stroke average and was No. 1 in difficulty Friday. The 15th was the second hardest at 4.552, and the par-3 14th was the third hardest at 3.539. The 18th hole played to a 4.526 average and was fourth toughest on the day. For the week, 17 and 18 are playing the toughest and second toughest holes on the course, respectively. Harry Higgs (71, 1 under) bucked convention Friday. He hit the green on 17 and 18 before holing trans-continental birdie putts of 59 and 64 feet, respectively. He said it bought him a few extra hours sleep Saturday, and his brother was going to make him a cocktail to celebrate. Charley Hoffman (70, 1 under) did him one better, going 2 under on holes 14-18. “To be completely honest we got lucky,” Hoffman said of a slight let-up from the wind late in the day. “As soon as we made that turn, it did die a little.” They were the exceptions to the rule; nearly everyone died a little on the last five holes.

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