Andy Ogletree set for pro debut at Mayakoba Golf Classic

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Australian PGA TOUR players Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith have kickstarted a campaign to help with the extensive bushfire crisis that has overrun their home country and have called upon their fellow TOUR pros from all nations to join the cause. Leishman and Smith have vowed to donate funds for every birdie and eagle they make at this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii and have already received significant support from fellow Australian players in the field in Matt Jones, Cameron Davis, Cameron Percy and Rhein Gibson. In a huge boost to the cause, the Presidents Cup – which was recently held in Melbourne Australia – and the PGA TOUR have committed to match any figures raised by any player in the Sony Open field up to $125,000. Smith and Leishman were both members of the International team in the competition. “It is heartwarming and comes as no surprise to see our players lend their support for the current crisis here in Australia,â€� said Presidents Cup Executive Director Matt Kamienski. “Having worked and lived in Australia for the past two editions of the Presidents Cup in 2011 and 2019, it is difficult to witness what this community has endured over the last several weeks. Our thoughts are with those who have experienced a loss during this time and we thank those who continually raise their hand to fight these bushfires. “The Presidents Cup and the PGA TOUR have been welcomed with open arms in all of our visits to Australia and we hope our involvement will positively impact the community that gave so much to the event.â€� To date, more than 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres or over 28,000 square miles) have been burned across Australia’s six states – an area larger than the American state of West Virginia. The burn area is also larger than the countries of Belgium and Denmark combined. For comparison, the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires burned more than 7 million hectares while California’s wildfires combined to burn just over 100,000 hectares in 2019 and 404,000 hectares in 2018. Multiple fires are still raging. There have been 24 lives lost and destruction of homes is in the thousands. The wildlife of the country has also taken a cataclysmic hit also with estimates of half a billion animals being affected. “The devastation caused in this unprecedented national crisis in Australia is just terrible,â€� Leishman said. “There have been lives lost and around 2,000 families have lost homes, not to mention the catastrophic damage to the unique wildlife in the country. The communities across the nation have shown tremendous spirit in the face of such adversity and it is the least we can do to try to help out.â€� Leishman has vowed to donate $500 a birdie and $1,000 an eagle this week. Supporters of his have added to this taking it up over $800 a birdie and $2,000 an eagle. Leishman’s Begin Again Foundation has also vowed to match general donations up to $5,000. “I am calling on my fellow TOUR pros to join the cause and create enough support so we can maximize the donations from the Presidents Cup and TOUR itself as well,â€� Leishman said. “This is a global crisis and a cause close to my heart.â€� Smith was quick to jump on board, rallying to his nations cause. He will also pledge $500 a birdie and $1,000 an eagle this week. “People all over Australia are doing it tough at the moment and if we can help in some small way hopefully that keeps some of the morale a little higher,â€� Smith said. “Aussies are resilient people and the scenes of how everyone has come together in awful circumstances shows why I am so proud to be Australian. But this goes beyond a nation’s borders. This is a crisis that could use widespread global support. I am sure our PGA TOUR community will rally around this.â€� Jones, the recent Australian Open champion, who claimed his title in Sydney amongst dense smoke from the fires has pledged $250 a birdie and $500 an eagle while Davis, Gibson and Percy will also provide meaningful figures in the coming days. There are several ways people can support the cause including through Leishman’s Foundation at http://beginagainfoundation.com/donate/. Other ways include: The NSW Rural Fire Service https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising The Victorian Country Fire Authority https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa#donate-cfa The Queensland Fire and Rescue team http://www.givit.org.au/disasters South Australian Country Fire Service https://cfsfoundation.org.au/donate Western Australia https://www.bushfire.org.au/product/support-the-association-supporting-volunteers/ Wildlife donations can be directed here https://www.wires.org.au/donate/emergency-fund

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TONY FINAU GOES BACK-TO-BACK, WINS ROCKET MORTGAGE Tony Finau earned two wins in his first 211 PGA TOUR starts. In the last two weeks, he has doubled that total. Finau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by five strokes over a trio of players, finishing 26-under at a lively Detroit Golf Club. Across his back-to-back victories at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic, the father of five has gone 43 under par. Finau went 64 holes without a bogey in Detroit but didn’t miss a beat after carding 4 on the par-3 11th Sunday, responding with three birdies in his final seven holes and earning a comfortable walk up the 72nd hole as fans cheered “Tony! Tony!” in appreciation. Finau accrues 500 FedExCup points for his efforts and moves to No. 7 with one event remaining before the Playoffs, as he becomes the first player to win back-to-back TOUR Regular Season events since Brendon Todd in 2019. “All I wanted to do this week was show that I’m a winner and a champion,” said Finau in an emotional greenside interview Sunday afternoon. He did just that. WYNDHAM WRAPPING REGULAR SEASON The Regular Season wraps up at the Wyndham Championship with no shortage of drama set to unfold around the top 125 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List as players jockey for their place in the FedExCup Playoffs. Kevin Kisner returns to defend after winning a six-man playoff a year ago. Will Zalatoris headlines the field in North Carolina. Past FedExCup champions Billy Horschel and Justin Rose are also in the field. East Carolina alum Harold Varner III, U.S. Presidents Cup captain Davis Love III (who won his third Wyndham Championship in 2015 at age 51), past PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im and European major champs Danny Willett and Shane Lowry will all look to win the final Regular Season event in Greensboro. For a second week in a row, the TOUR will compete at a Donald Ross design. Sedgefield Country Club has Ross’ typical small and undulating greens and will be the perfect test for those trying to make it to the first of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs. The Wyndham Championship will mark the final television broadcast for longtime analyst and nine-time TOUR winner Sir Nick Faldo. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “I’ve been getting shown a lot of love actually even from the TOUR guys congratulating me. I’m like, ‘You guys know who I am? This is crazy. I know who you are!’” – Wyatt Worthington II on his reception since earning a spot in the Detroit GC field by winning THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage. “It means everything. Every day I’ve played golf, I thought about playing on the PGA TOUR, it was nothing else. Today it could get a little emotional tonight, but it’s definitely been a dream, it’s been a road and hopefully next season I’ll be out here full time.” – Tom (Joohyung) Kim after shooting a course-record 63 to finish seventh and secure his PGA TOUR card via top-125 non-member FedExCup points. BY THE NUMBERS 4 – Siblings Patrick, Nick, Caroline and Jack Cantlay are all following their own paths in the golf world. Read more about the siblings and how the eldest, Patrick, has inspired his family. 314.597 – FedExCup points for Austin Smotherman, who sits 125th on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List with one event left in the Regular Season. 29 – Number of spots Stephan Jaeger jumped on the FedExCup (No. 123 to No. 94) with a fifth-place finish in Detroit, as the six-time Korn Ferry Tour winner secures his first Playoffs berth. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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Reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from this week's Valero Texas Open, the final event before the 2021 Masters. "After much careful thought over the weekend, I have decided to withdraw from the Valero Texas Open," Johnson said in a statement. "I now plan to spend the week at home in preparation for next week's Masters. I sincerely apologize to the sponsors at Valero and all my friends in San Antonio, as I realize this is disappointing news. Nonetheless, I have no doubt it will be another great week for the Valero Texas Open." Johnson committed to the event after failing to qualify for the Round of 16 in last week's World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Championship, his third consecutive finish outside the top 25. Johnson is No. 6 in this season's FedExCup standings thanks to his Masters win in November and three other top-10s. He set an Augusta National scoring record with his 20-under 268 in his five-shot victory.

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