Another typical day at THE PLAYERS (not exactly)

After entering the weekend in contention at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, Carlos Ortiz heads to Houston to defend in one of the PGA TOUR’s longest-running host cities. To win this year’s Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open, however, he’ll have to top a field boasting many of the game’s top players. FIELD NOTES: Brooks Koepka will head back to Houston – and the course he had a hand in shaping – to find his game after some continued struggles saw him miss the cut in Mexico… Koepka is joined by 13 other major champions in the Houston field… Matthew Wolff, who held the 36-hole lead in Mexico, is teeing it up… Past Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open winners teeing it up include the last four champs: Ortiz (defending a TOUR title for the first time), Lanto Griffin, Russell Henley, and Ian Poulter… Texas native and U.S. Ryder cup team member Scottie Scheffler is in the field after sitting in second place halfway through last week’s World Wide Technology Championship… Adam Scott, who won in Houston in 2007, is returning to action after a T5 at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT… Sponsor exemptions include Arizona State senior Cameron Sisk, Houston-area residents MJ Daffue and Shawn Stefani, and Brooks Koepka’s younger brother, Chase Koepka… Sisk earned his spot by winning the Maridoe Intercollegiate. He is 18th in the PGA TOUR University ranking. Sisk has finished in the top 5 in all three of his starts this season, including a win and runner-up. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Memorial Park Golf Course, par 70, 7,412 yards. This municipal course underwent a dramatic renovation by famed architect Tom Doak, with consultation from Brooks Koepka, before returning to the PGA TOUR after an absence of nearly six decades. To prepare for the TOUR’s return, holes were both shortened and lengthened, and trees were removed. The course boasts strategic bunkering, and unique green contours with dramatic short-grass runoffs – making it a second-shot golf course. STORYLINES: The Houston stop is the penultimate event on the PGA TOUR schedule in 2021… With just one more event left after Houston, this is prime time for many to earn valuable FedExCup points. Sixteen of the top 30 players on the FedExCup standings (as of Nov. 6), including leader Sam Burns, will tee it up in Houston. Three past FedExCup champions (Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, and Henrik Stenson) are scheduled to play… Ortiz is looking to become the first golfer to defend his title in Houston since Vijay Singh in 2004-05… While there hasn’t been a playoff in Houston since 2018, the event has still seen playoffs 23 times out of its 74 editions – the second most of any in the TOUR’s history after the U.S. Open. 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, Curtis Strange and Lee Trevino (1980 at Woodlands CC), Vijay Singh (2002 at TPC Woodlands). Golf Club of Houston record: 268, Phil Mickelson (2011), Russell Henley (2017). Memorial Park Golf Course record: 267, Carlos Ortiz (2020) 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Ron Streck (3rd round, 1981 at Woodlands CC), Fred Funk (3rd round, 1992 at TPC Woodlands). Golf Club of Houston record: 63, Johnson Wagner (1st round, 2008), Adam Scott (1st round, 2008), Jimmy Walker (1st round, 2011), Phil Mickelson (3rd round, 2011), Scott Piercy (1st round, 2015), Sung Kang (2nd round, 2017). Memorial Park Golf Course record: 63, Hideki Matsuyama (4th round, 2020), Talor Gooch (4th round, 2020) LAST TIME: Carlos Ortiz finally broke through to win on the PGA TOUR (after winning three times on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2014) after a final-round 65 in Houston. He became the first Mexican player in 42 years to win on the PGA TOUR. … Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama tied for second, then went on to win the next two Masters. Johnson won 2020’s unique November Masters the following week and Matsuyama won in the tournament’s return to its traditional April date … Ortiz needed two putts to win on the 72nd hole, but drained a 20-footer for birdie to finish in style. Matsuyama and Johnson finished tied for second, two shots back of Ortiz. Talor Gooch finished fourth, while Brooks Koepka and Sepp Straka rounded out the top five. Koepka had a role in redesigning the tournament’s host layout, the Memorial Park Golf Course. The 2020 Houston Open was the first domestic PGA TOUR event that allowed spectators since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2,000 tickets sold per day. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

Click here to read the full article…

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Recaps of the completed matches in Friday’s Four-ball session at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National. MATCH 6: Halved Hideki Matsuyama/Adam Hadwin (International) halve with Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed (U.S.) Holes won: International 4, U.S. 4 Holes led: International 10, U.S. 2 Recap: A late rally allowed the powerhouse American twosome to salvage a half-point, although they certainly had chances in the last two holes to gain the full point. But for most of the match, it appeared the Internationals would pull off the upset, with Matsuyama partnering Hadwin, making his Presidents Cup debut after sitting out Thursday’s session. Reed gave the U.S. an early lead with an eagle on the second hole, but from there, a couple of Matsuyama birdies turned the momentum. Matsuyama struggled off the tee on the back side, but the Internationals were still 2-up after Hadwin’s birdie at the 13th. That’s when the U.S. clawed back. Reed started the push with a 16-foot birdie putt at the 15th, then Spieth’s tee shot to within 7 feet set up for a birdie win at the 16th to square the match. Spieth couldn’t convert an 8-foot birdie putt at the 17th that would’ve given the U.S. the lead, then saw his birdie attempt from 21 feet on the final hole lip out. MATCH 7: U.S. wins, 3 and 2 Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Louis Oosthuizen/Branden Grace (International)  Holes won: U.S. 4, International 1 Holes led: U.S. 14, International 0 Recap: The South African duo had not lost in five matches dating back to the 2015 Presidents Cup, but the young American stars found a way to take them down. Fowler won the third hole with a birdie, and then Thomas basically took it from there. His par at the fifth and birdie at the 8th won holes; he cupped his hand to his ear after the latter, enticing the partisan crowd for more noise. Grace won the Internationals’ only hole at the sixth, but Thomas was not to be denied on the back nine. He holed out from a bunker, a shot that eventually halved the hole. Then his birdie at the 15th won the hole afte Oosthuizen missed a shorter putt. MATCH 8: In progress Jason Day/Marc Leishman (International) vs. Phil Mickelson/Kevin Kisner (U.S.) MATCH 9: USA wins, 6 and 5 Kevin Kisner/Charley Hoffman (U.S.) def. Charl Schwartzel/Anirban Lahiri (International) Holes won: U.S. 7, International 1 Holes led: U.S. 13, International 0 Recap: Nervous first-timers? Not for these two Americans, as Presidents Cup rookies Hoffman and Kisner — who each sat out Thursday’s Foursomes — throttled the International duo. Hoffman won the first hole with a par, and the Americans never trailed the rest of the way. Both players contributed — Hoffman winning the second hole with an eagle and Chappell making birdies at holes 4 and 8. The U.S. was 5 up at the turn, as the Internationals didn’t win their first hole until the 10th. Hoffman closed out the match with a great approach to set up his winning birdie at the 13th. MATCH 10: In progress Jhonattan Vegas/Adam Scott (International) vs. Dustin Johnson/Brooks Koepka (U.S.)

Click here to read the full article…

Tiger and Charlie Woods did what they needed to do. Despite each battling injury throughout Saturday’s opening round of the PNC Championship, Team Woods carded 13-under 59 to stay within striking distance of the lead into Sunday. Justin and Mike Thomas held the opening-round lead at 15-under 57, with Team Woods sharing second place with Vijay and Qass Singh. Team Woods and Team Thomas will play in Sunday’s final group at Ritz-Carlton GC, teeing off at 11:05 a.m. ET. Team Woods finished runner-up at last year’s PNC Championship, two strokes back of John Daly and John Daly II, and will aim to do one spot better Sunday in central Florida. The field, though, has no intention of making it easy. Keep it here for hole-by-hole updates from Team Woods’ final round at the PNC Championship. Hole 2 (par 4, 410/380 yards) Tiger stripes his drive well over 300 yards, leaving a flip wedge from just 72 yards. Charlie leaves his approach short, but dad takes care of things with a high wedge that lands soft and settles within 6 feet. Sporting a red sweater, Charlie putts first and misses on the right side. Tiger studies it intently but also misses the left-ro-right slider on the right side. A disappointing par for Team Woods considering the opportunity, but the silver lining is that Team Thomas makes par as well. Pace is kept. Team Woods, 14-under (1-under Sunday thru 2) Leader: 16-under, Team Thomas (thru 2), Team Daly (thru 6) Hole 1 (par 4, 395/380 yards) Tiger and Charlie arrive on the tee sporting the trademark Woods Sunday red, after exuding confident vibes in their range warm-up. Team Woods finds the fairway to begin the proceedings, and a wedge to 6 feet leaves a short-range birdie try. Charlie putts first and misses, but Tiger handles with no problem. Team Thomas also makes birdie, though, to remain two strokes clear of the Woods duo. Team Woods, 14-under (1-under Sunday thru 1) Leader: Team Thomas, 16-under

Click here to read the full article…