Before DeChambeau’s win, a text from Tiger

Most of the PGA TOUR’s 21-member rookie class will be in action at the Sanderson Farms Championship at 7,421-yard, par-72 Country Club of Jackson (Mississippi). The second domestic tournament of the season has had four first-time winners in the last four years, tying the Sanderson with The RSM Classic for the longest active streak of first-time winners. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER The Sanderson field averaged +0.348 strokes over par at the 479-yard, par-4 (signature) 16th hole last year, making it the 7th hardest hole (non-majors) on TOUR. Players combined for 25 total birdies there, compared to 28 double-bogeys or worse. A swamp protects the entire left side of the hole and crosses the fairway approximately 80 yards in front of the largest green on the course. Here’s how Cody Gribble played the hole when he won in 2016. LANDING ZONE At 505 yards, the par-4 18th hole requires a long tee shot up the left side of the fairway, and the approach shot, uphill, plays nearly a club longer than you might think. Here’s a look at the 18th from the tee. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “A strengthening low pressure system will move along the MS/LA coast on Thursday providing rain across the area for most of the day before tapering off during the evening. Rainfall will likely average around 1inch by the end of the day. Mostly cloudy skies and cooler conditions can be expected on Friday with a gradual clearing. Partly cloudy skies will return on the weekend with milder temperatures. The next cold front will move across the state Sunday evening that may produce an isolated shower late in the day as it passes.â€� For the latest weather news from Jackson, Mississippi, check out PGATOUR.com’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK She’s been to almost 40 states. She’s well-traveled. BY THE NUMBERS 264 – Average yards off the tee by winner Ryan Armour last year, making him second from last in driving distance as he picked up his first TOUR win in his 105th career start. 4 – Winners of the eight fall events last season who reached the TOUR Championship, including FedExCup champion Justin Rose (World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions). 20.47 – Percentage of TOUR starts (70/342) in which Retief Goosen has finished in the top-10. SCATTERSHOTS Hunter Mahan isn’t the only player looking to reignite his career at the Sanderson after reclaiming his TOUR card through the Web.com Tour Finals. The same could be said for Lucas Glover, who did the same thing. And speaking of former U.S. Open winners, Retief Goosen, 49, will be making his first start of the new season at Country Club of Jackson. Newly elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, Goosen finished 153rd in the FedExCup last season. The sponsor exemptions at Sanderson are a who’s who of college golf, with Stanford product Maverick McNealy, the former No. 1 ranked amateur; Doug Ghim, who played for Texas and won the 2018 Ben Hogan Award; and Norman Xiong, who honed his game at the First Tee of San Diego and won the Haskins and Nicklaus Awards while at the University of Oregon. Three players are making the 15-plus-hour trek from Jeju Island, South Korea (and THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES) to Jackson, Mississippi: J.J. Spaun, Sungjae Im, and defending Sanderson champion Ryan Armour, whose 49th-place finish in the FedExCup last season was the best by a winner since 2011 champion Chris Kirk went on to finish 42nd.

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TUCSON, Ariz. – The 2019 Cologuard Classic tournament announced today that more than $600,000 was raised from the PGA TOUR Champions event that will soon benefit Southern Arizona youth amateur athletics, and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. The tournament’s charitable efforts were heavily focused on raising awareness of colorectal cancer and the importance of early screening and detection. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women combined in the United States.1 When caught early, 90% of colorectal cancers are treatable.1 As part of the initiatives onsite, the Cologuard Classic kicked off tournament week by hosting the Get Your Rear In Gear 5k run/walk in partnership with the Colon Cancer Coalition. This year’s event had more than 700 participants and the funds raised will support colorectal cancer education and screenings benefiting the local community. Also, the tournament hosted a Dress in Blue Day presented by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. It was an enormous success as thousands of fans, volunteers and golfers created a sea of blue with their attire – from hats to shirts, and even shoelaces. Additionally, the Cologuard Classic Celebrity Challenge played during the tournament’s second round, generated further awareness for the cause. Former athletes Oscar De La Hoya and Chuck Cecil defeated actors Alfonso Ribeiro and Greg Kinnear in front of a lively and energetic crowd. Following the round, Exact Sciences, makers of Cologuard, made a $50,000 donation in the names of De La Hoya and Cecil to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. De La Hoya announced Golden Boy Promotions, his boxing and mixed martial arts promotions firm, would match the donation for a total of $100,000 to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. The 2019 Cologuard Classic had an estimated $25 million economic impact on the Southern Arizona economy. For the Cologuard Classic and surrounding events, this included the expenditures of visitors; media from outside Arizona who covered the event; the organizational spending by the Conquistadores; media and event production companies; diverse organizations and businesses involved in operations; event production and activation of sponsorships; and the weekend coverage to national and international audiences on Golf Channel. The 2020 tournament will mark the third year of the Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 50 years or older, and the sixth year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. Next year’s tournament activities will take place February 23 – March 1 at Omni Tucson National Resort and will feature a 78-player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. For up-to-date information on next year’s Cologuard Classic follow cologuardclassic.com, at facebook.com/CologuardClassic, on Twitter @CologuardGolf and Instagram @Cologuard_Classic. The Tucson Conquistadores, Inc. review funding requests from organizations and determine contributions including scholarships on a monthly basis. The deadline for applications is the 24th of each month, with requests reviewed and applicants notified by mail around the 15th of the following month. More information on charitable funding can be found on the Tucson Conquistadores’ website, www.tucsonconquistadores.com/funding-info-application. 

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