Ben Cook wins low club professional at PGA Championship

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Scottie Scheffler closed with a bogey for a 9-under 62 and a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the PGA TOUR’s inaugural Bermuda Championship. Scheffler played his opening nine at hilly Port Royal Golf Club in 6-under 29, making an eagle on the par-5 17th. He added birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 7. In position to birdie in for a 59, he parred the par-3 eighth and dropped the stroke on the par-4 ninth. “You think about it a little bit,” Scheffler said about a 59. “The eagle putt on seven was pretty close and then on eight, felt like I hit a pretty good putt, just misread it. I guess kind of lost a little momentum.” Port Royal was the site of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 2009 through 2014. “It’s very hilly,” Scheffler said. “The green speeds are a little slower than what we’re used to, but that’s kind of what you have to do on a piece of property like this because if the wind picks up and the greens are too quick, then all of a sudden we can’t play golf.” The 23-year-old former University of Texas player won twice last year on the Korn Ferry Tour and earned fully exempt PGA TOUR status by leading the Korn Ferry’s combined points list for the regular season and finals. He tied for seventh in September at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in his first start of the season and made the cuts in his other three events. “I think it’s just a lot busier out here,” Scheffler said. “The courses are maybe a little bit harder, but the golf’s not much of an adjustment. There’s just a little more activity, a lot more of you guys, more club reps, more people around. Kind of try and stay in my own place.” Wes Roach was second. He eagled the par-5 seventh, but also finished with a bogey on No. 9. “It blew some early,” Roach said. “It didn’t blow near as much today as it had the last couple days around here. The course is a little bit more gettable with the wind laid down a touch.” Rob Oppenheim, Bo Hoag and Russell Knox shot 64. Oppenheim birdied seven of the first eight holes, then parred the final 10. “It’s kind of a dream start to come out here and birdie seven of the first eight,” Oppenheim said. “Made a lot of putts. … I didn’t play much different, just the putter was hot one nine and kind of a little cold the last nine.” John Senden opened with a 65. Lanto Griffin, making his first start since winning the Houston Open three weeks ago, shot 71.

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Former champion Adam Scott gave early bird fans at The Honda Classic a thrill when he stripped off his shoes and pulled off a stunning par save from the water at PGA National. Scott's approach shot on the par-4 11th hole - his second of the round - found itself drifting right from his line and came down short and in the water hazard. But with the ball only partially submerged Scott decided to attempt to play it from the wet muddy lie - local alligators be damned! RELATED: Affect of water balls on Florida Swing "I blocked my 7-iron and when I got up there I figured I could play it, but I called in a rules official because incredibly there were some electrical cables in the penalty area around my ball that I needed to move," Scott explained to PGATOUR.com. "I was able to move them, get my shoes and socks off, roll the trousers up, get my waterproof jacket on and get in the water with my lob wedge. From there I just played it like a full bunker explosion shot and got it to about 12-feet." For a split second it looked like the veteran might overbalance on his follow through and go for a swim, but he showed great poise to stay relatively dry. Scott then converted the 11-foot, 10-inch par putt - a critical save given he'd already bogeyed his opening hole. "It took a little bit of time to get the pond mud off me but was certainly nice to make the putt. Easy par right?" he smiled. Scott is familiar with the water around the course having won the trophy in 2016 despite making a quadruple bogey with two water balls in the third round. He also entered this week tied with Hideki Matsuyama having the most water balls (11) of the 2021 Florida swing thus far. Thankfully for the 16-time PGA TOUR winner his 12th wet shot in the last few weeks didn't hurt him on the scorecard and he eventually signed for a steady 1-under 69. "You can survive hitting it in the water once or maybe twice for a tournament," Scott said Tuesday. "The experience of playing these Florida golf courses for 20 years, it’s inevitable you’re going to hit one in the water, especially around here when it’s windy. You’re going to have to accept it and do the best you can to get past that hole and rebuild." Scott wasn't the only player to get his gear off at the 11th on Thursday. Sebastian Cappelen also found himself in a similar predicament and decided to attempt the shot sans shoes and shirt. The bare-chested Dane - who did find the green but was unable to convert his par putt - brought back memories of former FedExCup champion Henrik Stenson playing a shot from the water at Doral in 2009 in his underwear. The greatest water shot on TOUR though surely must be that of Bill Haas in the 2011 TOUR Championship. In a playoff with Hunter Mahan - with $11.4million on the line - Haas got up and down from the hazard on the 17th hole to stay alive and won the FedExCup a hole later.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR announced today that Will Zalatoris has been named the 2021 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2020-21 season. Zalatoris, 25, is competing in this week’s Fortinet Championship to open his first full season as a member of the PGA TOUR. Zalatoris, who will receive the Arnold Palmer Award for winning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, was selected for the honor over Garrick Higgo. “On behalf of the PGA TOUR, my congratulations to Will Zalatoris on being voted the 2021 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year by the TOUR’s membership,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Will’s success despite not having PGA TOUR membership status at the outset of the 2020-21 season is a testament to not only his ability but also his hard work and attitude.” Zalatoris joined the PGA TOUR as a Special Temporary Member in November and collected 1,296 non-member FedExCup points to earn full-time membership for the 2021-22 season. He recorded eight top-10s and made 21 cuts in 25 starts, highlighted by a runner-up at the 2021 Masters Tournament. The last Special Temporary Member to win PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year was Charles Howell III in 2001. Zalatoris also made 16 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020 and recorded 10 top-10s, highlighted by a win at the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes and a runner-up at the Evans Scholars Invitational. He earned a spot in the 2020 U.S. Open via his play on the Korn Ferry Tour after changes to the tournament’s eligibility criteria and finished in a tie for sixth in his first start of the PGA TOUR season. Following the U.S. Open, Zalatoris finished in the top 10 in two of his next three starts (T8/Corales Puntacana Championship, T5/Shriners Children’s Open) and crossed the threshold for Special Temporary Membership with another top-25 result at the Bermuda Championship. Throughout the 2021 portion of the season, Zalatoris went on to play in THE PLAYERS Championship, all four major championships and three World Golf Championships events, with top-10s in three of those eight appearances. His best result of his season came at the 2021 Masters Tournament, where he finished solo-second and was the only player in the field to record four under-par scores. PGA TOUR members who played at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2020-21 season were eligible to vote.

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