Bryson DeChambeau and his driver were at it again at the Ryder Cup

Tiger Woods guided the U.S team to a win — as the team’s captain and its best player — and completed a year that reminded the world of something: He can still play.

Click here to read the full article…

This year’s qualifier for The Honda Classic was all but finished as darkness set in Monday evening at Banyan Cay Resort and Golf in West Palm Beach, Florida. In true Monday qualifier fashion, 16 players will return to the course Tuesday morning to compete for the fourth and final qualifying spot in this week’s field. Sam Stevens, who competed alongside Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff at Oklahoma State, pitched in a high spinner for eagle on the par-5 18th to earn medalist honors at 7-under 65. “I didn’t know exactly what I needed, but I thought 6-under would be good enough,” Stevens said after the round. “(The shot) came off great and looked like it was going to stop close, so it was just icing on the cake when it dropped.” Two-time PGA TOUR winner Fabian Gomez carded a 6-under 66 to qualify. Fellow Argentinian Martin Contini also posted a 66 to capture the third qualifying spot. Inside Tuesday’s 16-for-1 playoff: Chase Seiffert – Finished T3 at the 2021 Honda Classic … has played four PGA TOUR events this year. Jesse Smith – Qualified for 2013 U.S. Open. Maxwell Sear – Qualified for 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. Mickey DeMorat – Qualified for The RSM Classic last fall, finishing T47 … played in 2018 U.S. Open. Ruaidhri Mcgee – Has played majority of professional career on the Challenge Tour … best finish was T2 at the 2015 Challenge de Madrid. J.T. Griffin – Last PGA TOUR start came at the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship … recorded four top-10s on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour. Rick Lamb – Won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2016 LECOM Health Challenge in a playoff over C.T. Pan, Dominic Bozzelli and Rhein Gibson. David Lingmerth – 2015 Memorial Tournament champion … has made over $9 million on the PGA TOUR … qualified for 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and finished T57. M.J. Maguire – Finished No. 5 on 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica money list … 2022 Korn Ferry Tour member. Justin Doeden – Solo PGA TOUR start came at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open … won 2020 Classic at The Club at Weston Hills (LOCALiQ series). D.J. Trahan – Two-time PGA TOUR winner. Turk Pettit – Won 2021 Birck Boilermaker Classic on PGA TOUR Canada … finished T39 at The Panama Championship earlier this month … won 2021 NCAA Division I men’s golf individual title at Grayhawk GC. Brian Richey – Recorded two top-10 finishes on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour … Florida resident. Anders Albertson – Won Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS in 2018 … played 2018-19 PGA TOUR season … best finish was T5 at Sanderson Farms Championship. Andy Svoboda – Three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner. Ben Griffin – Has three top-10 finishes on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour … recorded back-to-back second-place finishes at the 2022 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard and LECOM Suncoast Classic. THE HONDA CLASSIC QUALIFIERS Sam Stevens (7-under 65) • Age: 25 • Turned pro: 2018 • PGA TOUR starts: 0 • Notes: Will make his first PGA TOUR start at The Honda Classic … earned 2022 Korn Ferry Tour membership via Q-School … has made two of three cuts to begin the Korn Ferry Tour season … finished T35 at last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic … competed on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2019 and 2020-21, recording five top-10 finishes … won the 2021 Holcim Colombia Classic presented by Volvo … finished No. 2 on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit … finished T23 at the 2018 Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, his first career PGA TOUR-sanctioned event … played collegiately at Oklahoma State University for four seasons (2014-18), where he was a teammate of Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland … was a member of the Cowboys’ 2018 NCAA Championship-winning team (did not see action in stroke play or match play) … competed at the 2016 NCAA Championships as a sophomore … won the 2015 Kansas Amateur Championship and finished runner-up in 2013, 2014 and 2018 … became a third-generation winner of the Kansas Amateur, as his father Charlie won in 2010 and his grandfather Johnny won in 1960 and 1961 … stands No. 649 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Fabián Gómez (6-under 66) • Age: 43 • Turned pro: 2002 • PGA TOUR starts: 162 • Cuts made: 80 Notes: Gómez will make his second TOUR start of the season at The Honda Classic … first start resulted in missed cut at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship … failed to retain his PGA TOUR card following 15 missed cuts in 24 starts during the 2020-21 season … currently holds Past Champion status on the PGA TOUR … has made five starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year … two-time PGA TOUR winner (2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic; 2016 Sony Open in Hawaii) … has earned nearly $7 million on the PGA TOUR … represented Argentina at the 2013 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics … grew up playing same course, Chaco Golf Club, as Jose Coceres and Emiliano Grillo … hosts the Fabian Gomez Classic at Chaco GC in September to benefit charity in Argentina … stands No. 674 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Martin Contini (6-under 66) Age: 27 Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Will make his PGA TOUR debut at The Honda Classic … has played five events on the Korn Ferry Tour this year … recorded ninth-place finish at The Panama Championship on Korn Ferry Tour … has made 11 career PGA TOUR Latinoamerica starts, highlighted by a T34 at the 115 VISA Argentine Open presented by Macro in 2021 … won the 2017 Argentine Amateur Championship, defeating Andres Gallegos, 3 and 2. 2021-22 Monday qualifier statistics Top-25s: Grant Hirschman (T17, Sanderson Farms Championship); Patrick Flavin (T17, Butterfield Bermuda Championship) Best finish: Grant Hirschman (T17, Sanderson Farms Championship); Patrick Flavin (T17, Butterfield Bermuda Championship) Most times qualified: Kyle Wilshire (2), Ben Silverman (2) Last event’s qualifier results (WM Phoenix Open): Ben Silverman (MC), Etienne Papineau (MC), Jeffrey Kang (MC)

Click here to read the full article…

OVERVIEW Rory McIlroy has signaled his intentions for 2019 — he wants back at the top of golf. The 14-time PGA TOUR winner and former FedExCup champion wants nothing less than excellence and with a more condensed schedule on the horizon, he has doubled down on his presence in the USA. Having split his time between the PGA TOUR and European Tour in recent seasons, McIlroy says his focus, at least for the first six months of the year, will be in the U.S. And this means he is set to fire things up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions for the first time after forgoing an invitation six times prior. More Rory for us to feast on can never be a bad thing. As always the key for McIlroy is putting. He has the length and accuracy to match anyone in the world, so when he gets the putter pumping you can be sure he’s in contention. Last season he was 97th in Strokes Gained: Putting – which was actually his best result in the statistic since 2014 (41st). He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard when he was ranked first in the metric for the four rounds at Bay Hill. For McIlroy golf is now about increasing his legacy. He won the last of his four majors in 2014, but he has at least two top 10s across the four majors during each of the last four seasons since. McIlroy is always unquestionably one to watch and thankfully it appears we are about to get more of him to do just that. — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 186th Playoff appearances: 8 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: Won the FedExCup in 2016. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Rory McIlroy led the PGA TOUR in driving distance last season, averaging 319.8 yards on all measured holes. That’s the second-highest average since 1980 (Hank Kuehne averaged 321.4 yards in 2003). INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Rory McIlroy in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: McIlroy’s decision to concentrate hard on the PGA TOUR early in 2019 is set to pay huge dividends. With a settled travel schedule and a real focus on his FedExCup charge, I expect he will once again add to his win column and make a play towards another stint at the top of the world rankings. If his putter turns up just half the time, he can be near-unbeatable. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: Rory McIlroy … Since he appeared in my full-membership ranking that published in late September, and already with higher expectations slotted at No. 4, he’s reversed his decision to forego membership on the European Tour in 2019, so he’s retaining his dual-tour profile. However, it’s not a development that should concern PGA TOUR gamers because he’s not compromising his focus to complete the career grand slam at the Masters – his last major as a 20something – and he’s always maintained a controlled, predictable schedule in the U.S. His baseline is at least one victory among 7-8 top 10s in no more than just 18 starts. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Like a few others on this list, McIlroy was using a Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange shaft for a portion of 2018, but he’s since switched back to ol’ faithful, a Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver 70X shaft in his TaylorMade M3 driver (8.5 degrees). McIlroy also made equipment news in 2018 by using a TaylorMade TP Black Copper Soto putter with a red Surlyn face insert to win the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational. While he used the putter off and on through the 2018 Ryder Cup, he’s since switched back into a TaylorMade putter with a milled face, however. I’d be remiss not to mention his irons, as well; he’s still using the TaylorMade P-730 Rors proto irons (5-9) that shook up the equipment world when he first put them into play in 2017. But could it be time for an iron switch in 2019? — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: When you see Rory in 2019, he will be wearing the latest and greatest from Nike. He already gave us a preview of his footwear choice for the new year when he debuted Nike’s React Vapor 2 at the TOUR Championship. McIlroy first experienced the lightweight and responsive React foam in a pair of Nike running shoes and has called it “a game changerâ€� on the course. — By Greg Monteforte

Click here to read the full article…