Cejka shoots 64, leads Senior Players by 2

SCHAUFFELE WINS GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN; MULLINAX TAKES BARBASOL Xander Schauffele has won in a variety of formats and conditions across his professional career, and the California kid was a cool customer at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open, overcoming the wrong end of the draw at The Renaissance Club for a 7-under total and one-stroke win over Kurt Kitayama. The 28-year-old Schauffele held a four-stroke lead early in the final round and ceded the advantage to Kurt Kitayama early on his final nine before rallying with birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to allow the luxury of a closing bogey for the win. Perhaps the hottest player in golf, Schauffele backed up his Travelers Championship triumph and has won in back-to-back PGA TOUR starts, in addition to winning the star-studded JP McManus Pro-Am early last week. This marks Schauffele’s seventh career TOUR title and third of the season. Schauffele joins Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns as three-time winners on TOUR this season, and with 500 FedExCup points accrued, Schauffele moves from No. 8 to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings. The Genesis Scottish Open marked the first co-sanctioned event of the PGA TOUR/DP World Tour strategic alliance and joint venture. Trey Mullinax earned his first PGA TOUR title Sunday at the Barbasol Championship, making a 15-foot birdie on the 72nd hole at Keene Trace GC in Kentucky for a one-stroke victory over Kevin Streelman at 25 under. The University of Alabama alum, 30, had previously won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour but has bounced between tours while battling injuries. Now he’s fully exempt on the PGA TOUR through 2024. THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP HEADS HOME The Open Championship, set for its 150th playing, returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews and the Home of Golf. Tiger Woods is in the field for the first time since withdrawing from the PGA Championship and electing not to play in the U.S. Open. Collin Morikawa looks to become the first repeat winner of the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is hoping to follow in Woods’ footsteps. Woods was the last player to win both the Masters at Augusta National and The Open at St. Andrews in the same year (Woods did it in 2005). Justin Thomas (PGA Championship) and Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S. Open) are also looking to add a final notch on their major championship belt for 2022. The last five major champions have all been in their 20s, while Rory McIlroy and Will Zalatoris are the only players to have finished inside the top-10 in each of the three majors already contested this year. McIlroy will team up with Woods in Monday’s Celebration of Champions. This marks the 30th playing of The Open at St. Andrews’ Old Course (and here are nine things to know about the legendary layout). The Champion Golfer come Sunday will receive the famous Claret Jug and 600 FedExCup points. TIME TO COUNT THE POINTS AT BARRACUDA The Barracuda Championship is the TOUR’s only Modified Stableford event and will be played opposite The Open. For the first time, the Barracuda will be co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour and will allow members of both to compete at Tahoe Mountain Club in Lake Tahoe. Among the group of DP World Tour players teeing it up are multi-time winners Rasmus Hojgaard and European Ryder Cup star Alex Noren. Rolling hills, numerous bunkers and large greens make up the course at the Barracuda. With the course set at more than 6,000 feet above sea level, there are a handful of drivable par 4s but also some beastly holes like the 631-yard par-5 second. The Modified Stableford scoring format features eight points for an albatross, five points for an eagle and two points for a birdie. For a full explanation of the format, click here. The winner will receive 300 FedExCup points. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “It’s been a blast. I was just telling my caddie that I think this is my favorite place in the world to play golf.” – Doug Ghim on playing links golf in Scotland at the Genesis Scottish Open. BY THE NUMBERS 68 – Final-round score by Jerry Kelly to win the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Firestone Country Club. He defeated close friend Steve Stricker by two shots and earned entry into the THE PLAYERS Championship in 2023. 18 – Holes Tiger Woods played on Sunday during a morning practice round at St. Andrews to prepare for the 150th Open Championship. 4 – Players who qualified Sunday for this week’s The Open Championship at St. Andrews. Three players qualified from the Genesis Scottish Open and one from the Barbasol Championship. See who they are here. 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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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Albin Choi always dreamed of winning on the PGA TOUR. He just hoped it would be as a player. Choi got his first PGA TOUR win Sunday, but it was as a caddie for The Honda Classic champion Sungjae Im. Choi was a fortuitous fill-in on Im’s bag. It was Choi’s first week caddying for his friend, whom he met during Im’s lone season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Ki Taek Lee, a former college teammate of Jon Rahm’s, will be Im’s caddie for the next two weeks. Lee, who has caddied for K.J. Choi, was on Im’s bag at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship but missed last week to attend a wedding. Related: Monday Finish: Im breaks through | Im withstands pressure to win The Honda Classic Now Choi hopes the experience – as well as the paycheck – can help him continue his professional career as an injury to his left wrist heals. “Just seeing what it takes to be a PGA TOUR winner and being there inside the ropes, it was really good,â€� Choi said Sunday. “I haven’t felt that in a very long time.â€� Im won The Honda Classic by one stroke over Mackenzie Hughes. Im and Hughes both shot 66, matching Sunday’s lowest score, while playing in the fourth-to-last group. Choi was a groomsman in Hughes’ wedding. “That was really crazy,â€� Hughes said about the pairing. “I thought it was kind of a dream come true because my caddie is a good friend of mine, and I get to walk with Albin who I’ve known since junior golf days. It was a lot of fun. We had a few good laughs out there.” Choi, 27, is a former Canadian Amateur champion and was the 2013 Atlantic Coast Player of the Year while playing for North Carolina State (he won the award one year after someone named Brooks Koepka earned that honor). Choi turned pro in 2013 and won two years later on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. He finished sixth on the Order of Merit that year. He’s played the past four seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, collecting five top-10s in 110 career Korn Ferry Tour starts. Choi, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, lost his status after finishing 117th on the regular-season points list last year. He started caddying at nearby Old Palm Golf Club about four months ago while nursing a wrist injury. This was his first time caddying on the PGA TOUR. He had experience at PGA National, though. Choi got his Korn Ferry Tour card with a T14 finish in the 2015 Q-School at PGA National. “I know how hard it is to navigate your way through this golf course. … I just felt like the experience kind of helped me today,â€� Choi said. “From a player standpoint, I kind of knew what he was feeling at certain times, and I felt like I could kind of draw upon my experiences to help him out today and to keep his head in the right place.â€�

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