Chez Reavie leads after Round 1 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES

A quick look at Sunday’s final round of THE PLAYERS Championship. THE DRAMA At one point in Sunday’s final round the list of potential champions was longer than a Rory McIlroy drive … the 2019 PLAYERS Championship was certainly one of the most dramatic in the events history. While McIlroy eventually had the relatively “easyâ€� task of two-putting from 12 feet to win, it came after an afternoon where multiple challengers put their hands up as serious contenders. From overnight leader Jon Rahm and his fellow final group member Tommy Fleetwood. To upstarts Ollie Schniederjans and Abraham Ancer and familiar names like Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker. To 48-year-old Jim Furyk – who wound back the clock with an incredible performance – and to a pair of headline seekers in Eddie Pepperell and Jhonattan Vegas who will forever be inked in PLAYERS history after heroics at 17. All of them, and more, contributed to a blockbuster finish. One that won’t soon be forgotten. In fact it was the cacophony reverberating around TPC Sawgrass that was the hardest for McIlroy to deal with. Particularly given he’d had five top-6 finishes in 2019 without winning leading into this week. “The toughest part is seeing yourself up there, whatever score you’re on, and seeing 10 or 11 guys with a chance,â€� the now 15-time PGA TOUR winner said. “But there’s been a few times where I’ve been in positions like that, and I’ve taken the tournament by the scruff of the neck.â€� What McIlroy saw throughout the day was enough to make anyone’s head spin. First it was the likes of Mexico’s Ancer and young American Schniederjans making moves. Three birdies for Ollie and two for Abraham in the opening six holes had them thrust into the spotlight. The American seemingly dropped out of it with a double bogey on the 10th. Ancer was gone with bogeys on 12 and 13. Attention turned to Matsuyama next. Previously out of sight an eagle on the par-5 16th introduced the Japanese star to the mix. When he failed to birdie either of the final two holes he had the clubhouse lead at 12 under, but you figured it wouldn’t be enough. And you knew it wouldn’t be when England’s Pepperell got red hot. A closing 5-under 31, including an incredible double breaking 49-foot birdie on 17, took the mark to 14 under. Just as the echoes of Pepperell’s out of this world putt had subsided around TPC Sawgrass, Vegas stepped up and made one from 70-feet on the Island Green. It was the longest ever made in the ShotLink era (since 2003). Now the Venezuelan was the man. Especially after his approach to the 18th green stopped at six feet. But he failed to roll it in, settling for a tie with Pepperell. Johnson and Snedeker were making small moves at this point, but their challenge took a back seat to 48-year-old Furyk – his exploits ahead of them would force their hands and they would come up short. The local favorite Furyk had been hanging around all day, including hitting the lead when he was four under on his round through 11 holes. But he was almost dismissed when he bogeyed the 15th hole … frayed nerves they said. Birdie on 16 returned the old guy to center stage. Nerves? What nerves. He took dead aim at 17 and hit it to 14-feet. The birdie putt looked in the whole way but somehow stayed out. Never mind that though. Furyk took a deadly aggressive line off the 18th tee and then stiffed his approach to near tap in range. 15-under. Take that. Overnight leader Rahm had dropped three shots in four holes to give up the lead early on, but he bounced back with two birdies before the turn to stay in the mix. Despite a mental error on the 11th the Spaniard’s birdie on the 13th hole kept him alive. But he played the final four holes 3 over par, including a water ball on the par-3 17th. Fleetwood three-putted the opening hole and then got stuck on the treadmill going nowhere through the turn. A water ball on the par-5 11th and a bogey on the 15th seemingly took out the Englishman. That was until a stunning second shot on the par-5 16th set up an eagle. But as quick as he was back, he was gone, as his tee ball on the 17th bounced odd the railroad ties and into the drink. And so it left McIlroy. “I thought back to Crooked Stick in 2012, BMW Championship there,â€� he said of the chaos all around. “There was a lot of guys up around the lead, and I made a really good run on the back nine, was able to pull that off. I don’t know why it popped into my head, but I guess all these experiences are so helpful to draw on. “The hardest thing was just getting yourself to the point mentally where you say, well, why not me; this is my tournament, I’m going to finish it off.â€� Finish it off he did. Birdie on 15. Birdie on 16 (almost eagle). And a couple clutch pars on the closing holes, including a ripping drive down the last. Just as Pete Dye drew it up in his head all those years ago … a drama filled Sunday for us all. ODDS AND ENDS Stunning Stuff on 17: Fans around the amphitheater that is the par-3 17th were certainly given a treat. Eddie Pepperell’s 49-foot, seven-inch birdie on the Island Green was downright filthy good. “What can I say, it was pretty awesome, to be fair,â€� he smiled when recounting the double breaker up and over the rise from the front of the green to the back corner. But almost before the fans could even sit down after a standing ovation as Pepperell left the green Jhonattan Vegas decided to one up him. Vegas found a way to make the longest recorded putt ever on the green – a whopper from 69-feet, seven-inches. It beat out Bernhard Langer’s 59-foot, seven-inch effort from 2008’s second round. “Absolutely mind blowing, simple as that,â€� Vegas said. “It never crossed my mind that I was going to make such a long putt on such a phenomenal hole. But it’s one of those things, that’s kind of what you play golf for, to be in those kind of situations. Playing the 17th hole at THE PLAYERS with that crowd, it just doesn’t get any better. Obviously, the type of memories that last a lifetime and something that I’ll remember for forever.â€� Furyk falls just short: Jim Furyk claimed his second runner up finish at THE PLAYERS, lighting up his local fans with a great late charge. It is his 31st career second place, tying him with Tiger Woods for second all-time. Phil Mickelson has 36. You can read more on his efforts here. Johnson gets mini PLAYERS milestone: Coming into the week world No. 1 Dustin Johnson was without a top-10 finish in 10 starts at THE PLAYERS. But the move to March agreed with the 20-time PGA TOUR winner as he finished T5. Johnson (69-68-69-69) became the first player since Steve Elkington in 1997 to record all four rounds in the 60s at THE PLAYERS. Rahm’s regret: Overnight leader Jon Rahm would end the day with a tough 76, the pivotal moment being pinned to his approach to the par-5 11th green. Rahm drove the ball into the left fairway bunker and a path to the green was seemingly blocked out by trees – not to mention the water he would have to clear. When playing partner Tommy Fleetwood found water from the fairway Rahm’s caddie Adam Hayes worked at convincing his player to lay up to safety and try to make birdie with his wedge game. Instead the Spaniard was convinced he could hook the ball up and around the trouble. “Based on the way it was lying, with the lines  of the bunker going towards the hole, I was trying to hit a big draw,â€� Rahm said. “It was easier to take it than try to hit a wedge shot toward the fairway. It was a sand wedge. It might’ve been 80 yards tops but the ball from the angle was settled down, so I didn’t like it. Adam was trying to convince me to go right.â€� Rahm’s attempt was a poor one that got wet and had no chance of making land. It would eventually result in a bogey. “When I first got to the ball, I was really sure I could do it. If you give me 10 balls, besides that one, I’d hit the other nine on land,â€� he said. NOTABLES TIGER WOODS (69/6 under) – Best round of the week for the two-time PLAYERS Champion. Will play the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play as his next start. ADAM SCOTT (70/11 under) – Former champ bogeyed both back nine par-5s to take some gloss off. JUSTIN ROSE (68/12 under) – The FedExCup champion secured a third top-10 of the season to move to 12th in the standings. JASON DAY (72/12 under) – The 2016 PLAYERS Champion just couldn’t get his putter hot, settling for his fourth top-10 this season. RICKIE FOWLER (76/3 under) – Illness he battled all week finally caught up with the 2015 PLAYERS Champion. PATRICK REED (78/3 under) – Front nine 41 took away any faint hope the Masters champion started with … BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU (71/9 under) – Three front nine birdies had some thinking he might charge into the mix. But two bogeys off the turn killed him off. WEBB SIMPSON (68/8 under) – The defending champ posted his best round of the week despite a one-shot penalty when his putter got caught in his clothing and accidentally hit his ball on the fringe at 14. FRANCESCO MOLINARI (72/2 under) – Last week’s winner at Bay Hill finished well back. BROOKS KOEPKA (70/2 under) – Was 4 under on his round through 16 holes with two birdies and an eagle before finding the water at 17. SERGIO GARCIA (67/8 under) – Great finish for the former champion. WORTH WATCHING 49-foot birdie putt by Eddie Pepperell on No. 17 Laser approach by Jim Furyk on No. 18 Stunning drive at No. 18 by Rory McIlroy Bunker hole-out on 3 by Tiger Woods THEY SAID IT It still stings. I mean, I’m a competitor, and I want to win, and it pisses me off I didn’t. I was hitting the golf ball well and I’m frustrated at lipping more putts out than I think I have in a very long time. I play golf because I love the game and I know that I have a talent for it and I want to make the most of it. So I’m just satisfied that I’ve added another great tournament to my CV, and it puts me in a great spot going forward. It was just a matter of time; it was going to happen. BY THE NUMBERS 3 – Number of players who have won a FedExCup, THE PLAYERS, a major and a World Golf Championship. Rory McIlroy joined Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson 6 – Number of consecutive top-10s for McIlroy. The best streak of his career. 23 – Birdies by Abraham Ancer and Brandt Snedeker this week. Most in the field. 24 – Number of rounds in the 60s at THE PLAYERS for Sergio Garcia. The most ever. Adam Scott has 23. 7 – The highest score at the Island Green par-3 17th this week. Shared by Tiger Woods, Sam Ryder and Paul Casey. SUPERLATIVES STROKES GAINED LEADERS: Off-the-tee (Adam Scott, 2.003); Tee-to-Green (Dustin Johnson, 4.277); Approach-the-Green (Nick Taylor, 4.055); Around-the-Green (Eddie Pepperell, 3.709); Putting (Thorbjorn Olesen, 3.882); Total (Eddie Pepperell, Emiliano Grillo, Jhonattan Vegas, 5.260). LONGEST DRIVE: 356 yards – Luke List on 14. LONGEST PUTT: 69-feet, 7 inches. Jhonattan Vegas drilled a miracle birdie on the par-3 17th. LONGEST HOLE-OUT: 47 yards – Thorbjorn Olesen. MOST BIRDIES: 7 – Francesco Molinari (72), Thorbjorn Olesen (69), Eddie Pepperell (66), Nick Taylor (67), Jimmy Walker (71). BOGEY-FREE ROUNDS: Jhonattan Vegas (66), J.T.Poston (70) HARDEST HOLE: Par-4 18th. Played 4.288. Just nine birdies.

Click here to read the full article…

Bookend moments 15 years apart stand as testimony to the incomparable pro golf landscape into which Ernie Els was born. Already a major champion, Els on Oct. 17, 1996 turned 27 and was seemingly on his way to the top of the golf mountain when three days later, 20-year-old Tiger Woods won his first PGA TOUR tournament, the Las Vegas Invitational. Els’ world and that of every other professional golfer, would never be the same again. Left bookend: The big South African was asked to measure his predicament in the summer of 2000 when he finished second to Woods at the U.S. Open, then second to him at the Open Championship. He had been beaten by a whopping 15 at Pebble and a hefty eight at the Old Course, deficits that had one writer telling Els that Woods had broken a record that belonged to Old Tom Morris for more than 100 years. “Old Tom Morris?� Els said with emphatic indignation. “Old Tom Morris? If you put Old Tom Morris with Tiger, Tiger would probably beat him by 80 shots right now.� Right bookend: The Woods’ legend had been cemented – 79 PGA TOUR wins, 14 majors – only things were spiraling badly for him in February of 2015. He had missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, and both Woods’ health and frame of mind seemed fragile. At Pebble Beach the next week, Els shook his head and expressed compassion for his friend and rival. It had been a great rivalry, a reporter opined, only Els stopped, smiled, shook his head, and respectfully edited that comment. “He kicked my ass for 15 years,� he laughed. The sheer volume of numbers in Woods’ favor – 14 majors to Els’ 4; 683 weeks as No. 1 to Els’ 9 – would support that consensus. But the greater truth is, Els was a formidable foe, arguably the second-best player on the world stage during his prime. In fact, he won three majors during the Woods’ era and got the better of his younger rival a number of times. Els digested that, nodded approvingly, and said: “I take great pride in that.� Conceding that their grandest head-to-head matchup was the unforgettable stalemate of a playoff at the 2003 Presidents Cup, here’s a look at five other memorable tournaments where the ending involved each of these two icons: 1998 Bay Hill Invitational — Els had a six-shot lead over a trio of players, one of whom was Woods, who liked the fact that he was in his first final-round pairing with the South African. But Woods started bogey, bogey, bogey and Els’ day was that much easier. With a 73, Els won by four, while Woods crashed with a 77 and finished T-13. 1998 Johnnie Walker Classic — Els was trying to hold off Nick Faldo in the final round in Thailand, hardly worried about Woods, who was eight back. But Woods shot 65 and waited two hours for Els to finish. A bogey at 17 put Els one back, then he birdied 18 to tie. Woods’ 14-foot birdie roll on the second playoff hole left the ecstatic Thais in a frenzy. 1999 Nissan Open — Els and Woods were tied through 54, two shots behind third-round leader Ted Tryba. But Els seized control in the middle of the final round with five birdies in eight holes. Even with bogeys at 16 and 18, Els shot 68 to beat Woods by two. 2000 Mercedes Championship — They’re still buzzing on Maui about this one. Tied at 14 under to start the final round, Woods and Els were still tied playing the 18th hole. There, Woods unleashed a brilliant second to 12 feet at the par-5 that measured around 600 yards. Els’ shot was even better as he hit it inside of Woods. Each made his eagle putt. Back to 18 for the first playoff, Woods and Els again hit the green and this time had matching two-putt birdies. Second time around, again at 18, Woods drained a 40-foot birdie putt to win, leaving Els crushed, but with a priceless perspective. “I think he’s a legend in the making,� he said. “He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis.� 2006 Dubai Desert Classic — Els was two behind Woods, the co-leader, through 54 holes but came home in 67 to get into the clubhouse at 19 under. Woods birdied the 17th and 18th to tie Els, then won on the first playoff hole with a par.

Click here to read the full article…

Buckling down after his six-shot lead had been cut to one, Chez Reavie comes up clutch with a birdie on the 17th hole while Keegan Bradley, his closest pursuer, suffers an untimely double-bogey. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Reavie, 37, solidified his reputation as mentally tough by converting a 54-hole lead/co-lead into a victory for the second time in as many tries on the PGA TOUR (2008 RBC Canadian Open). With the victory, he jumped from 35th to 12th in the FedExCup. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. The long wait made it all the sweeter. Reavie’s wrist injury, his handful of failures to make the FedExCup Playoffs, his long win drought – all that stuff made winning the Travelers, in his ninth try, even more satisfying. “It was great,â€� Reavie said, “because it gave me good perseverance and good perspective of what life is and what golf is. I enjoy every minute of every week I’m out here now, and I don’t think I would necessarily be that way if I didn’t go through those tough times.â€� Reavie kept working hard despite the fact that it had been 3,983 days since his first and only other win on TOUR, at the 2008 RBC Canadian Open. That’s the 11th longest span between a player’s first and second wins on TOUR since 1900. Would he have expected to win sooner? “Not really,â€� he said. “Golf is tough, right? There are a lot of great players on the PGA TOUR. To win out here is an honor and something that shouldn’t be overlooked or under appreciated.â€� 2. For a guy who hadn’t won in 11 years, Reavie had momentum. He had played in the second-to-last group at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach the week before, and finished T3. He also shot a back-nine 28 at the Travelers on Saturday that friend Paul Casey called, “one of the best nines that I can think of since I’ve been on TOUR.â€� Reavie used that confidence to quiet his nerves as he prepared for the final round at TPC River Highlands, and to hang in there when the putts weren’t dropping. The turning point came when Bradley cut the lead to one and Reavie hit the 17th fairway, fired at the flag, and drained his birdie putt of 14 feet, 4 inches. With Bradley finding the fairway bunker off the tee and skulling his 9-iron approach on the way to a double bogey, it was all but over. “Being in the second to the last group at the U.S. Open last week, that definitely gave me a lot of confidence coming into this week, and in particular into today,â€� Reavie said. “I played really well on Sunday at the U.S. Open, and I tried to treat this the same as I did then.â€� 3. Bradley fired up the home crowd. Although he now lives in South Florida, Keegan Bradley is a native New Englander and everyone knows it. As such, there was no shortage of thrills as he went 5 under through 16 holes to cut Reavie’s seemingly insurmountable six-shot lead down to a single stroke. Alas, after thrilling the hometown fans for much of the afternoon, Bradley’s double bogey at 17, combined with Reavie’s birdie, created a three-shot swing and all but ended it for the crowd favorite, who wound up with a 67 and a T2 finish, four shots back. “Dream come true,â€� Bradley said. “I got to play in front of the fans in New England and put on a show. I’ve never felt that type of support ever. Maybe in a Ryder Cup. It was so fun.â€� 4. Zack Sucher sort of won with a T2. Saddled with credit-card debt, unheralded Zack Sucher birdied four of his final six holes and chipped in for par on 18 for a 67 and a timely T2 ($633,600). “It’s life-changing, to be honest,â€� said Sucher. Sucher was playing on a Major Medical Extension this season, and had six events in which to earn 347 FedExCup points. But he’d earned just 25 FedExCup points in three starts until his breakthrough at the Travelers. He picked up a much-needed 245 more at TPC River Highlands, leaving him two remaining starts to get the last 77. Sucher alternated between stellar play (five-shot lead halfway through the third round) and disasters (he responded with a bogey and two doubles in a three-hole stretch). The final round brought more of the same: He four-putted the ninth hole for a double bogey before firing a back-nine 30 to finish T2 and zoom from 222nd to 126th in the FedExCup. For more on Sucher’s feel-good story, click here.  5. Paul Casey ‘Travelers’ well. The Englishman played his last six holes in 4 under, highlighted by an eagle 2 at the 15th hole, to shoot 65 and finish T5. Amazingly, it was his fourth top-five Travelers finish since 2015. “Three weeks off for me,â€� Casey said of his plans going forward. “I’ve not played (Open Championship venue Royal) Portrush before, so my focus is now getting ready for that. Go in early, do a (reconnaissance), learn it as quick as I can. And three weeks off really is also to save some energy. I’m not tired, but I’ve got a lot of golf ahead. “I’ll play Memphis (the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational). There is a possibility you’ll see me at Wyndham because of the Wyndham Rewards now, and then the FedExCup.â€� FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Reavie led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (+1.684). (Of his total strokes gained on the field, 41 percent came on approach shots.) He was 10th in SG: Off-the-Tee (+0.723) and SG: Putting (+1.231), 24th in SG: Around-the-Green (+0.457), and first in SG: Total (+4.095). 2. Vaughn Taylor (65, solo third) picked up his best finish since winning the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He played the front nine at TPC River Highlands in even par for the week, the back in 12 under. 3. Three-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson slogged through the weekend in 73-71 to finish T54, while U.S. Open runner-up Brooks Koepka finished T57. 4. It was a good week for International Presidents Cup Team hopefuls Abraham Ancer and Joaquin Niemann. Ancer birdied five of the last eight holes for a final-round 63, tying the week’s low score, and a T8 finish. Niemann posted four rounds in the 60s to finish T5, which ties his best of six top-10 finishes in 36 TOUR starts (2018 A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier). 5. Collin Morikawa (T36) led the quartet of newly minted pros, with Viktor Hovland (T54) not far behind. Matthew Wolf (MDF) and Justin Suh (MC) rounded out the foursome. Hovland and Wolff became the fifth and sixth players since 2009 to advance to the weekend while making their professional debuts at the Travelers. WYNDHAM REWARDS The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. Matt Kuchar remains No. 1, while Brooks Koepka showed that every point counts, jumping from 3rd to 2nd with a T57 finish. Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay (69, T15) also moved up a spot from 7th to 6th, and Chez Reavie (35th to 12th in the FedExCup) is knocking on the door.

Click here to read the full article…