ESPN The Magazine’s list of 20 most-dominant athletes of 2018 includes only one golfer, and it’s not the guy who won two majors this year.
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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – To mark the PGA TOUR’s return to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge, June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas, the TOUR and Twitter today announced a global live content execution that will be a first-of-its kind for the social media platform. “Twitter Multicast� will take place on Thursday, June 11, from approximately 1-2:30 pm ET and will showcase athletes, celebrities and other personalities creating their own live, audio/video commentary in conjunction with PGA TOUR LIVE Featured Groups coverage during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Twitter Multicast will feature the likes of Danny Kanell, Dude Perfect, Darren Rovell, Darius Rucker, Annika Sorenstam, Golden Tate and others. Learn more about Twitter Multicast “The PGA TOUR is proud to be among the first major sports leagues to return to competition,� said Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer of the PGA TOUR. “With no spectators on site, we want to work harder than ever to connect our fans to the event, across numerous platforms and devices in addition to the PGA TOUR LIVE, Golf Channel and CBS broadcasts. Working with Twitter on this all-new fan engagement initiative is a nod to how important fans are to the TOUR and our players.� The Charles Schwab Challenge features the top-five ranked players in the world and 17 of the top 20 in the FedExCup Standings. The Twitter Multicast will offer nine versions of the live stream with distribution from more than 20 different Twitter accounts. The video streams will cover pre-game, practice sessions, and the first two holes of competition of players such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Each stream will carry PGA TOUR LIVE featured groups coverage complemented with live audio/video commentary from commentators who will provide their point of view on the return of the TOUR. A full list of the guest commentators across nine video streams: “This first-ever Twitter Multicast will give golf fans a viewing experience they won’t find anywhere else,� says TJ Adeshola, head of U.S. sports partnerships for Twitter. “By adding conversation and commentary from a range of Twitter notables to premium golf content, the Multicast will have something for everyone, regardless if you’re looking for real-time reactions, analysis or just some laughs to pair with live footage from Colonial. This is a prime example of how to create a richer, more customized fan experience through the power of Twitter.� The PGA TOUR and Twitter initially teamed up to live stream tournament coverage when portions of PGA TOUR LIVE’s premium window was streamed during the opening rounds of the first two events of the 2016 FedExCup Playoffs. The two companies formalized their live stream relationship in January 2017 when they began offering PGA TOUR LIVE coverage from select events during the 2016-2017 PGA TOUR Season, expanding the agreement in 2019 to include live daily coverage on Twitter during every PGA TOUR event.
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Even though Dustin Johnson was paired with a Canadian in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday, it seemed, at times, the crowd was more on his side. “I can thank Wayne for that. There’s a lot of Gretzky fans out there, and so they tend to pull for me, which, thanks Wayne, I appreciate that,â€� said Johnson after a 7-under-par 65 on Saturday. He moved him up the leaderboard at Glen Abbey into a tie for the lead with Kevin Tway, Whee Kim, and Byeong Hun An. Johnson was of course referencing the father of his fiancé, Paulina Gretzky — the daughter of hockey’s greatest player. The 34-year-old started his day with five birdies in his first six holes. He made bogeys on Nos. 10 and 13 before going birdie-birdie-eagle on Nos. 14-16. “Definitely got off to a really nice start and made a couple good par saves in there, too,â€� he said. “I putted really well today. I felt like I was definitely rolling the putter nicely. Didn’t hit as many fairways as I would have liked to have. This golf course … you can shoot really low, which I did. I shot a good score today.â€� Despite the fact that all the par fives at Glen Abbey are reachable for Johnson – who leads the tournament in driving distance – he played them only 2-under par, despite having a wedge and a nine-iron into Nos. 16 and 18, respectively. Johnson finished second in 2013 and again in 2016 at Glen Abbey, and tied for eighth last year. He said the golf course is one he likes playing. “I’ve played well here, and I’d definitely like to just give myself a chance to win coming down the last few holes,â€� he said. Nick Taylor, who played with Johnson Saturday, praised the world No. 1’s putting. Johnson needed only 26 putts in the third round. “He played great. He made a lot of putts,â€� Taylor said. “That was probably the biggest difference between us two. He drives it so well and takes advantage of that, but he made a lot of putts, which made his round really good.â€� Out of the golfers who make up the top-10 on the leaderboard, only Joel Dahmen has a lower final-round scoring average than Johnson in 2017-18. He admitted if he scores better on the back nine (he’s only 5-under on the final nine holes for the week, the worst out of anyone in the top-10) then he should be able to have a chance to win tomorrow. “Tomorrow I need to play the par fives a little better,â€� he said. “I haven’t really played them that well this week. Made a couple eagles, but haven’t played all four of them good.â€� Johnson has won twice already this season, and as he left the media center Saturday, he perked the ears of anyone who may have doubted that he wanted to notch his third win on Sunday. “Hope to see y’all tomorrow,â€� he said. OBSERVATIONS Whee Kim, Kevin Tway, and Byeong Hun An are tied for the lead with Johnson, and Tway and Kim are holding a piece of a 54-hole PGA TOUR lead for the first time in their careers. An shot a 6-under-par 66 Saturday, including a 33-foot birdie on the last hole of the day to join the group at 17-under. “The worst I would make from a lay-up was a par, so I just wanted to give myself a birdie putt,â€� said An, whose best finish of the season is a tie for second at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Tway, whose father Bob captured this tournament 15 years ago (in 2003 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club), birdied three of his final four holes to also get to 17-under. “I had a good finish, a little struggling starting out, but I know that the last few holes are a little bit easier, so I tried to stay patient and take advantage of the par fives,â€� Away said. Kim had it to 18-under after draining a 31-foot eagle on the par-5 16th, but bogeyed 17 and couldn’t convert his birdie try on No.18 to break out of the pack. Something’s got into Joel Dahmen over the last few weeks, but he can’t quite put his finger on what. “Golf’s really hard, so to pinpoint it, I don’t actually know,â€� Dahmen said. “It’s the same stuff I’ve been working on for three years but it’s just kind of clicking now more often.â€� Dahmen has had a solid year up to this point, having made 17-of-24 cuts. He’s had two top-10 finishes, both of which have come in the last three weeks. He’s on track for another one this week at the Canadian Open, after he shot a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to move to 12-under, and tied for seventh. He said he’s never had job security before and since he’s essentially secured his card for next season, that job security has totally freed him up in “every way, shape, and form.â€� He was looking at a hard shot on the par-5 18th and a month ago, Dahmen said, with a laugh, he would have been “peeing his pantsâ€� with nervousness. But he said he didn’t care much today if it went in the water or not, and he ended up hitting it to eight feet and converting the birdie. “I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter because there’s so much to play for, you want to get into the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup is important, you want to get top-70, but I don’t know. I’ve never been in this position. I’ve never had this much freedom,â€� he said. “It’s free-wheeling.â€� If Dahmen locks in his top-70 spot on the FedExCup come Sunday he’ll earn a spot into the PGA Championship, his first major. Graeme McDowell has missed the cut at the last three Canadian Opens at Glen Abbey Golf Club, but this year, with the course playing much softer, he’s been enjoying things much more. The three-time PGA TOUR winner fired a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to move into a tie for 18th, on track for his first top-20 finish since the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in November. 
McDowell sits 151st on the FedExCup standings, and acknowledged the need for a good week. “FedExCup points are key for me right now, but I’m happy to be here at Glen Abbey making birdies,â€� he said. “It hasn’t been a good stomping ground for me.â€� McDowell looked at his stats Friday night and said he realized he wasn’t been hitting enough fairways and his play around the green wasn’t where he had hoped. So he focused his warm-up on those key areas, and it paid off. “Funny enough I drove the ball great and my short game was lovely,â€� he said. “One of those days when I did the things better today that I haven’t done all week.” Mackenzie Hughes made a fan for life on the par-3 7th hole, dubbed ‘The Rink,’ on Saturday. He was walking along the area in front of the tee box wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. He took it off and gave it to a child about halfway towards the green, and the child was spotted later in the round following Hughes. Hughes was giving him plenty to cheer about after a 5-under-par 67 on Saturday. He’ll head into Sunday as the Low Canadian, in a tie for 13th. “Unlike maybe yesterday where I was probably a bit impatient at times, I just told myself I was playing well and had some chances coming in and kind of got hot there,â€� Hughes said. SHOT OF THE DAY CALL OF THE DAY NOTABLES Abraham Ancer Ancer shot a 7-under-par 65 Saturday, matching his low round of the season. He moved into a tie for seventh. His 65 was also tied for the low round of the day. George Cunningham No. 3 on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada money list, Cunningham is making his PGA TOUR debut this week. He shot a 3-under-par 69 and is tied for 21st. Hudson Swafford Swafford admitted Saturday the last 12 months have been a “bad year,â€� after battling injuries. He said, however, he enjoys playing Glen Abbey and it showed in the third round. He shot a 5-under-par 67 and is tied for fifth. Jamie Lovemark Lovemark was cruising Saturday before knocking his approach on the par-5 18th into the hospitality area behind the green. He made bogey but still shot a 6-under-par 66 to move to a tie for 21st. Charley Hoffman After losing in a playoff at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Hoffman is in contention again after a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday pushed him to a tie for 13th. Ryan Yip The Canadian is 55th on the Web.com Tour this year and with his card essentially locked up, he accepted a last-minute invite to the Canadian Open, his first. He shot a 6-under-par 66 Saturday and is tied for 21st. QUOTABLES I’m glad it stopped short of the water. I would have been pretty mad.I’ve never played in one before, so I’m just relishing the moment.  About two seconds.It’s been one of those nice up-and-down days, and then I grinded pretty well and I stayed patient.  It doesn’t matter where I play. It’s just play your game and see where you are. It’s really tough. Nobody knows who’s going to win. SUPERLATIVES Longest Drive: 393 yards by Zach Wright on the par-5 18th en route to a birdie. He shot 2-under-par 70. Longest Putt: 51 feet by Jason Kokrak on the par-4 8th, for birdie. Low Round: 7-under-par 65 by Dustin Johnson and Abraham Ancer Easiest Hole: The par-5 16th, for the third day in a row, was the easiest hole on the course at 4.167 strokes – nearly a whole shot under par. Hardest Hole: The par-4 5th played to 4.295 stokes, over par for the day.
The weight of history was almost too much. In his first interview since winning the Masters and returning home to Japan, Hideki Matsuyama said becoming the first from his country to win the coveted Green Jacket – or any men’s major, for that matter – was almost too overwhelming to think about as he navigated the course Sunday. “I was filled with nerves from the first hole to the last,” said Matsuyama, who bogeyed three of the last four holes but still edged Will Zalatoris by one. “I never felt there was a time for me to let up even a little bit and relax.” The victory was huge in Japan, with congratulations pouring in from all corners. Retired golfers like Isao Aoki and Jumbo Ozaki weighed in, as expected, but so did tennis pro Kei Nishikori and even Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Matsuyama, who spoke Sunday of inspiring kids back home, said in his press conference in Japan that he hopes his daughter will be among them. Japan’s women golfers, he added, have been pushing the men for years. His breakthrough victory came a decade after he was the low amateur at Augusta, and he climbed from 33rd to seventh in the FedExCup. Now comes the question of what’s next. More history? Perhaps. Asked about capturing the remaining three major titles, he said he’ll have to draw up some new goals. He laughed when asked about the next 10 years, but he’s still just 29, and absent the weight of history he could feel liberated to summon his A game more often. He was T7 in greens in regulation and second in scrambling at Augusta. And his putting, always hot and cold, was good enough. Most crucially, swing changes that Matsuyama had been working since the outset of this year – he was trying to break a win drought that dated to 2017 – have finally set. He sensed it prior to the opening round last week. “Technically, I’ve had some pretty frustrating days since the beginning of this year and haven’t been able to see the results that I’ve wanted,” he said. “But after my practice round on Wednesday, I felt like I kind of found something and started to feel pretty good about my chances that week. It’s hard to define what those feeling were but that was probably the biggest impression I had going into the tournament.” Matsuyama did not play in the 2012 PGA Championship at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, where it will return May 20-23. Nor did he play in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where the tournament will return June 17-20, or the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, which will host that tournament a year later than originally planned, July 15-18. After a three-week break, he will return to action at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 6-9. His best in five Wells Fargo starts is a T11 in 2016, although he finished T5 at the 2017 PGA there. Most top of mind, of course, for Matsuyama and throughout all of Japan, is the Olympics Men’s Golf Competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, Japan, July 29-Aug. 1. “To be honest, I don’t know what will happen yet, but I think I will be selected via the rankings,” he said. “So right now, I just plan to be careful and try and avoid any injuries in the tournaments I have left to play before the Olympics, and then go there and win a gold medal. “That’s my goal,” he added, “and I’ll do my best to accomplish it.” Given the barrier he just broke, don’t bet against him.
