Emergency 9: Fantasy tidbits from the OHL Classic

Big names. Guys on the apology tour. And, well, Tiger. The leaderboard at the WGC-Mexico Championship sets up a compelling weekend.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The wind roaring through the Georgia pines gave Tiger Woods and so many others all they could handle Friday in the Masters Tournament. RELATED: Leaderboard | Jordan Spieth cut down by Rae’s Creek again, misses weekend at the Masters | Round 2 review: The Masters And then Scottie Scheffler made it feel even tougher. In his debut as the new No. 1 player in the world, Scheffler looked the part. He was bogey-free over the final 15 holes for a 5-under 67, tying the Masters record by building a five-shot lead going into the weekend. Only four other players in Masters history have led by five shots after 36 holes, most recently Jordan Spieth in 2015. All of them went on to win. Scheffler, the 25-year-old Texas Longhorn, has won three of his last five starts on the PGA TOUR and doesn’t appear to be overwhelmed by the stage of Augusta National. He was at 8-under 136, five shots clear of defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (69), former champion Charl Schwartzel (69), former Open champion Shane Lowry (68) and 18-hole leader Sungjae Im (74). Woods was nine shots behind, a daunting task even on two good legs. Despite four bogeys after five holes, Woods patched together a 74 and made it to the weekend in his first 72-hole event since the November 2020 Masters. “Hey, I made the cut. I got a chance going into the weekend,” Woods said. “I think it’s going to be the golf course that Augusta National wants. It’s going to be quicker, drier, faster. It’s going to be a great test.” Former Masters champion Dustin Johnson (73) led a group at 2-under 142, while the bunch another shot behind included two-time major champion Collin Morikawa and former PGA champion Justin Thomas, whose 67 matched Scheffler for low round of the day. Scheffler got his mistakes out of the way early and began to seize control with two birdies right before making the turn. After a tough par save from right of the 11th green, he added two birdies from 12 feet on the par-3 12th and a tough pitch from well right on the par-5 13th. By then, the wind began to subside in the late afternoon and Scheffler began to pull away with two more birdies that made him a clear and difficult target on the weekend. And to think only two months ago he still didn’t have a PGA TOUR victory. Woods made it through another hike along the undulating terrain of Augusta National, his limp more noticeable from a right leg held together with rods and screws from his car crash 14 months ago. “I don’t feel as good as I would like to feel,” Woods said with a smile. “That’s OK. As I said, I’ve got a chance going into the weekend. Hopefully, I’ll have one of those light bulb moments and turn it on in the weekend and get it done.” His putter wasn’t helping any. All the key putts Woods made in the opening round weren’t falling Friday as he piled up four bogeys in his opening five holes, raising questions if his improbable return to the Masters would only last two days. And now he has two more. Coming off consecutive bogeys at the start of Amen Corner, he was headed for more trouble on the par-5 13th except that he missed badly enough to stay on right side of the tributary of Rae’s Creek, setting up a pitch-and-putt for birdie. “It was tough for everybody,” Woods said, and before long came a wry smile. “Obviously, there’s a few people who aren’t struggling out there.” One of those would be Scheffler, who has everyone’s attention. Another was Thomas, with whom Woods played his practice rounds last week and in the days leading up to the Masters. He opened with a 76 and spent the rest of the day sulking at what looked to be a lost opportunity. He capped off his 67 with three straight birdies along the back nine. “I very easily could be going home right now, and not only am I not, but I’m in a really good spot going into this weekend,” Thomas said. He was seven behind, nonetheless, though he wasn’t the least bit surprised Scheffler was able to post such good rounds to build a big lead. “If I played how I should yesterday, I should be right there with him,” Thomas said. “This place, I love it because you can make so many birdies — even in conditions like this, if you plot your way around and know how to get it around, you can make a lot of birdies. It exposes you when it gets this windy if you don’t have control of your ball. “He clearly has control of everything right now based off the last couple of months, so I’m not too surprised,” he added. “But yeah, I would appreciate it if he would stop going too far away.”

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ATLANTA – In recognition of his philanthropic endeavors, his commitment to growing the game, his professionalism and the distinguished manner in which he embraces the values of golf, Stewart Cink has been named as the recipient of the 2017 Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Stewart, who lives in the Atlanta area and is a graduate of Georgia Tech, will be honored on Tuesday, September 19, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Centralâ€� special from 7-8 p.m. ET. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,â€� was the TOUR Championship sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. The past winners have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “To receive the Payne Stewart Award is one of the greatest honors of my career,â€� said Cink. “Payne Stewart was a player and person whom I admired greatly, both on and off the course. His character, his infectious spirit and his dedication to growing the game were all traits that I have always aspired to emulate. I am thankful the PGA TOUR and Southern Company have found a way through this award to honor and remember Payne’s legacy.â€� Cink joined the PGA TOUR in 1997 after graduating from Georgia Tech. Originally from Florence, Alabama, Stewart decided to stay in the Atlanta area after graduation with his wife, Lisa, and his two sons, Connor and Reagan. “Stewart Cink epitomizes the ideals around which the Payne Stewart Award is built – character, charity and sportsmanship,â€� said PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan. “It’s fitting that we will present the honor to him during the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club; not only is Stewart a member there, but he also passionately supports the East Lake Foundation, which has done incredible community work in that area. “When his wife Lisa dug in for her fight against breast cancer, Stewart was a pillar of strength and provided an admirable sense of perspective. He had done similarly a few years earlier when he won the Open Championship, even as many were cheering on the sentimental favorite, Tom Watson. Stewart smiled. He understood. In every sense of the words he showed character and sportsmanship.â€� Charitable Commitment In addition to a sculpture by Bob Pack presented to the recipient, the Payne Stewart Award is accompanied by an annual Payne Stewart Award Grant made possible by Southern Company. The $500,000 grant supports several initiatives in Stewart’s name and is distributed as follows: $100,000 to Payne and Tracey Stewart’s primary charity, The Stewart Family Foundation; $100,000 in Stewart’s honor to The First Tee of the Ozarks located in Missouri at Kids Across America, which is affiliated with Kanakuk Kamps; and $300,000 to a charity designated by the winner. Cink has chosen to designate the Cink Charities, Inc. A long-time resident of Gwinnett County, Cink is passionate about helping those in need and participates in many charity events across the country. In addition to the assistance he provides to numerous charities nationwide, Cink is extremely dedicated to helping those in Atlanta. As a member at East Lake Golf Club, Cink is one of the leaders in the community when it comes to supporting the East Lake Foundation – one of the two primary beneficiaries of the TOUR Championship, along with the First Tee of East Lake. The East Lake Foundation provides the tools for families of The Villages of East Lake and students of Drew Charter School to build a better life for themselves and future generations through cradle-to-college education, mixed-income housing, and community wellness. Alongside fellow PGA TOUR professional Billy Andrade, Cink hosts the annual East Lake Invitational, where combines celebrities from both the sports and entertainment world all come together to help both continue and promote an amazing philanthropic endeavor. The East Lake Invitational was originally started in 2010 by Andrade and Cink after they found there was a need for additional support for the secondary education facility, the Drew Charter School Senior Academy, being constructed at the time to help complete the cradle-to-college vision and mission in East Lake. In addition to being a top supporter of the East Lake Foundation, Cink and his wife, Lisa, have created the Cink It Challenge to benefit local charities that are close to the couple’s hearts. All proceeds from the Cink It Challenge support two local charities, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett and Gwinnett Medical Center Newborn Intensive Care Unit. “Atlanta owes a great deal of gratitude to the dedication and philanthropy of Stewart Cink,â€� said Southern Company Chairman, President & CEO Tom Fanning. “Already legendary for his on-course accomplishments, his commitment to work on behalf of those in the community where he lives and serves will forever be celebrated. By making a lasting impact within his community, he has shaped a remarkable tribute to Payne Stewart’s legacy of service.â€�   A Distinguished Career Cink has been a full-time player on the PGA TOUR since 1997, playing more than 500 PGA TOUR events with six PGA TOUR victories during that 21-year-span. He won three times on the Web.Com Tour in 1996 and was voted the Web.com Tour Player of the Year, earning his PGA TOUR card in the process. Cink’s first PGA TOUR victory came in 1997 at the Travelers Championship, with additional victories at the 2000 RBC Heritage, 2004 RBC Heritage, 2004 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2008 Travelers Championship and the 2009 Open Championship. Cink’s Open Championship win at Turnberry came in a playoff over five-time Open winner Tom Watson. From 2004-2009, Cink spent 40 weeks inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has represented the United States four times in the Presidents Cup, five times in the Ryder Cup and twice in the World Cup of Golf. Cink is the 20th recipient of the award, joining a distinguished group of respected golfers including Jim Furyk, who was recognized in 2016, and the inaugural recipients Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (2000). Other recipients include Ernie Els (2015), Sir Nick Faldo (2014), Peter Jacobsen (2013), Steve Stricker (2012), David Toms (2011), Tom Lehman (2010), Kenny Perry (2009), Davis Love III (2008), Hal Sutton (2007), Gary Player (2006), Brad Faxon (2005), Jay Haas (2004), Tom Watson (2003), Nick Price (2002) and Ben Crenshaw (2001). For those interested in attending the TOUR Championship at historic East Lake Golf Club to see the best from the PGA TOUR season in their final chance to win the FedExCup, ticket packages can be purchased at the tournament website – www.TOURChampionship.com or by calling 404-378-8687. About the TOUR Championship The top 30 players on FedExCup Points List after the BMW Championship qualify for the TOUR Championship, the finale of the FedExCup Playoffs. FedExCup points are reset prior to the TOUR Championship, ensuring a real shootout as all 30 players in the field will have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup with a victory at the event. The TOUR Championship is annually contested at Atlanta’s renowned East Lake Golf Club, the formative home of the legendary Bobby Jones. The 2017 tournament will be played Sept. 21-24. The tournament proudly supports the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) and The First Tee of East Lake. About Southern Company Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America’s premier energy company, with 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas distribution companies in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America’s energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top energy companies in Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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