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By and large, Tuesday was a gray day at the Valspar Championship. Under cloudy skies spitting rain off and on all day, the temperature never reached higher than 66 degrees. But, for the PGA TOUR event touted as the “Most Colorful PGA TOUR Tournament in the World,� the Valspar Championship still managed to make it a vibrant day. And, a life-changing one. Ronan Mowrey, 12, was born with color vision deficiency. Unlike color blindness, which presents everything in black and white, color vision deficiency doesn’t eliminate color; it makes differentiating between colors problematic. After hearing of an opportunity for a colorblind fan to wear EnChroma glasses at the local PGA TOUR event, Bright Eyes Tampa helped research and find the perfect candidate to surprise at the Valspar Championship. The designated individual and family would enjoy a VIP experience at the Valspar Championship, which included a private behind-the-scenes tour of everything that goes into the bringing the tournament to fruition each year. As fate would have it, Ronan was chosen, and was made aware of much of what the day would entail. Much, but not all. What Ronan didn’t know, though, was that it had been arranged for him to not only meet defending Valspar Championship winner Paul Casey on the 18th tee during a practice round, but to play the daunting par-4 with him. When the last putt dropped, Casey surprised Ronan with a pair of EnChroma glasses, designed to enhance one’s view of colors. The glasses, courtesy of Bright Eyes Tampa, had been customized for Ronan.  “The glasses just changed everything around me,� said Ronan. “Everything just popped out. Lighter colors all of a sudden got brighter. I could just see things more vividly. So, that was really cool.� Ronan had no prior knowledge of any of the interaction with the defending champion. When he sank his last putt, he realized he had something pretty remarkable to look back on. When Casey presented him with the EnChroma glasses, Ronan had even more to look forward to – in a lot of ways.   “That’s the best experience ever, to be able to hand those glasses over to Ronan and see his face and his reaction to what he is now seeing, and going to be able to see even better,� said Casey. “I want to thank Valspar, EnChroma, the doctors and everybody here who gave me this opportunity as well. I thank them for what they’ve done for Ronan, but also for the opportunity to be a part of it. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes the PGA TOUR and everyone associated with it so great.� “Paul was really great and really nice,� said Ronan. “He showed me how to read the green better and then gave me the glasses. I did not know I was going to get to meet Paul Casey, or that I was going to get to keep the glasses, so this is a really big surprise. I mean, I just started playing golf with him, so that was really cool.� How did Ronan play? Quite well – with just a little help from Casey, of course. “Ronan did great,� said Casey. “He struck it well off the tee. We helped him a little bit up the 18th fairway. We then gave him his putter to try and replicate a birdie putt someone, hopefully me, will have to win this championship on Sunday.� “This is so incredibly wonderful,� said Theresa, Ronan’s mother. “This is such a special day for him. It’s incredibly special for all of us, but this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Ronan.� There are three different receptors in the back of the eye, which collect different kinds of colors. In Ronan’s case, one of the receptors does not work properly, making certain colors less distinctive than to those without vision setbacks. EnChroma glasses use technology to filter out the wavelength of light, which, in theory, make the differences between colors more obvious. While they don’t necessarily make the colors as apparent as they are to one with normal vision, they do help make it easier to distinguish one color from another. The glasses produce instant results for some, but for others, it’s a slower, more gradual process to achieve results. Sometimes, it takes the brain more time to absorb the information and then connect with the various colors. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Ronan, his family and the PGA TOUR,� said Dr. Beth Knighton, Ronan’s Optometrist at Bright Eyes Vision Care in nearby Westchase. “Everyone is truly getting to benefit from watching this amazing event.� “My charity I support is UNICEF and kids,� Casey said. “So, if it has anything to do with kids, it’s an automatic ‘yes’ from me. I’m standing here now just trying to imagine the impact that this day, getting these glasses, will have on Ronan’s life. It’s tough to even comprehend what he’s going through. We’re here at the Valspar Championship, which is all about colors. I can see these colors and didn’t even think about something like other people not being able to see or have what I have. It’s something we just think everyone is born with, but they’re not.� “Paul is just such a wonderful person,� said Theresa. “He was fantastic with Ronan, with the fans. He’s just a great representative of the PGA TOUR.� In addition to the EnChroma glasses and surprise with Paul Casey, Ronan also received a complimentary eye exam from Bright Eyes Tampa, as well as five gallons of paint from Valspar to paint his room the color he best sees fit to brighten it with. The mark of a truly great experience isn’t based upon how well the story’s told or what affect that experience had on one person. The best experiences are those which impact many and, because of that, become stories for a lifetime shared forever.   “I’ve just experienced some of the coolest emotions ever in the last 15-20 minutes,� said Casey. “This was a life-changing moment for Ronan, but it was also the scene of a significant moment in my career, as well. So, I now have even greater memories of this golf course and the Valspar Championship.� “This was incredibly cool� Theresa said, “and will be a day Ronan will never forget.� Fittingly, the weather report for the Valspar Championship the remainder of the week calls for bright sun under an impeccably-blue sky.

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MELBOURNE, Australia. – Notes and observations from the third round of the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf where teams played the Fourball format and team Belgium set up a handy five shot lead. LEADING LIGHTS Thomas Pieters brings plenty of fire. It appears Thomas Detry brings the ice. The youthful team from Belgium have combined expertly to take the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf by the scruff of the neck. A 9-under 63 on Saturday has pushed the pair to 19-under and a five-shot advantage heading to Sunday’s final Foursomes session. Pieters, 26, has three European Tour victories to his name and plays with an aggressive tone. Detry, 25, has what appears to be a more measured approach to his golf, much in the vein of your Justin Rose type characters. The steadiness of Detry has allowed Pieters to wind up when it matters and it has worked a treat. “It’s always nice when you know your partner’s playing some great golf, it gives you a lot of confidence and you can play some pretty free golf,â€� Detry explained. “I tend to be pretty relaxed … and I guess not much went wrong, but he seems to be a very enjoyable partner.â€� The first hole on Saturday was a perfect example. Pieters hit a wild tee shot trying to bite off some extra distance and basically left it to his teammate from there. Detry was unflappable and made an important par on his own. “At the beginning of the week, I said we never say sorry when you play as a team,â€� Pieters said. “We’re both trying our hardest and everybody’s going to hit bad golf shots.â€� Tomorrow is a different beast. The Foursomes, or alternate shot, means the fire and ice really have to mix well. On Friday they were one of only four teams to shoot under par in the format. And it is the volatility that has the chasing pack still feeling like they’ve got life. But the leaders don’t intend to play defense. “The strategy, we are going to play out there and be aggressive,â€� Detry said. “We might as well win by 12.â€� NOTABLES AUSTRALIA: Local hopes of a sixth World Cup title are still alive after Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith combined to shoot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to move to 13 under and into a tie for fifth. But they will need something impressive in Sunday’s Foursomes as they sit an ominous six shots back of the lead. Given they shot a 4-over 76 in Friday’s alternate shot session it will take some turnaround to mount some pressure on Belgium. “It’s going to be really important for us to get off to a good start, really get ourselves in it, give them something to think about, because if we’re not a few under through five or six holes, they can sort of cruise,â€� Leishman said. “It would be good if we could get the crowd into it. If we get the fanatics roaring, and friends and family, a lot of people supporting us, that would be great and they might notice. We’ve enjoyed that so far this week and it would be nice if we could make tomorrow our best day.â€� The Australian pair are also cognizant of International Presidents Cup team captain Ernie Els impending arrival and want to leave a lasting impression ahead of the 2019 biennial competition that will also be held in Melbourne. MEXICO: Abraham Ancer’s love affair with Australia continues after he and partner Roberto Diaz posted a 7-under 65 to move to 14 under and a tie for second place. Ancer, who won last week’s Australian Open in Sydney, is looking to create a new wave of excitement in golf for his home nation. Mexico has never won the World Cup of Golf and their best finish was a T7 way back in 1953. “A win would be awesome not only for us, but for our country as well,â€� Ancer says. “It would be something incredible and it would be obviously a dream come true winning such a big tournament for our country.â€� KOREA: Former PLAYERS Champion Si Woo Kim buried a final hole birdie to ensure Korea moved into a share of second place with a round to play. Along with Byeong An the pair are looking to bring the country its first World Cup title. They acknowledge the five-shot deficit will be tough to overcome but given the Foursomes format can be volatile have certainly not given up hope. “You never know what’s going to happen,â€� An said. “We definitely need our best golf and it’s not going to be easy but lifting the trophy definitely will be a bonus in the career, that’s for sure.â€� An confirmed a win would be not be enough to earn them exemptions from mandatory military service in Korea. “This wouldn’t count. But the title and money would still be nice,â€� he grinned. USA: It has not been the week Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley were looking for after a 6-under 66 was still not enough to give them any hope of procuring a 25th title for the USA. They sit well back at five under overall in a tie for 21st amongst the 28 teams. ENGLAND: Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton shot a 5-under 67 to move to 13 under and into a tie for fifth. Sitting six shots back it will take a big effort to claim their first World Cup since 2004 and third overall. ITALY: A 6-under 66 from Andrea Pavan and Renato Paratore moved the Italians to second place but they were far from happy with their efforts. Sitting seven under on the round through 13 holes they came to the par-5 14th looking to put further pressure on Belgium near the top of the leaderboard. But instead they inexplicably walked away with a double bogey as both players lost their way. Birdies on the 16th and 17th holes reestablished their place as the nearest chasers until another bogey on the final hole left them five back. “Belgium are playing well obviously, so I feel like it’s going to be tough, but in golf you never know, especially in foursomes,â€� Pavan said.  SHOT OF THE DAY

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