Expert Picks: RBC Canadian Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan is one of more than 160 CEOs from leading companies around the world who have signed a pledge in support of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, announced today as the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As a signatory, Monahan pledges that the PGA TOUR will actively cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, where employees feel encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where corporate initiatives can be shared via a unified hub, CEOAction.com, to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. “This is a very important societal issue and deserves our full attention and support,� Monahan said. “Diversity of thought and background is vital to our success as an organization and while we have implemented programs that point to solid growth for the TOUR, we have a long way to go.  We want our employee demographics to reflect those of our target audience, as well as the communities in which we play. What makes the CEO for Diversity & Inclusion so exciting is that it includes companies from 50 different industries, so the pledge itself represents diversity. Collectively, we are focused on solutions and real change for our society. If we’re successful, not only can we transform our own workplaces, we also will address one of the most challenging issues of our time.� Monahan said the opportunity to become involved with the initiative was brought to him at THE PLAYERS Championship in May by Tim Ryan of PwC, a proud sponsor and supporter of THE PLAYERS. Ryan is U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC, and chairman of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ steering committee. “We are living in a world of complex divisions and tensions that can have a significant impact on our work environment. Yet, it’s often the case that when we walk into our workplace – where we spend the majority of our time – we don’t openly address these topics,� Ryan said. “CEOs across the country understand this isn’t a competitive issue, but a societal issue, and together we can raise the bar for the entire business community. By sharing best known actions and programs, we are helping to create a more inclusive environment that will encourage all of us to bring our greatest talents, perspectives, and experiences to the workplace.� The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is led by a steering committee of CEOs and leaders from Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, P&G and PwC. The coalition represents more than 50 industries, all 50 U.S. States, and millions of employees globally. Each signatory has committed to taking the following steps to increase diversity and foster inclusion within their respective organizations and the larger business community: 1.     Continue to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion: Companies will create and maintain environments, platforms, and forums where their employees feel comfortable reaching out to their colleagues to gain greater awareness of each other’s experiences and perspectives. By encouraging an ongoing dialogue and not tolerating any incongruence with these values of openness, companies are building trust, encouraging compassion and open-mindedness, and reinforcing their commitment to a culture of inclusivity. 2.      Implement and expand unconscious bias education: Companies commit to rolling out and/or expanding unconscious bias education within their companies in the form that best fits their specific culture and business. By helping employees recognize and minimize any potential blind spots, companies can better facilitate more open and honest conversations. Additionally, the initiative will be making non-proprietary unconscious bias education modules available to other organizations free of charge. This training will live on the unified hub, CEOAction.com. 3.     Share best known—as well as unsuccessful—actions: Companies commit to working together to evolve existing diversity strategies by sharing successes and challenges with one another. This will include creating accountability systems within their companies to track their progress and share regular updates with each other in order to catalog effective programs and measurement practices. In the fall, the signatories will convene for the first-ever CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ Summit to assess initial progress, understand fundamental gaps, and determine the next phase of this work. Companies that currently are not implementing the elements of the pledge can use the hub and Summit as an opportunity to learn from others that are already doing so, while companies that are already implementing some or all of the actions can use this platform to drive greater engagement within their own programs, submit best known actions as well as mentor others on their journey. For more information on the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ or to get involved, please visit CEOAction.com.

Click here to read the full article…

The PGA TOUR announced Monday the four Featured Groups for the opening rounds of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK in Las Vegas. The tournament, which has been staged on Jeju Island in South Korea since 2017, was relocated to Shadow Creek for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to return to Korea in 2021. Full groupings and starting times for the first two rounds of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK will be released officially at approximately 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 13. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR Live: Thursday-Sunday, 12:45 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Sungjae Im Notable: In the event's three-year history, Justin Thomas (2017, 2019) and Brooks Koepka (2018) have won; at No. 23, Im is the highest-ranked Korean player in the Official World Golf Ranking • Four of Thomas' 13 wins on the PGA TOUR have come in the fall portion of the schedule; no other player has more than two wins during the fall since the TOUR went to a wraparound season in 2013-14 • Koepka will compete for the first time on TOUR since the 2020 Wyndham Championship after an eight-week break to recuperate from injuries • Im, who grew up playing The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, won his first PGA TOUR event at The 2020 Honda Classic Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolff Notable: The top-two ranked players in the world, Dustin Johnson (No. 1) and Jon Rahm (No. 2) played the first two rounds of the 2020 TOUR Championship together following their playoff at the BMW Championship (won by Rahm) • In one start since winning the 2020 FedExCup, Johnson finished T6 at the U.S. Open; Johnson has at least one win in each of the last 13 PGA TOUR seasons, the longest-active streak on TOUR • Rahm has two top-five finishes in the FedExCup (5th/2016-17, 4th/2019-20) and has won in each of the last four seasons on TOUR, with 2019-20 his first multi-win season • Wolff has finished runner-up in each of his two starts in the 2020-21 season, including the U.S. Open; at last week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, he posted a career-low 61 (R3) en route to his first playoff appearance on TOUR (won by Martin Laird) Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Si Woo Kim Notable: All three players have won THE PLAYERS Championship - Rory McIlroy (2019), Si Woo Kim (2017), Sergio Garcia (2008) • An 18-time PGA TOUR winner, McIlroy earned his first TOUR victory in the fall portion of the season in 2019 at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China • Garcia won his 11th PGA TOUR title and first since the 2017 Masters Tournament two weeks ago at the Sanderson Farms Championship • By winning the 2016 Wyndham Championship and 2017 PLAYERS Championship, Kim made history as the first player from Asia to win twice on the PGA TOUR before the age of 22 Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland • Morikawa entered the 2019 CJ CUP ranked No. 73 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 53 in the FedExCup; this year, he enters the tournament No. 6 in the OWGR and finished sixth in the FedExCup standings in 2019-20 • In his last two starts on TOUR, Schauffele finished T2 at the TOUR Championship and fifth at the U.S. Open • In his rookie season on the PGA TOUR in 2019-20, Hovland finished 20th in the FedExCup following a win (Puerto Rico Open) and two additional top-10s

Click here to read the full article…

The opening round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans takes place Thursday. The two-man team event features plenty of stars, including defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups); Friday, 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups); Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes); Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Bubba Watson/Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (tee times) Cameron Champ/Tony Finau and Billy Horschel/Sam Burns (tee times) Collin Morikawa/Matthew Wolff and Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith (tee times) Jon Rahm/Ryan Palmer and Henrik Stenson/Justin Rose (tee times) MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Insider: Leishman, Smith have point to prove How the format works Horses for Courses

Click here to read the full article…