Featured Groups: Safeway Open

Charles Barkley showed off a smooth swing as he and Phil Mickelson coasted to an easier-than-expected win over Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning.

Click here to read the full article…

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jim “Bones� Mackay – the former long-time caddy to Phil Mickelson and now NBC and Golf Channel analyst – will carry the bag for FedExCup Champion Justin Thomas in his Sony Open title defense next week. Thomas’ regular caddie Jimmy Johnson succumbed to plantar fasciitis after two rounds at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua and has returned home for treatment, leaving an opening for next week at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Mike Thomas – Justin’s father – took over duties in the third round at the Plantation Course where Thomas sits 30th through three rounds. “My legs are tired. Always nice to be able to do that with your son though,� Mike told GolfDigest.com. He will go out again with his son in the final round on Sunday in Maui before losing the job to Mackay next week. “Glad to. I’m dragging butt.� The last time Mackay worked on the PGA TOUR was the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic, the end of a 25-year run with Mickelson that yielded 42 TOUR wins and five majors. He has since been a successful on-course reporter. “I think the world of Justin and I’m looking forward to working with him,� Mackay said via Golf Channel. Thomas is coming off a five-win season, including his first major and the FedExCup. He has already won once this new season.

Click here to read the full article…

IRVING, Texas – The PGA TOUR returns to Texas this week for the AT&T Byron Nelson, which is being played for the last time at the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, the tournament’s host course since 1983. Next year, the event will move to its new home at Trinity Forest Golf Club near downtown Dallas. “Celebrating our 35-year partnership with the Irving community and the Four Seasons is the big theme of this year’s tournament,” said Tim Costello, 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament Chair. “The best part of our longtime partnership is the impact it’s had on our community, helping raise more than $150 million for Momentous Institute, impacting over 100,000 lives.” The celebration includes a strong field, with four of the world’s top six players – No. 1 Dustin Johnson, No. 4 Jason Day, No. 5 Sergio Garcia and No. 6 Jordan Spieth, the local resident. Garcia not only is the defending champion, but a two-time winner of this event (he also won in 2004). This will be the first time Garcia’s fans in Dallas will have a chance to watch him as the reigning Masters champ. PGA TOUR LIVE will have 42 hours of live coverage during the four-day event. Coverage of the first two rounds will be from 8 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET, while the final two rounds will be 8 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET, with a mixture of morning Featured Groups and afternoon Featured Holes (the par-4 14th and the par-3 17th). The broadcast also will be available on Twitter from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Thursday Brooks Koepka (14), Jason Dufner (57), Ian Poulter (58). Dufner won here in 2012, draining a 23-1/2 foot putt on the final hole. Koepka lost in a playoff to Garcia last year. Poulter is making the most of his recent exempt status change, coming off a tie for second at THE PLAYERS Championship that elevated him 117 spots in the world rankings. Tee time: 8:40 a.m. ET. Jordan Spieth (7), Brandt Snedeker (43), Matt Kuchar (52). Spieth’s best result in his hometown event remains his first one, when he finished tied for 16th as a 16-year-old, having entered the final round in contention to win. Kuchar generally plays well here; his solo third last year was his third-top-10 finish in his last six starts at TPC Four Seasons. Snedeker’s tie for sixth last year was his best here. Tee time: 8:50 a.m. ET. Friday Dustin Johnson (1), Louis Oosthuizen (32), Cody Gribble (47). While Johnson, the FedExCup points leader, hasn’t won in his last two starts after reeling off three straight wins, he’s still playing well, as he tied for 12th last week at TPC Sawgrass. He’s also played well at TPC Four Seasons, with six straight top-20 finishes, including four top 10s. Oosthuizen was in contention last week at THE PLAYERS, finishing tied for second. Gribble, another Dallas native, is making his second start here. Tee time: 8:40 a.m. ET. Sergio Garcia (13), Patrick Reed (84), Jason Day (106). Garcia and Day are past winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson; Day won his first TOUR event here in 2010 and followed with two more top-10s. He’s making his first start here since 2013. The Texas-born Reed is also playing here for the first time since 2013. Garcia is the only multiple winner of this event in which both wins were at TPC Four Seasons. Tee time: 8:50 a.m. ET.

Click here to read the full article…