Featured holes: Round 3 of Tour Championship

The Round of 16 begins Saturday at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. RELATED: Live scoring, tee times, bracket | Recaps from Friday Before play begins at Austin Country Club, here’s a look at the early matches slated for Saturday. And tune into PGA TOUR LIVE to catch the early action. Tommy Fleetwood vs. Dylan Frittelli, 8:35 a.m. ET Billy Horschel vs. Kevin Streelman, 8:46 a.m. ET Sergio Garcia vs. Mackenzie Hughes, 8:57 a.m. ET Robert MacIntyre vs. Victor Perez, 9:08 a.m. ET Scottie Scheffler vs. Ian Poulter, 9:19 a.m. ET Jon Rahm vs. Erik van Rooyen, 9:30 a.m. ET Bubba Watson vs. Brian Harman, 9:41 a.m. ET Matt Kuchar vs. Jordan Spieth, 8:52 a.m. ET MATCH RECAPS Check back here as matches conclude for analysis and player reaction.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Experience is supposed to be a requisite for Masters contenders, but Will Zalatoris is showing that skill trumps seasoning every time. Even in the firm conditions that reward those who’ve memorized every nook and cranny of Alister Mackenzie’s design, the 24-year-old – one of just three professionals making their Masters debut this week – finds himself in contention. Birdies on his final three holes Friday gave Zalatoris a 4-under 68 and a spot in Saturday’s final group. He’ll start the third round two shots behind Justin Rose, who followed Thursday’s incredible 65 with an even-par 72. History weighs heavy at Augusta National, the only venue that hosts a major championship on an annual basis. It can be suffocating for someone setting foot on the property for the first time but Zalatoris’ nerves have been drowned out by the gratitude he feels to be competing in the Masters just months after playing on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I wanted to be here my entire life,” he said. “Some people shy away from that, but I’m excited to be here. … There’s no reason to feel intimidated now. I made it to here.” He took a non-traditional route. Zalatoris didn’t even have a PGA TOUR card at the start of the season. His pro career got off to a rough start when he failed to advance out of the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in his first attempt. It was an unexpected obstacle for Zalatoris, who’s been elite since junior golf. He followed in the footsteps of Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler as U.S. Junior champions from Dallas. He was teammates on the 2017 Walker Cup with Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and Scheffler. But two years ago this week, he was ranked 1,514th in the world. He was happy just to Monday qualify for a Korn Ferry Tour event in Panama. Even a year ago, he was still hovering around 500th in the ranking. He’s been on a rapid rise ever since the Korn Ferry Tour resumed after its COVID-induced hiatus, amassing a record-tying 11 consecutive top-20 finishes on that circuit. His success on the Korn Ferry Tour earned him a spot in last year’s U.S. Open. He hasn’t been back since. A T6 finish at Winged Foot not only allowed a larger audience to observe his impeccable iron play but confirmed to Zalatoris that he could compete on the highest level. “At the U.S. Open, he told me that on the third hole is when he realized that it was just like another a tournament,” said swing coach Troy Denton. “You could tell at the beginning of this week, he had a swagger. He just believes.” Scott Fawcett, creator of the course-management system known as DECADE, has known Zalatoris since he was a teenager. “I’ve played with tons of great players and Fred Couples, when he was No. 1 in the world is the only one I’ve played with that hits it as solid as Will,” Fawcett said. “He has hit it like a top-30 ball-striker since he was a kid.” Zalatoris led the field at Winged Foot in Strokes Gained: Approach and ranks fifth in that category this season. He made a hole-in-one in the U.S. Open’s opening round and hit his tee shot on another par-3 off of a flagstick. His accurate iron play is on display again this week. Augusta National is known as a “second-shot golf course” because of the importance of placing the ball on the correction portion of the sloping putting surfaces. The spindly Zalatoris is capable of launching high approach shots that land softly on those small sections. He birdied his final three holes Friday thanks to iron shots that landed close to hole locations placed atop small plateaus. He hit his tee shot on the par-3 16th just 10 feet from the back-righ pin. His second shot to 17 was 11 feet from the hole. And then he hit a 50-degree wedge to 4 feet from the hole on 18. That final approach was the most satisfying of the day because he knew a birdie would get him into Saturday’s final group. “It’s a childhood dream to obviously be in the final group of a major on a weekend, especially here,” said Zalatoris. He was 8 years old when he attended the 2005 Masters, watching Tiger Woods hole a 40-foot birdie putt. Later that week, he was sitting with his family in their favorite Italian restaurant when Woods holed his famous chip on No. 16. The place exploded when the ball dropped, illustrating to a young Zalatoris just how important this tournament is. He grew up alongside Spieth, who finished second in his Masters debut seven years ago, and the sons of former PGA Championship winner Lanny Wadkins. He still remembers the bits of wisdom that Wadkins shared years ago, well before he was playing professional golf. “There’s little things he may not even remember telling me, how the wind affects a shot if it’s into the wind or downwind on 12,” Zalatoris said. “I think he told me that when I was 14, and I still remember it.” Now just 24, Zalatoris is proving to be a fast learner.

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Sony, one of the PGA TOUR’s longest-tenured title sponsors, will remain the title sponsor of the Sony Open in Hawaii through 2026 after signing a four-year extension. Sony has sponsored the Sony Open in Hawaii continuously since 1999 in support of Friends of Hawaii Charities. Nearly $22 million has been donated to over 350 charities to date, making the tournament the largest charity sports event in Hawaii. “Sony has had a tremendous impact in building the Sony Open in Hawaii into what it is today – a favorite among our players and fans – while making an indelible charitable impact throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We appreciate Sony’s friendship and thank them for their loyalty in extending their partnership an additional four years.” As the largest charity golf event in Hawaii, with charity proceeds totaling more than $1 million annually, the Sony Open impacts more than 100 non-profit organizations each year. And while this past year was especially challenging due to the pandemic, Sony made it possible for the the tournament to match the previous year’s charitable total at a time when community support was especially critical. Historic Waialae Country Club has hosted the Sony Open every year since 1965. It has been the setting for some of the PGA TOUR’s most memorable moments. Justin Thomas shot the lowest score in a 72-hole event in PGA TOUR history (253, including a first-round 59) to win the 2017 Sony Open. Isao Aoki became the first Japanese winner in PGA TOUR history after famously won the 1980 Sony Open after holing out from 130 yards for eagle on the 72nd hole. Past winners at Waialae include Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Lanny Wadkins, Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. The Sony Open debuted in 1965. In 1999, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., became the host organization and Sony became title sponsor. “Almost 25 years ago, a partnership built on respect for culture, custom, commitment to community, innovation and excellence was formed between the Sony Group Corporation and the Friends of Hawaii Charities. This marked the birth of the Sony Open in Hawaii — a treasure to the people of Hawaii and beyond,” said Corbett Kalama, President of event charity host, Friends of Hawaii Charities. “The Sony Group made today a banner day by renewing its commitment to Hawaii by extending its sponsorship of the Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA TOUR another four years!” Kalama continued. “Coupled with the loyal support of Waialae Country Club, Hawaii Tourism Authority, numerous business sponsors, and over 1500 volunteers, Sony has once again demonstrated visionary genius by aligning peerless technology, the best golf pros from Japan and the PGA TOUR, with the alluring beauty of Hawaii for the global television audience, all while honoring its commitment to help thousands of islanders in need. Mahalo Sony for being true friends of Hawaii charities!” The 2022 Sony Open at Hawaii will be held Jan. 13-16 at Waialae Country Club with Kevin Na expected to defend his 2021 title.

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