Fire tears through clubhouse at iconic Oakland Hills Country Club

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame will enshrine former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem as part of its Class of 2021, joining Tiger Woods and Marion Hollins. He received news of his Induction through the Contributor category from Commissioner Jay Monahan. “It is the greatest honor to be elected to join golf’s most legendary players and contributors in the World Golf Hall of Fame,� said Finchem. “This is a truly humbling moment, for which I am most grateful, and I look forward to celebrating with my family and friends throughout the game of golf and the many people who made this possible for me. I am especially proud to stand alongside one of the world’s all-time greats, Tiger Woods, in the Class of 2021 and look forward to what will be an exciting year ahead.� Under Finchem’s 22-year tenure as the PGA TOUR Commissioner from 1994 through 2016, prize money skyrocketed, moving from under $100 million on three tours in 1994 to more than $400 million on six tours when he retired in 2017. He created signature events in today’s game, including the FedExCup and the FedExCup Playoffs, the Presidents Cup and the World Golf Championships. Finchem’s impact expanded far beyond the PGA TOUR as he left his mark on the global game. He spearheaded efforts to coordinate the bid for golf’s return to the Olympics, which became a reality in the 2016 Games after a 112-year absence. Finchem worked to ensure giving back was part of the fabric of the PGA TOUR’s business model and was instrumental in founding the First Tee in 1997. Since inception, Finchem has helped First Tee grow and develop into the positive youth development organization it is today, having reached more than 15 million young people on golf courses, in schools and after-school locations. During his tenure as Commissioner, the PGA TOUR and its tournaments raised more than $2 billion in charitable contributions. “Tim Finchem’s vision and leadership have made an indelible impact on the game of golf over the past 25 years,� said Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR Commissioner and World Golf Foundation Board Chairman. “His enshrinement into the World Golf Hall of Fame will forever stand as a testament to his tireless dedication and contributions, but more importantly, so will the countless lives – whether those are the players on the PGA TOUR and beyond, millions of First Tee participants, or charitable organizations around the world – impacted by his life’s work.� Finchem joins Tiger Woods and Marion Hollins as part of the 2021 Induction Class. The Hall of Fame will round out the Class of 2021 by announcing the fourth and final Inductee in the coming days. The Class of 2021 is elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, which discusses the merits of 10 finalists. The Selection Committee is a 20-member panel co-chaired by Hall of Fame Members Beth Daniel, Nick Price, Annika Sorenstam and Curtis Strange, and includes media representatives and leaders of the major golf organizations. The finalists were vetted by the Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee, which reviewed every candidate that met the qualifications of the Hall of Fame’s three Induction categories (Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Contributor). For more information on the Induction process, visit www.worldgolfhalloffame.org. Class of 2021 Selection Committee Hall of Fame Co-Chairs Beth Daniel Nick Price Annika Sorenstam Curtis Strange Institutional Seats World Golf Foundation Board Organizations Mike Davis, USGA Will Jones, The Masters Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR Keith Pelley, European Tour Martin Slumbers, The R&A Seth Waugh, PGA of America Mike Whan, LPGA Media Selected by World Golf Foundation Board Michael Bamberger, Golf.com Iain Carter, BBC Jaime Diaz, Golf Channel Doug Ferguson, Associated Press John Hopkins, Global Golf Post UK Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek Ron Sirak, Global Golf Post At-Large Seats Selected by World Golf Foundation Board Peter Bevacqua, NBC Sports Group Jerry Tarde, Golf Digest/Discovery

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LAS VEGAS - Sergio Garcia was putting with his eyes closed on the way to victory last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship but they were wide open when he holed out for a timely eagle on Friday at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The veteran Spaniard connected from 111 yards with his lob wedge on the par-4 6th hole at TPC Summerlin to reinvigorate his charge up the leaderboard and put him in position for back-to-back wins on TOUR. After a first round 5-under 66 had him sitting four shots off the pace, Garcia made an early second-round climb with four birdies in his opening seven holes only to then stall with seven straight pars. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Fowler makes putter switch But his magical eagle boosted him to double digits under par and a closing birdie helped him to a 64 and 12 under total, just two back of early pace-setters Patrick Cantlay and Martin Laird. "I hit a really nice shot just right of the hole a with a tiny little draw. Obviously saw the ball bounce just right of the hole and spun," Garcia said of the hole-out. "From where I was you couldn’t quite see it, so I saw a little bit and I thought it hit the hole or hit the flag and I thought it stayed next to it. Obviously the little amount of people that were there, they kind of went crazy. It was nice to know that it was in." Garcia's win in Jackson last week was his first on the PGA TOUR since the 2017 Masters and first anywhere in over a year. The 40-year-old knows when opportunities come you need to take advantage so he doesn't intend to step off the gas this weekend. "When you have one of those good moments, you try to enjoy it as much as possible and hopefully make the most out of it," he said. Joining him at 12 under is another veteran who recently arrested a form slide. Stewart Cink won the Safeway Open last month for his first victory since 2009. The renewed purple patch continued with a T12 last week and now he is once again in the mix. Cink was dropping putts from everywhere and had two eagles during his 8-under 63 on Friday. All up he made 133 feet, seven inches of putts Friday which had him gaining four shots on the morning wave in Strokes Gained: Putting. "It wasn’t like it was a ton of bombs, but I hit it 15 feet a lot and a lot of those went in," the 47-year-old Cink said. "I’ve made some changes in my game the last month or so and it's paid off really quickly with a win, and now it’s just fun to get out there and wail on the driver and see the shots. Golf is a fun game when you got things going right, and hopefully let it last a long time."

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