Hensby wins Invited Celebrity Classic in playoff

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Commissioner Jay Monahan announced late Tuesday the PGA TOUR will cancel four additional events in accordance with the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the Office of the President of the United States in the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic. The four events are the RBC Heritage (April 13-19); Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 20-26); Wells Fargo Championship (April 27-May 3); and AT&T Byron Nelson (May 4-10). Furthermore, the PGA of America is postponing the PGA Championship (May 14-17) for a date later this year, to be announced. Monahan videotaped a message at TOUR headquarters that was distributed to players along with news of the schedule change. Here are the basics: WHO WILL BE AFFECTED? On March 12, the TOUR made the announcement to cancel or postpone four weeks of events, starting with THE PLAYERS Championship, which Monahan called “the Super Bowl of our sport,â€� through the week of the Valero Texas Open, April 2-5. (Augusta National Golf Club then announced the postponement of the Masters Tournament, April 9-12). Tuesday’s announcement brings the total to eight weeks of cancellations for the TOUR along with its five supporting Tours, including the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, and PGA TOUR Series China. WHAT ARE PLAYERS DOING WITH THE TIME OFF? Billy Horschel pledged money and joined the TOUR in helping to distribute 22 tons of food, once earmarked for THE PLAYERS Championship, to Feeding Northeast Florida, instead. Matt Wallace announced on Tuesday that he will donate half his money from THE PLAYERS purse to Blessings in a Backpack. Monahan said others have also reached out. “It’s no surprise,â€� the Commissioner said. “I see their hearts every single day, I see how much they care about our sport and our fans. You can’t move fast enough when people are in need. It’s inspiring to know that they have the confidence in this organization to make the right decisions, but at the same time they’re all raising their hands saying, ‘What do I need to do to help?’ It’s times like these that people come together and show their true grit and true connectedness.â€� WHO ELSE HAS BEEN CHIPPING IN? Feeding Northeast Florida was just the beginning.  “We had restaurants calling us saying they were thinking of closing, and they wanted to be able to use their restaurants to be able to feed people,â€� Monahan said. “People not even associated with our tournament in this community. Good deeds beget good deeds, and that’s what we’re seeing here in Jacksonville and on the First Coast, and I know that’s what we’ll see in each market as we go forward, particularly as our players lean in to try and find ways to help.â€�  WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE TO BREAK THE NEWS TO TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS? “It’s really hard,â€� Monahan said, “because these tournament directors, they’re working on this tournament 365 days a year, they’re working with their communities, they’re working with our players. They’re kind of the pulse for the game of golf in that community, and they so want to stage their events. I think the reality is that by the time we’re talking to them, we’re not surprising them. We’re all dealing with the same set of facts, and we all want to come to the right decisions together, so that part of it I feel really good about. But you can plan for all kinds of situations, but this one is really unique – just think about how much it’s changed since last Wednesday night, think about how much it’s changed in the last 24 hours. I think we can expect more of that, and the only way to counteract that is to be committed to communicating and to be honest and real about what you’re seeing and hearing and how it affects you.â€�   HAS MONAHAN BEEN IN CONTACT WITH COMMISSIONERS IN OTHER SPORTS? Yes, and the conversations, he said, have been helpful. “This challenge, this crisis, is affecting everybody differently,â€� Monahan said. “Everybody has their own unique considerations. To hear what others are going through — some of which is applicable to us, some of it not — it’s helpful to me as I think about all the things that we’re considering. But as it relates to the golf industry, I know every major golf organization is working not independently but together and trying to figure out, as we look to the end of the FedExCup schedule and the end of the 2020 calendar year, how do we put the best product forward for our fans and our collective interests.â€� CAN THE 2019-20 SEASON BE SAVED? Sungjae Im leads the FedExCup standings through the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, but will there be a FedExCup Playoffs? It’s too early to say for sure, but it remains possible. “As we receive more clarity in the coming weeks,â€� Monahan said in his videotaped statement to members, “the TOUR will be working with our tournament organizations and title sponsors, in collaboration with golf’s governing bodies, to build a reimagined PGA TOUR schedule for 2020 that ensures the health and safety for all associated with our sport and a meaningful conclusion to the season. We will provide further updates when those plans come into focus.â€� HOW CAN FANS STILL ENGAGE? Over the coming days, the TOUR, through its various partners, will make available its archive of past PGA TOUR competitions and additional programming for fans. More details will be made available soon.

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Kevin Tway held off two proven PGA TOUR winners a year ago to notch his first career TOUR victory at the 2018 Safeway Open. In the process, he and his father, Bob Tway, became the eighth father-son duo to win on the PGA TOUR since 1900. FIELD NOTES: Phil Mickelson is making his 2019-20 PGA TOUR season debut and will play alongside former NBA MVP Stephen Curry in Wednesday’s pro-am. This will be the fourth consecutive year that Mickelson has played the Safeway Open (he also played it in 2007); he has two top-10s and a top-20 in the last three starts. … 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas also will make his 2019-20 debut, as are veterans Adam Scott and Francesco Molinari … Two-time winner Brendan Steele (2016-17) is returning once again. Steele finished T53 last season … Kevin Tway returns to defend… Recent Cal-Berkeley graduate and PGA TOUR winner Collin Morikawa is making his season debut. Morikawa played the Safeway Open in 2016 while he was a college sophomore … Fred Couples, who also played the Safeway Open in 2018, is playing his first non-major on the TOUR schedule since the Genesis Open. He has nine top-25 results in 10 starts on PGA TOUR Champions this year… Former NFL quarterback and CBS football analyst Tony Romo will be playing on a sponsor exemption. This will be Romo’s fourth TOUR start (he also played the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in 2018 and 2019 and the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2019). Romo also is scheduled to play the pro-am with Thomas … After making his professional debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship, 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia is teeing it up this week as well FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. COURSE: Silverado Resort & Spa (North), 7,166 yards, par 72. Despite wildfires that raged all around Silverado in 2017, the two golf courses were relatively unscathed. This is the fourth year the Safeway Open will be played at the North course at Silverado. STORYLINES: Phil Mickelson returns to action in the PGA TOUR for the first time since the BMW Championship. Mickelson, who turns 50 in 2020, is playing his fourth Safeway Open. He’s finished T3-8-T17 in his previous three starts, and shot an opening 65 a year ago. He’s also hoping to chase after a Presidents Cup captain’s pick. Mickelson has been on every U.S. national team since 1994 … Justin Thomas announced on Twitter in mid-September he had a melanoma scare on his leg after visiting the dermatologist. This is his first TOUR event since that scare, and he returns to the Safeway Open for the first time since 2016 when he finished T8 … Five of the 12 Safeway Opens have ended in a playoff … Seven golfers who are participating in the Presidents Cup (Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Scott, Marc Leishman, Abraham Ancer, and C.T. Pan) are in the field, the strongest in Safeway Open history. 72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Cameron Beckman (2008 at Grayhawk GC), Kevin Sutherland (2008 at Grayhawk GC), Troy Matteson (2009 at Grayhawk GC), Rickie Fowler (2009 at Grayhawk GC), Jamie Lovemark (2009 at Grayhawk GC). Silverado record: 270, Brendan Steele (2016). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Mark Hensby (2nd round, 2007 at Grayhawk GC), Kevin Stadler (2nd round, 2008 at Grayhawk GC), Troy Matteson (2rd & 3rd rounds, 2009 at Grayhawk GC), Mike Weir (4th round, 2009 at Grayhawk GC), Chesson Hadley (2nd round, 2017 at Silverado). LAST TIME: Brandt Snedeker held the 54-hole lead but shot a 2-over 74 on Sunday – including making three straight bogeys after the turn in the final round – and ended up in a playoff with Ryan Moore and eventual winner Kevin Tway. Moore birdied three of his final four holes to get into the playoff. Tway birdied his final two holes to reach 14 under for the week. Tway and Moore made matching birdies on the 18th hole twice (Snedeker was eliminated after making a par on the first playoff hole) before the pair moved to the par-4 10th. Tway won after a birdie and would go on to finish 31st on the FedExCup. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-9 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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He admits he is distracted. Also, more importantly, his results on the golf course aren’t there. He needs to hit the reset button. But can he?

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