Hideki Matsuyama hangs on to win Masters by 1 shot to finish 10 under, make history

RENO, Nevada — News and notes from Thursday’s first round of the Barracuda Championship, with John Huh leading by 1 point over Miguel Angel Carballo and Stuart Appleby in the Modified Stableford event. Huh scored 15 points Thursday and Carballo and Appleby each picked up 14 points in the first round of the PGA TOUR stop. Huh, from South Korea, had eight birdies Thursday and 24 putts. He finished tied for third at Montreux last year. Huh is at 112 on the FedExCup points standings. Carballo, from Argentina, finished ninth at Montreux last year. This is his fourth time playing the tournament. He had two eagles Thursday, good for 5 points each, on holes No. 2 and on No. 17. He also had a birdie on No. 16 when he holed out from the bunker, which he said changed his round. Carballo is No. 201 in the FedExCup standings. “I’m hitting really good because having played here already gives me a little confidence,� Carballo said. “I didn’t start off that well so during the middle of the round got a little bit better and started hitting the ball better, so I’m feeling really good right now.� Appleby is looking to continue the run of success for Australians in the Barracuda as Greg Chalmers won it last year. He said there no courses like Montreux in Australia. “I really, I just want to get to the weekend and see what happens. It’s been a struggle to get to the weekend. If I can get out play decent (Friday) and feel I can find the line and get some flow going, we’ll see what happens,� Appleby said. He made eight birdies Thursday. There are four golfers tied for second with 13 points each, Brandon Hagy, Ben Martin, Ryan Palmer and Dicky Pride. Martin, who has two top-10 finishes at Montreux, made a 50-foot putt on No. 18 for an eagle and 5 points. ACE IN THE HOLE, SHANK YOU VERY MUCH There were two aces Thursday at Montreux as Jay McLuen made a hole-in-one on hole No. 11 and JJ Spaun had an ace on No. 16. Spaun won a two-year lease on a Lexus for his ace. He has 11 points and is tied for ninth. “The pin was probably in the most accessible location on the green. And I just hit, put a really solid swing on it. Contact was good. It started about five yards left and just started falling right at the hole,� Spaun said. “And once it landed on the green, it landed like I thought maybe it was going to be long. But it landed like maybe 10, 15 feet short of the hole. “And then that’s when like everyone said it was kind of quiet and I was quiet and was starting to think is it going closer to the hole or not. And sure enough like 30 seconds later it just, perfect weight, just right in the cup and it just disappeared. We all freaked out. I didn’t even know I won a car until Alan said you get that car over there sitting on the front of the hole.� It was the second ace in his career. He had one on the Web.com Tour last year. McLuen said his caddy told him he had room on the right of the 171-yard hole. “I really had a good plan today. My caddy helped me out quite a bit, with trying to stay shot by shot. Picking small targets,� McLuen said. It was the third ace he’s made in tournament play, his eighth overall. He used a pitching wedge. “It was right at the flag. I saw it bounce, but we couldn’t see it go in. I saw the crowd stand up and started yelling when it went in,� he said. He also had a shank Thursday, which was the only green he missed all day in picking up 11 points. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a hole-in-one and a shank in the same round,� McLuen said. Last year at Montreux he was tied for second after the first round, but ended up tied for 76th. “Kind of let off the gas a little bit, but this year there’s a different formula,� McLuen said. “It’s a good start, can;t ask for much more.� Defending champ on track: Greg Chalmers had a solid start as he picked up 11 points Thursdayand is tied for ninth place. Chalmers, who got his first win on the PGA TOUR after 386 starts last year in the Barracuda Championship, birdied his first three holes Thursday. “If I can hit some greens (Friday) and I’m rolling the ball nicely, I’ll have some chances,� Chalmers said. “I’m pleased. I’m happy with 11 points. Would I like to one shot different? Sure, but I don’t think there’s one golfer who doesn’t wish he hit one shot better.� He said last year’s win is so far in the past it has no effect on this year. “My confidence is based on my recent performance and I cant say that’s been fantastic,� Chalmers said. CHALMERS DEFENSE STARTS STRONG Greg Chalmers had a solid start on Thursday as he picked up 11 points to sit inside the top 10 of early starters. Chalmers, who won last year’s Barracuda Championship for his first PGA TOUR victory after 386 starts, birdied his first three holes Thursday. “If I can hit some greens and I’m rolling the ball nicely, I’ll have some chances,� Chalmers said. “I’m pleased. I’m happy with 11 points. Would I like to (hit) one shot different? Sure, but I don’t think there’s one golfer who doesn’t wish he hit one shot better.� He said last year’s win is so far in the past it has no effect on what happens at Montreux this time around. “My confidence is based on my recent performance and I can’t say that’s been fantastic,� Chalmers said. ON THE BUBBLE The top 125 golfers in the FedExCup standings earn spots in the FedExCup Playoffs, as well as exemptions for next season on the PGA TOUR. Several players at the Barracuda Championship this week are hovering right around the bubble. With only two events left before the Playoffs begin, time is of the essence for anyone outside the top 125. Any player without status for next season finishing between 126-200 in the FedExCup would need to compete in the Web.com Tour Finals to regain TOUR status. Golfers between 126-150 would earn conditional TOUR status that can be improved in the four-event Web.com Tour Finals. Those on the bubble include J.T. Poston (125), Seamus Power (126), Trey Mullinax (127), Daniel Summerhays (128) and two-time Barracuda champion, J.J. Henry (130). Henry, a 16-year TOUR veteran, has won twice at Montreux (2012 and 2015). He tied for 16th last year at the Barracuda Championship. He has only missed the top 125 once (2014) in his career. BARRACUDA BONUS Three golfers scored 5 points each on hole No. 18 at Montreux. Whoever scores the most points on No. 18 this week earns a $50,000 bonus for the charity of his choice. Ben Martin, Brad Fritsche and Graham DeLaet each scored 5 points in the first round. The Barracuda Bonus is a $50,000 charitable donation given in the name of the player who collects the most Modified Stableford points on the par-5 18th hole over the course of the four competitive rounds. Greg Chalmers, who won the Barracuda last year, also won the Barracuda Bonus in 2016 with 11 points on No. 18. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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As the PGA TOUR ramped up preparations for next week’s return to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge, it identified the implementation of a quick, reliable COVID-19 testing procedure for players, caddies and essential personnel as one of the most critical requirements, one that also could carry over to PGA TOUR Champions and the Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the season. It turns out the TOUR had to look no further than an existing partner on PGA TOUR Champions in tournament sponsor Sanford Health. Among the largest health systems in the United States, Sanford Health demonstrated the ability to deliver on-site testing with rapid results through mobile testing units staffed by several lab technicians. So, plans have been finalized whereby Sanford Health will deploy three of the units across the continental U.S., each manned with a driver and three technicians, to cover the three Tours for the remainder of the season. Each unit will arrive the Saturday prior to the tournament to begin processing RT PCR tests. The test itself takes less than five minutes to administer, and test results are returned within several hours. Approximately 400 individuals are expected to be tested on-site each week. “Our ability to provide on-site testing services for the PGA TOUR is the direct result of our early and strategic investment in expanding testing capacity for our own patients, residents and employees,� said Micah Aberson, Executive Vice President of Sanford Health. “We’re all care givers, whether that is in the hospital, long-term care facility or in a mobile testing unit. This service will help players and staff feel safe, and we can play an important part by preventing the spread of the virus and supporting a responsible return to sporting events.� The mobile unit will remain on site through Thursday before traveling to the next closest tournament site, regardless of Tour. The Sanford Health teams, which also will be tested each week, are prepared for extended travel schedules in order to fulfill their mission on the three Tours. “When you’re in health care, you go where you are called,� said Rochelle Odenbrett, Senior Executive Director for Sanford Laboratories. “These groups of Sanford ambassadors will be on the road for weeks at a time doing work that is necessary in order to bring a little normalcy back to our lives and some joy to golf fans around the world – that’s the global impact these people are making. As for planning the schedule for each team, it’s like putting together a puzzle, and every piece has to fit exactly right. Our team has done an incredible job of mapping out where the three mobile units will be utilized during the season.� Andy Levinson, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President Tournament Administration, stresses that health and safety are the No. 1 priority as the TOUR returns to competition. “Not only will Sanford Health’s mobile laboratories enable us to deliver test results in a matter of hours so that our athletes can properly prepare for competition,� Levinson said, “but they also will allow us to implement our testing program without utilizing critical resources from the communities in which we play, which was of upmost importance to us.� Familiarity between the organizations certainly helped in expanding the relationship, with Sanford Health serving as title sponsor of the Sanford International in its hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (September 11-13). So, too, did having two-time U.S. Open winner Andy North on the Sanford Health Board of Trustees as well serving as the official tournament host. “A lot of credit for the foundation of this collaboration goes to Andy North,� Aberson said. “He helped bring us and the PGA TOUR together to make testing at every tournament a reality.� As a result, Sanford Health also becomes a marketing partner with the designation Official COVID-19 On-site Testing Provider of the PGA TOUR. “When we announced our partnership with Sanford Health in 2017, we knew we were going to build one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR Champions calendar, as their commitment to our sport and the Sioux Falls community has allowed the Sanford International to flourish,� said Miller Brady, President of PGA TOUR Champions. “As we look at the world today in the midst of COVID-19, it is tremendous to see Sanford Health’s determination in helping the PGA TOUR safely return to golf the week of June 8 and moving forward. They are a valued member of our PGA TOUR Champions family and it’s inspiring to see this level of leadership when we need it the most.� Aberson views this as another example of Sanford Health taking a leadership role during the pandemic, be it collaborating with state and local leaders to advancing groundbreaking research. Sanford Health includes 44 hospitals, 1,400 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and 10 countries. “Our team has focused on finding answers and meeting the needs of the communities we serve in this unprecedented time,� he said. “We take great pride in taking the lead in helping ensure a safe return to play for professional golf events in the Unites States by offering this testing and are honored to help contribute to getting players back on the course for fans around the world to enjoy.�

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Rory McIlroy reclaims the world No. 1 ranking for a ninth time, John Daly is back, the LPGA has a brief hiatus, and $50 million is on the line in the LIV Golf season finale.

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