How to watch Barbasol Championship, Round 1: TV times, live scoring, tee times

SHANGHAI, China — The PGA TOUR, the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, is once again partnering with the China Golf Association and is announcing the TOUR will operate PGA TOUR-China in 2018. The PGA TOUR-China schedule will consist of a full schedule of tournaments and will begin in spring 2018, with each event offering a prize purse of at least 1.5 million RMB, up from 1.2 million RMB in 2016. As is the case with all three PGA TOUR international developmental Tours, PGA TOUR-China will provide players a path to the PGA TOUR through the Web.com Tour, with the top-five money-winners at season’s end earning 2019 Web.com Tour membership. In addition, there will be at least 15 additional players who will have access to the latter stages of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament. This past season, China’s Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang became the first players from China to earn PGA TOUR cards after their strong 2017 Web.com Tour seasons, where Dou finished 17th on the money list and Zhang placed 21st. Australia’s Brett Drewitt PGA TOUR membership in 2016-17. “The essence of PGA TOUR-China is what the PGA TOUR offers, namely a world-class brand, global credibility and Web.com Tour access that gives players a path to the PGA TOUR. In addition, we’ve seen several players who have played in China move to the Web.com Tour and then advance to the PGA TOUR. It was thrilling to watch Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang both realize their dreams by following this path all the way to the highest level of golf, the PGA TOUR,â€� said Ty Votaw, Executive Vice President of PGA TOUR Global Business Affairs. “We are excited to partner with the CGA in this endeavor going forward and appreciate the CGA and its cooperation, assistance and collaboration. We are playing a strong tournament schedule, with significant purse sizes. This will allow us to maintain in China what we’re already doing in Latin America and Canada, running PGA TOUR-quality Tours that allow players to continue improving their games.â€� Prior to the start of the 2018 regular season, PGA TOUR-China will hold Qualifying Tournaments at to-be-determined sites, for players from Mainland China and players from the rest of the world, respectively. As golf continues to grow, PGA TOUR-China expects to attract a truly international membership, with the majority of the players coming from Asia. “We believe PGA TOUR-China will weekly present outstanding competition played at strong golf courses throughout the country. Our 2018 season ensures that we’ll continue providing exceptional playing opportunities for our players,â€� said Greg Gilligan, Managing Director of PGA TOUR Greater China. “Sport is undergoing reform in China, and we think it is an important and positive reform. We are very pleased to be working in concert with the China Golf Association and are happy we are in a position to offer playing opportunities on a high-level Tour played to PGA TOUR standards, the same quality players and fans have come to expect. “We strongly feel PGA TOUR-China is good for golf in China and for Chinese and international players,â€� Gilligan continued. “We are very happy to again operate in 2018 and beyond.â€� Gilligan emphasized the Tour’s long-standing relationship with the China Golf Association and its contributions to the sport. “We have enjoyed our long-standing partnership with the CGA and are especially thrilled that it will continue as both entities seek to grow the game in China.â€� “We are delighted to cooperate with the PGA TOUR again on this new tour. It not only provides a broader platform for Chinese players but also enriches the existing men’s professional golf tournaments in China,â€� said Xiaoning Zhang, President of the CGA. The PGA TOUR China Series began in 2014, five months after then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem and the CGA’s Zhang announced its formation at a press conference at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. It immediately added credibility in a country where golf is still a relatively young sport. In the three years of its existence, PGA TOUR China Series has sent players to the Web.com Tour and subsequently the PGA TOUR, with players also winning on the European Tour and performing well on the Asian Tour. PGA TOUR China Series immediately established itself as a high-quality golf tour, a place where up-and-coming players could hone and display their talent.    “PGA TOUR-China will certainly raise the competitive bar in China, giving Chinese players the opportunity to gauge their games against international players. The sport has already identified numerous outstanding golfers from China and throughout Asia and Australasia and facilitated their move to the global stage. Haotong Li, Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang are perfect examples of that, as are Jeunghun Wang of South Korea and Brett Drewitt of Australia,â€� added Votaw. “We know there are more young players out there, and our anticipation is that PGA TOUR-China will create opportunities for these players to realize their dream of one day playing on the PGA TOUR.â€� In 2014, then 19-year-old Li won three tournaments in China and advanced to the Web.com Tour and held membership on that circuit before moving to the European Tour after winning the 2016 Volvo China Open. He represented China at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. Earlier this year, Li had the highest PGA TOUR finish by an alum when he was third at The Open Championship in England. Following in Li’s footsteps has been Dou, another 19-year-old from China, essentially doing the same thing. Dou, from Henan, won four 2016 PGA TOUR-China tournaments, earned Player of the Year honors moved on to the Web.com Tour. In July, at the Digital Ally Open outside Kansas City, 20-year-old Dou became the first player from China roots to win on the Web.com Tour. His three-stroke victory was worth enough money that secured him membership on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR. By virtue of his Web.com Tour money-list finish, Zhang also secured his PGA TOUR membership and both players played in the PGA TOUR’s season-opening event, the Safeway Open in California.  

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Here are nine tidbits from the final round of The Honda Classic that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road.  Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Grin and Bear It For the seventh time in his last 31 PGA TOUR events Justin Thomas is taking home the trophy as he defeated Luke List in a playoff to win The Honda Classic. The 2017 PGA TOUR Player of the Year collects his eighth-career TOUR victory and second of the 2017-2018 season. Thomas now has two playoff wins this season as he defeated Marc Leishman at the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in October. Playing in his fourth Honda Classic, he adds this victory to T3 in 2016 and a pair MCs. Thomas only squared five bogeys and a double which was offset by 15 birdies (T4) to post 272. List was the only player to make fewer bogeys (4). Thomas reinforced that it takes a deep bag to win here as he led the field in strokes-gained: tee-to-green, sand saves and scrambling. The Champion Course at PGA National played easier as the week went on as the weather improved and the wind finally quieted down. The greens were crusty, firm and not holding many shots so it is not surprising scoring was high. The lowest round of the week was 65 and all four posted were on the weekend. The tournament record of 13-under-par set by Camilo Villegas in 2010 was never in doubt. There were only For the 10th season in a row the winner came from the final pairing. Gamers’ Choices — PGA TOUR Fantasy Game presented by SERVPRO If gamers are still wondering about Fleetwood and Noren, I can’t help them! This is the bloodiest top 10 that we’ve seen this season. Gamers’ Choices — PGA TOUR One & Done presented by SERVPRO   Gamers who faded Fowler this week will live to fight another day as Woodland and Garcia backers go quietly. With the tricky weather forecasted this week it’s not a surprise the ownership of Thomas was that low. It will be the last time we see it that low! Close Encounters Luke List is accumulating some excellent scar tissue that will help him the next time he’s contending late on the weekend. All of the facets of his game were firing this week but he ran into the wrong guy in the playoff. His P2 check is the biggest he’s collected and is his second top 10 of the year. He was T5 at the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. … If Alex Noren returns to this event next year he might be No. 1 on my list. He was 12-under-par in three of his four rounds including posting eight-under on the weekend. He learned his lesson from the 75 he posted Friday and finished third, missing the playoff by a shot. Noren is white hot as this is his second podium finish is four TOUR starts in 2018. … Tommy Fleetwood’s first visit saw him put all four rounds at par or better including his final three in red numbers. Movers and Shakers Byeong Hun An (T5) and Derek Fathauer (T13) shared the low round on Sunday with 65. An posted his lowest round of the year and his best finish since T11 at the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Does anyone else see a pattern forming here?? This was the Korean’s first trip to the Champion Course. … Fathauer tried it a different way this week. After beginning last Sunday in the top 10 at Riviera he posted 74 to slip to T16. This week he made the cut on the number and used his break to shoot 71-65. The 65 on Sunday moved him up 41 spots to finish T13. He’s now cashed a check in five of six tries at this event. Grillo Means Go Emiliano Grillo entered the week with 10 consecutive cuts made and added another this week. The Argentine fired 69-66 on the weekend to post T8. He made the cut the previous two seasons here and each Sunday he posted 77. This is his best finish on TOUR since T7 at last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. #Hint#Hint. Tiger Woods He stood on No. 15 tee T6 (-3) and just four shots out of the lead. His tee shot found the water, again, and his double-bogey ended any chances of sneaking in the back door. His three-putt bogey on the next hole pushed him out of the top 10 as he finished 12th. I was interested to see how his swing would hold up on Sunday if he was in the fight. For the most part, it did. Go look at the tables above and count how many of those guys he beat this week. With back-to-back top-25 finishes, the next question is will he play again before Augusta? Stay tuned. Sunday Silence It wasn’t a great afternoon for South Africans not named Dylan Frittelli (11th) as Louis Oosthuizen carded 75 of them and dropped from T8 to T24. The “other” Rory still won that head-to-head but Sabbatini posted 73 to drop out of the top 10 and cash for T17. … Daniel Berger couldn’t match his Sunday 64 from his rookie year as he also carded 75 and fell to T29. … Hudson Swafford made a birdie on the final hole to post 80. He plummeted 53 spots to T64. … Rory McIlroy’s lowest round of the week was 72 (T59) and that should keep gamers guessing before he tees it up again. It will NOT be this coming week at the WGC-Mexico Championships as he is not entered. Study Hall 2017 NCAA Nicklaus Award winner Sam Burns, playing with Woods on Sunday, posted 68 (-2). He was playing his 14th round on TOUR. His T8 finish will get the Web.com player into the Valspar Championship in two weeks. … Lucas Glover also fired 66 on Sunday for T17, his best finish since T15 at the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. #Pattern. … Michael Thompson (T24) just missed fulfilling his major medical exemption and will have one more start remaining to do so. … Rookie Tom Lovelady showed some serious guts this week as he was seven-over-par thru his first eight holes. He made the cut on the number, fired a bogey-free 67 on Saturday and 70 Sunday to cash T17 for his best payday. … Jason Dufner (T17) has never missed in 10 tries at the Champion Course. Strangely he only has one top 10 to show for his efforts, T9 in 2009.

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