How to watch Fortinet Championship, Round 2: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Tiger Woods has announced Cameron Champ as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption for the 2018 Genesis Open. Since 2009, the exemption has represented the advancement of diversity in the game of golf. Champ will join the field of 144 players at The Riviera Country Club February 12-18. Champ, 22, is a Sacramento-area native who turned pro months after appearing in and placing T-32nd in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Champ attended and played golf at Texas A&M University, where he was a finalist for the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award and rose to become the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer for the 2017 season. In September, Champ represented the United States in the 46th Walker Cup, helping the U.S. earn a decisive victory over the Great Britain & Ireland Team in Los Angeles. “I am excited to have Cameron in the field for the Genesis Open,â€� Woods said. “On the course, Cameron has all the tools to compete at Riviera, and off the course his commitment to grow the game is inspiring. I know Charlie would be proud to have Cameron play in the Genesis Open in his honor.â€� Throughout his amateur and professional career, Champ has given back to his community through his involvement with The First Tee of Sacramento. Champ got his start with The First Tee as a teenager in 2003. Through after-school and in-school programs, the organization strives to help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf. Champ’s father Jeff was a talented athlete in his own right who had his professional baseball career cut short by injury. After being introduced to golf by his grandfather, Mack, at the age of two, Champ went on to attend Heritage Peak Charter School in Sacramento, becoming a two-time Rolex All-American (2012-13) and a member of the 2012 Junior PGA Ryder Cup and 2013 Toyota Junior World Cup teams. “I am incredibly grateful and humbled to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption for the 2018 Genesis Open,â€� Champ said. “This means a lot to me, as well as my entire family. Mr. Sifford’s legacy has had a huge influence not only on why I play the game of golf, but also how I seek to use the game as a vehicle for positive change, the celebration of diversity and to make a difference in our communities – all examples that were unquestionably set by Charlie Sifford. It gives me great pride to play in his name at Riviera this year.â€� Named in 2017 to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American player to compete on the PGA TOUR, the exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera for nearly a decade. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016) and Kevin M. Hall (2017). Tickets for the 2018 Genesis Open are now on sale. Starting at just $20, all ticket options are available at GenesisOpen.com/tickets. About the Genesis Open The Genesis Open, L.A.’s PGA TOUR event, is bringing the next chapter in championship golf to The Riviera Country Club February 12 – 18, 2018. One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, the tournament celebrated its 91st playing in 2017 as Dustin Johnson won the event and, in doing so, claimed the No. 1 world ranking. With TGR Live serving as the event management company for the Genesis Open, the Tiger Woods Foundation is the primary benefiting charity, with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s college-access programs in Southern California. The tournament’s title sponsor is Genesis, a global luxury car brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation in its vehicles. For more information, visit GenesisOpen.com and follow the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About TGR Live For 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the Tiger Woods Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events. TGR Live provides a variety of services including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales at three PGA TOUR events and two signature events which benefit the foundation. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About the Tiger Woods Foundation For over 20 years, the Tiger Woods Foundation has been an unwavering advocate for the transformative power of education. We have humble beginnings and a universal vision: give students in need the right resources to ensure lifelong success in school, their communities and the working world. Through our award-winning STEM curricula, college-access programs and teacher professional development, we offer underserved students the tools and support needed to thrive in school and beyond. The TGR Learning Lab unleashes the full capacity of students, preparing them for today’s jobs and the ones that don’t exist yet. Serving students in grades 5-12 in Anaheim, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Stuart, FL, our unique culture fosters the development of the whole person while providing critical STEM skills and college prep. With one of the highest graduation rates among scholar programs in the US, the Earl Woods Scholar Program currently has 196 students attending universities nationwide. And we recently embarked on an ambitious expansion plan, bringing our unique philosophy and educational curriculum to millions of teachers and students around the world. Find more information at tigerwoodsfoundation.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Genesis Motor America Genesis Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., distributes, markets and services Genesis vehicles in the United States. Genesis is a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. A total of six new Genesis models will launch by 2021 and will compete with the world’s most renowned luxury car brands. All Genesis vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by an industry-leading warranty with enhanced roadside assistance and concierge services.

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Depending on your exposure, fusion might be most familiar as the scientific process in which multiple particles come together. You may also think of it as when jazz met rock and roll. Or maybe the winner of the word association is the popular sedan. With Tiger Woods performing as well as he has in 2018, we have to wonder if back surgeons are getting flooded with inquiries on another application: fusion surgery. Then there are the folks who play fantasy golf and lean on the fusion of current form with course history to identify value. Lo and behold, Woods is the father of all synergies at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. With eight victories at Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, his margin over Vijay Singh in second place on the tournament’s all-time money list is more than $2 million greater than The Big Fijian’s total. Despite Woods’ incredible success at Bay Hill, he’s seeing the four-year-old renovation for the first time this week. Scroll past the ranking for more on how Palmer’s beloved test has matched up in the 120-man invitational. First appearance at Bay Hill since 2013 title, his fourth in last five trips. Tee-to-green game was the primary foundation of last week’s T2 at Copperhead. Putting was already strong. In the process of a T5 at the Valspar, ranked third in strokes gained: putting with highest recorded clip over four rounds since winning 2011 BMW. Five top 15s at Bay Hill since 2011. Just his third start of 2018. Chased Farmers title with a T2 at Pebble Beach. Winner at Bay Hill in 2016. Currently leading the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: putting. A regular leaderboard presence. Leads the TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage after going for the green. Fourth in adjusted scoring. T10 in Bay Hill debut last year. Continues to excel with his first PGA TOUR card with a P2, a solo third and three more top 25s since late January. Slots third in both adjusted scoring and the all-around. All three paydays in six starts at Bay Hill were top 20s. Now rested from a T5 at the WGC-Mexico where he led the field in total distance of putts holed. Five top fives in 2017-18! First Power Rankings since the WGC-HSBC in October. Opened Florida Swing with T13 at the Honda. Added a T16 at the Valspar. Three top 15s at Bay Hill; T12 in his last in 2016. Prevailed by six at the Asian Development Tour’s stop in Brunei on Saturday. Two wins in last four starts. T5 at WGC-Mexico in between. T6 in both prior starts at Bay Hill. Save the stumble at PGA National (MC), he’s just as hot as he was at this time last year when he placed T4 in his API debut. Third-place finishes in two of last three starts.   Wouldn’t mind tighter form upon arrival for his title defense, but he’s averaged 69.625 on his last eight rounds at Bay Hill. Currently seventh in birdies-or-better percentage. Travels after fading to solo sixth at the Hero Indian Open where he led after both of the first two rounds. Three top 15s in last four starts worldwide. T17-T7 in last two APIs. Italian stallion for Bay Hill with three top 10s and a T17 (2015) in the last four editions. Ranked fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green en route to a T25 at WGC-Mexico. Relatively quiet opening to 2018 mirrors his track record at Bay Hill. In six prior trips, both of his two top 25s among five cuts made are top 15s. Solo 12th last year. Finally reemerged on the leaderboard at Copperhead (T2) where he led the field in strokes gained: approach. Appearing at Bay Hill for the third time, his first since 2014. Among the notables cut at Copperhead, but he’s been a force at Bay Hill. Five straight top 15s punctuated by top fives from 2014-16. Last year’s MC was an anomaly.  RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Kevin Chappell will be among the notables covered in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider.  This is the 40th edition of the API at Bay Hill. No course could claim to have evolved as much as the stock par 72 in Orlando. The latest sweeping modifications greeted the 2015 field with new Celebration bermudagrass on the fairways and TifEagle Bermuda on the greens (which are not overseeded).  If it can be accepted that three years of play and data are required before attaching identity and expectations to any course after a renovation, then Bay Hill has hit the bull’s-eye. Last year’s scoring average of 72.890 was a four-year high, but moderate-to-gusty winds challenged the field in the first and final rounds. The bottom line is that the course rewards all strengths upon execution. Consider that the leaders in distance of all drives (Rory McIlroy), fairways hit (Adam Hadwin), greens in regulation (champion Marc Leishman), proximity to the hole (McIlroy) and scrambling (Hadwin) all finished inside the top six on the leaderboard.  Leishman’s pace of 11-under 277 was the highest in six years. As referenced above, he got the job done by eliminating the need to scramble more than anyone else, but he also ranked second in strokes gained: putting. Not surprisingly given the value of par, the Aussie also co-led in bogey avoidance in which eight of the 11 golfers who finished inside the top 10 on the leaderboard ranked inside the top 10 for the tournament.  While the absence of dozens of trees felled by Hurricane Irma last September may be noticeable to eyes familiar with the property, the only relevant change to gameplay at Bay Hill since last year occurred beside the green of the par-3 second hole. The bank in between it and the creek isn’t as severe. And despite numerous upgrades, the course will tip at 7,419 yards for the eighth straight year.  Terrific weather is on tap throughout the tournament. Gradually warming daytime highs into the low 80s by Sunday will be accompanied by light breezes and primarily cloudless skies.  The winner will earn a three-year PGA TOUR exemption as well as berths into the next three editions of THE PLAYERS.  ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE  PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week.  MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings  TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider, Facebook Live  WEDNESDAY: One & Done  * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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