Inside the wildest two weeks in the history of professional golf

TULSA, Okla. – Aaron Wise endured a scary moment Friday when he was hit in the head by a tee shot during the second round of the PGA Championship. He is said to be doing OK and expected to play Saturday after making the 36-hole cut. “Aaron is doing well and in good spirits after being hit today,” his management team said in a statement. “We’ll be monitoring his condition overnight but he looks forward to competing tomorrow.” Wise was in the fairway of Southern Hills’ seventh hole when he was struck on the fly by a drive from Cameron Smith, who was playing the adjoining second hole. Wise parred the hole and No. 8 before making a bogey on the ninth, his finel hole of the day, to shoot 72. He stands at 1-over 141 after two rounds. Wise was seen holding a water bottle to his head after being struck and was icing his head after signing his scorecard.

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SATURDAY MORNING FOUR-BALLS Match 1: Rory McIlroy / Sergio Garcia, Europe, def. Brooks Koepka / Tony Finau, USA, 2 and 1 Holes won: Europe 6, USA 4 Holes led: Europe 15 USA 0 Recap: The real Rory McIlroy turned up on Saturday morning and with the help of a solid Sergio Garcia the Europeans controlled this match until a brief late fightback from the U.S. A McIlroy birdie on the third hole kick-started the theme of the morning as the home side surged to 4-up through eight holes. The Americans tried to make a run at them late and reinvigorated feelings from their Friday comeback win when they claimed the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to pull within a hole. But two huge putts on the 17th green, the first a long par putt from McIlroy to free up his partners birdie attempt, the second Garcia’s long dagger to secure the win. McIlroy, who had zero birdies in the Four-ball session Friday, posted five of them Saturday. Quotes: “It was amazing. I think we played great all day. Obviously they started coming hard at us the last few holes, a couple little mistakes here and there, but we knew that we just had to keep giving ourselves chances and the way we’re playing … it was great for him to make that, gave me a little more freedom and great to roll it in.â€� – Sergio Garcia “Four up, five to play, you’re thinking win the 14th and get this thing over and done with, and then to be going up 17, it’s not what you want, but we tried to just make the best of the situation and Sergio was so clutch. It’s great. The fire and the passion that he has, it’s infectious, and it rubs off on me pretty well.â€� – Rory McIlroy Match 2: Paul Casey / Tyrrell Hatton, Europe, def. Dustin Johnson / Rickie Fowler, USA, 3 and 2 Holes won: Europe 5, USA 2 Holes led: Europe 14 USA 0 Recap: Paul Casey opened the match with scorching form with five birdies in the opening six holes helping set up a 2-up lead. By the turn the European duo was 3-up and while Johnson found some form on the back nine his three birdies on the back side were not enough to handle the home side. Combined Hatton and Casey were 9 under and just refused to let the Americans breathe. Quotes: “It’s been 10 years. Desperately wanted to be back on this team because I know how good it is. I mean, all these guys are amazing, and you know, once you’re a Ryder Cupper, you’re always a Ryder Cupper. I can’t tell you how good I feel – you just don’t want to make the team, you want to contribute.â€� – Paul Casey “It’s amazing. I’m at a loss for words. It’s such a special moment. Obviously to be here is an honor and then to win a point for the team is very special. Obviously playing alongside Paul, he’s a Ryder Cup legend. What a player he is. It was the Casey Express train the front nine. I was just trying to help out when I could.â€� – Tyrrell Hatton Match 3: Francesco Molinari / Tommy Fleetwood, Europe def. Tiger Woods / Patrick Reed, USA, 4 and 3 Holes won: Europe 6, USA 2 Holes led: Europe 13, USA 0 Recap: Europe’s hottest team continued to roll, beating Woods/Reed for the second time in Four-balls and moving to 3-0-0 for the week. The decisive stretch came early in the back nine when Molinari won three consecutive holes with birdies after Woods had squared the match with a birdie on the 10th hole. Molinari answered by knocking his tee shot at the par-3 11th to within 5 feet, then practically sprinted toward the green as the momentum turned. He continued to stripe his irons to gain control of the match. Woods was solid but had little help from Reed, who struggled off the tee. He nearly found the hospitality tents at the seventh and he hit into the gallery at the 11th. The only two holes the U.S. won during the match were from Woods’ birdies at the seventh (from 30 feet) and 10th (from 8 feet). With Woods and Reed both finding trouble at the 15th, Fleetwood closed out the match with a par. Quotes: “Today we were solid, and just started riding that wave again on the back nine when Fran started playing great, and I just kind of stood by his side and tried to hit decent golf shots and stay in the hole and let him go free.â€� – Tommy Fleetwood “We were ready this morning. I think any time we had to step it up today, we did, either one of us.â€� – Francesco Molinari

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� PGA TOUR, NBC Sports and Sky Sports to broadcast team competition from Seminole Golf Club, May 17. � Farmers Insurance pledges $1 million for birdies-and-eagle pool supporting Off Their Plate � PGA TOUR Charities live donation platform powered by GoFundMe to support additional COVID-19 relief initiatives PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR, NBC Sports and Sky Sports today announced the return of televised golf with TaylorMade Driving Relief, centered around a $3 million charity skins match supported by UnitedHealth Group to raise money and awareness for the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation, two organizations helping to lead COVID-19 relief efforts. On Sunday, May 17, from Seminole Golf Club, TaylorMade Driving Relief will feature two-time FedExCup champion and World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and 20-time PGA TOUR winner Dustin Johnson, teaming up against two Oklahoma State University alumni: PGA TOUR superstar Rickie Fowler and 2019 first-time TOUR winner and 2019 NCAA National Champion Matthew Wolff. The competition will follow strict CDC social distancing guidelines, local mandates and will utilize appropriate testing measures to help protect the health and safety of the golfers, production crew and others on site. Additionally, Farmers Insurance has pledged $1 million to back a birdies-and-eagle pool to benefit Off Their Plate, a charitable organization helping COVID-19 healthcare workers and impacted frontline shift employees. Building upon this initial fundraising of $4 million, PGA TOUR Charities will announce a Text-To-Donate activation and online donation platform powered by GoFundMe to allow viewers to make additional contributions and raise funds for COVID-19 relief. EVENT INFORMATION � Players: All four golfers will donate their time for the 18-hole, two-man team skins competition, with McIlroy/Johnson playing for the American Nurses Foundation and Fowler/Wolff playing for the CDC Foundation. � Location: Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Fla.) A majestic Donald Ross design with a clever routing on a rectangular site, each hole at Seminole encounters a new wind direction. Seminole has long been one of America’s most-revered clubs and this marks the club’s first ever golf event broadcast. No fans or spectators will be permitted on site. � Date/Time: Sunday, May 17; live coverage will air from 2-6 p.m. ET � Television Broadcast: NBC, GOLF Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports and other PGA TOUR global media partners � Digital: Unauthenticated streaming of the entire event available via PGA TOUR LIVE (NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Prime Video), GOLFPASS, GolfChannel.com and GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR. Pre-match coverage as well as the first two holes of the event also will stream on Twitter. Safety measures: PGA TOUR will follow all guidelines, executive orders and mandates issued by the state of Florida, Palm Beach County and the city of Juno Beach. “We are excited about the safe and responsible return of live golf and the opportunity to raise significant funds for those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic through the TaylorMade Driving Relief event,� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “With four of the PGA TOUR’s top stars in Rory, Rickie, Dustin and Matthew of Team TaylorMade participating and UnitedHealth Group serving as the foundation of charitable giving, and Farmers Insurance providing an additional bonus pool, golf fans around the world can look forward to a unique, interactive and entertaining event that will help those in need.� BROADCAST: PGA TOUR Entertainment will produce live coverage, which will feature commentary from NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico from his home in Michigan, as well as analysts Paul Azinger and Gary Koch and play-by-play with Rich Lerner from an off-site production facility. On site at Seminole Golf Club will be on-course reporters Jerry Foltz and Steve Sands. “NBC Sports is proud to raise awareness for these charities that are directly making an impact on COVID-19 relief,� said Pete Bevacqua, President, NBC Sports Group. “We’re grateful to the four exceptional PGA TOUR players for donating their time, as well as all the sponsors for helping elevate this unique fundraising event, which will feature the first worldwide broadcast of a golf competition from Seminole Golf Club.� “Seminole Golf Club is honored to host this charitable event and welcomes all golf fans and sports enthusiasts to tune in to the broadcast to see these world-class players take on our course,� said Jimmy Dunne, President of Seminole Golf Club. “This match is a pure public service, with all money raised providing COVID-19 relief to those most in need in Florida and around the country, and Seminole is thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to such a worthy cause at this difficult time.� FUNDRAISING AND IMPACT: Thanks to a pledge from UnitedHealth Group, the primary charitable component will see the teams compete in a $3 million charity skins match as each team will compete for one of two charities, the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation. “The 325,000 people of UnitedHealth Group continue to work tirelessly every day to support the health and safety of the people we are privileged to serve and to contribute to the resolution of this pandemic,� said David S. Wichmann, UnitedHealth Group Chief Executive Officer. “This additional financial support for the American Nurses Foundation and the CDC Foundation advances our commitment to take care of those who care for us by helping to meet the clinical, emotional and mental health needs of our frontline heroes, doctors, nurses and all health care workers. We’re pleased to be a part of this event designed to bring attention to and encourage further financial support for those on the leading edge of fighting this pandemic.� Additionally, Farmers Insurance also kicked off fundraising efforts with a $1 million pledge, to back a birdies-and-eagles pool to benefit Off Their Plate, whose work creates a conduit for local communities to provide nutritious meals to the hospital teams we depend on and economic relief to local restaurant workers who have been most affected by COVID. “For more than 90 years, serving our customers and helping communities impacted by disasters around the country has been in our DNA, and that remains true now more than ever. On behalf of everyone at Farmers, we’re proud of first responders and frontline workers for what they continue to do every single day during this unprecedented situation,� said Farmers Insurance CEO Jeff Dailey. “It’s a privilege to support this event, alongside our brand ambassador Rickie Fowler, and provide much needed funds to Off Their Plate, so they can continue to help those most impacted in this uncertain time.� COMPETITORS: TaylorMade brings four of the world’s best and most exciting players to the event, and all are donating their time to be a part of the COVID-19 relief effort. “While all of us navigate through the impact of this pandemic, we wanted to do our part for first responders and nominated COVID-19 charities. After speaking with our Team TaylorMade athletes, we are thrilled to make this TaylorMade Driving Relief event happen with our partners at the PGA TOUR and NBC Sports,� said David Abeles,CEO, TaylorMade. “The return of live golf and the opportunity to raise money for those affected is simply fantastic.� Rory McIlroy, TaylorMade and UnitedHealth Group Health Ambassador: � The reigning FedExCup champion and 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year is currently ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. McIlroy has 18 PGA TOUR victories and an additional nine wins worldwide including four major championships, the 2019 PLAYERS Championship, three World Golf Championships and the 2019 and 2016 FedExCup titles. � “It’s been difficult to witness what so many are enduring over the last several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m excited and thankful to TaylorMade and UnitedHealth Group for making this event possible and providing us with the opportunity to show our support of those on the frontlines. I hope that we can provide some respite and entertainment for those tuning in across the globe. Dustin and I will have a lot of fun together and our games will fit well as we push to raise funds and awareness on May 17.� Dustin Johnson, TaylorMade Ambassador: � Johnson, a 20-time PGA TOUR winner, is currently No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Johnson’s 20 victories include the 2016 U.S. Open, six World Golf Championships events and four FedExCup Playoffs events. � “I’m really excited to team up with Rory and to get back out on the golf course. Seminole is a great venue and it will be cool to show it to the world through this event. I’m sure Rickie and Matthew will be ready for us, but hopefully Rory and I can take them and help generate a lot of money and support for charities and those affected most by COVID-19.� Rickie Fowler, TaylorMade Ball and Farmers Insurance Ambassador: � Fowler owns nine victories worldwide, including his memorable win at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2015 when he played the finishing stretch of holes 15-18 in a 5-under total of 11 strokes. � “When I heard about this event, I couldn’t get involved fast enough. It’s special to be able to have an impact and raise charitable contributions through our sport and to do it with Matthew as a partner. I know how much I have missed sports and golf, especially, so to be one of the first events returning to television is very exciting and I’m proud to have Farmers, one of my sponsors, be a partner of this event as well. Playing aggressive has never been a problem for Matthew and me so we should have no issue testing the birdies-and-eagles bonus pool that has been backed by Farmers Insurance $1 million pledge.� Matthew Wolff, TaylorMade Ambassador � Wolff turned professional last June and by July, he earned his first career PGA TOUR victory at the inaugural 3M Open. Playing on sponsor exemptions, he needed just four starts to capture that first title and earned his PGA TOUR card at age 20. Wolff became the third player to win the individual title at the NCAA Championships and a PGA TOUR event in the same year, joining Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods. � “I’m fired up to play alongside Rickie and raise money to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts. Rory and DJ have welcomed me to team TaylorMade with open arms and become great friends so I can’t wait for a fun competition against us Cowboys. Rickie and I are ready to bring our best and more importantly help the frontline heroes getting us through this extremely difficult time. Special thanks to the PGA Tour, NBC, Taylormade and all our partners for the opportunity. See you at Seminole!�

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