Jon Rahm wins Irish Open after controversial non-penalty decision — here’s what happened

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Seamus Power knows the wind and Port Royal well enough to realize he’d better do his scoring early. He did just that Saturday, added a few birdies late and had another 6-under 65 to share the lead with Ben Griffin in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Power holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the daunting par-3 16th and made a 12-foot birdie on the par-5 17th to atone for his lone mistake, a double bogey on the par-3 13th. Griffin followed the same script in a strong wind with three birdies to open his round. He kept his approach under the wind on the 18th to 5 feet for birdie and a 66. They were at 18-under 195, two shots clear of Kevin Yu (67) and Aaron Baddeley (68). Power is the highest-ranked player at Port Royal. The 35-year-old Irishman is no stranger to windy conditions and has played the Bermuda Championship the last few years. “I knew I had to get birdies before 11,” Power said. He made four in a row early and was 6 under for the day until a missed green and bad chips led to a double bogey on the 13th. “One mistake. The wind drifted it a crazy amount,” Power said. “But I was able to hang in there and it puts me in a good spot going to tomorrow.” The 16th is the toughest tee because the green is just right of the ocean and the wind was ripping from left to right. “I don’t know how comfortable you get when you get to 16 and you’re having to aim your ball in the ocean,” Power said with a laugh. The shot finished pin-high on the right side of the green to a left flag, and the putt crept in the low side of the hole. Power has one PGA TOUR victory, the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky last year. He would love nothing more than a win for a strong early start to the FedExCup and to assure his spot in the Masters. For Griffin, even more as at stake. He gave up on the game a few years ago and was working as a loan mortgage officer when he was inspired playing in a member-guest, and the members put up money for him to Monday qualify into a Korn Ferry Tour event. That was the start of baby steps — making it through Korn Ferry Tour qualifying, and then last year earning his full card onto the PGA TOUR. A victory Sunday comes with a two-year exemption. “It’s been surreal really the last year and two months of just being comfortable on the golf course and just going out and trying to win,” Griffin said. “When you’re playing mini-tour events and you’re trying to grind for top 10 just to break even, just have enough money to maybe do a Monday qualifier, it’s not necessarily the easiest in terms. “Now that I have this little bit of freedom, I can go out there and just try to win golf tournaments.” Ben Crane, whose last win was in 2014, started the third round with a one-shot lead and stumbled down the closing stretch with four bogeys in a five-hole stretch before he birdied the last hole for a 73. He fell six shots behind.

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2017-18 Qualifiers – Majors, World Golf Championships and THE PLAYERS Golfers are omitted if they haven’t recently competed in majors for which they are eligible (e.g. PGA — Steve Elkington). 1 = Masters 2 = U.S. Open 3 = Open Championship 4 = PGA Championship MC = WGC-Mexico Championship MP = WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play TPC = THE PLAYERS Championship BI = WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Recent Additions 1 – Austin Cook 2 – none 3 – Kiradech Aphibarnrat; Paul Dunne; Ross Fisher; Matthew Fitzpatrick; Tommy Fleetwood; Dylan Frittelli; Tyrrell Hatton; Scott Jamieson; Alexander Levy; Shane Lowry; Francesco Molinari; Thorbjørn Olesen; Brady Schnell; Jordan L. Smith; Hideto Tanihara; Peter Uihlein; Lee Westwood; Bernd Wiesberger; Fabrizio Zanotti 4 – Austin Cook MC – Kiradech Aphibarnrat; Rafa Cabrera Bello; Paul Dunne; Ross Fisher; Matthew Fitzpatrick; Tommy Fleetwood; Dylan Frittelli; Branden Grace; Tyrrell Hatton; Hao Tong Li; Rory McIlroy; Francesco Molinari; Alex Noren; Thomas Pieters; Henrik Stenson; Peter Uihlein; Bernd Wiesberger TPC – Austin Cook BI – Austin Cook; Jon Rahm REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Best estimates are given but all are subject to change. MASTERS (1) @ Augusta National Golf Club – April 5-8 • Winners of PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation for THE TOUR Championship through the week before the Masters. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on Dec. 31. • Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 23). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on March 26. • Special invitees to international players per Masters Tournament Committee. U.S. OPEN (2) @ Shinnecock Hills Golf Club – June 14-17 • Winner of Masters (April 8). • Winner of THE PLAYERS (May 13). • Top 60 from Official World Golf Ranking on May 21. • Winner of the BMW PGA Championship (May 27). • Open qualifying (late May-early June). • Top 60 from Official World Golf Ranking on June 4. • Special exemptions per USGA Executive Committee. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (3) @ Carnoustie Golf Links – July 19-22 • Top 3, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 10 at the Australian Open (Nov. 26). • Money leader on the 2017 Australasian Tour (Dec. 3). • Top 2 on Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit (Dec. 3). • Top 3, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 10 at the Joburg Open (Dec. 10). • Money leader on the 2017 Asian Tour (Dec. 17). • Top 4, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 12 from the Singapore Open (Jan. 21). • Winner of the Masters (April 8). • Winner of THE PLAYERS (May 13). • Top 4, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 12 and ties at the Mizuno Open (May 27). • Winner of BMW PGA Championship (May 27). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on May 28. • Top 2, not otherwise exempt, from Order of Merit on Japan Golf Tour ending with Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD). • Winner of U.S. Open (June 17). • Winner of British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 23). • Top 2, not otherwise exempt, inside the top eight at the Korea Open (June 24). • Winner of the International European Amateur Championship (June 30). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in FedExCup points thru a PGA TOUR event to be determined in 2018 (TBD). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in Race to Dubai thru a European Tour event to be determined in 2018 (TBD). • Top 3, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 10 at the Open de France (July 1). • Top 4, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 12 at The National (July 1). • Local Final Qualifying. Top 3 at each of four sites: Notts, Prince’s, The Renaissance Club, St. Annes Old Links (July 3). • Top 3, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 10 at the Irish Open (July 8). • Top 4, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 12 at The Greenbrier Classic (July 8). • Top 3, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 10 at the Scottish Open (July 15). • Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, inside the top five at the John Deere Classic (July 15). PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (4) @ Bellerive Country Club – August 9-12 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before the 2018 PGA Championship. • Winner of Senior PGA Championship (May 27). • Top 20 from PGA Professional National Championship (June 20). • Top 70 from special money list on PGA TOUR from 2017 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and Barracuda Championship through 2018 RBC Canadian Open (July 29). • *All 2016 Ryder Cup members, provided they are inside top 100 of Official World Golf Ranking (July 29). • Special exemptions per PGA of America. (This will likely include all golfers inside Top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking on July 29.) • If necessary to compete the field of 156, golfers outside Top 70 from special money list (three lines above) will gain entry in order of position. WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP (MC) @ Club de Golf Chapultepec – March 1-4 • Top 2 on Australasian Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt (Dec. 3). • Top 2 on Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt (Dec. 3). • Top 2 on Asian Tour Order of Merit (Dec. 17). • Top 10 from Race to Dubai on Feb. 19. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on Feb. 19. • Highest-ranked golfer from Mexico in the Official World Golf Ranking, if not otherwise eligible (Feb. 19). • Top 10 in FedExCup Points on Feb. 26. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on Feb. 26. WGC-DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY (MP) @ Austin Country Club – March 21-25 • Top 64 inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking on March 12. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (TPC) @ TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) – May 10-13 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before THE PLAYERS. • Top 10 in FedExCup Points on April 30. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on April 30. • If necessary, golfers outside the Top 10 in FedExCup Points on April 30 will gain entry in order of position to complete the field of 144. WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL (BI) @ Firestone Country Club (South Course) – August 2-5 • Winner of Australian PGA Championship (Dec. 3). • Winner of the Indonesian Masters (Dec. 17). • Winner of a Sunshine Tour event to be determined (TBD). • Winner of 2018 Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on July 23. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking on July 30. • Winners of official tournaments from the Federation Tours with an Official World Golf Ranking strength-of-field rating of 115 points or more.

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LAS VEGAS — Robert Streb went from making putts to wondering if he would ever miss Thursday in THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT. It led to his best start to any tournament and his lowest score on the PGA TOUR. RELATED: Leaderboard | Adam Scott’s new Titleist irons ‘one of one’ And on this day at The Summit Club, his 11-under 61 was only good for a one-shot lead. A world-class field lit up a very pretty and mostly defenseless golf course overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. The result was the lowest average score — 68.95 — for the opening round on the PGA TOUR all year. Streb had 10 birdies and an eagle and led by one shot over Keith Mitchell, who had more birdies than pars in matching his low round with a 62. Harry Higgs was at 64, while the group at 65 included Sergio Garcia and Viktor Hovland. Such scoring in ideal conditions was what players were expecting on this Tom Fazio desert course, and Streb wasted little time proving it. He started with a pair of 6-foot birdie putts and followed with a 12-footer for eagle. When he walked off the par-5 sixth hole after a long two-putt for birdie, he already was 7-under par. “I’ve never had a start like that, so it was kind of fun,” Streb said. “I was trying to stay in the moment the best I can, and I don’t know. You just feel like you can start aiming at stuff. Things seemed to be going my way.” Streb broke by two shots his previous low score on the PGA TOUR, one of those 63s in the PGA Championship at rain-soaked Baltusrol in 2016. But while low scores were plentiful — 25 players at 67 or lower — so was trouble if anything left the emerald green fairways. Consider how it must have felt for Justin Rose. Two holes into the tournament, he already was 10 shots behind. Rose came up short of the par-3 second green into a native area of mostly rocks and some sand. He tried to play it and the ball ricocheted off a stone wall into a desert bush. His only option was to take a penalty drop — but where? Going back on a line with the hole, he found a fairly sparse area only to duff it toward the wall and more rocks. After another penalty drop, he got up-and-down for a quadruple-bogey 7. It’s not as though Rose was alone in his travails. Dustin Johnson, trying to avoid only his second winless year in his 14 years on the PGA TOUR, tried to drive the 12th green and wound up in the desert. He took a drop 50 yards behind him in a lot for the next mansion and made double bogey. He made his only birdie on the back nine at the par-5 closing hole for a 74. Justin Thomas was off to a slow start and then went into reverse when he tried to play out of the desert and kept banging it off the rocks. One shot went 25 feet. Another went 30 yards into a lie so bad he had to take a penalty. Plus, his wedge had a gouge in the face, and a rules official had to fetch a replacement from his car. Thomas birdied his last three holes for a 69. Rory McIlroy was making his move until going into the desert, clanging it off rocks that led to a penalty drop and making triple bogey. He had to settle for a 68. “It’s one of those courses where if you just keep it in play, it’s obviously very scorable,” McIlroy said. “But you hit a couple just offline and you get a bad break or a little unlucky, you can make a big number and I did that on 17. But the other 17 holes were good.” All 18 holes were good for Mitchell, at least at The Summit Club. He missed the cut last week down the road at the TPC Summerlin and then spent five days working harder than most visitors to Las Vegas, and it helped that putting coach Ramon Bescansa was in town. Mitchell made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third and was on his way. He followed with two more birdies from about that range and never let up. “When that went in with good speed, I felt like I had a chance today,” he said. Good putting goes a long way on any course. Keeping it on the grass on a course built in the desert also helps. “If you hit the fairways, you have good chances. It’s that simple,” Mitchell said. “Because if you miss the fairways, the desert is a big penalty. It just depends on luck after that. … If you get out of position out here it can bite you.” Defending champion Jason Kokrak probably wished he was back at Shadow Creek. He opened with a 77. This is the second straight year the CJ Cup has moved from South Korea to Las Vegas because of the pandemic.

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