Justin Thomas zeroes in on big finish to the season

The Southern California PGA and the SCPGA Junior Tour are pleased to announce a two-year partnership with the Patrick Cantlay Foundation and the creation of the “Patrick Cantlay Series,” launching in the Summer of 2021. The Patrick Cantlay Series will be a series of four (4) elite junior events to be conducted on the SCPGA Junior Tour’s Toyota Tour Cup schedule for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Patrick Cantlay participated in the SCPGA Junior Tour from 2002-2010, and has become one of the most successful alumni of the program. He is a three-time PGA TOUR Champion, including the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2017, the Memorial Tournament in 2019, and the ZOZO Championship in 2020. Cantlay is currently ranked 8th in the Official World Golf Rankings and is considered one of the top stars on Tour with his consistency and tenacity. Cantlay had a successful amateur career and was the number one golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 55 weeks. The Patrick Cantlay Series will consist of four events within the Toyota Tour Cup schedule, showcasing the top junior golfers within Southern California and the surrounding regions. The events will be among the highest-ranked events on the schedule and promise to provide elite competition and a unique and fun experience for the participants on some of the areas best courses. “The SCPGA Junior Tour was instrumental in my development as a golfer. The competition was second to none, and some of my fondest memories are of my junior golf days competing in the SCPGA Toyota Tour Cup. That time laid the foundation for me in the collegiate, amateur and professional ranks in golf, both on the course as well as gaining life skills along the way,” Patrick said. “As the first project of the Patrick Cantlay Foundation, I’m thrilled we can support the SCPGA Junior Tour and reward hard working juniors as well as provide these additional opportunities for youth to play the game.” “For a player of Patrick’s caliber to recognize the importance of giving back to his community, and to the junior program he enjoyed, is to be commended. We are fortunate to have many alumni who have achieved great success both in the professional ranks and within the community, and we are always grateful for their support. The level of support Patrick has committed to, is the largest to date from any of our alumni or donors. We are thrilled with his commitment and his continued support in seeing the SCPGA Junior Tour continue to thrive”, said Nikki Gatch, Chief Operating Officer for the SCPGA. The Patrick Cantlay Series will begin on June 28-29 at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club (Mission Viejo, CA); July 19-20 at The Saticoy Club (Somis, CA); September 11-12 at Indian Wells Resort (Indian Wells, CA); and the Series Championship on October 16-17 at La Costa Resort (Carlsbad, CA). About the Southern California PGA Junior Tour Established in 1948, the Southern California PGA now hosts one of the largest and most respected junior golf programs in the country. The SCPGA Junior Tour is a three-tiered program featuring the Toyota Tour Cup, the Players Tour and the Junior Development Tour. Together, these three tours administer over 290 tournaments annually for kids of all ages and skill-levels. These events provide playing opportunities throughout Southern California, many of which are hosted by PGA facilities. The Junior Tour boasts countless alumni including Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Lizette Salas, Rickie Fowler, Danielle Kang, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff, Angel Yin, Xander Schauffele, Haley Moore, and many more. About the Patrick Cantlay Foundation The Patrick Cantlay Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that is honored to partner with initiatives that support the game of junior golf and help with programs that assist and advocate on behalf of first-responders. As an American professional golfer, Cantlay’s foundation efforts focus on places that he has called home or that have held significance to him during his career. Please visit www.PatrickCantlay.com to learn more.

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Welcome to Numbers to Know, where we'll take a closer look at Bryson DeChambeau's U.S. Open victory. Here's the key stats to remember from a groundbreaking week. 1. UNPRECEDENTED: Is DeChambeau ushering in a new era of golf? That is up for debate, but there's no debating that he won the U.S. Open in a manner that's never been done before. He had the highest driving-distance average, and the lowest driving-accuracy percentage, ever recorded by a U.S. Open champion (since hole-by-hole data became available starting in 1983). DeChambeau, who finished seventh in driving distance at Winged Foot, is the fifth consecutive U.S. Open champion to finish in the top seven in driving distance. DeChambeau is just the second U.S. Open winner since 1983 to hit less than half his fairways. Angel Cabrera also did it in 2007. 2. LONG BALL: Let’s not oversimplify things. You need to be highly-skilled in several facets of the game to win any golf tournament, let alone a major. That’s especially true when the USGA sets up one of the game’s classic courses in its traditionally tough manner. But having high clubhead speed is a major advantage in these instances, and we’ve seen it in the past five U.S. Opens. Four of the last five U.S. Open winners ranked in the top 10 in driving distance in the season that they won. Even if they miss more fairways, hitting it farther allows a player to have shorter clubs from the rough and their high clubhead speed helps them power it out of the thick stuff. 3. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED: DeChambeau’s incredible distance came in especially handy at the par-5 ninth hole. He eagled it twice, in the second and fourth rounds. He hit pa short-iron both times. On Friday, he hit a pitching wedge from 179 yards to 6 feet. He had just 182 yards to the hole Sunday and hit that shot to 40 feet. He’s the first U.S. Open champion since Tiger Woods in 2008 to make multiple eagles. Woods and DeChambeau are the only U.S. Open winners since 1983 to make multiple eagles. DeChambeau was the only player this week to make more than one eagle. 4. LINE OF DEMARCATION: DeChambeau’s transformation has received major validation. His win at the U.S. Open was preceded by a fourth-place finish at the PGA Championship. He’d never had a top-10 in a major before this year. 5. X MARKS THE SPOT: Xander Schauffele finished fifth at the U.S. Open. It was another high finish in one of the four Grand Slam events. He’s finished in the top 10 in seven of his 13 career major starts. That includes five top-5 finishes. It’s the second-most top-fives in majors since 2017, trailing only Brooks Koepka. All Schauffele needs now is a win. Dustin Johnson (T6), Rory McIlroy (T8) and Tony Finau (T8) all finished in the top 10 at Winged Foot, as well, continuing their strong play at the majors.

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