Koepka: DeChambeau beef ‘good for the game’

HAIKOU, CHINA—Chunkang “Jacob� Hung had his caddie to thank after he eagled the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA TOUR Series-China International Qualifying Tournament No. 2 at Mission Hills Golf Club. England’s Alex Belt had earlier set the clubhouse lead with a 67 over the 7,147-yard Sandbelt Trails Course, which is hosting a second successive 72-hole, no-cut qualifier. Ireland’s Brian O’Donovan (68), a teaching pro at Mission Hills’ sister courses in Shenzhen, China, and Australia’s Sean Underwood (69) were third and fourth, while the American trio of Joseph Winslow, Jesse Speirs and Charlie Netzel all shot 70. Hong Kong’s Motin Yeung and Philippine amateur Lloyd Jefferson Go were among six players sharing eighth place, at 1-under. The top-15 finishers will earn full cards and the next 25 and ties will be conditionally exempt for a Series that rewards the top-five money winners with places on the Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA TOUR. Hung, 27, mixed six birdies with three bogeys before his final-hole eagle and admitted he had his caddie to thank for his club selection on his approach. “The second shot was about 240 yards, and I didn’t know which club to use, so I asked him to choose and he said 5-wood. I ended up hitting it to about nine feet and holing the putt for an eagle,� said Hung, who has played mainly in Chinese Taipei since turning pro in 2014. “It’s a good score, but I missed so many other birdie chances after my last bogey on hole 10. I had birdie chances on almost every hole after that. Anyway, I won’t think about this score tomorrow. I’ll just start again. I still have three days.� Belt, a two-time Euro Pro Tour winner, quickly found his stride in his first tournament of the year. Teeing off early on 10, the 32-year-old Yorkshireman birdied Nos. 11, 16, 2, 3, 6 and 8 to move to 6-under before carding his sole bogey at the par-3 ninth. Having played European Challenge Tour and Asian Tour events while playing in China in 2017, Belt is in a strong position to secure a PGA TOUR Series-China card, but says he’s not looking too far ahead. “It’s always nice to get off to a good start and see a few putts go in. Believe it or not, I missed quite a lot of short putts, although I also holed a couple that maybe I shouldn’t have,� said Belt, whose career highlights include playing two rounds with eventual champion Byeonghun An at the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2015. “I’ve been swinging it well and playing well. Obviously, I’m hoping to guarantee a top-15 spot, but I’m not really thinking about that when I’m playing. Too often in the past, I’ve thought about the outcome before the day or the tournament’s over and they’re unhelpful thoughts, so I’m just going to try and take each shot as it comes. It’s a cliché, but that’s what we need to do.� O’Donovan, 30, admitted he benefited from his familiarity with the course and that he may have to readjust his teaching schedule if he continues his current form and secures status on the 14-event Tour. “I’m one of the teaching pros at the Mission Hills Shenzhen resort so I get to come to Haikou quite a lot and play the course. I do know where I’m going, so I have a slight advantage. It was good fun, I enjoyed it,� smiled O’Donovan, one of two Irish players in the field. “If I do get my card, I’ll probably have to speak to my boss,� he laughed. “I should be OK. They’re good to me, so I hope they’ll allow me to go play. I’ll just try and manage both as best I can.� In contrast to the China-based O’Donovan, Underwood is visiting the country for the first time. The Sydney-based 30-year-old was delighted after a round that included five birdies and two bogeys. “I’m very happy. I bogeyed the last, but I can’t complain because I holed I couple of putts I didn’t expect to,� said Underwood, who got married last November. “The course plays pretty long, and I don’t hit it the furthest, so I was pretty happy to hit my irons well and hole quite a few putts. I hit a lot of greens and didn’t miss too many fairways with the driver. I’m happy to kick things off with a good score.� This week’s field comprises 120 players from 21 countries and regions including the U.S. (29 players), South Korea (27), Chinese Taipei (13), Australia (13), Japan (11) and U.K. (six). After a one-year hiatus, PGA TOUR Series-China resumes in March with a 14-tournament schedule that starts with the Chengdu Championship at Luxehills International Country Club (March 15-18) and the Chongqing Championship at Poly Golf Club (March 22-25). Every tournament will offer RMB 1.5 million, a 25-percent increase over purse levels from 2016. The Mainland China Qualifying Tournament for China passport holders will be held at Wolong Lake Golf Club in Liuzhou City in Guangxi from February 27-March 2 (Tuesday-Friday). The PGA TOUR established PGA TOUR Series-China in 2014 as its third international developmental tour, following in the footsteps of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Since its inception, PGA TOUR Series-China players have received Official World Golf Ranking points for top finishes at official tournaments.

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The PGA TOUR’s only Modified Stableford event will once again be contested as an alternate to the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Richy Werenski, who won his maiden TOUR title at the Barracuda in 2020, will return to try to defend. FIELD NOTES: Three Olympians – Mito Pereira, Rafa Campos, and Thomas Pieters – will make the trek from Tokyo to Tahoe… After the Barracuda Championship there is just one more week left in the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season as the FedExCup playoffs begin at THE NORTHERN TRUST on Aug. 19. Golfers ranked 124th (Nate Lashley) and 126th (Patrick Rodgers) are both in the field in Tahoe, while many near the 125-spot will look to gain valuable points this week… John Daly will play his third non-major PGA TOUR event this season this week in Tahoe. He missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Barbasol Championship (and the PGA Championship)… The Sponsor Exemption list is chalk full of college superstars including John Pak (winner of the Nicklaus Award, the Haskins Award, and the Ben Hogan Award), and Davis Thompson (former No.1-ranked amateur). FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 FedExCup points STORYLINES: Can Troy Merritt finally do it? Merritt held the 54-hole lead in 2019 but was clipped in the final round by Collin Morikawa and finished second. In 2020 Merritt was again in the mix but fell to Werenski and finished runner-up again… The last five winners in Tahoe have been first-time TOUR winners… The Modified Stableford scoring format used features eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, and two points for a birdie… Fans will be welcomed back for the 23rd annual Barracuda Championship. COURSE: Tahoe Mt. Club (Old Greenwood), par 71, 7,425 yards. The Blue Course at Montreux G&CC, a Jack Nicklaus design, was replaced by another Nicklaus design (Old Greenwood) for 2020 and the TOUR returns to the Tahoe Mt. Club for 2021. Set on 600 acres, golfers are required to navigate rolling hills, large greens, and numerous bunkers at Old Greenwood, which opened in 2004. There are three driveable par 4s with the course being set at over 6,000 feet above sea level. 72-HOLE RECORD: +49, Geoff Ogilvy (2014). 18-HOLE RECORD: +22, Kyle Reifers (4th round, 2015), Chad Campbell (3rd round, 2018). LAST TIME: Richy Werenski ended last year’s Barracuda Championship in dramatic fashion, holing a pitch from the fairway on the 16th hole Sunday for a five-point eagle and added a birdie on the 72nd hole for a one-point victory over Troy Merritt. Merritt failed to convert a 54-hole lead in Tahoe for the second year in a row. He had 10-straight birdie attempts on Sunday to close out his round but couldn’t get one of them to fall. Fabian Gomez and Matthias Schwab (playing on a Sponsor Exemption) finished tied for third while Robert Streb and Scott Stallings rounded out the top five. Aaron Wise had the round of the tournament in the final round, a 19-point effort, en route to finishing 8th. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Golf Channel).

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