Korda, Noh and Nordqvist share lead at LPGA Texas event

NORTON, Mass. - Playing off the success of recent nine-hole charity exhibitions, officials at THE NORTHERN TRUST and the PGA TOUR announced today THE NORTHERN TRUST Charity Challenge, a televised nine-hole, Wolf-format charity exhibition at TPC Boston on Wednesday, August 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. EST. Abraham Ancer, Cameron Champ, Charley Hoffman and Marc Leishman will square off up for the nine-hole competition on the back nine at TPC Boston. The Wolf format will have four players competing independently for charity dollars that will support organizations committed to education and youth services in the Greater Boston area. Each player will represent one charity during the competition, which include the First Tee of Massachusetts, Hockomock Area YMCA, the Red Sox Foundation's Red Sox Scholars Program and the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester. In addition to the Wolf format, two challenge holes will be featured during the competition with a longest-drive contest at the par-4 12th hole and a closest-to-the-pin contest at the par-3 16th hole. All four players will compete at these challenge holes for a bonus pool of $150,000 funded by title sponsor Northern Trust. The bonus pool charitable dollars will benefit The Greater Boston Food Bank and The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley in support of COVID-19 relief. Here's a closer look at Abraham Ancer, Cameron Champ, Charley Hoffman and Marc Leishman: Abraham Ancer • FedExCup rank: No. 13 • Best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST: Runner-up/2019 at Liberty National Golf Club • Best finish at TPC Boston: T7/2018 Cameron Champ • FedExCup rank: No. 20 • Best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST: T21/2019 at Liberty National Golf Club • Best finish at TPC Boston: N/A (first career start) Charley Hoffman • FedExCup rank: No. 111 • Best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST: T10/2011 at Plainfield Country Club • Best finish at TPC Boston: Won/2010 Marc Leishman • FedExCup rank: No. 14 • Best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST: T32/2011 at Plainfield Country Club • Best finish at TPC Boston: 3/2017 The Wolf format is a popular recreational format that rarely makes an appearance on the PGA TOUR. The Wolf format begins before the first hole, when the order of play is decided. The ‘Wolf' is always the first player to tee off. At each hole, the players rotate the tee-off order so that each player becomes the ‘Wolf' once every four holes (for example, on the first hole 1,2,3,4 and on the second hole 2,3,4,1, etc.). After the tee shot of each player, the ‘Wolf' decides whether to take that player on his team or to wait to pass on that player and take his chances with the next to be his teammate. Or, after all three players have teed off, the ‘Wolf' can play as a ‘Lone Wolf,' if he feels he can beat all three other players. As the ‘Lone Wolf,' the player plays alone and tries to shoot the lowest score on the hole. Each player on the team with the lowest score on a hole gets one point. If a player chooses to be the Wolf on a hole and beats the other three players, the Wolf gets up to five points for that hole depending on when they choose to "go alone". The $300,000 purse will be split among the four select tournament charities with the following breakdown: 1st place receives $125,000; 2nd place receives $75,000; 3rd place receives $50,000; 4th place receives $50,000. THE NORTHERN TRUST Charity Challenge will be broadcast live on PGA TOUR LIVE and simulcast on GOLF Channel, GOLFTV and PGA TOUR social channels. THE 2020 NORTHERN TRUST has identified 10 charitable beneficiaries for this year's tournament: First Tee of Massachusetts, Hockomock Area YMCA, Red Sox Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester, Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund, Golf Fights Cancer, Attleboro YMCA, Sherrill House The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and The Greater Boston Food Bank. Fans are encouraged to follow THE NORTHERN TRUST on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest tournament news and updates. For additional information about THE NORTHERN TRUST, please visit THENORTHERNTRUST.com.

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Welcome to the Monday Finish where we salute one win drought being broken and commiserate with another one that just got a little longer and more heartbreaking. Here’s five observations from the Quicken Loans National where Kyle Stanley outlasted Charles Howell III in a sudden death playoff after both men made a Sunday charge. 1. When Kyle Stanley opened his Sunday with a bogey you’d be hard pressed to believe he would be the man holding the trophy at the end of the day. While he’d fashioned a nice little season thus far with four top-10s including a T4 at THE PLAYERS and T6 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Stanley had been out of the winner’s circle for over five years. When he claimed the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open he looked set to be a young star but it did not work out that way. Sharing tine on the web.com Tour came soon after and he’d been without a top-10 on TOUR for two years before this season. But he was able to beat out some nerves down the stretch, finding five birdies and then most notably making a clutch up and down for par on the 17th hole Sunday. He was clearly emotional after his journey back. 2. The youth brigade rolls on. Stanley, at 29, makes it 20 wins this season for players in their 20s. Golf used to be about biding your time in your 20s, learning the ropes (unless your name was Tiger Woods) and gaining the experience necessary to surge ahead in your 30s – the prime years. 20 is well and truly the new 30. There is no fear amongst the youth on the TOUR. They see each other win and are fired up to replicate. It’s great to see such depth… the future of the game is certainly bright. 3. It was interesting to see TPC Potomac take over as the toughest test (in relation to par) this season. The winning score of 7-under becomes the highest winning mark of the season and just the second in single digits under par after Sergio Garcia’s 9-under at the Masters. Just two weeks after the usually brutal U.S. Open was won at 16-under we saw a return to pars being crucial. Just 25 players ended the week under par with super hard greens and tight driving lines and tough rough a real feature. 4. Charles Howell III now has 294 starts since his last win at the 2007 Genesis Open. He has had 47 top-10s in that span and has banked $18,917,871.60. On this occasion, he was returning from a nine-week injury layoff (rib) and appeared set for the drought breaking win when he rolled in an eagle on the drivable par-4 14th hole. But his last hole birdie look just slid by and when his par attempt on the first hole of sudden death on the same green did the same Stanley shut the door on him. Of course his relative success means the situation is not too heartbreaking – but you still have to feel for him. Particularly as this Augusta born 28-year-old hasn’t played the Masters since 2012, and would have booked a return with a win. 5. Howell III did however book a place at the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 20-23. It will be his first time back since 2012. As the first PGA TOUR event of the Open Qualifying Series, the Quicken Loans determined Open Championship berths for the top four players finishing in the top 12 who weren’t otherwise exempt. Winner Stanley and Howell III were joined by Scotland’s Martin Laird and Sung Kang, who got the nod out of an eight-way tie for fifth thanks to his superior world ranking. The hard luck story was certainly Spencer Levin. He could have booked a spot if his eight-foot par putt on 18 had of gone down. Instead it horseshoed out dramatically for a costly bogey. Levin will get another chance at next week’s Greenbrier Classic. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Kyle Stanley moved from 38th to 14th in the FedExCup standings, ranking inside the top-15 in the standings for the 24th week in his career. This marked the first time Stanley has ranked inside the top-15 of the FedExCup standings since week #28 of the 2012 PGA TOUR season. Stanley finished 31st that year, narrowly missing the TOUR Championship. He has yet to make it to Atlanta in his career. 2. Stanley becomes the fifth player to rank first in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and go on to win this season. He outperformed the field by +1.467 strokes per round. Stanley gained strokes on 43 of 56 tee shots this week. Stanley’s SG: Off-the-Tee performance was his third best performance in an event of his career and the second best by a winner on TOUR this season behind Justin Thomas at the Sony Open. The winner ranked tied third in Driving Accuracy hitting 71.4% of his fairways compared to the field average of 56.8%. Stanley led the field for Greens in Regulation for the fourth time in his career and the second time in his last three events on TOUR. Stanley has hit 157 of 216 GIR’s (72.7%) in his last three starts. 3. Stanley was able to overcome an average putting performance to win. He ranked 52nd in Strokes Gained: Putting losing -0.276 strokes per round to the field. It marks just the second time this season a player has lost strokes in SG: Putting and gone on to win (Jason Dufner – the Memorial). 4. Rickie Fowler’s nine birdies in the final round represented a career high, and his T3 finish was his seventh top-10 finish of the season, including his win at The Honda Classic. It was also his third top-five finish in his last four starts. 5. Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Curtis Luck finished in an eight-way tie for fifth, marking his first top-10 finish in six professional starts on TOUR. It gets him into next week’s Greenbrier Classic. Now with 112 Non-Member points Luck is chasing 319 points to score special temporary membership but more likely now sits on the cusp of getting a start in the web.com Tour playoffs later this season. He needs to beat the 200th ranked player in the FedExCup to get a start. He currently would be ranked 170th with seven weeks left. Top Three Videos 1. How would you react if your military father showed up on the 18th green with Rickie Fowler? 2. Martin Laird looked stuffed after a wayward drive on the 14th. But you should never give up … 3. Keegan Bradley with the walk off eagle. He literally walks off!

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Beginning with this week’s RBC Canadian Open, all of the remaining tournaments scored in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO will have the full benefits of ShotLink technology. When debating when to use who, remember that next week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the last two stops in the FedExCup Playoffs do not feature cuts, so you can get away with blending in international non-members and 1a-caliber investments to spell starts for the heavyweights. In any given week, if you’re curious about where you should target usage, refer to Future Possibilities in my One & Done column every Wednesday. Even though that section exists in that space, it has relevance when rationing starts in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the RBC Canadian Open (in alphabetical order): Chad Campbell Tony Finau Jim Furyk Charley Hoffman Dustin Johnson Matt Kuchar You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Keegan Bradley; Stewart Cink; Adam Hadwin; Sung Kang; Danny Lee; David Lingmerth; Ben Martin; Seamus Power; Ollie Schniederjans; Kevin Tway Driving: Keegan Bradley; Graham DeLaet; Adam Hadwin; James Hahn; Sung Kang; Danny Lee; Ben Martin; William McGirt; Ryan Palmer; Chez Reavie Approach: Keegan Bradley; Alex Cejka; Stewart Cink; Graham DeLaet; David Hearn; David Lingmerth; Ben Martin; Ryan Palmer; Chez Reavie; Ollie Schniederjans; Scott Stallings Short: Ricky Barnes; Stewart Cink; Graham DeLaet; Adam Hadwin; Mackenzie Hughes; Danny Lee; David Lingmerth; Peter Malnati Power Rankings Wild Card Mackenzie Hughes … The third wheel in the current Rookie of the Year conversation fronted by fellow winners of stand-alone events, Xander Schauffele and Wesley Bryan, Hughes really couldn’t ask for a better ramp into his national championship. The native of nearby Ontario is seeking to end the drought since Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win this tournament in 1954. The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fairytale foray and got married in the process. Most recently, since a T16 in his debut at THE PLAYERS, he’s 5-for-6 with three top 20s. Currently eighth on TOUR in strokes gained: putting and T20 in par-3 scoring, which matters at Glen Abbey since the quartet of one-shotters tied for the second-toughest set of all courses in 2016. In fact, they’ve averaged over par in each of the last three editions. Draws Chez Reavie … If you like cuts made and course success, he should be on your short list. Captured his only PGA TOUR title here in 2008 and cashed in his last three trips, including a T14 last year. Loyal readers already know how much attention he’s garnered in my preview material throughout 2017, so it would have been surprising only if he didn’t appear here. The 35-year-old isn’t contending necessarily, but he’s in the peak form of his career. Ranks 35th on TOUR in greens hit and first in proximity. Also T8 in par-3 scoring. David Hearn … A mild endorsement as he’s still seeking redemption after failing to convert the 54-hole lead into victory here in 2015. (He finished third.) Squeezing so much out of every opportunity during what has been a statistical regression this season, it makes sense why he’s had my attention time and again. Since the FedEx St. Jude Classic, he’s 5-for-6 with three top 15s. Ollie Schniederjans … Potentially dangerous in all formats, so if that speaks to you, off you go. Made his professional debut at Glen Abbey in 2015, and then made it count. En route to a T22, he led the field with 26 birdies, putts per GIR, one-putt percentage and birdie-or-better percentage while standing over par-breaker opportunities. It was immediate comfort. Meanwhile, toss out a scorecard error at Greenbrier and he hasn’t missed in his other most recent eight starts. The learning curve is real, but it just might be his time to crash the conversation for Rookie of the Year. Keegan Bradley … Making his debut at Glen Abbey where his recent form should carry over. Hung up top 10s at the Travelers and Quicken Loans before a T50 at Greenbrier in his last start. Presumably rested and recharged, he can peg it with the confidence of slotting first on TOUR in total driving, 25th in greens hit and T40 in strokes gained: tee-to-green. A strong complement on any roster. Stewart Cink … Despite his current rut, I’m not giving up on him just yet. He’s a superb fit at Glen Abbey where he finished T5 in 2015. It’s also a great time to revisit the fact that he’s 21st on TOUR in greens in regulation, T41 in proximity, 26th in strokes gained: putting and 24th in adjusted scoring. James Hahn … Performing relatively steady and spiking on occasion, a combination all touring pros would covet. Two top 10s and a T20 during his current 5-for-6 run. All of that is more than enough to warrant inclusion in DFS, but he’s also 2-for-2 at Glen Abbey with a T11 in his last trip in 2015. David Lingmerth … Let’s not forget about this guy. Connected nine paydays, six of which going for a top 25, before missing the cut at the Scottish Open, and then took last week off. As one of the PGA TOUR’s best putters, he’ll need the wand to remain warm, but he’s connected on Glen Abbey’s greens before. In his only prior trip, he tied for 12th in 2013, ranking sixth in birdie-or-better percentage and T3 in par-5 scoring. Kevin Tway … Took last week off after a T12 at the John Deere Classic where he flashed his customary 1-2 punch of distance off the tee and putting. Even though he’s making his debut at Glen Abbey, DFSers and PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO gamers can lean on a 10-for-11 run with six top 20s since late March. Ryan Palmer … We know that he goes as his game off the tee goes, so the 40-year-old is a calculated flier with a 5-for-5 slate at Glen Abbey, just with little about which to brag lately. Still, he’s 15th on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green, so you’re matching that proficiency with his experience and comfort on these greens. Patrick Cantlay … I attempted to learn more why he’s been sidelined since a T35 at Memorial, but my email to his agent, Mark Steinberg, went unanswered. The absence of bad news for headliners like Cantlay is almost always good news for gamers. Still, without confirmation that all’s well, he wasn’t going to crack the Power Rankings, but he’s done nothing to discourage us from attaching a high level of confidence to him in most formats, especially in DFS. William McGirt … Continues to meander through the summer portion of the schedule without making any noise, but he’s 3-for-3 at Glen Abbey with a T2 in 2013. Combined with the fact that he’s 34th on TOUR in greens in regulation, there’s enough evidence to consider him in DFS. Fades Jhonattan Vegas … If you find yourself in a conversation about the Nappy Factor, cite the defending champion of the RBC Canadian Open. He has been clicking for a bit before his first child was born in early March of 2016. He then dug in for the remainder of the year and into early 2017. However, since missing the cut at the Masters, he’s just 2-for-10 with no top 30s. Grayson Murray … Gutty breakthrough victory at the Barbasol Championship on Sunday. With his job no longer in danger and the fact that he’s been on the road the last five weeks (to mixed results), I was surprised that he kept his commitment to the RBC Canadian Open. It certainly speaks to his devotion to the tournament, but his life has forever changed and he’s fully exempt through 2018-19. Gamers need to fear the emotional letdown that often trails the culmination of reaching one’s primary goal. Patrick Rodgers … As much as I’d love to endorse a trend, the John Deere Classic runner-up has yet to prove that he can lay in a groove for a while. His serious game still belongs mainly in full-season lineups. Kevin Chappell … Glen Abbey rewards the kind of tee-to-green game that he owns, but it didn’t translate in his first two experiences when four of his six career rounds were 74 or higher, so there’s no reason to rush to his window. Bubba Watson … Still scuffling compared to expectations, which is to say that last week’s T27 at Royal Birkdale exceeded his projection. He was the runner-up in his last trip to Glen Abbey in 2015, but all of his course history has been on notice since his change in the golf ball he’s been using in 2017. If we were to debate usage, I’d concede that the lefty presents adequately as a contrarian investment in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO where his length can do some damage. Chris Kirk … He’ll snap out of his funk at some point, and it may even occur at Glen Abbey this week where he registered top 25s in his last two visits (2013, 2016), but the 32-year-old has been uninspiring for two months during which his best finish in five starts is a T60 at the John Deere Classic. It his second-best result in his last 14. Gary Woodland … He’s survived six consecutive cuts, but we expect more than a T40 (Byron Nelson) amid that kind of consistency. Certainly, it’s better than the alternative, but continue to allow him to come to us as he finds balance as a first-time father outside the ropes. Jared du Toit … The 22-year-old native of Canada broke into the play-for-pay ranks on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada in June. He’s 22nd on its Order of Merit in five starts. It was at Glen Abbey last year where he made headlines as an amateur sitting one stroke off the 54-hole lead. He carded a 1-under 71 in the finale to finish T9 and lay the foundation for our long-range expectations. He even led the field in total distance of putts made. As he makes his first appearance as a pro on the PGA TOUR this week, do not be surprised if his transition is seamless. His pedigree precedes him, but we still need to be conscious not to force the issue. Returning to Competition Kevin Stadler … Committed to this week’s Digital Ally Open on the Web.com Tour. If he doesn’t withdraw before the opening round, it’ll mark his first sanctioned action since the 2015 John Deere Classic. The 37-year-old failed to find any traction amid a broken bone in his left hand suffered late in 2014, but it’s unconfirmed as of this moment that it’s the same reason why he’s sat out two years. Nevertheless, given the timing of his return to competition, he could be busy with as many as five rehab starts before making his way to the Web.com Tour Finals where he might be granted entry due to his injury. Whenever he returns to the PGA TOUR, he’ll have 26 starts on a Major Medical Extension, so full-season salary gamers need to start paying attention. S.J. Park … Scheduled to play the Digital Ally Open. He’s been sidelined with a shoulder injury since withdrawing during the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He’s relevant in our world because he has a Non-exempt Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR, but he doesn’t belong on any full-season rosters. Notable WDs Brandt Snedeker … Tough pill to swallow for gamers eager to hop aboard at Glen Abbey where he’s a former winner (2013) and finished T5 in his other two appearances. Of course, withdrawing on a Monday is always better than deciding against giving it a go last minute on Thursday morning, so let’s not overlook the value in the timing of his decision. The 36-year-old confirmed on Twitter on Tuesday that the rib injury that prompted his decision not to play last week’s Open Championship “flared up” again this week. Derek Fathauer … This is his third early withdrawal of 2017 (WMPO, Byron Nelson), but he can afford the time off. Currently 111th in the FedExCup standings, albeit without a top 20 after opening the season T15-T3. William MacKenzie … This is the fourth straight week during which he’s withdrawn after the commitment deadline. This pattern usually signifies that a golfer is dealing with a nagging injury and considers himself week-to-week, otherwise he’d wipe his slate clean for a while and establish a time frame to return. Unfortunately, the 42-year-old doesn’t have that luxury at 177th in the FedExCup standings. Power Rankings Recap – The Open Championship Power Ranking, Golfer, Result 1 Jordan Spieth Win 2 Dustin Johnson T54 3 Sergio Garcia T37 4 Rickie Fowler T22 5 Justin Rose T54 6 Hideki Matsuyama T14 7 Adam Scott T22 8 Brooks Koepka T6 9 Jon Rahm T44 10 Phil Mickelson MC 11 Francesco Molinari MC 12 Matt Kuchar 2nd 13 Henrik Stenson T11 14 Tommy Fleetwood T27 15 Rafa Cabrera Bello T4 16 Brandt Snedeker WD 17 Paul Casey T11 18 Steve Stricker T37 19 Charl Schwartzel T62 20 Padraig Harrington MC Sleepers Recap – The Open Championship Golfers, Result Ryan Fox MC Anirban Lahiri MC Thorbjørn Olesen T62 Andy Sullivan T70 Peter Uihlein T44 Power Rankings Recap – Barbasol Championship Power Ranking, Golfer, Result 1 Trey Mullinax T55 2 Chad Campbell T18 3 Jim Furyk T35 4 Daniel Summerhays 63rd 5 Ben Martin T6 6 Chesson Hadley T27 7 David Hearn T27 8 Robby Shelton T35 9 Sam Saunders T55 10 Dominic Bozzelli MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 25 … none July 26 … Tim Wilkinson (39) July 27 … Jordan Spieth (24) July 28 … Frank Lickliter II (48); Steven Alker (46) July 29 … Harrison Frazar (46) July 30 … Graeme McDowell (38); Justin Rose (37); Sam Saunders (30) July 31 … none

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