Korda survives triple-bogey to win LPGA in playoff

Golf coach out for racist tweets to Wallace Jr.

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HONOLULU — The easygoing vibe in Hawaii is a perfect fit for Matt Kuchar, who spends as much as a month at a time on the islands when his schedule allows. The Sony Open in Hawaii is more about work than play, and he’s having just as much fun. Kuchar ran off four birdies in five holes to start his second round Friday, handled the par 5s at Waialae again and finished with another round of 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Andrew Putnam. “To shoot 7 under back-to-back is unexpected, but awfully excited,” Kuchar said with the same smile he wears for most any occasion. Kuchar was at 14-under 126, matching the lowest 36-hole score of his PGA TOUR career. He also had a 126 in Las Vegas in 2008. Putnam, playing in the afternoon, had a bogey-free 65 and was one shot behind. Chez Reavie (65) and Stewart Cink (62) were four behind. Jordan Spieth had a short week after a long break from golf. In his 2019 debut, Spieth had a 66 and missed the cut by one shot. Needing to birdie the last four holes to qualify for the weekend, Spieth ran off two birdies, missed a 10-foot birdie putt and then narrowly missed chipping in for eagle. “I loved the fight,” Spieth said. “I feel like I was trying to win the tournament trying to make the cut, which is not something I want to get used to.” He returns in two weeks at Torrey Pines. No one had a more memorable round than Reavie. He holed out for eagle three times from the fairway — a sand wedge from 101 yards on No. 10 at the start of his round; a 9-iron from 149 yards on No. 16, and a gap wedge from 135 yards on No. 6. The PGA TOUR only began keeping hole-by-hole records in 1983, and no one had ever made three eagles in one round on par 4s since then. Reavie didn’t think all that much about it until he piped a drive on No. 8 and hit a wedge that covered the flag. “It was on a good line, and that was the only time it crossed my mind — `Wow, could we make another one?'” he said. “The other two, I just hit the shot I was trying to see and it was going at the hole. Never expected it to go in. It’s always a surprise when it disappears.” So odd was this round that Reavie made more eagles than birdies, and the one shot that made him think the ball might go in the hole led to a par. “Apparently, I need to go buy a lottery ticket today,” Reavie said. That would be a good idea, except Hawaii doesn’t have a lottery. For now, he has to figure out how to make up four shots on Kuchar. Cink made nine birdies in his round of 62. Marc Leishman (64) and Ted Potter Jr. (65) were at 9-under 131. Kuchar sometimes comes to Hawaii with his wife and two kids even when he’s not playing golf. He has been to five of the islands, and plans to stay another few weeks after the Sony Open. He likes it better when he can play a few tournaments. He became eligible for the winners-only field at Kapalua last week by winning at another beach resort — Mayakoba — last year, opening with rounds of 64-64, the kind of start he has enjoyed at Waialae. Clearly, the 40-year-old is in a better spot than when he had gone more than three years without winning and was left off the Ryder Cup team for the first time in 10 years. He felt as though he was grinding too hard, and that’s not a trait he wears well. DIVOTS: Keith Mitchell had a hole-in-one on the seventh hole with an 8-iron from 176 yards. … Of the five players over 50 in the field, Steve Stricker and Davis Love III made the cut. Stricker holed a 55-foot eagle putt on his last hole to make it on the number.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Today Mayakoba and the PGA TOUR introduced World Wide Technology, a $13 billion technology solutions provider, as title sponsor for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in a seven-year partnership that extends through 2027. The 15th annual event, hosted at El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, will be held November 1-7, 2021, with Norway’s Viktor Hovland expected to defend his 2020 title. Hovland, who will represent Norway in the 2020 Summer Olympics, claimed his second career PGA TOUR victory last December in Mexico with a birdie on the 72nd hole. “The global expansion and resulting positive impact of the PGA TOUR makes Mayakoba a natural fit for WWT,” said Jim Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of WWT. “At WWT, we do whatever it takes to create the best possible technology experiences and business outcomes for customers and communities around the world. We are proud to support the tournament as it showcases top golf talent while also inspiring leadership and opportunity through the expansion of youth golf in Mexico and Latin America.” In 2007, Mayakoba made history as the PGA TOUR’s first official full-field event held outside the United States or Canada. The tournament is a pioneer for the sport of golf in Mexico and Latin America and has opened the door for Tours such as PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and multiple professional golf events held annually throughout the region. “We are excited to partner with World Wide Technology as we continue to foster the growth of golf in Mexico and Latin America through the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and its charitable initiatives,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba broke new ground as the first PGA TOUR event in Mexico in 2007, and we look forward to properly celebrating this new partnership and the 15th anniversary of the event come November.” This year’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, a FedExCup Regular Season event, will again bring the world’s top golfers to Mexico’s most important tourist destination to experience the warm hospitality and natural beauty of the Mexican Caribbean. Since its inception, the growth of golf in Mexico and creating a positive charitable impact on the community have been key objectives for the event and Mayakoba as a destination. This growth recently manifested itself on the PGA TOUR as Guadalajara’s Carlos Ortiz became only the third player from Mexico to win on the PGA TOUR at the 2020 Vivint Houston Open. Ortiz joins Victor Regalado and Cesar Sanudo as winners hailing from Mexico. In its history, a total of 25 different Mexican players have competed in the PGA TOUR’s event at Mayakoba, and thousands of Mexican youth have been introduced to the sport of golf through the tournament’s community golf development program, Golf PARa Todos. More than $3 million has been generated for local, national and international charities focused on a variety of issues, including education, environmental sustainability and health and wellness for young people. “We are honored to have hosted the PGA TOUR since 2007 and we couldn’t be happier with this partnership with World Wide Technology that assures the continued positive impact of our event,” said Borja Escalada, CEO of RLH Properties. “Fifteen years ago, we made a great investment in golf and sport with which RLH shares many values. And the sponsorship of World Wide Technology, as well as the support of all our sponsors and supporters across Mexico and Latin America, make me confident that the best is yet to come. We look forward to continue supporting the development of this great sport in Mexico and the region as well as to hosting World Wide Technology at beautiful Mayakoba and celebrating many more years of PGA TOUR golf at Mayakoba.” All four rounds of the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba will be carried live on Golf Channel in the United States and on Golf Channel Latin America and GOLFTV in Mexico and Latin America.

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