Kuchar leads by two at The Genesis Invitational

TPC Boston, site of this week's THE NORTHERN TRUST, also is where Adam Scott earned his first PGA TOUR victory. To mark the milestone before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs opener, we compared Scott's bag today to the one he used in 2003. It hasn't changed much since that win 17 years ago. He was just 23 years old when he beat Rocco Mediate by four strokes to collect the first of his 14 PGA TOUR victories. Scott, winner of the 2004 PLAYERS and 2013 Masters, has trusted Titleist equipment since day one, and although he has upgraded his setup with modern tech, the basic setup of his bag looks very similar to how it did in 2003. Few players on TOUR can say the same. Let’s start with the irons that he currently uses, the Titleist 680’s. These irons came out in 2003, but oddly enough, it wasn’t until years later (2014) that Scott put them in play consistently. These irons have more offset, a higher toe, and a bit longer blade length than other Titleist offerings. He did use them for a short time in 2003 but went through a number of Titleist offerings from 2003 to 2013 until finally settling on this set. His wedge setup past the pitching wedge also is similar to the one he used when he won his first TOUR title. Like most players, Scott now uses a 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedge configuration instead of his old 54- and 60-degree gapping. Scott has been a two-metal-wood player for most of his career, preferring some sort of a driving iron to replace a hybrid or a 5-wood. Lastly, and probably the most notable element, is his putter. In 2003, he was a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 player. Now, Scott opts for a broomstick-style, MOI-heavy, mallet putter. This switch was instrumental in the Adelaide native finally triumphing at Augusta National in 2013. Here is a look back at what Scott had in the bag for his first TOUR victory in 2003 and what he has in the bag today. Adam Scott WITB 2003 Driver: Titleist 983K (8.5 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (44 inches) 3-wood: Titleist PT (15 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (42.75 inches) Irons: Titleist 681 (2-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Wedges: Titleist Vokey (254-10, 260-12) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 (Tri-Sole, 35 inches) Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord Adam Scott WITB as of PGA Championship 2020 Driver: Titleist TS4 (10.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting, 2-gram weight) Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 80 X 3-wood: Titleist TS2 (16.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Rombax P95 X Irons: Titleist 716 T-MB (3-iron), Titleist 680 (4-9) Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (48-08F, 52-08F, 56-10S), Vokey Design SM8 WedgeWorks (60-06K) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT Tour Issue X100 Putter: Scotty Cameron Xperimental Prototype Rev X11 (long) Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. Scroll below for the Shriners Children’s Open field list as of Friday, Sep. 30 at 5 p.m. ET: Check here for updates. Winner of U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption) Gary Woodland Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption) Si Woo Kim Winner of Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and Genesis Invitational (three-year exemption) Patrick Cantlay Max Homa PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Ryan Brehm Cameron Champ Stewart Cink Joel Dahmen Cam Davis Jason Day Tyler Duncan Harris English Rickie Fowler Lucas Herbert Jim Herman Garrick Higgo Tom Hoge Sungjae Im Joohyung Kim Matt Kuchar Martin Laird Andrew Landry K.H. Lee Trey Mullinax J.T. Poston Seamus Power Chad Ramey Chez Reavie J.J. Spaun Robert Streb Nick Taylor Michael Thompson Brendon Todd Richy Werenski Career money exemption Jason Dufner Ryan Moore Rory Sabbatini Jimmy Walker * Sponsor’s exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Vincent Norrman Trevor Werbylo Sponsor’s exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Thomas Detry Charley Hoffman Sponsor’s exemption (unrestricted) Chris Gotterup Cole Hammer Quinn Riley Patrick Welch PGA Club Professional Champion – Six Events Jesse Mueller PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Derek Deminsk Top 30 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List Aaron Wise Brian Harman Top 125 Prior Seasons FedExCup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List Davis Riley Denny McCarthy Maverick McNealy Keith Mitchell Kurt Kitayama Andrew Putnam Taylor Pendrith Mito Pereira Christiaan Bezuidenhout Emiliano Grillo Troy Merritt Adam Hadwin Taylor Moore Chris Kirk Alex Noren Wyndham Clark Lee Hodges John Huh Beau Hossler Brandon Wu Matthew NeSmith Dylan Frittelli Ryan Palmer David Lipsky Adam Schenk Aaron Rai Stephan Jaeger Patrick Rodgers Russell Knox Adam Svensson Kevin Streelman Mark Hubbard Peter Malnati Danny Lee Hayden Buckley Sam Ryder Vince Whaley Nate Lashley James Hahn Greyson Sigg Scott Piercy Callum Tarren Max McGreevy Chesson Hadley Nick Watney Doug Ghim Kevin Tway Matthias Schwab Patton Kizzire Kramer Hickok Matt Wallace Austin Smotherman Justin Lower # Major medical extension Nick Hardy Kyle Stanley Zac Blair Korn Ferry Tour Points winners (The 25 and The Finals 25) Justin Suh Top 50 Finishers from the Korn Ferry Tour Finals (2022) Carl Yuan Will Gordon Paul Haley II David Lingmerth Zecheng Dou Austin Eckroat Robby Shelton Philip Knowles MJ Daffue Michael Gligic Taylor Montgomery Dean Burmester Ben Taylor Eric Cole S.H. Kim Joseph Bramlett Harry Hall Austin Cook Brandon Matthews Augusto Núñez Henrik Norlander Byeong Hun An Ben Martin Erik Barnes Ryan Armour Ben Griffin Nicholas Lindheim Davis Thompson Brent Grant Michael Kim Carson Young Tyson Alexander Scott Harrington Harrison Endycott Tano Goya Kevin Roy Nico Echavarria Anders Albertson Samuel Stevens Chun-an Yu Matti Schmid Brice Garnett Trevor Cone Brian Stuard Kyle Westmoreland Top Finishers from Korn Ferry Tour Medical Chris Stroud Nos. 126-150 on prior season’s FedExCup Points List (reshuffled) Harry Higgs Martin Trainer Hank Lebioda Cameron Percy Andrew Novak Jonathan Byrd Bill Haas Dylan Wu Beyond No. 150 on prior season’s FedExCup Points List Sean O’Hair William McGirt Vaughn Taylor Sung Kang Camilo Villegas Kevin Chappell Seung-Yul Noh Scott Brown Grayson Murray Tommy Gainey Aaron Baddeley Robert Garrigus Bo Van Pelt Fabián Gómez Mark Hensby David Hearn Ricky Barnes Greg Chalmers Cody Gribble D.A. Points J.J. Henry Ben Crane D.J. Trahan Johnson Wagner Derek Ernst Arjun Atwal John Merrick George McNeill Paul Goydos Ryuji Imada Richard S Johnson Omar Uresti Ted Potter, Jr. Brian Davis Kevin Stadler Matt Every Jeff Overton Daniel Chopra Past Champion member Carl Pettersson Jason Bohn Frank Lickliter II Jonathan Kaye Will MacKenzie Len Mattiace Freddie Jacobson Andres Romero Ted Purdy Neal Lancaster Charlie Beljan Eric Axley Parker McLachlin Spike McRoy Derek Lamely Veteran member (150 or more career cuts made) Brendon de Jonge Charlie Wi Shaun Micheel The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

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VIDANTA VALLARTA, Mexico – Competition lies at the heart of the Ortiz family dynamic. Whether it’s sports, board games, video games or anything else, Carlos and Alvaro Ortiz – or their brother Alejandro and parents Chela and Carlos Sr. – want the edge. The Carlos-Alvaro rivalry entails a particular zest. “I’ve had many Nintendo controllers thrown at my head by him,” Carlos remarked of Alvaro. “Nintendo, FIFA, even the Tiger Woods game, the Formula 1 game right now … he used to break a controller per week, like, explode.” “What can I say,” Alvaro admitted. “I’m fiery.” The determination of Carlos and Alvaro has also propelled their golf careers. This week, they’re set to compete in the same PGA TOUR field at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, the event’s first playing as an official PGA TOUR event in its history dating back to 1944. No number of broken controllers, though, could fracture the brothers’ bond. Alvaro, five years Carlos’ junior, holds Korn Ferry Tour status for the first time this season by virtue of a fourth-place finish on the 2021 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit, which included a victory at the Mexico Open, contested at Estella del Mar. He’s following the example of Carlos, now an accomplished TOUR pro and winner of the 2020 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open. Carlos earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time in 2014 and thrived, winning three times to earn his first PGA TOUR card. The now-father of three returned to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017, but he earned back his TOUR card in 2018 and has maintained a steady progression since. The brothers learned the game at an early age – “I don’t have any memories without golf,” Carlos said – and were quickly enthralled. “They’re similar in that they are both very competitive,” reflected mom Chela. “They knew from a very young age what they wanted to do. I remember, in elementary school, Carlos was like, ‘I’m going to be a professional golfer.’ “The problem with Carlos was that we didn’t know the path to college golf.” During Carlos’ adolescence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the progression of Mexican junior golfers to United States Division I golf was uncommon. The Ortiz family wasn’t as connected in the traditional circles of high-level junior golf; tips and tricks have been acquired and now shared with families of aspiring pro golfers across the country. At the time, they weren’t clued in regarding the best tournaments to draw exposure to a promising young player. Early on, Division I options were limited, but Carlos drew the attention of University of North Texas coach Brad Stracke – then in his first few months on the job – late in the recruiting process. Stracke had caught wind of scores in the low- to mid 60s at a junior event in Mexico and correctly deemed that Carlos had the potential to play as a freshman. “He didn’t have a lot of options, when it came his time to go to the States,” Chela remembered. “He had not played a lot in the United States, so there were not a lot of offers for him. So we went with the offer that we had, North Texas. It turned out pretty good. “He was not the first Mexican to go to college golf, but he was the first of this era that started breaking the paradigm of becoming a professional golfer and going to Division I college golf.” Once it became apparent that Alvaro was determined to follow in Carlos’ footsteps, the family had a roadmap. Alvaro played a robust schedule of high-level junior events across the United States – the family would take two-week trips at a time, integrating golf and sightseeing. He competed alongside the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland at junior events, and he received a variety of Division I offers, eventually selecting the University of Arkansas. As Alvaro completed his high school career and headed to Arkansas as a freshman, Carlos was thriving as a Korn Ferry Tour rookie. With the family unsure of the expenses needed to travel and compete on the Korn Ferry Tour, Carlos Sr. and Chela sold an investment condo, gaining a financial safety net in case the road was rocky. Carlos quickly rewarded his family’s belief. He finished third in his first Korn Ferry Tour start as a member, the 2014 Astara Golf Championship, and he won three events later at The Panama Championship. He added victories at the El Bosque Mexico Championship and Regular Season-ending WinCo Foods Portland Open, and he was off to the PGA TOUR. “It was a crazy season,” Alvaro remembers. “I was just signed for Arkansas and was getting ready for college … it was crazy how he played that season. I felt like every week, he had a chance to win. That really pushed me, going to college and trying to get better, trying to go out there as quick as I could. “And I remember he won the third one, the first week I got to Arkansas. It was pretty special, getting there and him getting his promotion to the PGA TOUR.” The brothers’ journeys have taken different timelines, but the bond endures, and they relish the occasions where paths cross. After Alvaro gained 2019 Masters entry via his victory at the Latin America Amateur Championship, Carlos caddied in the Par 3 Contest. (Alvaro proceeded to make the cut and finish T36.) Their playful dynamic is readily apparent. They traded barbs at a Tuesday press conference ahead of this week’s Mexico Open, and when asked to pose for photos on the first tee box Wednesday, they quickly leapt onto an adjacent bleacher and put their arms around each other. “We compete in anything, and I think that’s pushed us to be great,” Carlos said. “It’s always great when you have somebody to practice and share everything with. You work hard, and then when it’s your brother, it’s even better. “Yesterday, we finished playing and we went to a gym together and took a 10-minute ice, and we were both shaking and giving each other (crap) in the ice. Those kinds of experiences, it’s great to share them with your brother. I think that’s one of the reasons we have success and always kept improving, because we push each other.” They’ve helped push forward a country of aspiring young pros who aim to follow their path, as well.

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