Ladies European Tour postpones two events

For Matthew NeSmith, it all started with a fire truck. He and his teammates on the University of South Carolina golf team would raise money for Curing Kids Cancer each year by pulling 14,000 pounds of steel and ladders and hoses across a finish line about 15 feet away. The first responders and golfers and other teams who participated got into the spirit of the event by dressing up in superhero costumes and bunny rabbit suits to honor a child living with cancer, or one who had passed away. “It would be great,” Matthew said. “Like if one was an 8-year-old girl, and they’d be like, what do you want us to wear and she’d be like, I want y’all to be ballerinas. And so, all the fire truck people would be wearing tutus. It was just a really fun time.” For his wife, Abigail, who was a member of the Gamecocks’ equestrian team, it was the CKC Pony Days each spring and fall. Patients from the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital came out to the farm where she practiced to ride horses and play games like the egg-on-a-spoon relay. “We had best time doing things like that,” Abigail says. “Just meeting the families and getting to know them and just providing a day that nobody was thinking about what was really going on.” Along the way, Matthew and Abigail got to know Clay and Grainne Owens, the co-founders of CKC, and their three sons. Clay and the three boys are all USC graduates and the two families bonded over a shared love of football and helping others. Grainne even offered Abigail a full-time job with CKC as she was preparing for graduation. The inspiration for CKC was the Owens’ son Killian, who died in 2003 after a four-year battle with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia that included chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. One of his physicians mentioned an experimental treatment that might have saved his life, but the doctors didn’t have the finances to get it out of the lab and into treatment. Grainne remembers wondering why the doctor told her about this therapy, one that could have been 11 times more effective than the drug that was being used to treat her son. That’s when she realized she needed to raise money so other families wouldn’t be denied. “He says to this day, he doesn’t really know why he said it because he would never normally tell a family about something their child couldn’t have,” Grainne says. “But I know why — it’s because that was what I was meant to do.” So Grainne started CKC, sitting at her kitchen table and sending emails until 2 o’clock in the morning asking people to help. She assembled a medical “dream team” of doctors to serve on an advisory board to review grant applications and decide which trials to fund. And to date, thanks to donors and fire truck pulls and golf tournaments, as well as college football helping to spread awareness, CKC has raised more than $20 million. “I never dreamed ever that we would make $20 million,” Grainne says. “I mean, not in a million years, I would never – I would have laughed at you if you told me that.” So, when Matthew NeSmith won the Birdies Fore Love competition at the Shriners Children’s Open last year, there was no question what the couple would do with the $50,000 grant he earned for the charity of his choice. It went to CKC. Matthew knew he had a chance to win the Birdies Fore Love competition in Las Vegas last year entering the final round. He didn’t tell Abigail because he didn’t want to get her hopes up, and he didn’t mention it to the Owens because he didn’t want to let them down if he didn’t win. Sunday’s 68 landed Matthew in a tie for eighth and his total of 26 birdies turned out to be good enough for the Birdies Fore Love title that week. Not before a few anxious moments, though, as Harold Varner and Abraham Ancer pressed him down the stretch. “I remember watching them on 18 pretty much feeling like I was going to win the golf tournament,” NeSmith said, chuckling. “I needed them not to make birdie. … So, I was like I want y’all to play good, I want y’all to play good. But I need, I would love to make this phone call for my wife and the Owen family.” As soon as he got back home to Aiken, South Carolina, Matthew and Abigail called Grainne. He says it was one of the most rewarding things he’s ever done in his golf career because “I believe in what they do.” “She was excited,” Matthew recalled. “She was like, really? I was like, yeah. And she was like, that’s amazing. I was like, I know, I thought it was amazing, too.” Donations like the one the NeSmith’s made to CKC help encourage the kind of research that went into CAR-T cell therapy. T-cells normally fight infections, but this trial found a way to genetically re-engineer them to target the proteins on cancer cells. Then the T-cells are put back in the patient and their own immune system fights and kills the cancer. “It’s a true sort of medical miracle, really,” Grainne says. “It got approval from the FDA back in 2017 and we were partly responsible for making that happen. So that makes me feel really good.” For the NeSmiths, the work CKC has done can also be measured in the kids and families they met during the five years Abigail worked at the charity, as well as the many fund-raising events they’ve attended over the years, including Monday’s golf tournament in Dallas that raised more than $376,000. One was a young boy named Eli whose cancer had relapsed. Matthew made videos and sent them to Eli as his health declined. And there was Richard, who had a brain tumor, but found joy in riding a horse that the USC equestrian coach brought to his home just days before his death. Another was Aurora, who was also “on her way to heaven,” Abigail says. She loved unicorns and her dad brought her out on a rainy Pony Day. “She was so kind and sweet,” Abigail recalls. “She couldn’t see at this point, but she painted this little horse we had. It was just so special.” Grainne, who found out she had breast cancer a year ago, and the people who work at CKG are driven by all those children – the ones who can’t be saved as well as the ones who are survivors. The $20 million-plus is great but she knows she needs to do more. “There’s always a child I know who’s not doing well, who depends on us,” she says. “There’s always another family who might lose their child. And that’s what I think about, especially having gone through it myself last year. “I watched my child go through it, but watching my family watch me go through it was hard because I didn’t want them to worry. But it just made me more determined to help the children.” So, what would her late son Killian, the one she says looked like a cherub, think about what has become her life’s work? “Oh, I think he’s with us every day,” Grainne says. “I think that we’ve been as successful as we have because of him. I think he watches over us all the time. He’s my little guardian angel. … “I think he was sent here just for this. It’s hard, but I know that one day I’ll see him again and I think he’ll be very happy.”

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The career grand slam never should be accepted as a given, yet there is a sense that it’s only a matter of time before Rory McIlroy converts on the final leg at the Masters. Even urgency isn’t yet a narrative despite this week’s attempt being his fifth since winning the 2014 Open Championship. He’s only 29 years of age. Of course, in the context of hoisting the hardware in all four, clutching the last piece is hardest. There’s a singular target and everyone knows it. Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd and Lee Trevino each came up one major short of the achievement. Among active players, you (and they) don’t need a reminder that Jordan Spieth (PGA Championship) and Phil Mickelson (U.S. Open) also are one major shy. Only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have accomplished what McIlroy is up first this year to attempt. The vibe that McIlroy will join golf’s most impressive club is in no small way attributed to his adaptation to worldwide scheduling in 2019. He’s streamlined and simplified. He wants the green jacket so badly and without any additional delay that he’s cleared the lane ahead. A Master of his own domain, you might say. And it’s no contest. It’s working. Since opening the calendar year with a T4 at Kapalua, McIlroy has gone T5-T4-2nd-T6-Win-T9, entirely on the PGA TOUR. So, the form is tip-top. And in the last four Masters, he’s recorded a 4th-T10-T7-T5 run, so it’s not like he’s a long shot as it concerns the tournament proper. If you haven’t figured it out by now, it’s time to ride McIlroy into the history books. If I didn’t burn him at Bay Hill, I wouldn’t hesitate. He’s addressed the potential pressure of the career grand slam with exactly the kind of professionalism that the challenge requires. Reviewing other options, when it comes to the Masters, it’s all about the chalk for the course. While McIlroy prevailed at THE PLAYERS Championship, this week’s process essentially is the opposite of the same for TPC Sawgrass where we search on the fringe for our selection to save on talent. Whereas the Stadium Course always wins, there is zero concern about leaning on a notable who has played well at Augusta National Golf Club before. If you’re new to the tournament, come to learn that this is precisely the point of the experience, which is rewarded over time. They don’t hand out degrees, but it’s called the Masters for a reason. Jordan Spieth is a modern-day machine at Augusta National, and his expectation to perform is high because of his success. For him to navigate to the top of your list, you need to ignore the cobwebs and crickets of his 2018-19 season. However, I can’t endorse that philosophy. Continue to wait him out. If he has the goods, he’ll deliver, and then he will again later. As crazy as it sounds, he’s a trap in our format this week. Consider again in 2020. Then there’s Woods for whom the Masters easily is his best remaining slot on the schedule. He would have been my pick at Bay Hill, but his early withdrawal compelled me to pivot to McIlroy. There isn’t anything that Woods hasn’t done that he’s set out to do, so his pursuit of major victory No. 15 just happens to remain one of his goals. Regardless of your position, he’s an easy pick. (As if you needed me to support that!) Justin Rose is the last big stick on the board who captures my attention to the degree of recommending him as strongly as McIlroy and Woods. No one is more comfortable with who he is and he’s checked off every box during his career. While a Patrick Reed-to-McIlroy fitting of the green jacket conjures provocative imagery, it’d make as much sense to watch the Englishman slide his arms into the sleeves. If you’re considering another, please refer to my Power Rankings for general confidence and crosscheck with Future Possibilities below. Because that preview encompasses the entire field of 87, it should be easier than usual to discern my opinion for everyone. That said, because decisions can vary if you’re pacing or chasing, front-runners should feel confident with Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen as well. If you want to gain ground and avert the stymie, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Hideki Matsuyama are relatively strong angles for various reasons. While positioned in my Power Rankings, the likes of Reed, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day all make more sense as complements in roster formats. If still available to you in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done or your earnings-based format, holster for another event. With so many commodities, two-man gamers should employ the 1-1a formula. Being with the McIlroy-Woods ticket and bathe in other possibilities. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Rafa Cabrera Bello … Wyndham (4) Patrick Cantlay … Memorial (3) Paul Casey … Masters (2); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … Masters (4); Wells Fargo (6 defending); PGA Championship (3); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (9) Bryson DeChambeau … Heritage (1);  Memorial (2; defending); Travelers (4); John Deere (7) Tony Finau … Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … Masters (2); Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Sergio Garcia … Masters (6); Open Championship (5); TOUR Championship (2) Branden Grace … Byron Nelson (5); U.S. Open (4) Emiliano Grillo … Charles Schwab (3) Charley Hoffman … Masters (4); Heritage (7); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) J.B. Holmes … Wells Fargo (5) Billy Horschel … New Orleans (3; defending); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Dustin Johnson … Masters (8); PGA Championship (11); Memorial (10); U.S. Open (1); WGC-St. Jude (6); TOUR Championship (7) Zach Johnson … Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … Heritage (1) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Brooks Koepka … Masters (7); PGA Championship (2; defending); Charles Schwab (6); U.S. Open (1; two-time defending); Open Championship (8) Matt Kuchar … Masters (6); Heritage (2); Charles Schwab (7); Memorial (1); Open Championship (8) Marc Leishman … Byron Nelson (6); Memorial (4); Travelers (3); Open Championship (8) Hideki Matsuyama … Masters (4); PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Rory McIlroy … Masters (4); Wells Fargo (3); Memorial (5); Travelers (8); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (6) Phil Mickelson … Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Francesco Molinari … Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (1; defending) Kevin Na … Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Louis Oosthuizen … Masters (2); U.S. Open (5); PGA Championship (4) Jon Rahm … Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Patrick Reed … Masters (5; defending); PGA Championship (4); U.S. Open (3); Travelers (7) Justin Rose … Masters (1); Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Xander Schauffele … U.S. Open (3); Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Adam Scott … Masters (6); Byron Nelson (11); PGA Championship (8); U.S. Open (9); Open Championship (7); TOUR Championship (3) Webb Simpson … Heritage (6); Wells Fargo (7); Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Masters (10); Heritage (6); Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Jordan Spieth … Masters (1); PGA Championship (7); Charles Schwab (5); Memorial (13); U.S. Open (4); Travelers (9); Open Championship (6); TOUR Championship (8) Henrik Stenson … Masters (5); PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (6); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (7) Justin Thomas … PGA Championship (9); Memorial (8); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Valero (2); Byron Nelson (6) Bubba Watson … Masters (5); Memorial (7); Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8) Gary Woodland … Memorial (4) Tiger Woods … Masters (2); Memorial (4); THE NORTHERN TRUST (6); TOUR Championship (5; defending)

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