Lashley leads wire-to-wire for 1st PGA Tour win

Ryan Palmer … There are some guys for whom the inviting fairways and greens of Nine Bridges would neutralize strengths, and then there are others for whom it reinforces the same skill set because they’ve learned how to capitalize. Forever known as a talent whose success is fortified by his game off the tee, the 43-year-old falls into the latter category. A closing 62 in his debut here last year not only established the competitive course record, it also lifted him into a share of third place. He scored progressively lower in every round. This is just his second start of 2019-20 after he dusted off a little rust with a T37 at TPC Summerlin where he nonetheless ranked 10th in total driving and landed three-quarters of the greens in regulation. Joel Dahmen … A repeat performance throughout his bag that yielded a T9 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open two weeks ago will do, thank you. He was inside the top 10 in total driving, greens in regulation, proximity to the hole, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and par-4 scoring. He also ranked 19th in putting: birdies-or-better. Placed T29 in his debut at Nine Bridges last year. Brian Stuard … He’s played well on islands and in the tropics throughout his career, so the veteran always pinged the radar in an event like THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Now he arrives for his second appearance (T52, 2018) with the experience of the course piggybacking terrific current form. Finished T17 at Silverado and T4 at TPC Summerlin in his last two starts. Wrapped the 2018-19 season inside the top 15 on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit, proximity to the hole and scrambling, and he’s opened the new season sustaining those strengths while hitting more greens in regulation relative to most of the competition. Adam Schenk … The 27-year-old continues to piece together imbalanced efforts despite long-range analytics that suggest otherwise. His latest at the Shriners resulted in a T18 during which he scored in the 60s throughout and did everything well on the surface. Digging a little deeper, and despite ranking T8 in scoring opportunities and fifth in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, he was 68th in connecting for par breakers with the putter. This was due primarily to him finishing 63rd in proximity on approach. As it concerns this week, the large greens will allow him to be aggressive as he works on improving his precision. Kyongjun Moon … He’s 37 years of age, he has one win on his native KPGA and he’s a career-best 356th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s also never competed in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, but he’s in the field as one of five designated golfers representing his circuit. Fresh off a T2 at the Genesis Championship (where Sungjae Im prevailed by two strokes) – one of seven top 10s on the season – he’s seventh on the KPGA in earnings, third in greens in regulation and No. 1 in scoring average. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Jarrod Lyle’s recovery from a third bout of cancer has been hit with a mystery illness that has resulted in a loss of vision and has the former PGA TOUR player back in hospital. Lyle underwent a haploidentical transplant and stem cell therapy back in his native Australia in December to deal with a third acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis and was recovering well until recently. In the last week the two-time Web.com Tour winner’s vision has deteriorated into a complete blur and doctors are baffled as to why. It is a condition that may be irreversible. “Dealing with it is not real crash hot, but hopefully we are getting closer to a diagnosis of exactly what’s going on,� Lyle said on Australia radio station SEN. “I’m having every test known to mankind to try to figure out what’s going on with it. “One of the head neurologists said it’s a very, very rare thing he’s only seen once or twice so they are not sure whether it is going to reversible or not, it depends on how much damage has been done up until now. “I hope it is reversible but you have to have the worst-case scenario in the back of your head and be ready to live with blurred vision – not being able to drive and look after your kids and yourself that well. It is a bit of a tough pill to swallow.� Lyle was first struck with cancer as a teenager but survived against the odds and then forged a decent PGA TOUR career. After his best ever result of a T4 finish at the Genesis Open in 2012, it returned. Miraculously he recovered once more and again tried his best to return to the TOUR but was unable to reclaim his card and as such returned to Australia to play his home tour, dabble in some commentary and take up a business selling golf apparel. The cancer came back again last year but he continues to fight. The TOUR family got behind his plight, helping to fundraise for his treatment and life with wife Briony and young daughters Lusi (6) and Gemma (2). The 36-year-old has had some dark moments but refuses to give in. “I just feel like my body has had enough – I feel like it is ready to give up. Every little thing that comes my way turns into something a bit bigger but I guess I just still have that fighting spirit I’ve always had and want to get through it,� Lyle admitted bluntly. “I had a little moment where I burst in tears and had a bit of a sook about it all but there are still a lot of things I want to do in life. “And watching my girls grow up and being there for them and being there for Bri as much as I can… those are probably the three main things that keep me going every day. “I realize no matter how bad it gets there is always that light at the end of the tunnel and I’m looking for that light, and while I just can’t see it at the moment I know it is there. And I know I have to keep fighting to get there.� With thousands of well wishes coming from around the world, Lyle also recognizes his fight can impact others. He expects to be in the hospital for a few weeks while more tests and a treatment plan are carried out, but he hopes things turn around again soon. “I want to be that person that people down the track draw strength from my story,� he said. Plenty already do.

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The PGA TOUR added a second event in Mexico to its schedule with January’s announcement of the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Vidanta Vallarta will host the event for the next three years. World No. 3 Jon Rahm headlines the field, with plenty of home-country talent trying to lift a trophy on Mexican soil. FIELD NOTES: Rahm tees it up for the first time since the Masters. He’s the highest-ranked player in the field … Abraham Ancer leads the Mexican contingent at Vidanta Vallarta alongside fellow TOUR winner Carlos Ortiz and Korn Ferry Tour winner Roberto Diaz … Major champs Gary Woodland, Graeme McDowell and Patrick Reed are set to tee it up … Multi-time TOUR winners Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ and Kevin Na are in the field … Several 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour graduates are teeing it up and looking to lock up PGA TOUR status for next season with a solid effort this week … The Monday qualifier already occurred. Patrick Flavin, Jeffrey Kang, Turk Pettit and Bryson Nimmer earned their way into the field. Flavin and Pettit advanced via a 6-for-2 playoff. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Vidanta Vallarta, par 71, 7,456 yards. This Greg Norman design opened in 2015. There are large landing areas off the tee, while the greens are protected by cavernous bunkers. The course meanders along the Ameca River, with views of the Sierra Madres offered on every hole. STORYLINES: The Mexico Open is considered the country’s national golf championship and was first contested in 1944. It boasts winners like Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Crenshaw and Stewart Cink … Four native Mexican golfers have won on the PGA TOUR. Abraham Ancer was the most recent – he captured the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2021 … This will be the second event in Mexico on the 2021-22 PGA TOUR schedule, as Viktor Hovland won the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in November … 250 yards were added to the golf course from its original design in preparation for the arrival of the PGA TOUR, along with 51 new bunkers (for a total of 106). 72-HOLE RECORD: N/A 18-HOLE RECORD: N/A LAST TIME: This is the first Mexico Open on the PGA TOUR calendar. Patrick Reed won the former World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in 2020, the last time it was contested in Mexico City, while Alvaro Ortiz (brother of Carlos) won the 2021 Abierto Mexicano de Golf. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.–6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

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