Laura Davies wins Senior LPGA Championship

A collection of veterans and up-and-coming TOUR stars looking for a life-changing victory – not unlike Collin Morikawa a year ago – will compete at the Barracuda Championship. The event alternate to the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational will again be the TOUR’s only Modified Stableford event. FIELD NOTES: Will Gordon, who earned Special Temporary Membership at the end of June, will look to build on his successful summer so far. He can earn membership for the 2020-21 season if his non-member FedExCup points exceed or equal No. 125 in the FedExCup standings. Entering the 3M Open, where he missed the cut, Gordon had four more points than No. 96 Phil Mickelson… Two-time major champion Martin Kaymer is set to make his 2019-20 PGA TOUR debut… Washington State University standout Derek Bayley is among the sponsor exemptions… Other college stars that received exemptions include Peter Kuest and Sahith Theegala… Morikawa isn’t defending his title as he qualified for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational… Troy Merritt looks to build off his runner-up in 2019. Merritt held the 54-hole lead before being clipped by Morikawa late Sunday. FEDEXCUP: Winner gets 300 FedExCup points. COURSE: Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), 7,390 yards, par 71. The 2004 Jack Nicklaus design takes over as host venue from another Nicklaus design (the Blue Course at Montreux G&CC). Old Greenwood typically plays as a par-72, but the 10th hole has been changed from a par 5 to a par 4 for the TOUR. STORYLINES: Up for grabs at the Barracuda is a spot in the U.S. Open. The top two players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties, will earn a place at Winged Foot later this year… This marks the ninth year for the Modified Stableford format. Eagles are worth five points, birdies are worth two points and pars are worth zero. Bogeys deduct one point while double bogeys cost three… Eleven winners, including Morikawa, have made the championship their first TOUR victory, including the last three in a row… Morikawa was also just the second Barracuda winner who didn’t have at least a share of the 54-hole lead… This is the first year at Tahoe Mountain Club. 72-HOLE RECORD: +49, Geoff Ogilvy (2014). Stroke-play record: 267, Vaughn Taylor (2005). 18-HOLE RECORD: +22, Kyle Reifers (4th round, 2015), Chad Campbell (3rd round, 2018). Stroke-play record: 61, Scott Piercy (3rd round, 2011). LAST TIME: Morikawa birdied four of his final five holes to win the 2019 Barracuda Championship for his first TOUR title. It was Morikawa’s third consecutive top-4 finish after making his first TOUR start as a professional at the RBC Canadian Open earlier in the summer. Troy Merritt finished three points back of Morikawa, while John Chin, Robert Streb, and Bronson Burgoon rounded out the top five. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Golf Channel).

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida and DENVER – Velocity Global has partnered with the PGA TOUR and GOLF Channel to become the presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University, the PGA TOUR announced Tuesday. Additionally, Velocity Global, which delivers a global work platform for employers to grow compliant distributed workforces in 185 countries and all 50 United States, has been named the Official Global Workforce Solutions Platform of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions as part of the multi-year agreement. Entering its second season, PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global rewards elite college players with access to Tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics. At the end of each college golf season, the top 15 players in the final Velocity Global Ranking earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA TOUR international tour. The Class of 2022 Ranking will be finalized May 30 following the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We’re excited to welcome Velocity Global to the PGA TOUR family as the first-ever presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Velocity Global shares our passion in supporting the top collegiate golfers on their journey to the professional game, and we look forward to their partnership in growing PGA TOUR University together.” As the Official Global Workforce Solutions Platform and Official Professional Employer Organization of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, Velocity Global will have a presence in programming throughout PGA TOUR media properties, align with PGA TOUR players and host customers at PGA TOUR events. “This partnership highlights access to opportunity. The Velocity Global Ranking identifies the top players in college golf and rewards them with access to the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA TOUR’s international network of competition, just as we make global work accessible to employers and talent,” said Ben Wright, Velocity Global Founder and CEO. “We’re proud to partner with the PGA TOUR to open doors for these players and support the game’s future stars, as Velocity Global supports the future of work.” Billy Horschel, a six-time PGA TOUR winner and the 2014 FedExCup champion, is a global brand ambassador for Velocity Global and an avid supporter of college golf. During his four-year career at the University of Florida, Horschel was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and a four-time All-American. “Velocity Global is the perfect match to present the top college players in the world of golf because it is the company that drives how work gets done for the next generation,” said Horschel. “They cheer for hard work and success, and that’s exactly what the PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global does. It creates access to global opportunities for these players to compete right away which is so important for their development as pros. I look forward to competing against these guys really soon.” In addition to being the presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University, the agreement also includes a partnership with GOLF Channel. PGA TOUR University and the Velocity Global Ranking will be featured each Wednesday on Golf Today and within weekly live tournament coverage, as well as across GOLF Channel and PGA TOUR digital platforms throughout the season. GOLF Channel’s first college tournament broadcast of the season is next week’s Maridoe Collegiate Invitational (September 13-15). Additionally, GOLF Channel will collaborate with Velocity Global to highlight a new PGA TOUR University charity program to be announced at a future date. “As the television home of college golf, we’re excited to continue the growth and development of PGA TOUR University alongside our partners at the PGA TOUR,” said Tom Knapp, EVP, Partnerships and Programming, NBC Sports. “The addition of an international partner like Velocity Global enhances our ability to cultivate this important platform, and ensure the top collegiate players will be showcased on GOLF Channel as they progress toward competing throughout the professional ranks and ultimately on the PGA TOUR.” The PGA TOUR University Class of 2021 made their marks in their first summers as professionals. Arizona State’s Kevin Yu finished 4th in the 2021 Velocity Global Ranking, and he posted five top-25s and two top-five finishes in eight starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. On the Forme Tour, Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo and SMU’s Mac Meissner both have wins after finishing 9th and 8th, respectively, in last year’s Velocity Global Ranking. With one event remaining this season, Werbylo leads the Order of Merit and Meissner is fifth, and both players are in position to be promoted to the Korn Ferry Tour next season.

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified from the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday for using a non-conforming club, violating Equipment Standards Rule 4.c(3). Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, the other members of the group, were left to play as a twosome. The modification in question was a Liquid Paper-like substance on the face of Matsuyama’s 3-wood. One of his equipment people had applied it as an alignment aid, but it made the club non-conforming in that it could have changed the spin and other flight characteristics of the ball. “Don’t paint the face of your clubs,” said Chief Referee Steve Rintoul. “You can have a Sharpie marking for alignment, but that much substance is above what the Rules allow.” An online picture of the club came to the attention of Rules officials shortly after Matsuyama teed off at 1 p.m. Matsuyama could have avoided disqualification if he’d merely been carrying the club, but when an official caught up to him at the second tee, he said he’d used it on the first. “He was very honest and forthright about it,” Rintoul said. But the damage was done – if the club was in fact non-conforming. Rintoul met with Matsuyama on the fifth hole, took pictures of the 3-wood, and told the Japanese star to keep playing as the committee met and even consulted with USGA Equipment Standards staffers. In the end, there was simply too much substance on the club. Matsuyama, who captured the first of his eight PGA TOUR titles at the 2014 Memorial, had shot a 3-over 39 on the front nine when he was notified of the disqualification on the 10th tee. “I think after we talked about in the 5th fairway,” Rintoul said, “I’m not going to say he was expecting it, but it wasn’t as much a surprise as it would have been if it had been unknown.” Matsuyama is fifth in the FedExCup after victories at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and Sony Open in Hawaii. Last season he became the first player from Japan to win a men’s major as he captured the Masters Tournament. But his Memorial week ended early. “My worst fear – I was hoping he hasn’t used it the first tee, hasn’t used it the second tee,” said Rintoul. “We were going to get to him before the third tee, which I’m thinking he might use it on the third tee. But the damage was done on the first hole, unfortunately. “Just unfortunate set of circumstances for Hideki for sure.”

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