Leaderboard: Round 1 of The Players

Jason Day comes home with a flourish to take out the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins over Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama. All four players had a chance to take the title on the final hole, but it was the Australian who prevailed with a clutch birdie to take the trophy. Day won three skins with a birdie on the par-3 3rd, then collected four more on the par-4 17th with a clutch 12-foot par putt. The former world No.1 and 12-time PGA TOUR winner then claimed the par-5 18th hole $100,000 super skin with an up-and-down birdie under the lights. Below are the final results and hole-by-hole recap of the action. Related: Leaderboard | Everything you need to know about MGM Resorts The Challenge | PGA TOUR Visual Stories: MGM Resorts The Challenge JASON DAY: Skins: 8 ($210,000) | Fairways: 7 of 13 | Greens 11 of 18 | Putts: 27 TIGER WOODS: Skins: 5 ($60,000) | Fairways: 5 of 13 | Greens: 10 of 18 | Putts: 26 RORY MCILROY: Skins: 4 ($60,000) | Fairways: 5 of 13 | Greens: 13 of 18 | Putts: 28 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Skins: 1 ($20,000) | Fairways: 3 of 13 | Greens: 10 of 18 | Putts: 25 Hole No. 1 (Par-4) Leading us off is Tiger Woods. He takes driver and it’s headed left. Next up is Jason Day, and his driver is also a little to the left and finds the rough. Rory McIlroy’s driver is headed to the right. We have our first “fore!â€� call! And last but certainly not least – especially in the fans’ eyes – Hideki Matsuyama’s driver also drifts left and finds the rough. First on approach attempt is McIlroy, but from the tree line, he comes up short. Woods changes clubs, takes 9-iron and is not on the dance floor. Day shows them all how to play from the rough and hits it expertly in close. Matsuyama can’t respond and also comes up short. Woods takes a couple of hacks from the left side of the green and is conceded a bogey. McIlroy and Matsuyama can’t chip in and take pars. Day has a 6-footer for birdie and Woods tells him to “lag it up close.” Day makes sure it gets there with pace, but it lips out hard off the right edge. The first chance at cash goes begging. RESULT: $10,000 Skin halved. Hole No. 2 worth $20,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (0 of 1) | Greens: Miss (0 of 1) | Putts: 1 (1) | Skins: 0 RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (0 of 1) | Greens: Miss (0 of 1) | Putts: 1 (1) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Miss (0 of 1) | Greens: Hit (1 of 1) | Putts: 2 (2) | Skins: 0 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (0 of 1) | Greens: Miss (0 of 1) | Putts: 1 (1) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 2 (Par-4) After all four players missed the fairway on the opening hole with driver, they all pull irons on the second and all find the short grass. But on approach, only Woods and Matsuyama find the green as Day and McIlroy spin their balls back hard off the surface. McIlroy’s opening effort with putter from the fringe is a shocker and has both Day and Woods holding back laughter. Day from the fringe lags up close and makes par. Woods birdie try from 20 feet goes well long. McIlroy lets Woods know – “At least I can blame it on the fringeâ€�. Meanwhile, Matsuyama has a putt to win $20,000, but it stays out to the right and he secures the half to set up a three hole jackpot worth $30,000. RESULT: $20,000 Skin halved (Day, Matsuyama, McIlroy, Woods). Hole No. 3 worth $30,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Hit (1 of 2) | Greens: Hit (1 of 2) | Putts: 2 (3) | Skins: 0 RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Hit (1 of 2) | Greens: Miss (0 of 2) | Putts: 1 (2) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (1 of 2) | Greens: Miss (1 of 2) | Putts: 1 (3) | Skins: 0 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Hit (1 of 2) | Greens: Hit (1 of 2) | Putts: 2 (3) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 3 (Par-3) It’s just 152 yards here on the third and Woods is up first. He has yanked it hard to the left and it’s bounced hard off the concrete path. It’s bobbling around and won’t end up in a good spot. Day stands up next and stiffs one to inside 10 feet. McIlroy blocks his a little right and finds the green, but faces a monster birdie putt. Matsuyama knows he needs to step up and while he finds the fringe, it is under the hole and in a makeable spot. Woods, in fact, has watched his ball come all the way back down the path and leaves him a wedge back up to the elevated green. He overshoots into a bunker. When he gets there ,McIlroy has to let him know he’s still away. Woods splashes out, but not close enough. He is given a bogey. McIlroy’s long putt is tracking the entire way, but comes up just a foot short. Matsuyama’s putt from the fringe gets caught up and is not even close, leaving Day a chance to get on the board. He makes no mistake and collects the three jackpot skins as his putt falls in from the left side. RESULT: $30,000 Skin won by JASON DAY TIGER WOODS: Fairways: N/A (1 of 2) | Greens: Miss (1 of 3) | Putts: 1 (4) | Skins: 0 RORY MCILROY: Fairways: N/A (1 of 2) | Greens: Hit (1 of 3) | Putts: 2 (4) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: N/A (1 of 2) | Greens: Hit (2 of 3) | Putts: 1 (4) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: N/A (1 of 2) | Greens: Miss (1 of 3) | Putts: 1 (4) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 4 (Par-4) Golf courses in Japan often have two greens, and the fourth here is no exception. On this hole, players have been given the option to go for whichever green they choose and they don’t even have to announce which one it is. It is part of a charity challenge where $100,000 will go to the winner’s charity of choice. Woods, Day and McIlroy split the fairway from the tee, but Matsuyama has tugged his tee shot left and it has found a watery grave. After a drop, he takes a rip for the putting surfaces, but still has work to do. He wedges on to the right green in four shots. Woods refuses to tell Day which green he’s going for and ends up splitting the two. Day’s approach is fat and misses the right green short. McIlroy takes dead aim after his monster drive and has a great look at birdie on the left green. With Matsuyama and Day unable to make par on the right side, McIlroy is in great shape, but his birdie try never looks good. Woods, meanwhile, gets up-and-down for par and now McIlroy has a little 3-foot knee-knocker for a half. He makes it to send this skin to the next. RESULT: $10,000 Skin halved (McIlroy, Woods). Hole No. 5 worth $20,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Hit (2 of 3) | Greens: Miss (1 of 4) | Putts: 1 (5) | Skins: 0 RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Hit (2 of 3) | Greens: Hit (2 of 4) | Putts: 2 (6) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (2 of 3) | Greens: Miss (2 of 4) | Putts: 2 (6) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (1 of 3) | Greens: Miss (1 of 4) | Putts: 1 (5) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 5 (Par-3) At just 177 yards, this should be a snack right? Not quite. Day goes first and finds the water that guards the right side of the hole. Woods goes next and makes sure he doesn’t do the same, but instead goes well left into a bunker. Amazingly, McIlroy follows Day into the water, leaving Matsuyama a free shot at the green. The crowd is excited for what they hope will be the local man’s big chance, but he hits his 8-iron fat and becomes the third participant in the drink. The water boys all chip up inside 10-feet and Day secures a bogey for them all. Woods splashes out of the sand to five feet and has it for the win. He goes mini-Kevin Na and walks it in despite some trash talk from his competitors trying to get in his head. The 81-time PGA TOUR winner gets two skins for his trouble. RESULT: $20,000 Skin won by TIGER WOODS. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: N/A (2 of 3) | Greens: Miss (1 of 5) | Putts: 1 (6) | Skins: 2 ($20,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: N/A (2 of 3) | Greens: Miss (2 of 5) | Putts: 1 (7) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: N/A (2 of 3) | Greens: Miss (2 of 5) | Putts: 1 (7) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: N/A (1 of 3) | Greens: Miss (1 of 5) | Putts: 1 (6) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 6 (Par-5) Time to showcase some power on our first par-5 after everyone finds the fairway, but it’s still a long way home. Despite all four going with muscle, no one finds the putting surface in two. McIlroy is in the sand, but the rest are coming up from the grass. Day’s chip is the best of the bunch as it stops about six inches from the cup and is an easy birdie. Woods is unable to match it from about 18 feet. McIlroy tries to do so from 12 feet and is successful, so we move on. And it’s time to up the ante with skins now worth $15,000 each hole so the next will be worth $25,000. RESULT: $10,000 Skin halved (Day, McIlroy, Matsuyama). Hole No. 7 worth $25,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Hit (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (2 of 6) | Putts: 2 (8) | Skins: 2 ($20,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Hit (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (3 of 6) | Putts: 1 (8) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (3 of 6) | Putts: 1 (8) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Hit (2 of 4) | Greens: Hit (2 of 6) | Putts: 1 (7) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 7 (Par-3) Time for some fun with some supreme athletes outside the realm of golf. It is the rugby challenge hole, given the Rugby World Cup is currently taking place in Japan. We will go with two-person teams in a scramble format. The two-man team that wins gets $100,000 from FedEx Cares donated to the International Youth Foundation in their names. Each golfer gets a former rugby star to join them. First up is Mike Tindall, who was part of England’s 2003 World Cup winning side – he gets to play with Woods. Despite just 144 yards on the par-3 to negotiate, the rugby boys feel a little nervous. Tindall makes a good pass at it, but it misses the green left. Woods bails him out though with a beauty to 10 feet. Next up is Australian Wallaby legend George Gregan. This little guy was famous for chopping down men twice his size in his heyday. His golf shot heads well left, though. His countryman Day steps up, though, and hits it about 10 feet right of the cup. Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll steps up next and takes it right over the pin. Adrenaline has got the better of him just a little and it’s onto the back fringe. McIlroy gives the team 20 feet with his effort. Brian Habana from South Africa is next… boy he was lightning fast in his day… he has airmailed the green despite a great strike. Matsuyama finds the surface but it will be a lengthy putt for his team from some 35 feet. Habana comes up a little short but then boooooom! Matsuyama drains it and Habana leaps onto his teammate… can’t imagine Hideki was ready to lift a huge rugby guy today! Not to be outdone, O’Driscoll takes aim from 20 feet and drills it home! This rugby star can putt! Tindall and Woods fail in their attempts and Gregan misses on the right side. Day cleans up the hole with a birdie of his own. RESULT: $25,000 Skin halved (Day, McIlroy, Matsuyama). Hole No. 8 worth $40,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: N/A (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (3 of 7) | Putts: 2 (10) | Skins: 2 ($20,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: N/A (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (4 of 7) | Putts: 1 (9) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: N/A (3 of 4) | Greens: Hit (4 of 7) | Putts: 1 (9) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: N/A (2 of 4) | Greens: Hit (3 of 7) | Putts: 1 (8) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 8 (Par-4) Back to regular programming for the par-4 8th. McIlroy is the only player to find the fairway as Woods hits right rough, Day hits left rough and Matsuyama goes deep in the woods. Japan’s favorite son is unable to escape on his second shot and takes himself out of the hole, but the three other approach shots set up what looks like an ‘around the world’ putting challenge. They have the hole surrounded from around 12 feet or so. Day misses, McIlroy slides his right, but Woods makes no mistake. “How about that? It’s all about timing,â€� Woods grins as he cleans up $40,000 with a birdie. RESULT: $40,000 Skin won by TIGER WOODS. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (3 of 5) | Greens: Hit (4 of 8) | Putts: 2 (10) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Hit (4 of 5) | Greens: Hit (5 of 8) | Putts: 2 (11) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Miss (3 of 5) | Greens: Hit (5 of 8) | Putts: 2 (11) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (2 of 5) | Greens: Miss (3 of 8) | Putts: 0 (8) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 9 (Par-4) The boys are laughing on the tee here after reading the yardage book. It simply says of the right side – “It gets dicey over there.â€� Matsuyama and McIlroy are going to find out after missing wide. Woods is also right, but just in the first cut while Day finds the fairway. From the trees, Matsuyama threads the needle to escape, but has found the crowd on the left side of the green. McIlroy is blocked out from the green, but carves a shot nicely onto the surface, albeit some distance from home. Woods – the new leader – gets it aboard nicely. Day takes advantage of his position off the tee and goes over the flag to set up a nice look at birdie. McIlroy and Woods nerding out on golf altitude talk on the way to the green about the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship and how they adjust their numbers. Matsuyama chips up and on to give himself a look at par. From almost downtown Tokyo, McIlroy almost nails his birdie try as it skirts by the edge. Woods hammers his uphill birdie try and it jumps over the cup… maybe he should have left the pin in. Day has a chance to win $15,000 with his birdie try from 20 feet but it is low all the way and he’s pretty annoyed at himself. Matsuyama misses his par try, but is given bogey. Woods and Day clean up pars to send us towards a $30,000 10th hole. RESULT: $15,000 Skin halved by Woods, Day, McIlroy. Hole No. 10 worth $30,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (3 of 6) | Greens: Hit (5 of 9) | Putts: 2 (12) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (4 of 6) | Greens: Hit (6 of 9) | Putts: 2 (13) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (4 of 6) | Greens: Hit (6 of 9) | Putts: 2 (13) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (2 of 6) | Greens: Miss (3 of 9) | Putts: 2 (10) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 10 (Par-4) Woods, Day and McIlroy go with less than driver to find the fairway here, but Matsuyama is ready to get aggressive as he tries to get on the board. He bombs his drive over the top of the others and while it rolls into the first cut, it is in great shape. They are playing to an elevated green here and Woods goes deep into the green. McIlroy throws a dart though and is in near-concession range. Day comes up a little short onto the fringe, but Matsuyama gives himself a great look to match McIlroy. Day is unable to make birdie but secures a par. Woods does the same. Hideki drains his short birdie putt, but McIlroy stops his chance at cash by making his tap-in also. The two players without a dollar send this to a $45,000 11th hole. RESULT: $30,000 Skin halved (Matsuyama, McIlroy). Hole No. 11 worth $45,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Hit (4 of 7) | Greens: Hit (6 of 10) | Putts: 2 (14) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Hit (5 of 7) | Greens: Hit (7 of 10) | Putts: 1 (14) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (5 of 7) | Greens: Miss (6 of 10) | Putts: 2 (15) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (2 of 7) | Greens: Hit (4 of 10) | Putts: 1 (11) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 11 (Par-4) Day splits the fairway, but no such luck for the other three. Woods and Matsuyama miss on the left side, while McIlroy loses his way right into the crowd where it cannons further right. “I hope that was the cart path and not someone’s head,â€� McIlroy says with concern. Woods is giggling a little as he’s left himself way back, leaving him to debate with caddie Joe LaCava on their strategy. Having to hit 3-wood into a par-4 green, Woods misses into the right bunkers on approach. Day also finds the right bunkers. McIlroy, playing from the wrong hole, finds the green as does Matsuyama from the left rough. They might have another chance to get started here. Woods’ ball is buried in the sand and he’s lucky to muscle it out. Day also has plenty of work left to make a par after his sand shot. Woods comes up short on his fourth shot and is given bogey. Day does the same. Matsuyama’s birdie putt is a curling downhill effort that he tries to baby in, but has to settle for par. McIlroy has a shot at $45,000 but it slides by and once again the two guys without a skin halve the hole and make the next worth $60,000. RESULT: $45,000 Skin halved (Matsuyama, McIlroy). Hole No. 12 worth $60,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (4 of 8) | Greens: Miss (6 of 11) | Putts: 1 (15) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 8) | Greens: Hit (8 of 11) | Putts: 2 (16) | Skins: 0 JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (6 of 8) | Greens: Miss (6 of 11) | Putts: 2 (17) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (2 of 8) | Greens: Hit (5 of 11) | Putts: 2 (13) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 12 (Par-4) Another hole with an elevated green awaits. Three guys bomb away to reach a steep downhill section hoping to get to the bottom of the slope. They all roll into the first cut on the right. Day goes left and is in the trees up on top of the hill. No worries, though, as he finds the green on approach. McIlroy, however, almost slam dunks his approach into the hole and Matsuyama goes over the pin to also get a good look. Woods appears to stick his shot also, but he’s spun it back just enough to catch a ridge and feed well back from the hole. McIlroy is now talking about Brooks Koepka’s comments last week when he dismissed a rivalry between the pair by saying, “I’ve been out here for what, five years. Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on the PGA TOUR… so I don’t view it as a rivalry.â€� McIlroy says “What Brooks said wasn’t wrong. He’s been the best player in the world the last couple of years, four majors… don’t think he had to remind me that I hadn’t won one in a while but I love Brooks, he’s a great guy, obviously super competitive like we all are. If you take what Brooks said out of context then obviously it can become this big thing it has become but Brooks and I are good, we are good friends and I’ve been really happy for him to see how good he has played over the last couple of years.â€� Day is first to putt for birdie, but it goes well past. Woods also can’t convert from the wrong tier. Matsuyama has a little collar to work around and can’t make birdie, but makes par, leaving McIlroy with a chance for the big cash. Day secures par for himself and Woods in the process. McIlroy then steps up and drains the birdie to clean up four skins and $60,000 to join Woods with the most cash so far. RESULT: $60,000 Skin won by RORY McILROY TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (4 of 9) | Greens: Hit (7 of 12) | Putts:2 (17) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 9) | Greens: Hit (9 of 12) | Putts: 1 (17) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (6 of 9) | Greens: Hit (7 of 12) | Putts: 2 (19) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (2 of 9) | Greens: Hit (6 of 12) | Putts: 2 (15) | Skins: 0 Hole No. 13 (Par-3) We’ve now hit the section of the course where each skin is worth $20,000. This 143-yard par-3 isn’t offering much defense, and all four take dead aim and surround the flag. Day is away first from some 20 feet, leaks it a little right and settles for par. Woods, from around 16 feet, loses it on the low side. Matsuyama has eight feet straight up the hill and makes no mistake. He pockets $20,000 after McIlroy’s six-footer takes a hard lip out. All players are now on the board. RESULT: $20,000 Skin won by HIDEKI MATSUYAMA TIGER WOODS: Fairways: N/A (4 of 9) | Greens: Hit (8 of 13) | Putts: 2 (19) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: N/A (5 of 9) | Greens: Hit (10 of 13) | Putts: 2 (19) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: N/A (6 of 9) | Greens: Hit (8 of 13) | Putts: 2 (21) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: N/A (2 of 9) | Greens: Hit (7 of 13) | Putts: 1 (16) | Skins: 1 ($20,000) Hole No. 14 (Par-5) It’s one-club challenge time! FedEx Cares is donating $100,000 to International Medical Corp in the name of the winner on this par-5. McIlroy considers going 5-wood, but backs it off to a 5-iron. It looks like all four players have decided to use mid irons and all but McIlroy find the fairway. Day and Matsuyama choose 6-iron. Woods has a 4-iron. Woods talks about his junior years where “Dad would give me a 7-iron and say ‘figure it out.’â€� Day’s hitting his third from the left rough and is short. Matsuyama is also hitting his third from the left rough and has found the green. Woods comes in from the fairway, just hits the left fringe and hangs up. McIlroy, from the short grass, finds the right side of the green. Day, using a 6-iron from the greenside bunker, hits a ridiculous shot to close range. Woods bumps his 4-iron down to close range also. McIlroy, putting from long range with his 5-iron, lags it up nicely and makes par. Matsuyama has a putt to win, but leaves it short and then misses a short one to halve, but Day cleans up behind him to jackpot the hole. RESULT: $20,000 Skin halved (McIlroy, Day, Woods). Hole No. 15 worth $40,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Hit (5 of 10) | Greens: Miss (8 of 14) | Putts: 1 (20) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 10) | Greens: Hit (11 of 14) | Putts: 2 (21) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: Hit (7 of 10) | Greens: Miss (8 of 14) | Putts: 1 (22) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Hit (3 of 10) | Greens: Hit (8 of 14) | Putts: 2 (18) | Skins: 1 ($20,000) Hole No. 15 (Par-4) A drivable par-4 has the players licking their chops but Matsuyama, McIlroy and Woods all lose their tee shots to the right. Day, playing last, plays smart out to the left and just short of the putting surface. Woods recovers from the forest to the fringe of the green. Matsuyama goes full Phil Mickelson and throws up a huge flop shot over the trees to find the green. Day’s ball runs through the fairway and his chip comes out hot, but leaves a birdie chance. McIlroy finds the bunker near the lip and hacks it out, leaving the closest chance of all four. Woods hits his putt brilliantly and it tries its best to trickle in before stopping short. Matsuyama’s does likewise. Day is above the hole and misses on the right, leaving McIlroy a chance for the win. It is so fast and he barely touches the ball. It catches the left edge and lips out. Moving on to the 16th where $60,000 is on offer. RESULT: $40,000 Skin halved (McIlroy, Day, Woods, Matsuyama). Hole No. 15 worth $60,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (5 of 11) | Greens: Miss (8 of 15) | Putts: 1 (21) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 11) | Greens: Hit (12 of 15) | Putts: 2 (23) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: Miss (7 of 11) | Greens: Hit (9 of 15) | Putts: 2 (24) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (3 of 11) | Greens: Hit (9 of 15) | Putts: 2 (20) | Skins: 1 ($20,000) Hole No. 16 (Par-3) A par-3 of 184 yards. We are starting to lose light. Matsuyama finds the middle of the green, McIlroy sticks it to 10-feet, Woods follows up by getting inside him at about eight feet and Day matches Woods to set up a putting contest. Woods talks Olympic golf and says he’d love to make the U.S team for 2020 in Toyko. Matsuyama is unable to convert birdie from long range and McIlroy sees his effort dive under the hole. Woods makes no mistake with his right-to-left curler, leaving Day with the chance to halve the hole. He gets it to go and it will be $80,000 on the 17th. RESULT: $60,000 Skin halved (Day, Woods). Hole No. 17 worth $80,000. TIGER WOODS: Fairways: N/A (5 of 11) | Greens: Hit (9 of 16) | Putts: 1 (22) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: N/A (5 of 11) | Greens: Hit (13 of 16) | Putts: 2 (25) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: N/A (7 of 11) | Greens: Hit (10 of 16) | Putts: 1 (25) | Skins: 3 ($30,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: N/A (3 of 11) | Greens: Hit (10 of 16) | Putts: 2 (22) | Skins: 1 ($20,000) Hole No. 17 (Par-4) Now we are playing under lights! Matsuyama, Woods and McIlroy miss left off the tee and Day loses his to the right. Matsuyama’s approach finds the right bunker. McIlroy and Woods have tree issues. It forces them to play low. McIlroy skips through the green to the grandstand behind the hole, while Woods airmails the putting surface and cannons into the wall of the stands, almost getting a rebound. Day misses long also. Who can scramble the best for $80,000? Matsuyama gives himself a par-saving chance from about 14 feet. Day chips down to about 12 feet. McIlroy flops it brilliantly to six feet or so. Woods’ flop goes long and leaves a lengthy par attempt, which he fails to make. Matsuyama watches his try slide under the hole. Day nails his putt, leaving it up to Rory to send these skins to the last, but it hangs up on the high side and Day cleans up a cool $80,000. He takes the lead now at $110,000, but with No. 18 worth $100,000, anyone can still win the day. RESULT: $80,000 Skin won by JASON DAY TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (5 of 12) | Greens: Miss (9 of 17) | Putts: 2 (24) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 12) | Greens: Miss (13 of 17) | Putts: 2 (27) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY: Fairways: Miss (7 of 12) | Greens: Miss (10 of 17) | Putts: 1 (26) | Skins: 7 ($110,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (3 of 12) | Greens: Miss (10 of 17) | Putts: 2 (24) | Skins: 1 ($20,000) Hole No. 18 (Par-5) The par-5 finishing hole is at 562 yards and under the lights. McIlroy is right off the tee and under a truck holding the lights. Woods is left in the trees. Matsuyama is in the right first cut and Day, fresh off his big win on No. 17, is in the middle of the fairway. Woods plays a beautiful, hooking stinger out of the trees and back into play. Matsuyama heads into the right trees with his approach. Day wants his shot to go hard… but it comes up short in the bunker. McIlroy tries to shape a miracle shot, but fails to pull it off. It’s scramble time for $100,000. Woods, now in the best shape, wedges his third to about 20 feet, but it is above the hole on these slick greens. Matsuyama is buried deep in the woods but spots a gap… he can only advance it to the sand. Day, from the bunker, hits his third superbly to tap-in range and secures birdie. Matsuyama almost holes out from the bunker to halve, McIlroy almost chips in to do the same, but ultimately, Woods is left with a putt to force a playoff hole. He left it well short, and just like that, Jason Day cleans up $180,000 over the last two holes for a total of $210,000.â€�It was fun. It’s nice to be able to beat the caliber of player I did today,â€� Day says after accepting the trophy. RESULT: $100,000 Skin won by JASON DAY TIGER WOODS: Fairways: Miss (5 of 13) | Greens: Hit (10 of 18) | Putts: 2 (26) | Skins: 5 ($60,000) RORY MCILROY: Fairways: Miss (5 of 13) | Greens: Miss (13 of 18) | Putts: 1 (28) | Skins: 4 ($60,000) JASON DAY (WINNER): Fairways: Hit (7 of 13) | Greens: Hit (11 of 18) | Putts: 1 (27) | Skins: 8 ($210,000) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Fairways: Miss (3 of 13) | Greens: Miss (10 of 18) | Putts: 1 (25) | Skins: 1 ($20,000)

Click here to read the full article…

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A Wyndham Championship brain-teaser: What do Tim Petrovic, Billy Mayfair, Jeff Overton, George McNeill and C.T. Pan have in common? Answer: All have finished second to Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson at the Wyndham. Snedeker, who won the tournament in 2007 and 2018, and Simpson, who did it in 2011, wasted no time in assuming their superhero identities here, each opening with a 6-under 64 to trail early leader Byeong Hun An by two strokes after the completion of the morning wave. Mackenzie Hughes, Patrick Rodgers and Rory Sabbatini each signed for 7-under 63. “I’m definitely a horse for a course,â€� said Snedeker, 38, who came into this week with a 67.4 career average at Forest Oaks C.C., where he won in ’07, and Sedgefield, where he opened with a 59 on the way to victory last season. “This golf course kind of sets up perfectly for me, I love it, I know how to play it, so no real big surprises out there.â€� At 32nd in the FedExCup, the nine-time PGA TOUR winner has work to do to get back to East Lake for the season-ending TOUR Championship, which he won on the way to the FedExCup title in 2012. And he’s not even on the radar to make this year’s Presidents Cup team. His career, though, has one thing in common with Tiger Woods, this year’s U.S. captain. Like Woods, Snedeker has feasted at his favorite events, winning twice at not just the Wyndham, but also the Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Snedeker laughed off the comparison. “Yeah, I think Tiger won at one golf course as many times as I’ve won in my whole career,â€� he said, “so he’s got me beat there a little bit.â€� As for the prospect of the Presidents Cup, he added, “I need to win some golf tournaments and kind of get my game to where I feel like I would be a deserving pick.â€� Last year’s runaway winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, Simpson, 33, is much higher up the list of U.S. Presidents Cup Team hopefuls, up from 11th to 10th after his runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last week. Just outside the top eight who will automatically make the team, he expressed his disappointment to Woods that he hadn’t moved up higher. Woods told him to play better, which Simpson laughed about earlier this week. Much like Snedeker, Simpson, whose career-scoring average at the Wyndham was an even spiffier 67.0 coming into this week, appreciates everything about this tournament. He and his wife, Dowd, even named one of their five kids Wyndham, but call her Winnie. “I love the Bermudagrass,â€� Simpson said. “I love having options off the tee, hitting different clubs, undulating greens. … You know, my brother lives here, (I) went to Wake (Forest) 30 minutes down the road; I just feel very comfortable here and always love coming here.â€� The tournament was under lift-clean-and-place rules after a storm dumped seven inches of rain in downtown Greensboro on Wednesday night, but only an inch or so at Sedgefield. To a man, the morning wave of players raved about perfect greens, which Patrick Rodgers (63) likened to “putting on a pool tableâ€� after he had made a gaudy 166 feet of putts. Simpson eagled the par-5 fifth hole and had two bogeys in his round. Starting on the back nine, he was even par through his first seven holes before catching fire. He said he believes Woods is watching, and added he might text him again Sunday night if he keeps playing well. “It’s on your mind all the time,â€� he said of the prospect of making Woods’ Presidents Cup team. If there’s such a thing as an all-Wyndham team, Simpson and Snedeker are already on it.

Click here to read the full article…

Let’s travel back 25 years or so, when PGA TOUR tournament officials did not yet have access to an on-site meteorologist at each event. There were no Doppler radar maps to check, no high-tech field mill instruments set up to measure the electrical charge in the atmosphere. There were, however, phone calls to the local TV weatherman for an updated forecast. Or perhaps someone at a nearby airport or the National Weather Service could offer an update on conditions. Occasionally, though, officials just had to do it the old-fashioned way — look up into the sky, squint at the darkening horizon and go with their gut. What other option did they have? Mark Russell, the PGA TOUR’s longtime vice president of rules and competitions, shakes his head when he thinks about those days. “I don’t know how we did it,â€� he says. “It was unbelievable. I mean, it’s kind of like, what did we do before we had iPhones? Russell then paused. “A lot of times we probably played farther then we should because we just didn’t know.â€� As any duffer who has been forced to cool his heels due to a heavy storm or lightning threat knows, golf arguably is the most weather-dependent of any outdoor sport (yes, even more than baseball). On the PGA TOUR, with four days of dawn-to-dusk competition and millions of dollars at stake each week for players, tournaments and media rights-holders, weather certainly can make a huge impact. For the latest forecast at this week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. Although tournaments are scheduled with weather in mind – after all, there’s a reason courses in the Northeast don’t host events in February – getting four consecutive sun-splashed days is no certainty. It snowed in Tucson when that Arizona city hosted the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Twice in three years, no less. And what about 2011 when a hurricane forced the cancellation of the final round of The Barclays in Plainfield, New Jersey? Mother Nature kicked off the week with a small earthquake, too. Or the marine layer – most of us just call it fog – that plays havoc with tournaments such as the Farmers Insurance Open and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the Pacific Coast. And the Santa Ana winds in the California desert. Granted, those are the extremes. But when you play a game that goes from daylight to dark completely outdoors, the weather is a constant concern. Rain – at least, when there’s going to be a lot of it – can dictate where the TOUR rules staff decides to place the holes on the green.  The wind direction and its strength might prompt officials to move tee boxes up or back. Course superintendents even use the forecast to help determine how much to water the greens and whether to single cut or double cut the putting surfaces. And lightning? Well, there’s got to be enough lead time to get the players to safety as well as those 25,000 spectators or more lining the fairways. To help tournament officials make those decisions are DTN meteorologists who set up shop at every event. The TOUR has had an on-site weather presence at tournaments since 1996, first with a company called Mobile Weather Team and with DTN since 2005. As a result, the guesswork that officials such as Russell once relied on has been eliminated. “It’s incredible how far it’s come with the meteorologists and the equipment they have and how they can look at things and diagnose things,â€� he says. “It helps us tremendously. “I can’t imagine doing it without it now.â€� Mark Russell, the PGA TOUR’s longtime vice president of rules and competitions, says on-site meteorologists help tremendously. (Ryan Young/PGA TOUR) Stewart Williams became interested in the weather when he was a kid growing up in North Carolina. There were no storm chasers back then, but he’d get excited when the TV weatherman would say it was going to snow – and disappointed when it didn’t. “I had to find out why,â€� Williams says. So he went to college at UNC-Asheville, taking courses in calculus and physics and thermodynamics and kinematics to earn a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science with an emphasis in meteorology. When he graduated, Williams began working for a start-up company called Mobile Weather. The first year, Mobile Weather worked with five tournaments; a year later, nearly a dozen. Things began to, eh, snowball, the PGA TOUR took notice and Williams, who now works for DTN, has been an on-site meteorologist at events for more than two decades. Williams and the other six meteorologists who travel to tournaments (and state fairs, fireworks displays and Notre Dame’s home football games, among other events) provide paramount information to officials who must decide when to suspend and resume play. “When we started coming on property and setting up, the rules officials could come in and look at the screens themselves and we could show them exactly where the storm is, how fast it’s moving,â€� Williams explains. “Based on what we were telling them, they could see for themselves. “It just makes the information better and decision-making better. The biggest difference I think we made — especially in the early days — our suspension times went down. We were able to tell them, ‘Hey guys, this thing is moving away’ rather than them asking ‘Are we safe?’ or ‘How long do we wait?’â€� The tools at his disposal have changed dramatically, too. When Williams first started forecasting the weather at PGA TOUR events, he was using a dial-up modem. “You’d hear the sound, then you’d connect and it was slow,â€� he says with a smile. “Now with technology, it’s incredible.â€� The electric field mill that measures the current in the atmosphere now travels from event to event on the TOUR’s ShotLink trucks. Williams usually brings two laptops with him that are equipped with the national lightning detection network that reveals where strikes are hitting the ground all over the world. “When those cells develop real close to the golf course and we’re wondering ‘This one hasn’t produced lightning yet, but is it going to?,’ well, this thing will measure the charges and actually warn you before that first bolt is going to come out of the cell,â€� Williams says. “That would give us another 10 minutes, maybe 15 minutes that we didn’t have before. Using that lightning detection and light radar, we have a really good idea when it’s going to be dangerous here at the golf course. Hopefully we can give enough time to get the spectators back to the busses.â€� But the weather dictates so much more than when to halt play. Every Tuesday of tournament week, there’s a meeting attended by the rules staff, on-site meteorologist, media officials, tournament director and operations personnel. While it’s part introduction – here’s who to call for different things – the meteorologist will give an overview of the weather. “The two rules officials who are going to set up the golf course — there’s a guy doing the front and the guy doing the back — those guys obviously are more zeroed in on what the weather impact’s going to be,â€� Williams says. “That’s when you start looking at OK, what’s going to be our wettest day? If we’re going to have a lot of rain one day, what day is that?â€� The information is crucial, according to Russell, who jokes that he’s an amateur meteorologist. “We’ll talk with the superintendent and his staff and find out which greens are more susceptible to puddling and we want to make sure that we keep the hole in a position where we’re going to be able to play golf if we can,â€� he explains. “We call that our high-and-dry set up.â€� The direction of the wind, as well as its velocity, also plays a part in the way the rules staff decides to position the tees. If a hole is playing into a strong wind, the tees might be moved up. Or, if a tailwind makes a hole too short, it might be played all the way back. Crosswinds also are taken into account – if there’s a left-to-right wind blowing across a green situated by a lake, then don’t look for the hole to be too far to the right side. “Really strong wind days, if we’re getting gusts 25 to 30, usually you’re going to know that a couple days ahead of time,â€� Williams says. “They’ll plan for that. They will work with the agronomist and the superintendent here. They may not double cut the greens and roll them. They may just single cut it the day before or that morning have the grass a little bit longer and maybe even add water to it so that it grabs the ball so it won’t blow. “Wind has that big impact on what they do to the golf course.â€� Brandt Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champion, says the information meteorologists such as Williams provide is vital to him as a player. “I never thought I’d be a weather fiend like I am, but it’s just part of life,’ he says. “You want to know when the wind’s blowing, what time it’s supposed to switch. They get it down to the hour out here — say at 2 p.m., it’s supposed to switch to the east/northeast. “You want to know that and have an idea that it’s going to switch at some point today (or) it’s going to rain for the week or it’s going to be dry all that kind of stuff. “You’re always very intimately involved with what’s going on with the weather because it’s dramatically can change your course of your game plan for the week, your schedule for the week, all that kind of stuff.â€� Williams says he can even provide the agronomists and superintendents evapotranspiration rates that measure how much moisture is evaporating out of the leaf of the grass and reflects the humidity. “If it’s going to be really windy behind the cold front and the air gets really dry, those ET rates get really high,â€� Williams says. “Air dries out real quick. Well, that has a huge impact on the golf course. “The grass may start wilting. They may want to put extra water on the course that day to get it through the day because obviously, we want firm and fast. We want the same conditions for every four days. So we’re kind of here for everybody.â€� Interestingly, though, Russell says fog can be some of the most challenging weather in terms of administering a golf tournament. “Like at San Diego or Pebble Beach where you have maybe six holes fogged in where the players can’t see and other 12 you can play,â€� he explains. “That’s always a very difficult situation because the players have to play under the same conditions at the same time, so that makes it very difficult. Are we going to play or are we not going to play and when are we going to start back?â€� Weather plays a factor in course setup and greens speed on the PGA TOUR. (David Cannon/Getty Images) Making a decision on whether to move tee times up or back and play threesomes off two tees to try to avoid bad weather is difficult. For one thing, it needs to be done as early as possible so television partners can be ready and the media can let fans know what it happening. And as we all know, the weather can turn on a dime. “It’s Mother Nature,â€� Williams says with a shrug. “If you think you got her figured out, she’ll pull a fast one on you.â€� Sometimes the decision to play early proves prescient. Take the RBC Heritage in April. With severe thunderstorms in the forecast on Sunday, the decision was made to move tee times up. Not only was the tournament finished before the storms hit, there was also time for a three-hole playoff between Satoshi Kodaira and Si Woo Kim before the heavens opened up. Sometimes the decision not make any changes also proves spot-on. Consider the Travelers Championship in June. The Sunday forecast by Wade Stettner called for a slight chance of thunderstorms after 4 p.m., with a better chance after 6 p.m. No tee time adjustments were made, and the tournament was completed just before the heavy rains fell. In fact, the trophy presentation to Bubba Watson was moved from the 18th green to the media interview room in order to avoid the downpour. Sometimes decisions are made but Mother Nature simply doesn’t cooperate. This year’s BMW Championship at Aronimink was plagued by rain. Tee times were moved up for the final round on Sunday, then moved back multiple times but there was simply no opening to play. The final round was pushed to Monday, and while the forecast again was not favorable, the FedExCup Playoffs event was able to finish and send the final 30 players to the TOUR Championship. “It’s hard to make those decisions 24 hours ahead of time,â€� Williams says. “If we could make that decision Sunday morning and say ‘Hey guys, I think we’re going to be good. Let’s just go one tee,’ it would be great. We don’t have that option, so we do the best we can.â€� Decisions to alter the format of play are made in consultation with tournament directors, sponsors and TV partners. But every effort is made to finish a tournament by Sunday night, although playing Monday is an option. During the 2017-18 season, three tournaments finished on unscheduled Mondays – the Farmers Insurance Open, the Barbasol Championship and the BMW Championship. “When you’re making these decisions, you have to look at the big picture,â€� Russell says. “You’re going to always get some criticism because that’s the nature of the business. But you’re not worried about that you have to do what you think is right and what’s right for the golf tournament.â€� Sometimes that means stripping the tents, leaving shells of iron, when a tropical storm blows through in hopes of playing the next day. And Williams vividly remembers multiple conference calls with emergency management officials at Plainfield that year when Hurricane Irene took aim on the New Jersey coast. “They’re concerned because this is a public event and it’s a big deal,â€� he says. Williams says he never gets tired of people asking him about the weather. In fact, it’s kind of flattering. “They have confidence enough to ask and believe in what you say, so it’s part of the job,â€� he says. “I’ll get calls from people at home all the time – ‘Hey, how long is this storm going to last here?’ And I’m not even there.â€� Williams says players like Brett Quigley and Davis Love III, both avid outdoorsmen, would sometimes try to get a sense of what their off weeks might be like. Ditto for the guys who might want to go fishing on the Florida coast. “Especially in the springtime if there’s a really strong east wind or northeast wind, it’s usually not very good for fishing because it makes big waves and churns things up,â€� Williams says. “They like the calm conditions. It’s pretty funny that for their own personal reasons, they want to know what’s going to happen at their house.â€� Snedeker jokes that he had a different approach. “I was like, Hey, I know you have a special website that you go to get all your weather stuff,â€� he says with a grin. “Would you give me the password so I can get in there and use it when I’m not out of here on TOUR?â€� On nice days when the sun is shining, Williams likes to get out and walk some holes – more for exercise, really, and socializing with other members of this traveling circus called the PGA TOUR. He also takes the time to catch up on travel arrangements and the like. Those are also Russell’s favorite days. “We refer to that as a walk-around day,â€� he says, “You know, when you haven’t got a chance of rain and there’s not a cloud in the sky.â€�

Click here to read the full article…