Leaderboard: Round 2 of 3M Open

Netflix has linked up with the PGA TOUR and golf’s major championships for an immersive documentary series following the lives and stories of top professional golfers across a season of high-stakes competition. For the first time ever, the PGA TOUR and the governing bodies that conduct men’s major championships — Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA of America, the USGA, and The R&A – will provide entry into the sport’s biggest events including THE PLAYERS Championship and season-ending FedExCup, as well as the four majors: the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open. With unprecedented access inside the ropes and behind the scenes, the series will capture the intensity of training, travel, victory, and defeat through the lens of a diverse group of players and their support teams. Current PGA TOUR player commitments include (alphabetically): Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Mito Pereira, Ian Poulter, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson. Additionally, the world’s #1-ranked amateur golfer, Keita Nakajima, will participate as he plays in the first major championships of his career. “This partnership with Netflix presents the PGA TOUR and the four major championships an opportunity to tap into a completely new and diverse audience,” said Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer of the PGA TOUR. “This documentary will give fans an authentic look into the real lives of our athletes, and what it’s like to win — and lose — during a season on the PGA TOUR.” “We are thrilled to bring golf’s leading organizations and players together for this first-of-its-kind partnership and unparalleled window into life on the Tour,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix Vice President of Unscripted and Documentary Series. “Our members will love getting to know the players and personalities as well as the iconic venues along the way. Even the most devoted golf fans have never seen the sport quite like this.” The series is produced by Vox Media Studios (Explained) and Box To Box Films (Formula 1: Drive to Survive). Executive producers are David Check (30 for 30, Four Days in October); Chad Mumm and Mark Olsen for Vox Media Studios; and James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin for Box to Box Films. Filming is underway now throughout 2022.

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Stewart Cink is preparing to play in The Open Championship at St. Andrews with unreleased irons and an unreleased putter. The 2009 Open champion combining veteran experience with new-school technology at the Old Course. In recent years, the 49-year-old Cink has shown no signs of slowing down, winning two times last season and reaching the TOUR Championship. Catching up with Cink ahead of this year’s Open Championship, GolfWRX spotted new prototype clubs in his bag. These aren’t just prototypes made specifically for him, however; they may actually be a looking glass into future Ping releases. His irons, given their “i230” nomenclature, could possibly be upcoming replacements to Ping’s previous i210 irons. It’s been nearly four years since Ping launched its i210 irons to the public, but PGA TOUR players such as Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick still have them in the bag. Cink himself previously had i210 irons in the bag but he’s evidently upgraded. Ping currently has a number of new iron models that are used on TOUR, including the i59 (three-piece forged irons that replaced the popular iBlade irons), the i525 (hollow-bodied distance irons used mostly as driving irons on the PGA TOUR), and Blueprint Forged irons (blade-style, one-piece constructions for maximum control). Compared to the previous i210 irons, the unreleased i230 cavity-back irons appear to have a slimmed-down topline and slightly less offset. Ping also appears to have added a screw into the toe section of the irons. In its recent releases – such as the i59, Blueprint, and i525 irons – Ping has used tungsten screws to help improve forgiveness by manipulating weight in the heads. The company has yet to reveal design details about the i230 irons, so we’ll have to wait and see what the new technologies are all about. Ping did confirm, however, that pros Tyrrell Hatton and David Lingmerth are also currently using Ping i230 irons. Additionally, Cink showed up to The Open with a Ping PLD prototype mallet with a white finish and a black alignment line. The putters were first revealed to Tour players at this year’s U.S. Open, as reported by @GolfWRX on Instagram. Cink took a particular liking to the white mallet putter after testing it at the recent Travelers Championship. While he didn’t use the putter that week, it was the only putter in his bag as of Tuesday at St. Andrews. Cink is set to play in his 21st Open Championship this week. On Thursday, he’ll tee it up alongside Sergio Garcia and Aaron Jarvis at 12:35 p.m., with a bag full of prototypes.

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The Wyndham Championship marks the final event of the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season, as tensions mount in the chase for FedExCup Playoffs berths. Players who finish inside the top 125 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List upon the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship will enter the three-event FedExCup Playoffs, beginning at next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. The Playoffs field will be cut to 70 players into the BMW Championship, then to 30 players into the TOUR Championship. Since the current points structure debuted in 2009, an average of 2.5 players per year entered the final week of FedExCup Regular Season outside the top 125 in the standings and proceeded to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. The top 96 players on the FedExCup entering the week are mathematically safe, with various permutations allowing certain players to move inside and outside the top 125 based on how the competition unfolds in North Carolina. Players who finish Nos. 126-200 on the Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, not otherwise exempt, will have the chance to regain TOUR status via the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals. (Nos. 126-150 will be assured conditional TOUR status next season at minimum.) Statistical models project that the final top-125 number will fall somewhere between 320 and 340 points. Here’s a look at the minimum finish required by players currently outside the top 125 to have a chance to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Note: Bolded players are exempt on TOUR through at least the 2023 season. Here’s a look at the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 into the Wyndham Championship, as well as players in the field who have a chance to break inside. The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 will be finalized upon the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, rewarding players for elite performance across the Regular Season. Top 10 into Wyndham Championship: Players with a chance to break inside:

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