Leaderboard: The Memorial first round

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Tyler McCumber was the only player to reach 8-under par Thursday in the Caribbean breeze until he dropped a shot on his 17th hole and fell into a four-way for the lead in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Sepp Straka was the only one at 7-under 65 who kept a clean card. He was joined by Hudson Swafford, who made two tough par saves late in his round, and Scott Harrington, who made bogey on the second-easiest hole at the Corales Golf Club. They were one shot clear of Xinjun Zhang and Joseph Bramlett, while former Southern California star Justin Suh got his season off to a happy start and was among those at 67. RELATED: Leaderboard | Bhatia, Zalatoris are under par | Suh, 23, making most of sponsor exemption Straka’s round was highlighted by a 5-wood to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 fourth hole early in his round. He also was the only player at 65 who played in the morning before a stiff ocean breeze kicked up late in the afternoon. “This course is not really one where you can push it,” Straka said. “You can shoot a low round out here, but it’s got to be a consistent low round.” Rob Oppenheim would appreciate that. He was 4 under through six holes, only to make a pair of bogeys and then take a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 12th hole. He wound up with a 72. Nearly two-thirds of the 144-man field broke par. McCumber, the son of 10-time PGA TOUR winner Mark McCumber, also made eagle on No. 4 and his birdie on the par-5 seventh took him to 8 under. But his approach on the next hole went long, along the rocks. He tried to play from there and moved it sideways, and he kept the damage to a bogey by making an 8-foot bogey putt. Harrington never feels more relaxed than on resort courses along the ocean, and such was the case as he motored his way into a share of the lead. But toward the end of his round, he hit a tee shot so wild the ball was deemed lost and he had to return to the tee to play his third shot. He managed to make bogey. He rolled in a birdie putt on the next hole, and then hit his tee shot to 8 feet on the par-3 ninth, only to burn the edge of the cup on his birdie attempt to finish the round. Swafford had four birdies in five holes to start the back nine, but then it was a matter of hanging on. From a fluffy lie left of the 16th green, his pitched stopped quickly and he made a 12-foot par for par. Then, he found a front bunker on the par-3 17th along the Caribbean, blasted out to 7 feet and made that. He finished with a birdie to join a share of the lead. Suh was featured last summer as part of a strong college class turning pro, holding a press conference at the Travelers Championship with Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland. Morikawa won three starts later and captured the PGA Championship last month. Wolff won a week later and finished second to Bryson DeChambeau last week at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. Hovland won in Puerto Rico earlier this year. Suh missed nine out of 11 cuts on sponsor exemptions in PGA TOUR events since turning pro, though he played well on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. “They really got their game together just right off the bat turning pro,” Suh said. “Unfortunately, on the first few starts that I had I was facing a wrist injury and just kind of had to battle back. Kind of changed my swing a little bit just so I wouldn’t have to face that anymore.” He’s healthy now. Suh said he played with Morikawa a few weeks ago and beat him in a friendly match. “So the game’s there,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting it together at a tournament.”

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The game’s top players tee it up at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, for the 43rd playing of the Ryder Cup. The first Ryder Cup was played in 1927 but since 1979 the competition has consisted of two days of four-ball and foursome matches along with one day of singles matches. The 2021 Ryder Cup begins Friday, September 24, here’s what you need to know on the unique team format. WHERE: The location of the Ryder Cup alternates between Europe and the United States. TEAMS: The qualifying criteria for the each team is different. For the U.S a points system has been in place since the 2019 season with players collecting points up until the completion of the 2021 BMW Championship. The top six players on the points list secured spots on the U.S. team with the remaining six players selected by Captain Steve Stricker following the completion of the 2021 PGA TOUR season. U.S. Roster: Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Daniel Berger, Scottie Scheffler. For Europe the qualification is based on two lists. The top four players from the European Points list were selected with the top five players in the World Points list who had not already qualified earning spots. Europe also selected three captain’s picks to complete the roster. Europe Roster: Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Bernd Wiesberger, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Paul Casey, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter. FOUR-BALL: Each member of a two-man team plays his own ball, so four balls are in play on every hole. Each team counts the lowest of its two scores on each hole, and the team whose player has the lowest score wins the hole. If the low scores are tied, the hole is halved. FOURSOMES: Each two-man team plays one ball per hole with the players taking turns until each hole is complete. Players alternate hitting tee shots, with one leading off on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting first on even-numbered holes. The team with the low score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved. SINGLES: each match features one player from each team. The player with the lower score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved. Unlike stroke play, players don’t have to complete each hole in match play. If a player concedes a stroke – almost always a putt – to his opponent, the opponent picks up his ball, takes the score he would have made on the next stroke and moves on to the next hole. POINTS SYSTEM: Each match is worth one point, with matches ending in a draw worth 1/2 point to each side. The first team to reach 14 ½ points (of the 28 points available) wins the Ryder Cup. If the matches end in a 14-14 draw, the team holding the Ryder Cup retains it. Europe is the defending champion headed into the 2021 Ryder Cup. The three days of the matches consist of 28 total matches, each of which is worth one point. There are no extra holes in Ryder Cup matches. Should the two sides be tied after 18 holes, each side earns a halve (1/2 point).

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