Leaderboard: Third round of John Deere Classic

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Ben Cook, who splits time teaching at Yankee Springs Golf Course in Wayland, Michigan and John’s Island Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida, shot a final-round 74 to finish 4 over and win low club professional at the 103rd PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. He made a par putt of just over seven feet to make the cut on the number early Friday evening. “Without that, it would have – none of this would have happened,” he said. “Very, very blessed and thankful that I made that putt for sure.” Brad Marek (76, 12 over), who teaches junior golfers in Northern California, was the other club pro who made the cut. He was neck-and-neck with Cook until making an 8 on 17 on Saturday. He is 37 and was overcome with emotion as he described how much he put into playing his first PGA. “Pretty exhausted,” he said. “I’ve been here for 10 days now, so there was a lot of prep that went in with my coach and my caddie, my wife. (Tearing up.) Sorry. Just really proud.” Cook will receive a crystal bowl as low club pro to make the cut from the Team of 20 at Kiawah. At least one club professional has made the cut in five of the last six PGA Championships. Cook, 27, estimated he was followed by a crew of 20-plus friends and family, some wearing #TeamBenny T-shirts, from his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He played the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2018 and has aspirations to make it onto the Korn Ferry Tour. “Making a cut in a major you get to skip to the second stage of Q-School in the fall,” he said. “That would be worst-case scenario. I still have Latin American PGA TOUR status. If I finish Top-10 on the Order of Merit or their points list, I’ll get to go to final stage of Q-School, get a card. Depending on how you play, you get better status.” He won a convert in Webb Simpson (72, 2 over) and his caddie Paul Tesori, with whom he was paired for the final 36 holes. He and Simpson both shot 69 in the third round. Cook birdied 17. “My caddie, we walked off the green on 17 and he said, ‘This guy, how does he lose any tournament he plays in?’” Simpson said. “‘He should be out here with us.’ Impressive.” The caddie had more kind words after the final round Sunday. “Paul was like, ‘Hey, use this as a springboard and see if you can build on that momentum that you created this week and see if you can get to the next level,’” Cook said. “Which was really nice. They are hoping to see me out here on a more regular basis, which is great.” Next up for him: U.S. Open sectional qualifying, most likely in Columbus, Ohio. “It was so cool,” he said of his week at Kiawah, which marked his third PGA Championship start but his first made cut. “Having as many people as we did at every hole, the crowds are great, a lot of cheers even if you hit a bad shot to keep the momentum going, it was really fun.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR announced today that Women of Color Golf & Girls on the Green Tee, a Tampa-based non-profit beneficiary of the Valspar Championship, has been named the 2020 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year. With a mission of promoting and facilitating the inclusion of minority women and girls in the game of golf, Women of Color Golf (WOCG) seeks to create interest and boost participation with organized clinics, recreational events, business networking and mentoring opportunities. Girls on the Green Tee (GOTGT) is a golf and mentoring program designed by WOCG for 9- to 17-year-old girls. Over a five-week training period, girls are introduced to the game, develop friendships with their peers and are mentored by a caring and professional group of female leaders in the community, providing the girls opportunities they may not otherwise have. "Copperhead Charities and the Valspar Championship were honored to nominate Women of Color Golf and the Girls on the Green Tee initiative to be the 2020 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year," said Tracy West, President, Copperhead Charities and Tournament Director, Valspar Championship. "Their vision of bringing the game of golf to girls in underserved communities will make a positive impact for years to come. Golf not only reinforces great values such as sportsmanship, perseverance and integrity, it is a game that can be played for life. We are humbled that the TOUR chose to support Women of Color Golf and our Tampa Bay community, and we look forward to hosting the girls as our guests at our Valspar Championship next April." The award comes with a $30,000 grant from the PGA TOUR to assist WOCG & GOTGT in expanding their footprint. Over the last four years, the GOTGT program has operated at The Center 4 Girls in Tampa, Florida, and will now make plans for expansion in two elementary schools in the Hillsborough County Public Schools system - Clemmie Ross James Elementary and Doris Ross Reddick Elementary. The schools, which provide limited options for girls' sports programs, are in under-served communities and with predominantly low-income students. The students at James Elementary are primarily African American (77.36 percent), while the students at Reddick are primarily Hispanic (78.95 percent). "On behalf of the Women of Color Golf and Girls on the Green Tee, we are grateful to the PGA TOUR for the Charity of the Year Award," said Clemmie C. Perry, Founder & Executive Director, Women of Color Golf (WOCG) & Girls on the Green Tee (GOTGT). "Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the future success of the golf industry. We are proud that the PGA TOUR is dedicated to make golf more accessible to under-represented communities, equally and inclusively." Backed by its network of volunteers, the PGA TOUR and its tournaments generated a record $204.3 million for local and national charitable organizations in 2019, bringing the all-time total to more than $3 billion. The 2020 Valspar Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a new date and headlined by two-time defending champion Paul Casey, the 2021 Valspar Championship will be held April 26-May 2 at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead).

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Curry 3,000-1 to win first pro golf tourney

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