Live leaderboard: Moving day in Greensboro

Xander Schauffele saw his five-shot lead at the Travelers Championship shrink to one Saturday after Patrick Cantlay shot a bogey-free 63 that was the best of the day.

Click here to read the full article…

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia – The two sand-colored Humvees at the center of the circle stand in stark contrast to the well-manicured lawn and red, white and blue flowers that frame the grand entrance to the iconic Greenbrier Resort. The Black Hawk helicopter that touched down on the 18th green Tuesday afternoon was an anomaly, as well. Ditto for the four paratroopers who cascaded out of the skies with an giant American flag on Wednesday. Members of the military, any of whom get into the tournament for free this week, served as caddies during the pro-am. And a C-130 plane brought play to a brief standstill Wednesday as it flew over the mountains and buzzed the 18th green. While things may seem a little different here at a resort better known for its golf, horseback riding, falconry and even glass blowing, though, it’s with good reason. This is the week of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. The eighth renewal of the PGA TOUR event has a new name and a new focus that reflects the history of the resort that has hosted 27 U.S. Presidents, including the incumbent, Donald Trump, on Tuesday night. With the tournament being played during the week of July 4th, the decision to honor the military was a no-brainer. “We’ve always tried to find some way to have that military tie-in and I think we just decided it was time to take it a step further and really show that commitment,� says Cam Huffman, director of communications for The Greenbrier. The family-friendly resort is always a popular stop for TOUR pros. But the week-long military presence has added another dimension for Bubba Watson and his brood, particularly his 6-year-old son Caleb who is one of many who have gotten up-close-and-personal with the Humvees this week. “My son says he’s going to be an Army man,� reports Watson, who has a summer home at The Greenbrier. “He has been sitting on those every day. They haven’t changed but he wants to see them every day.� Watson’s late father Gerry was a Green Beret who served during the Vietnam War and he’s always a staunch supporter of the military. So Watson, who has already won three times this season, would like nothing better than to add his fourth here this week. “It’s just one of those things that would mean a lot to my family, just to honor my late dad,� Watson said. “It would be a cool thing.  There are so many story lines and that would be cool for me to (win) it.� The military connection at The Greenbrier dates back to the Civil War. The Old White Hotel, which stood on the property before The Greenbrier was built, was actually used as a hospital for both Confederate and Union soldiers at one point or other during the Civil War. The Army even bought the hotel during World War II and used it as a hospital for the wounded. Known as the Ashford General Hospital from 1942-‘46, it was dubbed “The Shangri-La for Wounded Soldiers and Airmen� as service members were able to use all the facilities while they recovered. German POWs tended to the grounds and worked in the mess hall, among other duties. “The spa was still open. The golf was still open. It was more of a rehab thing for soldiers to participate in some of those activities while getting back to normal,� Huffman says. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was among the more than 24,000 military members treated at Ashford Hospital. He fell in love with the facility, and he and his wife, Mamie, even celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary at the Top Notch Cottage, which was built prior to the Civil War. General John W. Pershing completed his memoirs while staying in the same place. Eisenhower later decided that The Greenbrier would be the perfect place to build a secret facility to house Congress in case of a nuclear attack. So construction on what was called “Project Greek Island� began in 1958. Workers were told it would be a conference facility, and in fact, some of it was used for that purpose. Beyond those concrete walls that were 3 feet thick, though, was a facility that could house more than 1,000 government officials – complete with metal bunk beds and its own communications system. For 30 years, until it was “outed� in the Washington Post in 1992, The Bunker stood ready to serve. It was even stocked with enough food to last six months – just in case the worst happened. As something of an adjunct to The Bunker, the landing strip at nearby Lewisburg Airport had to be expanded so that it could accommodate the likes of Air Force One, as was the case on Tuesday night when President Trump arrived. Roads in and out of the town of 4,000 were shut down as the motorcade made the 20-minute trek to the resort and back again. “Actually, even when the President is not coming in, Air Force One does a lot of touch down practices at that airport, training exercises and stuff,� Huffman says. Trump spoke for roughly 30 minutes at a “Salute to Service� dinner for about 100 members of the military and pro-am participants. It was his fifth visit to West Virginia, whose governor, Jim Justice, is a close political ally and owns The Greenbrier. “We’ve had meetings for weeks to make sure everything is set and perfect,� Huffman says. “It’s kind of eye-opening to see everything that goes into it. They know every step he’s going to make when he’s here, exactly when and where he’s going to be, who’s going to be in his eyesight while he’s here. “So there’s a lot of planning that goes into it. But I think no matter what your political beliefs are, it’s all worth it to know that you have the President of the United States at your event.�

Click here to read the full article…

AKRON, Ohio – Rory McIlroy just didn’t want to yell at his friend any more. He didn’t want to lose his mate. The reigning FedExCup champion said his recent split with longtime caddie J.P. Fitzgerald came after Rory realized the relationship he had come to love, the one he had enjoyed since 2008 when he was just an 18-year-old potential star, was under threat. In this break-up … well, McIlroy took the blame. “I still consider J.P. one of my best friends, one of my closest friends, but sometimes to preserve a personal relationship, you might have to sacrifice a professional one and that was sort of the decision that I came to in the end,â€� McIlroy said Wednesday as he prepares for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “I was getting very hard on him on the golf course and I don’t want to treat anyone like that, but sometimes this game drives you to that. I got to the point where if I didn’t play a good shot or if I made a wrong decision, I was getting more frustrated at him than I was at myself. I would much rather be angry at myself for making a wrong decision than being angry at him. “It’s a big change. J.P. has been a huge part of my life.â€� Fitzgerald joined the teenage McIlroy after parting ways with Ernie Els and was on the bag for McIlroy’s four majors and FedExCup triumph over the last nine years. But the little things were starting to annoy each other and the writing was on the wall as tempers were getting shorter. McIlroy did not rule out a reunion in the future, but now the job falls – at least for the next two weeks — to another of his good friends, Harry Diamond, who was the best man at McIlroy’s wedding earlier this year. Diamond, a businessman in Northern Ireland who grew up with McIlroy in Holywood, will caddie at Firestone Country Club this week. It’s McIlroy’s first visit since winning the Bridgestone Invitational in 2014. Injury curtailed McIlroy’s title defense the following year, then he had a scheduling conflict last year. Diamond will also work next week’s PGA Championship, to be held at Quail Hollow, where McIlroy is a two-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA TOUR. After that, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll carry McIlroy’s bag – including McIlroy himself. “We’ll see how the next two weeks go, but I’m not ruling anything out,â€� he said. “It could be two weeks, it could go longer than that. If we have a couple of good weeks here, you never know but I think that decision will be up to Harry rather than me. “Obviously he’s got his own thing going on back home, but a couple of wins might change things.â€� Diamond was a reasonable amateur player back in Ireland in his own right, with McIlroy clearly of the opinion he can add to his game. But the Northern Irishman also admits he will be taking more ownership and calculating yardages himself for the first time in years. “He knows me, he knows my game, he’s caddied for me before, he knows my personality,â€� McIlroy stressed. “I just needed someone who knew me and knew my thought process. I might think a little bit differently than some of the other players out here, might come to decisions in a different way.â€� Sitting 53rd in the FedExCup this season McIlroy is looking for a similar late burst to last year, where he entered the Playoffs in 36th spot yet won the Dell Technologies Championship and the TOUR Championship to claim the season-long trophy. “The year hasn’t panned out the way I’ve wanted it to, but I know more than anyone that can change over the course of a few weeks, especially with how the Playoffs are and how much you can vault up those standings,â€� McIlroy said. “There is a sense of urgency. Like there’s two big weeks coming up here before the FedExCup Playoffs, and I want to play well, and I feel like I’ve started to turn a corner with how I played at the Open. “I feel like if I can go into the Playoffs in a better position than I was last year, I have a great chance to maybe repeat.â€�

Click here to read the full article…