Major implications if Players shifts

ATLANTA – PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan on Tuesday stressed the importance of showing respect as he addressed inappropriate comments at select TOUR events this summer. Speaking before the start of the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake, Monahan said that with the ongoing pandemic and pent-up demand fans have in rare instances crossed the line. And he reminded that there will be consequences, as expressly stated in the fans’ code of conduct. “The barometer that we are all using is the word ‘respect,’” he said, “and to me, when you hear ‘Brooksie’ yelled or you hear any expression yelled, the question is, is that respectful or disrespectful? That has been going on for an extended period of time. To me, at this point, it’s disrespectful, and that’s kind of behavior that we’re not going to tolerate going forward.” Sudden-death playoffs have decided the last four tournaments, and with the tension high and every fan following one group, some of the comments from the gallery have gone too far. Harris English, who played in the last group of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational with Bryson DeChambeau, was one of a handful of players to voice concerns. “It just sucks that that’s out there right now,” English said. Asked on Tuesday about fan comments, world No. 1 Jon Rahm, who goes into the TOUR Championship as the third seed, expressed disbelief at some of what he has heard. “I can’t in good conscience say what some people have said,” he said. “I don’t know what goes through somebody’s mind to say something like that. I don’t know. Some bad things. “But I got to say,” he added, “that is 1 percent of all the public out there.” Stewart Cink, a two-time winner this season who is making his first TOUR Championship start since 2009, said fans may feel emboldened by the anonymity afforded by large crowds. “Those fans that yell probably wouldn’t be quick to say those same things in a one-on-one situation,” he said. “So it’s more about just getting the laugh out of your buddies and it comes at the expense, to a certain extent, of the player that it’s directed to.” According to the fans’ code of conduct, as explicitly stated to ticketholders: “The PGA TOUR is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals of all backgrounds are treated with respect for the benefit of the health, safety, and welfare of all.” Expounding on that, Monahan said, “Comments or gestures that undermine the inclusive and welcoming nature of the game will not be tolerated, nor will any harassment of players, caddies, volunteers, officials, staff, or other spectators.” The penalty for doing so will be expulsion and loss of credential or ticket. “Now, I would ask our fans, again, the very best fans in the world, to take a moment and think about what it means to be a golf fan and to enjoy a PGA TOUR tournament,” he said. “We’re going to be leaders in this space. We’re going to show everyone how easy it is to enjoy yourself at an event while also respecting the athletes in the field of play and the fans around you, many of whom are families with young kids who have a chance to be lifetime fans of the game themselves. Quite honestly, we should expect nothing less from each other, whether we’re at a golf tournament or elsewhere in life.”

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NAPA, Calif. - Officials from the PGA TOUR and Safeway Open will continue to monitor air quality after smoke and ash from nearby wildfires descended on the Silverado Resort ahead of the 2020-21 season opener. Several wildfires are burning across the state of California and while the immediate area around Napa is currently not in danger the course was blanketed in an eerie darkness and thick smoke during Wednesday practice. Visibility may yet affect the tournament as players were left to practice under lights on the putting greens and the range in the middle of the day. Safety of all concerned is the top priority. "Our thoughts are with those impacted by the ongoing wildfires in California. As we do every week, the PGA TOUR is in constant communication with local authorities to monitor current health and safety conditions," the PGA TOUR said via statement. "This week in Napa, we are also consulting with the Air Quality Management District, and at this time, there are no restrictions on outdoor activities for the area immediately surrounding the Safeway Open. The Air Quality Index is currently in the moderate range; visibility, however, may become an issue that impacts or temporarily disrupts the event. We will continue to monitor and coordinate with local officials, keeping the well-being of our players and constituents as a top priority." TOUR meteorologist Joe Halvorson said possible wind changes might help clear the smoke haze. "There may be some improvement in the visibility and air quality later this afternoon behind south-southwesterly winds, but additional fires in Monterey County will allow for additional smoke/haze to filter northward into the Bay Area," Halvorson's daily forecast said. The resort is no stranger to wildfires. Significant sections of the course, including grandstands, were destroyed just hours after the 2017 tournament. Brendan Steele won that year but was awaiting a flight for his next tournament when the fires ripped through. On Wednesday, he said things were very strange indeed and in fact he had slept in longer than expected because the darkness tricked his mind into thinking it was earlier than was actually the case. "I haven’t seen anything like this from a golf standpoint," Steele said. "Unfortunately, growing up in California I’ve been around a lot of fires. My parents have been evacuated a number of times from their house up in the mountains above Palm Springs, so we’ve had to deal with it quite a bit. It’s very scary, it’s always very uncomfortable how quickly it moves and not knowing where it is and what’s going on. My thoughts are with those in a similar situation right now. "As far as us here, if it stays like this, we might have a hard time playing at 7 o'clock in the morning. It’s just very eerie... and it’s amazing how the fire creates its own climate conditions. It looks very strange and somewhat apocalyptic." Australian Cameron Davis tried playing early Wednesday. He is scheduled for a 7 a.m. start on Thursday and has experience in the conditions having played the Australian Open last December in thick haze caused by bushfires near Sydney. He said the conditions had not reached that level of concern, which at the time saw tournament officials increase medical personnel onsite for spectators and all involved. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators are currently not permitted on site for the Safeway Open. "I have grown up with fires being a sad reality of summers and my thoughts are with all affected," Davis said. "Last year's Aussie Open was probably worse than this. I am basing how bad it is on how much my eyes are stinging. It's amazing how dark it is though. We couldn't see the ball for the first six holes this morning and I started my round later than my scheduled Thursday tee time." Davis wore a mask while practicing Wednesday, something he wishes he had done in Australia. He may yet wear it in competition, or source a neck gaiter or buff to add to his outfit. "It's just one more thing you can do to help yourself," Davis said. "It will be interesting to see if it continues and if we need to allow for the conditions. Do you allow a bit for the ash on the green to slow the ball down for example? At the end of the day, the most important thing is the safety of those involved directly. I hope all fires can be under control soon."

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In pursuit of his first PGA TOUR victory, Texas product Andrew Landry proves he’s got what it takes with a 4-under 68 in the final round at TPC San Antonio. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Landry shook off short misses at the par-4 12th hole (just inside five feet) and par-5 14th (inside four feet) to win and move from 42nd to 9th in the FedExCup. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Landry knows his game. “My game is built for hard golf courses, tough conditions, just because I’m pretty accurate with the driver,â€� he said a few years ago. Yep. Shortly after that, Landry went on to contend at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont before a final-round 78 and a T15 finish, and he was at it again at difficult TPC San Antonio. He led the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green, and his 17-under total was the lowest winning score since the Valero moved to TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks Course) in 2010. “Every single player out here is good,â€� said Landry, who lost to Jon Rahm on the fourth hole of a playoff at the CareerBuilder Challenge earlier this season. “Every single one of them is great. We’re all here for reasons, because we worked really hard and we’re really good at what we do.â€� 2. Zach Johnson, 42, the 54-hole co-leader with Landry, was exactly the right guy for the 30-year-old Landry to play with as he tried to chase down his first win. In fact, Johnson was such a perfect playing partner it was almost eerie. Landry, interviewed on camera after he had finished 21st on the 2015 Web.com Tour money list, was asked which players he looked up to. Answer: Jason Day (not in the Valero field) and Zach Johnson. “Zach’s such a good guy and he is so—he just gets it,â€� Landry said after winning the Valero. “He was telling me good shot after good shot, just keep pushing. He would change the subject every now and then to just kind of lighten the mood. I just knew what I had to do. I just stuck to my game plan and saw it happen.â€� 3. As for Johnson, the 12-time TOUR winner struggled with a final-round 72, but he says he doesn’t mind being a shoulder to lean on for the younger players like Landry. “What I’ve seen lately is that I’m getting questioned a lot by the young guys, about not just golf stuff but life stuff,â€� Johnson said at the RBC Heritage. “That just means I’m getting old. But I asked the same questions myself with David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Davis Love, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, Lee Janzen, guys that I really admired.â€�     Johnson was vying to become the third player to win the Valero three times, after Arnold Palmer (1960-’62) and Justin Leonard (2000-’01, ’07). 4. Sean O’Hair isn’t far off. After a T2 that saw him sign for the lowest final round (66), the 35-year-old four-time TOUR winner was a mixture of disappointed and encouraged. The upside: He’d just racked up eight birdies on a course that’s notoriously stingy with them. The downside: He was still chasing his first win since the 2011 RBC Canadian Open. “That fifth [win] has been hard to come by,â€� he said. “… I’ve had some close calls. “I feel like my game’s kind of coming into form a little bit,â€� added O’Hair, who with partner Steve Stricker won the unofficial QBE Shootout late last year. “But this year’s been a little bit erratic and I’ve just got to clean that up a bit. I’ve been driving it really well all year and I felt like this golf course really called for that. Felt like if I could just hit a few more greens, because this golf course is all about that as well, make a few putts, which is what I did, I was going to have a good week.â€� O’Hair chipped in for birdie from 55’ 1â€� on the final hole for his seventh runner-up finish in 345 starts, including one in each of the last four seasons. 5. There were breakthroughs all around in San Antonio. Landry is the seventh first-time winner of the season, with three coming in the last five weeks (Landry, Satoshi Kodaira, Brice Garnett). He’s also the third first-time winner in the last five editions of the Valero, joining Steven Bowditch (2014) and Kevin Chappell (2017). Trey Mullinax shot 62-69 on the weekend for a career-best T2 in his 41st TOUR start. Jimmy Walker (67, solo fourth) had his best finish since a third at TPC Boston in the fall of 2016. Then there was former No. 1-ranked amateur Joaquin Niemann of Chile. The 19-year-old merely birdied his last three holes for a second straight 67 and solo sixth place. “It’s one of the best week of my life,â€� Niemann said. Even better, while becoming the first player since Anthony Kim (T2, 2006) to finish in the top 10 at the Valero in his professional debut on TOUR, Niemann also gained entry into the Wells Fargo Championship without having to burn a sponsor’s exemption. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Although he came into the Valero at 91st in strokes gained: tee-to-green, Landry was first in the field in that stat at TPC San Antonio. He came into the Valero at 84th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, but led that category, too. He was 98th in greens in regulation entering the Valero, but first last week. In fact, his 53/72 greens in regulation was tied for his second-best effort on TOUR. And he’s now one-for-one at converting a 54-hole lead/co-lead into a victory.    2. Landry became only the fourth player to rank in the top 10 in strokes gained: approach-the-green (1st) and strokes gained: putting (8th) while winning this season. The others have been Dustin Johnson at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (7th in sg: approach-the-green, 6th in sg: putting); Ryan Armour at the Sanderson Farms Championships (3rd in sg: approach-the-green, 2nd in sg: putting); and Patton Kizzire at the Sony Open in Hawaii (3rd in both). 3. Zach Johnson, who won the Valero Texas Open twice before it moved to TPC San Antonio, might have won the tournament had the front nine been closed for the week. Johnson was even on the front but 13-under on the back over the four rounds. 4. The margin of victory at the Valero, two strokes, qualified as something of a blowout relative to the rest of this season. Going into the Valero, eight of 14 tournaments had been decided by a playoff, and the average margin of victory was one shot. 5. Since the Valero moved to TPC San Antonio in 2010, six third-round leaders/co-leaders have held on to win, with Landry doing so on the heels of Kevin Chappell in 2017. That makes the TPC San Antonio – AT&T Oaks Course one of the best places on TOUR to be a 54-hole leader/co-leader. So far this season, just 12 of 24 leaders/co-leaders have held on for the win in stroke-play events, with Patrick Reed at the Masters the most recent to do it before Landry.

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