Making moves: LIV allows teams to trade players

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Justin Rose did what Phil Mickelson’s couldn’t: birdie the final three holes at La Quinta Countrty Club. Rose, the reigning FedExCup champion, birdied Nos. 16-18 to shoot 68 on Thursday. Mickelson needed to birdie all three of those holes to break 60. He came close, making birdies on 16 and 18 to shoot a 12-under 60 and take the Desert Classic’s first-round lead. Both Rose and Mickelson were playing their first round of the calendar year. For Rose, the Desert Classic is his first tournament since signing an equipment deal with Honma. “With the new bag of clubs, I felt really good with them,â€� Rose said. “I drove the ball fantastically well today and hit a lot of shots pin-high with my irons.â€� Rose also has a temporary caddie, Gareth Lord, this week because his longtime looper, Mark Fulcher, had heart surgery Thursday. Rose is making his first start at the Desert Classic since 2010. La Quinta Country Club is the only one of the three courses in use this week that also was being used back when Rose last played here. He is 22 under par in five rounds at La Quinta. He made six birdies and two bogeys Thursday after hitting 9 of 14 fairways and 13 greens. “I felt like I could have been 4- or 5- or 6-under par through the first seven holes. I left a few out there early in my round and (made) a couple silly mistakes here and there, didn’t capitalize on some short birdie putts,â€� Rose said. “ Birdieing my last three to get it to 4 under kind of made me feel good about kind of getting something out of the round.â€� This is Rose’s second start of the season. He finished third in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in October, his seventh top-three finish in his last 19 TOUR starts. He is 40th in this season’s FedExCup standings as he tries to become the first player to successfully defend the Cup.

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The PGA TOUR today announced American Express will continue its role as title sponsor of The American Express in La Quinta, California, through 2028. The annual tournament, which features a unique pro-am format, takes place January 20-23 at PGA WEST Stadium, PGA WEST Nicklaus and La Quinta Country Club. “Giving back to the community while celebrating the passions of our customers is at the center of what we do at American Express,” said Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express. “We’ve seen the positive impact this tournament has on golf fans and the local community in the Coachella Valley. We’re honored to continue this legacy by extending our role as title sponsor and growing the total charitable funds raised to support so many outstanding local organizations focused on helping small businesses, the health and wellness of the community, youth sports, education and more.” Since its introduction in 1960, the tournament has generated approximately $63 million for numerous non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley that enrich the lives of Valley residents. In just two short years, The American Express has since donated $2.1 million to Coachella Valley-based charity organizations and looks forward to continuing to make a significant impact within the local community for years to come. “Extending our partnership with American Express secures the future of PGA TOUR golf and its impact in the Coachella Valley for years to come,” said Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR Commissioner. “In the past two years alone, American Express has helped produce tremendous growth and awareness for this historic event, offering up a great field and a first-rate tournament experience. All this while generating significant charitable impact in the region.” World No. 1 ranked player Jon Rahm, FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay and Phil Mickelson, a 45-time PGA TOUR winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member headline The American Express field. Si Woo Kim of South Korea, winner of The American Express last year by one stroke over eventual FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, returns in 2022 to defend his title. All four rounds throughout the weekend will be carried live on Golf Channel and streamed on ESPN+.

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Tony Finau figured he was playing for second midway through the final round of the 3M Open – and so too did the bettors at BetMGM sportsbook as Scott Piercy moved to near unbackable favorite. But golf is hard. And closing out a PGA TOUR win is even harder. Piercy coughed up a five-shot lead he held over Finau with 10 holes remaining at TPC Twin Cities which provided a huge swing in the odds in short time, proving that betting on golf remains one of the most unpredictable and erratic, yet opportunistic sports to wager on in the world. As such Finau claimed his third TOUR win – his first in front of his entire extended family. Before the final round Piercy had moved himself to -18, four clear of Emiliano Grillo and five in front of Finau. But Finau would post up a 4-under 67 to win by three shots while Piercy dropped five shots in his last six holes to settle for a 76 and a calamitous T4. “I was almost chasing 20 under all day I felt like. Seemed like Scott wasn’t letting up all tournament, so to all of a sudden have the lead, I will say I got quite nervous on 17 just because it was a whole different feel on how the week was going,” Finau said after his victory. “I never was near the lead. I was near the top of the leaderboard, but I was never within four or five shots. All of a sudden, I was the one leading the golf tournament. Sometimes you’ve got to learn how to play with a lead… but I didn’t know I was going to be in that situation. A couple squirrelly shots on 17 and 18, but I willed my way in and really happy to get that W.” Take a look below at the wild swings that played out over Sunday’s crazy final round. ODDS TIMELINE – Tony Finau and Scott Piercy to win the 3M Open Before Round: Finau (-13) +450; Piercy (-18) -143 After playing brilliant golf for three days Piercy rightfully held court at the top of the odds. If you put $10 on Piercy you stood to win $6.99 profit while the same bet on Finau would profit you $45. Piercy Birdies the 2nd hole: Finau (-14) +500; Piercy (-19) -250 Finau had an early birdie to his name on Sunday but Piercy matched it with a birdie on the second hole, moving his odds in tighter. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $50; Piercy $4 Finau Birdies 4th hole: Finau (-15) +300; Piercy (-19) -167 The big-hitting Finau converts his 10-foot, 10-inch birdie putt on the 189-yard par-3 fourth hole to move within four of the lead. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $30; Piercy $5.99 Piercy Birdies 6th hole: Finau (-15) +450; Piercy (-20) -222 In what appears to be a crucial junction, Piercy takes care of the par-5 sixth with a birdie after Finau had failed to do so in the group ahead and extends his lead over him to five shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $45; Piercy $4.50 Piercy hits 8th green in regulation, Finau misses 9th green: Finau (-15) +700; Piercy (-20) -714 With a safe shot on to the par-3 eighth green Piercy appears to be in control as Finau’s approach to the tough ninth ahead finds the rough. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $70; Piercy $1.40 Piercy Bogeys 8th, Finau Bogeys 9th: Finau (-14) +500; Piercy (-19) -714 Having been brilliant with his putter throughout the opening rounds Piercy makes a minor error by three-putting the eighth green for a bogey but Finau also bogeys up ahead to keep the gap at five shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $50; Piercy $1.40 Piercy Bogeys 9th: Finau (-14) +550; Piercy (-18) -500 The difficult ninth also trips up Piercy and the lead drops to four shots but the bettors still believe he’s the man heading into the back nine. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $55; Piercy $2 Finau birdies 11th: Finau (-15) +300; Piercy (-18) -333 The first signs of a potential shift in things pops up with Finau drops in a brilliant 15-footer for birdie on the par-4 11th. It brings him within three shots of the lead. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $30; Piercy $3 Piercy birdies 12th: Finau (-15) +350; Piercy (-18) -400 With his tournament starting to look shaky Piercy steps up and makes a great bounce back birdie on the par-5 12th to hopefully steady his ship and get back on track for the run home. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $35; Piercy $2.50 Piercy bogeys 11th: Finau (-15) +225; Piercy (-17) -200 The faith in Piercy really starts to wobble now as he three-putts the 11th green for another bogey and now the lead over Finau is just two shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $22.50; Piercy $5 Piercy tee ball on 13 finds terrible lie right: Finau (-15) +250; Piercy (-18) -200 Just when it appeared Piercy might have put things back together his tee shot on the 13th hole finds deep rough to the right of the 13th green. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $25; Piercy $5 Piercy bogeys 13th: Finau (-15) +175; Piercy (-17) -133 The shot gained a hole ago is given back as Piercy is unable to get up and down from the long grass. With five holes to go his lead is now two shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $17.50; Piercy $7.52 Piercy tee shot on 14 sails into plugged bunker lie: Finau (-15) +150; Piercy (-17) +110 A tough break for Piercy as an average shot into a fairway bunker is punished to the max by plugging deep into the face of the hazard. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $15; Piercy $11 Finau birdies the 14th; Piercy’s second shot on 14 stays in sand: Finau (-16) +100; Piercy (-17) +150 For the first time during the final round Scott Piercy is no longer the favorite to win as his second shot stays in the bunker while up ahead Finau makes an eight-foot birdie putt to pull within a shot. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $10; Piercy $15 Piercy third shot on 14 goes into water: Finau (-16) -118; Piercy +800 It’s all coming undone now as Piercy’s third shot on the 14th comes up well short and into a water hazard. His lead will be gone by the end of this hole, the question is how far back will he be? $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $8.47; Piercy $80 Piercy fifth shot on 14 comes up short / makes triple bogey: Finau (-16) -250; Piercy (-14) +1800 In the final washup of a diabolical 14th hole Piercy walks away two shots off the pace. Will he be able to regroup? $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $4; Piercy $180 Finau birdies 15th hole: Finau (-17) -714; Piercy (-14) +2500 Although claiming he had no idea what had transpired behind him at this point Finau provides a crushing blow with an incredible 31-foot birdie bomb on the 15th green as Piercy is still trying to figure out what happened to his tournament. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $1.40; Piercy $250 Piercy bogeys 15th hole: Finau (-17) -3333; Piercy (-13) +20000 With his ears still ringing from the cheers for Finau’s birdie bomb and the haymakers he took on the 14th Piercy misses a short par putt on the 15th green to drop four behind with three to play. $10 Bet profit at this point: Finau $0.30; Piercy $2000 Finau birdies 16th: Finau (-18) -10000; Piercy (-13) +20000 With his third birdie in a row Finau sets up a five-shot buffer over Piercy, the same margin he sat behind the same player just two hours prior. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $0.10; Piercy $2000

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