Man sentenced for murder of Iowa State golfer

The PGA TOUR has been coming to Waialae since 1965, making it the third-longest running host venue among annual (non-major) PGA TOUR stops. Great weather, classic Hawaiian course, must-see destination, laid-back beachy vibe – gee, we can’t imagine why it’s so popular among TOUR players. THE FLYOVER  No hole on the PGA TOUR last season was easier than the 506-yard par-5 ninth at Waialae, which played to a stroke average of 4.210 (0.790 under par). The hole allowed the most birdies (285) and the second-most eagles (39) of any hole during the 2017-18 season. An occasionally strong cross wind and out-of-bounds on both sides evidently doesn’t faze most of the TOUR pros. LANDING ZONE Say hello to the toughest fairway to hit on the PGA TOUR. In the ShotLink Era (since 2003), just 36.4 percent of all tee shots (2,545 of 6,992 shots) at the 551-yard par-5 18th at Waialae have successfully found the fairway. That’s the lowest percentage of any hole (minimum 2,200 attempts) on TOUR. Here’s a look at where all tee shots at the 18th landed last year at the Sony Open. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Joe Halvorson: “Outside an isolated shower risk, a largely dry week is in store. Any showers that develop are expected to be short-lived and will produce light rainfall. Winds are forecast to remain fairly light through the week, alternating between weak east and southeasterly breezes. Temperatures will reach highs in the low 80s through the week.â€� For the latest weather news from Honolulu, Hawaii, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK New opportunities and new things are sometimes difficult, and I didn’t handle them as well as I could. Now they’re not new anymore. BY THE NUMBERS 31 – Number of rounds at 62 or better at Waialae in the ShotLink Era (since 2003). That’s the second-highest total in that span, with only Sedgefield (33) providing more 62-or-better rounds.  Justin Thomas and Chad Campbell each have two rounds of 62 or better at Waialae – the only players with multiple rounds. 6 – Number of sudden-death holes Patton Kizzire needed to win last year’s playoff against James Hahn. It was the longest playoff on TOUR since the 2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic. 9 – Players who have made the Sony Open in Hawaii their first career TOUR win. The most recent was Russell Henley in 2013. Henley was also the last player to win the event in his first start at Waialae. SCATTERSHOTS Welcome back: Bubba Watson is making his first start at Waialae since his T-46 finish in 2010. His best result is a solo fourth in his first Sony start in 2006 … Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar are back at Sony after missing the last two years. Scott tied for second in 2009; Kuchar has four top-10 finishes in his five starts at Waialae. 20-somethings: Three players in the field are in their third decade of playing at Waialae. Vijay Singh (the 2005 winner) and Jerry Kelly (who won in 2002) are making their 22nd starts at Sony, while Rory Sabbatini is making his 21st consecutive start. Top Japanese players: Seven Japanese players are in this week’s field, led by five-time TOUR winner Hideki Matsuyama, reigning RBC Heritage champ Satoshi Kodaira, and the country’s top amateur golfer, Takumi Kanaya. Kanaya is among five Japanese players who received sponsor exemptions from the tournament. Others include: Rikuya Hoshino, Yuta Ikeda, Yuki Inamori and Shugo Imahira. On Tuesday, Imahira – the Order of Merit winner on the Japan Tour in 2018 — received a special invite to play at this year’s Masters.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR announced today the four featured groupings for the opening rounds of the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. For the first time in tournament history, the event will offer full FedExCup points (500), after being postponed to September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be featured twice in the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, with the tournament being played again in March. To watch the featured groupings on Thursday-Friday, fans in the United States can tune into the Golf Channel telecast (3-6 p.m. ET). Live audio coverage is also available on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (Sirius 208, XM 92), and streams free via PGATOUR.COM (pgatour.com/liveaudio) as well as the TOUR's official iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Featured Groups Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, Corey Conners • McDowell seeks to successfully defend his title, having collected his fourth career PGA TOUR victory at the 2019 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship (first win on TOUR since 2015) • Stenson, winner of the FedExCup in 2013, will make his tournament debut in Punta Cana and is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 43 in the Official World Golf Ranking • In 2019-20, Conners advanced to the BMW Championship for the second consecutive season and finished No. 53 in the FedExCup standings with 10 top-25 finishes Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Long, Keith Mitchell • Hughes, who finished runner-up at the event in 2019, advanced to the TOUR Championship last season for the first time in his career after making a five-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the BMW Championship; had the best finish in the 2019-20 FedExCup standings of any player in the field (No. 14) • On the strength of two runner-up finishes in the 2019-20 season, Long advanced to the BMW Championship and finished No. 31 in the FedExCup standings, less than three points out of the TOUR Championship • Mitchell finished solo-second at the 2018 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, which is among eight top-ten finishes in his 77 career starts on the PGA TOUR Emiliano Grillo, Jhonattan Vegas, Charley Hoffman • 2016 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and Puntacana Resort & Club ambassador Grillo finished the 2019-20 season No. 93 in the FedExCup standings, advancing to the FedExCup Playoffs for the fifth time in as many seasons as a member • A three-time PGA TOUR winner, Vegas is set to make his second tournament start (T26/2019) after concluding the 2019-20 season No. 139 in the standings • Making his second start of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, Hoffman is one of ten players in the field with four or more TOUR victories Pat Perez, Kevin Chappell, Charles Howell III Notable: Combining for seven PGA TOUR victories, all three players are set to make their tournament debuts at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship • Perez opened the 2020-21 season with a T9 showing at the Safeway Open, carding four rounds in the 60s for the first time since the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic • Chappell became the 10th player in TOUR history (11th instance) with a sub-60 round after carding a 59 in the second round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in 2019 • Playing in his 12th U.S. Open, Howell finished 30th at Winged Foot Golf Club last week for his ninth made cut in the event

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