Matt Kuchar renaissance continues at Sony Open in Hawaii

Editor’s note: Ernie Els has been writing a blog in 2017 and this is his latest installment. For more information on the World Golf Hall of Famer, visit www.ernieels.com. Having had a few weeks off, and needing to recover from a heavy dose of flu, it was a relief to get back into the swing of tournament action at last week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.  I’ve played this event in back-to-back years now and it’s a superbly run tournament. Congrats to Shriners on all that they’re doing there and indeed on the amazing work they’re doing in the Las Vegas area across various facilities helping children in need. And nice job Patrick Cantlay getting your first PGA TOUR win there! Anyway, considering I’ve not been able to play as much golf as I’d have liked in the last 3-4 weeks, there was a lot about my game that pleased me at TPC Summerlin. I hit a lot of greens out there, especially across the first three days, and I could have easily shot better scores than I did. Admittedly a bit of a disappointing final round, but never mind. I’m just looking forward to trying to build on some of that good play in this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico. We’re back at El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa Del Carmen, roughly 40 minutes south of Cancun on Mexico’s stunning Yucatan Peninsula. Last year was my first ever visit to this part of the world and it really is beautiful. So, too, is the golf course, a Greg Norman layout that winds its way through three distinct landscapes – tropical jungle, dense mangroves and sand-lined oceanfront. It was a joy to play there last year and I’m excited to be returning this week.  Before that, I just want to recap on some events off the golf course from the last few weeks. First of all, a huge thank you to our family of golfers, donors, sponsors and partners who made this year’s Golf Challenge and last week’s Grand Finale another big success. There is a long list of people and organizations who make this all possible and, in particular, I’d like to take this opportunity to make special mention of our long-time presenting sponsor, SAP, and organizing sponsors RBC, TaylorMade and Wine Spectator. Also our platinum sponsors – EY and Boeing – and our gold sponsors Downsview Kitchens, 18Birdies, Boeing, Duane Morris, Tierra South Florida, EY, eBay and Tata Consulting Services. Thank you all so much. Special congratulations from Liezl and me to Rachel Barcellona, winner of the 2017 Els for Autism Spectrum Award, and to Tanner’s Team Too! who were the year’s highest fundraising team with more than $50,000 on the board, an incredible effort. Honestly, it was a pleasure for me to spend time with you and everyone who earned their place at this year’s Grand Finale. This was the seventh year of the Golf Challenge and we had a new venue for this year’s Grand Finale and I want to thank the whole team at The Breakers in Florida for the great job hosting us.  In the seven years that we’ve been running the Golf Challenge our fundraising total has now topped the $18 million mark. It’s truly humbling to have got to this stage and obviously, the results of our fundraising efforts are evident every day in the wonderful work being done at The Els Center of Excellence. We’ll start the ball rolling on our eighth Golf Challenge in 2018 and we look forward to welcoming back old friends and hopefully some new participants, too. Meanwhile, over in South Africa our final three events on the Drive to SA Open series took place in recent weeks. At St. Francis Links on 5 October our generous custodians Jeff and Liesel Clause once again produced an amazing day, while Mother Nature provided the weather to match! Thank you to the Irish three-ball of Roy Picken, Robert McKormick and Bertie Warwick who kindly donated a prize auction item signed by Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke. Congrats to the day’s winners, Frank Crabstick and Alan Carstens. Next up was Silver Lakes on 20 October and I hear we had great weather there as well. This course is the home of my old friend, and Drive to SA Open organizer, Nico van Rensburg, and the team there did us proud. A total of 128 players took part, including cricketers Mark Boucher and Dean Elgar, and rugby player Chester Williams. The winners on the day were Alastair MacDonald and Dean Asset. Big thanks to Sun International for getting involved as a sponsor on the day.  Last but not least, the flagship event of our 2017 schedule took place at Ebotse on 26 October. Nico tells me the course was again in superb condition. Big thanks to Peps Pretorius for all the work he does to make this such a special day, this year raising an incredible R413 000 and concluding with a prize shoot-out from the top deck of the clubhouse. As always, I send my thanks to everyone who took part, including Lions coach Swys De Bruin.  Lastly thanks again to Sun International and to Imperial KWS logistics for getting on board for the 2018 series. We really appreciate your support. Okay, that’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.

Click here to read the full article…

Captain Jim Furyk has sent Tiger Woods out with Patrick Reed in the final group of the morning fourballs at Le Golf National.

Click here to read the full article…

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. and HONOLULU – The PGA TOUR and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) today announced a four-year extension of their official marketing partnership that will continue to promote the state’s golf and tourism industry through 2022. “January has become synonymous with amazing golf in Hawai‘i, with two PGA TOUR events and one PGA TOUR Champions event,� said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President Corporate Partnerships. “Our members have long enjoyed spending time in the Hawaiian Islands at the beginning of the year. We are pleased to extend our relationship with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and to continue highlighting Hawai‘i as a golf paradise through our tournaments on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.�   The PGA TOUR traditionally opens the calendar year with two weeks in Hawai‘i: last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua on Maui, won by Dustin Johnson; and this week’s Sony Open in Hawai‘i in Honolulu on O‘ahu, where 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas is defending his title. PGA TOUR Champions opens its season January 15-20 with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hual�lai on the island of Hawai‘I, won last year by Bernhard Langer, his first of seven victories on the season. All tournament rounds for the three events are televised by the Golf Channel. In addition to supporting these tournaments, HTA also uses golf media as a platform to showcase the Hawaiian Islands and their many recreational activities. TOUR players are filmed participating in their favorite off-the-course activities when they visit the state, in which golf fans will be able to see in PSAs throughout the season. “Hawai‘i’s sunny warmth and unmatched beauty always welcomes golf fans around the world to a new year of optimism with the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Maui, Sony Open in Hawai‘i and Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hual�lai,� said George D. Szigeti, President and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. “We thank PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan for his aloha and continued commitment to the Hawaiian Islands as a destination for hosting world-class golf, and we appreciate that our longstanding partnership will continue through 2022 with this new four-year agreement. The PGA TOUR and Hawai‘i are a perfect pairing for hosting a global sports showcase in combining a worldwide sports brand with an iconic tropical setting revered by travelers, especially at a time when people everywhere are bundled up from winter’s chill.� The sponsorship dates back to 2001 when the PGA TOUR and HTA, created by the state legislature to oversee Hawai‘i’s multi-billion tourism industry, aligned to highlight Hawai‘i’s professional golf tournaments as a marketing package that could serve as the promotional cornerstone for the state’s $1 billion golf industry. The first PGA TOUR tournament held in Hawai‘i was the 1965 Hawaiian Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, which was won by Gay Brewer. The first PGA TOUR Champions event in the state was held in 1987 at the Royal K�‘anapali Golf Club North Course, won by Orville Moody.  

Click here to read the full article…