Mito Pereira leads by three shots at PGA Championship

Golfers on both the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour will have extra incentive to attack some of the most exciting holes during their respective seasons thanks to a stirring first-of-its-kind competition – the Aon Risk Reward Challenge. An age-old question in golf – does taking calculated risk provide a greater chance at reward over time? – will be put under the microscope, and ultimately a player from each tour will triumph. At select tournaments, holes that highlight a player’s strategic thinking will be designated as Aon Risk Reward Challenge holes. Throughout the year, a player’s best two scores on each hole will be tracked. On the PGA TOUR, 36 tournaments during the 2018-19 season will be included in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, with one hole at each identified tournament included in the competition. The player from each Tour on top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will each receive $1 million in prize money. So which holes are part of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge? Think the iconic short par-4 10th at Riviera Country Club or the sensational par-5 18th at Pebble Beach or the reachable par-5 16th at TPC Sawgrass. Go for it despite lurking hazards and maybe get yourself an eagle putt or even a rare albatross? Lay up to your number and back your wedge game to ensure birdie? Time to find out what works best. In order to be eligible, a player must be a member of their respective Tour and play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season at selected tournaments. The scoring system throughout the season will be a player’s average score to par calculated to three decimal places. (Reminder: Only the player’s two best scores on that hole in a given tournament are used for his average).  The PGA TOUR fall series provided eight events for players to get their scoring underway but as yet of course no one has reached the 40-round minimum. Of those players with more than one tournament start in the fall, the top scorers are PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka and Kevin Chappell. Both have set themselves up to make a nice run once the season resumes. Koepka eagled the par-5 18th hole during THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES twice and birdied the par-4 16th twice at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions in his two fall starts. That cumulative 6-under average in four rounds played calculates to a -1.5 average. Chappell might be even more excited given he eagled the par-5 13th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic twice, had an eagle and a birdie at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and two birdies at the CIMB Classic’s par-4 16th. That’s a cumulative 9 under through six rounds for his -1.5 average. In 2019 the focus will first fall on the 305-yard par-4 14th at the Plantation Course in Kapalua during the Sentry Tournament of Champions – a short and drivable hole but one that plays uphill and is littered with bunkers and even a local house and garden down the right side. Last season it played to a 3.684 stroke average as players cranked up and went for it. Will the winds allow a similar strategy this season or will it be smarter to put a simple mid-iron in play and then go flag-hunting with a wedge? The 10th at Riviera always gives the players fits despite being just 315 yards. Last season there was one eagle, 87 birdies, 249 pars, 86 bogeys, 12 double bogeys and one other during the Genesis Open. Of the 436 times players teed it up over four rounds there were 317 attempts at going for the green. Will this continue in 2019 or will the fact it played to an over-par average (4.055) have players second-guessing their strategy? “I have done both, I’ve gone for it and laid up and I’ve been very unsuccessful both ways,â€� Tiger Woods famously said last season. “It’s a tossup, it really is.â€� And what of the picturesque finish to Pebble Beach? You’d assume most par 5s on TOUR get eaten up, but the 18th played to a stroke average of 5.017 last season – one of just seven par 5s on TOUR that played above par last season (out of a total of 163 par 5s). Do you dare take driver off the tee and risk hooking it into the ocean? Same could be said when thinking 3-wood as an approach option. At tournaments where more than one course is played, like at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the best one score from the specified course’s ARRC hole will count. That’s why Jason Gore is the current leader. His eagle at the par-5 15th during The RSM Classic gives him an average of -2.0 in his lone start in the fall. If a player withdraws from an event, their scores on the ARRC hole for that tournament will not be included in the year-to-date calculation — however players that MDF (made cut, didn’t finish) and play just three rounds for an event will still be included in the calculations. If there is a tie, then holes that have been played by both players will be compared based on their average score under par — and if there is still a tie, scores will be compared for the relevant holes in chronological order starting from the most recent. The winner for the PGA TOUR will be determined at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship and the Aon Trophy will be presented during THE NORTHERN TRUST. The winner for the LPGA will be determined at the conclusion of the Blue Bay LPGA and the Aon Trophy will be presented during the CME Group Tour Championship. Below are the holes selected for the PGA TOUR schedule. 2019 Aon Risk Reward Challenge Schedule

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NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods looked a lot better in his return to golf than when he left. Playing for the first time since his fourth back surgery, Woods returned from a 10-month layoff with a 3-under 69 on a breezy Thursday in the Bahamas and was three shots behind Tommy Fleetwood after the opening round of the Hero World Challenge. Unlike a year ago, Woods didn’t show any fatigue at the end of his round. His only regret was playing the par 5s at Albany Golf Club in 1-over par. That included a bogey on the par-5 ninth when he took four shots from about 30 feet, starting with a chip that didn’t reach the green. He made five birdies, had a two fist pumps and even a few choice words.

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Corey Conners is a Canadian who now lives in South Florida, so you may not expect cowboy boots to be part of his wardrobe. He was wearing a pair around his house earlier this week, though. The boots, which he earned for winning last year’s Valero Texas Open, gave him a boost of “positive energy� during these tough times, he said. Conners was scheduled to defend his title this week at TPC San Antonio before the coronavirus pandemic put the world on hold. Conners made 10 birdies in his final round last year to become the first Monday qualifier to win on TOUR since 2010. He took some time Wednesday to meet with reporters in a conference call. Conners and his wife, Malory, also will be going live on the PGA TOUR’s Instagram account at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Here are some highlights from Wednesday’s call: What have you been up to? I’ve had the clubs away for the most part. I don’t really have a plan for getting back into competitive mode. I’ve just been trying to stay inside, enjoying time with my wife, a little bit of reading and Xbox and doing workouts in the gym in our house, trying to stay in good shape. What’s your favorite book you’ve read, and what Xbox games have you played? I read the book Pound the Stone. It’s a really good book about work ethic. It’s by Josh Metcalf. He has another one called Chop Wood, Carry Water. As for Xbox, it’s pretty simple right now. I’ve never had a game system or been a gamer but I’ve been playing NHL and racing games. That’s pretty much it. I’m just trying to peck away at the NHL to get my skills respectable enough where I could challenge some people online, but right now I have a lot of work to do there. Can you start by taking us back through your memories of last year’s win? I have a lot of great memories. It’s been a sort of refreshing mental activity to remember the good stuff I did last year and getting my first win. There were a lot of highs from that week, especially from that last round. Making 10 birdies was pretty awesome, and proving to myself that I was able to get it done was pretty awesome. I’m looking forward to getting back in that position. When you look back at that final round, there were a lot of ups and downs. When you look back at your emotions that day, what stands out? Things were pretty high after the first five holes. I made four birdies and got off to a terrific start. Then making four bogeys to finish the front nine was definitely a low but I learned a lot from that moment. I had gotten ahead of myself. Making the turn, I was able to reset. I was able to make some birdies starting the back nine and I didn’t get ahead of myself that time. I was really focused and relaxed. Even within the round I learned some things. You were in a position to represent Canada in the Olympics, but they were obviously postponed. How disappointed are you? Obviously it was disappointing. I’d worked really hard. It was a goal of mine the past couple years. Things have happened that are out of my control, but it’s still motivating. Representing Canada in Japan would be a really awesome achievement and a dream come true. Ever since golf was announced in the Olympics, I’ve wanted to represent Canada. Does Malory still get recognized from the telecast? Yeah, for sure. She’s been getting some love this week as we kind of look back on last year and her emotions. It was pretty awesome. People definitely still recognize her. There were a lot of instances after the win where we’d be in an airport or restaurant where people would recognize.

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