Perry not giving up on his ’19 Farewell Tour

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Once the rain finally stopped, the wind took over Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship. Billy Hurley III and Seamus Power of Ireland did their best to figure out the strong gusts and wound up atop the leaderboard at the end of a long day. The second round started three hours late because of a violent storm that dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on Eagle Point, and 65 players had to return Saturday morning to complete the round. Hurley hit a 4-iron from 174 yards that came up 15 yards short, and he managed to get up-and-down to cap off a strong finish for a 3-under 69. Power shot a 71 and joined Hurley at 5-under 139. John Peterson’s last hole was a birdie on the par-5 12th hole. He was at 5 under and had six holes to play Saturday morning. Francesco Molinari of Italy, who opened with a 66, also was at 5 under and had seven holes remaining. Dustin Johnson couldn’t get off the golf course fast enough. In his first tournament since a slip down the stairs knocked him out of the Masters Tournament, Johnson opened with a tough par save and a birdie to get within two shots of the lead until dropping shots on a pair of par 3s, getting out of position off the tee on the reachable par 5s and ending with a third bogey on No. 13. Johnson was 2 over for his round, five shots out of the lead. With the worst of the weather out of the way, one bizarre dynamic was in play depending on how the second round finishes Saturday morning. When play was halted by darkness, 80 players were at 1 over (either finished or on their back nine). That could mean only a six-shot separation between leading and making the cut on the number, meaning a wide-open weekend. The key was to get through Friday’s wild weather. The wind was so strong that it blew Phil Mickelson’s hat off his head as he was preparing to hit his tee shot. Mickelson went along nicely until missing the green to the right on No. 9, dumping a chip into the bunker and making double bogey on his last hole for a 72. He was at 1-under 143. “It was more difficult with the wind,” Hurley said. “Thankfully, with the rain it was softer. It we didn’t have this rain, and then we had this wind, it would have been pretty brutal. So we didn’t have to completely worry about the ball running away from you on the ground as much as it did yesterday.” Hurley was 1 over for his round when he ran off four birdies over his last seven holes, including a couple from tap-in range, yet it was the par on No. 9 that excited him as much as the birdies. The green is exposed as much as any at Eagle Point, and he holed a 10-foot par putt. Power played No. 9 in the middle of his round, hit a 6-iron and came up 40 yards short. His pitch barely reached the fringe, and he made bogey. Walking back up the hill to face the 186-yard, downhill 10th hole, he hit 5-iron and held his breath. “It’s unusual. It messes with your eyes because you’re uncomfortable hitting that show knowing that if the wind dies, you might watch a ball sail into the water around the greens,” Power said. “You’ve just got to pick a number and you’ve got to go with and just try to get through those.” Jon Rahm of Spain knows the feeling. Rahm made five birdies and had to settle for a 71, but he was at 4-under 140 along with Vaughn Taylor (69), Rafa Cabrera Bello (71) and Brian Harman (69). Rahm began his round on the par-3 10th with a shot that came up some 20 yards short of the pin. What really got his attention was the par-3 second hole, where he hit a beautiful tee shot that went 192 yards — except the hole was playing only 161 yards. “There were a couple moments where the difference between the wind being just straight right-to-left or being a little bit in, that wind could mean easily 20 yards because it was blowing so hard,” Rahm said. “What happened to me on No. 2, after a great stretch of holes, I carried it about 30 yards farther than what I wanted. I’m not the only one dealing with this. It probably happened to a couple other guys where they were 20 yards short or 20 yards long.” Was it more fun than a calm day? Rahm smiled. “It is fun because I played good,” he said. “But it does get a little frustrating sometimes.”

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Rory McIlroy admitted he rode his luck after hitting two spectators and a marshal in an eventful 71 which kept him on course for a second BMW PGA Championship title.

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“Official Virtual Reality Golf Game of the PGA TOUR” to integrate PGA TOUR tournament courses into GOLF+ beginning with TPC Scottsdale and TPC Sawgrass early in 2023 PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and GOLF+, the leading VR golf game in the world, today announced a long-term deal that makes GOLF+ the “Official Virtual Reality Golf Game of the PGA TOUR.” The agreement will also see the creation of new PGA TOUR game experiences where GOLF+ players will be able to experience exclusive, interactive content and features tied to real-world PGA TOUR tournaments. Using a Meta Quest VR headset, GOLF+ users will be able to compete on select TPC Network golf courses and other PGA TOUR tournament courses beginning with TPC Scottsdale and TPC Sawgrass early in 2023. These in- game PGA TOUR experiences will offer players exclusive tournament competition within the game. Additional tournament courses will be added in the coming years to join the GOLF+ roster of world-class venues. “The PGA TOUR is excited to work with GOLF+, the leading golf game in the emerging VR gaming market,” said Len Brown, PGA TOUR Chief Legal Officer, and EVP, Licensing. “The GOLF+ VR platform is a forward-thinking way to enjoy the sport that is appealing to gamers and golfers of all levels, and an innovative way for people to play the game of golf and grow the sport globally. The TOUR will support the partnership with new courses, ShotLink powered by CDW data, shot trails and video highlights from PGA TOUR competitions.” GOLF+ will have rights to use PGA TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing GOLF+ to create unique, in-game experiences. “We look forward to working with the PGA TOUR as it provides the ability to present unparalleled interactive tournament experiences to our players in VR,” said Ryan Engle, Co-Founder and CEO of GOLF+. “We are both committed to using innovative technology and interactive experiences to reach new golfers worldwide and grow the game we love.” Golfers and other athletes who have joined GOLF+ as investors include Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, World Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw, Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Mike Trout. “Beyond providing one of the best VR sports experiences in the world, GOLF+ will now offer a new way for fans to enjoy the excitement of the PGA TOUR,” said Rory McIlroy. “This technology has the power to not only bring new people to the game of golf, but also evolve the way the PGA TOUR is seen and experienced by golfers and gamers everywhere.” “When I was a kid, I always dreamed of making it to the PGA TOUR and testing my game inside the ropes against the best players in the world,” added Jordan Spieth. “It’s great that fans and future TOUR pros are going to be able to use this platform to get a taste for what it’s like to compete on the PGA TOUR.” Designed to be complementary to traditional golf, the GOLF+ VR experience removes typical barriers such as time constraints, greens fees and weather to allow users to play anywhere, anytime. For those who have never picked up a club in the real world, it offers a stress-free way to learn, play and practice at their own pace. Avid golfers can enjoy realistic physics and life-like recreations of some of the most iconic courses in the world. In less than a year since launch, the platform’s hundreds of thousands of golfers have played over six million rounds on the platform. GOLF+ is currently available on the Meta Quest 2 platform for $29.99. The game comes standard with original course designs, Topgolf, and a mini golf experience called Pro Putt. Players can add the famed Pebble Beach, Pinehurst No.2, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and Wolf Creek Golf Club as in-app purchases. GOLF+ allows for both single-player and multiplayer options, making it ideal for solo practice or a social round.

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