PGA featured holes: FedEx St. Jude Classic

Welcome back folks! Nothing like easing into the New Year with views of humpback whales, rainbows, mountains and the Plantation Course at Kapalua. As is the tradition on the PGATOUR to start the new calendar year, the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions will open the batting. Beginning a run that will take us all the way to the TOUR Championship, it’s time to knock the rust off and bunker in for the second part of the 2021-2022 season. All who are eligible minus Rory McIlroy means 39 players will tee it up this week at the Coore-Crenshaw design on Maui. The Plantation Course will host all four rounds (no cut) as it has since 1999 but this will be the third edition after the 2019 post-tournament renovation. The last two years have seen both extremes at Kapalua. The 2020 edition was hit with severe winds and rains and posted the second-highest winning total. Last year, the weather was non-existent and the scoring was the second lowest on record on Maui. The Plantation Course is defended by the wind and its routing up and down the coastal terrain. The fairways are the widest on TOUR (almost 45 yards on average) and the TifEagle Bermuda greens the biggest targets to hit (over 8,000 square feet on average). There will be wind that blows but the good news is there will be ample room to move it and recovers. Errant shots will find almost three inches of Celebration Bermuda, which will make recovery and scrambling shots challenging to get close. Playing at Par-73 at 7,596 yards, the Plantation Course has 93 bunkers and zero water penalty areas but has plenty of canyons, ravines and trouble if shots are errant. There are only three Par-3 holes but each of the last five winners have finished in the top eight in scoring on these short holes. With massive fairways and massive greens, those gaining the most shots into and on the greens will factor this week. Of the last 17 winners 14 have been in the top seven in Strokes-Gained: Approach. Remembering this is a resort course (and Par-73) scores should be in the low 20-under range as usual if the weather cooperates so it’s not a week to grind out pars. Birdies will need to be circled and circled frequently! Combining the wind and elevation changes minus the use of personal green books (new rule in 2022) suggests that the experienced, elite talent should rule the roost this week. Harris English, the 11th consecutive American to win, returns to try and join Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby as the only players to defend the title. 2020 and 2017 winner Justin Thomas is the only multiple winner in the field this year. Xander Schauffele was the last to set the course record, 62, in his final round come-from-behind victory in 2019. His gold medal in Tokyo punched his ticket into the field this week. The prize purse gets a very nice bump to $8.2 million this season with the winner taking home $1.476 million plus 500 FedExCup points to start the New Year in style. Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners 2021 – Harris English (-25, 267) Birdied the first playoff hole to win for the third time on TOUR in his 250th start. … Played in the final group on 21-under, setting the 54-hole low total. … Led by two after 36 holes. … T-1 after 18 holes (Thomas) after opening with 65. … Became the EIGHTH consecutive winner inside the top five after 54 holes. … Made only ONE BOGEY thru 54 holes. … Circled 26 birdies and one eagle. … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Putting. … Won in his second attempt (T11) at age 31. … First win since Mayakoba in 2013. … Qualified for the event from the 2020 TOUR Championship (COVID-19 exception). … Entered the week on back-to-back Top 10 finishes and four from his last six starts. Notables in the field this week: 2020 and 2017 champ Justin Thomas (3rd) posted his FOURTH podium finish in just six starts. … Debutant Sungjae Im (T5) had no problem acclimating as he posted all four rounds in the 60s as he led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green. … 2019 winner Xander Schauffele (T5) collected his third straight top five here. … Bryson DeChambeau (T7) led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee and Bogey Avoidance (2 bogeys). … Collin Morikawa (T7) posted a pair of 65s and has T7 in back-to-back seasons. … Jon Rahm (T7) picked up his fourth Top 10 paycheck in four starts. … Daniel Berger (10th) was second in Ball-Striking and GIR. … 34 of 42 players were 10-under or better. … 34 bogey-free rounds. … Scoring average 69.315, easiest on TOUR last season. … Second-easiest Sentry on record (2003). 2020 – Justin Thomas (14-under, 278) Birdied third playoff hole to win for the 12th time on TOUR in his 141st start. … Began the final round in the last group one back. … Sat three back after 36 holes. … One behind after opening with 67. … Led the field in Par-3 scoring and continued the trend of the winner being in the top seven the last five years. … 24 birdies led the field. … Becomes only the fourth multiple champion (2017) since the event moved to Kapalua in 1999. … Third podium in five attempts at age 26. … Won twice and added three top 10 paydays in six events leading into the event. Notables in the field this week: 2015 champ Patrick Reed (P2) posted two of the three lowest rounds of the week (66) to make the playoff and ensure his third top two finish. … 2019 winner Xander Schauffele (P2) led after 54 and 36 holes but could not repeat. … Patrick Cantlay (4th) led the field in Proximity and was T4 GIR. … Debutant Collin Morikawa (T7) hit the second most fairways with 55 of 60 and posted all four rounds under par. … 2018 runner up Jon Rahm (10th) hit the top 10 in both Fairways and GIR. … First edition after post 2019 renovation. … Firm fairways and greens because of all new sod. … Wind blew 20-30 MPH with gusts at 40. … Lift, clean and replace the final 54 holes. … Highest winning score since 2007. … Just seven bogey free rounds. … Only six players 10-under or better. … 72.228 scoring average. 2019 – Xander Schauffele (23-under, 269) Made 11 birdies on Sunday to win by one and claim his fourth victory in 61 career starts. … Final round 62 tied the course record and was the lowest round of the week. … Sat five off the lead after 54 and 36 holes. … Was six back after 18 holes. … Largest final round comeback in history (5 shots). … Finished T5 or better in EVERY Strokes-Gained category. … Made 24 birdies, second to Thomas. … Played his final 54 holes 22-under. … Won on his second attempt after T22 in 2018 at age 24. … Won WGC-HSBC Champions in November and T8 at Hero in December leading in. Notables in the field this week: 2017 winner Justin Thomas (3rd) led the field in birdies with 25 as he was second in Fairways and fourth GIR. … Marc Leishman (T4) backed up his T7 from 2018 even with a triple and a double on the card. … Bryson DeChambeau (7th) was T3 in Distance of Putts made. … Jon Rahm (T8) followed his solo second in 2018 with another top 10. … Cameron Champ (T11) circled 22 birdies. … Final event before the massive Coore-Crenshaw renovation. … Scoring average 70.924. … 12 bogey free rounds. … 15 players 10-under or better. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses: Sentry Tournament of Champions

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Seventy-eight players will take on Sherwood Country Club in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. The tournament is making a one-year move to the U.S. due to logistical issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP became the first PGA TOUR event held in Japan. Tiger Woods won his record-tying 82nd PGA TOUR title at last year's ZOZO and will be back to defend against a field full of TOUR stars who are scheduled to compete, including FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson. FIELD NOTES: Woods is teeing it up for the first time since missing the cut at the U.S. Open. He won his Hero World Challenge five times at Sherwood... Hideki Matsuyama leads a robust contingent of golfers from Japan, many of whom are having excellent seasons on the Japan Tour. Matsuyama finished runner-up at the ZOZO a year ago... Sponsor exemptions include past FedExCup champions Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth along with Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, and Satoshi Kodaira... Other notables that round out the field (from the top 60 available on the prior season's FedExCup standings) include past FedExCup winners Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy... Young Southern California sensations Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff, who played junior golf against each other, are making their ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP debuts. Wolff went to high school just seven miles from the course. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Sherwood Country Club, par 72, 7,006 yards (par and yardage subject to change). Sherwood, a Jack Nicklaus design, was the venue for Woods' Hero World Challenge from 2000-2013. It has also hosted the Shark Shootout (a team event hosted by Greg Norman) for a decade starting in 1989 and hosted the PGA TOUR Champions' PowerShares QQQ Championship. Nicklaus completed Sherwood in the late 1980's and then returned in 2016 to help with agronomic improvements. Built on a river valley with high surrounding hills, the course is a golfing oasis. STORYLINES: Woods is searching for his record-breaking 83rd TOUR victory and he'll do it at a place he's comfortable... Johnson, the reigning FedExCup champion, has the course record at Sherwood, a 61. Wayne Gretzky, his soon-to-be father-in-law, is a member of the club and resident... In the TOUR's history, five Japanese players have won 11 times - led by Matsuyama with five... Takumi Kanaya will play his first PGA TOUR event as a professional. The winner of the Mark H. McCormack medal as the year's top-ranked amateur turned pro a few weeks ago. He made the cut in the 2019 Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur. 72-HOLE RECORD: 261, Tiger Woods (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Keegan Bradley (Second round, 2019), Rory McIlroy (third round, 2019) LAST TIME: Woods tied Sam Snead's record for most PGA TOUR victories with 82 after topping the field at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, the first TOUR event held in Japan. It was Woods' first start of the 2019-20 season, and his first since he had knee surgery that August. Woods bogeyed his first three holes on Thursday but birdied nine of his next 15 to shoot 64 and share the first-round lead with Gary Woodland. Play was called Sunday evening due to darkness, which resulted in Woods having to complete seven holes Monday morning. He topped Japan's own Hideki Matsuyama by three shots. The country's favorite son birdied three of his final eight holes to put the pressure on Woods but ended runner-up to history. McIlroy and Sungjae Im finished T3, six shots back, while 18-hole co-leader Woodland finished fifth. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Sunday, 12:45 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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NAPA, Calif. – Notes and observations from round two of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort & Spa.  LEADING LIGHTS SNEDEKER SPRINTS AHEAD. Brandt Snedeker was the star of a hot group (Fred Couples, Patrick Cantlay) as he shot 65 to take the solo lead by three heading into the weekend. Ryan Moore (67), Phil Mickelson (69) and Michael Thompson (65) lead the chase pack. A nine-time TOUR winner who won the 2012 FedExCup, Snedeker, 37, has racked up four of those victories in California, two each at the Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Through two rounds at Silverado, though, he’s been even more inspired by the state of 59-year-old playing partner Fred Couples, who also shot 65 (6-under). “It’s always fun to play with Freddy,� Snedeker said. “I don’t get to see him enough. When I made the turn, as good as I played, I was still tied with Freddy, and there was no way some 59-year-old guy who’s semi-retired is going to come out here and whip my tail. We kind of spurred each other on today and had a great time, and we saw a bunch of putts go in, which is nice.� Snedeker has made just under 200 feet worth of putts and is fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through two rounds. NOTABLES PHIL’S BIG SHOCKER. Admittedly exhausted as he plays for the eighth time in the last 10 weeks, Phil Mickelson came to Silverado fully expecting to miss the cut but is well in contention at 10 under after a second-round 69. “Well, I’m cautiously optimistic,� Mickelson said as he goes into the weekend three back in search of his 44th PGA TOUR victory. “It’s certainly turning from pessimistic, because I didn’t think I was going to be here on the weekend, and the next thing you know I’m up on top of the leaderboard.� Mickelson has made over 227 feet of putts over the first two rounds despite making his eighth tournament start in the last 10 weeks, which he said is too much golf. For more on Mickelson’s plans to cut back, click here. COUPLES MAKES 500TH CUT. Fred Couples, who turned 59 earlier this week, marked another milestone as he shot 65 to make his 500th cut on the PGA TOUR. He came into this week with 491 made cuts, officially, but he’d also made eight cuts at The Open Championship prior to 1995, before the TOUR started counting that as an official event. Add it all up and he hit the 500 mark Friday. “I played well,� said Couples, who hit 10/14 fairways for the second straight day, but went from 141st to 3rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. “It’s not an easy course, but I feel like some of my strongest clubs are my 8, 9 and wedge, and I hit a lot of those.� One day after he played Silverado’s four par-5s in 1 over, he played them in 4 under as he soaked up a magical, sun-splashed day with playing partners Snedeker and Cantlay. OBSERVATIONS MULDER HANGS TOUGH. Sponsor’s exemption Mark Mulder, a pitcher for nine years with the Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals, improved by one with a second-round 74 to accomplish his goal of not finishing last—he beat Ollie Schniederjans and Wesley Bryan—and beat, by two strokes, the over-under of 151 set by his friends. CAULEY COMES BACK STRONG. Making his first TOUR start since suffering several broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken leg in a car crash during the week of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at the start of the summer, Bud Cauley shot a second-round 69 to easily make the cut at 5 under. GET TO KNOW … SEPP STRAKA. Was born in Austria and lived in Vienna until age 14, when the family moved to Valdosta, Georgia. Played for Georgia Bulldogs and won 2016 SEC Championship before turning pro and capturing 2018 KC Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour last season. Dream foursome: Tiger, Moe Norman, twin brother Sam. 2nd EFFORT. The par-3 second hole is 240 yards on the card but played 247 on Friday, when the field averaged 3.313 strokes, making it the toughest of the day. Couples birdied it. “I really didn’t want to hit a 3-wood,� he said. “I swung and hit my little rescue as hard as I could, and lo and behold it went right at the flag and ended up about six feet away and birdie-birdie start.� THE REBOUND. Ricky Barnes shot 75 on Thursday, but roared back with an 11-under 61 in the second round to tie the course record. His Strokes Gained: Putting went from -2.714 (135th) in round one to +6.797 (1st) in round two. Barnes said the round, which began on the back nine, reminded him of his 10-under 62 at the 2010 Memorial with Tiger Woods. “I had a putt on the last hole and he told me to knock it in,� Barnes said. “I went just low side, and he walked by me and called me an amateur. So I knew I was going to get the ball in the hole on 9 today for birdie.� QUOTABLES I couldn’t lose to a 59-year-old.I’m surprised I haven’t hit any out of bounds. It hadn’t really sunk in until I got to the airport and they handed me the keys to the courtesy car. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 61 by Ricky Barnes (8-under total). Longest drive: 359 yards (Peter Uihlein/No. 4) Longest putt: 82’ 2� (Kyle Jones/No. 1) Toughest hole: The 247-yard, par-3 2nd played to a 3.313 average. Easiest hole: The 525-yard, par-5 5th played to a 4.583 average, easiest for the second straight day. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the third round of the Safeway Open, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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