PGA Tour board: Players will have say in final deal

ORLANDO, Fla. – Rest easy, golf universe. There are no plans to “Charlie-proof“ the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in preparation for the arrival of Tiger Woods’ long-hitting son at this week’s PNC Championship, which begins on Saturday. Charlie Woods, 13, will be moving back one set of tees, but that’s just a matter of age. Charlie turned 13 since last year’s event, in which he and his father finished second behind the Dalys, John and John II. Unless Charlie and his father choose for Charlie to play a longer course – indications are that they will not – Charlie will be teeing it up from roughly 6,500 yards in the parent-child competition. At last year’s PNC, the tees Charlie played from were closer to 6,000 yards. A variety of tees are in use at the PNC Championship because of the wide disparity in ages and skill levels. Several reports circulated Wednesday stating that Charlie would be moved back to the second-longest set of tees this week, which play approximately 6,750 yards. That’s just one tee box up from the set used by PGA TOUR professionals age 54 and younger, a group that includes his dad, Tiger. Those players will compete from approximately 7,100 yards. Charlie was briefly listed in the group of players who would compete from the second-longest set of tees, but with an asterisk next to his name that signified that he had been moved at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. As always, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to make adjustments as deemed necessary, but Joe Terry, this week’s advance official and Chief Referee for the PGA TOUR, said he wasn’t going to “penalize” young Charlie just because he hits a golf ball a long way. (Tiger admitted at The Match last week that Charlie has outdriven him at home.) “Age is age, and it’s always constant,” said Terry, who is in his 25th year at the PNC, a 20-team event of pros and amateurs that utilizes four different sets of tees, all according to age. For instance, there are only three players in the field who will compete from the most-forward Grand Masters tees, set up at 5,643 yards: Gary Player and Lee Trevino (both in their 80s) and 11-year-old Will McGee, son of Annika Sorenstam, who is playing for the first time. McGee is the youngest player in this week’s field. “We have always done everything by age,” Terry said. “If we changed it to get Charlie to play from further back, we would do so only at the request or the wishes of Charlie or Tiger. (Terry added that historically, Tiger always has been committed to following age guidelines.) Every other 13-year-old has played from the 13-year-old tees, so if we win, when we win, the record can stand as a 13-year-old.” Charlie Woods will be playing from the same tees as the pros ages 65-72 (Bernhard Langer, Mark O’Meara, Nick Price, Nick Faldo), club professional Mike Thomas (Justin’s dad), Petr Korda (Nelly’s dad), amateur Carson Kuchar (son of Matt). Annika Sorenstam, one of two LPGA players in the field, also will play from those tees. Should Charlie and Tiger return in 2023, Charlie again would move back one set of tees. Terry said he listened to suggestions that Charlie needs to play a longer course because he hits it far, but he said, “I’m not going to arbitrate that. Age is age. If I moved him (back) because he’s good, then why don’t I move some others because they’re not good? Age is age, and it’s always constant, and if we stick by our tournament regulations, we’ll be fine.” Tiger and Charlie Woods will play in Saturday’s final grouping, heading off at 12:02 p.m. alongside Justin and Mike Thomas, the 2020 PNC champions.

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POTOMAC, Maryland – A tiny square of chocolate sat nestled in cupcake frosting. Rory McIlroy, celebrating his 33rd birthday at the Wells Fargo Championship pro-am at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, plucked the decorative part off the top and ate it. He thanked everyone and discretely left the cupcake under a tent next to the 10th tee. RELATED: McIlroy extends agreement with TaylorMade | McIlroy looks to improve wedge play “I try not to eat a lot of that stuff,” he said on the walk to his pre-tournament press conference. A 22-year-old McIlroy might have eaten the whole cupcake. That’s how old he was when he won the 2011 U.S. Open at nearby Congressional Country Club, which on Wednesday he called “the best week of golf I’ve ever played in my life.” Now, though, he’s older, and wiser. He’s an athlete, and athletes don’t often eat that stuff. McIlroy drove past a familiar looking course on his way to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm for the first time Tuesday. Familiar, he realized with a start, because it was Congressional, the place where he rebounded from his Masters meltdown with an emphatic statement win. Since then, of course, he’s won nearly all the important hardware, at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGA Championship (twice), Open Championship. He’s the only other player besides Tiger Woods to win the FedExCup twice. Somehow, though, he’d never had occasion to play TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He hadn’t even heard much about it. “But from what I’ve seen the last couple days,” he said, “I really like it … green complexes are tricky, pretty small targets, the rough maybe isn’t up as much as they usually have it here because of the time of year. “But overall, really solid test,” he continued. “Looking forward to getting out there.” The usual Wells Fargo venue, Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, is busy preparing for the Presidents Cup, but rest assured, McIlroy, who won the Wells Fargo for the third time a year ago, knows how to adapt. He also knows how to relate. He was the pro-am partner of choice for the four HBCU graduates and former First Tee kids who got him for the front nine. McIlroy made sure everyone walked away smiling, and offered tips to at least one of his young playing partners, Lennard Long of Morehouse College, now a First Tee coach. “Super friendly,” Long said. “Super just helpful. Asked him some tips for chipping and he was willing to give them to me, so I’m going to take them back and give them to our kids when I coach them so they’re really appreciative of it.” None of this should be surprising. McIlroy could be No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Self-awareness. A 20-time PGA TOUR winner, 11th in the FedExCup, seventh in the world, he is also a husband (Erica) and father (Poppy). He’s coming off a three-week break, his last competitive round a wild 64 at the Masters that vaulted him to second place, his best-ever finish at Augusta. He and playing partner Collin Morikawa each holed out from a greenside bunker on 18, touching off a wild celebration, after which McIlroy said he’d never had so much fun playing golf. Now he hopes to build on that success, as he’s on the precipice of playing six times in the next eight weeks. Those eight weeks should begin to tell us if anyone can challenge FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler. Whatever shakes out between the ropes, McIlroy is sure to command eyeballs. He has become one of the game’s elder statesmen (albeit a young one), a Player Director on the PGA TOUR policy board who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. “He’s a leader I think for us in a lot of ways,” said Webb Simpson. “Very articulate. And he’s been a global player for a long time, so I think his opinions matter. Him being on the board now, I think he brings a lot to the table. He’s certainly a guy who I think has been fun to listen to because he’s not just going to give you the right answers, he’s going to give you what he thinks.” Small example: Saturated from overnight rain, TPC Potomac would seem to offer the kind of soft targets that suit McIlroy nicely. Those were the conditions, after all, when he won his first major at that 2011 U.S. Open. Asked about the favorable conditions, though, he offered the gentle reminder that he’s won 30 trophies worldwide, not all of them on soggy grass. Instead of being chastened, though, the assembled journalists laughed right along with him. Still, Congressional really was special, and McIlroy planned to drop in. “We’ll see if I can rekindle some of those vibes from 11 years ago,” he said of the Wednesday afternoon visit, the first time he will have gone back to Congressional since participating in a First Tee clinic there a few years ago. Coming off the time of his life at the Masters, defending at his beloved Wells Fargo, and on his birthday, no less, McIlroy is in his element, that enviable, happy place where all the vibes are good and all the cupcakes fully frosted.

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Here’s how the field qualified for the Palmetto Championship at Congaree as of 6/04/2021. Check here for updates. Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship Si Woo Kim Winner – The Masters Danny Willett Winner – World Golf Championship Event Kevin Kisner Winners of the Arnold Palmer, Memorial, Genesis (Last 3 Years) Jason Dufner Tyrrell Hatton Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons Ryan Armour Austin Cook Tyler Duncan Harris English Brice Garnett Brian Gay Branden Grace J.B. Holmes Sungjae Im Sung Kang Michael Kim Patton Kizzire Russell Knox Satoshi Kodaira Martin Laird Nate Lashley Troy Merritt Keith Mitchell Cheng Tsung Pan Pat Perez Scott Piercy J.T. Poston Ted Potter, Jr. Ian Poulter Andrew Putnam Chez Reavie Brandt Snedeker Hudson Swafford Nick Taylor Martin Trainer Kevin Tway Richy Werenski Career Money Exemption Luke Donald Hunter Mahan Bo Van Pelt Sponsor Exemptions: 2018-19 FEC / 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Category Wilco Nienaber Davis Thompson Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Smylie Kaufman John Rollins Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Cole Hammer David Lipsky Bryson Nimmer John Pak Commissioner Exemption – 2 Foreign Players Garrick Higgo PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Kelly Mitchum Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List Byeong Hun An Matt Fitzpatrick Mark Hubbard Danny Lee Alex Noren Robby Shelton Doc Redman Henrik Norlander Charley Hoffman Xinjun Zhang Sepp Straka Harold Varner III Vaughn Taylor Patrick Rodgers Brian Stuard Tommy Fleetwood Scott Harrington Matthew NeSmith Sam Ryder Adam Schenk Scott Brown Beau Hossler Lucas Glover Luke List Scott Stallings Rory Sabbatini Tom Lewis Bo Hoag Top 125 (Prior Season Nonmember) William Gordon Erik van Rooyen Major Medical Extension James Hahn Kevin Chappell Kevin Stadler William McGirt Sean O’Hair John Huh Jonas Blixt Harrison Frazar 2018-19 Top 125 FEC/2019 Top Finishers Korn Ferry Tour (reordered) Peter Malnati Doug Ghim Tyler McCumber Kyle Stanley Jhonattan Vegas Chase Seiffert Anirban Lahiri Vincent Whaley Cameron Percy Michael Gligic Kramer Hickok Rafael Campos Hank Lebioda Bronson Burgoon Joseph Bramlett Roger Sloan Kristoffer Ventura Chesson Hadley David Hearn Rob Oppenheim J.J. Spaun Rafa Cabrera Bello Grayson Murray D.J. Trahan Ryan Brehm Sebastian Cappelen Nelson Ledesma Kiradech Aphibarnrat Fabián Gómez Mark Anderson Rhein Gibson Nick Watney Ben Taylor Aaron Baddeley Chris Baker Michael Gellerman Matt Every Lucas Bjerregaard Jim Knous 126 – 150 Prior Season’s FEC Points List (Reordered) Camilo Villegas Ben Martin Peter Uihlein Seamus Power Josh Teater Wes Roach Bill Haas Roberto Castro Johnson Wagner Zack Sucher Ryan Blaum Dominic Bozzelli Shawn Stefani Reorder Category – Cat. 34 thru 38 Padraig Harrington Ricky Barnes Jonathan Byrd Greg Chalmers David Lingmerth Andres Romero George McNeill D.A. Points Charlie Beljan Richard S Johnson

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