PGA Tour players honor Kobe Bryant at the Waste Management Phoenix Open

Xander Schauffele takes home the gold medal with a one-shot win at the Olympic Games. Check out the clubs he used to close out the victory in Tokyo. RELATED: Final leaderboard Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (9 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD BB 7 X 3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (15 degrees @14) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 TX 7-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (20 degrees @18.8) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 X Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (56-10 @57), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 WedgeWorks (60-T @61) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Putter: Odyssey O-Works #7 CH Red Grip: SuperStroke Traxion 2.0 Tour (10 grams) Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X LS Prototype Grips: Golf Pride MCC (Black/White)

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KAPALUA, Hawaii – Rory McIlroy sat back in the chair, took a deep breath, and smiled when asked. He smiled because he recognized a chance to give public credit to some special people in his life. His parents. The 14-time PGA TOUR winner was giving a press conference for his first appearance at this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions and the question about who he felt was the foundation of his success was a welcome one. Now almost 30, McIlroy has found a greater appreciation for the sacrifices his parents Gerry and Rosie provided for him. “I couldn’t single out one over the other, because my dad worked three jobs at one time and my mom worked night shifts and so they made a lot of sacrifices,â€� McIlroy praised. “All their extra money and time off was put into me to go and play golf tournaments.â€� It’s true. Gerry split time between cleaning and bar work. Rosie would work nights at a factory. It allowed young Rory to follow his passion for golf. It set the base that would lead to a FedExCup title and four majors to this point. It is a theme you can find all over the PGA TOUR. The trip to greatness is not a solo one. It takes help. It takes belief from others. For Jason Day, a joint course record holder at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, the reflection was to his mother, his wife, his agent and his coach. Without these people on his journey Day says he would never have made it to the PGA TOUR. “Everyone on the PGA TOUR has someone or some people who have put us first on multiple occasions,â€� Day says. “While we work hard and sacrifice our time to practice and get in shape it is those behind the scenes who keep things running smoothly. “It started with my mum, then Colin Swatton came into my life as a coach and father figure, then my agent Bud and my wife Ellie … they all do more than I can ever thank them for. They’ve always done right by me. It allows me to be the best golfer I can be.â€� Up and coming star Cameron Champ threw praise on his family, particularly his grandfather, and also renowned coach Sean Foley for taking a chance on a kid with raw talent but little means. Champ is at the beginning of his PGA TOUR journey. He is acutely aware of the assistance needed from others for him to be living out this dream. Foley, who has coached Tiger Woods among others over the years, was happy to take him on board. People would pay huge money for his instruction. Champ obviously could not do so at the time coming from a humble background. “I met Sean at about 15. He was generous enough to teach me even though means was tough for us,â€� Champ says. “And the connection, the relationship, has gone from there until now which has been amazing.â€� The 23-year-old is already a PGA TOUR winner and touted as the next big thing, something that may or may not have happened as quickly without this foundation. Golf Channel analyst Mark Rolfing, who forged his own golf career in the 1970s before becoming a long-time Maui resident and member of the Kapalua golf family, believes these foundations are critical for not only professional athletes, but for all of us. He has seen the cultural idea of Ohana work on the Hawaiian islands for decades – one based on a wider community or “familyâ€� where everyone works together and supports each other. And he is very keen to push the idea onto the general population. “Part of living on Maui and the whole Ohana aspect of what we do has permeated into my soul and I take it everywhere I go around the world with me,â€� Rolfing explains. “It’s maybe easier for me because I’m constantly reminded about how important people were to me and how I had so many people do right by me. “But the average person has just as many people in their lives provide this foundation. People who share advice. People who unselfishly donate time to help others. “It would be good if every person could stop every once in a while and reflect who has been right by them and reflect on who got them to where they are.â€� This is something McIlroy for one can certainly agree on. He admitted it took time for him to truly appreciate what his parents have done for him and continue to do to help him be the person he is. “I didn’t truly realize until maybe when I was out of my teenage years, when I was on my own two feet, and I realized that my childhood wasn’t the norm and that’s not what a lot of parents do for their kids,â€� McIlroy said. “And so it took me a while to realize just the sacrifice and the hard work that they put in to just give me a chance to do what I do. “I always said I can never repay them for what they have done for me … just make sure they’re happy and comfortable for the rest of their days.â€�

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The PGA TOUR added a second event in Mexico to its schedule with January’s announcement of the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Vidanta Vallarta will host the event for the next three years. World No. 3 Jon Rahm headlines the field, with plenty of home-country talent trying to lift a trophy on Mexican soil. FIELD NOTES: Rahm tees it up for the first time since the Masters. He’s the highest-ranked player in the field … Abraham Ancer leads the Mexican contingent at Vidanta Vallarta alongside fellow TOUR winner Carlos Ortiz and Korn Ferry Tour winner Roberto Diaz … Major champs Gary Woodland, Graeme McDowell and Patrick Reed are set to tee it up … Multi-time TOUR winners Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ and Kevin Na are in the field … Several 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour graduates are teeing it up and looking to lock up PGA TOUR status for next season with a solid effort this week … The Monday qualifier already occurred. Patrick Flavin, Jeffrey Kang, Turk Pettit and Bryson Nimmer earned their way into the field. Flavin and Pettit advanced via a 6-for-2 playoff. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Vidanta Vallarta, par 71, 7,456 yards. This Greg Norman design opened in 2015. There are large landing areas off the tee, while the greens are protected by cavernous bunkers. The course meanders along the Ameca River, with views of the Sierra Madres offered on every hole. STORYLINES: The Mexico Open is considered the country’s national golf championship and was first contested in 1944. It boasts winners like Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Crenshaw and Stewart Cink … Four native Mexican golfers have won on the PGA TOUR. Abraham Ancer was the most recent – he captured the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2021 … This will be the second event in Mexico on the 2021-22 PGA TOUR schedule, as Viktor Hovland won the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in November … 250 yards were added to the golf course from its original design in preparation for the arrival of the PGA TOUR, along with 51 new bunkers (for a total of 106). 72-HOLE RECORD: N/A 18-HOLE RECORD: N/A LAST TIME: This is the first Mexico Open on the PGA TOUR calendar. Patrick Reed won the former World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in 2020, the last time it was contested in Mexico City, while Alvaro Ortiz (brother of Carlos) won the 2021 Abierto Mexicano de Golf. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.–6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

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