Phil Mickelson and Jim “Bones” Mackay part ways

JACKSON, Miss. – When Sebastian Munoz started his college career, he didn’t dream of playing the PGA TOUR. Reaching golf’s highest stage didn’t seem realistic. He was struggling just to crack the starting lineup at North Texas. Focusing on academics felt like the prudent thing to do. Then the quick pro success of a former teammate changed Munoz’s mind. Carlos Ortiz started his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour during Munoz’s junior year. Ortiz won three times, and inspired Munoz to swap some time in the library for the driving range. Still, Munoz said he wouldn’t turn pro unless he won during his senior season. He’d return to Colombia and work for his family’s rubber-tree plantation instead. Fortunately he won twice during his final year for the Mean Green. “I made a promise, so I said, ‘Let’s go,’â€� Munoz said. RELATED: Final leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Sebastián Muñoz Like his former teammate, he didn’t take long to enter the winner’s circle. Munoz won his second start on the Korn Ferry Tour, after receiving a sponsor exemption into the event in his native Colombia. It translated into his first PGA TOUR card. That improbable path led to his first PGA TOUR win Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he beat the reigning Rookie of the Year, Sungjae Im, on the first hole of a playoff. With the win, Munoz took over the top spot in the FedExCup standings. He shot 70-67-63-70 to finish at 18-under 270 at the Country Club of Jackson. “I never thought I was going to be a PGA TOUR player,â€� Munoz said. “It wasn’t even an option.â€� He’s the second consecutive winner from Latin America to start the new season. Joaquin Niemann won the season-opening A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Watching his friend win gave Munoz the confidence that he could do the same. It was at The Greenbrier two years ago when Munoz held the first 54-hole lead of his career. He shot 2 over in the final round, though, as Xander Schauffele earned his first win. Munoz quizzed Niemann, who made six back-nine birdies last Sunday, about the final round as they flew together to Mississippi. The advice paid off quickly. Munoz was back in the lead after a third-round 63 at the Country Club of Jackson. “Him winning last week was the last piece of the puzzle that I needed to know that we’re good enough to compete, that we’re PGA TOUR members and we play to win,â€� Munoz said. Munoz scrambled to stay in the lead all day until a sloppy bogey at the drivable 15th. It was his first in 39 holes. He still trailed by one when he came to the final hole. Munoz slammed a 322-yard tee shot into the fairway, then hit his 160-yard approach to 15 feet. He made the putt, setting off a roar in the grandstands surrounding the final green. He missed both the fairway and the green on the first extra hole, but chipped to 4 feet and made par. He won after Im failed to get up-and-down from behind the green. “He has a lot of moxie and confidence,â€� said Munoz’s former college coach, Brad Stracke. “It doesn’t surprise me he made that putt to tie and then got that up-and-down.â€� Munoz only made three bogeys all week despite hitting just 52% of the fairways. None of his recovery shots was bigger than his approach on the 482-yard sixth, one of the Country Club of Jackson’s most difficult holes.   His tee shot slammed into a tree, leaving him 260 yards to the green on the par-4. The thick canopy of the oaks left him with few options. Pitching out to the right, and leaving himself a third shot around 100 yards seemed like the prudent play. Munoz was inspired to take the riskier route after seeing Golf Channel broadcaster Jim “Bonesâ€� Mackay, who was following the group. Mackay was the longtime caddie for Phil Mickelson. Munoz decided to emulate Mackay’s old boss. “Fortune favors the bold,â€� Munoz said. “I believed in myself and pulled the shot off.â€� Munoz opened the face of his fairway wood, and hit a shot that was headed down the parallel fifth fairway before slicing some 50 yards. It ended up in the rough left of the green. He pitched to 12 feet and made the putt. Munoz finished 42nd in driving accuracy this week after hitting 29 fairways, but he was 12th in greens hit (57 of 72). His iron play was good enough that he didn’t have to make a putt longer than 15 feet for any of his 21 birdies. It was Munoz’s second consecutive top-10 to start the season. He finished T7 last week at A Military Tribute. Stracke remembers the first time he watched Munoz play, at a junior event on Doral’s Blue Monster. Munoz made eight birdies. “I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, this guy is going to be great.’â€� He almost didn’t play the PGA TOUR, though. Now he’s a winner.

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The PGA TOUR enters the home stretch of events prior to the FedExCup playoffs with the 3M Open in Minnesota. Michael Thompson defends from 2020 while reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson tops the field. FIELD NOTES: Dustin Johnson will tee it up at the 3M Open, looking for his first victory on TOUR since the Masters in November. He has had just two top-10 finishes during this calendar year and withdrew after the first round in Minnesota in 2020 due to a back injury… 54-hole Open Championship leader Louis Oosthuizen is set to make his 3M Open debut… Some of the other major champions set to tee it up in Minnesota include Charl Schwartzel, Jason Dufner, Gary Woodland, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, two-time TOUR winner this season Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia, and recent winner Lucas Glover… Rickie Fowler will make his tournament debut along with American Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker… Included in the Sponsor Exemptions are a foursome of college studs: Quade Cummins, Ryan Hall, John Pak, and the University of Minnesota’s Angus Flanagan. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points STORYLINES: Matthew Wolff returns to action on the PGA TOUR. The 2019 3M Open winner, which he won in his rookie season, was disqualified from the Masters and took a two-month break to focus on his mental health before coming back at the U.S. Open. He played the Travelers Championship (MC) and the Rocket Mortgage Classic (58) before choosing not to play the Open Championship. Wolff’s win came in just his third TOUR start as a pro… Fans, in full capacity, will be allowed back on site for 2021 and there will be a new, large spectator hub built out around the par-3 17th. COURSE: TPC Twin Cities, par 71, 7,431 yards. Designed originally by Arnold Palmer, the layout traverses naturally rolling terrain 15 miles north of Minneapolis/St. Paul on a former sod farm. Minnesota native and multi-time TOUR winner Tom Lehman was the player consultant for the course that features lots of water. One of the signature holes is the 7th, dubbed “Tom’s Thumb” after Lehman himself – it’s a risk/reward par four. 72-HOLE RECORD: 263, Matthew Wolff (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Scott Piercy (first round, 2019), Bryson DeChambeau (second round, 2019), Matthew Wolff (third round, 2019), Lucas Glover (fourth round, 2019) LAST TIME: Michael Thompson found the winner’s circle on the PGA TOUR for the first time in seven years after he won the 2020 3M Open by two shots over Adam Long. Thompson had only one other top-10 finish on the 2019-20 TOUR season (T8, RBC Heritage) and started the year missing his first seven of 11 cuts. However, Thompson opened with a 7-under 64 and kept it steady through the weekend. He birdied No’s 16 and 18 on Sunday to hold off Long, who climbed 11 spots on the leaderboard in the final round to get into the mix. He birdied three of his first five holes on the back nine to put the pressure on Thompson, but despite birding No’s 16 and 18, like Thompson, a bogey on the penultimate hole ultimately derailed his chances. Nine golfers finished tied for third at 16-under, while defending champion Matthew Wolff was two shots further back and finished T12. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 2:30 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). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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The PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links this week for the RBC Heritage. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Round 1 leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups), Saturday-Sunday 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS Rory McIlroy, C.T. Pan, Rickie Fowler Thursday: 7:40 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee); Friday: 1:05 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee) Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed Thursday: 7:29 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee); Friday: 12:54 p.m. ET (No. 1) Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas Thursday: 1:05 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:40 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee) Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland Thursday: 12:54 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:29 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee) MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks The First Look Horses for Courses: Harbour Town Q&A: Fabulous dad life of Mike Thomas Inside bulked-up Bryson’s big drives

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