Phil Mickelson Elicits a Range of Emotions

Royal Liverpool Golf Club has been chosen as the venue for the 2022 Open Championship.

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Former world No. 1 Jason Day has withdrawn from his hometown Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide with a back complaint, all but ending his hopes of gaining a place in the upcoming U.S. Open. Day tweaked his troublesome back on Monday which saw him miss practice rounds and Wednesday’s pro-am but the 12-time PGA TOUR winner has hoped to still take his place at Muirfield Village in Thursday’s opening round. “Unfortunately I’ve had to make the decision to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament with a back injury. While my body has been great, recently I tweaked my back on Monday and while we tried to get it right over the last few days ultimately I felt the best decision was not to put it at further risk,” Day said. “It’s disappointing to have to miss one of my favorite tournaments of the year but I’m confident it’s nothing major and with some rest and rehab I’ll be back soon. I look forward to returning to Muirfield Village next year and I wish Jack and the tournament every success this week.” Day, currently ranked 69th in the official world golf rankings and 107th in the FedExCup, needed a high finish at Muirfield Village to move inside the world top 60 at tournament end, the cutoff to earn an invite to the June 17-20 U.S. Open to be held at Torrey Pines. Two of the Australian’s TOUR wins have come at Torrey Pines, in the 2015 and 2018 Farmers Insurance Open’s and he was also successful there as a teen at the Junior Worlds. He is not expected to join the final 36-hole qualifying field on Monday, June 7th meaning he will miss his first major championship since the 2012 Open Championship and his first U.S. Open since finishing runner up in his debut in 2011. Day has five career top-10s at the U.S. Open and 16 top-10s in majors with a lone victory coming at the 2015 PGA Championship. Day and wife Ellie are also expecting their fourth child at any moment.

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Each week during the fall, PGATOUR.COM will highlight one of the rookies playing on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season. This week: Matthew NeSmith, who’s in this week’s field at this week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Age: 25 Birthplace: North Augusta, South Carolina Resides: Columbia, South Carolina College: University of South Carolina TOUR card gained by: Finishing 1st in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. TOUR starts/Best finish: 8/missed all eight cuts, but missed by only one shot at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. MEET THE ROOKIES: Bo Hoag | Michael Gellerman | Nelson Ledesma Pro highlights: Started Sunday three back but shot 64 to beat Viktor Hovland by one at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, for his first Korn Ferry Tour title. … Top-10s at Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae (led through 36 and 54 holes but finished T8), Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation (T6), and The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay (T9). …  Finished runner-up at 2016 Mackenzie Tour PGA TOUR Canada Q School … Shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Safeway Open, leaving him just one shot off the 18-hole lead, but shot 77 in Round 2 to miss the cut. Amateur highlights: As a senior at South Carolina, he became first Gamecock to win twice in less than one week (five days), and first to earn PING First Team All-America honors. … Is the school’s all-time leader in top-10 finishes (25) and scoring average (71.65). … As a junior golfer in 2012, won AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions and FootJoy Invitational, the latter event, at Sedgefield Country Club, earning him a start at 2012 Wyndham Championship (MC). Interesting tidbits: Does not look at leaderboards and did not know the 15-footer at the last was for the win in Boise. (He made it.) … Proposed to his wife, Abigail, on the 18th green at Harbour Town Golf Links. … Has volunteered to build bikes for needy families at Christmas. … Has been involved with Curing Kids Cancer, where wife has worked. … Brother is a celebrity photojournalist in New York City.   NeSmith says (after winning Albertsons Boise Open): “It was time to do something. I had kind of been hanging around mini tours for a couple of years and Canada, and I finally got out here. I’ve played solid all year-round. I just never really could figure it out, and then I started playing well at the end of the year and got in the Finals … and then anything can happen.� For more on Matthew NeSmith, click here.

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