Photo Gallery: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, Final round

Welcome to the Monday Finish where the music is still pumping down by the bayou for Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy after they combined brilliantly to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Here are five observations and insights from TPC Louisiana, where the tournament continues to innovate and is quickly becoming a must-stop on the PGA TOUR. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. The winning combination of a guy (Billy Horschel) who is outwardly emotional and another (Scott Piercy) who is seemingly a lot more insular emotionally was certainly an interesting one. Piercy actually revealed – and Horschel confirmed – that he had been part of a team of people to help spark Horschel’s flagging season a few weeks ago with a pep talk and advice on keeping his swing thoughts much simpler. And Piercy has been struggling with his putting this season but seeing Horschel make a ton of putts freed him up to make some of his own. The win is set to really catapult both men into the back half of the season with Horschel now ready to attempt to become just the second player, behind Tiger Woods, to win the FedExCup twice. Read more about the team dynamic here. 2. The introduction of walk up music to the tournament in the weekend rounds was certainly well received and created plenty of buzz. Discussions on what teams picked for their songs dominated the discussions pre-tournament and by the time we saw it all in action the anticipation was pretty high. While some teams got into the spirit more than others it was sensational to see guys like Ben Crane and Alex Cejka rock out on the tee box and clever of players like Cameron Percy and Greg Chalmers to mix giveaways with their song. The Australians had Men at Work’s “Down Underâ€� and actually gave out Vegemite sandwiches to fans! Justin Rose making fun of teammate Henrik Stenson with the choice of “Goldâ€� from Spandau Ballet in reference to their Olympic history was also priceless. Check out some of the good stuff in this compilation.  3. While a debrief is yet to be done, the format change which saw alternate shot switched to Friday and Sunday was pretty awesome. It created a lot more drama both in terms of making or missing the cut and of course crowning a champion. Clearly the harder format over that of Four-ball, the stress of playing team golf was really brought to the fore. We are used to seeing these guys produce brilliant play week in and week out when they are playing as individuals, so it is refreshing to see them under the gun and needing to work together. Thursday’s leaders were not there after Friday, and Saturday’s leaders were not there after Sunday. Multiple teams had a chance to win Sunday and that’s always going to be exciting. 4. The strength of the field this year was up again with big names throughout the field list. With Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose there were four of the top five players in the world in New Orleans. Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Day, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson were other top 20 in the world players joining the fun. While Spieth, Thomas, Rahm, Koepka and Garcia all missed the cut with their teammates, it showed how much the event is becoming a must-stop on the TOUR schedule. Players get to relax a little, play with a friend, and still compete for great prizemoney and crucial FedExCup points. Don’t be surprised if even more big names turn up in 2019. 5. There were only a handful of them throughout the tournament, but it was great to see what could be a few previews of World Cup teams at TPC Louisiana. The World Cup of Golf will be held in Melbourne, Australia at The Metropolitan Golf Club on November 21-25. The format is the same as the Zurich Classic with alternating days of Four-Ball and Foursomes play. In the World Cup the highest ranked player of a nation that decides to compete can choose his partner so plenty can change between now and November. But seeing the Chinese pair of Xinjun Zhang and Zecheng Dou leading after the first round was perhaps something to take note of. Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Paisley of England looked a very impressive combination as they finished fourth this week. Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen were third and could be a very good South African team. Scotsmen Martin Laird and Russell Knox were also pretty decent on the way to a T7 finish. Other teams getting some potential practice included Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain, Canadians Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners, the Mexican duo of Abraham Ancer and Roberto Diaz and Argentina’s Fabian Gomez and Andrew Romero. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Scott Piercy and Billy Horschel received 400 FedExCup points for the victory with Piercy moving to 27th in the standings and Horschel moving to 33rd. 2. The win is the fifth of Horschel’s career in his 191st start at the age of 31 years, 4 months, 22 days. Horschel’s PGA TOUR titles: 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2014 TOUR Championship, 2014 BMW Championship, 2013 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It is the fourth PGA TOUR title for Piercy in his 251st start at the age of 39 years, 5 months, 23 days. Piercy’s PGA TOUR victories: 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2015 Barbasol Championship, 2012 RBC Canadian Open, 2011 Barracuda Championship. 3. Jason Dufner (paired with Pat Perez) fell just short of also becoming a repeat Zurich Open champion. He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2012 and has finished in the top-10 six of the last 10 years. (2nd 2018, T5 2017, Won 2012, T3 2011, T7 2010, T9 2009). The runner-up is Dufner’s first top-10 of the 2017-18 season and first time finishing in the top two since winning in 2017 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Perez earned his fourth top-five of the season (2nd – Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T4 – Sentry Tournament of Champions, T5 – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Won – CIMB Classic) and is now No. 11 in the FedExCup standings. 4. The Four-ball format proved decidedly easier than the Foursomes. In Four-ball the scoring average was 65.888 on Thursday and 65.222 on Saturday. Contrast that with 73.863 on Friday and 72.250 on Sunday. While some more rounds of 60 were recorded in Four-ball, no team has yet to shoot sub-60 in the two years of the format. 5. Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, who lost in a Monday playoff in the 2017 Zurich Classic, shot a 5-over 77 in the final round to finish T15. Kisner and Brown were leading after 54 holes this week and – combined with 2017 – were 47 under before the final-round 77.

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ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler returned to East Lake on Sunday morning looking every bit like the No. 1 player, pulling away with four birdies in six holes to complete the third round with a 4-under 66 that gave him a six-shot lead in the TOUR Championship. Scheffler was delivering a steady diet of pars that put him in a tight battle with Xander Schauffele until a second stoppage due to lightning in the area Saturday. At the time, he was one shot ahead. And then he was gone. Scheffler holed birdie putts from about 5 feet on the 13th and 15th holes. He stuffed his approach to 2 feet on the 17th and then made a superb escape from the left rough over the water that left him a long pitch he nearly holed on the par-5 18th. He tapped in to reach 23-under par. That left him one round away from the $18 million prize for winning the FedExCup. Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes for a 63 and will be in the final group with Scheffler. He was at 17 under along with Schauffele, who also had good looks for birdie and didn’t make any of them Sunday morning. Defending champion Patrick Cantlay (66) and Sungjae Im (66) were seven shots behind. Scheffler is the No. 1 seed in the FedExCup and was rewarded with a two-shot lead at 10-under par before the tournament started. He is 13 under for his raw score, which is tied for McIlroy for the best this week. McIlroy, however, was the No. 7 seed and began six shots behind. Schauffele missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole when they resumed the round. He sent his next tee shot so far to the right that he had to hit a provisional in case it was out-of-bounds. He found it, but wound up missing a 10-foot par putt to fall three behind. And then on the par-3 15th, Scheffler hit his tee shot to 5 feet to a front left pin over the water. Schauffele also hit a good one to 10 feet and missed again. Scheffler already has won four times this year, including the Masters, to reach No. 1 in the world and is considered a shoo-in for PGA TOUR player of the year. He won just over $14 million in the regular season — already a record, and not surprising given the steady rise in prize money. He won a $4 million bonus from the “Comcast Business Tour Top 10” for leading the FedExCup in the regular season, along with a $1 million bonus for winning the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge. A victory Sunday afternoon would equate to a $37 million year for the 26-year-old Texas grad.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced an hour-long special, titled PGA TOUR 2018: The First Family of Golf presented by Nationwide, which will air Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 2 p.m. ET on CBS, prior to the network’s final-round coverage of the Fort Worth Invitational, and in advance of CBS Sports’ coverage of the Memorial Tournament. Nicklaus is revered around the world for his 120 professional victories worldwide, including 73 PGA TOUR wins and a record 18 major championship titles; his induction into the inaugural World Golf Hall of Fame (at only 34 years old); and for being a recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal—our nation’s highest civilian honors. But it is his family—with wife Barbara, his five children and 22 grandchildren—that will be the true legacy of the man known globally as the Golden Bear. Produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment, the show is narrated by Barbara Nicklaus, and will examine the many facets of Jack Nicklaus’ family-first life through the following topics: Barbara Nicklaus: Married for almost 58 years, Barbara has been a driving force in Jack’s career and their family’s life. She has been recognized with both the Bob Jones Award and Ambassador of Golf Award for her contributions to the game and society, as well as her spirit, personal character and respect for the game and others. The show will highlight her philanthropic activities, as she is the guiding light for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and over parts of five decades helping host the Memorial, has been unwavering in her support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Family Man: As a father of five, Nicklaus has long been devoted to his family. The show will feature all five children—Jack II, Steve, Nan, Gary and Michael—as they reflect on their favorite memories of their father, the family, and what keeps them so close to this day. Jack and Barbara talk about their commitment to supporting all 22 of their grandchildren, as well as the differences between being a parent and a grandparent. The Bond Through Sports: Competition was a constant in the Nicklaus house, with all five children excelling in a variety of sports, and all five earning Division I athletic scholarships. The family reflects on their greatest sports memories and reinforces how important sports—and mainly the competition, including within the family—were in the Nicklaus home. Shared Hobbies: Barbara and her daughter, Nan, get together in the kitchen to cook one of their favorite recipes from their new cookbook “Well Done,� with 100 percent of proceeds from the book going to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide: As the lead-up to the 2018 tournament, the show documents how the Nicklaus family and tournament team prepare for this year’s event and highlight their far-reaching impact on local charities and the Dublin and Columbus communities as a whole. The PGA TOUR Family: The special will showcase how current players, such as Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, embody Nicklaus’ philosophy on family, and the impact both Jack and Barbara have had on them. 

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