President Trump ends his golfing shutdown

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Greener. Cooler. Windier. And tougher. Those are a few of the adjectives players have used to describe the return of THE PLAYERS Championship to March for the first time since 2006. The best players in the world are preparing to take on a different sort of TPC Sawgrass now that the tournament has been moved back to March. The Stadium Course has new grass (ryegrass as opposed to Bermuda) and new, rye-overseeded greens. And that’s not all that’s different. The weather will be cooler (70s dipping to 60s on the weekend, as opposed to 90s). The wind could well be different (coming out of the north and into players’ faces on 17 and 18). And to a man, players this week have said the 7,189-yard, par-72 Pete Dye gem feels much longer. “The ball doesn’t fly as far,â€� said Tiger Woods, the only player to win THE PLAYERS in March (2001) and May (2013), and one of only two in the field (Adam Scott) to have won the tournament in March. “The golf course just plays slower.â€� Paul Casey said he played the first hole with a 3-wood and a sand wedge in May. But when he tackled the hole in a practice round on Tuesday, it was driver, 7-iron. Indeed, March presents a tougher PLAYERS, statistically. Since 1995, the dozen March PLAYERS were a combined .92 strokes harder than the dozen May PLAYERS. Players have shot zero rounds of 63 in March, six in May. There have been 18 fewer rounds of 65 or better in March than May, and 117 more rounds in the 80s. “I’ll let you know on Sunday,â€� Justin Thomas said, when asked which date he prefers. “I’ve played nine holes. … I loved it in May. Just, I love firm, fast, tricky conditions, if you will. But at the end of the day, I’ve played well on soft, longer courses before.â€� A hard rain fell on the course Monday night, and a stiff wind blew all day Tuesday. Conditions were calmer Wednesday. Come Thursday, conditions are expected to be on the mild, sunny side, but that’s expected to change with weekend showers and cooler temperatures in the 60s. All of which has an impact when it’s time to take on some of the most demanding holes in tournament golf. Consider: Over the last 12 years of May PLAYERS, the field has gone a combined 227 over par on the watery, nerve-wracking final three holes. For the 12 years of March PLAYERS before that, they went a combined 854 over par on those same holes. Big difference. Woods said he was once between a 5- and 6-iron for his tee shot at the island 17th hole in March. Few of today’s younger players can recall needing much more than a pitching wedge in May. Absent a T4 finish in 2014, Justin Rose has never done particularly well at THE PLAYERS, missing the cut six times in 15 starts. The change to March? He’s ready to roll the dice. “When it’s green, I think it just—everything sets up better,â€� Rose said, “and for me personally, they talk about does the golf course suit your eye, and I think that when it’s greener the golf course does suit your eye a lot better around here. The definition is there in terms of the run-outs and the fairways and the margins that you’re playing with.â€� Thomas expects fewer tee shots to roll out into the rough. When they do, the ryegrass is thick but fairly short, only a couple of inches. What’s more, he added, it’s more predictable than Bermuda. The X factor this week may be those tee shots. Stiffer winds and cooler temperatures may put a premium back on driving; not for nothing have March winners included such impeccable drivers as Davis Love III (twice), Greg Norman, Adam Scott, and peak Woods. In May, Scott said, firm fairways left everyone in the same spot off the tee, “whether were you a long hitter and hitting an iron off the tee or a shorter hitter hitting a 3-wood or driver.â€� Like Rose, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is looking forward to the change. “I’ve struggled there in May,â€� said Johnson, who will make his 11th start and is still looking for his first top-10 finish here. “So hopefully … the golf course is going to play completely different. I feel like the ball’s not going to go near as far, probably going to be a little bit softer, hit a lot more drivers. I just always remember growing up watching THE PLAYERS and it being green and overseeded and guys hitting shots and spinning back. “You can’t do that in May,â€� he added. “Everything bounces forward.â€� Paul Casey, too, is excited for the tournament’s back-to-the-future calendar dates. He has played TPC Sawgrass in a field-best 1.62 fewer strokes per round in March (albeit with just two starts, including a T10 in 2004) over May (nine starts, four missed cuts, two WDs). “I know it’s harder, but I like harder golf courses,â€� Casey said. “For some reason, I could never figure out how to play it in May.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

HOW THEY QUALIFIED Former Winners at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Jason Day Ernie Els Matt Every Robert Gamez Paul Goydos Tim Herron Marc Leishman Tiger Woods Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship (Last 5 years) Rickie Fowler Si Woo Kim Winner – U.S. Open (Last 5 Years) Justin Rose Winner – PGA Championship (Last 5 Years) Rory McIlroy Jimmy Walker Winner – The Masters (Last 5 Years) Adam Scott Bubba Watson Danny Willett Winner – The Open Championship (Last 5 Years) Zach Johnson Henrik Stenson Winner – World Golf Championships Event – Bridgestone (3yr) Shane Lowry Hideki Matsuyama Winner – HSBC Champions – Last 3 Seasons Russell Knox Winner the Memorial (Last 3 Years) David Lingmerth William McGirt Winner – Tournament Winner in the Past Year Ryan Armour Kevin Chappell Austin Cook Bryson DeChambeau Brian Harman Billy Horschel Kevin Kisner Patton Kizzire Grayson Murray Pat Perez D.A. Points Ted Potter, Jr. Cameron Smith Kyle Stanley Chris Stroud Member of Last Named U.S. Ryder Cup Team J.B. Holmes Ryan Moore Patrick Reed Brandt Snedeker Member of Last Named U.S.Presidents Cup Team Charley Hoffman Member of Last Named International Presidents Cup Team Emiliano Grillo Anirban Lahiri Louis Oosthuizen Charl Schwartzel Winner – Prior Year U.S. Amateur Championship Doc Redman Top 50 – World Golf Ranking Tommy Fleetwood Tyrrell Hatton Alex Noren Francesco Molinari Matthew Fitzpatrick Kiradech Aphibarnrat Haotong Li Satoshi Kodaira Yuta Ikeda Life Member Davis Love III Vijay Singh Sponsors Exemptions – Web.com Tour Finals Talor Gooch Sam Saunders Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Stuart Appleby Luke Donald Harris English Padraig Harrington Billy Hurley III Smylie Kaufman Hunter Mahan Graeme McDowell Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Sangmoon Bae Sam Burns Cody Gribble Sam Horsfield Curtis Luck A.J. McInerney Collin Morikawa Camilo Villegas Top 70 on Prior Year’s FedExCup Points List. Mackenzie Hughes Hudson Swafford Charles Howell III Lucas Glover Kevin Na Keegan Bradley Luke List Ian Poulter Stewart Cink Scott Brown Martin Laird Jamie Lovemark Sung Kang Ollie Schniederjans Sean O’Hair Robert Streb Bud Cauley James Hahn Kevin Tway Danny Lee Top 70 on Current Year FedExCup Points Chesson Hadley J.J. Spaun Whee Kim Brian Gay Tom Hoge Brandon Harkins Kevin Streelman Alex Cejka Scott Stallings Chris Kirk Brian Stuard Jason Kokrak Martin Piller John Huh Scott Piercy Peter Uihlein Beau Hossler PGA Section Champ/Player of the Year Donny Lee Below 70th position from Current FedExCup Points List Nick Taylor Vaughn Taylor Patrick Rodgers Byeong Hun An Ben Martin

Click here to read the full article…

Just 15 minutes outside the heart of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is a proud place where young hearts and minds are nurtured and developed. At first a source of hope, those who rise through the K’iin Beh School end up with purpose and an educated intent. That’s good news not just for the Playa del Carmen community, but the worldwide community, too. In Mayan, the term K’iin Beh translates to “the way of the sun.” What began with 20 preschool children in its first year in operation in 2011, Ki’in Beh has ballooned into a thriving, yet humble, organization today, effectively growing the hearts and minds of more than 400 students—now all the way into high school. A bilingual non-profit school established for local Cristo Ray community children in Playa del Carmen, K’iin Beh focuses not only on providing a solid education to local children, but more importantly, it instills in the students strong principles and values. On Tuesday of last week’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, upwards of 60 students, mostly 10th and 11th graders, had the opportunity to meet with executives and staff members from World Wide Technology. Each representative headed a table of students, with whom they spoke together on a number of topics, from creating their own core values, to what a résumé is, and how to create one. By all accounts, the program was comprehensive, lively and interactive. Among those in attendance Tuesday was Bob Ferrell, Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Public Sector Strategy at World Wide Technology. Ferrell is a retired three-star General who once served at the Pentagon as the Army Central Intelligence Officer. The session was led by Ashley Harris, Manager, Community Outreach and Employee Engagement for World Wide Technology and also included Juanita Logan (Area VP, Global Corporate Development), John Crawford (Senior Director of Engineering, Global Enterprise Sales, North Central) and Cari Wilber (Area VP, Marketing). “What a treat and honor it was to spend time with the K’iin Beh students and community,” Logan said. “It was a time of discovery, learning, discussion and dreaming about the future of these bright, young students. The students learned about and met with World Wide Technology leaders who share their same skills and values and are real life examples of what is possible. In addition to getting to know the students, World Wide Technology learned about the Día de los Muertos tradition and enjoyed watching the PGA TOUR players engage the children in a fun golf activity. “These students are our future leaders and we are excited to be a small part of growing a future-ready K’iin Beh community.” On Wednesday, PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica players Marty Dou, Harry Hall, Matti Schmid, Enrique Marin Santander and Armando Favela visited the school to experience the impact of the mission for themselves. “The best part of the week for me was the K’iin Beh school visit World Wide Technology set up for us,” said PGA TOUR Latinoamerica player Armando Favela, who was making his fifth start in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. “We went to the school to learn about a very awesome project. We visited with kids from kindergarten all the way up to high school. They had just opened the high school a day before, so it was inspiring to see what Mayakoba, World Wide Technology and their team are doing for the community.” What is most important about the foundation are the 51 educational professionals, led by Director Raquel Mitre, who foster and promote a culture based on respect and honesty, as well as teach proper values to the students in preparation for them to become the future leaders of the community. “Honestly, it was eye-opening, a great experience,” Favela added. “All the players had a lot of fun with the golf activities. But, most importantly, we saw the smiles of the kids. It was amazing. Raquel, the principal of the school, welcomed us with open arms and kindness. It was a great morning, which I won’t forget for a while.” Ferrell was enamored with the day. He signed autographs, took countless video and photos, and even captured a selfie with all five of the professional golfers and then the gathered students. More impactful, Ferrell and other executives participated in Día de Muertos (Day of The Dead) ceremonies, where students educated their visitors about the importance to the Mexican culture of this Nov. 1-2 tribute to loved ones lost. “K’iin Beh’s mission to help students believe in themselves, their skills and capacities to become successful human beings with positive values and future leaders of their community aligns perfectly with our aspiration of making the world a better place for all,” Ferrell said. With 120 students in 2015, ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade, the school found itself with poor facilities and minimal resources. About that time, K’iin Beh had also been asked to move off the land they were temporarily using. The school would be closing. When another plot of land was donated to the school, construction was initiated. The school, though, had no money to move forward with the project. But, with donations, such as those from the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, K’iin Beh is able to now invest in new facilities, fund classrooms and supplies, and support staff at the school. “Our main goal is to continue providing bilingual education to the children based on values and with the purpose of them creating their own futures and to contribute to a better future for this community and Mexico,” said Ricardo Moreno, Regional Director of Talent and Culture. World Wide Technology is proud to send a portion of the tournament’s proceeds to K’iin Beh, which will use the money to support its mission of providing high quality education to underprivileged children, strengthen self-esteem by instilling human and civil values, and teach children to live with goals and leadership. Under Mitre’s leadership, K’iin Beh offers full-time, bilingual education for over 400 students. To help broaden the global landscape of the children’s minds, half the classes are taught in English, half in Spanish. “That’s why we’re excited about our support of K’iin Beh, a bilingual non-profit school in the Riviera Maya for children from marginalized areas, as part of our work with the PGA TOUR as title sponsor of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba,” Ferrell said. K’iin Beh is a licensed, nonprofit foundation, which bases tuition on the specific economic situation of each family. Every child, though, will receive some form of scholarship. Because of that scholarship-based enrollment, K’iin Beh accepts students from every economic background. “Hopefully, the project continues to grow and inspire more kids each year to go to school, to get educated and to know that there’s people here in Playa del Carmen that want them to succeed in life,” added Favela. At first a source of hope, K’iin Beh does, indeed, produce stars, driven by determination to rise and shine, just like the sun. If you would like to donate, or learn more about donating, visit the K’iin Beh School donation page here: https://www.kiinbeh.org/donate.

Click here to read the full article…