Quick 9: New Augusta chairman won’t forget Bobby Jones

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. officials today announced that the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will not be played in Japan as scheduled this October but will instead move to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California Oct. 22-25, 2020. Due to unprecedented challenges and the unique circumstances which led to the move to the United States, officials said the tournament will be known as the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD this year. Last October, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was launched as Japan's first official PGA TOUR tournament at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba. Tiger Woods emerged victorious following a three-shot victory over Hideki Matsuyama and tied the all-time record of 82 PGA TOUR victories held by Sam Snead. "The PGA TOUR is grateful that ZOZO Inc. has partnered with us to host the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD this October," said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International. "Considering ZOZO Inc.'s main business is in Japan, the decision to hold its event in the U.S. underscores their commitment and support towards our sport, communities where we play and the PGA TOUR. We are truly thankful for our partnership with ZOZO Inc. and the Japan Golf Tour Organization." Votaw added: "Following last year's successful launch, our players will no doubt be disappointed to miss traveling to Japan to play in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP this year, but we look forward to returning in 2021. Through the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, we are excited to showcase another strong field and deliver world-class golf to fans in the U.S., Japan and around the world." President & CEO, Kotaro Sawada, ZOZO, Inc. said: “It is unfortunate that we are unable to have the PGA TOUR stars in Japan this year and we're sorry to the faithful Japanese fans who have been eagerly waiting to welcome the players back to Japan and to see them back out on the course. However, we are pleased to be able to host this year’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in the U.S. at the acclaimed Sherwood Country Club. During this difficult time, we look forward to dedicating this year's tournament not just to the fans in Japan, but to fans around the world. We are proud to be able to provide an opportunity for the players to compete and our team will continue to work closely with the PGA TOUR to stage a world-class event this October." The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will now be part of a three-event swing on the West Coast in October as part of the early 2020-21 PGA TOUR Schedule: the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada (Oct. 8-11); THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK in Las Vegas, Nevada (Oct. 15-18); and the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD to be held at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (Oct. 22-25). The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will feature 78 professionals, including the leading players from the 2019-20 FedExCup points list, players designated by the Japan Golf Tour Organization and sponsor exemptions. In addition to the US$8 million purse, ZOZO, Inc. is planning various charity activities in Japan, the proceeds from which will be donated to fund programs and measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus among other things. Sherwood Country Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature designed golf course and has hosted numerous PGA TOUR-sanctioned events in the past, including the Greg Norman hosted-Shark Shootout, World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods and a PGA TOUR Champions event. Woods also played David Duval in an exhibition billed as the "Showdown at Sherwood" in 1999, which Woods won 2&1. "Sherwood Country Club and its Members are honored to host this year's ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD and welcome golf's greatest players as our guests for the week. We are greatly appreciative to ZOZO Inc. for this unique privilege. Our staff throughout the club are excitedly preparing the club in anticipation of this extraordinary event and look forward to once again working closely with the PGA TOUR. Sherwood's scenic Jack Nicklaus Signature design will provide an exceptional background for a memorable week of golf during an unforgettable time," says Rob Oosterhuis, PGA, General Manager and CEO of Sherwood Country Club.

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The calendar has changed but the PGA TOUR will start the new year in a familiar place. The Sentry Tournament of Champions will celebrate its 25th year on Maui by boasting a stout field that features 17 of the top 20 players in the world ranking. FIELD NOTES: In addition to tournament winners from 2022, this year’s 39-man field also will feature the top 30 from last season’s final FedExCup points list… Will Zalatoris is set to make his first start since withdrawing from the BMW Championship with herniated discs in his back. The BMW came one week after he earned his first TOUR win in a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship… PGA TOUR Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 2 in the world ranking… Nine of the top 10 players in this season’s FedExCup standings are in the field, including leader Seamus Power. Power won his second PGA TOUR title at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship… Jon Rahm, who shot 33 under at the Sentry a year ago but fell one shot short of winning, hopes to continue his strong finish to 2022. Rahm ended the year with five consecutive top-10s, including wins at the Spanish Open and DP World Tour Championship… Justin Thomas, who, like Rahm, shot a course-record 61 at Kapalua a year ago, is back in action. Thomas won the Sentry in 2017 and 2020… World No. 4 Patrick Cantlay is playing for the first time since his runner-up to Tom Kim at the Shriners Children’s Open. Along with his successful title defense at the BMW Championship, he had a win and runner-up in his final three starts of the year… Speaking of Kim, he’s making his Sentry debut thanks to two wins in a span of four starts (Wyndham Championship, Shriners). Kim is fourth in this season’s FedExCup standings… Kim is one of several debutants at Kapalua in 2023. That list also includes: U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Cameron Young, Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala, Ryan Brehm, Luke List, Trey Mullinax, Chad Ramey, J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka and Adam Svensson. This Sentry Tournament of Champions debut for Luke List, 37, will be a special one after he earned his inaugural TOUR win at the Farmers Insurance Open after 206 TOUR starts. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 FedExCup points. COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, par 73, 7,596 yards. It’s the 25th year that the Sentry has been played on this unique layout on Maui. The course, which opened in 1991, was the debut design from the iconic duo of Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw. The pair also took on a renovation in 2019 for the TOUR’s only par-73 layout. Golfers are treated to dramatic ocean views thanks to the course’s massive elevation changes. As we saw in 2022, however, the big defense at the Plantation Course is the wind and when it doesn’t blow we get the record-setting scores we saw a year ago. STORYLINES: The top 30 in the FedExCup were first invited to the Sentry in 2021 in response to the COVID-interrupted 2020 campaign. That path to the Sentry was discontinued last year but now is back in perpetuity as the Sentry becomes the first of the year’s 17 designated events that will promise participation from the game’s top players and elevated purses. The other designated events are the four majors and THE PLAYERS, the three FedExCup Playoffs events, the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, three player-hosted invitationals (Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament presented by Workday) and the Waste Management Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championship… Two of the last three Sentrys were decided in a playoff. Jon Rahm nearly made it three in a row last year, but his eagle try on the 72nd hole just missed… It was a busy end of 2022 for a few guys set to tee it up in Hawaii. This is the first official TOUR event for Max Homa since becoming a father in late October. Mackenzie Hughes and his wife, Jenna, also welcomed a child in early December (their third), while Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Collin Morikawa and Sungjae Im tied the knot… A handful of guys will come into the Sentry Tournament of Champions with some bonus-event momentum. Viktor Hovland successfully defended his title at the Hero World Challenge, while Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge won the QBE Shootout and Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas defeated Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy at the latest edition of The Match. 72-HOLE RECORD: 258, Cameron Smith (2022) 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Jon Rahm (3rd round, 2022), Justin Thomas (3rd round, 2022), Matt Jones (4th round, 2022) LAST TIME: Cameron Smith finished more under par than anyone in PGA TOUR history, winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions to kick off 2022 in record-breaking fashion. With scoring conditions at Kapalua the best they’ve ever been, Smith finished at 34-under 258 for the week – and won by just a single shot. A deserving shout-out to Jon Rahm who finished runner up at 33 under after making 32 birdies for the week – tying the PGA TOUR record for a 72-hole event. Matt Jones, who tied the Plantation Course record with a final-round 61, ended the week at 32 under and was in third. Patrick Cantlay finished fourth, while Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Daniel Berger rounded out the top five. HOW TO FOLLOW: Television: Thursday-Friday, 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel). 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 Radio: Thursday-Friday, 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) Note: The weekend TV windows could change based on NFL windows.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Jordan Spieth measures his progress in weeks, insisting that strides have been made on his swing, and that he’s now entering the precision stage of what seems like an inevitable return to winning golf. The rest of us seem to be measuring his progress in days – specifically the last eight. Last week, there were the four rounds he put together at the PGA Championship, resulting in a tie for third. It was his first top-10 finish of the PGA TOUR season, albeit still six shots behind winner Brooks Koepka. And on Thursday, there was the 5-under 65 in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge, placing him just a stroke off Tony Finau’s lead at Colonial. Related: Leaderboard | Spieth by the numbers | Finau uses claw grip en route to 64 Afterward, Spieth was asked if the last five rounds could be defined as “significantâ€� progress. Yet from his perspective, the uptick in performance has been brewing for much longer. “Probably the same as the previous four or five weeks before … since I’ve been really working on the right things and have the right moves for it, whether it’s the full swing or the putting,â€� Spieth said. “It’s just once you’re doing the right thing, repetition gets it closer and closer and gets you more precise.â€� That’s not to say Thursday’s round was a display of total precision. He hit just half of his fairways, and was 11 of 18 in greens in regulation. Trying to force a low hook with a wedge from the fairway at the par-4 18th (his ninth hole of the day), Spieth found Crampton’s Lake left of the green on the way to a double bogey. But thanks to a hot putter – he made 153 feet worth of putts – and a chip-in birdie from 73 feet at the par-3 13th, Spieth made the most of his round. Given how well he was putting Thursday, Spieth was second-guessing his decision with the approach shot at 18. “Considering I was 50 percent from 15 feet [putting], I may as well just keep giving myself 15 feet,â€� Spieth said. “If it’s any other pin, I probably birdie the hole, and I just tried to get cute with that one.â€� Spieth knows there is still work to be done tee-to-green. Six of his seven misses off the tee Thursday were left. That was in response – and perhaps an overcorrection — to his misses right that have plagued him this season. The fact he was hitting it where he wanted to hit it, though, is another sign of improvement. “I still had some scar tissue on shots today where I’ve had some foul balls to the right this year where that’s been my miss,â€� Spieth said. “… I played away from that shot because of the potential of what’s been there this year. “So, say, last week I probably trusted it 75 percent. Probably trusted it 90 percent today. Just trying to continue to when you trust it, pull off the shot. You know the feel and you know that the old ball is kind of out the window.â€� A year ago, Spieth finished T-32 at Colonial – a surprising result given his previous results in this tournament, including a win in 2016 sandwiched between a pair of T-2s. In retrospect, last year’s finish was an indication his game was out of sorts. Until last week at Bethpage Black, his only top-10 finish in the last 12 months was a T-9 at the Open Championship. It’s been a long, sometimes frustrating, climb back. While Spieth hasn’t been relying strictly on results to measure his progress, he realizes that’s what the rest of us have to go on. “Score-wise, it’s not necessary for me to feel good,â€� he said. “It’s more just I knew once I started to get the club back out in front of me, that the golf would start to be fun again – and it certainly is.â€� Professional golf, of course, is more fun when winning is involved. No one would be surprised if Spieth ends his two-year drought this week on a course that fits his game – especially if his hot putter continues to mask his work-in-progress swing. “Certainly could use hitting a few more fairways and a few more greens around Colonial the rest of this week,â€� he said. “But the putter blade is sharp.â€� He hopes the rest of his game will follow.

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