Quick look at the Waste Management Phoenix Open

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Stewart Cink is looking to continue a trend from 2018 on the PGA TOUR. The 45-year-old hasn’t won on TOUR for nearly nine and a half years but he was a keen observer last year as no less than 11 players broke significant win droughts. On Friday at the Sony Open in Hawaii Cink put up an 8-under 62 to move to 10 under, within striking distance of Matt Kuchar’s 14 under lead. Indeed Kuchar (1,667 days) was one of the players to break a drought in 2018. Charles Howell III (4,292 days), Paul Casey (3262 days), Kevin Na (2,472 days), Keegan Bradley (2,227 days), Ted Potter Jr. (2,045 days), Ian Poulter (1,975 days), Tiger Woods (1,876 days), Phil Mickelson (1,687 days), Webb Simpson (1,666 days) and Gary Woodland (1,646 days) also snapped the famine. Sunday would represent 3,466 days since Cink claimed the 2009 Open Championship in a playoff over Tom Watson for his sixth TOUR win. He had his chances last season. Cink finished T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, T2 at the Travelers Championship and T4 at the PGA Championship last summer showing there is plenty of life in his game. On Friday he needed just 24 putts on the way to nine birdies with just a lone bogey. “It was a great day out there. Really all facets of the game were firing,â€� Cink enthused. “Drove it well and hit a lot of good irons. Rolled in a lot of putts from the range that really makes a difference in your score, which is like, say, 10 to 20 feet. Had a lot of putts like that and made a lot today. “That’s kind of a hallmark of my game over my whole career, is I do have a lot of putts in that range because usually I’m one of the better ball-strikers. When you see them going in the game feels a little bit easy.â€� Indeed Cink gained over two and a half strokes on the field in Strokes Gained: Putting Friday. He was 15 of 18 inside 20-feet.

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Here are nine tidbits from Saturday’s matches at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. The Austin Country Club plays 7,108 yards (par 71). We’ll start with the Sweet 16 and move forward. Perfection Pools It’s safe to say that NOBODY had a perfect bracket at the conclusion of pool play. Of the 16 predicted group winners by gamers, only FIVE hit. Of the 16 seeded pool favorites, based on OWGR, only FIVE advanced. Woof. Brackets Busted: Sweet 16 Of the five seeded winners advancing to the round of 16, exactly two of them made it to the quarterfinal round. The biggest fish to be fried in the morning session was local favorite Sergio Garcia (7). After washing out Xander Schauffele 3 & 1 to complete pool play with a perfect record, he crashed out to Kyle Stanley (45), 3 & 1. I didn’t see anything from Garcia that would chase me away in the coming weeks or months but I did notice the different color tape jobs his wrist each round. … Tyrrell Hatton (12) was six-under-par and lost to Cameron Smith (46) 2 & 1. This is a perfect example of why match play is both beautiful and ugly at the same time. Oh, and it’s almost impossible to project because this can happen in any and every match. … Matt Kuchar (16) wasn’t looking ahead to the round of 16 in pool play. If he was, he noticed early that he wouldn’t have to face Dustin Johnson in round 2. It wasn’t any easier with Kevin Kisner (32) as Kuchar’s six birdies weren’t enough to advance. Savage. Brackets Busted: Quarterfinal Edition Interestingly enough, the quarterfinal matches went according to seed, minus Kiradech Aphibarnrat (28) and Bubba Watson (35). The Thai knocked off annual upset specialist Charles Howell III (59) in the morning but ran out of magic against the two-time Masters champ. His perfect 4-0 week came to a crashing end as Watson rattled off four birdies in a row to open the back nine, winning eventually 5 & 3. The Final Four Watson hasn’t lost this week either as he stormed into the final four 4-0-1. Joining him will be the seeded favorite Justin Thomas (2), Alex Noren (13) and Kevin Kisner (32). Watson is the highest seeded player left but even if he wins, he won’t be the biggest underdog to lift the trophy. That honor belongs to Kevin Sutherland who was seeded No. 62 in the 2002 edition. … Kisner, like Watson, also enters the last four with a record of 4-0-1, has drawn Alex Noren, who similar to Thomas, is 5-0-0 on the week. The last three winners of this “new” format, Rory McIlroy (1), Jason Day (2) and Dustin Johnson (1) have all come from Tier 1 (top 16 seeds from the OWGR). Crystal Ball Thomas and Watson will kick off the final four and both are in flying form. Watson, who has notoriously struggled in this format, has changed his mind set to make birdies and the heck with the rest. Since his drought ended with a title at the Genesis Open, Watson won’t be chasing that angle and will be able to focus on just playing. …Thomas limped into the week after wisdom teeth surgery and has proceeded to blow the doors off every opponent he’s faced. He’s trailed for four holes all week but he’ll be the one dealing with the pressure in this match. With a win in the semifinals he knows he would go to No. 1 in the OWGR. Only 21 players before him have had that honor. I’m excited to see how he handles THAT pressure. Watson steals it. … Noren and Kisner make up the other side of the bracket. Noren is looking to join Sutherland, Shane Lowry and Russell Knox as making their first TOUR win a WGC event. He was knocked out in the quarterfinals last year and now has cleared that hurdle. … Kisner reaching the final four is a site for sore eyes in the gaming world. Many jumped on board after his career year in 2017 but it hasn’t gone according to plan in the new season. His only top 10 in eight events so far has been T4 at The RSM Classic in November. He’ll cash for more than that tomorrow regardless. Kisner needed eight birdies to beat Kuchar. He then thrashed Ian Poulter 8 & 6. He’ll need all of that AGAIN to beat Noren. Chalk final. Final Group: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship Brice Garnett, two-time winner on the Web.com Tour from 2017, is looking to go wire-to-wire for his first TOUR win. He sits on 16-under-par 200 and has a two-shot lead over Corey Conners and four shot lead over third place. Conners, who has played on four different circuits over the last four years, has never won on any professional level and will look to break his duck Sunday. The top 10 this week will be eligible for the Houston Open on Thursday next. Moving Day Monday qualifier Tyler McCumber is looking to keep his momentum of the week moving in the right direction. The son of Mark McCumber is just four back after tying Conners and Harris English for the low round of the day (67) in windy conditions. This is his TOUR debut but he’s won three times on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica … While the above are looking for their first victory at this highest level, Harris English is looking to add to his collection. His 67 moved him up 30 spots to T8.Thanks to two late bogeys by Garnett he’ll begin Sunday seven back instead of nine. English has won on paspalum grass before at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. … The last time this course hosted an event it was last May as a Web.com Tour event. Nate Lashley shot 20-under to win and those gamers backing him this week were happy to see him move up 15 places to T23. Moving Day: Wrong Way After qualifying on Monday at Valspar and cashing T8, the big-hitting Trey Mullinax was on the radar this week. He didn’t disappoint through two rounds and entered Saturday T6. After 76 of them on Saturday he dropped 22 spots to T28. … David Lingmerth’s 67 on Friday pushed him into the top 15 but his 75 in Round 3 saw him drop off to T36. Study Hall Kisner’s undressing of Ian Poulter 8 & 6 to reach the semifinals was the biggest margin of victory since Ben Crane beat Rory McIlroy 8 & 7 in the second round in 2011. Read that again slowly. … Watson is the only player remaining that has a WGC victory (2015 HSBC). … English and McCumber had the only two bogey-free rounds at Corales. … Corales played a shot harder and over-par on Saturday as the wind provided a stout defense.

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WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., – Farmers Insurance and the Black College Golf Coaches Association (BCGCA) today announced Farmers as the presenting sponsor of four BCGCA events occurring in 2021-2022, the latest in a series of actions Farmers has taken to help support and grow diversity in professional golf. The Black College Golf Coaches Association’s mission is to enhance and preserve Black college golf programs by fostering the development of coaches and players. Farmers® is the first sponsor that the BCGCA has announced specific to HBCU golf events. The tournaments that Farmers will support include: • September 23-26, 2021: BCGCA Hall of Fame Classic presented by Farmers Insurance, Newnan, GA, Summer Grove Golf Club • October 23-26, 2021: BCGCA Black College Classic presented by Farmers Insurance, Gulf Shores, AL, Peninsula Club • March 13-15, 2022: BCGCA HBCU Invitational presented by Farmers Insurance, Houston, TX, Sterling Country Club • April 2022 (exact dates TBA): BCGCA National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Farmers Insurance, Atlanta, GA, Callaway Gardens In addition to sponsoring BCGCA tournaments, Farmers Insurance plans to provide access to learn more about available coaching, internships and other resources for BCGCA players to help further support their career development and professional aspirations. “We hope that working with the BCGCA can help further our efforts to foster diversity in the game and create opportunities for players to grow through their college experience,” said Jenny Howell Head of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Farmers Insurance. “Providing players at HBCUs with access to professional development, career fairs and networking opportunities as well as golf training facilities can help empower these college and amateur athletes to pursue careers in golf on the course and off. We look forward to engaging with the BCGCA and its players to help more HBCU golfers achieve their dreams of playing golf professionally.” “Farmers Insurance has shown incredible support in further diversifying golf through their efforts with the APGA Tour and beyond,” said BCGCA President Craig Bowen. “To have them support these four events will not only provide HBCU programs and players with additional opportunities to compete and hone their game, but also show the rest of the corporate community that they can make a difference. This is a pivotal moment for golf at HBCUs and with organizations like Farmers taking the lead, I truly believe that we can make a difference in this great sport.” Farmers has a proud history of championing diversity in the golf space. The national insurer group has provided funding for APGA TOUR events and the organization’s athletes, sponsored players including Kamaiu Johnson and Willie Mack III, hosted the first-ever APGA event at a PGA TOUR tournament at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open and provided Mack with a sponsor’s exemption into the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open. Several APGA Tour players recently shared their thoughts on why HBCUs and the support that Farmers is giving the BCGCA are both so important to the growth of diversity in the game. “I was going to attend Michigan State and I wanted to go somewhere that the culture fit and where I could start something and help others follow in my footsteps,” said Willie Mack III, recent APGA Tour Championship winner and 11-time tournament winner at Bethune Cookman. “When I hopefully reach the PGA TOUR full time, it will show other kids like me that it’s possible. A lot of the HBCUs don’t have a place to practice or play every day. If they can play at better courses and have better facilities, golf clubs and match some of the elements of bigger schools, it will make a huge difference. The school I played for is no longer offering a men’s golf program. So I’m just hopeful they can get golf to return as a program and get things going in the right direction. Support like this from Farmers is a huge step and hopefully more companies will join in to support golf at HBCUs.” “I wanted to have a college experience with kids that were predominantly African American and Florida A&M provided that for me,” said Mulbe Dillard, who recently finished atop the inaugural APGA Collegiate Ranking. “Having Farmers support HBCUs is huge and we need more companies and support to increase the level of our facilities and resources. Bigger schools have resources, facilities and equipment that can help better prepare their players for success. I think the biggest difference is other schools play and practice on courses and conditions that prepare them for what they will face in a tournament, while many HBCUs simply don’t. Right now, it’s difficult to find African American kids to compete. The more support HBCUs receive, the better the facilities can be, the better the pathway is for HBCU athletes into professional golf and the better these coaches will be able to recruit.” “It was pretty special to be able to play college golf with other black golfers who were on the same level as I was with the same dreams. It was really eye opening,” said Alabama A&M graduate Rovonta Young. “Everyone pushes each other. Everyone is there for the same reason. Farmers getting involved is great. With Farmers backing a lot of events it will open up opportunities. A lot of black players don’t have the same opportunities to develop at an early age, so having HBCUs as an avenue to progress and get to the next level is vital to increase diversity in the game. Funding is a problem. These guys need access to top-level golf courses. In the summer, after the season, they are playing in U.S. Am qualifiers, U.S. Open qualifiers and State Opens, and the caliber of golf courses are top tier compared to what HBCUs practice on and these players have the game, but generally don’t have the access to top level clubs. This can make for an uneven playing field.” “When I got to Florida A&M, it was great to just see people that looked like me progress and excel in every endeavor that they pursued. That motivated me even more,” said recent Florida A&M graduate Cameron Riley who finished 4th in the APGA Collegiate Rankings. “The biggest step that we have to create a more level playing field is access to good courses, good coaching, good equipment. In Tallahassee, we didn’t have a home course until my senior year. We bounced around, played on driving ranges that simply weren’t up to speed with other facilities. Then we show up to courses at regionals and we are playing on greens that are 13 or 14 on the stimpmeter and we aren’t used to those conditions. Sponsors like Farmers, big ups to them for helping us with more access. Giving us better resources and better access is key and it’s great that organizations like Farmers are trying to help.” For more information about the Black College Golf Coaches Association, visit https://www.hbcugolf.org. To learn more about Farmers commitment to the game, visit Farmers.com/Golf.

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