Rory McIlroy 1 shot behind leader Li Haotong after Dubai 3rd round

Rory McIlroy was the bystander to Tiger’s victory walk last year. He watched the weekend at The Open in his backyard. He lost to Brooks Koepka a few weeks ago. This win was about fixing some things.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, AND HAMILTON, BERMUDA – The PGA TOUR today announced that Butterfield, the leading, independent offshore bank and trust company headquartered in Bermuda, will join Bermuda Tourism Authority as sponsor of the annual FedExCup event held at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda. Renamed the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, the tournament debuted in 2019 as the PGA TOUR’s first official event on the island. The agreement is through 2023. “Butterfield has been a wonderful supporter of the tournament since 2019, and we are excited they are elevating their partnership,” said PGA TOUR President and EVP Tyler Dennis. “Our players and their families love visiting Bermuda and competing on a world-class facility in Port Royal Golf Course. We look forward to working with Butterfield and Bermuda Tourism Authority to increase the charitable impact on the island.” The 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship will be held October 28-31 with live broadcast coverage on Golf Channel. As a standalone event in 2021, the field size will be expanded from 120 to 132 players with 500 FedExCup points being awarded to the winner and an increased purse of $6.5 million. The field features a minimum of four Bermudians who gain entry via a Local Qualifying event. “It’s an exciting time to be joining forces with the PGA TOUR given the elevation of this year’s Bermuda event, and we look forward to engaging clients, colleagues and the wider community,” said Michael Collins, Butterfield’s Chairman & CEO. “Significantly, this three-year partnership unites our core markets for banking services by including the Cayman Islands and the UK Channel Islands, where we will host two competitive Butterfield client events with the top five players from each event receiving invitations to the Butterfield Bermuda Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday of tournament week.” “Butterfield has been very supportive of our event since the start and we’re excited to have them elevate their partnership as a title sponsor with Bermuda Tourism Authority,” said Justin Belanger, Tournament Director at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. “To date, the tournament has raised over $400,000 for local charities, and we look forward to growing the impact with the support of Butterfield and Bermuda Tourism Authority.” Last year, Brian Gay claimed his fifth PGA TOUR victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, edging Wyndham Clark in a playoff. Brendon Todd won the inaugural event in 2019 on his way to a berth in the season-ending TOUR Championship.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A week ago, U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Steve Stricker asked Phil Mickelson to show him something. To make a positive statement with his golf game. Stricker wasn’t entirely comfortable with the request. After all, Mickelson has played for his country more times in team competition than any other golfer. Oh, and he’s also won five majors and 42 PGA TOUR events, and already has a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. But when Mickelson – who has played in every Presidents Cup since its inception in 1994, as well as every Ryder Cup since 1995 — told Stricker he really wanted to make this year’s U.S. team, the captain had no choice but to respond the way he did. Mickelson was 17th on the points list in which just the top 10 automatically qualify. There was work to be done. “I told him I would like to see him play well here on out, to show me something basically,â€� Stricker said. “That doesn’t sound right coming from a guy like me talking to Phil. ‘Hey, show me something.’ That doesn’t sound right. That’s basically what I said. “Show me that you are playing good at the end of the year.â€� Unfortunately for Mickelson, he showed nothing this week in his brief stay at the PGA Championship. He followed Thursday’s 8-over 79 with a 3-over 74 that left him at 11 over. The 153 strokes he needed to complete two rounds is the second-highest total in the 13 major cuts he’s missed in his career. He shot 79-76—155 in the 1999 Open Championship. The good news (if you can call it that) was he made three birdies Friday after failing to make a birdie the previous day. The bad news is he missed the cut at the PGA Championship for the first time since 1995. The worst news is that at a key time of the season, with his U.S. team streak on the line, Mickelson is at a loss for answers. And has lost his focus. “It’s not like I’m hitting the ball crooked,â€� a glum Mickelson said outside the Quail Hollow clubhouse Friday. “I’m just hitting it in the wrong spots. Not really controlling my thought process, where I want the ball to go. “I’m not real focused out there. I’m having a tough time visualizing the shot. I’m having a tough time controlling my thoughts and not letting it wonder to what I don’t want to have happen.â€� That’s not exactly what Stricker wants to hear. Unaware of when Mickelson played on Friday, Stricker was told of the missed cut. “He’s got a couple of events, probably in the FedExCup Playoffs,â€� Stricker said. “That’s all we’re going to have before we make the pick. Hopefully he can get hot in there.â€� Mickelson’s next start with be the FedExCup opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST, which starts Aug. 25 at Glen Oaks. Although Mickelson will likely drop from his current spot of 45th in FedexCup points, he’s guaranteed to advance to the second FedExCup event, the 100-man field at the Dell Technologies Championship. The top 10 players in Presidents Cup points after TPC Boston will earn guaranteed spots. Two days later, Stricker will announce his two captain’s picks. That means Mickelson has two events to climb inside the top 10. Otherwise, his fate – and that string of 23 consecutive years of representing the U.S. – will be left in the hands of others. “If I can play well in those, I have a chance to get on the team on my own,â€� said Mickelson, who won at TPC Boston in the inaugural FedExCup year of 2007. “If I play well in them and don’t make it, I have a chance to be a pick. “But I’ve got to play well in them is the thing.â€� Two years ago, Mickelson needed a captain’s pick from Jay Haas to make the U.S. team. At that time, Mickelson was 30th in Presidents Cup points and had not been particularly impressive in those first two FedExCup events. But he did have a couple of top-20 finishes in the last two majors that year … unlike this year, when he’s missed the cut at The Open and the PGA. It was the first time Mickelson had needed a captain’s pick since 1994, but Haas and his assistants recognized the value of Mickelson’s intangibles, as well as his experience. Mickelson rewarded them by going 3-0-1 and handily beating Charl Schwartzel 5 & 4 in singles to help the Americans retain the Cup. Stricker is well aware of those intangibles. While he has the final decision on the captain’s picks, he plans to have buy-in from his assistants as well as the 10 players who automatically qualify. If Mickelson is not one of those 10, then he must rely on support in the team room. “We need the best guys playing the best at the end of the year going forward,â€� Stricker said. “That’s what we’re going to be looking at. … “I think it’s important to get the whole team vested in those other two players that we’re going to pick.â€� The decisions won’t be easy. Stricker said he’s keeping a close eye on anybody inside the top 20 in Presidents Cup points, and even players beyond that. He specifically mentioned Zach Johnson, who is currently 28th and has played well in his last three starts – including a second-place finish at last week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Johnson was creeping up the leaderboard Friday afternoon when play was suspended due to weather. “If he can have another good solid run here through the rest of the year, he’s a guy I’m looking at too,â€� Stricker said of Johnson, a four-time Presidents Cup team member – and Mickelson’s partner two years ago in Korea. “Anybody, if they can get hot, we’re all going to give a good look to.â€� Mickelson is not hot. But he will spend next week seeking to regain his focus. “I don’t feel like I did two years ago where I’m searching for my game or I’m trying to find it or trying to strike it well,â€� Mickelson said. “I have great practice sessions. Drove it fine. Just not real focused when I’m out there.â€� So, Mickelson was asked, how does he work on something mental like that? “That’s a good question,â€� he said. “I’ll have to figure it out.â€� Hopefully it’s soon. He’s running out of time.

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