Rory McIlroy ‘right there going into the weekend’ at Wells Fargo Championship

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - In the midst of an amazing two-month period for the APGA Tour and its players, the pro golf series travels to St. Augustine, Florida, for its next 2021 tournament, the APGA Tour at World Golf Village, Sunday through Tuesday, March 21-23. With a mission of bringing greater diversity to golf, the circuit's fourth competition of 2021 will be conducted under social-distancing and health/safety guidelines in conjunction with regional authorities. The 36-hole event (March 22-23) will be contested on the renowned King & Bear layout. Veteran PGA TOUR player Julian Suri won the event in 2020 with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death, after a 36-hole deadlock with Patrick Newcomb. Once ranked 60th in the world, Suri is playing in Europe this year and is not expected to defend his title. So far on the 2021 APGA Tour, Michael Herrera and Landon Lyons were co-winners at The Crossings at Carlsbad Jan. 28 before Lyons captured the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open Invitational on January 30. Jarred Garcia emerged victorious at the APGA Tour Black History Month Classic, which was contested February 19-21. Each of these players and 40-plus other top APGA Tour players will be in the field at St. Augustine competing for a share of the $25,000 purse. APGA Tour stars Willie Mack III and Kevin Hall, who started PGA TOUR events in February as sponsor exemptions, as well as 2020 APGA Tour Player of the Year Tim O'Neal, are also expected to compete. Mack, Hall, O'Neal and Kamaiu Johnson have all played in PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour events over the past several months, resulting in tremendous media exposure and consumer awareness of the APGA Tour's growth and progress. Mack, Hall, and Johnson received consistent network TV coverage and social media exposure in their PGA TOUR efforts at the Farmers Insurance Open, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. All three missed the cut and look forward to the APGA Tour schedule and other competition opportunities going forward. Johnson will not play in St. Augustine because of his participation in The Honda Classic (March 18-21). Johnson is also playing on the Korn Ferry Tour as a sponsor exemption in the Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin April 1-4. Same day scoring detail for the APGA Tour at World Golf Village is available at www.bluegolf.com. Season-to-date results and upcoming schedule listed below: Jan. 28: APGA Tour at Crossings at Carlsbad , The Crossings at Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA • Co-Winners - Michael Herrera, Landon Lyons   Jan. 30: APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open Invitational, Torrey Pines North, La Jolla, CA • Winner - Landon Lyons   Feb. 19-21: APGA Tour Black History Month Classic, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, FL  • Winner - Jarred Garcia   March 21-23: APGA Tour at World Golf Village, World Golf Village, St. Augustine, FL • 2020 Champion - Julian Suri April 11-13: APGA Tour Las Vegas, TPC Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV • New Event April 18-20: APGA Tour Scottsdale, TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ • New Event   May 23-25: APGA Tour Louisville, Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, KY • New Event May 31-June 2: APGA Tour New Orleans, TPC Louisiana, New Orleans, LA • New Event   July 18-20: APGA Tour Deere Run, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, IL • 2020 Champion - Landon Lyons Aug. 8-10: APGA Tour Championship Atlanta, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, GA • 2020 Champion - Kamaiu Johnson APGA FALL SERIES TO BE ANNOUNCED

Click here to read the full article…

Steele shares lead in bid for Safeway repeat

Click here to read the full article…

Don’t let the tranquil setting or modest length fool you. Across its first three iterations, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship has proven one of the PGA TOUR’s most unique challenges. Entering its fourth playing, the event has assumed a staple role on the TOUR’s fall calendar, set for October 20-23 at Port Royal GC in Southampton, Bermuda. The event’s reputation has only grown since 2019, as its history and tradition build by the year. “What an amazing place this is,” said Peter Malnati, who has recorded back-to-back top-25 finishes in Bermuda. “I played in the (2020) pro-am with four locals, and there’s just a demeanor here on the island of calmness, and it’s a relaxed nature. It’s obviously visually stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, but it seems to have a nice spirit to it. I love it, and I’m very comfortable. “Week-in and week-out on the PGA TOUR, we play the best golf courses in the world, and we’re playing one of them right here in Bermuda, so it’s really cool.” To date, the Bermuda Championship has raised over $1.1 million for local charities, a number that is sure to only grow in the years to come. It’s a memorable week in both venue and transportation routine. Players challenge a Port Royal GC layout that demands a variety of shot values, after a scenic ferry ride from one of the island’s ample resort districts. Port Royal GC measures just 6,828 yards but with its seaside setting, elevation changes and a variety of doglegs, asks a lot of questions. It’s a strategic test that produces a worthy champion and sets up players for continued success through the fall and remainder of the TOUR season. “You’ve got to be so much more precise,” said 2021 winner Lucas Herbert, who navigated tricky wind conditions over the weekend en route to a 15-under total and one-stroke victory. “You’ve got to be really good at understanding how the wind moves around the golf course. “It’s not the longest golf course we play on TOUR, but the test is not about the length, it’s all about controlling the golf ball.” “You’ve got to be in control of your ball flight and know your numbers and distances, where to hit and not to,” said Matt Fitzpatrick, reigning U.S. Open champion. “I think there’s a lot of mental stuff involved, and you’ve really got to think your way around. You’ve got to be on top of your game; it’s a challenge, and you’ve got to be on it for 72 holes.” I think there’s a lot of mental stuff involved, and you’ve really got to think your way around. You’ve got to be on top of your game. The winner at Port Royal GC will be exempt on TOUR through 2025 and qualify for this season’s Masters, PLAYERS and PGA Championship among other perks. The stakes are high, in contrast to the leisurely setting of the 15-minute ferry ride from the hotel to the golf course. Players can meander the top deck and savor the ocean views, or converse with their peers in the cabin below. Rob Oppenheim has even converted the ferry into a practice facility, doing putting drills on the top deck en route to a top-25 finish in the event’s first playing in 2019. Bermuda comprises more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world, and the tournament has strived to provide opportunities to local players through the years, including Brian Morris, head professional at nearby Ocean View GC who has terminal brain cancer but competed at last year’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship on a sponsor exemption. Morris maintained an upbeat presence throughout the week at Port Royal GC, capturing the spirits of fellow pros and fans as well as the worldwide golf landscape. “I believe that a positive attitude and positive outlook is probably better than any miracle drug,” Morris said. “We have a lot to be thankful for, outside of the bad things. There’s so much to life without dwelling on the bad stuff.” Bermuda’s climate is conducive to year-round golf, allowing local pros ample time to hone their games. Concurrently, the sport has become an integral part of the international business landscape on the island. Each year, tournament exemptions are awarded via a local qualifier for Bermudians. The 2022 qualifier was conducted Wednesday, with Michael Sims, Jarryd Dillas and Nicholas Jones earning spots in the field at Port Royal GC. Sims, who has spent time on the Korn Ferry Tour, has now qualified for the Bermuda Championship on four consecutive occasions. Across the past three years, his former Korn Ferry Tour-turned-PGA TOUR peers have discovered the truth to Sim’s sentiments of the island’s magic. “I had a ton of fun with everyone,” said Harry Higgs, who finished runner-up at the inaugural Butterfield Bermuda Championship in 2019. “The island’s great, so hospitable, well-run event. It was a lot of fun, for sure.”

Click here to read the full article…