Rose stands alone after tough first day at Masters

Reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay leads the field in Detroit as the PGA TOUR inches closer to crowning the champion of this season’s FedExCup. FIELD NOTES: Cantlay, who’s ranked fourth in the world, is the highest-ranked player teeing it up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic… Rookie of the Year frontrunner Cameron Young, who’s 13th in the FedExCup, returns to action after his runner-up at The Open… Young, Will Zalatoris, and Sahith Theegala are all up-and-coming stars in the field who have been knocking on the door as they seek their first PGA TOUR victory… Other notables heading to Detroit include Tony Finau, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, and Harris English… Rickie Fowler will be teeing it up and needs a good finish to lock up a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. He entered the 3M Open, where he made the cut, ranked 129th in the FedExCup standings… Among the sponsor exemptions are Wesley Bryan and Geoff Ogilvy, the former U.S. Open champ who recently made his first TOUR start since 2018… Haskins Award winner Chris Gotterup, this year’s collegiate player of the year, makes his seventh TOUR start since turning pro, which includes a T4 at the John Deere Classic… Cole Hammer tees it up on TOUR for the second time since turning pro, and amateur Michael Thorbjornsen is back on TOUR for the first time since finishing fourth at the Travelers Championship. All three of the young stars are also in the field via sponsor exemptions… Stephan Jaeger, No.125 on the FedExCup standings entering the 3M Open, is teeing it up in Detroit and looking for a solid finish to cement his Playoffs position… Eleven major champions are in the field. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Detroit Golf Club (North course), par 72, 7,370 yards (yardage subject to change). This club, which is more than a century old, was updated for the TOUR’s initial arrival in 2019. The back nine has proven to be drama-filled. Cam Davis made an eagle and a birdie on his final two holes to get into a playoff with Joaquin Niemann and Troy Merritt last year, which Davis went on to win. STORYLINES: The Rocket Mortgage Classic is the penultimate event of the Regular Season. Georgia product Greyson Sigg is on the outside looking in at No. 126 in the FedExCup standings entering the 3M Open, six points back of Stephen Jaeger. TOUR winners Jason Day and Nick Taylor are amongst the guys on the bubble along with Kramer Hickok at No. 124 and Puerto Rico Open winner Ryan Brehm at No. 121. The TOUR will head to the Wyndham Championship for the season finale next week… Cameron Young appears to be due for a win. He has four second-place results this season and is looking for a big breakthrough this week in Detroit. Two of the three winners at the Rocket Mortgage were first-time TOUR champions… Both of those winners, Nate Lashley and Cam Davis, are back in action in Detroit. 72-HOLE RECORD: 263, Nate Lashley (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Nate Lashley (2019, first round), J.T. Poston (2019, second round), Davis Thompson (2021, first round) LAST TIME: Cam Davis won for the first time on the PGA TOUR and he did it in dramatic fashion – defeating Troy Merritt on the fifth hole of a playoff. Davis shot a final-round 67 and finished at 18 under for the week alongside Merritt and Joaquin Niemann. Niemann – who had a chance to win in regulation but couldn’t get his final-hole birdie to fall – dropped out of the playoff after making bogey on the first extra hole. Davis couldn’t convert any potential tournament-winning putts (he had opportunities on each of the playoff holes) but won the championship after Merritt bogeyed the fifth extra hole. Davis sprinted to the finish Sunday in Detroit, holing a 50-foot eagle from the sand on the 17th hole Sunday and adding a birdie on the par-4 18th. The week prior to the five-hole playoff at the Rocket Mortgage the TOUR had an eight-hole playoff at the Travelers Championship. Hank Lebioda and Alex Noren, who shot an 8-under 64 Sunday for the round of the day, finished tied for fourth. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR 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

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With as much as a PGA TOUR player faces week in and out – from practices and performances, to travel arrangements and lodging – any load they can lighten is a good thing. When that load has ties to charity, that becomes a great thing. At last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, rather than family and friends hitting players up for tickets, they were directed to an online friends and family portal. There, donations of any amount for each ticket benefitted the Birdies for Mental Health Initiative and the Momentous Institute of Dallas. Well over $20,000 was raised for the tournament charity. AT&T Byron Nelson tournament partner Chisum Sports presented the idea, “Pros For A Purpose,” following conversations with Dallas-based players who regularly field a large number of ticket requests during a home tournament week. Many of the requests of players for tickets come at the last minute. They were often requests that players’ wives or managers would coordinate through the tournament office. A QR code was given to players linking to a self-service site. This allowed tickets to be ordered by player name, which was followed by a donation request. “The idea of offering an online ticket request page started out as a convenience for players, friends, family and the tournament staff,” said Julie Chisum with Chisum Sports, “but then players and player wives really got behind the donations to support the tournament charity.” “The tournament office noticed early in the week that we weren’t fielding the numerous calls, texts and email requests we normally get from players and wives trying to get tickets for their family,” said Jon Drago, AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament Director. “I love this,” said Kourtney Schenk, PGA TOUR Wives Association Board Member and wife of TOUR member, Adam Schenk. “During tournaments, the wives often have group texts to figure out who has extra tickets. It’s a lot to coordinate, especially during a home week when you have so many people who want to come watch. This ticket program makes it easy and allows the local charity to benefit because even small donations for each ticket add up.” “Pros For A Purpose,” a 501(c)(3), has donated more than $500,000 to various tournament charities and player foundations through player and celebrity-hosted events. “The impact of the golf community coming together is what makes this game and the PGA TOUR so special.” said Chisum. “When the AT&T Byron Nelson announced the Mental Health Initiative with May being Mental Health Month, the players and TOUR community really got behind the effort. Besides making lots of birdies, the ticket program was another way for players to do so.” “I think this is a great idea for other tournaments,” said TOUR member and Texas native Ryan Palmer. “I hear the Charles Schwab Challenge is already looking at doing something similar, and I hope they do. This week, my wife, Jen, and I were able to know our people had access to tickets and we didn’t have to be in the middle of all the requests.” Palmer heard right. When Charles Schwab Challenge Tournament Director Michael Tothe learned of the initiative and its success, he implemented the program to be utilized next week at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

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