Schwartzel eagles 17th on way to lead at South African Open

What once seemed unreasonable is a worthy conversation again — for the experts, for his peers, for Tiger Woods himself. It’s OK to talk about getting to or passing Jack Nicklaus’ 18 majors.

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The R&A announced today which tournaments will be part of The Open Qualifying Series for the 149th Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. On the PGA TOUR, they are: The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 5-8). The tournament will send the leading three players, not otherwise exempt, finishing in the top 10 and ties. The Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill was a qualifying site last year, and sent Keith Mitchell, Sungjae Im and Sung Kang to The Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. The RBC Canadian Open (June 11-14) will send the leading three players, not otherwise exempt, finishing in the top 10 and ties. This was a Qualifying Series site last year, too, which made news when Graeme McDowell tied for eighth to earn a spot in the field. With The Open returning to his home country of Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, he had been vocal about his desire not to miss it. Adam Hadwin (sixth place) also qualified in Canada. The Travelers Championship (June 25-28) will send the leading two players, not otherwise exempt, finishing in the top eight and ties. The Travelers wasn’t used last season and replaces the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where Nate Lashley and Doc Redman earned spots in the field last year. The John Deere Classic (July 9-12) will get its customary last spot in the Series. The leading player, not otherwise exempt, finishing in the top five and ties will earn a spot in the field at Royal St. George’s. Last season this spot went to John Deere winner Dylan Frittelli of South Africa. The Open Qualifying Series was introduced in 2014 to ensure access to players from around the globe into The Open, which bills itself as the most international of the majors. The Series this year will visit seven professional tours in 11 countries across five continents. The first chance for players to earn their way into the 2020 Open Championship will be at the Emirates Australian Open, the week before the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, Dec. 12-15. Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, a rising star on the PGA TOUR who will represent the International Team at the Presidents Cup, qualified for The Open by winning in Australia last year.

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LA QUINTA, Calif. — Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past late-charging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA TOUR victory. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Si Woo Kim, The American Express A year after Kim withdrew from the desert tournament because of a back injury following a tough first round, he began the final round with a share of the lead as he attempted to win for the first time since THE PLAYERS Championship in 2017. The 25-year-old South Korean didn’t flinch when Cantlay shot a 61 and surged out of 13th place to the front while breaking the Stadium Course record by two strokes. Playing six groups behind Cantlay, Kim comfortably birdied the par-5 16th to pull even. Kim then buried a 19-foot birdie putt on the island green on the 17th to take the lead, joyously pumping his fist when his perfectly paced putt dropped. Kim wrapped up his third bogey-free round of the tournament — all on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course — with a two-putt par on the 18th to finish at 23-under 265. Kim had a much better time than he did last year in his return to the Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. A year ago, Kim shot a 15-over 87 in the opening round on the easier neighboring Nicklaus Course before withdrawing. Australia’s Cameron Davis shot a 64 to finish in a career-best third at 20 under. Tony Finau had a 68 and finished fourth after starting the final round with a share of the lead in his quest to land his long-awaited second PGA TOUR win. Cantlay was in 56th place when the third round began, but the Southern California native’s 65-61 finish shot him out of the crowded field and nearly led to his second victory of the 2020-21 season. He also won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Thousand Oaks last October when it was relocated from Japan. The 28-year-old Cantlay made 11 birdies in the final round, including six in eight holes on the front nine. Cantlay capped his spectacular round with a 37-foot birdie putt on the 18th, pumping his fist subtly for the few fans clapping from their houses near the green. Cantlay was born in Long Beach, went to high school in Anaheim and was the Division I player of the year at UCLA before his pro career. All told, Cantlay made 20 birdies in his final two rounds, offset by two bogeys Saturday. Third-round co-leaders Max Homa and Finau both faded, with Homa struggling to five bogeys in a 76, leaving him at 11 under. Finau posted his third top-10 finish of the season, but couldn’t keep up with Kim.

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