Sergio claims his first PGA Tour win since 2017

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – After a 7-over 78 in the opening round of The Open Championship, Tiger Woods’ goal is simple for Friday’s second round at Royal Portrush – figure out a way to make the cut. Woods, who has missed just two cuts in his first 20 Opens, starts the day tied for 144th. PGATOUR.COM will have hole-by-hole updates of Tiger’s second round — he tees off at 5:09 a.m. ET – so check back often. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Tough day for Tiger in Round 1 ROUND 2: TIGER HOLE-BY-HOLE No. 1, par 4 (421 yards):  No. 2, par 5 (574 yards):  No. 3, par 3 (175 yards):  No. 4, par 4 (482 yards): No. 5, par 4 (374 yards): No. 6, par 3 (194 yards): No. 7, par 5 (592 yards): No. 8, par 4 (434 yards):  No. 9, par 4 (432 yards):  No. 10, par 4 (447 yards): No. 11, par 4 (474 yards):  No. 12, par 5 (532 yards): No. 13, par 3 (194 yards):  No. 14, par 4 (473 yards): No. 15, par 4 (426 yards):  No. 16, par 3 (236 yards):  No. 17, par 4 (408 yards):  No. 18, par 4 (474 yards): 

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These days, the course is called Catawba Creek. But back when a 9-year-old Harold Varner III started playing there, it was known as Gastonia (N.C.) Municipal. His father, who was a car salesman, and his mother, a nursing assistant, managed to come up with $100 so their gifted and gregarious son could play golf as many times as he wanted that summer. And the summer after that, and the summer after that. When he eventually got a job at Gaston Country Club doing everything from picking the range to maintenance work, Varner had playing privileges there. He also came under the transformative guidance of Bruce Sudderth, a highly regarded teacher who is a member of the Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame. Varner still sees some of those “old men” he met as a precocious kid and played with – and sometimes beat in the weekly dogfight — at Catawba Creek. And he fondly remembers the Par Busters, a group of predominately African-American golfers that his dad belonged to who would keep a youngster like him in check. “It takes a village to raise a kid and Gastonia’s obviously my village,” Varner says of the satellite city of 75,000 just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. “Obviously, the members at Gaston Country Club, the old men at Gaston Municipal, and then the Par Busters — they basically raised a little kid and turned him into a man.” Varner knows the life lessons learned at those clubs and from those men were just as important as the ones he got on the practice range from Sudderth. That’s one of the reasons he wanted to get involved in Youth on Course, which provides affordable access to golf for kids aged 6-18. The organization is the “closest thing to my journey,” Varner explains. Kids enrolled in the Youth on Course program can walk and play 18 holes for $5 or less at more than 1,400 courses across the United States and Canada. The organization also offers caddie and internship programs, and it has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships. “I think it’s going to do a lot,” Varner says. “I think it’s going to do exactly what I’ve wanted every other organization to do — give a kid a chance to play golf. … “They’re going to learn a lot from the people that they encounter, how to talk to a human, how to treat people and then get better at golf.” But Varner has done more than lend his name to the non-profit as an ambassador. His own HV3 Foundation is a substantial supporter of the Youth on Course program and its facilities affiliated with the Carolinas Golf Association. Among the more than 50 courses involved are Forest Oaks Country Club, which was once the home of the Wyndham Championship; Pine Needles Lodge & Resort, which hosts its fourth U.S. Women’s Open next June and the Nos. 1, 3 and 5 courses at Pinehurst Country Club. Adam Heieck, who is the CEO of Youth on Course, sees Varner as the perfect fit as the organization’s first ambassador. “Harold has been a vocal champion of our organization for years, not to mention his significant financial contributions which have made a huge difference for young golfers in the Carolinas,” he said when the partnership was announced earlier this year. So, what is the best lesson the 31-year-old learned from the people in his village when he was a teenager? “There’s a lot of them,” said Varner, who became a father last weekend when Harold William Varner IV, otherwise known as Liam, was born. “Yes sir, no sir, and thank you and please go a long way. We don’t do that now. Like, it’s unheard of. It’s like uncommon. “Like when you hear it — for example (Hideki) Matsuyama’s caddie basically gave respect to the golf course (by bowing on the 18th green at Augusta National after the Masters), and we’re like in awe of it. When did respect become like a shocking thing?” While golf is obviously a focus with the AJGA’s HV3 Foundation All-Stars and the other tournaments it runs for kids, Varner’s foundation is dedicated to promoting affordable access to all sports, particularly for young people in underserved communities. “I’m super excited just give a kid a chance to obviously play golf,” he says. “But the biggest thing for us is providing access through sports in general and that’s where we’re getting closer to.” Paying it forward through organizations like Youth on Course is the goal. “I just want to do great things for the people that have done great things for my life,” he says. “I don’t think it’s hard to do. So, you can put a face if you have to put a face on it. I’ll put my face in it because I like to do things and move in silence and just help cause that’s what you’re supposed to do. “You don’t need recognition to help.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – PGA TOUR and CJ Group officials today announced that THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES will move venues and will now be staged at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 15-18, 2020 and will change to THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK. Since 2017, the event has been played annually at The Club @ Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, Korea, with Justin Thomas securing a playoff victory over Marc Leishman in the inaugural event and winning again last year. Brooks Koepka was victorious by four shots in 2018. "The PGA TOUR is truly appreciative of CJ Group's commitment to bring THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK to the United States this October," said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International. "While our players have always looked forward to visiting Korea, the current circumstances provided this new opportunity to bring the event to Las Vegas which will also provide brand exposure and awareness to the viewing audience in the United States and around the globe. We are thankful for the partnership and support that CJ Group and the Korean PGA have shown in view of the circumstances. We are confident this year's event will showcase a stellar field while bringing the CJ Group's brand values to a new time zone." Ethan Kim, Sports Marketing Director of CJ Group, said: "We are delighted to bring THE CJ CUP to the U.S. and to the renowned Shadow Creek. It is unfortunate we will not be able to showcase the PGA TOUR and the best players in the world on Jeju Island this year, but we look forward to having this tournament again in Korea in 2021. We are excited to bring our Korean culture and flavor of bibigo to show the TOUR players and American audience through coverage of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK." As part of the early events on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK is slated to be played a week after the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. Votaw added: "We would like to express our appreciation to both Shriners Hospitals for Children and their tournament team in Las Vegas who have been fully supportive of our decision to bring THE CJ CUP to the U.S, immediately following their long-standing and successful event, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. This will create an exciting and seamless two-week Las Vegas swing for the TOUR and our players." THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK will once again feature a 78-man field comprising of the highest ranked player of Korean nationality from the Asian Tour Order of Merit, up to five players designated by the KPGA and the top-3 available players of Korean nationality from the Official World Golf Ranking as part of CJ Group's vision to support the development of professional golf in Korea. The remainder of the field will be made up of the leading players from the 2019-20 FedExCup points list and sponsor exemptions. "THE CJ CUP quickly became one of my favorite events on TOUR. While winning twice certainly helped, the hospitality shown to us by CJ Group and the Korean community has made the tournament special to all of us as PGA TOUR players," said 13-time PGA TOUR winner and defending THE CJ CUP champion Justin Thomas. "It's unfortunate that we won't be able to travel to Korea for this year's event, but it is fantastic that we will still be able to shine a light on CJ Group through the tournament at a venue like Shadow Creek." George Kliavkoff, president of Entertainment & Sports for MGM Resorts International, said: "Shadow Creek is one of the country’s leading courses offering guests exclusive, first-class experiences. The course will be in tremendous shape and ready to host our PGA TOUR partners and the world’s best golfers as they compete in THE CJ CUP in Las Vegas." Shadow Creek, built in 1989 by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, played host to The Match: Tiger vs Phil in 2018, which was a winner-take-all shootout between PGA TOUR legends Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The exclusive course, owned by MGM Resorts International, is available only to guests of the company's properties.

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