Sergio falls short in bid to make 25th Open in row

It’s been more than four years since Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson has hoisted a trophy, and he enters the final round at the Safeway Open only four back of rookie Tyler Duncan. Can the rookie hold on in Napa Valley? Final round tee times Final round leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN Telecast: Golf Channel (5:30 – 8:30 p.m. ET)         PGA TOUR Radio: Listen Free (4 – 9 p.m. ET) NOTABLE PAIRINGS Robert Garrigus, Stephan Jaeger, John Daly 2:50 p.m. ET off 10th tee Tony Finau, Nick Taylor, Jason Kokrak 3 p.m. ET off 1st tee Phil Mickelson, Andrew Putnam, Bill Haas 3:10 p.m. ET off 1st tee Kelly Kraft, Smylie Kaufman, Beau Hossler 3:10 p.m. ET off 10th tee Brendan Steele, Emiliano Grillo, Graham DeLaet 3:20 p.m. ET off 1st tee Tyler Duncan, Chesson Hadley, Bud Cauley 3:30 p.m. ET off 1st tee

Click here to read the full article…

After missing the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career, Jordan Spieth’s schedule is undergoing a big change.   Spieth has committed to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which will be played Nov. 1-4 at Las Vegas’ TPC Summerlin. It will be the first time in Spieth’s career that he will play a domestic tournament during the fall portion of the PGA TOUR schedule.    “I’m really excited to be playing in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open,� he said. “The event has been on my radar for a while, as the course has a great reputation on TOUR and I absolutely love the affiliation with the hospital. It’s going to be a really fun week in a great city.�   Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and defending champion Patrick Cantlay also are scheduled to play the Shriners.   Spieth finished 31st in last season’s FedExCup, missing the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. He was ranked 27th in the FedExCup at the start of the BMW Championship but finished T55 in the 69-man field to fall out of the top 30. It ended his streak of five consecutive TOUR Championship appearances to start his career.   The 2017-18 season also was the second winless season of Spieth’s career. He also went winless in 2014, but responded by winning the following year’s FedExCup.   This will be Spieth’s first fall start in three years. His only previous fall starts came at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China. He played the event from 2013-15, including a T7 finish in his final appearance.   The fall has been an important time of year for Spieth, though. In 2014, he followed his winless PGA TOUR campaign with victories at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge that set the stage for his five-win season in 2015. He also won the 2016 Australian Open.    Spieth has not announced any additional upcoming starts. In each of the previous two seasons, he has started the new year with the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii. Spieth, the 2016 Sentry champion, would need to win in the fall to qualify for Kapalua, though.    When Spieth was last ineligible for the Sentry, he made his first start of the calendar year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He has never played the CareerBuilder Challenge and has not played the Farmers Insurance Open since 2015. The Farmers was the site of his pro debut in 2013.

Click here to read the full article…

LOS ANGELES – The usually jammed 405 freeway was wide open with seven lanes on each side near empty. The drive from home had never been quicker but trying to find a parking spot at Rancho Park Golf Course proved as difficult as always. RELATED: Where things stand, watch to expect for TOUR and fans | Why bonds of golf are so vital | A message to our fans Rancho – as the locals affectionately call it – is the premier municipal course owned by the city of Los Angeles. It hosted the L.A. Open (now The Genesis Invitational) on 17 occasions from 1956-67, 1969-72 and in 1983. It is steeped in history. Arnold Palmer won three times at Rancho while Charlie Sifford and Billy Casper also prevailed there. It is the site where Jack Nicklaus earned his first PGA TOUR check — a huge $33.33 as a 21-year-old rookie in 1962 after he tied for 50th. Nancy Lopez won two of the three LPGA events staged there. On multiple occasions, Rancho has served as the busiest muni in America, routinely logging over 100,000 rounds a year. On this Friday afternoon, things were no different. Strange, perhaps, given the previous day, the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California had given stay-at-home edicts due to the coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps that’s why it was so busy, golfers recognizing that courses might not be open much longer. In fact the starter, a little disgruntled, remarks that today and the day before had been the busiest in some time. Nik Adell is at the window looking for a tee time. There are taped lines on the ground six feet apart to show people where to stand to keep social distancing protocols in place. This is one of many changes to the norm. Carts are still available, but for single riders only. Flagsticks are to remain in and untouched. Ball washers and rakes have been removed from the course. Adell, his wife and friend Ken are put on a waiting list, so he buys a card that allows priority online booking for the future. Turns out he is a member at a nearby private club that has already closed. “Golf is a stress reliever. And I work in the financial markets … so right now I need a stress reliever,â€� Adell said. “We just had to play. We don’t know when they will shut this all down.â€� It is a sentiment shared by multiple people I talk to. From others on the waiting list, players practicing on the range, and a group of (let’s just say nine to stay under the rules) friends engaged in a very serious putting duel on the practice green. The uncertainty of availability of golf has everyone wanting to cram as much in as possible. I, too, can relate as I walk to the first tee to meet the foursome I’ll share the next five hours with – at an acceptable distance of course. I am joined by Ben Northenor, Matt Macedo and Adam Zoucha wondering if this might be my last round in months. Northenor is a 41-year-old who was laid off from his job as an editor on the hit show Dynasty as Hollywood came to a halt. He found golf only in the last 18 months but is, by his own admission, basically obsessed with it. When he was given the layoff news, he went right out to play with his 7-year-old son and has since tried to play as much as possible. “It is hard to put into words, but the game is almost therapeutic, possibly even necessary in times like this,â€� Northenor said after making a great par on the first from a rake-less fairway bunker. “Golf has helped in every aspect of my life. As an editor, having a producer standing over your shoulder is real pressure. Trying to make a 5-footer to win a hole, or make a birdie or par, recreates that. “We search for perfection on a daily basis in our lives, but golf reminds you to enjoy the journey, as much, if not more so, than the destination. Countless obstacles are always thrown in your way but one must never give up.â€� Thirty-year-olds Macedo and Zoucha are college friends who also scrambled to Rancho when another course had closed. Zoucha is supposed to be married on June 6 … in Italy. He is resigned to the fact a change of venue is likely although holds out small hope of a postponement. Zoucha is a double digit handicapper but impressively wields a Scotty Cameron putter, a gift from his fiancée. I’d like to borrow it on this round, given I accidently left my TaylorMade Spider at the Everill family mini-golf course and am now putting with a wedge. But of course sharing is NOT caring at the moment. “I hope this place stays open. It allows people an outlet where they still can be cautious and practice social distancing,â€� Zoucha said. “It will be a shame to cancel the wedding trip but of course that’s nothing compared to what others are experiencing. I feel for those even more directly affected.â€� If not for my questions, Coronavirus talk would have likely been near non-existent. The four of us took extra time telling stories that made us smile and laugh and, of course, well-naturedly ribbed each other for each thin, fat, topped or shanked shot. But we also heavily praised those great shots that keep everyone wanting golf in their lives. As the sun set, we made a point of visiting the famous plaque on the par-5 18th that commemorates Palmer making a 12 there during the 1961 L.A. Open, two years before winning the first of his three titles. It was first erected in 1963 with Palmer in attendance “as an inspiration to all golfersâ€� and the rededicated plaque includes a quote from Palmer: Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. Before going our separate ways post-round, the four of us agreed the game itself also remains an inspiration, now more than ever. And we were hopeful that Rancho might stay open a bit longer, providing therapy in these uncertain times. Alas, the news came down over the weekend – all public courses in Los Angeles now closed. But I look forward to one day getting back out to Rancho, perhaps even sharing another round with my new golf mates Adam, Matt and Ben. Coming Tuesday: PGATOUR.COM’s Jim McCabe visits his local course in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Click here to read the full article…