Shane Lowry RBC Heritage

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Anheuser-Busch today announced an extension of their longstanding marketing relationship that continues Michelob ULTRA’s position as the “Official Beer Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions” through 2024. Additionally, O’Doul’s will continue to serve as the “Official Non-Alcohol Beer of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.” As part of the multi-year extension, Anheuser-Busch will add Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer as the “Official Hard Seltzer of the PGA TOUR,” a new official category for the PGA TOUR. “We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with Anheuser-Busch and look forward to celebrating 30 years of partnership in 2024,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. “As all great partnerships do, our relationship has evolved over the years, and we share in the excitement that Michelob ULTRA is the fastest-growing beer brand in the United States. The PGA TOUR takes pride in providing the very best products for our fans, and we look forward to the addition of Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer with this extension to complement Michelob ULTRA and O’Doul’s.” Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with the PGA TOUR began in 1994, and Michelob ULTRA became an official sponsor of the TOUR in 2002. Michelob ULTRA will continue to have a substantial activation footprint at tournaments across the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions schedule. “Partnering with the PGA TOUR over the years has allowed Michelob ULTRA unprecedented access to engage with and provide meaningful experience to golf fans, who are core consumers of our beer,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Michelob ULTRA. “Stepping into yet another new chapter with the PGA TOUR is truly exciting as fans are welcomed back and we build even greater experiences for years to come.” Michelob ULTRA will continue to advertise within PGA TOUR telecasts and across PGA TOUR social and digital channels. For more information, visit MichelobULTRA.com or follow @MichelobULTRA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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Brett Stegmaier is no John Madden. He doesn’t fear flying so much that he keeps an Amtrak schedule handy. He doesn’t own a luxury RV – complete with sauna – for those long cross-country trips like the famous NFL coach turned sportscaster once did, either. But even so, Stegmaier admits that he gets nervous when he steps on a plane and squeezes his 6-foot-3 frame into one of those cramped middle seats. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid, I’m just kind of uncomfortable,â€� Stegmaier says good-naturedly. “It’s not my favorite thing to do. But I don’t like freak out or anything.â€� Madden actually did, though. He stopped flying in 1979 when he suffered a panic attack after getting on a plane in Tampa. Madden steeled himself and made it through the flight but hasn’t flown since. In Madden’s biography on Wikipedia, there’s even a section on his aviophobia. Stegmaier has a similar entry in his on PGATOUR.COM – right after his favorite TV shows, movies, sports teams and websites. It says: Not many people know that he is afraid of flying. Stegmaier says his aviophobia might actually stem from a long-standing fear of heights. In fact, he remembers a family trip to Toronto where the CN Tower was on the sightseeing agenda. At the time, the needle-like CN Tower was the tallest in the world. “And I wouldn’t go up in it,â€� recalls Stegmaier, who was 10 years old at the time of that vacation. “It was probably the first time I ever (realized I was scared of heights). I think I was embarrassed about it. Now I just kind of laugh about it.â€� Stegmaier can drive over tall bridges but he doesn’t know how comfortable he’d be if he were walking across them. And don’t even mention those high-rise hotels. “If I’m on the tenth floor of a hotel and there’s a balcony, I’m super uncomfortable with going outside.,â€� Stegmaier says. “I’m thinking if I slip and fall — you think the stupidest things.â€� At the same time, though, Stegmaier doesn’t mind looking out into the wild blue yonder when he’s buckled up in a plane. In fact, he’ll take another flight if no window seats are available. “If I can look out the window, I’m way more comfortable than sitting in the aisle,â€� Stegmaier says. “It’s weird. I don’t know how to explain it.â€� And while lots of aviophobics fear take-offs and landings, it’s the cruising part that bothers him. Oh, and the turbulence, even though Stegmaier knows flying is the safest form of travel. “There’s not much really I can do,â€� he admits. “I stare out the window. That’s the only thing I do. Even if we are in the clouds, I stare out the window. “Then once we land after a rough flight, I just feel an intense amount of relief. I don’t say I’ll never fly again, I just don’t look forward to it.â€� When he can drive between tournaments in four hours or less, don’t be surprised if you find Stegmaier in a car. But his fear of flying didn’t deter the second-year PGA TOUR pro from flying to Malaysia last fall. And that flight was 16 hours. Of course, he was flying business and had a seat that converted into a flat bed. “If I’m stuck in the middle in the back, I would be super uncomfortable,â€� he says. “… I was totally fine on that flight. “The hour and a half flight from Atlanta to Palm Beach, I don’t look forward to those at all.â€� Interestingly, Madden’s wife Virginia had her pilot’s license. And Stegmaier’s sister works for an airline — and “loves everything about flying.â€� Her husband flies propeller planes. “Which I won’t get into,â€� Stegmaier says firmly. “I don’t do that. I don’t even like the (regional) jets. And I don’t fly privately.â€� Still, flying is a necessary evil – kind of like going to the dentist, Stegmaier says. After all, PGA TOUR sanctioned events are played in 21 different states and nine different countries this year. “This would be a tough job if you didn’t want to get on a plane,â€� Stegmaier says with a wry smile.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Jordan Spieth took on a bold tee shot and pulled it off perfectly to set up birdie. He hit a poor 3-wood that went off a tree and back into the fairway that led to another. RELATED: Leaderboard | Casey contending after traveling from Middle East Whether it’s good golf or good breaks, it’s making him feel a lot better about his game at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He shot a 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill on Friday for a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger going into the weekend. “I like where things are at,” Spieth said, referring to more than his name atop the leaderboard on the weekend for the second straight week. Winless since his Open Championship title in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, Spieth wasn’t sure if he was taking baby steps or a giant leap. But one week after relying so much on his wizardry with the wedge and putter, this was a steady diet of keeping the ball inside the tree-lined fairways of Spyglass, reducing stress and making a few putts. There was a 45-foot birdie putt he holed on the tough par-3 fifth hole. He also missed a few inside 10 feet, and his lone bogey was a three-putt from 7 feet on the par-5 first hole after he made the turn. “A little bit improved off last week, which was the goal this week, to just try and feel like I’m getting better each day,” said Spieth, whose tie for fourth in Phoenix was his best result since May 2019. “I haven’t made a ton of longer putts … which is probably a really good sign that I’m keeping the ball in front of me and striking it really nicely.” Spieth was at 12-under 132, his first 36-hole lead since Birkdale. Berger shot a 66 at Pebble Beach by going 2-3-2 along the ocean on a day filled will sunshine and a Pacific breeze. He holed 15-foot birdie putts on the par-3 fifth and par-3 seventh holes, and in between chipped in for eagle from about 20 feet on the par-5 sixth. “I didn’t make a bunch of birdies in the middle of the round and then hung in there and toward the end rattled off a couple and got myself in a good position going into Saturday,” Berger said. Henrik Norlander had a 70 at Spyglass and was at 10 under, while the group at 9-under 135 included Patrick Cantlay, whose record-tying 62 at Pebble Beach on Thursday was quickly forgotten. His opening tee shot at No. 10 on Spyglass hit a tree and was never found, sending him back to the tee. He opened with a double bogey and eventually got those two shots back until a three-putt bogey on the par-3 third and pars the rest of the way in. Five-time champion Phil Mickelson won’t be around for the weekend, but he went out in style. Mickelson hit two shots in the ocean on the 18th at Pebble Beach and took a quadruple-bogey 9 for an 80. Spieth showed his level of trust on the 17th hole, 325 yards with a sharp turn to the left. Instead of laying back with a fairway metal as he often does, he took driver to the front of the green, leaving him a flop shot to 5 feet for birdie. Cantlay in the group behind was too far right, into a bunker about 40 yards short, and made bogey. Spieth surged into the lead with a gap wedge that got the ridge perfectly on the skinny green at No. 4, and followed that with a 5-iron to 45 feet, a birdie putt helped by Rickie Fowler going first from the same line. He reached the front of the green on the par-5 seventh with a hybrid for a two-putt birdie, then figured his one miss off the tee would cost him on No. 8. “I hit the tree off the tee,” he said with a smile. “I toed a 3-wood and it came out in the fairway and I hit a 7-iron that happened to go right of the right pin, below the hole. That was a steal there, for sure.” Good breaks have been hard to find for Spieth over the last two years. He has seen his share of shots that hit the tree and carom out-of-bounds, or tee shots that bury in the rough instead of sitting up. “I’ll tell you what, it’s crazy. You go on runs of cards out here,” he said. “You get good ones and then you go on a bad run of cards. I’m now hitting it and kind of thinking it’s going to be a good break again, which is really nice. “But you don’t rely on that,” he added. “It’s just when it happens, it’s obviously really nice.” The cut was at 1-under 143 after 36 holes on Pebble Beach and Spyglass. Only two courses are being used this year because the tournament has no amateurs (or spectators) due to COVID-19 restrictions. Fowler, who played alongside Spieth and defending champion Nick Taylor (at 4-under 140), shot 75 and missed the cut for the second straight week. Fowler has gone just over a year since his last finish in the top 10.

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