Shibuno still leads at muddy U.S. Women’s Open

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Two-time defending champion Hideki Matsuyama got treatment on his left wrist prior to his second-round tee time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but deemed the injury too serious and withdrew prior to hitting a shot. Matsuyama had not withdrawn in the middle of a tournament since The Honda Classic in 2016, when he was pained by a right hip flexor. The Japanese star, ranked fifth in the world, was trying to match Arnold Palmer, who won three times in a row in Phoenix from 1961-1963. Matsuyama, who was playing in the same threesome as Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, whom he had beaten in playoffs at TPC Scottsdale the last two years, respectively, had gotten off to a slow start with a 69 in the first round. Over the last four decades, Tom Watson (Byron Nelson Classic, 1978-1980), Stuart Appleby (Mercedes Championship, 2004-2006) and Steve Stricker (John Deere Classic, 2009-2011) are the only other players besides Tiger Woods who have won the same tournament three straight years. (Woods has done it four times.) With the early departure of Matsuyama, the Waste Management now features four of the top seven in the world and 22 of the top 30 in the FedExCup. In addition to winning the last two years, Matsuyama had finished T4 in 2014 and T2 in ’15. He came into this week on the heels of the best putting week of his career. Matsuyama ranked second in sg: putting at the Farmers Insurance Open (+2.040); tied Charles Howell III for low round Sunday (69); and tied for 12th. Justin Thomas had a chance to three-peat at the CIMB Classic but finished T17 earlier this season. Daniel Berger will go for his third straight FedEx St. Jude Classic title in June.

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Twenty two years ago, Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters using a Scotty Cameron Newport TeI3 putter, which had a face insert made of Teryllium and the iconic domino-like pattern with white dots in the back cavity. To this day, Teryllium remains “the number one material request I get from players,� according to Scotty Cameron, and players such as Brooks Koepka use a Scotty Cameron prototype putter with a face insert made from the material. On Monday, Scotty Cameron announced a limited release of reimagined Teryllium putters, called T22, in three different models: Teryllium T22 Newport, Newport 2 and Fastback 1.5. The company says it is the first Fastback 1.5 model to have a Teryllium face insert. The 2019 T22 versions are precision milled in the United States from 303 stainless steel, they have a matte black finish, and they feature the iconic white dots in the back cavity. Also, the new Teryllium inlay constructions have improved vibration dampening, according to the company, as well as removable sole weights and overall increased head weights compared to the original TeI3 putters from 1997. “There’s nothing quite like the feel of Teryllium,� Scotty Cameron said in a press release. “T22 gave us the opportunity to take everything we’ve learned over the past two decades and refine the entire look, feel and performance. Like a modern day muscle car, everything looks original at first glance, but each component is brand new. Better milling. Better materials. Better construction. They’re made to game.� The putters come with a Pistolini Plus grip that has copper paintfill, and the grip design is thicker in the lower hand area giving the grip less taper. The limited-release putters will be available on August 16 at Titleist-authorized golf shops worldwide, and they will sell for $599 each. Here’s a look at each of the new models, with images provided in a press release from Scotty Cameron. Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Newport Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Newport 2 Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Fastback 1.5

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Tiger Woods will make his highly anticipated return to action, teeing it up at the PNC Championship alongside son Charlie for the second time. This is the first time Woods will be competing since the 2020 PNC Championship and since he suffered a myriad of lower-body injuries in a February car crash. Justin Thomas and his father, long-time PGA of America professional Mike Thomas, will defend their title from last year. FIELD NOTES AND STORYLINES: Twenty golfers will tee it up for the two-round tournament in Orlando… Tiger and Charlie, who is now 12, finished seventh last year after back-to-back 62s… Thomas and his father, Mike, look to become the first back-to-back champions of the PNC Championship since Larry Nelson. Mike Thomas was an all-conference player at Morehead State in Kentucky before becoming a club professional… Olympic gold medalist Nelly Korda will tee it up with her father, tennis star Petr. Korda, the lone woman in the field, had a career-year on the LPGA Tour. She won four times, including her first major title, and captured the top spot at the Tokyo Games… Past FedExCup champions Jim Furyk (with son, Tanner), Vijay Singh (with son, Qass), and Henrik Stenson (with son, Karl) are all teeing it up. Woods and Thomas also are past winners of the PGA TOUR’s season-long points race… Thomas also is the reigning THE PLAYERS champion. Past PLAYERS champions also in the PNC field are Woods, David Duval, Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar and Nick Price… European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington is in the field alongside his son, Paddy… The Harringtons aren’t the only similarly-named pair. John Daly and his son, John Daly II, are back in action. Daly II is now a freshman at Arkansas – his father’s alma mater… Along with Woods and Thomas, other former World No. 1s in the field include Tom Lehman, Nick Faldo, Duval, Price and Singh… Legendary multi-time major winners Faldo (son, Matthew), Tom Watson (son, Michael), Lee Trevino (son, Daniel), Price (son, Greg), and 85-year-old Gary Player (Grandson, Jordan), will be teeing it up at the PNC Championship along with two-time major winner Mark O’Meara (son, Shaun), two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson (father-in-law, Wayne Ball)… Rich Beem, who won the PGA Championship in 2002, slid into the field along with his son, Michael, as the second-to-last pair to commit (the Woods’ rounded out the field) after Retief Goosen and his son, Leo, withdrew. COURSE: Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, par 72, 7,106 yards. The Ritz-Carlton GC in Orlando, Florida has hosted the PNC Championship every year since 2002. The course boasts generous landing areas on wide fairways, strategically placed hazards, and subtly contoured greens while meandering through wetlands and natural marshes. 72-HOLE RECORD: 118, Davis Love III/Dru Love (2018) 18-HOLE RECORD: 56, Davis Love III/Dru Love (Second Round, 2018) LAST TIME: Making their tournament debut, former FedExCup Champion Justin Thomas and his father Mike Thomas topped Vijay Singh and his son Qass by one. The Thomas duo birdied the opening seven holes in Sunday’s finale and finished with a 15-under 57. The pair – Mike Thomas, a PGA of America professional from Kentucky, is the only coach son Justin has ever had – finished at 25-under for the tournament. Tiger Woods and son Charlie, another pair of tournament debutants, finished 7th, five shots back of the Thomas’. Charlie Woods, 11, and Tiger wore the traditional ‘Sunday Red’ shirts and finished 6-under for their closing six holes in the final round. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Golf Channel). Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (NBC).

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