Spieth analyzes — and chews — way into Open lead

Bryson DeChambeau said the well-chronicled feud between him and Brooks Koepka is something for the PGA Tour to handle as it’s “something I can’t control.”

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Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady took on Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning in Capital One’s “The Match: Champions for Charity� at Florida’s Medalist Golf Club on Sunday. Tiger and Phil, together again, only now partnering quarterbacks and playing to raise money in the fight against COVID-19, and with everyone wearing microphones to great effect. THE MATCH: Leaderboard | Team Tiger/Peyton wins | Top 10 observations Woods and Manning held on to win 1 up despite a valiant back-nine comeback by Mickelson and Brady, the latter having filled up the hole from both on and off the green. Most importantly, they raised $20 million, and The Match was pure fun to watch. Mickelson was especially chirpy early, joking that he’d brought out his “Tiger Slayer� Odyssey putter, and, fueled by coffee, was preparing to activate his calves for the long-drive contest on the third hole. “Yes, ladies and gentlemen,� Woods said, “this is what I have to listen to every time we play.� Not that he didn’t get some digs in of his own, later stating that he could mark his ball with the gold medal from the U.S. Open. All told, it was another fascinating installment of Tiger and Phil. After 20-plus years of these guys, the rivalry somehow still has legs. Why is that? The contrast in styles (righty vs. Lefty, strategist vs. seat-of-the-pants, new kid vs. more established pro) has helped; there was never any confusing one for the other. Rory McIlroy said much the same thing about the overseeded grass after winning THE PLAYERS Championship last year; he could differentiate the fairway from the rough as he stood on the tee. Contrast is everything. But it must be the right kind of contrast. Without trying to, Tiger and Phil fit the classic rivalry mold perfectly, one side a seemingly immovable pillar of excellence (Woods, who once made 142 straight cuts) and the other a less disciplined genius (Mickelson, who hit a ball through a gap in the pines at the 2010 Masters). They were Borg and McEnroe; the old-school Boston Celtics and the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers; and Boris Spassky and bad boy Bobby Fischer. Such contrasts allow us to access the full range of emotions, for while one side inspires awe and commands respect (82 PGA TOUR victories, 15 majors, two PLAYERS titles), the other alternately drives us mad (what do you need with two drivers?) and deliriously happy (2004 Masters, 2007 PLAYERS, 2013 Open Championship). And no, you can’t manufacture a rivalry – except in a script, where you totally can. Soviet-built machine Ivan Drago and big-hearted Rocky Balboa in “Rocky IV� come to mind, although I’m not proud of that. For a rivalry to really work, however, both sides have to occasionally win. Competitive balance is the special sauce, and this is where Tiger and Phil almost didn’t end up clicking. Way back in 2001 at a Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, Mickelson told me something that at the time seemed debatable. “When I compete with Tiger,� he said as we ate chips and salsa, “I can see myself – the line of a putt, the shot I want to hit – more clearly.� I nodded, but Woods seemed to be in a class by himself. He had just set or tied 27 PGA TOUR records as he won nine times in 2000. Still, Mickelson had won the TOUR Championship that year, firing a 66 to overtake Woods (69) and Vijay Singh, so I wrote it in my notebook. And it turned out he was right. Studies have shown how sports rivals lift each other up; college and pro teams get quantifiably better in the year after their chief rival wins the championship. Long-distance runners are five seconds per kilometer faster if a top rival is in the race. So it went with Tiger and Phil. “Although we often see them as enemies,� author Adam Grant wrote in The New York Times last year, “our rivals can be our greatest allies. You can see this in the extreme in sports.� Tiger and Phil battled at Doral, Bay Hill, Firestone, Augusta National. We suspected that they made each other better, but now we know just how much better. As Justin Ray of The 15th Club wrote for PGATOUR.COM, for the last 15 years Mickelson has gained an average of 1.12 strokes on the field per round, but when playing alongside Woods that number has jumped to 2.00 strokes per round. So, yeah, maybe Phil really did see the shot he wanted to hit more clearly. (Playing with Mickelson also helped Woods, although less so.) Who won the rivalry? Woods will end his career with far more victories, but as Ray points out, on 31 occasions when both were within five of the lead going into the final round, Woods won 10 times, Mickelson nine, while Woods shot a cumulative 51 under par, Mickelson 52 under. That they’ve grown into the rivalry perhaps shouldn’t surprise us. For as Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton, also wrote in The Times, “If you build a supportive relationship with that rival, it can elevate your performance even further.� Tiger and Phil took it to another level when they committed to the Ryder Cup Task Force after the U.S. Team’s lopsided defeat at Gleneagles in 2014, and are now closer than ever. Mickelson is even planning to move to South Florida; you can just imagine Phil knocking on Tiger’s door to ask if he can come out and hit some bombs, and Tiger rolling his eyes and agreeing. So, yes, they’ve made each other better on the course, but also off it. They’ve made Brady and Manning better, and at the Medalist on Sunday, all four of them did their part to make even the ongoing pandemic better. Even as we anticipate the twilight of their competitive careers, the rivalry between Tiger and Phil continues to elevate us all.

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ATLANTA – In recognition of his philanthropic endeavors, his commitment to growing the game, his professionalism and the distinguished manner in which he embraces the values of golf, Stewart Cink has been named as the recipient of the 2017 Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Stewart, who lives in the Atlanta area and is a graduate of Georgia Tech, will be honored on Tuesday, September 19, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Centralâ€� special from 7-8 p.m. ET. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,â€� was the TOUR Championship sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. The past winners have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “To receive the Payne Stewart Award is one of the greatest honors of my career,â€� said Cink. “Payne Stewart was a player and person whom I admired greatly, both on and off the course. His character, his infectious spirit and his dedication to growing the game were all traits that I have always aspired to emulate. I am thankful the PGA TOUR and Southern Company have found a way through this award to honor and remember Payne’s legacy.â€� Cink joined the PGA TOUR in 1997 after graduating from Georgia Tech. Originally from Florence, Alabama, Stewart decided to stay in the Atlanta area after graduation with his wife, Lisa, and his two sons, Connor and Reagan. “Stewart Cink epitomizes the ideals around which the Payne Stewart Award is built – character, charity and sportsmanship,â€� said PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan. “It’s fitting that we will present the honor to him during the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club; not only is Stewart a member there, but he also passionately supports the East Lake Foundation, which has done incredible community work in that area. “When his wife Lisa dug in for her fight against breast cancer, Stewart was a pillar of strength and provided an admirable sense of perspective. He had done similarly a few years earlier when he won the Open Championship, even as many were cheering on the sentimental favorite, Tom Watson. Stewart smiled. He understood. In every sense of the words he showed character and sportsmanship.â€� Charitable Commitment In addition to a sculpture by Bob Pack presented to the recipient, the Payne Stewart Award is accompanied by an annual Payne Stewart Award Grant made possible by Southern Company. The $500,000 grant supports several initiatives in Stewart’s name and is distributed as follows: $100,000 to Payne and Tracey Stewart’s primary charity, The Stewart Family Foundation; $100,000 in Stewart’s honor to The First Tee of the Ozarks located in Missouri at Kids Across America, which is affiliated with Kanakuk Kamps; and $300,000 to a charity designated by the winner. Cink has chosen to designate the Cink Charities, Inc. A long-time resident of Gwinnett County, Cink is passionate about helping those in need and participates in many charity events across the country. In addition to the assistance he provides to numerous charities nationwide, Cink is extremely dedicated to helping those in Atlanta. As a member at East Lake Golf Club, Cink is one of the leaders in the community when it comes to supporting the East Lake Foundation – one of the two primary beneficiaries of the TOUR Championship, along with the First Tee of East Lake. The East Lake Foundation provides the tools for families of The Villages of East Lake and students of Drew Charter School to build a better life for themselves and future generations through cradle-to-college education, mixed-income housing, and community wellness. Alongside fellow PGA TOUR professional Billy Andrade, Cink hosts the annual East Lake Invitational, where combines celebrities from both the sports and entertainment world all come together to help both continue and promote an amazing philanthropic endeavor. The East Lake Invitational was originally started in 2010 by Andrade and Cink after they found there was a need for additional support for the secondary education facility, the Drew Charter School Senior Academy, being constructed at the time to help complete the cradle-to-college vision and mission in East Lake. In addition to being a top supporter of the East Lake Foundation, Cink and his wife, Lisa, have created the Cink It Challenge to benefit local charities that are close to the couple’s hearts. All proceeds from the Cink It Challenge support two local charities, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett and Gwinnett Medical Center Newborn Intensive Care Unit. “Atlanta owes a great deal of gratitude to the dedication and philanthropy of Stewart Cink,â€� said Southern Company Chairman, President & CEO Tom Fanning. “Already legendary for his on-course accomplishments, his commitment to work on behalf of those in the community where he lives and serves will forever be celebrated. By making a lasting impact within his community, he has shaped a remarkable tribute to Payne Stewart’s legacy of service.â€�   A Distinguished Career Cink has been a full-time player on the PGA TOUR since 1997, playing more than 500 PGA TOUR events with six PGA TOUR victories during that 21-year-span. He won three times on the Web.Com Tour in 1996 and was voted the Web.com Tour Player of the Year, earning his PGA TOUR card in the process. Cink’s first PGA TOUR victory came in 1997 at the Travelers Championship, with additional victories at the 2000 RBC Heritage, 2004 RBC Heritage, 2004 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2008 Travelers Championship and the 2009 Open Championship. Cink’s Open Championship win at Turnberry came in a playoff over five-time Open winner Tom Watson. From 2004-2009, Cink spent 40 weeks inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has represented the United States four times in the Presidents Cup, five times in the Ryder Cup and twice in the World Cup of Golf. Cink is the 20th recipient of the award, joining a distinguished group of respected golfers including Jim Furyk, who was recognized in 2016, and the inaugural recipients Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (2000). Other recipients include Ernie Els (2015), Sir Nick Faldo (2014), Peter Jacobsen (2013), Steve Stricker (2012), David Toms (2011), Tom Lehman (2010), Kenny Perry (2009), Davis Love III (2008), Hal Sutton (2007), Gary Player (2006), Brad Faxon (2005), Jay Haas (2004), Tom Watson (2003), Nick Price (2002) and Ben Crenshaw (2001). For those interested in attending the TOUR Championship at historic East Lake Golf Club to see the best from the PGA TOUR season in their final chance to win the FedExCup, ticket packages can be purchased at the tournament website – www.TOURChampionship.com or by calling 404-378-8687. About the TOUR Championship The top 30 players on FedExCup Points List after the BMW Championship qualify for the TOUR Championship, the finale of the FedExCup Playoffs. FedExCup points are reset prior to the TOUR Championship, ensuring a real shootout as all 30 players in the field will have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup with a victory at the event. The TOUR Championship is annually contested at Atlanta’s renowned East Lake Golf Club, the formative home of the legendary Bobby Jones. The 2017 tournament will be played Sept. 21-24. The tournament proudly supports the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) and The First Tee of East Lake. About Southern Company Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America’s premier energy company, with 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas distribution companies in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America’s energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top energy companies in Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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