Stewart Cink wins third RBC Heritage title

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DUBLIN, Ohio — The Captains Club announced that World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, a winner of three U.S. Open championships, has been selected as the Honoree for the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Irwin, who celebrated his 72nd birthday last week, is a two-time winner of the Memorial Tournament, in 1983 and ’85, making him one of just six multiple winners in tournament history. Also being honored posthumously in 2018 will be two-time major champion Jock Hutchison and Willie Turnesa, widely considered one of the game’s finest amateur golfers. “I’ve always simply accepted the game for what it’s given me and never assumed anything, so I feel very honored,â€� Irwin said. “The whole fact that Jack established this tournament to recognize some of golf’s notable figures means everything. Jack and Barbara are very near and dear to me. I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past, so I am absolutely delighted.â€� Irwin was born on June 3, 1945, in Joplin, Missouri, but it was in Baxter Springs, Kansas, where Hale and his father spent countless hours on the sand greens at their local municipal golf course. He took up the game at age 4, and it was the work on those sand greens that helped Hale break 70 for the first time at age 14. The Irwin family relocated to Boulder, Colo., where Hale began to star at the prep level in golf, football and baseball. Hale led Boulder High School to a state title in football as their quarterback his senior year, earning him a scholarship to the University of Colorado. Irwin was a two-sport athlete at Colorado, excelling in golf and football. He graduated in 1967 and decided to pursue a golf career, turning professional a year later. He won his first PGA TOUR event at the 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links, the first golf course to be designed by Memorial Tournament founder and host Jack Nicklaus. During his illustrious career, Irwin won three U.S. Opens and 20 PGA TOUR events in all. He played on five U.S. Ryder Cup teams, captained the 1994 U.S. Presidents Cup team, and won a record 45 times on the PGA TOUR Champions to become the most decorated player in the history of senior golf. The leader in career earnings on the PGA TOUR Champions with more than $26 million, Irwin’s success in U.S. Golf Association events carried over to his senior golf career. He won two U.S. Senior Open titles and seven senior majors overall. Irwin’s record in the U.S. Open also cements his spot among golf’s legends. With 11 years between his second and third titles, he ties Julius Boros for the longest span between victories. He is the last winner who received a special exemption (1990), and that same year, he became the last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff. His victory at age 45 years and 15 days also makes him the oldest U.S. Open champion. Only Willie Anderson, Bob Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus have more U.S. Open victories. “Hale was truly one of the great golfers and athletes we ever had playing on the PGA TOUR,â€� Nicklaus said. “He was a terrific golfer. He always had tremendous integrity. He’s been a terrific family man. Hale has always been one of the purest strikers of the golf ball. You knew when you got to a difficult golf course that Hale Irwin was going to be there somewhere. He was probably the best senior player we’ve ever had on the PGA TOUR Champions.â€� Jock Hutchison Jack Fowler “Jockâ€� Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Scotland, in 1884, where he was trained as a caddie. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, and became a PGA professional in 1919 and a U.S. citizen in 1920. He won the PGA Championship in 1920, and the following year he traveled back to St. Andrews and won the Open Championship, becoming the first U.S.-based player to win the Claret Jug. Hutchison had been playing — and setting records on the Old Course at St. Andrews — with the grooved clubs he had been working on, and the R&A’s Rules of Golf Committee banned such ribbed clubs six days after his historic Open victory. Hutchison competed in 99 PGA TOUR events from 1916-1961 and collected 14 titles. He also won the inaugural Senior PGA Championship in 1937, which was held at Augusta National Golf Club. He won it again a decade later. Augusta National recognized the quality of Hutchison’s career when they made him one of the first two honorary starters of the Masters, along with Fred McLeod. Hutchison served in that role from 1963-73. Hutchison died on Sept. 27, 1977, and was inducted posthumously into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. Willie Turnesa William P. “Willieâ€� Turnesa was born Jan. 20, 1914, and lived most of his life in Elmsford, New York. Willie was the youngest of the famous golfing Turnesa brothers. Three of the seven Turnesa brothers were top touring pros in the 1930s and ’40s, and Willie, the only brother who did not turn pro, was considered by many to be the best amateur golfer after Bob Jones. Turnesa won the U.S. Amateur championship in 1938 and 1948 and the British Amateur championship in 1947, and he was runner-up in the British Am in 1949. He was a member of three winning Walker Cup teams, in 1947, ’49 and ’51, and also served as captain of the 1951 squad. Willie served as president of both the Metropolitan and New York State Golf Associations in the mid-1950s. At that time, he also co-founded what is now known as the Westchester Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund, which has awarded millions of dollars to college-bound students. The Turnesa brothers were once called “the greatest family dynasty in golf history.â€� Turnesa died on June 16, 2001, in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

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Drew Nesbitt led the way at open qualifying for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, carding 6-under 64 on Monday at Cattail Creek CC in Glenwood, Maryland, to secure a tee time Thursday at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm outside Washington, D.C. This year’s Wells Fargo Championship has relocated to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm from its typical Quail Hollow Club site in Charlotte, as Quail Hollow will host this year’s Presidents Cup. Also advancing into this week’s field were Norman Xiong (65), Nicholas Thompson (66) and David Lingmerth (68). Lingmerth advanced via a 4-for-1 playoff against Steve Marino, Brett Stegmaier and Lee Detmer. For all scores from the Wells Fargo Championship qualifier, click here. Here’s a capsule look at the four Wells Fargo Championship qualifiers … DREW NESBITT (64) Age: 27 Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Alma mater: N/A PGA TOUR starts: 4 Cuts made: 1 Best PGA TOUR finish: 83rd; 2019 The Honda Classic Notes: Has competed on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica since 2018, making 19 cuts in 25 starts, highlighted by a victory at the 2019 Mexico Open (60 Abierto Mexicano de Golf) as well as two-runner up finishes in the 2020-21 season. Finished No. 7 on 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit to earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status in 2022; has yet to make a career Korn Ferry Tour start … Gained social media fame by going shirtless to hit a shot from the water at the 2019 Honda Classic, en route to saving par … Grew up playing hockey in winter and golf in summer … Turned pro at age 18, moving from Canada to Florida to compete on mini-tour circuits … Became the first player on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica history to record a sub-60 score, carding a second-round 59 at the 2018 Brazil Open (65 JHSF Aberto do Brasil). NORMAN XIONG (65) Age: 23 Hometown: San Diego, California (born in Guam) Alma mater: University of Oregon PGA TOUR starts: 10 Cuts made: 2 Best PGA TOUR finish: T26; 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship Notes: Will make his first PGA TOUR start since the 2021 3M Open, into which he also Monday qualified … Monday qualified into this year’s LECOM Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he channeled his inner Nesbitt and went shirtless to hit a shot from the water … As a sophomore at Oregon in 2017-18, received both the Fred Haskins Award as nation’s most outstanding collegiate golfer and the Jack Nicklaus Award as top NCAA Division I men’s collegiate golfer … Set an Oregon record with six wins in a season (2017-18), in which he recorded a 69.05 stroke average … Represented United States in 2017 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup … Goes by the nickname “Panda.” NICHOLAS THOMPSON (66) Age: 39 Hometown: Plantation, Florida Alma mater: Georgia Tech PGA TOUR starts: 228 Cuts made: 114 Best PGA TOUR finish: T2; 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic Notes: Has played seven full TOUR seasons, most recently in 2014-15. Career-best FedExCup showing is No. 41 in 2008, a season in which he recorded 11 top-25s in 36 starts … Has made 188 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, highlighted by a victory at the 2007 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship … Was a three-time all-ACC player at Georgia Tech and represented United States on 2005 Walker Cup team … Siblings Curtis (PGA TOUR) and Lexi (LPGA) also play professional golf. DAVID LINGMERTH (68; advanced via 4-for-1 playoff) Age: 34 Hometown: Tranas, Sweden Alma mater: University of Arkansas PGA TOUR starts: 188 Cuts made: 107 Best PGA TOUR finish: Win; 2015 the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday Notes: Returns to comfortable turf outside Washington D.C., as Lingmerth won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2012 Neediest Kids Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, finishing 8-under total across a chilly, windy October week … Played six consecutive full PGA TOUR seasons from 2013 to 2017-18, highlighted by a No. 37 finish on the 2014-15 FedExCup, with 10 top-25 finishes in 28 starts including his playoff victory at Muirfield Village … Avid hockey fan; Washington Capitals (NHL) are his favorite pro team.

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