Sweden’s Sagstrom captures first career LPGA victory

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The first question posed to Zach Johnson after his second round Friday at the Masters focused on his warm-up swing that accidentally knocked his ball off its tee at the 13th hole, sending it a few feet away – and, of course, becoming a viral sensation once the highlight hit social media. “Shoot, they got that?â€� Johnson replied. Yes, Zach. It’s a new deal this week. Every shot of every player at the Masters … even when it’s not officially a shot. “It’s going to be quite funny, because we can actually have a look at the highlights and view it,â€� said Ian Poulter, one of Johnson’s two playing partners along with Matt Kuchar. “Have you guys seen it? On the re‑run? Love it. Can’t wait.â€� The incident didn’t cost Johnson a stroke, since his swing was not intended to hit the ball. But the USGA made sure to clarify the ruling, tweeting out “since he had no intention of striking the ball, he has not made a stroke. On the teeing area, there is no penalty and the player simply re-tees because the ball is not yet in play.â€� After re-teeing his ball (and after a few choice words directed at himself), Johnson found the fairway with his real drive and eventually birdied the par-5 hole en route to a 1-over 73 that left him at 3 over through 36 holes. The incident did cost Johnson plenty of embarrassment, as well as a few chuckles from his competitors, who were more shocked at first to see it happen – especially at Augusta National, which takes its golf very serious. Poulter and Kuchar tried not to react at first, but Johnson told them, “It’s OK, you can laugh.â€� Said Poulter: “We were trying to hold it in, but … we had to let it out. It was great.â€� Kevin Kisner, who finished in the group ahead of Johnson on Friday, was asked if he had ever hit a ball on a practice swing for his tee shot. “No,” he replied, before adding. “Maybe when I was drinking.” Even Johnson couldn’t avoid having a bit of fun at his own expense. His play-by-play of the incident? “Toe push into the tee marker and then, you know, it was a nice little 4-foot draw.â€� Said Johnson: “I thought I had done it all but now I know I’ve done it all. … This is the first time I’ve done it.  … My head wasn’t even looking down, so it was one of those where I just wasn’t paying attention to what was going on.â€� Poulter said he’s done it before. “We’ve all done it,â€� he added. But Johnson doesn’t figure he’ll hear the end of it anytime soon, especially with his good friend Kuchar as a prime witness. “He doesn’t let me forget many things,â€� Johnson said. “But, hey, you get what you deserve.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. Scroll below for the Cadence Bank Houston Open field list as of Friday, Nov. 4th at 5 p.m. ET: Check here for updates. Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption) Si Woo Kim Winner of Masters Tournament (five-year exemption) Hideki Matsuyama Scottie Scheffler Winner of U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption) Gary Woodland Winner of Open Championship (five-year exemption) Francesco Molinari FedExCup Champion (five-year exemption) Justin Rose Career money exemption Jason Dufner Zach Johnson Jimmy Walker * Sponsor exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Nico Echavarria Kyle Westmoreland Sponsor exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Charley Hoffman Chris Stroud Sponsor exemption (unrestricted) Cole Hammer Walker Lee Johannes Veerman Travis Vick PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Ryan Brehm Sam Burns Cameron Champ Stewart Cink Joel Dahmen Jason Day Tyler Duncan Harris English Tony Finau Jim Herman Garrick Higgo Mackenzie Hughes Martin Laird Luke List Trey Mullinax Sebastián Muñoz Chad Ramey Sepp Straka Robert Streb Nick Taylor Brendon Todd Erik van Rooyen Richy Werenski PGA section Champion\Player of the Year Ben Kern Past Champion member Russell Henley Top 30 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List Aaron Wise Sahith Theegala Top 125 on prior season’s FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List Davis Riley Denny McCarthy Maverick McNealy Keith Mitchell Andrew Putnam Taylor Pendrith Emiliano Grillo Brendan Steele Adam Hadwin Taylor Moore Alex Noren Alex Smalley Wyndham Clark Lee Hodges John Huh Beau Hossler Brandon Wu Matthew NeSmith Adam Long Dylan Frittelli Ryan Palmer David Lipsky Adam Schenk Aaron Rai Stephan Jaeger Patrick Rodgers Russell Knox Adam Svensson Mark Hubbard Peter Malnati Danny Lee C.T. Pan Sam Ryder Vince Whaley Nate Lashley James Hahn Greyson Sigg Scott Piercy Callum Tarren Max McGreevy Chesson Hadley Nick Watney Kevin Tway Matthias Schwab Kramer Hickok Matt Wallace Austin Smotherman Justin Lower Doc Redman Danny Willett Kelly Kraft # Major medical extension Zac Blair Korn Ferry Tour Points winner (The 25 and The Finals 25) Justin Suh Korn Ferry Tour graduates via The 25 and The Finals 25 (reshuffled) Carl Yuan Will Gordon Paul Haley II David Lingmerth Zecheng Dou Austin Eckroat Robby Shelton Philip Knowles MJ Daffue Michael Gligic Taylor Montgomery Dean Burmester Ben Taylor Eric Cole S.H. Kim Joseph Bramlett Harry Hall Austin Cook Brandon Matthews Augusto Núñez Henrik Norlander Byeong Hun An Ben Martin Erik Barnes Ryan Armour Ben Griffin Davis Thompson Brent Grant Michael Kim Carson Young Tyson Alexander The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

Click here to read the full article…

(PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.) — Youth on Course the non-profit organization dedicated to opening doors, supporting dreams and transforming the lives of young people through opportunities on and off the golf course – has named PGA TOUR player Harold Varner III as its first national ambassador. To date, Varner III has contributed to YOC Carolinas through the HV3 Foundation and will be expanding support by substantially funding the Carolinas region’s programming in 2021. In his new role, Varner III serves as an official spokesperson for Youth on Course (YOC) and will advocate for the organization’s mission of providing affordable access to golf and bringing life-changing opportunities to young golfers across the country and in turn, help create a more inclusive and diverse future for the game. “Harold has been a vocal champion of our organization for years, not to mention his significant financial contributions which made a huge difference for young golfers in the Carolinas,” says Adam Heieck, CEO of Youth on Course. “With his community support through the HV3 Foundation and shared goal to grow the game, Harold is the perfect role model to represent Youth on Course on a national scale. We are so proud to have him join our team in an official role.” Varner III created the HV3 Foundation in 2019 to help bring awareness to the rising cost of entry and access in sports and provide kids with affordable opportunities to help negate those challenges. Through personal funding, fundraising, donations and sponsorships, the Foundation has been able to provide financial assistance for equipment, after-school programs, instruction and camps to cultivate young people’s passions. The HV3 Foundation also hosts an annual HV3 Invitational for junior golfers and is the tournament title sponsor for an American Junior Golf Association Junior All-Star event. “Youth on Course is a life-changing program for the golf industry. Allowing kids of all backgrounds to play the game without placing financial burdens on families is a game changer,” says Varner III. “I’m so appreciative of the support I had as a junior golfer and have been fortunate to be able to give back to the next generation of young golfers. I’ve always been passionate about making the game more open and accessible and YOC has shown they share my goals. I’m so excited to be a part of the team and help make a difference for these kids.” Committed to making the game more appealing, inclusive and accessible to nurture the next generation of lifelong players and lovers of the game, Youth on Course provides more than 100,000 members with affordable access to play rounds of golf for $5 or less at more than 1,400 courses across the country and in parts of Canada. Members also benefit from career opportunities through Youth on Course’s caddie and internship programs and can utilize support for continuing education through their college scholarships. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded through the scholarship program. In 2020, Youth on Course saw a significant rise in play with membership increasing by 56% and eclipsing one million rounds of golf played. Fueling the golf industry, 400,000 rounds of golf were subsidized, an increase of 100% from the previous year, and generated a total of $2.8 million back to golf courses from unused tee times. Juniors nationwide ages 6-18 may sign up for a Youth on Course membership at www.youthoncourse.org/join.

Click here to read the full article…