The First Look: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational

Welcome to Numbers to Know, where we’ll take a closer look at Dustin Johnson’s victory in the TOUR Championship and his first FedExCup. Here are the best stats from Johnson’s victory at East Lake Golf Club: 11: Dustin Johnson is the first player in 11 years (Tiger Woods) to win the FedExCup after arriving at East Lake as the top seed. 3: Johnson could become the third player to win the FedExCup, end the season at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking and be voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year in the same season. Player of the Year, which is voted on by the players, will be announced later this year. Woods (2007, ’09) and Jordan Spieth (2015) also did it. 23: This was Johnson’s 23rd PGA TOUR victory, which ranks 27th all-time. 30: Johnson has won 30% of his starts since the Return to Golf (3 of 10). 6: This was Johnson’s sixth win in the FedExCup Playoffs, the most all-time. He also has the most top-fives (13) and top-10s (21) in Playoffs history. 4: Johnson has won three or more titles in four of the past five seasons. 12: Johnson has qualified for East Lake for 12 consecutive years, the longest active streak on TOUR. 6: Johnson has finished inside the top five in the FedExCup six times. 3: Johnson ranked third on TOUR this season in approach-shot proximity from the fairway. He also ranked third in approach-shot proximity from the rough. 4: Johnson held the 54-hole lead in his final four starts of the season. He finished second twice and won twice. Johnson shot 68 or lower in all four Sundays. The two times he was beaten – by Collin Morikawa at the PGA and Jon Rahm at the BMW — the winner shot 64 to pass him.

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Any club pro teeing it up in his first PGA TOUR event, as Brian Morris will do at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship starting Thursday, would likely admit to being quite nervous. Not Morris, though. Sure, he’ll feel what he calls “competitive butterflies,” but he only gets truly nervous when he goes to see his doctors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston every three months. Almost two years ago, those physicians cut into the back of his skull and removed a malignant tumor from his brain. They later discovered stage IV cancer in his stomach and esophagus, too, and, at his most recent check-up, inoperable tumors in his neck. By all rights, this inspirational and indomitable man probably shouldn’t be living out a dream this week at Port Royal Golf Course. But he is, and Morris’ very presence in the field should teach the rest of us about not taking our own lives for granted. “I used to be terrible with nerves,” Morris says. “But since I got diagnosed with cancer, it’s like hitting a tee shot don’t really – like I embrace it now because I’m able to do it and I probably shouldn’t be because according to the doctors and how my cancer was growing and stuff. “I’ve been past my expiration date, you know?” It was after suffering vertigo-like symptoms at work that Morris, the 53-year-old head pro at Ocean View Golf Course in Devonshire, Bermuda, began to look for answers. Expecting nothing was seriously wrong, he asked a co-worker to drop him at the hospital and come back later. “The doctor, you know, he does that finger across your eyes, and you follow the finger,” Morris recalls. “One of my eyes was moving. One of my eyes was, he said it was like a jittery type of like jerking. And he was like, oh, boy. “So, he gave me a CAT scan,” Morris continues. “We went from CAT scan to an MRI to intensive care to air ambulance to brain surgery on Monday.” There was no time to wait; the cancer had to come out immediately. Morris’ wife, Laurie, was told to pack a carry-on bag, and within 24 hours the couple arrived at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. True to his optimistic nature, Morris puts a positive spin on the conversation he had with his doctor before surgery. “(He said) ‘Don’t forget, I’m in your brain,’” Morris recalls. “‘You know, I’m taking the tumor out, but anything could happen.’ It could be paralysis. It could be this. It could be death. And I was blinking like uncontrollably. And he said, ‘Are you OK?’ And I say, ‘Yep, I’m fine. I’m just practicing waking up. That’s what I want to do.’” Morris admits he was terrified. He remembers kissing his wife and wondering what was going to happen next. “Like, do you wake up?” he says. “I was so pleased when I woke up. I can’t remember who my nurse was, but I told her I loved her. She was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s kind of forward.’” Morris had cleared one hurdle, but on Dec. 23, 2019, two days after the surgery, he was told his brain cancer was terminal and had metastasized to his stomach and esophagus. Fast-forward to today, with Morris about to play in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on a sponsor’s exemption – the invitation brought him to tears when he received it – and you can see why he believes he’ll be playing with a purpose. Not just this week but going forward. After all, it’s been two years since doctors told him to get his affairs in order. He and Laurie talk about this week and the gift of whatever time he has remaining when they feel stressed. “I’m wondering like maybe I have this to help others,” Morris says. “Maybe that’s the plan, you know? … Maybe I got it to show other people that, hey, you can fight this, man. You could battle it because I could’ve laid down. I could’ve settled my affairs and just accepted that, hey, I’m going to die in six months. I believe my doctors 100 percent, but I don’t believe that. Here I am. Every day I get up, I’m so thankful. “And here I am,” he continues. “Every day I get up, I’m so thankful. I get my breath and I just don’t plan long-term. I plan my life in like three-month increments.” Morris stayed in the hospital for four days and, not cleared to travel, Boston for two weeks. He missed Christmas with his family. “Christmas is huge for us,” he says. But he was surprised on New Year’s Eve when nine relatives and friends knocked on his door. “They showed up with all the kids and whatnot,” he recalls. “… And we spent New Year’s Eve in Boston. I cried again.” For nearly two years, he has undergone chemotherapy every three weeks – his most recent treatment was last Friday. The first course of chemo didn’t work, nor did the immunotherapy that was meant to direct his cells to fight the cancer. He’s currently receiving an experimental drug that he calls his “last shot” and will find out at Dana-Farber in December if it’s working. The drugs invading his system leave boil-like lesions on his legs. Even more challenging for the golfer is the neuropathy he’d developed in his hands and feet. It’s a constant feeling of pain, like he’s being stuck with pins and needles, and it limits his ability to walk long distances. The neuropathy and the cancer have taken a toll, and tournament officials will allow Morris to ride in a cart this week. But make no mistake, he can play. Morris attempted to qualify for this year’s U.S. Senior Open and tied for 12th in a New England PGA event last month. “When I go to the airport, I have a hard time standing up for a half an hour,” he says. “But I could play golf for four hours and I swear it’s because of where I am when I’m playing. I’m just thinking of how you make this shot and that shot. You know what I mean? So, I don’t realize I’m tired until I play 18. And then I’m like pooped and I come home and take a nap.” Morris, who has given lessons to celebrities like the late Patrick Swayze, Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas, played cricket, soccer and golf as a kid. He proved a quick learner in all three, but particularly enjoyed going with his dad to the golf course on Sundays. “I used to love the way they dressed back in the day in like green pants and red pants and diamond studders and pom-poms on the hat,” says Morris, who especially revered Fred Couples. “And I was always waiting to be able to play with them.” He got that opportunity when he was 12 and soon began thinking about becoming a pro. But his father died in an accident when he was 19, and Morris was so distraught he briefly quit. “I went to one of the cliffs here in Bermuda and I threw all my golf clubs and all my shoes and everything off the cliff,” he says. “I was disgusted with golf because it didn’t mean anything to me without my dad. I never wanted to play again.” Morris’ mom died of cancer later that year, adding to his despair. He worked as a bartender to help support his siblings and didn’t play golf again for nearly a decade. “One day somebody invited me to go play golf and I didn’t want to go, but I did,” he says. “I made triple on the first hole. I’ll never forget it. And then the second hole, I missed the green and I was like, ‘This game sucks, I told you guys.’ And I chipped it in (for birdie).” After enrolling in the now-closed Golf Academy of the South in Orlando, Florida, he honed his game and learned to teach. He also learned to repair clubs and manage a pro shop. He graduated with honors in 2003 and has been the head pro at two clubs in Bermuda. “I got sidetracked,” he admits. “I don’t like to use the word regret. You know what I mean? I made a fair decision that day, throwing all my golf clubs away. I wish I would have stayed. But it happens. I was young. I was only a teenager and life just changed so fast for me. “But I got through that and 10 years I was out of golf. I was probably better for it because maybe had I got into that business then it probably wouldn’t have worked out. Maybe I just needed time to mature and whatnot. And like I said, it’s been 25 years now. I love it.” Far from obsessed with his own problems, Morris has raised more than $200,000 to help the families of other cancer patients pay their hospital bills. How? By three times playing 180 holes in a 24-hour marathon, a sprint that lets him briefly forget that he himself has terminal cancer. “You have so much alone time,” he says, “and you don’t realize it when you’re driving, when you’re brushing your teeth, using the bathroom, getting in the shower – you have so much alone time and you’re so scared, man, because you know, like, you’ve got a wife, you’ve got kids. You’re always worried about leaving them. “And so, you think about it every day,” he continues. “When they tell you that you’re dying, you think about dying every day, you know? Not the bad things really, it’s just the thought of like leaving your family, leaving the people at your job, and leaving your kids. So yeah, you think about it, but when I play golf, I don’t have time to, because I don’t want to miss a six-footer.” Morris says he’s had more good days than bad of late, and he thinks the adrenaline and excitement of this week will help keep him strong. His only goal is to shoot the lowest score he can at Port Royal on Thursday and make Bermudians proud. When tournament director Justin Belanger extended the exemption to Morris two weeks ago, he told local newspapers that the week would be about “more than golf; it’s about this community. … “It will be great to see the island join us in supporting his dream and cheering him on.” Morris embraces that opportunity. He’s looking forward to having Laurie and three of his four kids – his daughter will be watching on TV at her home in England – as well as aunts, uncles and friends in his gallery. “It makes a difference to me how I play,” he says. “But to them, it doesn’t matter. They just want to see me because they know what I’m going through. As far as being proud of me, all those boxes are checked. I just want them to enjoy the moment like I do. “We have a lot to be thankful for outside of the bad things. There’s so much to life without dwelling on the bad stuff, you know?” Morris says it’s hard to overestimate the impact this week has had on his mental well-being, as well as his overall health. He says he plans to “experience it like nobody else,” and “eat it up, man” – but not just for himself. The week is also for the entire island, and all cancer survivors. “I’m going to enjoy people cheering for me,” he says. “I’m going to enjoy people writing about me. And I just hope that (this) story and whatnot gets out there to people that have cancer or have a sickness that think that it’s all doom and gloom, because it’s not. “I believe that a positive attitude and a positive outlook is probably better than any miracle drug,” he adds. “And if you could look at somebody and maybe draw some inspiration from them to get you motivated, then I’ve done my job and I don’t believe in just touching one person. I want to touch as many as I can.”

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LOS ANGELES – You can take the boy out of Chile but you won’t get the Chile out of the boy. Actually it seems you can’t always get the boy out of Chile either. RELATED: Final leaderboard | What’s in Niemann’s bag? Joaquin Niemann’s second PGA TOUR victory, a stunning wire-to-wire triumph in The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, was born back in Santiago a few months ago. The 23-year-old planned an extended off-season in Chile after The RSM Classic last fall and didn’t return to competition until the Farmers Insurance Open late last month. While Niemann didn’t qualify for the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui (where he finished second after a playoff in 2021) he could have returned to the Sony Open in Hawaii where he was runner up for the second straight week. But a return to his roots was way more important at the time. “A reset and refresh of the mind,” long-time girlfriend and fellow Chilean Christina Hellema Puga said. “No doubt. I needed it,” Niemann beamed. Staying true to his origins and culture is imperative for the greatest golfer Chile has ever produced. Without time to visit the beaches and lakes of his homeland, or have time with his family and friends, his mental state fades. And after not being able to close out another victory since his triumph at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier in 2019, frustrations were certainly starting to build for the former world No.1 amateur by late 2021. Cue the trip home. A task made harder over the last few years during a pandemic. “I think I need it to bring some energy to my body,” Niemann confessed after collecting the winner’s trophy from none-other than idol Tiger Woods. “It’s something I like to do every year; I go back to my normal life. I’ve been here for a little more than three years and it is a hard life obviously, especially for us when we don’t live in the United States, being so far from home. “So it’s nice to go back once in a while, see my friends, see my family, do what I used to do when I was 16.” When pressed on what exactly that is Niemann flashed his trademark grin and said, “Party! Party, party, and more parties. We like to have a good time. Enjoy the company of friends and just live life.” This attitude is why it was no surprise to see his friends on TOUR waiting for him at the green as he closed out the two-shot win over Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young. The Latin American crew of Carlos Ortiz, Mito Pereira, Jhonattan Vegas, and Sebastian Munoz were all there to congratulate their mate, as was mentor Sergio Garcia. Not a tournament goes by when they’re not all hanging out together. Often renting houses, hiring chefs, and making sure they get a taste of ‘home’. Practice rounds are full of laughs. They help each other through the homesickness. “They’re awesome. All the Latinos, it makes our life easier, more fun, more entertainment. Obviously we play 30 weeks a year and out of those 30 weeks a year you want to spend as much time having fun as you can,” Niemann adds. “We stay together, we play practice rounds together. We’re really unified all together and we have a great relationship. Having them here on 18, it was something really special for me.” They weren’t the only visitors at the final hole. When most fans were on their way out the gates, a large crew of Latino supporters were still chanting Niemann’s name. Naturally that meant he took the Chilean flag and trophy and posed with the crew. “The fans, there was a lot of Latinos, a lot of Chileans, so you can feel the support of them. They were cheering differently than the people here,” Niemann said. “It was special to have them there and spend some time with them. They followed me the whole round.” It certainly was a special week. Niemann became the fourth wire-to-wire winner in tournament history, but the first since Charlie Sifford in 1969. He also became the second youngest winner and moved to seventh in the FedExCup and fifth in the International Presidents Cup standings. While he failed to match the longest standing 72-hole record of any current TOUR event of 264 by Lanny Wadkins by a shot he did pick up the 54-hole scoring record at 194 (-19) along the way. Niemann also led the field in birdies (21), Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (7.097) and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (14.113). “Obviously it’s one of the toughest tournaments during the year. It’s got the best field, the best players are here and that proves to myself that I can be competing with the top guys, I can be up there in the world ranking,” Niemann said. “I think it’s going to give me a lot of confidence for what is coming next.” With speculation rife around the world of golf about potential rival leagues, Niemann now appears set to keep that ‘next’ on the PGA TOUR. The victory comes with a three-year exemption. “Everyone’s here to compete against the best players in the world. I’m here to do the same. I want to compete with the best players in the world, I want to be No. 1 one day,” he said. “There’s nothing better than what I’m feeling right now. Winning a PGA TOUR event, getting a trophy, having Tiger there, all the history behind it, there’s nothing that can compete with this.” Nothing maybe except for a trip home to Chile.

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