Thomas sets U.S. Open record

Lefty does things his own way, so nobody should have been overly surprised by the bizarre twists in Mexico City that made his first victory since 2013 especially memorable.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – NBC Sports will air an hour-long special titled PGA TOUR 2017: Must-See Moments sponsored by Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) that will chronicle a 2016-17 PGA TOUR Season filled with moments you simply had to see to believe. The NBC Sports feature will air on Sunday, October 8 at 2 pm ET. PGA TOUR 2017: Must-See Moments sponsored by Myrbetriq® (mirabegron), which was produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment, will look back at the heated battles inside the ropes that are ushering in an era of emerging young stars. In all, this collection of shots, stories and champions filled the 2016-17 PGA TOUR Season with must-see moments. Below are some of the topics and moments that will be highlighted in the special: Young Stars While the success of the game’s youth has garnered headlines for several seasons, their accomplishments during the 2016-17 season were truly historic. The show will examine just how dominant these “20-something� players were in 2016-17, particularly Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama, all of whom built their own case for this season’s PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors. Jon Rahm A massive hip-hop fan who learned English through listening to lyrics, Rahm had a chance to meet Grammy Award winner Ludacris in Atlanta prior to this season’s TOUR Championship. After busting onto the scene with his first career win at the Farmers Insurance Open, the Spaniard is yet another budding young star, whose game clearly matches the passion and artistry of his musical interests. Honoring Arnold Palmer At the start of 2017, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan called for this season’s top priority to be to make Mr. Palmer proud. We look back on the multitude of events that honored golf’s greatest ambassador, as Arnold Palmer’s massive legacy continues to live on through golf. Chris Stroud Weeks after earning his first career victory in his 11th season on TOUR, Hurricane Harvey devastated Stroud’s hometown of Houston, Texas. The 35-year-old played a crucial role in the TOUR’s relief efforts, as he encouraged his fellow competitors to donate a portion of their winnings at the Dell Technologies Championship to relief efforts. The special follows Stroud home to Houston to see how those efforts have continued, and how he is helping his neighbors and hometown recover from the disaster. PGA TOUR Volunteer Challenge This friendly competition provides volunteers a chance to earn votes for their outstanding service and, in turn, raise money for local charities. The show will highlight Michele Chamberlin, a volunteer at Farmers Insurance Open, whose particular efforts earned praise from PGA TOUR player Billy Hurley III, as well as Bob Dow, THE NORTHERN TRUST Volunteer Challenge winner the last two years. The special will also showcase Justin Thomas capturing his first FedExCup title in Atlanta along with the top moments from the Presidents Cup. And to top it all off the show will preview what is expected to be another thrilling 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season as it kicks off with the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., October 5-8, 2017. For a preview of the special, visit: PGATOUR.COM.

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NORTON, Mass. – Bryson DeChambeau spent a good portion of his third round Sunday chatting up his playing partner. You could’ve sworn he was prepping for an oral exam in quantum mechanics. Meanwhile, he also managed to fit in four birdies in his first seven holes, showing he had lost none of the momentum from last week’s victory in the FedExCup Playoffs opener. He was on top of his game, on top of the FedExCup standings and having a blast. Yet he was nervous. With good reason. “It’s Tiger Woods, guys,â€� DeChambeau explained, the simplest answer always being the best. For the first time in his blossoming career, DeChambeau played a competitive round with his childhood idol. Although they’ve become frequent practice partners, DeChambeau knew Sunday was different. Tiger would have his game face on. As it turns out, DeChambeau can deliver one pretty good game face, too. The FedExCup leader shot an 8-under 63 that left him at 12 under through three rounds of the Dell Technologies Championship and gives him a golden opportunity to claim the first two Playoffs events. For the second straight week, he’ll be in the final twosome in the final round, this time with tournament leader Abraham Ancer, who’s 13 under. Meanwhile, Woods had to settle for a 3-under 68 that left him at 7 under and perhaps too far back to break his five-year victory drought in Monday’s Labor Day finish at TPC Boston. Afterwards, DeChambeau wore a huge smile, and it was tough to tell if it came from moving up the leaderboard or simply because he fulfilled a childhood fantasy. “I’ve admired him my whole entire life,â€� DeChambeau said. “And to be finally able to play with him under tournament conditions, it was different. I was a little nervous, for sure. But I was able to get out there and execute shots and worry about my game and focus on hitting the best shots possible – and I was able to play really well like that.â€� DeChambeau said his nervousness didn’t disappear until after the seventh hole. By then, he was 4 under on his round. Woods was 3 under on his round at that point, but while DeChambeau remained hot on the back nine, Woods quickly cooled off. He wouldn’t post another birdie until the par-5 18th. “I didn’t get a lot out of my round today,â€� Tiger shrugged. Still, it was an interesting, entertaining Sunday – even if Bryson did most of the talking. Told that Woods didn’t always seem this chatty, DeChambeau corrected, “He still isn’t, by the way.â€� Woods was asked if earlier in his career – in other words, the dominant Tiger years — he would have been as willing to engage with his playing partner. He referenced the names of players much older than him: Mark O’Meara, Mark Calcavecchia, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and the late Payne Stewart. “We were always chatty,â€� Tiger said. “When you’re playing with friends, yeah, you’re competing, but you’re still playing with friends.â€� Whether DeChambeau has reached that level of friendship is tough to say. But it’s apparent that Woods has taken a shine to the 24-year-old and fellow California native. “He’s fantastic to play with,â€� Woods said of DeChambeau. “He’s great. … Two friends going out there competing and playing. We both have jobs to do today and try to shoot as low rounds as we possibly could do today. And he did that.â€� It helps, obviously, that DeChambeau has emerged at one of the game’s top young golfers. His win last week at THE NORTHERN TRUST was the third of his PGA TOUR career and made him just the 11th player in the last 30 years to post three wins before turning 25. Besides taking over the FedExCup lead, he also moved to 12th in the world rankings. “Pretty impressive,â€� Woods said. “And just the way he’s played, especially the last couple of weeks. He’s had opportunities and had runs, but I think he’s cleaning up the rounds. He’s not making that many mistakes. And if he does … I’ve talked to him over the past couple of months, he’s missing the ball in the correct spots. That makes all the difference.â€� Their friendship has grown to the point of open speculation that they will be partners at next month’s Ryder Cup. The fact neither of them are yet on the U.S. team seems to be a moot point. Three of Jim Furyk’s four Captain’s picks will be announced next Tuesday, and expectations are that Woods and DeChambeau will be chosen. “I think if all the stars were to align and that were to happen, I think we could feed off of each other pretty well,â€� said DeChambeau, whose focus the next few weeks remains squarely on the FedExCup race. As for Tiger’s perspective on the pairing? Well, Sunday’s 63 at TPC Boston was a pretty strong statement. “If he goes around and shoots 8 under par every time,â€� Tiger said, “that will work.â€�

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