Thomas wins at Firestone for 3rd title of season

Click here to read the full article…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — FedEx Corp. and Junior Achievement Worldwide announced today that the FedEx Junior Business Challenge is returning for the third consecutive year. Established by FedEx and JA Worldwide in 2017, the program provides next generation entrepreneurs with a unique platform to pitch original business ideas to a panel of high-profile judges and the chance to earn a $75,000 donation from FedEx. “Our collaboration with the PGA TOUR and JA Worldwide provides us with a great opportunity to use golf as a platform to support the next generation of entrepreneurs through the FedEx Junior Business Challenge,� said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president, Integrated Marketing and Communications, FedEx.  “Year after year, JA students have shared innovative and forward-thinking business concepts and we can’t wait to see what’s in store this time around.� At each FedEx Junior Business Challenge qualifying event, JA students ranging from 15 to 18 years old will pitch their original business concepts to a panel of judges consisting of PGA TOUR players, celebrities, FedEx Small Business Grant Winners and business leaders. One JA student company from each qualifying event will be selected by the judges to advance to the final FedEx Junior Business Challenge event at the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where the 2019 FedExCup Champion will be determined. There, JA student company finalists will make one final pitch for a chance to receive a $75,000 donation to their local JA chapter from FedEx. The first qualifying event of the year will be held at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas on Wednesday, May 22 and will feature Dallas football legend DeMarcus Ware and four-time PGA TOUR winner and Texas native Ryan Palmer among the judging panel. Celebrities participating previously as panel judges include Andy Roddick (2003 U.S. Open (tennis) winner), Shannon Miller (seven-time Olympic medal gymnast), Hines Ward (two-time Super Bowl Champion), Denny Hamlin (2016 and 2019 Daytona 500 winner and driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota), Billy Horschel (2014 FedExCup champion) and Patrick Reed (2018 Masters Champion). FedEx Junior Business Challenge Host Locations: Charles Schwab Challenge (Fort Worth, Texas) – Wednesday, May 22 Travelers Championship (Cromwell, Conn.) – Tuesday, June 18 3M Open (Blaine, Minn.) – Tuesday, July 2 TOUR Championship (Atlanta, Ga.) – Wednesday, August 21 Over the past two years, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge has impacted hundreds of students across North America, donating more than $200,000 to participating JA chapters. Since 1996, FedEx has donated nearly $16 million to JA Worldwide in support of small businesses and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. “For the past two years, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge has provided JA students an experience to hone their presentation skills and demonstrate the curiosity, collaboration and innovative thinking that goes into the development of their company concepts,� said Asheesh Advani, CEO, JA Worldwide.  “We’re excited that the program is back for a third season and continues to expand into new markets across the country.� FedEx has been an official sponsor of the PGA TOUR since 2002.  In 2007 the FedExCup—a season-long points competition—was introduced, transforming the competitive landscape of the PGA TOUR.  The performance-based point structure culminates with the FedExCup Playoffs, a three-tournament series that features a progressive cut to determine the FedExCup Champion. “We are truly proud of FedEx’s long-term commitment to support local PGA TOUR tournament communities and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs through this incredible program,� said Brian Oliver, executive vice president of Corporate Partnerships for the PGA TOUR. “The FedEx Junior Business Challenge is something that has had a positive impact on both our tournaments and players, and we are excited to see what innovative business ideas are presented by the ambitious JA students this year.� Follow the FedEx Junior Business Challenge all season long on Facebook and Twitter via @FedEx and join the social conversation by using #FedExJuniorBiz on both platforms. To learn more about the FedExCup, visit PGATOUR.com/FedExCup.

Click here to read the full article…

Coming off a dominant performance in 2017, the United States is heavily favored in this Presidents Cup. Eleven U.S. players, including all four captain’s picks, are ahead of the Internationals’ top player, Adam Scott, in the world ranking. The challenge for International Team Captain Ernie Els, who announced his four captain’s picks Wednesday, was constructing a roster that is greater than the sum of its parts. Analytics aided his decision-making process, and it looks like putting may have been a determining factor in selections. Related: Els makes his captain’s picks | International youth movement at Presidents Cup His four picks – Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Adam Hadwin and Joaquin Niemann – all are superior in that area to the two players who narrowly missed making the team, Byeong Hun An and Corey Conners. “I wanted good driving, good ball-striking obviously, but putting is very important,â€� Els said Wednesday. “In my experience in these Cups, it comes down to pressure putting in a lot of instances. “Putting is a pivotal attribute that you need, especially in what we play. Putting was very important to me.â€� Looking at the Strokes Gained statistics, there were two areas where the four captain’s picks outranked the eight players who automatically qualified for the International Team: off the tee and on the green. The average Strokes Gained: Putting rank for the four captain’s picks is a bit misleading and may not accurately represent the putting prowess of those players. Day, Im and Hadwin all rank in the top 50 of that category. Niemann inflated that number by finishing 141st in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, but he’s improved drastically since May. Niemann ranked 203rd (out of 208 players) in Strokes Gained: Putting through the Charles Schwab Challenge, losing -0.67 strokes per round on the greens. Since then, his average Strokes Gained: Putting per round has improved by more than a stroke per round. Niemann led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting when he won A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. An and Conners assembled strong Presidents Cup candidacies, but putting was the glaring weakness for both players. Conners was one of just two players to rank in the top 10 in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Approach-the Green last season (Paul Casey was the other). An led the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green while posting solid performances in the two ball-striking stats. Both players had shown good form before Els made his picks. Conners, who won this year’s Valero Texas Open, posted four consecutive top-20 finishes, including a T6 at the ZOZO Championship. An had two third-place finishes since August and finished T6-T8-T14 in the three TOUR events in Asia. Conners and An ranked 181st and 182 in Strokes Gained: Putting, respectively, in 2019. Assembling teams with complementary skills is especially important in Foursomes (or alternate-shot), the format that has hexed the International Team. The U.S. and International teams have been basically even in Four-ball competition, but the Internationals own a winning percentage of approximately 37% in Foursomes. It’s likely why Els chose to begin this year’s Presidents Cup with Four-Ball. It’s just the third time (1994, 2013) that the Presidents Cup has started with Four-Balls.

Click here to read the full article…