Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports announces TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR

LAS VEGAS – Jason Day has continued his long-held belief of family first, pulling out of the Hero World Challenge to support wife Ellie through the early stages of a third pregnancy. Day was due to tee it up at his native Australian Open in Sydney on November 23-26 before flying back to the Bahamas the following week but will now forego the chance to be part of Tiger Woods’ comeback to spend less time away from his family. Woods is making his first competitive appearance since overcoming a fourth back surgery. Day missed the 2012 Open Championship to be at the birth of his first child Dash and the Australian summer of golf in 2015 for their second child Lucy. The couple’s third child is due in June, meaning Day’s place in the 2018 U.S. Open could be in question. Day hasn’t played in Australia since 2013. Since that time, he has become a major winner and spent time as world No. 1. As such, he felt it imperative to support his homeland when a choice had to be made. “I am thrilled we are having a third child and want to be a part of the journey as much as possible just like I was for Dash and Lucy,â€� Day confirmed. “I have always said family first and given I really wanted to support Australian golf this year and play in the Australian Open that unfortunately means I can’t join Tiger and the others at the Hero World Challenge this time around. “I wish his event much success and hope to return to it in the future.â€� Day’s withdrawal coincided with countryman Marc Leishman’s decision to also skip out on the 18-man field in Albany, with Leishman deciding to instead play in the Australian PGA on the Gold Coast. Leishman recently had his third child, a daughter Eva, and also has a rule not to be on the road too many weeks in a row. He originally planned to miss the Australian summer of golf and only play in the Bahamas, before having a change of heart. Coming off the best season of his life where he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the BMW Championship Leishman’s home ties proved too enticing. “I’ve won on most tours around the world except Australasia. It’s a goal of mine, something that’s really missing from my resume,” Leishman told Australian reporters. “Getting that trophy at the PGA would be an awesome way to end what has been a really good year so far. “I was in to play that (Hero World Challenge). It’s a two-hour flight from my house over in America so I could zip down there, play the tournament and be home but it just wasn’t sitting right in my stomach that I wasn’t going home this year.â€� Leishman is also favored to pick up the prestigious Greg Norman medal, awarded to the best Australian player on the world stage of golf. Coming into the field in the Bahamas are former Open Champion Henrik Stenson and U.S. Presidents Cup team member Kevin Chappell.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Aaron Wise is making PGA National look easy. Wise shot his second straight 6-under 64 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at The Honda Classic. The 128 total is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there 15 years ago — and marks the first 36-hole lead of Wise’s PGA TOUR career. RELATED: Leaderboard | Lee Westwood leaves PGA National confident despite missed cut “It’s two great rounds of golf and I love that, and I love that I’m playing good,” Wise said. “But this place can get to you pretty quick and there’s a lot of golf left ahead and a lot of trouble out there.” He had a pair of eagles to highlight the day, his first two of 2021. Brandon Hagy (62) and first-round leader Matt Jones (70) were tied for second. Wise birdied the last to finish off the 64, the eighth round of 64 or lower surrendered by PGA National this week. Until this year, there’s never been more than seven rounds of 64 or lower in a Honda on that course; last year, no player even broke 66. Wise made a 3-footer for a 3 at the par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the day, then connected on a 45-footer for eagle at the par-5 third. “I’ve made so many bonus putts from outside 10 feet that I can’t complain,” said the 24-year-old Wise, the 2016 NCAA champion for Oregon. Hagy didn’t even know he was playing in the tournament until it was almost too late to get a flight, getting in as the next-to-last alternate. He opened with a 69, then shot 62 — the fourth score that low in Honda history at PGA National — Friday. “It’s been kind of a funny week,” Hagy said. “I was in Scottsdale on Tuesday afternoon and get a flight last minute, fly out Tuesday, don’t play practice rounds. I’m feeling like I’m playing on a little bit of house money, so I kept it pretty loose out there.” Jones survived five bogeys to shoot even-par 70. Sam Ryder (63) was alone in fourth, four shots back at 8 under. Shane Lowry (66) was in a group at 7 under. “I love this place,” Ryder said. Jones (61), Wise (64) and Russell Henley (64) had the 64s or better Thursday; Hagy, Ryder, Wise, Brice Garnett (64) and Stewart Cink (64) had them Friday. Cink shot a 67 in his first Honda round at PGA National 12 years ago; he hadn’t been better than that in any of his 39 rounds there since, until Friday. “It felt like an easier day scoring,” Cink said. “I played better, but it just felt like the course was more reasonable today than it was yesterday. This course is always hard.” Wise’s score marked only the third time someone has been double digits under par after the first two rounds since The Honda Classic moved to PGA National. Both previous ones happened in 2014; Rory McIlroy was 11 under after 36 holes, one shot better than Brandon De Jonge. McIlroy wound up losing that year in a playoff. De Jonge shot 76-78 on the weekend and tied for 63rd. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker shot 71 and is 3 under. Padraig Harrington, captain of this year’s European Ryder Cup team, shot 78 and missed the cut. So did Lee Westwood, who was coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS Championship. The silver lining for the 47-year-old Westwood was clear: He gets a couple days off before the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play next week. And he knew he was gassed even before getting to PGA National. “This was probably a tournament too far for me, after the run I’ve had the last two weeks,” Westwood said. “But I felt like I should play here this week. In an ideal world this would have been a week off after finishing second the last two weeks. What can you do? Just felt like one I had to play.”

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