Tiger Woods announces Tim O’Neal as 2019 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption

It’s the final official event of the year, bringing the calendar to a close at the picturesque Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Tony Finau, who’s scheduled to return to Sea Island for the first time since 2014, leads the field. There are plenty of locals looking to win on their home turf, as well, as Sea Island is a popular gathering spot for some of the TOUR’s top players. FIELD NOTES: Finau, a two-time winner on TOUR last season, is the highest-ranked golfer in the field… Six of the top 40 in the world are teeing it up, with Brian Harman, Sepp Straka, Tom Hoge, 2015 RSM Classic winner Kevin Kisner and FedExCup leader Seamus Power, winner of the recent Butterfield Bermuda Championship, joining Finau. Qualifiers for last season’s TOUR Championship who are in the field are Straka, Finau, Hoge, Harman, J.T. Poston, Sahith Theegala and Scott Stallings… Recent RSM winners in the field include Kisner, two-time RSM winner Robert Streb, Chris Kirk, Austin Cook, Tyler Duncan, and Mackenzie Hughes, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship this fall… Tournament host Davis Love III will tee it up alongside fellow major champs in Webb Simpson, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson, and Jason Day… Nick Hardy and Zac Blair are teeing it up on major medical extensions… Sponsor exemptions include four-time TOUR winner Aaron Baddeley, Camilo Villegas, Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman, Notre Dame’s Palmer Jackson and Georgia alum Spencer Ralston. Bridgeman (No. 2) and Gotterup (No. 7) were members of this year’s class in PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global. Gotterup, the 2022 NCAA Player of the Year, recently finished T3 at the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, while Bridgeman finished T45 to earn conditional status. Jackson earned his spot in the field by winning the prestigious Jones Cup at nearby Ocean Forest Golf Club. Past champions of that amateur event include Justin Thomas, Corey Conners and PGA TOUR rookie Davis Thompson. Jackson is No. 20 in the PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Ranking. Baddeley has Monday qualified for two events this season, including a T6 finish at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Villegas was a Captain’s Assistant at this year’s Presidents Cup. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Sea Island Resort (Seaside), 7,005 yards, par 70; Sea Island Resort (Plantation), 7,060 yards, par 72. Tournament Davis Love III and his brother Mark re-worked the Plantation Course – inspired by the traditional profile of Walter Travis’ 1928 original – in 2019 with plenty of classic design features. Tom Fazio, meanwhile, redid the Seaside Course – a links-style layout adjacent to the ocean – in 1999. STORYLINES: Four of the last six editions of The RSM Classic have gone into a playoff, including three in a row from 2018-2020… Sea Island has been a haven for first-time TOUR winners but not so much for local residents. There are lots in the field this year, per usual, but none have won the event. While Kevin Kisner captured the title in 2015, he was actually living in Sea Island only because his South Carolina home was being renovated… If there is one golfer to look at continuing the first-timer-trend at Sea Island, look to Taylor Montgomery, who hasn’t missed a cut this fall (with finishes of 3-T9-T15-T13-T10)… Webb Simpson is hoping to finally take this tournament across the finish line. He finished inside the top 10, again, last season – the fifth time he’s done that, including two playoff losses… This is the last official PGA TOUR event on the calendar until the Sentry Tournament of Champions the first week of January. 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Kevin Kisner (2015), Talor Gooch (2021) 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Tommy Gainey (4th round, 2012), Sebastian Munoz (1st round, 2021), Tyler McCumber (4th round, 2021) LAST TIME: Talor Gooch fired a final-round 64 to win by three over 2016 RSM champ Mackenzie Hughes for his maiden TOUR title. Gooch made three birdies in four holes after making the turn on Sunday and no one else could get close as the tournament reached its conclusion. Gooch had a three-shot lead to start the day and was locked in early, making birdies of just five and nine feet on Nos. 2 and 4 to start his final round. Gooch’s 22-under 260 matched the tournament record set by Kevin Kisner in 2014, while he became the seventh golfer in the 12-year history of the tournament to make The RSM Classic his first TOUR victory. Hughes shot a tidy 8-under 62 to finish solo second, while Sebastian Munoz, who earlier in the week shot a course record-tying 60, finished third. Tyler McCumber, who shot a 60 of his own in the final round, finished tied for fourth alongside three other golfers. HOW TO FOLLOW: Television: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. (Golf Channel) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE: PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes Radio: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)

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Bryson DeChambeau implored the golfing world to not judge a book by its cover after he solidified himself as a player of the future with a thrilling playoff win at Muirfield Village. Welcome to the Monday Finish where DeChambeau claimed a second PGA TOUR win in front of an idol – taking out the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide with Jack Nicklaus looking on. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. The saying goes – love him or hate him. And it has been attached to Bryson DeChambeau at times. But there is really no reason to hate the guy some call the mad scientist of golf. Yes, he has ideas and thoughts that are non-conventional. Yes, he advocates things you might think are silly. But he is ultimately likable and downright excellent at golf. His single length irons and one plane swing might not work for you, but they work for him. And the passion he shows for the game and its history is great to watch. This is one guy that actually gets it. “Whenever you look at somebody, don’t judge them by the cover, right? You got to judge them by the results and the work ethic and the dedication and the perseverance that the person has,â€� he said. Indeed. 2. DeChambeau showed some steel in the final round that will certainly help him going forward. As a confidence player he had possibly created some seeds of doubt after missing a few chances to close the deal in regulation and the opening playoff hole. But a stoic approach shot on the second playoff hole was followed by a great putt for the win. The putt came after Byeong An had hit a tremendous flop shot to possibly keep the tournament alive. Bottom line, it was clutch. It is something that Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods would have loved to see. As the upcoming Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup captains they know this guy will play with passion under the American flag. 3. Byeong An can’t be far away from becoming a more consistent performer and clinching a maiden win on the PGA TOUR. His playoff loss was his third top-10 this season and moved him to 46th in the FedExCup. When he is on he is certainly good enough to end up on top. Nerves may have played a factor on Sunday but those suggesting his putt on the 72nd hole was easy (he missed) are way off the mark. Multiple players miss-read that putt, expecting it to come back to the right a little more. Sure DeChambeau made it on a similar line to win a few holes later but An gave his chance a good run. And while some of his playoff shots he’d like back, the flop he hit to have a chance to stay in it was first class. Watch this space. 4. Tiger Woods still knows how to get the crowds rocking. But sadly at Muirfield Village he also took the wind out of our sails at times. And it was because of the putter – a club he used to be deadly with. The roars around the place on Friday when he holed out for an eagle on the par-5 11th and then hit the flag on the par-3 12th were vintage stuff. Hair on the back of your neck standing up stuff. Sadly a rain delay stopped his momentum. And then his putter stayed ice-cold. Woods ranked first in several ball-striking categories at Muirfield Village including Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+14.157); Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (+11.164) and Proximity (23 feet, eight inches). But he was second last in Strokes Gained: Putting (-7.695). He missed seven putts inside five feet during the tournament, and 15 putts inside 10 feet. If he marries his game together then we might finally see that win we all crave. 5. Joaquin Niemann is another name you need to add to the youth brigade in golf if you haven’t already done so. The Chilean teenager, who is not long removed from being the world’s best amateur, has secured special temporary membership on the PGA TOUR in just his fifth start as a professional. Sunday was a chance to win but while he faded a little to be tied sixth it represented his third top-10. He will now be able to accept unlimited sponsor invites for the rest of the season as he looks to earn enough non-member points to earn a TOUR card for next season. The 95 FedExCup points earned at Muirfield Village takes him to 275 non-member points – the equivalent to around 115th in the standings. If he beats the mark of the man who finishes 125th at season’s end he will automatically get a TOUR card for next season. He has locked up a spot in the Web.com Finals as another potential avenue to the TOUR. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. DeChambeau moved from 22nd to fourth in the FedExCup and at 24 years, 8 months and 18 days, he is the fourth youngest winner in the Memorial Tournament history behind Hideki Matsuyama’s 2014 win (22 years, 3 months and 7 days) and Tiger Woods’ 1999 and 2000 victories. 2. DeChambeau became the 10th winner this season to rank inside the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. He ranked sixth – outperforming the field by +1.366 strokes per round on the greens. A total of 44 percent of his total strokes gained for the week were a result of his performance on the greens at Muirfield Village. It was the third best Strokes Gained: Putting performance of his career. His best was when he won the John Deere Classic last season. 3. DeChambeau led the field in Scrambling, managing to salvage par 80 percent of the time (16 of 20) when missing the green in regulation. His scrambling performance marked the fourth-best by a winner at the Memorial Tournament since 1992. 4. DeChambeau attacked the front nine holes at Muirfield Village to get his victory. Through 72 holes he was 11-under par on the front nine and 4-under on the back nine. 5. Of note leading into the U.S. Open was Rory McIlroy’s weekend performance. After making the cut on the number at even-par, he recorded weekend rounds of 64-69 to move into a tie for eighth. It was his fourth top-10 (T8: 2018, T4: 2016, 5: 2011, T10: 2010) in his seventh career start at the Memorial Tournament. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (+5.630) and his third-round 64 was the lowest round of the tournament.

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Every week it seems to change. So who can make the move and become No. 1? And who has the best chance to stay there?

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