TPC Sugarloaf & the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation ace record-breaking golf benefit for children with brain cancer

NAPA, Calif. — Brandt Snedeker birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and a three-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and two others Friday in the PGA TOUR’s season-opening Safeway Open. Playing alongside Hall of Famer Fred Couples, Snedeker had eight birdies and a bogey on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. The leader won the Wyndham Championship in August, opening with a 59 en route to his ninth PGA TOUR title. “I played really solid golf all the way around,” Snedeker said. “I only played two bad shots all day. My speed has been great for two days. These green can get away from you if you’re not paying attention.” Snedeker had a 12-under 132 total. Mickelson followed his opening 65 with a 69 to join Michael Thompson (65) and Ryan Moore (67) at 10 under. “I’m cautiously optimistic,” Mickelson said. “It’s certainly turning from pessimistic because I didn’t think that I was going to be here on the weekend and the next thing you know I’m up on top of the leaderboard.” A week after going 0-2 in United States’ Ryder Cup loss to Europe in France, the 48-year-old Mickelson bogeyed three of his first eight holes, and rallied with four birdies on his second nine. “I shot 4 under to kind of salvage the round,” Mickelson. “I’m surprised. I’m hitting a lot of good shots. I didn’t expect that. What I am doing well is putting, like I can putt.” Moore won the last of his five PGA TOUR titles in 2016. “I feel like the seasons I’ve played really well I’ve kind of come out with a good start here,” Moore said. “I need a good start. I need something to kind of solidify my schedule for next year or else you’re just kind of floating around in between.” Thompson’s lone PGA TOUR victory came in the 2013 Honda Classic. First-round leader Sepp Straka followed his opening 63 with a 72 to drop into a tie for fifth at 9 under with Kevin Tway (67) and Sungjae Im (69). “I really didn’t hit the ball very well today,” Straka said. “Yesterday I wasn’t flawless. I kept the ball in the right spots. I didn’t do that today. I short-sided myself a lot.” Ricky Barnes matched the course record with a 61 to get to 8 under. The 49-year-old Couples matched Snedeker with a 65 to reach 7 under. Playing on a sponsor exemption, he plans to make the tournament his last PGA TOUR event other than the Masters. Mark Mulder, the former major league pitcher playing in his first PGA TOUR event, missed the cut with round of 75 and 74.  

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POSTON NOTCHES WIRE-TO-WIRE VICTORY AT JOHN DEERE CLASSIC J.T. Poston was nervous and who could blame him. After all, he had held the lead after all three rounds entering Sunday at the John Deere Classic and expectations were high for him to win. But when his competitors began charging in the final round, he channeled the nervousness into a lazer-sharp focus. Poston, 29, shot a 2-under 69 for a three-shot victory at TPC Deere Run and became the first player to record a wire-to-wire win at the John Deere Classic since David Frost in 1992. “Wire to wire, having the lead for that long, it’s hard not to think about it and think about that finish line all week,” Poston said. “We got off to a great start and then I kind of started to give some back. But I hit a lot of great shots down the stretch.” It marked Poston’s second win on TOUR after having won the Wyndham Championship during the 2018-19 season. He also opened the week with a 9-under 62 after shooting 62 in Round 1 of last week’s Travelers Championship. Poston became the first player on record (since 1983) to open consecutive TOUR events with a 62 or better. “I was just trying to breathe,” Poston said. “There were a lot of nerves, a lot more than the first few days. I was just trying to battle through them. I think after this week, I feel like I know I can play with those nerves and still win and still score.” With the win, Poston is now fully exempt on TOUR through 2024 and he earned spots in this year’s The Open Championship and the 2023 PLAYERS Championship, Masters and PGA Championship. His 500 FedExCup points also moved him from No. 66 to No. 22 in the standings. DP WORLD TOUR, PGA TOUR EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN ALLIANCE The DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR have moved to significantly strengthen not only their existing alliance but also help develop players to compete at the pinnacle of men’s professional golf by unveiling a ground-breaking new 13-year operational joint venture partnership. As part of the new joint venture, the PGA TOUR will increase its existing stake in European Tour Productions from 15% to 40%, while utilizing the DP World Tour’s recognised international credentials and global footprint to continue to coordinate a worldwide schedule. From 2023, the leading 10 players on the end of season DP World Tour Rankings (in addition to those already exempt) will earn PGA TOUR cards for the following season. Other development news included that next year an unprecedented 30 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded to the top players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List at season’s end and Q-School would award PGA TOUR cards to the top five finishers and ties. It will mark the first time in a decade that Q-School will offer PGA TOUR status. THE SCOTTISH OPEN MAKES ITS TOUR DEBUT The Genesis Scottish Open makes its debut as a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR with a field consisting of members from both organizations. Scottie Scheffler, who sits atop both the FedExCup standings and Official World Golf Ranking, leads the field, while 14 of the top 15 in the world are set to tee it up. There will be 75 golfers from the PGA TOUR in the field, 75 from the DP World Tour, three from the KPGA, and three unrestricted sponsor exemptions. By field strength, the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open is set to be the strongest non-major DP World Tour tournament in history. Plenty of notables are teeing it up in Scotland including last season’s FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, recent Travelers winner and reigning Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and former world No.1 Jon Rahm. Matt Fitzpatrick, who lost in a playoff at the Scottish Open a year ago, will tee it up for the first time since his U.S. Open triumph. Robert MacIntyre is the highest-ranked Scotsman who is teeing it up, while Padraig Harrington is in the field fresh off his win at the U.S. Senior Open. The Renaissance Club hosts this year’s event, marking the fourth edition of the Scottish Open to be contested at the Tom Doak design. Here’s what you Need to Know about the venue. WORLDS COLLIDE AT THE BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP The Barbasol Championship returns this weekend, also making its debut as a co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour. Past Barbasol champions Jim Herman, Grayson Murray and Aaron Baddeley are teeing it up at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Keene Trace is laid out through the rolling hills of central Kentucky with a dramatic par-4 finisher that’s built around the edge of a lake. Local legend and Kentucky native Josh Teater is in the field on a sponsor exemption, joining two past FedExCup champions in Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas. DP World Tour representatives include Lucas Bjerregaard (who famously upset Tiger Woods in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play), Oliver Wilson (European Team member from the 2008 Ryder Cup in Kentucky) and Julian Suri (a Floridian who played at Duke before winning on both the European Challenge Tour and DP World Tour). The winner of the Barbasol Championship, if he is not already qualified, will earn the final spot in The Open Championship and 300 FedExCup points. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “I want to thank you for your consideration and assure you that if I were fortunate enough to receive an exemption, I would make you and the tournament proud” – An excerpt from Christopher Gotterup’s letter to tournament director Clair Peterson asking for a sponsor’s exemption into the John Deere Classic. Gotterup would finish T4. BY THE NUMBERS 5 – Players to keep an eye on this week as the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship gets underway at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. 67 – Final-round score for Zecheng Dou who won by one shot at The Ascendant presented by Blue on the Korn Ferry Tour. 2 – Players who have won in wire-to-wire fashion this season. Poston became the second to do so after Joaquin Niemann accomplished the feat at The Genesis Invitational. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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