U.S. trims Ryder Cup deficit, but still trails 10-6

KAPALUA, Hawaii – It wasn’t really a secret but former FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth confirmed on Tuesday that he did indeed propose to long-time partner Annie Verret over the holidays. Spieth failed to give too many details of the proposal but confirmed the high school sweethearts are indeed now destined to walk down the aisle at some point in the future. “It was nice,â€� the Texan said of the occasion that came shortly before Christmas. “My brother was in town and her sister got in town, so we had our families there afterwards and it was a great night, really excited.â€� Having faced major championship nerves in the past Spieth said he was well prepared for the big occasion. Trying to close out last year’s Open Championship was more nerve-wracking but he expects those butterflies surrounding the pending nuptials will stay fresh for all time. “I was pretty confident,â€� he smiled. “I’ll probably at some point end up forgetting the British but I won’t probably forget the engagement.â€� Exactly how he popped the question is still not for public consumption although the 11-time PGA TOUR winner almost had to deviate from his plans. “I had a decent idea and then I was pretty sick. And so I had to have a backup plan. But I woke up and felt good that day and went through with it,â€� he added. The 24-year-old has kept his relationship with Verret fairly private over the years short of a few social media posts here and there. In contrast, he’s of course been part of the “Spring Breakâ€� crew with friends Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Smylie Kaufman giving the fans a unique insight into the boy’s trips and vacations he takes. Will those take a back seat now he’s settling down? “No, I think it’s important to have a really nice balance of, obviously, the grind, but then the stress-free kind of take your mind off it and also enjoy the fruits of your labor,â€� Spieth said from Maui. “If we don’t have celebrations of different things that we’re able to accomplish in life, whether it’s a wedding or it’s a great year, or whatever it is, then you’re going to look back in 20 years and say, I just worked my whole life. “If we have the luxury of being able to go out and do that, then I think we’ll enjoy doing so.â€�

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NICHOLASVILLE, Kentucky – With new host facility Keene Trace Golf Club serving as the backdrop and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin heading a delegation of state and local dignitaries who joined PGA TOUR executive Andy Pazder, it was announced today that the 2018 Barbasol Championship will become Kentucky’s first PGA TOUR tournament in decades, come next July 16-22. The fourth-year event will be contested on the Arthur Hills-designed Champions course in Nicholasville, approximately 10 miles from downtown Lexington. The move for the Barbasol Championship follows a successful three-year run at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Grand National course in Opelika, Alabama. It will be the first PGA TOUR tournament to be held in the state since the Kentucky Derby Open was contested in Louisville from 1957-59. Gary Player claimed his first TOUR victory in the 1958 event. PGA TOUR Champions also held the Bank One Classic in Lexington from 1983-97. “We are excited to bring the PGA TOUR and our players to Lexington in 2018,� said Pazder, the TOUR’s Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer. “We have been looking for the right opportunity to return to the area as it has been 20 years since we last held a PGA TOUR Champions tournament in Lexington. With the Bluegrass Sports Commission as the tournament’s host organization and bd Global as the tournament operator, having a great facility in Champions and, of course, Barbasol as the title sponsor, we have a strong partnership in place that will make the 2018 Barbasol Championship a tremendous success.� “Being selected as the latest PGA TOUR stop is a significant development, and we are excited to showcase the greatness of Kentucky to golf fans from around the world,� said Gov. Bevin. “It will be an incredible honor for Kentucky to host these individual and corporate guests each summer. From this day forward, the PGA TOUR can join us in saying: ‘We are Kentucky!’� The tournament will carry a purse of $3.5 million and award 300 FedExCup points to the champion. Officials are looking to make the 2018 Barbasol Championship a regional celebration that showcases the Bluegrass State and area attractions, including its famous horse farms and distilleries. The tournament is expected to have an economic impact in excess of $20 million. “America’s trusted brand for shaving cream, and now razors, has a long-standing connection to golf that dates back nearly 100 years,� said Tom Murray, CEO of Perio Inc., the parent company of Barbasol. “Today, that tradition continues with our support of the Barbasol Championship in Lexington, Kentucky.� Since opening in 1988, the Champion course has played host to a number of championships, including the 1994 USGA Senior Amateur, the 1993 NCAA Division One Men’s Championship, the Southeastern Conference Men’s and Women’s Championships, the Women’s Western Open, the Kentucky State Amateur and multiple Kentucky Opens. Consistently ranked as one of the best courses in Kentucky, Champions’ final three holes are expected to provide drama with the drivable par-4 16th, difficult par-4 17th and the par-3 18th, which will be surrounded by premium hospitality and fan amenities. Last July, Grayson Murray emerged from a Barbasol Championship field that included seven major championship winners to claim his first PGA TOUR victory.

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Reshuffles occur at the conclusion of these tournaments • The RSM Classic (Nov. 19) • Genesis Open (Feb. 18) • Shell Houston Open (April 1) • Wells Fargo Championship (May 6) • FedEx St. Jude Classic (June 10) • John Deere Classic (July 15) Gain/Loss reflects movement if next reshuffle occurred this week. * – In the field at the CIMB Classic as of Oct. 8.

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