USGA receives over 9K entries for U.S. Open

Due to logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship will not be played in Mexico this year, the PGA TOUR announced in a memo released to players. This year's event will be conducted Feb. 25-28 at The Concession Golf Club in the Bradenton-Sarasota area in Southwest Florida. There will be no change to the tournament's eligibility requirements. The tournament will now kick off a four-week Florida Swing that also features the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, THE PLAYERS Championship and The Honda Classic. "The PGA TOUR is grateful for its continued partnership with Grupo Salinas as we navigate the unique challenges created by the pandemic," said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International. "While we work toward returning to Mexico in 2022, we are appreciative of the collective effort to bring this event to a worthy venue in The Concession Golf Club, which is renowned as one of the top courses in the state of Florida." For the past four years, the PGA TOUR and Grupo Salinas have fulfilled their commitment to grow golf in Mexico and Latin America, introducing the sport to thousands of new fans. In only four years, The First Tee Mexico, a non-profit organization for children and youth development, now has nine chapters throughout the country and will continue to provide educational programs and support based on key societal values such as honesty, integrity and teamwork. With two sold-out editions, the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship has shown to be a world-class event featuring the best players from across the globe. By bringing and hosting the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, Grupo Salinas has reaffirmed its solid commitment to promote Mexico's compelling attributes and image before the world, reaching nearly one billion households within over 200 countries and territories. Given the one-year relocation from Mexico City, the TOUR is working to secure a title sponsor for the 2021 event. The World Golf Championships' new venue is named for one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship in the game's history. The club was designed by Jack Nicklaus in association with fellow World Golf Hall of Famer Tony Jacklin. Nicklaus conceded a 2-foot putt to Jacklin on the final hole of the 1969 Ryder Cup. The gesture, known as "the concession,” guaranteed the first tie in Ryder Cup history. The United States still retained the Cup with the tie, but it would have won the Cup outright if Jacklin, winner of the 1969 Open Championship, missed the short putt. "I don't believe you would have missed that, but I'd never give you the opportunity in these circumstances," Jacklin recalled Nicklaus telling him. Jacklin also won the 1970 U.S. Open. The Concession was named "Best New Private Course" by Golf Digest when it opened in 2006. Bryson DeChambeau won the individual title in the 2015 NCAA Championship at Concession. "This is a monumental opportunity for The Concession to host an event at the level of a World Golf Championships and showcase the unique layout and rich history of this Club to a global audience," said Bruce Cassidy, President of The Concession Golf Club. "With our past experience hosting high-profile events, we believe this course will provide a stern but memorable test of golf to this collection of the very best players in the world." The World Golf Championships will be staged without general admission ticketed spectators but will have a limited number of club members and invited guests on-site for competition days. It will also include a Wednesday pro-am and honorary observers. "The news of a World Golf Championships event coming to Concession and the Bradenton-Sarasota Area is a testament to the premier golf venues and the other area assets that set the destination apart and solidify its position among the most attractive golf destinations in the country," said Elliott Falcione, Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "This event comes on the heels of the Korn Ferry Tour, which kicks off its season the week prior across the street at Lakewood National Golf Club, making this a truly a historic time for golf in the Bradenton-Sarasota area." The World Golf Championships will be the second of back-to-back weeks of professional golf in the Bradenton-Sarasota area. The Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM Suncoast Classic will be played the week prior across the street at Lakewood National Golf Club. "We are thrilled for the opportunity," said Virginia Haley, President of Visit Sarasota County. "With such a wonderful setting and renowned course, we're hopeful that the PGA TOUR's best players will enjoy battling for the title here in the Bradenton-Sarasota area."

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Welcome to the PGA TOUR’s version of the play-in game. In the void of the annual NCAA basketball tournaments in 2020, sports fans will latch onto the twist at the Wyndham Championship, for it is the last tournament before the FedExCup Playoffs. It determines who gets into the annual series. RELATED: Featured Groups | The First Look | Inside the Field Of course, so much more also is at stake at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Scroll past the projected contenders for a review of the Wyndham Rewards, secondary goals within reach, what’s different about the course and more. POWER RANKINGS: WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP Defending champion J.T. Poston will be reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider along with fellow champions at Sedgefield, Sergio Garcia (2012) and Brandt Snedeker (2018). Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood and Sungjae Im also will be included among the notables. The season-long Wyndham Rewards will conclude this week. The top 10 in the final standings earn bonus (unofficial) prize money. All but the No. 1 position (held by Justin Thomas) are undetermined. As of midday Monday, eight of the 29 who are mathematically alive to finish inside the top 10 are scheduled to compete in the Wyndham Championship. Meanwhile, as detailed on April 30, all jobs are safe for the 2020-21 season because of the pandemic, but qualifying for the Playoffs can elevate status for dozens of golfers who currently don’t carry status strong enough to have advanced to last season’s Playoffs. As a result, the action around the top-125 bubble is much more volatile than it is around the top 10. From Graeme McDowell at 108th in points through Rob Oppenheim at 145th, every golfer is committed to the Wyndham Championship. Many more beneath Oppenheim also are in play. For those who finish 126-200 in the FedExCup, they will secure eligibility in the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. With what hopes to be a full season on deck, and with all cards retained, that perk may not seem to be critical now, but it likely will matter for a handful. Sedgefield presents as a speed track to the finish line. Since it began hosting the Wyndham Championship in 2008, it’s been the easiest or second-easiest par 70 every season but one (2013). Last year’s scoring average of 68.175 was its record low. While there is value in splitting fairways, there’s just not enough to penalize wayward shots, so it’s a bomb-and-gouge opportunity even though the leaderboards don’t reflect that profile in the aggregate. Because scoring is so low, the objective is to hit as many of the Champion bermudagrass greens as possible and trust in the putter. Now, what’s sort of hilarious about believing in oneself to prevail and convert on the many benefits that go with winning is that J.T. Poston not only played video-game golf, it was cheat code kind of stuff. En route to his breakthrough victory in 2019, he ranked T2 in fairways hit (45 of 56), co-led in greens in regulation (62 of 72) and paced the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Most impressively, he got up and down all 10 times to complete the tournament in bogey-free, 22-under 258. (By comparison, Scott Stallings also was perfect in scrambling for the week – he went 14-for-14 – but he three-putted five times, each resulting in a bogey. He finished T31.) Sedgefield has a new overall yardage for the first time since 2012. It’s only a couple of paces longer at 7,131 yards, all four extra yards as a result of a new tee on the par-4 14th hole, which now tips at 505 yards. Greens are dialed to measure 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. The longest rough will top out at a customary two-and-a-half inches. It’s mid-August in the Triad, so it’d be a surprise only if rain wasn’t in the forecast. And, well, it is. Storms also could fire with daytime heating. Sticky conditions will be the constant. Wind will not be a factor. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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