Van Rooyen shoots 64, leads by 1 at Scandinavian Invitation

Kim bests Nordqvist to claim ShopRite LPGA

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SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Brandon Hagy and Chad Ramey avoided the worst of the wind Thursday afternoon, each with a 6-under 65 to share the lead in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship when the opening round at Port Royal was halted by darkness. RELATED: Leaderboard | Weather maintains advantage, but rules staff makes it fair contest | ‘Brutal’ wind and rain lead to wild day in Bermuda For those who started in the morning, it might have been easier playing in the dark. “You see winds like this, but normally you don’t play in them,” said Matt Fitzpatrick of England, who had every right to be satisfied with his even-par 71. The wind and spots of heavy rain were so fierce that play was suspended briefly in the morning. And while it eased slightly in the afternoon, the gusts were strong enough that short putts were nervy and judging the distance on approach shots was key. Ramey managed to finish off a bogey-free round right before play was halted. Hagy made nine birdies to offset his bogeys, one of which was a 2-foot par putt he missed on the par-5 seventh hole. There was not much he could do about it — that was largely due to a gust. Vincent Whaley had a 66, while Congaree Palmetto Championship winner Garrick Higgo, Seamus Power of Ireland and Danny Lee were among those at 67. The group at 68 included Patrick Reed. He opened with three straight birdies only to give most of it back with a double bogey. This was a day for flighting the ball, such as the chip 8-iron from 118 yards. For so much of the day, the actual yardage was irrelevant. Reed was coming off a bogey on the 16th when he drove into a hazard on the par-5 17th. He took a penalty drop, and then hit 6-iron that plopped down near the hole and dropped for a most unusual eagle. His playing partners, Higgo and Willett, all drove into the hazard on the 17th and they managed to collectively play the hole in 3 under. When play was stopped, 33 players were under par, some having to return Friday morning to complete the first round. Only six of those scores under par came from the morning. Russell Knox, who grew up near Inverness in Scotland, was among the early starters and had few complaints with a 72. He was happy to be standing up. “We were down on the ground holding an umbrella. My fingers were cramping I’m holding on so tight, and it was pouring rain as hard as it’s ever rained,” he said. “It was an interesting day.” Hagy got a sense of that when he started in the afternoon and saw so few scores under par. Greyson Sigg and Austin Eckroat had the best rounds of the early starters at 68. They played with Seth Reeves, who had a 69. They represented half of the scores under par from the morning side of the draw. “I think it laid down a little bit for us, but it was still pretty stout,” Hagy said. “But I hit a lot of good putts and they went in. I think there’s going to be some times where you get gusts and the ball doesn’t go in, but you kind of have to keep your head down and keep trying to hit some good shots.” It’s already been a week like no other at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which is offering full FedExCup points because it is not opposite the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai, canceled for the second straight year because of the pandemic. That means the winner gets a TOUR card for three years and an invite to the Masters, and only four players in the field already are eligible for Augusta National in April. Brian Gay, the defending champion, was bumped from his flight to Bermuda because the plane was too heavy. He arrived on Tuesday afternoon and didn’t get to play a practice round when the pro-am was canceled. Gay opened with a 75. “We definitely got the easier part of the day there in the afternoon, but it’s still a strong enough wind that your score could get away from you if you lost control of your ball,” Power said. “Hanging in there was the thing today.”

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RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Boo’s back. Playing in his first PGA TOUR event since the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Boo Weekley shot a 7-under-par 65 Saturday at the Puerto Rico Open to move into the top-15 early on Moving Day. Weekley (72-73-65) was away from the PGA TOUR for nearly 18 months after being sidelined with tendinitis, which led to surgery. During his comeback, doctors discovered cancer in his shoulder. A second procedure to a remove a cyst kept him on the shelf until November 2018, when he finally started hitting balls again. Weekley has played four of the first five events on the Web.com Tour in his return to action and told reporters at the LECOM Health Classic of his cancer diagnosis. He got into the Puerto Rico Open on a Sponsor’s Exemption and has made the most of the opportunity so far. The 45-year-old started his first round 4-over through five holes, but has righted the ship since then. Weekley said he was nervous returning to the TOUR after being away for so long. “I know I need to make this cut and just I put a lot of pressure on myself right out of the gate,â€� said Weekley. “Once I got kind of calmed down out there, I went back to playing golf.â€� The three-time TOUR winner said Saturday’s round could have been even lower. He missed short birdie putts on the par-4 3rd, the par-3 16th, and the par-4 17th. The winds that had been swirling around Coco Beach Golf Club the first two days had subsided through Saturday morning. He said the key to his solid play of late has been to get straightened up at address. He sent a video to his coach last week who showed him some old videos and photos of his positioning and Weekley was able to make the adjustment. “It was kind of like one of them days you could have really got after it, you know, but then again I’m happy with what I shot,â€� said Weekley. “You can’t ever complain when you shoot under par anyway on any of these golf courses.â€� Weekley admitted he wasn’t 100 percent yet, health-wise, but he’s aiming to feel that way in about three months. “Once I get back to playing golf and still doing the same little regimen that I’ve been doing with my shoulder and my arm, elbow and stuff, I should be back to normal,â€� he explained. Weekley isn’t sure what his schedule is going to look like for the balance of 2019 – he’s planning on playing mostly Web.com Tour events but will say ‘yes’ to any PGA TOUR opportunity that comes along – but one thing is for sure: he’s just happy to be back playing again. “I feel like I can actually hit golf shots,â€� he said.

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