Who will be Champion Golfer of the Year? ESPN makes its picks for The Open

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SOUTHPORT, England – Jason Day can hit his driver into places that few can. That’s normally a good thing. This time, though, it led to a rules change days before The Open Championship. Royal Birkdale’s 10th fairway was declared out-of-bounds for golfers playing the ninth hole. The internal out-of-bounds was instituted after Day’s caddie, Col Swatton, inquired about cutting the corner on No. 9 by hitting the tee shot down the next fairway. “The great thing about links golf is you can play a hole in multiple ways, and that’s one of the beauties of it,� R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said Wednesday. “But in this particular case … the only way you can get the ball onto the 10th fairway is to drive it straight over the top of the grandstand and then bring the ball back across the ninth green, across two opposing groups of people. “We felt that was just dangerous.� The ninth hole is a 416-yard, par-4 with a fairway that doglegs to the right about 280 yards from the tee, requiring players to hit something shorter than driver to keep their ball from running through the fairway. The 10th hole, a 402-yard, par-4, runs back toward the ninth tee. A player could get within 90 yards of the ninth green by hitting driver toward the 10th tee, Day said. While it was his caddie who enquired about the option, Day was unlikely to use the option. “I don’t think anyone was going to go down there. We just asked,� he said. “It is kind of a strange line.� Slumbers said he had not seen anyone attempt the shot during practice rounds, but the inquiry alone was enough for the R&A to take the step. There will not be white stakes on the 10th fairway. Instead, the out-of-bounds will be defined by the closely mown area. In addition to protecting the fans in and around the grandstands, the rule will protect players walking up the 10th fairway and directly into the alternate landing zone for No. 9. Slumbers noted that it’s “blind to the 10th fairway from the ninth tee.� Day was sympathetic to the safety concerns but didn’t think the out-of-bounds was warranted, since the option may not be used at all and the internal OB introduces a severe penalty for a wayward shot. “You can get an unlucky bounce. If you lose one in the wind, and it bounces awkwardly, and you’re a foot on the (10th) fairway, you’re out of bounds. It’s a little unfair,� Day said. “The R&A has obviously made that rule for a purpose.� The new rule means Day will no longer consider using driver off the ninth tee. “Guess I’ll be hitting iron down there now,� he said.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, Billy Andrade, who has enjoyed a 35-year career on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, has been named the 2022 recipient of the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Andrade will be honored on Tuesday, August 23, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-8 p.m. ET at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 23 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,” was the TOUR Championship presenting sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. Previous recipients have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “It’s very special. Payne was unbelievable to me and I got to know him very well. I’m speechless really, to think that now I’m part of this elite group of past recipients who have all done it the right way,” Andrade said. “It’s really nice to see that people have watched and seen that I can inspire others, and I can’t thank Southern Company, the TOUR and Jay Monahan enough to now call myself a Payne Stewart Award recipient.” Andrade, 58, was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, but has called Atlanta home since 1988 when he first joined the PGA TOUR. As an Atlanta resident, Andrade developed an affinity for the history of East Lake Golf Club, which will soon add his name next to the other Payne Stewart Award recipients on a plaque located in the clubhouse’s Great Hall. Since joining the PGA TOUR, Andrade used his platform to give back to charitable causes close to his heart, and has continued that commitment over three decades of playing on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. He and his wife, Jody, have two children: Cameron and Grace. “Billy Andrade is an ideal representation of a Payne Stewart Award recipient,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As someone who exudes kindness and respect, Billy is a stranger to no one, and has spent his career fostering meaningful relationships. “Those relationships have helped fuel his chartiable endeavors, which have spanned more than three decades. That unwavering commitment to helping others is what draws so many people to Billy, and what would certainly make Payne proud.”

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