Why Morgan Hoffmann wasn’t penalized after being struck by sand shot

The duo become the first Europeans ever to go 4-0 through the pairs portion of a Ryder Cup, helping their side build a healthy lead ahead of Sunday’s singles.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tommy Fleetwood has won in Scotland, England, the United Arab Emirates, France, South Africa, even Kazakhstan. Victory in the U.S. hasn’t happened yet. Related: Leaderboard | Contenders at The Honda Classic have endured hardship The Englishman is in position to change that Sunday. Fleetwood birdied four of his final six holes on the way to a 3-under 67 in the third round of The Honda Classic on Saturday, moving to 5 under for the week and one shot ahead of Brendan Steele at PGA National. Fleetwood has been close to getting that elusive win on U.S. soil with two runner-up finishes. “If you’re going to win around here, you’ve proven yourself as an all-around golfer,” Fleetwood said. “Realistically, yeah, it probably is another step in my career. I’m not going to lie and say, `Ah, I don’t really mind about winning in America.’ Of course I do. I want to win everywhere I play and the PGA TOUR is for sure one of those places where I haven’t done it yet.” Steele shot 71. He was alone on the lead through 36 holes at 5 under, birdied two of his first three on Saturday to get to 7 under and then made four bogeys in an eight-hole span. But he survived, which was the order of the day for the leaders. “It feels like a major championship toughness-wise,” said Daniel Berger, who is three shots back. Fleetwood rolled in a birdie from nearly 50 feet on the par-3 17th to highlight his big finish. But he thought his two most important shots on Saturday were putts that dropped on the 10th and 15th holes. And both were for bogey. Let that speak for how challenging PGA National was — yet again. Of the 69 players who made the cut, only 11 broke par on Saturday. Fleetwood’s 67 was the second-best round of the day; Mackenzie Hughes, who made the cut on the number Friday, shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday and went from tied for 59th to start the day to tied for eighth with 18 holes left. Fleetwood’s score of 5 under is the highest by any leader through 54 holes since the Honda moved to PGA National. “It’s just a strong test of your all-around game,” Fleetwood said. Luke Donald birdied the last to finish a 71 and get to 3 under for the week, two shots off the lead. Lee Westwood (71) was tied with Donald going into the final round, surviving an up-and-down day where he birdied two of his first three holes — and then made just one more in the last 15 holes. “I didn’t have my A game today,” Westwood said. “But, ground it out and didn’t do too much damage. I don’t feel like two shots is much around this golf course.” True, but the Honda — at least the current incarnation of it — is not exactly known for comeback victories. Since the tournament moved to PGA National, 12 of the 13 winners have been either first or second after 54 holes. And in terms of deficits overcome, the biggest has been three shots — Padraig Harrington rallied after being three back of Ian Poulter in 2015, and Ernie Els was three shots behind Donald, Matt Jones and Mark Calcavecchia in 2008 before prevailing. Berger (69), Charl Schwartzel (70) and Sungjae Im (70) were tied for fifth at 2 under, three back of Fleetwood. There was a five-way tie for the lead — Schwartzel, Steele, Im, Donald and Fleetwood — on the back side for a brief spell Saturday at 4 under. It didn’t last long as all five dropped a shot within a span of about 15 minutes, a span in which Schwartzel got a reminder of how fast things can change at PGA National. He put his tee ball in the bunker on the par-4 16th, then saw his second shot hit the lip of the sand and plummet into the water to set up a double bogey. “I thought I was really good today out there,” Schwartzel said. “I played well, made a stupid decision on 16, but hit good shots after that and kept going. It’s a tough golf course.”

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The Charles Schwab Challenge, the first event in the restart of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR season, will welcome a stellar field. The tournament has announced that the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking are scheduled to appear at Colonial – the first time that’s happened at the Fort Worth, Texas, event since 1986. RELATED: Season restart looks to be race to FedExCup Playoffs | Ultimate catch-up guide to 2019-20 season No. 1 Rory McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champ, and No. 4 Justin Thomas are playing at Colonial for the first time in their TOUR careers. No. 2 Jon Rahm is making his fourth start and No. 3 Brooks Koepka is making his second. No. 5 Dustin Johnson is making his third Colonial start, but his first since 2014. Thomas and McIlroy are among the top nine players in the FedExCup standings — led by Sungjae Im — who have committed to play. Of the top 20 in the standings, 17 will be at Colonial, including defending champ Kevin Na, who is 11th. “Our field is deep,â€� Charles Schwab Challenge tournament director Michael Tothe told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s really come together nicely.â€� The tournament was originally slated for May 21-24 but was moved to June 11-14 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a raft of schedule changes for the PGA TOUR. The Charles Schwab Challenge will be the first full TOUR event to be staged since the season went on hiatus after the pandemic took hold during THE PLAYERS Championship in March, forcing its cancellation after the first round. It will be played without onsite access for fans and under strict health and safety protocols. “Golf fans are hungry to watch some golf,â€� tournament chairman Rob Hood told the local media. “I think the whole world will be watching Fort Worth, Texas.â€� Of the world’s top 20 ranked players, 15 are scheduled to play at Colonial, including reigning Open Championship winner Shane Lowry, making just his second start on American soil this season. The Irishman has been in Florida during the pandemic and will play mostly in the U.S. for the next few months. “I think this is a good opportunity for golf to be one of the first sports to get back on TV and maybe people are so starved and deprived of live sport that it might get a few more people into the game,” Lowry told Irish reporters. Na, who shot a 62 in the second round last year, looks forward to defending his title. Justin Rose, the 2018 winner, also is scheduled, as are local draws Jordan Spieth (the 2016 winner) and Colonial member Ryan Palmer. “It’s basically going back to work for me and what I love to do,â€� Na told CBS. “I miss it. I miss the competition.â€� Players who are returning to Colonial after lengthy absences include Bubba Watson (making his first start since 2008) and Jason Day (making his first start since 2011). Big-hitting Matthew Wolff is making his Charles Schwab Challenge debut on a tight course that generally favors shot-making. Also in the field is two-time champion Phil Mickelson, who will be making his 16th start in the event but just his second since 2010. Mickelson played in last week’s The Match: Champions for Charity, where he and partner Tom Brady lost to Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning. “This is the best shape that I’ve been in,” Mickelson said recently on The Dan Patrick Show. “I feel like I’ve had a really good last few months to get my game back and be sharp. I’m excited to go play.” Mickelson won Colonial’s plaid jacket in 2000 and 2008. His 2008 victory famously included a clutch approach to the green from the left trees on the 72nd hole before he buried a birdie putt for the title while a fan cannonballed into the lake behind him in celebration. Speaking on his Callaway Golf Podcast, the now soon-to-be 50-year-old had obvious enthusiasm for golf’s return and hoped the sport would get further prominence in the wider community that continues to navigate its way through unchartered waters due to the pandemic. “The thing that I’m excited about seeing the PGA TOUR return is what this could do for the game of golf,â€� Mickelson said. “Because right now the courses where I’m playing in San Diego and Arizona, they’re packed because people are wanting to get outside, they want to do sports, (and) they want to hang with their friends. And the only place to do it safely is on the golf course. “I have a feeling that the summer rounds are going to skyrocket, hopefully we’ll get a lot of new golfers or people who only play once or twice a year playing a few times a week maybe, or a month. “We are going to see a lot more people walking. I’ve noticed that our clubs, without carts, everybody is walking, enjoying the time … this could be a thing that helps the game of golf because it offers something during this pandemic that other sports don’t which is a safe environment to be with your friends, and be interactive and have some competition and some comradery.â€�

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