Woods misses cut at Riviera and moves forward to Florida

The final round of the U.S. Women’s Open has been pushed to Monday due to thunderstorms.

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HISTORY MADE IN HAWAII WITH MATSUYAMA WIN Thirty-nine years ago, Isao Aoki became Japan’s first PGA TOUR winner at the Sony Open in Hawaii, holing out for eagle on the 72nd hole to earn a one-stroke victory over Jack Renner. Sunday afternoon at Waialae CC, Aoki’s countryman Hideki Matsuyama became Japan’s second Sony Open winner in perhaps not as theatrical fashion, but with a memorable closing stretch nonetheless. Matsuyama trailed playing partner Russell Henley by five strokes as they made the turn Sunday afternoon in Honolulu, and the reigning Masters champion methodically chipped away at the deficit, authoring a 4-under 31 including a closing birdie to match Henley’s 23-under total and force a playoff. Matsuyama, 29, then hit 3-wood from 277 yards to 3 feet on the first playoff hole – Waialae’s par-5 18th – en route to a winning eagle, sending the lively Honolulu crowd into a frenzy. With the victory, Matsuyama matches 2008 Sony Open winner K.J. Choi for his eighth PGA TOUR title, most by an Asian-born player on TOUR. He earns 500 FedExCup points and overtakes Talor Gooch for the No. 1 spot in the season-long standings, well positioned to chase his first FedExCup title. He’ll cherish the piece of history that he now shares with Aoki, as well. “This is the first tournament that a Japanese won on the PGA TOUR when Isao Aoki won here,” Matsuyama said shortly after putting out for the winning eagle. “And to follow him up, I’m over the moon.” EXPRESS TRIP TO PGA WEST Last season’s FedExCup champion, Patrick Cantlay, world No. 1 Jon Rahm and tournament host Phil Mickelson lead the field to La Quinta, California, for The American Express. Si Woo Kim returns to defend the title he won over Cantlay, who shot a course-record 61 in the final round a year ago to finish runner-up. A number of top players will make their 2022 debut including reigning Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris, Francesco Molinari, Gary Woodland, Alex Noren and Rickie Fowler who tees it up for the first time since becoming a father in November. The American Express will once again be played over three courses – PGA West (Stadium Course), La Quinta Country Club and PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament Course) – after utilizing just two last year for the first time in tournament history. There are 500 FedExCup points up for grabs as well as a spot in THE PLAYERS and majors for the week’s champion. NEW NETFLIX DOC TO FOCUS ON TOUR PLAYERS Two dozen PGA TOUR players have signed on to participate in a new Netflix series from the producers of the super popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” documentary. The PGA TOUR and the organizers of the four major championships will allow unprecedented access inside the ropes and behind the scenes through this season’s TOUR Championship. The series will capture the intensity of training, travel, victory, and defeat through the lens of a diverse group of players and their support teams. VIDEO OF THE WEEK Jim Furyk makes an incredible ace in the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. MIC CHECK “A true professional, Tim always treated our organization and our athletes fairly,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan on the passing of respected golf journalist Tim Rosaforte. “Writing and speaking with an opinion but without an agenda. He never stopped working the phones, ensuring that he not only got the story first, he got the story right. Those phone calls – and Tim’s gentle spirit – will be missed tremendously by all of us lucky enough to be part of the greater golf community. BY THE NUMBERS 4 – PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ kicks off in earnest this week at The American Express, with four streams available for fans from Featured Groups to Featured Holes. 5 – Five things to know about top-ranked amateur Keita Nakajima who contended over the weekend at Waialae. 10 – The new Korn Ferry Tour season began on Sunday with The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. Check out ten players to watch over the next three rounds. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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As the PGA TOUR schedule nears a return to Southern California for its first U.S. mainland tournament of the new year, the player field for this month’s CareerBuilder Challenge is bolstered by the latest additions of 2012 and 2014 Masters champion Bubba Watson, World No. 24 and 2014 CareerBuilder Challenge winner Patrick Reed and Idyllwild, Calif. native and UC Riverside golf product Brendan Steele. This trio joins CareerBuilder Challenge ambassador and World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson – the tournament’s 2002 and 2004 winner and a three-time Masters champion, among his 42 PGA TOUR wins – and a blend of major champions, past event winners and rising stars competing for a $5.9 million purse and 500 FedExCup points at the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament Courses at PGA WEST and La Quinta Country Club from Jan. 18-21. “Bubba is a fan favorite wherever he goes and we are thrilled to welcome him back to the CareerBuilder Challenge,â€� said Jeff Sanders, CareerBuilder Challenge Executive Director. “He is well known for his big drives, colorful personality and entertaining style. He’s a great addition to our strong player field.”  The long-hitting Watson brings his powerful, patented pink driver back to the CareerBuilder Challenge for the first time since 2011. A nine-time PGA TOUR winner, Watson previously played the CareerBuilder Challenge from 2007-11, and he was runner-up in 2010 after carding a five-round score of 29-under-par 331. Another pair of golfers who earlier committed to play in the 2018 CareerBuilder Challenge is the colorful John Daly (sponsor exemption) and World No. 4 Jon Rahm. Daly, the 1991 PGA Champion and 1995 Open Champion, will make his first event appearance since 2015. Rahm, from Spain and in his second full year on the PGA TOUR, is set to make his second start in the tournament as the highest-ranking golfer in the field. Reed currently stands as the second-highest ranked golfer in the CareerBuilder Challenge 2018 field. In 2014, the perennial U.S. Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup ace blitzed the CareerBuilder Challenge field with three consecutive rounds of 9-under-par 63 and a seven-shot lead after three rounds on the way to a winning score of 28-under 260. Other notable golfers who have stated their intent to play in the 2018 CareerBuilder Challenge include eight-time PGA TOUR winner and 2012 TOUR Championship winner Brandt Snedeker, 2010 and 2015 CareerBuilder Challenge winner and 2011 PGA TOUR FedExCup champion Bill Haas, 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge winner Jason Dufner and defending champion Hudson Swafford. 2003 CareerBuilder Challenge and Masters champion Mike Weir and 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge runner-up Adam Hadwin, creator of last year’s 59 during the tournament’s third round at La Quinta Country Club, lead the Canadian contingent at this month’s CareerBuilder Challenge. Hadwin became the ninth player to shoot a sub-60 round in PGA TOUR competition and is coming off of a career year on TOUR in which he won his only PGA TOUR event at the Valspar Championship in March. Steele already has a win under his belt in the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season as he repeated in Napa, Calif. as champion of the Safeway Open. At No. 45 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Steele is only two spots off of his career-best mark as he prepares for his homecoming at the CareerBuilder Challenge. World No. 26 and 2017 U.S. Presidents Cup golfer Kevin Kisner, World No. 27 and 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Brian Harman (T3 in the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge) and World No. 34 Kevin Chappell round out one of the deeper fields in recent times at the CareerBuilder Challenge, annually the PGA TOUR’s first stop on its West Coast swing. Daily tickets to the CareerBuilder Challenge are only $30 and include admission to the golf tournament, Concert Series presented by H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, and three on course greenside hospitality venues including the all-new 8,000 square foot Vons Fan Pavilion located on the 18th green. The CareerBuilder Challenge Concert Series presented by the H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation features two nights of rock and roll music with the popular Huey Lewis and the News on Friday, Jan. 19, followed by Goo Goo Dolls on Saturday, Jan. 20. The concerts will be held on the driving range at PGA WEST’s Stadium Course and are expected to start at 4:30 p.m. each day, following the conclusion of play. For more information on the CareerBuilder Challenge and CareerBuilder Challenge Concert Series presented by H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and to purchase tickets, please visit www.CBChallenge.com.

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