Workday to sponsor official TOUR event at Muirfield Village

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – Luke Donald glanced at the electronic leaderboard while waiting to putt out at the 18th green early Friday afternoon. He noticed the cut line: 2 over. He was 2 over. Having started the week outside the top-100 bubble, the par putt from 7 feet meant his season was on the line. It also meant the potential closure of a frustrating stretch of golf. Donald entered THE NORTHERN TRUST having missed eight consecutive cuts on the PGA TOUR. The last time he reached the weekend was at the RBC Heritage in mid-April. He finished solo second on a shot-maker’s course suited for his game. Since then, just three of his last 16 rounds have been in red numbers. The lowest was a 64 he shot in a four-ball round with partner Jamie Lovemark at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event. They missed the cut by two shots that week. Until this stretch, he had never missed more than three consecutive cuts since becoming a full-time TOUR member in 2002. “Been a tough run the last few months,â€� said Donald, who did make the cut in two European Tour events this summer. “It’s a fickle game. It doesn’t feel like I’m very far away. I feel like something good is coming soon.â€� But he former World No. 1 is finding it tough to compete on courses requiring length off the tee. He ranks 193rd in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 187th in driving distance. His short game and putting are among the best on TOUR – he ranks third in strokes gained: putting this season – but it hasn’t been enough. Even Glen Oaks, a first-time venue on TOUR, is not ideal for him. Its wide fairways and 7,436-yard length favors the bombers, and he’s a strategist and grinder. “Not much strategy,â€� he said. “Grab a driver and hit it as far as possible.â€� He opened with a 1-over 71 on Thursday, then made 16 consecutive pars to start his second round. He bogeyed the par-3 17th after finding a bunker, and at the 18th saw his approach dribble into the high rough behind the green. Then his chip didn’t release as he had hoped. So now he was 7 feet away from staying alive. At 107th in FedExCup points, it was weekend or bust. Unlike everyone else in the field, though, Donald has an additional reason to keep advancing. The third leg of the FedExCup Playoffs is the BMW Championship. It will be held for the third time at Conway Farms – Donald’s home course outside Chicago. Donald played in the BMW in 2013, used his local knowledge and made a big move to advance to the TOUR Championship. He didn’t get to play there in 2015. Donald first played Conway Farms while attending Northwestern, and was influential in helping it become a TOUR stop. No one on TOUR knows the course better – “I was there all this summer. Played a few rounds,â€� Donald said — and now he wants to help shape it. On Monday, Donald will travel to Conway Farms as part of the bid process for some bunkering renovation with architect Dave Zinkand. “I’m starting to get into that side of the business,â€� Donald said. “We’re one of the finalists to try to do it. See if we can get the job.â€� But first, there was this nasty business Friday of saving par from 7 feet. He rolled in the putt. Set your alarm clock, Luke. You’ve got an early tee time Saturday. 14 PLAYERS ELIMINATED Fourteen players who started the week outside the top 100 in FedExCup points were officially eliminated by missing the cut at Glen Oaks. Those players include: Jimmy Walker (5 over) Brian Gay (3 over) Brandon Hagy (7 over) Steve Stricker (4 over) Derek Fathauer (11 over) Tyrone Van Aswegen (3 over) Harris English (5 over) Dominic Bozelli (DNP) Nick Watney (4 over) John Huh (9 over) Blayne Barber (6 over) Ben Martin (7 over) Rory Sabbatini (5 over) J. J. Henry (4 over) BUBBLE WATCH Here are the players who are projected to move inside the top 100 that will advance to next week’s Dell Technologies Championship, along with the players who are projected to fall out. QUOTE OF THE DAY Guys, this has grown in stature. Now we’re over a decade in. It means a big deal. Guys are putting this down on the list of things they want to accomplish on the golf course. TOP 5 WATCH The top 5 players entering the TOUR Championship will control their own destiny at East Lake. Here’s a look at how the current top 5 fared Friday at THE NORTHERN TRUST. 1. Hideki Matsuyama (69). Bogeyed two of his final three holes – including a missed 4-footer for par on his final hole – to miss the cut at 3 over. Projected to drop to sixth. 2. Justin Thomas (69). Had a wild final five holes, with three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey and is 3 under and tied for 10th. Projected to fall to 5th. 3. Jordan Spieth (65). Fueled by five consecutive birdies on his back nine, Spieth enters the weekend tied for the lead at 6 under. Projected to first. 4. Dustin Johnson (69). Was leading at 8 under until back-to-back bogeys. Still, he’s tied for the lead at 6 under. He’ll move into first with a win, but currently projects to second (since he’s tied with Spieth). 5. Rickie Fowler (66). Another member of the top-5 club tied for the lead, thanks to his five birdies. Not guaranteed to take over first with a win but it’s likely. Currently projected to third since he’s tied with Spieth and Johnson. FEDEXCUP NOTES Geoff Ogilvy, who started the week outside the bubble at No. 116, arrived at his final hole Friday comfortably inside the cut line at even par. But then he found not one, not two, but three bunkers on the ninth hole. He had to sweat out a 4-foot putt for double bogey that left him at 2 over – right on the cut line. … Incidentally, if Ogilvy had missed that putt, the cut line would’ve moved to 3 over. It also would’ve saved the season for Brian Gay and Tyrone Van Aswegen, two players who were officially eliminated Friday after missing the cut. Graham DeLaet withdrew on the third hole Friday with a back injury, but he’s safely in for next week’s event at TPC Boston. DeLaet entered the Playoffs 67th in points and is projected to fall to 76th.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

LAS VEGAS — Notes and observations from the third round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin where Bryson DeChambeau and Peter Uihlein head to Sunday tied for the lead. LEADING LIGHTS Bryson DeChambeau knew he needed to make something happen late Saturday if he was serious about winning in Las Vegas. While playing steady to be sitting two under on his round through 12 holes the four-time PGA TOUR winner was frustrated. He walked off the 12th hole having missed a five-foot birdie try and a glance at the leaderboard saw him now three shots off the lead, shots in his head he had left out there over his opening 48 holes. He figured he better shake it off and deliver. “I’ve had three three-putts and missed a numerous amounts of putts inside 10 feet (nine of them) this week,â€� he explained. “It is what it is and that’s golf. You’re not going to have everything every week. I’m always a guy trying to strive for the best, and, yeah, I’m going to get frustrated. That’s just who I am. That’s my nature. Got a little fire in me.â€� The fire worked. DeChambeau birdied four of his closing six holes to grab a share of the 54-hole lead with Peter Uihlein. Come Sunday the two former U.S. Amateur winners will play with a former U.S. Open champion in Lucas Glover in the final group. Uihlein is chasing his first PGA TOUR win. “Tomorrow will be exciting. Depending on the weather, if it’s windy could be tricky again. If not I think you can get after it. It will be a bit of a shootout,â€� Uihlein said “Definitely looking forward if. I’m excited.â€� OBSERVATIONS GLOVER GOES LOW: Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover had a chance to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open two years ago when he held the 54-hole lead only to fade to third. He’s hoping he can exact some revenge Sunday after producing a blistering 10-under 61 in the third round, punctuated by an eagle putt from 41 feet, six inches from the fringe on his final hole. Having started on the 10th hole with a bogey it was an incredible effort of two eagles and seven birdies that left him at 15 under, just one shot behind the leaders. He needed just 26 putts, making 155 feet, 11 inches of them – a mark that doesn’t include his above eagle try as it is classed as a chip in statistically. “Just one of those days. Holed it like a bucket. But I made it look like a bucket, which feels good, too,â€� Glover said. “I just need to do what I’ve been doing… be smart where I need to be smart and be aggressive where I can and make some putts. That’s always the key for me… putt well and confidently.â€� CANTLAY BACK NINE BLITZES: Defending champion Patrick Cantlay is not prepared to give up his title without a solid fight and if he sits close to the lead at the turn Sunday he might just have an edge. Cantlay’s 8-under 63 on Saturday rocketed him back into contention at 14 under, just two shots from the lead and tied fourth. The key to his week has been the final nine holes of TPC Summerlin where he is bogey free and 12 under compared to just two under on the front side. “There’s a couple of par-5s and the drivable 4 so it’s gettable,â€� Cantlay said of the home stretch. “I kind of botched the front side the first two days. Played much better on the front side today. Still haven’t got at 9 (par-5) any day, which is obviously not good. “Patience is always good but you still need to be aggressive. I’m going to continue that mindset tomorrow and try and get hot early and keep it going.â€� VARNER III TAKES PENALTY ON THE CHIN: Harold Varner III thought he’d be chasing his first PGA TOUR title from three shots back but a moving ball penalty pushed him four off the pace. Varner was settling in to his approach from the fairway on the 11th hole when his ball moved during his waggle process. He was looking at the target when it moved but called in an official after noticing the ball had shifted. Initially Varner believed he hadn’t grounded his club and was cleared of any wrongdoing but video replay of the incident confirmed he had and a penalty was assessed post-round leaving him with a 2-under 69 to be 12 under and four back. Varner accepted the decision after seeing the footage. “I didn’t think I grounded my club but the video showed I did,â€� Varner explained. “It is what it is. We got tomorrow and I am super excited about another opportunity.â€� SI WOO KIM ADVENTURES: Former PLAYERS Champion Si Woo Kim had quite the adventurous third round. The Korean opened with five straight birdies before a wild drive on the par-4 6th hole went out of bounds and he muffed two chips to post a quintuple bogey nine. A hole later his driver was broken yet he managed to play the final 11 holes without it in two under. “Seven birdies, no bogeys… two under… that’s golf,â€� he shrugged as he came off the 18th hole. QUOTABLES Probably would’ve gone in a thimble.Have a fun night and play a little bit better tomorrow, that’s for sure. See if we can at least post something low and see what happens.If I can just stay in it and keep executing great shots every single time… I’m going to be tough to beat. That’s just the way it is. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 10-under 61 by Lucas Glover. Two eagles, seven birdies and one bogey. Longest drive: 373 yards – Peter Malnati and Seth Reeves both on the par-5 13th. Longest putt: 45 feet, 9 inches – Lucas Glover. Toughest hole: Par-4 12th. Played to 4.189 with just four birdies, 10 bogeys and four doubles. Easiest hole: Par-5 13th. Was taken apart by the field at 4.297 with five eagles and 42 birdies. SHOT OF THE DAY CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, listen at PGATOUR.COM.

Click here to read the full article…