The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that the CJ Group has become the new sponsor of the Byron Nelson, the tour’s Dallas-based tournament.

With the move—which was previously reported during the tour’s 2024 schedule release—the event will now be known as “THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.”

“We are extremely grateful for the CJ Group’s long-term commitment to THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, an event which has enriched the Dallas community and carried on the legacy of Byron Nelson through world-class golf and community impact,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “Alongside our partners at the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, the CJ Group is committed to further elevating the event in one of the premier golf markets in the United States.”

The CJ Group, a global lifestyle company based in South Korea, has been affiliated with the tour since 2017, when it sponsored the tour’s first Korean tournament at Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island. Due to COVID restrictions, the event was played in the United States the past three years, with Rory McIlroy winning the last two editions. The company also has several PGA Tour brand ambassadors such as Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim.

AT&T had been the Nelson sponsor since 2015. However, AT&T is diverting its funds to its other PGA Tour event at Pebble Beach, as the Pebble Beach Pro-Am has earned designated event status next season and thus offers a higher purse.

The Nelson traces its history to 1944, and was commonly referred to as the Dallas Open. It was renamed for Byron Nelson in 1968, and boasts Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Tom Watson and Phil Mickelson among its past winners. The event will continue to be played at TPC Craig Ranch. The 2024 event will begin on May 2; Jason Day is the defending champ.

The post Former Byron Nelson event to be renamed CJ Cup in 2024 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But in the end, it was experience that prevailed. Jason Day, a former World No. 1 who started the round two shots off the lead, rallied with a closing bogey-free nine-under 62 to win for the 13th time in his tour career but the first since 2018.

“It’s been a struggling few years, five years since my last win … so to be able to get the win the way I played today was really special,” said Day, who beat Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat by one shot with a 23-under 261 total. “I’m very pleased and happy with how things have progressed the last couple years for me.”

Day was alluding to back injuries and a bout with vertigo that made it unclear if he would ever win again on the PGA Tour after being a dominant player in the mid-2010s, when he won eight times in a 15-month period, including the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. In 2022, he had fallen all the way to 175th in the World Ranking.

It was a fitting victory for Day in multiple ways. The Byron Nelson was the place where the 35-year-old Australian claimed his first tour win in 2010. And to secure the victory on Mother’s Day was bittersweet and heartwarming at the same time. Day’s mum, Adenil, was a significant influence on his life after the death of his father from stomach cancer when Jason was just 12. Adenil passed away after a five-year fight with cancer in March 2022.

The overall prize money payout at the Nelson is $9.5 million, the biggest purse of any non-major or designated event on the PGA Tour in 2023, with Day earning $1.71 million for his victory. Here’s the prize money payouts for each golfer who made the cut this week at TPC Craig Ranch.

Win: Jason Day, 261/-23, $1,710,000
T-2: Austin Eckroat, 262/-22, $845,500
T-2: Si Woo Kim, 262/-22, $845,500
4: CT Pan, 263/-21, $465,500
T-5: Zecheng Dou, 264/-20, $351,500
T-5: Tyrrell Hatton, 264/-20, $351,500
T-5: Scottie Scheffler, 264/-20, $351,500
T-8: Vincent Norrman, 265/-19, $277,875
T-8: Ryan Palmer, 265/-19, $277,875
T-8: Adam Scott, 265/-19, $277,875
T-11: Stephan Jaeger, 266/-18, $220,875
T-11: Kevin Tway, 266/-18, $220,875
T-11: Richy Werenski, 266/-18, $220,875
T-14: Byeong Hun An, 267/-17, $163,875
T-14: Mackenzie Hughes, 267/-17, $163,875
T-14: Sung Kang, 267/-17, $163,875
T-14: Peter Kuest, 267/-17, $163,875
T-14: Carson Young, 267/-17, $163,875
T-19: Joseph Bramlett, 268/-16, $121,125
T-19: Doug Ghim, 268/-16, $121,125
T-19: Scott Piercy, 268/-16, $121,125
T-19: Seamus Power, 268/-16, $121,125
T-23: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Eric Cole, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Trevor Cone, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Nate Lashley, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Hideki Matsuyama, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Brandon Wu, 269/-15, $80,546.43
T-23: Aaron Baddeley, 269/-15, $80,546.42
T-30: Garrick Higgo, 270/-14, $60,800
T-30: Patton Kizzire, 270/-14, $60,800
T-30: Matthew NeSmith, 270/-14, $60,800
T-30: Doc Redman, 270/-14, $60,800
T-34: Stewart Cink, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Tommy Gainey, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Adam Hadwin, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Martin Laird, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Luke List, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Augusto Núñez, 271/-13, $45,441.67
T-34: Tom Kim, 271/-13, $45,441.66
T-34: Henrik Norlander, 271/-13, $45,441.66
T-34: Sam Stevens, 271/-13, $45,441.66
T-43: Sangmoon Bae, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Jonathan Byrd, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Tom Hoge, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Satoshi Kodaira, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Matt Kuchar, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Justin Lower, 272/-12, $30,115
T-43: Robby Shelton, 272/-12, $30,115
T-50: Ryan Armour, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Cameron Champ, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Harrison Endycott, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Tano Goya, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: James Hahn, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Scott Harrington, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: KH Lee, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Adam Long, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Taylor Montgomery, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Sean O’Hair, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Chad Ramey, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: Chris Stroud, 273/-11, $22,216.43
T-50: SH Kim, 273/-11, $22,216.42
T-50: Aaron Wise, 273/-11, $22,216.42
T-64: Ryan Brehm, 274/-10, $20,425
T-64: Parker Coody, 274/-10, $20,425
T-64: William McGirt, 274/-10, $20,425
T-67: David Micheluzzi, 275/-9, $19,855
T-67: Andrew Novak, 275/-9, $19,855
T-67: Robert Streb, 275/-9, $19,855
T-70: Greg Chalmers, 276/-8, $19,190
T-70: Will Gordon, 276/-8, $19,190
T-70: Jim Herman, 276/-8, $19,190
T-70: Davis Thompson, 276/-8, $19,190
T-74: Bill Haas, 277/-7, $18,525
T-74: SY Noh, 277/-7, $18,525
T-74: Jimmy Walker, 277/-7, $18,525
T-77: Brice Garnett, 278/-6, $18,050
T-77: Fabián Gómez, 278/-6, $18,050
T-79: Lucas Glover, 280/-4, $17,480
T-79: Kelly Kraft, 280/-4, $17,480
T-79: Roger Sloan, 280/-4, $17,480
T-79: Vince Whaley, 280/-4, $17,480
T-83: Brent Grant, 281/-3, $16,910
T-83: Harry Hall, 281/-3, $16,910

The post Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Outside of the four majors, there might not be a more important tournament to Jordan Spieth on the PGA Tour schedule than the AT&T Byron Nelson. But an injury to his left wrist is going to keep the 29-year-old Dallas resident from playing in his hometown event this week.

On Monday, Spieth sent out the following message on Twitter:

.@attbyronnelson pic.twitter.com/R0OCsbh6XG

— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) May 8, 2023

The PGA Tour on Monday afternoon released the updated field for the tournament at TPC Craig Ranch, with Spieth listed as having withdrawn.

“Over the weekend, I had severe pain in my left wrist and had doctors confirm an injury that requires rest and limited movement,” Spieth said in his statement.

“The AT&T Byron Nelson means the absolute world to me and I’m disappointed to miss it this week. Playing in front of family & friends in Dallas is one of the highlights of my year, and the tournament staff and volunteers are second to none. I look forward to being back next year and many years after.”

The injury comes one week before the PGA Championship, the one major Spieth needs to complete the career Grand Slam. Exactly what kind of playing shape he’ll be in at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, is unclear as Spieth expressed that he would evaluate his recovery on a “week-to-week” basis.

Spieth is coming off a disappointing week at the Wells Fargo Championship in which he shot a 72-77 to miss the cut by eight strokes. It was his first missed cut since the Genesis Invitational in February. Whether the injury occurred during either of the two rounds at Quail Hollow Club is unclear. Prior to the Wells Fargo start, Spieth last competed on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage, losing in a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick. The week before that he finished tied for fourth at the Masters.

In 2010, the then HP Byron Nelson Championship was the first pro tournament that Spieth competed in, accepting a sponsor’s exemption as a 16-year-old amateur. Spieth not only made the cut — the sixth youngest player in tour history to do so — but was tied for seventh after the third round at TPC Four Seasons. A Sunday 72 allowed him to finish T-16.

He accepted a sponsor’s exemption again in 2011, making the cut once more and finishing T-32. He has subsequently played in the event nine times as a professional, missing the cut just once and finishing T-9 in 2021 and second in 2022.

The post Jordan Spieth’s PGA Championship participation in doubt after withdrawal from AT&T Byron Nelson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Last November, Munoz shot a 10-under 60 in the opening round of the RSM Classic at Sea Island, making a birdie on the final hole. Fast forward 175 days, on a sunny but mild day at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinny, Texas, and the 29-year-old Colombian made a birdie on 18 once more for a 12-under 60.

It’s rare anyone has the personal perspective to say not all 60s are equal, but Munoz does. At Sea Island, the round only gave him a one-shot lead as the scoring average that day was 66.38 on the Seaside Course; he’d go on to finish third that week.

In Texas, Munoz staked himself to a five-shot lead when he was done with the day.

“This one was definitely [more] impressive,” Munoz said, noting it’s the first time he was ever 12-under for a round. “That one I thought Corey, I was playing and Corey Conners that day and I thought he was going to shoot 59. He was kind of like 7 through 9 or 7 through 10 and I thought he was going to see it, and that kind of inspired me my push. Today, I don’t know. I just kind of kept it going and I just wanted to get more looks, more looks and more chances, and I just kind of went crazy with it.”

Sebastian Munoz. Sam Greenwood

Munoz even had reason to believe that his round could have been even lower. While making nine birdies and two eagles, a bogey on the par-4 eighth hole after adding a penalty shot when taking an unplayable lie from an errant tee shot.

Following the misstep, Munoz played his next four holes in six-under, making a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth and a five-footer for eagle on the par-5 12th. The last player to go six-under in a four-hole stretch on tour was Dustin Johnson during the second round of the 2020 Northern Trust at TPC Boston.

Eight-under on his round with six holes to play, Munoz birdied 14, 16 and 17 to keep 59 in his grasp if he could eagle the par-5 18th. After splitting the fairway with his drive, leaving him 247 yards to the hole, Munoz’s second shot with a 3-wood missed the green right. Now with a delicate greenside chip for 59, he left his ball nine feet right of the hole. The way he was putting, however, it’s little surprise his birdie roll found the centre of the cup to finish his back-nine in eight-under 28.

“I wanted to give myself a chance,” Munoz said of a closing eagle. “I had I think it was 250 to the pin into the wind. I kind of wanted to hit like a bullet, like a little draw. I knew if I want to hit it close it had to be a fady, soft-landed shot; I tried to do that. Overdid it and ended up with a 60, which is really good around here.”

Yeah, it should work quite well.

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The post Sebastian Munoz misses out on a 59 but still makes PGA Tour history at AT&T Byron Nelson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the AT&T Byron Nelson. No reason was given.

The move is noteworthy for its timing, as next week the golf world descends on Tulsa for the 2022 PGA Championship. Koepka is a two-time PGA champ and finished T-2 at last year’s championship at Kiawah Island. Since his US Open win at Erin Hills in 2017, Koepka has finished T-7 or better in 12 of 17 major starts. As of Tuesday morning he was listed as one of the PGA favorites.

However, Koepka has not played since a missed cut at the 2022 Masters, meaning the 32-year-old will head to Southern Hills without much to speak of regarding competitive reps. Though he has battled a litany of injuries throughout his career, Koepka maintained in March that he was the healthiest he’s been in years.

“I was actually thinking about it today,” Koepka said at the Valspar Championship. “It would be one of the first times in like five years I’ve been healthy. I think I missed [the Valspar] in 2017 or 2018, my wrist; 2019, I was healthy; 2020, my left knee. And then my right knee. And then it’s like, all right, I’m just ready to be healthy to play it.”

Koepka continued that, in hindsight, he was physically limited last year and came back to soon.

Wednesday’s WD continues a frustrating 2021-22 season for Koepka. He has missed the cut in six of 13 starts, his only top-10 finish at a stroke-play event coming at the WM Phoenix Open. He entered the Nelson ranked 108th in strokes gained/tee-to-green and 67th in the FedEx Cup rankings.

The 2022 PGA Championship begins May 19. Phil Mickelson is the defending champ.

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The post With PGA Championship looming, Brooks Koepka withdraws from AT&T Byron Nelson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Part of Zalatoris is very proud of his buddy, but another part of him has to be wondering “I used to beat this guy all the time.” The former Wake Forest University regular said as much at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where both he and Scheffler are in the field.

“It kind of goes back to even on our Walker Cup team, eight out of the 10 guys are on the PGA Tour right now,” Zalatoris said, referring to the 2017 squad that won at Los Angeles Country Club. “And at one point I think three guys had won either on tour or on the Korn Ferry Tour, and I didn’t have status anywhere. So, if anything, it was motivating because I knew I could do what they were doing, I just had to kind of keep plugging along.

“So seeing what [Scheffler] is doing obviously is borderline Tiger-esque, obviously with the incredible golf that he’s played. But at the same time, the part that I love so much about Scottie is he’s just such a good dude. And it tastes like vinegar coming out of my mouth, considering the amount of golf we play together, because I love him to death, it’s really cool to see.”

These two have been going at it on the golf course for years, as evidenced by this hilarious picture of them together as kids. There’s no question Zalatoris has gotten the better of the current world No. 1 countless times, but as of right now, on the big boy tour, Scheffler is classing him.

Unfortunately for Zalatoris, the Scheffler domination is not limited to PGA Tour events, either.

“Even the other day I thought I played pretty good at a little event we played here at home, shot 66. And he [Scheffler] comes in with 63 and it’s like, good grief, man, like have an off day.”

The event was for a charity called Project Shelter, and it was held at Preston Trail Golf Club in Dallas, where both Zalatoris and Scheffler currently reside. Any “rust” narrative surrounding Scheffler ahead of this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson and next week’s PGA Championship was quelled by Zalatoris’ admission that he can’t even beat the guy in a charity event right now.

“Obviously it’s more in good fun,” Zalatoris said. “But you come in feeling like you played pretty good, shoot 66 and you’re like, come on, man, this is Monday, take it easy on us for once.”

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The post Will Zalatoris can’t even beat Scottie Scheffler in a charity event right now: ‘It’s borderline Tiger-esque’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There is probably no man on the planet who has a better perspective for this particular question, and the rankings you see below are mostly his, with an occasional (but rare) thumb-on-the-scale from me … and only in cases where we neglected to talk about a Championship or two. Aside from those anomalies, what you see below comes from Denney—I’m just the transcriber.

Let’s count it down from 15.

15. 1955, Doug Ford, Meadowbrook Country Club

This one is mostly about personal achievement. From 1916 until 1957, the PGA Championship was decided by match play, with stroke-play qualification rounds starting in 1924. In that time, only four men were both medalists (for winning the stroke-play rounds) and overall champions. They included Byron Nelson, Walter Hagen, Olin Dutra and Doug Ford in ’55. Of those, Ford was the only one who managed it in a field of 128 golfers, meaning he had to win a 36-hole qualifier and then prevail in six straight matches. He pulled it off, capping the incredible week with a 4-and-3 win over Cary Middlecoff in the final. As it happens, Denney was the last person to interview Ford before he passed in 2018 at age 95.

14. 1963, Jack Nicklaus, Dallas Athletic Club

Nobody has won more PGA Championships than Nicklaus and Walter Hagen (with five each), and this was Jack’s first. He won the long drive contest that week, hitting 341 yards with a persimmon-headed driver, and the gold money clip he won became his good luck charm starting that week. He was also exhausted, having just flown in from the Open Championship where he finished one-shot out of a playoff after bogeying his the last two holes. Somehow, with temperatures in the triple digits on Sunday in Texas, Nicklaus came from three strokes back to win. That made him just the fourth player to have won all three American majors, and he was only 23. Safe to say he had a good career ahead of him.

13. 1921, Walter Hagen, Inwood Country Club

Photo by E. Bacon

This was the first American-born player to win the PGA Championship run by the PGA of … AMERICA. We have to include this, right? Right?!? Anyway, Hagen is a legend, but the real story here is that in the final, he defeated a man named Johnny Golden from Tuxedo, N.Y. Tell me that’s a real person, and not a character from a Michael Scott improve scene.

12. 1945, Byron Nelson, Moraine Country Club

Photo by Bettmann

As Denney pointed out, this was the ninth victory of Nelson’s famous 11-victory streak in 1945, at a time when he was burning out to a great degree. This was the only major championship played that year because of World War II (bad luck for Nelson, right??), and in the championship match, he defeated Sam Byrd, who had played for the Yankees as a backup outfielder from 1929 to 1934 as a reserve to none other than Babe Ruth. Which makes him one of the few people who could say to Nelson, “I’ve lost to better men than you,” and have it be true. This was a different era, but there was still a ton of pressure on Nelson … imagine winning almost every tournament played that year, but losing the only major.

11. 1942, Sam Snead, Seaview Country Club

This was Snead’s last event before joining the U.S. Navy—he would report for duty the next day. As it happened, he met an army corporal named Jim Turnesa in the final, and Turnesa was no slouch, having upset Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson in the quarters and semis. Snead won on the 35th hole by chipping in from 60 feet for birdie, and Denney noted there’s a photo of both men signing war bonds from after the round. Snead said at the time, and later repeated in Denney’s hearing, that it was his most meaningful victory because like many other Americans at that time, he didn’t know what the war might bring. (He never went overseas, serving mostly in San Diego before earning a medical discharge in 1944.)

10. 1968, Julius Boros, Pecan Valley Golf Club

This course no longer exists, but Boros’ record does—52 years later, he’s still the oldest man to ever win a major. Boros was 48, and it didn’t come easy. Arnold Palmer, a shot behind him, hit a spectacular curving 3-wood on the 72nd hole to eight feet, but couldn’t make the birdie putt. Boros had to make par, and went up and down to seal the deal. Also, as a footnote, Boros’ choice of hat that Sunday (Amana Refrigeration) seems to have accidentally spawned the clothing logo craze we know and hate today.

9. 2001, David Toms, Atlanta Athletic Club

“The layup to remember.” This one flies under the radar because it came one year after a certain other entry we’ll see later on the list, but the ending was spectacular. Dueling with a then major-less Phil Mickelson all day (Phil holed a dramatic long chip on 15 before giving it right back with a bogey on 16), and leading by a single stroke on the 72nd hole, Toms put his tee shot in the rough. Rather than risk the water on the par-4 home hole (playing a tick over 500 yards that day), he laid up and prayed for his short game to save him. His wedge came to rest 12 feet from the hole, and when Phil missed his birdie putt, Toms had his moment. Start at the 11:50 mark here for the layup and all that came after:

Afterward, Denney was the one who escorted Toms from the green to the trailer, and Toms was on the phone with his young son, saying, “Did you see that one?”

8. 1986, Bob Tway, Inverness Club

The next two entries belong in the long litany of Greg Norman heartbreaks, and this one comes from the year when he became the first man to lead every single major after 54 holes in a single year … and won just one of them. In this case, he held a four-shot lead heading into Sunday and still held it after nine holes before going into a tailspin. But in typical Norman fashion, he got very unlucky too. That twist came on the 72nd hole, when Tway, in the worse position of the two and tied with Norman, holed-out improbably from a greenside bunker. Norman, on the fringe, missed his birdie putt, and it was another chance gone. Watch Tway’s shot, one of the most famous in major history:

That’s some good leaping!

7. 1993, Paul Azinger, Inverness Club

Paul Azinger claims his one and only major at Inverness Club in 1993. (Photo by David Cannon)

This one actually went in Denney’s top five, but I’m being a jerk and knocking it back a few spots … but only because Denney admits he’s a bit biased. It was the first PGA Championship he worked, and he watched as Azinger emerged from “the greatest assembly of contenders on a Saturday leader board,” a group that collectively boasted 23 majors. Just like Bob Tway, Azinger overcame Norman, though this time Norman was very good, with a final-round 69. That’s the thing about Norman—when he wasn’t booting a major, he was the victim of terrible luck. In this case, Azinger had to birdie four of the last seven holes just to make a playoff, and then Norman missed a four-foot par putt on the second sudden-death hole to lose it. With the loss, Norman earned a dubious distinction, becoming just the second golfer after Craig Wood to have lost each of the four majors in a playoff. The legacy with Azinger is happier—it was his only major, but it opened up the chance for him to become a Ryder Cup captain back when winning the PGA was seen as an unwritten prerequisite for the Americans. He got the job in 2008, and was brilliant, providing one of the few bright spots for the U.S. in the past 40 years.

6. 1961, Jerry Barber, Olympia Fields

Let’s put it this way: If the last three holes of Barber’s Sunday round happened today, social media would cease to exist—it would be too overwhelming for all the 1s and 0s to process. Here’s how Denney described what Barber, who stood all of 5’3”, pulled off starting on the 16th hole, to force a tie with Don January:

On the 16th, a 458-yard par 4, he hit a 4-wood to 20 feet and made the birdie. On 17, he topped his drive and watched it roll barely 100 yards. Another 4-wood brought him within 90 yards of the green, but his approach was mediocre, leaving him with a 40-foot putt for par. He nailed it. Then, needing a birdie on the 436-yard 18th, in near darkness, he hit a 3-iron approach 60 feet away…AND MADE THAT PUTT TOO.

Barber came back in the 18-hole playoff the next day and beat January by a stroke on the 18th by hitting a 3-iron from the sand to 18 feet. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, he also became the oldest major winner ever at age 45 … a record that wouldn’t stand for very long. (Lucky for January, he won a PGA in 1967, and thank God, because that is a brutal way to go down.)

5. 2009, Y.E. Yang, Hazeltine National

Y.E. Yang acknowledges the fans as he walks up the 18th hole during the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, runner-up Tiger Woods trailing behind him. Yang was the first Asian-born golfer to win a men’s major. (Photo by Icon Sports Wire)

It seems almost unfair to say this, but Yang’s win is more exciting after the fact than it was at the time. I was never the No. 1 Tiger homer, but I remember that Sunday at Hazeltine feeling like the ultimate anticlimax, a slow energy drain as we realized that Tiger would fail. What Yang pulled off is beyond incredible—the first (and still only) Asian-born golfer to win a men’s major, and the first person to beat Tiger at a major when Woods had a 54-hole lead. It’s the ultimate underdog story, but what we remember most is Tiger’s struggles that day and, of course, the worse struggles waiting for him just three months down the road. So let this be my attempt to right the wrongs: Yang was a monster that day, and made history in two indelible ways. He deserves to be thought of as more than just Tiger’s foil.

4. 1923, Gene Sarazen, Pelham Country Club

There are a lot of good reasons not have a match-play major championship, but then again, you could get the kind of action we got in 1923 when Sarazen met Walter Hagen in the championship match. You could make a good argument that this was the best match ever played, according to Denney, and it was dramatic until the finish. Sarazen actually blew a 2-up lead with three to play, Hagen sent it to extra holes, they birdied the 37th, and on the 38th, a drivable par 4, Hagen got in a bunker and couldn’t get out. (Again, imagine social media.) It’s worth noting that Hagen responded by going on one of the great revenge tears, winning the next four PGA Championships and three more Open Championships for good measure. Also worth noting that both men remain in the record books for the most holes playing in a single event as every match was a scheduled 36 holes—Sarazen played 194, Hagen 188.

3. 2014, Rory McIlroy, Valhalla

I was thrilled when Denney had this in his top five, because my own personal bias was likely to land it there anyway. I followed Rory that day, and the way he ignored Mickelson and Fowler on the sixth tee box (rain delays had stacked the groups up), almost creating a force field of energy around himself as he glared at nothing, was one of the most fierce and hostile acts I’d ever witnessed in this very polite sport. The ending is what everyone will remember—Rory playing on Rickie and Phil’s heels in the darkness, hitting a controversial approach shot before they had finished that privately left Phil fuming—and it was every bit the epic to Rory’s brilliant season. But the real story for me will always be one of the greatest golfers of his generation out-willing his rivals because he’d allow for no other outcome than a win. It’s made more special because, six years later, it remains the last time we saw that level of defiant greatness.

2. 2000, Tiger Woods, Valhalla

Are you steaming with rage that the Tiger-Bob May duel is only No. 2? Hang on to your hat, because there are a lot of nice things to say about it. Denney called it “the greatest modern shot-making duel” (distinguishing it from Henrik Stenson-Phil Mickelson, 2016 British Open at Troon, which he called a “scoring duel”), and “easily the best modern-era playoff.” My personal hot take is that May’s pitch on the first playoff hole followed by Tiger nailing his birdie putt is the greatest two-shot sequence I’ve ever seen, considering the circumstances. You can see those, and the rest of the staggering face-off, here:

One interesting side note from Denney: According to Ron Hickman, a rules official who was on the course at the time, Ken Venturi was wrong when he said that someone might have interfered with Tiger’s drive on 18, sending it to a better position. Per Hickman, who watched the ball, nobody touched it, and it was only a fortunate carom.

1. 1991, John Daly, Crooked Stick

You’re still mad about Tiger, aren’t you? Well shake it off, because this is one of the greatest golf stories ever, and that’s what it would take to usurp Tiger v. May. John Daly only made it into this tournament because nine—NINE—people dropped out, and Denney told me that when the PGA of America official called Daly to tell him he was in (at 5 p.m. on Wednesday), Daly was in Memphis and had to drive seven and a half hours to Indianapolis. Nick Price was one of the ones who dropped out, so Daly hired his caddie, Jeff (Squeaky) Medlen. They had never worked together before, and after seeing Daly’s swing, Medlen’s advice was simple: “Kill it.” Daly did, but did a lot more than just bomb on the tough Pete Dye course. He took the lead in the second round and never let it go, finishing at 12 under for the most shocking major-championship victory … ever? Daly has become an infamous character, iconic in his own way, but back then he was beyond unknown. This is the tournament that birthed the legend.

Photo by Stephen Munday

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By Dave Shedloski
“But these are deeds which should not pass away, and names that must not wither,” Lord Byron once wrote, and we don’t mean Byron Nelson, but, rather, the poet of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

At Augusta National Golf Club, names certainly do not wither. Analytics might be all the rage in golf, but numbers and stats are ephemeral. Names resonate. And at the Masters Tournament, they are given homage. The Hogan, Nelson and Sarazen Bridges are famous landmarks, named for three legends – Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen. Arnold Palmer, the first man to win four green jackets, and Jack Nicklaus, who owns a record six of them, have had plaques dedicated to them on the grounds.

Tiger Woods, that transcendent figure who won his fifth Masters title last year in a comeback that on which we get to reminisce a bit longer with the 84th Masters postponed, is likely to one day join them with his own monument of sorts – and, thus, further prove that Augusta National is not Tiger-proofed.

And, of course, other celebrated names come to mind, such as Sam Snead, Seve Ballesteros, Jimmy Demaret, Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson, who are among the 17 men who have multiple green jackets.

With the addition of 17 first-time participants in last year’s 83rd Masters Tournament, the total number of players – including one Player, Gary – who have competed at Augusta National Golf Club is 1,307.

Nearly a third of those players, 469 of them, have competed just once in the tournament. More interestingly, almost half of the participants, 608, haven’t once made a cut – and that’s with the cut having not been instituted until 1957.

There have been 52 different Masters winners, and 37 of those men have unique surnames in the tournament’s annals. How many players have at least one top-25 finish in their careers? Try 548. Only 315 players have ever had a top-10 finish, with six-time winner Jack Nicklaus, unsurprisingly, having the most (22) not only as an individual but against any collection of surnames.

There have been 1,086 different surnames on the all-time contestants list. We numbered them starting with No. 1 Tommy Aaron and ending with No. 1,086 Richard Zokol. And the absolute most astounding and eerie coincidence – no, not Errie, as in Ball, who played in the inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament in 1934 – in this entire exercise is the name that landed on 747 before we added the 17 first-timers in 2019: Palmer. And the first of the four Palmers who competed in the Masters, is, of course, Arnie, the famed golfing aviator.

The leader in the clubhouse as the most common name in Masters history is the combined surnames of Clark and Clarke, which beat the Thompson/Thomson group 8 to 7. Close behind are Smith and Wilson, with six apiece.

But for sheer domination, the patronym “Mc” or “Mac” appears a combined 35 times starting with Bob MacDonald and ending with Harold “Jug” McSpaden. Translated, Mac or Mc means “son of.” Finish that thought at your own risk.

T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, but only January (Don) and May (Bob), ever were invited past the august gates of Augusta National. Daly (John) and Weekley (Boo) made appearances, too.

Holmes (J.B.) would not be complete without Watson. There have been four, including two-time Masters winners Tom and Bubba. And as for those five Lewis boys, they are complemented by the Clarks.

George Burns couldn’t hold a candle to David Frost. There was a huge difference between a Little (Lawson), who played in 19 Masters, and a Lott (Lyn), who appeared in only three. David Peoples played in two Masters, but Peter Persons got there first, in 1986, when the people’s choice made his back-nine charge to an unexpected triumph. Augusta has seen the Golden Bear, the Shark, the Walrus, and, of course, Tiger. Nicknames all. Meanwhile, an authentically named Lion (Lion Kim) made a lone start in 2011.

Colour me surprised, but there has been only one Black, two Whites and three Browns. Also, one Gray (Downing, one of the game’s best first names) and a Redman (Doc). Naturally, at sylvan Augusta, Green leads the field with five (or six, if you count Charles H. Greene).

Frank Champ didn’t become one in his only start in 1953, finishing 59th. Neither did Bob Wynn in ’77-78 nor either Victor Regalado or Victor Dubuisson.

Deepest apologies, especially to the poet John Donne, for even typing this: “Perchance he for whom this Bell (Art) tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it Tolles (Tommy) for him. …”

At the Masters, Lee (Danny), beats Grant (James A.), as it relates to best career finish. But Grant, a northerner from Connecticut, won low amateur in 1966, while Lee, a native of South Korea, missed the cut in his 2009 amateur start. Before this piece really goes South – and it will, if it hasn’t already – we can point you in the direction of a North (Andy) and a West (Martin), plus an Eastwood (Bob) and a Westwood (Lee). Edgar Updegraff counters previously mentioned Downing Gray. Names that begin with the letter “U” number three, fewest in the alphabet.

Funny that there has been a Baker, a Brewer, two Cooks, and a Butler, not to mention two Hunters (Haas and Mahan), an Archer and a Potter, plus two Barbers. Wondering if Ken Still ever crossed paths with Gordon Sherry. Who was better, Peter Senior or Lee Elder?

For those who love the film Caddyshack, there is a Wang (Jeunghun). CIA analyst Jack Ryan might be a fictional character from Tom Clancy, but there was a real-life Jack Ryan in the 1941 and ’42 Masters.

If there’s a Will (George), then there’s gotta be a Way, but not at Augusta, although there is a Tway (Bob), whose son Kevin made his debut last year, bringing the number of father-son combos to 13.

A Walrus and a Shark, aka Craig Stadler and Greg Norman. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Azaleas and dogwoods bloom annually at Augusta. So have Roses (Clarence and Justin), Vines (Ellsworth), Cherry (Don), Cotton (Henry), and even, um, Pott (Johnny).

Four of seven Turnesa brothers – Jim, Joe, Mike and William (who was an amateur) – helped secure the title of most family members represented. In the inaugural event, Joe, Mike and Willie all were present. We really thought there’d be more Johnsons than four: Dustin, Howie, Terl and Zach, the 2007 winner. There’s a punchline in there somewhere.

The Smiths (six) have no Wessons with which to pair up, but there has been a Gunn (Yang). And they have more than kept up with the Joneses (four). The latter group includes Robert T. Jones, Jr., who created Augusta National and the Masters. You stock hounds will appreciate the fact that Willie Dow played in Jones’ first Augusta National Invitation Tournament. Three Hills complement three Dales, of course.

The Masters always has had its share of nobility, rank and title. To that end, you’d be happy to know that we’ve seen one Bishop (Stanley) and three Knights. Four if you count The Black Knight, Gary Player. Dick Knight appeared once, in 1960, and faced the two-round guillotine. The others are knighted subjects of the United Kingdom: the aforementioned Sir Henry Cotton and Sir Nick Faldo, one of three men to win the Masters in consecutive years, joining Nicklaus and Woods. Of course, there has to be two Armours to go with them, both named Tommy, two Spears (Richard and Herschel) but just one Shields (Bill).

In addition, there has been a Kaiser (Bill) and a Keiser (Herman), who won the 1946 Masters, a Barron (Herman again) and, yes, thank you, a Fuhrer (Frank B.), as well as one Duke (Ken) and one King (Rufus). But when it comes to the Masters, without a doubt there is only one man called The King, and he had his own Army.

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The PGA Tour extended the cancellation of its tournaments for four more weeks, running through the AT&T Byron Nelson scheduled for May 7-10. The PGA of America, meanwhile, said that it was postponing the PGA Championship, slated for May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, until later in 2020.

The decisions, both reported earlier in the day by Golf Digest, come as much of the United States continued with more cancellations, postponements, travel restrictions and closures made in hopes of slowing down the spread of the coronavirus.

Members of the Tour’s Player Advisory Committee were on a phone call Tuesday afternoon in which tour officials outlined the tour’s moves. Players were notified shortly afterwards.

The newest round of cancellations on the PGA Tour include the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town in South Carolina, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, and the Byron Nelson in Dallas.

“The health and safety of everyone associated with the PGA Tour and the global community is and will continue to be our No. 1 priority as we navigate the ongoing health crisis related to the Coronavirus Pandemic,” read part of the PGA Tour’s statement. “As we receive more clarity in the coming weeks, the Tour will be working with our tournament organizations and title sponsors, in collaboration with golf’s governing bodies, to build a PGA Tour schedule for 2020 that ensures the health and safety for all associated with our sport and a meaningful conclusion to the season. We will provide further updates when those plans come into focus.”

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Justin Rose attempts a putt on the 18th green as Rory McIlroy looks on during the final round of the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

According to a source, it’s expected that the start of the Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, currently scheduled for The Northern Trust on Aug. 13-16 at TPC Boston, will be pushed back a week, which would open the door for the PGA Championship to be played in the open slot.

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh did not specify when the PGA Championship might be rescheduled, but noted in the PGA of America release: “We are and have been working in concert with Commissioner Jay Monahan and our partners and friends at the PGA Tour to find an alternative date that works for all. We are all very hopeful for a great outcome.

“We are also in dialogue with Mayor Breed and her team at the City of San Francisco and look forward to hopefully bringing the 2020 PGA Championship to TPC Harding Park at a date this summer when it is once again safe and responsible to do so.”

The PGA Tour’s release also stated that Tuesday’s cancellation of events through May 10 applies to all six tours operated by the PGA Tour. However, the Regions Tradition, originally set for May 7-10 and one of the PGA Tour Champions’ five majors, has been rescheduled to Sept. 24-27.

Meanwhile, the Official World Golf Ranking—one of the determinations for who qualifies for majors and other events such as the World Golf Championships—will be frozen until play across golf’s major tours resumes, according to a source.

Last week, the PGA Tour cancelled the Players Championship in the hours after the first round at TPC Sawgrass and announced that it was cancelling all tournaments through the Valero Texas Open, which was slated for April 2-5. The following morning, Augusta National followed suit, announcing the Masters, originally scheduled for the week after the Valero, would be postponed, and on Monday the club sent a letter to its members that it was closing the course this week. That brings the total of PGA Tour events cancelled due to the coronavirus to nine.

The news comes after the CDC suggested on Sunday cancelling or postponing events with 50 or more people throughout the country for the next eight weeks and a day after the PGA of America announced that it was postponing the PGA Professional Championship, which was scheduled for April 26-29 in Austin, Texas.

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'67 Champions dinner pic.twitter.com/pN4fHV5TOu

— David Poulton PGA (@doglegpar3) August 24, 2017

As the defending champ, Nicklaus would have had the honoor of picking the menu. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like dinner has been served yet, so we don’t know what he went with, but judging by the feast he selected for the 1987 Champions Dinner, we’re guessing the guys ate well that night:

30 years since I last hosted the Champions Dinner at #themasters. I look forward to reconnecting with champions, old and young, this evening pic.twitter.com/S7Ssqqvr29

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2017

Back to the photo, how about that top table of Augusta National Golf Club co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts sitting with Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Arnold Palmer with Gary Player and Byron Nelson flanking them? That’s some serious star power.

There were also some great replies to the photo. CBS Sports’ Grant Boone seems to nail it when it comes to identifying everyone at this gathering:

Harmon, Wood, Keiser, Sarazen, Burke, Sam, Byron, Ben, Roberts, Jack, Jones, Arnie, Gary, Middlecoff, Demaret, Wall, Ford, Guldahl, Picard?

— Grant Boone (@grantboone) August 25, 2017

Someone points out one of the green jacket winners (it appears to be Craig Wood) has stayed up past his bedtime:

Did anyone check on this guy during dinner pic.twitter.com/h7aLoRS6ot

— Nick smith (@smith99_nick) August 25, 2017

And another person points out Arnie appears to be having a pretty good time:

Bob Jones. Gotta love that Mr. Palmer has at least three drinks going at once. pic.twitter.com/ngcech0FTc

— Richard (@_RichardCox_) August 25, 2017

The green jacket gang will convene again in April when Sergio Garcia gets to play host for the first time. To those fortunate enough to be in attendance, make sure you keep your eyes open when Sergio snaps a group selfie.

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