By Joel Beall
Lucas Bjerregaard introduced himself to many golf fans by taking down Tiger Woods in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. The 27-year-star will get the rest of the season to become properly acquainted with American galleries.

On Monday, the PGA Tour announced the Denmark star has accepted special temporary membership for the remainder of the 2019 campaign.

Bjerregaard nearly missed out on the honour at the WGC in Austin, as a win in the semi-finals or consolation match would have given him enough points to pass Ben Martin’s 266 (last season’s No. 150 on the FedEx Cup standings, which serves as the benchmark for this status).

“Yeah, it’s obviously a goal of mine,” Bjerregaard said after he lost to Francesco Molinari. “I would love to play over here a bit more. I’ve really enjoyed these last few weeks. So, yeah, it would be nice to have the option to play over here a bit more at least. Hopefully, I can play well the next few weeks and get that done.”

Bjerregaard, currently ranked No. 44 in the world, was able to pull that off with a T-21 finish at the Masters.

He is the only active tour player from Denmark and joins Matthew Fitzpatrick as the second player to earn temporary membership this season. Although he is ineligible for the FedEx Cup Playoffs (unless he wins a PGA Tour event), Bjerregaard can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of this season.

Bjerregaard’s addition means 46 of the top 50 players in the world have PGA Tour status.

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By Christopher Powers
The PGA Tour heads to Texas this week for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, the third of four World Golf Championships this season. This marks the fourth season the event will be held at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.

This also marks the fifth year of the event’s new, pool-play format, which doesn’t feel so new any more. The 64 players are broken up into 16 groups of four, and everyone plays each other once in each group, with one man advancing to the round of 16. A won match is a full point and a halved match is a half of a point. The player with the most points at the end of all three matches moves on to the round of 16, and any ties are decided in a sudden-death playoff.

The World Cup style format has yielded some exciting results, with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson claiming wins in the last four years. All four former winners are in the field this year, as is Tiger Woods, who will be playing in this format for the first time in his career. Woods is in a group this year with Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Wise and Patrick Cantlay. The group packing the most star power, Group 12, consists of Day, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Henrik Stenson.

Tee times for Sunday’s matches are below. Check back here each day for the latest tee times.

Sunday tee times for the Semifinal matches (all times ET)

Francesco Molinari vs. Kevin Kisner — 10:05 a.m.

Lucas Bjerregaard vs. Matt Kuchar — 10:20 a.m.

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By Christopher Powers
Tiger Woods had a chance to go 3 up on Lucas Bjerregaard at the sixth green on Saturday during their quarterfinal match at the WGC-Dell Match Play. The 14-time major champion was in complete control, and with just six feet left for birdie at the par 5. It felt like he was about to wrap this thing up much earlier than expected. Bjerregaard’s story was a nice one, but Woods was in freight-train mode, firing at every pin and holing every subsequent birdie putt.

But Woods missed, then he three-putted the par-3 seventh hole at Austin Country Club, allowing Bjerregaard to win with a par. That potential 3-up lead was suddenly only a 1-up edge, and Woods’ back-to-back short misses changed the entire match. Bjerregaard, a 27-year-old relative unknown from Denmark with two European Tour wins to his name, hung in there for the remainder of the match, never trailing by more than 1 down and eventually squaring the match at the par-5 16th with a 29-foot eagle putt.

At 17, Bjerregaard had the honour, hitting his tee shot to 13 feet, but Woods answered with a vintage high draw that stuck five feet from the pin. They both holed their birdie putts, setting up a winner-take-all final hole with the match all square, or a potential playoff was they to tie. After identical drives at the short par-4 18th, Woods left his second short in a bunker, while Bjerregaard hit his second 16 feet past the pin. Woods splashed one to five feet, Bjerregaard missed his birdie, and Woods had a five-footer to extend the match.

It’s a putt he’s made countless times in his career, at the 18th hole with all eyes on him, to the point making it has become a foregone conclusion. It still might be in the future, but it wasn’t meant to be on Saturday, as Woods lipped out, giving Bjerregaard the match victory.

“We read it inside left, left centre, and the putt went left,” said Woods, who made seven birdies and still lost his quarterfinal match. “I went back and hit it again and it did the same thing. Just one of those weird spots. Had a lot of difficult pins out there. It is match play and they’re going to put the pins on the difficult side, and they did. And we just have to hit good shots.”

Woods and Bjerregaard both hit plenty of good shots, producing a match that was worthy of a playoff, but Tiger’s putter didn’t cooperate.

“It’s a shame it had to end that way because it was a really good match,” said Bjerregaard, who also beat Henrik Stenson this morning, 3 and 2. “Conditions were tough today and we both threw in a bunch of birdies at it. So it’s a shame it had to finish with a bogey. But obviously, I’m happy to be standing on the winning side.”

So now Bjerregaard heads to the semifinals, where he’ll take on Matt Kuchar, who had an eventful afternoon quarterfinal match with Sergio Garcia. Trailing 1 down on the seventh green, Garcia had a chance to square the match, but missed his putt, then quick-raked the next. By rule, it counted because Garcia didn’t give Kuchar enough time to concede the putt, and Kuchar couldn’t retroactively concede it. That gave Kuchar a 2 up lead.

A noticeably hot Garcia appeared to begin to melt down, but he was able to channel the fire and mount a comeback. He got the match all the way to the 18th hole, needing to win to extend, but a poor second shot cost him and he had to concede the hole, giving Kuchar a 2 up victory. Afterwards, the two cordially shook hands.

Contrary to popular belief, there were two other matches that occurred, both ending much earlier than Bjerregaard v. Woods and Garcia v. Kuchar. Francesco Molinari, who crushed Valspar winner Paul Casey 5 and 4 in the morning, made quick work of Kevin Na, beating him 6 and 5 despite going 1 down on the opening hole. Molinari made six birdies, and at one point had won six consecutive holes to rip the match away from Na. He’s now 5-0-0 on the week, and 10-0-0 in his last 10 matches if you include his incredible record at the Ryder Cup last fall. Scary good.

“Yeah, but Tommy [Fleetwood] had a bit to do with the first four,” said Molinari when asked about winning 10 straight matches. “I hadn’t won a game in match play in ten years. So I was due a few wins.”

Molinari will be pitted against Kevin Kisner in their morning semifinal match. Kisner similarly ran through his Saturday opponents, defeating HaoTong Li, 6 and 5, in the morning and then getting hot late in his round to beat Louis Oosthuizen, 2 and 1, in the afternoon. Kisner was 1 down at the 15th tee but won the next three straight holes to close out the match.

“He’s been playing well,” Kisner said of Molinari, his opponent on Sunday morning. “We’re good buddies, so we’ll have a good time. I know I’m going to have to bring my A-game to compete with him.”

This marks the second straight year Kisner has advanced to the semifinals, and last year he won his semifinal match over Alex Noren on the 19th hole. He went on to lose to Bubba Watson, 7 and 6, which was a nice learning experience.

“I’ll tell you, I learned a lot about the prep,” said Kisner “And I’ll approach how I get ready for the round a little differently and take it a little more seriously. And I’ll be excited if I can get through and play for the title.

“It’s a long week, so my prep will be a little different. I’ll approach getting ready for the second round, if I have a chance to win, a little differently. And look forward to the opportunity.”

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By Ryan Herrington
Branden Grace finished T-34 on Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, shooting a one-under 287 for the week at Leopard Creek Golf Club, but it was as good as a victory for the 30-year-old South African. The finish, 13 strokes back of winner David Lipsky, in the last European Tour event of 2018 will likely be enough to keep him at the No. 48 spot in the World Ranking when the year’s final list comes out in two weeks.

And with that he’ll be playing in the Masters in April.

All players in the top 50 in the year’s final ranking earn invitations to compete at Augusta National Golf Club. Grace is one of 13 golfers in the projected top 50 who hasn’t already qualified for the first major of 2019.

Here’s a look at the projected final ranking of the year:

The Top 50 at the end of 2018! #OWGR pic.twitter.com/vKkYtvDJTj

— Nosferatu (@VC606) December 16, 2018

And here’s a list of the others that are projected to qualify who weren’t in the field already:
Alex Noren
Tyrrell Hatton
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Eddie Pepperell
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Ian Poulter
Li Haotong
Thorbjorn Olesen
Matt Wallace
Lucas Bjerregaard
Emiliano Grillo
Branden Grace

No. 51 on the projected final ranking is Aaron Wise, who already is going to Augusta by virtue of his AT&T Byron Nelson win in May. Of those between Nos. 51 and 60, seven must now find another way to earn a spot into the Masters.

52 Ben An
53. Shugo Imahira
54. Brian Harman
56. Abraham Ancer
57. Luke List
59. Alexander Bjork
60. Daniel Berger

Between January and April, winners of any PGA Tour event awarding full FedEx Cup points will earn a spot. Also players inside the top 50 in the World Ranking a week before the Masters will be added to the field.

To those still on the outside looking in, best of luck gentlemen. You’ve got your work cut out for you.

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By John Huggan
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland—It was all going so well for Tyrrell Hatton. Nine holes into the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over the Old Course at St. Andrews, the 26-year-old Englishman was four under par for the day and five shots clear of the field. A third successive victory in the event looked to be his for the completing.

But it wasn’t to be. While Hatton’s nearest challengers, Lucas Bjerregaard and Tommy Fleetwood were playing the back nine in 34 and 35, respectively, the long-time leader was stumbling home in the cold and blustery conditions in 40 shots. Which was one too many, both for Fleetwood and Hatton. The English pair ended up tied on 14 under par, one stroke more than Bjerregaard, who pocketed €695,759 for what was his second European Tour victory.

Just about the only disappointing aspect of the new champion’s day was not being able to hole-out for the win on golf’s most famous final green. A shot-gun start had been employed in what was a successful effort to beat ever-rising winds, and Bjerregaard had begun his round on the 18th tee. Still, he was at least able to stroll casually up the final fairway knowing he had won. Not a bad consolation prize and the culmination of a fine run of form that has seen him record seven top-six finishes since April.

RELATED: A healthy Luke Donald returns to golf with perspective and some motivation

This was also another in a lengthening line of triumphs for Denmark. Never mind Thomas Bjorn’s winning captaincy in the Ryder Cup and Thorbjorn Olesen’s stunning display in the singles at Le Golf National; Denmark currently holds the World Cup of Golf and the World Amateur Team Championship.

“This was a great day and one of the best rounds I’ve played all year,” Bjerregaard said. “I’ve played well recently and come close a few times. I’ve never been to a Ryder Cup before, but Thomas invited me down, so I went. I saw the team room and the locker room, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t inspired. It was amazing to see. I definitely want to make that team one day.”

Not surprisingly, the two runners-up displayed contrasting emotions at close of play. Where Fleetwood was philosophical in defeat, Hatton was predictably more emotional. Both had chances to tie on their final green. Fleetwood missed from no more than seven feet; Hatton from maybe twice that distance, his ball touching the edge of the cup before failing to drop.

“This was the perfect week for me after what was a very big week at the Ryder Cup,” said Fleetwood, who closed with a 69. “I’ve enjoyed all of it. Just missing out is a little bit raw at the moment, but it was nice to be back in the mix again. I haven’t been right there with a chance to win for a while. My form has not been bad, but I just haven’t put four rounds together. The putt on the last would leave been nice to make but in contention I did all the right things.”

That wasn’t a claim Hatton could make, of course. The four bogeys that scarred his card over the closing holes the obvious symptoms of a man running rapidly out of steam.

“My momentum completely went after my tee-shot on 10,” he said. “For some reason I just couldn’t seem to do anything right after that. My putt on the last summed it up really. A massive gust of wind knocked me off. I’m disappointed. It would have been pretty special to have three in a row. But it wasn’t meant to be.”

As for the small American contingent who made the trip to Scotland from France, Brooks Koepka fared best. A final-round 72 saw the U.S. Open and PGA champion pull up in a tie for seventh place on nine under par. Tony Finau was T-10 on eight under, and Matt Kuchar’s five under was good enough for T-28.

Koepka was not best pleased with his finish, however. Asked to comment on his round and week, Koepka responded with stony silence before making off in a buggy towards the warmth of the Old Course Hotel. Bogeys on each of the last two holes clearly left him far from chuffed at the end of a tournament in which he had partnered with his caddie, Rickie Elliot, in the pro-am section and played alongside his brother, Chase, in each of the first three rounds. There’s just no pleasing some people.

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By John Huggan
In the wake of its debut and Team Denmark’s victory last May, the verdict wasn’t quite unanimous in its positivity. But the overall impression was pretty welcoming. Indeed, the inaugural GolfSixes showed a 42-percent increase in new golf fans at the event compared to regular European Tour events. Those attendees were also 14 percent younger than those seen during the rest of the golfing calendar. “GolfSixes will definitely be back,” said the European Tour’s chief executive, Keith Pelley.

And so it is, bigger and, hopefully, better. Or, at least, different. In addition to the 12 two-man national sides made up of European Tour players from various European countries, four wildcard pairs will complete the 16-team field at the Centurion Club north of London, May 5-6. Most intriguingly, Europe’s Ryder and Solheim Cup captains, Thomas Bjorn and Catriona Matthew, will combine, along with an England women’s team of Georgia Hall and Charley Hull and a European women’s team of Mel Reid and Suzann Pettersen. A fourth and final wildcard pairing will be added at a later date.

“There are so many 72-hole tournaments around the world that there has to be room for something else which puts a different spin on golf and brings more interest,” Bjorn said. “This is not your normal golf tournament where everyone is very serious and has their heads down. This is completely different, it’s more about having fun and portraying the game in a good way. I think it’s hugely important to also try and break down the barriers that have existed in golf between the men’s and women’s games.”

Icon Sportswire
Pettersen will play along with Mel Reid in one of two women’s teams competing against the men’s pairings.

One thing that will not change is the “greensome foursomes” format. With the teams split into four groups of four—the top two in each progressing from the round-robin to knock-out stages—they will compete in a series of six-hole matches in which both players tee-off before choosing the better of the two drives and completing each hole with one ball, hitting alternately. The 40-second shot clock that claimed American Paul Petersen as its only “victim” last year will also return, as will putting mics on players for interview during matches.     

“The fact it is something different for golf is great—in terms of the round robin match play format then head to head matches, in addition to the men and women playing together of course,” Matthew said. “All tours are trying to think of ways to make golf different and encourage a new and younger audience and so I think this whole concept is very exciting.”

That sense of anticipation was echoed by Lucas Bjerregaard, who alongside Thorbjorn Olesen, claimed the title for Denmark in last year’s inaugural event.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kids at a golf tournament in my life, which is great for the game,” Bjerregaard said. “In addition to that, they were having a great time, running around and not being told to be quiet all the time, which is exactly what we need to get more young people involved in our sport.”

Let the fun and games begin. Again.

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Bjorn will tee it up at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on Jan. 29 alongside Dubai-based Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (both members of the beaten 2016 team at Hazeltine) and reigning British Masters champion Paul Dunne (Ireland). Cabera Bello, Fitzpatrick and Dunne helped Bjorn’s Europeans rally to a 14-10 win over Asia in the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur earlier today in a positive precursor to the Ryder Cup.

Also confirmed for the 18-hole Gary Player Invitational are the Black Knight himself, D+D Real Czech Masters champion Haydn Porteous, Made in Denmark winner Julian Suri, 2016 South African Open winner Brandon Stone, Portugal Masters champion Lucas Bjerregaard and Jordan Smith, winner of the Porsche European Open.

Cabrera Bello’s sister Emma will also play alongside fellow Ladies European Tour players Olivia Cowan, Carly Booth and Henni Goya. Joining the pros will also be the UAE’s top amateur, Rayhan Thomas, and entertainers Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy (pictured above).

The Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs as the charity set to benefit from the day of “#golfandgiving”

“We are thrilled to be coming back to Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club to kick off 2018 with what will be a field of some of the super new golfing talent in the world,” said Player.

“As illustrated by our field of champions, including the UAE’s very own Rayhan Thomas, the game continues to evolve and strengthen in the UAE which is truly fantastic to see. This, combined with raising money for those in need will make for a fantastic event for all.”

Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the 2018 Gary Player Invitational at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the only Middle Eastern stop in the global series. The series has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $64 million for charities worldwide and plays a key role in helping the foundation work towards its goal of raising $100 million by 2025.

“While the event itself is both engaging and entertaining, it is made all the more worthwhile knowing that funds raised will stay in Abu Dhabi and support the Zayed Higher Organization in all the great work that they do for the community,” said Player.

Supporters include Etihad Airways, TDIC, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi (host of the post tournament gala dinner), SAP and Rolex. New sponsors confirmed for 2018 include Abu Dhabi Ports and Al Masaood Automobiles.

 Visit garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram  – #GOLFandGIVING.

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By Ryan Herrington
The progress has been steady, albeit a little slower than Lucas Bjerregaard had been hoping. The 26-year-old from Denmark had paired with countryman Thorbjorn Olesen to win the European Tour’s GolfSixes event in May, what Bjerregaard had hoped would be a spring board to a more steady presence on the European Tour. But in his next 11 events, he could only muster one top-15 finish and saw himself fighting to get inside the top 100 in the Race to Dubai standings to keep his tour card.

Yet a glimmer of hope surfaced earlier this month at the Omega European Masters, when he finished T-9. And Bjerregaard carried that momentum over to this week’s Portugal Masters, where he took a one-stroke lead into the final round at Dom Pedro Victoria G.C., then shot a closing 65 to win his first official European Tour title by a comfortable four strokes over Scotland’s Marc Warren.

“It feels good,” Bjerregaard said. “It’s been a rough year for me so to be in contention again feels really good.”

Bjerregaard never allowed doubt to enter into his mind, making birdies on four of his first eight holes and sitting five under for the round through 11 holes. It also prevented challengers—most notably Warren and three-time European Tour winner George Coetzee—from making a charge. Warren at one point cut Bjerregaard’s lead to two strokes with an eagle on the 17th hole but bogeyed the 18th to finish with a closing 67.

Goetzee had made three birdies on his round and was within three strokes before making a triple-bogey 7 on the last hole to fall to T-7.

With the win, Bjerregaard jumped from 114th on the Race to Dubai standings to 48th, comfortably getting him into the tour’s final playoff events later this fall. More importantly, the win secured his tour card through the 2018 season.

“Today is up there with one of my best rounds,” Bjerregaard said. “Not so much the six under around here, I’ve done that before, but under the pressure some of the shots I hit—the two shots I hit on 17 are some of the best I’ve hit in a long time.

“I felt pretty confident. My girlfriend asked me this morning if I was nervous and I said, ‘No, don’t worry I’ve got this’, probably more to calm her down than anything. I’ve been in this position a couple of times before so to finally come through and get my first win feels really good.”

Bjerregaard’s win was a popular one among his close friends. Olesen joined him on the 18th green to give him a champagne celebration. And another countryman, 2018 European Tour Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn, was quick to congratulate Bjerregaard via social media.

Some talent is always meant to come through.@LBjerregaard well done my friend!
You showed so much class in that performance today
????

— Thomas Bjørn (@thomasbjorngolf) September 24, 2017

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By John Huggan

When it comes to team golf, don’t mess with Denmark. That was the competitive message emanating from GolfSixes, the European Tour’s latest innovative attempt to liven up the week-to-week routine that is 72 holes of stroke-play competition. Seven months after teaming with compatriot Soren Kjeldsen to lift the World Cup of Golf at Kingston Heath in Melbourne, Thorbjorn Olesen combined with Lucas Bjerregaard to share the €200,000 first-place check at the Centurion Club outside London. The Danes knocked off the Australian side of Scott Hend and Sam Brazel by a score of 3-1 in the final (2 up in regular golf language).

Identifying winners and losers was never really the point, of course. This event—the brainchild of European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley—was all about engaging with new audiences, providing quicker and easier-to-follow entertainment and, for all concerned, fun.

In most of those aims, GolfSixes succeeded, even if, as with all experiments, not every aspect worked perfectly.

What did work:
The 32 (flag-waving) players marched into battle before each match accompanied by music and pyrotechnics, a fact that clearly went down well with the children massed beside the opening tee.

The 40-second shot clock provided a little tension and claimed a victim in American Paul Petersen. The left-hander was penalized one-shot when he took too long to reach impact on the opening day. Elsewhere though, the general pace of play was a pleasant contrast to the often snail-like procession that plays out each week on tours the world over.

Each player was mic’d and available for interview during matches, a fact that surely provided valuable insights to an audience presumably (and hopefully) stacked with those for whom the often-confusing and intimidating nuances of the game are unfamiliar.

No one embraced the inclusive aspect of the proceedings more than Englishman Andy Sullivan, whose “cheeky chappie” persona was perfectly suited to the atmosphere of fun and games. The Ryder Cup player’s epic chest-bump with the giant pink foam mascot by the first tee will surely go down as the lasting image of the two-day event.

Six things you might have missed at #GolfSixes today

? https://t.co/7OkJUC5gof pic.twitter.com/JoDc3BZl5T

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 6, 2017

The rules-laden Masters this was not.

What didn’t work:
At least where U.K. television viewers were concerned, the presence of non-golf commentators and announcers was more irritating than informative. The tired collection of long-retired sportsmen and D-list “celebrities” added nothing to the proceedings. Should the six-hole-match format prove attractive to prospective sponsors, the elimination of such nonsense will surely be a pre-condition.

Likewise, the unrelenting cheerleading that was a too-prominent aspect of the Sky Sports coverage needs to be, at least, toned down. Were the broadcasters there to report on the event? Or were they part of it? At times, that line was crossed.

The final verdict?
GolfSixes is something worth repeating. “It will definitely be back next year,” Pelley said. The crowds were decent, and the presence of so many youngsters was encouraging enough to silence any sneers from traditionalists, for whom this event was never going to be attractive. As former European Tour player Raymond Russell, a spectator along with his three children, said: “It went really well. And it wasn’t as funky as I thought it might be.”

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