Tag: Branden Grace

Kyle Stanley and a bear steal second-round spotlight at Barracuda

The Clemson product and two-time PGA Tour winner grabbed the lead after the second round with +22 points.

Kyle Stanley looked hungry during the second round of the Barracuda Championship on Friday. He wasn’t alone.

Stanley, along with a giant black bear, stole the show at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood golf course near Truckee, California.

The Clemson product and two-time PGA Tour winner grabbed the lead after the second round with +22 points. Matthias Schwab, Robert Streb, Branden Grace were tied for second with, each with +20 points in the Modified Stableford scoring system.

Stanley scored 14 points on Friday and had an eagle on No. 12. He also had an eagle on Thursday.

“It’s kind of weird, the format out here, you’re kind of focusing more on points than you are what your score is,: Stanley, 32, said. “I’ve been driving it well. It’s kind of fun with this altitude, you can kind of swing away. We have some shorter par-4s out here so you can make a go at some of those, a little bit of risk-reward, and just kind of kept the ball in front of me and a pretty clean round of golf.”

Maverick McNealy and Troy Merritt were next at +19 points.

The projected cut was +6 with the top 65 players plus ties making it.

But there are not just sand traps and water hazards at Old Greenwood. A bear strolled across the fairway on No. 18 about 10 a.m. Friday morning, then wandered over to a pond on No. 10.

Kevin Tway, Pat Perez and Brendan Steele were on the fairway when the bear crossed.

The rules of golf allow for a pause and hold in play if there is a threat, which they did.

Hard lead to hang on to

Not many first-round first-round leaders hold on to win the Barracuda.

There have been four in the first 21 years of the tournament, previously known as the Reno-Tahoe Open.

The most recent was Matt Bettencourt, in 2010.

There have been three first-round leaders/co-leaders to win on the PGA Tour in 2019-20 The most recent was Collin Morikawa, who won the Workday Charity Open. He won the Barracuda in 2019 and is playing in the WGC this week in Memphis.

Tournament takes on different form

It’s not a stretch to say this has been a year of disruptions and changes for the Barracuda Championship tournament staff.

Last summer, it was learned the PGA Tour would not return to its home for the first 21 years, at Montreux Golf & Country Club in south Reno.

They eventually moved to a new location, Old Greenwood golf course near Truckee, where the tournament continues through Sunday.

Then the COVID-10 pandemic hit, postponing all sports and eventually changing the date of the Barracuda and all PGA Tour stops.

Then, it was announced it late June that no spectators would be allowed, also due to the pandemic.

Barracuda tournament director Chris Hoff said the date change was actually a good thing, as it gave him and his staff more time to prepare for the 22nd version of the PGA Tour stop in the region.

There is usually a quiet buzz and hum of electricity at PGA Tour events, even with the course officials telling everyone to be quiet

[vertical-gallery id=778057407]

It is much different this year.

Hoff not having spectators this year is a big drain financially for professional golf.

He could not go into details, but said the financial hit is significant.

He said fans, pro-ams and hospitality tents are the main revenue stream for the Barracuda Championship.

The pandemic caused a dramatic shift in planning for the tournament.

“Everything now that we do planning-wise, we have to take Covid into consideration,” Hoff said. “Everything from the portable restrooms we have out here and cleaning those on a regular basis, to shuttles for the volunteers. They have to be less than 50 percent occupancy, so we have to get more of those. Literally every decision we have had to make, Covid was the first question.”

He said there are about half the usual number of volunteers they have had in previous years.

Last year, there were about 400 volunteers.

He said Barracuda officials worked with the state and county to come up with the plan to hold the tournament.

Hoff said they learned from watching the first seven PGA Tour stops this summer and adjusted on the fly.

“Everyone asks what it’s like and it’s, it’s weird,” Hoff said. “We’re still very, very busy, but it’s a different busy.”

[jwplayer 7NBaZ2A0-9JtFt04J]

Xander Schauffele flies under the radar, so no crowd is no problem

The Schwab Challenge has Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Branden Grace and Collin Morikawa all within one.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The first event back after three months off was supposed to give PGA Tour players a chance to get their sea legs. A comfortable stretch. A quiet, but competitive few rounds of golf in the Texas heat after 91 days of quarantine.

Instead, the power-packed field at Colonial Country Club has turned the Charles Schwab Challenge into a free-for-all. Xander Schauffele’s 66 gave him a one-stroke lead at the conclusion of Saturday’s play, but names like Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Branden Grace and Collin Morikawa were all a single stroke back with a host of other top guns are looming close behind.

Tee times, TV info | Photos | Leaderboard | Updates

Colonial had been forgiving through most of the day but tightened up a little as the leaders came in through considerable heat. The forecast isn’t expected to let up on Sunday, with temperatures to rise near triple digits. It’s not unusual for the Schwab to have warm days, but since it was pushed back three weeks due to the pandemic, and with an early Texas summer hot spell, stamina could be an issue for the final round.

Schauffele was masterful again, following up rounds of 65 and 66 with another smooth 66 — this time posting a pair of bogeys on par-3s, but adding six birdies as his driver kept him in good position much of the day.

What’s most surprising is the way Schauffele has been playing Colonial like it’s one of his favorites. In reality, he’s failed to make the cut the last two years in Fort Worth and managed just a T-48 in his 2017 debut.

But he insisted familiarity breeds comfort.

[vertical-gallery id=778047874]

“Playing it more makes me more comfortable,” he said. “But I think in years prior it was much windier and I didn’t play the greens as great. Just a comfort factor. My caddie (Austin Kaiser) has gotten better, as well, in terms of picking lines and doing his job, so I think collectively we’ve done a better job preparing for this week.”

With a top field in place — the best the tournament had seen in decades — there’s an intense vibe that might not always be detectable at this event. Daniel Berger and 36-hole leader Harold Varner III are just two shots behind. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Corey Conners and Abraham Ancer are all sitting three back at 10-under.

This all sets up a surreal finish, but with no fans on site. Aside from a handful of external grandstands providing occasional pockets of applause, the event has been held like a major junior event, with just volunteers on site.

Schauffele said it doesn’t bother him, since he’s sort of an introvert anyway.

“I’m kind of a quiet guy, I guess, so I’m not — I don’t have like a huge effect on the crowd I’d say, so not having fans isn’t the craziest thing to me,” he said. “I think it’ll feel almost like amateur golf or junior golf where we all want to win. We all want to compete, and we’re all super competitive. When we were younger and playing in college or over the summer an amateur schedule, it was quiet. There weren’t any fans out, and we all were kind of going head-to-head, and everyone wanted it just as much as the next guy in line.

“I sort of feel like it might kind of feel like that tomorrow, where coming down the stretch if you’re in the hunt, everyone is going to be — at least leaderboards are up, that kind of helps — but it’ll be really quiet and everyone is going to be minding their own business.”

[lawrence-related id=778048975,778048922,778048829]

Branden Grace closes with 62 to win South African Open

Brendan Grace rode a hot putter on Sunday to post a final-round 62 and earn a come-from-behind victory at the South African Open.

Branden Grace rode a hot putter on Sunday to post a final-round 62 and earn a come-from-behind victory at the South African Open.

Third-round leader Louis Oosthuizen, who held a one-shot lead after 54 holes, aced the par-3 eighth hole but it wasn’t enough to hold off Grace, who needed just 22 putts on Sunday and finished 21 under. Oosthuizen finished in second, three shots back. Marcus Armitage was third at 16 under.

This is Grace’s ninth win on the European Tour, and first since the 2017 Nedbank Golf Challenge.

“That was remarkable,” he said. “I played flawless golf and I can’t remember the last time the putter was that hot.”

He went on to describe his emotions of winning in his home country.

“This is the one I really wanted. This means so much to any South African, winning on home soil, the guys get so behind you and it’s such an emotional feeling.”

Branden Grace poses for a photograph with the trophy alongside wife Nieke and son Roger after winning the 2020 South African Open. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Add in that Grace was able to celebrate with his family and it made for a special day.

“It’s the first win with the little one here so he’s going to have a photo with the trophy and then it’s a good birthday wish to my Mrs. today, she’s a birthday girl today so it’s a good birthday present.”

Despite seven straight pars to open his round, Oosthuizen had lost the lead. But he gained it right back with a hole-in-one on the eighth hole.

 

Grace’s win secures him a spot in the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. Armitage and Jaco Ahlers also earned spots in the final major of the summer.

Amateur Jayden Trey Schaper, 18, chipped in on 18 to finish 13 under, eight shots off the lead.

The European Tour plays the first of three straight events in the Middle East next week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

[lawrence-related id=778019782,778019688]