Tag: Danny Willett

With suspended second round complete, here’s who missed the cut at Cadence Bank Houston Open

Here’s who missed the cut, including the 12th-ranked golfer in the world.

HOUSTON – It’s finally time for the weekend in Texas.

Friday afternoon storms suspended play for good at 3:26 p.m. local time, with no groups who teed off in the afternoon having completed play. That meant everyone had to come back Saturday morning to essentially a different golf course.

The temperature Friday afternoon was 86 degrees. Saturday morning? How about 43. The winds also shifted, blowing out of the north instead of the southeast. It made for a chilly start for those who had to come back and fight to improve their position on the leaderboard and it helped those who may have missed the cut if the conditions remained nice.

Tony Finau, at 13 under, maintains his four-shot advantage with 36 holes to play. Patrick Rodgers and Alex Noren are four shots behind.

Here’s who missed the cut at the 2022 Cadence Bank Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course. The cut was even par, and 70 players made it.

Houston Open: PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Leaderboard

Shocker: Max Homa defends at Fortinet Championship in stunning fashion

Trailing by one stroke on the final hole, Homa chipped in for birdie to steal the title.

Max Homa defended his title at the Fortinet Championship in stunning fashion.

Trailing by one stroke on the final hole, Homa chipped in for birdie and watched in amazement as leader Danny Willett took three putts from less than 4 feet.

“I don’t believe what I just saw,” Golf Channel announcer Terry Gannon said.

Neither could Homa, who closed in 4-under 68 at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California, and signed for a 72-hole total of 16-under 272. It was good enough for his fifth PGA Tour title and third in the Golden State.

“I still don’t know really know what happened,” Homa said. “The last three minutes are kind of a blur.”

On a cool, gusty, rainy day, Willett built a three-stroke lead early in the final round with birdies at Nos. 1, 4 and 8 but gave a stroke back with a bogey at the ninth. He pulled ahead again with an incredible birdie at 14, where he hooked his approach from behind a tree to 15 feet and canned the putt. Homa, a 31-year-old Cal-Berkeley grad, put up a valiant effort to defend his title, making three straight birdies beginning at No. 9.

“My coach (Mark Blackburn) said, ‘Just hang around, hang around, hang around,’ ” Homa recalled.

Homa did just that, and when he chipped in for birdie at 18 it forced Willett to hole from inside 4 feet for the trophy.

“I spun it and once it hit the pin, it almost like spun straight into the ground. It was just one of those things,” Homa said. “Golf’s a weird game, some crazy stuff happens on the last hole it seems like and that was very crazy.”

It was as clutch as clutch gets, and yet it didn’t appear to be enough until Willett hit his putt for the win too firmly and it lipped out. Willett’s miss of the 5-foot comebacker was even more shocking and gift-wrapped the trophy to Homa.

“This game never ceases to amaze me,” said Golf Channel’s Tom Byrum.

Rookie Taylor Montgomery shot a final-round 64 and finished alone in third. Justin Lower closed in 73, settling for a tie for fourth but notched his best career finish. Rickie Fowler, who tied for sixth, secured just his third top-10 finish in his last 59 starts. Making his first Tour start since the 2013 Wyndham Championship, a span of 3,315 days, Paul Haley II finishes T-12.

Homa’s second shot at the par-5 18th caught the left green side bunker, leaving himself an awkward 30-yard shot from the sand.

“I kind of had to assume he was going to make it and I kind of went for the hero bunker shot and didn’t quite catch it,” Homa said.

He exploded 33 feet short of the green before holing out for the eventual winning birdie.

“I expected him to do it,” Willett said, “but then it’s still a bit of a shock when it happens.”

For the week, the 34-year-old Englishman had holed more than 96 percent of his putts from inside 10 feet, including a clutch 9-foot par putt at 17 to maintain his lead. But his first putt from 4 feet rimmed out on the left side and he faced a longer par putt to force a playoff than his previous attempt. Willett was attempting to win his first PGA Tour title since the 2016 Masters, but it wasn’t to be.

“Just a shame how I finished but that’s golf,” Willett said. “Yeah, we’ll live to fight another day.”

Homa heads to his first appearance representing the United States on its 12-man team in next week’s Presidents Cup, a biennial team match-play competition against the world’s best 12 non-European players, with an extra boost of confidence.

“I’m just happy to be in form, to represent my country, play with those boys. They’re some good golfers, so I just wanted to come in in form,” he said. “I know this is Twitter, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me if the LIV guys wouldn’t have left, I wouldn’t have made the Presidents Cup team, so I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder this week.”

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Justin Lower’s rollercoaster ride of emotions continues and Danny Willett hires ‘a tall Yoda’ among the 5 things we learned during the third round of the Fortinet Championship

“I’m sure I’ll be nervous, for sure…I mean, it’s why we play.”

Justin Lower’s rollercoaster ride of emotions continues.

The 33-year-old journeyman pro bogeyed two of his first seven holes but rallied with five birdies, including one at the last to sign for 3-under 69 at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California. It was good enough to improve to 13-under 203 and take a one-stroke lead over defending champ Max Homa and former Masters champ Danny Willett heading into the final round of the Fortinet Championship.

“It was tough out there today, it was a little breezy, greens getting firmer and firmer,” Lower said. “I just really just tried to keep it in the fairway and give myself as many birdie looks as possible.”

Some of those birdies even have come from off the green. Lower chipped in for birdie for the third time in three rounds at the fourth hole on Saturday.

Lower has taken one circuitous journey to his first final-round pairing on the PGA Tour. He attended Q-School six times, missed earning his card by a single shot in 2018, and needed to pitch to a foot from 30 yards to save par at the final hole at the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Indiana to secure his playing privileges for the first time. Lower still wasn’t sure if he’d done enough to earn the last card until his fellow pros and caddies showered him with beer and champagne. When he finally grabbed hold of his coveted PGA Tour card, Lower said, “It’s heavier than I thought it would be.”

His rookie season had more lows than highs, beginning with a missed cut in Napa at last season’s kick off event.

“I left this course last year kind of in shock, honestly. I was like, God, if this is how the Tour is, I need to get a lot better very quickly,” he recalled.

In August, at the Wyndham Championship, he needed to two putt from 61 feet at the final hole to make the FedEx Cup playoffs and keep his card. He took three putts and gave a teary-eyed interview afterwards.

But when six players defected to LIV Golf, Lower was granted exempt status for next season. So far, he’s taking advantage of it. He shot a career-best 63 on Thursday and has the 54-hole lead at a Tour event for the first time. He could crush his best Tour finish to date — a T-10 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the two-man team event — but there also are nine players within four shots of his lead.

“I’m sure I’ll be nervous, for sure, but just part of it,” Lower said. “I mean, it’s why we play. Yeah, it’s just, I don’t know, playing on the PGA Tour with a chance to win, it’s pretty cool.”

Fortinet: PGA Tour on ESPN+ | Leaderboard | Sunday tee times

Six golfers earned PGA Tour cards just as six LIV golfers teed off in shotgun start in Boston

Once a player strikes a tee shot on the LIV Golf Series, he has lost his status on the PGA Tour.

Not sure they should be expecting thank you cards or gift baskets, but when the six newest members of the LIV Golf Series teed off in Boston on Friday for their 1:15 p.m. ET shotgun start, six others earned their PGA Tour cards.

Officially, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Joaquin Niemann, Harold Varner III, Anirban Lahiri and Cameron Tringale were “removed from the 2021-22 FedEx Cup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List,” according to the PGA Tour.

This then elevated Kelly Kraft, Justin Lower, Doc Redman, Austin Smotherman, Matt Wallace and Danny Willett inside the top 125, thus granting them their Tour cards for the 2022-23 season.

The Tour’s announcement specifically mentioned the 1:15 p.m. ET time. Once a player strikes a tee shot on the LIV Golf Series, he has lost his status on the PGA Tour.

Kraft, Lower, Redman were removed from the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on Friday after they earned fully exempt status. They cannot improve their standing on the Eligibility List. Smotherman, Wallace and Willett did not reach the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

The top 25 finishers at the Finals will earn PGA Tour cards. The final FedEx Cup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List for the 2021-22 season will be finalized at 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 9, 2022.

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Wyndham Championship: Who’s got the weekend off and whose FedEx Cup bubble burst

These notable players missed the cut and some saw their FedEx Cup bubbles burst.

For the “Bubble Boys,” those trying to secure a berth in the 125-man field for next week’s first of three FedEx Cup playoff events, making the cut is job No. 1.

Consider it mission accomplished for the likes of Max McGreevey, No. 126 in the points standings heading into the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. McGreevey shot 67 in the second round of the regular season finale and has improved to a projected 122nd.

After finishing second at the Puerto Rico Open in March, McGreevy had made the cut in only four of his 19 starts before this week, and had missed the cut in six of his last seven events.

“I just had a lot of fun this week,” he said. “It’s been easier than it has been the last couple of weeks somehow, but just felt good, felt relaxed and feels good to finally get four rounds for a week.”

Chesson Hadley, who started the week at No. 121, made three birdies in a row en route to shooting 67, and last’s year Bubble Boy put himself in position where he might not need an ace or a final-round 62 to sneak into the FedEx Cup playoffs. He’s projected at No. 113.

Nick Taylor (71, -2) survived the cut but has slipped from No. 120 at the start of the week to a projected 125th.

Congrats to Brian Stuard, who ended a streak of 11 straight missed cuts. It couldn’t have come at a better time. He entered the week at No. 137 in the FedEx Cup point standings. He’s projected at No. 124.

Austin Smotherman, who started the week at No. 125, wasn’t so fortunate. He shot 76 in the second round to miss the cut and is projected to drop to No. 129.

Martin Trainer shot a second straight 67 and is currently projected 126th, otherwise known as the first guy out. But he still has two more rounds to improve his position and a positive attitude going into the weekend.

“I know what’s at stake, it’s no different than any other week. I mean, I think ultimately I know that I just need to do well,” he said. “Every time I play a Tour event I’m trying my best anyway, so I’ll just look at it as a curiosity, but ultimately it’s out of my control, so to speak. I’m just trying my best.”

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson also still has work to do over the weekend – projected at No. 136 – but has a chance after shooting 5-under 135.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do. Put myself in a position so I can at least make a run on the weekend,” Johnson said. “My focus is to win a golf tournament and the rest of it will take care of itself, but I’m in a position where I can do that.”

Play was suspended on Friday due to darkness with seven golfers still needing to complete the second round. Thanks to Chris Gotterup, who made bogey at 18, another 21 players will earn a paycheck this week. In all, 87 golfers from the field of 156 made the cut. It marks the most players to make the cut on Tour since the cut rule changed to low 65 and ties to start the 2019-20 season. It took a score of 1-under 139 to play the weekend, but Smotherman, who was at 1 under and faced a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 8 when play resumed on Saturday morning, isn’t one of them. He missed the putt and made double-bogey at nine, bursting his playoff bubble in the process.

Here’s a look at some of the notable players who were on the wrong side of the cutline.

Here’s a closer look at a few PGA Tour players on the bubble ahead of the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs

Several players are still angling to make the PGA Tour postseason. Some are just inside the cutline while others have work to do.

The PGA Tour regular season is coming to an end Sunday, meaning the FedEx Cup playoffs begin next week.

The Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, will offer some PGA Tour players one last chance to improve their position or perhaps even make it into the field of 125 for the playoffs.

Since the points structure changed in 2009, an average of fewer than three players per year entered the final week of FedEx Cup regular season outside the top 125 in the standings and went on to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Some players also will look to crack the top 200 in the FedEx Cup Eligibility Points List to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which is set for September 1-4 at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.

Scottie Scheffler, who has four wins this season, leads the FedEx Cup standings by more than 1,000 points over second-place Cameron Smith. Tony Finau, who has won the past two weeks, is up to No. 7.

Wyndham Championship: PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Leaderboard

The three-event playoff series starts at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, next week, but many in the field at the Wyndham Championship this week will be angling to keep their seasons alive.

Here’s a closer look at some interesting names in the FedEx Cup points standings, including some who are in the field and others who need a big week to make the playoffs.

Birthday boy: Danny Willett celebrates with a big victory at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Birthday boy Danny Willett celebrates in style with his eighth career title.

Happy birthday to Danny Willett.

The 34-year-old Englishman celebrated another trip around the sun in style with a two-stroke victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday. Willett shot a 4-under 68 and finished 18-under par overall to defeat fellow countryman Tyrrell Hatton (67) and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren (66).

“It’s magical,” Willett said. “On British soil with everyone here, it’s been a great week. It’s been a couple of years of average stuff again. I seem to do this a lot actually, go up and down.”

The former Masters champion rose again, adding a victory at the Old Course at St. Andrews to previous titles at Augusta National Golf Club, Wentworth and Crans-sur-Sierre among his eight career titles.

Willett had endured a challenging year, failing to finish in the top 10 in his first 11 events on the European Tour as he dealt with COVID-19 and ailments ranging from wisdom teeth to appendicitis and a hernia.

The Dunhill Links is played over three storied courses in Scotland – at St. Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie — from Thursday to Saturday with the final round returning to the Old Course, where Willett has long excelled. He is now 77-under par for his career there, including finishing second at this event in 2010 and placing sixth at the British Open at St. Andrews in 2015. He won the Dunhill Link’s 2017 team title alongside caddie Jonathan Smart, who returned to the bag for him this week.

Willett entered the final round with a three-stroke lead, but he was caught by Richard Bland, who finished tied for fourth with Shane Lowry, temporarily. Hatton, a two-time champion of the event, rallied with a 67 to finish tied for second a week after playing in the Ryder Cup. But Willett wouldn’t budge, finishing with a string of pars to seal the deal.

“It made me focus a little bit more,” Willett said of having challengers hot on his heels.

It was his first victory since the 2019 BMW PGA Championship, and should lift him back into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“We’ve been working hard, people don’t see it behind the scenes,” Willett said. “Obviously my wife does and other people do but it’s a good one.”

Willett’s work ethic has never been questioned. During the pandemic, he moved to Florida just down the street from his swing instructor Sean Foley so that they could work on retooling his game.

“The guy is a beast,” Foley said. “If you ask him to do something 100 times, he’ll do it 500 times because to him that’s 400 times better.”

Willet became the first player to win a European Tour event on their birthday since Ernie Els at the 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship. The birthday boy said he wouldn’t have time to celebrate the occasion or his victory properly as he was catching a flight to Las Vegas for next week’s PGA Tour event. When an interviewer referenced his birthday, Willett smiled widely and cracked, “Just don’t tell people how old I am.”

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Danny Willett leads Alfred Dunhill Links Championship; Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry in striking distance

Can anyone catch the 2016 Masters champion?

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is always one of the most fun events on the European Tour schedule. Players and their partners rotate among three of the best golf courses in the world through the first three days of the event. The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns are some of Scotland’s finest, with all hosting a round before the final day returns to the home of golf.

Danny Willett, leader after 54 holes, played St. Andrews Saturday without making a bogey, carding a 6-under 66. Through three rounds, Willett has only signed for two scores above par, which have been offset by a pair of eagles.

The 2016 Masters champ was feeling himself out on the links Saturday in some pretty miserable weather.

Tyyrell Hatton, who won this event in back-to-back years in 2016-17, enters the final round three shots behind Willett after a 1 under round at St. Andrews today. Luckily for him, the Old Course will be the host for the final round, so a few early birdies could put him right back in the mix. Hatton is playing with his dad, Jeff, this week.

Shane Lowry was an electrical spark for the European Ryder Cup team last week at Whistling Straits, and some of that energy has carried over this week in Scotland. The Irishman sits three shots back, and is tied with Hatton at 11 under. He, too, played the Old Course on Saturday, and paired six birdies with one bogey for a 5-under 67.

When playing golf in Scotland, you have to expect the worst when it comes to the weather. Billy Horschel has fully embraced that this week.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

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Joel Dahmen, co-leader at Corales Puntacana, says wife ‘gives me a hug and a kiss and tells me to go kick butt’

Joel Dahmen, who hasn’t won a professional event in nearly seven years, is tied with Rafael Campos at 10 under in the Dominican Republic.

Joel Dahmen hasn’t won a professional event since claiming two titles on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada nearly seven years ago. Positive vibes from his wife might help him breakthrough on the PGA Tour this week.

After 54 holes in the Dominican Republic, Dahmen is in position to win for the first time on golf’s big stage. His third-round 68 included four birdies on his back nine, getting him to 10 under. Rafael Campos would later birdie the 18th hole to tie him for the lead and those two will take a one-shot advantage into Sunday’s final round.

Dahmen credits his wife, Lona, describing how she’s long been a big part of his team.

“We’ve been together for nine years now, married for two, so she’s seen it all,” he said on Saturday. “She worked two jobs to pay rent when I was on the mini-tours, had no money. So she’s been through it all. She’s been really positive through all this.”

This being the six missed cuts in seven outings in 2021.

“Sounds like I’m just like on golf suicide watch, right? I just had a rough seven, eight weeks. It’s not that bad, but the way I play, super consistent, make a lot of cuts, you know, it seemed like it was pretty bad. So it’s never as bad as you think it is, it’s never as good as you think it is, but Lona’s been great for me. She still gives me a hug and a kiss and tells me to go kick butt, so it’s been good.”

Dahmen has only posted three bogeys and one double through three rounds at the windy Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He also credited his Saturday playing partner, Graeme McDowell, for providing some inspiration.

“Playing with Graeme today, he got off to kind of a good start and I was kind of behind the 8-ball. He kind of kicked my butt after the three-putt on 8,” he said. “I started being a little more aggressive with my putts just got to get them to the hole and they might actually go in, and they did thankfully on the back.”

Corales: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

Typically, Dahmen hasn’t played this event, but he felt like missing out on this week’s World Golf Championships event stirred something.

“Normally I take this week off, but I was kind of inspired — I felt like I kind of should have been in that Match Play this year and not being there inspired me to come here and play well,” he said.

As for Campos, he’s only had two bogeys all week and has shot three rounds in the 60s so far, including a second straight 69 on Saturday.

Campos is also seeking his first Tour win. He has one win on the Korn Ferry Tour, the 2019 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club.

Danny Willett and Michael Gligic are tied for second, one shot back. Emiliano Grillo and  Thomas Pieters are tied for fifth, two back. Defending champion Hudson Swafford is in a six-way tie for seventh at 7 under.

The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, also held last September, is the first PGA Tour event to be staged twice in the same season in 70 years.

A win does not mean a trip to Augusta National for the Masters but a victory would gain the winner this week entry into the 2021 PGA Championship, the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2022 Players Championship.

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Former Masters champ Danny Willett eschews driver, still shoots 66 Friday

Danny Willett carded a 66 on Friday at the Masters, which included six birdies and an eagle. He accomplished the feat without a driver.

Danny Willett carded a second-round 66 on Friday at the Masters Tournament, which included six birdies and an eagle. He accomplished the feat without a driver.

“I cracked the face on the driver this morning, so we played the second round with a 3‑wood,” Willett said. “It seemed to work quite well.”

The 2016 Masters champion from England broke his driver on the 17th hole Friday morning as he completed his first round. Willett confirmed that he owns a replacement, but elected to keep it out of his bag between rounds.

“It’s nice to see everyone 340 out there and we’re hitting 3‑wood,” Willett said. “But this golf course I play quite a lot of 3‑woods around here anyway. Always have.”

MASTERS: Leaderboard | How to watch

Willett began his second round with a double-bogey at No. 10, his first hole of the day. The Englishman responded with an eagle at No. 13, and birdies on Nos. 14, 15, 17, 2, 3 and 9.

As of Friday afternoon, Willett was undecided on whether the driver would return. Willett enters the weekend at 7-under par.

“We’re going to have a little look,” Willett said. “But if it’s not something that really stands out, we’ll end up just playing as we have done today. I feel more comfortable with the 3‑wood that we’ve used for a long time now. The driver is maybe not worth it, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Willett woke up at 4:30 a.m. Friday to prepare for the completion of his first round. With two young sons, he said getting up early has become commonplace.

“It’s a nice early start for us,” Willett said. “You know, we usually get up early with the kids.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Willett has remained in the United States, and has spent time teaching his children, Zachariah and Noah, how to ride a bike and swim.

“It’s been great to spend time with the family, understanding we’ll never be able to do it again,” Willett said.

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