Tag: Sahith Theegala

Weekend betting odds update for WM Phoenix Open, plus a few picks

Xander Schauffele hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2019 but he’s in striking distance yet again in the desert.

It’s been a busy few days at TPC Scottsdale.

Not only did former ‘Bachelor’ star Matt James absolutely rifle a shank off a photographer during Wednesday’s pro-am, but a little kid got loose on a golf cart and took down everything in his path (including the man trying to stop him).

Patrick Cantlay went out early Friday during his second round of the WM Phoenix Open and fired a 5-under 66 to give him, at the time, the clubhouse lead. Cantlay continues to fire on all cylinders – the man hasn’t finished outside the top 10 at a golf tournament since last year’s Northern Trust. That week, he tied for 11th.

PGA Tour rookie Sahith Theegala continued to rip up the back nine Friday, putting four circles on the card over his last six holes. He drained a birdie bid on 18 to close with a 7-under 64 and walked off the golf course with a three shot lead.

Thanks to Brooks Koepka, Theegala’s lead going into the weekend is just two as the WM Phoenix Open defending champion continues to show he feels very comfortable at this track. Slim Shady dropped in six birdies on Friday to go along with a bogey for a second day 5-under 66. Xander Schauffele, runner-up to Koepka here last season, also sits at 10 under.

Weekend betting odds for the WM Phoenix Open

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list.

Player Odds
Brooks Koepka (+360)
Xander Schauffele (+360)
Patrick Cantlay (+490)
Sahith Theegala (+750)
Max Homa (+1800)
Jon Rahm (+2200)
Talor Gooch (+2200)
Hideki Matsuyama (+2700)
Justin Thomas (+2700)
Adam Hadwin (+3400)
Abraham Ancer (+3400)
Bubba Watson (+3900)

*odds above are as of 7:45 ET on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022

Picks for the WM Phoenix Open

Justin Thomas (+2700)

Justin Thomas plays his tee shot on the par 3 16th hole during the second round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

JT hasn’t been sharp so far this week and he’s still managed to be 5 under after two rounds. He has two third place finishes here in the last three seasons. There isn’t a player on Earth that cooks as well as JT does when he is on. Due to the fact he can explode for an 8- or 9-under round at any time, hard not to take a chance on him over the weekend.

Max Homa (+1800)

Max Homa hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 10, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Homa’s tee-to-green game this week has been sick – hitting nearly 78 percent of fairways and 85 percent of greens. His putter finally came alive on Friday leading him to a bogey-free 6-under 65. He’s beat loaded fields before (2021 Genesis), and sits at 8 under, four back.

Xander Schauffele (+360)

Xander Schauffele putts on the 12th hole during the second round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 11, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Schauffele could have shot 10 under on Friday. He failed to convert on a bunch of chances and still shot a bogey-free 65. He’s due — like DUE. His last win came at the 2019 Sentry TOC. His tee-to-green game is on another level right now, so if that putter gets going even a little, it could be a blood bath for the rest of the field.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-date odds and picks.

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Sponsor exemption Sahith Theegala leads WM Phoenix Open after first day

Seemingly only Mother Nature could slow the Pepperdine alum’s assault on par during the first round.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Seemingly only Mother Nature could slow Sahith Theegala’s assault on par during the first round of the WM Phoenix Open.

The 24-year-old rookie out of Pepperdine University was 7-under through his first 16 holes at TPC Scottsdale and leading the tournament when play was suspended due to darkness at 6:23 p.m. Theegala will be facing a 16-foot par putt when play resumes Friday morning.

“I got a little chippy at the end, I started hitting my driver a little squirrely at the end, so this is a welcome stop, honestly,” he said. “I was kind of losing some momentum there.”

Less than two weeks ago, after he completed his final round at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, Theegala was surprised with one of five sponsor exemptions into the WM Phoenix Open field.

Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live streaming on ESPN+ | Tee times, TV info

“Wow, that’s awesome. Thanks for giving me this chance. We’ll try to keep it rolling,” he said in a moment captured on video and spread via social media. “That’s so cool. Are you kidding me? I can’t thank these guys enough for giving me another opportunity to do what I love.”

Theegala knows all too well what a difference a sponsor invite can mean to his fledgling career. He parlayed a late-season sponsor invite into the Barracuda Championship in August into a T-34 finish that lifted him just inside the top 200 of the FedEx Cup standings and qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, where he earned one of the 25 PGA Tour cards that were up for grabs. Asked what he would’ve been doing this week if not for the sponsor invite bestowed upon him, he said, “Rest… I’d be doing absolutely nothing.”

“It feels like a free roll because I shouldn’t be here. I think maybe two guys from the Korn Ferry category got in as alternates, so I wasn’t even on planning on being here,” Theegala added. “So the fact that I’m here, I think we had a pretty good mindset of just trying to enjoy the week as much as possible and it’s been good so far.”

Much has been expected of Theegala after a stellar college career. He reached as high as No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and became just the fifth golfer to sweep the Ben Hogan Award, Haskins Award and Jack Nicklaus Award given to college golf’s top player.

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His season began with great promise after Theegala shot 64 to grab the opening round lead of the Sanderson Farms Championship, his second start of the year, and stayed in front until shooting a final-round 71. He dropped to a share of eighth place, his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour.

“It was really great for me, knowing that when I’m playing near the top of my game that I’m able to compete,” he said. “That was the biggest takeaway I had from that week.”

Theegala, who has made eight cuts in his first 10 events and enters the week ranked 88th in the FedEx Cup standings, is trying to become the first sponsor invite to win on the PGA Tour since Martin Laird at the 2020 Shriners Open. On Thursday, Theegala torched his first nine holes, the back side, in 31. He started by holing a 17-foot birdie putt and then strung together four birdies in a row beginning at No. 13. In all, Theegala birdied the three par 5’s and capped off his birdie binge with a 30-foot birdie at four.

Korea’s K.H. Lee is the clubhouse leader after posting 6-under 65. Last year, he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka here and he picked up where he left off by rolling in three birdies and an eagle on the front nine.

“Just very comfortable here,” said Lee, who won the AT&T Byron Nelson last year for his lone victory on another TPC layout, at TPC Craig Ranch. “Everything better.”

But to improve upon his showing last year and hoist the trophy on Sunday, Lee may have to outduel Koepka, the former World No. 1, who used the word “embarrassing” to describe the fact that he entered the week ranked No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I mean, that’s embarrassing to be 20th, I feel like,” said Koepka, who is winless since last year’s WM Phoenix Open. “A lot of it has to do with injury, man. I’ve been hurt, on the sidelines, not playing, playing through injury, you can’t compete with guys out here. It’s nice to be somewhat healthy and get out here and I mean I’m not too worried about it, it will bounce back up.”

There was nothing embarrassing about Koepka’s play in the opening round at TPC Scottsdale as he carded six birdies and a lone bogey to shoot 5-under 66. He’s tied for third with Adam Hadwin, Harry Higgs and Scott Stallings (through 17).

Koepka, a two-time champion in Phoenix, has missed the cut in three of his last four official PGA Tour starts and hasn’t recorded a top-10 since the British Open in July. But the WM Phoenix Open is a tournament that sounds and feels a lot like a major to Koepka and he thrives in that environment.

“I love when people get rowdy.” Koepka said. “They’re cheering you when you hit it tight, and they’re booing you when you hit it bad. It almost feels like a real sport, like football, basketball, things like that, soccer.”

But the madness at the par-3 16th isn’t for everyone.

“I’m glad it’s one week a year,” said Charley Hoffman. “I think if it was every week it might be a little intense, but definitely one week a year this is a lot of fun and I embrace it.”

Hoffman is part of a pack at 4-under 67 that is loaded with big-name talent, including World No. 1 Jon Rahm, Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, and former major winners Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson. Rahm, a former Arizona State standout and local resident, said winning his hometown event would be extra special.

“I’ve been able to win the Spanish Open twice and I carry that with a lot of honor. And this is kind of essentially home away from home, right?” Rahm said. “So, it means a lot, it’s a tournament that is always marked on the calendar early on. And I’ve been somewhat close to winning, but never really had a chance, so I’m hoping I can get that done, because it’s a tournament I really like and definitely one that I would love to win.”

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Players to watch: Predicting 10 first-time PGA Tour winners in 2022

Keep an eye on these PGA Tour veterans and incoming rookies in 2022.

After a nearly two-month holiday hiatus, the PGA Tour returns to action with the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

The last time we saw the boys in action, Talor Gooch earned his first-ever win on Tour at the RSM Classic in November. Three weeks prior Lucas Herbert did the same at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. As the new year approaches, with the depth and level of talent on Tour at seemingly an all-time high these days, your friends at Golfweek got to thinking — who might be next to earn that first big Tour win?

From veterans to rising stars from the amateur ranks, here are 10 players who we predict will hoist a trophy for the first time in 2022.

PGA Tour rookie Sahith Theegala leads Sanderson Farms Championship after low-scoring Saturday

22 players shot 5-under or better Saturday at the Sanderson Farms, including 54-hole leader Sahith Theegala.

JACKSON, Miss. — If you were watching the Sanderson Farms Championship on Saturday, you probably shot 67 from your couch.

A whopping 22 players shot 5-under or better during the third round at Country Club of Jackson, including 54-hole leader and PGA Tour rookie, Sahith Theegala. The Pepperdine product, after a “pretty wild” round, holds a one-shot lead at 18 under over Cameron Tringale, Denny McCarthy, Sam Burns and Cameron Young.

Theegala, the undisputed men’s college player of the year in 2020, is off to a strong start in the professional ranks following his made cut at the Fortinet Championship two weeks ago, the first event of the new Tour season.

“I started off playing really well, really solid, just missed a few makeable putts, but felt like my game was good,” Theegala said of his bogey-free round. “Then I started to hit some — I got a few to go in at the start of the back nine — and them I hit some wild drives, I mean way right, so was really happy to escape with a couple pars. It just felt like a grind those last five, six holes there. Obviously really happy with how I ground that out.”

Sanderson Farms: Scores | Yardage book | Photos

Theegala made five birdies and 13 pars in his round, and was as close to an eagle as you can get on the 303-yard par-4 15th. When his drive ran off the back of the green, leaving an 84-foot pitch to the hole, Theegala ran one right at the cup and suffered one of the more-brutal lipouts you’ll see.

“I can’t wait to see the replay of that to see what happened because it literally looked like more than a 360,” Theegala said of the shot. “I didn’t have the greatest vantage point, but it was literally going right at the stick, and I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s in, with good speed.’ But yeah, I can’t believe that lipout. That was like, people saw that lipout of Spieth at the Ryder Cup, that might have been worse.”

Still searching for his first win on Tour in his 311th start, Tringale shot the low round of the day, a bogey-free 10-under 62 to match his career best. Tringale went birdie-eagle-birdie-eagle on the par 5’s Saturday.

“I was just in control, in complete command of the ball and those are fun days, definitely didn’t feel that way starting out the week, but I feel like I’ve gained a little confidence each day,” Tringale said of his week in Mississippi. “I would say this was a combination of hitting a lot of good shots and having good breaks just on the same day.

“I love playing, obviously I’ve been out here a long time, I haven’t won, but I love competing and I just want to see if I can keep beating guys … I’m kind of a journeyman to this point and I’m enjoying the journey.”

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McCarthy and Burns each shot 7-under 65 while Young signed for a 5-under 67. Seth Reeves sits T-6 alongside Trey Mullinax at 16-under after a career low 9-under 63. Aaron Wise (67) and Roger Sloan (68) are T-8 at 15 under.

While 15 players are within four shots of the lead entering Sunday’s final round, according to the Tour, the Sanderson Farms Championship is the only event on Tour where each of the last four 54-hole leaders or co-leaders have converted for the win: Ryan Armour (2017), Cameron Champ (2018), Sebastián Muñoz (2019) and Sergio Garcia (2020).

“Definitely a little nerves in there for sure, but I think people have said before pressure’s a privilege and I’m trying to use those nerves to my advantage,” Theegala said of the pressure and nerves on the course. “I’m just having a good time with (caddie Carl Smith) out there and regardless of the golf that’s what it boils down to, golf’s a game and try and enjoy it as much as I can.”

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It’s another par-busting party at Sanderson Farms Championship

Birdies and eagles rule the Sanderson Farms, so much so that the average winning score the past five editions was 19 under.

We all know the familiar adage whenever the U.S. Open is contested.

Par is your friend.

Well, that doesn’t ring true at the Country Club of Jackson, home to the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Birdies and eagles rule in the Sanderson Farms, so much so that the average winning score in the past five editions was 19 under. Here, you go low or go home.

That scoring trend seems likely again this year as players lit up the leaderboards with red numbers in Thursday’s first round. There were 20 scores of 68 or better – and that was just out of the morning wave of players. Defending champion Sergio Garcia was eight shots back when he went to the first tee for his afternoon round.

Par busters were so frequent that Corey Conners, who shot 5-under-par 67, didn’t realize he made five consecutive birdies.

“I really didn’t even know I made five in a row until I was signing my scorecard and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’” he said. “I just tried to play with freedom, was able to roll in some putts and, yeah, able to string some birdies together.”

Sanderson Farms: Scores | Yardage book

Many others put plenty of circles on the scorecards on a day featuring light winds, overcast skies and warm temperatures. And with pure Bermuda greens, the players had a field day at the Country Club of Jackson.

“The greens are some of the best greens we play on all year,” Conners said. “I think it’s a very underrated golf course; it’s right in front of you, but you got to be really on, or you can have some trouble.”

Sahith Theegala had no trouble in a bogey-free 64 to grab the clubhouse lead. The 2020 winner of the Haskins, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan awards honoring the best player in college is making his 15th start on the PGA Tour.

“Really stress free,” he said of his round. “Probably the best way I can describe it. Just drove it really well. I was really working it well. I got my slider back. I was hitting a pretty good cut, probably 25 to 30 yard cut out there and this course kind of allows it because the trees around the tee box aren’t that close to the tees, so I was just working my ball flight in there and just felt really comfortable all day.

“Being in the fairway helps so much.”

Having the right attitude, especially when facing the heightened expectations Theegala had to deal with when he turned pro, helps, too.

“I think the main thing is that everyone that’s gotten to this point, they know their game is good enough to at least be out here and I think knowing that in the back of our mind, it sounds cliche, but just really have a good time out there,” Theegala said. “I would like to think pretty much everyone loves the game and that’s why they’re playing it and they just happen to be really good at it, so that’s kind of the mindset I’m going to keep having, just go out and have a good time.

“If the golf is there, fantastic. If it’s not there, there’s more to life and live to play another day kind of thing.”

Nick Watney signed for a 65. Roger Sloan and Kurt Kitayama were each at 66.

A large group at 67 included Conners, Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im. Sam Burns, the highest ranked player in the world at No. 25, shot 68.

Despite the scoring binges, players said they don’t feel any extra pressure to go low to keep up.

“I’ve never done well if I thought, ‘Oh, I have to shoot X-under. I think I do my best when I go out and try to play the shot in front of me,” Watney said. “I know that’s super cliche, but that’s truly how I play my best. That’s what I was even trying to do today. Just to execute my best on that shot.”

Added Kitayama: “I feel like most tournaments scores are low so you kind of know what you gotta do and if you can get to that 20-under number, you can have a good chance to win any week. And if it’s lower, it just happens.”

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2020 3M Open odds, predictions, picks, PGA Tour best bets

Sportsbookwire takes a look at the BetMGM PGA Tour betting odds and makes picks to win the 2020 3M Tournament.

Matthew Wolff looks to defend his 2019 title at this week’s 3M Open – which begins Thursday – at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn. He’ll face a much weaker field than what was in attendance for Jon Rahm’s victory at last week’s Memorial Tournament. Tommy Fleetwood is the top-ranked golfer in attendance at No. 17 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our picks and best bets for the 2020 3M Open.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Tier 1

Jul 3, 2020; Detroit; Erik van Rooyen at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, July 20 at 3:45 p.m. ET.

Lucas Glover (+3300)

Glover shares the seventh-best odds to win the 3M Open following a T-38 finish last week at Muirfield Village Golf Club in more difficult conditions and against a much stronger field. He tied for seventh in this event last year and has made the cut in each of his five events since the PGA Tour returned to play following the midseason pause.

He’s 26th on Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach and 36th in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Birdies or Better Percentage.

Looking to place a bet on the 2020 3M Open? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!

Erik Van Rooyen (+4500)

Van Rooyen finished T-22 last week. He tied for 21st at the RBC Heritage but missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He averaged 2.08 Strokes Gained: Approach and 2.19 SG: Tee-to-Green last week, according to Data Golf. The 30-year-old South African is still looking for his first win on the PGA Tour but will play against a weaker field than what’s usually at the tournaments in which he plays.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Tier 2

Jun 11, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas; Max Homa at the Charles Schwab Challenge. (Photo Credit: Raymond Carlin III – USA TODAY Sports)

Max Homa (+6600)

Homa has missed the cut in three straight events and four of his last five since play returned. He withdrew during the third round last year after making the cut at 5-under par. He’s 38th on Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee and 49th in SG: Approach this season.

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Charles Howell III (+9000)

Howell tied for 48th at plus-8 last week with a final round of 77. He was T-23 in this event last year at 13-under while averaging 1.50 SG: Tee-to-Green per round. He’ll be looking for his first top-10 result in his 10th event this year, but he had five top 10s in 30 events last year. His last win came at the 2018 RSM Classic in a more similar field than what we’ve seen lately.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Long shots

Jul 12, 2020; Dublin, Ohio; Chase Seiffert at the Workday Charity Open. (Photo Credit: Joseph Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports)

Chase Seiffert (+10000)

Seiffert took last week off following his breakout fourth-place finish in the Workday Charity Open. He gained 0.92 strokes on approach and 1.44 from tee-to-green per round at Muirfield Village and his odds remain high following the week away.

Sahith Theegala (+25000)

Theegala has his highest odds since turning pro after missing the cut at the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic. The former top amateur will play in his weakest field and has his best chance for success.

Wolff won here in 2019 as a +12500 long shot in his third start as a pro.

Get some action on the 2020 3M Open by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

2020 3M Open odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 3M Open, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

Matthew Wolff looks to defend his 2019 title at this week’s 3M Open – which begins Thursday – at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn. He’ll face a much weaker field than what was in attendance for Jon Rahm’s victory at last week’s Memorial Tournament. Tommy Fleetwood is the top-ranked golfer in attendance at No. 17 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our picks and best bets for the 2020 3M Open.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Tier 1

Jul 3, 2020; Detroit; Erik van Rooyen at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, July 20 at 3:45 p.m. ET.

Lucas Glover (+3300)

Glover shares the seventh-best odds to win the 3M Open following a T-38 finish last week at Muirfield Village Golf Club in more difficult conditions and against a much stronger field. He tied for seventh in this event last year and has made the cut in each of his five events since the PGA Tour returned to play following the midseason pause.

He’s 26th on Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach and 36th in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Birdies or Better Percentage.

Looking to place a bet on the 2020 3M Open? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!

Erik Van Rooyen (+4500)

Van Rooyen finished T-22 last week. He tied for 21st at the RBC Heritage but missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He averaged 2.08 Strokes Gained: Approach and 2.19 SG: Tee-to-Green last week, according to Data Golf. The 30-year-old South African is still looking for his first win on the PGA Tour but will play against a weaker field than what’s usually at the tournaments in which he plays.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Tier 2

Jun 11, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas; Max Homa at the Charles Schwab Challenge. (Photo Credit: Raymond Carlin III – USA TODAY Sports)

Max Homa (+6600)

Homa has missed the cut in three straight events and four of his last five since play returned. He withdrew during the third round last year after making the cut at 5-under par. He’s 38th on Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee and 49th in SG: Approach this season.

SUBSCRIBE to Golfweek and get the most comprehensive coverage of golf’s greatest athletes. Click here or call 1-800-996-4653 to subscribe.

Charles Howell III (+9000)

Howell tied for 48th at plus-8 last week with a final round of 77. He was T-23 in this event last year at 13-under while averaging 1.50 SG: Tee-to-Green per round. He’ll be looking for his first top-10 result in his 10th event this year, but he had five top 10s in 30 events last year. His last win came at the 2018 RSM Classic in a more similar field than what we’ve seen lately.

2020 3M Open Betting Picks – Long shots

Jul 12, 2020; Dublin, Ohio; Chase Seiffert at the Workday Charity Open. (Photo Credit: Joseph Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports)

Chase Seiffert (+10000)

Seiffert took last week off following his breakout fourth-place finish in the Workday Charity Open. He gained 0.92 strokes on approach and 1.44 from tee-to-green per round at Muirfield Village and his odds remain high following the week away.

Sahith Theegala (+25000)

Theegala has his highest odds since turning pro after missing the cut at the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic. The former top amateur will play in his weakest field and has his best chance for success.

Wolff won here in 2019 as a +12500 long shot in his third start as a pro.

Get some action on the 2020 3M Open by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Sahith Theegala adds another line to resume as Jack Nicklaus Award winner

Sahith Theegala completed the postseason awards sweep as he was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner.

Sahith Theegala teed it up in the last two PGA Tour events as a professional. The Pepperdine player continues to rack up college golf awards, though, and on Wednesday was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner.

Theegala already was named the Ben Hogan Award winner and Haskins Award winner earlier this spring after a shortened senior season during which he won a pair of tournaments and also posted four top-10 finishes. He finished the year as the No. 1 player in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings.

Theegala becomes just the fifth player to earn all three awards in the same year.

The Nicklaus Award recognizes the top players at the Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA levels.

At the Division II level, Delta State’s Zach Zediker was named the award recipient. Zediker claimed four victories during his senior campaign after opening the season with a runner-up finish at the Cougar Invitational. Zediker becomes the first Delta State player in program history to win the Nicklaus Award.

Rob Wuethrich of Illinois Wesleyan was the Division III winner. Wuethrich posted a scoring average of 70.2 and finished the year ranked No. 1 in the final Golfstat NCAA Division III rankings. He won four times this season and did not finish outside the top six.

Dalton State’s Ben Rebne, the NAIA winner, won four individual titles, posted five top-5 finishes, and never finished outside the top-10 in all six events. Rebne becomes the fourth Dalton State player to win the Jack Nicklaus Award in the last six years.

Finally, NJCAA winner Jon Hopkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast recorded three wins during the 2019-20 campaign and is headed to Florida Gulf Coast next season to continue his college career.

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Golfweek Rewind: The PGA Tour returns, a moment of silence for George Floyd

George Floyd was honored as the PGA Tour returned with the Charles Schwab Challenge this week. Catch up on the week’s top golf stories.

The PGA Tour played its first event the age of coronavirus, the RBC Heritage boasts a stacked field despite Tiger Woods not playing, the LPGA loses a major and we recap what the Tour did to honor the memory of George Floyd during the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Take a look at the week’s top stories on the latest episode of Golfweek Rewind featured below.

[jwplayer wWKIpRcp-vgFm21H3]

PGA Tour returns

The PGA Tour returns in dramatic fashion. Daniel Berger won the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in a playoff with Collin Morikawa. The event was the Tour’s first since the Players Championship was canceled in mid-March.

Patron precautions

The Memorial Tournament, the first event on the Tour’s revised schedule to allow fans, announced it sold out of its badge options for the July 16-19 tournament. Attendance is limited to 20 percent of its usual capacity and patrons must wear masks due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Other precautions to which patrons will be subject can be found on our website.

One less major

At least one of the LPGA’s five majors will not be played in 2020. The Evian Championship in France has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event was scheduled to be played Aug. 6-9. The LPGA plans to restart its season July 23 with the Marathon Classic in Toledo, Ohio.

For more on if Tiger Woods will play at the RBC Heritage, who won the 2020 Ben Hogan Award and how the PGA Tour honored George Floyd at the Charles Schwab Challenge, watch the latest edition of Golfweek Rewind featured above.

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Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala wins 2020 Ben Hogan Award

Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala won the 2020 Ben Hogan Award, men’s college golf’s top honor.

Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala didn’t have the senior season he expected due to the coronavirus pandemic, but maybe that’s a good thing.

The Pepperdine senior won the 2020 Haskins Award on May 8 and on Tuesday added another prestigious trophy to his collection: the 2020 Ben Hogan Award.

Theegala, the top-ranked college player on the Golfweek/Sagarin ranking, was named a finalist for the annual award given to the nation’s top men’s college golfer in April alongside Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein and Florida freshman Ricky Castillo.

Theegala, the first golfer from Pepperdine to be nominated for the Ben Hogan award, won the Southwest Invitational and the Alister MacKenzie Invitational and had four more top-10 finishes in the shortened 2019-20 season.

Along with his win of this year’s Ben Hogan Award, Theegala will play in the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge.

Castillo is the No. 2 ranked player on the Golfweek/Sagarin ranking and Augenstein sits at No. 7.

All three golfers were first-time finalists and met the criteria for the award after each players’ performances over the past 12 months of competition were considered. This year’s college golf season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so only competitions between May 21, 2019 and March 12, 2020 were considered in determining a winner.

Other winners of the Ben Hogan Award include Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler.

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