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PGA Tour

Players Championship: Watch Scottie Scheffler Getting A Massage During The Round

Scottie Scheffler was treated by his physio during the second round of the Players Championship. It appears to be a problem with his neck. On the tee of the 14th hole, the world number 1 received a massage while sitting on a folding chair. Scheffler, who should have had the honour of teeing off after his birdie on hole 13, allowed his flight partners Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas to tee off first. The two were already on the fairway before Scheffler hit his tee shot.

Video: Scottie Scheffler receives treatment at Players Championship

Scottie Scheffler receiving treatment on the 14th tee for discomfort in his neck. He remains just one shot back of the lead. pic.twitter.com/CM13olqc0y — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2024

At this point, Scheffler was two shots under par after four holes and just one shot behind the leaders. As a result of his treatment, the flight was informed that they had lost too much time and needed to pick up the pace.

The problems apparently began after his tee shot on hole 12, after which Scheffler enquired with a rules official whether treatment would be possible during the round.

The Scheffler Shuffle is evolving. (He found the fairway.) pic.twitter.com/QjtmuTi1Yf — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2024

Scheffler would be the first player to defend his title at the Players Championship. After a round of 67 on day 1, he is a good step closer to this achievement, if his neck problems don’t affect him now.

Zum Leaderboard der Players Championship

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PGA Tour

The 17 of the Players Championship 2024: This is how many balls went down in round 1

The course at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach is not the favorite course of many golf pros for nothing. The course impresses with its challenging design and first-class conditions. The highlight of the course is hole 17, a par-3 where the ball has to be hit over a large pond directly onto the island green. The slightest mistake is severely punished: year after year, numerous balls go astray at the Players Championship, as even the pros miss the green from time to time.

Ten balls disappeared into the water

About 127 yards had to be overcome in round 1 of the Players Championship 2024. The flag was stuck on the front edge of the green, which made the approach even more difficult. Out of 138 players who passed the hole before the interruption due to darkness on the first day, ten players sank their ball in the water. It was particularly annoying for Sam Ryder, whose ball missed the hole by a hair’s breadth before rolling into the water (double bogey). Tom Kim, who was playing with a fever of over 39 degrees and gave up shortly afterwards, also sank his ball in the water (triple bogey).

Nevertheless, there was great jubilation on the par-3. 23 players mastered the hole with a birdie, but were eclipsed by Ryan Fox. Fox achieved what most golfers dream of: he holed out for a hole-in-one. With just the right amount of backspin, his ball rolled straight into the hole after landing. In combination with another eagle, which he scored on the 16th, Fox is the first player in the history of the tournament to achieve two double stroke wins in a row.

In addition to the ace and the 23 birdies, there were a total of 86 pars, 20 bogeys, seven double bogeys and Tom Kim’s triple bogey. This results in an average score of 3.087, which is slightly higher than last year’s 3.03. Last year, almost twice as many balls landed in the water: a total of 16.

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PGA Tour

Video: From near ace to double bogey at the 2024 Players Championship

That’s golf: just millimeters away from one of the greatest moments of your golf career to a costly double bogey in just a few minutes. When Sam Ryder teed off on the famous signature hole, the 17th, in round 1 of the 2024 Players Championship, thousands of fans cheered him on.

Hole 17 – the highlight of the Players Championship 2024

Hole 17 of the TPC Sawgrass – the dreaded island green of the course, which has been the undoing of many a player. While Ryan Fox was able to celebrate an ace on this special hole on Thursday, things turned out differently for Sam Ryder. His ball headed straight for the flag after hitting the green and missed it by a hair’s breadth. The back spin that Ryder had put on the ball then drove the ball off the green, over the narrow edge of the rough and into the water. In the end, Ryder recorded an annoying 5 on the par-3. He found a conciliatory finish with a birdie on the 18th and is tied 37th after round 1.

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PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy after controversial drop at Players: “I was adamant”

Rory McIlroy put in a strong performance on the first day of the Players Championship. But the number one topic of conversation was his controversial drop. In the PGA Tour press conference, he spoke about how everyone just wants to do the right thing and which statistic he is particularly happy with. Read the full press conference with Rory McIlroy here.

Rory McIlroys press conference after round one of The Players

Question: Not a total golf question, but I know you’re a big sports fan. Caleb Williams, who’s never seen a golf tournament in his life, became a golf fan through his coach at Southern Cal, so he specifically wanted to follow you and Spieth. You guys are fans of other things; what’s it like to have a guy who’s never played golf before, probably be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and he wanted to follow your group?

Rory McIlroy: Thank you for telling me what sport he played. (Laughter).

Yeah, it’s really cool. I think golf is hopefully becoming more popular and more mainstream and sort of making it out of its little niche area that it has. Yeah, it is, it’s very cool to have people out there following that take an interest in what we’re doing out there, especially other athletes.

One of my favorite things to do is to go and watch other sporting events and sort of talk to other athletes, how they approach their sport and how they try to master their craft. It’s always nice to hear when other athletes take an interest in us, as well.

Question: That scene on the 7th, was that necessary in your eyes, or was it all needless?

Rory McIlroy: I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.

If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.

Question: You talked yesterday about being kind of stuck in between two swings. It seemed like for most of the day it was much, much better, obviously with the two exceptions. How much more comfortable was it today, and what did you find?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I’m not sure how the strokes gained approach stats look like, but it’s probably been one of my best days in a while, which is really nice.

Yeah, the feeling is good with the irons, and the feeling with the driver and the 3-wood is just a little bit different, but as long as I remind myself on the tee box that okay, this is a wood, and I get on the fairway, and this is an iron, and I’ve got two different feels and two different thoughts, then it’s okay.

Yeah, much, much improved on the approach play today, which was nice to see.

Question: (Question about the tee shot on 7).

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, they were just a bit guidey, a bit uncommitted, more so than anything else.

Question: You called Sunday a wake-up call. What did it wake you up to?

Rory McIlroy: Just I needed to clean up the technique a little bit, needed to clean up some things. Honestly, just needed to put the time in. I think when you play — I’ve wanted to play a lot to start this year, and I have, but when you play a lot, you don’t maybe get the time to practice all that much. At the same time, say I had a decent day on Sunday at Bay Hill and shot 70, for sure I would have taken Monday off here. But because of not shooting a decent score, I grinded on the range and figured something out and put the time in, and it’s sort of already reaping benefits, so that’s nice.

Question: I know it’s golf, but is it awkward when you have that sort of conversation on the 7th?

Rory McIlroy: I mean, I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, okay, did I actually see what I thought I saw.

But I mean, as long as — I was comfortable, and I was just making sure that Jordan and Viktor were comfortable, too.

Question: Seems a bit tough that they’ve got all these cameras all over the course and they’ve got a blind spot there.

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, it is a bit of a blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.

Question: You saw it bounce?

Rory McIlroy: I did, yeah. It was just a matter of whether it was above the line or below, and I thought I saw it pitch above the line.

Question: (Question about where the ball landed.)

Rory McIlroy: Yeah. I mean, yeah, I think so.

Question: 18 was a similar situation.

Rory McIlroy: 18 was a pretty similar situation. Again, adamant it crossed, it’s just a matter of where it crosses. I think this golf course more than any other, it sort of produces those situations a little bit.

Again, like I feel like I’m one of the most conscientious golfers out here, so if I feel like I’ve done something wrong, it’ll play on my conscience for the rest of the tournament. I’m a big believer in karma, and if you do something wrong, I feel like it’s going to come around and bite you at some point.

I obviously don’t try to do anything wrong out there, and play by the rules and do the right thing. I feel like I obviously did that those two drops.

Question: Two in the water and shoot 65, you couldn’t have asked for much more, I would think?

Rory McIlroy: It would be nice to shoot 62 and not have two in the water, I guess. (Laughter).

Question: The last few years you’ve had a tough start here which got you behind the 8-ball. How nice was it to get off to a hot start and attack a round?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I think it goes back to I didn’t have many expectations going out there today because I was like, okay, feels good on the range and feels good in practice, but let’s see how it is when you’ve got a card in your hand.

There’s something to be said for that, just sort of lessening the expectations a little bit and going out there and seeing what happens. But yeah, it was obviously a great start.

Question: Is it hard to reset when there’s been a long delay like that and get back into the rhythm?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, a little bit. It was disappointing not to get that up-and-down on 7, but that’s probably why I give it a little mini-fist pump on 9 to feel like I got one of those shots back.

Yeah, you have to reset and you have to try to get back into the zone that you were in for the 15 previous holes.

Question: When you say you were maybe doubting what you saw with your own eyes in terms of determining where you needed to drop, how do you balance that between the input you’re getting from your playing partners versus what you saw with your own eyes?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, exactly. I was adamant that I saw it bounce above the red line, but then when someone comes in and says, well, someone thought that it didn’t. Then you’re like — it just puts some doubt in your mind. Again, it’s up to you to be comfortable enough with your decision that you did see what you saw, I guess.

Question: Viktor and Jordan didn’t speak to the media, but from your perspective, did you feel like everybody was comfortable after the round with the decisions made on the course on 18 and 7?

Rory McIlroy: I think so, yeah. I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing.
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PGA Tour Uncategorized

Players Championship 2024: Canadian loses his nerve, his wife reacts hilariously

It could have been a round that motivated Canadian Adam Hadwin to do more. After seven holes, he was already three over par in the first round of the Players Championship, but he fought his way back to even par on the 16th. Two holes remained to bring his score into the red. It turned out differently…

Players Championship 2024: First the ball, then the club

First he sank a ball in the water on the 17th, where the first hole-in-one had already been made on Thursday afternoon, and had to accept a double bogey. But that was not enough. On the last hole at the TPC Sawgrass, his drive was already flirting with the water, but just managed to stay dry. His shot into the green then fell victim to the right-left slope of the fairway in front of the green and rolled into the water. Too much for the one-time PGA Tour winner. His club had to take the hit and flew into the lake immediately afterwards. At least he got away with a bogey on the 18th, but that put him back at three over par, as he had been after seven holes.

Hadwin’s wife Jessica, known for her humorous take on her husband’s golfing misdemeanours, could find nothing wrong with the 36-year-old’s breach of etiquette: “I have seen the moment in question. If I’m going simply on the aesthetic of the toss….10/10” shw wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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Live

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 1 of the THE PLAYERS Championship

The latest showdown on the PGA Tour is THE PLAYERS Championship, unfolding at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA. While the players are preparing for round 2 of the tournament, a lot has already happened on the leaderboard on the first day.

Currently sharing the first position with a total score of -7 each are Xander Schauffele from the USA, Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland, and Wyndham Clark from the USA. Sitting on the fourth spot is Nick Taylor from Canada with a total score of -6 and sharing it with Matt Fitzpatrick from England.

In terms of the best daily scores of the day, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, and Wyndham Clark hold the top three spots, with each of them finishing their rounds with a -7.

The players are vying for a piece of the $25,000,000 tournament prize money, one of the largest purses in the golf world. The described highlights of the tournament are provided in the accompanying video for the PGA Tour Highlights segment.

As the final shots are taken and the last putts sink into the hole, the identity of the champion will soon be revealed. The culmination of THE PLAYERS Championship will bring another exciting golf event to a close. For more details and comprehensive coverage, refer to the dedicated section, THE PLAYERS Championship Highlights.

THE PLAYERS Championship: The PGA Tour round 1 highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024: Hovland and Spieth Question Rory McIlory’s Drop

Rory McIlroy hit his ball into the water twice in the first round of the Players Championship 2024. On hole 7, this resulted in a discussion with his flight partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. The discussion centred on the question of whether the ball crossed the red line after crossing the penalty area or whether it bounced and rolled into the water before crossing the line. Another part of the discussion centred on where the ball may have crossed the line.

Players Championship 2024: Discussions about Rory McIlroy’s drop

The PGA Tour captured the entire discussion on video:

Rory McIlroy was pretty sure of his drop on the hole side of the penalty area when Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth questioned whether the ball had really crossed the red line. If it hadn’t, McIlroy would have had to hit again from the tee. According to Spieth, the TV crew were of the opinion that the ball had “one hundred per cent” not crossed the line. However, he himself had not seen where the ball had landed. Hovland couldn’t say for sure either and called the situation “very speculative”. McIlroy, meanwhile, emphasised that he was convinced the ball had crossed the line, he just wasn’t sure exactly where.

A rules official was called in to help and the camera footage was consulted. However, it was concluded that the television images did not provide clear evidence and the decision would therefore have to be made based on the players’ judgement. It was agreed that the ball had landed on land.

McIlroy, to be on the safe side, chose a spot to drop that was on the line a few metres back from where he estimated the ball had crossed the red line. The rules official made sure that Spieth and Hovland were not against the location of the drop, which they both confirmed, even if they still didn’t seem entirely convinced that the ball had actually crossed the line. Golf journalist Dan Rapaport, who accompanied the group, described the atmosphere as “very strange”.

McIlroy took the shot and ended up making double bogey on that hole.

Rory McIlroy: “I started to doubt myself a little bit”

After the round, McIlroy said the following about the situation to the media:
“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.”

“If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

“I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, okay, did I actually see what I thought I saw. But I mean, as long as — I was comfortable, and I was just making sure that Jordan and Viktor were comfortable, too.”

“It is a bit of a blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”

“I was adamant that I saw it bounce above the red line, but then when someone comes in and says, well, someone thought that it didn’t. Then you’re like — it just puts some doubt in your mind. Again, it’s up to you to be comfortable enough with your decision that you did see what you saw, I guess.”

“It was disappointing not to get that up-and-down on 7, but that’s probably why I give it a little mini-fist pump on 9 to feel like I got one of those shots back. You have to reset and you have to try to get back into the zone that you were in for the 15 previous holes.”

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PGA Tour

Players Championship: Early Hole in One on 17

Ryan Fox makes the first hole-in-one of the 2024 Players Championship on hole 17. The famous island green is actually known for being particularly challenging and only a few holes-in-one have been made here in the history of the Players Championship. The record was set last year with three aces over the course of the tournament week.

And before most players have even completed half of the round, the first hole-in-one of 2024 has already been made. Mild weather conditions with little wind and an easy flag position made Ryan Fox’s task a little easier.

Hole in One at the Players Championship 2024

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Live

PGA Tour Tee Times: Rory McIlroy’s Schedule For The Players Championship

This week’s PGA Tour event, The Players Championship is taking place at TPC Sawgrass, located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA. The tournament, boasting a prize pool of $25,000,000, is about to commence this Thursday with the first set of rounds. Notably, Scottie Scheffler, last year’s title holder, is set to defend his crown.

PGA Tour Tee Times: Spotlight on Rory McIlroy and other UK Players

Starting with Ben Taylor, “the English player is set to tee off at 11:51 (UK time) for round 1 alongside Carson Young of the USA and Brandon Wu of the USA. For round 2, Taylor’s tee time is slotted for 16:56. Aaron Rai, also playing for England, is starting round 1 at the same time with Michael Kim of the USA and Carl Yuan of China, starting at Tee 10. For the second round, Aaron’s tee time is 12:56.

Tommy Fleetwood, will start round 1 at 12:24 in a group with Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele of the USA. For round 2, his schedule is set for 17:29. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy will be starting his journey at the tournament with a tee time of 12:35 for round 1 alongside Jordan Spieth of the USA and Viktor Hovland of Norway. His second round commences at 17:40.

Justin Rose, playing for England, has been assigned a tee time of 12:57 for round 1, playing with Nick Taylor of Canada and Tom Kim of South Korea. His second round begins at 18:02.

On the Scottish front, we have Martin Laird, who starts round 1 at 13:30 with Justin Suh of the USA and Greyson Sigg of the USA. Round 2 tee time for Martin is 18:35. Compatriot Robert MacIntyre will be teeing off at 13:41 for round 1, in a group with Benjamin Silverman of Canada and Ryo Hisatsune of Japan. For the second round, Robert hits the course at 18:46.

Other English players like Matt Fitzpatrick and Matt Wallace will be teeing off in different flights at 17:29 from Tee 1 and 10, respectively and at 12:24 on day 2. Harry Hall and Callum Tarren will be teeing off at 18:35 on the first day and at 13:30 for their second round.

Finally, David Skinns, another player hailing from England, tees off for round 1 at 18:46 with Jimmy Stanger of the USA and Chan Kim of the USA. His round 2 will commence at 13:41.

This text was created with AI.

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PGA Tour

Jay Monahan on the state of the PGA Tour: The focus should be on the fan

Commissioner Jay Monahan used the 50th Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, to provide an overview of the current state of the Tour. The ongoing negotiations with the PIF as well as the partnership with the Strategic Sports Group announced at the beginning of the year took centre stage. The overarching message, however, was that fans should be taken into account in all decisions.

Negotiations with PIF are “accelerating”

Monahan was unable to go into detail about the negotiations with the PIF, but stated that the negotiations are progressing and that he continues to believe that a deal will be the best outcome.

“I do know everyone is curious about the status of our negotiations with the PIF. As I’ve said on a number of occasions, you can’t negotiate a deal like this in public, so I will be brief. I recently met with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together. While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential.”

The deal with SSG is by no means an obstacle; on the contrary, it has improved the chances of a successful negotiation, as the expertise behind it is also attractive for the PIF.

“There are a finite number of athletes, and this is a point in time, a unique point in time where unification ultimately puts the sport in the best possible position to take advantage of this growth on a go-forward basis.”

What the fans want

The cooperation with the Strategic Sports Group is also intended to guarantee future growth, but it is imperative that the cooperation between SSG, players and the PGA Tour focuses on the fan.

“Our business thrives when together we’re all laser focused on delivering for our fans. If we fail on that front, we fail on every front. Three weeks ago we had our first Policy Board meeting since SSG became an investor. The substance of that meeting focused primarily on how we can place our current and future fans at the center of our decision making.

We’ve done extensive research with our fans, and what they’re telling us today is simple: They love golf, and they’re loyal to the PGA TOUR. They’re tired of hearing about conflict, money and who is getting what. They want to watch the world’s best golfers compete in tournaments with history, meaning, and legacies on the line at venues they recognize and love. They also want to know how we’re planning to make the sport more entertaining and easier for them to watch and follow.”

Together with the SSG, they want to focus on these fan priorities. That’s why Monahan addressed the fans directly in his press conference:

“We remain committed to this mission-driven formula, and as I close, I want to speak directly to our fans, our most important constituent, and ones that maybe haven’t felt their voices heard lately. All of this talk about investment and growth, I want you to know that we’re focusing that energy on bringing forth the most competitive and entertaining TOUR possible for you. It’s my commitment and it’s our players’ commitment.”

The PGA Tour ethos: Pure competition

Despite concerns that the PGA Tour has been weakened too much by the departing stars, with the unknown faces at the top of the game as supposed proof, Jay Monahan defends the Tour’s current course, especially with regard to the Signature Events and their effect. The Signature Events are a product of the PGA Tour’s balancing act of creating better earning opportunities for the PGA Tour’s top players while bringing them together more often in one place in the interests of both sponsors and fans, but it is still too early in the season to really judge the newly introduced model.

“Early returns for 2024 show that field strength, player participation, and access for full-field and signature events are strong and delivering on our expectations based on the modeled projections. Year-to-date data includes the following: We’ve had 49 unique players outside the top 50 who have competed in signature events with help of the AON Swing 5 and AON Next 10.”

“We are currently tracking at a 60 percent retention rate among the top 50. Using data comparing participation from the top 50 and top 125 in the FedExCup standings in 2023, or versus 2023, the strength of field at full-field events has improved by nearly 30 percent. Better yet, the reimagined schedule is delivering the essence of the PGA TOUR’s ethos: Pure competition which shows just how hard winning is.”

“Three rookies who took distinctly different paths to the PGA TOUR have already entered the winner’s circle in 2024. Nick Dunlap, the first amateur to win on the PGA TOUR since 1992; Mathew Pavon, a new arrival via the DP World Tour top 10, who sits third in the FedExCup standings; and Korn Ferry Tour graduate Jake Knapp. We’ve also witnessed the game’s elite excelling on the biggest stages: Hideki Matsuyama’s Sunday 62 at the Genesis Invitational, to become the most accomplished Asian-born player in PGA TOUR history; Wyndham Clark winning his second Signature Event at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the strength of a course record 60 at Pebble Beach; and last week, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pulled away from a stacked leaderboard with a master class performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard to take over the lead in the FedExCup standings.”

“While it’s still early in the season, there are also a number of stars and fan favorites who haven’t hoisted a trophy yet in 2024. They know it, and in talking to them, they’re looking to put an end to that narrative as early as this week.”

Between legacy and new talent

The PGA Tour is in such a good position precisely because it offers the opportunity to “consistantly regenerate talent and create stars.”

“Jason Gore talks about the fact that a star on the PGA TOUR can be born in three weeks, and that’s what we do, and that’s the strength of our product, and that’s the durability of our products.”

Ultimately, it is not just the players, but the history and tradition of the tour and the individual tournaments that make the tour so strong.

“When you have tournaments that have been in place for decades with history, legacy, tradition, great list of champions, familiarity with your fans, on a global basis, there’s a recognition that winning out here is an incredible accomplishment. That emotion that you see on Sunday after a player wins, that emotion that you see from fans, you know, as players are coming down the stretch and they’re seeing our athletes and their exceptionalism, to me that is something that the PGA TOUR has and always will uniquely provide.”

But you can never discount, and in fact, it’s a great strength to have that established history and legacy at each one of these tournaments, including this great tournament this week that’s 50 years since its debut, and you look at that list of champions, and the person, the player that drives away here Sunday night winning this championship will have their career and their life changed in very meaningful ways. That’s what we do; we change players’ lives and we change people’s lives, and no organization does that better than the PGA TOUR.”