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The PGA Tour is making a last cease earlier than the PGA Championship, the second main of the season, which is able to tee off subsequent week at Valhalla Golf Membership in Louisville, Kentucky.
However the greatest story in skilled golf this week will happen on the Cognizant Founders Cup at Higher Montclair Nation Membership in Clifton, New Jersey, the place LPGA Tour star Nelly Korda will try to win in her sixth consecutive start.
With one other victory, Korda would break an LPGA Tour file she shares with Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) and Nancy Lopez (1978).
A lot of the PGA Tour’s high golfers, together with Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark and others, are competing at Quail Hole Membership in Charlotte, North Carolina, the place a $20 million purse is on the road.
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is not within the subject, as he is at house in Dallas along with his spouse, Meredith, who’s anticipating their first little one.
What’s subsequent on the PGA Tour
Wells Fargo Championship
When: Thursday-Sunday
The place: Quail Hole Membership, Charlotte, North Carolina
Defending champion: Wyndham Clark
Purse: $20 million ($3.6 million to winner)
Myrtle Seaside Basic
When: Thursday-Sunday
The place: Dunes Golf & Seaside Membership, Myrtle Seaside, South Carolina
Defending champion: First yr
Purse: $4 million ($720,000 to winner)
Clark’s protection
A yr in the past, Wyndham Clark was ranked 163rd within the Official World Golf Rating and hadn’t gained a PGA Tour occasion. After successful at Quail Hole final yr, he picked up victories on the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Nation Membership and the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am in February.
Clark is now ranked No. 3 on the earth, behind Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
“Yeah, it is loopy,” Clark stated. “I imply, in 12 months, it is loopy to suppose I jumped that many spots and have a number of wins below my belt now. It is truthfully actually humbling and enjoyable to be on this place. I am simply actually seeking to proceed to develop and get higher. I wish to suppose that is only the start, and hopefully it is the beginning of a whole lot of actually good golf sooner or later years.”
Earlier this week, Clark took a scouting journey to Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, the place he’ll defend his U.S. Open title on June 13-16.
Simpson OK with exemptions
Webb Simpson has heard among the criticism about him and different PGA Tour coverage board members receiving sponsors’ exemptions into tournaments. Whereas acknowledging that they’re the “most coveted sponsor exemptions within the historical past of the Tour” due to $20 million purses at signature occasions, Simpson stated he’s happy with how they have been distributed thus far.
Simpson is taking part in on a sponsor’s exemption this week — he’s a longtime resident and member of Quail Hole Membership.
“These match administrators are working around the clock for a yr attempting to make their match the perfect,” Simpson stated. “I do know that that is my fourth sponsor exemption, and Adam Scott’s obtained his fair proportion. There was controversy and guys have been attempting to hyperlink us being on the board, nevertheless it has nothing to do with me being on the board.”
Simpson, whose eight worldwide victories embrace the 2012 U.S. Open, stated his monitor file and familiarity with match administrators has extra to do with getting the exemptions.
“I actually suppose the criticisms, I knew they have been going to return relying on who bought them, however I am very comfy figuring out that we have given the sponsors the chance to choose, and the match administrators,” Simpson stated.
PGA Tour chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis stated Wednesday that the coverage board would consider sponsor’s exemptions at a gathering this summer season.
Modifications to the “Inexperienced Mile”
Quail Hole membership lengthened the par-4 sixteenth gap — the beginning of the fabled “Inexperienced Mile” three-hole ending stretch. It is the longest par-4 gap on the PGA Tour schedule thus far this season.
With the change, gamers are most likely going to be much less more likely to fly the fitting fairway bunker with their tee pictures.
“When you might fly it 320 [yards], that fairway is double the dimensions, and also you’re hitting approach much less membership in,” two-time Wells Fargo Championship winner Max Homa stated. “So you might swing approach tougher and be sort of bailed out left and proper a little bit bit. Now, it is like I do not suppose anyone can fly it. I say that and Wyndham will most likely carry it.”
Homa stated he is not a fan of lengthening holes, nevertheless it most likely wanted to be completed on No. 16.
“When you hit the ball far, that is an enormous talent, nevertheless it felt such as you have been getting an infinite reward for about 5 to seven p.c of the sphere,” Homa stated. “I feel it makes it a little bit bit higher.”
Since 2003, the Inexperienced Mile has been ranked the toughest three-hole ending stretch on tour with a mean of +0.89 over par. Holes 16-18 have accounted for twenty-four.1% of bogeys, 38.7% of doubles and 51.5% of triples or worse in the course of the Wells Fargo Championship.
What’s subsequent on the LPGA Tour
Cognizant Founders Cup
When: Thursday-Sunday
The place: Higher Montclair Nation Membership, Clifton, New Jersey
Defending champion: Jin Young Ko
Purse: $3 million ($450,000 to winner)
All eyes on Nelly
After taking a two-week break after capturing her second main championship on the Chevron Championship on April 21, Korda is again in motion.
“If I am being sincere, I’ve not considered it in any respect as a result of I’ve had a lot occurring these two weeks,” Korda stated. “I am actually simply attempting to maintain it one shot at a time, see the way it goes. This golf course is hard. It’s extremely, very slender off the tee. The tough may be very penalizing.”
Final yr, in her first begin at Higher Montclair Nation Membership, Korda carded 72-74 and missed the reduce. She additionally missed the reduce on the 2023 KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Membership in Springfield, New Jersey.
Korda will play the primary two rounds with defending champion Jin Younger Ko and Australia’s Minjee Lee.
“Clearly, with the climate they’ve had it is a little bit bit extra moist in comparison with final yr,” Korda stated. “Final yr was my first yr taking part in and it was tremendous agency, so a little bit totally different from final yr. I feel you could be a bit extra aggressive this yr. My monitor file is not nice in New Jersey, so I am hoping to alter that this yr.”
Nelly at Met Gala
On Monday, Korda attended the annual Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Artwork in New York. She’s amongst a handful of athletes who had been invited to the occasion — tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams additionally have been at this week’s fundraiser.
“Gosh, it was so, so loopy,” Korda stated. “You are standing in line able to get on the carpet, and you are like seeing all these individuals you normally watch in TV exhibits or motion pictures, and so they’re like well-known singers and also you’re starstruck the complete time. It is the perfect individuals anticipating me. I used to be simply silent taking a look at everybody’s clothes.”
Korda stated she noticed Shakira, one in all her favourite singers, and the rapper and actor Jaden Smith, who stopped and stated howdy.
“Everybody was actually superb,” Korda stated. “I am unable to simply level out one particular person. The clothes have been unbelievable and the entire night was only a dream come true.”
Korda wore a floral Oscar de la Renta robe on the pink carpet. She was a visitor of Casey Wasserman, chairman and CEO of the Wasserman leisure and sports activities company.
“I bought a pair clothes to strive on from Oscar de la Renta, and so they have been all so gorgeous,” Korda stated. “It was so exhausting to determine. I truly switched it up final minute, most likely like 20 minutes earlier than I began to prepare, and I needed to utterly change my total look. I used to be going to go along with an extended sleeve robe so I used to be going to have my hair up.
“Then I noticed this superb pink costume and I simply modified my total look most likely 20 minutes earlier than I began to prepare. Switched it up on everybody.”
Shaw hoping to encourage others
Ashley Shaw, a 15-year-old from Litchfield Park, Arizona, is making her LPGA Tour debut after successful the John Shippen Cognizant Cup by 2 strokes Monday. The John Shippen occasions work to supply taking part in alternatives to high Black amateurs and professionals.
John Shippen Jr. was the primary American-born golf skilled and the nation’s first Black golf skilled.
“I’m extraordinarily excited to be part of the change and bringing extra range to the sport of golf,” Shaw stated. “The sport of golf, it does not have lots of people who seem like myself, and even simply girls within the recreation who keep it up.
“So being part of occasions just like the John Shippen, it brings sort of a closer-to-home sort really feel. After I play within the occasions I play in I am normally the one one who seems like me — more often than not. It is perhaps two different individuals on the market.”
Shaw additionally competes on the Underrated Tour, which is supported by NBA star Stephen Curry and LPGA participant Mariah Stackhouse.
Shaw says she hopes to encourage different younger Black feminine golfers this week.
“I positively hope that they see that once they have a dream, that in the event that they keep on with it and work exhausting they will obtain it,” she stated.
