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Richy Werenski leads 3M Open; Dustin Johnson WDs after 78
Read full article: Richy Werenski leads 3M Open; Dustin Johnson WDs after 78Tony Finau tees off on the fourth hole during the first round of the 3M Open golf tournament in Blaine, Minn., Thursday, July 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)BLAINE, Minn. Richy Werenski made a short birdie putt on the par-5 18th for an 8-under 63 and the first-round lead Thursday in the 3M Open, while Dustin Johnson withdrew because of a back injury after a 78. The 24-year-old Werenski is winless in on the PGA Tour and ranked 248th in the world. Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Finau were the only entrants in the top 25 of the world ranking. At the end of his first nine, Johnson started the 599-yard, dog-leg 18th hole with a solid drive off the tee.
Morikawa takes 3-shot lead into weekend at Muirfield Village
Read full article: Morikawa takes 3-shot lead into weekend at Muirfield VillageDUBLIN, Ohio Muirfield Village was supposed to be set up easier for the first of two straight PGA Tour events. Collin Morikawa takes a three-shot lead into the weekend at 13-under 131, one shot away from the 36-hole record at Muirfield Village that Jason Dufner set three years ago at the Memorial. That's the highest score to make the cut since the PGA Tour restarted its season after a three-month shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic. It's the first time in 63 years the PGA Tour has had consecutive events on the same course. The 31-year-old Daffue is playing only his second PGA Tour event.
Still testing positive, Frittelli among 3 back to work
Read full article: Still testing positive, Frittelli among 3 back to workAnd then they tested positive again. Felt like Walter Hagen, just walked straight on to the driving range.The tour last week updated its policy for asymptomatic positive tests, like Cameron Champ. What we have learned along the way is that in some instances, individuals can continue to test positive for weeks beyond when their illness started," he said. McCarthy tested positive on June 26 before the second round at the Travelers Championship, while Frittelli tested positive that weekend. Even so, Frittelli said he could sense a buzz around Muirfield Village from players on edge about someone testing positive still in the field.
Watney bored in isolation, nervous about how he got virus
Read full article: Watney bored in isolation, nervous about how he got virus(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)Monday marked the 10th day of self-isolation for Nick Watney, the minimum required for PGA Tour players who test positive for the new coronavirus. Harris English tested positive Monday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Watney laughed at the notion he might be responsible for PGA Tour players all getting a WHOOP strap, which can provide early indications of the virus. Since the positive test, Watney has been in his room. 123 in the FedEx Cup standings, and the positive test cost him at least a month of competition.
Todd matches Johnson's 61 to take the lead at Travelers
Read full article: Todd matches Johnson's 61 to take the lead at TravelersBoth golfers shot bogey-free rounds, with Todd making five birdies on the front nine and Johnson five on the back. Todd said the round became a game of whatever you can do, I can do just as well. Its hard to miss the leader boards obviously, so (Johnson's) name was up there from a pretty early point, Todd said. Mackenzie Hughes, who led after a 60 on Thursday, shot his second straight 68 for sole possession of fourth place. Nick Watney withdrew just before the second round of last weeks RBC Heritage Championship.
Positive COVID test leads to more withdrawals from Travelers
Read full article: Positive COVID test leads to more withdrawals from TravelersMcCarthy became the third PGA Tour player to test positive for the virus since its restart and the second this week, joining Cameron Champ who withdrew on Tuesday. Gordon, a 23-year-old Vanderbilt graduate playing his fourth PGA Tour event on a sponsor's exemption, is 12-under 128 after 36 holes. The Travelers field continued to shrink after Denny McCarthy tested positive for the coronavirus. McCarthy, who shot an opening-round 67, said he began began feeling sick Thursday night and tested positive for the virus on Friday morning. McDowell and Brooks Koepkas caddies both tested positive.
Mackenzie Hughes shoots 60 to take early lead at Travelers
Read full article: Mackenzie Hughes shoots 60 to take early lead at TravelersJim Furyk shot a 12-under 58 on the same par-70 TPC River Highlands course four years ago, the lowest score in a tour event. I kind of joked walking off there that 59 wasn't even the record because of Jim's 58, Hughes said. Phil Mickelson, paired with McIlroy in his first competitive round since turning 50, was one of five players to shoot 64. Patrick Cantlay also shot 60 at TPC River Highlands as an amateur in 2011. The Travelers is the third event on the tour calendar since golf resumed.
McDowell withdraws from Travelers as tour await test results
Read full article: McDowell withdraws from Travelers as tour await test resultsCameron Champ tested positive when he arrived Tuesday and took his mandatory test at TPC River HIghlands. McDowell told Golfweek that his caddie, Ken Comboy, tested positive. The alarm bells have started to ring now that Kenny has failed this test, McDowell told Golfweek. Nick Watney was the first player to test positive, on Friday at the RBC Heritage. He told Golfweek he tested negative at the Travelers Championship on Monday, and he would decide when he reached home whether he should quarantine from his family.
Simpson celebrates a Father's Day win at Harbour Town
Read full article: Simpson celebrates a Father's Day win at Harbour TownThe U.S. Open has been scheduled to end on Father's Day every year since 1976, but it was moved to September this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The RBC Heritage filled the spot on the schedule and Simpson, now a father of five, became a winner for the second time this year with a record score at Harbour Town. It was a crazy day, Simpson said. It was a tough runner-up finish for Ancer, trying to become the fifth straight winner of the RBC Heritage to capture his first PGA Tour victory at Harbour Town. Until the first tournament back at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, the area around Harbour Town was crowded with the start of summer vacation.
Top field, no fans for this year's Travelers Championship
Read full article: Top field, no fans for this year's Travelers ChampionshipFILE - In this June 21, 2018, file photo, Zach Johnson walks off the 18th green during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. The tournament director for this week's Travelers Championship thought about encircling the 18th green at TPC River Highlands with giant video boards that could be filled with images of fans watching the golf and cheering from home. (John Woike/Hartford Courant via AP, File)CROMWELL, Conn. The tournament director for this week's Travelers Championship had an idea. How about filling the natural amphitheater around the 18th green at TPC River Highlands with giant video boards showing fans watching the golf and cheering from home. All the net proceeds from the golf tournament go to more than 150 Connecticut charities.
PGA Tour carries on after 1st positive coronavirus test
Read full article: PGA Tour carries on after 1st positive coronavirus testThere was a secondary test, and those results were not expected until later Saturday at the earliest. Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth were among those not surprised by the positive test. It ends provided he has no subsequent symptoms or has two negative test results at least 24 hours apart. All were negative until Watney's positive test on Friday. The PGA Tour heads to Cromwell, Connecticut, next week, followed by Detroit and then back-to-back tournaments in Ohio.
4-way tie for lead at Heritage as another wild finish looms
Read full article: 4-way tie for lead at Heritage as another wild finish loomsTyrrell Hatton of England had one of six rounds at 63 as he tries to win back-to-back starts for the second time in his year. Abraham Ancer rode his strong iron play to a 65, while Ryan Palmer had a 66 to join the lead at 15-under 198. A week ago at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 14 players were separated by three shots going into the final round. The six rounds at 63 marked the third time since October that at least six players shot 63 in a round. There were seven such rounds at the RSM Classic in November, about 80 miles down the Atlantic coast at Sea Island.
Watney first on PGA Tour to test positive for COVID-19
Read full article: Watney first on PGA Tour to test positive for COVID-19HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. In the second week of returning to golf, Nick Watney became the first player to test positive for COVID-19. Watney withdrew from the RBC Heritage on Friday, the PGA Tour said. Watney missed the cut last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, the first tour event in three months after it shut down because of the pandemic. He traveled privately to South Carolina and tested negative upon arrival at Harbour Town. Before he arrived Friday for his afternoon tee time, he said he had symptoms consistent with the virus, consulted a doctor and tested positive.
Steele takes 1-shot lead at midpoint of The Honda Classic
Read full article: Steele takes 1-shot lead at midpoint of The Honda ClassicSteele shot a 3-under 67 on Friday, getting to 5 under for the week and putting himself a shot clear of J.T. This is Steele’s ninth time playing the Honda and the first time he’s ended any round at PGA National with the lead. I don't feel like it's a course you can just jump out your first time and have it nailed. ... Michael Thompson’s record streak of Honda rounds without a ball in the water on the Bear Trap is over. Thompson put his tee ball on the par-3 15th in the water, his first such mistake in 30 Honda rounds at PGA National.