Collin Morikawa waves on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Collin Morikawa had a celebratory partner following his dramatic 2020 PGA Championship victory at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco on Sunday.
As Brentley Romine of Golf Channel shared, Morikawa and girlfriend Katherine Zhu had a celebration fit for the times:
Collin Morikawa wins #PGAChamp and celebrates by giving his girlfriend a high-five. Ah, the COVID era...
Gene Sarazen (1922) 20 yrs, 5 mos Tom Creavy (1931) 20 yrs, 7 mos Gene Sarazen (1932) 21 yrs, 7 mos Rory McIlroy (2012) 23 yrs, 3 mos Jack Nicklaus (1963) 23 yrs, 6 mos Colin Morikawa (2020)23 yrs, 6 mos
He finished the tournament at under 13 and two strokes ahead of second-place finisher Paul Casey. It was a seven-way tie for the lead at one point in the final round, but the victor birdied the 14th and turned heads with an eagle on the par-four 16th with a stunning drive:
It was at that moment that the celebration seemed inevitable.
PGA Championship 2020: Dustin Johnson Holds 1-Stroke Lead After Round 3
Aug 8, 2020
Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Dustin Johnson will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park.
Johnson, who is looking for his second major win after taking down the 2016 U.S. Open, shot a five-under 65 to vault into first. He's one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Champ and two shots in front of Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey.
A group of talented golfers sits at six under, led by major winners Jason Day and Justin Rose.
Twenty golfers will enter Sunday at four under or better.
Here's a look at the top 20 and ties followed by some highlights and notes from Saturday's action.
The most impressive part of Johnson's day wasn't any one of his eight birdies in particular or the fact that he jumped over a loaded field to take the lead into Sunday.
Rather, it was how he responded after double-bogeying No. 9. He gamely shook that one off and proceeded to go four under on the back nine to take the lead.
He spoke afterward about his mindset following the double bogey, per Lukas Weese of The Hockey News:
I asked likely 54-hole leader at the @PGAChampionship Dustin Johnson about his thoughts walking to the 10th tee after a double-bogey on 9, given how difficult the back stretch of holes has been at TPC Harding Park.
Johnson's putter proved to be the primary cause for his jump up the leaderboard after trailing second-round leader Haotong Li by four strokes heading into Saturday:
140 feet of putts made on Saturday for @DJohnsonPGA.
That putt on No. 17 put Johnson in the co-lead at the time, and he took the solo lead before the round ended.
Johnson has traversed through a roller-coaster season following the PGA Tour's restart after a three-month suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, which was the first post-restart tournament, but he responded two weeks later with a win at the Travelers Championship at 19 under.
Three weeks later, however, Johnson shot 80 in each of his two rounds before getting cut at 16 over, which seemed inexplicable for a golfer of his caliber. Johnson then carded a 78 at the 3M Open the following week before withdrawing with a back injury.
But DJ rebounded at the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational with a 12th-place finish at eight under before cruising through the first three rounds of the PGA Championship. He's been on quite the ride this year, but Johnson could end up lifting the Wanamaker Trophy after finishing two shots short of Koepka for second the year before.
He'll be in the final group with Scheffler, who tore up the front nine with five birdies to vault into major championship contention. That effort included this birdie shot from the greenside bunker on the par-three eighth hole:
Scheffler had a mostly positive (and volatile) round that included eight birdies and three bogeys. After shooting four under on the front nine, the 24-year-old had just one bogey and four pars from No. 10 through No. 14.
But Scheffler caught fire to take the lead with three straight birdies, including this putt on No. 17:
Scheffler bogeyed the last, but he's just one shot behind Johnson as he looks for his first major win.
Elsewhere, Paul Casey looks primed for his 10th career top-10 major finish at seven under, and he's not out of the question to contend for his first-ever major win. Like Johnson, his putting took him far Saturday, including this birdie on the ninth to give him the co-lead at seven under:
140 feet of putts made on Saturday for @DJohnsonPGA.
Casey didn't finish with the co-lead, but he's in the mix. The same goes for Koepka, who is once again lurking at a major. He's won four of them, including two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.
He found himself at seven under and two back of Johnson with a birdie on the last hole, putting himself in better position to earn the PGA Championship three-peat, which hasn't been done since the tournament moved to a stroke-play format in 1958. Walter Hagen won four in a row from 1924 to 1927.
The group at six under includes Bryson DeChambeau, who drilled a 95-foot birdie putt for one of the tournament's top shots thus far:
ESPN will carry television coverage of the PGA Championship from noon ET to 3 p.m. Sunday. CBS will then pick up the tournament until its completion.
Rory McIlroy Shoots 71, Fails to Make Charge During PGA Championship 3rd Round
Aug 8, 2020
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Rory McIlroy was unable to take advantage of moving day at the 2020 PGA Championship, finishing the third round with a 71 that dropped his 54-hole score to even par.
Things started out promising for McIlroy on Saturday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. He made the turn at one under par with two birdies and one bogey. One of those birdies came on the eighth hole, which has been brutal for the entire field this weekend.
After making the turn, McIlroy hit his third birdie of the day on the par-five 10th hole to move his overall score to two under par.
That would turn out to be the high point of McIlroy's round, which took a sharp turn midway through the back nine. The 31-year-old fell back to even par with consecutive bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14.
Things did briefly turn around on the 16th when McIlroy put his second shot on the par four within two feet of the hole. His birdie putt moved him within one shot of par for the round.
Any semblance of momentum McIlroy was hoping to build faded away over the final two holes. He finished with two consecutive bogeys, including a four on the par-three 17th hole when his tee shot landed in the rough behind the green.
🚨+1(71)🚨
Waaaay too many mistakes & missed fairways. Will be an early tee time tomorrow. Not much to say.
Driving accuracy wasn't a strength for McIlroy in the third round. The Northern Ireland native hit six of 14 fairways, marking the third straight day he's been no higher than 50 percent, per PGATour.com.
By putting himself into those rough positions off the tee, McIlroy is increasing the pressure on his short game. He's struggled in that area throughout the tournament, finishing with negative strokes gained putting in each of the first two rounds. He needed 29 putts to get through 18 holes Saturday.
Even though McIlroy won't have an opportunity to win his third PGA Championship on Sunday, he can at least salvage things if he can finish strong in the final round.
Tiger Woods Practicing with New Putter to Help with Back Injury, Stricker Says
Aug 5, 2020
Tiger Woods stands on the putting green during practice for the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Tiger Woods has a new plan to stay healthy on the course this week, and it starts with his short game.
With the PGA Championship set to tee off at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Woods has switched putters in an attempt to keep his back from flaring up.
Steve Stricker told ESPN's Bob Harig the modified Scotty Cameron Newport II putter Woods will use has already made a noticeable difference for the golfer:
"It's basically the same putter with a bit more flexibility. He's able to change the weights around a little bit, but the length is the difference.
"He's got a little more length on there, and that's just so he can practice a little bit more without back pain. That's what excites him the most is that he was able to put in a lot of time with this putter, and watching him putt, it looked exactly the same to me. He rolled the ball great."
Woods has won the PGA Championship four times in his career but is looking to break a drought that goes back to 2007. If he's going to make a run for the 2020 title, he'll need his typically stiff back to hang on for four rounds.
Woods is trusting his putter to help him out there.
"I expect good things from him if he can keep his body playable," Stricker said. "With this weather, it's a challenge. It's cool, it's damp, and so I imagine that will probably be the biggest challenge for him this week is to be able to feel like his body is 100 percent and give it a rip."
Steph Curry 14th, Mahomes T-47 After American Century Championship Round 1
Jul 10, 2020
LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA - JULY 10: NFL athletes Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs wait to tee off on the 18th hole during round one of the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe South golf course on July 10, 2020 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
After signing a contract worth half a billion dollars to play football, it makes sense Patrick Mahomes isn't the sharpest person on the golf course right now.
Even the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback will tell you that.
Could not be playing any worse rn 😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣 but having a great time @ACChampionship
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 10, 2020
One round into the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe—where points are awarded or deducted per the number of strokes needed on each hole—Mahomes (-3) is tied for 47th place. Fortunately, he's got some friendly company, as his tight end Travis Kelce shares the spot on the leaderboard with him.
It was actually Kelce who pulled off one of the day's highlights, notching an eagle on No. 18 to gain six points back.
How about the Eagle from @tkelce! Seen a few of these celebrations with @PatrickMahomes on the football field, but hopefully more coming on the golf course this weekend: pic.twitter.com/5iOAsl8Fw0
Further up the leaderboard, Stephen Curry (14) is holding steady in 14th place, but he's got some stiff competition within his own family. His father, Dell Curry (17), is tied for seventh.
Steph honoring Breonna Taylor on his golf shoes during the American Century Championship pic.twitter.com/lHrsqkr8Ot
Kyle Williams (25) is holding on to first place, but he'll have a tough time maintaining that lead Saturday with Tony Romo and John Smoltz tied for second behind him with 20 points apiece.
Romo has won the tournament each of the last two years and entered as the odds-on favorite once again.
Charles Barkley, perhaps unsurprisingly, is in second-to-last place with minus-28 points, ahead of only Eddie George (-30).
Workday Charity Open 2020: Collin Morikawa Leads After Rain-Soaked 2nd Round
Jul 10, 2020
DUBLIN, OHIO - JULY 10: Collin Morikawa of the United States reacts on the ninth green during the second round of the Workday Charity Open on July 10, 2020 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Collin Morikawa opened his professional career with 22 straight made cuts, second to only Tiger Woods and his 25 to begin his pro tenure over the past 30 years.
The 23-year-old missed the cut at Travelers Championship two weeks ago to end that streak, but he's starting a new one and then some as he's carded a 13-under through two rounds at the Workday Charity Open.
After taking last week off, Morikawa got right back to it with a seven-under 65 followed by a six-under 66 to take a three-shot lead over Justin Thomas and Kevin Chappell at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
All facets of Morikawa's game have been working in perfect harmony, per PGATour.com statistics. He's gained over 5.5 strokes putting and has hit 77.78 percent of his greens in regulation. He also found the fairway on 85.71 percent of his drives Thursday.
Morikawa started on the back nine Friday and finished that stretch at one under for the day. His short game was on-point en route to a birdie on the 11th:
Morikawa spoke about the hot flat stick after his round, per Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel:
"I thought about it when I was driving the cart: I probably should have hit some putts. But the putter felt good. It feels good in my hands. Sets up really nicely. And I was looking through my yardage book and the greens book throughout the weather delay, to see what it was going to be like. I knew it was going to be an inside-right putt, hit it firm, and it caught the left side of the hole."
Morikawa has been largely excellent since the PGA Tour ended its three-month suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He and Daniel Berger went to a sudden-death playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge, but Berger ended up victorious.
A final-day 74 marred an otherwise great tournament for Morikawa at the RBC Heritage, where he found himself eight under entering Sunday.
Nothing really worked at Travelers en route to a three-over performance, but Morikawa has bounced back as he looks to take home his second PGA Tour win.
He spoke about his mindset entering the weekend, per Lavner:
"Whether I have the lead or not, I've got to go into the weekend feeling like I've got to make the same amount of birdies I have been the past two days. I feel like there's a lot of birdies out there for me the way I've been hitting it. So I've just got to keep that up, play smart and attack pins when it's available for me."
He won't have it easy, however. Chappell came on strong and finished Friday at 10 under thanks to an eight-under 64, which is the lowest round of the tournament. World No. 2 Thomas has produced a 68-66 to tie Chappell for second, and Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama sit tied for fourth at nine under after each player carded sub-70 rounds on both days.
Young up-and-coming star Viktor Hovland is lurking at eight under in sixth.
The second round is still ongoing after being called due to darkness.
R2 of #WorkdayCharityOpen was suspended for the day at 8:50 p.m. and will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday. @PGATOUR
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 11, 2020
That's because the tournament was twicesuspended because of "dangerous weather situations," per PGA Tour Communications. A few batches of storms was the reason, per the Associated Press.
Every player is at least through 14 holes in the second round at this juncture, with 33 golfers still remaining. The cut currently sits at two under.
Bryson DeChambeau drives on the second tee during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Bryson DeChambeau capped off a terrific weekend of golf with a victory at the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Coming into Sunday tied for second place, DeChambeau fired a 65 in the final round to finish 23 under par overall. He was three shots better than runner-up Matthew Wolff to earn his first PGA Tour win since November 2018.
Wolff, who started the day with a three-stroke lead, took an early dive in the final round thanks to four bogeys on the front nine. He did return to form late in the round to card a 71 and finish in second place.
Here's the top of the leaderboard from Detroit Golf Club, via PGATour.com:
1. Bryson DeChambeau (-23)
2. Matthew Wolff (-20)
3. Kevin Kisner (-18)
T4. Ryan Armour (-16)
T4. Danny Willett (-16)
T4. Adam Hadwin (-16)
T4. Tyrrell Hatton (-16)
T8. Maverick McNealy (-15)
T8. Sepp Straka (-15)
T8. Webb Simpson (-15)
T8. Troy Merritt (-15)
2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic Payout (via James Colgan of Golf.com)
1. Bryson DeChambeau: $1,350,000
2. Matthew Wolff: $817,500
3. Kevin Kisner: $517,500
T4. Ryan Armour: $300,000
T4. Danny Willett: $300,000
T4. Adam Hadwin: $300,000
T4. Tyrrell Hatton: $300,000
T8. Maverick McNealy: $211,875
T8. Sepp Straka: $211,875
T8. Webb Simpson: $211,875
T8. Troy Merritt: $211,875
DeChambeau was a steady ship for all four rounds of the tournament. He carded a 65 after back-to-back rounds of 67 and an opening-round score of 66. He went 25 holes without a bogey between Rounds 3 and 4.
There was a moment when DeChambeau left the door open for those chasing him up the leaderboard. His second shot on the par-five 14th hole went into the water, forcing him to take a drop. The California native settled for a bogey and dropped his score to 20 under par.
Wolff moved within two shots of DeChambeau as a result of that bogey and had five holes remaining at that point to make up the difference. He caught fire on the back nine after recording five bogeys through the first 10 holes.
During that initial lull early in the round, Wolff still had an occasional bright spot. He tied DeChambeau for the lead with this 54-foot birdie putt on No. 4:
After starting the back nine with a bogey on the 10th hole, Wolff vaulted himself back into contention with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from Nos. 12 through 15 that briefly got him within one shot of DeChambeau.
The competition is heating up! @matthew_wolff5 is closing in on @b_dechambeau 😤
The par-five 17th hole saw DeChambeau lock up the win with another birdie that increased his advantage to three shots. His tee shot landed in the left rough, but he saved things when his second shot landed 22 feet from the hole.
DeChambeau's win comes in the midst of an extended hot streak that dates back to February. The SMU alum has seven consecutive top-eight finishes since the Genesis Invitational. He has posted nine consecutive rounds under 70 and hasn't shot over par in a single round since March 5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Travelers Championship 2020: Dustin Johnson Holds Off Kevin Streelman for Win
Jun 28, 2020
CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT - JUNE 28: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the fifth tee during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 28, 2020 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Dustin Johnson collected his 21st career PGA Tour title Sunday in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Johnson went three under in the fourth round to finish at 19 under, one shot better than Kevin Streelman. Will Gordon and Mackenzie Hughes tied for third at 17 under.
Johnson now sits tied for 30th in the PGA's all-time wins list, putting him alongside Davis Love III, Willie MacFarlane, Lanny Wadkins and Craig Wood.
Last week's RBC Heritage turned into a shootout, with 20 golfers scoring 15 under or better for the tournament.
Sunday's final round was promising to be similarly dramatic given how some of the early competitors finished. Doc Redman and Lucas Glover carded a seven-under 63, while Gordon, Patrick Reed, Russell Henley, Ryan Armour and Rafa Cabrera Bello were all at six under.
Rather than watching the leaders surge past them, though, Gordon was comfortable in the clubhouse as his overall score (17 under) left him in contention throughout the day.
Johnson did his best to keep things interesting with a pair of errant drives on the back nine.
He sliced his tee shot out of bounds on No. 13 and incurred a one-shot penalty. A bogey was a nice recovery but still allowed for Streelman to close the gap in second place.
Holy smokes. Dustin Johnson goes out of bounds on 13 after taking a 3 shot lead on 12. Looks like weather is going to cause a delay. But for the 3 straight week looks like could be a fantastic finish. @PGATOUR@PGA @FTMoney_Pod
Then his tee shot on No. 15 landed on the bank of the water hazard to the left of the green. Lining up his approach required a small moderation to his outfit.
Johnson needed three shots to reach the green but made a par save to stay at 20 under.
Inclement weather forced tournament officials to temporarily halt play for an hour.
When Johnson returned, he bogeyed No. 16 to slip to 19 under again and leave the door open for Streelman. Streelman's par on No. 18 meant Johnson remained in a position of strength as he approached the 18th tee.
Streelman could only watch on the monitor as Johnson's drive traveled 351 yards and came to a rest on the left side of the fairway.
Johnson couldn't sink his birdie putt but earned a par to secure the championship.
Brendon Todd caught fire in the third round and shot nine under after performing well through the first two days. His luck ran out Sunday, though.
Todd, who was the leader after 54 holes, opened with 11 straight pars before unraveling on No. 12. His second shot narrowly avoided the bunker and landed to the right of the green. He badly shanked his third shot as it sailed past the hole and into the rough. Things didn't get any better from there as he settled for a triple bogey.
A bogey on No. 14 knocked Todd back to 14 under and ended his quest for a third PGA Tour victory.
Gordon may not have won, but he has plenty to celebrate.
The 23-year-old competed in the Travelers Championship thanks to a sponsor's exemption, and his continued participation in PGA Tour events was far from a given going forward. By finishing third, his immediate future is a little more assured.
Reminder there's no alternative to qualify for the PGA tour for next year. No KFT Finals, no new cards being issued. Just go out and earn as many points in 7 sponsor's exemptions as the guy that finished 125 on last year's list (adjusted for the canceled events). So difficult.
Detroit Golf Club is the PGA Tour's next stop for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Gordon had already accepted a sponsor's invite to the tournament, but thanks to his performance in Connecticut, he won't need it to book a trip to the Motor City.
PGA's Denny McCarthy Tests Positive for COVID-19 at 2020 Travelers Championship
Jun 26, 2020
CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT - JUNE 25: Denny McCarthy of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2020 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Denny McCarthy is the latest player on the PGA Tour to withdraw from this weekend's Travelers Championship because of a positive COVID-19 test.
McCarthy told Ryan Lavner of the Golf Channel on Friday he was diagnosed with the coronavirus after waking "up in the middle of the night feeling achy and sore."
Ewan Murray of The Guardian confirmed that Bud Cauley also withdrew from the tournament after being partnered with McCarthy in the first round.
Murray noted that Matt Wallace, the other member of that threesome on Thursday, is currently still scheduled to play in the second round.
The PGA Tourannounced Wednesday that Brooks Koepka, Cameron Champ, Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson and Chase Koepka had withdrawn from playing in the event.
Per that announcement, Champ, Ken Comboy and Ricky Elliott tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the Tour's arrival testing. Comboy and Elliott are caddies for McDowell and Koepka, respectively.
Simpson noted that he recently "had a family member test positive for COVID-19" when he decided to withdraw.
McCarthy, 27, was among a group of players tied for 33rd place entering Friday after posting a five-under 67 in the first round.
Daniel Berger Wins Charles Schwab Challenge, 1st PGA Tour Event Amid Pandemic
Jun 14, 2020
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 14: Daniel Berger of the United States reacts to his birdie on the 18th green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 14, 2020 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
After an absence of PGA Tour golf for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was only fitting that the sport provided some extra action in the form of a playoff Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was Daniel Berger who won his showdown with Collin Morikawa on the first extra hole.
It wasn't the only lip-out that contributed to Berger's win. Xander Schauffele also lipped out a putt on the 17th while holding a share of the lead. That miss, combined with a par on No. 18, kept him out of the playoff.
Unbelievable.
Co-leader Xander Schauffele's ball lips out on the 17th hole.
While those misses contributed to his win, Berger was nonetheless excellent Sunday, with five birdies to just one bogey, shooting four-under par for the day and 15-under for the tournament. Per PGATour.com, he averaged 302 yards per drive with a 78.6 percent driving accuracy, hit 66.7 percent of greens in regulation and gained 1.1 strokes with his putting.
And his birdie putt on No. 18 to move into a tie for the lead was as clutch as it gets:
"I don't really know if there is a key other than when I came back, I came back stronger than I ever have before, and I wanted it more than I ever have before, and it's the greatest feeling in the world," Berger said, per Nick Menta of GolfChannel.com, referencing the wrist injury he battled in 2018 and '19.
It was unfortunate that Morikawa's afternoon was ultimately defined by one shot, as his 50-foot putt on No. 14 was the shot of the day outside of Berger's birdie on the 18th:
As for some of the other notable participants, Bubba Watson finished two strokes back (-13) after an impressive five-under showing. Ditto for Patrick Reed (-13), who shot three-under for the day.
Jordan Spieth (-11) had a rough day, starting out in the running but falling to the wayside after his one-over performance, while Rory McIlroy (-6) completely fell apart, shooting a four-over.
Up next on the PGA Tour is the RBC Heritage (June 18-21) at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
