Men's Golf

The first tournament of the 2019 FedEx Cup season could go down to the final hole.

Patrick Reed currently holds a one-stroke lead at 14 under overall after shooting a four-under 67 at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey on Saturday, but there are a ton of golfers in his rearview mirror. Nine golfers currently sit at 10 under or better overall, including Rory McIlroy (-10) and Jon Rahm (-12). Abraham Ancer is within one stroke of Reed alone in second place.

A two-shot lead.@PReedGolf is bogey-free so far this week @TheNTGolf.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/RvPdHDBVY8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 10, 2019

Dustin Johnson entered the afternoon with the lead but struggled mightily to shoot three over. The former world No. 1 hit only 28.6 percent of his fairways off the tee and 44.4 of his greens in regulation. He could not find the speed once he got on the short grass. It was a bit of a miracle he managed to get through the round without his score being higher.

Brandt Snedeker was the biggest mover of the day, moving up 31 spots after shooting an eight-under 63 to get to 12 under overall. He hit a pair of eagles on the front nine at Nos. 6 and 8 while also peppering in five birdies with only one bogey.

"I think with the new format, obviously being as close as you can to the leader going in is going to be a huge deal more so than years past," Snedeker told reporters after his round. " I think everybody is trying to make as many points as they can and get as high as they possibly can."

Reed has been consistent all week, shooting 66-66-67 to take the lead into Sunday. His approach game betrayed him a little bit in Saturday's round, as he hit only 10 of 18 greens in regulation but made up for it with some clutch putting. He had five birdies against a lone bogey, finally dropping a stroke after playing the first 50 holes of the tournament bogey-free.

The 2018 Masters champion has not won since capturing that major and said his struggles in May's PGA Championship caused him to "reset" his game.

"I just kind of sat down and I took a reset," Reed told reporters Friday. "Kind of took three weeks off and shut the clubs down for a little bit. Came back and just kind of reflected and looked at: 'OK what's going on? Where am I?' And, you know, we were a lot closer than we anticipated."

Ancer, meanwhile, is 28 and looking for his first win on the PGA Tour. His lone professional victories came on the Web.com Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia. Having him on a leaderboard next to names like Reed, McIlroy, Rahm and Johnson will no doubt be the biggest moment of his career to date.

All three of the latter big names will need to play better than their third round to have a chance at taking down Reed, who seems to have his handle of the Northern Trust course. McIlroy had more bogeys in his first five holes Saturday than Reed has in the entire tournament.

     

Stats via PGATour.com.

J.T. Poston won the first PGA Tour title of his career, edging out Webb Simpson in the 2019 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday.

Poston posted the lowest score of the round (eight-under 62) to finish at 22 under for the tournament, one shot better than Simpson.

🏆 @JT_ThePostman delivers in the biggest way possible.

A maiden PGA TOUR victory.

The 26-year-old has won the @WyndhamChamp.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/LDCKdFOEff

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 4, 2019

Wyndham Championship Leaderboard

1. J.T. Poston (-22)

2. Webb Simpson (-21)

3. Byeong Hun An (-20)

4. Viktor Hovland (-19)

5. Si Woo Kim (-17)

T6. Josh Teater (-16)

T6. Billy Horschel (-16)

T6. Sungjae Im (-16)

T6. Brian Harman (-16)

T6. Rory Sabbatini (-16)

T6. Jason Kokrak (-16)

T6. Brice Garnett (-16)

           

Simpson strung together three straight birdies on his back nine but needed an eagle on the par-four 18th hole in order to draw level with Poston. Byeong Hun An, on the other hand, had a more manageable challenge to force a possible playoff since a birdie on No. 18 would have put him at 22 under.

Since he teed off 20 minutes before An, Poston was like many fans across the country and watching the television broadcast as An wrapped up his tournament.

The drama faded quickly as An hooked his tee shot to the left of the fairway and required a drop. His second-shot approach put him on the green but left him with a 70-foot birdie putt. His putt sped inches away from the flagstick and over the cup, sealing his fate.

Sunday's brilliant final round was the culmination of an excellent tournament for Poston:

JT Poston won the Wyndham Championship without a single bogey all week, becoming the first player since Lee Trevino at the 1974 Greater New Orleans Open to win a PGA Tour solo event without a single dropped shot.

— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) August 4, 2019

The 26-year-old was firing on all cylinders Sunday. He reached 14 greens in regulation and missed only four of the 14 fairways, per PGATour.com. He averaged 1.500 putts and gained 2.494 strokes on the green, both of which were his best single-round scores of the event.

This what locked-in looks like. 🔒🔒@JT_ThePostman is delivering. ✉️📬#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/7pK0naBo7A

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 4, 2019

Poston couldn't have picked a better location for his first-ever win on the Tour. He was born a few hours away from Greensboro in Hickory, North Carolina, and attended Western Carolina.

He said in his post-tournament interview some of his family and friends were on hand to witness his triumph.

"I have so many family and friends that came in last night at the last minute. To have them here to kind of experience and share with me is something I'll never could have imagined."@jt_thepostman on winning in his home state of North Carolina pic.twitter.com/CWwOiX5IqQ

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) August 4, 2019

Although Simpson made a late charge, he was left playing catch-up with Poston positioning himself atop the leaderboard. He left himself with too much work in too little time after going one under on the front nine.

Poston's performance left An with little room for error. A bogey on No. 15 and his errant drive on 18 was enough to tip the scales in Poston's favor.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Paul Casey tied for 13th at 15 under. Patrick Reed, Charles Howell III and Mackenzie Hughes earned a share of 22nd at 13 under. Sungjae Im, who turned heads with his opening-round 62, tied for sixth (16 under).

Byeong Hun An will carry a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the 2019 Wyndham Championship after firing a five-under 65 in Friday's second round at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

An, who's yet to record a bogey through 36 holes, stands at 13 under after Round 2. He doesn't have much breathing room atop the crowded leaderboard, however, as there are 10 other golfers within three shots of the lead and 25 players within five strokes.

Brice Garnett stands alone in second place at 12 under ahead of a six-way tie for third at 11 under.

An couldn't quite match his blistering 62 from Thursday, but he still showcased great form by hitting 71.4 percent of the fairways and 83.3 percent of the greens in regulation. After starting on the back nine, he recorded three straight birdies starting at the third to push himself back into the lead.

The 27-year-old South Korean, who moved to the United States in 2005 and won the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship, has yet to earn a PGA Tour victory. He does have one win apiece on the European Tour, Korean Tour and Challenge Tour.

"I came close last couple years and, you know, maybe this week might do it," he told reporters. "But still have two more days and there are a lot of players behind me. ... Just do what I've been doing the last couple days and just hit a lot of fairways and greens and make some putts. If someone plays better than me, then he deserves to win it, but as long as I keep these bogey-free rounds going."

An reached a playoff in both the 2016 Zurich Classic and 2018 Memorial Tournament but fell short on each occasion. That experience could come into play this week given the jam-packed leaderboard.

Adam Svensson, who's part of the large contingent at 11 under, posted the day's best round with a nine-under 61. That was three strokes better than any other player.

The Canadian's surge into contention comes as a surprise given his recent results. He missed the cut in seven of his last 10 starts, including a stretch of seven consecutive from late April through late June.

Jordan Spieth (-9) headlines the players outside the top 10 still within striking distance.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Dufner and Adam Hadwin were among the players who fell below the four-under cut line and won't play the weekend.

Television coverage of the Wyndham Championship continues Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel before switching over to CBS at 3 p.m. ET.

Roberto Diaz leads by two shots after the first round of the 2019 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

A birdie on the par-three 16th hole moved Diaz to eight under for the round and putting him ahead of Adam Long and Russell Henley (both seven under) before he added another birdie on No. 17. Six golfers are in a tie for fourth at six under. 

Diaz got his day off to a great start, carding four birdies through his first five holes. His momentum stalled for the remainder of the front nine as he stayed at four under.

Then came Diaz's best shot of the round. Standing 99 yards from the flagstick on No. 10, he holed out for an eagle:

Roberto Diaz is -6 through 10 holes after an eagle on the 10th...#JDC19 pic.twitter.com/NYBto0fHW6

— John Deere Classic (@JDCLASSIC) July 11, 2019

Diaz made his move on the leaders with a birdie on the 14th hole and his subsequent back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. He headed to the 18th tee box with an opportunity to open even more of a gap on Long and Henley, but his second-shot approach ended that idea. His birdie putt came up short and left him with an easy finish to remain at nine under.

Consistency was Diaz's biggest strength, as he hit 12 of the 14 fairways and reached 14 greens in regulation, according to PGATour.com. He also gained 5.101 strokes from tee to green, which leads the field.

The 32-year-old is looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour. Maintaining his lead won't be easy over the next three days. At the very least, he left himself in a good position to earn what be only his third-ever top-10 finish.

Henley was one hole away from grabbing sole possession of second place. He sank a 55-foot birdie putt on No. 7 to move to eight under:

From WAY downtown.@RussHenleyGolf takes the solo lead @JDClassic with a 55-footer.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/VZ1Fr6vXi0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 11, 2019

Following a par on No. 8, Henley sliced his drive off the ninth tee into the rough and needed three shots to get onto the green. He missed his par putt and had to settle for a bogey.

Long teed off at 7:40 a.m. CT and thus had to sit in the clubhouse and hope his seven-under 64 would hold up. He could've solidified his spot atop the leaderboard early in the day if his putter had been working. Long was 29th in putting strokes gained (1.436) and tied for 24th in putts per green in regulation (1.571), according to PGATour.com.

Matthew Wolff is a fresh off a win in the 3M Open, which was only his third event since joining the PGA Tour full time. He set himself up well in the first round and is five shots off the lead. While Wolff will likely struggle to make it two victories in a row, playing through the weekend and pushing for a top-10 finish would be an excellent result.

With the Open Championship teeing off July 18 at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland, many of golf's top stars declined to make the trip to Silvis.

As a result, the field is wide open, especially with 40 golfers within at least five shots of Diaz.

While millions around the country celebrated the Fourth of July on Thursday, some of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour made the trip to Blaine, Minnesota, for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.

Scott Piercy stands alone atop the leaderboard at nine under. Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Hadwin are tied for second at seven under, with five golfers claiming a share of fourth place at six under.

An excellent back nine anchored Piercy's performance. He birdied No. 11 and then reeled off five more birdies to overtake Matsuyama and Hadwin for the lead.

Piercy was already up a shot on the pair when he headed for the 18th tee. He still opted for an aggressive approach on the par-five hole, going for the green in two shots. His second shot ended up on the fringe, which allowed him to get his final birdie and create a little more breathing room on Matsuyama and Hadwin.

Matsuyama would've had sole possession of second place were it not for a bogey on the ninth hole, his final for the day. He landed his drive on the fairway but sent his second-shot approach well to the left of the green. After getting onto the green, he two-putted before heading the clubhouse.

Matsuyama was otherwise excellent. He reached 15 greens in regulation and missed only four of the 14 fairways off the tee, per PGATour.com.

Great documents signed on this date:

1. Declaration of Independence

1a. Hideki Matsuyama’s scorecard

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) July 4, 2019

A late charge by Hadwin helped him surge up the leaderboard. On the back half of his round, he went from three under to seven under thanks to four straight birdies.

Hadwin's putting was his biggest strength Thursday. His 3.813 strokes gained on the green are second in the tournament, according to PGATour.com.

His lone blemish was a bogey on No. 2, which was largely a result of falling short of the fairway and hitting his drive into the water. Wrapping up the par-four in five shots was impressive given the one-stroke penalty.

Matsuyama and Hadwin teed off early in the morning, which meant they had to sit back and hope their scores would hold up.

It looked like Nick Taylor would join his fellow Canadian in second or possibly surpass him based on his strong start. Taylor had six birdies through his first seven holes and made the turn at five under.

4⃣ birdies in 5⃣ holes. 🐦@NTaylorGolf59 is on 🔥 to start the @3MOpen.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/CRcsgO713f

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 4, 2019

😱 @ntaylorgolf59 is in a zone. 🔥

Make it 6⃣ birdies through 7⃣ holes @3MOpen.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/M9Bgy50CK6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 4, 2019

His momentum didn't carry over to the back nine. He fell back to four under following a bogey on No. 12 and remained there after six straight pars to close out his round.

Sungjae Im is tied for fifth at six under, yet he might feel somewhat disappointed he failed to fully capitalize on what was an excellent start. Im had five birdies in the opening nine holes but gained only one more shot over the remainder of his round.

Im is still looking for his first career PGA Tour win. The 21-year-old has laid the groundwork to possibly get that elusive win as long as he can maintain this kind of high standard over the next three days.

Mark Baldwin is at even par and won't be a factor in Blaine. For a brief moment Thursday, though, Baldwin had something to celebrate. His approach from 103 yards out on the 15th hole rolled into the cup for an eagle.

Monday qualifier Mark Baldwin HOLES OUT for an eagle. 🦅

He's now 2-under and T27 @3MOpen.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/avu5V2spzJ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 4, 2019

Brooks Koepka nearly did the same thing on the seventh hole. His approach was mere inches away from an eagle.

THAT close to a hole-out eagle.@BKoepka's second 🐦 of the day gets him to -2.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/rXKwV9ybsd

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 4, 2019

Koepka finished at four under, which leaves him with some work to do this weekend but within striking distance of Piercy.

Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau are poised to challenge for the title as well after each carding a five-under 66.

Jason Day didn't fare as well, going two under in the first round and is in a tie for 47th. Phil Mickelson is in even worse shape as he was unable to overcome a triple-bogey on No. 18. At three over, Mickelson will be fortunate just to make the cut.

Jonas Blixt will carry a one-shot lead into the weekend at the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge after firing a six-under 64 in Friday's second round at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Blixt stands at nine under for the tournament, which is one stroke ahead of the second-place tandem of Kevin Na and Tony Finau. The Swede tallied an eagle and four birdies on his bogey-free scorecard.

Jordan Spieth, Jason Dufner and Jim Furyk (all at five under) headline the other notable contenders inside the top five with 36 holes left to play.

Eagle hole-out for the solo leader.

Wow, Jonas Blixt. 👏👏👏#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/tEOBSVwVhq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2019

Blixt owns three career PGA Tour victories. The last was the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event he won alongside Cameron Smith. His last solo triumph was the 2013 Greenbrier Classic.

Although he's yet to record a top-10 finish in 2019 and missed the cut in three of his past four starts, he's played nearly flawless golf so far this week. He's recorded a single bogey through two rounds, and that came on his first hole of the event, the par-four 10th on Thursday.

"I think I've played pretty good this year," Blixt told reporters after Friday's round. "Obviously not had the good finishes yet, but it's been up there a bunch of times. If you slow down a little bit … people are going to pass you. That's pretty much what I've been looking for—a good weekend."

His third-round scoring average (71.2) this season is his worst of any round and ranks 160th on the PGA Tour. He'll need to reverse that trend to maintain the lead on moving day at Colonial.

Kevin Na is one shot off the lead @CSChallengeFW.

His No. 1 fan was the first to congratulate him. ❤️#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/O1cRsDEub0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2019

Na posted Friday's best round with an eight-under 62 to skyrocket from 38th into the tie for second.

The 35-year-old American, who came just one shot shy of matching his career-low round, won the Greenbrier Classic last July for his first win since October 2011. His performance so far this week has represented a strong bounce back after missing the cut in last week's PGA Championship.

Here's a look at some other Round 2 highlights:

Ball below his feet ☑️
Through the trees ☑️
Under the branches ☑️
Onto the green ☑️
In for birdie ☑️@BrandtSnedeker... HOW? 😱#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/i2rQnGYQZU

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2019

Heating up in Texas. 🔥

This is the first time in @JordanSpieth’s career that he’s made 3 putts from outside 40 feet in one tournament.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/q9Fya8bnGq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2019

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The craziest shot you'll see today. ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/5TbkeVMVFi

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2019

Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Zach Johnson were among the high-profile players who fell below the two-over cut line, bringing a premature end to their week.

Television coverage of the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge continues Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel before moving to CBS at 3 p.m. ET.

Jason Dufner holds a one-shot lead at 11 under in the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship after shooting an eight-under 63 in Friday's second round at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dufner tallied an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey to card his best round of the PGA Tour season. It's been a sudden return to form for the 2013 PGA Championship winner, who had missed five cuts across nine starts in 2019 and finished no better than 63rd in any event.

Joel Dahmen and Max Homa are tied for second at 10 under. Then there's a drop-off with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed next on the leaderboard at six under, while Justin Rose and Jason Day (both five under) are among the other notable players on the fringe of contention.

Dufner, who was ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of 2012, has dropped to No. 230 during a prolonged slump. His last win came in June 2017 at the Memorial Tournament.

"I'm just thankful to be playing on the weekend," he told reporters after Friday's round, noting he's been changing equipment frequently in an effort to find something that sticks.

"I think I'm on my fourth or fifth putter this year, I'm on my fourth or fifth driver, my fourth or fifth golf ball, fourth or fifth lob wedge," Dufner said. "I'm trying to find stuff that's going to work."

@JasonDufner is dropping putts from 40 feet. 🐦 pic.twitter.com/Hmb7citJsV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 3, 2019

It's the first time since the Mayakoba Golf Classic in early November that he's recorded two consecutive rounds in the 60s. The Cleveland native hasn't recorded three straight sub-70 rounds since the Players Championship one year ago next week, when he finished fifth.

Meanwhile, Dahmen and Homa are both hunting for their first PGA Tour victories.

Dahmen's game has been trending in the right direction since a stretch of four straight missed cuts that spanned from late January through mid-March. Since then, he's made six straight cuts and finished inside the top 20 four times, including an 18th-place result in last week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Joel Dahmen ain’t leading right now outta nowhere. He’s been top-25 in half of his starts this year. Second-most birdies on the PGA Tour this season. Really been playing some nice golf lately.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) May 3, 2019

Homa, the owner of two Web.com Tour wins, secured his first top-10 PGA Tour finish since 2015 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. The 63 he posted Friday equaled his best round at golf's highest level, matching his third round at the 2015 Sony Open.

HUGE opportunity this weekend for ⁦@CalMensGolf⁩ Alum Max Homa. Currently T-2 heading into the weekend ⁦@WellsFargoGolf⁩. #GoBears https://t.co/lQU5ssXbrB

— Eric McDonough (@McDonoughEric) May 3, 2019

Both of the tournament's unheralded contenders will need to withstand pressure from some of golf's biggest names on moving day if they want to remain near the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday.

Here's a look at more highlights from the Round 2 action at Quail Hollow:

When he's dialed in, he is dialed in.

Back-to-back birdies for @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/qEuRYmaCcQ

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 3, 2019

Rickie’s a way better golfer than he is a bartender. pic.twitter.com/zfDCt9ab7d

— Skratch (@Skratch) May 3, 2019

Impromptu long-drive contest @WellsFargoGolf: Tony vs Rory 😍#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/k23TICoqgZ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 3, 2019

Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Ernie Els and Danny Willett headlined the group of players who fell below the one-over cut line, bringing a premature end to their week.

Television coverage for Saturday's third round begins on Golf Channel at 1 p.m. ET before shifting to CBS at 3 p.m.

Shane Lowry owns a slim lead through 18 holes of the 2019 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Lowry carded a six-under 65 Thursday. Trey Mullinax, Daniel Berger, Luke List, Ryan Palmer and Ryan Moore are all tied for second at five under.

Lowry was in the second group to tee off and set the tone early. He opened with three birdies in his first six holes, and his consistency carried over to the back half of his round. He added three more birdies and was bogey-free.

According to PGATour.com, Lowry missed only one of the 14 fairways and reached 14 greens in regulation. His performance was a significant improvement compared to his last three PGA Tour events. He entered the RBC Heritage following missed cuts in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Players Championship and Masters.

Watched Shane Lowry for a bit at Augusta, he was completely out of sorts. Hitting it all over the place. 78-73. Today? Bogey-free 65 on one of the more exacting ball striking tracks on Tour.

Golf is a weird game, man.

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) April 18, 2019

Lowry is looking for the second PGA Tour win of his career, the first coming at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Mullinax made a late charge to climb into second place. A bogey on No. 6 knocked him back to three under before he birdied the eighth and ninth holes.

Dustin Johnson has been on a tear this year, with six top-10 finishes and one win through his first nine events. Johnson put himself in position for potentially another top-10 result. He's in a tie for 15th but only three shots off of the lead at three under.

Matt Kuchar, the No. 1 golfer in the FedExCup standings, had a solid opening round. He closed out his day with a great par save after dropping his approach into the rough stuff around the green. Kuchar chipped out and onto the green with his third shot and then sunk a tricky 11-foot putt to stay at two under.

Every shot matters on TOUR.

What a great save by Matt Kuchar at the last.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/Qfduy5HNh8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 18, 2019

An inconsistent 2019 season for Jordan Spieth continued Thursday. He had one of the day's more impressive shots, narrowly missing out on an eagle on the par-four third hole.

Throwing darts. @JordanSpieth was THIS close to a hole-out.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/xgfsKUtAIC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 18, 2019

Spieth is only tied for 53rd, though, after finishing at even par. Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner are among those sitting with him at even par.

Like Johnson, Xander Schauffele earned a tie for second place at Augusta last week. He has some work to do to replicate that result, putting together a one-under round of 70 on Thursday.

Francesco Molinari led the Masters through three rounds and ended in a tie for fifth. He'll be lucky to make the cut at the RBC Heritage. At three over, he's in 111th. Molinari will need a strong second round to ensure he continues playing through the weekend.

Masters champion Tiger Woods opted against making the trip to Hilton Head, which makes sense so the 43-year-old doesn't get overworked physically.

Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio speculated Woods might return to competitive action at the Wells Fargo Championship, which tees off May 2. That would allow him a warmup event before heading to Farmingdale, New York, for the PGA Championship on May 19.

The PGA Tour will now allow its golfers to wear shorts during practice and pro-am rounds moving forward.

PGA Tour Player Advisory Council co-chairman James Hahn announced the news via Twitter on Monday:

https://twitter.com/JamesHahnPGA/status/1097509311348133890

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, any shorts worn must be "knee-length, tailored and neat in appearance. Compression leggings worn underneath shorts must be solid in color." 

That rule change appears to be a hit with some of the players on the tour:

The @PGATOUR just announced that shorts are allowed for pro-am and practice rounds. Word is they saw my Insta-structionals in shorts and felt this move needed to happen. Well played, Sir. Well played!😎 pic.twitter.com/vGCM36EoEF

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 18, 2019

As the other PAC Co-Chairman, I approve this message. #ShortsGame https://t.co/9hYlpgxYwT

— Kevin Kisner (@K_Kisner) February 18, 2019

They aren't the only golfers on board with the plan. Tiger Woods revealed during a Facebook Live with Bridgestone Golf in May 2018 that he wanted to be able to wear shorts, per Dylan Dethier:

"I would love it. We play in some of the hottest climates on the planet. We usually travel with the sun, and a lot of our events are played in the summer, and then on top of that when we have the winter months here a lot of the guys go down to South Africa and Australia where it's summer down there.

"Also, a lot of the tournaments are based right around the equator so we play in some of the hottest places on the planet. It would be nice to wear shorts. Even with my little chicken legs, I still would like to wear shorts."

The new rule change comes just in time for a pair of events being held this week: the WGC-Mexico Championship and Puerto Rico Open.

In 2016, the European Tour passed a rule that permitted players to wear shorts during practice rounds and pro-ams. For Ian Poulter, that was a sign that the sport was finally catching up with the times: "It's 2016 not 1990. Get rid of the stuffy old rules that hold golf back. Make it more fun everyone."

Players must still wear long pants during tournament play.

Of note, the PGA Tour began to allow caddies to wear shorts during events in 1999.

J.B. Holmes overcame a four-shot deficit to win the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, on Sunday.

Justin Thomas, who entered the final round at 17-under, shot a four-over 75 to finish one stroke behind Holmes, who carded a 14-under 270 for the tournament.

Si Woo Kim shot eight under in the final two rounds to surge into a solo third finish at 12-under 272.

Here's a look at the top 15 finishers and payouts from Riviera, via PGATour.com and Golf.com.

     

Standings and Payouts

1. J.B. Holmes (-14): $1,332,000

2. Justin Thomas (-13): $799,200

3. Si Woo Kim (-12): $503,200

T4. Rory McIlroy (-11): $325,600

T4. Marc Leishman (-11): $325,600

6. Charles Howell III (-9): $266,400

T7. Michael Thompson (-8): $238,650

T7. Adam Scott (-8): $238,650

T9. Hideki Matsuyama (-7): $199,800

T9. Carlos Ortiz (-7): $199,800

T9. Dustin Johnson (-7): $199,800

T9. Kelly Kraft (-7): $199,800

T9. Jon Rahm (-7): $199,800

T9. Vaughn Taylor (-7): $199,800

     

With torrential rain and hail delaying the start of the Genesis Open until Thursday afternoon, players needed to scramble to finish the tournament by Sunday evening.

That was accomplished with numerous golfers completing close to two rounds worth of play on Sunday, as players teed off beginning at 6:45 a.m. PT. Groups were expanded from two to three for the finish.

Thomas looked like he was going to run away with the tournament after opening the fourth round with a birdie. However, the 2017 PGA Championship winner proceeded to bogey three of the next four holes, which included missed putts from 11 feet (twice) and seven feet.

The putting issues continued on the back nine, including a three-putt from eight feet for a double bogey on the par-four 13th.

Thomas, who has made plenty of money putts during his career, was unusually off on this day:

3-putts or worse for Justin Thomas:

Previous 190 holes: 0
Last 4 holes: 2 pic.twitter.com/Z8PvN905c1

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 17, 2019

He also missed five-footers on holes 10 and 14 and finished the fourth round with a -2.954 strokes gained: putting mark, per PGATour.com.

Still, Thomas gamely hung in there and knocked home a birdie on 16 to pull within one stroke of Holmes. He also gave himself a decent chance at a playoff with an approach on 18 that landed 19 feet from the hole. However, the putt missed left:

Justin Thomas' putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff ... pic.twitter.com/a2bWu0MV7X

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2019

Holmes was steady all week and shot under par in all four of his rounds. Things got hairy on the 16th however, as he found the bunker. Still, Holmes managed to make the par save to preserve his lead:

What a par save for @JBHolmesGolf at 16. 👏#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/36fBeSqxBT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2019

The PGA Tour is now headed to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City for the WGC-Mexico Championship.