News
Sergio Garcia DQd for “serious misconduct” after damaging greens at Saudi International
Sergio Garcia has been disqualified from the Saudi International after violating rule 1.2a, the European Tour said in a statement.
The rule allows for player disqualification in instances of serious misconduct.
According to Martin Dempster of the Scotsman, players behind Garcia alerted rules officials to the damage during the third round, which resulted in a meeting with chief executive Keith Pelley following the conclusion of the Spaniard’s round.
Garcia, who opened the competition at Royal Greens G&CC with rounds of 69, 70, said in the statement
“I respect the decision of my disqualification. In frustration, I damaged a couple of greens, for which I apologise for, and I have informed my fellow players it will never happen again.”
Garcia had already taken his frustrations out on a bunker during the tournament’s second round and indicated the course’s paspalum greens weren’t to his liking earlier in the week.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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News
Vincenzi’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson betting preview: International talent to shine
As anticipation mounts for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a few weeks, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in McKinney, Texas to play The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Last year was the third time TPC Craig Ranch hosted the Byron Nelson. Prior to 2021, the event was held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
TPC Craig Ranch is a 7,414-yard par-71 that features Bentgrass greens. The event historically plays relatively easy, and that has remained the case in the three editions at TPC Craig Ranch.
The course structure may provide some additional intrigue with the par-3 17th featuring a stadium setup called “Ranch 17” which is reminiscent of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The course also has both long and difficult par-4s mixed with drivable par-4s, which should create some exciting moments.
There are 156 golfers in the field this week, and many stars will be taking the week off to prepare for 2023’s second major championship in a few weeks and a “signature event” at Quail Hollow next week. Notable players in the field include Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.
Past Winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson
- 2023: Jason Day (-23 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2022: K.H. Lee (-26 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2021: K.H. Lee (-25 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2019: Sung Kang (-23)
- 2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
- 2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
- 2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
- 2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
Key Stats at TPC Craig Ranch
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for TPC Craig Ranch to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach remains the best measure of current form.
Hot iron play will be at a premium this week. Last year, Jason Day gained 6.4 strokes on approach, which was fourth in the field. In 2022, K.H. Lee was ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.2 strokes. In his 2021 victory, he was second in the field and gained 8.3 strokes on the field in the category.
Strokes Gaines: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
- Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
- Ryan Moore (+0.98)
- Ben Martin (0.80)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Fairways are wide at TPC Craig Ranch.
Distance will certainly be helpful, and there aren’t too many difficult holes on the course. Golfers who put themselves in position off of the tee this week should have a sizable advantage.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds
- Peter Kuest (+0.93)
- Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
- Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
- Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
- Kevin Tway (+0.74)
Birdie or Better %
There aren’t many hazards on the course, and all of the par-5s should be reachable in two for the majority of the players in the field. I am anticipating a birdie fest, and this statistic should be helpful in finding the birdie-makers.
Birdie or Better % Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Wesley Bryan (31%)
- Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
- Peter Kuest (25.9%)
- Matti Schmid (25.7%
- Jimmy Stanger (25.2%)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)
Many golfers on TOUR have some major putting surface variance in their statistics and prefer Bentgrass to other surfaces.
Bentgrass is common in Texas, and we often see golfers who play well in Texas continue to do so, finding a great feel around the greens.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
- Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
- Callum Tarren (+0.86)
- Harry Hall (+0.81)
- Nick Hardy (+0.69)
Course History
This statistic will tell us which players have performed the best at TPC Craig Ranch over the past three seasons.
Course History Over Past 12 Rounds:
- Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
- K.H. Lee (+2.59)
- Seamus Power (+1.84)
- Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
- Adam Scott (+1.72)
CJ CUP Byron Nelson Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (24%), Birdie or Better % (18%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (16%).
- Alex Noren
- Adam Scott
- Keith Mitchell
- Si Woo Kim
- Stephen Jaeger
- Jordan Spieth
- Jhonnatan Vegas
- Nate Lashley
- Brice Garnett
- Tom Hoge
2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson Picks
Byeong Hun An +3000 (DraftKings)
Byeong Hun put together an excellent performance at The Masters, finishing T16, which ties his best ever finish at a major championship (also T16 at 2019 U.S. Open). The South Korean gained 9.16 strokes from tee to green, which ranked 2nd in the field behind only the champion, Scottie Scheffler.
An’s next start at Harbour Town didn’t go as well (67th), but he still had a fantastic ball striking week. The 32-year-old bled strokes both around and on the greens, which was his eventual undoing. In his past three starts, An has gained significant strokes on the field both off the tee and on approach.
Benny had a strong start at last year’s Byron Nelson, finishing in a tie for 14th. With limited challenges on the course, he shouldn’t have to do much scrambling. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 17th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in the field in birdie or better percentage. The putter is up and down per usual, but his ceiling putting weeks with his LAB Golf putter in 2024 are higher than they’ve been in past seasons.
An is starting to become my “white whale” of the PGA Tour, but I believe in his talent and TPC Craig Ranch is a course that should suit his excellent tee to green play.
Mackenzie Hughes +5500 (FanDuel)
Mackenzie Hughes is quietly putting together a very good season. He finished in a tie for 3rd at the Valspar Championship and followed that up with a T14 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
In his past 36 rounds in Texas, the Canadian ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total. Last year, he finished in a tie for 14th at this event and gained strokes putting and off the tee. Mackenzie played well that week despite being in extremely poor form. He missed two cuts in a row prior to the event, and four consecutive cuts immediately after. His irons were off that week, but in 2024, we’ve seen an improvement in Hughes’ approach game. He now comes to the event playing some steady golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five events and is hitting the ball very well from tee to green.
Hughes has two victories on the PGA Tour, both coming in relatively low-scoring affairs (-17 in each). He will need to go a bit deeper to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson but has the type of putter that can keep pace in a birdie barrage.
Seamus Power +7000 (FanDuel)
After struggling over the past few seasons with injuries, Seamus Power seems as if he is rounding back into the form that made him a really consistent player on the PGA Tour.
Power finished T12 in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage, which is encouraging considering it was a “signature event” with a very strong field. For the week, the Irishman gained 4.4 strokes on approach and 2.8 strokes putting, which is the combination he’s used in the past to contend on Tour.
In his three trips to TPC Craig Ranch, Power is yet to finish outside of the top-20, with his best finish being a T9 in 2019. He ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course. The 37-year-old thrives on easy tracks and has won in 2021 (Barbasol Championship) and 2022 (Butterfield Bermuda) on easier layouts with weaker fields.
Power has the game to go extremely low and I believe he can get back in the winner’s circle for the third time in four years.
Chan Kim +10000 (FanDuel)
Chan Kim has been striking the ball beautifully this season and is a proven winner with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 as well as eight career Japan Tour wins.
At last week’s Zurich Classic, Kim and his partner Doug Ghim finished in a tie for 28th. Prior to that, the South Korean T14 at the Valero Texas Open and T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. His success this season in Texas as well as he propensity to play his best golf on the PGA Tour’s easier courses make him and ideal fit for TPC Craig Ranch.
2024 has given plenty of longshot winners on the PGA Tour, and with a birdie fest like this, I believe there’s a strong chance we get another this week in McKinney, Texas.
Alejandro Tosti +10000 (FanDuel)
Alejandro Tosti is one of the most polarizing players on the PGA Tour thus far in the 2024 season. His antics can rub many the wrong way, but he’s shown on a few occasions that he has what it takes to compete in Tour events.
This season, Tosti has been elite off the tee. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The Argentine hits it long and straight, which works at any course on earth. He got a taste of contention a few starts ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, finishing in a tie for 2nd place.
Tosti had a fantastic year in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour, where going low is a prerequisite to success. If this turns to a shootout, which it likely will, the 27-year-old has the ability to set the pace. Tosti will look to become the second Argentine to win in Texas in the past two seasons after Emiliano Grillo emerged victorious at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
C.T. Pan +15000 (FanDuel)
Outside of a T3 at the Mexico Open, C.T. Pan doesn’t have strong results this season in terms of finishes. However, over his past two starts, Pan’s iron play has come alive. At The Players, he gained 6.6 strokes on approach. At the Valero Texas Open, he gained 3.7. At last week’s Zurich Classic, Pan and his partner Kevin Yu finished T28. For a player who can get extremely hot with his scoring clubs, I believe he’s playing better than the results have shown over the past month or so.
Last season, Pan finished 4th at TPC Craig Ranch and was spectacular across all the major stat categories. In his past 36 qualifying rounds, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas.
Pan has won on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage and is always a player that I believe has what it takes to win on a Sunday if he finds himself in contention.
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News
Morning 9: McIlroy, Lowry win Zurich | Green repeats on LPGA | Steele victorious down under
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DaveJ
Feb 4, 2019 at 9:55 pm
As someone who suffers from fits of rage myself, I can tell you that it isn’t something you can just stop doing. You can work to control it and mask it, but at some point your anger will get the better of you. You are immediately embarrassed and regretful but in the moment it can be impossible to get away from it. That being said, it was right to DQ him and he should probably be fined/suspended as well because the behavior can’t be condoned.
Tom
Feb 4, 2019 at 6:47 pm
Tiger swore and threw clubs, was never suspended or penalized now was he?
JP
Feb 6, 2019 at 10:18 pm
And that has what to do with Sergio damaging greens? Completely different offenses.
Cm
Feb 4, 2019 at 1:45 pm
I can’t decide till I see the pictures of the greens. Still think Rahm is far worse slamming clubs regularly.
joro
Feb 4, 2019 at 12:38 pm
La la la, same old thing. He has a fit, reacts with a negative and then apologizes “I weel never do eet again, that is until next time. Face it, Sergio is nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks the World is against him and says so. Of course he does nothing to change that with his according to the pitiful “talking Heads” announcers who refer to his actions as the Fiery Spaniard. Fiery my fat ass, he is a spoiled little brat.
Suspend him for a few tournaments and see how bit the fire is after that.
Dr Remo
Feb 4, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Garcia deserves it.
Wish the same conduct standards applied to tennis…..e.g. Serena Williams’ outbursts and physically threatening line judges are a disgrace and should result in suspension.
Darryl
Feb 4, 2019 at 7:19 am
Whilst he’s no worse for losing his temper than any other of a dozen reasonably big name players out there, it’s what he does when he loses his temper that baffles. Petulance is one thing when you break your driver or putter over your knee, it’s another thing completely when you damage the playing surfaces, also the fact he did it on multiple greens. Ok, the red mist came down and he did something stupid in the first instance, he realises his mistake, apologises profusely, offers to WD and/or waive appearance fee, case closed. But to do it over and over again? Referee should have hauled him up for it at the very least. Disappointed the European tour haven’t announced at least a token ban. Surely they have to take into account the fact that he has very nearly injured spectators in the past. Apologists can no longer even say “it’s just frustration from never having won a major”, which always used to be the line. Monty was a properly bad tempered SOB when he played poorly and famously never won a proper major (face the facts, Champions tour), but I don’t remember him every carving a green up or throwing a club in a dangerous fashion, or fouling the hole. I’ve been a Sergio fan a long time and really enjoyed watching him break his major duck at Augusta in 2017, but he’s becoming impossible to justify supporting.
GolfConsumer
Feb 4, 2019 at 1:13 am
Callaway should drop his immature a__.
Thats it, I’m not buying another piece of Callaway golf equipment until they drop him!
jgpl001
Feb 3, 2019 at 3:01 pm
Anger, frustration, well we have all experienced that
Kick your bag, slam a club, swear, we have all done that
Damaging the golf course – WAY OUT OF ORDER, NOT ACCEPTABLE
Ban the brat
Chris
Feb 3, 2019 at 1:51 pm
Y’all are hating because you have immunity online. Be quiet, everyone gets mad. Go wash your super cavity back irons that you still shank.
JP
Feb 4, 2019 at 12:47 am
And the fact that many of us play SGI irons and aren’t good golfers justifies Sergio in some way? Please explain.
john
Feb 5, 2019 at 2:17 pm
Very mature response. Not.
There’s getting mad and there’s getting mad. Sergio damaged five green – something I assume you’d be unhappy at if it was a member of your club doing it. Garcia has a hugely privileged life and the least he can do is act like the role model he is to many young golfers. Sergio seems like a decent enough guy, if a little emotional. I’m sure he’ll be hugely embarrassed by how he acted and would accept any criticism that comes his way.
Dave C.
Feb 3, 2019 at 6:37 am
Many millions of dollars usually make most people jerks.
Golf pros, football players, capitalists, old money, new money.
Chip2Win
Feb 3, 2019 at 8:38 am
I’m pretty sure there are lots of poor people who are jerks too.
Central Oregon Golf
Feb 2, 2019 at 11:34 pm
I hope he never wins again. Should have kicked him off the course immediately instead of after round. Agree on more severe penalty in the way of suspension, fine, and maintenance fee to fix & improve course. Maybe the tours should sponsor anger management as well?!
Safe Hans
Feb 12, 2019 at 8:03 am
Totally agree, he should be serving a ban for what he did – a serious lack of respect to the course and our game.
Johnny Rebel
Feb 2, 2019 at 9:50 pm
Sergio acts like a n igger when he doesn’t get his way.
AC in TX
Feb 2, 2019 at 9:26 pm
I damage greens all the time – it’s called hitting it fat … very fat.
JP
Feb 3, 2019 at 10:23 am
Either you don’t know the difference between greens and fairways, or you really have no business putting.
Jose Pinatas
Feb 2, 2019 at 5:15 pm
Can someone post a video of this? I love Sergio meltdowns, super entertaining..
JP
Feb 2, 2019 at 9:34 pm
Yeah, I’d like to see what kind of damage he caused with a putter and how he tried to disguise it as normal play. What a JackA$$
Oldplayer
Feb 2, 2019 at 4:26 pm
This behavior shows the character of the guy much more than any words.
What a spoiled brat. He’s off my list for sure.
Benjamin Kaiser
Feb 3, 2019 at 8:47 am
True dat
Nolan
Feb 2, 2019 at 3:18 pm
He’s lucky the Prince didn’t make him disappear.
cdj
Feb 2, 2019 at 1:25 pm
Year back at Tour Championship SG hit a drive from tee box where I was at the time. Shot started on a good line to which I responded “good shot” or the like. He did not like where it ended up and looked at me saying “yeah, nice shot” in his snarky voice while slamming the tee marker.
Dude has Jameis Winston syndrome.
Acemandrake
Feb 2, 2019 at 1:18 pm
No gratitude for God-given & earthly riches.
When will he grow up?
Robert
Feb 4, 2019 at 12:10 pm
Will he EVER grow up. No more Callaway or Adidas until he is gone.
Kolby
Feb 2, 2019 at 12:51 pm
Suspend Sergio Garcia from both Tours until AFTER Augusta! LOL
Johnny balls
Feb 2, 2019 at 12:44 pm
Paspalum sucks. Saudi Arabia sucks. No booze. Screw that place.
francisco borja lopez diez
Feb 4, 2019 at 7:27 am
The players had a yacht next to their hotel in which they were being served alcohol afer 9 pm…and 25 girls to entertain from Russia, Poland…
They had a concert with Mariah Carey as well as a dj session form DJ Tiesto. The country may not be your favorite place, but be sure these guys were treated much better than a regular tourist
john
Feb 11, 2019 at 11:33 am
A Mariah Carey concert sounds like ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ to me. Might explain Sergio’s meltdown.
stevez
Feb 21, 2019 at 1:00 pm
I thought I read he was happily married, new baby, and Masters Champ. Wass the problem now
Alan Schwepps
Feb 2, 2019 at 12:32 pm
Gee I wonder if he’s going to get fined more than $98,000 that Li got dinged for his asinine rule violation.
Make him pay to fix the green’s and fine him $250,000 for being a douche nozzle….
dat
Feb 2, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Pathetic, this isn’t a drunken muni round, Sergio.
Rory O Donnell
Feb 2, 2019 at 11:14 am
Spitting into holes and now this
Bert Gwaltney
Feb 2, 2019 at 10:09 am
Sometimes I’m confused about “like” or “shank” If I click “like” does that mean I like that he was DQ’ed or “like” what he did. If I click “shank” does that mean I don’t agree with the DQ or agree with it.
Maybe it’s rather I “like or shank” the article?
I’m glad he was DQ’ed, and yes he’s had it coming for a long time. Good on you European Tour. Maybe the PGA Tour will see your example of enforcing the Rules of Golf.
Denny Jones
Feb 2, 2019 at 9:17 am
DQ like this should be swift and have more bite. Instead of just a DQ, the penalty should be more severe. If they weren’t allow to participate in a major because of a fit of rage, the rage would disappear.
joe
Feb 2, 2019 at 10:04 am
Im a Sergio fan but I agree with you. This act stresses my affinity for him. And he is habitual so maybe a 3 event suspension?
Bert Gwaltney
Feb 2, 2019 at 10:17 am
Again he has embarrassed himself, displayed his lack of respect for the game and fellow competitors. I’ve had tried to accept his behavior as being immature, or having a fiery Spaniard temperament, but this goes past that.
Sad news for the game and Champion golfer. I suspect he will lose all respect from those who love and support the game, the patrons.
Mower
Feb 2, 2019 at 12:26 pm
“I damaged a couple of greens.” WTF!?
Yeah, time to crack down on this shit.