By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.
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November 4, 2022
Good Friday morning, golf fans, as Will Taylor leads in Mayakoba after an opening round of 62. |
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1. Next installment of The Match on tap
Joel Beall for Golf Digest…“Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will face Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the latest iteration of “The Match,” sources have told Golf Digest. The news was first reported by The Fried Egg.”
- “The four superstars committed to the exhibition series, which will be held for the seventh time and second in 2022 after a duel between NFL quarterbacks was contested in June. The Match will be held Dec. 10 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. It is expected to start at 7 p.m. under the lights, with the match going 12 holes.”
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2. Strong start for Scottie
Adam Stanley for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is coming off a magical TOUR campaign, and through the first round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, he’s re-kindled a little bit of Mexican magic from a year ago.”
- “Scheffler, who finished fourth at Mayakoba last season, opened this year’s edition with a bogey-free 65. He was tied for fifth when Thursday’s morning wave finished at El Camaleón Golf Course. Will Gordon shot a 9-under 62 to take the early lead.”
- “Solid golf. A clean card’s really nice,” said Scheffler, who made three birdies apiece on his front and back nine.
- “An early stretch was key for Scheffler’s round. He scrambled for par on the third hole, knocking his approach to a few feet after taking a penalty drop, then followed that with a tee shot on the par-3 fourth to gimmie range.”
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3. Guaranteed money coming to the DP World Tour
James Corrigan for The Telegraph…”LIV’s promise to change big-time male golf forever has been granted yet more substance by the DP World Tour’s decision to award guaranteed money to its players for the first time in the European circuit’s history.”
- “Wentworth has emulated the PGA Tour’s response to the Saudi-funded breakaway league by introducing a scheme from next season that will see card-carrying golfers assured of a minimum $150,000 [£135,000] so long as they appear in at least 15 events.”
- “The payment is not nearly at the level of the PGA Tour – which guarantees a minimum of $500,000 – or indeed of LIV Golf – that features the last-placed player in their 48-man events picking up $120,000 out of a $405million combined prize fund – but it is a significant move regardless.”
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4. Toto Japan Classic
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”Ai Suzuki won the last co-sanctioned edition of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic in 2019 but did not take LPGA membership. This week, she co-leads with compatriot Momoko Ueda after an opening 7-under 65. Ueda won this event in 2007 and 2011. Japanese players occupy the top five positions on the leaderboard at Seta Golf Course.” |
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5. Hovland’s three-peat pursuit
Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”The 25-year-old Norwegian opened up his three-peat bid at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba with a 6-under 65 and sits T-8, three shots off the lead.”
- “I think the last two years I’ve started 4 and 5 under, so even improved on that,” Hovland said after Thursday’s round.”
- “If Hovland can keep the good vibes going South of the Border and emerge victorious on Sunday, he’ll be the first to three-peat at a Tour event since Steve Stricker at the 2011 John Deere Classic.”
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6. QBE Shootout
Via the Golf Channel Digital Team…”The QBE Shootout is set to return on Dec. 7-11 and once again boasts an illustrious field.For the first time in its 22-year history, the field will include two LPGA players — Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda. Korda will make her debut in the event, while Thompson will return to Tiburon Golf Club for the sixth time.”
- “The 24-player field will also feature six of the world’s top 30 and ten of the top 50 ranked male players. Those players include Billy Horschel, PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Cameron Young, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Corey Conners, Tom Hoge, K.H. Lee, Brian Harman and Harris English.”
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7. Nantz targeting 51 Masters calls
Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…”So does the voice of the Masters have an idea when he’ll make his last drive down Magnolia Lane to cover that event for CBS Sports?”
- “The Masters, I would like to do it 51 times, as bizarre as that sounds,” he said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday. “My 51st Masters would be the 100th playing of the Masters. And, I’d like to be there to see the end of the first century. That’s just a little goal that I have in the back of my head.
- “I’m through 37 right now, so 14 to go, hopefully.”
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8. Chasing $442K
Ben Everill for PGATour.com…“A single New York bettor stands to profit as much as $442,000 if one of his notable longshot wagers pays off at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.”
- “While the field in Mexico boasts the likes of world No.2 Scottie Scheffler (+900), three-peat seeker Viktor Hovland (+1100) and two-time major winner Collin Morikawa (+1600), it is a quintet of players further down the board that has one New Yorker excited ahead of Thursday’s opening round at El Camaleon Golf Club.”
- “Five separate bets of $2,000 have been placed at the BetMGM Sportsbook on Tom Hoge, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Yu, Brandon Wu and Danny Lee to win the tournament.”
- “A Hoge victory would win $60,000 while a Kuchar victory would bring $100,000. A Yu win nets $180,000 and a Wu trophy-earning week would bring a $200,000 payday. If New Zealand’s Lee wins the return would be $450,000. The $8,000 outlay on the other players would need to be deducted from any win.”
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9. Nothing to do but golf for NFL Hall of Famer
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Craig Dolch for The Palm Beach Post…”At 63, Lawrence Taylor still knows how to deliver a shot.”
- “On Wednesday, he was hitting golf balls instead of quarterbacks.”
- “The NFL Hall of Fame outside linebacker played in the TimberTech Championship’s PNK DRV Pro-Am at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club.”
- “I play golf almost every day,” he said. “I’m retired. There’s nothing else for me to do but play golf.”
- “Taylor said he plays to a handicap of 5, but admits his best days on the course are in the past. That’s because he now feels like some of the quarterbacks he leveled over the years.”
- “I used to be really good,” Taylor said of his golf game. “I just can’t practice like I used to. Everything hurts when I swing.”
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