The European Tour will work with the PGA on a global schedule, leading to playing opportunities for better prize funds, as well as collaborating on commercial opportunities

PLANS for a breakaway “super tour” appear to have heralded a major move to create a strategic alliance between the European Tour and the PGA Tour.

In a bid to fend off moves by the The Raine Group – reported to be backed by Saudi Arabian money – the European Tour and PGA have signed a partnership agreement.

And 2021 is set to see changes to the playing schedules on both sides of the Atlantic as a result.

The Tours said on Friday they will work in partnership on a number of areas including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for their respective members.

In today’s announcement, both tours have agreed to “explore all facets of collaboration, working together on strategic commercial opportunities including collaborating on global media rights in certain territories.”

The PGA Tour has already taken a minority stake in European Tour Productions (ETP), the media production company, which produces and distributes content internationally.

Further details on the other areas will be announced in due course, the European Tour said in a statement from its Wentworth HQ.

But the most likely outcome is FedEx Cup points will be available for American players – and those Europeans with status in the States – at the European Tour’s lucrative events between September and November.

Commissioner Jay joins ET board

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the European Tour board

The European Tour statement added: “One element of the partnership which can be confirmed is the fact that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the board of the European Tour.”

Before the European Tour launched the UK Swing in July – after a three-month break in tournaments because of the COVID-19 crisis – its head Keith Pelley warned players the days of large multi-million prize funds, and many of the players’ perks of a luxury lifestyle on Tour, were under serious threat from the economic effects of the pandemic.

Speculation has been rife since March that the Tour was short of cash, and may have been looking for an injection from, or possible merger with, the PGA Tour.

Without the cash generated by the Rolex Series, which was reduced from eight to just four events in 2020, this year’s prize funds represented a major step backwards, with a huge gulf between a winner’s cheque on the PGA Tour and a European one.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “This partnership is an historic moment for the game of golf, and is a fantastic opportunity for both the European Tour and the PGA Tour to explore ways to come together at the very pinnacle of our sport – and work in unison for the benefit of the men’s professional game.”

Mr Pelley added that the announcement was the formalisation of a closer working relationship between the two Tours in recent years.

He added: “It was one which was crystalised earlier this year when both Jay and I were part of the working group containing representatives of the four Majors and the LPGA, a group which helped shape the remainder of the golfing calendar for 2020 during unprecedented times.

“We shared the challenges of working through a year neither of us could have ever imagined and we found definite synergies in many areas of our respective Tours. That gave us the impetus to move forward together and arrive at this momentous announcement we are making today.”

Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, said, “We are thrilled to announce this further strengthening of our partnership with the European Tour.

“We look forward to working together for the benefit of the men’s professional game and for golf fans around the world.”

Brooks Koepka has publicly distanced himself from plans for a breakaway Premier Golf League – reported to be backed by Saudi Arabian money. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Why world’s top three declined PGL approach

EARLIER this year the world’s top three players all came out publicly to state they would not back plans for a Premier Golf League, reported to be touting for the world’s top 48 players to create a breakaway tour.

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka all pledged their loyalty to both America’s PGA and European Tours – with McIlroy saying he was unhappy at the prospect of Saudi money being linked as a backer of the Raine Group plan.

Koepka, who rang Rory to discuss the move, also voiced fears that it was wrong to limit the highest and most lucrative level of the game to just 48 players.

Rory said in March: “I think one of the great things about golf is the fact that there are these story lines of the underdog – and the fact that anyone can really qualify for the US Open and have a great tournament, and have a chance to win.

“Those are the wonderful things about golf. For this league to sort of take that narrative away, and as Brooks said, he’d have a hard time looking at some of those guys in the eye that don’t make that top 48.

“The top players going to this other league it basically, not puts these other guys out of a job, but it definitely diminishes what they’re playing for and what they could earn on Tour.”

The new tie up also poses question marks over the future of the Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup is jointly owned by the European Tour and the PGA of America – the body of thousands of ordinary club professionals in the USA.

Any future merger between the PGA Tour and the European Tour would shift the power balance Stateside, and give it a share in sharing the spoils of the huge revenues the worldwide sporting event generates.

One seasoned golf industry executive said after the agreement was announced said: “If you’re the PGA Tour, why wouldn’t you want to flip those economics in your favour?”

The post European Tour joins forces with PGA Tour to fight off breakaway PGL Tour plans appeared first on Golf North.

Graeme McDowell – winner of the 2020 Saudi International – has withdrawn from this week’s PGA Tour event the Travelers Championship after his caddy tested positive for COVID-19. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

US OPEN champion Graeme McDowell has withdrawn from this week’s Travelers Championship in America, after his caddy tested positive for COVID-19.

The Northern Ireland ace, who lives in Florida, pulled out of the PGA Tour event in Connecticut, on Tuesday night after it was confirmed caddy longstanding Ken Comboy had been diagnosed as having the coronavirus.

McDowell told an American website:”For the protection of the field and for my own physical and mental well-being, I’m going to take a test tomorrow morning then jump on a private plane.”

The pair had spent six hours driving in a car from the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town in South Carolina, back to their Florida base, after missing the cut on Friday.

Having left the PGA Tour bubble, Comboy was reported to have felt unwell.

The popular caddy returned from Lake Nona to Harbour Town to request a test from the PGA Tour.

McDowell, who then travelled to TPC River Highlands for this week’s Traveler’s Championship, admitted he feared he would become the next player to be tested positive.

Known as G-Mac throughout golf, Graeme said: “I’d been through a huge amount emotionally and mentally, and a couple of weeks back into it after a few months off you’re going to be a little tired getting your golf legs back.

“But the alarm bells have started to ring now that Kenny has failed this test.

“We’re a close-knit team. We roomed together last week, we spent six hours in a car.

“He’s carrying the virus so in some way I have to be carrying it too,” said McDowell, who won the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach.

McDowell, a past winner at Harbour Town, missed the cut on Friday in the RBC Heritage and travelled back to his Florida home by car with caddy Ken Comboy

McDowell and Champ withdraw

CADDY Ken Comboy and McDowell are one of longest-running partnerships on Tour, and recently celebrated his 14th win at the Saudi International in February.

The Ryder Cup ace played a practice round at TPC River Highlands, on Tuesday, with Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka and his brother Chase – a former European Challenge Tour player.

Chase came through Monday qualifying to earn his start in Thursday’s event.

Nick Watney became the first PGA Tour play to test positive for COVID-19, last Friday, after the tour staged its second event at Harbour Town – a week after the sport returned with the Charles Schwab Cup in Texas.

And on Monday, Cameron Champ became the second player to fail the coronavirus test after the PGA Tour bubbule moved to the north east, in the USA.

The World No. 79 will have to self-isolate for at least 10 days before he can rejoin the PGA Tour bubble, assuming he then does not test positive again.

Champ is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour. He burst into the world’s top 100 after the Web.com Tour graduate made his breakthrough win less than two years ago.

He won the Sandersons Championship, in October 2018, in his second start of the wraparound season – and just his eighth Tour start in total.

The TPC River Highlands course in Hartford, Connecticut, has attracted its strongest-ever field for this week’s Travelers Championship

Strongest line-up for Travelers Championship

NINE of the world’s top 10 are set to tee it up at TPC River Highlands in Hartford, Connecticut.

That is the strongest line-up in the tournament’s history. Bubba Watson has won the event three times in the last decade.

The Travelers will be the third tournament in as many weeks to be played without spectators.

What effect the latest positive tests will have on PGA Tour’s return remains to be seen.

The PGA of America confirmed on Monday that no fans will be present for the first Major of 2020.

The USPGA will be played at TPC Harding Park, in San Francisco, in early August, without any spectators on site.

The PGA Tour was expecting to allow fans to attend Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament, next month.

But the latest COVID-19 scare – along with growings signs the coronavirus is still spreading in key cities in the USA – will pile pressure on the PGA Tour over its plans to let spectators attend.

The post Caddy Ken tests positive for COVID-19 forcing G-Mac to withdraw from Travellers appeared first on Golf North.

Patrick Reed came through the leading pack with four birdies in the final six holes at Chapultepec Golf Club to claim a second WGC title. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PATRICK Reed drowned out the ongoing criticisms over his bunkergate in the Bahamas to land his second World Golf Championships title in a thrilling finish in Mexico City.

Just when it looked as though Bryson DeChambeau, who has certainly public criticisms over his pace of play, was about to race to a first WGC title of his own, the final holes at Chapultepec Golf Club conspired to give Reed a race at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

Reed – who was accused of cheating by both Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey’s coach Peter Kostis in the build up the first WGC of the season – said: “It means a lot to win.

“One of our goals was to go out and win a golf tournament and try to get in that winner’s circle before Augusta.

“And to be able to go ahead and do it before I even got to the Florida Swing definitely gives me momentum and gives me the confidence that we’re playing really well.

“Now I just need to continue to grind, continue to work, and hopefully there’s more coming up soon,” added Reed, who was ranked World No. 14 going into the week.

“The putter was really hot. I felt like I was hitting a lot of really good putts, hitting it on my lines, and your speed has to be perfect. I felt like I was able to dial it in.

“It definitely helped me out today because I didn’t hit the ball that great on the front, had a lot of up-and-downs just to kind of hang around there.

“I knew if I was able to get a little hot with the ball-striking, I’d be able to rack up some birdies, and I was able to do that at the end.”

How Captain America emerged victorious despite ‘cheating’ calls

THE American Ryder Cup star – dubbed “Captain America” after his debut in 2016 at Hazeltine – emerged victorious from a battle that went one way and then the other.

DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Reed and Erik van Rooyen all shared the lead at the turn, while World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and overnight leader Justin Thomas were just a shot back.

Patrick Reed pulled clear though, picking up four birdies in six holes from the 12^th.

That left the 2018 Masters winner with a two-stroke advantage going down the last and – despite a wild tee shot on the par four 18^th – he managed to compose himself for a two-putt bogey to post 18-under in the penultimate group.

That four-under 67 handed Reed a one-shot victory in the same Championship at which he claimed his first WGC title in 2014 – when it was staged at Miami’s Doral resort.

Victory moved the 29-year-old to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings.

DeChambeau’s six-under 65 earned him outright second place, while Reed’s fellow European Tour members Rahm and van Rooyen shared third spot on 15-under.

Rahm claimed he was struggling by the turn and said: “I mean, it was going to be very easy to focus on the last few putts that weren’t good. It is what it is.

“But to be honest, I was not good through 27 holes. The fact I had no chance and shot 19-under after that, it’s pretty ridiculous.

“If anything, I’ve got to reflect on the first two days. I did give myself a chance, but my swing wasn’t feeling the best three out of four days, and today it showed.

“I kind of pulled it together, but it was hard to catch with Bryson making all those birdies. If anything, I had a chance, but I’ve got to focus more on the fact I should have given myself a better chance after the first few holes.”

First round leader McIlroy struggled to gain any momentum on the final day, but did continue his remarkably consistent recent form as he picked up a fifth successive top five – a run which began with his victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions, in Shanghai, in November.

McIlory said: “It was frustrating. I don’t feel like I got the best out of myself.

“Obviously I started the week well, and then I feel like I just hit some loose shots, and I didn’t putt as well as I needed to over the last three days.

“And I just let a few shots get away. I’m just looking forward to a week off. Looking forward to getting away for a little bit.”

•For final scores click here.

Van Rooyen happy to be in contention

ERIK van Rooyen found himself in exalted company, and having struggled when in contention in Europe over the last 18 months, was happy with the way the 30-year-old acquitted himself in contention for a WGC for the first time.

Van Rooyen: “I felt better than I did yesterday, and I think there was a lot more going on yesterday. I got off to a really good start again today. Ten and 12 obviously hurt quite bad.

“I think I played some really good golf the last four days, and I think I can hold my head high,” said the South African, whose first European Tour win came in the Scandinavian Invitation, in August.

“I mean, there’s still so much to play for. Yes, we all want to win, but at the same time, I’m trying to finish as high as I possibly can, so I’m not going to go lie down after a bogey.

“I think we had a really good finish, gave myself a few good chances coming down the stretch, and my game is in great shape. I’m looking forward to the next one,” added van Rooyen.

Keopka and Kostis call out Reed over ‘cheating’

BROOKS Koepka claimed Patrick Reed had “built sandcastles” during the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December.

The winner of last year’s USPGA title told SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio: “Yeah. I don’t know what he was doing, building sand castles in the sand.

“But you know where your club is. I took three months off and I can promise you I know if I touch sand.

“If you look at the video, obviously he grazes the sand twice and then he still chops down on it.”

Reed was tackled over the comments about his behaviour at the end of the first round in Mexcio.

“I said what I have to say about what happened in the Bahamas, and at the end of the day, all I’m trying to do is go out and play good golf and trying to win a golf championship and hopefully run [leader Rory McIlroy] down,” said Reed, who was also made fun of by his team-mates during practice at The Presidents Cup.

There was also an ugly scene where Reed’s caddie Kessler Karain intervened to deal with a heckling spectator during the third day’s play, and was removed from the competition after the confrontation, forcing Reed’s coach Kevin Kirk to go on the bag for the Sunday singles.

Even worse, Kostis, who has been a CBS on course regular for many years until this season, was even more scathing telling the No Laying Up podcast Kostis added, “I’ve seen Patrick Reed improve his lie, up close and personal, four times now.”

But whatever anyone’s take on the rights and wrongs of Reed’s behaviour on the course, it appears to be water off a duck’s back.

The spotlight over his integrity appears to have given him an even thicker hide with which to block out the pressures of trying to win one of the biggest titles in world golf.

What the Augusta crowds, let alone the Augusta National Golf Club will make of Reed in less than two months’ time is anyone’s guess.

The post Nothing ruffles Patrick Reed who claims second WGC title down Mexico way appeared first on Golf North.

Why Shane Lowry is looking forward to a second crack at Saudi International title

OPEN Champion Shane Lowry is aiming to extend his strong record in the Middle East when he makes his debut as part of a strong field looking to claim this week’s Saudi International title.

The Irishman won the 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and is a former runner up in the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

He began his 2020 calendar year by finishing runner-up in Hong Kong, in the rearranged Asian Tour event.

And – after missing the cut by one shot in Abu Dhabi – Lowry finished tied 11th in last week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Lowry believes Royal Greens Golf and Country Club is comparable to some of the other courses he has performance well at in the Middle East.

And the Claret Jug holder is looking forward to teeing it up for the first two rounds alongside World No.1 1 Brooks Koepka and former Masters Champion Sergio Garcia.

Both return to Saudi Arabia after playing in last year’s inaugural event, which attracted some criticism of players who took part in the event, over the Saudi’s human rights record.

The controversy came in the wake of the horrific killing of American-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, in October 2018.

The Saudi government is committed to a huge investment programme, including staging top international cultural and sporting events in a bid to boost tourism and develop a post-oil dependent economy.

But the leading players were all focused firmly on the golf and claiming that Saudi International title.

Lowry said: “It’s very much a Middle East-style golf course, and something that I like the look of it straightaway. It’s in great condition.

“Hopefully I can go out and play well, but I do really like the look of the golf course and it’s in perfect condition.

“I’ve done well in obviously Abu Dhabi, in the DP World and I  played okay in the Desert Classic the last couple of years.

“It’s the type of golf that I like. The wind picks up here in the afternoon, which would suit me a little bit, as well.

“It is a type of golf that I do enjoy playing. It’s perfect weather and perfect condition golf course.

“I got off to a great start in Hong Kong after a long break and didn’t know what to expect.

“Then came to Abu Dhabi, and I sort of had a mental error on the last hole and missed the cut out of nowhere.

Lowry got to practice with fellow Irishman Cormac Sharvin, who graduated via the European Challenge Tour, finishing 11th on the Road to Mallorca in 2019.

And Lowry admitted after his practice round that while a tad disappointed by his week in Dubai, he was still taking the positives from the week which saw a much tougher Emirates GC course awaiting the European Tour’s finest.

“Last week I finished 11th and probably would have liked to finish better,” he said.

“But any Sunday morning you’re sitting there eating your breakfast and feel like you have a chance to win the tournament is a good day.

“I feel like my form is okay, and I’m hoping to do all right this week and pick up a few more World Ranking points and Ryder Cup points.”

Defending champion Dustin Johnson is also in the field and he is grouped with Lee Westwood, winner of the 2020’s first Rolex Series event in Abu Dhabi, and another Middle East specialist, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.

Johnson will be looing to add to his solitary US Open win in 2016 when it comes to the 2020 Majors.

“I’m feeling good. I’m really pleased with how I played last year,” said Johnson, “and I’m excited to be back in Saudi Arabia for this tournament.

“Any time you’ve won somewhere you’re looking at it, but every event that I go to – whether I’ve won there or not – I’m always trying to win it.

“It’s more like the process. Like I want to get myself in contention. I just want to give myself a chance to win on Sunday,” added Johnson, who will also be keen to close the gap on his buddy Brooks Koepka, who is being chased by Rory McIlroy for the World No. 1 accolade.

Dustin said: “I feel like if I can put myself in a position to have a chance to win going into the back nine on Sunday, then I’ve done what I wanted to do that week, and you know, just see what I can do those last nine holes.”

And a second Saudi International title can’t be ruled out for the bookies favourite.

Koepka to crack on after Dubai practice week

BROOKS Koepka, who returned after a three-month lay-off to allow his knee injury to heal in Abu Dhabi, will be looking to build on a fast start that faded in his European Tour return.

“The course has gotten a lot better than it was last year,” claimed Koepka who admits he still has some work to do if he is to be in with a shout of claiming his first Saudi International title come Sunday.

“Any time you can give a course an extra year to really develop, you’re going to see the progression of it,” said Florida-based Brooks.

“The greens are a lot faster. The rough’s a lot thicker. It’s settled in nicely.

“It looks incredible shape just as it was last year, just a little more settled in, which will be different.

“You never know what the scores could be. A few greens are a little firmer and faster, and if the wind gets up like it usually does in the afternoon, it might be a different story this year.

“You don’t know,” added Koepka, whose journey to the top of world golf began when he played for two seasons on the Challenge Tour – winning three times in 2013 after his debut win in 2012.

“Last week I practised all week. I had three months off, so there was no point in having a holiday or a vacation.

“It was more of a work thing. Just got the game ready. Felt good in Abu Dhabi. Felt good in Dubai. Feels good here.

“It’s just a matter of going out and executing. I played just fine, great shots in Abu Dhabi. Just didn’t score and that’s my own fault.

“Just coming here to try to figure it out and put some scores together, put some rounds together, and try to eliminate some mistakes.”

•For live scoring in the Saudi International click here.

The post Why Shane Lowry is looking forward to a second crack at Saudi International title appeared first on Golf North.

Last year’s Major Champions Invitational winners with Sir Nick Faldo, who has amassed 16 legends from the game to act as captain’s at next week’s 2020 championship in Arizona

SEVENTY-TWO junior golfers from around the world will compete at in next week’s third edition of the Major Champions Invitational, at Arizona’s Lookout Mountain Golf Club.

The players will be split into teams of four – each captained and mentored by one of 18 Major champions.

England’s North East stars Jess Baker (Gosford Park Ladies) and Whitley Bay’s Rosie Belsham have the dream pairing, working with Dorset’s Solheim Cup winner Georgia Hall, while Leo Goosen – son of two time US Open Champion Retief – is in Team Stewart.

http://www.golfsouth.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Welcome-to-the-2020-MCI-Presented-by-Golf-Saudi..mp4

The Goosens lost out in a three-way play-off against Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman, in the PNC Father and Son competition, at Orlando’s Ritz-Carlton GC, in December.

But this time Goosen junior, who plays for Orlando’s Lake Highland Preparatory School, and plays on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, will be partnered with Argentina’s Tiago Barni, Venezuela’s Gabriel Restepo and China’s Ariel Yu.

With some of golf’s best players, past and present, as team captains, including 18-time Major champion Jack Nicklaus and current World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, the event is set to be the biggest in its short history.

Other Major champions involved include current PGA Tour stars such as 2016 US Open Champion Dustin Johnson and 2017 PGA Champion Justin Thomas, 10-time women’s Major champion Annika Sorenstam, 2018 Women’s British Open Champion Georgia Hall and 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson.

The tournament was conceived by World Golf Hall of Famer and six-time Major Champion Sir Nick Faldo as part of his desire to provide more opportunities to young golfers, in addition to his already well-established Faldo Series events.

The Major Champions Invitational has an actioned-packed schedule.

The juniors taking part will experiencing tournament conditions usually afforded to the best players in the world.

Sir Nick Faldo said: “It is great to be back for another year of the Major Champions Invitational.

“Thanks to some very generous Major champions, as well as our sponsors Golf Saudi, we have been able to take the event to a whole new level.

“We also have a few special treats up our sleeves for the players, which should add to the whole experience,” added Sir Nick, who won three Claret Jugs at The Open, and three Green Jackets at the Augusta Masters between 1987 and 1996.

“Ultimately, it’s about inspiring the next generation by building a connection between them and some of their heroes,” said Faldo.

“With the success of last year’s individual Champions on the amateur circuit in 2019, we’re hopeful the event concept is really starting to reap rewards.”

The participants will play four rounds of golf, including three in competition, get front-row seats to Sir Nick’s clinic, as well as the chance to meet with a selection of their golfing heroes.

The on-course action will unfold at Phoenix’s Lookout Mountain Golf Club – located between picturesque Sonoran Desert and Phoenix North Mountains.

The course, built in 1989, is a nine-time recipient of Golf Digest’s Four-Star Award and has been ranked in the Top 10 golf courses in Arizona.

•To see the full field click here.

Conor Gough and Annabell Fuller were crowned 2019 Major Invitational champions

The 2019 Major Champions Invitational individual awards were won by Stoke Park’s Conor Gough and Roehampton’s Annabell Fuller, as part of Team Hall.

Gough went on to become second-ever youngest English Amateur Champion at just 16 – Hampshire’s Harry Ellis who broke Sir Nick Faldo’s record set at 18 in 1975 was just four days younger than Gough.

The B.B.&O. England international has since represented Great Britain and Ireland at the Walker Cup, while Fuller played for Europe at the Junior Solheim Cup.

Other British players in this year’s field, looking to succeed Gough and Fuller, are Scottish quartet Gregor Graham, Carmen Griffiths, Evanna Hynd and Ruben Lindsay, who are in Team Watson.

Surrey’s Rhys Williams, a member at Foxhills Golf & Country Club, is in Team Ballesteros, while Dorset’s Louise Burke, is in Team Faldo.

The 2019 team competition was won by Team Annika, led by Annika Sorenstam.

The full list of team captains at the 2020 Major Champions Invitational is:–

• Sir Nick Faldo
• Jordan Spieth
• Tom Watson
• Dustin Johnson
• Justin Thomas
• Brooks Koepka
• Seve Ballesteros
• Payne Stewart
• Adam Scott
• Henrik Stenson
• Jack Nicklaus
• Se Ri Pak
• Ariya Jutanugarn
• Nancy Lopez
• Georgia Hall
• Danielle Kang
• Annika Sorenstam
• Michelle Wie
  

  Last year’s winning team with Annika Sorenstam (right) and Sir Nick Faldo (left)

The post Faldo’s Major Champions Invitational will feature 72 of the world’s best juniors appeared first on Golf North.

Italian Renato Paratore shared the first round lead in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with South Africa’s Shaun Norris. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

TWO unheralded European Tour players – Italy’s Renato Paratore and South African’s Shaun Norris – who outscored pre-tournament favourites Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood, in the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

All the focus in the build-up had been on the big names bidding for the riches on offer in the United Arab Emirates during the first Rolex Series event of 2020.

But Norris and Paratore both fired rounds of 64 to share the lead after round one, holding off a chasing pack including World No. 1 Brooks Koepka – on the comeback trail after a serious knee injury.

Koepka was the centre of attention as he made his competitive comeback after a three-month injury lay-off in the Race to Dubai event.

But his bogey-free round of 66 wasn’t enough to match Norris and Paratore’s efforts of eight-under par.

Koepka, who won four Majors between June 2017 and May 2019, was still delighted with his display. “It’s good to be back. Missed the competition, obviously,” he enthused.

“I played really solid. Missed a few putts early if I really want to pick it apart.

“Drove the ball well. Controlled the ball flight and controlled distances really well – and that’s what you have to do out here.

Last year’s USPGA winner got a major boost after chipping in at the 17th.

Brooks added: “To chip one in there – I wasn’t expecting that. But the short game was really good.

“The strike was really good. I worked hard with Pete Cowen in trying to make sure that I know what I’m doing and understand what I’m doing – and can make it repeatable.”

“The knee feels fine. It was a little sore last night. Just did some treatment on it. That’s expected.

“This is a first week I’ve walked 18 holes and I’ve done it three times already.

“It’s a little tired,” said Koepka, who first suffered knee problems back in March – and was forced to miss the USA win in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, in December.

The knee had not recovered sufficiently in time following a flare-up when he displaced his knee cap playing in the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup in South Korea, in October.

And Koepka admitted earlier this week he was not sure how long it would take before his left knee was as strong again as his right – or if it would ever be.

Paratore birdied his last four holes to take the lead as he chases his second European Tour win, after missing out in a play-off in his last start at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, in December.

“Today I started really good and made some good putts the first holes, said Paratore.

“It gave me confidence for the rest of the day, and I kept making putts, so it’s been a really good day.

“I just tried to focus on my game on every shot, and I managed to finish really good and made some putts.

“In Mauritius I played really solid from tee to green,” added Paratore, who won the Nordea Masters, at Barsebäck in Sweden three years ago.

“It gave me some confidence, and then in the break, I worked on my short game and more on the body. This helped me.

“Today I hit some long drivers. I didn’t hit many fairways, but I cut some corners, so some short clubs helped me.”

Norris climbing world rankings

PARATORE was joined at the summit by Norris, who has risen to 60^th in the Official World Golf Ranking with a win, four second places and four other top 10s in his last 14 events worldwide.

Norris spent three months before Christmas in Japan, where he won the Top Cup Tokai Classic, in October.

“I hit the ball nicely. Gave myself a couple of chances. Didn’t fall over the first couple of holes,” said Norris, who is closing in on a place in the world’s top 50, which could earn him a spot at Augusta if he can make the mark by early April.

“I told my brother (Kyle), ‘I feel like I’m hitting the lines and starting to feel the greens’,” added Norris.

“As soon as I made the putt on eight, and then nine, I just started feeling like it’s snowballing. I started hitting better shots close to the holes.

“Really gave myself super opportunities after that,” said Norris, who admitted the win in Japan was tinged with sadness – having lost his dad in 2019.

Norris, who won the Sunshine Tour’s inaugural Africa Open back in 2008, added: “It’s been a rough year last year after losing my father.

“But my brother is back on the bag again and feels like everything is working at moment.

“We are having a lot of fun out there, and that’s the main thing. Really happy with what’s happening.

“I got my card in Asia about five years ago and started to play the Asian Tour, and won an event which was co-sanctioned with the Japanese Tour.

“A good friend of mine told me, listen, take a membership up. The Tour is very good, and the courses are phenomenal and you’ll learn a lot.

“Over the last four years, I think overall, my game has grown a lot. I’ve really learned a lot out there.

“It’s nice to be able to take it out and bring it out here,” said 37-year-old Norris, who won his European Tour card at the 2010 Qualifying School

Koepka and Australian Jason Scrivener are two shots off the lead.

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Augusta Masters winner, fellow Spaniard and Rolex Series winner Rafa Cabrera-Bello, American Kurt Kitayama, China’s Li Haotong, South African Zander Lombard and Australian Zach Murray are all one shot further back at five-under.

Fleetwood, the back-to-back winner at Abu Dhabi Golf Club two years ago, is in 50th place after carding a one-under par 71 – one more than defending champion Shane Lowry, in a share of 33rd spot.

•For live scores in round two of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship click here.

Shaun Norris winner of the Top Cup Tokai Classic. Picture by JGTO

Norris praised brother on the bag after Japanese win

NORRIS dedicated his victory in Japan, in October, to his father who had died three months earlier – and praised brother Kyle for his help when he needed it most.

“I dedicate this victory to my father” said Norris, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. “I wouldn’t have been able to seal this victory without the support of my brother.

“I can’t find enough words to describe this joy,” said after his win in the Top Cup Tokai Classic, at Miyoshi Country Club’s West Course – his fourth win in Japan since 2016.

“Our father gave us the chance to play golf. I really wish that he would still be alive,” added Norris.

“I lost concentration to play golf after making the double-bogey. I needed someone close to be with me.”

The post How Norris and Paratore put Koepka and Fleetwood in the shade in heat of Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf North.

Viktor Hovland produced a bullseye in the Hero Challenge final to defeat Louis Oosthuizen at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Formula One Circuit. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

RISING star Viktor Hovland defeated Major Champion Louis Oosthuizen to win the first Hero Challenge of 2020 in Abu Dhabi.

With his final shot of the night worth double, Hovland delivered a “bullseye” 50, to add 100 points to his final total of 190 points, easily surpassing Oosthuizen’s total of 55.

It was the Norwegian’s debut in the European Tour’s innovative shootout which was played under lights in the iconic Yas Marina Circuit, in Abu Dhabi, where some of the world’s best players are gathered for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“I can’t complain, that was a pretty good start to the week” said 22-year-old Hovland. “It’s an insane venue, I have never been to a place like this, so what a place to get my first professional victory.”

“I hit some pretty nice wedge shots tonight so hopefully that carries through to the tournament this week.

“To win the Hero Challenge is pretty cool and I’m looking forward to playing in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a couple of days.”

The pair were joined by Major Champions Brooks Koepka and Danny Willett, plus European Tour stars Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bernd Wiesberger for the innovative shootout at Yas Marina.

Former Masters Champion Willett and fellow Yorkshireman Fitzpatrick – a previous winner of the Hero Challenge in Scotland last year – both bowed out in the first round.

Hovland then defeated World No. 1 Koepka in the first semi-final, before Oosthuizen held off Austria’s two-time Rolex Series winner Wiesberger to progress to the final, where Hovland got the better of the South African to claim the 11th edition of the popular Hero Challenge.

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater.^[2] In 2014, Hovland won the Norwegian national championships for amateurs.

Hovland won the US Amateur at Pebble Beach in 2018 and finished 12th at the iconic Californian course when it staged the US Open a year later.

Having also finished as the low amateur at last year’s Masters at Augusta, the Norwegian’s switch to the pro ranks was eagerly anticipated last season as his total at Pebble Beach broke Jack Nicklaus’ record for the low amateur score in the US Open dating back to 1960.

Hovland would have been eligible to play last year’s Open at Royal Portrush as the reigning US Amateur Champion, but turned pro after the US Open.

The Oklahoma State University graduate made his debut at The Travelers Championship, in Conneticut, and earned his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour thanks to his second place finish at the Albertson Boise Open.

Hovland finished fourth at the Wyndhams Championship at Sedgewick Country Club, in August, was tied 11th on his European Tour debut in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, in September.

With a likely rapid rise up the Official World Golf Rankings, Hovland can look forward to choosing where in the world he wants to play in 2020, with sponsors HSBC keen to help him with a start in Abu Dhabi this week.

Hero Challenge’s new venues for 2020

HERO MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, extended the Hero Challenge on the European Tour until 2022 before Christmas, with the number of annual events increasing from three to a series of five.

Following Abu Dhabi, the event moves to Europe for three more exciting editions, including the Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik and Annika in Stockholm and the Porsche European Open in Hamburg.

The Betfred British Masters, which is being hosted by Lee Westwood at Newcastle’s Close House, in May is the only Hero Challenge on UK soil this year.

The series finale will take place ahead of the European Tour’s season-ending DP Worldl Tour Championship, in Dubai, and will feature the winners of all four Hero Challenges from the 2020 campaign.

American stars boost Abu Dhabi HSBC field

THIS week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship once again takes its place as part of the Rolex Series – the premium category of tournaments on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, each with a minimum prize fund of $7 million.

American Presidents Cup winners Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay are in the field alongside Koepka, who returns to action after pulling out of Tiger Woods’ team that beat Ernie Els’ International side at Royal Melbourne, in December.

Koepka has recoverd from knee surgery in October, after playing through the pain for seven months in 2019 before going under the knife after aggravating his injury at the CJ Cup, in South Korea, after slipping on a hard surface.

The World No. 1 will be looking for a strong start to the season as he tries to win his third Sam Wanamaker Trophy at May’s USPGA at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park, in May.

Koepka can’t wait to make return from injury

•For tee times in Thursday’s first round in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship click here.

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Brooks Koepka will play for the first time since the CJ Cup in South Korea when he tees it up in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WORLD No. 1 Brooks Koepka is keen to add a Rolex Series title to his already impressive CV, as he makes his comeback from a knee injury at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after missing last month’s Presidents Cup.

The four-time Major winner returns to Abu Dhabi Golf Club for the third time – having secured a top-10 finish at the venue two years ago – for the first of eight Rolex Series events on the 2020 Race to Dubai.

The American is competing for the first time in three months, after withdrawing from the Presidents Cup squad to have knee surgery.

Koepka, who claimed his his first US Open at Erin Hills in 2017, said: “These Rolex Series events are where you have more emphasis on winning. It’s what you want to win.

“The players that are playing in this event are obviously really good – some of the best players in the world. That’s why I think everyone’s here.

“You want to play in the best events you can and win them,” added Koepka, who spent three years playing on the Challenge and European Tour before earning his card on the PGA Tour with a fourth place finish in the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst.

“I love this place, it’s always fun to get back to. The golf course is really good. I feel comfortable here and hopefully play well this week, said Koepka, who claimed three wins on the Challenge Tour in 2013.

“I’m just excited to hit balls,” said Brooks, who has had to to miss nearly three months golf after damaging his kneecap at the CJ Cup, in South Korea, in October.

“In Korea I re-tore it, and the kneecap had moved into the fat pad. That’s excruciating. It’s a lot of pain. It’s not fun,” said Koepka, who first injured his knee back in March – but still managed to win his second Wannamaker Trophy at Bethpage Black, less than two months later.

He required stem cell treatment after the Tour Championship at East Lake, in August, before hurting it again on the PGA Tour’s Asian swing.

He pulled out of the trip to Australia for the Presidents Cup three weeks before the biennial event got under way – handing his spot to Rickie Fowler.

“Last year, there wasn’t much practise. I just couldn’t do it with my knee. I couldn’t get on my left side,” said the Florida State University graduate.

“Couldn’t squat down in a bunker. I struggled to get down and read a putt. Thankfully that’s in the past now.

“When you have something taken away from you, I think it makes you appreciate it more,” said Koepka, who has questioned how much respect he was shown after a run that saw him win four majors in just eight tournaments played.

While he admitted his left knee may not be as good as his right for some time still, he is raring to go having only been given the green light to hit balls just before Christmas.

“I mean, I missed competition,” said last year’s WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational winner.

“Even when I got the green light, I just didn’t know whether it was going to feel right – whether you’re going to be the same, how is it going to feel.

“I missed showing up to an event, preparing for something, because I haven’t had anything to prepare for. Having three months off, it’s not fun.”

This week’s event sees the European Tour’s new tougher regulations aimed at tackling slow play come into effect including a key revision to the four-point plan previously announced in August.

Players will be now be given an immediate one-shot penalty for two ‘bad times’ in a tournament rather than for two ‘bad times’ within a round.

Koepka was an outspoken critic of J B Holmes in particular at Riveria, last year, after the pair went head to head in the Sunday shootout, which Holmes won.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he said about the new four-point plan, which will target the “worst offenders” in terms of slow play.

“I think the game’s changing and I think the rules need to kind of change with it.

“It’s got to evolve as we evolve, the courses evolve and technology, everything like that.

“They are trying to make the game a lot simpler. We’re on our way to making it easier to understand for the fans at home, the players.

“It’s very clear-cut what’s going to happen and very clear-cut what you need to do,” said Koepka, whose last win in a regular European Tour event came in the 2014 Turkish Open.

The Florida ace, who won both the US Open and USPGA back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 respectively, is joined in the field by compatriots Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay.

DeChambeau was also a member of Tiger Woods’ winning Presidents Cup team.

He is also targeting a maiden Rolex Series victory this week, and “The Scientist” has form in the desert after capturing his first European Tour win in Dubai last season.

DeChambeau, who has been criticised for taking too long with his very methodical pre-shot routines, is focusing on adding to his sole European Tour win in Dubai, in 2019.

“For me, having this be a Rolex Series event and having it be this important, it’s fantastic,” said DeChambeau who won four times in the States in 2018, and has recently bulked up his physique.

“Every tournament I play in, I still go in with the mind-set that I’m going to win and do my absolute best to win.

“It’s a great preparation for the rest of the year. It’s going to tell me what’s going right and what’s going wrong, and I’m going to try to bring my ‘A-game’ to every single event that I play.

“Playing globally, being a part of global golf, is definitely on my list. I want to be able to say that I can win worldwide, which I’ve done.

“Now I won last year in Dubai. I want to win multiple times, and I also want to grow the game globally.”

Cantlay determined to become player on the world stage after Fowler’s tips on Abu Dhabi

MEANWHILE, World No. 6 Patrick Cantlay is competing in his first European Tour event outside of the Majors and World Golf Championships.

The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) graduate is also keen to build his reputation as a global player with victory in Abu Dhabi.P

Cantlay, who made his debut in America’s Presidents Cup win against Ernie Els’ International team, at Royal Melbourne, in December said: “I think it’s important to play all over the world, not only just for growing-the-game purposes.

“But I think it’s good as a golfer to see different places and get comfortable playing all over. I think that’s part of it.

“The European Tour and the PGA Tour play more of a global schedule, especially in the last decade,” added the two-time PGA Tour winner.

“I don’t think that’s going to change. I think it will continue to be more of a global game, and we see that with the World Golf Championships,” said Cantlay.

“I think it’s all good, and it’s good to play in different places and experience different cultures and see what the world is like.

“I talked to Rickie Fowler. He said he enjoyed his time here. Obviously he won – he told me how great a list of champions this place had, kind of needling me a little bit.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the event,” added the 27-year-old, who was on the losing USA team against Great Britain and Ireland in the 2011 Walker Cup.

Cantlay lost both his singles matches to Scotland’s Michael Stewart and Ireland’s Paul Cutler but beat Wentworth’s Steve Brown, the recent winner of the Portugal Masters, in the Saturday foursomes at Royal Aberdeen.

But his Presidents Cup debut will be more memorable after the rookie claimed three points in his five matches as the USA won 16-14 after a fightback in the Sunday singles.

•For first round tee times in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship click here.

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Louis Oosthuizen and Viktor Hovland will make their Hero Challenge debut at this week’s curtain raiser to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, at the United Arab Emirates’ famous Yas Marina Formula One track. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MAJOR winners Louis Oosthuizen and Danny Willett will join rising star Viktor Hovland to complete a world-class line up for the first Hero Challenge at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina racing circuit.

Fresh from his near miss defence in Sunday’s South African Open, Oosthuizen will play in Tuesday’s curtain-raiser to this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which gets under way on Thursday,

The trio of Willett, Hovland and Oosthuizen will join World No. 1 Brooks Koepka and European Tour stars Bernd Wiesberger and Matthew Fitzpatrick for the innovative shootout event at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit.

Hero MotoCorp – the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – recently extended the Hero Challenge on the European Tour until 2022.

The number of annual events will increase in 2020 from three to a series of five.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship hosts the first of the New Year, with the series culminating in a final event featuring the previous four winners.

South African Oosthuizen boasts the 2010 Open Championship among his nine European Tour titles and will make his Hero Challenge debut as 5,000 fans watch six of golf’s biggest stars battle it out for the title in the exciting head-to-head format.

Oosthuizen said: “The Hero Challenge looks like a lot of fun, and especially this time round as we’ll be playing in such a cool location in Yas Marina.

“I can definitely say that it will be a first for me to play golf at a Formula One track, and I’m looking forward to going up against the guys in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.”

Yorkshire’s Willett returns to the Hero Challenge after coming close to getting his hands on the trophy in the final edition of the 2019 season in Dubai, in November.

The 2016 Masters champion will arrive in the United Arab Emirates looking to continue the form that saw him secure his seventh European Tour title – and his second on the Rolex Series – at last season’s BMW PGA Championship.

Hovland is one of golf’s most promising young stars, and the 22-year-old Norwegian will join Oosthuizen and Koepka in making his Hero Challenge debut at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The former World Amateur No. 1 won the low amateur honours at both the Masters and the US Open in 2019, before impressing on his first professional start on the European Tour with a tied 11th place finish at Wentworth.

The Hero Challenge will be hosted by Vernon Kay and Iona Stephen under floodlights at Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the annual Formula One Grand Priz race.

It will be broadcast live around the world with music and entertainment acts adding drama to the show. Doors will open to spectators from 5.30pm local time.

After the opening event in Abu Dhabi, the Hero Challenge then moves to Europe for three more exciting editions.

The first is the Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik and Annika in Stockholm.

Then it’s on to the North East of England with the Betfred British Masters, to be hosted by Lee Westwood at Close House.

The Porsche European Open, in Hamburg, will host the fourth leg.

The series finale will take place ahead of the European Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai, and will feature the winners of all four Hero Challenges from the 2020 campaign.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship once again takes its place as part of the Rolex Series – the premium category of tournaments on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, each with a minimum prize fund of $7million.

•Fans can register for FREE tickets to the thrilling spectacle at the famous Formula One racing circuit by clicking here.

The post Yas Marina circuit hosts Hero Challenge as Louis Oosthuizen makes debut appeared first on Golf North.

American Presidents Cup star Patrick Cantlay will be challenging defending champion Shane Lowry for the impressive Falcon Trophy at next week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PRESIDENTS Cup rivals Patrick Cantlay and Haotong Li have become the latest international stars to confirm their appearance at next week’s 15^th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Patrick Cantlay, a former World No. 1 ranked amateur, has soared into the World’s Top 10, after two high-profile victories in 2018 and 2019.

Cantlay, who made his Presidents Cup debut in the USA’s victory at Royal Melbourne last month, holds the accolade of being the first player since Tiger Woods to reach the Tour Championship in 12 or fewer events.

The former UCLA star, who hails from Long Beach in Los Angeles, will be eager to prove his prowess at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The Californian will line-up against proven champions including World No. 1 Brooks Koepka – who will be aiming for a third USPGA title in a row in May – and two-time winner Tommy Fleetwood.

Defending champion Shane Lowry, who went on to claim the Claret Jug at last summer’s Open after victory in Abu Dhabi, returns to the United Arab Emirates looking to become the third player to win the distinctive Falcon Trophy two years in a row after Fleetwood (2018) and Martin Kaymer (2011).

The only American winner in the event’s history was Rickie Fowler, who claimed the Falcon Trophy in 2016.

Dustin Johnson was runner-up to Fleetwood a year later, while Phil Mickelson missed out by a stroke finishing alongside Rory McIlroy when Spaniard Pablo Larrabazal was crowned champion in 2014.

Haotong Li will be making his third consecutive appearance at the tournament.

The Chinese star will be determined to put in an improved display at the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, having missed the cut in his last two visits to the prestigious Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Li, the first male Chinese golfer to break into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, will be hoping to become the first player from China to lift the iconic Falcon Trophy.

He made his debut for Ernie Els’ Internationals, Down Under, in December, as the Americans snatched victory late on in the Sunday singles.

Patrick Cantlay, who finished fourth in the Senty Tournament of Champions, in Hawaii, on Sunday, said: “I’m very excited to play for the first time in Abu Dhabi.

“I’ve heard great things about the course, the fans and the experience as a whole,” added the current world No. 7.

“With a such a strong field this year, I’m looking forward to competing against some of the best players in the world and to try and take home the Falcon Trophy.”

Li, who has two European Tour wins under his belt including the 2018 Omega Dubia Desert Classic, said: “The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is a tournament I love playing in.

“It is a great way to kick-off the New Year and, this year I’m looking to make it to the weekend and get myself in a position to make a run come Sunday afternoon.

“Even though we’ve only just finished the season in Australia, I can’t wait to see everyone again in January and get started on 2020 in Abu Dhabi.”

Past winners of the Falcon Trophy include Tommy Fleetwood, Martin Kaymer, Paul Casey and sole American winner Ricky Fowler – the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion

H E Aref Al Awani, general Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “Patrick is one of the most talented young players on Tour today, and we are delighted to welcome him to Abu Dhabi for the first time.

“Haotong is also an outstanding player and is an amazing ambassador for Chinese golf. They were both key players at the Presidents Cup and I am sure they will be equally as competitive next week.”

HSBC UAE chief executive Abdulfattah Sharaf said: “The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is one of golf’s premium tournaments with an unwavering ability to attract the best players from around the globe.

“The event plays a vital role in shaping the future of golf in the region and inspiring the next generation of world greats.

“We are thrilled to welcome Patrick Cantlay to the UAE for the first time.

“Haotong Li is a graduate of our CGA-HSBC China Junior Golf Program and has been an inspiration to many Chinese junior golfers – we are delighted to see him make his return to Abu Dhabi.”

•Next week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, which takes place from January 16-19, is the first of eight Rolex Series events on the European Tour’s 2020 schedule.

To see the confirmed entry list click here.

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