LAS VEGAS – Rickie Fowler has always run well in America’s Playground. He lived here for a year after turning pro. Loves the (...)

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alec Cabacungan won’t be at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to provide a little extra motivation for defending champion Kevin Na this week. But the charismatic 18-year-old who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease, certainly made a lasting impression on Na when the two renewed acquaintances prior to last year’s tournament at TPC Summerlin. RELATED: More on RSM Birdies Fore Love Cabacungan, who wants to be a sports broadcaster, interviewed Na that Wednesday and showed the PGA TOUR veteran some video of his breakthrough win at the tournament in 2011. Fast forward to Sunday and a hard-fought battle with Patrick Cantlay that Na won on the second playoff hole. The win was Na’s second in Las Vegas, his adopted hometown, and the fourth of his TOUR career. And Na says talking with Cabacungan about his 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open victory helped give him the kind of confidence he needed to win. “He motivated me that week that I could do it again,” says Na, who fired a career-low 61 in the third round. In addition to the 500 FedExCup points and $1.26 million Na earned last year, he also led the week’s RSM Birdies Fore Love competition. That means he got a bonus of $50,000 to give to the charity of his choice, and it certainly wasn’t a hard decision. Na and his family, which includes wife Jullianne and their two children, decided to give the money to Shriners Hospitals for Children for OI research. The genetic disorder affects between 20,000 and 50,000 people in the United States. But meeting just one of those had a particular impact on Na. “One, it made sense because I won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open,” he says of the donation. “And meeting Alec and getting in to learn about that disease was the reason why.” Jim Smith, Imperial Potentate of Shriners International, says Na’s donation makes a big difference in the mission of the organization, which has a network of 22 non-profit hospitals nationwide. “Our donors, whom we depend on, have helped us treat more than 1.4 million children from over 170 countries,” Smith says. “We are humbled by Kevin’s generosity.” Cabacungan is one of those children. He has been a patient at the Chicago Shriners Hospital since he was two months old, receiving therapy and treatments designed to build stronger bone mass. In his short 18 years on earth, Cabacungan has undergone 12 surgeries and broken more than 60 bones. Patients with OI can break bones by doing something as innocuous sneezing or coughing, as well as falling down. Despite the many obstacles he’s faced, though, Cabacungan is known for his bubbly personality and his infectious smile. “He’s a happy guy and has a lot of good energy,” Na said. Cabacungan is essentially the face of Shriners Hospitals for Children, too. Since he was 14 years old, he has appeared in commercials broadcast nationwide to raise the profile of the facilities that work with children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions and burn injuries, as well as other healthcare issues. The sports-minded teenager, who loves to play wheelchair basketball, makes appearances around the country. Cabacungan has been profiled on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” and joined one of his idols, Ernie Johnson, along with NBA greats Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” in 2017. And one year ago, Cabacungan was at TPC Summerlin, trying his interviewing skills out on Na, who responded by showing the teen his signature move of walking in the putt. “I know his dream is to become a sports announcer, and I hope his dream comes true,” Na said. On Sunday, though, Na was living his own dream. “It's always nice to play in your hometown, but to win on top of that, it was very special,” Na says. “And to have my family there to celebrate together on 18 was a special moment. “And to be able to donate to Shriners made it even better.”

Up to this point, the USGA has held championships in 49 states (plus Washington D.C.!) but that number is about to climb to 50. The post The only state without a USGA championship is finally getting its due appeared first on Golf.

A strange year has just got stranger still. Who would ever thought that Patrick Reed - AKA Captain America, the patriot who refuses to bow to the Ryder Cup’s blue-and-gold brigade — would be considered a pariah on the PGA Tour but welcomed as a hero on the European Tour? The respect he is being accorded at this BMW PGA Championship is well deserved. If Reed, 30, had decided to stay on Stateside - and so follow the lead of every other big-named American and one or two big-named Europeans - then this flagship event would be without a member of the world’s top 10 for the first time since the inauguration of the rankings 34 years ago. But No 9 is here and the Tour are very grateful. Of course, there are plenty in this BMW PGA Championship here on the West Course who have their own opinions about Reed and his sometimes cavalier attitude to the rulebook, which reached a peak at last year’s Hero World Challenge, where he twice moved sand behind his ball in a waste area and then shamelessly denied he was trying to gain an advantage. Yet to a man they were all congratulating him on Wednesday for saving the dignity of a proud, 65-year-old tournament won by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and more recently Rory McIlroy. “There is obviously an easy excuse at the moment for people not to travel and get on planes,” Justin Rose said. “Let’s be honest, we are all using it [coronavirus] as an excuse not to do things if we don't have to. So every credit to Patrick for showing up.” Reed ummed and ahhed and missed the official entry deadline, but eventually was convinced by three factors to accept a sponsor’s invite - the Tour, itself, the venue and the Race to Dubai. He leads the latter and is fully committed to lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy in Dubai in December. “It was a tough decision, a long decision, but the European Tour has been good to me - they made me an honorary lifetime member last year [after his 2018 Masters win] - and it wouldn't have felt right not coming over and supporting them at their biggest event of the tear,” he said. “This is something where the entire world is struggling, and to be able to support someone other than just my home in Houston, in Texas, was something that I feel like needed to be done. “Yeah, with the purses and the ranking points that we play for in the States, the easy thing would be to play on the PGA Tour full-time only. But that's not who I am. I see myself as a guy who plays worldwide and always been a dream of mine to win over here, win the Race to Dubai, win the FedEx Cup, win as many majors as I can and just try to collect hardware. “I loved playing here last year [when he finished fourth behind England’s Danny Willett] and even though the course is softer because of the time of year and all the rain, it's still in perfect shape and demands you hit quality shots. I’m confident and expecting big things.”

LAS VEGAS – After beginning his professional career by making 22 consecutive cuts – a stretch bettered by only Tiger Woods – (...)

Tony Finau will not participate in this week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas because he has tested positive for COVID-19, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday ...

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Not until now has that old chestnut meant back-to-back PGA TOUR events. This week it’s the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin, where past Shriners champ Bryson DeChambeau will be the headliner as Vegas resident Kevin Na defends on home turf. Next week, due to some rejiggering amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK – yep, also in Las Vegas. Although the double-header recalls the back-to-back tournaments at Ohio’s Muirfield Village last July, it is unusual. It’s also fitting, given Vegas’ popularity among TOUR pros as a place to set down roots. Great weather, courses, airports, and no state income tax – what’s not to like? Xander Schauffele says he’ll likely be moving there. Collin Morikawa already calls it home, as do Maverick McNealy, Na, and several other world-class players. RELATED: Inside the Field | Preview the course, storylines “My coach Butch Harmon is out there in Henderson (a 20-minute drive south),” says McNealy, who finished a career-best 68th in the FedExCup last season. “And there's actually an incredible amount of young players that are out there now. They're calling it the Jupiter of the West – lots of PGA TOUR, LPGA, Korn Ferry, Canada, Latin America, high school players, college players. “It's pretty motivating to be out there,” McNealy adds. “Everybody is working hard, and I know there's a lot of people out there trying to get my job, too.” Las Vegas is where Tiger Woods notched the first of his 82 (and counting) TOUR wins in 1996, beating Davis Love III in a playoff. It’s where Chip Beck shot 13-under 59 at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational at Sunrise Golf Club. It’s the home of UNLV, which has helped hone the skills of future TOUR pros like Adam Scott, Charley Hoffman and Ryan Moore. And, yes, it’s the home base for Harmon, who advised seemingly every No. 1 player for some 30-odd years. No, Vegas isn’t the center of the golf universe, but it’s certainly a major planet. “Yeah, who knows what's in that Vegas water out there,” says Morikawa, who grew up in Southern California and played collegiately for Cal. “I'll keep drinking it.” If you can imagine each victory for Vegas as one of those geysers that goes off periodically at the Bellagio, then last summer was geyser-palooza. It was hard to pick a favorite. Morikawa won the Workday Charity Open in a wild playoff against Justin Thomas at Muirfield Village. Danielle Kang, who dates McNealy, won the LPGA’s first two events back after a break of four-plus months, and finished T5 in a bid for three straight. “That’s Tiger-esque stuff,” Morikawa says. Then it was Morikawa again, driving the 16th green and winning the PGA Championship at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park to cement his status as the game’s hottest new talent. That was pretty Tiger-esque in its own right. But wait! Lost amid the excitement, almost, was fellow Las Vegan David Lipsky’s win at the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC San Antonio Challenge at the Canyons, July 9-12, the same weekend Morikawa was holding off Thomas at the Workday. “We were texting Saturday night,” Morikawa says, “telling each other, ‘Finish this off, let's not screw anything up and do anything stupid.’ That was pretty cool. “But I think for us as professional golfers,” Morikawa continues, “and what a lot of amateurs don't realize, is where we move and why we move to certain places is to have these games and to compete against other players because that's what keeps us going … to keep things sharp.” Schauffele, who grew up in San Diego, where he played for San Diego State University and still resides, is leaning toward buying a house in Vegas for more personal reasons. He considered Florida, Texas (Dallas) and Arizona (Scottsdale), but Vegas is just a one-hour flight from San Diego. His girlfriend’s parents live there. And the lack of state income tax doesn’t hurt. He is, he says, “strongly considering” a move in the not-too-distant future. California Bay Area transplant McNealy could head up the Chamber of Commerce; so smitten is he with his adopted home, he’s like a human version of the famous sign: Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. “There's two TPCs, TPC Summerlin and TPC Las Vegas,” McNealy says, ticking off the benefits of this glitzy desert destination. “TPC Summerlin hosts the Shriners event every fall. Just an incredible staff and fantastic host for all the professional golfers out in Vegas. “The weather is good but not too good,” he adds, “which is important, because we know what it's like to play in heat, cold, wind, and just about every day is playable but it doesn't mean it's always easy.” Whom does he call for a game when he’s home? Fellow Stanford product Joseph Bramlett, who happens to be his roommate? Morikawa? “All of the above,” he says. “There's always a game out at TPC Summerlin. The people I see out there most are Alex and Danielle Kang, John Oda, Shintaro Ban, Aaron Wise is out there a bunch, even Scott Piercy, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na. There's so many guys. Inbee Park is out there. “Lots of great players, and a lot of people to try and win 10 or 20 bucks off of.” With a rare two-week homestand at the Shriners and CJ CUP, McNealy and company will be playing for a lot more than that, and, pocket aces, they’ll be sleeping in their own beds. Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, indeed.

It’s a few weeks later than planned but the European Tour’s flagship event at HQ is finally here. The BMW PGA Championship is comfortably the strongest field of the year so far, with the likes of World No 9 Patrick Reed here among others. Below I’ll go through who I fancy to take the title […] The post BMW PGA Championship preview: TV times and betting tips appeared first on National Club Golfer.

Bryson DeChambeau’s approach to chasing distance has been one of the stories of 2020 and has left many golf fans wondering if his rivals could replicate the golf scientist’s method in the future. Well, over the weekend, Rory McIlroy shared an interesting post on his stories on Instagram, which hints that the Ulsterman could well […]