By: Associated Press
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Guido Migliozzi and Francesco Molinari are impressing in front of Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for the second straight week.
The Italians — hopefuls for the contest against the United States outside Rome in September — are tied atop the leaderboard at the Abu Dhabi Championship after two rounds.
They’ll take a one-shot lead into the weekend at 10-under overall at Yas Island Links. Play was suspended Friday for fading light with one group still to finish the second round at one of the top events on the DP World Tour schedule, and the first of 2023.
The 40-year-old Molinari’s 5-under 67 in the morning included six birdies on his back nine. His 25-year-old countryman joined him in the lead by closing his round of 69 with a hat trick of birdies.
Australia’s Jason Scrivener (70) is one stroke back.
Molinari and Migliozzi were tied as top scorers at the Hero Cup last week with 3.5 points out of a possible 4.
Migliozzi had a bogey and a birdie on the front nine before a terrific approach on the 16th set up the first of three consecutive birdies.
“I stayed focused, I tried to stay on my game because I’m feeling great on the golf course and I was just waiting for some turning point and then I saved that beautiful par on 15,” Migliozzi said. “After that, I felt a bit better and I could accelerate, push on the accelerator and then beautiful golf shots came on the final three holes.”
Molinari started at the 10th and went double bogey-bogey on Nos. 16 and 17 after two early birdies before his strong finish.
“It’s nice to see that even after a rough couple of holes, I can get back to doing my own thing and hitting some good golf shots,” Molinari, who was Continental Europe’s captain in the victory over Britain & Ireland in the Hero Cup.
“It was obviously nice last week to play well under pressure and that’s at the end of the day the only way to gain (confidence) in my game,” he added.
Victor Perez of France and Alexander Bjork of Sweden both shot 65s to join Frenchman Alexander Levy (68), South African George Coetzee (68) and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson (69) at 8-under overall.
Donald was the overnight leader but his second-round 75 left him five shots back.
By: PGA Tour
A stacked field with 10 of the top 20 in the world amongst a field of 156 players and their amateur partners are vying to rack up the most birdies in the first event on the mainland this season.
For more details of the courses keep reading past the rankings but let’s see who runs well in the desert! It’s a slight hike from the Los Angeles Rams SoFi Stadium but those blue and yellow fans would know signs point to Coachella being Rahm’s house!
-Players listed only if they are in the field for 2022-
Jon Rahm (Win: +600; Top 5: +125; Top 10: -160; Top 20: -350)
Won in his second visit in 2018 in a playoff over Andrew Landry as they posted 22-under. Solo sixth (-21) in 2019 as he looked to join Johnny Miller as the only winners to defend. Returned in 2022 for T14 on 14-under. All 16 rounds are par or better. Posted 62 at La Quinta in 2018 for his best in the rotation. Never MC in four starts.
Patrick Cantlay (Win: +1100; Top 5: +225; Top 10: +110; Top 20: -190)
Holds the Stadium Course record by two shots as he closed with 61 in 2021 for second place. Opened with 62 at La Quinta last year and led after 36 holes before settling for ninth. Posted T9 in 2019 in his first visit since racking up nine-under yet missing the cut in 2013. Of his 15 rounds all are 72 or better and six have resulted in 66 or better. Streak is three consecutive top 10s.
Si Woo Kim (Win: +4000; Top 5: +700; Top 10: +333; Top 20: +140)
The 2021 champ had to navigate three of the four rounds on the Stadium Course (23-under). Co-led the field in Par-5 Scoring and GIR while not making a bogey on the Stadium Course. T11 in defense last season but was second with 26 birdies. T9 debut in 2016. Cashed in four of five visits. Sits 39-under in his last two starts.
Brian Harman (Win: +4000; Top 5: +650; Top 10: +320; Top 20: +150)
Played all seven events since the new rotation started and has made six cuts. All six paydays are T21 or better with T3 and T8 the last two seasons. T3 in 2022 and 2017. Sits 49-under over the last three editions. Closed with a Sunday co-best 64 last year.
Adam Hadwin (Win: +6600; Top 5: +1000; Top 10: +450; Top 20: +220)
Streak of T6-2nd-T3-T2 from 2016 thru 2019. Never MC in seven visits. T32 or better in six visits in the new rotation. Shot 59 at La Quinta in 2017 in Round 3. Sits sixth on the all-time money list minus a victory. T25-T32 in his last two visits.
Tom Hoge (Win: +4000; Top 5: +700; Top 10: +333; Top 20: +160): Played in final group last year for 2nd place (-21). Sat one back after 36 and 54 holes. Picked up T6 in 2020 (-19) in just his second weekend in five starts. MC 2021.
Andrew Landry (Win: +??00; Top 5: +6600; Top 10: +2800; Top 20: +1200): 2020 winner made 31 birdies to claim title. Lost playoff to Rahm in 2018. Run of four straight was busted with MC 2022. T28 or better in three of six.
Sungjae Im (Win: +2200; Top 5: +350; Top 10: +188; Top 20: -110): Cashed T11, T12, T10 and T12 in four visits the last four years. Of 12 rounds 11 are in the red with 86 birdies.
Michael Thompson (Win: +??00; Top 5: +2800; Top 10: +1200; Top 20: +550): Cashed in half of six visits to this rotation with T5 (2021) and T9 (2019) the highlights. T28 in 2016. MC in 2022 and 2020.
Tony Finau (Win: +1400; Top 5: +275; Top 10: +138; Top 20: -160): Cashed three straight as T14 was followed by T4 before T40 last season. Did not start between 2017 and 2019. Owns 62 on NT and 18 of 19 rounds career in the red.
Lee Hodges: 1/1 (Win: +12500; Top 20: +400) Led after 54 holes last year on the back of 62 and 64 before finishing T3.
Will Zalatoris: 1/1 (Win: +2000; To Make Cut: -600) T6 on debut included 61 at NT.
Cam Davis: 3/3 (Win: +5000; To Make Cut: -250): T3 in 2021 came after T29 and T28 the previous two seasons. DNS last year.
Scottie Scheffler: 2/3 (Win: +1000; Top 5: +188; Top 10: -110; Top 20: -225): Played in final group on debut in 2020 but shot 70 to finish third. MC in 2021 before T25 last year. All 10 rounds in the red.
Andrew Putnam: 5/6 (Win: +5000; To Make Cut: -190): T34 or better in five appearances in this rotation with T14-T21-T10 the last three seasons. All 20 rounds in the red.
David Lingmerth: 6/6 (Win: +25000; Top 20: +700): Lost a playoff in 2016 and in 2013. First visit since 2018.
Bill Haas: 12/18 (Win: +75000; Top 20: +1600): Only two-time winner in the field but MC the last five. Caution.
Jason Dufner: 10/13 (Win: +100000; Top 20: +1600): Inaugural winner on this rotation has cashed five of seven here but nothing better than T25 after his win.
With three Par-72 resort courses sitting not even 7,200 yards from the tips it’s easy to see why everyone in the field this week is licking their chops. For those players mired in a slump The American Express should provide an excellent elixir to getting back on form.
For the in-form players there’s nothing better than not having to judge wind, elevation or tricky greens. Ready, aim, fire and make the putt.
The rough barely is noticeable and the greens are pure and perfect. Weather won’t factor so stick those wedges close and roll the Par-5 holes over.
After a round on each course the top 65 and ties return to Pete Dye’s Stadium Course for the final round. It provides the biggest challenge, relatively speaking but is more difficult when the wind blows. But if that’s not the case, scores should sparkle in the mid 20’s again. The forecast suggests that to be the case again this year.
Adam Long (2019) and Jhonattan Vegas (2011) are the only rookie winners.
Jon Rahm and Jack Nicklaus were both 23 when they won, the two youngest to do so.
Brian Gay was 41 in 2013 when he became the oldest winner.
On the line is 500 FedExCup points plus $1.440 million of the $8 million purse for the first winner on the West Coast swing.
Need more details about the course, the weather or what it took for previous winners? Read Statistically Speaking, and Adam Stanley’s The First Look.
By: PGA
HONOLULU – Jordan Spieth could feel the pressure.
His wife, Annie, wanted them to get an RV.
“We tried one at the Harding Park PGA (Championship in 2020), so we tested it out there,” said Spieth, who opened the Sony Open in Hawaii with a 6-under 64 to share the first-round lead with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery. “Annie wanted one for a while.
“I didn’t really want one prior to (son) Sammy, like, knowing he would sleep through the night and schedule and all that,” he continued, “because close quarters compared to renting a house.”
Spieth, 29, is a 13-time PGA TOUR winner. He is coming off a T13 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui last week, and racked up a 5-0-0 record at the Presidents Cup. He seemed to have it all.
But he didn’t have an RV, even though “the bus” has been a staple on the PGA TOUR for years, with converts including Jason Day, John Daly, Jimmy Walker, and others. With their son sleeping through the night, the Spieths finally bought their own rig last fall, and Jordan stayed in it by himself the week of THE CJ CUP in South Carolina.
Of course, they can’t use it at the Sony (it doesn’t float, alas), where Spieth hit 15 greens in regulation and took just 27 putts in working his way to the top of the leaderboard. His only regret was failing to birdie the par-5 ninth hole, his last of the day.
No matter how the golf goes, he and his family will be living the RV life in 2023 for the first time.
“Just glamping, you know,” Spieth said. “Slumming it. Should be a lot of fun. The reason was kind of to have home on the road. Got the same mattress I have at home, and we’ll leave a lot of Sammy’s stuff on the bus, therefore won’t to have pack a whole lot and can ride on it a lot in between events given the way the west coast swing – and especially the Florida swing.
“Should make traveling and getting settled and packing up quite a bit easier,” he continued. “Yeah, look forward to it. … Annie is trying to recruit a lot of our friends out here to do it, so we’ll see in the next few years if that works or not.”
Although he hasn’t driven it himself yet, Spieth said he plans on taking a turn behind the wheel. “I plan on driving it on an open road stretch at some point when it’s not pulling out of Phoenix and not into L.A., but maybe switch and do like an hour just because it would be fun,” he said. “I’m a dad now. Someone wants me to honk, I’ll honk.”
By: LPGA
Gina Kim, Epson Tour Graduate, made 12 cuts in 13 starts on the Epson Tour in 2022, recording four top-10 finishes to earn membership for the 2023 LPGA Tour Season. In addition, she picked up her first career Epson Tour victory at the Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship.
I’m living my best life.
In my brief time as a golfer, I’ve won several tournaments, including the 2019 NCAA Championship with my team at Duke, and will now join the LPGA Tour thanks to my performance on The Epson Tour.
When I look back on things and add up all my blessings — it’s hard not to be overly joyful and grateful.
When I reflect on how I got here, it’s funny to think it started with not wanting to hurt my dad’s feelings.
My father was a huge golfer and always took my sister and me to the course.
One day, my sister admitted that she hated it and didn’t want to play anymore, which broke my father’s heart.
He kind of sunk within himself, and his face turned somber.
I felt so bad, I decided I wasn’t going to tell him I felt the same. Besides, it was a way to bond with him. I figured I would tough it out a bit more so he could have fun.
Then, at eight, I entered a tournament and won.
That changed everything.
I was hooked on the adrenaline of victory. From that day forward, I was focused on being the best golfer I could be and never looked back.
A lot of athletes with professional ambitions focus solely on the pursuit of their athletic goals. I was fortunate enough to see some great success in my golf career early on, winning the Junior Ryder Cup in 2016 or the Junior Solheim Cup in 2017. But you never know what happens in life, so I always had my eyes on earning a degree, too.
It was something I cared about. My parents are both college professors, so the path of higher education was always as natural as eating in our house. So, as an American, continuing my golf ambitions as a college athlete was an obvious choice. And once I visited Duke for the first time, I knew where I’d want to pursue my dreams.
I got a lot of sideways looks when I chose Duke, not because of the school or the program, but because my parents are professors at the University of North Carolina. Everyone knows Duke. It’s a prestigious university due to its excellence in both athletics and academics. But if you know anything about college rivalries, there are few bigger than Duke and UNC. The campuses are only 10 miles apart in what is known in that area of North Carolina as the Research Triangle – Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. My sister when to UNC, so a lot of people expected that I would as well.
But I couldn’t resist Duke. The history, the tradition, the team, the coaches, they were all perfect for me. Being a Duke student-athlete was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I wasn’t one to pass it up.
2019 was my favorite year at Duke. That year, we won the NCAA National Championship in dramatic fashion with match-play victories over Arizona in the semifinals and Wake Forest in the finals. Our semifinals victory turned on my match against Bianca Pagdanganan. I was fortunate to win that one 1-up to get us into the finals. But our team was phenomenal.
We had great chemistry, and everyone was close to each other that it felt more like a sisterhood than a collection of golfers.
Winning it all was surreal. I’d won tournaments before, but that feeling of reaching the highest goal possible as a Duke student-athlete filled me with an ineffable joy. It’s why we work so hard and sacrifice so much time. We just want a chance to do something bigger than ourselves. That year we did.
Coming back to campus, knowing we brought it home for our university, gave us all a great sense of pride.
While that National Championship in 2019 was the pinnacle of my athletic success at Duke – we got our championship rings recently – academically, my pinnacle came when I got my degree at the end of 2021.
Being a student-athlete is not for the faint of heart. It’s like having two full-time jobs and working hard at both. I was already playing golf professionally, but I stayed at Duke to finish my degree.
Earning that degree mattered to me. It’s what I came to school to do, and it’s something that can never be taken away.
The transition from student-athlete to pro golfer was tough. On the one hand, having the academics out the way really opened up my schedule. On the other, it was a wake-up call on everything I had to take care of to ensure I was prepared to play at the highest level possible.
Nutrition, training, travel schedule, and even figuring out my life outside of golf were all on me. I didn’t have the Duke resources or community to lean on.
Golf is an individual sport. I had to figure it out myself. The golf course was still where my biggest challenges lay.
In my first pro golf tournament, I missed the cut in Hawaii. It was weird being in a beautiful place and falling short of my goal. It wasn’t a turning point or anything like that, but it was a reminder of what this level was like.
I had work to do. But luckily, I don’t shy away from a challenge.
As part of The Epson Tour, I won the Inova Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship early in the season, which helped propel me to the top ten rankings. I’m a big believer that positive energy can lead to more positive energy, and I took that win, that moment, and propelled it into a great year as part of The Epson Tour.
I consistently was in the top ten in the rankings. When the dust settled, I was one of the ten gofers who punched their LPGA card.
Earning my LPGA status made all the years of sacrifice worth it. From begrudgingly playing the game so that I didn’t hurt my dad’s feelings to now competing at the highest level, life has been a wonderful journey of pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible.
Let’s see what this next chapter brings.
By: PGA
KAPALUA, Hawaii — Michael Castillo comes from a rich heritage of golf in Hawaii, now the head pro at Kapalua and formerly president of the Aloha Section PGA. He had reason to believe his hope of ever playing the Sony Open in Hawaii was long gone.
But his assistants at Kapalua talked him into playing this year, mainly because the Aloha Section PGA Championship was at Poipu Bay, where he spent 12 years as the head pro.
Never mind that he faced radiation in November for cancer that returned to his liver. Or that he was 60 and mostly competed in senior divisions. He can still putt great, and Castillo birdied the last hole to win by one.
Now he’s at the Sony Open, the oldest player in a field that includes 20-year-old Tom Kim and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth, who upon finishing at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (at Kapalua) thanked Castillo for last week and wished him the best this week at Waialae.
“It is really cool,” Castillo said. “And it’s the first time our family will all be together in 10 years. So that’s exciting to get together as a family.”
The patriarch is longtime club pro Ron Castillo, who played 10 times in the Sony Open. His five children all became golf professionals. His daughter, Lori, won the U.S. Junior Girls in 1979 and U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1980 and is in the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame along with her father.
Castillo’s father and two brothers have played the Sony Open, which like several PGA TOUR stops, reserves a spot for the PGA professional in that section.
“I thought that opportunity had passed many years ago,” Castillo said. “I only played in the section championship because it was at Poipu. The guys said, ‘You’ve got to play.’ I played well, putted good, it was 25 mph wind and I birdied 18 to win.”
If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Castillo was diagnosed with colon cancer nearly five years ago. It moved to his liver, his lung and back to his liver. He has gone through chemotherapy and radiation two times each.
The Aloha Section championship was in September.
“I knew in September I needed radiation for cancer on my liver,” he said. “I waited until that tournament, went to New Mexico for the Senior PNC (Professional National Championship) with my sister, Lori, on the bag, and then did treatments.”
He said it was a small bit of cancer, and his options were having radiation or doing nothing.
“I went with radiation and I’ll know next month if it was successful,” he said. “In December, it cleaned my body out and I feel pretty good. I’m ready for the Sony.”
His father and two brothers never made the cut. Castillo was hosting 39 players at the Sentry Tournament of Champions last week, and his assistants kept on him by asking, “Did you putt today?” He found time.
But it’s not entirely about his performance at Waialae. Castillo finally made it, a tribute to his family, and they’ll all be there watching. That’s enough.
By: PGA
Greyson Sigg (+300 for a Top 20) … While nothing ever is guaranteed, it’s still not too surprising when a PGA TOUR sophomore with pedigree figures it out. His rookie season of 2021-22 was solid but unspectacular, but the 27-year-old already has made quick work of this season with a trio of top 15s among six paydays in as many starts. It includes a T15 at Sea Island that can comp to Waialae. Finished T42 in his debut here last year. He was in position to strike for a top 25 or better but got upended by a closing 70. If he turns that lesson into lemonade, then we’ll witness that this week. Oh, and it can’t hurt that his Georgia Bulldogs just defended their national title on the gridiron on Monday night.
Andrew Putnam (+175 for a Top 20) … As a former runner-up at Waialae (2019), he already was in our crosshairs, but it’s his only top 25 in six attempts. That speaks to what can happen in a shootout no matter the level of comfort. So, his experience and one-time podium finish serve as supportive evidence to continue to elevate expectations for the 33-year-old. After trotting through the tape of the 2021-22 season, he’s opened the new campaign 8-for-8 with a T2 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP punctuating three top 25s.
Robby Shelton (+350 for a Top 20) … The 27-year-old went to work in the fall and already has proven that he won’t squander his return to the PGA TOUR. With a T10 at The RSM Classic to highlight four top 25s contributing to his 6-for-7 record, he’s 45th in FedExCup points on arrival for his third appearance at Waialae. Finished T25 with four steady red numbers in his last trip in 2021. The last time he appeared as a Sleeper, he placed T15 at the Shriners three months ago.
Kramer Hickok (+800 for a Top 20) … Yes, he’s in a slump, so, yes, this is an aggressive send, but it’s all about the fit over form. It’s one of those opportunities to trust in the professional athlete to overcome what, on paper, screams for us to run in the other direction, or at least abstain. Since 2020, he’s 3-for-3 at Waialae with a T19 in 2021 and a T20 last year. All nine of his most recent loops of the course are in the 60s. Another driver of the nod is that he’s had a break to reflect and reset without giving away any positioning in the FedExCup standings.
Kazuki Higa … There’s no argument that all competition is relative, but when we’re exploring potentially hidden value, he’s a fantastic find. Fresh off a four-win season on his native Japan Golf Tour where he ran away with the money title. His most recent victory was by three strokes at the prestigious Dunlop Phoenix in mid-November that included notables such as Mito Pereira (2nd), Tom Kim (T4) and Corey Conners (T11). At 67th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Higa is the only Japanese talent inside the top 100 other than Sony Open in Hawaii defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (21st). Oh, and he’s also on the bounce after receiving an invitation to compete in his first Masters this year.
BBC Sport
