PXG has signed Grant Hirschman to its roster of champions in an effort to support emerging talent.

A decorated junior and collegiate golfer, Grant Hirschman is a recent graduate of University of Oklahoma. Hirschman competed in every tournament during his four-year college career. As captain of the men’s golf team he led University of Oklahoma, a PXG sponsored program, to a National Championship in 2017. Grant kicked off his professional career this summer on PGA Tour Canada; posting a 69.06 scoring average, recording a top ten finish and qualifying for the Tour Championship. In only ten starts, Grant retained status for the 2019 season, finishing in the Top 60 of the Order of Merit. Hirschman will head to Web.com Tour Q-School this fall in an attempt to move up the ranks in 2019.

“Grant is an extremely hard-working guy and I admire him for his tenacity,” PXG founder and CEO Bob Parsons stated. “I expect that they will come into their own in the coming months and am proud to support them along the way.”

“I am thrilled to join the list of elite professionals playing PXG,” Hirschman said. “I won a national championship in college playing PXG clubs. Now I’m ready to win at the next level playing the best equipment in the game.”

PXG’s current professionals represent some of the very best talent on the PGA and LPGA Tours. Dougherty and Hirschman will join current #PXGTroops Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel, Pat Perez, Ryan Moore, James Hahn, Charl Schwartzel, Wyndham Clark, Lydia Ko, Anna Nordqvist, Katherine Kirk, Austin Ernst, Christina Kim, Brittany Lang, Alison Lee, Ryann O’Toole, and Gerina Piller.

Charlie Saxon and adidas Golf have agreed to a multi-year partnership which will place Saxon in adidas Golf footwear, apparel and headwear through 2021. Saxon joins an impressive adidas Golf roster which includes Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton and Sam Burns.

Saxon, 25 years old, graduated from University of Oklahoma in 2015 and turned professional shortly thereafter. Since 2016 Saxon has seven professional, international victories and was Rookie of the Year on PGA Tour China in 2016 after a two-win season that included seven top-10 finishes and a second place finish on the Order of Merit. In 2018, Saxon has held the top spot on PGA Tour China’s Order of Merit the entire season thanks to two victories and six top-10 finishes in the first 11 events of the year. The PGA Tour China schedule has 3 more events in the 2018 schedule. Additionally, Saxon has also competed on the China Golf Tour this year where he has won another two events and finished sixth in a co-sanctioned European Challenge Tour event.

“I am very excited to be partnering with adidas and humbled to join such an impressive roster of athletes,” Saxon remarked, ” I felt that adidas was a perfect fit for me as they are the best sports brand in the world; I train very hard off the golf course to play my best on the course and I feel fortunate to be a part of adidas Golf.”

Saxon’s play on PGA Tour China in 2018 has secured membership on the 2019 Web.com Tour. Each year, the top 25 on the Web.com Tour money list earn PGA Tour membership for the following season, which would enable Saxon to be on the PGA Tour as early as Fall 2019.

“We are delighted to welcome Charlie to the adidas Golf family.  In his short time as a professional, Charlie has proven himself a winner on tours around the world and we believe that same winning pedigree will continue throughout his journey.” said Tim McNulty, Director of Global Sports Marketing for adidas Golf.

Charlie’s final three starts on the 2018 PGA Tour China schedule include events in Macau, Guangdong, and Hong Kong.

John Coultas breezed through his pre-qualifying stage of Web.com Tour Q-School in Brunswick, Georgia September 5th thru 7th.  Rounds of 66-71-67 left John in a tie for 7th place just four shots behind Zach Caldwell who won the event at 10 under par.

Coultas, a 2018 graduate of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida where he was a four-time First Team All American, Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year and Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year will head to “First Stage” of Q-School at familiar Grasslands Country Club in Lakeland, Florida October 2-5, 2018 as he looks to join the Web.com Tour for the 2019 season which will be his first full calendar year as a professional.

A life-long Cleveland sports fan and native of nearby Canal Fulton, Justin Lower was able to cross an item off his bucket list Tuesday as he threw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Indians game against the Minnesota Twins–a perk of qualifying for the 2018 Web.com Tour playoffs.

Justin notched six top 30 finishes, including a third place at the Chitimacha Louisana Open, in his 2018 season to qualify for the Web playoffs for the first time in his career. The Top 25 earners in the playoff series of four events will earn their PGA Tour cards for the 2018/2019 season.

Lower would go on to shoot rounds of 67-72-70-67 to finish in a tie for 32nd place at the DAP Championship hosted at Canterbury Golf Club in the Shaker Heights suburb of Cleveland. The two final playoff events remaining take the Tour to Boise, Idaho and Jackonsville, Florida.

Lanto Griffin entered the Web.com Tour playoffs with tailwinds of momentum after completing his rookie season on the PGA Tour with eight straight and consecutive cuts made. The streak started in June at The Travelers Championship and ran thru the end of the PGA Tour regular season in August at the Wyndham Championship.

Lanto continued such form at the first Web.com Playoffs event at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at the Ohio State University Scarlet Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio. Rounds of 68-69-69-69-69 secured a 5th place finish for Lanto and $33,900. In recent years, the amount of prize money needed to secure a PGA Tour card has floated between $33,000 and $40,000 leaving Lanto in fantastic position to regain PGA Tour membership for the 2019 season with two events remaining in the playoffs!

Lanto’s only other start on the Web.com Tour this year came at the Nashville Golf Open, which he won in 2017. Lanto mounted a fantastic title defense finishing 2nd place that week.

After finishing runner-up at the Senior PGA Championship, Petrovic backs up the effort with a 2nd place at the US Senior Open at the Broadmoor Resort.

Petrovic opened with a 2-over 72 and then rebounded with a championship-low 5-under 65 on Friday that featured a nearly flawless 6-under 30 on his final nine.

He looked determine to keep that momentum going on a cloudy day where thunderstorms threatened. Petrovic parred his first eight holes and then made birdies at Nos. 9 and 14 to take the solo lead during Saturday’s third round.

The most bizarre moment of the day came when Petrovic hit a stray tee shot on the par-4 17th. As the ball came to rest, a young kid raced to the ball and slid into it, picking the ball up and then dropping it down.

“When I came over there, I could tell the kid was pretty upset,” Petrovic said. “So I told him next time, he should kick the ball closer to the fairway, and that kind of made him smile.”

For the 51-year-old Petrovic to capture his first PGA Tour Champions in his 31st career start on the senior circuit, he will also have to beat David Toms, who sits at 3 under, and his playing partner for Sunday, Kirk Triplett at 2 under.

John Coultas, a 4-time First Team All-American, Palmer Cup participant, a Jack Nicklaus Award and Phil Mickelson Award Receipt has signed with Fidelity Sports Group for worldwide management and representation.

Coultas played four years at Florida Southern, racking up 7 victories, 21 Top 5 Finishes and 25 Top 10 finishes. He graduates as one of the most decorated Mocs in the history of the program which has produced Lee Janzen, Rocco Mediate, Marco Dawson and Jeff Klauk.

“We are excited to welcome John to the Fidelity family,” said Drew Carr, Partner at Fidelity Sports, “we are so impressed by John’s humble nature and how he lets his clubs and results do the talking. We look forward to his bright future and helping him achieve his dreams on the PGA Tour.”

GUILIN, China — American Charlie Saxon holed a pressure-packed, 7-foot par putt on the final hole to avoid a playoff with China’s Jin Zhang, giving him the Guilin Championship title. Saxon’s 3-under 69 and an 18-under total of 270 at the stunning Guilin Landscape Golf Club earned him his second Tour title in his last three events and gives him four PGA TOUR Series-China tournament wins overall, tying him for most career victories with current PGA TOUR player Zecheng “Marty” Dou, who won four times in 2016. The Series began in 2014.

Saxon, 25, started his day one off the pace and fired out of the blocks with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to take an early two-shot lead after Zhang bogeyed the third hole.

The 22-year-old Zhang, the solo 54-hole leader and the 36-hole co-leader, struggled in the opening holes and then clawed his way back to within one after No. 17. But Zhang couldn’t birdie the par-4 closing hole, and all he could was watch has Saxon came through with his par.

Canada’s Justin Shin, who shared second with Saxon at last month’s Haikou Championship, fired a 67 to secure third at 16-under, while Sweden’s Oskar Arvidsson (71) and Malaysia’s Arie Irawan (69) tied for fourth, at 13-under, their best results in their first full season on the Tour.

“The crowds were fantastic, and it was a lot of fun to play in front of so many people. It’s definitely one of the better crowds I’ve experienced in China,” said Saxon, who carded 23 birdies and one eagle in 72 holes.

“The course was in great condition, and I’m just really happy about the week. My mindset through the whole day was just to go out there and make birdies. I wanted to keep the pedal down and make it hard for people to catch me.”

Second on the Order of Merit in 2016 when he won twice, the 25-year-old has extended his lead in this year’s money list and heads to next week’s Kunming Championship at Yulongwan Golf Club as a firm favorite.

“I feel great about my game right now, and I’m really confident,” Saxon said. “I really enjoy the course we are playing next week. I can’t wait to get out there and hopefully get in contention again.”

After Saxon’s quick start, both Saxon and Zhang bogeyed No. 6, and the American stayed in the lead with birdies on 10 and 14. However, Zhang drew within one shot with birdies at 13, 16 and 17, ensuring a pressure-packed final hole.

Saxon missed the green with his second shot on 18 and was forced to save par with a difficult up-and-down, chipping to within 7 feet before making the putt as the enthusiastic crowd watched.

Even in defeat, Zhang established himself as one to watch after a strong showing this week, recording his best finish on the Tour after ties for 10th in 2015 and 2016 and a share of 11th in last month’s Changsha Championship, won by Saxon.

Although he admitted the pressure of leading and the large crowds fazed him in the early holes, he responded well. After losing the lead with a bogey on the third, Zhang also bogeyed Nos. 6 and 7 then birdied No. 8 in addition to three of the last six holes to close within one of Saxon.

“Today was my first time playing in the final group on this Tour, and if I played the first seven holes better, I think I might have had the chance to win,” said Zhang, who turned pro in October 2014.

“In the first seven holes, I rushed. I played too fast and was conscious of there being such big crowds. Only when I made the birdie on 8 did I feel much better, and I think I played well on the final few holes.”

Zhang enjoyed his two successive rounds in the last group and said he learned a lot from Saxon, who also counts a win at the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica’s Lexus Peru Open in 2017.

“Charlie played very well in the two rounds we played together. After this week, I learned a lot,” Zhang added. “I hope I can have more chances to play the leading group and hope I will play much better.”

For Shin, who won the Wuhan Open in 2015, it was a second successive top-three finish after sharing second with Saxon at last month’s Haikou Championship. The 26-year-old South Korea-born Canadian could also have tied for second in Guilin but bogeyed the closing hole.

Starting the day five shots behind Zhang, in a share of fifth, Shin picked up three birdies and a bogey on the front nine before birdies at 10, 12, 13 and 16 put him within one shot of Saxon.

“I kept checking the score because I was trying to finish at least 2-under on the first nine holes, so it was going the right way. I was 2-under after nine and then I birdied 10, so I had some momentum and was trying to catch Charlie,” said Shin. “I kept making birdies, on 12 and 13, and on hole 13 I saw he had a two-shot lead. I lipped out with a birdie putt on 15 and missed a short eagle putt on 16, so I was close but just missed out on the last few holes. I’m still really happy with it. I’ve been playing well lately, so I’ll get a W (win) soon.”

As well as a win, Shin is also focused on securing a top-five finish on the Order of Merit to earn himself a Web.com Tour card and a return to that Tour next year.

“I’m feeling good this year, and I’m looking for a W. Getting a win feels good, and I want to experience it again,” Shin added. “My goal is to try to be in the top five. Charlie has won two already, but I’m still going to try to catch him. I’m going to keep knocking on his door, and we’ll see what happens.”

American Paul Imondi (74), co-leader after Day 2, played with Zhang and Saxon in the final group on both Saturday and Sunday, and eventually tied for sixth with England’s Alex Belt (71), at 12-under, one ahead of the China duo of Daxing Jin and Xuewen Luo and Italian Aron Zemmer.

note: story originally published by PGA TOUR CHINA

As Grant Hirschman made his way around the course at TPC Southwind, a group of supporters who’ve watched him chip and putt since he was a little kid in Collierville followed his every shot.

His mother, Lisa, and several family members wore Oklahoma hats that had “Go Grant” on the left side. A few more in the group had Oklahoma shirts.

Just one week ago, Hirschman played with the Sooners in the NCAA men’s golf championships. Now, he was in his first PGA Tour event surrounded by people that watched him grow up, at a venue that he’s played for years.

“This is what he’s always dreamed of,” said Lisa Hirschman. “It’s a culmination for him since he was on the Junior Tour at 6 years old.”

“After that I was good,” Hirschman said Friday. “I knew going into it that first hole would be nerve-racking and today I was fine.”

Close to 30 high school classmates and teachers from St. George’s showed up Thursday. Hirschman had a smaller group of supporters during Friday’s second round, but they made their presence known during two of Hirschman’s best moments.

When he converted a 37-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 14th hole following a bogey on No. 13, his family shouted “Way to go, Grant!” as he briefly acknowledged them.

“It’s definitely motivated me a little bit to get them cheering, so it’s been fun,” Hirschman said.

Adding to the familiarity is caddie Jonathan Fly, who might just be Hirschman’s secret weapon. Fly and his family not only live in the Southwind community surrounding the golf course, but the Memphis alum also received a sponsor’s exemption to play in the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Hirschman has leaned heavily on Fly’s experience.

“He knows this place probably better than anybody here and he’s been telling me where to hit it and that’s all I can ask for,” Hirschman said.

His father, Kerry, said that starting next week, Hirschman plans to play on the Mackenzie Tour, which is Canada’s professional golf tour.

For now, though, Hirschman is just happy to be back home.

“It’s definitely been nice to sleep in my own bed playing in my first pro event,” he said.

Story Originally Published for The Commercial Appeal Website

Grant Hirschman has signed with Fidelity Sports for exclusive and worldwide representation, marketing and management as he turns pro after a wonderful college career at the University of Oklahoma.

Hirschman played four years at the University of Oklahoma, playing in every tournament and serving as team captain for three of the four years.  Hirschman was a three-time NCAA All-American, won three tournaments including the 2018 BIG 12 Championship and was the team leader of the 2017 National Championship Team.

Hirschman also finished 4th at PGA Tour Canada Qualifying Tournament, setting him up for full status for the 2018 season.

Hirschman is set to make his first professional start this week at the 2018 Fed Ex St. Jude Classic in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

Tim Petrovic is enjoying a breakout season on PGA Tour Champions, in just his second full calendar year on the circuit after seventeen years on the PGA Tour.

Petrovic posted his second runner-up finish of the 2018 season at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship thanks to rounds of 66-69-65-69. In February, Petrovic closed with a 64 on Sunday to finish T2 at the Chubb Classic in February.

Petrovic earned $347,000 with the second-place finish over the weekend, moving him to 11th place in the season-long Schwab Cup standings.

Petrovic’s sponsors include: Titleist, Vineyard Vines, ArGolf Putters and Credibility International

Lanto Griffin returned to the Web.com Tour’s The Nashville Golf Open benefitting the Snedeker Foundation to defend his 2017 victory

Lanto was joined in Nashville by fellow Fidelity Sports clients including Brandon Matthews, Brian Richey, and Mark Blakefield who all made the cut and finished 7th, 14th and 21st respectively.

In 2017, Griffin made the cut on the number in Nashville. Weekend rounds of 62-68 and a birdie on the first playoff hole against Abraham Ancer secured the victory for Lanto. The week was the start of a very strong summer on the Web.com Tour which ultimately would earn Lanto his PGA Tour card for the first time in his career. With an off week in his PGA Tour schedule, Lanto returned to Nashville and picked up where he left off in 2017 as he snagged a share of the first round lead with a 7 under par 65 on Thursday that included a 29 on the back nine including two eagles.

Lanto’s impressive play continued on Friday and Saturday earning him a three shot lead to start Sunday’s final round. A final round of even par left Lanto just short of forcing a playoff with eventual winner Cameron Davis. Lanto will carry the momentum in to US Open Qualifying on June 4th and the PGA Tour’s Fed Ex St Jude Classic in Memphis June 7-10.

Brandon Matthews’ 7th place finish was his fifth made cut in a row and his third Top 11 finish in the last five events. The finish moves Matthews to 46th on the Web.com Tour Money List. Matthews currently leads the Tour in driving distance, clocking in at an average of 337 yards with his longest tee ball of the season at 400 yards. Brandon is listed in the Power Rankings as one of the favorites at this week’s Rex Hospital Open.

Brian Richey’s 14th place finish was his best of his 2018 Web.com Tour campaign. In need of a good week with the impending reshuffle, Richey stepped up in a big way. firing rounds of 72-67-70-67 to finish in a tie for 14th in Nashville which was enough to guarantee his position and enable him to set his schedule for the remainder of the 2018 season.  A fantastic putter, Richey’s driver has also become a strength in his game as he is 22nd on Tour in Driving Accuracy and averaging over 306 yards per drive. A winner on the 2017 PGA Tour Latin America, as Richey continues to hit more greens in regulation, look for him to be in contention regularly this summer.

Mark Blakefield, like Richey, also needed a solid week the Nashville Open and he too answered the call with rounds of 69-70-67-71 to finish 21st. The finish was his second Top 25 of the season to go along with his 25th place at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club in January. Well known as a talented ball striker, Blakefield has made great strides with the putter over the last few weeks and carries the momentum in to Raleigh, North Carolina this week for the Rex Hospital Open.

Brandon Matthews led the field in average driving distance at the United Leasing Championship at 342 yards, and finished in a tie for 11th.

*The Dupont native shot a 3-over 75 in the final round of the Web.com Tour’s United Leasing & Finance Championship, leaving him at 2 over overall and tied for 11th place. As a result, he was projected to move up 21 spots into 53rd place in the tour money rankings.

The former Temple standout had an up-and-down back nine, recording three birdies but also carding two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-3 16th hole. He had five bogeys overall, including three on the front nine at the tournament in Newburgh, Indiana.

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez closed at 2 under to win the tournament, eight strokes ahead of Matthews.

The next tour event is the Knoxville Open, May 10-13 at Fox Den Country Club.

*Originally posted at for Citizens Voice

The inaugural North Mississippi Classic on the Web.com Tour was shortened to 54 holes due to heavy rains Sunday. The final leaderboard after Saturday’s play held the event’s official results–Willy Wilcox tied for 2nd place, Brandon Matthews tied for 10th and Brian Richey tied for 33rd. Members of the Fidelity Sports Group family have had a chance to win on Sunday in five of the first eight events of the 2018 Web.com Tour Schedule.

Wilcox’s 2nd place was thanks to a course record-setting performance of eight under par 64 on Saturday which included nine birdies and a bogey. Wilcox led the field in birdies for the week with 20 thru 54 holes. An incredibly good break on Firday opened the door to Wilcox’s Saturday performance. On the 36th hole of the tournament, and his final hole of Friday’s round, Wilcox hit his tee ball out of bounds however it kicked off a tree back in play. He would go on to make par on the hole to make the cut–an out of bounds tee shot most likely would have resulted in a missed cut! The 2nd place finish moved Wilcox to 19th on the Web.com Tour Money List.

Brandon Matthews steady play all week notched him a 10th place finish, the best finish of his career on the Web.com Tour. A rookie on Tour in 2018, Matthews fired rounds of 72-69-70 and led the field in average driving distance (320 yards) and longest drive (345 yards) for the week. The finished moved Matthews to 74th on the Money List, and alleviates any stress regarding reshuffles for the remainder of the regular season.

Brian Richey posted his best finish of the 2018 Web.com Tour season in Oxford, Mississippi as well–a tie for 33rd. Richey fired rounds of 72-69-73 for the finish–a nice momentum builder as the schedule becomes more consistent from week to week.

Wilcox, Matthews and Richey will be joined by Justin Hueber, Grant Leaver, Mark Blakefield, Justin Lower and Jim Renner this week for the Web.com Tour’s United Leasing Championship in Newburgh, Indiana.

#FidelityFam.

Justin Hueber posted a Web.com Tour career-best third place finish Sunday at the Savannah Golf Championship. Justin fired rounds of 67-67-69-68 for 17 under par over the four days at The Landings Club’s Deer Creek Golf Course in Savannah, Georgia.

Hueber started the final round 1 shot off the lead of eventual champion Sam Burns. Justin got off to a strong start with birdies on holes 1, 5, and 8 to tie for the lead heading the back nine. On the back nine, eight pars and a two-putt birdie on the par 5 14th secured a tie for 3rd place for the week.  Sam Burns caught fire on the back nine firing a 6 under par 30, including birdies of 4 of his final five holes to win by a shot over Roberto Castro.

The finish moves Hueber to 21st on the Money List thanks also to a 25th place at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, a 13th place at El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova and a 28th place at Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER.

Justin’s 96 birdies on the season and 1 top ten finish have raised over $2,400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society thanks to his partnership with Credibility International.

Justin and the Web.com Tour have the next two weeks off before returning to competition in Oxford, Mississippi April 16th thru 22nd.

Justin Lower posted his best career finish on the Web.com Tour over the weekend.  Rounds of 65-73-67-64 and a final score of 15 under par secured a third-place finish at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Nacher.

The finish made Lower $37,400 and moved him to 23rd on the Web.com Tour Money List. The Top 25 earners are the end of the regular season earn PGA Tour membership for the 2017-2018 season.

Lower noted that he “found something” in his swing during Friday’s difficult round in blustery conditions. After a rough start of 5 over par thru this first nine holes, Lower focused the final 54 holes on a smooth tempo which led him to make 14 birdies and no bogies in his final 54 holes.

Justin’s 20 birdies for the week raised $2,000 for Ohio Guidestone as Modern Woodmen Financial donates $100 for every birdie Justin makes during the 2018 season to the organization!

Lower’s next start is this week, March 29th thru April 1st at the Savannah Golf Championship in Savannah, Georgia.

PGA Tour player Lanto Griffin is proud to announce a new partnership with IES Communications. Lanto will serve as a worldwide ambassador for IES Communications, sporting the company logo on the chest of his apparel during PGA Tour competition and engaging with IES executives, employees, partners, and clients off the course.

Lanto Griffin is a native of Blacksburg, Virginia and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where he played on the Men’s golf team.  Lanto started playing golf professionally upon graduating college in 2010. His career to date has taken him to Europe, North, Central and South America. Lanto played full time on the 2017 Web.com Tour, and he had a breakthrough victory at the Nashville Open with rounds of 72-70-62-68 and a birdie on the first playoff hole to secure the win.  The 2017/2018 season marks Lanto’s rookie season on the PGA Tour, and he has already had success with a 12^th place finish at the difficult Torrey Pines, site of the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2018.

“Playing on the PGA Tour has been a dream of mine since I was playing junior golf in Blacksburg, Virginia. To have achieved that, and to be able to partner with a company such as IES, which is nationwide but has roots in my hometown community is an honor” said Griffin, “I am so excited to represent such a great company on the PGA Tour and look forward to a long-term partnership with them!”

IES Communications was created as a structured cabling provider in 1984. Matt Simmes, President, joined in 1992. IES Communications has added new product lines and services and is now a leading provider of network infrastructure products and services for data centers and mission-critical environments across North America.

Matt Simmes, President of IES Communications stated, “IES admires the PGA Tour for its strong charitable foundation and Lanto for his unparalleled dedication to training and precision to accomplish his goals. These values are the driving force that established this partnership.  We at IES strive for mirror integrity which is a hallmark to the IES business.  The sponsorship of Lanto is an ideal way to reach a global audience who watch and play golf in the U.S. and around the world, as well as the opportunity to be associated with the PGA’s great tradition.”

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For IES Communications:
Gilbert Romo
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
IES Communications
Gilbert.Romo@Iescomm.com

For Lanto Griffin:
Drew Carr
Fidelity Sports Group, LLC
Drew@FidelitySportsGroup.com

# # #

Charlie Saxon won the Shenzhou Peninsula Classic with a total score of 277 (-11) on the 10th of March. Chunil Jung from Canada and Fraser Wilkin from New Zealand finished 2nd with a tie at -10. Top 2 Chinese players Jin Daxing and Ye Jianfeng both finished at -7.

This is the opening match of the China Tour 2018 season, held by China Golf Association. Saxon started the final round with -5 on the 8th position. He had a fairly impressive start, coming to the leading position of the scoreboard after the first 3 holes. He finally finished the day with a -6.

The former champion says the bad weather on the second and third day of the tournament was actually no problem for him.

“I really enjoyed the weather change,” said Saxon after the match. “ I was really happy when it started getting windy. Where I live back in the U.S, it’s very windy.”

Saxon said the Dunes golf course is absolutely fantastic and it is one of the best-condition course he has ever played on.

Sunil Jung, who led the leaderboard for the first 3 days and most time of the final day, admitted that he got nervous at the last hole. “ I saw Charlie catching birdie at the last hole and I got a bit nervous cause I didn’t want the match to be extended. And then the ball hit the water and I was not able to make it to the green, so I got a bogey there.”

The China Tour is an independent international tournament series, based on the nation’s comprehensive economic strength, representing the highest level of the development of Chinese professional golf. In 2018, the Tour runs throughout the year, consisting around 20 events including regular tournaments, co-sanctioned events and a flagship event – Tour Championship.

Story originally published: CGA Website

Saxon’s first two wins in China were on PGA Tour China in 2016, where he also won Rookie of the Year honors.

Tim Petrovic posted a career best finish at the 2018 Chubb Classic on the PGA Tour Champions February 16th thru 18th in Naples, Florida at the Twin Eagles Club.  Petrovic fired rounds of 71-66-64 for a 15 under par total. The finishes moves Petrovic to 15th in the Charles Schwab Cup Standings.