Tour

The guy’s so long he voluntarily took driver out of the bag. The holes simply wouldn’t allow for it. It’s part of the deal when your “fairway finder” flies 330 yards.

Brandon Matthews, who’s in the field at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship on a sponsor’s invite, doesn’t yet play full-time on the PGA Tour. But he might just be the longest player in professional golf.

The name might ring a bell, too, for something other than being a bomber. The 27-year-old went viral in 2019 for the way he handled an unfortunate situation—he was in a playoff in a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event when a man with Down’s syndrome made a distracting noise in his backswing. Matthews missed the putt, lost the tournament and gained thousands of fans for the grace he showed, signing a glove for the fan and refusing to blame anyone but himself for the loss.

The gesture caught the eye of the Arnold Palmer family, who extended him an invite to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He missed the cut in his lone previous PGA Tour start and returned to the anonymity of mini-tour life, grinding away until winning the PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s Order of Merit and securing full status for the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season. He finished T-2 in his third KFT event in February then won his fourth to all but lock up a PGA Tour card for next season.

MORE: Wells Fargo Championship DFS picks—Sergio Garcia’s stats paint a brutal picture

That’s the pertinent background info. Now, time for the fun part: his obscene length. Golf Digest editorial director Max Adler actually played alongside Matthews in the 2013 U.S. Amateur, and while Alder isn’t setting any speed records, he’d never been outdriven by 100-plus yards like he was that week. Repeatedly. And that was when Matthews was a teenager, before added some grown-adult strength. (And a fiancée, who’s on-site this week).

Matthews’ dad taught him the game and did so in a distinctly modern manner. Whereas many teachers previously prioritized accuracy, the growing consensus among modern instructors is to teach speed first. It’s a byproduct of the strokes-gained era, which has underscored how vital distance is in the professional game. By and large, the best players in the world crush the ball. So: Hit it far, then learn how to hit it straight. Matthews’ dad was ahead of his time.

“From a very young age I was just trying to hit it as hard as I can, so I developed power before I developed technique,” Matthews says. “So I think that was one of the main reasons why I hit it so far, because I just learned it at an early age, hit it as hard as you can.”

MORE: Greg Norman says players returned money to Saudi-back LIV Golf after Phil Mickelson’s comments

As he attempts to flash the guns at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms, Matthews comes into the week off three straight missed cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour. He also ranks “only” 34th on that circuit in driving distance at 307 yards. That stat can be misleading even on the PGA Tour—only certain holes are measured, and 305 yards on firm turf in Texas is not the same as 305 yards on spongy kikuyu in Southern California. It’s the same story on the Korn Ferry Tour; driving distance simply isn’t a reliable stat for telling you who the longest players are. That’s especially true for Matthews, who has been like Aquaman without his trident in recent weeks.

“Two out of the last three weeks I took driver out of the bag,” Matthews said. “And it’s just so painful to do because for me, I’ve been hitting my driver so well for the past few years. We just looked at golf courses, my caddie and I, Colton [Heisey], the last few weeks and it just doesn’t fit anywhere. There’s not a hole that we can hit it. You know, when I do have driver in the bag, obviously there’s a big advantage there, especially if I’m hitting it well and consistent and I feel good with it. So I do feel good with it this week and it is nice to have that thing back in the bag.”

Per his longtime coach, Dale Gray, Matthews’ clubhead speed with driver is around 135 miles per hour. His 5-iron flies 231 and can carry the d-stick up to 340 when he goes at one.

“Super long arms, wide arc, it’s unlike I’ve seen,” Gray says, his face glowing like a man who knows how lucky he is to be working with that kind of speed.

Story by Dan Rapaport for Golf Digest

Hank Lebioda, Brandon Matthews and Tim Petrovic have signed long-term endorsement deals with DemandScience, one of the PGA TOUR’s newest Official Marketing Partners.

Full Press Release:

DANVERS, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DemandScience, a global B2B data company that partners with customers to upgrade their sales pipelines, today announced new brand ambassador partnerships with eight world-class professional golfers currently playing on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Korn Ferry Tour.

These new partnerships align with the company’s mission to provide decision-makers with the right information at the right time and are part of DemandScience’s commitment to the sport of golf, which includes being named the “Official B2B Sales Pipeline Generation Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions” in February.

The talented lineup of DemandScience brand ambassadors includes professional golfers Keegan Bradley, Nick Watney and Hank Lebioda from the PGA TOUR, Tim Petrovic from PGA TOUR Champions, and Brandon Matthews, Trevor Werbylo, Ben Griffin and Rob Oppenheim from the Korn Ferry Tour. Each of these outstanding athletes will use DemandScience-branded yardage books during play as they utilize information and insights to determine their best competitive move.

“It is an honor to be working with DemandScience and I look forward to a great partnership, both on and off the golf course,” said Keegan Bradley, a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR. “This is also the first time I’ve had a yardage book sponsor, which shows that they truly understand everything involved in being a competitor – preparation, data and situational insight are essential to making the best shot possible.”

Bradley has deep New England roots. He went to high school in the Boston area not far from DemandScience offices and was the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 individual golf state champion. Bradley has won four professional tournaments, including the PGA Championship, has represented the United States in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and is a former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year winner.

“Becoming an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR is just the beginning of our company’s commitment to the sport of golf. We are honored to have such an incredible team of brand ambassadors as we continue to align our B2B data business with the needs of athletes and customers alike,” said DemandScience Chair and CEO Peter Cannone. “Professional golf’s ability to reach B2B sales and marketing professionals, as well as C-suite decision-makers, is the most valuable in sports and through these new relationships we will continue to share our message with millions of fans.”

DemandScience sponsors the Wind Gauge during NBC Sports and Golf Channel coverage, providing viewers with wind speeds and direction which could be a determining factor during player shot selection, and will be seen again in August for PinPoint Greens presented by DemandScience. The company also has a presence in programming throughout PGA TOUR media properties and hosting at select PGA TOUR events.

Click here to learn more about DemandScience’s work with its PGA TOUR brand ambassadors, the PGA TOUR, The Boston Bruins, and the company’s charitable sponsorships of First Tee, GreenLight Fund, and the Boston Bruins Foundation.

BOGOTA, Colombia – As four players held a share of the lead on the final hole of regulation, Brandon Matthews’ eagle-three at the par-5 18th of Country Club de Bogota’s Lagos course capped a birdie-birdie-eagle finish and a one-stroke victory at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard.

Matthews’ first Korn Ferry Tour victory came in his 50th Tour start. The 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit winner, Matthews began the final round in T3 position and reached 19-under par for the week, one stroke ahead of runner-up finishers Ryan McCormick and Ben Griffin, with a 5-under 66 Sunday.

“It’s pretty special,” an emotional Matthews said. “My game has been trending in the right direction for the past few years – been playing really, really good golf. Support system I’ve had is absolutely unbelievable. I can’t thank everyone enough. My fiancée has been unbelievable and she’s supported me through everything. I can’t wait to get home to her, my dog, and I can’t wait to see my dad, share this with him, because without them I wouldn’t be here.

“Growing up as a kid, hitting balls for hours upon hours, dreaming of this, it’s pretty awesome to see it come true.”

Matthews made the turn at 1-under par, as bogeys at Nos. 7 and 9 dampened his birdies from Nos. 3, 5 and 6. The Temple University alum parred the first four holes of the back nine and squandered a birdie at the par-4 14th with a bogey at the par-3 15th. It looked as though Matthews was headed for a second consecutive top-five, but a win appeared out of reach.

Instead, the 27-year-old caught fire and birdied the par-4 16th and 17th, and hit a 9-iron to 5 feet and poured in his eagle putt on the 72nd hole.

“Hit a great drive on No. 16, set up a perfect little pitch in there that I honestly thought I made, which was great to get there, because I knew that I was going to have to do something special down the stretch to either win or get a playoff,” Matthews said. “Hit a great drive on No. 17. Didn’t hit the best pitch shot. Left it about 20 feet short. Such a good putt there. I made that dead center, and that was so big for me, especially with some of the putts I hit in the middle of the round. To be able to get there and really make that putt was awesome.

“And coming down the 18th, I hit three perfect golf shots,” Matthews continued. “Hit a great drive over the trees. Hit a really nice little cut 9-iron in there to about 5 feet behind it, and it was fun going into that putt realizing that this could be the one.”

The win today may have been the first career Korn Ferry Tour victory for Matthews, but he won three times on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (twice in 2020-21, once in 2017). This week’s win also followed a near-miss at The Panama Championship last week, where Matthews finished T2 and one stroke behind the champion.

Matthews, a native Pennsylvanian, turned professional out of Temple in 2016. He enjoyed immediate success on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2017, winning his second start and adding a solo third three months later. A T42 finish at Final Stage of the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament awarded him conditional status, but Matthews finished 82nd in the 2018 regular season standings and had to retain status via Final Stage at year’s end. Matthews missed 14 cuts in 21 starts on Tour in 2019, bouncing him back to PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

“If PGA TOUR Latinoamérica didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be here,” Matthews said. “It’s pretty amazing what’s culminated out of all that and where I am now compared to when I first got out here.”

Matthews already had fully exempt status like the Korn Ferry Tour’s tournament winners, but now he is well positioned to earn a PGA TOUR card at season’s end, as he moved to No. 1 in the Regular Season Points Standings. With 766 points, Matthews sits 245-plus points ahead of the other three winners this season.

“In my opinion, I think I should be in contention and be winning golf tournaments all the time,” Matthews said. “My game feels great. My mental has been really, really good over the last few years. If we can continue on this path, I’m pretty excited to see what we can do.”

The 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season continues Thursday, February 17 with the first round of the LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Story Originally Written by Preston Edwards for PGATOUR.com

For the most part, Korn Ferry Tour pros have a straightforward season-ending goal. The PGA TOUR is in their sights – whether they want to make their debut or return to the biggest stage in the sport.

Brandon Matthews says he’s different. It might even sound weird, he admits. There’s no goal. There’s just living, every day, as a new opportunity.

And now he’s trying to take advantage of the best stretch of golf he’s ever played to reach the TOUR – even though he doesn’t necessarily have that circled on paper or typed in his phone.

“I try not to get ahead of myself and look into the future for what’s ahead. I just think about what I’m doing during that day and that week and my process for that,” said Matthews, fresh off last week’s runner-up finish at The Panama Championship, his career-best Korn Ferry Tour showing.

“I love this game so much. I’m fortunate enough every day to get to play it.”

Matthews entered 2022 on the heels of a two-win season on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the No. 1 spot on the Tour’s money list during the combined 2020-21 season, earning fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour status in the process.

Through the early part of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour slate, he has made the cut in three straight events and was just one shot back of Carson Young’s winning total in Panama.

He had a slight miscommunication with his caddie coming down the stretch Sunday in Panama, he said, and thought his 25-footer on the 72nd hole was to tie the clubhouse lead. It wasn’t the case, but after draining the putt, he said he was “thrilled” with how he was able to handle what he perceived as final-round, final-hole pressure.

That feeling was partly a reflection of how he’s matured in every aspect of golf, and life, over the last few years.

He has a new swing coach, Dale Gray, who is based in New York but frequents Florida to see Matthews and his whip-strong action. Brian Symonds, based in Florida as the owner of Winston Trails GC, has become “instrumental” in getting Matthews to display the type of form he has shown over the past 12 months.

“It’s honestly incredible how good my short game has got in the year since I’ve been going to see (Symonds),” said Matthews. “You can get taught all you want, but you still have to put in the work. I’ve been trying to put in as much work as I possibly can. Treat my body correctly. It’s been a great progression over the last couple of years.”

When asked about the rest of his support system, there’s the briefest of pauses. Not because he doesn’t know who else has been helpful, but it’s almost like Matthews is unable to express how important Danielle Maslany, his fiancée, has been to him.

“There’s no one better,” said Matthews. “She’s unbelievable how she’s supported me throughout with what I want to do. It’s incredible … I’m very lucky to have someone who supports me like that.”

They’re getting married on September 24 back in their home state of Pennsylvania – “I’m going to let her do the planning,” said Matthews, laughing.

Despite his new Floridian residency (Maslany owns a full-service marketing agency in Jupiter – DM Creative House), Matthews had been keen to give back to an area that had given him so much as a golfer.

Last year, he organized a pro-am and charity event that raised $50,000 as a scholarship fund for young golfers in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area. The Country Club of Scranton hosted the day. The professionals played for a $50,000 purse, while Billy Pabst Jr. – a young star who is heading to Penn State to play golf – was the first recipient of the scholarship.

Matthews admits he was running around “like a chicken with its head cut off” trying to make phone calls and managing a type of workflow that he isn’t used to, but he said it was fun.

“Normally I just wake up and all I think about is what kind of shot I need to hit,” said Matthews. “Happy to think about it, obviously, from a different aspect and go on the business side a little bit.

“To raise a lot of money for our area and give such a great kid a scholarship and a membership to The Country Club of Scranton was all worth it.”

That event came at the end of 2021, after Matthews completed his big-time season on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. His celebrated college years well behind him, there’s one thing that Matthews has been able to bring with him throughout his professional career – his distance.

The 6-foot-4 Matthews admits he never tried to hit the ball far; it has just been a natural asset. The last time he played on the Korn Ferry Tour long enough for the data to be collected – 2019 – he averaged more than 330 yards a pop.

The way he controls that distance has matured alongside every other part of his game. He still describes his length as a difference-maker, though.

“Being able to manage that and reel it back and look at distance as an advantage … I can hit 3-iron off the tee and have the same distance coming in as everyone else does with driver off the tee,” he explained. “There are so many different things that go into that and realize what makes it an advantage and how to use that properly. It’s been a great learning curve.”

That’s what Matthews has been doing as he inches ever closer to earning a PGA TOUR card – learning. About golf, life, and how to balance it all out.

“I’m just trying to do the best I possibly can for the day ahead,” said Matthews, “and if I can do that properly, it’ll create some pretty good results.”

Story Written by Adam Stanley for PGA TOUR. Originally Posted Here.

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — The Country Club of Scranton hosted the inaugural NEPA Invitational this weekend. DuPont-native Brandon Matthews spearheaded this idea – his way of giving back to the community. All the proceeds went to junior golf in the area, the William Lawler Foundation Scholarship, and to local non-profits, through the Scranton Area Foundation.

“It’s been great!” Matthews told Newswatch 16. “People have traveled from all over to come in and play, and the guys love this place. So, I’m really excited that everyone’s having a good time. The response has been great and I think it’s going to grow for the years to come.”

It’s a great starting point for the inaugural event. Matthews helped raise $50,000 for the Scranton Area Foundation. 

Content Originally Pos

Grant Hirschman fired a seven under par 65 at the Sanderson Farms Championship Monday Qualifier to earn a spot in the PGA TOUR field for the week.

The 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship marked Hirschman’s second career start on the PGA TOUR. His first start as a professional came at the 2018 Fed Ex St. Jude Classic in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee after the conclusion of his incredible collegiate career at University of Oklahoma where played in every event for four years, notched three individual victories including the 2018 Big 12 Conference Championship, was captain of the 2017 National Championship Team, and was a Three Time All-American.

Hirschman took full advantage of the opportunity at the Sanderson Farms Championship, firing rounds of 70-67-66-69. His total of 16 under par secured a tie for 17th place finish, and the largest payday of his career. Hirschman was 11th in Strokes Gained Around the Green and 10th in Strokes Gained Putting for the week.

Hirschman is supported by PXG Golf Equipment, Srixon Golf Balls, Veritex Bank, Silver Leaf Wealth Management, Black Quail Apparel, and Nike Shoes

Korn Ferry Tour pro Grant Hirschman fired a seven under par 65 at the Monday Qualifier in Jackson, Mississippi to earn medalist honors and a spot in this week’s PGA TOUR event at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

This will mark Hirschman’s second career PGA TOUR start. He made his professional debut at the PGA TOUR’s Fed Ex St. Jude Classic in his hometown of Memphis in 2018. Grant made the cut in the event, and was in contention through 36 holes. He ended the week in a tie for 63rd with rounds of 68-69-72-74.

Justin Lower was still in doubt when he left the scorer’s tent Sunday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. He hadn’t looked at the PGA TOUR app besides to look at the Forme Tour scores throughout the week. He also hadn’t looked at the leaderboard all week, and he didn’t know if the 3-under 33 he’d put together on the back was enough to get him inside the Korn Ferry Tour Finals top 25 and secure his first PGA TOUR card.

He got his answer when he walked down the stairs and was greeted with a champagne and beer shower by his fellow players and caddies. Fittingly for the 11-year-pro, who missed his TOUR card by a single shot in 2018, it once again all came down to a shot – a 30-yard pitch on the 72nd hole. After losing his drive left on the 72nd hole and leaving his second shot 30 yards short, he hit a beautiful nipper to a foot and knocked it in for par and a T15 to send him to the PGA TOUR for the first time.

Choked up with emotion after, Lower struggled to find the words.

“No words really,” Lower said. “It means everything, and I don’t think this is it. I don’t think my journey is over at all. I think it’s just getting started.”

In typical Justin Lower class, though, he wasn’t thinking about himself but rather Taylor Montgomery, his fellow competitor who he’d knocked into the 26th spot. Montgomery had also finished 26th in the Regular Season standings and fallen just shy of his TOUR card.  

“Taylor Montgomery, if you’re listening, I’ve been in your spot before and I know it’s not any fun but oh man, you’re a heck of player and just keep grinding. Good things will happen,” Lower said. “To everyone back home, thank you for everything and that’s all I can say.”

Lower admittedly had watched the video of himself missing a putt on the 72nd hole in 2018 to miss his card by a shot “too many times to count” but realized he needed to relive successes not failures. He even started seeing a therapist two to three years ago to work on removing the negative thoughts, and it has helped. He now thinks of the negative thoughts as being like waves at the ocean, coming and going, and all that matters is where his feet are. So, he started watching the video of him 2017 making a birdie on the last hole at Q-School to secure guaranteed starts instead.

During the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, every time he needed to perform, he shined. Whether it was the five birdies in a row to close out the second round at the start of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in Boise to make the cut on the number or the back nine 33 on the one of the hardest golf courses of the season, Lower brought it. It’s something he can lean on going forward as he makes the jump to the TOUR.

“[I learned] that I can do it,” Lower said. “I told myself this week something I’ve really never told myself on the golf course and that’s just trust yourself. And I told myself that most of today and a lot of this week. And it’s something I’ve never really told myself. So, something that I just have to take into the long run for sure.”

In total, his journey to the TOUR included six trips to Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School. It took him three trips before he made it to final stage and earned guaranteed starts and countless heartbreaks.

“This is just so gratifying for the hard work and just extremely thankful,” Lower said.

“It’s just amazing what one shot can mean in the long run.”

Story written by Nick Parker for PGATOUR.com

The marathon that has been the 2020/2021 Korn Ferry Tour Season, a forty-six event wrap around schedule due to COVID-19, comes to a close this weekend in Evansville, Indiana at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship Presented by United Leasing which is played on arguably the most difficult course the Tour sees all year at Victoria National Golf Club.

Through the first two rounds, Justin Lower has positioned himself to be in contention for a PGA TOUR card in the final weekend of the season. Lower’s 2020/2021 season has been highlighted by two second place finishes in 2021 and a 4th place at the 2020 Boise Open. The runner-up finishes came to 4-Time PGA TOUR winner Chris Kirk at The King & Bear Classic at World Golf Village and at the BMW Charity Pro-AM to Mito Pereira who notched three wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in the marathon schedule to earn an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Lower’s start in Evansville, two rounds of two under par 70, position him in a tie for 13th on the Leaderboard. He is tied for second in the field for most birdies made through 36 holes with 14 and is 5th in the field for putts per green in regulation. However three double bogies, two of which have come on the 17th hole have kept him out of the tournament lead. At the mid-way point of the Tour Championship, Lower is projected 26th on the Points List and the Top 25 at week’s end will earn their PGA TOUR membership.

TULUM, Mexico – Following a solid season of two wins and three top-fives in seven starts, American Brandon Matthews claimed PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Player of the Year honors Sunday to secure full status on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour.

“Obviously this year has been great. I won twice and played some really good golf,” said Matthews, who won the Puerto Plata Open in December and the Club at Weston Hills Open in June, in a span of three consecutive starts.

The 27-year-old Temple University alum managed to defend the Tour’s top spot through the final stretch of a grueling season that lasted 500-plus days, beginning on March 5, 2020 and finishing on June 25, 2021.

“I’m very thankful for the officials and everybody who runs this Tour. I believe we are the only International Tour to finish a full season,” Matthews said of the challenging, unusual season completed during the COVID-19 pandemic. “To give us the opportunity to succeed is really important and has been amazing for us.”

With a tie for 33rd at the season-ending Bupa Championship, Matthews collected a grand total of 1,191 points to close the year holding a 124-point lead. Money wise, the No. 1 player on Tour earned a paycheck in all seven of his starts, pocketing $74,534 in season earnings for a $7,684 lead.

“I did not miss a single cut on this Tour the entire year, which I’m proud of. I might have had a few bad holes here and there occasionally, but other than that it’s been a solid two years of golf,” says the man who has been on a consistent run since November of 2019.

Coming off a tough season on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour, where he made only four cuts in 21 starts, Matthews traveled to Argentina to tie for fifth at the Neuquén Argentina Classic and finish second at the VISA Argentina Open, where he caught the golf world’s attention when he gracefully embraced a fan with Down syndrome who distracted him while trying to make an eight-foot birdie putt to extend a playoff he lost to Colombia’s Ricardo Celia.

Matthews reacts after a missed putt during a playoff at the 2019 VISA Open de Argentina at the Jockey Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Enrique Berardi/PGA TOUR)

“I wouldn’t have been able to get here if it wasn’t for the way I finished 2019 out. I had a very tough year on the Korn Ferry Tour, I didn’t play well at all; played with a couple of injuries, and I was able to come to Argentina and finish fifth and second to regain my status on this Tour,” he said recalling that trip as a turning point in his promising career.

Having played as well as he did this season, Matthews is full of confidence heading into the future. He said he can’t wait to get the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season started in order to chase his lifelong dream of playing and being successful on the PGA TOUR.

“I feel like my game is trending upwards, and I feel like there’s really no turning back for me where I am right now and the way I’m playing. I feel like the next few years are going to be really fun,” he concluded with a grin.

Behind Matthews, the remaining four players inside the Points List top five also secured Korn Ferry Tour cards. They are Americans Sam Stevens (No. 2), Conner Godsey (No. 3) and MJ Maguire (No. 5). Finishing in fourth place, Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz was the leading player from Latin America this season.

note: this article written by Gregory Villalobos for PGATOUR.com and originally published here

Justin Lower hit 960 shots over the course of the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. One fewer, any of them really, and he’d have earned his PGA TOUR card. Instead, he missed his lifelong dream by a shot – narrowly missing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship – and headed home for the fall while his good buddy, Jim Knous, headed to Napa for the TOUR’s first event with the last spot in The Finals 25. 

“It was tough. I never really missed something that big by a shot, so it was tough to deal with obviously,” Lower said. “But Jimmy’s a great buddy, and I was extremely happy for him and I wanted to let him know that I was happy for him even though I was heartbroken at the time. But the thing that helped me was it wasn’t just that one shot in the four Finals events. It could have been any shot in those four events.”

At 32, Lower is back on the bubble for a PGA TOUR card this season, and his moment for redemption is now. Sitting 24th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, the highest he’s ever been at this point in the Regular Season, the Malone University grad is staring down his first TOUR card but needs to hold on for three more events. So he’s keeping it simple, taking it one day and one shot at a time, but all with the hope that this is it and it’s his time for the jump to the big show.

“I feel like I’m ready to go. I feel like I’ve put in my time out here,” Lower said. “That timeframe is a little different for everyone, definitely been different for me as compared to other guys, maybe a little longer than I expected, but I think I’ve proven that I can compete and I’d like to take it to the next level for sure.”

If the last five Korn Ferry Tour events are any indication, he’ll be just fine after posting four top-20s including a runner-up at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

“It’s definitely been the most consistent I’ve been this season. Game feels good,” Lower said. “The putter’s been the biggest change from the beginning of this year until now. I feel like I’m finally making some. It was pretty frustrating at the beginning of the year, but I feel like that’s the biggest difference so far and hopefully continue to strike it well, which I feel like I’ve always done, and just go from there.”

It hasn’t always been as easy over the course of his 10-year career as he’s made it look this season. He remembers the lowest point being in 2015 when he had lost his Korn Ferry Tour status from the season prior and failed to advance out of First Stage of Q-School.

“I remember feeling pretty down in the dumps,” Lower said. “I birdied my last three at First Stage of Q-School, and I thought I was in and then someone in the last group made a birdie to knock me and a couple others out. I just remember that was really tough because I didn’t even have a chance at the next stage. I just had another year on the mini-tours. It was not anything I wanted.”

But that’s the year that sparked change. Frustrated with his 2015 season, Lower went to a new coach in 2016, Mike Emery, and he felt like he really started to gain more clubface control. He has also gained 15 to 20 yards over the last four or five years by learning to use his body and the ground more effectively.  

Although the ball-striking has become a strength over the last four or five years, Lower has also had to fight through the same mental struggles that all longtime pros go through. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on mental struggles for so many around the globe, but it actually helped bring Lower out of his. Entering the pandemic-forced three-month break with four straight missed cuts, he came back to competition a different player, finishing 22nd and runner-up in his first two starts last June. 

“The first two events were really validating for me. It was really big for me because I was in a pretty dark spot mentally before COVID hit, and I’d really worked on my well-being mentally through that time and it was pretty tough,” Lower said. “I remember playing the event in Mexico, which was our last event, and I didn’t want to be there. It was just a horrible feeling and it’s no fun to go through on the golf course, let alone another country. We all go through low times, but the break during COVID was huge for me.”

The rest of the 2020-21 season has provided further validation. There was the runner-up at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, where he led by three after 54 holes, a fourth at the 2020 Albertsons Boise Open and eight other top-25s since the pandemic hit. Now, the next step is obvious – the PGA TOUR – and if he can hold on and secure his first TOUR card over a decade after turning pro, the emotions on the first tee at the Safeway Open in September just might be a bit overwhelming.

“It’d be validation of a lot of hard work. I’ve been grinding a long time for it,” Lower said. “It’d be a lot of fun. I always picture what it’d be like to play as a member out there, so I want to say I’m looking forward to it but trying to not get ahead of myself at the same time. But I think it’d be a lot of fun.”

This article written by Nick Parker and originally posted by the Korn Ferry Tour here

Another great week for FSG clients, with three Top-11 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour. Grant Hirschman led the way with a career-tying best 4th place finish, Charlie Saxon 6th and Justin Lower 11th at the Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Illinois.

Hank Lebioda, in his third season on the PGA TOUR at 27 years old, finished 4th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday. Lebioda fired rounds of 67-70-66-68 at Detroit Golf Club. The week prior at the Travelers Championship, Lebioda finished 5th place. As a result, Lebioda has advanced 200 spots in the Official World Golf Rankings, and has secured his spot in the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs as well as full status membership on the PGA TOUR for the 2021-2022 Season.

Lebioda started Sunday’s final round in the penultimate group, one shot off the lead with a 1:55PM tee time paired with Cam Davis. Lebioda made par on his first six holes during Sunday’s final round, followed by a tap-in birdie on the par 5 7th hole after his tee ball found the trees lining the right side of the fairway. Lebioda hit a punch shot back into the fairway and hit a wedge to just a few feet to the elevated green. On the 8th hole, Lebioda took a conservative approach off the tee with a hybrid on the 372 yard hold. Although, a pulled tee shot ended up again in the right trees. Hank hit a miraculous punch shot through the trees to the front of the green; two putts followed for a pedestrian par. Hank then caught a break on the par-3 ninth hole–an errant iron shot off the tee flew left of the green and ended at the base of a massive oak tree. Any right handed golfer in the field could not have hit a shot, although Lebioda the lucky lefty was able to take a normal swing and stance; a pitch shot to eleven feet provided for an incredible par save and momentum headed to the back nine within two shots of the lead with nine holes to play.

Lebioda then got rolling on the back nine. His approach shot on the 10th hole skipped long of the green, which he chipped in for birdie. On the par 3 11th hole, Hank hit is 233 yard tee shot inside 14 feet and sank the birdie putt to move within one of the lead.

After a par on the twelfth hole, Lebioda birdied again on 13 after hitting a wedge to just a few feet.

Lebioda finished with pars on holes 14 through 18 to finish in a tie for 4th. The back to back Top 5 finishes secure Hank’s spot in the playoffs and full membership on the PGA TOUR for the 2021-2022 season.

It was a great weekend for Fidelity Sports clients across several major Tours, with Top 10 finishes across the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR Latin America.

On the PGA TOUR, Hank Lebioda led the way with a 5th place finish at The Travelers Championship, his best finish of the season. Lebioda held the lead mid way through his final round, and the Top 5 finish moved him to 114th in the Fed Ex Cup Standings, with just six weeks remaining on the schedule prior the start of the playoffs. Lebioda birdied his final two holes of the week, including a hole out from the bunker on the 72nd hole to post rounds of 69-68-67-77 for the fifth place finish.

On PGA TOUR Champions, Tim Petrovic finished 10th place at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club. It was Petrovic’s 6th Top 10 Finish in a Major Championship on the Champions circuit and his second of 2021. Only two players finished under par for the week, and Petrovic fired rounds of 72-70-72-71 for the 10th place finish.

The Korn Ferry Tour visited Portland, Maine for the “Live and Work in Maine Open”. Four Fidelity Sports clients made the cut. Justin Lower led the way with a 20th place finish, Wade Binfield 25th place, Mark Blakefield 30th and Brian Richey 41st. The Top 20 finish moved Justin Lower to 24th on the Points List with five events remaining on the regular season schedule. The Tour is off this week and will head to Colorado next week for the TPC Colorado Championship.

Brandon Matthews and PGA TOUR Latin America were in Ecuador for the Banco del Pacifico Open. Matthews, the leader on the Order of Merit, has already notched two wins during the 2020/2021 wrap around season and a third win would provide an immediate “battlefield” promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. Matthews finished 5th place in Ecuador, continuing his spot atop the Order of Merit as the Tour heads to its final event of the year at the Bupa Championship presented by Volvo July 22-25 in Cancun, Mexico

WESTON, Florida –Standing on the 10th tee, coming off a missed two-footer for birdie on No. 9 to shoot even-par on the front-nine, Brandon Matthews knew he was running out of time at The Club at Weston Hills Open. With only nine holes left to make up a lot of ground, he went on to make five birdies, three of those over the final four holes, lifting him to a one-shot win over fellow American Sam Stevens.

Playing a group ahead of Matthews, Stevens carded a bogey-free 66, making pars on the final four holes to take the clubhouse lead, at 21-under. Matthews needed one more birdie, at the 72nd hole, to avoid a playoff and clinch the win.

“I just felt good. It’s kind of hard to describe that feeling when you are in the moment and you are feeling really good about things,” said Matthews about his mindset playing the 585-yard par-5 final hole. “I felt really good over that third shot. I knew I was going to hit it solid. I knew I was going to hit it close.”

That third shot came with a gap wedge from 138 yards, and his ball landed within three feet for a stress-free birdie. Matthews carded a final-round 67 that moved him to 22-under, good for his second victory in his last three starts. As the only two-time winner this season, the 26-year-old charged into the top spot of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Points List, moving past Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz, who missed the cut this week.

“This one was really great for me because I didn’t really have the putter over the weekend, and I still grinded it out,” said the Temple University alum. “The fact that I was able to put trust in myself for (the last) nine holes, making some great putts coming down the stretch, words really cannot describe how much confidence that gives me to keep doing that at a high level.”

With their sights set on moving to the Korn Ferry Tour next season, Matthews and the rest of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica players are now headed to Bucaramanga, Colombia, where the Holcim Colombia Classic presented by Volvo is scheduled to start on Thursday. 

Did you know Brandon Matthews is the second-quickest PGA TOUR Latinoamérica champion to get to three career wins? It took him 17 starts to get to this point, only trailing FabiánGómez, who reached his third PGA TOUR Latinoamérica victory in six starts. Gómez, who went on to win on the PGA TOUR, won the Argentina Classic in three consecutive seasons in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Key Information

In order to save time and to prevent further weather delays, the 64 players who made the cut were not re-grouped between the third and fourth rounds.

Because of the lightning delays the past couple of days, Brandon Matthews was among a group of players who had to play 30 holes Sunday. At 13-under for the tournament, he resumed the third round on the seventh hole at 8 a.m. 

Brandon Matthews earned this victory at age 26 years, 10 months, 17 days.

Brandon Matthews became only the 14th player with three or more wins on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. In addition to his three wins (2017 Molino Cañuelas Championship and the 2020 Puerto Plata Open), he was also the runner-up at the 2019 VISA Open de Argentina, where he lost a playoff. He also finished solo third at the 2017 Puerto Plata Open.

By collecting 500 points as a tournament winner for the second time this season, Brandon Matthews increased his season’s point total to 1,065 to become the new Points List No. 1 player. Matthews now holds a 227-point advantage over Alvaro Ortiz, who missed the cut and slipped into the second spot, with 838 points. The following are the updated standings through the fifth event of the 2020-21 season:

This is Brandon Matthews’ second stint as a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica No. 1 player. He held that position for three consecutive tournaments after his win at the Molino Cañuelas Championship in 2017, an injury-plagued season that saw him go on to finish 13th on the Order of Merit.

The runner-up finish was a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica career-best for Sam Stevens. The 24-year-old Oklahoma State University alum has been quite consistent this season, with finishes in the top-12 in his three previous starts (tied for 11th at the Estrella del Mar Open, tied for 12th at the Shell Open and tied for ninth at the Mexico Open). Stevens gained 11 spots on the Points List, moving into the fifth position. As a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica rookie, Stevens made 15 starts in 2019 to finish 47th on the Order of Merit. His best finish and only top-10 that year was a tie for fourth at the Brazil Open.

Quotable

“You know, I ask a lot of myself. I have very high goals for myself, very high standards, and I try to meet them. I’ve been doing a great job at it lately, so if I can continue that path, we are going to be in a great spot.”—Brandon Matthews’ thoughts on reaching the top of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Points List

“The confidence that I have in my ball-striking right now is pretty high, and if I can continue to strike it like this and make a couple more putts it’s going to be fine.”—Brandon Matthews

“There have been times in my career where that would have affected me a lot more, and I wouldn’t have won this golf tournament. That was by far the biggest thing that I’m going to take out of this.”—Brandon Matthews on the way he reacted to the two-footer he missed for birdie on No. 9

“I just lipped out real hard for birdie (on No. 14), and I knew I had to get two (birdies) coming in, at least. I got to 15, the wind should have been a little bit into, and it was actually a comfortable drive for me. I picked up the tee and walked away and it flew into the middle of the trees. I thought it was going to end up in the right center of the fairway. (I was) fortunate enough to get through the trees there and into the other fairway. I had a good (yardage) number and hit a great pitching wedge in there from 150 (yards). That was one I was really committed on, and I holed that putt and then hit another great one in there on 16, too.”—Brandon Matthews describing his birdie on 15 to start his birdie-birdie-par-birdie finish 

Final-Round Weather

Partly cloudy, with a high of 93 and humidity at 56 percent. Wind W at 6 mph.

**Article originally written by PGA TOUR and posted here**

Through two rounds on two different tours, Fidelity Sports Group clients Justin Lower and Brandon Matthews hold the lead respectively on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Latin America.

Justin Lower is off to a red-hot start in Greenville, South Carolina at the BMW Charity Pro-Am with rounds of 64-63, good enough for 16 under par through 36 holes. Lower has birdied 18 of his first 36 holes in the first two days. A win for Lower would move him inside the Top 25 of the Points List and in line for his first PGA TOUR Card. The event is televised by Golf Channel.

Brandon Matthews return to form continues, as he competes this week in Weston, Florida on PGA TOUR Latin America at The Club at Weston Hills Open. Matthews currently sits at 4th on the Order of Merit, thanks in large part to his win at the Puerto Plata Open in December 2020.

Matthews is chasing his third win on the PGA TOUR Latin America circuit, his second of the season, and ultimately a return to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022. The long-hitting, powerful Matthews has been working diligently on his swing to avoid back troubles.

Garett Reband is set to make his professional debut this week on the Korn Ferry Tour at the BMW Charity Pro-AM in Greenville, South Carolina. As a reward for finishing in the Top 5 of the inaugural PGA TOUR University ranking system, Reband will have seven guaranteed and consecutive starts on the Korn Ferry Tour circuit.

Formerly the 4th ranked amateur in the world, Reband has signed with Fidelity Sports Group for exclusive and world-wide representation, marketing and management as a professional golfer. To launch his career, Fidelity Sports has partnerships for Garett lined up with PXG equipment, Nike apparel and Titleist for golf ball and gloves.

Dreamed about my first pro start since I picked up a club. Ready to go! @BMWCharityProAm @KornFerryTour

Excited to partner with @pxg @nikegolf @Titleist pic.twitter.com/WF3FfN7cbT

— Garett Reband (@GarettReband) June 10, 2021

“All of us at FSG are very excited to join Garett’s team as he launches his professional career. He has had an incredible career as an amateur and collegiate student athlete at University of Oklahoma,” said Drew Carr, “the sky is the limit for Garett and we feel fortunate to be selected to be guide and advise him in each step of his exciting journey as a professional.”

During his amateur and collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, Reband compiled incredible accomplishments. In addition to PGA TOUR University and his WAGR rankings, Reband won multiple collegiate events, was a 1st Team All-American, a Haskins Award Finalist, a member of the United States Palmer Cup team and a member of the 2017 National Championship team and 2021 Runner-Up at University of Oklahoma.

PGA TOUR Champions member Tim Petrovic fired rounds of 65-71 at the Insperity Invitational hosted at The Woodlands in Houston, Texas.

Petrovic, a winner on the PGA TOUR, finished 2nd for the week at the rain shortened event. After grabbing the first round lead with a red-hot 65, Petrovic had a bit of a slow start to his second (and final) round on Sunday. However he bounced back with birdies on 12, 13, and 15 to finish in the tie for second place with Major Champions John Daly and David Toms. This marks Petrovic’s 8th runner-up finish on PGA TOUR Champions.

Petrovic moved to 14th in the season long Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Justin Lower has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Lower.com, an award-winning fintech brand located in Columbus, Ohio. Lower.com is an online mortgage company offering purchase mortgages, mortgage refinancing, and HELOCs. It takes an AI-based approach to make personalized recommendations for borrowers based on simple, web- and text-based application forms.

For the partnership, Justin will feature the Lower.com branding on the front of his headwear in all competitive events on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR during the term of the agreement. Additionally, Justin will be featured in company advertising and be making special appearances on behalf of the brand.

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic—Thirteen months after missing a putt to extend a playoff at the VISA Open de Argentina, where he was distracted by a fan with Down syndrome who yelled at a critical moment, Brandon Matthews found redemption with a five-shot win at the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s Puerto Plata Open.

Leading by four after a third-round 63, Matthews proved impossible to catch Sunday at Playa Dorada Golf Course. The 26-year old from Dupont, Pennsylvania, never led by less than three shots, and a final round, 6-under 65 led him to a comfortable five-shot victory. Matthews finished the week at 26-under par 258, with fellow American Jacob Bergeron claiming runner-up honors after firing a final-round-low, 8-under 63.

“Today I was playing myself, because I knew that if I played a good round of golf I was going to be almost impossible to catch. I had 26-under on my mind, and that’s why I kind of gave it a little bit more of a fist pump there at the last,” said Matthews of a round he capped off with a birdie at the last to make it a five-shot margin.  

For his winning efforts at Playa Dorada Golf Course, Matthews earned 500 points and $31,500 in the second of two consecutive events that marked the restart of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season after the COVID19 pandemic forced a nine-month break.

Starting the day with a par at the first, a hole where he made birdie-birdie-eagle the first three days, Matthews recorded his first birdie at the par-3 second. “That birdie was really big; settled me down a little bit, got me in the flow of the round,” said the Temple University alum who made his only bogey of the day on the next hole.

After that he pretty much didn’t miss a golf shot, making back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 to keep his challengers away. Ahead by four through nine, Matthews opened the back nine with birdies on 10 and 11 to cruise to victory the rest of the way. His last two birdies, on 16 and 18, formed the punctuation mark to a solid weekend in which he shot 14-under.

“I’m really proud that I extended my lead. I think that probably the hardest thing to do in golf is to have a several-shot lead and extend it throughout the day. I really played almost as good as I could have. I put [the ball] in every spot that I needed to put it in and trusted my putter a lot,” said the man who now ranks third on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit.

Matthews didn’t see his Puerto Plata win as any sort of vindication after losing the 2019 Argentine Open. “You know, things happen, and I keep telling everyone that I never got upset about [being distracted by the fan]. I don’t hold it over my head at all. It’s not anything like that. My second-place finish there allowed me to regain status on this Tour, so if I didn’t finish second that week I might not be here right now,” added the champion.

Entering the day in a tie for seventh, Conner Godsey shot 64 to finish six shots behind in a two-way tie for third, with Brendon Doyle, who joined Matthews in the last grouping. Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, the other player in the final group, finished another stroke back, in a tie for fifth, with Patrick Newcomb.

Coming off a victory a week ago at the Shell Open, MJ Maguire finished at 18-under to join Argentina’s Leandro Marelli in a tie for seventh. The finish allowed Maguire to earn enough points to take the Order of Merit lead away from Brazil’s Alex Rocha, who now ranks second. 

Did you know Brandon Mathews is one of only 30 players with multiple career PGA TOUR Latinoamérica wins? By adding the 2020 Puerto Plata Open title to his win at the 2017 Molino Cañuelas Championship, Matthews became the 17th player with two PGA TOUR Latinoamérica trophies. Ahead of that group are nine players with three wins and four with four wins.

Key Information

Born in Dupont, Pennsylvania on July 27, 1994, Brandon Matthews claimed this title at age 26 years, 4 months, 23 days.

The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, was in attendance on this final day and he presented the tournament trophy to Brandon Matthews during the closing ceremony. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJCa5y2AlvB/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=13&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pgatour.com&rp=%2Fla%2Fen%2Fnews%2F2020%2F12%2F20%2Fmatthews-cruises-to-five-shot-win-in-puerto-plata.html#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A1316%2C%22ls%22%3A953%2C%22le%22%3A993%7D

At 26-under for the week, Brandon Matthews tied the second-lowest 72-hole total recorded on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. At 29-under, Alexandre Rocha set the Tour record during his win at the 2020-21 season-opening Estrella del Mar Open in March. Alvaro Ortiz finished that same event as runner-up, at 26-under, for a number that Matthews matched today.

Brandon Matthews’ 26-under total is by four shots a new 72-hole record at Playa Dorada Golf Course. The previous mark had been set by Andrés Gallegos, who shot 22-under in his 2018 win.

Brandon Matthews improved his PGA TOUR Latinoamérica career record to two wins and six top-10 finishes in only 15 starts.

By collecting 500 points as a tournament winner, Brandon Matthews increased his season’s point total to 548 to move into the third spot on the Order of Merit, which is now led by MJ Maguire. Winner of the Shell Open a week ago, Maguire tied for seventh Sunday to move past Brazil’s Alexandre Rocha at the top of the standings.

The following are the updated Order of Merit standings through the third event of the 2020-21 season:

Pos.	Last  Week	Player	Points
1	2	MJ Maguire (U.S.)	593
2	1	Alex Rocha (Brazil)	561
3	34	Brandon Matthews (U.S.)	548
4	3	Álvaro Ortiz (Mexico)	338
5	4	Andrés Gallegos (Argentina)	337
6	47	Jacob Bergeron (U.S.)	329
7	8	Leandro Marelli (Argentina)	253
8	5	Raul Pereda (Mexico)	240
9	6	Rowin Caron (Netherlands)	219
10	7	Chris Wiatr (U.S.)	217

Jacob Bergeron carded a bogey-free 63 to move from a tie for seventh into solo second. He recorded birdies on Nos. 1, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 18 for the lowest round of the day. The runner-up finish is a career-best for the 22-year old from Louisiana, whose lone top-10 prior to today was a tie for ninth at the 2019 Bupa Match Play. 

Joining Bergeron in the tie for seventh at the beginning of the day, Conner Godsey had the hottest start of the afternoon, going birdie-par-birdie-birdie-eagle over the first five holes. He ended up carding a 64 to tie for third, which is also his best career finish in 11 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica career starts. His previous-best was a tie for fourth at the 2017 Flor de Caña Open in Nicaragua.

Inside the top three the entire week, Brendon Doyle turned his first made cut of the season into tie for third, at 20-under. The Indiana University alum had two eagles, 19 birdies and three bogeys.

Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, who shot 63-63 to hold the lead for the first 36 holes, shot 71-68 on the weekend to tie for fifth. This was Tosti’s second top-five this season, having finished solo fifth at the season-opening Estrella del Mar Open in March. Tosti now ranks 11th on the Order of Merit, having shot 63 or better in four of the 10 rounds he has played this year.

Improving his performance in each of his three starts this PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season, Patrick Newcomb has steadily climbed the Order of Merit standings. He started the year with a tie for 55th at the Estrella del Mar Open, tied for 12th at the Shell Open last week and following a bogey-free 67 in the final round tied for fifth in Puerto Plata. He moved into the 13th spot on the Order of Merit. 

In a tie for 10th, at 16-under, Juan José Guerra finished the week as the leading player from the Dominican Republic. The 23-year old rookie shot 67 Sunday to record his second top-10 in three starts this season. Guerra ranks 18th on the Order of Merit. Willy Pumarol, the only other local to make the cut, shot 70 today to tie for 44th.

Quotable

“I had 26-under on my mind because I knew that if I got to 26-under today that it was going to be almost impossible for them to catch me.”—Brandon Matthews

“My putter was with me this week. I putted really nice and felt really confident on these greens.” —Brandon Matthews

“I’m just looking forward to the next event, where I can try to get my second win of the year and then hopefully get a battlefield promotion (to the Korn Ferry Tour).” —Brandon Matthews

“I’m just looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead and keep progressing, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other kind of thing. I’m just happy to be in this position right now and look forward to what I can do in the next few months.”—Brandon Matthews

Petrovic closed with a 5-under-par 66 for a 54-hole total of 18-under 195 that normally would have won at the Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo. But Mickelson finished four lower as the World Golf Hall of Famer went wire-to-wire in becoming the 20th player to win his PGA Tour Champions debut in the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National.

Petrovic and the rest of the field seemingly stood little chance of reaching the winner’s circle after Mickelson arrived an hour before his first round, reviewed a few Champions rules with officials and then went out and made a staggering 11 birdies and a bogey on a par-5 in an opening 61 that gave him a one-stroke lead and put him three ahead of Petrovic.

A second-round 64 solidified Mickelson’s spot at the top, and a closing 66 for a 22-under total gave him victory No. 1 on the 50-and-over circuit to go with 44 PGA Tour wins, including being the only back-to-back winner in the history of the Travelers Championship in the then-Canon Greater Hartford Open in 2001-02. Mickelson turned 50 on June 16 and plans to take 10 days off before heading to the Safeway Open in his native California for his final preparation for the postponed U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

“I wasn’t as sharp the back nine,” said Mickelson, who played in the final group with Petrovic and Rod Pampling (72-201, tied for 11th). “I got off to a good start, though, fortunately had built enough cushion. … I really enjoyed playing here, enjoyed seeing all the guys again, seeing how they were so accommodating and fun. It’s fun for me to compete. I got to shoot (low) scores, and it was good to get off to a good start. There was a lot of good, and there were things I identified I’ve got to work on.”

Petrovic, 54, won several state and New England titles before going to the University of Hartford and notched his only PGA Tour victory in the 2005 Zurich Classic of New Orleans when he parred the first playoff hole to beat Boston native James Driscoll. Petrovic had six birdies and a lone bogey at the 18th hole on Wednesday, but he knew he had little chance to win against one of the best and most popular players in the history of the game.

“You know, sometimes you just run into a buzz saw,” said Petrovic, who ran a Pizza Hut franchise in Florida while bouncing around mini-tours before qualifying for the PGA Tour. “I ran into a Phil buzz saw this week because he made a lot of birdies. I think (Tuesday) I shot 31 on the front (nine) and don’t think I picked up a shot, maybe one. Today I got it going again on the front and we were almost laughing. When he was on the front, he drove that par-4 (fifth hole) — you know, he said it’s like 340 (yards) in the air to make eagle. We’re like: ‘OK, all right. That’s enough.’ ”

Mickelson’s PGA Tour Champions’ debut was possible because he missed the cut Friday in The Northern Trust, the first of three events in the FedExCup playoffs at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. That assured he would miss this week’s BMW Championship in Chicago for the first time since the playoffs began in 2007, but he made the most of his first venture on the Champions Tour. Three weeks ago, Jim Furyk, who shot a PGA Tour-record 58 in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship, won his PGA Tour Champions debut in The Ally Challenge after he turned 50 in May.

“It was a good course for me,” Mickelson said, noting Ozarks National’s relatively wide fairways allowed him to exploit a length advantage that was often immense. He will now try to emulate two of his elders, Fred Funk and Craig Stadler, both of whom won on the PGA Tour after winning on PGA Tour Champions.

“Confidence no matter where it comes from is always good,” Funk texted from Ozarks National, where he shot a final-round 72 to finish 4 over and well back.

Stadler won the 2003 B.C. Open, his last of 13 PGA Tour titles, a week after he captured the Ford Senior Players Championship. Funk, also 50, took a break from PGA Tour Champions to win the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic, the last of his eight PGA Tour victories.

Mickelson is expected to play sparingly on the Champions Tour, at least for now. He believes he is still plenty competitive on the PGA Tour, and the facts back him up. He tied for second at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational earlier this month. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last year, and the WGC-Mexico Championship the year before that. So he’ll continue to play on the PGA Tour.

Mickelson will be talked about and written about even more than usual in the coming months. He plans to play in the first tournament of the new PGA Tour season, the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., in two weeks, and then it’s back to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., where he double-bogeyed the 72nd hole in 2006, giving the title to Geoff Ogilvy and later saying, “I am just so stupid.” It was one of a record six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, which Mickelson needs to win to become the sixth player to achieve the career Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Jerry Kelly and Rhode Island natives Billy Andrade and Brett Quigley each shot 210 to finish in a tie for 53rd in Missouri. Brad Faxon, another Rhode Island native whose last of eight PGA Tour titles came in the 2005 Buick (now Travelers) Championship, tied for 82nd at 222.

Justin Lower posted the third Top 3 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour of his career over the weekend at the King and Bear Classic in St. Augustine, Florida. The event, hosted by the Korn Ferry Tour, was the second event back from a three month hiatus caused by Coronavirus and COVID-19.

Prior to the suspension in the 2020 schedule, Lower was struggling on the course having missed four cuts in a row. Frustrated with his game and putting too much pressure on himself to perform Lower dedicated his time during the break to seeking perspective, and improving his mental golf game and outlook for the return to play.

After a opening round of 65, Lower was immediately in contention. He followed with rounds of 65 and 67 in the second and third rounds.

Vince India began the fourth round with a four shot lead over the field, and five shot clears of Lower. After early stumbles by India, and a two under par front nine for Lower it was a foot race for the victory on the back nine.

After four straight pars to open the back nine, Lower birdied four of his last five holes including the 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th to grab the clubhouse lead at 25 under par.

Chris Kirk would ultimately also birdie his final hole for a one shot victory over Lower at 26 under par.

The solo 2nd Place finish vaulted Lower to 16th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points list. The Top 10 at the end of 2020 will earn limited PGA TOUR status for 2021 and the Top 25 at the end of the 2020/2021 season will earn their PGA TOUR Cards.

Justin enters the Utah Championship as the #1 player to watch in the Korn Ferry Tour Power Rankings.

Fidelity Sports clients Hank Lebioda and Brandon Matthews have received sponsor exemption invitations to compete in the PGA TOUR’s 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Presented by Mastercard.

Hank Lebioda is enjoying his sophomore season on the PGA TOUR in 2020. His season so far has been highlighted by a 3rd place at the Bermuda Championship and 17th place at The American Express. An Orlando native, 2020 will be Hank’s first time competing in his hometown PGA TOUR event which he attended regularly with his parents as a junior golfer. In 2019, the Lebioda family hosted a fundraiser at Bay Hill for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. The event played a large role in Hank and his family raising nearly $225,000 in 2019 for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundations.

An act of kindness that started it all.

How @B_Matthews12's compassionate gesture led to a sponsor's invitation into the @APinv. pic.twitter.com/IJExMMnNRk

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 2, 2020

Brandon Matthews will be making the first PGA TOUR start of his career at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational. The special invitation came on the heels of the story of Brandon’s kindness, compassion and sportsmanship during the 2019 Argentina Open. The tournament committee felt the act was in the spirit of Mr. Palmer and were gracious enough to extend the invitation.

Mark Blakefield carried momentum into the first event of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season and led FSG clients with a 9th place finish at the Great Exuma Classic.

After a 7th place finish at Final Stage of Q-School in Orlando, Florida and a short break for the holidays and some beloved University of Kentucky basketball, Blakefield was off to Exuma, Bahamas for The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. Rounds of 68-78-68-71 in incredibly difficult conditions with wind between 20 and 30 miles per hour each day made for a fantastic start to the season. The 9th place finish earned Blakefield $15,900 and 78 points to start the season. The Top 25 points earners at the end of the regular season earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2020-2021 season.

Blakefield was joined in Exuma by FSG clients Justin Lower, Will Wilcox, Wade Binfield, Grant Hirschman and Charlie Saxon.

T11–Justin Lower (75-72-70-62)

T16–Will Wilcox (71-73-69-74)

T34–Wade Binfield (75-73-72-73)

T58–Grant Hirschman (75-71-72-81)

This week the #fidelityfam travels north to the popular island of Nassau, Bahamas for the Great Abaco Classic. The tournament was moved to Nassau and the Baja Mar resort after Abaco was destroyed in September 2019 by Hurricane Dorian.

Hank Lebioda posted a career-best 3rd Place finish on the PGA TOUR at the inaugural Bermuda Championship at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda.

Lebioda opened the tournament with rounds of 66-70-67 prior to posting a PGA TOUR career low 63 on Sunday which included eight birdies and no bogies. The 3rd place finish moved Hank to 74th in the Fed Ex Cup Standings and an automatic entry in the Mayakoba Championship in Cancun, Mexico November 14th thru 17th. From there, Hank will also compete at the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Georgia November 21-24 to finish out his fall schedule on the PGA TOUR.

Mission Accomplished. Hank Lebioda headed to the three-week Korn Ferry Tour finals to improve his status for the 2019/2020 PGA TOUR schedule. which will be Hank’s sophomore season.

In his rookie campaign on the PGA TOUR, Hank finished 148th in the Fed Ex Cup. Hank played 23 events, making 15 cuts which were highlighted by three Top 25 finishes and a 5th place at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The finish in the Fed Ex Cup provided Hank with conditional status for the 2019/2020 season which would most likely provide Lebioda with between 12 and 17 starts.

In an effort to improve that status, Hank headed to the Korn Ferry Tour Playoff series where the Top 25 in the series earn their PGA TOUR cards for the following year. After missing the cut at the first event in Columbus, Ohio, Hank rattled off 11th and 19th place finishes in Boise, Idaho and the Tour Championship in Evansville, Indiana to finish 19th in the Playoffs and secure his card again for his sophomore campaign.

Hank will start the 2019/2020 season next week at the Greenbrier Classic, followed by the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi and the Safeway Open in Napa, California.

Michael Gellerman enjoyed the biggest win of his professional golf career this spring in Kansas City, and now he is going to get a chance to compete against the best players in the game.

Gellerman, who grew up in Sterling, Kansas, qualified to play on the PGA Tour next season by finishing 21st in this season standings on the PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour.

Gellerman used a victory in the KC Golf Classic in May as a springboard to getting his PGA Tour card. He got to play in front of his parents and fiancee as well as a lot of friends in Kansas City while winning by 1 stroke over Harry Higgs and Nelson Ledesma, who also earned spots on the PGA Tour for next season.

“It was really, really exciting,” Gellerman said. “I won on Mother’s Day, so that was a pretty cool moment. I had a lot of support that week and was lucky enough to get it done.”

That victory helped Gellerman achieve a goal he had for a long time.

“I’ve always played very competitively,” he said. “I played a lot growing up. I always knew making the PGA Tour was my dream.”

While Gellerman has made that happen now, he learned a lesson in overcoming adversity several years earlier.

Gellerman broke both of his wrists while playing pickup basketball during his freshman year at Sterling High School. He missed the regular season but was ready to for the regional, which he won before going on to capture the first of his three state high school crowns.

Gellerman went on to play in college at Oklahoma before turning pro. While things didn’t always go smoothly for Gellerman, he realized that making the PGA Tour was a possible reality once he got to the Web.com Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour).

“I figured out I am pretty close and that if I could get a little bit better and mature, it could happen,” he said. “Sure enough I have had a pretty good year this year and will get my crack at it.”

Gellerman, 27, said he was excited that he showed signs of improvement from the past this year. His season included three top-25 finishes in 21 regular-season Korn Ferry Tour events, highlighted by his triumph in Kansas City.

“It’s tough. It’s such a long season,” Gellerman said. “You are going to have ups and downs. You just hope you can take advantage of your ups. Fortunately I did that this year.”

Gellerman said ball striking is the best part of his game, but he finds it hard to be consistent.

“The days that are really good, I make a few more putts,” he said. “The days that are average, I just can’t get the putts to go in as often.”

Gellerman said he was thrilled to be making the PGA Tour at the same time as Higgs. Gellerman said they played a lot of junior golf together and competed against each other some in high school and college. Higgs graduated from Blue Valley North in Overland Park and attended SMU.

“We’ve become better friends now than we have ever been” Gellerman said. “We stay together on the road a pretty decent amount. It’s been pretty cool to share some success. He’s had a phenomenal year.”

Higgs said that he and Gellerman have a very similar approach to life as well as golf.

“When we are away from the course, we want to get away from the course and relax and recharge,” Higgs said.

Higgs won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship last month in Springfield, Missouri, and finished fifth in the season standings to qualify for the PGA Tour.

“He’s played great all year long, which is pretty hard to do,” Gellerman said. “I was pretty excited for him when he won a couple of weeks ago in Springfield.”

While Gellerman has wrapped up his spot on the PGA Tour, he hasn’t set any goals for that yet. He’s concentrating on Korn Ferry Tour’s playoffs.

“I am sure when I get a little time, maybe on a flight in a couple of weeks, I will give it some more thought,” he said.

Story written by Kansas City Star

Tim Petrovic notched his fourth top 3 finish at a Major Championship in the last two years. Petrovic fired rounds of 74-68-67-68 to finish third place at Royal Lytham and St. Annes for the 2019 Senior Open Championship.

The finish comes on the heels of a second-place finish in Petrovic’s last start on PGA Tour Champions at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship where he was runner up to Retief Goosen.

The back-to-back Top 3 Major Championship finishes move Petrovic to 22nd in the Charles Schwab Points season-long points race.

Grant Hirschman posted a career-best 4th place finish while Wade Binfield finished 15th, punching his ticket to the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs.

Korn Ferry Tour rookie Grant Hirschman fired rounds of 63-68-67-72 to finished in a tie for fourth place at the Price Cutter Charity Championship in Sprinfield, Missouri. The event was Hirschman’s thirteenth start of the 2019 season after starting the year with conditional status. Hirschman was a member of PGA Tour Canada in 2018 after a stand-out career at the University of Oklahoma where he was a three-time All-American and captain of the 2017 National Championship golf team.

The fourth place marked the best finish on Tour for Hirschman, and his first Top Ten of the season. Vaulting up the Points List, Grant stands at 95th with two regular season events remaining, this week at the Ellie Mae Classic in Hayward, California and then on to the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz. A move inside the Top 75 by the completion of the Portland Open will get Hirschman into the Playoffs while remaining 76-100 on the Points List will maintain status for his rookie season.

Another solid week in Springfield was in store for Wade Binfield. Playing his first full season as a member of the Korn Ferry Tour, Wade has been the model of consistent play. Price Cutter marked Binfield’s 19th start of the season, highlighted by five Top 15 finishes which include Top 10s in Abaco, Bahamas and Savannah, Georgia.

In Springfield, Binfield fired rounds of 69-66-69-70 to finish in a tie for 15th place. The finish moves him to 55th in the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, guaranteeing him a spot in the Playoffs, for the first time in his career. The Playoffs begin in Columbus, Ohio August 15th-18th.

Tim Petrovic finished in 2nd place at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio over the weekend. The finish comes on the heels of Runner-Ups in 2018 Major Championships including the US Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship.

Petrovic fired rounds of 71-68-69-68 in the event to post his best finish of the 2019 season, and move him to 28th in the Charles Schwab Cup Standings.

Michael Gellerman finished tied for third at the inaugural TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour over the weekend. After a win at the KC Golf Championship in May the finish in Colorado places Michael on the verge of securing his PGA Tour membership for the 2019/2020 season.

Gellerman shot rounds of 74-66-64-71 to finish in a tie for third place. He is back in action this week on the Korn Fery Tour at the Pinnacle Bank Championship in Omaha, Nebraska.

Michael is sponsored by Srixon Cleveland Golf, Bettinardi Putters, Syndeo Outsourcing and Nike (shoes).

Charlie Saxon posted a career best 3rd place finish on Sunday at the Utah Championship in Farmington, Utah on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Saxon, the all time leading money winner on PGA Tour China, saw great advancements in his short game during the week which was the difference in the stellar performance. Known as one of the longest and best ball strikers on Tour, chipping was a weakness that Charlie has worked diligently on all season.

Rounds of 66-73-64-68 provided a third place finish for Saxon at Farmington Country Club. Charlie put himself in a position to be in a playoff for the win with a birdie on the 72nd hole but his putt just slid by.

Charlie is back in action this week at the Lecom Health at the Peak n Peek Resort in Findley Lake, New York this week.

Hank Lebioda and Brian Richey continue to rattle of Top 20 finishes in recent weeks as they eye the playoffs in August.

PGA Tour rookie Hank Lebioda has finished in the Top 20 in three of his last five Tour starts including the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (5th), the Valero Texas Open (17th) and last week’s RBC Canadian Open (14th). The consistent performance has vaulted Lebioda inside the Top 125 on the Fed Ex Cup standings.

A long summer stretch on the PGA Tour of 6-7 consecutive starts awaits for Lebioda, starting with next week’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. The Fed Ex Cup Playoffs being August 5th-11th at the Northern Trust at Liberty National golf club in New Jersey.

After a slow start to the Web.com Tour season, Brian Richey has turned the momentum in his favor. In his last seven starts, Brian has four top 25 finishes, two of which have also been inside the Top 7. Brian finished 19th at the Dormie Network Classic, 7th at the Knoxville Open, 21st at the Rex Hospital Open and 6th at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Now 58th on the Web.com Tour points list, Brian will look to solidify his spot in the Top 75 for the Web.com Tour Playoffs which begin in August.

Michael Gellerman broke through with his first win on the Web.com Tour with a final-round 3-under 69 on Sunday at the KC Golf Classic. His 11-under total finished one stroke clear of 54-hole leader Nelson Ledesma and local favorite Harry Higgs at Blue Hills Country Club.

“You don’t know if it’s ever going to happen until it does,” said Gellerman on winning on Tour. “I thought if I played well at the right course that I could make it happen, but you’re never sure. It was just fun to battle down the stretch, not only with Harry, a good buddy, and Nelson, but to battle mentally with myself under the gun. It had been a while since I was in contention.”

Gellerman posted a bogey-free 69 during a long final round. Play was suspended due to rain and lightning in the area three separate times for a total of three hours and nine minutes. After teeing off at 9:01 a.m., he didn’t finish his round until after 5 p.m.

“The rain delays were tough,” said Gellerman. “The first one wasn’t too bad, the second one was kind of annoying, and the third one, with a lead and one hole left, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I tried to shut it down mentally during the delays. You can drive yourself crazy thinking about how there’s only four or five shots left to hit in a tournament, but you can’t control it.”

Just before the third rain delay, Gellerman got up and down for par at the 17th hole from what he described as a terrible position. The 26-year-old was deep in the rough about 40 yards out when he hit a pitch to seven feet and made the putt. The 17th hole played as the toughest hole on the course on Sunday.

“I hit it left on No. 17 to a really, really bad spot; it was awful,” said Gellerman, who finished second on the week in scrambling after converting 16 out of 20 chances. “I hit a decent recovery shot, and then I hit an incredible shot under the circumstances from about 40 yards out to about seven feet. I hit a pitch out of a thick rough with a lie that was hard to read, and then I hit the best putt I had all week dead center.”

Originally from Sterling, Kansas, a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, Gellerman had plenty of fan support throughout the tournament. The gallery included his parents, fiancée and friends, while his dog remained at the house down the road.

“Winning on Mother’s Day was great because I was kind of lacking on the presents, so I really needed to come in clutch down the stretch,” said Gellerman. “Having my fiancée and my mom here on Mother’s Day was awesome. I had my dad here who taught me the game and was really the only one to ever give me a lesson up until last year. It was really cool to have all of the support. Even my dog is here.”

Prior to his win, Gellerman had one top-10 finish in 42 starts on the Web.com Tour. His only previous top-10 was a T8 at the 2017 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. He was coming off two straight top-30 finishes, but sat 75th in the Web.com Tour points standings. With the win, he rose to eighth in the points standings. He had never kept his Web.com Tour card prior to this year after competing for half a season in 2016 and a full season in 2017. He finished fifth on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit in 2018.

Gellerman was able to hold off Higgs and Ledesma through a dramatic back nine. With his last birdie coming at the par-5 13th, Higgs and Ledesma had chances to force a playoff down the stretch.

Higgs fired a final-round 68 and hit the flagstick from off the green on two of his last three holes. His birdie chip from 20 yards on No. 16 hit the flagstick and settled one foot away, while he hit it again with his approach from 167 yards out at the par-5 18th. He had a birdie look to force a playoff from seven feet away but lipped out off the right edge. Upwards of 100 people came out in the rain to follow Higgs, a former star at nearby Blue Valley North High School.

After notching a tournament-high 17 birdies through the first three rounds, Ledesma couldn’t buy a birdie on Sunday. He finished with a lone bogey at the fourth hole and 17 pars to finish one stroke shy of the playoff. The top-10 finish is his third of the year and his best finish since a win at the 2018 LECOM Health Challenge.

Hank Lebioda teamed up with Curtis Luck at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to post a 5th place finish. In the field on a sponsor’s invite, the Lebioda/Luck pairing made the most of the opportunity in the team format. Alternating between better-ball and alternate shot Thursday thru Sunday, the pair fired rounds of 67-66-64-71.

Hank’s first Top 5 finish of his PGA Tour career moves him to 121st in the Fed Ex Cup ranking, in line for the Fed Ex Cup playoffs. Looking ahead, Hank will play the next two weeks at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina and the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Hank Lebioda has received a sponsor exemption to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s team event in New Orleans April 25-29. Hank will team with Australian Curtis Luck, a former US Amateur champion and fellow PGA Tour rookie, for the week.

Sponsor exemptions are hyper-competitive and especially for a popular event such as The Zurich Classic. We decided to take a non-traditional and creative approach to petition the tournament to strongly consider the Lebioda/Luck team. We leveraged recent content by No Laying Up featuring the pair of rookies in a team event of their own.

We then took to Twitter and asking No Laying Up fans to send a tweet in support of Hank and Curtis receiving the exemption. The response was overwhelming positive, garnering over 40,000 impressions and hundreds of responses in twenty four hours.

Mission Accomplished, Hank and Curtis were awarded the exemption!

Wade Binfield finished birdie, birdie at the Savannah Championship on Sunday to notch his second Top 10 finish on the Web.com Tour Season in the first seven events of the season.

Rounds of 69-68-68-73 left Binfield in a tie for 9th place in Savannah. Binfield also finsihed 9th place at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January. Binfield moves to 29th on the Order of Merit as the Web.com Tour takes a two week break prior to the next event on the schedule in Prattville, Alabama.

Justin Lower also had a strong showing in Savannah, to back up his runner-up finish the prior week at the Louisiana Open. After making the cut on the number, Lower fired weekend rounds of 69-68 to move up to a final finish of 12th place Savannah. Lower is 13th on the Web.com Tour Order of Merit.

Other FSG clients making the cut in Savannah included Brian Richey, who finished 56th and Charlie Saxon who finished 65th. The Web.com Tour is back in action April 18-21 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship.

Justin Lower posted the best finish of his career over the weekend at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Mistras. Lower returned to the Web.com Tour event on the heels of a victory on the All Pro Tour the weekend prior, shooting 26 under par, and a 3rd place finish at the Louisiana Open in 2018.

Lower fired rounds of 68-63-64 to take a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. At the completion of 72 holes, Lower signed for a one-under par 70 and was in a tie with Vince Covello. Covello birdied the third playoff hole to clinch the victory.

The runner-up finish was the best of Lower’s Web.com Tour career, and he moved to 13th on the Points List. At the end of the season, the Top 25 points earners earn their PGA Tour membership for the 2019-2020 season.

Bettinardi Golf  is excited to announce the official signing of Michael Gellerman to a multi-year agreement to play their custom Bettinardi SS28 Armlock putter on the Web.com and PGA TOURs. Bettinardi Golf is off to a hot start in the 2018-2019 season with two wins by long-time brand advocate Matt Kuchar, and multiple top 10 finishes from their Tour Staff Haotong Li and Eddie Pepperell. In addition to signing Gellerman, Bettinardi has also recently added two top-ranked Mackenzie Tour players to their expanding tour staff late in 2018, George Cunningham and Sam Fidone, and European Tour star Eddie Pepperell, currently ranked 43rd in OWGR. Gellerman returns to action this week on the Web.com Tour at the Chitimacha Louisana Open.

Michael Gellerman put his Bettinardi SS28 Armlock putter into play during his 2018 season on PGA Tour Canada. He went on to have a fantastic season including five Top 6 finishes and two 2^nd place finishes in eleven events. Michael finished 5^th on the Order of Merit, securing Web.com Tour status for 2019. Michael returns to action on the Web.com Tour this week at the Chitimacha Louisana Open.

“The Bettinardi armlock putter has been a game-changer for my putting. Since switching, I have never felt more confident and I am excited to partner with the Bettinardi team and their great group of people” said Michael Gellerman.

“We are proud to welcome Michael Gellerman to the Bettinardi Tour Staff,” said Sam Bettinardi, Vice President of Bettinardi Golf. “he joins an already accomplished list of Bettinardi staffers who continue to climb the Official World Golf Rankings, and winning on a global scale. We are confident with our precision milled putters, and tour proven F.I.T. (Feel Impact Technology) Face milling, Michael will have successful campaigns on the Web.com and PGA TOUR.”

Since the brand was established in 1998, Bettinardi putters have secured more than 80 victories around the world across all professional Tours. Off to a hot start in the 2018-2019 season with two wins by long-time brand advocate Matt Kuchar, and multiple top 10 finishes from their Tour Staffers — Haotong Li and Eddie Pepperell, who finished T3 last week at The Players. Bettinardi precision mills all their putters in-house, including the 2018-19 BB-Series, 2019-2020 award-winning Studio Stock and Queen B series, which includes their eye-catching Queen B #6 putter, used to win the LPGA Season Finale in 2018. For more details on the Bettinardi putters & wedges visit www.bettinardi.com.

About Bettinardi Golf
All Bettinardi putters are designed and crafted under the discerning eye of founder and President Robert J. Bettinardi and Sam Bettinardi outside of Chicago, Illinois at their state of the art manufacturing center in Tinley Park. With over 80 worldwide Tour victories and counting, Bettinardi putters have been precision milled for 20 years. For more information please visit www.Bettinardi.com

Charlie Saxon is set to make his first start as a member on the 2019 European Tour this week in Doha, Qatar at the Qatar Masters.

Charlie earned his European Tour membership by finishing #1 on the China Tour Order of Merit in 2018, thanks to victories in the first two events of the season and a sixth place finish an event co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour.

Charlie is also a full status member of the 2019 Web.com Tour, so balancing a global schedule has been a new experience for the young professional. Qatar will mark the fifth country that Charlie was competed in during 2019 with previous starts on the Web.com Tour taking place in the Bahamas, Colombia, Panama and the United States.

Charlie plans to return to the Web.com Tour for the Chitimacha Louisana Open March 18-24 followed by the Savannah Golf Championship the following week.

Tour Edge announced today that Tim Petrovic has officially signed a deal to endorse Tour Edge Exotics and to play their metalwoods on the PGA Tour Champions in 2019. Petrovic will feature Tour Edge Exotics logos on his headwear and shirts.

“I am excited to rejoin the Tour Edge team and wear the Tour Edge logo in 2019.  My success last year was largely due to the reliability and performance of my Exotics clubs.  They always came through when I called upon them leading me to 5 second place finishes on the Champions Tour.”

Petrovic served as an Exotics CBX staff player in 2018. He played Tour Edge Exotics CBX fairway woods, hybrids and iron-woods all year en route to a career year.

Petrovic finished 9^th in the final Charles Schwab Cup points and money standings in 2018 while playing two Exotics CBX fairway woods and two Exotics CBX Iron-Woods, as well as an Exotics CBX hybrid from time to time.

Petrovic earned six Top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour Champions, but five out of those six Top 10’s were runner-up finishes, including high-profile 2^nd place finishes at the major KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the major U.S. Senior Open Championship and the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He finished in the Top 25 in 12 of the 23 events he played in 2018.

This year, Petrovic will be wearing Tour Edge Exotics logoed headwear and sporting a Tour Edge Exotics logo on his chest for the first time and will also expand his club usage to other categories with Tour Edge Exotics clubs.

“What a year Tim Petrovic had last year on the PGA Tour Champions,” said Tour Edge President David Glod. “He proved that he can hang with anyone out there and that he is a force to be reckoned with. He is one of the players bringing a new competitive and fiery spirit to the PGA Tour Champions and we are proud to have signed Tim to a deal where he can show off that he is playing our clubs while he is out there competing. A saying we have around the office whenever he tees off is ‘Go Low Petro’ and we look forward to saying that a lot this year!”

Petrovic will make his season debut February 8^th at the Oasis Championship in Boca Raton, Fl.

Petrovic will also take part in Tour Edge’s sponsorship of the PGA Tour Champions Learning Center show on the Golf Channel. The PGA Tour Learning Center is a popular Golf Channel television show that features professional tips and instruction featuring the legends of golf from the PGA Tour Champions.

PGA Tour Champions Learning Center, Presented by Tour Edge, is scheduled to air 43 episodes in 2019, beginning January 22^nd, with Tour Edge prominently featured within each episode. The series also will incorporate Tour Edge Exotics Staff Professionals like Petrovic, Tom Lehman, Scott McCarron and Duffy Waldorf among others providing tips geared toward the amateur golfer.

“We set up on the range at every event in 2018 and over 50 different professionals started playing Exotics,” said Glod. “The players have been very thankful for the service we are providing them and it has led to some great relationships and great feedback for me on club design.”

In all, over 50 players have put over 300 Exotics clubs into play since Exotics was launched to the tour in the last year. Eight out of the Top 25 players (32%) in the Charles Schwab Cup final standings and 16 out of the Top 50 players put Exotics into play in 2018.

On top of the six victories and 10 runner-up finishes procured by players using Exotics on the 2018 PGA Tour Champions, players using Tour Edge clubs also earned 34 Top 5 finishes and 60 Top 10 finishes in the 27 events played on the PGA Tour Champions in 2018.

The Tour Edge Exotics CBX hybrid ranked as the #1 most played hybrid model at the 2018 Senior PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship with their Exotics CBX hybrid accounting for 16% of the hybrids in play, according to the Darrell Survey.

About Tour Edge

In 1986, David Glod founded Tour Edge with a focus on offering golfers with high quality and technologically advanced golf products that were as cutting edge as they were affordable. He is now considered one of the preeminent master club designers in golf club design and has led Tour Edge to be a Top 10 manufacturer in every club category.

Tour Edge products have been put in play on the PGA TOUR, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour and Web.com Tour, as well as European professional tours, and have been in play in every PGA TOUR major event and in Ryder Cup competitions, leading to 17 wins for players playing Tour Edge products on the PGA Tours (10 PGA TOUR, 6 PGA Tour Champions and 1 Web.com Tour).

In 2018 alone, Tour Edge clubs have earned seven wins, nine runner-up finishes, 34 Top 5 finishes and 60 Top 10 finishes on the three PGA Tours. Tour Edge, an American owned and operated company for more than 32 years, manufactures and sells golf clubs under three distinct brand names: Exotics, Hot Launch and Bazooka.

• Exotics products bring futuristic technologies to the marketplace with tour preferred designs and smaller production runs. Exotics clubs utilize higher-grade, avant-garde materials and manufacturing methods that have led Exotics to establish itself as a leader in quality craftsmanship and to redefine what is possible in golf club performance.
• Hot Launch has forged a name for itself as a producer of high-quality premium game improvement golf clubs from driver to wedge. Hot Launch has proven to provide the greatest custom fit value in golf and includes an unprecedented guaranteed 48-hour custom fit delivery program.
• Bazooka represents the absolute best value available in golf, offering advanced players, beginners, women and juniors the best in playability and affordability.

All Exotics and Hot Launch clubs are hand built in the United States in Batavia, Illinois and then distributed throughout the world. Every Tour Edge club comes with a Lifetime Warranty and a 30-day play guarantee.

Entering his second year on the Web.com Tour, Brandon Matthews has agreed to four-year partnerships with both Srixon Cleveland golf equipment and Adidas golf apparel.

Matthews went through an extensive equipment testing process to wind down the 2018 calendar. Matthews, well-known as one of the most powerful athletes in professional golf, sought to find the golf ball and corresponding equipment that provided him the most trajectory and distance control possible. At the end of the multi-month process, Srixon won the product examination. As part of the four-year partnership, Matthews will play the Srixon Z-Star XV golf ball, and have a combination of Srixon and Cleveland equipment in the bag. To start the 2019 season, Matthews is playing the Z785 Srixon Driver, Srixon zU85 driving irons, prototype Srixon Z-Star blades and Cleveland Golf wedges. Additionally, Matthews will wear Srixon headwear and carry a Srixon staff bag.

During his 2018 freshman season on the Web.com Tour, Matthews endorsed Adidas Golf footwear and wore the Tour360 shoe for the entire season. Expanding on the great partnership, Matthews has also signed a four-year agreement with Adidas Golf and will also exclusively wear Adidas Golf apparel moving forward.