Latest news with #KornFerryTour
NBC Sports
16 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Cole Hammer: 'Right thing' to turn self in for advice-giving, resulting in pair of DQ's at KFT event
Cole Hammer had never been disqualified from a tournament in his life. Until Friday, that is, when the 25-year-old Korn Ferry Tour pro called what ended up being a rules violation on himself during this week's Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Illinois. Hammer's admission to rules officials eventually resulted in the disqualification of both Hammer and Hammer's playing competitor, Nelson Ledesma, after it was determined that Hammer had violated Rule 10.2a, which prohibits players from giving or asking for advice from anyone other than their caddie. The incident occurred during Thursday's first round on the par-3 17th hole at Panther Creek Country Club. Hammer had just hit 4-iron onto the green on the 232-yard hole and was watching his ball still in motion when he started walking toward his bag. That's when, according to Hammer, he crossed paths with Ledesma's caddie, Nico Torres, who then flashed four fingers, a universal signal for, '4-iron?' 'Out of instinct, I flashed '4' as well,' Hammer told via phone on Friday afternoon. 'It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't think a whole lot about it until after the round.' That evening, Hammer reached out to a few peers for their opinion. Most felt like he was in the clear. After all, the rule against giving advice is often broken in professional golf, and usually without punishment. When caddies for Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland were scrutinized by those who felt they violated the rule during the 2023 Masters – rules officials determined they did not – Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley called advice-giving 'not a serious breach among players,' adding, 'This is common practice on Tour. Whether you like it or not, it's common practice. It happens in every professional tournament around the world. It's not obvious always, so blatant.' One well-known PGA Tour veteran even texted Hammer on Thursday night, saying, basically, This happens every single day on Tour. But even then, Hammer was unsure that he could simply brush it off. 'I feel like I know the rules really well, and I've always tried to uphold them to the best of my ability,' Hammer said. 'It just didn't sit right with me last night, and when I woke up this morning, I felt compelled to go talk to the rules official and tell him what had happened.' Hammer sought out KFT rules official Claudio Rivas, who told Hammer he would get back with him after gathering more facts and meeting with chief referee Jordan Harris and a USGA representative to determine the proper course of action. Hammer shared with Rivas that he also didn't know if Torres had even seen his hand signal. Hammer added that he didn't alert Ledesma or Torres at the time because he didn't want to cause unnecessary worry if there ended up being no infraction. 'I didn't think that they would be disqualified,' Hammer said. 'I just thought since I was the one who gave the sign that I would be disqualified. And I thought that was worst-case scenario.' Rule 10.2a fully states: During a round, you must not: 1. Give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing on the course; 2. Ask anyone for advice, other than your caddie; 3. Touch another player's equipment to learn information that would be advice if given by or asked of the other player. The penalty is usually the general penalty of two strokes, but because Hammer and Ledesma had already signed their scorecards – Hammer for a 2-under 69, Ledesma for 73 – they were subject to disqualification under Rule 3.3. It took several hours for a final decision to be made, with the disqualification not coming until Hammer and Ledesma were six holes into their second rounds. Hammer had made a bogey to drop to 1 under while Ledesma was still 2 over for the tournament; the cut line is currently projected at 4 under. The Korn Ferry Tour confirmed the reason for disqualification but did not provide further details. Ledesma's response to which was then translated to English: 'The decision made is the correct one, according to the rules. I can't do much with it except accept it.' Ledesma added that Torres was 'shocked by the situation,' but accepted the mistake. 'I feel a lot better now that I at least got it off my chest because it was weighing me down,' Hammer said. 'It's just unfortunate that it's a caused a little storm around the tournament.' As for Hammer, he entered the week No. 73 in points. His T-23 last week in Wichita, Kansas, snapped a string of six straight missed cuts. Ledesma, 34, is No. 102 in points. 'This is something that's so abnormal to experience in a tournament, so I'm almost just going to have to cast it away like nothing happened,' Hammer said. 'It's a learning experience, and I think I'm in a better head space having called it on myself. … I'm by no means depressed about the outcome or nervous about the next stretch. If anything, I can play with a clean slate and a clear conscious and hopefully continue the play that I had in Wichita. 'There are plenty of events left, and I felt like doing the right thing and protecting the game would be better for me in the long run.'
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Resilience personified: Philip Knowles contending at Rocket Classic after 3 eagles Friday
Not one, not two, but three. That's how many hole-out eagles Philip Knowles had on his scorecard in Friday's second round of the 2025 Rocket Classic. And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill chip-ins, either. Knowles holed pitch shots from 40 yards, 37 yards and 27 yards to eagle three of the four par 5s at Detroit Golf Club — Nos. 4, 7 and 17. He also birdied the other one — No. 14 — to finish the day 7 under on the par 5s alone. He's the second player to make three eagles in a round on the PGA Tour this season. Chandler Phillips did it on Thursday at the Players Championship. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again, and when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf," Knowles said in his post-round presser Friday. "So, it was super rewarding. I got pretty lucky a couple times, I hit quality shots that ended up going in the hole, but I can't imagine chipping in three times for eagle ever again in my life." All of that culminated in an 8-under 64 in the second round for Knowles, who grabbed a share of the lead with Chris Kirk at 14 under early Friday afternoon. The 28-year-old from Florida fired a first-round 66 Thursday. Philip Knowles has had his share of adversity as a pro golfer Knowles hasn't made a cut on the PGA Tour since March and he only has one top-30 finish this season in 11 starts, which came at the Puerto Rico Open where he was T-16. But that could be chalked up to his recovery from an injury he suffered shortly after he'd graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022. "We're here in 2025 and I'm still playing out my rookie year starts playing on a medical [extension]. I got hurt that year early at Pebble, freak accident taking out the recycling, severed a nerve in my thumb so I didn't play much that year." His bad fortune didn't stop there. "In 2024 when I started to come back, I was actually on my way to Mexico for my first start on my medical [extension] and I broke out in shingles in my right eye. That persisted. I got on meds and then it came back, and I got off meds and it came back, and that happened four times over the next like six months." Or there. "Mixed in there as well I got a really bad case of mono at one point." Health issue after health issue derailed his PGA Tour career from the jump, but now, after two excellent rounds and a lot of highlight-reel shots at the Rocket Classic, Knowles suddenly finds himself at the top of the leaderboard in an event that features four of the top 20 players in the world. "We still don't know that we have the answer, and I still don't feel like I'm a hundred percent, but life goes on," Knowles said. "I've got two little girls, I've got a wife who needs me to help. It's not like I can spend my days just woe is me. "So today was — we laughed about it a little bit, me and my caddie. This felt like at least a little bit of the evening out of that law of averages. Not that I should expect to chip in for eagle multiple times." He must accrue enough FedEx Cup points in the starts left on his medical extension to keep his exemption status for the rest of the season. In order to keep it for 2026, he needs to finish inside the top 100 in the standings. Entering this week, he was 195th. "For me playing on a medical, it's kind of a unique position. I only have a handful of starts left, so kind of feels like every week is a big week and I feel like I've been playing with that burden for a lot of the year. "Though I haven't been in this position, I feel -- it doesn't feel unfamiliar. And to be here playing on the PGA Tour, you think you've never been in this position before, but we've all been in this position before at some level, be it college, junior golf, early professional golf, we've all been here." If Knowles — the world No. 519 — comes out victorious in Detroit, it would undoubtedly be one of the most unexpected wins on Tour in 2025. But no matter what happens, he has one thing he's certain he can look forward to: dad time. His wife and two young daughters are in Detroit with him this week. "[It's] the best," he said. "I mean, it's so much fun when you leave the golf course and it just becomes dad time. I mean, it's immediate. We go into lunch and all of a sudden you're sitting there trying to help a 2-year-old eat her lunch or not lose her mind, you know... But I love it and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm always grateful to have them around. I would never not want them to be here."
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Kevin Roy, Aldrich Potgieter shoot Rocket Classic-record 62s to share first-round lead
Potgieter and Roy each shot 10-under 62 to break the tournament 18-hole record. Detroit Golf Club has been one of the easiest courses since the PGA Tour made it an annual stop in 2019. A pair of Korn Ferry graduates took full advantage. Potgieter, the 20-year-old South African who grew up in Australia, started at No. 10 and set a tournament record with a 7-under 29 on the back nine. Advertisement Potgieter and the 35-year-old Roy each had an eagle and eight birdies in bogey-free rounds. On 578-yard, par-5 17th, Roy's drive went 300 yards, his second shot traveled another 288 yards and his chip from the rough rolled in from 30 feet. 'Just one of those days everything was clicking,' Roy said. 'I was shocked my 5-wood went that far. I had 279 pin. I don't hit a 5-wood that far, but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on.' As well as Roy and Potgieter played, they can't get comfortable on a short course with greens that are even more receptive than usual with recent rain. 'It was pretty easy,' Andrew Putnam said after a 64. Advertisement Min Woo Lee, Max Greyserman, and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back after matching the previous tournament record of 63. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was in the group of seven players that were two shots back. Lee enjoyed playing Detroit Golf Club after struggling — along with most of his peers — at Oakmont during the US Open and at the Memorial. 'I was really excited for this week,' he said. 'I wanted to get to hit in the rough and actually hit onto the green. 'Hopefully, the PGA Tour can have more courses like this. It would be a bit more fun and less stressful.' While the course is easy as usual, the competition is relatively strong for the tournament that many top players have skipped in the past. The field includes nine of the top 50 players in the world, led by fifth-ranked Collin Morikawa, who opened with a 69 after parting ways with a caddie for the second time this year. KK Limbhasut, a teammate of Morikawa's at California and a Korn Ferry Tour player, is filling in this week as a caddie while Morikawa tries to find what he's looking for on his bag. 'It's like asking a 20-year-old or 15-year-old what does your future wife look like, right?' Morikawa asked. 'There's a lot of things you could say, but just because you say it doesn't mean that's actually what comes together. 'It's a partnership. We both give and we both take. For me, it's just being able to be comfortable out there trusting them and just having a good time.' Advertisement The idea of Bradley playing at Bethpage Black for the Sept. 28-30 matches against Europe is picking up steam among fellow American players — and fans. 'Put yourself on the team!' a man shouted at Bradley, who didn't react to the suggestion as he walked to sign his card after the opening round.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Collin Morikawa News Emerges Just 24 Hours Before Rocket Classic Tees Off
Collin Morikawa News Emerges Just 24 Hours Before Rocket Classic Tees Off originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Rocket Classic tees off on Thursday with quite an impressive field that includes Travelers Championship winner Keegan Bradley, Charles Schwab winner Ben Griffin, Collin Morikawa and others alike. Advertisement But just 24 hours before teeing off at the Rocket Classic, breaking news has emerged. Morikawa split with caddie Joe Greiner after less than two months working together, even though the pair made the cut in all five tournaments they teamed up for, according to Adam Schupak of Golfweek. Greiner joined Morikawa's bag in April, following Morikawa's parting with his longtime caddie, J.J. Jakovac — Morikawa's only caddie since turning pro in 2019. That six‑year partnership saw victories at both the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship before ending in late April. Collin Morikawa plays his shot from the first tee during the second round.© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Though Greiner was well‑regarded as the former trusted looper of Max Homa and temporary stand‑in for Justin Thomas (helping JT win at the RBC Heritage), his results with Morikawa never quite matched expectations. Their five outings together produced finishes of T‑17, T‑50, T‑20, T‑23 and T‑42. Advertisement Morikawa has tapped K. K. Limbhasut, a former college teammate from Cal and current Korn Ferry Tour player, to step in as a fill‑in caddie. Limbhasut brings familiarity and a local angle, having played alongside Morikawa during their college days. As the Rocket Classic begins, all eyes will be on how quickly Morikawa and Limbhasut can sync up, and whether this latest change can help him regain form. At age 28 and currently ranked in the world's top five, Morikawa remains a strong contender going into the event over players like Bradley and Griffin. Related: Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler News Emerges on Tuesday After Travelers Championship This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
PGA Tour gives pace-of-play updates, data to be posted publicly for first time
The PGA Tour has crunched the numbers from its testing of distance measuring devices earlier this year and other policy changes and the results are in: Play sped up! The findings also match up with the returns of a survey of 153 players and another 144 caddies. According to the study, 82 percent of all players and caddies reported using DMDs. 'The majority of players believe that the overall speed of play improved, and we see that the majority of players feel that their individual speed of play improved,' the Tour reported during a Zoom call with members of the media on Wednesday. 'Three-quarters of the players on both tours support the use of DMDs being permitted on a permanent basis on our tours.' While it is hard to nail down how much of a savings of time the use of DMD's will result in – every player is different, courses are different, and weather and other factors all contribute to pace of play – it is safe to say that the use of DMD's won't make play any slower than it already is. 'The noteworthy trends from the analysis of the ShotLink data has shown that approach shots and all par-5s have been trending faster and the period of time in which DMDs were permitted when we also know or have seen in the data that the shot times for those shots within 40 to 60 yards of the green were faster as well,' the Tour said. 'That's actually 4.9 seconds faster for those shots from the fairway and 5.1 seconds faster for those shots from the rough.' The Tour's Video Review Center also is proving to be a timesaver. The study found they've shaved about a minute off the response time of every ruling and helping to slice about five minutes off the average round time. 'You take that 20 times during a tournament, that's five minutes per round, so that's been a big advantage for us,' said Mark Dusbabek, the Tour's lead TV rules and video analyst. None of this should come as a big surprise. But the Tour felt a need to conduct empirical evidence it will bring to the Player Advisory Council for their review. 'Those of us who sit out there each day and watch these players in the field of play, we saw a mixture of the DMD usage, whether it be the player using the DMD himself or a caddie working the numbers as well as working the numbers in the book. But the bottom line is it seemed like the process was going quicker,' said PGA Tour senior vice president of rules and competitions Gary Young, who noted that the number of players using the devices also was largely expected. 'I think it's a recognition of a generational change in the sport where we have younger players now coming up who have just been using these devices day in and day out as they play the game, and it doesn't surprise me that 70 percent plus are saying that they'd really like to see DMDs.' Young also revealed the change to the rules for docking penalty strokes for pace of play, which was implemented on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas but not on the PGA Tour, had its desired effect, too. Under the revised Pace of Play Policy, which is in place for the remainder of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, the first offense of a 'bad time' will now result in a one-stroke penalty. Under the previous policy, a one-stroke penalty was not applied until a player received a second 'bad time.' 'They went from having 10 bad times during that time period on the Korn Ferry Tour to simply one bad time with this change in policy,' he reported. 'There's a sense of urgency that's developed on the player behavior side. They do not want to get on the clock, and if they are on the clock, they want to get off the clock as quick as possible.' The PAC for both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour will make recommendations to the Board, who ultimately will determine whether any such rule changes go into effect. Young said he would expect approved changes to be implemented for next season, but it's possible they could go into effect sooner. One immediate change that will be a boon to fans is the Tour will begin posting pace of play course and group data in real time on PGA for the first time. 'For the course data itself, this will include average time for the field to play each hole and will include front nine and back nine times and overall times, and this will be located in the course and hole stats page at the round you look at group data itself, this will have turn and finish times,' said Billy Schroder, the Tour's senior vice president of competitions and special projects. 'This will be included on PGA from this point forward, and really what we're looking at here is we know within the ShotLink system there is a lot of data and the trick and the skill is to find a strategic plan to bring this to light for the fans so it enhances their enjoyment of the competition, how do we tell a better story of what's happening on the golf course for the fans' enjoyment.' This is the first visible evidence of the Tour's commitment to be more transparent about pace of play and share with the public what players are guilty of being slow pokes. Andy Weitz, the Tour's chief marketing and communications officer, said the Tour's pace-of-play problem is one of the first areas it is tackling as part its fan-forward initiative. 'It's an area we're committed to addressing on behalf of those fans as well as our players and our partners, and we know there are a lot of things that go into the speed of play equation, but we're committed to finding the right solutions and tackling it from every angle,' he said.
