Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

Front page photo by David Berding/Getty Images | Top photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf

THE FLATS – Matt Kuchar takes lead deep into final round of the 3M Open … Andy Ogletree leads deep into final round of LIV Golf UK … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.

KUCHAR GATHERS MOMENTUM WITH TIE FOR 3^RD IN 3M OPEN

Matt Kuchar trailed by as many as three strokes Sunday in the 3M Open but approached the 18th tee with a chance to extend an impressive streak.

It was a methodical grind to reach that point. Kuchar, part of a final group that included Maverick McNealy and eventual winner Jhonattan Vegas, was worked over by the TPC Twin Cities course throughout the day. But all three were among the cast of characters who delivered one of the better finishes in tournament history.

The best finish here came during the first 3M Open in 2019, when Bryson DeChambeau eagled No. 18 and thought he was in the driver’s seat — only to watch Matthew Wolff sink a 26-foot putt to match his eagle and leapfrog him for the championship in front of an energized crowd.

That was a blockbuster of an ending. This year’s version was more suspenseful.

Kuchar was part of a four-way tie for the lead with five holes to play, and the tournament rose toward a crescendo. Kuchar, who shot 63 on Saturday, was the veteran of the group. McNealy also fired a 63 on Saturday to challenge the leaders. Tour rookie Max Greyserman, the clubhouse leader at 16-under after his own 63 on Sunday, played table tennis to pass the time while the final groups finished up. And then there was Vegas, baby, who closed with a 70 to win by a stroke.

Kuchar, one stroke back with a hole to play, saw his tee shot on 18 veer left, landing near the cart path. That took away the option of going for the green in two. Once he reached the green, he had an 18-foot putt for birdie that would have pulled him into a brief tie for the lead, but it faded left of the cup. On the final stroke of the tournament, Vegas rolled in a 3-footer to win.

“Our group was kind of give-or-take all day, it seemed like,” Kuchar said. “It was a fun vibe just in our group and to have the great crowds that were out here certainly made it more exciting.”

More from Minneapolis Star-Tribune

It’s been 5 Years, 6 Months, and 15 Days since Matt Kuchar’s last TOUR win.

He wants to change that today. pic.twitter.com/u9FAb5LnRS

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 28, 2024

Quick birdie for Matt Kuchar!

He grabs the solo lead early @3MOpen. pic.twitter.com/emkRI8eTI6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 28, 2024

“Golf gets fun when you have a chance on Sundays and I am looking forward to having a good time out there.”

Matt Kuchar spoke with @Amanda_Balionis on what it would mean to win the @3MOpen pic.twitter.com/NTohlj48Kr

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) July 27, 2024

OGLETREE DOES ABOUT FACE AT LIV EVENT IN LONDON

Two years ago, Andy Ogletree was part of the inaugural LIV Golf field in London. It did not go well for the American. Fighting through hip and back injuries that had lingered from the previous year, he finished in last place and was left scrambling for playing opportunities.

This week, Ogletree once again is playing a LIV Golf event in England, and he once again is bouncing back from injury. But his position on the leaderboard has done an about-face through the first two rounds at LIV Golf UK by JCB.

Shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65, Ogletree is at 12 under and will take a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round at JCB Golf and Country Club. On the team side, Smash GC and Legion XIII share a four-shot lead over Ogletree’s HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC and Torque GC.

Not only is Ogletree seeking his first LIV Golf title and the biggest victory of his young career, he also hopes to complete an amazing redemption story.

“Complete the journey,” said Ogletree, who joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers after earning a LIV Golf spot this season as the 2023 International Series champion. “It’s been a crazy road.

“I don’t know exactly what it will mean. We’ll see. But for now, just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things that I can control, and we’ll go from there.”

Ogletree, forced to adjust his swing this season to compensate for an injured left wrist, can’t afford to look too far ahead because his closest pursuers are two of LIV Golf’s top players.

More from LIVGolf.com

Been an incredible change of fate for Andy Ogletree since his first #LIVGolf start 2 years ago in England.

Now takes a 2-shot lead entering final round #LIVGolf UK and is 18 holes away from biggest win of his young career.

I asked him about it👇 pic.twitter.com/QQh6RL6UZ2

— Mike McAllister (@thegolfeditor) July 27, 2024

All eyes on the leader … 👀@andy_ogletree‘s looking forward to everything that comes with being in the lead heading into the final round. ⚡️#HyFlyersGC pic.twitter.com/CRshdS6f8L

— HyFlyers GC (@HyFlyers_GC) July 27, 2024

COMPETITION ROUND-UP

PGA Tour

Winless since 2019, Matt Kuchar had a shot at his 10^th career tournament title on Sunday, leading by 1 stroke early in the final round. But the 46-year-old recorded a couple of bogeys on the 7^th and 8^th holes and was able to gain back just one stroke the rest of the way. Ultimately, he tied for third place at 15-under-par, two shots behind winner Jhonattan Vegas, who birdied the final hole to win.

Making his 555th start on the PGA TOUR, Kuchar (T3/-15) followed a third-round 8-under 63 with a an even-par 71 in his bid for a 10th career PGA TOUR title. He was seeking his first title since the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii (a span of 5 years, 196 days). With the finish, Kuchar leaped from No. 153 in the FedEx Cup standings to No. 113. The only player to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs each year since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007, Kuchar needed to win to vault himself inside the top 70, which is needed to qualify for the 2024 playoff. He has one more chance in two we4eks at the Wyndham Championship.

Meanwhile, Stewart Cink, along with Kuchar, was tied for ninth place at the end of 36 holes, but fell back to a tie for 46^th finish after a pair of weekend 72s. Chesson Hadley, fighting to finish inside the top 125 and retain his Tour card for 2025 (he is at No. 137), and Anders Albertson missed the cut.

The Tour takes this week off while the Olympics take center stage in the golf world, before finishing the regular season in two weeks with the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.

PGA Tour leaderboard

KUCH!!!

Matt Kuchar holes it for eagle on the par-5 18th to tie the lead @3MOpen. pic.twitter.com/oTnkeBn0vD

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2024

51 years young!

A near ace from @StewartCink who is T9 heading into the weekend @3MOpen. pic.twitter.com/DCJGKXDL3H

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2024

*****

Korn Ferry Tour

Ollie Schniederjans posted his third-best finish of the 2024 season, carding four rounds in the 60s and tying for 26^th place (-16) last weekend at the NV5 Invitational in Glenview, Ill. The former world No. 1 amateur has made five cuts in 11 starts this season, with one top-10 finish. He sits No. 97 on the Korn Ferry Tour points standings.

Paul Haley II (-11) also made the cut, tying for 65^th place, while Connor Howe, Christo Lamprecht, Chris Petefish and Ross Steelman missed the cut.

Three events remain in the Korn Ferry Tour regular season, beginning with this weekend’s Utah Championship.

Korn Ferry Tour leaderboard

*****

PGA Tour Champions

David Duval opted not to use his spot to compete at the Open Championship, or play at the Senior Open Championship, and instead played with his son Brady in his home state Colorado Open.

“That’s the big reason, right?” the former world No. 1 said of his reasoning. “But also, I’ve been here (in Colorado) for over two decades — so support Colorado golf. The fact that they put up the largest first prize in the country for a state open, I feel like as a touring professional, if I’m here and they want me to play, I should play to support it, you know?”

The 13-time PGA Tour winner opened with a 2-over-par 73 in his second straight year competing at GVR. Brady posted a 72. Brady played his first year of college golf at Coastal Carolina last season, but said after Thursday’s round that he plans to compete — as an amateur — in PGA Tour Q-school in the fall.

Meanwhile, David Duval has been playing considerably better of late on PGA Tour Champions, with three top-16 finishes since June 1, including a third place.

From ColoradoGolf.org

*****

LIV Golf League

Andy Ogletree held a lead deep into Sunday’s final round of the LIV Golf League’s event in London last weekend, but stumbled late and fell into a tie for sixth place. It was his second top-10 finish in 11 events this year (he tied for third at Adelaide).

Ogletree, who led by two shots after 36 holes, opened Sunday’s round with consecutive birdies and led by four shots at one point before the rest of the field started to chip away at his lead.

Ogletree double-bogeyed the eighth hole but still had a share of the lead with Jon Rahm after consecutive birdies at the drivable par-4 12th and par-5 13th. But the American followed with consecutive double bogeys on the next two holes to fall out of contention. Rahm round up the winner.

Ogletree and Cameron Tringale, who also tied for sixth, are both within the No. 25-48 zone in the LIV Golf standings which exposes them to potential trades or release by their HyFlyers team after the season.

The league comes back to the United States for its last two regular season events at the Greenbrier in West Virginia (Aug. 16-18) and Chicago (Sept. 13-15) before staging its team championship in Dallas Sep. 20-22.

LIV leaderboard

What nerves? 🤷‍♂️@andy_ogletree goes birdie-birdie to begin his final round at LIV Golf UK. 😤

He currently leads by THREE! 👀#Hylights | #HyFlyersGC pic.twitter.com/rUsp2QKhdi

— HyFlyers GC (@HyFlyers_GC) July 28, 2024

UPCOMING EVENTS

• PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship • August 8-11, 2024 • Sedgefield Country Club • Greensboro, N.C. • Purse: $7.9M • FedEx Cup points: 500
• Korn Ferry Tour:  Utah Championship • August 1-4, 2024 • Oakridge Country Club • Farmington, Utah • Purse: $1M • KFT points: 500
• PGA Tour Champions: Boeing Classic • August 9-11, 2024 • The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge • Snoqualmie, Wash. • Purse: $2.2M
• PGA Tour Americas: Biosteel Championship • August 1-4, 2024 • Ambassador Golf Club • Windsor, Ontario • Purse: $225K • Fortinet Cup points: 500
• Asian Tour/International Series: International Series England • August 8-11, 2024 • Foxhills (Longcross Course) • England • Purse: $2M
• LIV Golf Series: Greenbrier • August 16-18, 2024 • The Old White Course at The Greenbrier • White Sulfur Springs, W.Va. • Purse: $25M
• GPro Tour: Greenville Open • August 7-9, 2024 • Brook Valley Country Club • Greenville, N.C. • Purse: $68,125

#PROJACKETS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Overheard on the range … 👀

Checkout this convo between @philmickelson and @andy_ogletree before the start of LIV Golf UK by JCB. 🖤#HyFlyersGC pic.twitter.com/wmlVradB5Y

— HyFlyers GC (@HyFlyers_GC) July 27, 2024

 

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