THE FLATS – David Duval announces he will compete on PGA Tour Champions … Matt Kuchar to partner again with Harris English for QBE Shootout … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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DAVID DUVAL COMING TO PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
The momentum of an incredible rookie class in 2020-21 won’t stop in 2022. David Duval turned 50 on November 9 and announced that he would be playing in the PGA TOUR Champions season-opener on an exemption. The former world No. 1-ranked Duval had an strong PGA TOUR career with 13 wins including The Open Championship in 2001. Duval is a former world No. 1.
Similar to Mickelson, there probably were some question as to whether Duval would play PGA TOUR Champions. He hasn’t played a ton of competitive golf since playing 15 times on the PGA TOUR in 2014.
He transitioned to a broadcasting career when he made his ESPN debut in 2012 and then joined Golf Channel in 2015, but it sounds like he’s dedicated himself to preparing for PGA TOUR Champions.
“I’ve really been looking forward to turning 50 and starting this next chapter of my career,” said Duval. “The level of competition on PGA TOUR Champions is incredibly impressive, and I can’t wait to be back out there alongside my peers and good friends. I’ve been working hard on my game and I’m excited to get the competitive juices flowing again.”
Happy 50th, @david59duval!
See you in 2022. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/L1HT6NHASM
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) November 10, 2021
𝗗𝗨𝗩𝗔𝗟
Happy birthday to 1999 PLAYERS Champion, @david59duval 🎂 pic.twitter.com/LsZqQQLviR
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERSChamp) November 9, 2021
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KUCHAR AND ENGLISH PAIRED TOGETHER AGAIN
Georgia Tech All-American and nine-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar will team up once again with former Georgia All-American Harris English in an attempt to win their third title together at the QBE Shootout, an unofficial PGA Tour event which will be held Dec. 8-12 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
As long as Kuchar and English are playing together — and they are for the seventh time — they will be the team to beat. And for three of their six previous appearances no team has done that, including last year when they won by a whopping nine strokes and shot 37 under.
Besides the 2017 tournament, when they finished ninth, they’ve been first in 2013, 2016, and 2020, and second in 2014 and 2015. The most successful pairing in Shootout history, this team has also recorded two runner-up finishes (2014, 2015). Hank Kuehne-Jeff Sluman won in ’03 and ’04 while Brad Faxon-Scott McCarron won in ’00 and ’01 as the other multiple winners. The duo holds the tournament record for largest margin of victory, nine strokes last year. They also held the previous record when they won by seven in 2013.
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INSIDE MATT KUCHAR’S GOLF BAG
Matt Kuchar does things a bit differently with his gear than most other players on the PGA Tour. Every player seeks to use the equipment that best suits their game, of course, but Kuchar is especially picky when it comes to putting new equipment in the bag.
Rather than simply switching into the latest products that hit the market, Kuchar takes his time getting new technology into the bag. For the 43-year-old Bridgestone staffer who’s won nine times on the PGA Tour, that means he uses clubs throughout his bag from all different years.
Speaking with GOLF.com recently, Kuchar explained his selective nature with his gear.
“I think it’s challenging to make things superior … I’m not sure how much better this next generation driver is from the previous generation driver,” Kuchar told GOLF.com at the 2021 RSM Classic. “Even if [we’re talking about] irons. Are they really getting better? I’m truly looking for a better product. If it’s going in my bag, it’s gotta be a better product.”
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TRINGALE IS AUTUMN’S IRON MAN
There are four players who have played in six of seven possible fall events—no one has the full seven-pack—and Cameron Tringale is the best of them, with five made cuts and a T-2 at the Zozo that leave him in 11th place in the FedEx Cup standings. Playing well in the fall can really help a player throughout the season, as there are a ton of points to be gained, and Tringale—who has won the most career money of any golfer not to win a PGA Tour event—has taken advantage better than anyone. He’ll be more comfortable than most come the spring and summer with the cushion his play has given him so far to start the 2021-22 season.
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ET CETERA
Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink and David Duval are all entered in the field for the annual PNC Father-Son championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dec. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla. Cink and Duval (and their sons) have both won this event.
Cink and Larry Mize are among the 88 players whom Golf Digest has judged to have qualified for the 2022 Masters Tournament. Based upon known criteria, Cink qualifies as a PGA Tour winner during the 12-month period prior to the Masters, and Mize is in the field as the 1987 Masters champion. Read the full list at GolfDigest.com.
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