🏌️ Stars Struggle On PGA

Good Morning. The result from Wednesday’s poll is in!

We asked: Should LIV Golf Players be granted OWGR points?

The Response: It was a close one with 60% of us voting in favor of them getting the ranking points as it will make the Majors more competitive. 

Fun Fact: The Cognizant Classic (formerly Honda Classic) is the next tournament on the PGA Tour calendar. Jack Nicklaus is the only consecutive winner in the tournament's 50-year history - having won in 1977 and 1978.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1967, Steve Stricker was born in Edgerton, Wisconsin. He has twelve victories on the PGA Tour and served as the US Ryder Cup captain in 2021, winning at Whistling Straits in his home state of Wisconsin.

ALBATROSS
Stars Struggle Across The PGA and LPGA Tour

The big names found it hard to hit the ground running as the Mexico Open teed off at Vidanta Vallarta and it was no different at the end of Round 2 at the Honda LPGA tournament in Thailand.

Mexico Open Round 1 Update

🏌️ Van Rooyen Sole Leader: South Africa's Erik van Rooyen shot an 8-under 63 to establish a one-stroke lead over Finland's Sami Valimaki.

✅ Mr 57 Starts Well: Playing on a sponsor exemption, Cristobal Del Solar is competing in his first PGA Tour event since shooting a 57 earlier this month on the Korn Ferry Tour - the lowest 18-hole score ever recorded at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. He has started well and is placed T-3.

⚠️ Finau Struggles: Defending champion and pre-tournament favorite Tony Finau didn't get off to an ideal start and is tied for 29th after shooting a 2-under 69.

Mexico Open Round 1 Leaderboard 

Click here to watch Round 1 highlights.  

Honda LPGA Thailand Round 2 Update

🔝 Three-Way Tie At The Top: Sagstroem, Tavatanakit, and Sei-Young Kim are all placed T-1 at 10-under after Round 2. They have a one-stroke lead over the chasing pack.

📈 Vu's Strong Comeback: World No 1 and defending champion Lilia Vu made a strong comeback shooting a 5-under and is placed T-30. Other stars like Boutier and Hull continue to struggle and lie outside the top 50.

Honda LPGA Thailand Round 2 Leaderboard 

Click here to watch Round 2 highlights.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Rory Eyeing LIV Golf?

Rory McIlroy could make a stunning move to LIV Golf according to his former agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler.

Rory has recently softened his stance on the rebel league after initially leading the charge in speaking out against LIV Golf. The World No 2 stated on record that he doesn’t want LIV defectors punished and wants the tours to come together for the best fields possible.

McIlroy had previously said he'd rather quit than play on the LIV circuit, but after two of his Ryder Cup teammates, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, made the move his attitude has relaxed.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Cognizant Classic Pre-Q: Charlie Woods shot 16-over 86 in a pre-qualifying round for the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches held at Lost Lake Golf Club and failed to advance to the Monday Qualifier.

The Match: Capital One’s The Match will feature mixed golf for the first time. Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang will tee off on Monday, Feb. 26, at “The Park” in West Palm Beach, Florida, under the lights.

Ladies European Tour: Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome and Megan Khang have confirmed their participation at the upcoming Aramco Team Series event in Florida. 

DP World Tour: Dutch golfer Darius Van Driel shot 5-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Kenya Open.

Rickie Fowler: Rickie Fowler has committed to play at the Valero Texas Open ahead of the Masters. The tournament will be held for the 14th time at TPC San Antonio’s The Oaks course on April 4-7.

LIV Golf*Asian Tour: LIV Golf stars David Puig and Joaquin Niemann occupy the first and second place respectively after Round 1 of the International Series tournament in Oman.

BIRDIE
3 Golfers Spent Entire Year At World #1 - And More OWGR Facts

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) was introduced in 1986 - here are some interesting facts and trivia from its 38-year history.

👑 Numero Uno: Tiger Woods has spent the most consecutive weeks (281), and the most total weeks (683), as the World Number One.

🔝 Age Is Just A Number: Vijay Singh is the oldest player to have held World No 1 status, when he was 42 years and 93 days old.

❌ Never Made It: Phil Mickelson has spent 270 weeks at No. 2 without ever rising to the top ranked player in the world.

🤯 The Terrific Trio: Three golfers have spent an entire year at World No. 1: Nick Faldo in 1993, Greg Norman in 1996, and Tiger Woods from 2000-2003 and 2006-2009.

⛳️ No Major Problem: Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are the only two players to become World No 1 who haven't won a Major in their career.

Read the full article.

DRIVING RANGE
3 Drills To Improve Your Ground Force

In this video, we bring to you three drills that will help you improve your ground force to hit longer drives and improve your overall golf swing.

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