With the Shriners Children’s Open on the books, players can turn to the next week and the CJ Cup at the Summit Club.
The tournament consists of an elite field of just 78 players playing a no-cut event with $ 9.75 million at stake. The trip is omitted for more than half of the field. Forty-five players who tried TPC Summerlin can stay in Las Vegas for an additional week as they are in the field. And it’s a charged field.
Those who skipped the Shriners and made it to the CJ Cup include Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
Twenty of the top 25 in the world rankings will be in the Summit Club, a place unknown to almost all players.
The field currently consists of 70 players, with eight players from Korea added after the Genesis Championship on Sunday evening.
Great week for Hall
Harry Hall didn’t fade in the spotlight when he first attended a PGA Tour event. The Las Vegas Korn Ferry Tour player had a 68 on Sunday, bringing him down to 17 and a tie for eighth place.
The top 10 placement secures him a place at the next full-field event of the PGA Tour in Bermuda in three weeks.
“It gave me a lot of confidence and I’m happy with my trend, just from my game and career at the moment,” Hall said of his immediate reflections on the week. “It’s my first year as a pro, or now my second, and I hope there will be many more to come.”
Hall entered the field due to a sponsorship waiver and was a fan favorite due to his status as a UNLV player. Your support meant a lot to him.
“It was very nice,” he said. “I can’t wait to be back next year, hopefully.”
Strong title defense
Martin Laird had another strong finish in Las Vegas, shooting 66 on Sunday to finish at 16 under and a tie in 11th place.
Laird’s first PGA Tour title came in 2009 at the event, and he took a second win here last year. Laird also lost a playoff in 2010 when Jonathan Byrd made an ace in sudden death.
Double duty
Jim “Bones” Mackay went with the leaders and did his job as an on-course analyst for The Golf Channel and NBC Sports, as he has done for several years since he split from Phil Mickelson after 25 seasons together.
But once a caddy, always a caddy. Mackay swaps his microphone for his new gig on Monday and carries the rackets for Justin Thomas.
Bring in his work
When the leaders made the turnaround on Sunday afternoon, a single player stood out on the driving range hitting balls. Ian Poulter worked all week on a swing that was nowhere near sharp and missed the cut by six shots.
Poulter is one of the players staying in Las Vegas for the CJ Cup.
Greg Robertson reports on golf for the Review Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].