DP World Tour : Estrella Damm Cataluna Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
Aaron Cockerill has picked up where he left off with his opening -5 67, this morning at the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship with 5 birdies T1 at -9 thru 12 holes...
FYI <>> Estrella Damm is the flagship beer of the Barcelona brewing company...
more to follow
Bryan Angus 26/05/08 5am est.
PGA Tour: Truist Championship : Tee Times Leaderboard
Rain delayed the start of play, then came again to suspend it for the day as Round 1 at this soggy start to the Truist Championship got under way at Quail Hollow.
WEATHER : Play in round 1 will resume at 1030am this morning under Mainly sunny skies, 22*c with a light breeze 8km/h NE switching to SW as the day goes on
Leader
Lefty, Matt McCarthy "made a bunch of 50 footers" to top the field that finished with -8 63 to lead by a shot, over Sung Jae Im -7 thru 17
Five players are T3, bunched at -5 66 Nick Taylor, Kristoffer Reitan, Harry Hall, Nicolas Hojgaard and Sepp Straka thru 17.
Fan favourite and 4 time winner Rory McIlroy said "I was thinking I've never played a round here without making a birdie," sunk one and raised his arms to wild applause sarcastically as his final putt curled in at the 9th for his -1 71
Two inches of rain fell on Quail Hollow overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning delaying the start until 1230pm softening the course, "it's playing very long" was the unanimous appraisal.
Canadians Nick Taylor and Corey Conners are right in the mix after 18 holes.
Nick Taylor T3 -5 66
Corey Conners T8 -4 67
Taylor Pendrith T33 E 71
Mac Hughes T33 E 71
Sudarshan Yellamaraju T33 E 71
more to follow...
Bryan Angus
DP World Tour : Estrella Damm Cataluna Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
Shaun Norris produced a spectacular eagle on his final hole to leapfrog into the lead on an emotional first day of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship.
The day marked the 15th anniversary of the death of the great Seve Ballesteros and across Real Club de Golf El Prat, tributes were paid to the trailblazing Spaniard, who passed away on May 7, 2011.
With many of the players decked out in his signature navy blue and white, his picture on the first tee and some of the flags dedicated to him, it was true celebration of the man whose record of 50 DP World Tour wins is 29 clear of the nearest active member in Rory McIlroy.
And he would surely have enjoyed the action inside the ropes as South African Norris took out his three wood on the ninth fairway and with his penultimate shot of the day put an approach from 244 yards to four feet.
The resulting eagle saw him sign for a 64 and sit atop the leaderboard at -8 one shot clear of Scottish duo Ewen Ferguson and David Law and Frenchman Alexander Levy -7 65.
Norris enjoyed a blistering start to the season, with finishes of fifth and second on home soil before he started the calendar year with a top 20 at the Dubai Invitational.
He could not maintain that momentum through the International Swing but has been a back on the up in recent weeks, following a top five at the Volvo China Open with a top ten on the Japan Golf Tour – where he is an eight-time winner – last week.
“It was solid,” he said. “I hit the ball nicely all day, gave myself chances, so very happy with where the game is at.
“I played nicely last week in Japan, had to pop over there to get everything sorted with visas and residency, but the game is solid. I can’t complain this week, very happy where everything is."
On his remarkable finish, he added: “I have been battling to try and find a three-wood for the last year or two, and I think we figured it out this week and trusted one, got a good number out of it and it just worked it perfectly."
Levy, a five-time DP World Tour winner who is trying to regain his card this season, went out in the first group of the day off the tenth and it was a slow start as he picked up a single birdie on the back nine
But he then found his groove, making four on the front to go with a hole-out eagle from 92 yards on the fifth in a bogey-free effort.
Ferguson made three birdies and a bogey before eagling the ninth and then holed monster putts for further gains on the tenth, 15th and last.
Law – who is back on Tour after two wins on the HotelPlanner Tour last season – took advantage of the four par fives while also picking up shots on the 11th, 17th and fifth.
Dane Lucas Bjerregaard had been at -7 but bogeyed the last in a 66 that also contained five birdies and an eagle on the tenth.
That left him at -6 alongside South African Michael Hollick, who carded seven birdies and a bogey, and Italian Stefano Mazzoli, who signed for an eagle, five birdies and a bogey.
EDIT>>>>>> There was then a group of eight players at -5 67 including Canada's Aaron Cockerill who only made one mistake all day, an errant drive on the 7th that led to his lone bogey, with 6 birdies, one of his best starts of the year T8
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
PGA Tour: Truist Championship : Tee Times Leaderboard
EDIT 26/05/07 840am >>>>Due to heavy rain play has been delayed until Noon off tee's #1 and #10 est in groups of three.
Rory McIlroy is the man at Quail Hollow having won 4 times in his sparkling career, as the 6th signature event of the season worth $20,000,000 gets under way this week, for years the Wells Fargo now sponsored by Truist a financial services company based in Charlotte NC.
Remarkable to remember Rory set the Quail Hollow 18 hole course record 61 in round 3, 2015 when a certain kid called Scott Scheffler was learning the game as an 18 year old high school student.
The world's No. 2-ranked player said he feels "more motivated" than ever heading into a major stretch that includes the PGA Championship next week outside of Philadelphia and the U.S. Open next month at Shinnecock Hills. First up, though, is this week's Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, where McIlroy earned his first PGA TOUR victory 16 years ago.
It's been more than three weeks since McIlroy slipped on the green jacket for a second time after becoming just the fourth player in 90 years to go back-to-back at the Masters.
The 37-year-old McIlroy spent most of his time at his home in Jupiter, Florida, although he did visit New York with his wife Erica Stoll and attended a White House state dinner held for King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
"I gave myself a good 10 days to enjoy myself and then thought I needed to get back on the range and start to practice and get ready for this stretch coming up," McIlroy said. The stretch begins today with the tuneup at Quail Hollow, a place where McIlroy is adored by fans and often serenaded with the "Happy Birthday" song given the tournament often falls during his birthday. He was 20 when he won his first PGA TOUR tournament here, earning him immediate popularity in Charlotte. In some ways, he's become the city's adopted golfer.
"I really feel like this tournament got my career going," McIlroy said. "This is 16 years I've been coming here, so it's been a fun place, I've had success. It's somewhere I always love coming back to."
"I felt like winning the Grand Slam was going to be this life-changing thing and in some ways it was, but in other ways I had to remember like, 'No, I still have a lot of my career left and I want to keep playing and keep competing,'" he said. "So this year I think winning was validation for all the work that I've put in over the last few years to get myself back to this place where I'm winning majors."
Bryan Angus
Associated Press
DP World Tour : Estrella Damm Cataluna Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
The late, great Seve Ballesteros is synonymous with both Spanish and European golf, having graced almost every page in golfing history during his professional career.
Winner of a record 50 DP World Tour events, including five Majors, and a Ryder Cup talisman, he passed away on May 7, 2011, the day of the third round of the Open de España at Real Club de Golf El Prat.
With the opening day of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship coinciding with the 15th anniversary of his passing, we take a look back at his many highlights.
A trailblazer from the very beginning, Seve turned professional at just 17 years old, teeing up for the first time at the 1974 Spanish Open.
It took just three starts for him to announce himself as a player to watch, finishing in a tie for fifth at the 1974 Italian Open, where he collected his first cheque of £1,200.
Two years later, he broke through for what would become the first of a record haul of titles. At the 1976 Dutch Open, in just his 27th start, Ballesteros claimed his first DP World, formerly European, Tour title with an eight‑shot victory over Howard Clark. At 19 years and 121 days, he became (at the time) the second‑youngest winner in Tour history.
That breakthrough sparked a season of extraordinary consistency. Seve ended 1976 as the youngest Order of Merit winner in history. He would retain the title in 1977 and 1978, completing a remarkable three‑year run before adding three more season-long crowns in 1986, 1988 and 1991.
Beween that time, Ballesteros’ rise reached global scale in 1979, when he won the first of his three Open Championships at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He would repeat the feat at St Andrews in 1984, producing one of the most iconic celebrations in Open history, and again at Lytham in 1988,
Across the Atlantic, he broke new ground for European golf. In 1980, Ballesteros became the first European player to win the Masters Tournament, and at 23, its youngest champion at the time. He added a second Green Jacket in 1983, cementing his status in the history books.
RYDER CUP
Yet Ballesteros’ brilliance was arguably never more felt anywhere than during a Ryder Cup. From his debut in 1979, the first year Continental Europeans were eligible, he became the emotional centre of the team and since has become a talisman. His partnership with José María Olazábal, formed in 1987, remains one of the most successful in Ryder Cup history, and his presence helped transform Europe from challengers into genuine equals, helping the team to landmark victories in 1985 and 1987, the latter their first triumph on American soil.
He then became the first Spaniard to Captain a European side in Valderrama, which culminated in a dramatic home victory. In the years since his passing, his silhouette and image have become enduring symbols of European unity and belief.
EUROPEAN TOUR
His talent wasn’t just confined to the sport’s biggest stages, though, and his presence on the now named DP World Tour was a dominant one. He finished inside the top ten of the Order of Merit every year from 1976 to 1989, and 16 times in total - a record he shares with Bernhard Langer.
His 50 DP World Tour titles still remain the all‑time benchmark, eight clear of Langer. He also holds the record for the most consecutive seasons with a win during 17 straight years from 1976 to 1992, and spent a total of 61 weeks as World Number One on the Official World Golf Ranking.
In total, he played 474 DP World Tour events, made 337 cuts, and recorded 183 top‑ten finishes.
• Turned professional in 1974, aged 17
• His first event was in 1974 at the Spanish Open
• His first cheque came in his third event – a tie for fifth in the 1974 Italian Open. He collected £1,200
• Won his first DP World Tour title at the 1976 Dutch Open in his 27th event, beating Howard Clark by eight shots. Aged 19 and 121 days, he became the second youngest player to win in European Tour history
• His victory in the Dutch Open helped him win the DP World Tour Order of Merit for the first time in 1976 aged 19 – the youngest player to achieve the feat
• After winning the Order of Merit in 1976, he retained it in both 1977 and 1978. He won it again in 1986, 1988 and 1991
• Won the first of his three Open Championships in 1979. Repeated the feat in 1984 and 1988
• First European player to win the Masters Tournament in 1980. Won again in 1983
• Finished in the top ten of the Tour's Order of Merit every year between 1976-1989 and 16 times during his career – a Tour record held jointly with Bernhard Langer
• Won 50 DP World Tour International Schedule titles, eight more than Bernhard Langer, who is second on the all-time list
• Won at least one DP World Tour title for 17 consecutive years between 1976 and 1992 – a Tour record
• Played in 474 DP World Tour events and made the cut in 337, with 183 of those finishing in the top ten
• Was the last player to win three consecutive DP World Tour events over successive weekends in 1986, at the Irish Open, Monte Carlo Open and Open de France respectively
• Made DP World Tour history in 1986 by becoming the first player to win six official events in a single season. His victories were: British Masters, Irish Open, Monte Carlo Open, Open de France, Dutch Open and Trophée Lancôme
• Was the first player to reach £1 million, £2 million and £3 million in DP World Tour official career earnings
• He was the second ever player, behind Langer, to become World Number One. His first of five spells at the top of the game began on the 27 April 1986 for a period of 20 weeks, before regaining the honour on four more occasions. After twice being World Number One again for a singular week, he then held the top spot for 19 weeks between 13 November 1988 - 25 March 1989, and finally for 20 weeks between 2 April 1989 - 19 August 1989, totally 61 weeks.
THIS WEEK
For all the current live scoring this week at the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship click on my Leaderboard link above.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
For the DP World Tour members in the field, it is an opportunity to hoover up enhanced Race to Dubai points while all of the 156 competitors are chasing a place in the history books.
ALL Former Winners
Here is the confirmed field so far and how they primarily qualified.
All former winners of the US PGA Championship
Keegan Bradley Jason Day Jason Dufner
Pádraig Harrington Martin Kaymer Brooks Koepka
Rory McIlroy Shaun Micheel Collin Morikawa
Xander Schauffele Scottie Scheffler Justin Thomas
Jimmy Walker YE Yang
JJ Spaun Bryson DeChambeau
Wyndham Clark Matt Fitzpatrick
Brian Harman
Cameron Smith
Cameron Young
Casey Jarvis
Travis Smyth
Kazuki Higa
Stewart Cink
Harris English Davis Riley Taylor Pendrith
Jhonattan Vegas JT Poston Joaquin Niemann
Ben Griffin Denny McCarthy Ryan Gerard
Joe Highsmith Si Woo Kim
Jesse Droemer Ben Kern Michael Kartrude
Tyler Collet Zach Haynes Garrett Sapp
Braden Shattuck Mark Geddes Austin Hurt
Ben Polland Michael Block Bryce Fisher
Ryan Lenahan Jared Jones Francisco Bide
Chris Gabriele Derek Berg Ryan Vermeer
Paul McClure Timothy Wiseman
Ludvig Åberg Russell Henley Tommy Fleetwood Robert MacIntyre
Patrick Cantlay Hideki Matsuyama Sam Burns Maverick McNealy
Adam Scott Jake Knapp Viktor Hovland Akshay Bhatia
Rickie Fowler Alex Noren Chris Gotterup Shane Lowry
Sepp Straka Min Woo Lee Jordan Spieth Jacob Bridgeman
Justin Rose Nicolai Højgaard Kurt Kitayama Harry Hall
Tyrrell Hatton Alex Smalley Nick Taylor Sam Stevens
Sahith Theegala Matt McCarty Corey Conners Gary Woodland
Ryan Fox Michael Thorbjornsen Daniel Berger Michael Kim
Pierceson Coody Ryo Hisatsune Andrew Putnam Bud Cauley
Matt Wallace Ricky Castillo Chris Kirk Patrick Rodgers
Andrew Novak Max Greyserman Rico Hoey Sami Välimäki
Matti Schmid Nico Echavarria David Lipsky Aldrich Potgieter
Emiliano Grillo
Rasmus Højgaard
Michael Brennan Alex Fitzpatrick
William Mouw Steven Fisk
Adam Schenk Brian Campbell
Mikael Lindberg
Bernd Wiesberger
Jordan Gumberg
PGA of America invitees
Angel Ayora, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Chandler Blanchet Dan Brown
Thomas Detry Luke Donald
Lucas Glover Garrick Higgo
Daniel Hillier Ian Holt
Max Homa Billy Horschel
Sungjae Im Stephan Jaeger
Dustin Johnson Kota Kaneko
Johnny Keefer Haotong Li
Max McGreevy Tom McKibbin
Keith Mitchell Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
John Parry Marco Penge
David Puig Aaron Rai
Patrick Reed Kristoffer Reitan
Adrien Saddier Jayden Schaper
Jordan Smith Martin Smotherman
Elvis Smylie Andy Sullivan
Bold - denotes DP World Tour member of affiliate
europpeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
PGA Tour: Truist Championship : Tee Times Leaderboard
EDIT 26/05/06 420am >>>> The complete Thursday TEE TIMES/ Live leaderboard....72 players No cut.
Rory McIlroy is the man at Quail Hollow having won 4 times in his sparkling career, as the 6th signature event of the season worth $20,000,000 gets under way this week, for years the Wells Fargo now sponsored by Truist a financial services company based in Charlotte NC.
Remarkable to remember Rory set the 18 hole course record 61 in round 3, 2015 when a certain kid called Scott Scheffler was learning the game as an 18 year old high school student.
After 3 runner up finishes Scheffler is off with his family this week, seven of the top 10 are here including a strong European Ryder Cup team presence,including defending champion from the mountains of Austria, Sepp Straka, #2 Rory, #3 Fitzy who has dominated recently winning 3 times already #5 Rosey #7 Tommy #12 Bob MacIntyre.
Cam Young $3,600,000 richer, is the best American right now with wins at the Players and last week at the Cadillac in Miami is keeping his foot on the gas this week heading into the PGA Championship in Philadelphia at the Aronimink GC.
Another Ryder Cup star #35 Shane Lowry was the 54 hole leader last year finishing T4 returns, as does Xander Schauffele who T2 in 2023, 2024.
Canadians (5)
7.45am 1st Taylor Pendrith 82,88 Top 50 2025 Fed Ex points list (Out 1st fresh greens)
8.15am 1st Mac Hughes who lives nearby is a member at Quail Hollow. He has missed 3 straight cuts, and slipped from the world top 60 to #138 and #129 in the Fed Ex ranks, so he needed a sponsor's exception to play in this week's limited field.
10.35am 1st Corey Conners owgr 44, Fed Ex rank 69 Top 50 2025 Fed Ex points list
11.30am 1st Sudarshan Yellamaraju Current Fed Ex points list through Cadillac Championship.
12.35 1st Nick Taylor 66, 52 Top 50 2025 Fed points list
Notables
9.05am 1st Robert Bob MacIntyre. Harry Hall
9.30am 1st Justin Rose, JJ Spaun
1005am 1st Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick
1015am 1st Tommy Fleetwood, Si Woo Kim
1025am 1st Alex Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler
1245am 1st Viktor Hovland, Nico Echavarria
120am 1st Cam Young, Justin Thomas (last weeks winner)
130pm 1st Sepp Straka, Jordan Spieth (defending champion)
***** There is rain in the forecast for Thursday morning....
Bryan Angus
* Mac Hughes lives near Quail Hollow playing on a sponsors exemption Corey Conners,Taylor Pendith, Nick Taylor Sudarshan Yellamaraju are the 5 Canadians
