Latest news with #BearTrap
NBC Sports
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Dylan Naidoo birdies first playoff hole to win rain-hit South African Open
The Bear Trap was mean to many players in Round 3 of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Watch the best and worst shots of the day from the brutal three-hole stretch. DURBAN, South Africa — Dylan Naidoo held his nerve on the first playoff hole to sink a birdie putt and win the rain-marred South African Open on Sunday for his first DP World Tour win. The fourth round was first suspended and then canceled due to a flooded course at the Durban Country Club. The 27-year-old South African went to a playoff against Englishman Laurie Canter on the 18th hole, and both teed off well. Brentley Romine, But Naidoo's superb second shot saw his chip from the fairway land near the flag, while Canter overhit his effort and saw his ball roll to the edge of the green. Canter then overhit his birdie attempt, leaving Naidoo a putt for victory on home soil. After the ball dropped in, Naidoo leaned back and his cap fell off as he put his head in his hands. He then hugged his caddie and let out a disbelieving laugh. 'I don't know what to say, it just feels like a dream. Am I going to wake up at some point?' a jubilant Naidoo said moments later. 'I don't know what to say. This is a special moment for me, for everybody here in Durban. Jeepers!' Naidoo set a new course record when he carded an 11-under 61 in the second round and felt the support of the home crowd. 'Yesterday, I felt like I was Tiger Woods, there were so many people, so much energy,' Naidoo said. His victory earns him a spot at the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, while Canter leads the Race to Dubai Rankings. Englishman Dale Whitnell, who made two holes-in-one in the same round on Friday, tied for seventh with Italian Andrea Pavan at 11 under overall.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Knapp on track for wire-to-wire PGA win in Florida
Jake Knapp has survived a wild third round at the Cognizant Classic and avoided calamity at the troublesome par-3 15th by making a pair of late birdies for a three-under 68 and a one-shot lead going into the final round at PGA National. Knapp, who opened the tournament with a 59, started the third round on Saturday with a one-shot lead and was trailing by three shots when he made the turn. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th and finished with a chip-and-putt birdie on the par-5 closing hole to stay in front. "A little bit all over the place," said Knapp, who was at 16-under 197. Right behind was fellow American Michael Kim — and nearly two dozen others. There was so much movement in this captivating third round that 10 players had at least a share of the lead at one point. Some of them were undone by the 15th, playing 163 yards over water framed by a rock wall. Taylor Montgomery, who had six birdies on the front nine and was the first player to reach 15 under, had a one-shot lead when he pumped two tee shots in the hazard on the 15th. The Bear Trap strikes! 😬Taylor Montgomery stood on the tee box at No. 15 with a one shot lead @The_Cognizant. He left the hole three back.📺 NBC — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2025 Swede Jesper Svensson, who earned a PGA Tour card through the European tour last year, was tied for the lead when he caught too much ball from a bunker behind the 15th green and it sailed into the water. He made triple bogey, and hit his drive into the water on the 18th. Tied for the lead with four to play, he wound up six behind. Another victim was Kim, though he had fortune on this side. He had a one-shot lead going to the 15th when his tee shot caromed high off the rocks, veered hard to the right and was headed for the water when it landed softly in the muck. Most of the golf ball was showing, so he removed his right shoe and sock and blasted out of the mud and onto the green about 25 feet away. He two-putted for his first bogey of the tournament. "I didn't get as wet as I thought," he said, though his face had speckles of mud. Russell Henley and Ben Griffin each had a 66, and Doug Ghim had a 68, to finish the crazy day just two shots behind, while Montgomery and Rickie Fowler (68) were three behind. Twenty-two players were within five shots of the lead, a group that includes Jordan Spieth (68) and Brian Campbell (66), who won his first PGA Tour title last week in Mexico. Knapp had the 15th score of 59 or lower on the PGA Tour, but only five of those other players went on to win. He will also will try to become the first wire-to-wire winner in tournament history. "It just felt kind of weird after playing so well Thursday ... to hit shots and not have it be perfect every single time," Knapp said. "Just had to manage my expectations and not get too frustrated about anything and just understand that it's a long week. There's plenty of great players out here who can go stupid low, so just have to try to stick to my game plan."
NBC Sports
01-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Spieth, Fowler each have up-and-down Round 2
Watch highlights from Jordan Spieth's and Rickie Fowler's second round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, which each had their strong moments -- but also a slip-up in the Bear Trap.
NBC Sports
27-02-2025
- Climate
- NBC Sports
Jake Knapp torches PGA National with opening 59 at Cognizant Classic
This is not your father's PGA National. As gettable as it's ever been, with light winds, soft greens and overseeded fairways, one of the Tour's toughest courses was defenseless Thursday as Jake Knapp posted a 12-under 59 to lead a barrage of low scoring. Knapp's sub-60 round – the 15th in Tour history, and first since last summer – could have been even lower if not for a 12-foot lip-out on his 17th hole. At the 547-yard 18th, he blasted a 335-yarder and easily reached the par 5 in two. As stunning as Knapp's opening round was for those accustomed to seeing the Bear Trap bite back, the rest of the leaderboard nearly kept pace. Russell Henley, Daniel Berger and Jesper Svensson were all at 8 under as they played their opening rounds on the Champion Course, and just seven of 72 players in the morning wave were over par by the time Knapp signed his card. In an effort to make PGA National more playable throughout the year, the club overseeded the typically gnarly Bermuda rough a few years ago. This year, for the first time since 2014, both the tees and fairways were overseeded. The Palm Beach area also experienced recent rains that have slowed and softened the track that annually ranked as one of the most difficult on Tour. Austin Eckroat won last year's Cognizant at 17 under, the fourth consecutive year that the winner was double-digits under par. Prior to that, it happened just once in an eight-year span. Knapp, whose lone PGA Tour victory came at last year's Mexico Open, missed just two fairways and two greens and needed only 25 putts.
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
17th, 18th holes at PGA National will look quite different at 2025 Cognizant Classic
17th, 18th holes at PGA National will look quite different at 2025 Cognizant Classic Show Caption Hide Caption Austin Eckroat discusses title defense at Cognizant Classic 2025 Austin Eckroat has good memories at PGA National, where he returns to defend his Cognizant Classic title. The 18th hole will have fewer grandstands, bringing fans closer to the action. The 17th hole will have breaks in the grandstands, allowing fans closer to the tee box. Tournament organizers are aiming to create an experience more reflective of Palm Beach. The tournament got a new name last year ago. It's been dealing with a spot on the schedule that makes it tough to draw tons of big names. But the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches continues to adjust in order to put on a first-class show. In 2025, fans who attend and viewers who watch on TV will notice some differences. The golf course at PGA National is the same, but there has been some changes. For years, the 18th hole had large grandstands down the left side of the fairway and around the green. PGA National's 18th hole in 2024 In 2025, there are about a thousand fewer seats at 18 as there are fewer grandstands and they're all one level. PGA National's 18th hole in 2025 "I don't want to run from the fact things are changing," Todd Fleming, in his first year as Cognizant's executive director, told Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, which like Golfweek, is a part of the USA Today network. "Decrease doesn't mean worse off. Decrease means we're being honest with our demand and for those (attending) it means they're going to get closer to the action and have a better experience." PGA National's 17th hole in 2024 The 17th hole still should feel like a stadium just not a completely closed in one. "We're opening up our best hole to allow people to get eyeballs on it," Fleming said. PGA National's 17th hole in 2025 The 17th, a par 3 over water, is the final hole in a three-hole stretch known as The Bear Trap. It used to be that the stands running from behind the tee box around to the back of the green completely enclosed the 17th but now there are breaks between the structures allowing fans to get closer to the tee box. "A top priority for Todd and our team is to present the event in a way that is more representative and reflective of Palm Beach," said Jared Rice, senior vice president of the Championship Management Division, which oversees several other events including the Presidents Cup, Tour Championship, Players Championship, the Sentry and FedEx St. Jude Championship, which is the first FedEx Cup playoff event. "We will review what we do this year. We will change. We will evolve. But we will grow the event. We will improve the event on an annual basis."
