The First Look: Workday Charity Open

The PGA TOUR and John Deere announced in May that this year’s John Deere Classic would be replaced by a new event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter the Workday Charity Open. The Workday Charity Open will be the first of back-to-back events at Muirfield Village and will feature seven of the top 15 players in the world. The John Deere Classic is set to return to the TOUR schedule in 2021 for its 50th playing. FIELD NOTES: Patrick Cantlay, who won last year’s Memorial Tournament, looks to continue the good vibes on Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout… Three of the top five in the world will tee it up at the Workday, including No. 2 Jon Rahm, No. 4 Justin Thomas, and No. 5 Brooks Koepka… Koepka returns after withdrawing from the Travelers Championship as a precautionary measure after his caddie Ricky Elliott tested positive for COVID-19… Koepka’s brother Chase – who Monday-qualified for the Travelers Championship but also withdrew as a precaution – received a sponsor exemption into the Workday… Denny McCarthy, Nick Watney, and Dylan Frittelli, who tested positive for COVID-19, will return to action… Other notables include Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Rickie Fowler. FEDEXCUP: Winner gets 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Muirfield Village Golf Club, 7,392 yards, par 72. Jack Nicklaus’ hometown club opened in 1974. The longtime TOUR venue has also been the home of the 1987 Ryder Cup, 1998 Solheim Cup, and 2013 Presidents Cup. The TOUR will host back-to-back events at the course, located in Dublin, Ohio. STORYLINES: Although spectators will be allowed in a limited capacity at next week’s Memorial, they will not be allowed at the Workday. … Bryson DeChambeau, who won the Memorial in 2018, will take his first week off since the TOUR’s Return to Golf. DeChambeau notched results of T3-T8-T6 in the first three events of the revised TOUR schedule… Nick Taylor, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, will play in his first event since the TOUR’s Return to Golf. He has remained in Canada with his wife and young son for the last month… Including Cantlay and Spieth, the Workday will feature nine of the top 10 from last year’s Memorial, including 2014 Memorial winner Hideki Matsuyama… The Workday is a one-off event. 72-HOLE RECORD (Memorial): 268, Tom Lehman (1994) 18-HOLE RECORD (Memorial): 61, John Huston (2nd round, 1996) LAST TIME: Debut event. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups), Saturday-Sunday 7:00 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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