• COURSE: Congressional Country Club (Blue), 7,569 yards, par 71. Established in 1924, the club has served as a meeting place for Washington’s movers and shakers from the very beginning. Founding members included two former U.S. presidents, sitting officeholder Warren Harding and successor Calvin Coolidge. Congressional was the site where Ken Venturi staggered through stifling heat to win the 1964 U.S. Open, the first of three Opens held there along with the 1976 PGA Championship. The club also hosted six Kemper Opens, getting back on the PGA TOUR’s regular schedule when the AT&T National joined the docket in 2008.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points.
• CHARITY: The Tiger Woods Foundation, with proceeds earmarked for two Tiger Woods Learning Center campuses in Washington, D.C., along with 25 Tiger Woods Scholars who come from the D.C. area.
• FIELD WATCH: World No. 5 Rickie Fowler, runner-up to Troy Merritt a year ago, and Patrick Reed give the Congressional field two of the top dozen players in the Official World Golf Ranking … The lineup includes 10 PGA TOUR winners from this season, including recent winners James Hahn (Wells Fargo Championship) and Charley Hoffman (Valero Texas Open). … Ernie Els also returns to the site of his 1997 U.S. Open triumph, along with fellow Hall of Famer Vijay Singh. … Spain’s Jon Rahm, No. 1 in the world amateur rankings, will make his professional debut at Congressional. So will Jordan Niebrugge, low amateur at last year’s Open Championship.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, Troy Merritt (2015 at Robert Trent Jones GC). Congressional record: 267, Tiger Woods (2009).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Troy Merritt (3rd round, 2015 at Robert Trent Jones GC). Congressional record: 62, Anthony Kim (1st round, 2009), Hunter Mahan (4th round, 2009).
• LAST YEAR: Merritt put his name in the tournament record book on the way to his first PGA TOUR victory, holding off Rickie Fowler by a stroke at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Merritt came to RTJ having missed his previous five cuts, but thrived once he got to the weekend. A Saturday 61 set a new 18-hole scoring mark, and his closing birdie a day later lowered the event’s 72-hole best. Merritt posted a 4-under-par 67 in the final round, which also matched the day’s best. Fowler also birdied his final hole to finish off a wild 69 that featured seven birdies and five bogeys, leaving him second ahead of David Lingmerth. Woods birdied five of his first 10 Sunday holes to move to the edge of contention, but three bogeys in a four-hole span killed his chances.
• STORYLINES: Reed, who owns seven top-15 finishes since the start of 2016, tries again to end a victory drought dating back to the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He was runner-up in his title defense, as well as at the Valero Texas Open. ... Former NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau tees it up for the seventh time as a pro, seeing his time grow short to earn a PGA TOUR card via exemptions. … Wes Bryan, twice a winner on the Web.com Tour this year, will make his second PGA TOUR start in a three-week span. He played all four days in Memphis, finishing tied for 58th. … Woods, twice a winner at Congressional, again is restricted to host duties as he takes his time in recovery from last fall’s back surgery. It marks the fourth time since the event’s start in 2007 that injuries have kept him from teeing it up.
• SHORT CHIPS: After going later on the calendar than its accustomed slot last year, the National shifts into June for 2016 as part of the TOUR’s schedule shuffle to clear room for the Olympic tournament in August. … Merritt became the fifth winner in the past seven editions to convert at least a share of the 54-hole lead. The others: Bill Haas (2013), Nick Watney (2011), Justin Rose (2010) and Woods (2009). … The week again features the “We Salute Our Heroes” tribute wall, where fans can leave personal messages of thanks for those who serve in the nation’s military.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes).
• RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
congratulations to last weeks winner fsu67810
DFS still leading the way as we head into what will be a very strange last couple months. The Open and PGA are 2 weeks apart this year due to Olympics so points and positions could change rapidly
good luck to everyone this week
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