Thomas, English tied for Pga lead
Justin Thomas kept bogeys off his card and birdied three of his last five holes Thursday for an 8-under 65 to share the lead with Harris English in the PGA’S Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Hawaii.
Thomas couldn’t have asked for a better start in his bid to become the first back-to-back winner at Kapalua since 2010. On a gorgeous afternoon on the western edge of Maui, he birdied three straight holes to finish the front nine and took advantage of the scoring holes on the back nine.
Sergio Garcia, playing at Kapalua for the first time in 15 years, and Patrick Reed were among those at 6-under 67, with Adam Scott in the group at 68.
Dustin Johnson, making his first start since winning the Masters in November, showed some rust on the greens. He settled for a 2-under 71.
Zaharias, Player, Sorenstam homored: Hall of Fame golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, along with the late Olympian Babe Didrikson Zaharias, have been presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House announced Thursday.
The award is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. President Donald Trump has generally held public ceremonies when presenting the honor, but Thursday’s event was closed to the media.
White House press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany released a statement on the awards, which for Sorenstam and Player had been previously announced last March. Both are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Player, who is South African, won 24 PGA Tour events and 118 international tournaments.
Sorenstam, who is Swedish, completed her LPGA career with 72 tournament victories and was the dominant player of her era.
The posthumous honor for Zaharias, a Port Arthur native, was announced Thursday. She was an all-around athlete nicknamed “Babe,” after Babe Ruth. She was not only an Olympic track and field champion, but excelled in baseball, basketball, and golf.
Zaharias was still a top-ranked pro golfer when she died from cancer in 1956 in Galveston.
“Her towering legacy will shine forever in the history of American athletics,” Mcenany said.