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Bryson DeChambeau, who made his pro debut last week in the RBC Heritage, signed a deal with Cobra Puma Golf. The 22-year-old DeChambeau, from Clovis, Calif., and SMU, last year joined Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore as the only golfers to win the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
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"I believe that I found the perfect partner in Cobra Puma Golf," said DeChambeau, who was low amateur in the Masters two weeks ago in a tie for 21st, and then had a sensational pro debut at the Hilton Head, S.C., shooting 3-under-par 68 on Sunday to tie for fourth.
"The Cobra and Puma brands complement my style, attitude and desire to be innovative while allowing me to continue to be myself and think outside the box. I'm really thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge and creative company."
DeChambeau will wear Puma Golf apparel, accessories and footwear on the course, including his signature Hogan-style cap. On Sundays, he will wear red, white and blue, the colors of his alma mater, Southern Methodist University, where he was a physics major.
In addition, he will have a Cobra staff bag filled with Cobra golf clubs.
"Bryson has this unique combination of talent, ingenuity and personality that makes him such a dynamic golfer and a great fit for the Cobra Puma Golf brands," said Robert Philion, president and chief executive of Cobra Puma Golf.
"He shares in our mission of game enjoyment and our desire to grow the game and make it more fun and inclusive for golfers of all levels. Right away we noticed his progressive approach to the game, which is rooted in science and art, along with his passion and dedication."
DeChambeau also announced he would be using a Bridgestone B330S golf ball.
--Vijay Singh of Fiji announced that he will not take part in the Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro, when golf returns to the Games for the first time since 1904 in St. Louis.
The 53-year-old Singh, a three-time major champion, told the Golf Channel that he will skip the Games because it would disrupt his PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions schedules and expose him to the Zika virus that has spread throughout Brazil.
"The timing of it, you know I have to focus over here (on the U.S. tours)," Singh said while preparing for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. "I would like to play the Olympics, but the Zika virus, you know and all that (stuff).
"It wasn't that difficult. I feel bad. I wanted to play and finally decided against it. It's in the middle of the tour over here, and I'm trying to figure out my game."
Singh is No. 215 in the World Golf Rankings, but he would have been assured a spot in the Olympics field as the highest-ranked Fijian golfer.
--Steve Stricker and Nick Price of Zimbabwe were selected as captains for the 2017 Presidents Cup to be held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., the PGA Tour announced.
The matches will be played Sept. 28-Oct. 1, and Price's International team will try to cut into 9-1-1 domination the United States holds in the competition.
"Everybody respects (Stricker's) game, respects how he's come back (from injuries) and hung in there for so long," said Davis Love III, who is captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the matches to be played later this year.
"Steve's not going to necessarily fire guys up. Steve's always been kind of quiet, but to his friends, the group of the good players that he hangs around with, Tiger (Woods) has come to rely on him."
Stricker, 49, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, has played in five Presidents Cups and three Ryder Cups. He also served as a captain's assistant under Tom Watson at the 2014 Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland, and for Jay Haas at the 2015 Presidents Cup in Incheon, South Korea.
Stricker, a two-time winner of the PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year Award, has struggled with hip, neck and back injuries.
Price, 59, who has 18 PGA Tour victories and 50 worldwide wins in his career, including three major titles, captained the International squad for the last two Presidents Cups, energizing his team last year in Incheon to one of the closest matches in the 22-year history of the event.
The U.S. pulled out a 15 1/2-14 1/2 victory over the International team at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club.
Price pushed for a points reduction that helped rally the Internationals, which draws players from nations outside of Europe.
"I heard from all the guys that played on the team that he was a good captain and they really wanted to win for him," Ernie Els of South Africa said. "I think there's a really nice connection between him and this group of players.
"I think Adam Scott stood up, and he wanted him back. I know Louis (Oosthuizen) loved having him around. I think he's got a good feel for the guys."
Stricker also is expected to be a Ryder Cup captain at some point.
--Jason Bohn returned to the PGA Tour last week for the RBC Heritage, seven weeks after being rushed to a hospital after experiencing what was termed as a mild heart attack at the Honda Classic in February.
Bohn, 42, told reporters it turned out there was nothing mild about the incident, as his doctors determined his left anterior descending artery, known as the "widowmaker," was 99 percent blocked.
The doctors said it was a "freak accident" caused by a plaque rupture, and they took care of the blockage by inserting a stent.
"I did have to file (with the PGA Tour) for a (therapeutic-use exemption) for a beta blocker I'm on," Bohn said. "This is so new to me, I've asked a lot of questions. I could be on some of these medications for my entire life."
Bohn, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, began hitting golf balls about 10 days ago and targeted the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town for his return.
"It's an easy walk," Bohn said of the course on Hilton Head Island. "I knew I was going to rent a condo with a couple buddies, and I knew it would be a dream start. My expectations aren't really that high with golf. Right now, I just want to get back out here and see how I feel.
"The opportunity that I have to play again is huge. The fact that I did it this quickly is a little surprising to me. I thought I might be out for a few months. Very grateful and thrilled to be here."
Bohn made the cut in his return by starting with 74-69 in the Heritage, then played the weekend in 75-77 to finish in a tie for 69th.
--Top-ranked Beau Hossler of Texas, Jon Rahm of Arizona State and Maverick McNealy of Stanford are among the 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Ben Hogan Award, presented annually to the best college golfer in the country by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Hossler, a junior, leads the nation with five victories this season and has a 69.42 stroke average in eight tournaments.
Rahm, senior from Spain who won the Hogan Award last year and is ranked second, has won twice this season and finished in the top 10 in all nine tournaments he has played.
McNealy, a junior who is No. 4 in the rankings, has 10 victories in his career, including four this season. He is one short of the Cardinal record of 11 set by Tiger Woods in 1995 and tied by Patrick Rodgers in 2014.
Last week, McNealy won the 70th Western Collegiate by two strokes over sophomore Aaron Wise of Oregon.
The other seven semifinalists are Wise; junior Robby Shelton of Alabama; senior Michael Johnson of Auburn; senior Lee McCoy of Georgia; senior Matt NeSmith of South Carolina; senior Charlie Danielson of Illinois; and freshman Sam Horsfield of Florida.
Past winners of the Hogan Award include D.J. Trahan of Clemson (2002); Ricky Barnes of Arizona (2003); Hunter Mahan of Oklahoma State (2003); Bill Haas of Wake Forest (2004); Ryan Moore of UNLV (2005); Matt Every of Florida (2006); Chris Kirk of Georgia (2007); Rickie Fowler of Oklahoma State (2008); Kyle Stanley of Clemson (2009); Nick Taylor of Washington (2010); Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State (2011); Patrick Cantlay of UCLA (2012); Chris Williams of Washington (2013); Rodgers (2014) and Rahm (2015).
