Daniel Chopra News & More

GOLF Golfer

3yWill Mackenzie has withdrawn his name from the field at the 3M Open, and he’ll be replaced by Daniel Chopra.

The 47-year-old Mackenzie has made just two PGA Tour starts this season, missing the cut in Puerto Rico and withdrawing from the recent Barbasol Open with an undisclosed injury. The two-time Tour winner was the latest in several WDs on Tuesday, which included Duffy Waldorf, Frank Lickliter, Eric Axley and Jonathan Kaye. Alternate Freddie Jacobson will fill the open spot. For Chopra, he’s had just one previous PGA Tour start this season, missing the cut at the Bermuda Championship. The 48-year-old Swede has made 10 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, making just one cut (T-74, AdventHealth Championship).

Danny Willett

GOLF Golfer

4yDanny Willett removed his name from the field on Monday ahead of this week’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree. The next alternate, Daniel Chopra, will take his spot in the field. UPDATE: Willett updated his status via social media. It was appendicitis that caused this WD and he underwent a procedure on Monday.

The Englishman made a big move in round three at the Memorial last week. He went from T63 to T23 with a third-round 69 that bettered the field scoring average by 4.5 shots. He closed his week with a day-four 73 to settle for 26th place. Now, he will opt for rest instead of battling another potential stop-and-start event due to an ugly forecast in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Willett is not in the field for next week’s U.S. Open so the earliest we’d see him would be two weeks at the Travelers Championship (or BMW International Open if he’s looking to balance out his starts across the globe).

Michael Visacki

GOLF Golfer

4yMichael Visacki has a long list of mini-tour accomplishments but has never played in a PGA TOUR event until now,earning a spot in this week’s Valspar Championship via Monday Qualifier.

Visacki fired a 5-under 67 on Monday and then punched his way through a 4-for-2 playoff to earn his seat this week at the Valspar. From there, his post-round phone call to his father ended up going viral. His emotion was spilling out as he broke the news to his dad. The 27-year-old Central Florida product has more than 30 wins on the mini-tours and will finally get to test his skills on the grandest stage. He won’t be on any fantasy radars this week but it would be a real feel-good story if he kept this momentum rolling and played his way to a payday at Innisbrook Resort. Others to qualify on Monday were Jordan Hahn (66), Brad Adamonis (66), and Daniel Chopra (67).

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra was a late entry into the PGA Championship field.

He could be a nice low-salary pick at the season’s last major.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra holds the half-way lead at the Cialis Western Open at 10-under par.

He has a two-shot lead over Vijay Singh, while big names like Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink are within striking distance. Chopra’s looking for his second straight top-10 finish after a tie for ninth at the Booz Allen a couple weeks ago. More importantly, the Swede is looking for his first PGA Tour win.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra followed his opening 66 in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with 2-under-par 38-32=70 to reach the midpoint in 8-under 136, four strokes off the 36-hole clubhouse lead.

This wasn’t your usual round of golf. Chopra buried eight birdies and carded just one bogey, but he built a snowman on the par-5 11th hole, and the doubled the par-4 16th. Included in the highlights were birdies measuring 16'0"-16'10" at the first, fifth and ninth holes.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra looks to nab his first made cut of 2012 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

For the season, the Swede hasn’t posted a single round in the 60s. His last made cut on the PGA TOUR was in this event last year, as he posted a tie for 47th coming in at 2-over-par. Chopra ranks 184th in GIR, 188th in driving accuracy, 187th in ball striking and 188th in scrambling. Needless to say, nothing is going right for him this year.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra spun a bogey-free, 6-under-par 33-33=66 in his opening round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing one stroke off the clubhouse lead.

No, that’s not a misprint, and it’s not 2007. Indeed, the Swede, who didn’t cash in his first seven starts on the PGA TOUR this year, posted his first round in the 60s on the circuit since October 2010. Chopra has documented success at TPC Louisiana, going 5-for-5 with three top 20s. Today he hit 14 greens and needed only 26 putts. He circled six birdies, three of which measuring over 10 feet. His longest conversion disappeared from 12'2" at the 10th hole.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yVeteran professional Daniel Chopra is in the midst of a year to forget, but has a chance to turn that around at the Travelers Championship.

The Swede has made just two cuts in 10 tries for a total of $56,018. If there is a reason for optimism, it’s that both of his paydays have come in his last three starts. His struggles can be defined by his 182nd ranking in GIR. However, if he could find a solid week with the irons at the TPC River Highlands his Strokes Gained-Putting ranking of fourth could lead to some low numbers.

Daniel Chopra

GOLF Golfer

7yDaniel Chopra hasn’t made the most of his return trip to the PGA TOUR this season, but hopes to right the ship at Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Chopra has made a paltry three of 17 cuts this season, with a T27 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic the best. He will step onto the first tee at TPC Summerlin having missed his last two cuts leading into the week, and having missed the cut in his last trip to Las Vegas in 2010. He has quite the mountain to climb if he hopes to avoid a trip to the second stage of Q School in a few weeks, as he must finish in the 126 to 150 range on the money list to be exempt to the final stage. He currently ranks 211th.