Connect with us

News

5 things we learned on Thursday at The Masters

Published

6 years ago

on

The first round of the 2018 Masters tournament played out under sunny skies, and the return of Tiger Woods to Augusta National was on every patron and viewer’s mind. The first-round script usually calls for the resurgence of an aging, former champion; a stellar showing by a few first-timers, and a statement by one or two favorites. And all of those happened today.

Here’s what we learned from an exciting Day 1.

1) The National giveth and taketh away

In 2017, an unlikely eagle provided the catalyst for Sergio Garcia’s comeback and ultimate victory. In 2018, four consecutive water balls brought the Spaniard to 10-over par on the day. His 13 on the hole was the highest ever recorded by a competitor, and brought him to a score of 81. Barring a low 60s score on Friday, Garcia’s weekend work will be restricted to putting the green jacket on the 2018 champion’s shoulders.

2) Holding the lead is a difficult proposition, no matter the round

At 5:00, six golfers were tied at 3-under par. Four of them came to the 18th tee at 4-under, only to walk off the final green with bogey. One of those fellows was Tony Finau, who gave the golf world a fright during the par three contest by dislocating his ankle during a hole-in-one celebration. A la Dustin Johnson and the Wednesday sockscapade of 2017, Finau wasn’t certain he’d be able to play this morning. He did, and ended up at 4-under par, tied for second place with Matt Kuchar after 18 holes. Not far behind are Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy (69), and Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson (70).

And the leader? Well, Jordan Spieth had birdied 5 consecutive holes (13-17) when he came to to the 18th tee box and hit wood. Not a wood, not a metal wood, but a tree. He had to pitch out to the beginning of the fairway, leaving 250 yards to the green for his third shot. The unflappable Texan (and 2015 Masters champion) smashed his ball greenside, then pitched brilliantly to a few inches to save bogey, and finish at 66 on the day.

3) An amateur made headlines, at just the right time

Doug Ghim was unable to preserve a late lead in last summer’s U.S. Amateur final match. He received an invitation to the Masters based on his runner-up finish, and ensured that he would not leave Augusta without some memorabilia. Ghim made two eagles on the inward nine, for which he will receive four crystal highball glasses. Perhaps now spellcheck everywhere will leave his last name alone, and refrain from adjusting it to GHIN.

4) Let’s talk about Spieth some more

As mentioned above, the 2015 champion and two-time runner-up was the talk of the town on Thursday. His numbers card read like this: 1 eagle, 7 birdies, 3 bogeys and 7 pars. The Texan reached 2-under at the third green, but gave two strokes back over the next four holes. On the 8th, the uphill par 5, a fortuitous carom off the left greenside mounds brought his ball to rest, some 15 feet from eagle. Spieth converted, and returned to red figures. The brilliant birdie run through the back nine was almost undone by his wretched drive at the last, but Spieth played a great pitch back into play, then two more wonderful shots to only lose one stroke in the process.

5) Oh, right, Tiger Woods played today

When a chap signs for 73, and that chap happens to be a four-time champion at Augusta, that plus-one doesn’t usually deserve much media attention. If someone had said back in 2005, “Tiger won’t win a single one of the next dozen Masters,” we’d have questioned the person’s capacity for rational thought. As that did come to pass, including two consecutive years (2016 and 2017) when Woods didn’t even participate in the tournament, today’s plus-one does deserve attention. As Woods himself explained, his sloppy play on the par-five holes accounted for his score. Even-par is sloppy for the game’s greatest player, when 2-under on those holes would have brought him into red figures. Does Woods really have a chance at a 5th green jacket? If he signs for a 66 tomorrow, we might just be convinced.

Your Reaction?
  • 62
  • LEGIT7
  • WOW3
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB0
  • SHANK6

Related Topics:

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Clancy

    Apr 6, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    “Tiger won’t win a single one of the next dozen Masters,”

    I said it in 2007, and I said it again each and every year since then when the “Will Tiger…” stories come to light. He’s done. Sure, he might win a tourney here or there again, but he’ll never win another Major. Mark my words.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Wysluxury

    Apr 6, 2018 at 8:05 am

    Who do you think will win 2018 The Masters tournament?

    Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Apr 6, 2018 at 10:39 am

      Ask me after 36 holes. Anyone can have a great or poor first day. We’ll see if the “right/wrong side of the draw” has impact. Tomorrow’s weather for the 3rd round will impact the event tremendously.

      Reply Report comment

  3. Man

    Apr 6, 2018 at 2:39 am

    That’s what you get for abandoning the company that finally helped you all this time to win a major, Sergio!

    Reply Report comment

  4. Chris

    Apr 6, 2018 at 2:22 am

    Sergios shots were fine, I think the set-up of the course is just plain stupid

    Reply Report comment

    • Keith

      Apr 6, 2018 at 10:29 am

      Have to be able to control your spin. Surprised he didn’t get a little closer with the drops to hit more of a 3/4 shot with less spin.

      Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Apr 6, 2018 at 10:41 am

      Did anyone else see the ball that hung up between 15 green and the water? We saw it 4 times as Sergio’s balls passed it by. Those are the vagaries of the conditioning.

      Reply Report comment

    • DaveJ

      Apr 6, 2018 at 11:22 am

      They were good swings for sure, but he did a poor job of controlling the spin. I wonder if the ball he uses now spins more than his previous ball did. Sounds good on paper until you back 5 up into the drink. He’ll learn from it. I predict he throws a low number out there this afternoon and flirts with the cut.

      Reply Report comment

  5. Bryan

    Apr 6, 2018 at 1:29 am

    Tiger shot -2 70 in the first round of 1997. 40-30

    Reply Report comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship

Published

8 hours ago

on

May 18, 2024

By

Early on Friday morning, a vendor working for the PGA Championship was struck and killed by a tournament shuttle bus. Nearly at the same time, as he arrived for his second round of tournament play, Scottie Scheffler attempted to detour around the scene, and was arrested, booked, then released. Somehow, Scheffler returned to Valhalla and played his second round of the tournament. Despite the jokes and memes of some in the golf industry, the tournament took a back seat to life and humanity on Friday morning. Our prayers are with the family and friends of the vendor, as well as with all involved.

Day two of Valhalla’s fourth PGA Championship did not see a repeat of the record-setting 62 posted by first-day leader, Xander Schauffele. The low card of 65 was returned by five golfers, when play was suspended by darkness. Five golfers still on the course, were on the positive side of the expected cut line of one-under par, while 12 more either had work to do, or knew that their week had come to an end.

The best 70 golfers and ties would advance to the weekend. 64 golfers figured at minus-two on Friday evening, with another 15 at one-under par. The most likely scenario saw those at even par, headed home. The formula was simple: finish under par and stick around. Play resumed at 7:15 on Saturday, to sort through the last six threesomes. Before the night turned over, we learned five important things to set us up for a weekend of excitement and excellence. It’s a pleasure to share them with you.

1. The 65s

On Thursday, three golfers etched 65 into the final box on their card of play. On Friday, nearly twice that number finished at six-under par for the round. Collin Morikawa moved from top-five into a spot in the final pairing. The 2020 PGA Champion at Harding Park teed off at the tenth hole, and turned in minus-two. He then ran off five consecutive birdies from the fourth tee to the eighth green, before finding trouble at the ninth, his last hole of the day. Bogey at nine dropped him from -12 to -11.

The same score moved Bryson DeChambeau from 11th spot to T4. Joining the pair with 65s on day two were Matt Wallace and Hideki Matsuyama (each with 70-65 for T11) and Lee Hodges (71-65 for T16.) Morikawa, Matsuyama, and DeChambeau have major championship wins in their names, while Wallace has been on the when to break through list his entire career. Hodges epitomizes the term journeyman, bu the PGA Championship is the one major of them all when lesser-known challegers find a way to break through.

2. The Corebridge team of PGA Professionals

Last year’s Cinderella story, Michael Block, did not repeat his Oak Hill success. Block missed the cut by a fair amount. Of the other 19, however, two were poised to conclude play and reach the weekend’s play. Braden Shattuck had finished at one-under par, while Jeremy Wells (-2) and Ben Polland (-1) were inside the glory line, each with two holes to play.

With three holes to play on the front nine, Kyle Mendoza sits at even par. His task is simple: play the final triumvirate in one-under par or better. If Mendoza can pull off that feat, and if the aforementioned triumvirate can hold steady, the club professional segment of the tournament will have four representatives in play over the weekend.

3. Scottie Scheffler

In his post-round interview, Scheffler admitted that his second round, following the surreal nature of the early morning’s events, was made possible by the support he received from patrons and fellow competitors. The new father expressed his great sadness for the loss of life, and also praised some of the first responders that had accompanied him in the journey from course to jail cell. Yes, jail cell. Scheffler spoke of beginning his warm-up routine with jail-house stretches.

Once he returned to Valhalla, Scheffler found a way to a two-under, opening nine holes. He began birdie-bogey-birdie on holes ten through twelve, then eased into a stretch of pars, before making birdie at the par-five 18th. His second nine holes featured three birdies and six pars, allowing him to improve by one shot from day one. Scheffler found himself in a fourth-place tie with Thomas Detry, and third-round tee time in the third-last pairing. Scheffler’s poise illustrated grace under pressure, which is the only way that he could have reached this status through 36 holes.

4. Sahith!

It’s a little bit funny that the fellow who followed 65 with 67, is nowhere to be found on the video highlight reels. He’s not alone in that respect, as Thomas Detry (T4) was also ignored by the cameras. Theegala has won on tour, and has the game to win again. The Californian turned in four-under par on Friday, then made an excruciating bogey at the par-five tenth. He redeemed himself two holes later, with birdie at the twelfth hole.

Theegala is an unproven commodity in major events. He has one top-ten finish: the 2023 Masters saw him finish 9th. He did tie for 40th in 2023, in this event, at Oak Hill. Is he likely to be around on Sunday? Yes. Will he be inside the top ten? If he is, he has a shot on Sunday. If Saturday is not a 67 or better, Theegala will not figure in the outcome of the 2024 championship.

5. X Man!!

After the fireworks of day one, Xander Schauffele preserved his lead at the 2024 PGA Championship. He holds a one-shot advantage and will tee off in the final pairing on Saturday, with Collin Morikawa. Eleven holes into round two, Schauffele made his first bogey of the week. The stumble stalled his momentum, as he had played the first ten holes in minus-four. Will the run of seven pars at the end signal a negative turn in the tide of play for Schauffele? We’ll find out on day three. One thing is for sure: minus twelve will not win this tournament. Schauffele will likely need to reach twenty under par over the next two days, to win his first major title.

 

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

News

Scottie Scheffler arrested, charged, and released after traffic incident at Valhalla

Published

2 days ago

on

May 17, 2024

By

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police on the way to Valhalla Golf Club this morning due to a traffic misunderstanding.

“Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car.

“When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”

Darlington also posted a video of the dramatic moment which you can view below:

There was an unrelated accident at around 5am, which is what may have caused some of the misunderstanding of which traffic was moving.

Speaking on ESPN, Darlington broke down exactly what he witnessed in full detail:

“Entering Valhalla Golf Club this morning, we witness a car pull around us that was Scottie Scheffler. Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police officers, placed in the back of a police vehicle in handcuffs after he tried to pull around what he believed to be security, ended up being police officers.

“They told him to stop, when he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle, and Scheffler then travelled another 10 yards before stopping the car.”

“The police officer then grabbed at his arm, attempting to pull him out of the car, before Scheffler eventually opened the door, at which point the police officer pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs.

“Very stunned about what was happening, he looked towards me as he was in those handcuffs and said ‘please help me’. He very clearly didn’t know what was happening in the situation.”

“It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively. He was detained in that police vehicle for approximately 20 minutes. The police officers at that point did not understand that Scottie Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, nor of course that he is the number one player in the world.”

Due to the accident, play has been delayed this morning. Scheffler’s current tee time for the second round of the PGA Championship is 10:08 a.m.

Scheffler’s mugshot following the incident:

*Update*

Scheffler has been charged with 2nd Degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief 3rd degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

*Update*

According to ESPN+, Scottie Scheffler has been released and is now on his way to the golf course.

*Update*

Scottie Scheffler arrives at Valhalla ahead of his 10:08 a.m second round tee time.

*Update*

The PGA of America released this statement regarding the fatal accident, which diverted traffic at Valhalla this morning.

“This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.” 

Per the PGA Tour, Scheffler released the following statement.

We will update this developing story as more information on the situation is revealed.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 26
  • LEGIT5
  • WOW22
  • LOL8
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP1
  • OB2
  • SHANK17

Continue Reading

News

Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 16, 2024

By

It was a year ago that we the north, found ourselves with toes and fingers crossed. The Oak Hill PGA Championship of 2023 finished on schedule, despite the iffiness of weather in upstate New York. It’s 75 degrees today across the Niagara Frontier, which makes it two out of three (2022 was the same way) for sultry, unseasonal weather.

Louisville is, let’s be honest, a much better bet for a May PGA Championship, and Valhalla is an exciting venue for the year’s second major championship on the men’s circuit. Brooks Koepka came in as the defending champion, and Rory McIlroy arrived as the last golfer to win a major at the Nicklaus-designed course. That was a decade ago, and lord, have things changed in the world and golf.

Day one at Valhalla offered walk-in eagles, buckets of birdies, and potential for a record-low, winner’s score. We’ll get right to the meat of the matter, with five things that we learned. After all, if you can make par from the muck, anything’s possible in the land of the horses.

1. X marks this spot

Xander Schauffele went head-to-head last Sunday with Rory McIlroy, at least on the practice green. By the end of the round, Rors had won for a fourth time at Charlotte, while the X Man sat scratching his head, wondering what went wrong. Fortunately for us, Xander didn’t sulk.

The San Diego State alumnus absolutely torched Jack’s track with 62. Four birdies on the front nine, were followed by five more on the inward side. Schauffele never looked as if bogey was a consideration, and he might have gone even lower. Despite winning the Covid-delayed Gold medal at the Japan Olympics (I consider it a major, btdubs) Schauffele continues to chase an initial men’s major, and the validation that it brings. If 62 doesn’t get you over the hump, who knows what will.

2. Scottie starts strong? Aye.

Last month, Mr. Scheffler won a second green jacket at Augusta National. Last year in Rochester, Mr. Scheffler tied for second in this event. Mr. Scheffler began play today with a walk-in eagle, a one-hop affair that never looked as if it might go anywhere but to its home. Scheffler had a few rough holes, but that’s to be expected from a new dad. Each time he made bogey, he bounced back with birdie, so he has that short memory that winners crave. Surprisingly, Scheffler failed to manage one last birdie at the reachable 18th. Perhaps that miss will motivate him in round two.

3. LIV Check-In

It’s good to check in on the departed from time to time, to ensure that the fellows formerly known as PGA Tour members are doing well. It’s safe to say that some of them can still play. Defending champion Brooks Koepka posted 67 on the day, He had an eagle and three birdies on the day, with only a stumble at the 17th. He’s tied for 7th. Bryson DeChambeau made an eagle of his own, but also had a bogey, at the 12th hole. He cohabits eleventh position with Cameron Smith, who ALSO had a bogey on his card. They are one shot behind Koepka, and a fistful more behind the leader.

4. Sahith and Tony at Schauffele’s heels

Both Finau and Theegala represent a special sort of athletic golfer. Their power and their charisma blend to draw golf fans to their groups. Let’s be honest, too, and say that they don’t look like the traditional professional golfer. As much as Tiger Woods did in the 1990s, they have the power to bring greater diversity to the sport.

In terms of their play today, well, only Xander was better. Finau had a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars. Theegala had seven birdies, ten pars, and one bogey. Each combined power and finesse to insert themselves squarely in contention, ahead of round two. How will they, and Xander as well, manage the afternoon putting surface on Friday? That’s the great unknown!

5. All those other guys are here!

Rory, Tom Kim, Collin, and Viktor are all at minus-three or lower. Valhalla may not be a traditional golf course, but it is the type of course that the world’s best play well. McIlroy currently sits at minus-five, tied with Robert MacIntyre, Kim, and three others in fourth position.  Maverick McNealy finished fast to reach the same figure, as did Tom Hoge. Morikawa closed with birdie to join the sextet at five below. Both Scheffler and Morikawa finished their rounds late on Thursday, meaning they should see smoother greens on Friday morning. If someone is a betting soul, wiser wagers could not be placed on better names than those two, two-time, major champions. Rory will tee off in Friday’s afternoon wave but, hey, he’s Rory, and he won going away last week at Quail Hollow, a course not unlike Valhalla.

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag1 day ago

Xander Schauffele WITB 2024 (May)

Xander Schauffele what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship.  Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5...
Whats in the Bag1 day ago

Cam Smith WITB 2024 (May)

Cam Smith what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag2 days ago

Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)

Patrick Reed what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Ping...
Whats in the Bag2 days ago

Club Junkie WITB, league night week 5: Another L.A.B. putter arises

We will be one quarter of the way through Thursday night men’s league season after this week. BK played much...

Facebook

Trending