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Tour Rundown: Rai surprises (Garcia, too) | Finally, a win for Mel Reid
The major golf news this week was more agronomic in nature, as the Instagram world marveled at how the Augusta National could go from beautiful brown to…green, in a matter of days. Seems it has to do with rye over-seeding and witchcraft; we’ll get back to you on the specifics. Meanwhile, back at the 18th green, four golfers walked away with massive smiles, thanks to tournament victories. We’ve run them down the best that we can, and are happy to share them with you in this week’s version of Tour Runbrown, err, Rundown.
Scottish Open to Rai in surprise victory
If someone, say, me, had suggested that three English golfers would take the top three spots at this week’s Scottish Open, you’d have been surprised that one of them wasn’t Lee Westwood. If offered the names Tommy Fleetwood, Robert Rock, and Aaron Rai, you’d probably have done nothing to the order. Fairway Jesus is one of the top 20 players in the world, and Rock has multiple wins on the European Tour. Before this week, Rai was known as the two-glove guy, a fellow who had won a few times in Asia.
In regulation play, Rock decided to chip from just off the 18th green, rather than putt. He failed to get up and down, dropped from -11 to -10, and came third. Tied at -11 were, you guessed it, the mashie messiah and Rai. Away they sailed, to the 18th tee of the Renaissance Club, to settle matters. Fleetwood drove into the fairway, while Rai found trouble left. He recovered to leave a challenging pitch, which he tossed to four feet. After converting his par putt, Rai watched in disbelief as the putting paragon flinched from three feet. Just like that, Aaron Rai was no longer two-glove guy.
The tour moves to the toney Wentworth Club this week for the PGA Championship.
Sanderson Farms rates just behind Masters for Garcia
Perhaps not, but let’s be realistic: even though Sergio Garcia Fernandez had won three times since his major breakthrough in 2017, he had not won on US soil, where victories matter more. And, even though his major opposition came from guys named Malnatti, Poston, and Norlander, this win had to mean much to his psyche, as the 2020 version of the little gathering at Augusta looms.
Garcia hit a titanic metal approach to the par-five 14th hole. The ball hit either on the grassy upslope of a greenside bunker, or just past it, and bounced forward to the green, settling inside ten feet. No word on whether he putted with eyes open or closed (the second big story of the week, after the browning of Berckmans) but el adulto made the putt and moved into a tie for the lead. On the 18th hole, with the sun setting quickly, Garcia did the thing that made him famous: he hit an iron approach to within two feet. Garcia started walking after it, as though he knew. The ball landed one foot shy of the hole, and rolled out three feet. With the tap-in, the pride of Borriol had his 11th tour title in 20 seasons.
The PGA tour moves along to Las Vegas for the next two weeks. The Shriners Open will be played first, at TPC Summerlin. It will be followed by the relocated CJ Cup the next week, to be played at fabled Shadow Creek.
Shoprite Classic, finally, is a win for Mel Reid
Mel Reid knew how to win. She had won six times on the Ladies European Tour, albeit not in the past 3.5 years. She also knew how to not win, and had specialized in that in the USA. Reid had so many ways to not win a tournament, and each loss ate away at her confidence. She entered the final round of the annual New Jersey tilt within striking distance once more. In her way were Jennifer Kupcho. winner of the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur two years back; Jennifer Song, Nasa Hataoka, and world number two Nelly Korda. It would be no walk in the park.
After opening with a pair of birdies, Reid faltered with bogies at six and seven. Steadying herself, she recorded two more birdies at eight and nine, to finish the outward half in minus-two, still in the mix. Reid had two more birdies at 11 and 12, but stumbled again with bogey at 17. In that mysterious way that sometimes defines golf tournaments, no one had separated from the field, and Reid was tied for the lead as she stepped to the final tee. Her drive found a bit of rough, but Reid lashed at it with all the fury built up from those losses over the years. The ball found the edge of the green, and after two putts, Reid was finally an LPGA champion.
The LPGA Tour moves across state lines to Philadelphia, for the Womens PGA Championship at Aronimink.
Savannah Golf Championship is Harmeling’s first Korn Ferry title
The closing hole was double kind to Evan Harmeling on Sunday, and twice cruel to Kevin Dougherty. Harmeling made birdie there twice, while Dougherty was able to manage pars, despite having two cracks at the par-five finisher. If you’re an astute student of the game, you know that I’m hinting at a playoff, but let’s hold off on the result for a moment. Harmeling entered the final round with a one-shot advantage over Dougherty, but neither did much to separate from the other, or the field. George Cunningham and Austen Truslow made runs on day four, each turning in a seven-under 65. Those numbers were good enough to reach -19, and earn them a tie for third spot with three other competitors.
Harmeling’s round could be described as a three-part drama. He managed three birdies over his first six holes, then followed that with three bogies over the next six. Finally, he concluded with three more birdies over the closing third of the round, to reach 21 deep. His playing partner, Dougherty, fared much better over the first sixteen holes. After a bogey at the fourth, Dougherty reeled off six birdies over the subsequent 11 holes, to seize a two shot lead with two to play. In an eye’s blink, it slipped away. A bogey at the 17th, followed by the aforementioned, first birdie at 18 by Harmeling, erased the two-shot advantage, and away to the playoff they went. Harmeling ended matters quickly, but not without a little providence. His second to the par five bounded over the green, but fell into a sprinkler head just off the back edge. Instead of facing a testy pitch from down below, a flattish chip awaited. Two shots later, another birdie was in hand, along with a first-place check and trophy.
The Korn Ferry Tour concludes its 2020 campaign this week, at the Orange County national championship, in Orlando, Florida.
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5 Things We Learned: Friday at the Masters
You don’t see leaves on the ground at Augusta National. The grounds crew and superintendent’s staff take care of those sorts of things, so that both course appearance and consistency of play are preserved at the top tier. We saw leaves on the ground today and, given the force and perseverance of the wind, we’re lucky that we didn’t see tree trunks along the fairways. We did see higher scores than secured in round one, and some of the three- and four-hole stretches were downright inconceivable. The cut after 36 holes came at six over par, and five dozen golfers reached the weekend of play. Numbers always define the story of a tournament, and we’ll let them define the five things we learned on day two of the 2024 Masters tournament.
One: 60 + 10
Sixty golfers posted scores of 148 or better through 36 holes, to reach weekend play. Ten more golfers posted 149 and missed the cut by a single stroke. The ones who missed the cut by a stroke included former champions Mike Weir, Zach Johnson, and Sergio Garcia. Also among the brood were current US Open champion Wyndham Clark, and Nick Dunlap, who won on the PGA Tour as an amateur in January, and subsequently turned professional. Of the ones who survived by the slimmest of margins, surviving to the weekend were former champions Jose Maria Olazabal, Hideki Matsuyama, and Adam Scott, along with Rickie Fowler and Tom Kim. Golf’s cut is a cruel and unconcerned blade, and each Masters tournament reminds us of this fact.
Tom Kim makes just the third birdie of the day on hole No. 4. #themasters pic.twitter.com/gtlLbVcQi6
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
Two: One
The number of amateurs to make the cut in the 2024 Masters is solitary. His name is Neil Shipley, and most folks love him. He wears his hair to the shoulder, and appears to have the proper balance of intensity and chill. Shipley opened with 71, then held on for 76 on day two. He made the cut by three shots, and will collect his share of hardware on Sunday. It’s safe to say that Shipley will turn his attention to learning the course, as well as his own self under pressure.
Following a birdie on No. 13, Neal Shipley is the lowest amateur on the course. #themasters pic.twitter.com/3MAjI3yltE
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
Three: 23
For most sorts fans, 23 recalls the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan. For Justin Thomas, it’s a number that will haunt him for a long time. Thomas reached tee number fifteen on Friday at even par. The two-time PGA Champion played the subsequent, four-hole stretch in 23 shots, missing the cut by a shot. On fifteen, he went for the green in two, in some sort of halfhearted manner. He got wet with shot number two, went long with his pitch, and three-putted from the fringe. On sixteen, he played away from safety and found elevated sand. His blast went down the hill, and he missed his approach putt in the wrong place. On seventeen, he missed his drive right and his approach long, and lost another shot to par. The coup de grace took place on the home hole: drive so horribly left that he had to pitch out to the fairway and hit three metal into the green. His third double bogey in four holes dropped him all the way to 151 and plus seven. Among the many questions, the foremost one was why he dropped his longtime caddy on the eve of a major championship. Surely Bones would have saved him one of those shots, and perhaps more.
Justin Thomas | 15th Hole, Round 2, Stroke 2 https://t.co/TYudRsbM8g
— ?????BuffaloGolfer.Com????? (@buffalogolfer) April 13, 2024
Four: Forty-Nine divided by five or six
Tiger Woods cannot possibly win title number six at Augusta in his 49th year, can he? Not on this broken body, and not from seven strokes behind, right? Not with so few competitive rounds over the most recent months, and not one year removed from a third-round withdrawal from this very tournament. Well, if he cannnot possibly win, allow us to dream and hope a bit, and hold on to a fantasy.
Tiger Woods gets back to one over par with chip-in birdie on No. 6. #themasters pic.twitter.com/h4G5CrbgdJ
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2024
Five: 3 that we like
We like Scottie Scheffler, of course. He seems to have a sense of Augusta National, and he was able to hold on in 2023 for the championship. We like Nikolai Hojgaard, because he might have just the proper combination of naivete and experience for a first-time winner. Finally, we like Collin Morikawa, a winner of two separate major titles. Winning at Augusta National requires a certain amount of length, unless you putt lights out. Morikawa might be embedded in one of those putting weeks.
Nicolai Højgaard chips in on No. 7 to move to red numbers. #themasters pic.twitter.com/CTE34kuOdh
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
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5 things we learned: Thursday at the Masters
The rains came early at Augusta, just as they did in Buffalo. The distinguishing factor was, they had a tournament to start in Augusta. Folks in Buffalo simply went to work, and paid attention to the clouds in north Georgia. By ten o’clock, the skies had cleared enough to begin play. Honorary tee shots were hit, and competitive play began. The delay assured that some of the afternoon groups would not sign scorecards on Thursday evening. Instead, they would rise early for completion of play, then turn right back around and go out for round two.
Round one was filled with the usual characteristics of major championship golf. A pair of golfers shot low rounds, with no guarantee that either would be able to preserve the blistering pace. Others gave shots inexplicably away, on the most confounding of holes, to push themselves away from the dream of the green jacket. Others played solid if unspectacular golf, to maintain the top of the board in sight. Finally, some held to a preserver for dear life, finding a way to stay within shouting distance of the leaders.
With that little bit of tease to lead us in, let’s get straight to the five things that we learned on Thursday at the Masters.
One: Can a horse be a horse for a course, for more than one round?
Both Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler have plenty of successful memories ’round the Augusta National course. Scheffle owns the ultimate prize, the 2022 green jacket, while DeChambeau was low amateur in 2016. That’s where the similarities end, however. DeChambeau has never finished higher than that low-am T21, while Scheffler has never finished outside the top 20 in four starts. DeChambeau has had fits of brilliance over the MacKenzie hills, but Scheffler is the one with four-round history.
While it seems unlikely the DeChambeau will miss the cut for a third consecutive time, the question of his ability to put rounds together remains. On Thursday, DeChambeau notched eight birdies on the day, and stumbled for bogey just once, at the ninth hole. For much of the day, he held a multi-shot lead over former champion Danny Willett, until Scheffler finished fast, with birdies at 12, 13, 15, and 16. His 66 brought him within one shot of the leader. Scheffler went without a bogey on the day, and ensured that DeChambeau would have much to consider over the night’s sleep.
Scottie Scheffler’s bunker shot on No. 12 finds the hole for birdie. #themasters pic.twitter.com/urr9NMj8gV
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
Two: Find a way to hang around
Rory McIlroy never looked like he had his best stuff on Thursday. Three bogeys on the day, including one at the gettable second hole, had him steaming. Unlike prior years, when his not-best stuff led to mid-70s numbers, Roars was able to four birdies along the way. His 71 won’t win any crystal, but it will keep him in the tournament. Does he need a 67 on Friday? Absolutely.
Will Zalatoris plays Augusta National as well as anyone. Eagles and birdies are always on the table for the young Texan. He reached four-under par at the 15th, but closed with two bogies for 70. Without the shot that you see below, he may never have found the mojo needed to reach minus-four. Moral of the story: find a way to get in the house with a number.
Will Zalatoris chips in on No. 5 to save par and remain in red numbers. #themasters pic.twitter.com/BeyiTsLiUp
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
Three: When you do things like this, find a way to keep it together!
The leaders’ board was filled with golfers like Ryan Fox (five-under through 12, inexplicable bogey at 13, finished minus-three), Erik Van Rooyen (minus-four through 13, only to close with three bogeys to finish one deep) Viktor Hovland (four below through nine, double at ten, one below at day’s end) and Matt Fitzpatrick (four deep through 13, three bogeys coming home.) What keeps these golfers from going deeper under par, or at least preserving their successful stature? It’s usually greed or the razor’s edge. There are too-safe places on the greens of Augusta, but there are always properly-safe areas, from where a two-putt is a probablility. In the case of most of these golfers, they either went at flags and short-sided themselves (leading to bogey) or tried to preserve their position, and landed in the three-putt zone.
Matt Fitzpatrick hits his tee shot close on Golden Bell, No. 12. #themasters pic.twitter.com/mRVfqszN3g
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
Four: How could you do this?
Rickie Fowler at 76, alongside Hideki Matsuyama. Guys, there were plenty of birdies out there! How could you manage to avoid them, and instead, stockpile the bogeys? Well, at least Hideki has a green jacket already, and at least Rickie has some crystal from Wednesday. Odds are that one of them will post 68 on Friday and make the cut.
A Wednesday to remember. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ycWS0DK9sb
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2024
Five: Which golfers do we hope to see finish strong?
With plenty of round-one action left for Friday morning, we’ve scanned the board and determined that Nicolai Højgaard looks pretty good at five-under through fifteen. We’ll take three pars. We expect one birdie. We’d love to see two or three birdies coming home. Yup, we’re greedy!
Max Homa bounced back from bogey at 12 with birdie at 13, to get back to four under par. We have the same expectations for the California kid: lots of birdies coming home. We have our eyes on a couple of guys at minus-one, and then there’s Tyrrell Hatton at three-deep, along with Ludvig Åberg at minus-two. Plenty of golf left for first-round positioning. Set your alarm for early and don’t miss a single shot!
Tiger Woods couples his drive with an accurate approach and putt to birdie hole No. 1. #themasters https://t.co/2mrLiETCzy pic.twitter.com/YhiQsIQgZH
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
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Morning 9: Tiger’s Monday practice round | Brooks, Sergio switch putters | Masters eclipse glasses
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Pingback: Tour Rundown: Rai surprises (Garcia, too) – LPGA Gameday
Lrn2journalism
Oct 5, 2020 at 9:35 pm
Reid wasn’t tied for the lead on the 72nd tee. She led her two playing partners by two strokes.