Lee Hodges called his maiden PGA Tour win at the 3M Open a “dream week from start to finish”.

But the actual finish produced the most disrespectful news alert from a Minneapolis paper. Lee, if you’re reading, you might want to look away right now. Heck, if you played in the tournament, you might want to look away.

Actually, Lee probably won’t care much after hoisting the trophy, winning $1.4 million and earning a first Masters invite. But golf fans in the area certainly did a double take when they got this social media push from the Star Tribune. Check it out:

Someone on push notification duty at the Minneapolis paper was in a grumpy mood yesterday, or just finishing up a summer internship and going out with a bang. pic.twitter.com/BcgieuS6Ul

— The Shotgun Start (@TheShotgunStart) July 31, 2023

“Golfer no one has ever heard of blows out no-name competition at Minnesota’s PGA Tour event.” That’s cold.

OK, so we’re guessing that wasn’t meant to be sent out. That being said, a few years back the Palm Beach Post went with the headline “No-Name Champion” when Keith Mitchell won the Honda Classic. Rough. That newspaper later apologised.

But again, this was probably just a mistake by one person putting out a breaking news alert. Hey, at least they gave Hodges’ seven-shot win the “breaking news” treatment. And as you can see, they followed it up with a “re-sent to correct headline”. Here were the other headlines on the Star Tribune’s website on Sunday:

“Lee Hodges completes wire-to-wire victory at 3M Open, sets tournament scoring record.”

And:

“This PGA Tour victory could be the first of many for 3M Open champions Lee Hodges.”

The “first of many”! Now that’s some R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

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While Lee Hodges had seemingly sucked most of the drama out of the last few holes of the 3M Open late Sunday, his playing partner JT Poston provided plenty at the last possible moment.

That drama cost Poston $260,000.

The two were heading down the par-5 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities with Hodges holding a comfortable three-shot lead over Poston, who was three shots clear of third place. Hodges, looking for his first PGA Tour victory, hit his tee shot left and into the rough. Poston, a two-time PGA Tour winner, hit his drive right, a couple feet from the water and inside the red hazard line.

After a long discussion with caddie Aaron Flener, Poston opted to go for the green with his second shot from 214 yards. This despite the ball being a foot below his feet and Poston needing to carry almost the entire distance to cover the water guarding the front of the green. Ultimately, the ball came out low, bounced off rocks along the edge of the water and hit the 3M Open sign that was in the water.

After a drop, Poston laid up to 98 yards with his fourth shot. From there, he simply needed to hit the ball on the green and two-putt for double-bogey 7 to still secure solo second place. But he missed the green short, putted it from 30 feet away to five feet and missed that double-bogey putt. A tap-in for a triple-bogey 8 dropped him back into a three-way tie for second place at 17-under par.

So here’s where the $260K comes in. A solo second-place finish would’ve given Poston $850,000. The second-place tie with Martin Laird and Kevin Streelman gave him $590,200.

Not out here to finish 2nd. Trying to win. Would make that decision 10 times out of 10 under circumstances https://t.co/GHsIErHCil

— J.T. Poston (@JT_ThePostman) July 30, 2023

“At the end of the day it’s not the way I wanted to end, but I had to try and give it a shot and see if there was some way I could make 3 there at the end and put some pressure on Lee,” said Poston, who shot 69 and later reiterated his thoughts on Twitter. “It was a shot that was going to be hard to pull off, but we weren’t playing for second place. I had to give it a shot.”

Earlier, Laird and Streelman both produced some impressive play on the final hole, not knowing that it eventually would be worth more money and FedEx Cup points. Laird made a 20-foot putt for eagle on the 18th to shoot 64, and Streelman hit a wedge to eight feet and made that for birdie to shoot 66.

The threesome was a shot ahead of Dylan Wu and Keith Mitchell in fifth place, but seven shots behind Hodges, who shot a final-round 67.

The post JT Poston cost himself $260K on final hole of 3M Open, says he’s ‘not out here to finish 2nd’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Happy, but not content. Or complacent. That had to be the mindset for Lee Hodges heading into Sunday’s final round of the 3M Open. Happy, of course, to hold a five-stroke 54-hole lead at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. But aware that despite how easy Brian Harman made it look last week at the Open Championship, closing out a win while holding a big lead was still hard work. And maybe even harder when you’re a 28-year-old in your second full season on the PGA Tour trying to win your first career title.

If Hodges didn’t believe us, all he had to do is look at what happened a year ago at this very event, where tour veteran Scott Piercy was up four shots with 18 holes left. But the wheels fell off on the back nine, and Tony Finau stepped up to make six birdies over his first 16 holes and cruise to a three-shot win.

To his credit, Hodges didn’t let his wheels come off. He made a pair of eagles while stretching his lead to as much as seven shots at one point, eventually posting a four-under 67 and a 24-under 260 total to win by seven over JT Poston, Martin Laird and Kevin Streelman.

“That was my goal, to be aggressive. I thought I was too aggressive with my putter, kept knocking them by the hole,” Hodges said. “But that was my gameplan, to be aggressive. I was not trying to lag it up there and just give it a chance.”

In converting his second career 54-hole lead on tour (the other coming at the 2022 American Express, where he finished third), Hodges also helped solve another issue he was facing. The former college golfer at Alabama started this week 74th in the FedEx Cup points standings, 15 points out of the 70th spot that’s the cut-off for making the playoffs in two weeks.

The win moved him to 33rd, not only comfortable inside the top 70 but with a great chance of finishing inside the top 50 that could earn him spots into 2024’s designated events and in position to get to the top 30 and find himself playing in the Tour Championship in a few weeks.

Oh, and then there’s the prize money payout that could come with victory: $1.404 million from the overall purse of $7.8 million. Hodges’ biggest career pay day to date was a $410,000 cheque for finishing T-12 at Memorial in June. Having made $3.6 million in his 64 previous starts on tour, a victory would be a big deal in the wallet as well.

Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer who made the cut this week

Win: Lee Hodges, 260/-24, $1,404,000
T-2: Martin Laird, 267/-17, $590,200
T-2: J.T. Poston, 267/-17, $590,200
T-2: Kevin Streelman, 267/-17, $590,200
T-5: Keith Mitchell, 268/-16, $301,275
T-5: Dylan Wu, 268/-16, $301,275
T-7: Aaron Baddeley, 269/-15, $245,050
T-7: Tony Finau, 269/-15, $245,050
T-7: Sam Ryder, 269/-15, $245,050
T-10: Cam Davis, 270/-14, $196,950
T-10: Emiliano Grillo, 270/-14, $196,950
T-10: Sam Stevens, 270/-14, $196,950
T-13: Zac Blair, 271/-13, $135,664.29
T-13: Garrick Higgo, 271/-13, $135,664.29
T-13: Beau Hossler, 271/-13, $135,664.29
T-13: Alex Noren, 271/-13, $135,664.29
T-13: Nick Hardy, 271/-13, $135,664.28
T-13: Billy Horschel, 271/-13, $135,664.28
T-13: Callum Tarren, 271/-13, $135,664.28
T-20: Jason Dufner, 272/-12, $82,178.58
T-20: Tyson Alexander, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-20: Tyler Duncan, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-20: Ben Griffin, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-20: Tom Hoge, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-20: Aaron Rai, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-20: Matti Schmid, 272/-12, $82,178.57
T-27: Doug Ghim, 273/-11, $58,110
T-27: Chesson Hadley, 273/-11, $58,110
T-27: S.H. Kim, 273/-11, $58,110
T-30: Kramer Hickok, 274/-10, $46,744.29
T-30: Stephan Jaeger, 274/-10, $46,744.29
T-30: Hideki Matsuyama, 274/-10, $46,744.29
T-30: Doc Redman, 274/-10, $46,744.29
T-30: Eric Cole, 274/-10, $46,744.28
T-30: Mackenzie Hughes, 274/-10, $46,744.28
T-30: Max McGreevy, 274/-10, $46,744.28
T-37: Stewart Cink, 275/-9, $34,710
T-37: Adam Long, 275/-9, $34,710
T-37: Patrick Rodgers, 275/-9, $34,710
T-37: J.J. Spaun, 275/-9, $34,710
T-37: Adam Svensson, 275/-9, $34,710
T-37: Kevin Yu, 275/-9, $34,710
T-43: MJ Daffue, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: Paul Haley II, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: Matt Kuchar, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: David Lipsky, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: Justin Lower, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: Justin Suh, 276/-8, $24,726
T-43: Matt Wallace, 276/-8, $24,726
T-50: Peter Kuest, 277/-7, $19,578
T-50: Trey Mullinax, 277/-7, $19,578
T-50: Vincent Norrman, 277/-7, $19,578
T-53: Brice Garnett, 278/-6, $18,447
T-53: Russell Knox, 278/-6, $18,447
T-53: Chad Ramey, 278/-6, $18,447
T-53: Brandt Snedeker, 278/-6, $18,447
T-57: Ryan Gerard, 279/-5, $17,706
T-57: Nate Lashley, 279/-5, $17,706
T-57: Grayson Murray, 279/-5, $17,706
T-57: Henrik Norlander, 279/-5, $17,706
T-57: Brandon Wu, 279/-5, $17,706
T-62: Frankie Capan III, 280/-4, $17,160
T-62: James Hahn, 280/-4, $17,160
T-64: Ludvig Aberg, 281/-3, $16,614
T-64: Kevin Chappell, 281/-3, $16,614
T-64: Trevor Cone, 281/-3, $16,614
T-64: Kaito Onishi, 281/-3, $16,614
T-64: Matthias Schwab, 281/-3, $16,614
69: S.Y. Noh, 282/-2, $16,146
70: C.T. Pan, 284/E, $15,990
71: Ben Taylor, 285/+1, $15,834
T-72: Jim Herman, 291/+7, $15,600
T-72: Augusto Núñez, 291/+7, $15,600

The post Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 3M Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Lee Hodges played so impeccably for four days at the 3M Open that he seemed destined to win easily, and, sure enough, in closing out his wire-to-wire victory Sunday, his margin of victory was seven strokes. That’s the most of any winner on the PGA Tour in nearly three years. Impressive stuff. Especially in notching his maiden tour title. But we promise you, it’s unlikely there has ever been a more nerve-racking seven-shot win in tour history.

Despite holding a five-stroke lead entering the final round, Hodges promised to stay aggressive. And it was a good thing he did. Thanks to a pair of eagles, Hodges was able to weather a wobbly putter down the stretch and finish off a record-setting performance at TPC Twin Cities. With a final-round 67, capped by a tap-in birdie on the 72nd hole, Hodges set the tournament record with a 24-under 260 total to register the event’s first wire-to-wire win.

From high school sweethearts to their first PGA TOUR win

A special moment for Lee Hodges and his wife, Savannah @3MOpen. pic.twitter.com/3TyQlmBXih

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 30, 2023

“It’s just a dream week, the whole thing,” said Hodges, a second-year tour player who won in his 65th career tour start. “I mean, I played … honestly, from Monday to Sunday I played really good golf, even in practice rounds. The pro-am I made a bunch of birdies and then I made a bunch of birdies in the tournament with not many bogeys, so it was just one of those weeks.”

The 28-year-old Alabama native began the week 74th in the FedEx Cup standings with the goal of simply improving his chances of moving into the top 70 for a playoff berth when the regular season ends after next week’s Wyndham Championship. Instead, Hodges catapulted himself 41 spots to 33rd with one event remaining in the regular season. In the process, he earned $1.404 million and became the 11th first-time winner in the 2022-23 tour season. His is the largest winning margin since Dustin Johnson lapped the field by 11 shots at the 2020 Northern Trust at TPC Boston.

Though he led the field with 25 birdies, it was those pair of eagles that saved Hodges considerable angst on a sunny afternoon in Blaine, Minnesota. Both were set up by 3-wood second shots from the exact same distance, 257 yards. The first, at the par-5 sixth, yielded an 11-footer that he rolled in to extend his advantage over his nearest pursuer, JT Poston, to seven strokes. Then at the par-5 12th, he executed even better, nestling the approach to less than three feet.

“Those were two of the greatest shots I ever hit,” Hodges said. “Wish I maybe would have been a little less aggressive with my putter; I ran a couple by there late, but whatever, it all worked out.”

He’s referring to three-putt bogeys at the 15th and 17th holes that, combined with birdies by Poston at 15 and 16, suddenly made the proceedings far from a done deal as Hodges’ lead dwindled to three.

And then, just like that, sweaty palms time was over.

Poston sure helped in that regard at the par-5 home hole by leaving himself a tricky lie with the ball below his feet after pushing his tee shot to the edge of the water right of the fairway. He thought he had enough to cover the hazard with his approach, but the ball came out on a low trajectory and ricocheted off the rocks and into the penalty area.

No doubt breathing easier, Hodges, after laying up, stuffed his approach from 115 yards to 16 inches for a closing birdie.

A nightmare ensued for Poston, who decided to lay up with his fourth shot. He came up short-left of the green with his fifth and then needed three more strokes, all with his putter, to find the hole. His triple-bogey eight dropped him into a tie for second place at 17-under 267, costing him $260,000 (the difference between solo second and a three-way tie). He closed with a 69.

“We’re not coming here to finish second. At the end of the day we were trying to do something special and try and win,” Poston said. “I wouldn’t want to be sleeping tonight wondering “what if” if I had just laid it up instead of trying to go for it. No regrets on the decision. You know, tried to do what we could to win.”

Martin Laird and Kevin Streelman were the beneficiaries of Poston’s stumble to gain a share of second — and also improve their prospects for keeping their tour cards. Laird fired a 64 and moved up 46 places from outside the top 150 to 111th in the standings. Streelman, meanwhile, went from a precarious 120th to 84th.

Finishing in the top 125 after a series of seven autumn events still earns a full exemption for the following season that begins in January.

Several other players improved their lot heading into the Wyndham Championship, perhaps none more so than Cameron Davis. The Australian shot a closing 65 and got himself inside the all-important top 70. He is 69th after finishing T-10 at 14-under 270. Meanwhile, Poston, Keith Mitchell (T-5) and Sam Ryder (T-7), who all were lurking in the 60s in the standings, moved farther from the bubble. Poston went from 60th to 49th, Mitchell, after 67-268, climbed from 66 to 57, and Ryder, thanks to a 68-269, moved seven places to 62nd.

Of course, no one enjoyed a more fulfilling week than Hodges. He’s securely in the playoffs, has set himself up to finish in the top 50 — which qualifies for all of the designated events next year — and can think about chasing a spot in the Tour Championship. Oh, and he also earned invitations to next year’s Masters, PGA Championship and the Players Championship.

First things first, however. “Just get ready for the playoffs. I think we’re as ready as we can be,” he said when asked about what comes next on his agenda. “I’m playing some really good golf. I’m excited to have the opportunity to do some special things in the playoffs now. I mean, anytime you win, you really set yourself up for some special stuff.

“My caddie was telling me on 18, I honestly didn’t even think about it, we get to play Augusta next year. That’s something else. That was probably the coolest thing I heard all day. Yeah, I’m just really thankful. Everything that comes with a win is unbelievable.”

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It was their fantasy since playing college golf together at the University of Minnesota. Erik van Rooyen and Alex Gaugert dreamt of the days they’d room together, practice together and competing against each other on the PGA Tour. When it finally happened over a whirlwind five days at the 3M Open, only 16 miles from where they bonded as Golden Gophers, the reality was far more meaningful than they ever imagined.

Even amid both missing the cut on Friday at TPC Twin Cities, they stood together afterward — Van Rooyen the tour player and Gaugert his regular caddie who Monday qualified — and spoke with emotion about what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It was a dream,” said Gaugert as he held his young daughter, Annika, in the crook of his arm. “It happened fast. Monday qualifiers, never done one and to get through was pretty cool. Then the tour allowed us to play together — that was really memorable and something we’ll never forget.

"It was a dream."

A special week Alex Gaugert and @FredVR_ will remember forever @3MOpen ? https://t.co/nSQfbqakkX pic.twitter.com/2YGNAZYa0o

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 29, 2023

“I know after I qualified there was definitely a few tears shed and it was really, really cool. And all the support, especially from … the caddie yard and all the caddies and even the players, it was nice to get that feeling where everyone’s lifting you up and telling you: ‘Good job.’ It was cool to kind of have the light shine on you for a week.”

Van Rooyen got teary speaking of those college dreams and said: “We get to share that a little bit with him on the bag, but with him playing a tournament, it was really, really cool.”

They may laugh later that they’re probably better as a team. Neither is playing on the weekend, with Van Rooyen shooting 68-71 to miss the cut by a shot, while Gaugert bounced back from an opening 77 to shoot even-par 71 in the second round to miss by 10 shots.

Gaugert said he long ago understood how skilled the players were on the PGA Tour.

“Before you kind of see it, you have this kind of false sense of hope,” he said. “Once you see it first-hand, week in and week out, with all these great players, puts in perspective what it takes to be out here.

“A lot of friends who maybe are amateurs will tell me: ‘Dude, you need to go play.’ I would love to, but I know how good I have to be and if I can’t do that on a daily basis at home, what makes me think that I’m going to be able to do it in a tournament.”

With their group finishing on the ninth hole Friday, Van Rooyen and Gaugert walked up the fairway side-by-side, sharing wide smiles.

“Just taking in the moment,” Gaugert said. “You don’t get these special moments every single week. This game’s hard, and it was.”

Added van Rooyen, “Playing the PGA Tour is such a huge privilege, man. It’s the best of the best that play here. And I know how good he is and to see the look on his face, it just reinforces for me how grateful I need to be playing here.”

The post Still pals: Pro and his caddie who Monday qualified soaked up dream week playing together at 3M Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Justin Thomas is almost out of time.

The two-time major winner was a late addition to the 3M Open, adding the Minnesota tour stop and next week’s regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship to his schedule in hopes of earning his way into the FedEx Cup and supporting his case for Ryder Cup inclusion. Unfortunately for Thomas, his year-long struggles continued, as an even-par 71 on Friday ends his week early at TPC Twin Cities.

At times, Thomas looked like the Thomas of old, racking up six birdies in Round 2, four of which came on his final five holes. But he continues to be unable to keep the big numbers at bay, making two double-bogeys, including a seven at the par-5 18th (his ninth), where Thomas put two balls in the water. A switch to a new counterbalanced putter failed to produce dividends, as Thomas lost strokes to the field on the greens.

Thomas finished 36 holes at two-under, and with only six players left to complete the rain-delayed third round, he was going to miss the cut that came at four-under. It was the fourth time in Thomas’ last five rounds that he failed to break par and threatens to be his fifth missed cut in his last seven starts.

Thomas will have one more chance to make the PGA Tour’s post-season, needing a strong finish at the Wyndham to earn a playoff spot among the top 70. He went into the weekend at No. 75. His spot on the Ryder Cup team is more ambiguous. Certainly, his recent form would suggest he doesn’t warrant a spot on the playing roster. Conversely, Thomas has emerged as the heart and soul of Team USA. He embraces the pressure, engages the crowd and, occasionally, enrages his opponents. Thomas has scored a whopping 17.5 points for the Americans across two Ryder Cups and three Presidents Cups.

Should he win or grab a runner-up at the Wyndham, Thomas will get at least two more weeks of an audition in the playoffs. But his season, and his chances to play in Rome, are essentially down to two rounds.

Other takeaways from Friday’s weather-delayed action at the 3M Open.

Visit to friend’s garage pays off for Streelman

Kevin Streelman. Sam Greenwood

It’s been a bit of a rough go for Kevin Streelman in 2023, entering the week 120th in the FedEx Cup standings. But the 44-year-old is off to an auspicious start at the 3M Open, co-owning the clubhouse lead at 10-under with the afternoon wave set to finish their rounds Saturday morning.

According to Streelman, what got him turned around in the right direction this week was a visit to his friend and coach Jake Thurm’s garage.

“He’s got all this 3-D technology. You get in this high-tech suit with all these flashing lights all over the place,” Streelman said after a Friday 68. “I had noticed my hips and my shoulders were pretty square to my target, but my rib cage was actually like 20 degrees open — like it’s something you couldn’t see with 2-D in video. Now, all of a sudden, I’m able to feel that rotation and on both sides of the ball.”

Streelman isn’t joking, ranking fifth in driving accuracy and 14th in strokes gained/off-the-tee through 36 holes. Streelman would likely need a win or runner-up this week to move into the postseason, but he’s in good position to make such a weekend move. Still, it doesn’t sound like Streelman minds the pressure that comes with the position.

“We’ve played enough of these tournaments crazy things can happen any one week. Just kind of staying patient and if an opportunity comes, you’ve got to try and grab it,” Streelman said. “But if not, you just try and get better for the next week and prepare to try and make it happen the next week. It’s what I love about our sport, too. I think it would be depressing to be on a bad baseball team and like at the end of the season, you know you can’t get to the playoffs.

“Like Jim Herman a few years ago missed most of the cuts of the year and then he goes and wins the Wyndham. That’s such a cool story and such a cool part of our game that makes us different. Feel fortunate to be able to do that.”

Poston posts consecutive 66s

JT Poston enters the final two weeks on the FedEx Cup bubble, ranking 60th in the standings. He’s off to a good start in Minneapolis to move off the bubble and safely into the post-season.

Poston backed up an opening 66 with another 66 on Friday, grabbing the clubhouse lead with Streelman.

“Game’s just been solid overall,” Poston said. “I think yesterday the putter was kind of the difference maker. It was playing pretty tough with the wind that we had in the afternoon and I just had one of those days where I felt like I couldn’t miss, so it was a good time to do that. Today was just really solid I felt like. Obviously, bogey free, which is nice. Yeah, game just feels like it’s in a good place.”

Poston is doing what he’s doing thanks to a hot short game, gaining nearly five shots over the field on the greens. It continues a strong showing from Poston that dates back nearly a month.

“A few weeks ago I was 85th [in the standings], so I was trying to just string together some good weeks,” Poston explained. “Played really well at the John Deere, played well again at Scottish and had a decent week last week at the Open. So just kind of been riding a nice wave of momentum of good golf.”

Young fails to advance to weekend

Cameron Young. Warren Little

Earlier this week US Ryder Cup vice captain Fred Couples said Cameron Young was a lock for the American roster. Perhaps that will assuage Young’s quick exit from the Twin Cities.

Young, the highest ranked player in the 3M Open field, will miss the cut after a 71-69 showing.

Young was coming off a T-8 at the Open, where he played in the final pairing with eventual champion Brian Harman, and had a T-6 at his previous start at the John Deere Classic. However, it’s been a bit of a rocky sophomore campaign for Young, who will now have some work to do in the playoffs to advance to the second and third rounds. He entered the week at 41st in the FedEx standings, and the top 50 after the St. Jude make it to the BMW Championship.

Joining Young in missing the weekend was Joel Dahmen, who will need a good performance at the Wyndham Classic to break into playoffs after entering the week at 81st. Former US Open champ Gary Woodland also missed the cut.

The post Justin Thomas running out of time for FedEx Cup playoffs and Ryder Cup after missing 3M Open cut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Maybe there was a mix-up with tee times. Maybe people got lost trying to find TPC Twin Cities. Or, maybe it was simply too hot. Regardless of the reason, one PGA Tour pro — a PGA Tour winner, in fact — says no amateurs showed up to play with him in Wednesday’s pro-am ahead of the 3M Open. And now he’s using it as motivation.

Hey, we don’t blame CT Pan one bit. That must have been slightly embarrassing when he was the only golfer on the first tee. We’re guessing defending champ Tony Finau didn’t get stood up like that.

But the 2019 RBC Heritage winner — and 2020 Olympic bronze medallist! — seemed to handle the awkward situation well, flashing a smile in a selfie and offering a two-word phrase to light a fire under himself:

No amateurs showed up to my pro am group. #playbetter @3MOpen pic.twitter.com/MB054k1JGh

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) July 26, 2023

“Play better.” It’s the same hashtag used by JT Poston during his rookie season on tour when someone mistook him for a parking valet at the 2017 Honda Classic. And look at all JT has done since! So this is a great sign for CT.

Again, there must have been some kind of mix-up, but you do you, CT. Also, we know tour pros don’t like playing in pro-ams and giving golf tips to weekend hackers for five hours anyway, so this was a blessing in disguise.

In any event, Pan has two fellow tour pros as playing partners during Thursday’s first round. And at three-under after Day 1, he’s already making good on his new mantra.

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It’s unusual when a PGA Tour player figures out how to quickly improve a certain aspect of their game. After all, they’re already so good. Good enough to get on the PGA Tour. How much better can they actually get?

In Stephan Jaeger’s case, the answer is: Quite a lot!

Back in 2016, Stephan Jaeger became the first player in the history of the Korn Ferry Tour to shoot 58 in competition. By 2020, he was king of the tour itself, winning the tour’s points list courtesy of two wins and another runner-up finish. He was going to the PGA Tour.

But when he arrived, his driver didn’t seem to come with him.

During the 2021-22 season, Jaeger finished 184th in SG: Off The Tee — losing more than half-a-stroke on his peers each round. His driving distance average was 293 yards, and he ranked 136th in driving accuracy, with a clubhead speed 114 yards.

“Looking at the stats, I was pretty much the worst driver on tour,” Jaeger said. “I was short, I didn’t hit a lot of fairways and I hit some foul balls. I just kind of decided: ‘What can I change to make it better?’”

How Jaeger got faster — and straighter

Jaeger said he found himself in a spiral, of sorts: He’d miss fairways, so he started swinging slower and more cautiously. When he’d miss yet more fairways, he’d swing more cautiously still. When Jaeger dug into the stats, and thought about what was going wrong, he realised it was swinging softly and cautiously that was causing him to miss fairways. The more he worried about hitting the ball straight, the more it went sideways.

So, Jaeger got to work. He hired PGA Tour fitness trainer Mike Carroll, who assigned him a series of mobility exercises and began speed training, which has all become part of his routine. His logic was pretty simple:

Stephan Jaeger drops it in close ? pic.twitter.com/UI83FjCJuN

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 30, 2023

“I told him, ‘I want to get faster,’” he said. “I figured, ‘If I hit it long and in the crap, it’s better than short and in the crap.’”

The results were pretty instantaneous.

Jaeger says he has gained almost 10 mph on his topline speed. His average on-course clubhead speed this season is up to 117 mph from 114 mph last year, and his ball speed almost 176 mph from 172 mph.

Jaeger was expecting to get longer — and he did. But he wasn’t expecting to actually get straighter, too.

“If I’m not feeling comfortable with my driver I’ll swing harder. I remember the first time doing it, I said: ‘I’m going to kind of feel like John Daly here,’” Jaeger says. “It tightens my dispersion. It’s the craziest thing ever.”

Jaeger said swinging harder, and improving his body’s range of motion, started cleaning up his action without him even trying. His swing got longer, he says, but also less “laid off.” He was making more committed, confident swings, and the stats prove it once again.

This season, Jaeger’s Driving Distance is 306 yards — 13 yards longer than last year — and he’s jumped inside the top 50 in SG: Off The Tee. Pair that with his elite chipping (he’s inside the top 10 in SG: Around the Green for the second consecutive season), and he’s got four top 10s to show for it. Heading into the FedEx Cup playoffs, he’s also into the top 65 in FedEx Cup points.

“It’s kind of changed my game. Before I was always trying to keep my card. Now, I want to get to the point where I can be a top 30 player out here,” he says. “It’s really exciting.”

A good lesson for the rest of us too. Work on your mobility, flexibility and strength. Work in some speed training, too. And even when swinging cautiously may feel safe when you’re not feeling comfortable, it could be doing more harm than good. Making a faster, more committed swing may be the best thing you can do. For distance and accuracy.

The post Jaeger bombing it! How this PGA Tour player gained 13 yards in one season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Nick Hardy snapped his 9-iron around a tree — with a stunning result —during the first round of the 3M Open on Thursday, but before that, he also tasted how luck — good and bad — plays its part in the tricksy game of golf.

Early during Hardy’s opening round, was fortunate to he was the fortunate beneficiary of an amazing horseshoe-and-in putt. Check it out:

.@NickHardy8 can only smile after that break ? pic.twitter.com/dTzM93koXh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2023

But the breaks can be just as wicked on the greens and not long after that moment of luck, the tables were turned when a dead-centre putt was rejected and lipped out in the nastiest of fashions:

Golf giveth, and golf taketh away … https://t.co/0hpHGc9t16 pic.twitter.com/dowDoaG3OT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2023

Hardy took it all with a smile, and was still smiling when he trotted towards his final hole for birdie, mangled 9-iron in hand.

The post WATCH: Nick Hardy’s highs and lows on the 3M Open greens appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sometimes all it takes is returning to a familiar place for a golfer to find something in their game.

Such was the case on Thursday at the 3M Open for Brandt Snedeker. The 42-year-old’s first professional victory came in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in 2006 and a decade later, returned for his first Ryder Cup appearance, where he contributed three full points in three matches for Team USA.

Perhaps it should be no surprise, then, that Snedeker went low, posting a seven-under 64 in Blaine, Minnesota. Though that leaves him one shot behind leader Lee Hodges, the bogey-free round has to be an encouraging sign for Snedeker, who is continuing his return from a scary sternum injury and an experimental surgery to fix it.

He played first at the Memorial Tournament in June, where he tied for 41st. Since then he has missed the cut in all four events he’s played. One of the nicest and most positive guys on tour, Snedeker didn’t let the string of bad results get him down.

“I knew coming back, it was going to be a lot of excitement, I was going to have a great attitude, everything’s going to go as good as it possibly could, and there’s going to be a lull after that just from lack of competition and lack of playing,” Snedeker said. “I was anticipating it. It’s never easy to go through it. The hardest thing is making sure you stay positive knowing that when you do turn around, you’re able to take advantage of it.

“Just kind of a lot of hard work, a lot of hitting balls and practicing when I’m home and missing cuts and going home on the weekend and practicing my tail off. That’s the only thing I know to do to get better. So hopefully, kind of all the work’s kind of paid off and ready to go now, start playing some good golf.”

He played some good golf on Thursday, indeed and will head out on Friday to try to continue his upward trend.

Taking advantage of the conditions

Hideki Matsuyama was also able to take advantage of lower winds in the morning at TPC Twin Cities. The 2021 Masters champion put on a ball-striking clinic in the first round en route to a bogey-free, seven-under 64, which tied him for the lead at the time.

He led the field in strokes gained/tee to green and strokes gained/approach, picking up more than four strokes on the field in the latter category. Matusyama’s average proximity to the hole on his approach shots was 13 feet, 10 inches on Thursday. For reference, the average proximity on approach shots for tour players from the fairway is right around 30 feet. So, yeah, that was pretty good.

Matsuyama tied for seventh at this event two years ago after opening with a 64. He’ll be hoping for a slightly better result this time, especially after withdrawing after the first round last year with a wrist injury that has nagged him at times over the last couple of years.

Justin Thomas. David Berding

Post-season golf looms large

Justin Thomas was not planning to play this week. But the threat of missing post-season golf — something Thomas has not done since the 2013-14 season — is very real. The former World No. 1 has missed five cuts since the Masters, his best finish in that stretch a T-9 at the Travelers.

This is unfamiliar territory for Thomas, who has finished in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings every year since he won the FedEx Cup in 2017. He was No. 75 entering this week, which, in past years, would have been safely inside the top 125 threshold for making the playoffs. But the elimination of the first playoff event means that only the top 70 make the playoffs going forward, hence Thomas’s presence in Minnesota this week.

Much has also been made of the possibility of Thomas missing out on the Ryder Cup in Rome. A US stalwart, Thomas has been on every winning Presidents and Ryder Cup team since 2017, and even put up four points in five matches during Europe’s runaway victory in France in 2018. He’d be a big loss, on paper, for the Americans should he not qualify or be one of Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks.

Playing Thursday afternoon in whipping winds, Thomas closed strong with two birdies in his final five holes to post a two-under 69, a pretty good round in the afternoon wave. He’s five shots off the lead heading into Friday. If the winds are as calm at the beginning of the second round as they were in the first round, Thomas could well find himself in contention come the weekend, something he desperately needs this week.

Thomas is not the only player in the field jockeying for position in various standings as the regular season winds down. Defending 3M Open champion Tony Finau is well outside the automatic qualifying spots for the Ryder Cup, entering the week at No. 19 for the US — only the top six qualify for the 12-man roster.

Can't stop. Won't stop.@TonyFinauGolf is on another level. pic.twitter.com/MQV3WFJmnD

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2023

Finau started on fire on Thursday morning, starting on the 10th tee with four birdies and an eagle in his first six holes.

He wasn’t as clean coming home, carding two bogeys and a birdie, but was still able to card a five-under 66 in his title defence.

Cameron Young, who has risen to No. 15 in the World Ranking without winning a PGA Tour event is another Ryder Cup hopeful. The 26-year-old is in much better form than his aforementioned compatriots, with back-to-back top 10s entering the 3M and only two spots outside of an auto-bid into the Ryder Cup. He also struggled in the afternoon winds, fighting to stay at even-par after one round.

Young has a good case for a captain’s pick, but Johnson may want to see some more elite form from the would-be rookie, especially with the matches taking place on European soil.

Another former FedEx Cup champion in danger of missing the playoffs is Billy Horschel. The 2014 champion matched Finau with a morning 66, but needs excellent results this week — and likely next — to make the playoffs.

“I’ve never not been outside the top 70 … that I can think of, so I wasn’t really too worried about it,” Horschel said on Tuesday. “But now that I’ve looked at it, it is a really daunting task. You have to play well to be able to be in the top 70.

“I think, talking with some guys and, you know, I was a part of those PAC meetings at the time and I was part of the top players group discussing some of these changes. You know, I think we all thought 70 was a good number. Now looking back at it and talking with some guys, we’re thinking maybe that number needs to be a little bit more, maybe it needs to be around 100, maybe it needs to be around 90.”

A few more rounds of 66 may do a bit to quell Horschel’s concerns.

The post 3M Open Day 1 takeaways: Brandt Snedeker’s encouraging day, a ball-striking clinic and post-season golf looms large appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.