It’s beach season. All across the globe, people are shoving their toes in the sand, ready to forget their troubles for a few sunny hours of rest and relaxation.

Well, except for Hideki Matsuyama.

The 2021 Masters champion found himself marooned on a much less pleasant patch of sand on Friday at the Wyndham Championship, when his ball buried in a bunker face inches below the lip. He was able to find a stance, but that backfired in spectacular fashion as his escape attempt ricocheted off the lip and back into his footprint … twice.

We've all been there. pic.twitter.com/7wLWQz1rjj

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 4, 2023

By the time Matsuyama finally broke free, he was facing his sixth shot with a good chunk of meat left on the bone. Worse yet, Matsuyama’s bunker disaster essentially sealed a missed cut at the PGA Tour’s final event of the regular season.

Matsuyama currently sits 56th in the FedEx Cup rankings, with the top 70 qualifying for next week’s FedEx St Jude Championship. He’s probably safe to make the playoffs, but Friday’s bunker meltdown puts a lot of pressure on Matsuyama if he wants to vault into the top 50 and qualify for the BMW Championship in two weeks’ time. If Matsuyama hopes to be in the mix at Olympia Fields, he should probably avoid the beach until the autumn.

The post Watch Hideki Matsuyama get absolutely brutalised by Wyndham Championship bunker 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.

These guys are better than you can ever imagine being, and every so often they remind us that they would kick our butts if we ever had a chance to play against them.

Eight-time PGA Tour winner and Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama may be nursing an injury that knocked him out of the Wells Fargo Championship, but the right-hander still has a left-handed swing that’s miles better than anything we can muster with our good side.

When Hideki’s LH swing is better than our RH swing ? pic.twitter.com/SjhzRpLlMN

— Srixon (@SrixonGolf) May 9, 2023

That’s just unfair. There’s the signature Hideki pause at the top, a beautiful follow-through and perfect balance throughout. It goes without saying, but this guy’s very good at golf, no matter what side he’s swinging from.

The post WATCH: Hideki Matsuyama’s left-handed swing is good enough to win your club championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

During the first-round action, while warming up for his opening match, cameras panned over to Matsuyama and watched in awe as he completed an elaborate putting drill.

So, what’s the point of this torture device? It’s effectively a combination of lots of different drills that coaches use for various things…

Hideki’s drill, explained

The black training aid you see on the ground, with the silver marbles at the end, is called a Dave Pelz Putting Tutor. It’s one of the most famous putting training aids ever invented. In order to roll the ball between the marbles the putter face needs to be square at impact. If it’s not, then you won’t be able to.

The two tees between the putter head form a classic gate putting drill. If you swing your putter between them, you’ll hit the ball on the sweet spot.

The tee behind the ball is slightly unusual, but it’s probably there to prevent Matsuyama’s putter from staying too low to the ground on the backswing. It may be that Matsuyama is hitting too far up on his putts and clipping the top of the ball. The tee behind the ball could be preventing that from happening.

As for the coin on the putter head, putting coaches will often do this to smooth out the tempo and transition of a player’s stroke.

If the coin stays on the putter head as you stroke the putt, it isn’t getting jerked around. Matsuyama puts the coin on the toe of the putter (again, slightly unusual), which both makes the drill more difficult and slows down the movement of the toe of the putter. If Hideki twists the toe shut or open, the coin is more likely to fall off.

In some roundabout way, this gives Matsuyama both the feedback he needs, and the challenge to keep him focused. Both of those things are the hallmark of smart, good practice — even if it looks a little strange along the way.

The post Hideki Matsuyama’s mind-boggling putting drill, explained appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I am very disappointed to have to withdraw,” Matsuyama said in a statement, “but I felt it was the best decision to ensure my neck receives the treatment it needs for me to compete in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.”

Matsuyama, 30, entered the first week of the tour’s FedEx Cup 11th in the playoff standings thanks to early-season wins at the Zozo Championship and Sony Open and six top-10 finishes.

However, Matsuyama has dealt with a number of injuries in 2022. He withdrew from the Valero Texas Open after Round 1 with a similar neck complaint, and had to pull out of the Players Championship with a back issue. In his last appearance Matsuyama also departed mid-tournament following an opening-round 77 — which included hitting three balls in the water en route to a 9 at TPC Twin Cities’ 18th hole — at the 3M Open, this time indicating his wrist was injured. Matsuyama was also disqualified from the Memorial for using a non-conforming club.

Because it is the post-season there are no alternates. With Matsuyama out the field is down to 120 players.

You may also like:
The mystery behind Dustin Johnson’s missing FedEx Cup plaque
PGA looks to the future with projected earnings
Patrick Reed expects more LIV Golfers to compete on Asian Tour
Key stories to follow at FedEx Cup Playoffs
Carlos Ortiz withdraws from LIV Golf lawsuit
Cameron Smith tight-lipped over LIV Golf reports
PGA Tour wins court battle over LIV Golf to prevent banned players from competing in FedEx Cup
Reed was ‘on the fence’ but loving team life on LIV Golf
Youngster gets Aramco Team Series spot
WATCH: Highlights of the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield
Relief for Buhai at AIG Women’s Open
R&A increases Women’s Open purse to 7.3 million
Get the August 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in English and Arabic
LIV Golfers take in the sights ahead of International Series Singapore
PGA Tour says LIV Golf players ‘fabricating an emergency’
LIV Golf numbers grow on Asian Tour
Zalatoris to play 40th anniversary Nedbank Challenge
Gary Player at odds with son once again
15 fascinating PGA Tour FedEx Cup stats
LOOK: Big names who just lost their PGA Tour card
WATCH: An emotional Nick Faldo says goodbye
Rickie Fowler is lucky Mr 125 on PGA Tour FedExCup playoffs list
Legend John Daly ‘begged’ for LIV Golf spot
Mickelson was suspended by PGA Tour in March; banned for two years
Mickelson and Dechambeau lead group of 11 LIV golfers suing PGA Tour
Adam Hadwin in trouble with wife Jessica — again

The post Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from first FedEx Cup event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Hideki Matsuyama deposited an entire sleeve of golf balls into a body of water on the par-5 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities. The 2021 Masters champ got wet off the tee and on his next two shots following drops.

But Matsuyama did manage to salvage a somewhat spectacular quadruple-bogey. If that’s possible. After finally finding dry land by going well over the green with his seventh shot, Matsuyama’s eighth, a flop from the rough, nearly slam dunked into the hole. He settled for a tap-in 9. Have a look:

3 balls in the water.

Quadruple bogey for Hideki Matusyama @3MOpen. pic.twitter.com/F4XuB9CLWf

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 21, 2022

And here’s how the blowup looked on ShotTracker:

Hideki Matsuyama just made a 9️⃣ with THREE balls in the water at the 18th ? pic.twitter.com/593tgYiDhU

— GolfBet (@GolfBet) July 21, 2022

Yikes. Playing the back nine first, Matsuyama went out in 41, so there wasn’t much else good going on there.

Following his near journey into double digits, though, Matsuyama actually birdied his next hole, but added two more bogeys to shoot an opening 77. On the bright side, at least he had enough golf balls to finish. After his round, however, he withdrew and alerted tournament officials that it was because of a sore wrist.

You may also like:
Charley Hull and Nelly Korda in the mix at Amundi Evian Championship
Local lad Waring leads at Hillside
LPGA commissioner willing to talk to LIV Golf
LOOK: Home with ridiculous replica of Sawgrass’ 17th hole on market
Qatar’s Education City is perfect for golf and footy fans at World Cup
R&A gets greener at The Open
Remembering the greatest finish in golf — 30 years on
McGinley refuses to slate Ryder Cup mates for joining LIV Golf
Kokrak and Howell III join Stenson at LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster
Henrik Stenson removed as Ryder Cup captain
LOOK: Golf bag chaos at Scottish airport after The Open
Casey confirmed as LIV Golf Bedimster field revealed
Bryson back to ’97-98 per cent fitness’
LOOK: Then and now — The Old Course at St Andrews
Parting thoughts from the 150th Open Championship
Ryder Cup captain Stenson set for LIV Golf switch
2022 major winners accomplish historic first
Rory’s grim record at The Open
Cameron Smith’s awkward answer when asked about LIV Golf interests

The post WATCH: PGA Tour — Hideki Matsuyama dumps three in the water, salvages spectacular quadruple bogey, before withdrawing from 3M Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

His backers, which are many, say this is an oversimplification and embellishment of the 25-year-old’s nascent career. After all, the man finished runner-up at his Masters debut in 2021, took Justin Thomas to a playoff at this year’s PGA Championship and has five top-10 finishes in seven major starts. Clearly the flat stick isn’t that bad. Others say, well, look at the stats. Zalatoris finished 122th in strokes gained/putting last season and entered this week 166th. Maybe, this crowd counters, if he and his putter were on the same page those top 10s would have translated into wins.

So when that putter cooperates, like it did on Thursday at the Memorial, it gives a glimpse of what could be on Zalatoris’ horizon. Thanks to 11 consecutive one-putts, Zalatoris turned in a four-under 68 to be near the top on Day 1 at Muirfield Village.

“I made some nice par saves to keep the momentum going and had a couple of bonuses in there with a couple of 20-footers,” Zalatoris said, needing just 24 putts on the day and ranking first in putts per GIR. “Pretty pleased where my game is at, but need to drive a little better the next few days.”

Zalatoris’ one-putt streak began after starting with bogey on the 10th hole, and proceeded to make seven birdies in that 11-hole stretch. To be fair, Muirfield Village’s defences were muted by overnight rains; still, for one often at odds with his short game, now is no time for asterisks.

“Crazy,” Zalatoris said of his round. “Making eight birdies around this place obviously is really nice. I was just saying earlier before I came out here, Monday, Tuesday, if you said I was going to shoot 68 first round, I thought it would be four birdies, no bogeys. I’m shocked at how this place has softened up, with the weather we’ve had, because Monday and Tuesday was probably one of the firmer practice rounds I think I’ve had in my short stint out here.

“I guess it feels like Augusta. When you get out there Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it’s crazy firm all of a sudden greens keep the same pace, but they soften up a little bit.”

Yes, it’s only one day, and Zalatoris has been one of the better opening-round players on tour this year. The weekend, not so much (115th in Saturday scoring, 116th on Sunday). But even the most well-rounded players aren’t perfect. He is young, not even 50 tour starts to his name, and though he’s still looking for his breakthrough victory, he’s continued to put himself in a weekly position of knocking at the door. Eventually it will open, and when it does, Zalatoris could leave that pesky narrative on the outside.

Three other things you may have missed from Day 1 at the Memorial.

 Ben Jared

Spieth gets it rolling

Speaking of those in couples therapy with their putters, Jordan Spieth has been battling his Cameron flat stick most of this season, ranking 173rd in SG/putting. It’s been particularly brutal on the short ones, standing in 200th on tour from within three feet and 198th from five. Things have reached the point where Spieth was experimenting with a putter change earlier in the week.

But Spieth kept his old club in the bag, and his loyalty paid off, gaining three strokes on the field on the dance floors on Thursday en route to a respectable two-under start.

“I didn’t strike the ball really well at all and I putted great. Kind of the opposite of how things have been going,” Spieth admitted, “but I’ve been putting in a lot of work in with the putting and made a couple early and then just kept it going made a birdie early and kept it going.”

Spieth insisted there’s nothing new he’s been working on, and that while the stats haven’t showed it he does feel like he’s progressing. He’s confident in where he’s going, even if it has taken a bit longer to get there.

“Had some misreads, just been looking for the hole to catch a few, and let it get going,” Spieth said. “And got on some fast — this morning might have been the best putting surface I’ve ever been on in my life, they were that good.

“So you knew there was no excuse, and then they were so quick that wherever you’re going to start, it’s just going to roll perfectly.”

Muirfield Village has been a mixed bag for Spieth. He’s made the cut in eight of nine appearances, but has really only contended once, finishing T-3 in his magical 2015 season. Thursday’s conditions facilitated a lot of red on the board, but for a player in desperate need of results from his putter, Spieth walks away with something far more dangerous than a good score.

Sam Greenwood

Young’s star continuing to shine

He may have introduced himself to a larger audience at the PGA Championship, but Cameron Young has been doing work long before Southern Hills. The rookie is 10th on tour in strokes gained/total and seventh in scoring, and entered Ohio on a heater, finishing T-3 or better in each of his last three starts. That heater is still flaming after Thursday as Young is tied atop the board with a five-under 67.

“I think I’ve just been driving it really consistently,” Young said afterward. “I don’t know if I hit as many fairways today, but I feel like I hit a lot of good shots off the tee and consistently doing that has put me right there a lot. If I can hit the driver well, I’m going to put myself in a lot of places where not only do I have a chance to make birdie but it’s hard to make a bogey.”

Young did just that, making five birdies while throwing in an eagle at the par-5 15th, with only two bogeys on the front side (his back) keeping him from a clean card.

“I think to have shot something worse than five when I was five-under through seven holes, even missing a short one on 16, to have shot three or four, I think would have been a little disappointing given that start,” Young said. “It’s just nice to feel like I got back to where I was in the middle of the round and post a good score.”

It’s worth restating that Young is in his first year on tour, earning his card thanks to back-to-back wins last year on the Korn Ferry circuit. However, despite it being his freshman campaign, Young has eschewed any “happy to be here” notions.

“I was hoping to [compete], for sure,” Young said. “I think we knew what was possible, but I think I’ve also gotten a lot better throughout this season. I think I’m continuing to figure out how to play professional golf better. I think I’m learning what I can and can’t do. And having done well, I think, makes it a lot easier. If I was really fighting to keep my card for next year, I think it gets a lot harder. To have been around the lead and then finish high a few times, I think, just that comfort level has gone up and I’ve been able to keep going, doing what I’ve been doing.”

Forget keeping his card; Young is in the driver seat for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and could be in line to snag a spot on the US Presidents Cup team. Helping that cause would be a win this week. Mentioned above, Young’s profile was already bright and made brighter by contending in Tulsa. Should he take home Jack’s tournament, consider Young a full-blown star.

Andy Lyons

Hideki DQ’d

Hideki Matsuyama won his first career tour event at the Memorial in 2014. He had another tour first on Thursday, albeit one he’d rather forget, as the former Masters champ was disqualified for the use of a nonconforming club.

Matsuyama shot a three-over 39 through his first nine holes at Muirfield Village, but was pulled off the course before reaching the 10th. Tournament officials discovered early in the round that Matsuyama’s 3-wood — with a face that had been covered in white paint — was in possible violation of the rules for applying foreign substance to the club.

Under the new Rules of Golf, had Matsuyama not used the club before being notified, he could have continued. However, Matsuyama used the 3-wood on his opening tee shot.

Rules official Steve Rintoul explained that although the substance was believed to act as an alignment aid (foreign substances have been known to create greater distance) it still constituted a violation of the rules because the paint was considered excessive. Matsuyama was told about the potential issue on the second hole and reconfirmed what happened on the fifth. The reason he was not disqualified until the 10th is because tour officials needed to confer with the USGA about the violation.

“Our committee became aware through some pictures that were posted that there may be a substance that has been painted on the face of one of Hideki’s clubs,” Rintoul explained. “And we approached Hideki and went through the process. Hideki, are you carrying this club? Yes. Have you used this club? Because if he hasn’t used the club, it’s OK to carry a nonconforming club, you just can’t use it. Have you used this club? Well, the poor guy has played one hole, and he managed to use it off the first tee.

“At that point, without jumping to too much conclusion with the club and what exactly what was done to the club, I met Hideki at the fifth tee. The damage was done. One shot and it’s a disqualification.”

You might also like:
Analyzing the 42 players who have signed up for LIV Golf
LIV Golf: All you need to know
Your top players to watch at LIV Golf Invitational
DJ to headline LIV Golf Invitational
Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf players should not be punished harshly
PGA players defend jump to LIV Golf Invitational
Looking back at the Dubai Golf trophy with captains and players
Bland to play LIV Golf, even if it means ban
Rickie Fowler considers LIV Golf options
Shiv Kapur hails Asian Tour opportunities thanks to LIV Golf and Saudi Golf
The Gulf Club: The latest golf news from around the UAE
Meet Malak, the first Arab to play at US Women’s Open

The post Takeaways from the Memorial: Will Zalatoris in contention again, Jordan Spieth’s putter wakes up and Hideki Matsuyama’s obscure DQ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
After a decade-long absence, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) will return to Amata Springs Country Club in Thailand.

The 13th edition of the AAC will be held at the Chonburi venue from October 27-30, the R&A has announced.

This will be the first time since 2012 that Amata will host the competition, with last year’s tournament being held at Dubai Creek Golf Club in the UAE, in collaboration with the Emirates Golf Federation.

Created in 2009, the AAC was established to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region. The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2023 US Masters and 151st Open Championship, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in final qualifying for The Open.

“We look forward to bringing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship back to Amata and gathering the region’s top players at this exceptional venue once again,” said Taimur Amin, Chairman of the Asian Pacific Golf Confederation, Fred Ridley, Chairman of the Masters Tournament, and Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, in a joint statement.

“This year will be a special opportunity to build on the growth we’ve seen in amateur golf over the last 10 years since the event was last held in Thailand. We are grateful to our hosts in the region as we work together to promote the game’s development and provide pathways for talented amateurs across the Asia-Pacific.”

Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the AAC, and Cameron Smith, who won The Players in March and is currently the fourth-ranked player in the world. Collectively, AAC alumni have gone on to win 21 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date.

“We are thrilled to once again host the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship,” said Andrew Yau, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amata Spring Country Club. “Amata Spring is excited to present a challenging test for the best amateur golfers across the Asia-Pacific region.”

The 13th @AAC_golf will return to Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, October 27-30, 2022.

Read more ? https://t.co/FBWnpj9DJs pic.twitter.com/pXyGqbLKCj

— Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (@AAC_Golf) May 11, 2022

Amata Spring Country Club was designed by Lee Schmidt and established in 2005. In addition to previously hosting the AAC in 2012, the course has provided the backdrop for prestigious events such as the LPGA Thailand, the Thailand Golf Championship and the Royal Trophy team event.

“Hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is a unique opportunity to support the game of golf in Thailand as the talent in our country continues to grow,” said Rungsrid Luxsitanonda, president of the Thailand Golf Association. “We are proud to invite the top amateurs from across the region back to Thailand and Amata Spring and look forward to another exciting edition of the AAC.”

Over the AAC’s 13-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including future PGA Tour winners Matsuyama, CT Pan, Smith, Cameron Davis, Lucas Herbert, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira and Kyoung-Hoon Lee.

Last November at the Dubai Creek, Japan’s Keita Nakajima came out on top, and Dubai’s own Rayhan Thomas was runner up to Takumi Kanaya in the 2018 edition.

You might also like:
Dubai golfer Amelia McKee going pro
eGolf changing the game in the UAE
New twist in LIV Golf tale
Sensational finish at Dubai Golf Trophy
Sergio Garcia ‘can’t wait to quit PGA Tour’
Westwood and ‘many more’ request release to play LIV Golf Invitational Series
Look: Phil Mickelson spotted on golf course
Tiger Woods plays Southern Hills ahead of PGA Championship
LIV Golf Invitational Series continues to take shape
Trump to host LIV finale

The post Following on from Dubai Creek success, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship returns to Amata Springs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Enjoy an alternate history of Augusta National Golf Club in the latest edition of Golf Digest Middle East, plus a deep-dive on the most famous greens in golf and learn the secret to defending champion Hideki Matsuyama’s swing – and no, it’s not that pause at the top. Jim ‘Bones’ McKay explains why the first major of the year is the hardest event on caddies and Jim Nantz recalls Tiger’s epic 1997 victory.

Looking for a new fairway wood/hybrid? We have you covered in the latest instalment of Golf Digest’s 2022 Hot List. We also recap Georgia Hall’s runaway Aramco Saudi Ladies International victory and get a sneak peek of the Kingdom’s Safaa Golf Club, a place where golf and education happily co-exist.

All this and much more in the April 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the second issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The post Get our special Masters preview edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in both English and Arabic today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Shane Ryan
Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the Players Championship earlier this month less than an hour before his first round was scheduled to begin, and the question since has been whether lingering back issues would be resolved in time for him to return to defend his Masters title in April. On a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Matsuyama had an answer:

Yes. Probably.

Matsuyama’s current plan is to play in next week’s Valero Texas Open as a tune-up for Augusta, but he admitted that he hasn’t been practicing exactly the way he wants.

“I’ve been receiving a lot of treatment, getting prepared,” he said. “Yesterday was the first day that I’ve been able to have a good practice session. So the remainder of this week and next week, I’ll do my best to prepare well so I can defend my title at Augusta. … I haven’t been able to practice as much as I’d like, but what I have been doing, I feel like I’m on the right track. Hopefully I can find that same form that I started the year out with.”

Matsuyama endured a short slump after his Masters triumph, but fully regained his form in the fall, winning the Zozo Championship in October. He went on to win in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii and is currently ranked 12th in the world, two spots higher than after last year’s Masters. His two tour wins in the 2021-22 season have him fourth in the FedExCup standings.

Matsuyama called his Masters win “a great blessing” and remarked on the warmth he’s felt at galleries around the world.

“How it’s changed my life is a good question,” he said. “I haven’t really figured that out yet. I know I’m a happier person. I’ve also noticed people have received me differently … the one impression that I’ve had this past year is how people have embraced me and received me and cheered me on.”

Winning the Masters also comes with several traditional obligations. Most winners give one of their clubs to Augusta National, and Matsuyama said that he sent them his 56-degree wedge because he used it frequently that week. The Champions Dinner also will be his responsibility this year, but when asked for his plans, he said that he hasn’t quite finalized the menu and wasn’t ready to make a big announcement. The food, though, isn’t his biggest concern.

“I’m looking forward to it, of course,” he said, “to be with all those great past Masters champions. But at the same time, too, [I’m] very nervous about the speech I’ll be giving.”

The post Hideki Matsuyama is doing everything he can to get healthy for Augusta appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.