By Joel Beall

Admit it. You saw the name and thought, “Wait, there’s another Jay Haas?”

No offence to the man, the one and only Jay Haas, he accomplished much in his career. But it is a career that is very much in the past tense. Haas hasn’t played a full PGA Tour schedule since 2005. His last tour win was in 1993, three years before Masters champ Scottie Scheffler was born. He’s 18 years older than rookies on the PGA Tour Champions. So while it was charming to see 68-year-old Jay team up with son Bill at this week’s Zurich Classic at New Orleans, it had the hint of a publicity stunt in a game built on meritocracy.

That sentiment isn’t any less true following Day 1 at TPC Louisiana. But make sure to add this: The old guy’s still got it.

The Haas boys turned in a seven-under 65 during Thursday’s four-ball format, a score that tied tournament favorites Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa (who are a collective 58 years younger than the Haas clan) and defending champs Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, and proved the biggest surprise of Round 1 at TPC Louisiana.

“That’s really impressive. It really is,” Morikawa said of Jay’s performance. “Some of these par 3s are playing over 200 yards, and to have a birdie chance inside 15, 20 feet is a good shot already. So what Jay did today, very, very impressive.”

Jay and Bill had the longest odds of winning entering the week, a byproduct of Jay teeing it up on tour for the first time since 2010. But Bill, playing this year on a one-time money list exemption, hasn’t done much to inspire confidence either, posting just one top-25 finish in 18 starts this season. Nevertheless, Jay and Bill combined for eight birdies against one bogey Thursday. Their score has them just on the fringes of contention — six shots off the lead from Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele — but perhaps more importantly, gives them a legitimate shot to reach the weekend.

Should that come to pass, Jay would have the honour as the oldest player in PGA Tour history to make a cut, a record held by Sam Snead (67 years old) at the 1979 Westchester Classic. But from the sound of it, this week’s mission has already been accomplished.

“Obviously just being out here and teeing it up and hearing our names called tomorrow, hopefully I can hit some good shots and make some birdies and everything,” Jay said on Wednesday. “But ultimately this is just … to be with my son, again, on the grandest stage here, that’s what I’m trying to take from it.”

“It’s just a good opportunity to play golf and enjoy it and have fun, but also inside the ropes be competitive and him be able to see what I’m talking about when I say either I’m struggling or here I hit a good one, what do you see here?” Bill echoed. “To have him inside the ropes on my team, it’s just a great opportunity, and it’s just a special week. Something I’ll remember forever.”

An interesting pairing near the top

Robert Garrigus picked an interesting time to stage a comeback.

The 44-year-old has spent the last five years in golf’s wilderness, his last top-10 on tour coming in January 2018. In a vacuum, seeing his name along with teammate Tommy Gainey on the Zurich leader board after an 11-under 61 would be quite the shock.

But what makes their Thursday performance especially noteworthy is what happened earlier in the week. Golfweek reported that Garrigus became the first tour player to apply for a conflicting event release from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for the Saudi-back LIV Golf series that begins in June, a report that Garrigus confirmed to the Golf Channel.

“I am grateful to have been given a sponsor exemption into this week’s event and I just want to focus on playing the best I can,” Garrigus said.

On that end, Garrigus fulfilled his promise, contributing five birdies on the round.

“We had a great day today, made a bunch of birdies,” Garrigus said after the round. “I chipped in. He was making everything on the front nine.”

Chris Graythen

Moore bounces back from ER visit

According to Matthew NeSmith, Thursday’s aim was pretty low.

“We were just trying to finish 18 holes upright,” NeSmith said. “I mean, finish 18 holes upright, and all of a sudden, we started catching a touch of a rhythm, started making a few putts, started finding the round a little bit. We finished 18 holes, and that was the goal.”

Rhythm was caught and putts were made, as he and Taylor Moore combined for a 12-under 60. But should you think NeSmith is merely being humble, it sounds like reaching the finish line was legitimately a goal.

That’s because Moore spent Wednesday morning at the hospital.

“I had food poisoning Tuesday night up until midday yesterday,” Moore explained on his emergency-room visit. “So just got an IV and some nausea medicine. Finally ate something this morning, which was nice. Like he said, just tried to finish every hole. That was kind of a win within its own right.”

Moore did, ahem, more than stay upright, lighting up TPC Louisiana with six birdies and an eagle on his day. It’s been a somewhat shaky rookie year (which rookie years tend to be) for Moore, making seven cuts in 14 starts and ranking 123rd in strokes gained entering New Orleans. A good week could help him secure his card for next season.

But first things first, particularly with the difficult alternate shot on tap. In terms of how the team will approach Friday, it sounds like Moore has a solid game plan.

“No more Cajun for the next couple days,” he said.

MacIntyre hates shot, still makes hole-in-one

Robert MacIntyre is a fortunate man.

That’s because the pride of Scotland struck, judging by his dejected and disgusted look after contact, a poor tee shot at the par-3 14th on Thursday, to the point that MacIntyre glanced away from his ball in flight. Which is a shame, as he missed that ball finding the bottom of the cup:

He didn't love it, but he ??????.

ACE from @Robert1Lefty! pic.twitter.com/Tq5mfQnH24

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 21, 2022

Look at that smirk; MacIntyre knows he got away with one. Conversely, there are plenty of shots that are good until they aren’t, so no need to apologise.

Cantlay, Schauffele: Still good at golf

We should probably discuss the leaders, yes? That would be Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who shot the round of the day with a 13-under 59.

The duo, which has quickly become a Team USA staple, was bogey-free in the afternoon playing alongside Scheffler and Ryan Palmer, with Cantlay’s birdie on the final hole giving them the first sub-60 round in Zurich Classic history.

While Schauffele and Cantlay were one of the marquee groups, there was a bit of a question mark on how they would play. Or more specifically how Schauffele would play: He is having an odd season, ranking 17th in strokes gained but turning in just one top-10 in 10 starts. But the X-Man more than did his part on Thursday with six birdies.

Friday will be a captivating watch, as last year’s alternate shot format did them in to the tune of a 74, ultimately finishing T-11. If Thursday’s round was any indication, there seems to be little that will get in their way.

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The post An interesting pairing near the top, a 59, an emergency room visit and a 68-year-old highlight Day 1 at the Zurich Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Jay Haas was 19 when he made his first start in a PGA Tour event, the Greater Greensboro Open back in 1973 as an amateur. Forty-nine years later, at 68, he’s teeing it up for the 799th time (second only to Mark Brooks’ 803) when he partners with his son Bill at this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Despite all the years and all the experience, Haas, a nine-time tour winner, appeared to have some trepidation after a couple days of practice at TPC Louisiana.

“Yesterday didn’t help me in any way because I didn’t play very well,” Haas said on Wednesday. “So hopefully I’ll get better as the week goes on. It’s just fun being here, again being with Bill, getting the adrenalin flowing, and hopefully we can do better than I’m anticipating I’m going to do.”

Modesty aside, Haas hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since the 2010 Players Championship. The last time he made the cut was the 2006 PGA Championship. Since then, he’s been a regular on the PGA Tour Champions, winning 19 times on the senior circuit, but he knows this is a different test. Jay says Bill is outdriving him by as much as 50 yards and TPC Louisiana is playing at 7,425 yards this week, making the course a true challenge.

Even so, there’s a level of excitement given the chance to play with Bill, who approached tour officials earlier in the year to confirm Jay was eligible (he is still a tour member so that was fine). After getting approval, Bill asked his old man about the opportunity, noting that it would be fun to compete by his side but also to have him offer some friendly advice.

“I love him watching me play,” said Bill, who teamed with Jay to win exhibition competitions in 2004 (CVS Charity Classic) and 2012 (Umpqua Bank Challenge) and played for his dad at the Presidents Cup in 2015. “Last week he came down and my mom [Pam] came down and watched me at Hilton Head. I just enjoy him being out there. He listens to me go through my rounds on the phone or in person sometimes. When he’s there, he sees what I’m talking about, and he helps me with my game.

“So I think it’s just a good opportunity to play golf and enjoy it and have fun, but also inside the ropes be competitive and him be able to see what I’m talking about when I say either I’m struggling or here I hit a good one, what do you see here? I do that anyway.”

Jay was appreciative of the offer but admitted he wondered if Bill might change his mind.

“The first week or so, I kind of kept thinking, ‘well, he’s going to come to his senses and find Nick Watney or somebody,’ you know, one of his buddies,” said Jay (they’re coincidentally playing with Watney and Charley Hoffman on Thursday and Friday). But the more I thought about it, the more I’m loving it. All the guys out here have been great. So many people have said this is unbelievably cool that you’re getting to do that. It seems like I’ve become Pops out here. I’ve heard that a bunch. Hey, Pops, good shot and all that stuff. It’s been very cool. Very cool.”

Haas has a history with the New Orleans tournament, or at least when it was a traditional 72-hole stroke-play event. He’s played in the tournament 13 times, the first coming in 1977 when it was called the First NBC New Orleans Open and played at Lakewood Country Club. His best finish was a tie for second in 1983 when he cashed a check for $29,866 (finishing 22nd this week will earn him that much).

While a bit nostalgic, Jay also wants to hold up his end of the bargain this week. He knows Bill—making his 442nd career PGA Tour start—is still grinding things out this season, having played in 18 events but sitting 168th on the FedEx Cup points list. Bill, who turns 40 in May, hasn’t missed a cut in his last six cuts dating back to the Honda Classic in February, but his best finish in that time is a T-25.

Should the duo make the cut this week, it would be the 593rd time in Jay’s career, extending the tour record he already owns. He would also become the oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour, breaking Sam Snead’s record of 67 years two months, 21 days when he did it at the 1979 Westchester Classic. In the process, Jay and Bill would become the first father-son duo to make a cut on tour since Davis Love III and Dru Love at the 2018 RSM Classic.

“Obviously just being out here and teeing it up and hearing our names called tomorrow, hopefully I can hit some good shots and make some birdies and everything,” Jay said. “But ultimately this is just … to be with my son, again, on the grandest stage here, that’s what I’m trying to take from it.”

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The post Jay Haas is playing in his 799th PGA Tour event. So why does he sound so nervous? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Australians’ Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith take a selfie with the trophy after winning the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Stacy Revere

By Greg Gottfried

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler returns to action this week for the PGA Tour’s only full-field team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’ll partner with Ryan Palmer, a winner in 2019, and they’ll be one of the 80 duos looking to defeat the defending champs, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman.

With four-ball (best ball) on Thursday and Saturday and foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday and Sunday, the Zurich Classic’s fifth year as a team tournament will feature captivating star pairings and even one father-son squad.

Jay and Bill Haas will tee off this week, the former playing at age 68. So will Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter. Not only are the pairings fun, but last year’s event went to extra holes as the Australian team Leishman and Smith outlasted South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

The winning team will receive 400 FedEx Cup points per player and a $2,398,700 million share of the $8.3 million purse.

TEE TIMES: FIRST ROUND

First tee

8am
Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon
Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre

8.13am
Austin Cook-Jason Dufner
Bo Van Pelt-Ben Martin

8.26am
Danny Lee-Sangmoon Bae
Seung-Yul Noh-Michael Kim

8.39am
Keith Mitchell-Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown

8.52am
Lucas Glover-Chez Reavie
Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace

9.05am
Robert Streb-Troy Merritt
Sung Kang-John Huh

9.18am
Scott Piercy-Sean O’Hair
Tommy Gainey-Robert Garrigus

9.31am
Hank Lebioda-Chase Seiffert
Denny McCarthy-Ben Kohles

9.44am
Adam Hadwin-Adam Svensson
Matthew NeSmith-Taylor Moore

9.57am
Michael Gligic-Ryan Armour
Dawie van der Walt-Brett Drewitt

1.05pm
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

1.18pm
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

1.31pm
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

1.44pm
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

1.57pm
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

2.10pm
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

2.23pm
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

2.36pm
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

2.49pm
Alex Smalley-Hayden Buckley
Lee Hodges-Vince Whaley

3.02pm
Curtis Thompson-Nick Hardy
Seth Reeves-Jared Wolfe

10th tee

8am
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

8.13am
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

8.26am
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

8.39am
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

8.52am
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

9.05am
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

9.18am
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

9.31am
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

9.44am
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

9.57am
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

1.05pm
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

1.18pm
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

1.31pm
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

1.44pm
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

1.57pm
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

2.10pm
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

2.23pm
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

2.36pm
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

2.49pm
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

3.02pm
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

RELATED: Our 11 favourite teams at Zurich Classic

SECOND ROUND

First tee

9.20am
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

9.31am
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

9.42am
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

9.53am
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

10.04am
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

10.15am
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

10.26am
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

10.37am
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

10.48am
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

10.59am
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

1.35pm
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

1.46pm
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

1.57pm
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

2.08pm
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

2.19pm
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

2.30pm
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

2.41pm
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

2.52pm
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

3.03pm
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

3.14pm
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

10th tee

9.20am
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

9.31am
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

9.42am
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

9.53am
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

10.04am
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

10.15am
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

10.26am
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

10.37am
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

10.48am
Alex Smalley-Hayden Buckley
Lee Hodges-Vince Whaley

10.59am
Curtis Thompson-Nick Hardy
Seth Reeves-Jared Wolfe

1.35pm
Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon
Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre

1.46pm
Austin Cook-Jason Dufner
Bo Van Pelt-Ben Martin

1.57pm
Danny Lee-Sangmoon Bae
Seung-Yul Noh-Michael Kim

2.08pm
Keith Mitchell-Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown

2.19pm
Lucas Glover-Chez Reavie
Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace

2.30pm
Robert Streb-Troy Merritt
Sung Kang-John Huh

2.41pm
Scott Piercy-Sean O’Hair
Tommy Gainey-Robert Garrigus

2.52pm
Hank Lebioda-Chase Seiffert
Denny McCarthy-Ben Kohles

3.03pm
Adam Hadwin-Adam Svensson
Matthew NeSmith-Taylor Moore

3.14pm
Michael Gligic-Ryan Armour
Dawie van der Walt-Brett Drewitt

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The post Team spirit: Your 2022 Zurich Classic tee times appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.