By Alex Myers
Playoff losses are never easy, but Joaquin Niemann’s runner-up to Harris English at Kapalua comes with a statistical distinction that might make the result even more heartbreaking. If he even knows about this particular statistical distinction, that is.

We’re pretty sure the 22-year-old golfer was unaware that his 31 birdies during the Sentry Tournament of Champions came within one of the PGA Tour records. And we’re positive he wouldn’t have known whose mark he would have matched. Heck, we’re guessing very few golf fans know about this one.

Turns out, only two golfers have made 32 birdies during a 72-hole event in PGA Tour history. One is Mark Calcavecchia, a major champ with a penchant for going on birdie sprees. Calcavecchia, whose 32-birdie binge came during the 2001 Waste Managment Phoenix Open, also shares the record for consecutive birdies with nine in a row. Yeah, Calc can COOK as the kids say.

But the kids probably don’t know too much about the other member of the 32-birdie club, Paul Gow. Yep, Paul Gow. Oddly enough, the Australian also had his scoring explosion in 2001 at the B.C. Open. But unlike Calc, Gow didn’t win the event, falling in a playoff to Jeff Sluman. Ouch.

In fact, Gow never won a PGA Tour event, and only competed in two majors during his career, missing the cut at both the 2000 and 2002 U.S. Open. Here’s a look at the PGA Tour’s top-10 list of most birdies in a 72-hole event:

At last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, Joaquin Niemann made 31 birdies, tied for third-most in a 72-hole event in PGA TOUR history. pic.twitter.com/db2a8nmQNR

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) January 11, 2021

It’s an interesting mix of names to say the least. Also interesting? The fact that only half of the players on the list (Calcavecchia, Andrew Landry, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and John Huston) won those events. In fact, Overton somehow managed to only finish T-27 at that 2013 American Express Championship despite rolling in 31 birdies. How is that possible?!

In other words, don’t sweat it too much, Joaquin. Not that you were. It’s probably for the best the tour didn’t tag the young man in that tweet. . .

The post Joaquin Niemann nearly tied the PGA Tour record for birdies; you’ll never guess who shares the mark appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Here’s the thing about the Plantation Course at Kapalua: It’s designed for wind. It’s a resort course, and its fairways are runway-wide to make them playable for Joe Average even when the wind starts whipping.

Only problem: There’s been virtually none of it to speak of at this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. And when a course designed for wind has none, and you have a field with nine of the top 10 players in the world … well, you’re in for an absolute birdie fest. Your four-under 69s are cute and all—remember, par 73 this week—but they’re simply not going to cut it.

MORE: Justin Thomas uses homophobic slur and apologizes

Alas, Harris English and Ryan Palmer hold the 54-hole lead at 21-under par. Yes, 21. There is absolutely a chance someone gets to 30 under on Sunday, which is always fun. Here are five takeaways ahead of what’s sure to be an entertaining, if envy-inducing, Sunday afternoon/evening of golf watching. We should know by now, but Maui’s beauty is somehow still jarring every single time this tournament rolls around. Enjoy it.

If you’re there, might as well win

English and Palmer shouldn’t be here. Not in normal years, anyway. As the name suggests, this tournament is supposed to be only for those players who won a tournament in the year prior. But with the COVID-shortened season, the folks in Ponte Vedra decided to loosen the rules and invite anyone who made the Tour Championship, as well as those who won. There are 16 guys in the field this week who did not win a PGA Tour event since last year’s Sentry, and two of them happen to be leading the tournament.

Harris English walks on the fourth green during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Gregory Shamus

Neither English nor Palmer won last year, but both had arguably the best seasons of their respective careers to get to East Lake. They’re now both in position to score the biggest win of their career. English, the 36-hole leader, kept the pedal firmly on the metal with his second eight-under 65 of the week, while Palmer fared a shot better with a 64—which was made official after a rules official decided he did not intend to improve his lie when, on the ninth hole, Palmer kicked a divot while a duffed chip was still rolling. If you saw the video, it’s clear: no harm, no foul.

After speaking to officials and coming out of the scoring trailer, Palmer told Golf Channel, “In disgust I kicked a divot. The ball was five feet away from me where it ended up stopping. There was no intention of me trying to help my ball because the ball wasn’t going to end up close to where I was at.”

Speaking of English

Your casual golf fan might not know who he is, but the big man from Georgia has been playing at a top-10 level since the post-COVID restart, No, seriously. Since the RBC Heritage, the second event back, he has 11 top-25s and five top-10s in 14 starts, including a solo second at the Northern Trust and a T-6 at the U.S. Open. A win here—his first since 2013—would move him close to the top 20 in the World Rankings, which is exactly where he belongs. At 31, he looks to be something of a late bloomer—but he’s certainly booming, and he’s absolutely a threat to make this year’s Ryder Cup team. A victory on Sunday would go a long, long way toward making that a reality. Unfortunately, his last swing of the day was his worse, a hooked long iron on 18 that missed left, the one place you can’t miss on that hole.

Nice to see you, Collin

A fun stat that circulated after Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship was that he had as many major championships (1) as he did missed cuts (1) as a professional. He promptly missed the weekend in three of his next five starts and has been generally disappointing since Harding Park, at least by the elevated standards he earned himself with that victory. He has just two top-10s in his nine events since: a T-7 in the gross division of the 30-man Tour Championship, and a T-10 at the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship.

And yet, all those so-so runs of form fade into the oblivion so long as you keep winning. He’s in a great spot to pick up win No. 4 in his first 19 months as a pro after a second straight eight-under 65. He was one over through six on Thursday, which means the 23-year-old is 21 under over his last 48 holes. Wasn’t a math major, but that’s a very good pace.

New clothes, same guy

= Jon Rahm walks off the 18th tee during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Gregory Shamus

Going from TaylorMade to Callaway wasn’t the only switch world No. 2 Jon Rahm made as 2020 turned into 2021—he also switched from Adidas apparel to Travis Mathew, which is owned by Callway. So he’s in new clothes, but he has not lost one ounce of the on-course fire he’s known for. During the midst of a so-so round of 69, Rahm missed a six-footer for birdie and was, uh, not happy. We’d print his exact words, but this is a family site, so you can watch the video if you please.

Safe to say Rahm isn’t a fan of metal spikes ? pic.twitter.com/wkW1niZxrp

— The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) January 10, 2021

We feel obligated to note that PGA Tour players are now able to tap-down spike marks, and have been since the beginning of 2019, but that’s neither here nor there. Here’s to hoping Rahm never loses that passion, because it makes him who he is, and this game can use every character it can get.

A U.S. Open, this is not

We never expected this week to bring up memories of Winged Foot, but the lack of wind has not helped matters. Only two of the 42 players in the field failed to break par on Saturday. Eighteen players shot five under or better. Simply put, a windless Kapalua does not have any defence against the world’s best players. It would be a problem if this were every week on the PGA Tour, but it’s not every week, so sit back and enjoy the views and the birdies. It’s easier that way.

The post With no wind, winner might shoot 30 under in Tournament of Champions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
It was the Dustin Johnson show on Sunday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and no one else stood a chance. The World No. 1 lapped the field, cruising to a final-round eight-under 65, the low round of the tournament, eight strokes clear of next closest competitor at 24-under 268. It’s the 17th victory of his PGA Tour career, and his second at Kapalua.

Johnson, 33, began running away early, posting a four-under 32 on the front nine of the Plantation Course and opening up a six-shot lead. It was clear from the start that there was no way he was going to allow a repeat of his final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.

“After China, where I struggled a bit on Sunday, I didn’t want that to happen again,” he said. “Even when I made the turn and I think I was at 20 under, I told myself my goal was to get it to 25 [under]. I just kept the pedal down making the turn and played really well again on the backside, too.”

He did flinch, if for a brief moment, at the par-3 11th, making his only bogey of the round from a greenside bunker. That was quickly forgotten when he hit an enormous drive at the 433-yard par-4 12th to within tap in range for eagle for the second straight day. From there he added birdies at 14, 15 and 16 to win by eight, giving him a PGA Tour victory in 11 straight seasons, making him one of 10 players to accomplish the streak.

Jon Rahm’s four-under 69 wouldn’t be enough, but it earned him a solo second finish in his first appearance at the Tournament of Champions. It’s his 11th finish inside the top five in just 37 starts on the PGA Tour and is expected to move him up from No. 4 spot to No. 3 on the World Ranking.

Playing alongside Johnson in the final group was Brian Harman, who posted a one-under 72 to finish in solo third. He’s now finished eighth or better in all four starts of his 2017-’18 campaign.

Hideki Matsuyama, Pat Perez and Rickie Fowler tied for fourth at 14-under 278. Matsuyama’s bogey-free seven-under 66 was his low round of the week, featuring five birdies and an eagle. Perez posted a four-under 69, one better than Fowler’s three-under 70. All three of them have now finished inside the top 5 in each of their last two appearances at Kapalua.

Finishing in a tie for seventh at 13-under 279 were Marc Leishman and Jhonattan Vegas. Jordan Spieth came in one shot behind them at 12-under 280 after firing a final-round four-under 69.

The post Dustin Johnson wins Sentry Tournament of Champions by eight shots for 17th PGA Tour title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
During Saturday’s trek around Kapalua, Dustin Johnson’s drive on the par-4 sixth just missed hitting the flagstick, finishing 70 feet or so from the cup. On Sunday, the 33-year-old did one better.

On the 433-yard 12th, Johnson’s nuke off the tee ran onto the green. And kept running. And running. And running…until it stopped just an inch away from an albatross:

Is this guy even human?! pic.twitter.com/EQj2EYUWWn

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 8, 2018

Starting to think this guy knows what he’s doing with the driver.

Perhaps it’s no surprise Johnson is lapping the field at the Tournament of Champions, holding a seven-shot advantage with just four holes to play. If he continues to bust out bombs like this, it’s going to be a long year for his competition.

The post Watch: Dustin Johnson’s drive finishes inch short of albatross at Kapalua appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
They say numbers don’t lie but in the case of the driving distance stat at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, there was a little fibbing going on. The stat revealed Dustin Johnson with a distance average of just 296.3 yards for the week and 297 yards on Sunday. But when the World No. 1 stepped to the 12th tee Sunday at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, he took out his frustration from a bogey on the prior hole by blasting a tee shot with his TaylorMade M4 driver some 430 yards to within tap-in distance on the par-4 12th. The eagle started Johnson on a run where he extended his lead by going five under par over five holes, eventually winning by eight shots with a 24-under-par 268. On Sunday Johnson hit six drives in excess of 370 yards with two longer than 400 yards.

The driver (as well as is sister M3 model) features a technology called Twist Face, where the face curves more open as it moves toward the toe and curves more closed as it moves toward the heel. Although it isn’t really detectable at address, the idea is to help off-center hits fly straighter than they would with conventional bulge and roll.

Johnson tried both the M3 and M4 in practice early in the week and after noticing he wasn’t getting the fade off the tee he prefers with the M4, the driver was adjusted one click open, back to the standard setting. Although Johnson might use the M3 at some point, he felt the M4 was straighter, putting it in play.

Johnson also had the company’s Spider Tour Black mallet putter as well as DJ Prototype muscleback blade irons as well as a 64-degree Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedge where the grooves extend all the way across the face.

Dustin Johnson’s clubs at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Driver: TaylorMade M4 (Fujikura Speeder Evolution X), 9.5 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade M4, 16.5 degrees

Irons (3): TaylorMade P790; (4-PW): TaylorMade DJ Prototype

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52, 60 degrees); TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (64 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

The post The clubs Dustin Johnson used to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In past years, his absence from the winners-only tournament generated considerable discussion, usually tinged with disappointment. Woods won this event at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in 2000, when he defeated Ernie Els in a playoff and kicked off one of the most dominant seasons in golf’s modern era. But the 2005 edition was his last, even as he continued to qualify while adding to a career victory total on the PGA Tour that stands at 79, second all-time behind Sam Snead.

This week, it’s not his absence but his impending return to golf after an extended sabbatical that has his fellow players talking as they ponder a season that could be perhaps vastly more intriguing should Woods remain healthy and play a full schedule. The last time that occurred was 2013, when he won five times and received the Jack Nicklaus Award for Player of the Year.

Coming off a fourth back surgery, Woods appeared fit and his game offered promise when he appeared last month in the Hero World Challenge. He exhibited power off the tee, and although the competitive rust was apparent, his swing was sound, and he showed an ability to score. After casual rounds with Woods at The Medalist in Jupiter, Fla., fellow players like Rickie Fowler have been effusive in complimenting his progress.

Young players like Fowler (right) are anxious to compete against a fully healthy Tiger. (Photo by Ryan Young/Getty Images)

Granted, there was high anticipation at this time last year when Woods was attempting a comeback. Based on the aforementioned evidence, there is a genuine belief that this time Woods, who recently turned 42, is ready to legitimately rejoin the competitive fray against a generation of talented young players who have blossomed in his absence.

The most prominent of that group, Jordan Spieth, who is the only player other than Woods with 10 tour wins before the age of 24, injected Woods into his assessment of the tantalizing season ahead, remarking that “it’s a pretty special time to be a part of professional golf.

“I think this year, 2018, the unknowns are very exciting right now,” said Spieth, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Dustin Johnson. “I think with the amount of depth and talent at a younger age mixed with the guys in their 30s that are playing … No. 1 in the world, D.J., what is he, 32 or something? [Johnson is 33.] Some other phenomenal players that you would call maybe in their prime, right now. And then, obviously, the major question, which is, what’s it going to be like with Tiger coming back?”

Entertaining without a doubt, just like the Hero World Challenge, where Woods briefly had a share of the lead in the second round.

“Because of the way that the Hero went and the confidence that he’s talking with, the place that he’s at in life right now, I think he’s in the best position he’s been in in a few years to come back and be a regular out here competing,” Spieth said. “So that I would call the forefront of the excitement in golf right now.”

Other players at Kapalua, all winners of 2017 tour events, said a season with Woods might be among the most memorable in quite some time. Whether he plays well or poorly, an overlay of Woods’ comeback story on the narrative of each tournament he enters will intensify interest both inside and outside the ropes.

“I think this year is more special with Tiger, if he can play fairly often and play well,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “He’ll make everything a little more interesting. It will be fun to watch what he can do.”

“It’s going to be great for the young guys to say they played in a tournament with Tiger,” said Billy Horschel. “No disrespect to Arnold or Jack, but has anyone ever moved the needle like Tiger does? I wasn’t around then, but I would think not. So when we get this chance to play with Tiger, it’s special. It’s going to feel special, especially when it looked like he might not play very much again.”

Tiger during the third round of the 2017 Hero World Challenge. (JD Cuban)

One of the young guard, Wesley Bryan, remembers just how special it felt to be in the field at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the only PGA Tour event in which Woods appeared before he had to shut down his season with further back trouble.

“I just know what it was like last year in the one event he did get to play in and how different that felt from every other event,” Bryan said. “There was so much more electricity in the air. A lot more fans. You could feel that vibe. It will be exciting for all of us young guys to have that experience more often and get to see him play.”

Marc Leishman doesn’t just want to see Woods play. The Aussie wants to see the former No. 1 and 14-time major winner excel.

“I hope he plays well this year because you want to test yourself against the best players in the world, and he’s certainly one of the best of all-time,” Leishman said. “If he comes back and plays the way he can, I don’t think there’s any reason why he’s not going to win again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he went back to his old self, the way he’s swinging it, what I saw of him in the Bahamas.

“I don’t think there’s one player on tour who isn’t excited about him coming back.”

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