With each successive glimpse of Tiger Woods in a golf setting comes hope among his legion of fans. It’s hoped that Woods’ recovery from ankle surgery in April that sidelined him for the rest of 2023 after just two starts is progressing well enough that someday in the near future the 15-time major winner will return again to competition.

And with that, came one more video of Woods from the weekend that had people talking on social media.

Charlie Woods teeing it up for his 2nd appearance in the @nb3jgnc! With a 15x Major Champion walking on the bag for 54-holes, he will be one to watch! #charliewoods #tigerwoods #nb3 #jgnc #seeyouatcoushatta pic.twitter.com/otvqdLKNOq

— Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (@nb3jgnc) November 4, 2023

There’s Tiger, carrying the bag for his son Charlie during the opening round of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship in Louisiana. No golf cart. Just Woods walking seemingly without any issue as he caddies for his son in the first round of the three-day event.

And then there he was again on Sunday, joining Charlie once again.

It's #movingday at #Coushatta!

The fog rolled in early this morning but the players are out, led by Charlie Woods, Owen Coniaris and Landon Abalateo for the Boys 14-15 Division.

Good luck to all the players looking to move on up the leaderboard!#CharlieWoods #TigerWoods… pic.twitter.com/33NudSahB3

— Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (@nb3jgnc) November 5, 2023

Suffice it to say, social-media followers quickly became internet doctors, giving Tiger a clean bill of health as they noted that he looked more comfortable than he did when posting a T-45 at the Genesis Invitational in February and far better than when made the cut but had to withdraw from the Masters.

Best his walk has looked since the accident. pic.twitter.com/aW8qufQp4b

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) November 4, 2023

Tiger Woods is gonna win multiple majors again pic.twitter.com/O064yGBsLm

— Frankie Borrelli (@FrankieBorrelli) November 4, 2023

Tiger Woods walking a golf course and carrying Charlie’s bag is a great sign for 2024.

There will be challenges to swinging a golf club and hiking some hillier courses like Augusta National, but this is a light November victory. pic.twitter.com/ZM8bdYYIhl

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 4, 2023

The video, like the other clips before, doesn’t offer any certifiable evidence that Tiger’s return is imminent. But with a few tournaments on the schedule in the coming weeks that Woods has participated in previously—his own Hero World Challenge coming the first week in December, followed by the PNC Championship, in which he’s teamed with Charlie the last two years—there are milestones that feel like opportunities for Tiger to become a competitor again if his body lets him.

Just as promising as the video was what Woods reportedly told Stewart Cink earlier this week in Mexico when they crossed paths ahead of the World Wide Technology Championship.

“He said that he’s started practising, which I think is a great sign,” Cink told Golf Channel. “I don’t know what he’s practising for, but he said he started practising, so that means he’s in ‘go mode’ for something.

“I don’t even like to ever ask because he’s always afraid you’re going to go tell everybody, so I just said I’m glad you’re practising.”

Cink isn’t the only one.

Main image: Michael Owens

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If you think there were already big expectations on Rose Zhang, what’s a win in her very first LPGA start as a professional going to do? We’ll all see as the 20-year-old memorably claimed victory on Sunday at the Mizuho Americas Open, becoming the first woman to win in her very first start as a pro on the LPGA Tour since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Zhang, 20, didn’t make a birdie in the final round on Sunday at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey, with a bogey on the 72nd hole giving her a closing 74 and forcing her into a playoff with Jennifer Kupcho after posting a nine-under 279 total. But a par on the second extra hole earned the former college/amateur star claimed the title and a host of other spoils.

Instead of needing sponsor’s exemptions to play the rest of the summer, Zhang is now a full LPGA member and is also eligible to play for the US team in the Solheim Cup later this year.

The victory also came with a first-place prize money payout of $412,500 from an overall purse of $2.75 million. Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer who made the cut this week at Liberty National.

Win: Rose Zhang, -9, $412,500
2: Jennifer Kupcho, -9, $256,544
3: Hae Ran Ryu, -8, $186,104
T-4: Aditi Ashok, -7, $118,217
T-4: Ayaka Furue, -7, $118,217
T-4: Eun-Hee Ji, -7, $118,217
T-7: Yuka Saso, -6, $70,463
T-7: Leona Maguire, -6, $70,463
T-7: Ashleigh Buhai, -6, $70,463
T-10: Atthaya Thitikul, -5, $52,904
T-10: Stephanie Kyriacou, -5, $52,904
T-10: Danielle Kang, -5, $52,904
T-13: Cheyenne Knight, -4, $42,136
T-13: Madelene Sagstrom, -4, $42,136
T-13: Minjee Lee, -4, $42,136
T-13: Jin Young Ko, -4, $42,136
T-17: Esther Henseleit, -3, $34,271
T-17: Anna Nordqvist, -3, $34,271
T-17: Jenny Shin, -3, $34,271
T-17: Emily Kristine Pedersen, -3, $34,271
T-21: Carlota Ciganda, -2, $28,443
T-21: Charley Hull, -2, $28,443
T-21: Angel Yin, -2, $28,443
T-21: Yan Liu, -2, $28,443
T-21: Sei Young Kim, -2, $28,443
T-21: Andrea Lee, -2, $28,443
T-27: Lauren Coughlin, -1, $22,543
T-27: Maja Stark, -1, $22,543
T-27: Jaravee Boonchant, -1, $22,543
T-27: Megan Khang, -1, $22,543
T-27: Mel Reid, -1, $22,543
T-27: Mariajo Uribe, -1, $22,543
T-33: Nasa Hataoka, E, $17,651
T-33: Yuna Nishimura, E, $17,651
T-33: Georgia Hall, E, $17,651
T-33: Brooke M. Henderson, E, $17,651
T-33: Lydia Ko, E, $17,651
T-33: Alison Lee, E, $17,651
T-39: Ruoning Yin, +1, $14,327
T-39: Marina Alex, +1, $14,327
T-39: Chella Choi, +1, $14,327
T-39: Lucy Li, +1, $14,327
T-43: Allisen Corpuz, +3, $11,751
T-43: Grace Kim, +3, $11,751
T-43: Nanna Koerstz Madsen, +3, $11,751
T-43: In Kyung Kim, +3, $11,751
T-43: Bronte Law, +3, $11,751
T-43: Perrine Delacour, +3, $11,751
T-49: Albane Valenzuela, +4, $9,579
T-49: Stephanie Meadow, +4, $9,579
T-49: Amy Yang, +4, $9,579
T-49: Emma Talley, +4, $9,579
T-49: Maddie Szeryk, +4, $9,579
T-54: Gaby Lopez, +5, $8,427
T-54: Pornanong Phatlum, +5, $8,427
T-54: Jasmine Suwannapura, +5, $8,427
57: Frida Kinhult, +6, $7,866
58: Sarah Schmelzel, +7, $7,584
T-59: Sung Hyun Park, +8, $7,164
T-59: Lauren Hartlage, +8, $7,164
61: Hyo Joon Jang, +10, $6,883
62: Wichanee Meechai, +11, $6,741

The post Pay day at the Liberty appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rose Zhang has pulled off history. Again.

With a final-round 74, and then a par on the second hole a playoff to defeat Jennifer Kupcho at the Mizuho Americas Open, Zhang is the second player to win an LPGA title in her professional debut, joining Beverly Hanson, who won the 1951 Eastern Open.

Zhang made two bogeys and 16 pars during Sunday’s final round at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J. History was made, with the Statue of Liberty and New York City skyline in the background, when she rolled in her par putt on the second playoff hole.

What. A. Shot. ?

Rose Zhang knocks one close on the second playoff hole at Liberty National

Watch now on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/dc98bCIOed

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

In addition, Zhang earned an opportunity to accept LPGA membership with the victory, which the 20-year-old later made official shortly after closing out the win.

“What is happening,” Zhang said afterwards, still in shock. “To turn pro and come out here has just been amazing.”

Here’s what accepting her LPGA tour card Sunday means for Zhang:

• LPGA membership for the next two seasons.

• Eligible to be part of the 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Zhang’s win earned her points for the next two Solheim Cup—this September in Spain and the 2024 Cup next September at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

• Begin accumulating CME points. Getting into the top 60 of the CME points list makes her eligible to play at the CME Group Tour Championship. Her 500 points from the victory moved Zhang ahead of major champion Hyo Joo Kim, who was in 18th at the start of the week with 497.9 points.

• Her $412,500 first-place check counts as official LPGA money.

• Officially enters the race for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. The victory gives Zhang 150 points, trailing leader Hae Ran Ryu. Ryu finished third place on Sunday, a shot out of the playoff between Zhang and Kupcho.

The post Here’s everything that will be coming Rose Zhang’s way with her victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Zhang, 20, became only the second player to win her professional debut on the LPGA, joining Beverly Hanson, winner at the 1951 Eastern Open in the second year of the tour’s existence.

Zhang’s monumental win, coming only 13 days after she won the individual NCAA championship for the second time, marked the blazing beginning of the newest chapter on the LPGA under the watchful eye of the Statue of Liberty just off in the background. Zhang announced afterward that she did accept tour membership, one of the biggest perks of victory. That and the $412,500 first-place check.

The full Rose Zhang experience of humility can be encapsulated by the fact her only goal to start the week was to play on the weekend.

“I honestly didn’t even expect to make the cut, and the reason why I say this is because I don’t think about my expectations a lot,” Zhang said Sunday night, her Mizuho Americas Open trophy sitting next to her full of roses.

“I think about playing the golf course. I think about trying to shoot the best score that I can. Obviously I have frustrations, disappointments with my game, but I never once think about where I finish, where I should finish, etc. So with that in my mind, the expectation for me winning did not even cross my mind. I was just playing my game. I was having a good time out there. This is the game that I love, and I’m so thankful to be a professional doing it now.”

Welcome to the LPGA Tour, Rose Zhang ? pic.twitter.com/de4aB9mDdp

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

The sudden-death playoff began on the 18th as the sun started to set, and Zhang said she felt similarly to the playoff she was in at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. Across from her this time was a fellow ANWA winner in Kupcho, who seemed to have the momentum. The 26-year-old made up a five-stroke deficit to get into the playoff, and Zhang had just missed an eight-foot putt for the win in regulation.

However, both missed the fairway right, with Zhang in the sand and Kupcho in the fescue, setting up a chipping contest with both short of the green.

Zhang had a nearly identical putt to the one she missed from eight feet on the 18th to win on the 72nd hole. The California native responded, knocking the putt into the center of the cup to uproarious applause. Kupcho’s calm par putt from five feet extended the playoff, showing the poise of a three-time LPGA winner.

Yet Zhang’s best can hold up against anyone in the world and emerged on her second shot on the second playoff hole. Leaning in to see where her shot landed as the sun faded, Zhang’s 4-hybrid ended up inside 10 feet.

“The final shot on 18, the second shot, was one of the best shots that I’ve ever hit, especially with me being under pressure,” Zhang said.

Kupcho’s approach ended up on the front of the green, from outside 60 feet. Then, going for the lengthy birdie, Kupcho putted it off the green, resulting in a bogey, allowing Zhang to two-putt for the win.

Elsa

Unafraid of embracing the showmanship of a playoff battle, Zhang came to appreciate the gruelling Sunday.

“I can’t explain how great, how well written this whole day could have ended,” said Zhang, who shot 70-69-66-74 for a nine-under 279 total. “But that playoff definitely provided a little bit of flavour, some thrill for everyone, so hope you guys enjoyed the show.”

It allowed Zhang to win with a birdie-free 20 holes Sunday following a bogey-free 66 on Saturday. She had plenty of chances late to do so, with looks inside 15 feet on 12, 13 and 16. However, the short par-4 16th proved most painful, as her five-footer for birdie rattled around the left side of the cup and spun out, settling for par.

It felt like Zhang would pay the price for her missed birdie on the 17th—staring down a more challenging test than her multiple final exams next week at Stanford. Instead, she hit in the heart of the cup from 10 feet. The scrambling magic didn’t save her on the 18th, with an eight-foot par bid trickling over the right-hand side of the cup. Her bogey moved her to nine under, sending Zhang to a playoff.

Kupcho caught Zhang quickly despite trailing by five shots at the start of the day. The 2022 Chevron Championship winner went four under through her first seven holes following an eagle hole out on the par-4 seventh to surge to 10 under. Kupcho began the back nine at nine under and rallied to get into the playoff with an up-and-down from 75 yards on the 15th to save par. Her clean birdie looks on the 16th and 17th failed to drop, resulting in Kupcho finishing at nine under par.

Instead of focusing on the fact she didn’t win, Kupcho focused on the fact this is her first strong finish since her title at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational last July. The runner-up is Kupcho’s first top-10 finish in 21 starts.

“I’ll continue to work hard, and hopefully people can follow along.”

People will definitely follow along, Rose ? pic.twitter.com/o0aFcCDJVS

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

“It’s hard for me to not think about it, but, on this type of grass I’m always the best,” Kupcho said. “We’re starting to hit in this type of grass going forward, so I’m excited to see where the season goes.”

The spotlight, however, was all on Zhang, even before the Sunday sunrise.

Golf Channel, late Saturday, announced another hour of streaming coverage to catch more of Zhang’s final round. On the course, she had a male fan club following most of the week, which dubbed themselves the ‘Rose Buds.’ Zhang joked with her caddie, Jason Gilroyed, that she felt embarrassed from the enthusiasm.

After the victory, Zhang was asked about a congratulatory Twitter reaction from Tiger Woods. She was in shock. She’s been compared with other LPGA legends like Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko. She doesn’t believe she belongs in the same breath.

Instead of considering herself the next great LPGA talent, Zhang’s humility poured through as she reflected both on the week that happened and what lies ahead.

“I will say that this has been an incredible experience, but I have not seen anything thus far,” Zhang said. “Going forward I understand that there is going to be a lot of bumps in the road, and I’m expecting a lot of obstacles that I’ll have to uptake and uphold.

“But I think this is just the start. This is just a stepping stone. It’s crazy that this is my first win, first professional win already, but no doubt there is going to be a lot more things happening down the road. I’m just going to be continuing to learn inside the ropes.”

The post Rose Zhang makes history, wins LPGA debut, matching feat last accomplished 72 years ago appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
They obliterated the golf course. Now, they wait.

The best players in the world dissected a defenceless Liberty National on Saturday, when the average score at the Northern Trust was just a hair over three-under 68. Doug Ghim became the first player to break 30 on nine holes here, then Corey Conners matched his front-nine 29, then Cameron Smith missed a 12-footer for 60. (Still the course record, though. By two). At 16 under, Smith is joined on top of this leaderboard by the man on top of world golf, Jon Rahm, who played sloppily and still shot 67. Erik van Rooyen is alone in third at 15 under, with Justin Thomas and Tony Finau a shot farther back.

A rainy and humid week has this place playing pillow-soft, and that, coupled with a lack of wind and pure greens, is always going to result in birdies. Many, many birdies. The good news for a battered and beaten Liberty National: It’ll now get a breather, if you can call it that. Hurricane Henri is set to make landfall in Long Island sometime soon, and while northern New Jersey should avoid the brunt of the storm, the PGA Tour still deemed it unwise to even attempt holding the final round on Sunday. Instead, it’ll be the first Monday finish since the 2019 Zozo Championship.

At least, that’s the plan. There is, of course, the possibility that the Hurricane changes course—they’re not known for rule-following—and Liberty gets hit worse than expected, rendering the track unplayable even for Monday. Or the cell could linger longer than it’s supposed to. That’s what happened 20 miles west of here at the 2011 Northern Trust, which was shortened to 54 holes as Hurricane Irene passed through Plainfield Country Club.

The PGA Tour can shorten this event to 54 holes up until the point that more than half the field has finished their final round. With Smith and Rahm knotted at the top, however, there’s guaranteed to be at least one more hole of playoff golf played. One cannot win a PGA Tour event by way of a card-off. (Smith would’ve won it).

MORE: How Erik van Rooyen bounced back from his embarrassing tantrum at the PGA Championship

“I always think it’s hard to back up a really good round,” Smith said, “so maybe the day off will help me out. Yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I’ve never been in this situation. Probably just a little bit of a rest. A round like this usually takes it out of you a little bit, the adrenaline, the highs and the lows. Sleep in. Maybe a little bit of gym and come out Monday firing.”

That seems to be the consensus as far as Sunday’s plans go: a light gym sesh, and chilling. It’s not dissimilar from a Lazy Sunday you or I would enjoy. You know, when the weather outside is frightful, and you feel zero pressure at all to leave the couch.

“I’ll probably stay inside so I don’t blow away from the storms that are coming in tomorrow,” said Viktor Hovland, who’s three back after a 65. “But try to get a workout in and just watch a couple movies, talk to a couple buddies. I’ve got no problem wasting time.”

Finau, however, hopes to be a little more active despite knowing Liberty National will be closed. He said he’ll consider finding a different course at which to practice, weather permitting. If the storm keeps him inside, he’ll find a way to get some reps in. Such is the determination of a frustrated golfer, which Finau was after a poor putting performance (-2.48 strokes gained) hindered what was an excellent ball striking day (2.773 strokes gained).

“I’ve got a nice smooth piece of carpet that I can roll on,” he said. “It’s more common than you guys would think, guys putting in their room. I’ve done it many times.”

What about chipping?

“Not as much,” he said. “I think hallways games, that’s probably more like in the hallway where you can chip to things. But for sure, the putter is going home with me tonight.”

Rahm has plenty of experience killing time inside. The 26-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 while leading the Memorial by six, then tested positive again shortly before the Olympics.

“If COVID quarantine has taught us anything, it’s what to do the whole day cooped up in a room,” the World No. 1 said. “We’re at a hotel, so instead of me getting up to get food, I can room service the food and hopefully the fitness centre and spa and some of the amenities at the hotel are open and we can take advantage of it. At the same time we have a four-month-old in the room that needs a lot of attention. Take a lot of walks around the hotel, I don’t know, but it’s definitely going to be a fun family day.

“If I had a one-shot lead at 17 under, would hope the hurricane comes and stays for two days and we don’t have to play again.”

Justin Thomas didn’t seem totally thrilled with the tour’s decision to postpone the round at around 1 p.m. on Saturday—which came after it chose not to try to squeeze in 36 holes on Saturday.

“I’m not sure what that decision was,” Thomas said after his 67. “Weather changes all the time and weathermen are wrong all the time. We’re going to look pretty stupid if it’s pretty nice tomorrow and we’re all sitting in our hotel room, but it looks like the decision was already made. I guess there was obviously a lot more decisions that went into it than just that. I’m going to have to figure out what to do because I’ve never had an off-day in the middle of the tournament. Probably a lot of putting in my room and a lot of eating and a lot of TV watching.

“Everyone’s going to have to go through it. It’s going to be weird for everybody, but once we get out here and start hitting some balls, chips and putts, we’ll get back into it.”

Weather permitting, of course.

The post A mid-tournament off day: Here’s how tour pros will handle a strange situation at the Northern Trust appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
The quality of golf required to sniff 59 on a PGA Tour layout is hard to describe. You must drive it on a string, control your distance perfectly, get hot with the putter. So, so many good shots. And yet, when you really have a chance to shoot—all together now—golf’s magic number, all anyone seems to remember is the last time your club struck the ball. Remember Phil Mickelson, in Phoenix? The horseshoe lip-out that denied him membership in the sub-60 club? Do you recall a single other shot he hit that day?

Yes, the 59 watch club is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, and Cameron Smith’s final putt on Saturday was his worst: a complete misread from 12 feet out on the 18th green at Liberty National, forcing the mullet-ed and moustached Aussie to “settle” for an 11-under 60 that breaks the previous course record by two.

“I actually thought it was going to kind of stay straight and then drop a little bit right there at the end off the bunker, and yeah, just didn’t do it,” Smith said. “I hit a pretty good putt, good speed and, looking back at it, I don’t know how I read it to go that way, but it is what it is.”

After opening the Northern Trust with 69-68—nothing to scoff at but nothing near contention on a pillow-soft Liberty National—Smith catapulted to 16 under par with the best round of his career. It started early; Smith birdied each of the first three holes with putts of seven, 16 and three feet. A par at the fourth preceded birdies at 5 and 6, and one last one before the turn had him at six under for the day heading into the back nine.

A nine-footer dropped at 10, but it wasn’t until back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 that whiffs of Scottie Scheffler started permeating through the air. Exactly one year ago Saturday, about four hours up the road, Scheffler shot 59 in the second round of the Northern Trust at TPC Boston. Smith would need to birdie each of his last three to equal that.

“I think I was nine under then and yeah, just wanted to press on and wanted to see what I could do,” Smith said. “Obviously in a great spot, and that last four or five holes here are pretty tough, so I knew it was going to be a big ask. But yeah, I played some really good golf coming in.”

Or an eagle. That would help too. That nearly manifested at the driveable par-4 16th, where Smith’s tee shot left a 16-footer for a 2. It wouldn’t drop, but the first leg of the tripe-birdie mission had been completed. He stuck his second to four feet at 17 and hearted the putt, and all the sudden this was very real. Smith did not say a word as he walked form the 17th green to the 18th tee, where he proceeded to absolutely mash a 342-yard knuckleball that didn’t curve hardly a foot. Chez Reavie isn’t long to begin with, but Smith outdrove his playing partner by 52 yards on the finisher.

The wedge shot was pushed a hair but perfect for distance, leaving a very makeable 12-footer for glory: up the hill, a hair right-to-left. It was low the whole way.

For the day, Smith picked up 2.1 shots off the tee, 4.2 on approach, .96 around the greens and just 1.165 with the putter. This was a ball-striking clinic.

The hardest part about shooting a low-low round, as one of golf’s all-time axioms goes, is following it up with another. Perhaps an extra buffer day will do the trick—the final round has been postponed until Monday, with Hurricane Henri expected to bring bad weather to New Jersey on Sunday.

“I always think it’s hard to back up a really good round, so maybe the day off will help me out,” Smith said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do [Sunday]. I’ve never been in this situation tomorrow. Probably just a little bit of a rest. A round like this usually takes it out of you a little bit, the adrenaline, the highs and the lows.”

The post Cameron Smith misses putt for 59, ends up shooting course-record 60 at Liberty National appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
The final round of the Northern Trust has been postponed to Monday, as Hurricane Henri is forecasted to bring rain and wind to northern New Jersey and render Liberty National unplayable on Sunday.

“Based on the projected path of Tropical Storm Henri and the Tropical Storm Warning that has been issued by the National Hurricane Center for the area where the Northern Trust is located, there will be no play on Sunday, August 22nd,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Round 4 will be played on Monday, August 23rd. Tee times and groupings for Round 4 will be published on Sunday afternoon, with play on Monday slated to begin no earlier than 7:30 a.m.”

This is not an unexpected development; the tour issued a statement warning of such a possibility on Friday and noted that Henri was not expected to impact Monday’s forecast, an early sign that the tour was indeed eyeing a Monday finish.

The most severe storm conditions are projected to impact Long Island, eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. Those areas are officially on Hurricane Warning, while most of the metropolitan New York City area—including Liberty National—is on a Tropical Storm Warning.

PGA Tour official John Mutch said in an interview with Golf Channel that the strom was expected to bring two to four inches of rain at Liberty National, with winds gusting at 35 mph. He added that the wind could reach 60 mph “if we get the worst of this.”

Mutch said anything moveable on the golf course would be secured, including the lowering of scoreboards.

Mutch said he has been told by a tour meteorologist that they should be able to complete the tournament on Monday. “It may be wet,” he said, “but we’re fortunate to have a golf course built on sand, and they’re used to this kind of thing.”

If at least half the weekend field cannot complete the 72-hole tournament on Monday, then the full final round is scrapped, including what’s been completed. The winner would be the 54-hole leader, unless play is extended to Tuesday.

The 2011 Northern Trust, then known as the Barclays, was shortened to 54 holes as Hurricane Irene swept thorugh the Northeast and left the golf course unplayable even on Monday. Henri is not projected to be as destructive as Irene—there’s only a few inches of rain in Jersey City’s forecast for Sunday—and the tour expects the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event to run its full 72 holes.

Only the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings after the Northern Trust will advance to next week’s BMW Championship, which will be held at Caves Valley outside Baltimore for the first time.

There has not been an unscheduled Monday finish on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Zozo Championship, won by Tiger Woods.

The post Northern Trust final round postponed to Monday due to expected weather from Hurricane Henri appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

No, we’re not saying Matsuyama’s drive deserves a spot in the book alongside the likes of the New Jersey Devil, Clinton Rd., or Midgetville, but it was still a pretty odd occurrence, even for the Garden State. Watch as the Masters champ’s wayward drive takes a massive hop on the cart path, takes another up and somehow, some way ends up in … a fan’s shirt?

A wayward drive into … a guy’s SHIRT?! ? pic.twitter.com/ggFebWnHT8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2021

At first, it seemed like the ball went through the guy’s shirt, rather than literally in it. Always nice to have A+ video evidence, unlike about half of what’s in that “Weird, N.J.” book.

Believe it or not, something similar has happened before on tour, and to an equally marquee name in golf—Rory McIlroy. Seven years ago, McIlroy’s drive found a spectator’s pocket at the Tour Championship:

Shades of @McIlroyRory‘s pocket drive.

Only golf. ? #TOURVault pic.twitter.com/hivOfRQWcY

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2021

Can’t make it up, folks. In case you were wondering, Matsuyama went on to make bogey, a score that could have been worse if shirt guy wasn’t in the right place at the right time.

The post Yes, Hideki Matsuyama really did hit a drive into this guy’s shirt appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“He’s going to have to put up with the scrub caddie this week,” LaCava joked.

Tiger Woods’ caddie has picked up a substitute gig in Patrick Cantlay for this week’s Northern Trust, the first of three FedEx Cup playoff events. It’s a temporary gig for one week only as Cantlay’s full-time looper, Matt Minister, is out after testing positive for COVID-19.

Tiger’s caddie Joe LaCava is on the bag for Patrick Cantlay at the Northern Trust this week.

Just a fill-in gig as Cantlay’s full time looper, Matt Minister, is out with COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/4E8Xk53EaU

— Daniel Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) August 17, 2021

LaCava resides in Connecticut, which made the drive down to northern New Jersey rather manageable. He’s staying close to the Meadowlands, home of his beloved New York Giants.

“It’s getting me pumped for the season, that’s for sure.”

Woods, of course, remains sidelined as he rehabs from traumatic leg injuries sustained during a Feb. 23 car accident near Los Angeles. There is no timetable for when Woods might be able to begin swinging a golf club again. LaCava did say he recently visited Woods in South Florida.

Woods and Cantlay have grown close, with both holding memberships at Medalist Golf Club in South Florida. Woods also captained Cantlay during the 2019 Presidents Cup.

It’s not the first time LaCava has picked up work since Woods has beeen out with injury. In June, he worked for his former boss, Fred Couples, at the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions. Couples finished tied for sixth.

Cantlay, the No. 9 in the World Ranking, enters this week in third place in the FedEx Cup points standings on the strength of two victories this season: the Zozo Championship last fall and the Memorial in June, when he beat Collin Morikawa in a playoff after 54-hole leader Jon Rahm was forced to withdraw due to testing positive for COVID-19.

There’s no word yet as to how much of the $15 million grand prize LaCava would get should Cantlay catch a heater this week and go on to win the FedEx Cup. They’ll cross that bridge if they come to it—and they’d love to come to it.

The post Tiger’s caddie Joe LaCava to loop for Patrick Cantlay at this week’s Northern Trust appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
It’s a phrase golf broadcasters have uttered hundreds of times before: “This win is a life-changer!” Usually, it’s reserved for first-time major winners, but with the amount of money they’re playing for on the PGA Tour every week, they’re all life-changers for first-time tour winners.

But maiden major wins are a different level of life-changing, something Shane Lowry has found out in the weeks since his Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush. Though Lowry believes his life hasn’t changed all that much, which is exactly what you’d expect to hear from him. The only thing he could think of was how fans this week at Liberty National recognize him as Shane Lowry, and not two of his doppelgangers. Allow the Champion Golfer of the Year to explain.

“Yeah, look, it’s changed my life a little bit,” Lowry said. “I’m definitely more recognized now, and even coming over here to events, but if anything when you’re like that, it makes you feel more comfortable. That’s the way I feel, anyway. They’re not calling me Beef or they’re not calling me J.B. Holmes out there, anyway. That’s a plus.”

Apparently, golf fans think all heavyset pros with beards are all the same guy.

The Irishman’s life has changed in other ways, too.

“The support I’ve got back home has just been incredible. I haven’t really sat back and thought about it a lot but what I feel. Hopefully it’s going to a little bit more in November in Ireland and hopefully, it’s going to get kids playing the game. It does feel like it has had that effect a little bit over the last few weeks, and hopefully, I can move forward and become more successful, as well, and make kids want to start playing golf, too.”

Note to golf fans: Make sure you know the name of the guy you’re yelling at before you start yelling at him.

The post Shane Lowry’s hilarious response to how his life has changed since his Open Championship win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.