By Joel Beall
Good news, Augusta National diehards. Your tracer wishes are coming to fruition.

For the first time on its Masters television broadcasts, CBS will utilise shot-tracer technology during the 2018 tournament.

“We’re trying to blend in the technology with our traditional coverage,” CBS chairman Sean McManus said during a conference call on Wednesday. “We’ve had good success with this on our digital platforms, and we think the time is right to introduce it into our regular coverage on Saturday and Sunday.”

Related: Jim Nantz says this year is the most anticipated tournament in his 33-year broadcasting at Augusta

McManus said the tracer tool will be utilised on five holes: Nos. 9, 10, 13, 15 and 18. This technology, routinely seen in regular PGA Tour events, has been made available on previous digital-only broadcasts of the Masters.

McManus also announced the network will be showing over 110 hours of programming between its cable and digital coverage. This includes feeds dedicated to Amen Corner, holes 15 and 16, featured groups and the driving range.

The 2018 Masters begins on April 5.

The post The 2018 Masters will implement shot tracer technology during broadcast appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

16. The distance debate
The issue already feels thoroughly masticated. However, because Augusta National has proposed lengthening the fifth hole, with (likely) changes coming to the 13th, expect the matter to surface. We’re permitted a lone, precious week to revel in Augusta glory; the distance discussion will be on sport’s ledger for the foreseeable future. Shelf the dialogue for another day.

15. Sharma Fever, catch it!
There’s an appealing aura that Shubhankar Sharma exudes, with good reason: The kid went from outside the top 500 to earning a special exemption to golf’s grandest stage in 11 weeks. His two European Tour wins stoked our curiosity; his mettle at the WGC-Mexico Championship grabbed our attention. With a marksman’s precision and an endearing tranquility, Sharma’s not a star in the making. He’s merely waiting for his turn to shine.

14. Redemption for Rose
Golf’s most unappreciated name is also its hottest, as Justin Rose has logged 12 top-10s in his last 14 events. The 37-year-old has a sneaky-good track record at the Masters, highlighted by runner-up finishes in two of the last three tournaments, and a green jacket following last year’s disappointment (a bogey on the 17th, followed by a bogey in the playoff) would be sweet salvation.

13. Bubba Watson, three-time Masters champ
Players with three or more Augusta National wins: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson. It’s a fraternity Bubba Watson could join this spring. There’s genuine beauty to Watson’s creativity and approach, and his, ahem, “sui generis” nature is a refreshing sight against the cookie-cutter anatomy of the modern pro. He’s a divisive soul, no doubt. And the game is better for it.   

12. Matsuyama gets his due
Golf can suffer from attention deficit disorder. Case in point: Hideki Matsuyama, who during last August’s PGA Championship had a chance at his sixth worldwide win in 10 months but, thanks to a putting slump and early-season injury, has somehow fallen off our collective radar. Yet he remains one of the more riveting characters for the 2018 Masters, not only for his iron prowess (four consecutive years in the top 10 in strokes gained/approach) and Masters record (three consecutive top-11s) but the cultural significance a victory would mean for his homeland, Japan, an obsessive golf country still yearning for its first men’s major winner. He doesn’t draw the same love in the U.S. as golf’s other marquee names, but few players have the chance to see a win resonate outside the sport like Matsuyama.

Xander-Schauffele
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

11. Fill-in-the-blank American young gun wins
Among this pack are Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed (yes, still just 27), Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau. A captivating cast, each with an engaging story to tell, all with the games to make a serious run at the green jacket.

But, a notion topped by …

10. Fill-in-the-blank Euro star wins
That would be Tommy Fleetwood, Alex Noren, Thomas Pieters, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, etc. The reason this is above its American counterpart? For the ensuing, non-satiric “Euro Invasion” wave from the British press, very similar to the response after Danny Willett’s win in 2016. No, such sentiments weren’t seen following Sergio’s triumph, but I’m sure that had something to do with the proceedings at Hazeltine the previous fall.

Still, a hypothetical win would give the European contingent three straight Masters victories, a remarkable feat given there was a 16-year void before Willett.

Speaking of Sergio …

Andrew Redington

9. Garcia going back-to-back
Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have repeated as Masters champions. It seems unlikely Sergio would join these ranks; prior to 2017, he had just one top-10 at Augusta in his previous 12 starts. Conversely, as his fellow pros have testified, it’s a venue built for Garcia’s game. He continues to flourish (two wins and five top-10s in his last nine starts), a possible testament to the new balance in his life. He’s no longer a jittery, frenetic ball of energy, already 38 years old … but don’t classify the ‘17 Masters as his magnum opus just yet.

8. A new Day
Remember Jason Day, the guy who was No. 1 in the world a year ago? All he’s done is kickoff 2018 with three consecutive top-five finishes, highlighted by a win at Torrey Pines. After an assertive two-year run, it’s staggering that a lost season has translated to an “Out of sight, out of mind” abandonment towards the 2015 PGA champ. But he’s healthy, he’s appears right between the ears, and his power and putting dexterity are ingredients for Augusta success. Though the “Best player in the world” conversation currently centers on Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, a win from Day returns him to the discussion.

7. What does Rickie Fowler want to be?
It’s hard not to think that the sport is too hard on Fowler, that many look at him only for what he’s not instead of what he’s accomplished. He’s still in his 20s, has received a substantial amount of under-pressure reps and displayed all the tools needed to win on the biggest stage.

In that same tone … there’s a metaphysical crossroads creeping up for Fowler. He’s racked up more than 200 appearances on tour; at this point, the training wheels are off. The whispers about his fortitude and closing capacity have become audible, and, at least at the majors, he hasn’t responded to what the circumstances dictate. This is not saying he won’t get there; plenty of legends hit pay dirt in their 30s. But if he wants to be more than a marketing entity, it’s time to start getting it done inside the ropes when it matters most.

Rob Carr

6. DJ returns to the scene of the crime
Dustin Johnson came to Georgia on such a heater last spring—with wins at the Genesis Open, the WGC-Mexico and the WGC-Match Play—that the green jacket had already been awarded before he stepped on property. Unfortunately, a staircase intervened, and Johnson and golf were left with one of the biggest “What if’s?” in sports history.

So it’s apropos that Johnson returns to Augusta not celebrated but overlooked, a pair of 40-somethings and litany of fledgling prodigies stealing the spotlight. The crazy thing? His play remains supernatural, with a win and four top-10s in five starts this season. His potency and finesse have yielded their share of dividends at Augusta (a T-4 and T-6 in his last two appearances). Perhaps last year’s forecast was not wrong, just premature.

5. Rahm earns his breakout
We—fans, media, players—have been liberal with the world “breakout.” Using it when a player wins for the first time, or for the first time in five years, or for the first time in five months. While true to extents, it’s best applied when one earns their first major. You’re no longer just a professional golfer; you are a part of golf’s enduring history.

Despite our best wish fulfillment, Jon Rahm did not reach that echelon in 2017. In fact, though he entered each major as one of the favorites, he failed to record a top-25 finish. Which is understandable: he was 22 after all, and sometimes you need to fall off the saddle to figure out how to stay on. However, while he’s just a year older, the expectations have vastly increased. That’s what happens when you win four times and reach No. 2 in the world.

Rahm has the arsenal—arguably the most well-rounded game in the sport—and inventiveness to tame Augusta, even without a firm mastery of course management (and all that entails) at this nascent phase of his career. He’s that talented, a volcano waiting to blow. And when it does, his competitors may be stifling through the ashes for years to come.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

4. Phil’s fight against Father Time
Write down, in your estimation, the best 10 golfers of all-time. Odds are, Phil Mickelson’s not on the list. It’s an exclusion that’s, perhaps, justifiable.

But if Mickelson wins the Masters, it will be his fourth green jacket, a feat only matched by Woods and Palmer, and surpassed by Nicklaus. Just eight players would own more majors in the Masters era than Mickelson’s six. He’s already one of 10 players with 40 or more PGA Tour wins, and a 2018 Masters conquest would make him the oldest winner in Masters history.

Is Phil on your top-10 list now?

There’s a chance Mickelson’s already used up his bullets; a win and five top-10s in an impressive season, one that would be tough to sustain for any competitor, let alone one nearing 48. As the adage goes, Father Time is undefeated. Then again, Mickelson’s never been one to adhere to convention, either.

3. Rory’s Grand Slam
Following a tour de force performance at the 2016 Tour Championship and Ryder Cup, 2017 was supposed to be the Year of Rory. Instead, it was arguably McIlroy’s worst campaign inside the ropes as a professional, as injuries and an equipment change zapped his usual dynamism and vitality. An impressive Euro Tour start should have quelled doubts for 2018, but poor outings in the U.S. have only amplified the questions.

To lack faith in Rory, though, is a miscalculation. If he can alleviate the severe downturns in his putting—or perhaps more importantly, his approaches from 125 yards and in—there’s no reason why McIlroy can’t be the same awe-inspiring McIlroy from 16 months ago. And there’s historical significance in play, too, as he Rory has the chance to become just the sixth player to win the modern career Grand Slam. Better yet, he would be back on pace to become Europe’s greatest player of all-time, and could possibly swipe Gary Player’s claim as Best International Player ever. Pretty heady stuff.

2. Spieth vs. Thomas
The stakes here are astronomical (or something like that, right? Right!). A large contingent maintains that Justin Thomas—thanks to seven wins, a major and Player of the Year honors—has already matched, if not usurped, Jordan Spieth. Though we are often victims to recency bias, a nonexistent ceiling to Thomas’ game—to say nothing of his torrential scoring tears—makes the hype understandable.

On the other end of the spectrum resides a hypothetical Masters win for Spieth. A victory that dunks this entire debate in ice, as evidenced in this (theoretical) résumé comparison:

SPIETH: 4 majors, 15 wins
THOMAS: 1 major, 8 wins

Sort of makes those “Thomas has lapped Spieth” pronouncements look awfully silly, now, doesn’t it? (Right? Right!)

Nevertheless, the framework is in place for a historically consequential rivalry, and the conch is up for grabs. Golf gods help us if these two are trading blows on the back nine on Sunday. It’s a storyline that can only be eclipsed by

1. Tiger, BACK
It would be too big. Make the ‘86 Masters seem like your run-of-the-mill, mid-’90s Buick Classic. The most physically daunting comeback since Ben Hogan. Most culturally significant since Muhammad Ali. Most popular since Michael Jordan.

Grown men would weep, orthopedics would see a disconcerting rise in fist-pump related injuries, Monster stock would go through the roof. And it may damn well happen.

Which, of course, means Yuta Ideka will be your 2018 Masters champ.

The post A highly unscientific, totally premature ranking of 16 storylines for the 2018 Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Many fans can’t get enough of Augusta National, the four days of the Masters failing to satiate their year-round thirst. Luckily for those poor souls, the tournament can now be perpetually consumed.

Augusta National Golf Club has made the last 50 final-round telecasts available for free on the Masters YouTube channel. That means you can watch Tiger Woods’ chip-in at the 16th, Larry Mize break Greg Norman’s heart, Fuzzy Zoeller steal the show as a rookie, Phil Mickelson’s four-inch leap, and Jack Nicklaus re-conjure the roars from yesteryear anytime your heart desires, all with the click of your mouse.

This year’s event is still three weeks away, and already boasts a host of storylines. But if those narratives, along with the WGC-Match Play and Houston Open, can’t wet your whistle, you now have this treasure chest of Masters magic to keep you satisfied until the Honourary Starters hit their opening tee shots Thursday morning.

The post You can now watch the last 50 Masters telecasts in one spot appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
If Sergio Garcia’s performance at the 2017 Masters wasn’t enough proof he can handle pressure-packed situations, this story should do the trick.

On Tuesday morning, Garcia was scheduled for a pre-Masters conference call as the defending champion. It just so happens Garcia’s wife, Angela Akins, was also “scheduled” to give birth to their child later this week. Instead, Akins went into labor this morning, a situation that would likely put Garcia’s conference call on hold. Only it didn’t, and Garcia stayed on the call at a hospital in Austin, Texas, where the couple lives.

Sergio Garcia is on a Masters teleconference––from the hospital. His pregnant wife’s water just broke.

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) March 13, 2018

Defending champion @TheSergioGarcia announces on conference call to preview @TheMasters that his wife Angela has gone into hospital to give birth to their first child and he’s calling from hospital!

— Phil Casey (@pcaseysafc) March 13, 2018

According to Golf Digest’s Dave Shedloski, Garcia did the call from Angela’s hospital room, even stopping to talk to her at one point. That’s some fine multitasking from the Spaniard, who is set to become a father at the age of 38, although the baby is not yet born. But for now, an early congrats to the couple, whose busy month leading into the Masters just got a whole lot busier.

The post Sergio Garcia does Masters conference call from wife’s Texas hospital room as she prepares to have baby appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
For golf fans, the phrase “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” isn’t around Christmas. No, it’s every spring at Augusta National, where the 82nd edition of the Masters Tournament will take place April 5-8. The season’s first major has produced some of the more memorable finishes in history of late, including last year when Spain’s Sergio Garcia captured his first major title in a playoff over Justin Rose. This year should be no different, as the Masters features one of the most exciting fields in recent memory.

Related: The top 13 picks to win the 2018 Masters

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the 2018 Masters.

When is the 2018 Masters?
This year Masters begins on April 5 and ends on April 8.

Where is the Masters played?
The Masters is played each year at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia. It’s the only major of the four majors that is played on the same course every year.

Who founded Augusta National, and who designed it?
Augusta National was founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. The course was designed by Alister MacKenzie.

What’s the par at Augusta National, and how long is the course?
Augusta National is a par 72, and it plays at 7,445 yards for the Masters.

When was the first Masters played? And who won?
The first Masters was played in 1934, and Horton Smith won by two strokes with a score of four-under par.

How many Masters have been played?
This year will mark the 82nd playing of the Masters.

What is the format of the Masters? How many players are in the field?
The Masters is a 72-hole stroke play event contested over four days. The field is one of the smaller ones on the PGA Tour schedule, featuring between 90-100 players.

How do you qualify for the Masters?
There are no qualifying tournaments for the Masters, and no alternate spots in the field. Players qualify for the Masters by invitation only, if they fulfil one of the 19 criteria, which can be found here at Masters.com. There are special exemptions, which are rarely given out. This year, Augusta National extended a special exemption to India’s Shubhankar Sharma.

How many players make the cut at the Masters?
In order to make the cut after 36 holes, players must be in the top 50 places, counting ties. Those within 10 strokes of the lead also make the cut.

What is the purse for the Masters, and how much does the winner get?
The total Masters purse is $11 million, with the winner receiving $1.98 million.

How much does the runner-up get?
The Masters runner-up gets $1.18 million.

Does the Masters winner receive anything else?
Yes, the winner of the Masters also receives a green jacket, which they began giving out in 1949.

Do you get a new green jacket if you win the Masters again?
No, a player that wins the Masters multiple times receives the same green jacket from his initial win, unless he needs to be refitted.

In the event of a tie at the end of 72 holes, how is the winner decided at the Masters?
If players are tied after 72 holes, the winner is decided in a sudden death playoff, beginning at the 18th hole and going to the 10th hole if necessary. If it goes to a third hole, it would go back to the 18th.

How many sudden death playoffs have there been in Masters history?
There have been 11 sudden death playoffs in Masters history, and none of them have ever advanced past two holes.

Who won the 2017 Masters?
Sergio Garcia won the 2017 Masters for his first major title, defeating Justin Rose in a playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole.

Is Tiger Woods playing in the Masters this year?
Tiger Woods will play in this year’s Masters for the first time since 2015, when he finished in a tie for 17th.

How many Masters has Tiger Woods won?
Tiger Woods has won the Masters four times, his last victory coming in 2005.

When did Tiger Woods win his first Masters?
Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997 at the age of 21. He is still the youngest player to ever win the Masters.

Who has won the most Masters?
Jack Nicklaus has won the most Masters, with six, his last coming in 1986 at the age of 46. He is still the oldest player to ever win the Masters.

Has any player ever won back-to-back Masters?
Yes, three players have defended their title at the Masters, Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-2002).

What is the scoring record at the Masters?
Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth share the lowest score in Masters history, which is 18-under (270). Woods did it in 1997 and Spieth in 2015.

What is the largest margin of victory at the Masters?
Tiger Woods’ victory in 1997 was by 12 strokes, which is the largest margin of victory in Masters history.

What’s the highest winning score of the Masters?
The highest winning score of the Masters is one-over par (289). Three players have won at one-over, Sam Snead (1954), Jack Burke, Jr. (1956) and Zach Johnson (2007).

Has anyone ever won the Masters wire-to-wire?
Yes, five players have won the Masters wire-to-wire, Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Raymond Floyd (1976) and Jordan Spieth (2015).

Has an amateur ever won the Masters?
No, an amateur has never won the Masters.

Does the low amateur receive an award?
Yes, each year the lowest amateur to make the cut is awarded with the Silver Cup, which was first given in 1952. In 1954 they also began presenting a silver medal to the second-lowest amateur.

What’s the closest an amateur has ever come to winning the Masters?
Three players have finished runner-up at the Masters, Frank Stranahan (1947), Ken Venturi (1956) and Charles Coe (1961).

What is the amateur scoring record at the Masters?
The amateur scoring record is seven-under par, shot by Charles Coe in 1961.

Who is the youngest player to ever play in the Masters?
The youngest player to ever play in the Masters is China’s Guan Tianlang, who competed in the event in 2013 at the age of 14, having qualified by winning the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. He’s also the youngest player to ever make the cut in a major championship.

The post 2018 Masters Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Nope. Gone. He would miss the PGA cut by a thousand, just as he had missed the British Open cut a month ago. Mickelson today was a Mickelson we had never seen before. Bones was gone, the caddie. Jim Mackay was taller and leaner than Phil. Bones standing by the bag made Phil look better. No Bones now, a break-up after all those years winning. And there’s more wrong with this picture. There’s Phil’s involvement in that insider-trader thing which might or might not be a thing but it’s something. There’s the psoriatic arthritis, too, and when you’re 47 with arthritis burning your joints and you say it’s no problem, old people with arthritis say, “Oh, really?”

So Phil hit his tee shot.

A single voice in the gallery said, “Good shot, Phil.”

Another said, “Let’s go, Phil.”

He touched the bill of his cap and walked on, already at a distance behind his two playing partners, and I thought again of the Bobby Jones line on golf and the poor people afflicted with the game. We are all, the great man wrote, “dogged victims of inexorable fate.” Here was Phil Mickelson, one of the best ever, moving on leaden feet, moving to no purpose, really, moving to finish the day’s obligation and get to the private jet waiting to fly him home.

At the second hole, an “Oooh” as his 20-footer for birdie slid by. At the third, a shout from the gallery, “Hey, Lefty! We love you, buddy, we love you,” and Mickelson touched his cap and turned his face to the voice, and he rolled a 20-footer four feet past, and I wondered when this had last happened – in two rounds, through 30 holes, he had not yet made a birdie.

Thursday he had played 5 hours and 13 minutes; today he had played another 3 hours, 31 minutes. As to when Mickelson had last played 8 hours and 44 minutes without making a birdie, who knew? Maybe in diapers?

Then, on his 31st hole of this PGA Championship, a par-3, he made a 16-footer for birdie. After taking the ball out of the hole, Mickelson walked away smiling and pumping both fists.

“YES!,” he said, loudly enough to be heard in the bleachers. “YES!”

The last time I saw him pump both fists that way, at waist level, he had threaded an iron shot off pine straw and between trees to reach the 13th at Augusta, certifying the victory that would come.

But that emotion that day was a young man’s, real and strong and convincing. Today’s was a grumpy old man’s laughing sarcasm. The blind squirrel had found an acorn and chattered to his buddies, “YES!”

He followed the birdie with a hacker’s double bogey when he tried to bump a shot against a berm only to miss his spot and send the ball skittering 60 feet past the pin and off the green. Worse, when he finished up the mess, someone called out, “We still love ya, Phil.” No touch of the cap that time. Somehow he followed with two birdies in a row and, walking to his last tee shot, he stopped to give a souvenir ball to a small blonde girl, Emily Beard, 7, at her first golf tournament.

“Fun,” she said.

Fun for a kid, not so much for Phil. Later, done with a round of 74 following yesterday’s 79, Mickelson tried and failed to explain what was going on. He liked the way he struck the ball. He just didn’t like where it went. “I’m having a tough time visualizing the shot,” he said. “I’m having a tough time controlling my thoughts and not letting it wander to what I don’t want to have happen.”

Dave Martin/AP Photo

Mickelson has now gone 0-for-16 since he last won a major. It’s the longest dry spell in majors since he won his first, the Masters of 2004. That Sunday, on the 18th green, Mickelson leaped in celebration as his last putt disappeared. Once, he was young. We saw him coming. He would win four more majors. We would have thought him the greatest of his time except he lived in the time of Tiger Woods.

This year he was a so-so T-22 at Augusta, a no-show at the U.S. Open when he skipped –- yes, chose to pass — the only major he has not won to hear his daughter speak at high school graduation, and now has missed the cut in back-to-back majors.

As Mickelson walked onto the green at the end of today’s round, the gallery rewarded him with a round of applause, a polite smattering of hands, the sound like a spring rain falling against window panes, a soft music played for a man we saw coming and we now see going.

The post PGA Championship 2017: Phil Mickelson’s struggles reflect the weight of time appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

If Fowler is feeling the pressure to win his first major championship, he isn’t showing it much through the first two days of the 99th PGA Championship.

Winning isn’t easy when you’re popular, though Tiger Woods and the late Arnold Palmer managed just fine. Fowler is easily one of the biggest draws in golf today—and has been since he turned professional in 2009. He wore colorful clothes, exuded coolness with his mop of hair blooming under a flat-billed cap and connected with young fans.

Since then, he’s been trying to build a résumé to catch up to his renown.

A victory in one of golf’s four majors would speed up the process, but Fowler arrived at Quail Hollow Club still searching after 31 starts, and the pressure is only building after desultory efforts in the final round of the Masters and U.S. Open. In the former, he was one off the lead and playing in the penultimate group with Jordan Spieth but cratered to a 76. And at Erin Hills, after holding the first-round lead with an opening 65, his ho-hum 72 on Sunday was no match for the surge of Brooks Koepka.

Fowler shrugged off the disappointment at the U.S. Open a bit too casually for some observers, who wondered if the California native lacked killer instinct. But perhaps that was a misread. Perhaps Fowler has a better poker face than he’s given credit for or has a coolness that’s difficult to detect under that hip veneer.

Whatever the case, Fowler outplayed World No. 4 and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and hot-shot youngster Jon Rahm over the first 36 holes at Quail Hollow, posting a relatively stress-free 70 to again put himself in contention. At three-under 139, he trails Kevin Kisner by five strokes, but only a handful of players stand in front of him.

Whether he is ready to come out on top this week will be revealed on Sunday. But Fowler, winner of seven pro titles, including the 2015 Players Championship, appears more comfortable with the pursuit, frustrating though it may be.

“I got to that point when I finished top-five in all four majors and felt good there,” Fowler said, referring to his 2014 season. “Kind of at a standstill [since then]. This year I feel like it’s been a new level of how comfortable and how good I felt in the majors. It’s been a fun year. Definitely a big improvement from where I was last year in the majors.”

A pro golfer’s mantra is to keep creating opportunities. Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors because he was great and also because he was consistently good, with 19 seconds, 10 thirds and 73 top-10 finishes in the majors. Fowler has seven top-10s thus far, not a bad percentage. But as CBS Sports broadcaster Gary McCord said after Fowler fell short at the U.S. Open, “He’s 28 and he needs to win a major, and it doesn’t matter how he does it. He’s at a point where that’s what people expect of a player of his caliber.”

Even though he fell short at Erin Hills and Augusta National this year, he has extracted more lessons from the experience, and he is putting it to use at Quail Hollow.

“The big thing is staying patient, not getting ahead of ourselves and not trying to get too much out of it,” said Fowler, whose only decent finish at the PGA was T-3 in 2014 at Valhalla. “Just kind of accepting the golf course and working our way around, managing it well. It’s different than a normal tournament especially when you come to this venue with how tough it’s playing. You can say you played defense a little bit, but it’s not exactly like you are playing scared out there. You are playing smart and picking your way around the golf course.”

His patience was most tested during his first-round 69 that was marred by a mental mistake that cost him a triple bogey at the par-4 fifth hole. It erased two early birdies, but he didn’t allow that small calamity to become a larger one. He moved on.

That takes a certain grit. And a certain calmness, too.

And that is what Rickie Fowler is exhibiting so far this week.

“It being hot, tough course, it’s going to take a lot out of you mentally. There is no reason to waste any extra energy,” he said of his tranquil demeanor. “It’s a long week. It’s a major and, like I said, it’s a tough venue. Plenty more stuff out there to drain you. I’m going to keep it mellow and relaxed like it’s been the first two days.”

Indeed, experience tells him you can’t win if you’re losing it.

The post PGA Championship 2017: Is this the weekend Rickie Fowler gets his major? A few reasons to think it is appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Trudging through the worst of the conditions towards the end of a day even the hardiest of Scots might mistake for winter rather than summer, Kim played some beautifully steady golf. Only once did she drop a shot, three birdies and an eagle at the 538-yard par-5 11th more than compensating.

“The eagle was very unexpected,” she said while sipping on what had to have been a welcome hot coffee. “I think this was kind of as bad as the weather could get. I expected rain, but not like this. It’s not easy to play in this kind of weather. But I feel really good about my game. I’ve been hitting the ball very well and I’m starting to make some putts. That’s when I shoot low scores.”

Kim was not alone in doing so, of course, although many were those who struggled. First-round leader Michelle Wie was one, her 76 leaving her back in a tie for 21st place.

There were no such problems for Thompson, although for a while it appeared as if there could be. Her 68 was, in Scottish football (soccer) terminology, “a game of two halves.” Out in a disappointing two-over par 38, the world number-two raced home in 30 blows.

The long-hitting Floridian also found time to introduce a new phrase to golf’s already over-flowing lexicon. In response to a question regarding the extent of her pleasure at her challenging position, Thompson claimed to have “ball-striked it out there.” Grammatically questionable Thompson may be, but there was no doubting the veracity of her obvious meaning. Even on her less then satisfactory front-nine, she put on something of a clinic tee-to-green.

“I actually hit it the same throughout both nines,” she confirmed. “I just left myself with 30-40 feet on my two bogeys and three-putted them. I hit great shots. Going in, they were going right at the flag, but they both got bounces that went sideways. Then I didn’t make the second putt. But I hit it great the whole day and just got on a roll there on the back.”

That “roll” included five consecutive birdies from the turn, a run that was, ironically given the power Thompson routinely displays from the tee, broken by a par on the 539-yard par-5 15th.

Still, it wasn’t her distance off the tee that Thompson felt had been the biggest key to her success. Most of the credit, she felt, should go to her caddie, Kevin McAlpine. The former Scottish Amateur champion – the son of a famous Scottish footballer, the former Dundee United goalkeeper, Hamish – worked four summers at Kingsbarns and so knows the course well.

“Kevin has helped with my decision-making on basically every hole,” said Thompson. “His input going into the greens is especially valuable. He tells me where to land the ball and he’s been spot on every time. He knows the greens like the back of his hand, as well. He’s helped me out a lot out there.”

As for Hall, the 21-year old – who is already all but assured of making her Solheim Cup debut later this month – underlined her enormous promise with a second round 67 that included as many as seven birdies. Four of those came in succession, a run the former Curtis Cup player claimed as her longest-ever visit to the land of red numbers.

“I try to play level-headed all the time, whether I get a birdie or a bogey,” said Hall, who intends to compete at the LPGA qualifying school later this year. “I’m just trying to get as many birdies as I can out there. The course is quite ‘scoreable’ today because it wasn’t that windy. It was a bit tougher yesterday, so I tried to get off to a good start. Which I did. And I managed to hole a couple of good putts on the back nine.”

A word too for the defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn. Cruising along at three-under par for the tournament after 29-holes, the 21-year old Thai came unstuck at the diminutive 135-yard par-3 12th. Her first shot found sand by the green. Her second shot finished in the same bunker. As did the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. And the sixth. The seventh emerged onto the putting surface and two-putts later a big fat ‘9’ was on the card.

Five pars and a bogey later, Jutanugarn finished on four-over par, a figure that will comfortably allow her the luxury of finding something else to do over the weekend.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — All week, his public utterances were littered with telltale phrases. “Somewhat disappointed” was in there after an opening 72. “Disappointed to finish like that” was his verdict on the 73 on day two, alongside the all-too common admission: “I missed a couple of short ones.” Other familiar refrains dominated the aftermath of the third-round 71 that left him six shots off the lead: “I hit the wrong club,” “I had chances I could have converted,” and “I was a little frustrated.”

So it continued in the final round of the 81st Masters for Rory McIlroy, who will return to Augusta National next year still searching for the fourth and final piece of the career Grand Slam. His closing 69 was his best effort of the week and lifted him into a tie for seventh. It was also a round littered with “might have beens,” even if the man himself professed to feeling “encouraged” by his overall performance.

“This wasn’t as adventurous as previous Masters have been for me,” he said. “I didn’t get too high with some really low nine-hole scores. But I didn’t shoot any nine-hole scores that were in the 40s. It was quite a consistent, steady Masters for me. It wasn’t quite good enough, though. I had an opportunity to shoot something in the mid-to-high 60s yesterday, which would have got me closer to the lead today. I didn’t quite do that so it is a case of what could have been. I feel like I gave a good account of myself. And I’ll come back next year and try again.”

Which is a familiar refrain.

While no one is disputing McIlroy’s superior ability—he is one of only a few who can so obviously perform well below his best, yet still finish so high—yet again his carelessness proved too heavy a burden, even for all the innate talent with which he has been blessed. Since 2010 as many as 15 double bogeys have dotted his Masters scorecards. No player under the age of 50 has had as many.

But it’s not the over-par holes that hurt McIlroy most. It’s the birdies he doesn’t make. As he conceded, prodigious drives off both the 13th and 15th tees on Saturday were followed by sloppy second shots and, in turn, disappointing pars on holes where fours should have been close to routine.

For all that, this was McIlroy’s fourth top-10 finish in succession at the Masters, the one major he has yet to win. Not that such a record of consistency/failure will be any consolation to the World No. 2. For the game’s most-gifted player, only one thing matters. It’s winning, not an accumulation of frustrating near-misses and minor-league places.

So what’s the problem? Nick Faldo, three-time Masters champion, has one theory.

“Distance control is the secret to Rory achieving the career Grand Slam,” said the CBS commentator. “I watched him warm-up a couple of years ago and he was striking it beautifully. Then I looked at where his 8-irons were landing and they were sometimes 15 yards apart. You’ve got to know exactly what you’re doing, so it’s a good math game.

“Get your math right and land it right on the number. But you’ve got to hit the right shape as well. You can’t say, ‘I’m going to fade it into that spot’ and then draw it. That’s what happens to Rory. If you’re going for a fade, you better hit a fade. If you hit the opposite the slopes will repel the ball.”

Indeed, the last four days have been marked by more than a few instances of McIlroy and caddie J.P. Fitzgerald staring at each other in disbelief as seemingly solid shots came up way short or blazed way past the intended target. Perhaps the time has come to reassess the accepted wisdom on how best to play Augusta National. Maybe blasting away from the tee is not really the way to go, especially if distance control with the shorter irons is lacking.

SEE ALSO:
Where it all went wrong for Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler on Sunday

The obvious danger is that, as time drags on, McIlroy’s desire to win golf’s biggest tournament will become more curse than cause. Masters history is littered with “can’t miss” guys who never donned a green jacket. Tom Weiskopf, he of the majestic swing and massive talent, was runner-up four times between 1969 and 1975.

Just over a decade after that last near miss, the 1973 Open champion was part of the CBS commentary team when Jack Nicklaus arrived on the 16th tee in the final round of the 1986 Masters. “What is Jack thinking right now?” Weiskopf was asked. The plaintive reply? “If I knew that, I’d have won this tournament.”

So eternal failure is not unthinkable, as other non-winners like Greg Norman and Ernie Els can also testify. Quite apart from his epic final-round meltdown in 1996, Norman recorded eight other top-six finishes between 1981 and 1999. Els was twice a runner-up, in 2000 and 2004.

On the eve of this Masters, three-time champion Phil Mickelson had this to say: “You always have those players like Ernie and Greg that you know are going to win the Masters and they haven’t done it. It would be that kind of surprise if Rory didn’t.”

Els, who knows a thing or two about coming close at Augusta, concurred with his long-time rival. “I would be really shocked if Rory doesn’t win at least four,” said the four-time major champion. “He is built for this place. Rory has that slinging draw. This course is perfect for him. If I was to give advice it is just to be a little bit patient. I fell out of patience with the place.”

Ah. More patience. McIlroy feels like his is headed in that direction.

“The last four years have been a transitional period for me,” he said on Sunday. “I feel like I am figuring it out, though. Coming off the course yesterday I was frustrated. But today I am encouraged. I feel more comfortable around the place. I feel like every time I tee up here I have a really good chance to win. I prepared well. I came a couple of times beforehand and that is something I will keep doing in the future.

“I felt as comfortable on the greens as I ever have. Even though I had a few three-putts, I made some good ones and holed out for pars when I needed to. I just didn’t convert the chances I should have yesterday. It’s another year and another missed opportunity, but I’ll move on, focus on the U.S. Open and try to add to my tally there.”

Four majors and counting. Still.

Main photo by Getty Images

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“Crazy, surreal, mind-boggling.” Those were the words Danny Willett used to describe the feeling of putting on a Green Jacket, and they’re equally effective in summarising a ridiculous back nine on Sunday. Here are a few thoughts on the 2016 Masters…

Danny Willett’s win is huge for the European Tour
European Tour players have had plenty of success in the majors since Padraig Harrington’s Open Championship victory in 2007 opened the floodgates, but 2015 was a shutout for the PGA Tour, with Jordan Spieth (2), Zach Johnson and Jason Day victorious in the four biggest tournaments.

What a win this was for not only Danny Willett then, but the European Tour as a whole. Willett has won his first major (and let’s face it, the best one to win) and broken into the World’s Top 10 without even being a PGA Tour member.

Danny Willett is still in dreamland after shooting a final round 67 to win the Masters on Sunday

Of course, his victory at Augusta will allow him to cherry-pick his schedule as a member of both tours, but for now, Willett is entirely committed to a full schedule on the European Tour. His Masters victory is certain to inspire others on tour who have watched his steady climb up the ranks over the past three years.

The precocity of the likes of Spieth and Rory McIlroy is hard for most regular tour players to relate to, but Willett’s is a story of grit, perseverance, and of course unbelievable talent. In a Ryder Cup year, Danny’s Green Jacket could yet see the pendulum swing back across the pond.

More majors are well within Willett’s reach
Jack Nicklaus knows a thing or two about winning majors, and I thought his comments gave a very balanced assessment of what happened on Masters Sunday.

The Golden Bear shared his thoughts on Sunday’s dramatic final round on Twitter

The American media have naturally made this a story about Spieth’s collapse, and in the same way that Nick Faldo never got the credit he deserved from the demise of Greg Norman 20 years ago, Willett’s own brilliant 67 is destined to remain under-appreciated.

But as Nicklaus said, when presented with the opportunity to win, Willett seized it decisively. With three holes to play, there was plenty of time for him to blink at the sudden realisation that the Masters was in his hands.

Where he goes from here will be interesting, because as good as Willett is, he still comes from a bracket of players who don’t necessarily expect to be contending for and winning majors. For him to go to the next level, he will have to shift his expectations up a notch and resist the temptation to bask in the glory of winning the Masters.

Willett is determined not to wallow in his Masters triumph

We see a lot of players pop up and win a major out of nowhere, then recede again having already scaled the summit of their ambitions. Danny Willett is capable of winning again on the biggest stage, but he will need to quickly put his Masters victory behind him and not let it soften his intensity for the remainder of the season.

Expect Spieth to bounce back fast
Nick Faldo has said that Jordan Spieth’s back nine capitulation will ‘scar him’ and ‘damage him for a while’. I just don’t buy this at all. Spieth is exactly the kind of person who will take this huge disappointment and turn it into extra motivation.

Jordan Spieth is consoled by his caddie, Michael Greller

Spieth has guts, and he won’t shy away from what happened on the 12th hole. It was impressive to see him collect himself to birdie the 13th and even get into a position where a victory was still possible with three to play. How many other players could have done that after what happened? Very few, if any.

Let’s face it, Spieth had nowhere near his best game all week and still should have won. He putts so good it’s unreal. Jordan Spieth is so much better than everyone else at putting, it’s the driving equivalent of having a guy in the field who hits it 350 every time and never misses the fairway.

Spieth knows he can turn up to Augusta National every year with just his B-game and contend. Anything better than that and he knows he’ll be extremely difficult to beat. He made a very rookie mistake on the 12^th that past legends like Woods and Nicklaus would never make, but he’s 22 and his Masters record reads T2, Won, T2. And no one can hold a candle to that.

Once he figures out the kinks in his swing, Spieth will come roaring back in a big way, and for me, he’s the clear favourite to do a McIlroy 2011 and follow his own Masters meltdown with a successful defense of his U.S. Open title at Oakmont.

Rory McIlroy winning the Masters is not the inevitability we all presumed
The sight of Rory McIlroy in a Green Jacket is something that most of us always imagined would happen sooner or later. From the moment he turned pro and started lighting up courses with booming drives and towering high draws with his irons, the narrative was quickly formed that Rory and Augusta National were a match made in heaven.

In 2011, that assumption seemed to be confirmed when he carved out a three-shot lead through 54 holes. Then of course, he shot a final round 80 and has not looked remotely like winning the Masters ever since.

Rory McIlroy registered his third straight top 10 at Augusta National, but didn’t look comfortable on the greens all week

Patterns have emerged for McIlroy at Augusta that are becoming sizeable impediments to his Masters and career grand slam dream. A stat on Saturday revealed that over the course of his career, McIlroy was 24-over par for holes 10 through 12 and 28-under par for the other 15 on the course. And sure enough, he played that crucial stretch poorly all week again.

Then there is his putting, which paled in comparison with Jordan Spieth’s during Saturday’s third round. There have been times in his career when McIlroy has been very solid with the putter, but he never seems to look truly comfortable on Augusta’s greens.

Compounding this is the pressure that McIlroy puts on himself. His Masters prep was designed to alleviate that pressure, by skipping the par 3 tournament and the celebrity caddie and instead focusing on concise but effective practice sessions. By his own admission, it didn’t work. McIlroy will need to find a winning formula for Augusta, and he’ll need to find it pretty soon because this frustration will only build with each year that he leaves empty-handed.

For drama alone, the Masters is by far the greatest of the majors
This was yet another Sunday that underlined the fact that no other major can touch the Masters when it comes to pure theatre and drama. Plenty of media commentators criticised the tough conditions and the brutal pin placements this year, but I thought it made for even more gripping viewing than usual.

Danny Willett hits his final tee shot en route to winning the Masters on a comparatively high winning mark of five-under par

The capricious weather and seemingly even quicker greens meant literally anything could happen on any given hole, and it invariably did. In what other tournament would Jason Day shoot five-under on the front nine and five-over on the back, or Jordan Spieth follow four straight birdies with two bogeys and quad? It was riveting TV as ever. And thanks to their new high-definition coverage, Augusta National looked even more beautiful than ever. For fans of golf, Masters Withdrawal Syndrome is casting a long shadow over this week.

Photos by Getty Images

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