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Matt Every goes from leading to leaving the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 20:41:38 +0000

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

By Dave Shedloski
ORLANDO – “Last week I sucked the whole week. Today was just kind of a gradual sucking all day. But it just, it sucked.”

Matt Every couldn’t have assessed his second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational any more honestly than the summation above after he tumbled out of the tournament one day after leading it.

A two-time winner at Bay Hill Club – back to back, in fact, in 2014-15 – Every followed his opening-round 7-under-par 65 with an 11-over 83 that was as bad as you could imagine. On Thursday, amid freshening breezes, he toured Bay Hill without a bogey while converting seven birdies. On Friday, with light winds still complicating things, he had one birdie, four bogeys and four double bogeys.

It’s unusual but not unprecedented for a first-round leader to miss the cut. Rod Pampling led the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie after one day and then blew up. Davis Love III, who twice won The Players, saw a first-round lead there dissolve into an early ticket home in the 2006 edition at TPC Sawgrass.

When he made his only birdie at the par-5 16th, Every was 1 over and still inside the cutline. Then he finished with a bogey on 17 after missing a five-foot par save and a double bogey on 18 after three-putting.

It was a shocking end to the week for the 36-year-old Daytona Beach native, who considers this event his home tournament, having come here as a kid.

“It stinks for me because I really wanted to play well and I really didn’t see this coming, to be honest,” Every said. “But it happens. It just happens to me … it kind of happens to me quite a lot.”

Coming off an 85 in the second round of the Honda Classic, Every felt like he had his game in order when he visited with his swing coach over the weekend and adjusted the lie of his irons. But whatever fixes he made didn’t hold, and he suffered his fourth score in the 80s in his last 11 competitive rounds going back to the 82 he shot in the final round of The American Express in La Quinta, Calif. He also had an 80 in the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after starting the day in contention.

He searched for an explanation for his struggles. He is battling a bad back, but he didn’t cite the injury as an excuse. The Arnold Palmer Invitational was Every’s seventh event since the PGA Tour suspended him for three months after testing positive for cannabis. Every had been using it to combat mental health issues.

Friday’s proceedings undoubtedly didn’t do much for his disposition. He wasn’t sure when he was going to compete again.

“Today was rough. It was just tough,” he said. “I really didn’t feel like I played that bad. I just didn’t make anything and then missed the fairway here and it’s … I just played bad. That’s what it is. It was just a bad day.”

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Matt Every suspended 12 weeks for violating the PGA Tour Conduct Policy for drugs of abuse

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 06:19:19 +0000

BLAINE, MINNESOTA – JULY 04: Matt Every of the United States plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 04, 2019 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

By John Strege
Two-time tour winner Matt Every has been suspended for 12 weeks for violating the PGA Tour’s Conduct Policy for drugs of abuse. He will be eligible to compete again on Jan. 7, 2020.

The tour did not specify the drug of abuse and noted it would have no further comment on the suspension at this time.

Every, however, said in a statement to Golf Channel, “I tested positive for cannabis, a drug I do not abuse and a drug I have a legal prescription for in the state of Florida. I have been prescribed cannabis for a mental health condition by my physician whom has managed my medical care for 30 years. It has been determined that I am neither an acceptable candidate to use prescription “Z” class drugs nor benzodiazepines. Additionally, these classes of drugs can be highly addictive and harmful to the human body. For me, cannabis has proven to be, by far, the safest and most effective treatment.

“With that being said, I have no choice but to accept this suspension and move on. I knew what WADA’s [World Anti-Doping Agency] policy was and I violated it. I don’t agree with it for many reasons, mainly for my overall well-being, but I’m excited for what lies ahead in my life and career. Over the last few years I have made massive strides and I know my best is still in front of me. I can’t wait to come back better than ever in January.”

Every, 35, has been suspended before by the tour following his 2010 arrest in Bettendorf, Iowa, for possession of marijuana.

A back-to-back winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2014 and ’15, Every has played five events in the 2019-’20 season and has made the cut in two of them. He tied for 28th in the Houston Open on Sunday.

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No, this tour caddie didn’t shoot 194 in a U.S. Am qualifier. He shot 202—then was DQed

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 05:15:48 +0000

Chris Keane/Getty Images

By Joel Beall
It had to be an error, a scoreboard malfunction. That was the consensus as word spread through social media that a player shot a 194—that would be 123-over par—at a U.S. Amateur qualifier. After all, there is a 2.4 handicap index limit to enter the USGA event. Vanity indexes are routinely exposed at such competitions, but never to this degree.

Actually, the score was wrong. It was even worse than that.

On Monday afternoon, Korn Ferry Tour player Justin Hueber tweeted out the card in question from Mayacoo Lakes C.C. in West Palm Beach, which is hosting one of Florida’s U.S. Am qualifiers. Though Hueber blurred out the player’s name, it was relatively easy to deduce it was the score of Trey Bilardello.

A name recognisable only to the most avid fan, Bilardello is a professional caddie, spending most of the 2019 season with PGA Tour player Matt Every, looping for him as recently as last week’s John Deere Classic. Bilardello has also worked for Jim Herman and LPGA Tour players Annie Park and Moriya Jutanugarn.

The son of former Major League Baseball catcher Dann Bilardello, Trey is also a competitive player, participating in various mini-tour and PGA Tour Monday qualifiers over the past decade. However, Bilardello maintains amateur status. As of the latest GHIN revision, his handicap figure was 2.2.

That index is on the higher end of the competitive amateur spectrum, yet a number indicating a golfer who can usually break 80, or at the very least 90, in a U.S. Am qualifier. An opinion backed up by his past play; earlier this year he shot an 81 at a pre-qualifier—that is, a qualifier to get into the Monday qualifier—at the Honda Classic, with scores in the mid-70s posted on the Minor League Golf Tour.

So when Bilardello’s name was associated with an astronomical score, something didn’t add up.

According to Darin Green, director of rules & competitions for the Florida State Golf Association, the 194 was incorrect . . . on the low end. Bilardello’s actual score was 202, with pars on his first two holes and one on the final.

“There’s a glitch in our online scoring system,” Green told Golf Digest. The issue prevented individual hole scores greater than 19 from being submitted.

How did a 2.2 handicap hand in a 202? Green would not comment on what happened, only stating, “The 202 was the score given to us and signed.” But on Tuesday afternoon, the FSGA reversed its decision, disqualifying Bilardello after the event had ended.

“The Florida State Golf Association, after consulting with the United States Golf Association, has disqualified Trey Bilardello under Rule 1.2 for serious misconduct and failing to play in the spirit of the game,” Beth Major, USGA senior director of championship communications, told Golf Digest.

Multiple sources told Golf Digest that Bilardello, starting on his third hole, began deliberately missing shots, particularly around the green. What triggered this reaction, or the motive behind it, remains unclear. But Bilardello’s group was the first off Mayacoo Lakes’ second nine, and his pace held up the rest of the field. The USGA confirmed Bilardello’s actions, stating they were “making a mockery of the game.”

“His disqualification was deemed appropriate as a result of the individual’s failure to show consideration for other players—deliberately playing away from the hole to run up his score,” Major said.

Attempts to reach Kristian Fortis, an incoming freshman at La Salle University who played with Bilardello, were unsuccessful. Players playing in the group behind also did not respond to texts and calls about the situation.

This is not the first time Bilardello’s character has come into question.

Bilardello’s Minor League Golf Tour profile shows consecutive “DID NOT FINISH” appearances in early June. Sources told Golf Digest that Bilardello was suspended from the MLGT following those events for detrimental conduct at the Summer Abacoa Open in Jupiter, Fla. Scott Turner, the director of tournament operations for MLGT, confirmed Bilardello is suspended for an incident. Following the Summer Abacoa Open, the circuit released the following statement regarding “behaviour unbecoming a professional”:

“There have been two instances in the past 30 days where a player has damaged golf course property during one of our events. Both resulting in a financial responsibility for the tour and a major strain on the relationship of those two venues. There is and will continue to be a zero-tolerance policy for behaviour unbecoming a professional. Any player behaving inappropriately will face possible suspension from the MLGT. There is no place for this in professional golf. The majority of the venues that host our events do it as a favour to support tournament golf and help provide an avenue for players to develop their game to hopefully reach the next level. The MLGT and the participants in each event are guests of the host venue and will treat the course and the staff with the utmost respect.”

An online search also reveals that Bilardello was arrested in 2014 in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. on a charge of first-degree domestic battery by strangulation. Additionally, there is a 2007 Santa Cruz Live article detailing Bilardello’s bid for a “Caddie for a Day” contest for Ken Duke, where a commentator accuses Trey of cheating the ballot to win. Bilardello responded, explaining that others were circumventing the rules and his actions were merely a response to proxy voting.

A Florida number listed as Bilardello’s is no longer in service, and Golf Digest was unable to connect with him via social channels. An email to Every’s representatives about Bilardello has not been returned. Turner said that while Bilardello’s suspension is indefinite, there are avenues for him to return.

(Golf Digest’s Stephen Hennessey contributed to the reporting of this story.)

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Matt Every vaults up the leaderboard on Saturday at the AT&T Byron Nelson

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 12 May 2019 08:10:55 +0000

By Christopher Powers
Even after a pair of 65s, Matt Every still trailed Sung Kang by four shots heading into the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson. To contend, he’d need something special on Saturday.

After a seven-hour rain delay, Every did something very special, firing a six-under 30 on Trinity Forest’s front nine before darkness halted play. Through 45 holes he leads by one shot at 18 under.

“It was like a normal round of golf for me,” said Every, who won at Bay Hill in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015. “Felt like it was playing super easy so it wasn’t like I had time to be nervous about anything. I just needed to keep making birdies.”

Since his second tour victory at the Arnold Palmer, Every has just two top 10s in 101 starts, the most recent of which came in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. He realizes it’s been awhile since he’s been in this position.

“For sure I’ll feel pressure but I don’t know when, but I’m sure it will happen but I’ll be all right.”

Kang is still very much in the mix, sitting just one back at 17 under. He posted a one-under 35 on the front nine.

Tyler Duncan, winless in 52 career starts on tour, shot a three-under 33 on the front and is three off the lead at 15 under. Brooks Koepka is six back at 12 under.

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Players react to alert of ballistic missile: ‘Grab a Mai Tai, go to the beach, grab a front row seat’

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 11:52:23 +0000

By Brian Wacker
When Jordan Spieth saw an emergency alert on his phone about an inbound ballistic missile threat to Hawaii on Saturday morning, he was at his hotel and started calling his parents and other family members to seek out information. He also thought about what he might do.

“I kind of thought if we had a car maybe drive as far away from town as possible,” he said. “We were inside away from the windows trying to gather information.”

His caddie, Michael Greller, gathered his wife and their three-month-old and thought about doing the same.

Charles Howell III called a friend in the Navy based in the region and the friend told him they were scrambling as well. A few minutes later the friend messaged back saying it was a false alarm.

“At breakfast you could hear the collective [buzz] of [everyone’s] phones,” Howell said. “I kind of froze. We didn’t know what to do. We sort of looked at one another. Part of you thinks you grab a MaiTai, go to the beach and grab a front-row seat. Part of you thinks what are you going to do?”

That was the consensus among most players. No one quite sure what to do.

Matt Every was having breakfast in downtown Honolulu and headed across the street to a golf course, figuring the opening space would be the safest place to be.

Chez Reavie looked out the window of his hotel and saw people running down the street but stayed put with the rationalization that there was nowhere to go.

It took 38 minutes before another alert was issued saying it was a false alarm.

Tony Finau was playing with his kids on his bed when his phone buzzed. He thought it was an Amber alert.

“I popped up and the whole mood changed,” he said. “It was a blessed day. It put in perspective what could happen. Golf was the last thing on most people’s mind when we’re looking at a situation like that.”

Later in the afternoon, he went on to make a hole-in-one, on the par-3 17th. It was the 11th of his life and first on the PGA Tour.

Said Finau: “The roller coaster of emotions was pretty crazy.”

The PGA Tour issued this statement: “In less than four minutes from the initial call from tour staff in Hawaii, we were able to verify that the alert was a mistake and communicate that information to tour leadership and players/staff in Hawaii. Although the incident was understandably upsetting to all involved, we have confirmed there were no injuries to our staff or players, or any further issues of concern.”

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Matt Every shoots 61, leads Henrik Stenson by one at Wyndham Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 04:19:36 +0000

Jared C. TiltonGREENSBORO, NC – AUGUST 17: Henrik Stenson of Sweden reacts after making his birdie putt on the 10th green during the first round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 17, 2017 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

By Christopher Powers
On the opening hole of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Matt Every holed out from 105 yards for an eagle. Surely, it would be all down hill from there. Not quite. Every would go on to shoot the low round of his career on Thursday, a bogey-free, nine-under 61 to take a one shot lead over Henrik Stenson.

Every, 33, followed up his eagle with seven more birdies on his round, four of which helped him make the turn in six-under 29. The two-time PGA Tour winner was dialed in, hitting 17 of 18 greens and holing just 51 feet of putts. Coming into the week, the Florida native was 183rd in the FedEx Cup Standings, meaning he will almost certainly need to win or finish in second to earn a spot in next week’s Northern Trust Open. He’s made just nine of 29 cuts this season, but did find himself in contention at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago, ultimately finishing T-14th.

Henrik Stenson, who ranks 75th in the FedEx Cup standings, will be at Glen Oaks for the FedEx Cup opener next week, but decided to tee it up at the Wyndham for just the fourth time in his career. History would not suggest success, his having missed the cut in 2010 and 2011 and withdrawing in 2012. But the Swede fared better at the Donald Ross course on Thursday, posting an eight-under 62, his low round of the season. After missing five of six cuts leading into the Open Championship, he’s found some late season form, finishing T-11 at Royal Birkdale, T-17 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and T13 at the PGA Championship.

Seven players are two shots behind Every at seven under, including Webb Simpson, who earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham in 2011.

Just three shots back is 53-year-old Davis Love III thanks to a bogey-free 64. The two-time Ryder Cup captain hit just seven fairways, but still managed to find every green in regulation on a track he’s pretty familiar with. In 2015, he became the third oldest winner in PGA Tour history when he won the Wyndham at the age of 51.

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