Matt Jones Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

LIV Golf showdown as Chacarra beats Jones in epic play-off at inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 05:19:44 +0000

The Asian Tour made history on Sunday with its longest ever sudden-death play-off, when young LIV Golf star Eugenio Chacarra defeated Aussie veteran Matt Jones on the 10th extra hole at the inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship.

Chacarra made a par on the par-five 18th, two putting from 30 feet, while Jones, 20 years his senior, missed a five-footer for a five at Fairmont St Andrews — after one of the most exciting ever finishes on the Asian Tour.

Both players had birdied the final hole in normal time to finish tied on 19-under, with Chacarra carding a five-under-par 67 and Jones a 69.

Australian Andrew Dodt (68) and Jaco Ahlers (69) from South African finished one stroke short of the play-off.

Chile’s Mito Pereira and Gaganjeet Bhullar from India both returned 70s, and were another shot back.

The previous longest play-off took place at the 2001 SK Telecom Open in Korea, when local player Charlie Wi triumphed after seven holes against countryman Kang Wook-soon and Simon Yates from Scotland.

Epic @asiantourgolf playoff ends on 10th playoff hole with @Eugeniochacarra winning #SABC over Matt Jones for his 2nd pro victory

2 hours, 8 minutes to complete the playoff

How Chacarra fared on each playoff hole

Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Par
Par
Birdie
Par
Par pic.twitter.com/cv9VSpGfZ9

— Mike McAllister (@thegolfeditor) August 27, 2023

“It was a long day,” said Chacarra. “Happy it came out my way, but I mean, Matt had a tremendous day as well. Tremendous 10 holes, I think we all know he’s a great player. Thank you very much it came out my way but I’m sure Matt will win a lot of more events.

“It was amazing, I think the Asian Tour is doing amazing things. I mean, they’re growing the game of golf and I had a lot of fun. We normally don’t get these good days in Scotland, so it was awesome. I mean, obviously I got the win so it would make it a little more fun, but it was awesome. Yeah, thanks to the Asian Tour and International Series for what they’re doing and hopefully we can come back a lot more years.”

Eugenio Chacarra. Asian Tour

This is the 23-year-old’s first 72-hole victory since turning professional last year, while he also claimed the individual title in last year’s LIV Golf Bangkok.

Two-time Australian Open winner Jones, who like Chacarra plays on the LIV Golf League, was looking for his first win since the 2021 Honda Classic on the PGA Tour and felt it was his putting that let him down.

He said: “I threw away a golf tournament with the way I putted during the tournament, and in the play-off. I putted pretty awful all week. I missed a lot of short ones. My speed was terrible, but I hit some nice shots. It is always good to get into contention, but I am done now, I am tired.”

The 43-year-old appeared out of it on the third extra hole but sensationally chipped in from 25 feet to keep his chances alive.

The play-off was just one short of the all-time longest sudden-death play-off: the 1949 Motor City Open, between Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum, which lasted 11 holes before they decided to share the honours.

Overnight-leader Turk Pettit from the United States closed with 74 and tied for eighth on 15-under, along with countryman Andrew Ogletree.

Ogletree helped maintain his dominance of the Asian Tour and International Series rankings after closing with a fine six birdies and no bogeys 65. Unlike this week, he was the runaway winner last week at the International Series England, where he triumphed by seven.

The St Andrews Bay Championship concludes the Asian Tour’s ‘UK Summer Swing’. The Tour heads to Korea next for the Shinhan Donghae Open, to be played on the Ocean Course at Club72 from September 7-10 -— one of 11 more events scheduled to complete the season.

The post LIV Golf showdown as Chacarra beats Jones in epic play-off at inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Pettit produces big performance on low scoring day at St Andrews Bay Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 05:56:32 +0000

Asian Tour

Turk Pettit is in the process of putting together far and away the best tournament of his short professional career after shooting an incredible bogey-free 10-under-par 62 to take the third-round lead at the St Andrews Bay Championship.

Eight birdies and an eagle left him one short of the course record — set by Scotland’s Ewan Ferguson last year — but gave him a one-shot lead, on 17-under, over Australian Matt Jones, who fired a 66.

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar (65), Mito Pereira from Chile (67) and South African Jaco Ahlers (68) are next best placed, two back from Pettit, on a day of remarkably low scoring, that saw 10 eagles made, on the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews.

Overnight leader Davd Puig from Spain had a four-shot lead after eight, but thereafter the wheels unexpectedly came off. Poor tee shots on nine, 14 and 16 led to a triple-bogey and then two double-bogeys respectively. He fired a disappointing 73 and is on 13-under.

Pettit, 24, has only made three cuts in nine starts this season on the Asian Tour, with his best finish coming in the International Series Vietnam, where he tied for 34th, but he looks like turning the corner this week.

“Hit it in position and made a lot of putts, so it’s easy when you do that, but man, it was a great day, it’s what you work for,” said the American from Louisianna, who turned professional in 2021 after winning the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship.

He has tasted victory twice since turning professional in the Birck Boilermaker Classic, in just his third start in the Forme Tour in 2021, while a month ago he claimed the Colorado Open.

He added: “I’m finally starting to hit the ball a bit better. I’ve worked really hard on my putting as well, and today it paid off. So, I’ve been working hard, and you know, the Colorado Open was… It’s been about two years since I’ve won a golf tournament, so winning that Open was a big deal for me.”

Two-time Australian Open champion Jones recovered from a poor start, that saw him bogey the second and third, by making three birdies on the trot from sixth, and another three in a row from 10, then two more on 15 and 18.

“It was just really a couple of bad shots on the second and third hole,” he explained.

“After that I just gave myself plenty of birdie chances. I just say my pace has been off pretty much all week.”

The post Pettit produces big performance on low scoring day at St Andrews Bay Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Arrival of Cameron Smith has Aussies Wade Ormsby and co punching hard on LIV Golf ahead of Chicago

Matt Smith — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:52:09 +0000

By Matt Smith
Wade Ormsby has fired a warning to his rivals at this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Chicago, as his Punch team are now a force to be reckoned with.

The 42-year-old was thrilled to welcome Cameron Smith as his team captain for the Boston event two weeks ago and, along with the arrival of Marc Leishman to the all-Australian line-up, results have rapidly improved. Punch were last in Portland and 11th out of 12 in Bedminster, before the new-look side vaulted to sixth in Boston. And Ormsby is sure a spot on the podium is theirs for the taking this time around at Rich Harvest Farms.

“It was great for Team Punch to have a nice boost with a couple of superstar players,” the three-time winner told his Asian Tour. “They have a huge pedigree. Cam comes in fantastic form and Leish is a fantastic player. So, along with Matt Jones, who is playing good golf, I have three really strong guys as part of my team.

“Straight away, you can see Cam is a world-class player. He is right there at the peak of his powers. That just gave us a huge boost.”

Ormsby finished 43rd out of 48 in Boston, while Smith was T4 and Leishman and Jones both T26.

“I would have personally liked to play a fraction better than I did,” Ormsby added. “But the game is coming back around now. So hopefully, I can be of more help.”

Wade Ormsby

Ormsby is understandably delighted to have Smith on board, despite the storm that came with his fellow Aussie’s arrival from the PGA Tour.

“There’s a lot going on around Cam,” he said. “He is such a huge signing for LIV. So, there is that pressure as well, apart from whatever else good or bad is being said about him. But, I think once he gets inside the ropes and plays golf, he’s still playing tournament golf.

“I wasn’t surprised at all that he showed up and performed straight away. He has obviously got a lot of good stuff in there. He is a great ball striker, he has got fantastic mental processes going on, and then there is his short game and putting … he is the best in the game there is.

“It’s nice being in the team box when someone’s playing as well as Cam is. It’s always nice to be around such people. There’s a lot of good stuff happening, a lot of good energy coming off them. As a team, we will try to feed off Cam. It’s only good when you’re around guys like that.”

Team contributions are key to success for Ormsby, with Leishman and Jones also adding to the bigger Punch picture.

“Mattie is the same age as myself and we came through Australian golf at the same time and turned pro,” he said. “Marc has had an amazing career, and he’s just a really good guy overall. I think all three of them are so down-to-earth, which makes it easy. There are no massive egos in the team, which is fantastic.

“It just makes it easy for anyone just to rock up and get along, even though I spend most of my career in Europe and Asia. It’s nice to click straight away as a team.”

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith in Boston

Ormsby is disappointed at the DP World Tour’s attempt to block LIV golfers — where he first player in 2004. He now spends most of his time on the Asian Tour and is quite happy with how things are progressing on the continent thanks to contributions and promotion form Golf Saudi.

“We’ve got an amazing new partner in Golf Saudi, and we all know how much they have supported the Asian Tour,” he said. “I think it’s the most exciting time the Tour has ever seen. I’m just happy to be part of it. I’m happy to be over there a lot more.

“And it’s close to home. That’s fantastic for me. Any combination between LIV Golf and the (Asian Tour) International Series, and the fact that individual events on the Asian Tour continue to become stronger, is a very exciting schedule for me going forward.

“The Asian Tour is going to be high on the priority list for a lot of players around the world to come and play as it continues to evolve into a new, stronger Tour. The International Series is such an exciting addition to the existing Asian Tour. I know it’s going to be an enviable Tour worldwide.

“It’s been nearly 20-odd years I’ve played in Europe, so that’s kind of sad in a way that you’re not gonna go that way, but nothing is forever. There’s always got to be an end. I guess I am lucky that I have got these new opportunities and I’m really excited about it.

“We’re all in different phases of our life. I’ve got a young daughter and I want to be closer to her and see her grow up, but I still want to play world golf. I’m trying to compete at the highest stage I possibly can. I feel like the balance is back in my favour.”

The post Arrival of Cameron Smith has Aussies Wade Ormsby and co punching hard on LIV Golf ahead of Chicago appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

FedEx Cup: PGA Tour wins first legal battle against LIV Golf as players are denied restraining order, kept out of Playoffs

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 04:51:29 +0000

Talor Gooch is one of three PGA Tour players whose appeal was rejected. Kevin C. Cox

By Joel Beall
A judge in US District Court has denied a motion to three LIV Golf members seeking to participate in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, giving the PGA Tour the first victory in the legal battle between the tour and the new circuit.

As part of the lawsuit filed by Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine others against the PGA Tour last week, three players — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — attempted to get a temporary restraining order to play in this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis. Gooch, Swafford and Jones had argued that the tour had inflicted “irreparable harm” by keeping the players, who had been suspended by the tour for their participation in LIV Golf events, out of the tour’s post-season.

However, in a San Jose courtroom, Judge Beth Freeman sided with the tour.

“LIV contracts are based upon players calculation of what they were leaving behind,” Freeman said, adding they had not established a likelihood of success by their merits in the overall antitrust case.

In a two-hour hearing, lawyers for both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour at times seem to be making cases for the other side. A LIV Golf legal representative called the FedEx Cup the “Super Bowl of golf,” while PGA Tour representation claimed the LIV Golf event at Trump Bedminster had more “elite” players than the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And Judge Freeman appeared to be poking holes in both sides, taking exception with PGA Tour Comissioner Jay Monahan’s ability to have absolute say in suspending players while questioning if, someday, the tour would be the party filing antitrust action against LIV Golf.

In its response to the original TRO motion, the tour had argued that the LIV players were “fabricating an emergency” and questioned the timing of the filing. Judge Freeman did not agree, feeling the filing was timely. But Freeman also said the LIV players are making double than what they made on tour, thus hurting the case that the tour suspensions were truly causing harm.

Following the defeat LIV Golf issued the following statement: “We’re disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones won’t be allowed to play

golf. No one gains by banning golfers from playing.”

Monahan sent a memo stating: “With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, capping off an incredibly compelling season with the crowning of the FedExCup champion at the Tour Championship.”

After the ruling Judge Freeman set the timeline for the remainder of the Mickelson vs. PGA Tour lawsuit. The trial, in which LIV Golf asserts antitrust actions by the PGA Tour, is set to begin in September 2023.

The post FedEx Cup: PGA Tour wins first legal battle against LIV Golf as players are denied restraining order, kept out of Playoffs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Decision time for LIV Golf players in fight to compete at PGA Tour FedEx Cup

Matt Smith — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 10:30:15 +0000

Talor Gooch in action at LIV Golf Bedminster

By Matt Smith
As the Wyndham Championship draws to a close, the traditional top 125 set to play in the final three FEDEx Cup events of the PGA Tour season are set in stone.

However, like much else in a golfing year unlike any other, that is not quite the case this time around.

This has nothing to do with thunderstorms delaying the final standings at Greensboro, North Carolina.

Rather, this concerns LIV Golf, as most things do these days.

With the FedEx St Jude Championship beginning on Thursday at TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee, there is one small matter still to be ironed out ahead of tee off ‚ and it will be settled by the courts.

A hearing is set for Tuesday in California for Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones, who are all seeking a temporary restraining order to play in Memphis.

Last Wednesday, a 105-page complaint was filed by 11 LIV Golf players essentially challenging their respective suspensions by the PGA Tour for competing in the series. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among those behind the lawsuit. Gooch, Swafford and Jones are part of that lawsuit but are the three who are attempting to earn the right to play in the playoffs for as long as they are eligible. All three would have qualified for the postseason had they not been suspended.

Just last week the PGA Tour created a FedEx Cup points list based on “eligibility” which removed players suspended by the tour, including the aforementioned three. The top 125 players from the eligibility list are those who will qualify for the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis.

The post Decision time for LIV Golf players in fight to compete at PGA Tour FedEx Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

LIV Golf: Hearing date set for Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones seeking right to play PGA Tour’s playoffs

Matt Smith — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 09:52:40 +0000

Talor Gooch. Cliff Hawkins

By GolfDigestME.com

A hearing is set for August 9 in California for Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones, who are all seeking a temporary restraining order to play next week’s FedEx Cup Playoff event in Memphis, which begins two days later.

On Wednesday, a 105-page complaint was filed by 11 LIV Golf players essentially challenging their respective suspensions by the PGA Tour for competing in the series. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among those behind the lawsuit. Gooch, Swafford and Jones are part of that lawsuit but are the three who are attempting to earn the right to play in the playoffs for as long as they are eligible. All three would have qualified for the postseason had they not been suspended.

The post LIV Golf: Hearing date set for Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones seeking right to play PGA Tour’s playoffs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

PGA Tour players jumping to LIV Golf Invitational Series weigh in about bigger money and better schedules

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 06:24:24 +0000

By Dave Shedloski
The rogues have spoken.

Well, that’s not exactly how they want to be looked upon, but players competing in this week’s Memorial Tournament who have committed to next week’s LIV Golf Invitational Series in London don’t want to be seen as anything other than professional golfers pursuing a new business opportunity.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series, the big-money rival to the PGA Tour, released its commitment list on Tuesday, and members Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford appeared on the list. So did amateur James Piot, who earned an invitation to Muirfield Village Golf Club as the US Amateur champion but is not exempt on the tour.

Jones and Swafford spoke to Golf Digest on Wednesday before playing in the tournament pro-am, and they cited myriad reasons why they are playing in the inaugural LIV Series event — and in the process jeopardising their standing on the PGA Tour.

The tour released a statement on Wednesday reiterating its position that players who decided to take Greg Norman, head of the LIV Series, up on his offer to play for $25 million in this first tournament at the Centurion Club.

“As communicated to our entire membership on May 10, PGA Tour members have not been authorised to participate in the Saudi Golf League’s London event, under PGA Tour Tournament Regulations. Members who violate the Tournament Regulations are subject to disciplinary action.”

Matt Jones. David Cannon

“I have no idea in regards to what the PGA Tour is going to do, whether it’s suspending, fining, whatever,” said Jones, 41, who has two tour titles, $17.3 million in tour earnings, and three children under the age of 10. The latter, he will tell you, is a big deal.

“I do care what happens,” he added. “I love the PGA Tour, but I like the opportunity that the LIV Tour affords me and my family, and, look, everyone has their own unique circumstances, and this fits with mine.”

Jones cited several “positives” that swayed him.

“I enjoy the concept of the team competition. The three-day tournament. The shotgun starts, so we’re all playing under the same conditions,” he said. “I play golf for a living. I have been out here for 15 years, and if I can play for more money, provide better for my family but at the same time maybe be home a little bit more, then why not?

“I was raised by two parents who were there for me in all my sporting activities, and I’ve missed a lot of events with my kids. If the schedule affords me a better opportunity to be there for my kids, and probably be a better father and husband, then that to me is a big deal.”

MORE: Analyzing the 42 players who have signed up for LIV Golf

Swafford, a father of two with $9.6 million in earnings, also liked the thought of being home a bit more often. He also was intrigued by the team competition that provides a twist to the proceedings.

“I’m excited about it. Schedule is very enticing to a guy who has two small kids,” said Swafford, 34, who won The American Express earlier this year for his third tour title. “I think the format, the team aspect, is going to be incredible. Look at Zurich [the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which is a two-man team event]. Putting teams together turned an event that was in a tough part of the schedule into one that gets some incredible fields. I’m really looking forward to seeing how that works.”

Swafford wasn’t sure exactly how the teams would be drafted. Neither did he seem to care. “Just having something different sounds pretty interesting,” he said.

And his future with the tour? “We’ll have to see how that all works out,” he said. “But I think a lot of guys out here understand that we all have to do what’s best for each of us.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Rory McIlroy said that the tour should not “drop the hammer” on tour members who opt to compete next week. Patrick Cantlay, the defending champion at the Memorial, also seemed to have an open mind towards fellow players taking up the offer to play elsewhere. McIlroy is on the PGA Tour Policy Board and Cantlay joins the board in 2023.

“I think everyone’s situation is so unique and different,” said Cantlay, ranked sixth in the world. “The motivators that different guys have I think a lot of times guides their decisions. Obviously, you’ve seen by a lot of the guys that have chosen to go over there, they are in the later parts of their career in general. They don’t feel like they are on the upswing. They probably feel like they are on the downswing. So, they are trying to maximise what years they have left.”

Cantlay admitted that he is interested to see what exactly will happen next week. He probably is not alone.

“I’m as curious as you are to see how the tournaments will go and what the presentation will be like, if it will be similar to golf tournaments that we’re used to seeing on TV, or if it will be something totally different, and only time will tell,” he said. “It should be very interested to see — at least I’m interested to see what that product will be compared to what the product is right now that we are all used to.

“But it does seem to be an interesting time for golf, and I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens.”

You might also like:
LIV Golf: All you need to know
Your top players to watch at LIV Golf Invitational
DJ to headline LIV Golf Invitational
Looking back at the Dubai Golf trophy with captains and players
Bland to play LIV Golf, even if it means ban
Rickie Fowler considers LIV Golf options
Shiv Kapur hails Asian Tour opportunities thanks to LIV Golf and Saudi Golf
The Gulf Club: The latest golf news from around the UAE
Meet Malak, the first Arab to play at US Women’s Open
In the mix: Olivia Jackson
Impossible pin position causes havoc at high school event
WATCH: Dubai golfer’s insane par save

The post PGA Tour players jumping to LIV Golf Invitational Series weigh in about bigger money and better schedules appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Life just got more beautiful for Matt Jones with his Honda Classic triumph

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 02:36:50 +0000

Jared Tilton
Matt Jones reacts to his birdie on the 12th green during the final round of the Honda Classic.

By Dave Shedloski
Type the name Matt Jones into the Google search engine and out spits a list of suggestions from the tech behemoth that indicates the guy might be a great golfer, but it’s his good fortune enjoying betrothment to a certain former Miss Idaho that stirs perhaps the most interest in the Australian native.

That shortlist of search suggestions, in order:

Matt Jones
Matt Jones golf
Matt Jones PGA
Matt Jones wife
Matt Jones golfer wife.

So she has a lot of fans. So what? He also happens to own a beautiful short game, a lovely putting stroke and, well, truth be told, boyish good looks that informs all the jealous souls on the internet that he wasn’t punching above his weight class in marrying California native Melissa Weber, the aforementioned Idaho princess.

What Jones didn’t have was a lot to show for his talents, but he changed that on Sunday by waylaying the field at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Thanks to an opening 61 on Thursday and an impeccable closing two-under 68n on the breezy Champion Course at PGA National, Jones posted a five-stroke victory and ended a winless streak on the PGA Tour that stretched to nearly seven years.

Mind you, that’s not to say the man hasn’t won since his only other tour victory at the 2014 Shell Houston Open. Jones did capture the 2015 Australian Open, beating countryman Adam Scott and then-World No. 1 Jordan Spieth, both Masters champions, by a stroke. And he added a second victory in the championship in 2019, edging former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen by one shot.

Still, his professional home is on the PGA Tour, and the 40-year-old got teary-eyed after touring the tricky Jack Nicklaus-designed layout in 12-under 268, five strokes better than rookie Brandon Hagy. A second trip to the Masters awaits and he’ll play in the PGA Championship, too. Also, there’s a two-year exemption attached to the win, not to mention a $1.26 million windfall.

Now 49th in the world, Jones’ trophy case just got a lot more attractive.

“It means the world,” Jones said after a frenetic week in which he led by three after the first round, trailed by three after the second and then re-emerged with a three-stroke cushion after 54 holes thanks to a nifty, scrambling 69 on Saturday. “Seven years between wins, it’s been a battle. I’ve had ups, I’ve had downs, but to win a second time on this golf course in these conditions that we faced all week is, it’s phenomenal.”

He played phenomenally to do it. And quite out of character.

Jones entered the week ranked 112th in stroke gained/tee-to-green with an average of -0.12, but stays competitive with his short game and putting. But on one of the most penal courses on the tour, where water lurks on 16 of 18 holes, Jones led the field in the category at +3.575. He hit 11 fairways and 17 greens in regulation on Sunday. No wonder he said he felt as calm as ever. Or maybe feeling calm enabled his ball striking.

Whatever. Something clicked, starting with that 61. Jones is no stranger to going low, posting 64 or better 20 times since he joined the tour in 2008. The key is sustaining it. Which he did.

“That’s the best I’ve hit it from tee to green for … ever,” he beamed. “And to be able to do it on this golf course is amazing. I mean, you have to do it out here to have a chance and I did it.”

Jared Tilton
Matt Jones drives from the 14th tee during the final round of the Honda Classic.

A bit of range work while connecting with swing coach Gary Barter through FaceTime did wonders. Jones struck the ball decently at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, another tough track, but missed the cut, and then he ended up T-55 at the Players. But he felt something brewing, even though he made no significant changes.

“It’s probably just golf being what golf is,” he said. “[At] Players last week, I told my coach and I told my friends, something’s coming, it’s getting closer. I worked on the range through FaceTime with my coach back in Australia, and we just started to get a feel for things and started to get the body and the club working together and it worked all week. I told a friend earlier that I like my chances this week.

“I really played amazing golf all four days,” he added.

Easily the most telling and consequential facet of Jones’ final round was his ability to engineer a few mental U-turns whenever he ventured down the three-putt alley that sidetracked Aaron Wise—the second-round leader and, at one point Sunday, the biggest threat to Jones when he surged within a stroke—and a host of others, including Sungjae Im, C.T. Pan, Robert Streb and, if we’re leaving anyone out, it’s only because we’re nearing our word count.

The scruffy-faced Aussie uncharacteristically blew a four-footer at the 11th and then bucked up and sank birdie putts of 19 and 10 feet on the next two holes to stretch his lead to five strokes. Another three-putt at No. 14 he erased with a 16-foot birdie dagger at 16, and Jones was able to waltz home with the second-largest winning margin on the PGA Tour this season and tied for the largest in Honda Classic history.

Jones became the seventh player in the last 12 months to go Rip Van Winkle on the competition, reawakening to break a PGA Tour victory drought of six years or more, joining Stewart Cink (11 years), Michael Thompson, Brian Gay, Harris English, and Martin Laird (seven years each), and Streb (who let six years elapse between RSM Classic wins).

“It was worth the wait to win again in these conditions,” he said. “You can’t get a tougher golf tournament to win on. It’s something I can build on for the future, hopefully.”

Speaking of futures, a few others saw theirs get a little brighter by surviving the final-round melee.

One was Camilo Villegas, who closed with a 69 to tie for eighth at five-under 275. Making a comeback from a shoulder injury, Villegas, winner of the 2010 Honda Classic, needed at least a three-way T-3 finish to remain on a Major Medical Extension. He didn’t get it, but he earned enough points to play the remainder of the season with conditional status for players in the 126-150 category in FedEx Cup points.

Another was Hagy, who holed out on 18 for birdie several hours before the leaders, carded a 66 after a disheartening 76 on Saturday, and watched his seven-under 273 hold up against everyone except Jones. His career-best runner-up finish, coming on his 30th birthday, enabled him to jump 101 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to 78th.

Nice work for a player ranked 348th in the world, considering that he was home in Arizona Tuesday, was the second-last alternate to get in the field and didn’t squeeze in a practice round. Like Jones, Hagy also benefitted from some slight swing adjustments.

“I was pretty far down the FedExCup coming into this week, but this is a good week for me to set up the rest of the season,” said Hagy, who would have lost his card after finishing 152nd in the points standings last season but got a reprieve because the schedule was lengthened by the pandemic. “I feel like I made some good adjustments that I applied this week and I look forward to putting them into play the rest of the season.”

The only one who had more to look forward to was the winner, who was planning an early arrival to Augusta National Golf Club after missing the cut in in his only other Masters appearance. Yep, life just got more beautiful for Matt Jones. Don’t be jealous.

The post Life just got more beautiful for Matt Jones with his Honda Classic triumph appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Matt Jones sprints his way to victory (literally), Hagy comes up huge and Wise’s nightmare weekend

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 23:44:21 +0000

Cliff Hawkins
Matt Jones reacts on the 10th green during the final round of the Honda Classic.

By Christopher Powers
Matt Jones’ first PGA Tour victory at the 2014 Houston Open, which featured a long birdie on the 72nd hole and a chip-in birdie in a playoff, was always going to be an impossible one to top. But, in a number of ways, the Aussie managed to eclipse it this week with win No. 2 at the Honda Classic.

First, he opened with a course-record tying 61 on Thursday, which gave him a three-shot lead. Then, he overcame deficits of three and six shots over the next two rounds, earning himself a three-shot lead heading into the final round. On Sunday, even after his lead shrunk to one, and even after he bricked a two-footer for par at the 14th, Jones still managed to slam the door and run away with it late, his most clutch birdie coming at the difficult par-4 16th.

And with all that, his most impressive feat might have been keeping his cheetah-like pace throughout the final round despite playing alongside J.B. Holmes, whose pace could be described as snail-like. It was not a good match for Jones, who wastes absolutely no time when he addresses the golf ball:

<5 seconds from address to impact. There are fast players, really fast players, and then there’s @mattjonesgolf. pic.twitter.com/aNZNNe2onh

— Skratch (@Skratch) March 21, 2021

Aspirational stuff, especially for those of us who stand over the ball a little too long as we struggle to break 80. Jones, meanwhile, tied the course record on Thursday and then went 70-69-68 by simply pointing and shooting. It’s not fair.

To be able to stick to that strategy, on a golf course like PGA National, in the final round, with the lead, made this second career win that much sweeter than the first for the 40-year-old Jones.

“I’ve had some tough times between that [2014 Houston Open] and now,” said Jones. “Been an emotional seven years. I just worked hard, had some tough times putting, worked hard with my coach back in Australia. It’s finally paid off.

“It was probably the calmest I’ve been for a golf tournament for four straight days . You can’t get a tougher course to win on, in these conditions, so to be able to do that on this golf course is amazing and something I can build on for the future.”

That future will now include Jones’ first trip to the Masters since … yep, you guessed it, 2014. This win will also go a long way in potentially getting him into the Tour Championship, an event he’s never reached in his entire career (he went from 60th to 11th in the FedEx Cup standings Sunday). If we want to look way down the line, perhaps Jones can allow himself to begin thinking about the 2022 Presidents Cup, which would be his first should he make the team. OK, too soon, but the fact it’s even in the discussion makes this the biggest day of Jones’ career to date.

Three other takeaways from Sunday at PGA National:

Jared C. Tilton
Brandon Hagy plays his shot from the ninth tee during the final round of the Honda Classic.

Brandon Hagy comes up huge
Speaking of career-altering days, Brandon Hagy had one himself thanks to a clutch four-under 66, a 10-shot improvement from Saturday for the former Cal Bear. Despite hitting it a mile and possessing plenty of talent, Hagy has not done much on the PGA Tour, with injuries and inconsistent play both to blame. He’s begun to show signs of turning the corner in 2021, though, and Sunday’s solo second, his career-best finish, is the most promising sign yet. Amazingly, it shouldn’t have even happened, as Hagy was the sixth alternate. Thanks to a number of withdraws, the 29-year-old got in, flew to Florida on Tuesday and didn’t even play a practice round.

“I got in at 11 [p.m.], got to my hotel at midnight, 12:30,” Hagy said. “The PGA Rules woke me up that—Commitments woke me up at 9 o’clock saying I was in the field. I was actually still sleeping. So that was kind of what happened.”

Essentially, Hagy went from not playing to finishing runner-up and vaulting 100 spots in the FedEx Cup standings, which puts him in prime position to get to the playoffs. This game works in very mysterious ways.

“It’s been an interesting couple years,” Hagy said. “Technically I lost my card last year, but still having an opportunity to play out here this year [because the season was extended due to the pandemic]. This is a good week for me to set up the rest of the season. I feel like I made some good adjustments that I applied this week and I look forward to putting them into play the rest of the season.”

Cliff Hawkins
Aaron Wise reacts while four-putting on the 10th green in the Honda Classic.

Aaron Wise’s nightmare weekend
Coming into the week, Aaron Wise ranked 216th on tour in strokes-gained/putting, a large part of the reason he’s managed just one top-10 this season. That was a runner-up finish at Mayakoba, and the rest of his strokes-gained statistics would indicate that the former Byron Nelson winner was close to another breakthrough.

Thanks to a hot putter, Hagy shot 64-64 the first two rounds, and then made a pair of early birdies on Saturday to take a six-shot lead. The ball game was over, no matter how hard PGA National was playing.

Turns out, it was not even close to over, especially when Wise’s putter went completely cold. His six-shot lead on Saturday vanished in a matter of hours, and even when he was able to claw his way back in it Sunday he ejected again with a shocking four-putt at the 10th hole. It was an absolute nightmare of a weekend for the former Oregon Duck, as he wound up falling into a tie for 13th. But it’s clear he still has potential to be mentioned among the tour’s many young stars despite the putter-shaped asterisk in his bag.

Cliff Hawkins
Rickie Fowler waves after finishing the final round of the Honda Classic.

Rickie Fowler is not making it into the Masters
Some may say we’re calling it too soon, some might say we’re calling it too late, and others might say we’re kicking a man while he’s down. All are valid opinions, but the sad fact is Rickie Fowler’s game does not belong anywhere near Augusta National right now, and there are no signs pointing to him winning his way in at the Valero Texas Open. Yes, he made the cut this week, but then went 78-71 to finish in second-to-last, meaning he’s gone dead last (Bay Hill), MC (Players) and T-65 in his last three starts. He’s not in the Match Play, so he’d have to win the Valero to not miss the Masters for a first time in a decade. Our sincere, heartfelt apologies, but we don’t see it happening.

The post Matt Jones sprints his way to victory (literally), Hagy comes up huge and Wise’s nightmare weekend appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Aaron Wise shockingly three-putts from three feet, throws away chance to win Honda Classic

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 21:04:29 +0000

Jared C. Tilton

By Christopher Powers
On Saturday, Aaron Wise’s tumble down the Honda Classic leaderboard was more of a slow, gradual burn. On Sunday, his fall lasted all of 30 seconds, and it seemingly cost him the tournament.

Wise, who led by as many as six shots on Saturday, trailed Matt Jones by three when he began the final round of the Honda Classic. Three straight birdies at the third, fourth and fifth holes at PGA National got him right back in the mix, and he was able to make the turn in 32, pulling within one of Jones’ lead.

But things took an ugly turn at the 10th, where Wise found a greenside bunker and blasted his third shot to 27 feet. His par putt rolled three feet past the hole, leaving him with a knee-knocker for bogey. He missed, then missed the tap-in from less than three feet for double on the way back. Four putts. Woof:

4 putts from 27 feet for Aaron Wise.

A triple bogey opens up a 4-shot lead for Matt Jones. pic.twitter.com/70x8gOGDBP

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 21, 2021

In less than a minute, Jones’ one-shot lead grew to four, and he didn’t even need to hit a shot for that to happen.

Luckily for Wise, a lot can happen on the back nine at PGA National. Not sure if you guys heard, but there’s this fun little stretch of holes called “The Bear Trap,” where disaster looms. As Wise himself has shown a few times this weekend, no lead is safe on this course.

The post Aaron Wise shockingly three-putts from three feet, throws away chance to win Honda Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.