By Brian Wacker
Mackenzie Hughes came into this week’s Honda Classic riding a wave of momentum—he had missed the cut in each of his last five starts.

After an up-and-down first two days, the 29-year-old Canadian was headed toward another weekend off, until he stuck his approach to two feet on the par-4 eighth hole on Friday—his 17th of the day—to set up an easy birdie to make the cut on the number.

It turned out he was just getting started.

On Saturday, Hughes shot four-under 66, which given the challenging conditions at PGA National vaulted him from T-59 to T-8. On Sunday, he kept it going, making three birdies in his first 11 holes. Then he holed a bunker shot on the par-4 13th for another birdie to tie for the lead.

But after a vicious lip out that resulted in a bogey on the 16th and a push-fanned tee shot on the par-3 17th that left him 53 feet from the hole, a chance for a second career victory appeared to have slipped away.

Except Hughes made the putt, fist-pumping as the ball fell into the cup, to again tie for the lead with playing partner Sungjae Im.

“I said to my caddie, ‘Let’s just try and make Sungjae’s putt a little harder,’” he said. “That’s a huge bonus that that ball would drop in. I haven’t been that excited on the golf course in a long time.”

Unfortunately for the 2016 RSM Classic champion, it wouldn’t last.

A moment later, Im made his eight-footer for birdie to jump back to a one-shot lead going to the par-5 18th.

Hughes found the fairway off the tee but badly hooked his second shot into the grandstands. After getting a free drop 70 yards from the flag, he pitched to just 25 feet and ran his birdie attempt by. Im, who had laid up with his second shot after driving into a bunker, again found the sand with his third but got up-and-down to save par and secure a one-shot victory.

“It’s been a really tough season so far for me,” said Hughes, who prior to this week had just one finish in the top 50 in his last 15 starts dating back to the middle of last summer. “I knew I was never really that far off, but it’s all results, and the results weren’t good so far this year. I always believed I could do it, but until you do it and get yourself back in there, there was always that bit of doubt.”

The post Mackenzie Hughes stops the bleeding, and a weekend surge nearly won him the tournament appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
Tommy Fleetwood came to the final hole of the Honda Classic on Sunday needing to make a birdie to force a playoff with Sungjae Im. Instead, he over-cut his 5-wood from 230 yards in the middle of the 18th fairway at PGA National, and the ball landed in the water right of the green on the par 5.

Game over. Fleetwood, seeking his first PGA Tour victory, went on to bogey the hole to shoot one-over 71 and fall two shots short of the win after starting the day in the lead.

It was a stunning end to what was a wild final hour of the tournament, and one that appeared—at least to some watching at home—to have been perhaps influenced by an overzealous fan.

On NBC’s telecast, a man could be heard yelling “Get in the hole!” as Fleetwood got to the top of his backswing on the shot. By the time the 29-year-old Englishman had finished the swing, his ball was peeling to the right and headed for its watery demise, leaving many on Twitter to wonder if the outburst had affected Fleetwood’s shot.

“No, I didn’t hear anything,” said Ian Finnis, Fleetwood’s caddie, afterwards. “[Tommy] didn’t mention it to me.”

Fleetwood talks with his caddie, Ian Finnis, early in the final round on Sunday.

When Fleetwood was asked about it, he, too, said he didn’t hear it.

“There was a lot of noise,” Fleetwood said. “But no I didn’t hear anyone yell.”

It’s possible that the shout was picked up by an open TV microphone elsewhere on the hole. Fleetwood’s lack of reaction as well as that of his caddie in the immediate aftermath also indicated they didn’t hear it.

“I hit a bad shot,” Fleetwood said. “Could have been a great shot, but actually as bad as it was, it could have landed three yards left and been on the edge of the green and I’d have had a chance. It is what it is.”

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It seems only fitting, then, that in typical ironman fashion, the 21-year-old’s first career victory on Sunday at the Honda Classic was hard work, too.

After birdies on four of his first five holes followed by three bogeys in the middle of his round, Im rallied with two more birdies over his final four holes and a clutch par save on the last to win by one over Mackenzie Hughes in what was an electric final hour at PGA National.

“I’ve been in this spot many times,” Im said through an interpreter. “Gaining that experience helped me on the last few holes. I knew I was one back going into the last four holes. I wanted to play aggressively and get after those pins.”

Never was that more evident than on the par-3 17th. Clinging to a one-stroke lead, Im stuck his tee shot over water to eight feet. When Hughes, who was playing alongside him, rolled in a 53-footer for birdie to briefly tie for the lead, Im didn’t flinch. He coolly holed his putt for birdie to push the lead back to one.

Im celebrates his birdie on the 17th hole on Sunday at PGA National, which gave him the lead for good at the Honda Classic. (Ben Jared/Getty Images (3))

Then, on the par-5 18th, after chunking his third shot into a greenside bunker, Im got up and down to save par, while Hughes missed his birdie attempt after hitting his second shot left and into the grandstand, taking a free drop and pitching to 25 feet.

When Brendan Steele, who needed to eagle the last to match Im, and Tommy Fleetwood, who had started the day with a one-shot lead and needed a birdie to tie, each found water right of 18 with their second shot on the par-5 home hole, Im could finally celebrate. His final-round 66 matched the lowest score of the week and his six-under 274 total equalled the second-highest winning score since the event moved to PGA National in 2007. He was also the only player to birdie the difficult 15th and 17th holes on Sunday.

“I wasn’t worried about being short because I took more club for that reason with it being into the wind,” Im said of the shot on 17. “I was just a little bit concerned about the back bunker when the ball was in the air, but I was just happy to see the ball hit the ground fast and stop where it did. That was a good turning point.”

In earnest, the turning point came much earlier for Im.

In 2018, Im, who was born to golf-crazed parents on South Korea’s Jeju Island, began playing at age 3 and grew up competing against Si Woo Kim, was named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year after a season in which he won twice and finished second three times. The following year, he was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year after finishing in the top 10 six times and being the only newcomer to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship.

Then came last year’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, where Im had a breakout week. Along with Abraham Ancer, Im led the International team with 3½ points, which included a rousing 4-and-3 victory over U.S. Open Gary Woodland in Sunday singles as the International team nearly toppled the Americans.

“Playing for Captain Ernie for the Presidents Cup this year was a huge experience,” Im said on Sunday. “Just comparing today’s pressure to that pressure, I felt a little less nervous than I did during the Presidents Cup, so experiences like that have really helped me and will help me moving forward.”

It helped, too, that Im had a familiar face on the bag this week for the first time: His interpreter and former Korn Ferry Tour player Albin Choi.

“He’s had some language barriers with other caddies in the past, and I just felt like we communicate better,” said Choi, a former college All-American at N.C. State. “Being a player myself and having played this golf course a lot of times, he wanted somebody on the bag with a little bit of experience. I accepted, and I’m glad that I did.”

With PGA Tour win No.1, Im has a burden lifted but expectations will likely remain high. (Ben Jared/Getty Images)

How will the two celebrate? They’re not sure. Another tournament awaits next week at Bay Hill with more events to come for the foreseeable future, including Im’s first Masters in April.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to be heading to Orlando tonight or tomorrow night,” Im said. “Wherever I am, in a hotel or wherever, this is going to be one of the happiest nights of my life.”

He’s earned it.

The post Before mulling how many victories are in his future, Sungjae Im is going to enjoy win No. 1 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
For the second time this week at the Honda Classic a player has been penalized for violating one of golf’s new rules.

On Saturday, Adam Schenk was issued a two-stroke penalty for his caddie standing behind him once he took a stance in the bunker on the par-3 17th during Friday’s second round at PGA National. Schenk played the shot without backing away, leading to the violation.

“We were just talking about probably chunking it in front of us in the bunker to leave myself a decent chance to get up-and-down for bogey,” Schenk said on Saturday after shooting two-under 68 to sit three strokes off the lead. “That’s what we were talking about.

“The intention was never to line me up. You could see that I had a fried egg lie on the side of a bunker.”

Rule 10.2b(4) states that a player is not allowed to have his or her caddie deliberately stand behind him or her when the player begins taking a stance because aiming at the intended target is one of the challenges the player must overcome alone.

The rule also states that although there is no set procedure for determining when a player has begun to take a stance, if a player has his or her feet or body close to a position where guidance on aiming at the target could be given, it should be decided that the player has begun to take his or her stance.

Had Schenk backed out of his stance, there would have been no penalty.

Officials said they were alerted to the infraction on Friday, though declined to specify how, and reviewed video before approaching Schenk on the driving range about 40 minutes prior to his scheduled third-round tee time.

“I was upset,” Schenk said. “I felt like I was polite. But I was just asking questions, and after a couple of questions I was just like, I’m just going to get a two-shot penalty, so I might as well just go warm up.”

Rule 10.2b(4) has come under fire recently with Haotong Li the first player penalized under the new rule earlier this year in Dubai. Just a few days later, Denny McCarthy was also penalized at the Waste Management Phoenix Open before the PGA Tour rescinded the penalty, after speaking with the USGA and Justin Thomas, who had voiced his concern over a similar situation involving him and his caddie at the Phoenix Open.

“I guess technically by the rule, I did, and Denny by the rule deserved a penalty, as well,” Schenk said. “But I don’t think Denny should have been penalized.

“I guess I did break the rule, so I guess I should be penalized. But you know, you just can’t hope for leniency, just probably never do it again.”

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So far, he’s off to a pretty good start.

Sunday at the Honda Classic, Thomas made two birdies over his final six holes, including one on the 18th, to force a playoff with Luke List. He then went on to claim the title with another birdie on the first hole of sudden death. The victory was his second of the 2017-’18 season, seventh in his last 31 starts and eighth of his pro career. It also moved Thomas to a career-best third on the Official World Golf Ranking and just ahead of good friend Jordan Spieth.

This one, though, stood out for its level of difficulty.

While Tiger Woods and most everyone else struggled with one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf—the 15th through 17th at PGA National’s Champion course—Thomas made nary a bogey on the Bear Trip the entire weekend, netting two birdies on Saturday and three clutch pars down the stretch on Sunday.

Then there was the par-5 18th.

After Thomas and List went shot-for-shot down the back nine on Sunday, List hammered a drive on the home hole, leaving himself a 4-iron in that he hit to the back of the green on the par 5. Thomas, meanwhile, found thick rough off the tee and was forced to lay up rather than take on the water. He nearly holed his wedge from 117 yards, then knocked in a two-footer to send it to overtime.

Related: For Tiger, expectations rise following a tournament—and a Sunday—in the hunt

Playing the same hole again, it was Thomas who found the fairway and List who was in the rough to the right. Thomas hit 5-wood over the water to set up a two-putt birdie, while List tugged his layup into the gallery left before eventually missing a 17-footer for birdie.

“This was a hard win,” Thomas said. “I tried to stay really patient out there.”

At the end, though, pure emotion took over. When the final putt fell, Thomas let out a “F— yeah!” loud enough to be heard on the CBS broadcast. He apologised for the outburst later, but the f-bomb was telling.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

“Just something about this one,” said Thomas, who closed with a two-under 68. “I was very calm and comfortable, kind of, those first 14 holes, and that’s the first time I’ve had to play the Bear Trap in that much pressure, and it was pretty nerve-wracking. To get it done this week, you know, I was just very excited and it just was—it felt great to get it done.”

The way Thomas is playing, he appears to be on the verge of another great year.

In 2017, he opened with back-to-back victories in Hawaii, shooting a 59 along the way. But he missed three of his next five cuts and in the middle of the summer missed three in a row before winning his first career major at the PGA Championship and adding another victory during the PGA Tour playoffs on his way to capturing the FedEx Cup.

Thomas didn’t wait long to get going this season, either. He won the CJ Cup in South Korea in October, and in each of his three starts leading into the Honda Classic finished no worse than 17th.

Then came Sunday. It was the type of tough-as-nails performance that had been admittedly missing from Thomas’ resume.

Does he think he’s playing better than a year ago?

“Yeah, I do,” Thomas said matter-of-factly. “I feel very confident in pretty much every part of my game right now. I just have really, really played well for a couple tournaments in a row now, which is great.

“I hit some great drives this week when I needed to. Hit some really, really good irons. I hit some great wedges. Had some great up-and-downs, and really made some great putts. So yeah, I feel like my game is in a very good spot at the moment.”

It’s hard to argue otherwise.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

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By Brian Wacker
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods bombing drives, living pin high, playing meaningful golf on a Sunday.

This is what progressing nicely looks like.

Woods led the field at the Honda Classic in driving distance and was first in proximity to the hole. He even sniffed the periphery of contention in the final round, climbing to within three of the lead after making his fourth birdie of the day, an 18-footer he holed on the 14th at PGA National.

His undoing, like a lot of players in the field this week, came on Nos. 15 through 17, arguably the toughest three-hole stretch on the PGA Tour. Woods played those holes in a combined nine over this week, including three over on Sunday when he rinsed his tee shot en route to making double-bogey 5 at 15. He followed with a three-putt bogey on the par-4 16th, and that was that. A even-par 70 at day’s end left him with an even-par 280 for the week and a 12th-place showing.

Try this on for a intriguing “what if?” Had Woods played those holes in even par for the week, he would have won by two. That he didn’t isn’t really the point. He still has some cleaning up to do, yes, but this was a step in the right direction in his third official PGA Tour start of 2018.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Woods, when asked if the progress he has seen has ratcheted up his expectations. “My expectations have gone up. I’m hitting the ball better. I knew I could putt it, I knew I could chip it, but I didn’t know how well I was going to hit it.

“I’ve had to get used to certain things. I can’t do what I used to do. I can’t hit the same shots, the same body positions. They are different,” Woods continued. “I’m getting used to it. I’m getting more accustomed to it and I’m very pleased about what has transpired, especially this week. So each and every time out, I’m getting better and I’m getting a feel for my playing senses and also getting a rhythm of the rounds.”

To say that Woods’ progress is ahead of schedule wouldn’t be an understatement, even as great as he has been throughout his career.

He briefly held the lead last December at the Hero World Challenge in his first competitive golf in 10 months but ultimately finished ninth in an 18-man field, and wide fairways and lack of rough covered up some holes in his game.

Then came the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, a place he’d won eight times as a professional. He finished in a tie for 23rd, but needed four birdies over his final nine holes on the North Course just to make it to the weekend.

Last week at Riviera and the Genesis Open, there were various parts of his game that abandoned him, from his driving to his putting. He got exposed at a course he has never played well, and missed the cut.

This week, at a mostly windswept PGA National, with thick rough, water everywhere and an eight-under total atop the leader board, some of those holes were filled. He still struggled at times with the driver—in the opening round he hit the fairway just once in five tries—but by Sunday he was clearly in a different place with his game and his mindset.

“I was very, very impressed with how he played this week,” winner Justin Thomas said. “He can get it around Torrey. He’s played and won enough at that place, and yeah, driving is a premium there, but he can still get it around there and you can get it around there, if you know what you’re doing. Here, you can’t drive it like that and get it around. So he obviously drove it a lot better. He played a lot better.

“But it was funny,” Thomas continued, offering a vignette that hinted at Woods’ mindset in South Florida, “because every other time that I’ve had a chance to win or in L.A., I get a text from him or hear from him, you know, kind of giving me a little advice or just kind of wishing me luck. Got crickets last night. I knew he had one thing in mind, and we both had the same thing in mind, so I thought that was pretty funny.”

For the first time since the 2015 Wyndham Championship more than 900 days ago, Woods could talk about trying to win and it actually meant something.

“I feel very positive about [the week],” he said. “I feel like I’ve really hit the ball well. I missed the golf ball in the correct spots and I had control of my ball. That’s something I’m very proud of.

“Each and every time I’ve come out to tournaments, I’m getting the feel of the round faster. I’ve been away from tournament golf for so long, that I’m starting to feel the rounds. I’m starting to get into it quicker, feel the pace, feel the shots and get a better sense of it. The more I play tournament golf, the better I’ll get at it.”

With the Masters just over a month away, it couldn’t happen at a better time.

The post Tiger Woods’ expectations have gone up following a tournament—and a Sunday—in the hunt appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — By the time 21-year-old rookie Sam Burns finished his round Sunday at the Honda Classic, he had 448 text messages waiting for him on his phone.

Hello to playing with Tiger Woods.

“I don’t even remember feeling the club in my hands,” said Burns of his opening-hole tee shot. “It was like everything was numb. … It’s almost like I’m speechless. You see the guy on TV, you see him all over the place and you’re standing there next to him on the tee box and you’re like, ‘That’s Tiger Woods.’ ”

And yet for the first time all week at PGA National, Burns, the 2017 college golf’s player of the year who turned pro last summer after two seasons at LSU and earned playing status on the Web.com Tour during Qualifying School in December, found the fairway on first hole. He then stuck his approach shot to three feet and made the putt for birdie.

Two holes later, he made another, rolling in a six-footer on the par-5 third.

It helped that Woods chatted with Burns on the first tee and as the two made their way down the fairway, the ice broken for a player nearly half Woods’ age.

“I was super excited,” said Burns, 13th on the Web.com Tour money list early in 2018 but playing this week on the PGA Tour thanks to a sponsor’s exemption. “I knew it was going to be chaotic with all the people. It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. Anybody my age, or any age, wants to play golf with Tiger Woods, much less Sunday at the Honda Classic. We had a blast and it was really fun.”

Burns handled it better than anyone could have imagined, going bogey-free and shooting a two-under 68 to Woods’ 70 .

“He played beautifully,” Woods said of Burns. “He’s trying to build momentum and build his exempt status. Today and this week was a big step for him.” Indeed.

Related: Tiger Woods’ expectations have gone up following a tournament and a Sunday in the hunt

With Burns’ tie for eighth at two under for the week—two shots better than Woods—he earned a spot into the field (by virtue of the top-10 finish) at the Valspar Championship in two weeks as he tries to secure a PGA Tour card.

“It’s huge,” said Burns, who has up to three more sponsor’s exemptions left on the PGA Tour this season after playing in the Sanderson Farms (T-43) and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (T-20) last fall, and the Farmers (MC) last month. “I’m just going to try to go out there and do the same thing I did this week and just get ready to play another golf tournament.

“If it happens that way, great. If it doesn’t, hopefully it will happen another way.”

No matter what happens, he’ll always have that time that he played alongside Woods and beat him.

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