Matthew Wolff reacts to his birdie on the 15th green during the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Gregory Shamus)

By Christopher Powers

The birdie-fest at Detroit Golf Club, also known as the Rocket Mortgage Classic, continued on Saturday, and Matthew Wolff led the way. The former Oklahoma State standout made nine of them, plus an eagle and three bogeys to shoot a second straight eight-under-par 64. He’s alone at the top at 19 under, three clear of the next closest competitors.

One of those guys just so happens to be Bryson DeChambeau, who was stunned and beaten by Wolff this time a year ago on the 72nd green at the 3M Open. Are we in for another DeChambeau dagger?

Here are our five takeaways from Day 3 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Wolff v. DeChambeau, Part II

A year ago this week, Wolff earned his first victory in his fourth PGA Tour start at the 3M Open in Minnesota. If you recall, the man he clipped by one stroke was DeChambeau, who eagled the final hole to reach 20 under, only to watch Wolff also eagle minutes later. It made for one of the great screengrabs of the 2019 golf season:

Now, just imagine a year later, and Bryson about 50 pounds heavier, if Wolff does something similar again. After weeks and weeks of top 10s, this week was supposed to be DeChambeau’s, especially considering how relatively weak the field was. Other than Webb Simpson, nobody coming into Detroit was playing better than Bryson. Wolff, who missed two of his first three cuts post-lockdown, didn’t appear to be much of a factor.

After rounds of 69, 64 and 64, not only is Wolff a factor, but he’s the man to beat at 19 under. Unfortunately, we won’t see them in the same pairing, but DeChambeau will once again finish before Wolff, just like he did at TPC Twin Cities last July. What a bit of deja vu it would be for Bryson to post a number and then lose by one on a 72nd hole Wolff birdie.

Ryan Armour watches shot during third round of Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Stacy Revere)

What a wild finish from Ryan Armour

Heading to the par-5 17th hole, Armour had made only one bogey in his previous 34 holes. He played those holes in 14 under, including making his 14th ace during Friday’s second round. All was well.

That was up until his third shot sailed the 17th green, where he left himself with a poor lie and a difficult chip to get up and down. His fourth jumped out of the rough and rolled 25 feet past the hole, and he three-putted for a disastrous double bogey, seemingly undoing two exceptional days of work.

Impressively, Armour bounced back on 18, rolling in a 21-footer from off the green to salvage a five-under 67, which puts him three off Wolff’s lead and in the final pairing. Prior to the shutdown, Armour missed six consecutive cuts. The two-month break turned out to be just what he needed.

“When we shut down [March 13], I took three weeks to just let my body heal, and I was able to kind of start over,” said Armour, who was going through a grip change before the hiatus. “We were just trying to make the grip a little stronger; it allowed me to get reps. We had a lot of good games at the Dye Preserve [in Jupiter, Fla.], which allowed me to get in the heat of battle a little bit before we got back out here.”

It’s paying dividends so far. Armour finished T-6 last week and now has a chance to spoil the Wolff-Bryson party on Sunday.

Mark Hubbard putts on the third green during the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Gregory Shamus)

The other spoilers

In addition to Armour, there are a number of guys who can ruin the Wolff-Bryson fun. First up we have Troy Merritt, who is five back and has been known to throw up a few random 61s. He’s more than capable of tearing up this Donald Ross track and waiting in the clubhouse to see what happens. Who knows these days.

Next up is Mark Hubbard, who, despite a rough day on the greens, still posted a 69 and is tied with Merritt at 14 under. Hubbard came close to tasting his first victory at the Houston Open earlier this season, so you know he’s hungry to get it done. Rounds in the low 60s are out there, as we’ve seen.

Finally, there’s Seamus Power and Chris Kirk, both also at 14 under. And that’s before getting to the group at 13 under, which includes Simpson, Viktor Hovland, Wesley Bryan and Matt Wallace. We would not be the least bit surprised to see a member of that group steal one, though it’s going to take something very special.

Oh yeah, how about Wes Bryan?

Bryan shot seven-under 65 on Saturday to be six back and everything this guy does on tour is impressive, given he was once just a trick-shot guy. To come back the way he has after injury might be his most impressive feat yet. On Sunday, he’ll look to lock up his first top 10 on tour since [checking notes] the 2017 John Deere Classic. It’s been a long road back for this guy. Respect the grind.

Being able to hear everything remains the best

Personally, I can’t wait for fans to return to sporting events. Anyone who says golf is better without fans is a prisoner of the moment at best, and flat out foolish at worst. Would Tiger’s Masters win have been better without fans? Spieth’s walk-off chip-in at Travelers? Gary Woodland’s chip on the 17th green at Pebble?

But being able to hear everything these guys say is tough to beat. It wasn’t the greatest soundbite, but I really enjoyed a quick conversation between Wolff and his caddie at the 17th hole. Wolff pulled his drive into the left rough, robbing him of any chance of going for the green. “I’m expecting this to come up 20 yards short of that right bunker,” said Wolff, pointing to the bunker he was aiming at. “Then I’ll just chip up from there.”

Wolff then went on to execute the plan exactly as he mapped it out, hacking one out short of the bunker, chipping up to two feet and rolling in his ninth birdie of the day.

There was another funny exchange caught earlier in the round when Wolff hit a shot and said with a laugh, “I heard the ice cream truck.”

Wolff swore afterward that the music from the truck stuck in his head and helped him.

“I think I have to give credit to the ice cream truck that was circling the property. I’m not joking, actually,” Wolff said. “Just had that little like ice cream truck song in my head, and I think that helped me just not think about the speed or the line or anything [on putts]. Just keep my head free, which I’ve been giving a lot of credit to this week.”

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By Alex Myers
As a former Miss America winner, Kira Kazantsev is used to showing off her skills in front of large audiences. Still, in front of a national TV audience, we wonder how the pressure of playing golf at Pebble Beach as a 16-handicapper compares to being on stage singing, walking around in a swimsuit or answering questions about achieving world peace. Regardless, Kazantsev is proving she’s pretty darn good at all of the above.

Playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, AKA the Super Bowl of Celebrity Golf, for the first time, Kazantsev made the three-day cut. That means she’ll be on CBS again for Sunday’s final round with her partner, PGA Tour pro Ryan Armour.

“I’m so excited! I’m here for the ladies and this has been an incredible experience,” Kazantsev told CBS’ Amanda Balionis after her round. “I got into this event Monday morning at 10 a.m. so to come down and make the cut, and my pro Ryan has just been amazing, so I’m just so happy to be here.”

 

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Real time capture of me finding out I MADE THE CUT at the @attproam ? @balionis @therealalfonsoribeiro

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Even more impressive is that Armour isn’t having a good week. A two-over par through 54 holes, he missed the individual cut, meaning Kazantsev has more than carried the load for the team.

Kazantsev, 27, won the 2015 Miss America pageant representing New York, but she was born and still lives in nearby San Francisco, which came in handy with the late invite into the event.

Donald Kravitz

Kazantsev was one of 10 women amateurs/celebrities in the field, but the only female to make the cut (25 teams out of 156 make it through to Sunday’s final round). She has served as the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ director of digital channels and community engagement and she will host a show on Golf Channel that’s coming out later this month. But in the meantime, she’ll be trying to track down Ray Romano and others on a star-studded leader board on Sunday.

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By Christopher Powers
If his play at Colonial is any indication, Justin Rose has made himself one of the favourites to win a second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in three weeks time, if he wasn’t already. The Englishman has been a machine, carding rounds of 66, 64 and Saturday’s four-under 66 to take a commanding four-shot lead into Sunday at the Fort Worth Invitational.

Rose, 37, had yet to tee off as Jon Rahm and Corey Conners each made a huge move, with Rahm eventually finishing off a six-under 64 and Conners a seven-under 63 to get into a tie for fourth at eight-under 202. Rose was able to distance himself from them immediately, making three consecutive birdies to open his round. With a chance to really do some damage though, he made just two more birdies and a bogey the rest of the way, putting him at 14-under 196.

“It was nice to get going, nice to sort of build up that lead,” said Rose. “No one seemed to do too much behind me today, so it felt like it was in my hands to try and get as far ahead as I could. Obviously, that’s the only thing, I kind of struggled toward the end. It was so hot out there I really felt I was battling the golf course and my concentration.

“It was kind of tough to finish that off in that heat I found today. All in all, happy to be in the clubhouse, good day’s work.”

Rose will have to beat the heat again on Sunday in Fort Worth, with temperatures expected to be in the high 90s again. For the 14th time in his career, he holds a 54-hole lead or co-lead, something he’s converted on just three times.

“You’re kind of caught between trying to play great and also go out there and not make mistakes,” he said. “For me it’s just going to be about one shot at a time, to make birdies here. I feel like there’s a score in this golf course. So I’ve got to expect the chasing pack to go out there and play well, I don’t think I can just rest on my laurels and shoot even par tomorrow.”

Among that chasing pack is the reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who will play in the final group with Rose on Sunday after posting a three-under 67, a round made all the more impressive by Koepka’s ability to bounce back after a double-bogey at the par-5 11th. Birdies at 12, 14 and a 16-footer at the 18th saved his round, and have him tied for second with Emiliano Grillo at 10-under 200.

Rahm and Conners are joined at eight under by Louis Oosthuizen, J.T. Poston and Ryan Armour.

The post Justin Rose in control at Colonial, leads by four after third-round 66 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege

A professional golfer is not likely to be enthused with having his career defined by a loss, notably one that occurred when he was 17. Yet for 24 years that was Ryan Armour’s burden and its name was Tiger.

In 1993, Armour was on the brink of derailing Tiger Woods’ historic USGA run when he had him 2 down with two holes to play in the U.S. Junior Amateur final at Waverley Country Club in Portland.

“Seventeen and 18 were the two hardest holes on the course all week,” Armour said on Wednesday. “I told my caddie that if I make two pars I win.”

Pars don’t topple immortals.

Armour, 41, was reminded of this—once more—on Wednesday, three days after rerouting the narrative of a career journeyman heretofore uncertain where the journey was taking him.

Henceforth, Armour will be known first and foremost as a PGA Tour winner by virtue of his wire-to-wire victory in the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.

“It’s career changing,” he said from Las Vegas, where he’ll play the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this week. “I’ve never really had that much job security out there. Now through 2020 I’ll be out here [on the PGA Tour] and not have to worry. It’s a great feeling. There are a lot of people who had a piece in this, first and foremost my wife and kids. They never wavered in support of what I do.”

Armour, however, did waver, even once considering quitting. “I don’t know how close it got, but it wasn’t pretty, like in 2011, ’12 and ’13,” he said. “I dreaded playing golf. I didn’t have a plan in place to succeed, and finally in 2013 I realized I wasn’t getting into any tournaments. I thought maybe it’s time. My wife was like, ‘No, you’re going to play.’ We made some changes, committed to being a more active family, to getting to bed early and getting up early. It was more of a lifestyle commitment.”

After spending most of his career on the Web.com Tour, he returned to the PGA Tour in 2014-’15, again in 2016-’17, and retained his PGA Tour card via the Web.Com Tour Finals in September. His victory on Sunday came in his 105th start on the PGA Tour.

As for Tiger and the 1993 Junior Amateur, it will remain an important part of his biography, if only for what it foretold about Woods’ transcendent talent.

Woods won the 17th hole with a birdie, but at the par-5 18th hole hit his second shot into a fairway bunker that might have spelled doom for mere lesser players.

“A 55-yard bunker shot over another bunker to a tucked pin,” Armour said. “That’s the hardest shot we ever deal with. I just thought, ‘OK, there’s no way he’s winning this hole.’”

Yet Woods hit his third shot to eight feet from the hole. “Under any circumstances, a $2 Nassau on Saturday afternoon, it would have been a great shot,” Jay Brunza, Woods’ caddie and sport psychologist, said then. “With the pressure of his third Junior Amateur at stake, it was unbelievable.”

Woods, of course, made the birdie putt, won on the first extra hole, and followed three straight Junior Amateur championships with three straight U.S. Amateur titles. USGA championships in six consecutive years is second only to Bobby Jones’ record of eight.

Armour, incidentally, conceded that this was how he was being remembered. “The media brings it up a lot, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “How can you not? It’s Tiger.”

Perhaps it’s always good, whatever the circumstances, to share space with Woods in a sentence or story, better yet, no doubt, to have rendered Woods’ a footnote to your own story, as Armour has done by joining the ranks of PGA Tour winners.

The post How Ryan Armour demoted Tiger Woods to a footnote to his career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington

Ryan Armour isn’t the No. 1 ranked player in the world, nor does he have 16 PGA Tour titles to his name. So when the 41-year-old journeyman pro saw that Dustin Johnson, the man who does carry those accolades, couldn’t hold on to a six-stroke lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions earlier in the day, he knew he couldn’t take anything for granted as he carried a five-shot edge over the field entering the final round of the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.

Eighteen nerve-wracking—but career-affirming—holes later, Armour closed with a four-under 68 at the Country Club of Jackson (Miss.) to claim his first career PGA Tour triumph in his 105th start. And finally he could breath easier.

“I’m tearing up. I’m not going to lie,” said Armour after posting a 19-under 269 to win by the same five-stroke margin. “There were some lean times. I thought about quitting, but my wife wouldn’t let me. Thank god. I love her. It goes back to have faith in what you do. You know if you believe in something, go do it, work hard at it and have fun doing it.”

After a solid college career at Ohio State, Armour turned pro in 1999. He finally earned a PGA Tour card in 2007, but ever since the Ohio native has bounced back and forth between the big tour and Web.com Tour, a victory at the 2016 Web.com Tour’s Panama Claro Championship his lone triumph.

Playing on the PGA Tour in 2016-’17 season, he competed in 20 events but finished 159th on the FedEx Cup points list. Forced to play in the Web.com Tour Finals Series to try to earn back his card, he secured it with a runner-up finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (on his old college course at Ohio State).

But something clicked early in the week for Armour in Mississippi. He grabbed a share of the lead Thursday with an opening 66 and never looked back. Celebrating his son Patrick’s 9th birthday, back home with the rest of the family in Flordia, via Facetime on Saturday morning, Armour went out and shot a five-under 67 to take the commanding lead.

Come Sunday, the trick for Armour was not to get too anxious with such a big lead. He managed to keep calm with birdies on three of his first seven holes while his closest pursuer, Chesson Hadley, played the same stretch in just one under. It wasn’t until a wayward drive on the ninth hole that resulted in a bogey that Armour said the nerves started to creep in. But he quelled with a birdie on the 11th and 14th holes to maintain a nice cushion on the field.

Meanwhile, Hadley tried to charge with a birdie-eagle showing on the 13th and 14th holes, but it was too little, too late as he ended the day with a 68 and remained five back in second place.

Mississippi native Jonathan Randolph, who grew up 11 miles from the course, charged with a Sunday 67 to move from ninth to third place, finishing seven back of Armour. Smylie Kaufman also made a nice Sunday move, shooting a 68 to jump from 16th to T-4.

The tournament had another heartwarming story in the form of Scott Strohmeyer, a former teammate of Justin Thomas at Alabama. Stroymeyer went through pre-qualifying the previous Thursday, then finished in the top four during the Monday qualifier just to earn his spot in his first PGA Tour event. He continued to play well, finishing T-4 at 10 under to earn an automatic spot into the field at next week’s Shriners Hospital.

Whether Strohmeyer will see the new Sanderson Farms champ with him in Vegas remains unclear. Armour had planned to skip the tournament and instead travel to New York to watch his wife run in the New York City Marathon next weekend.

“We’ll see,” Armour said.

The post Journeyman Ryan Armour, 41, handles nerves and grabs first PGA Tour title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
For some PGA Tour pros, certain courses on the schedule just fit their eye. A prime example would be Webb Simpson and Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., a place he has had nothing but success in his career. After missing the cut in the 2009 Wyndham Championship, his seven appearances since have included his first PGA Tour victory in 2011, three top 8s and two top 25s.

It’s no surprise that after 36 holes Simpson is at the top of the leader board once again, tied with Ryan Armour at 13-under 127 after posting a second-round six-under 64 on Friday.

Simpson, 32, began with birdies on his first two holes Friday, rolling in putts of 20 and 14 feet. He added six more on the round, including four on his first six holes of the home nine. The North Carolina native, who ranks 143rd on tour in strokes gained putting, has ridden a hot putter this week, ranking sixth in the field in that same category through two rounds. He hasn’t won since 2013, but has given himself a few chances this season, losing in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and playing in the final group at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.

Armour, 41, posted the low round of his career, a bogey-free nine-under 61 that matched the low round of the tournament, shot by Matt Every on Thursday. The former Ohio State All-American finds himself at 187th in the FedEx Cup standings, more than 200 points back of the top 125. A victory this week would get him into the top 75, securing him a spot in the first two legs of the of playoffs. It would be a huge accomplishment for Armour, who’s never won on tour and has only competed in one FedEx Cup event in his career.

One back at 12-under 128 is Henrik Stenson after carding a four-under 66 that featured just one bogey, his only dropped shot of the week. The 2016 Open Champion has struck his irons according to reputation, hitting 32 of 36 greens in regulation, which ranks in a tie for sixth in the field. He’s played some of his best golf of late, finishing T-17 or better in four of his last five events.

Vaughn Taylor and Ollie Schniederjans are two shots off the lead at 11-under 129.

The most surprising name near the top is a familiar one. Hunter Mahan, who hasn’t finished inside the top-10 on the PGA Tour since the 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship, carded a second-round five-under 65. He’s three back at 10-under 130, tied with Davis Love III and Kevin Na. Mahan entered this week ranked 197th on the FedEx Cup points list, not only looking on the outside to get into the playoffs but running the risk of nearly not qualifying for the Web.com Tour Finals series, which includes players No. 126 to 200.

A few FedEx Cup bubble boys are within striking distance at nine under, including Harold Varner III, Sam Saunders, Shane Lowry and Johnson Wagner, who had a wild round that featured an albatross and an eagle.

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