Australians’ Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith take a selfie with the trophy after winning the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Stacy Revere

By Greg Gottfried

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler returns to action this week for the PGA Tour’s only full-field team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’ll partner with Ryan Palmer, a winner in 2019, and they’ll be one of the 80 duos looking to defeat the defending champs, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman.

With four-ball (best ball) on Thursday and Saturday and foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday and Sunday, the Zurich Classic’s fifth year as a team tournament will feature captivating star pairings and even one father-son squad.

Jay and Bill Haas will tee off this week, the former playing at age 68. So will Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter. Not only are the pairings fun, but last year’s event went to extra holes as the Australian team Leishman and Smith outlasted South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

The winning team will receive 400 FedEx Cup points per player and a $2,398,700 million share of the $8.3 million purse.

TEE TIMES: FIRST ROUND

First tee

8am
Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon
Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre

8.13am
Austin Cook-Jason Dufner
Bo Van Pelt-Ben Martin

8.26am
Danny Lee-Sangmoon Bae
Seung-Yul Noh-Michael Kim

8.39am
Keith Mitchell-Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown

8.52am
Lucas Glover-Chez Reavie
Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace

9.05am
Robert Streb-Troy Merritt
Sung Kang-John Huh

9.18am
Scott Piercy-Sean O’Hair
Tommy Gainey-Robert Garrigus

9.31am
Hank Lebioda-Chase Seiffert
Denny McCarthy-Ben Kohles

9.44am
Adam Hadwin-Adam Svensson
Matthew NeSmith-Taylor Moore

9.57am
Michael Gligic-Ryan Armour
Dawie van der Walt-Brett Drewitt

1.05pm
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

1.18pm
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

1.31pm
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

1.44pm
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

1.57pm
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

2.10pm
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

2.23pm
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

2.36pm
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

2.49pm
Alex Smalley-Hayden Buckley
Lee Hodges-Vince Whaley

3.02pm
Curtis Thompson-Nick Hardy
Seth Reeves-Jared Wolfe

10th tee

8am
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

8.13am
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

8.26am
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

8.39am
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

8.52am
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

9.05am
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

9.18am
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

9.31am
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

9.44am
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

9.57am
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

1.05pm
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

1.18pm
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

1.31pm
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

1.44pm
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

1.57pm
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

2.10pm
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

2.23pm
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

2.36pm
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

2.49pm
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

3.02pm
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

RELATED: Our 11 favourite teams at Zurich Classic

SECOND ROUND

First tee

9.20am
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

9.31am
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

9.42am
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

9.53am
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

10.04am
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

10.15am
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

10.26am
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

10.37am
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

10.48am
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

10.59am
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

1.35pm
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

1.46pm
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

1.57pm
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

2.08pm
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

2.19pm
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

2.30pm
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

2.41pm
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

2.52pm
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

3.03pm
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

3.14pm
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

10th tee

9.20am
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

9.31am
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

9.42am
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

9.53am
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

10.04am
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

10.15am
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

10.26am
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

10.37am
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

10.48am
Alex Smalley-Hayden Buckley
Lee Hodges-Vince Whaley

10.59am
Curtis Thompson-Nick Hardy
Seth Reeves-Jared Wolfe

1.35pm
Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon
Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre

1.46pm
Austin Cook-Jason Dufner
Bo Van Pelt-Ben Martin

1.57pm
Danny Lee-Sangmoon Bae
Seung-Yul Noh-Michael Kim

2.08pm
Keith Mitchell-Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown

2.19pm
Lucas Glover-Chez Reavie
Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace

2.30pm
Robert Streb-Troy Merritt
Sung Kang-John Huh

2.41pm
Scott Piercy-Sean O’Hair
Tommy Gainey-Robert Garrigus

2.52pm
Hank Lebioda-Chase Seiffert
Denny McCarthy-Ben Kohles

3.03pm
Adam Hadwin-Adam Svensson
Matthew NeSmith-Taylor Moore

3.14pm
Michael Gligic-Ryan Armour
Dawie van der Walt-Brett Drewitt

More
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The post Team spirit: Your 2022 Zurich Classic tee times appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brendan Porath
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The test at Caves Valley Golf Club has been standard fare for the PGA Tour. It’s an aerial assault on a long, soft golf course and the birdies are piling up across the leaderboard. There’s mostly one way to play it from tee-to-green, and it’s typically what we get on tour in the United States. It’s all through the air.

There is some creativity and variety required up around the greens, with undulating putting surfaces, water hazards, and a plethora of bunkers that are aesthetically pleasing to look at but probably less so to play out of, even for the best in the world. The tee-to-green precision and power is a game that’s totally foreign to those watching outside the ropes. If you’re a rank amateur, you could not hit a single one of those drives or approach shots with dozens of buckets of balls trying. But occasionally, there’s a play around the green or a putt you might luck into or pull off, and Ryan Palmer got creative early on Saturday in a way that might have looked relatable to the everyday golfer.

Finishing up his second round after storms suspended play late on Friday, Palmer found a massive greenside bunker left of the 18th green. He was short-sided to a left pin, and the Texan decided to explore all the options. Eventually, he decided to pull out the flatstick and putt it out of the sand, up and over the face of the bunker and onto the green. And because these are the best players in the world, he executed it quite well, and far better than you probably have on Saturday mornings at your local course.

? File this under: Things you don’t see often on TOUR@RyanPalmerPGA elects to go with putter out of the bunker. pic.twitter.com/fcjf7evR9o

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2021

The ball settled some 10 feet past the pin, where the Palmer could not convert on the excellence out of the sand. The par-saver just missed the cup and he settled for a finishing bogey for the second round. But that won’t diminish our appreciation of that ingenuity and execution on its own. It’s likely not a shot we’ll see the rest of the weekend at Caves Valley, but as the leaders play the finisher over these last two rounds, the bunkers left (with water on the other side of the green) could be an interesting spot to watch.

The post PGA Tour pro gets creative using a putter out of a Caves Valley bunker appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
There are a number of players missing from this Open Championship, but—with all respect to those not making the trip to Sandwich—most of the game’s marquee names remain in the field at Royal St. George’s, and a pack of them will be paired together during the Open’s first and second rounds.

Before you ask, no, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are not in the same group. As discussed at Torrey Pines; this is for the best; better to let that rivalry manifest over the weekend when it matters most rather than during the fleeting nature of a Thursday or Friday. So as we wait and pray for that heavyweight battle to come to fruition, here are 11 pairings to keep us entertained during the first two rounds of the Open Championship.

7:41 am local Thursday/2:41 am EDT — Viktor Hovland, Ryan Palmer, Thomas Detry

Hovland is making his Open debut, and historically this is a tournament that favors—and arguably requires—experience. Conversely, what has made Hovland so good so early in his career is a blissful disregard to his surroundings, beholden to an inner command known only to him. Better yet, compared to the other majors, lights-out putting is not a prerequisite for contention, pacifying one of Hovland’s few weak spots. Throw in Palmer’s continued late-career revival and a red-hot Detry (two T-2s in past four starts) don’t be surprised if these names are on the early board.

8:03 am/3:03 am — Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Garrick Higgo

There’s a “weapons of mass destruction” joke in here, but these three are more than muscle. Kokrak is fighting like hell for a U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s pick and a top-five finish would move him from the “charming story that, realistically, doesn’t have a shot” category to “about to burst some star’s bubble” list of contenders. … Higgo is in a bit of a slump with three missed cuts in his last four starts; he’s also won three times since late April so maybe we should keep an eye on him, yes? … As for the third player, let’s save our words for later in the week. Because this is a major and this is Brooks Koepka, so you better believe we’ll be talking about him in greater capacity come Saturday.

9:25 am/4:25 am — Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Branden Grace

Aspiring gamblers could find a worse dark horse than Grace, who is back from the wilderness with a win earlier this year along with a fourth-place finish at the Memorial and T-7 at the U.S. Open. … Augusta National is his playground but the Open has been just as kind to Spieth, and Royal St. George’s profile and past point to that providence continuing this week. The only thing keeping him from contending come Saturday will be finding himself in the wrong weather wave. … As for Bryson, this week ends with DeChambeau winning by three, forcing the R&A to convene an emergency session to declare persimmon and balata will be mandated at next year’s Open at St. Andrews OR Bryson becomes so flummoxed by the wind and ground game that he walks off the course and into the sea. There is no in-between.

9:58 am/4:58 am — Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Louis Oosthuizen

No matter what happens on the score card, this will be a long-overdue victory lap for Lowry. … Rahm will be treated with just as much love coming off his U.S. Open conquest. And amidst that parade Louis will very quietly put together two solid rounds to find himself near the lead because apparently that’s a bylaw for majors now.

David Cannon/R&A

10:20 am/5:20 am — Dustin Johnson, Will Zalatoris, Justin Rose

With two months to go before Ryder Cup rosters are finalized, Rose is shockingly on the outside looking in. He also has top-10s at the Masters and PGA, and a third this week can justify a captain’s pick against a blah record the rest of the year. … Speaking of Zalatoris, despite his strong season he’s trending to be snubbed for Whistling Straits. Yet if he contends at Royal St George’s, that would be four top-10s—highlighted by the Masters runner-up—in his past five major starts. And that is a hard, hard line to bypass. … Sticking with the theme, Johnson has his Ryder Cup spot locked up. He also hasn’t finished better than T-10 since February, which by DJ standards is a drought. Royal St. George’s is the site of one of Johnson’s major misses; can his putter wake up from its slumber (71st in putting this season) to give the 37-year-old his long-awaited payback?

1:04 pm/8:04 am — Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ryan Fox

Cantlay has finished no better than T-15 in his last eight major starts. Fitzpatrick hasn’t logged a major top-10 finish in his last 21 outings. Both are too talented for these streaks to continue.

1:26 pm/8:26 am — Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, Sebastian Munoz

Morikawa leads the tour in SG/approach by a mile. Conners ranks top 10 in the category (eighth). Munoz is a fine player coming off a strong performance (T-4 at the John Deere Classic) but legitimately worried the poor guy is going to quit after watching Morikawa and Conners pepper flagsticks for two days.

2:48 pm/9:48 am — Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton, Kevin Kisner

In one sense it’s unfair to Mickelson to view what happened at Kiawah as proof the man can still get it done, rather than recognize what he did defied all we thought we knew about age and sport. In other words, to treat that moment for just that, a moment, instead of extrapolating what is next for Phil. HOWEVER, experience matters at the Open. Creativity matters. Understanding bad breaks are inevitable and possessing the fortitude it takes to bounce back from them really, really matters. In short there’s a decent chance the magic from Kiawah comes alive again in Kent, where Mickelson finished T-2 the last time the claret jug visited Royal St. George’s … As for Hatton and Kisner, our only wish is that Kisner pays tribute to Hatton with his own disgusted club toss at some point. Game recognise game, after all.

GLYN KIRK

2:59 pm/9:59 am — Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler

With Rahm capturing the U.S. Open Schauffele is now the best under-40 player to not have a major. That he’s ditching his ill-fated arm-lock experiment should help the cause … Fowler has shown signs of life over the past six weeks, and did contend at the 2011 Open (T-5). Fowler’s success in the wind is a bit overstated but it’s also not wrong, which is why this week could be the turning point so many hope comes … The Euro cognoscenti desperately wants MacIntyre to be the next big thing. He’s not far away from such status, proving his mettle at the 2019 Open (T-6) and playing well at a number of venues this year. His game is not necessary pretty, yet it’s at its best when things get ugly, the type of game that so often decides who grabs the claret jug.

3:10 pm/10:10 am — Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott

I know the golf gods are not just but it seems criminal these three men have a combined two majors.

3:21 pm/10:21 am — Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith

Rory McIlroy is an Open champ. He is the fulcrum of the European Ryder Cup team. He is everything a fan could want in a player avatar. So we have no idea what McIlroy did or who he betrayed to get thrown into the crossfire of Reed and Smith, two players who have an interesting past. (Smith called out Reed for his penalty for moving sand at the Hero World Challenge in 2019, then the two exchanged words shortly after at the Presidents Cup.) But if McIlroy traverses this minefield without incident, no one is stopping him from snapping his seven-year major slump.

The post DeChambeau-Spieth, a trio of bombers and a bad-blood pairing highlight our 11 favourite groups at Royal St. George’s appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Here’s the thing about the Plantation Course at Kapalua: It’s designed for wind. It’s a resort course, and its fairways are runway-wide to make them playable for Joe Average even when the wind starts whipping.

Only problem: There’s been virtually none of it to speak of at this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. And when a course designed for wind has none, and you have a field with nine of the top 10 players in the world … well, you’re in for an absolute birdie fest. Your four-under 69s are cute and all—remember, par 73 this week—but they’re simply not going to cut it.

MORE: Justin Thomas uses homophobic slur and apologizes

Alas, Harris English and Ryan Palmer hold the 54-hole lead at 21-under par. Yes, 21. There is absolutely a chance someone gets to 30 under on Sunday, which is always fun. Here are five takeaways ahead of what’s sure to be an entertaining, if envy-inducing, Sunday afternoon/evening of golf watching. We should know by now, but Maui’s beauty is somehow still jarring every single time this tournament rolls around. Enjoy it.

If you’re there, might as well win

English and Palmer shouldn’t be here. Not in normal years, anyway. As the name suggests, this tournament is supposed to be only for those players who won a tournament in the year prior. But with the COVID-shortened season, the folks in Ponte Vedra decided to loosen the rules and invite anyone who made the Tour Championship, as well as those who won. There are 16 guys in the field this week who did not win a PGA Tour event since last year’s Sentry, and two of them happen to be leading the tournament.

Harris English walks on the fourth green during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Gregory Shamus

Neither English nor Palmer won last year, but both had arguably the best seasons of their respective careers to get to East Lake. They’re now both in position to score the biggest win of their career. English, the 36-hole leader, kept the pedal firmly on the metal with his second eight-under 65 of the week, while Palmer fared a shot better with a 64—which was made official after a rules official decided he did not intend to improve his lie when, on the ninth hole, Palmer kicked a divot while a duffed chip was still rolling. If you saw the video, it’s clear: no harm, no foul.

After speaking to officials and coming out of the scoring trailer, Palmer told Golf Channel, “In disgust I kicked a divot. The ball was five feet away from me where it ended up stopping. There was no intention of me trying to help my ball because the ball wasn’t going to end up close to where I was at.”

Speaking of English

Your casual golf fan might not know who he is, but the big man from Georgia has been playing at a top-10 level since the post-COVID restart, No, seriously. Since the RBC Heritage, the second event back, he has 11 top-25s and five top-10s in 14 starts, including a solo second at the Northern Trust and a T-6 at the U.S. Open. A win here—his first since 2013—would move him close to the top 20 in the World Rankings, which is exactly where he belongs. At 31, he looks to be something of a late bloomer—but he’s certainly booming, and he’s absolutely a threat to make this year’s Ryder Cup team. A victory on Sunday would go a long, long way toward making that a reality. Unfortunately, his last swing of the day was his worse, a hooked long iron on 18 that missed left, the one place you can’t miss on that hole.

Nice to see you, Collin

A fun stat that circulated after Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship was that he had as many major championships (1) as he did missed cuts (1) as a professional. He promptly missed the weekend in three of his next five starts and has been generally disappointing since Harding Park, at least by the elevated standards he earned himself with that victory. He has just two top-10s in his nine events since: a T-7 in the gross division of the 30-man Tour Championship, and a T-10 at the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship.

And yet, all those so-so runs of form fade into the oblivion so long as you keep winning. He’s in a great spot to pick up win No. 4 in his first 19 months as a pro after a second straight eight-under 65. He was one over through six on Thursday, which means the 23-year-old is 21 under over his last 48 holes. Wasn’t a math major, but that’s a very good pace.

New clothes, same guy

= Jon Rahm walks off the 18th tee during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Gregory Shamus

Going from TaylorMade to Callaway wasn’t the only switch world No. 2 Jon Rahm made as 2020 turned into 2021—he also switched from Adidas apparel to Travis Mathew, which is owned by Callway. So he’s in new clothes, but he has not lost one ounce of the on-course fire he’s known for. During the midst of a so-so round of 69, Rahm missed a six-footer for birdie and was, uh, not happy. We’d print his exact words, but this is a family site, so you can watch the video if you please.

Safe to say Rahm isn’t a fan of metal spikes ? pic.twitter.com/wkW1niZxrp

— The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) January 10, 2021

We feel obligated to note that PGA Tour players are now able to tap-down spike marks, and have been since the beginning of 2019, but that’s neither here nor there. Here’s to hoping Rahm never loses that passion, because it makes him who he is, and this game can use every character it can get.

A U.S. Open, this is not

We never expected this week to bring up memories of Winged Foot, but the lack of wind has not helped matters. Only two of the 42 players in the field failed to break par on Saturday. Eighteen players shot five under or better. Simply put, a windless Kapalua does not have any defence against the world’s best players. It would be a problem if this were every week on the PGA Tour, but it’s not every week, so sit back and enjoy the views and the birdies. It’s easier that way.

The post With no wind, winner might shoot 30 under in Tournament of Champions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Perfect weather and soft greens almost always result in one thing on the PGA Tour: low scores. Saturday at Harbour Town was no different—a noticeable absence of wind and some extremely gettable pin positions yielded a historic day of scoring at the RBC Heritage, with 63s being handed out like candy and no less than 27 players three shots or closer to the lead heading into Sunday.

Tyrrell Hatton, Abraham Ancer, Webb Simspon and Ryan Palmer all share the lead at 15 under, setting up what should be a wild final round. Here are five takeaways from a birdiefest at Hilton Head.

Something in the high 60s simply wasn’t good enough on a remarkable scoring day

The Heritage’s move from its normal mid-April date to mid-June has resulted in tremendously low scoring.

Coming into this week, the most 63s that had ever been shot at the RBC Heritage for the entire week was four. There were six on Saturday alone, courtesy of Hatton, Carlos Ortiz, Joel Dahmen, Joaquin Niemann, Chris Stroud and Daniel Berger. The latter is 13 under and will absolutely have a chance to follow up his win last week at Colonial with another at Harbour Town.

Thirty-five players are double digits under par heading into the final round. The previous record heading into a Sunday was seven, and Dustin Johnson was the lone guy at 10 under after Saturday last year. This is nothing short of a shootout.

Tyrrell Hatton has a chance for back-to-back
Super under-the-radar here, but Hatton actually has a chance to go back-to-back on Sunday. It’s not a conventional back-to-back, but it certainly satisfies the definition of a back-to-back. Hatton’s last start on the PGA Tour was at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he won. After a prolonged celebration and a gnarly hangover, he did indeed tee it up in the Players Championship. But that was cancelled after one round, and he opted against playing last week at Colonial, so technically this is his first start since the API. Despite saying he “doesn’t feel comfortable” over the golf ball, Hatton followed up a 64 on Friday with a 63 on Saturday to snag a share of the lead heading into Sunday. You fear what he might accomplish when he does indeed feel comfortable.

Nick Watney’s positive COVID-19 test loomed over the course all day
News of Nick Watney’s positive test for COVID-19 dominated headlines on Friday, and the fallout continued to loom over Harbour Town all day. A number of players had some pretty eye-opening things to say about what Watney’s test means going forward.

Vaughn Taylor, who played the opening round alongside Watney: “I was talking to Joel (Dahmen) this morning, and we were both kind of like this is a little eye-opening. We need to be more careful. I felt like coming in the last week everyone was super careful, and then we got here, and the vibe on the Island is a little more relaxed. I feel like we might have gotten a little more relaxed too, complacent with being careful.”

Kevin C. Cox
Vaughn Taylor hits his tee shot on 18th hole in third round of RBC Heritage.

Justin Thomas: “I mean, no offence to Hilton Head, but they’re seeming to not take it very seriously. It’s an absolute zoo around here. There’s people everywhere. The beaches are absolutely packed. Every restaurant, from what I’ve seen when I’ve been driving by, is absolutely crowded. So I would say it’s still coincidence that there’s got to be a lot of stuff going on around here.”

Rory McIlroy: Nick said the thing that got him yesterday morning was he wears a WHOOP strap. A lot of us, we wear these WHOOP straps on the wrist or on the biceps. One of the big telltale signs that they’ve found over the last few weeks, they’ve done studies where, if your respiratory rate goes up during the night by more than two breaths per minute, that’s sort of a telltale sign that you might have something. So it was actually his WHOOP that told him his respiratory rate went up, and that’s why he thought maybe I could have it.”

So far as we can tell, there is no evidence Watney infected another player. But you have to think this will not be the last time a PGA Tour player tests positive. How the Tour contains this will go a long way in determining not just the immediate future of golf tournaments, but all other sports eyeing a return as well.

Kevin C. Cox
Erik van Rooyen lines up a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the RBC Heritage.

A big day coming up for Erik van Rooyen
American golf fans may best know Erik van Rooyen for his joggers, but that could change with a solid round tomorrow. Van Rooyen, a 30-year-old South African who graduated from the University of Minnesota, has spent the first eight years of his professional career on his homeland’s Sunshine Tour and, more recently, the European Tour, where he won his first tournament last fall. Some more solid play in Europe and a T-3 at the WGC-Mexico moved him inside the top 50 in the world rankings, but he’s still trying to lock down his PGA Tour card. That could be accomplished with a solid finish tomorrow—a top-10 finish (he’s T-8 right now) should lock up playing privileges for next year via the Tour’s non-member FedEx Cup points list. A big opportunity indeed.

The post A ridiculous day of scoring produces a jam-packed leaderboard and three other takeaways from Day 3 at Harbour Town appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Stephen Hennessey
The green surrounds and putting surfaces at Riviera are known for confounding tour pros each year at the Genesis Invitational. Perhaps nobody has quite suffered the fate of Ryan Palmer and his adventure in a greenside bunker at Riviera Country Club on Saturday.

Palmer found the front left bunker at Riviera’s par-3 14th hole on Saturday, and boy, it seemed like he might never escape it. Take a look at the cringe-worthy Shotlink sequence on Palmer’s scorecard, which would lead to an eventual nine on the one-shotter.

Thankfully for the Texan, the PGA Tour did not share video of the nightmare sequence. The evidence is in the scorecard … and goodness, that’ll scar the best of players. We’re told from folks who were at Riviera and witnessed the scene that one of Palmer’s attempts even sat up at the top of the bunker sand, right next to the lip, giving him little chance to get out. Brutal.

If there’s any silver lining for Palmer after his round, he instantly became more relatable to any casual fan who will read about his six hacks from the sand. Every golfer has been Palmer, failing after multiple attempts to escape the sand. For most of us, after too many attempts, we’ll just pick up, take a hand wedge and move onto the next hole. Obviously, in a competition, that’s not an option … unless you want to withdraw.

Palmer stuck it out, made his nine, and plummeted down the leader board. But again, we’ll respect him for staying composed and finishing his round Saturday at Riviera. Keep the chin up, Ryan.

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That is, unless you’re Ryan Palmer, who has now shot 62 on the North in two different decades. His first came in the second round in 2006, and the second came on Friday, vaulting him to the top of the leader board at the Farmers Insurance Open. Through 14 holes he had reached nine under, still with one par 5 left to play. But he didn’t let a certain number creep into his mind.

“Oh not at all,” said Palmer when asked if he had thought about shooting 59. “I tried not to, but I think it was ’06 when I shot [62] last time, of course the course has changed. But today was one of those days when I knew the scores were low, and I knew I could get a nice round in there.”

Palmer made only one bogey on Friday, which unfortunately came on his final hole. But it was a nice save, one that eventually gave him a two-shot edge over two-time Farmers Insurance Open winner Brandt Snedeker heading into the weekend.

“Little disappointing obviously to bogey the last, but when you hit it in the rough you’re going to pay the penalty. Made a good five-footer to save bogey, so that was awesome.”

This marks the third consecutive season Palmer has entered the weekend T-3 or better at Torrey Pines. In 2018 he got into a playoff but was eliminated on the first hole. Last year, he finished T-13.

“It’s a hard golf course,” Palmer said of the South, where he shot even par on Thursday. “The patience you’re going to have to have on that golf course is going to play a key role. I’ve shot some good rounds there in tough conditions, so I’ve got that going for me. The way I’m driving the ball, it gives me a lot of confidence for the weekend.

“It’s exciting. I love where my game’s at and I’m excited about the opportunity.”

On Saturday, Palmer will be paired with Snedeker, who has plenty of history on the weekend at Torrey. In 2012 he shot a final-round 67 to get into a playoff with Kyle Stanley, which he won on the first hole. Four years later, he finished with a Sunday 69 in brutally windy conditions to edge out K.J. Choi by one stroke.

“This is where I kind of got my feet wet on tour,” Snedeker said of his love affair with Torrey. “It’s always been so good to me. The fans have treated me like I’m a native here, and I love playing this golf course. For whatever reason it sets up really well for me. I know how you’re supposed to play it, you’ve got to really think your way around it. Everybody thinks it’s this huge golf course where you’ve got to overpower it, and that’s just not the case. You really have to plot your way around, and I did a really good job of that today.”

Another player who has had past success in San Diego is J.B. Holmes, who shot a three-under 69 on the North Course on Friday to pair with his first-round 68. He’s tied for third at seven under.

Lurking at six under are Keegan Bradley and Patrick Reed, as is Jon Rahm, who is at five under. Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson are among a group at four under.

Find all live PGA TOUR scoring data here.

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That’s why Palmer was noticeably emotional following he and Rahm’s victory on Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where the pair combined for a final-round 69 in foursomes play to win by three strokes.

“Pretty special,” said a choked-up Palmer, whose wife and son rushed on the 72nd green to hug him. Palmer’s wife, Jennifer, just went through a cancer scare in 2018, right around the same time that Palmer had his own health issues. It was a long way back to the winner’s circle, and Palmer had a tough time putting it into words. Rahm tried to come up with a few for him as Palmer embraced his son.

“Nothing I can say right now is going to be better than that,” Rahm said. “It’s been a great week with him, he’s a great guy and I couldn’t be prouder. He played a lot of great golf today.”

For Rahm, it’s his third career tour victory, giving him one in each of his three full seasons. So far in 2018-’19, Rahm has made all 11 of his cuts, compiled seven top-10s and finished outside the top 25 only once.

Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood made a late run, but their Sunday 68 ultimately wasn’t enough. They finished in solo second, while the team of Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Matt Every and the team Brian Gay and Rory Sabbatini tied for third.

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By John Strege
Job security was never really an issue for Ryan Palmer, who exceeded $1 million in earnings in all but three of his 14 years on the PGA Tour. But, as he would emphatically agree, health trumps wealth.

Last year, he played only 20 events, largely the result of his wife, Jennifer, undergoing chemotherapy for stage two breast cancer. He had not secured his full exemption for the 2017-’18 season, coming up short of the requisite FedEx Cup points. To boot, he underwent shoulder surgery in October.

Palmer, 41, playing on a major medical exemption was given six events to make up the missing points. He did so via a tie for 20th in the CareerBuilder Challenge, his second event this year.

“It was something, knowing we’re fully exempt the rest of the year,” he said. “I came here with a lot of confidence from having that weight lifted, knowing I’m fully exempt and it kind of frees you up a little bit more.

“But I’ve still got work to do to get back in the winner’s circle and retain my card for next year.”

The winner’s circle is closer than it has been for nearly six months, since he tied for ninth in the Barracuda Championship. Palmer will enter the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open in second place, one behind lead Alex Noren of Sweden.

Through 54 holes, Palmer is at 10-under 206 following rounds of 66, 67 and on Saturday a 73 on the South Course at Torrey Pines.

“After the last year and a half, we kind of feel like it’s in our rearview mirror now, just with Jennifer and things we were going through with her,” he said. “A lot of her scans have been clear and she’s feeling great, so that’s been nice coming out here.

“And obviously getting over my shoulder, I got here healthy. A lot of distractions are behind me, I think, so we’re definitely playing a little more free and clear.

“It’s exciting. I’m at a lot of ease and lot of peace within myself. It’s hard not being home because I love watching my son play hockey and my little girl. But I know Jen’s feeling great and she’s at home taking care of them, which kind of eases a little stress when I’m out here on the road. I’m enjoying playing the game a lot right now. My life is great.”

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By Christopher Powers
With all the focus squarely on Tiger Woods’ opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Torrey Pines’ South Course, Tony Finau quietly went about his business on the North Course, cruising to a seven-under 65 to take the solo lead after 18 holes. Finau faces the South Course on Friday, where he’ll begin with a one-stroke edge over Ted Potter, Jr. and Ryan Palmer.

Finau, 28, began his round with consecutive birdies and followed up a dropped shot at the difficult par-4 fourth with back-to-back birdies once again. He made another at the eighth and finished the front nine with a par to turn in four-under 32. Finau added four more on back for a field-leading nine birdies, none more impressive than his last at the par-4 18th that he rolled in from long range to finish with 65. Barring a disaster on Friday, the 2016 Puerto Rico Open winner can extend his PGA Tour made-cut streak to 18, with his last miss coming at the Players last May. He’s already on pace for another strong season, having finished solo second at the Safeway Open and T-11 at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

One back are Palmer and Potter, Jr., who each carded their six-under 66s on the South Course, and made a combined zero bogeys in the process. It’s an encouraging start for Palmer, who struggled for much of 2017, making just 10 cuts in 20 starts and only registering three top-10s. He made three birdies per side on Thursday, and displayed some nice touch around the greens, going three-for-three in sand saves.

Potter, Jr. was threatening to go very low early in his round, capitalizing on both of the front nine’s par 5s and turning in five-under 31. But he made just one birdie on the back, coming on his final shot when he chipped in from off the back of the green at the par-5 18th. While the 2012 Greenbrier Classic winner has made just two of his seven cuts this season, he’s made them count, finishing T-28 at the Safeway Open and T-13 at the RSM Classic.

Some familiar names sit at four under, led by defending champion Jon Rahm, whose 68 came on the South Course. He was joined by Hunter Mahan, Peter Uihlein, Sang-moon Bae and Patrick Reed.

Phil Mickelson shot a two-under 70 on the North Course, putting him five shots off the lead.

As for the main event, Tiger Woods battled for most of his round, ultimately shooting an even-par 72 that almost featured the shot of the week, when he nearly aced the 188-yard par 3 16th on the South Course. The 14-time major champion shook off plenty of rust in his first official PGA Tour start since playing in this event a year ago and was able to keep himself in solid position to make the cut as he heads to the North Course on Friday.

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