By Alex Myers
You probably have heard by now that Tiger Woods played pretty well at the Honda Classic. No, it wasn’t a vintage Woods performance or even a top 10, but there were plenty of signs indicating the 14-time major champ is making progress in his latest comeback. Here are 7 numbers that were particularly encouraging if you’re a big fan of Big Cat.

12: As mentioned, Woods couldn’t quite sneak into the top 10 on the leader board, but a solo 12th was by far his best performance in his three starts thus far in 2018. Plus, he played The Bear Trap on Sunday like a man trying to win, and not like someone looking to finish in the top 10.

14: The number of greens in regulation Woods hit on Sunday, the most he’s hit anywhere since the third round of the 2015 Wyndham Championship. And a far cry from the 16 he hit over two rounds the previous week when he missed the cut at the Genesis Open.

15: Woods’ rank in strokes gained approach-the-green. Solid.

18: Woods’ rank in strokes gained putting. Also solid.

29ft 3in: This is the stat you heard Nick Faldo talking about all week: proximity to the hole. And Woods led the field in it, again showing how dialed in he was with his irons in particular.

128.2: Miles per hour that one Woods swing was clocked at during Saturday’s round. We’ll let Golf Channel’s Justin Ray explain how rare that kind of speed is, even among the game’s elite:

Tiger Woods club head speed has been measured today at 128.42 MPH.

That number would lead the PGA Tour every year since they started keeping track in 2007.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) February 24, 2018

PGA Tour average club head speed leaders this season, updated after Honda Classic:

1. Brandon Hagy
2. Keith Mitchell
3. Tony Finau
4. Tiger Woods
5. Dustin Johnson
6. Rory McIlroy

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) February 26, 2018

Ray also noted that the 128.2 figure was the second-fastest swing recorded on tour by anyone this season. Not bad for a 42-year-old who has had four back surgeries.

361: The length in yards of the tee shot Tiger hit on No. 10 during the third round. That’s THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE YARDS! Again, he’s a 42-year-old man who has had four back surgeries.

Woods is expected to play at Bay Hill in a couple weeks, although he hasn’t ruled out next week’s Valspar Championship. Regardless, these numbers have changed the expectations of him whenever he tees it up again.

The post The 7 most encouraging numbers from Tiger Woods’ Honda Classic performance appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — As Tiger Woods embarks on his first back-to-back starts since February 2017, when he missed the cut at Torrey Pines, flew to Dubai and withdrew before the start of the second round because of back spasms that eventually led to his fourth career back surgery, every swing and step is sure to be dissected this week at PGA National. One Golf Channel analyst during Wednesday’s pro-am said from afar that he thought Woods looked stiff and like his back was bothering him.

Oy vey.

Whatever happens this week—Woods’ health looked just fine, by the way, especially on his tee shot on the third hole, which he piped down the middle—it isn’t about the Honda Classic. His next start, presumably at Bay Hill, won’t be about that event, either, even if he has won there eight times.

For Woods it’s all about the first week in April and building toward that. After all, at this point in his career, what else really matters?

“I just miss the rush of competing for a green jacket,” Woods said. “I’ve been doing it since I was 19 years old.”

Injuries, however, have taken their toll in recent years. The 42-year-old 14-time major winner hasn’t played a major since the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he missed the cut. He also failed to advance at the Open Championship St. Andrews and the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay that year.

The last time Woods made the cut in a major was at the 2015 Masters, where he tied for 17th after bookending rounds of 68-69 with a couple of 73s. He hasn’t played again at Augusta National, where he has won four times, the last coming in 2005, since.

“Having to sit out on the sidelines, not fun,” Woods said. “It really isn’t, especially since I know how to play the golf course and wished I could play but I was unfortunately physically debilitated.

“This year, it’s different.”

Indeed.

A year ago, Woods was barely able to walk much less practice. Now, despite remaining noncommittal about his upcoming schedule and where he’ll play next, he said he’s “looking forward” to this year’s Masters.

The same can be said about playing, period. “I’m not in pain,” Woods said. “Yeah, I am a lot happier. I’ve been struggling for quite some time, probably just near five years now. So it was a long period of time where I was really struggling.”

In short, there’s still plenty of rust to flake off. That much has been evident in his first two starts.

“I think the hardest thing is to give him enough time,” said Adam Scott, who spent Wednesday playing a couple of groups behind Woods and is making just his third start of the year as well. “I feel like I’ve had a really light four or five months coming back out here at Pebble and it has taken me a couple weeks just to get in some kind of competitive rhythm to trust myself to feel like I can hit a shot. And that’s a few months. He’s hardly played a full season for five years. So to be fair and give him some time to find his feet, even though he is the great Tiger, is the hardest thing for us all to do.”

Except for Woods. He knows he has to be patient.

After missing the cut at Riviera, Woods flew home, took a couple of days off to recover and started hitting balls again on Monday. He had another session away from PGA National on Tuesday. Then came Wednesday’s pro-am, during which he hit seven of 14 fairways, a dozen greens and took 31 putts. He made just one birdie and shot about two over.

Those kinds of numbers won’t do much good at PGA National, but it doesn’t really matter. This week isn’t about this week.

Related: Jim Furyk names Tiger, Steve Stricker U.S. Ryder Cup vice captains

“I’m starting to get that feeling again of playing tournament golf, where you know, each and every shot counts,” Woods said. “I’m looking at where I need to putt the golf ball. I’m looking at forecasts. Before, you’re at home, who cares where the wind is coming from. Who cares what the forecast is the next couple days. But now playing tournament golf, I’m starting to get into that flow again. I missed it, and it’s becoming familiar again.”

Another PGA Tour win—or four to break Sam Snead’s record of 82—would be nice. But, as Woods likes to say, it really is about the process.

“I would like to play well,” he said. “I would like to win golf tournaments leading into [the Masters].”

Just playing, though, is what matters most. The Masters is less than 50 days away and for the first time in a few years for Woods, all roads lead to Augusta.

The post Tiger Woods’ start this week is not about the Honda Classic, it’s about April in Augusta appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Invites to next year’s U.S. Masters at Augusta National and 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie are on the line for the 17-year-old Dubai-based world No.26 at Royal Wellington over the next four days.

Thomas, who enjoyed the sights from atop Mt. Victoria in New Zealand’s capital before making the 30 minute drive north to Royal Wellington for final practice and the opening ceremony, has been drawn alongside New Zealand hope Ryan Chisnall and Australian Dylan Perry for the opening 36 holes. The trio have a late tee time Thursday – 1.50pm local time (4.50am UAE time) – meaning they are likely to encounter Wellington’s infamous winds.

Yu Chun-an (Chinese Taipei), Nick Voke (New Zealand) and Rayhan Thomas (India) with the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship trophy atop Mt. Victoria in Wellington, NZ. Photo courtesy: David Paul Morris/ AAC

“The wind seems to be blowing pretty hard so it’s going to be an interesting event,” Thomas told Golf Digest Middle East. “You’ve got to keep the ball low . If the wind dies, it’s score-able but if doesn’t, it’s just about trying to make pars.”

Thomas completed his practice with 10 holes and some range and putting green work overnight after playing the full course on Tuesday and declared it in “ fantastic shape”

“The Masters and Open invite would be awesome. It excites me and gives me a little extra inspiration to try to reach something like Augusta and Carnoustie,” he said. “I mean those places are like the holy grails of golf, to hopefully play there one day would be awesome and meeting all the Augusta officials and members today at the opening ceremony really makes you want to be there so I’m really excited and can’t wait to get going.”

Final practice at Royal Wellington for Thomas. Photo courtesy David Paul Morris/AAC

Meanwhile, Ahmed Skaik and Mohamed Al Hajeri will represent the UAE at Royal Wellington.

Skaik, who won individual gold at the most recent GCC Championship and has three MENA Tour appearances under his belt, is off 30 minutes before Thomas in a group including a Fijian and Samoan player.

Al Hajeri, sent to New Zealand for the experience, is off 10 minutes after Skaik (4:30am UAE time) in a group including Bahrain’s Abdulla Sultan Saleh.

“The course is in great condition. With that said, the landing areas on the fairways are tighter than I am used too and the greens are playing very fast,” said Al Hajeri. “In the afternoon the winds will pick up giving all the players even more of a challenge. I am excited to play and the talent is endless here. I am just going to take it a shot at a time and enjoy this experience.”

Here’s a preview of the event from New Zealand Golf, the host federation:

And coverage from the opening ceremony:

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'67 Champions dinner pic.twitter.com/pN4fHV5TOu

— David Poulton PGA (@doglegpar3) August 24, 2017

As the defending champ, Nicklaus would have had the honoor of picking the menu. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like dinner has been served yet, so we don’t know what he went with, but judging by the feast he selected for the 1987 Champions Dinner, we’re guessing the guys ate well that night:

30 years since I last hosted the Champions Dinner at #themasters. I look forward to reconnecting with champions, old and young, this evening pic.twitter.com/S7Ssqqvr29

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2017

Back to the photo, how about that top table of Augusta National Golf Club co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts sitting with Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Arnold Palmer with Gary Player and Byron Nelson flanking them? That’s some serious star power.

There were also some great replies to the photo. CBS Sports’ Grant Boone seems to nail it when it comes to identifying everyone at this gathering:

Harmon, Wood, Keiser, Sarazen, Burke, Sam, Byron, Ben, Roberts, Jack, Jones, Arnie, Gary, Middlecoff, Demaret, Wall, Ford, Guldahl, Picard?

— Grant Boone (@grantboone) August 25, 2017

Someone points out one of the green jacket winners (it appears to be Craig Wood) has stayed up past his bedtime:

Did anyone check on this guy during dinner pic.twitter.com/h7aLoRS6ot

— Nick smith (@smith99_nick) August 25, 2017

And another person points out Arnie appears to be having a pretty good time:

Bob Jones. Gotta love that Mr. Palmer has at least three drinks going at once. pic.twitter.com/ngcech0FTc

— Richard (@_RichardCox_) August 25, 2017

The green jacket gang will convene again in April when Sergio Garcia gets to play host for the first time. To those fortunate enough to be in attendance, make sure you keep your eyes open when Sergio snaps a group selfie.

The post How many Masters winners can you identify in this fascinating photo from the 1967 Champions Dinner? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Koepka wound up with the low cumulative score in golf’s four major championships this year, shooting a combined 21 under while needing 1,119 strokes. And yes, he did most of his damage at Erin Hills where he was 16 under.

Koepka was one of only 13 players to make the cut in all four majors and he edged Hideki Matsuyama and Matt Kuchar by a single shot for this important distinction. Of course, the fact that he won a major while those other two remained winless despite close calls (Matsuyama at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, Kuchar at the British Open) makes Koepka’s advantage in the year’s biggest tournaments a whole lot bigger.

The other 10 players to play the weekend in all four majors this season were Rickie Fowler (-16), Jordan Spieth (-10), Paul Casey (-9), Charley Hoffman (-3), Marc Leishman (+3), Steve Stricker (+3), J.B. Holmes (+10), Russell Henley (+12), Kevin Kisner (+16), and Lee Westwood (+20).

Although stacking different years up is obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison, in case you’re wondering, Jordan Spieth holds the record for low cumulative score at majors in one year for his 54 under total in 2015. Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open that year and edged Tiger Woods’ previous mark of 53 under set during his historic 2000 campaign.

The post Why Brooks Koepka was the king of the majors in 2017 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Why Brooks Koepka was the King of the Majors in 2017

According to Classic TV Sports, CBS showed 1.32 shots per minute during its final-round coverage of the year’s final major. That puts it right in line with the 2017 U.S. Open on Fox (1.30) and a shade below this year’s Masters (1.41), which also aired on CBS.

The site didn’t track the stat for the final round of this year’s Open Championship on NBC, however, it has done this for every other major since the start of 2014. And a quick comparison shows that networks have picked it up when it comes to showing more shots per minute in their coverage. Looking back, the average was 1.12 shots per minute in 2014, 1.16 in 2015, and 1.11 in 2016.

That averages out to only 1.14 shots per minutes shown at the majors in that three-year span. But the 1.34 average in 2017 represents an 18-percent increase.

So yes, when you’re watching golf at home, it’s always going to seem like networks should be showing more from the course. But on the bright side, it seems like they’re getting better.

The post This stat concerning TV coverage of this year’s major championships should have golf fans encouraged appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Thx @s_hagestad for representing #USAmateur! First pitch @Dodgers last night! #strike #nicejeans pic.twitter.com/jV6c5QN6L3

— Robbie Zalzneck (@ZmanWF) August 13, 2017

And those aren’t your typical hybrid golf shoes that people wear around after leaving the course these days. Those are some pretty serious golf shoes.

What can you say, the guy is really locked in on trying to become the first mid-am to win the U.S. Amateur in 24 years. And maybe Hagestad needs to break in a new pair of golf shoes. After all, he had his golf bag stolen out of his car last week.

The post Masters hero Stewart Hagestad throws out first pitch at Dodgers game — wearing golf shoes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Or not.

Stewart Hagestad, 26, is a prominent amateur golfer on the threshold of perhaps the most important few weeks of his summer, who left his golf clubs in his car parked in the driveway of his father’s home in the tony Big Canyon Country Club neighborhood in Newport Beach when he returned from the Western Amateur on Aug. 4.

The following morning he discovered his clubs had been stolen.

“I filed a police report, but there’s no cameras or anything,” he said. “What are you going to do?”

Hagestad’s concern has less to do with the fact that the clubs were stolen than the timing of the heist, two weeks before the U.S. Amateur Championship that begins at the Riviera Country Club on Monday. The Amateur for Hagestad represents the gateway to the Walker Cup that will be played next month at Los Angeles Country Club, where he is a junior member.

On the basis of his victory a year ago in the U.S. Mid-Amateur and his having become the first Mid-Amateur champion to make the cut in the Masters in April, he is among those under consideration to make the U.S. Walker Cup team.

But elite golfers — professional or amateur — tend to have intimate relationships with their clubs and the ability to detect minute differences even with similar sets. A week before an important event is no time to try to dial in a new set.

Hagestad spent last Monday at TaylorMade Golf’s facility in Carlsbad, Calif., working at getting a replacement set as close to identical to the one that he was hoping would turn up on eBay or Craigslist. He also went about getting a replacement for the two Scotty Cameron by Titleist Kombi Long putters that are likely worthless to any golfer shorter than the 6-foot-5 Hagestad.

“I’m pretty particular about my equipment,” Hagestad said. “You try to get an exact replica, and on paper they’re exactly the same, but until you get out on the course, you don’t know.”

His equipment issues have intruded on his preparation for a week and a month that set up perfectly for Hagestad. He played college golf for USC, and Riviera was one of the Trojans’ home courses. It also gave him the opportunity to acquaint himself with Bel-Air Country Club, which will host one of the two medal play rounds in the Amateur.

“I’ve probably played Riviera 40 times,” he said. “I’ve probably played Bel-Air 15 or 20 times. I’m pretty familiar with both.”

Hagestad, meanwhile, was one of 16 amateurs invited to a U.S. Walker Cup team practice session at Los Angeles CC last December. His challenge in the Amateur is to keep at bay thoughts of making the Walker Cup team.

“It would be a pretty cool opportunity to represent myself, my dad, who’s a member [of Los Angeles C.C.], too, to represent the club and everyone who has put so much work into the event,” Hagestad said. “We’re really trying to make an effort to host bigger events to show off the club. Also the club and the Southern California Golf Association, to represent them and to help the team in the process by virtue of my course knowledge.

“Of course, [the Walker Cup’s] going to be the elephant in the living room. You’re always thinking about it. But I’ll try to do the exact same thing I did for the Masters — try to get as analytically and process-oriented as can be. Theoretically I can make the Walker Cup and can end the discussion pretty quick if I have a nice long week.”

Hagestad, incidentally, experienced food poisoning before the Trans-Miss Amateur in July and pulled a muscle in his back at the Western Amateur. Throw in a thief in the driveway and an elephant in the living room and it adds to a mission more complicated than it should have been.

The post Stewart Hagestad replaces stolen clubs, resumes Walker Cup quest at U.S. Amateur appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Spieth and Kuchar, the main protagonists in the The Open at Royal Birkdale won by Spieth after a breathtaking scoring run down the stretch, were paired together in Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The stakes weren’t quite as high as they began the day well behind 54-hole co-leaders Zach Johnson and Thomas Pieters.

It was the second time in as many years the two were paired together the last day at Firestone, and each man carded a two-under 68, with Spieth finishing at four-under 276 and Kuchar a stroke behind at 277.

“It wasn’t expected to be bad blood,” Spieth said in his final warm-up before the PGA Championship, which begins Thursday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. “A lot of respect, I think, was shown on both sides, and we assume and hope that we’ll get more opportunities like that.”

But it’s the opportunity that Spieth will have immediately before him that is important. A victory seven days hence would make Spieth, 24, the youngest player to win the career grand slam after his 2015 wins in the Masters and U.S. Open and last month’s triumph in the The Open.

Spieth was being, perhaps prudently, circumspect in his remarks about the potential to make history at Quail Hollow. He insists there is no urgency to complete the task this year.

“There’s definitely nothing taken for granted, but it [a win] doesn’t add anything to next week this year. It really doesn’t. I was thinking about it a little today on the course. You know, if you don’t win next week, next year, obviously, you focus on the majors, but does the PGA become kind of that one that’s starred? And that’s so long away; it’s 365 days away.

“In that sense, I’m excited for next week. I’ll just focus on it being the last major of the year and trying to work my way into contention. I had a chance to win and had some pretty fun, stressful weekends the last few events.”

The Dallas native has played Quail Hollow Club, traditionally the site of the Wells Fargo Championship, only once, finishing T-32 in 2013. Because Rory McIlroy twice has won the tournament, Spieth said, “Rory’s probably the guy to beat at this point next week. I played with him the first two days and the way that he is driving the golf ball, he continues to do it there, he just has a massive advantage over the field at that point. Someone who’s had such success there, he and Rickie [Fowler]. Phil [Mickelson has] played it really well. These guys that have good feelings there, yeah, the golf course is changed, but it’s similar enough that they’ve got good vibes around there, so we need to try to develop those before it starts.”

To that end, Spieth might get a jump on his preparation with 18 holes Monday instead of taking a day of rest, given that rain is in the forecast starting Tuesday. After a sputtering week at Firestone following wins in his last two starts, Spieth said about every part of his game needs a little tightening up.

“Each part of the game, there’s something that I need to just put in some work with, but I do know what it is and that’s the best part,” he said. “I had a chance to do something special today, but after nine holes, that was done and it was kind of nice playing a little relaxed golf. But I do miss the heat of things, and that’s the goal is to get back in the heat by Saturday, Sunday next week.”

Whether he likes it or not, the heat will be on him all week in Charlotte.

The post Jordan Spieth fails to contend, turns focus to PGA Championship, bid for career grand slam appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jordan Spieth departed the Masters for the second-straight Sunday having deposited a ball in the water at Augusta National’s 12th hole. Rickie Fowler had to endure that sinking feeling of allowing a golden opportunity to win his first major drown in imperfection.

Paired together in the penultimate group during the final round and carrying the American standard in the absence of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Spieth and Fowler were expected to pressure third-round co-leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. Instead, though theirs was the glamour pairing, the duo soldiered glumly through the inward nine—out of contention, off television coverage, frustrated and forlorn.

“It was bizarre. It was just a little bizarre,” said Spieth, the 2015 Masters winner, who finished outside the top 10—or, more precisely, outside the top two—for the first time in four appearances.

It was bizarre because it was so thoroughly unexpected.

Two players comfortable with the circumstances and with each other as Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teammates, and obviously close to top form, failed to summon the appropriate tools for the occasion. Their respective performances seemed void of emotion as well as exactitude, as if they were too relaxed amid the swelling multitudes of fawning supporters.

Fowler began the day a stroke behind the leaders after a steady third-round 71, while Spieth, coming off his second-straight 69, was only two back. That constitutes prime position on golf’s most prime real estate.

The duo, who famously vacationed together in the Bahamas with two fellow players following last year’s Masters, ended up tied for 11th at one-under 287, eight behind the European pair, who settled things in a playoff won by Garcia. Spieth stumbled early, perhaps the most shocking development of the afternoon given his Masters record, but the Texan salvaged a three-over 75 with birdies on three of the last four holes. Fowler, meanwhile, having his best shot at a major since 2014 (when he famous finished in the top five in all four of the year’s big events), bogeyed the final three holes to absorb a 76.   Admitting he never felt better in a major, Fowler was expecting to have fun and feed off all the positive vibes. “Him and I could potentially get off to a good start, and we could really push each other,” Fowler, 28, mused on Saturday evening. “We’ll try and pull the best out of one another. It’s always fun when you’re playing with one of your good buddies.”

Dom Furore

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus did it another way. They brought out the best in each by trying to beat the other to a pulp, figuratively speaking, with red figures.

Assessment in the aftermath yielded no answers as to their shared malaise. But it wasn’t the pairing, Fowler insisted.

“No, not even close. We had a great time out there,” Fowler said, his eyes, a bit glazed over, betraying the statement. “We were playing together and, yeah, we both could have played better. Jordan finished nicely. If I just finished the way he did, it’s a little different story putting up a decent round today. Bogeying the last three holes didn’t help. I didn’t make anything today. I didn’t make the putts that kind of continued to hold momentum or build momentum.”

Spieth, 23, took ownership of the wreckage. He felt like an anvil around his compatriot’s neck.

“Yeah, I feel bad I went so downhill while Rickie was still in it there, because it is tough when you don’t see a ball go in the hole,” he said. “And when I was out of it, I was his biggest cheerleader, just being a really good friend with Rickie. And it was tough.

“Yeah, I don’t think I helped him whatsoever on the round. And I felt like if I was able to hang in there and we were able to feed off each other, then we would have been able to push through like you saw Sergio and Justin able to do today. We could have definitely done that today. We’re both capable of it, the stage wasn’t too big, it just didn’t quite happen.”

Ten strokes adrift of Charley Hoffman after his first-round 75, Spieth was attempting to join Harry Vardon as the second major champion in history to make up more than a 10-stroke deficit after the first round. Vardon had erased 11 shots to win the 1898 Open Championship at Prestwick.

But after battling back with grit on Friday and Saturday, that seemed lacking come Sunday. He bogeyed the opening hole after driving into the fairway bunker and missing the green, and after a birdie at No. 2, he bogeyed again at the third. He bogeyed the sixth, missed the green at No. 7 after a perfect drive, and failed to birdie the par-5 eighth.

His tournament was over when he bogeyed No. 10, but for good measure, Spieth decided to deposit another ball into Rae’s Creek at 12. Double bogey. Double jeopardy after his foray into the water in 2016.

“Normally, my score kind of reflects how I feel about my round. And today it was just one of those rare cases where it didn’t,” Spieth said, sweat glistening off a boyish face affixed with a wry grin. “I’m telling you, it was so bizarre that I didn’t feel one nerve. I mean, I was, I felt as calm as I’ve ever felt. Now, obviously, I fell out of it and after that you normally do feel calm, the pressure’s not on anymore, you don’t think you can win, but, I mean, I hit so many iron shots right at the sticks and I could name them for you, just so many shots right at the flag stick. Almost every single hole. And they just didn’t come down in the right places, and when they were outside of a five-yard window of where they can land out here, you end up with a tough chance for par and normally I get them up‑and‑down, I didn’t today.”

SEE ALSO:
Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam quest on hold … still

Fowler was similarly frustrated with his inability to chase the ball into the hole faster. He erased bogeys at Nos. 4 and 5 with birdies at Nos. 3 and 8, but when he failed to birdie the 10th after a beautiful approach to 16 feet, the wheels came off. He bogeyed five of his last seven.

“Every time I chipped it close I missed the putt, or I didn’t chip it close enough and I’d still miss the putt,” Fowler lamented. “So, yeah, somewhere yesterday I was able to fight through that from hitting the ball down, making some good key putts, and really didn’t hit it any worse than I did yesterday. When you’re not able to get the ball up and down out here or make those key five- to 10‑footers, that’s what happens.”

Well, actually nothing happens.

The great Bobby Jones said he learned more from his losses than he did from any victory. Fowler said he needed time to think about it.

“It’s hard to go through it right now,” he said. “I know I tried to fight through it on the front nine. Would have been nice to continue it on the back nine. Maybe I tried to force putts too much. That’s the patience side of it.”

Patience wasn’t Spieth’s problem, either, citing poor chipping and putting – his usual strengths – that dogged him most of the week. He seemed it shock. He wasn’t. “I don’t know if bizarre is an emotion, but that’s what it is. But I’m taking a lot of positives out of the week.”

Sometimes there is no explanation. Sometimes you just chalk it up to a bad day.

But of this much they can be positive: It couldn’t have felt good, and it couldn’t have been much fun. Even with one of your best friends by your side.

The post Where it all went wrong for Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler on Sunday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.