The post How this pro played the Masters after struggling to stand up the day of appeared first on Golf.

The post How this pro played the Masters after struggling to stand up the day of appeared first on Golf.

Andrew Putnam, playing in his first Masters earlier this month, missed the cut by a stroke. He shot one-over 73 and even-par 72. 

He was a swing away from missing those rounds, too. 

On Tuesday at Augusta National Golf Club, Putnam hurt his back. As late as his drive down Magnolia Lane a couple of hours before his Thursday tee time, the 31-year-old pro was considering withdrawing. 

“First masters in the books! Wish i could of played two more days but honestly i was just thankful to get out there and compete on a course I’ve grown up watching and dreaming about since i was a kid!” he wrote on Instagram. “So fun to hit all those classic Augusta shots I’ve grown up watching on Tv.”

On both Wednesday and Thursday morning of Masters week, Putnam thought he’d be watching on TV again.

Putnam played nine-hole practice rounds at Augusta on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. He said he “tweaked” his back during a cool down on Tuesday afternoon. “It felt sore but nothing crazy,” he said. 

“Woke up Wednesday and could hardly walk,” he said.   

Putnam didn’t practice Wednesday. He stayed in. Thursday morning, his back got worse. 

“It took me a few hours just to get out of bed and stand up,” he wrote. “After a lot of prayer, anti inflammatories and anything i could do to loosen it up i was ready to WD cause i couldn’t bend over.”

At the least, Putnam said, he would try to hit one ball at Augusta. 

Then it rained. Then his already late tee time – he was last off the 10th hole – was pushed back a few hours. Then he bought a back brace at a Walgreen’s. Then he took his swing.  

And then, as the Masters, miracles or both can sometimes do to a person, he played. 

“To my surprise i could just manage to make contact with the ball and was determined to tee it up no matter what the outcome!” he wrote. “So although it hurt to miss the cut by 1 i walk away just thankful to of been able to compete and allow my parents to walk around Augusta for two days and watch their son play his first Masters!”

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The post What’s in my bag? Take a peek at EVERYTHING in Andrew Putnam’s golf bag appeared first on Golf.

The post What’s in my bag? Take a peek at EVERYTHING in Andrew Putnam’s golf bag appeared first on Golf.

In each issue of GOLF Magazine, we do a deep dive into one professional golfer’s bag. This month’s subject is Andrew Putnam.

Andrew Putnam, a 31-year-old PGA Tour pro, captured his first Tour title at the 2018 Barracuda Championship in Reno, finishing that season 35th in the FedEx Cup standings.

A three-time All-American, he played his college golf at Pepperdine University and also has two Web.com Tour victories on his resume, the 2014 WNB Golf Classic and the 2017 Panama Claro Championship.

In order to have so much success on the course, Putnam packs his golf bag with an eclectic mix of equipment and enough snacks to keep from running on empty. You can check out a complete list of items he keeps in his Tour bag, as well as a photo of all of his gear, below.

1. ALIGNMENT PRO TRAINING AID; $80

2. TAYLORMADE M2 2016 DRIVER, 8.5 degrees, Aldila Rogue Silver 65X shaft, Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip, 280 yds (carry)

3. CLEVELAND LAUNCHER DST FAIRWAY WOOD,13 degrees, Miyazaki Kusala Black 83X shaft, 255 yds

4. ADAMS IDEA PRO GOLD HYBRID, 18 degrees, Graphite Design Tour AD Hybrid shaft, 235 yds

5. ODYSSEY WHITE HOT RX ROSSIE PUTTER

6. BUSHNELL PRO XE RANGEFINDER; $549

7. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS GOLF TEES; $22/175 tees

8. PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY YARDAGE BOOK COVER

9. PUTTING ALIGNMENT STRING AND STAKES

10. THE GIVE VALUABLES POUCH

11. JULIE’S REAL CINNAMON VANILLA BEAN CASHEW BUTTER; $20/10 packets

12. BALLPOINT PEN AND DASHU VITA-FLEX SUNSTICK SPF 50; $26

13. KELLOGG’S NUTRI-GRAIN BARS AND PLANTERS SALTED PEANUTS

14. SRIXON PRO SERIES GOLF GLOVE; $20

15. SRIXON Z745 IRONS, 3-iron, 5-PW, True Temper Dynamic Tour Issue S400 shafts; 3-iron 215 yds, 5-iron 193 yds, 6-iron 188 yds, 7-iron 175 yds, 8-iron 162 yds, 9-iron 150 yds, PW 134 yds

16. ODYSSEY FEDEX CUP TOUR PUTTER COVER

17. SRIXON DRIVER AND FW HEADCOVERS; $16

18. SRIXON SEATTLE SEAHAWKS CUSTOM HYBRID STITCH HEADCOVER

19. GOLF BALL ALIGNMENT STENCIL; $8

20. SHARPIE MARKER; $1.50

21. USGA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHISPER ROCK GOLF CLUB DIVOT REPAIR TOOLS

22. SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS; $40/dozen

23. CLEVELAND RTX 3 WEDGES, 50, 56 and 60 degrees, True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue shafts; 50-degree 123 yds, 56-degree 110 yds, 60-degree 95 yds

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The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The Sony Open is the latest PGA event to feature an unmarked ball incident.

The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It’s going to cost someone’: Latest backstopping incident on Tour draws ire of Golf Channel commentators appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It’s going to cost someone’: Latest backstopping incident on Tour draws ire of Golf Channel commentators appeared first on Golf.

Another backstopping incident has emerged on the PGA Tour, and Frank Nobilo and his fellow Golf Channel announcers took notice.

Matt Kuchar was playing from the greenside bunker on the 9th hole during the final round of the Sony Open on Sunday when Nobilo, Steve Sands and Jim “Bones” Mackay started discussing the controversial practice on the Golf Channel broadcast.

One of Kuchar’s playing partners, Andrew Putnam, had left his ball just a couple of inches from the flag and didn’t put a mark down. Backstopping on Tour is when a player, directly or indirectly, fails to mark a ball near the hole and another player hits it. Kuchar would have received an advantage had he hit Putnam’s ball and it slowed Kuchar’s down or stopped it completely, because Kuchar would play it from where it lies. It wouldn’t harm Putnam, either, because if that were to happen he would be able to move his ball back to where it was for no penalty.

To be clear, Putnam held a one-shot lead at the turn over Kuchar, so there’s no reason for him to want to help Kuchar out. In this case Kuchar could have played quickly or Putnam was just a little slow to get to his ball.

Still, Mackay, the on-course reporter for the final group, pointed out how he was surprised Putnam didn’t mark.

🚨 BACKSTOP ALERT 🚨 in the final group on Sunday! Glad to hear @FrankNobiloGC and @SteveSandsGC joining team #BackstopBoys – @TronCarterNLU is our president emeritus pic.twitter.com/O03gR0w6lq

— Backstop Boys (@BoysBackstop) January 14, 2019

Sands asked Nobilo why Putnam may have elected not to mark.

“You ask any other generation and it’s something that we have chatted about over the years: to provide a backstop, especially at this key moment,” Nobilo said. “[Putnam] had the option to run up there and tap it in, do whatever you want. Remember the rules changed, you are allowed to putt with the flag in — do not leave it there.”

“It’s going to cost someone,” Nobilo said. “Can you image if Matt’s bunker shot is going fast and actually hits the ball and goes in?”

The backstopping controversy took on new life in July when Jimmy Walker said “if you like the guy you might leave [your ball] to help on a shot.”

The post ‘It’s going to cost someone’: Latest backstopping incident on Tour draws ire of Golf Channel commentators appeared first on Golf.

The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The Sony Open is the latest PGA event to feature an unmarked ball incident.

The post Is Backstopping A Big Deal? appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It’s going to cost someone’: Latest backstopping incident on Tour draws ire of Golf Channel commentators appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It’s going to cost someone’: Latest backstopping incident on Tour draws ire of Golf Channel commentators appeared first on Golf.

Another backstopping incident has emerged on the PGA Tour, and Frank Nobilo and his fellow Golf Channel announcers took notice.

Matt Kuchar was playing from the greenside bunker on the 9th hole during the final round of the Sony Open on Sunday when Nobilo, Steve Sands and Jim “Bones” Mackay started discussing the controversial practice on the Golf Channel broadcast.

One of Kuchar’s playing partners, Andrew Putnam, had left his ball just a couple of inches from the flag and didn’t put a mark down. Backstopping on Tour is when a player, directly or indirectly, fails to mark a ball near the hole and another player hits it. Kuchar would have received an advantage had he hit Putnam’s ball and it slowed Kuchar’s down or stopped it completely, because Kuchar would play it from where it lies. It wouldn’t harm Putnam, either, because if that were to happen he would be able to move his ball back to where it was for no penalty.

To be clear, Putnam held a one-shot lead at the turn over Kuchar, so there’s no reason for him to want to help Kuchar out. In this case Kuchar could have played quickly or Putnam was just a little slow to get to his ball.

Still, Mackay, the on-course reporter for the final group, pointed out how he was surprised Putnam didn’t mark.

“That’s crazy,” Nobilo said. “It really is.”

🚨 BACKSTOP ALERT 🚨 in the final group on Sunday! Glad to hear @FrankNobiloGC and @SteveSandsGC joining team #BackstopBoys – @TronCarterNLU is our president emeritus pic.twitter.com/O03gR0w6lq

— Backstop Boys (@BoysBackstop) January 14, 2019

Sands asked Nobilo why Putnam may have elected not to mark.

“You ask any other generation and it’s something that we have chatted about over the years: to provide a backstop, especially at this key moment,” Nobilo said. “[Putnam] had the option to run up there and tap it in, do whatever you want. Remember the rules changed, you are allowed to putt with the flag in — do not leave it there.”

“One of these days that’s going to happen,” Sands said.

“It’s going to cost someone,” Nobilo said. “Can you image if Matt’s bunker shot is going fast and actually hits the ball and goes in?”

The backstopping controversy took on new life in July when Jimmy Walker said “if you like the guy you might leave [your ball] to help on a shot.”

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The post Capped by epic eagle hole-out, Dustin Johnson wins FedEx St. Jude Classic and reclaims No. 1 World Ranking appeared first on Golf.

The post Capped by epic eagle hole-out, Dustin Johnson wins FedEx St. Jude Classic and reclaims No. 1 World Ranking appeared first on Golf.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dustin Johnson emphatically reclaimed the No. 1 ranking Sunday, holing out for eagle from 170 yards on the final hole for a six-stroke victory in the St. Jude Classic.

“What a cool way to end the day,” Johnson said.

Johnson shot a 4-under 66 for his second PGA Tour victory this year and 18th of his career to take back the No. 1 ranking he held for 64 straight weeks before dropping down a month ago . He won the event for the second time, finishing with the eagle, three birdies and a bogey for a 19-under 261 total.

Andrew Putnam started the final round with a share of the lead for the first time in his career. He shot 72 and finished at 13 under.

Preparing for the U.S. Open, Johnson took the lead to himself with a par on No. 1, while Putnam double-bogeyed, and cruised to the $1.18 million winner’s check. Johnson turned in the lowest score under par by a winner here since David Toms won at 20 under in 2003, and that was before the course was redesigned with par dropped from 71 to 70 after the 2004 tournament.

Johnson, who won the U.S. Open in 2016, heads to Shinnecock Hills after stringing together four straight rounds in the 60s. He went 67, 63 and 65 before wrapping up a final round that felt almost like a practice round with the only question remaining how low Johnson would go.

The exclamation point on the victory!@DJohnsonPGA wins the @fesjcmemphis with a walk-off eagle on 18.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/HKkthusswe

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 10, 2018

At least until his dramatic walk-off eagle. Johnson was in the intermediate rough to the right of the fairway, and the ball bounced twice before rolling into the cup to bring fans to their feet.

J.B. Holmes (67) was at 9 under. Stewart Cink (72) and Richy Werenski (71) tied at 8 under. Brandt Snedeker (70) and Retief Goosen (66) tied four others at 7 under.

Phil Mickelson had a 65 and was at 6 under.

Putnam, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, had only one bogey through his first three rounds. He pushed his opening tee shot into the right rough and his approach in the rough left of the green. He wound up three-putting for double bogey. Johnson rolled in a 4-footer for par and a two-stroke lead at 15 under on a sizzling day with the temperature feeling like 99.

Johnson worked on keeping the ball in the fairway, hitting 3-wood off the tee on the first of the course’s two par 5s. Even with the 3-wood, Johnson had the second-longest drive of the day, hitting 333 yards on the 554-yard hole.

Even when Johnson three-putt No. 5 to drop to 15 under, Putnam also bogeyed protecting Johnson’s lead at three strokes. Putnam pulled within two strokes with a birdie on No. 7, rolling a putt 11 feet after Johnson parred the hole.

Johnson hit an iron 307 yards off the tee at No. 10 . After hitting iron off the tee at No. 12 and going left of the cart path, Johnson saved par with a 16-foot putt to protect his two-stroke lead. Then Johnson hit a drive 359 yards on the par-4 No. 13, leaving him 95 yards to the pin. Johnson then hit his approach to 3 feet for his second birdie to go 16 under.

He previewed his dramatic finish on the par-5 16th. Johnson’s tee shot found the trees right of the fairway, and he threaded a shot through a couple trees to just off the green. He chipped to 5 feet and birdied for a four-stroke lead.

The post Capped by epic eagle hole-out, Dustin Johnson wins FedEx St. Jude Classic and reclaims No. 1 World Ranking appeared first on Golf.

The post Dustin Johnson, Andrew Putnam turn FedEx St. Jude Classic into two-horse race appeared first on Golf.

The post Dustin Johnson, Andrew Putnam turn FedEx St. Jude Classic into two-horse race appeared first on Golf.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Andrew Putnam will be playing in the last group on Sunday for the first time looking for his first PGA Tour victory.

His playing partner will be Dustin Johnson, who’s already won once this year and needs his 18th career victory to reclaim his spot as the world’s top-ranked golfer .

No pressure at all.

“It’s going to feel a little different than the typical Sunday round of golf, but I’m excited for it,” Putnam said. “I’ve earned my way here and I feel like it’s going to be a fun day. See what happens.”

Putnam matched the best round of his short PGA Tour career Saturday with a 6-under 64 and tied Johnson atop the leaderboard at the St. Jude Classic. Johnson had a 65 to match Putnam at 15-under 195 and said he’s in great position going into Sunday.

“I can kind of control my own destiny,” Johnson said. “If I go out and play really good golf, probably going to win. If I don’t, I’m sure Andrew’s going to beat me. He’s playing really good right now. It’s pretty simple.”

A two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, Putnam birdied No. 18 to tie up Johnson once again after a bogey-free round and consecutive 64s. Putnam, who joined the tour in 2015, has had only one bogey through 54 holes here.

“I’m happy with everything I’ve been doing,” said Putnam, 29, from Washington.

Stewart Cink, who had a hole-in-one on No. 8, matched his low round of the year with a 64 to get to 10 under.

Ricky Werenski got to 10 under but bogeyed No. 18 to finish with a 68. He was tied with Bryan Wesley (69) at 9 under. Brandt Snedeker (70) was at 7 under.

Johnson and Putnam, a 29-year-old from Washington with a pair of Top 10s this year on tour, quickly turned the third round at TPC Southwind into a two-man race.

Playing in the final group, Johnson opened with a birdie after hitting his approach to 6 feet on No. 1. Putnam, a group ahead, birdied three of his first four holes and took the lead to himself briefly at 12 under by rolling in from 31 feet for birdie on No. 5.

A tee shot way left on the par-5 No. 3 cost Johnson a penalty and a drop making par the best he could do. Johnson tied Putnam with a birdie on No. 5. But the man trying to get back to No. 1 before going to the U.S. Open bogeyed No. 9 after hitting his tee shot into the right rough and two-putting from 14 feet.

“I hit two bad drives on both the par 5s, I just kind of pulled them both,” Johnson said. “That was it. Other than that, I’m really swinging my irons well.”

Johnson rebounded with a birdie on No. 10 hitting his second from 152 yards to 8 feet and tied Putnam again. Putnam rolled in a 22-footer for birdie on No. 12 to reach 13 under only to see Johnson sink an 8-footer for birdie on No. 13 to tie him up again.

Looking for a victory before going to Shinnecock Hills, Johnson birdied No. 13. On No. 15, he hit his approach 130 yards to within 4 feet for birdie and birdied the par-5 No. 16 after hitting out of the bunker to 5 feet to become the first to reach 15 under.

Putnam rolled in from 17 feet to wrap up his round with a share of the lead, and Johnson could only settle for a two-putt for par.

Cink, who last won The Open Championship in 2009, missed the cut at both the Players Championship and Memorial last week. He took advantage of the par 3s with two birdies and his hole-in-one to keep close to Johnson and Putnam.

“It can be a little bit of a shock when it happens and suddenly you find yourself right up there in the mix and you’ve got to reset yourself,” Cink said of his hole-in-one. “But I did a really good job the rest of the way and I’m proud of that, and I look forward to tomorrow.”

Notes: Amateur Braden Thornberry shot a 65 and was tied at 6 under. The junior at Mississippi tied for fourth here last year in his tour debut. … This event, sponsored by FedEx, becomes the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2019.

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