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Tour Confidential: How important is Tiger's performance at Torrey Pines in the grand scheme of this comeback?

GOLF WIRE — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 22:25:00 +0000

GOLF.com conducts a weekly roundtable with writers from Sports Illustrated and GOLF Magazine. Check in every Sunday night for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.

1. Here we go again. Tiger Woods returns at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, which is also the site of his most recent PGA Tour start, when he missed the cut there a year ago. How important is Tiger’s performance at Torrey Pines (he’s also playing in three weeks at the Genesis Open) in the grand scheme of this comeback?

John Wood, caddie for Matt Kuchar (@johnwould): It’s important, but I have to believe he’s viewing it as a stepping stone rather than a final destination. Would he like to play well, feel healthy, get in the hunt? Absolutely. But if he doesn’t, I think he’ll have a good idea where he is on Monday. To my eye he looked fantastic in the Bahamas. Healthy and swinging athletically, happy and confident. The interesting thing to me will be the early morning start times. Heat and humidity tend to be a great way to play with any injury that needs testing. Those La Jolla mornings can be quite cool and foggy, and it takes some time to get the gears moving and stay moving like you’d like them to. I’m quite sure Tiger has planned for this, though. He’s worked too hard to get back to this point to leave any stone unturned.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated (@AlanShipnuck): It’s important. At this point, every start is, because Tiger needs to build confidence and momentum after years of accumulating scar tissue. And unlike the cupcake course he played in the Bahamas, Torrey is big and brawny and will require Tiger to play big-boy golf. I’m quite curious to see how he does.

Josh Sens, contributing writer, GOLF Magazine (@JoshSens): At this point, anytime Tiger pegs it, it’s important. This is the first serious test of his latest comeback; it will examine his mental and physical game in ways that the Hero didn’t. Aside from his swing and his health, Woods is trying to regain his edge, and that’s a fragile thing. If he drives it wildly or chunks a few chips or misses the cut by a wide margin, that sends him in the wrong direction when he needs all the momentum he can get.

Sean Zak, associate editor, GOLF.com (@sean_zak): It is important in the sense that Tiger needs to get back to performing in front of people and on a big stage. Absolutely nothing about the Bahamas return was typical for a Tour event. Only a couple hundred spectators on a wide-open course. He saw a couple tight lies out there, and he didn’t handle ALL of them efficiently. I want to see if he can make a run like he did Friday or Sunday at the Hero, but do it in front of 10,000 people on a difficult golf course. I don’t expect to see it this week, but it’s his first chance to try and make that happen. That’s important.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: It’s important to Tiger and to those who care about his future as a golfer. That’s likely millions of people, but only a tiny percentage of the world’s population. As long as he makes the cut he’ll have a path forward. If his play is dismal — I doubt it will be — that will be a significant setback. Tiger in his prime was incapable of dismal play. He has to see some glimpse of his old self.

2. Prediction time! Where will Tiger finish, and will we look back at his play at the Farmers and feel better, worse or the same regarding his prospects compared to how we felt after his performance at the Hero World Challenge in December?

Wood: Top 20, challenging for a top 10, with a couple of spurts on Saturday where he gets onto the leaderboard and people start to go, “Hmmmmmm, this is interesting!”

Shipnuck: I think he’ll make the cut and that alone constitutes progress.

Bamberger: I’m with Alan. If he plays four rounds, that’s good.

Sens: I think he’ll be right along the cut line. If I had to wager, I’d say he falls short. But afterwards, I suspect there will have been enough good shots for the Tiger optimists to see promise, and a enough squirrelly ones to give the skeptics cause for further doubt. Paul Simon had it right: a man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest.

Zak: I predict Tiger will miss the cut, and we will thereby feel a little worse about his comeback. Sure, pessimism is no fun and yes, he’s an underdog here, but the course difficulty should recalibrate us all a bit.

3. Rory McIlroy, in his first start in more than three months, entered the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship one off the lead but finished tied for third, four strokes behind winner Tommy Fleetwood. “Where I’ve come from the last three months just in terms of my health and my golf and everything, I’m in a much better place now than when I sort of left the game for a little bit in October,” McIlroy said. A good start, but McIlroy has always played well at this event with eight top-five finishes in his last nine appearances. Is this a sign of things to come or early season fool’s gold from Rory?

Wood: No, I think it’s a great sign. After taking a good amount of time off, especially after a year he wasn’t pleased with, there had to be a few questions he wanted to answer for himself, not for media or the public. Will the changes I made feel comfortable when I’m playing for real? Did the rest do me good mentally and emotionally? Did this short-term plan accomplish what I wanted it to accomplish heading into 2018? I’d say the answer is yes to all these questions.

Shipnuck: Big picture, it’s definitely progress. But I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed — Rory has been teasing us for years, and it would have been a macho statement to kick off the year with a win. Yet on Sunday he played his most indifferent round of the week and got blown off the course by Tommy Fleetwood.

Sens: I agree with Alan. A good sign, for sure, but a deflating finish. More than anything, though, yet another reminder (as if we needed one) of just how hard it is to win these days. There are just so many guys who can step on the gas and speed away with things, as Fleetwood did today. Rory says he’s feeling good about his prospects this year, and there’s no reason to doubt him. But no one is just going to lay down for him. And lots will be ready to snatch wins from him on Sunday when he isn’t firing on all cylinders.

Zak: Considering how much time he took off, man, it’s always a great sign when you can jump back into contention. But remember what Rory did last year amid a myriad of injuries? Six top 10s in 14 Tour events. Then a near-win at the British Masters. This is what he, a phenomenal player, does. I don’t want to belittle it, but he’s always performed like an elite player. This was simply another reminder of that fact.

Bamberger: Only one guy played better! Very good debut to a season I’m guessing will be a big one for him.

4. Fleetwood (who repeated as champ in Abu Dhabi), McIlroy (who seems to have some pep back in his step after a quiet 2017) and Jon Rahm (who won the CareerBuilder in a playoff on Sunday) are more than likely to form the core of the 2018 European Ryder Cup team. Which of these three players will have the most success overall in 2018, and why?

Wood: Heck of a question. While Fleetwood and Rahm are beaming with talent and confidence, I’ll have to say Rory, if only because he’s been there before. I’d expect the other two to be there quite a bit and win multiple times between them, but when it comes to cashing in a big one, I’d go with Rory.

Shipnuck: Rahm could easily win five times this year, but, as John alludes to, for Rory only the majors matter. As good as Rahm and Fleetwood are playing, you usually have to lose a major before you win one, so I agree McIlroy is the most likely to snag one this year — which would make it the most successful season of the three.

Sens: Fleetwood wins a major before Rahm wins his first or Rory wins his next, in part because he’s a massive talent, but also because he’s playing with less of the suffocating expectations that surround the other two.

Zak: I would say Rahm in a typical year where Rory plays 20 events or so, but The Rors will play upwards of 30 times this year. That many opportunities is sure to bring 12 top 10s and a couple of victories. That’s a total Rahm can beat, but it won’t be easy. Give me Rors.

Bamberger: The terms define the answer. Rahm will win the most money, Fleetwood will have the most fun and Rory will have the best collective finishes in majors.

5. During the opening round in Abu Dhabi, a 13-year-old knocked it inside Dustin Johnson and Fleetwood on a par-3 as part of the European tour’s Beat the Pro Challenge. Give us your pitch for a fan-engagement stunt or contest that the PGA Tour should put into place.

Wood: We were right in front of that group when the kid threaded the needle with that 3-wood and ran it right past the hole, and it was such a cool moment. While I’m not a huge fan of doing things like that during the tournament, I would love to see more good junior players in the pro-ams. I fully realize those spots are coveted and not inexpensive, but I would love for the PGA Tour and sponsoring businesses to maybe donate X number of spots in the pro-am field to local junior players. I think everyone would get a huge kick out of it.

Shipnuck: Do we need a stunt/contest? Golf tournaments have loosened up about using phones/social media, and that was a needed shift. But the game is good enough as-is. When I go to NBA or NFL or MLB games I feel assaulted by the noise, distractions and nonsense. Maybe I’m turning into a fuddy-duddy but I think the sporting event is enough, and I appreciate the relative clutter-free purity of golf tournaments. Let’s keep it that way.

Sens: “You kids,” Alan says, shaking his first from the clubhouse veranda. “Get off of my tee!” I agree, though. No need for stunts. But if I had to implement one, I’d go over the top. How about at some powder-puff silly season event, at any time during the week, an opposing player gets to pick a fan out of the crowd to hit a shot for the leader? I know. Ridiculous. And it will never happen. Mostly, it speaks to a secret fantasy I have of being that guy in the crowd who gets called out, and then knocks one stiff. Wild cheers. My 15 minutes on SportCenter. And then I wake up.

Zak: During every final round, let all the tee times pass through the 1st hole, and hold a competition where fans try to best the top approach of the day. If the best of 78 Tour pros finishes 18 inches from the pin on the first hole at Torrey South, that’s the distance to beat. Winner takes home 10 grand.

Bamberger: I think the winner of the Drive, Chip & Putt contest at Augusta should get a little mini-me green coat that he or she can wear to the Par-3 Contest, in which said child will have a spot in the field.

6. The annual PGA Merchandise Show — golf’s largest convention/pep rally — kicks off this week with more than 1,100 exhibitors showing off their wares and services in Orlando. In the last year what’s the most exciting trend, development or new product that you’ve seen in the game?

Wood: These days, I gotta believe I play less golf than most anyone involved in the game. I love the game, but when I get time off, I want to get away from it. I don’t want to spend my days off “at the office.” If there is one thing that would get me playing more golf, it would be the GolfBoard, which is basically a surf/skateboard with larger wheels that works as a happy medium between riding in a golf cart and walking. I lose my mind if I go play and two holes in it looks like it’s going to be a five-hour-plus round. But if I had a GolfBoard to tool around on during the waits? Forget about it!

Shipnuck: Yeah, I’ve been dying to test out one of those things. It’s more than a year old but I think Topgolf has really come into its own in the last year. It’s making golf more cool and introducing a lot of non-players to the game in a fun, low-stress environment. I think long-term it’s going to have a huge impact growing the game.

Sens: I like what Topgolf is doing, too, especially the new technology they’ve introduced to ordinary driving ranges, which basically can turn any practice facility into a Topgolf-like experience. But mostly, I’m a luddite, and, the trend I like the best is lower tech: it’s the architectural drift toward short courses. The game needs more of those. Or at least more ways to satisfy your golf jones without sinking five hours of your day into it.

Zak: It’s not necessarily new, but I first started using Arccos this year, tracking my game better than ever, which means I did more than zero. Sure, your handicap can tell you a think or two about your game, but not nearly as much as data-tracking equipment. What is new is that the technology is improving in accuracy and is becoming less-intrusive — both great things for the weekend player.

Bamberger: The Orange Whip works (for me), is not hard to understand, requires no instruction manual, comes in only one color (no decision-making) and is affordable and durable. I see it being used by duffers and Tour players. One year, in his annual report, Warren Buffett was explaining his investment in a cement company. He wrote, “Try to contain your excitement.” But that’s how I feel about the Orange Whip. It may not be the most exciting golf gizmo out there, but it does its job.

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Jon Rahm birdies fourth playoff hole to win CareerBuilder Challenge

Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Jon Rahm beat Andrew Landry with a 12-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole of a playoff Sunday in the CareerBuilder Challenge.

In fading light on the Stadium Course at PGA West, Rahm finished off Landry for his second PGA Tour title and fourth worldwide victory in a year. The 23-year-old Spaniard will jump from third to second in the world ranking behind Dustin Johnson.

“It’s hard to believe, to be honest, passing Jordan Spieth, three-time major champion,” Rahm said. “I only have two wins and he’s got 10-plus, right? I never thought I was going to be at this point in my life right now.”

Rahm overcame surprising par-5 problems in regulation to shoot 5-under 67. Landry, playing a group behind Rahm in the final threesome, forced the playoff with an 11-foot birdie putt on the water-guarded 18th for a 68. They finished at 22-under 266.

“Tournaments like this build character,” Rahm said. “I’m just proud of myself to hit what’s probably my least favorite club, which is the 3-wood, three times in a row dead center on my line on 18 — four times if you include the regular play.”

After Rahm made his birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole, Landry missed an 11-footer.

Rahm and Landry each missed chances to win on the first two extra trips down 18. Rahm’s 9-foot birdie try slid left on the first, and Landry’s 8-footer went by to the right on the second. They missed long birdie tries on the third extra hole, the par-4 10th.

Rahm parred the four par 5s on Sunday, with the Pete Dye-designed layout playing tougher with many pin positions on the edges of greens, after going 13 under on 12 par 5s in the first three rounds with an eagle and 11 birdies.

The former Arizona State star was second behind Johnson two weeks ago at Kapalua in his first start since winning the European Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai in November. Rahm will open his Torrey Pines title defense Thursday in San Diego.

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Austin Cook shoots 64 to take CareerBuilder lead; Rahm two back

Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:50:00 +0000

Austin Cook played a six-hole stretch in 6 under and shot an 8-under 64 in breezy conditions Saturday to take the lead at the CareerBuilder Challenge.

Cook began the run at La Quinta Country Club with birdies on Nos. 4-5, eagled the sixth and added birdies on No. 7 and 9 to make the turn in 6-under 30.

After a bogey on the 10th, he birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 15 and saved par on the 18th with a 20-footer to take a 19-under 197 total into the final round on PGA West’s Stadium Course. The 26-year-old former Arkansas player is making his first start in the event. He won at Sea Island in November for his first PGA Tour title.

Fellow former Razorbacks star Andrew Landry and Martin Piller were a stroke back. Landry, the second-round leader, had a 70 on the Stadium Course. Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller, shot a 67 at La Quinta. They are both winless on the PGA Tour.

Jon Rahm had a 70 at the Stadium Course to reach 17 under. The top-ranked player in the field at No. 3, Rahm beat up the par 5s again, but had four bogeys — three on par 3s. He has played the 12 par 5s in 13 under with an eagle and 11 birdies.

Scott Piercy also was two strokes back after a 66 at the Stadium.

Adam Hadwin had a 67 at La Quinta a year after shooting a third-round 59 on the course. The Canadian was 16 under along with Grayson Murray and Brandon Harkins. Murray had a 67 on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, and Harkins shot 68 on the Stadium Course.

Phil Mickelson missed the cut in his first tournament of the year for the second time in his career, shooting a 74 on the Stadium Course to finish at 4 under — four strokes from a Sunday tee time.

The 47-year-old Hall of Famer was playing for the first time since late October.

He also missed the cut in the Phoenix Open in his 2009 opener.

Charlie Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior playing on the first sponsor exemption the event has given to an amateur, also missed the cut. The Southern California recruit had three early straight double bogeys in a 77 on the Stadium that left him 1 over for the week.

John Daly had an 80 at La Quinta. He opened with a triple bogey and had six bogeys — four in a row to start his second nine — and only one birdie. The 51-year-old Daly opened with a 69 on the Nicklaus layout and had a 71 on Friday at the Stadium.

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Jon Rahm shoots 62, takes CareerBuilder Challenge lead

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 22:08:00 +0000

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Jon Rahm’s soaring 5-iron settled five feet away to set up an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole at La Quinta Country Club.

“It’s quite simple, honestly,” Rahm said. “Beyond perfect drive, perfect second shot, perfect putt.”

Two hours later Thursday in the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge, young Charlie Reiter matched his new friend’s eagle with a low hook around a tree to a foot.

“It was a little down in the rough,” said Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior who recently played with Rahm at nearby Big Horn. “I just closed the face and trusted my swing and it worked out perfectly.”

Rahm also had eight birdies in his bogey-free round for a 10-under 62 and a one-stroke lead. The 23-year-old Spaniard — the top-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the world — played the first seven holes in six under on a sunny morning so comfortable he shed his light sweater halfway through his warmup on the driving range.

“You’re not going to make every single putt. You’re not going to hit every single shot perfect,” Rahm said. “I do feel like I could have made a couple more putts, just because I had so many that were makeable. But there’s a couple birdie putts, like the one on 14, that, if I’m being quite honest, I did not hit the line I wanted and it still went in dead center.”

Rahm had the lowest score in his PGA Tour career, topping a 64 two years ago at Congressional in his first round as a professional. At 10 under, the former Arizona State player bested his four-day total of nine under last year in the CareerBuilder when he tied for 34th in his first start in the event.

“This type of golf is something I love,” Rahm said. “La Quinta is really, really similar to Phoenix Country Club, which I played many times. I’ve also shot 10 under there, funny enough, and it’s just really familiar to what I’m used to playing. Four years of college on these golf courses, it’s something you’re not going to forget.”

Rahm was second two weeks ago at Kapalua in his first start since winning the European Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai in November. He’s the defending champion next week at Torrey Pines, and also won last year in Ireland.

“I feel super-rested and really in peace with my game and I think it shows,” Rahm said. “Kapalua wasn’t the best ball-striking week of my life, but I was able to scramble really well and keep calm and have a good score. Today, it was a complete opposite. I had one of the best ball-striking days of my life and just had it going.”

Reiter, 18, finished with a 68 after a shaky start to his PGA Tour debut.

“We went over to the Mountains Course because I can’t hit driver here because the range is too short,” Reiter said. “I hit a couple drives and my legs were like wobbly and I was like getting light-headed and I said, ‘I think I’m going to throw up.’ And then I got to the course and I kind of settled down.”

The University of Southern California recruit is the first amateur to receive a sponsor exemption in tournament history. He tied for 65th in the Australian Open in November in his first pro event.

“It was a little different playing with everybody I know watching me,” Reiter said.

Austin Cook, Jason Kokrak and Andrew Landry were a stroke behind Rahm at 63. Cook closed with a 15-foot par save on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. Kokrak and Landry opened at La Quinta.

Beau Hossler, Aaron Wise, Brandon Harkins and Martin Piller were at 64. Hossler, Wise and Harkins played La Quinta, and Piller was on the Nicklaus layout. Nick Watney and Grayson Murray shot 65 to top the players at PGA West’s Stadium Course, the once-feared layout that will be the site of the final round.

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Phil Mickelson had a 70 at La Quinta in his first tournament round since late October.

“It was fun to get back out and be competitive,” Mickelson said. “For some reason, I’m stuck on 70 here at La Quinta. Whether I get off to a good start or a bad one, I end up shooting the same score.”

The 47-year-old Hall of Famer was four under after six holes, and then had one birdie and three bogeys — the first on the par-4 eighth after driving out-of-bounds to the right — on the final 12.

“With the exception of one tee shot, I drove it pretty well today and putted OK,” Mickelson said.

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Brian Harman on his hot start, major expectations and (finally) feeling comfortable on the course

Ryan Asselta — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 11:50:00 +0000

Brian Harman, all 5-foot-7 of him, picked up the biggest win of his career when he edged Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez to win the Wells Fargo Championship in 2017, but the 30-year-old isn’t slowing down. He’s finished in the top 10 in each of his first five starts of the 2017-18 season, including a pair of top-5 finishes in Hawaii in the last two weeks. We caught up with Harman to talk about his hot start, major heartbreak, expectations and more.

GOLF.com: Fair to say your confidence level is high right now?

BRIAN HARMAN: It’s up there. I’ve done a pretty good job of just kind of resetting. When I was younger I felt like I could carry my momentum a little bit better where I’d have a good week and another good week and another good week. When I got on Tour, it’s kinda like, you get into contention, you’re so emotionally invested. And it’s really hard to start over afterwards, because you kind of want to get right back into contention. And it doesn’t always work that way. Golf tournaments are a long week. And there’s a lot of moving parts. Maybe I’m starting to figure it out a little bit more, how to play good after playing good. It’s a hard thing to do.

Let’s talk about last year. You really seemed to come into your own. You win the Wells Fargo, T2 at the U.S. Open. Can you put your finger on one thing that just really clicked for you last year?

I just think I’m just getting a little older and just not making as many mistakes and not taking the time out here for granted. When I got on Tour I was 24, wasn’t married, no kids. Now I’m married, I have a daughter. So things just kind of slowed down for me and I was able to just stay a little more present.

A lot of the top athletes often talk about the game slowing down for them.

For sure. I mean, it’s all kind of a blur when you first get on Tour, because you’re trying to get in tournaments and you’re trying to keep your card. And you’ve got all these things that you haven’t ever had to worry about. All of a sudden you’re having to worry about those things.

That Sunday at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, you began the final round with a one-shot lead. You played with Justin Thomas, shot 72, but came up a bit short. After all the dust settled, did you learn something about yourself that week?

Yeah, I went out there and I didn’t play as well as I perhaps could have. But I think I played as well as I could that day. And that’s what taught me the most. It’s like, I have the game to win a major, and I know that. But you have to have some things go your way, and I ran into a buzz saw the last day. So yeah, I was disappointed I didn’t win, but I wasn’t disappointed in my effort.

In the aftermath, you said that you don’t believe in moral victories.

It’s one of those sayings, like, yeah, I wanted nothing more than to win that golf tournament. And I knew that I had an opportunity to do so. I’ll draw on that experience plenty. It’s not that I didn’t learn from anything. But a victory is a victory. And for me, I didn’t get it done that day. So that was an opportunity that I lost. And I’m not gonna have that opportunity back. I’m better because of it, but at the time, it’s a really hard pill to swallow.

Is there any doubt in your mind that you can win a major championship?

No. I don’t have any doubts in my game at all. It’s just a matter of continuing to do what I do and getting more chances. I don’t know if I’ll ever win one. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen. But I do believe I’m capable.

You’re one of only 13 lefties to win on the PGA Tour. I think that’s the only thing you do lefty, is swing the golf club.

Yeah, when I was a baseball player and I was a kid, I’d swing stuff left-hand. So my parents got me a right-handed glove, thinking I’d throw lefty. And they’d toss me a ball and I’d take my glove off and throw it back to ’em. So just, my brother is the opposite. He’s left-handed and plays golf right-handed.

Only five lefties in Tour history have won more than two times. Why haven’t more lefties broken through on Tour and in the game in general?

I just don’t think there’s that many, you know? Most people are right-handed. So there’s just not that many. Even the Canadian golfers, who you would think would be mostly left-handed, because a lot of ’em play left-handed in hockey, there’s still just not that many. I think there’s only two or three on Tour right now. They just kind of come and go.

You’ll make your second Masters appearance this year, after your debut there in ’15. What did you learn in 2015 that you can apply in 2018?

I probably put way too much emphasis on [preparing]. I was worried about it long before I should’ve been. I’ll go out there a couple times and I’ll play the course. But I really won’t put any focus into it until it’s time. I’ve got a lot of stuff in between now and then that are my goals. The only thing I can really control is what happens today, tomorrow, and just go from there. I’ll just try to have my game as good as I can get it when I get there.

Augusta National has been good to lefties, from Phil to Bubba to Mike Weir.

I think if you’re playing well, anywhere kind of suits your game. I contended at a U.S. Open that was 8,000 yards long. I contended at a PGA that was around the same — big, long golf courses. And I’ve played well at Harbor Town and Colonial and at short courses. So I think it’s got more to do with just how your game is. I don’t think one place necessarily suits one way or the other. Lefties have happened to have won there, but Phil’s very good. Bubba’s very good. Mike Weir was one of the best players in the world when he won there, so it favors good players.

Being a Georgia native, Georgia Bulldog, surely it would be extra special to win the Masters.

They’re all special, man. But, yes, that one is so cool. Growing up I always thought that would be the consensus, this is the one I definitely want to win. But then I get into the British and I’m like, man, how cool is this tournament? Contended in the U.S. Open like, wow, this is crazy. I had a good chance at the PGA last year, finished pretty well. They’re all unique in their own way. Any time you get to compete at the highest stage, in the biggest tournaments, it doesn’t get any better than that.

You’re 5-foot-7, 150 pounds. At least that’s what the book says on you. Do you feel underappreciated as a player because, you’re not Tony Finau, looking like a basketball player out there?

I don’t think that I’m underappreciated. I’ve just never been a real flashy guy. I’ve never been one that’s tried to bring a lot of attention to myself. I’ve always figured that if I play well, then I’ll have all the attention that I want.

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What will Phil do next? Please, like anyone has a clue

Michael Bamberger — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 13:45:00 +0000

The golf tournament played on three courses in the California desert this week, the CareerBuilder Challenge, was known in earlier and simpler times as The Hope, for the man who hosted it, Bob Hope. Arnold — Arnold Palmer — won it five times, the last of which was in 1973, at age 43. At the awards ceremony that year, Hope, looking for the $32,000 first-place check, asked, “Who’s got the money?” Down came the house, Arnold leading the way. He owned the desert.

Which brings us to Phil. Phil Mickelson, now 47. He’s a property-owner, an investor and a regular in the California desert. He played in The Hope when Hope was still around and starting on Thursday he’ll play in its successor, as the so-called tournament ambassador. It will be his first tournament in the U.S. since early October, when he finished in a tie for third in the Safeway Open, in Napa. If the Tour has an Arnold Palmer today, it is Phil. Long careers, flashy shots and shoes, patient signers, scores of wins, experts in the high arts of fan appreciation and TV readiness, relentless optimism. So here it comes, the old Hope, the 560th event of Mickelson’s wildly entertaining career. He looks tanned, rested and ready, big and strong but also trim and flexible. Here are the first two items on his 2018 To-Do List:

1. Win the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, which would make him the sixth player to win the career grand slam, unless Rory McIlroy becomes No. 6 by winning the Masters in April. The last time the U.S. Open was at Shinnecock Hills was in 2004. Mickelson finished in solo second.

2. Make Jim Furyk’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, which will play outside Paris in late September. He’s been on every Ryder Cup team since 1995, and made them all on points. He has never been on a team that won in Europe.

For many golf fans, Mickelson is a strange blend of the predictable and unpredictable. After his debacle at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, who would have guessed he would win the Scottish Open in his next outing? Or the British Open the following week? But that is what he did, and those two wins, in Europe, are the most recent wins in his career. No wins in ’14 or ’15 or ’16 or ’17, despite chances to make significant additions to a career that has already landed him in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In other words, he was never boring.

In 2014, Mickelson had a runner-up finish in the PGA Championship. (McIlroy won by a shot, practically in the dark.) Also that year, Mickelson’s thinly veiled criticism of losing Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson went viral.

In 2015, he finished in a tie for second in the Masters. (Jordan Spieth won, by four.) Also that year, Mickelson, on the team as a captain’s pick, stole the show at the Presidents Cup in South Korea, which the U.S. won by a point, with Mickelson going 3-0-1, the half coming in a bizarre rules situation in a better-ball match in which Mickelson lost two holes while playing one.

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In 2016, he had a second in the British Open. (Henrik Stenson, by two, in one of the most impressive performances in Open history.) Also that year, as a relief defendant in an insider trading case, Mickelson agreed to make a $1 million payment to the SEC, related to profits he made on a Dean Foods stock purchase.

In 2017, Mickelson had no second-place finishes in majors (he missed two cuts), he didn’t play in the U.S. Open when it conflicted with his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation, but he went, again, 3-0-1 at the Presidents Cup. Also, he and his career-long caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay parted ways. (Forty-one wins together.) It’s always something, isn’t it, with this Phil Mickelson?

The easiest prediction you can make for Mickelson in 2018 is to expect more of the same, whatever that might mean. There’s no saying, not when it comes to Mickelson.

This week, at the CareerBuilder Challenge, whenever you see Mickelson, a 1992 Arizona State graduate, there will often be two former ASU golf coaches in the vicinity. One is Steve Loy, who was the coach when Mickelson played there. The other is Phil’s younger brother, Tim, who coached the team for five years until resigning in 2016. Loy has been Phil’s longtime agent and business partner and runs the golf division at the sports agency Lagardère. Tim left ASU and joined Lagardère in 2016 to represent one of his former players, Jon Rahm. In December, Phil announced that Tim would be his fulltime caddie this year. Lagardère manages the CareerBuilder event for the Tour. It manages the Safeway event, too. Rahm is playing in the CareerBuilder. Yes, there are a lot of intersecting points in all of that. Phil likes all that. That whole keep-it-simple thing is not for him. He relishes the swirl.

Phil turns 48 on the Saturday of this year’s U.S. Open. Chances are good he’ll either be contending or on his plane flying back to San Diego. As for this week, at the old Hope, Mickelson will surely sign more autographs than he takes shots. When Arnold played in the old Hope when he was 47, in 1978, he made the cut, finished near last, made $365. Mickelson will leave more than that in the tournament’s three locker rooms this week.

The post What will Phil do next? Please, like anyone has a clue appeared first on Golf.

Fantasy golf expert picks: CareerBuilder Challenge

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:11:00 +0000

Fantasy golf picks for the CareerBuilder Challenge include Patrick Reed, Brian Harman and Zach Johnson.

The post Fantasy golf expert picks: CareerBuilder Challenge appeared first on Golf.

CareerBuilder Challenge 2018: Tee Times, TV Schedule, Prize Money

Jessica Marksbury — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 18:15:00 +0000

After opening the year in Hawaii, the PGA Tour kicks off the California Swing this week at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California. Formerly the Bob Hope Classic, this event also features a large pro-am portion that will push the cut to Saturday. Spread out over three courses, the 156-man field boasts some big names in 2018.

Phil Mickelson makes his 2018 debut at 9:10 a.m. alongside Zach Johnson, a red-hot Jon Rahm, currently ranked third in the world, is paired with Bubba Watson at 8:40 a.m., and defending champion Hudson Swafford is paired with Brian Harman at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday. All three of those marquee groups will start the tournament at La Quinta Country Club. The tournament’s 2014 champion, Patrick Reed, will tee it up with Brandt Snedeker at 8:40 a.m. on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

What: CareerBuilder Championship

Where: TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, La Quinta, California (Over the first three rounds, players also compete on PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament course and La Quinta Country Club

When: Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 18-21

Purse: $5.9 million

Defending champion: Hudson Swafford (-20)

TV SCHEDULE

Thursday: 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Friday: 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Saturday: 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Sunday: 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

[image:13572865]

THURSDAY TEE TIMES

PGA West (TPC Stadium) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Mark Wilson, David Lingmerth

8:40 a.m.: Chris Stroud, Sean O’Hair

8:50 a.m.: Tom Lovelady, Tyler Duncan

9:00 a.m.: Chad Campbell, Ben Martin

9:10 a.m.: James Hahn, Sangmoon Bae

9:20 a.m.: Brett Stegmaier, Seamus Power

9:30 a.m.: Scott Brown, Troy Merritt

9:40 a.m.: Brendan Steele, Webb Simpson

9:50 a.m.: John Peterson, Dominic Bozzelli

10:00 a.m.: Ryan Palmer, Hunter Mahan

10:10 a.m.: Patton Kizzire, Bill Haas

10:20 a.m.: Martin Laird, Luke List

10:30 a.m.: Trey Mullinax, Kyle Thompson

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Derek Fathauer, Steve Wheatcroft

8:40 a.m.: Grayson Murray, Fabian Gomez

8:50 a.m.: Andrew Yun, Ethan Tracy

9:00 a.m.: Jason Gore, Corey Pavin

9:10 a.m.: Nick Watney, Kevin Streelman

9:20 a.m.: Rob Oppenheim, Nate Lashley

9:30 a.m.: J.J. Spaun, Brandon Hagy

9:40 a.m.: Rod Pampling, Geoff Ogilvy

9:50 a.m.: Robert Garrigus, Brice Garnett

10:00 a.m.: J.J. Henry, Mark Brooks

10:10 a.m.: Billy Hurley III, Brian Gay

10:20 a.m.: Sean Stefani, Sung Kang

10:30 a.m.: Nicholas Lindheim, Denny McCarthy

La Quinta CC – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Chesson Hadley, Chez Reavie

8:40 a.m.: Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson

8:50 a.m.: Beau Hossler, Aaron Wise

9:00 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Harris English

9:10 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson

9:20 a.m.: Sam Saunders, Peter Uihlein

9:30 a.m.: Johnson Wagner, Martin Flores

9:40 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker

9:50 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Keith Mitchell

10:00 a.m.: Scott Stallings, Kevin Na

10:10 a.m.: Hudson Swafford, Brian Harman

10:20 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Ollie Schneiderjans

10:30 a.m.: Maverick McNealy, Charles Reiter

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Michael Kim, Matt Jones

8:40 a.m.: Russell Knox, Brian Stuard

8:50 a.m.: Lanto Griffin, Andrew Landry

9:00 a.m.: Ted Potter Jr., Charlie Beljan

9:10 a.m.: Smylie Kaufman, Vaughn Taylor

9:20 a.m.: Conrad Schindler, Brandon Harkins

9:30 a.m.: Colt Knost, Harold Varner III

9:40 a.m.: Ricky Barnes, Camilo Villegas

9:50 a.m.: Stephan Jaeger, Ben Silverman

10:00 a.m.: Whee Kim, Jonathan Byrd

10:10 a.m.: Scott Piercy, Chris Kirk

10:20 a.m.: Jason Kokrak, Cameron Tringale

10:30 a.m.: Adam Schenk, Roberto Diaz

PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: D.J. Trahan, Lee Janzen

8:40 a.m.: Greg Chalmers, Peter Malnati

8:50 a.m.: Zecheng Dou, Michael Block

9:00 a.m.: Danny Lee, Richy Werenski

9:10 a.m.: Wesley Bryan, Ryan Armour

9:20 a.m.: Sam Ryder, Talor Gooch

9:30 a.m.: Alex Cejka, Andrew Loupe

9:40 a.m.: Austin Cook, Mac Hughes

9:50 a.m.: Bronson Burgoon, Andrew Putnam

10:00 a.m.: Nick Taylor, John Curran

10:10 a.m.: Jim Herman, Daniel Summerhays

10:20 a.m.: C.T. Pan, Ryan Blaum

10:30 a.m.: Corey Connors, Xinjun Zhang

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: John Daly, Mike Weir

8:40 a.m.: Patrick Reed, Brandt Snedeker

8:50 a.m.: Martin Piller, Jonathan Randolph

9:00 a.m.: Rory Sabbatini, David Hearn

9:10 a.m.: Kevin Chappell, Stewart Cink

9:20 a.m.: Matt Atkins, Joel Dahmen

9:30 a.m.: Blayne Barber, Tyrone Van Aswegan

9:40 a.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Charles Howell III

9:50 a.m.: Jeff Gove, Tom Whitney

10:00 a.m.: John Huh, Matt Every

10:10 a.m.: Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin

10:20 a.m.: Ben Crane, Zac Blair

10:30 a.m.: Abraham Ancer, Tom Hoge

FRIDAY TEE TIMES

PGA West (TPC Stadium) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Rory Sabbatini, David Hearn

8:40 a.m.: Kevin Chappell, Stewart Cink

8:50 a.m.: Matt Atkins, Joel Dahmen

9:00 a.m.: Blayne Barber, Tyrone Van Aswegan

9:10 a.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Charles Howell III

9:20 a.m.: Jeff Gove, Tom Whitney

9:30 a.m.: John Huh, Matt Every

9:40 a.m.: Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin

9:50 a.m.: Ben Crane, Zac Blair

10:00 a.m.: Abraham Ancer, Tom Hoge

10:10 a.m.: John Daly, Mike Weir

10:20 a.m.: Patrick Reed, Brandt

10:30 a.m.: Martin Piller, Jonathan Randolph

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Danny Lee, Ricky Werenski

8:40 a.m.: Wesley Bryan, Ryan Armour

8:50 a.m.: Sam Ryder, Talo Gooch

9:00 a.m.: Alex Cejka, Andrew Loupe

9:10 a.m.: Austin Cook, Mac Hughes

9:20 a.m.: Bronson Burgoon, Andrew Putnam

9:30 a.m.: Nick Taylor, Jon Curran

9:40 a.m.: Jim Herman, D.A. Points

9:50 a.m.: C.T. Pan, Ryan Blaum

10:00 a.m.: Corey Connors, Xinjun Zhang

10:10 a.m.: D.J. Trahan, Lee Janzen

10:20 a.m.: Greg Chalmers, Peter Malnati

10:30 a.m.: Zecheng Dou, Michael Block

La Quinta CC – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Jason Gore, Cory Pavin

8:40 a.m.: Nick Watney, Kevin Streelman

8:50 a.m.: Rob Oppenheim, Nate Lashley

9:00 a.m.: J.J. Spaun, Brandon Hagy

9:10 a.m.: Rod Pampling, Geoff Ogilvy

9:20 a.m.: Robert Garrigus, Brice Garnett

9:30 a.m.: J.J. Henry, Mark Brooks

9:40 a.m.: Billy Hurley III, Brian Gay

9:50 a.m.: Sung Kang, Sean Stefani

10:00 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Nicholas Lindheim

10:10 a.m.: Derek Fathauer, Steve Wheatcroft

10:20 a.m.: Grayson Murray, Fabian Gomez

10:30 a.m.: Andrew Yun, Ethan Tracy

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Chad Campbell, Ben Martin

8:40 a.m.: James Hahn, Sangmoon Bae

8:50 a.m.: Brett Stegmaier, Seamus Power

9:00 a.m.: Scott Brown, Troy Merritt

9:10 a.m.: Brendan Steele, Webb Simpson

9:20 a.m.: John Peterson, Dominic Bozzelli

9:30 a.m.: Ryan Palmer, Hunter Mahan

9:40 a.m.: Patton Kizzire, Bill Haas

9:50 a.m.: Martin Laird, Luke List

10:00 a.m.: Trey Mullinax, Kyle Thompson

10:10 a.m.: Mark Wilson, David Lingmerth

10:20 a.m.: Chris Stroud, Sean O’Hair

10:30 a.m.: Tom Lovelady, Tyler Duncan

PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Charlie Beljan, Ted Potter Jr.

8:40 a.m.: Vaughn Taylor, Smylie Kaufman

8:50 a.m.: Conrad Schindler, Brandon Harkins

9:00 a.m.: Colt Knost, Harold Varner III

9:10 a.m.: Ricky Barnes, Camilo Villegas

9:20 a.m.: Ben Silverman, Stephan Jaeger

9:30 a.m.: Jonathan Byrd, Whee Kim

9:40 a.m.: Chris Kirk, Scott Piercy

9:50 a.m.: Cameron Tringale, Jason Kokrak

10:00 a.m.: Roberto Diaz, Adam Schenk

10:10 a.m.: Michael Kim, Matt Jones

10:20 a.m.: Brian Stuard, Russell Knox

10:30 a.m.: Lanto Griffin, Andrew Landry

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Harris English

8:40 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson

8:50 a.m.: Sam Saunders, Peter Uihlein

9:00 a.m.: Johnson Wagner, Martin Flores

9:10 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker

9:20 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Keith Mitchell

9:30 a.m.: Scott Stallings, Kevin Na

9:40 a.m.: Hudson Swafford, Brian Harman

9:50 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Ollie Schneiderjans

10:00 a.m.: Maverick McNealy, Charles Reiter

10:10 a.m.: Chesson Hadley, Chez Reavie

10:20 a.m.: Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson

10:30 a.m.: Beau Hossler, Aaron Wise

SATURDAY TEE TIMES

PGA West (TPC Stadium) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Johnson Wagner, Martin Flores

8:40 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker

8:50 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Keith Mitchell

9:00 a.m.: Scott Stallings, Kevin Na

9:10 a.m.: Hudson Swafford, Brian Harman

9:20 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Ollie Schneiderjans

9:30 a.m.: Maverick McNealy, Charles Reiter

9:40 a.m.: Chesson Hadley, Chez Reavie

9:50 a.m.: Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson

10:00 a.m.: Beau Hossler, Aaron Wise

10:10 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Harris English

10:20 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson

10:30 a.m.: Sam Saunders, Peter Uihlein

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Colt Knost, Harold Varner III

8:40 a.m.: Ricky Barnes, Camilo Villegas

8:50 a.m.: Ben Silverman, Stephan Jaeger

9:00 a.m.: Jonathan Byrd, Whee Kim

9:10 a.m.: Chris Kirk, Scott Piercy

9:20 a.m.: Cameron Tringale, Jason Kokrak

9:30 a.m.: Roberto Diaz, Adam Schenk

9:40 a.m.: Michael Kim, Matt Jones

9:50 a.m.: Brian Stuard, Russell Knox

10:00 a.m.: Lanto Griffin, Andrew Landry

10:10 a.m.: Charlie Beljan, Ted Potter Jr.

10:20 a.m.: Vaughn Taylor, Smylie Kaufman

10:30 a.m.: Conrad Schindler, Brandon Harkins

La Quinta CC – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Alex Cejka, Andrew Loupe

8:40 a.m.: Austin Cook, Mac Hughes

8:50 a.m.: Bronson Burgoon, Andrew Putnam

9:00 a.m.: Nick Taylor, Jon Curran

9:10 a.m.: Jim Herman, D.A. Points

9:20 a.m.: C.T. Pan, Ryan Blaum

9:30 a.m.: Corey Connors, Xinjun Zhang

9:40 a.m.: D.J. Trahan, Lee Janzen

9:50 a.m.: Greg Chalmers, Peter Malnati

10:00 a.m.: Zecheng Dou, Michael Block

10:10 a.m.: Danny Lee, Richy Werenski

10:20 a.m.: Wesley Bryan, Ryan Armour

10:30 a.m.: Sam Ryder, Talor Gooch

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Blayne Barber, Tyrone Van Aswegan

8:40 a.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Charles Howell III

8:50 a.m.: Jeff Gove, Tom Whitney

9:00 a.m.: Matt Every, John Huh

9:10 a.m.: Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin

9:20 a.m.: Ben Crane, Zac Blair

9:30 a.m.: Tom Hoge, Abraham Ancer

9:40 a.m.: John Daly, Mike Weir

9:50 a.m.: Patrick Reed, Brandt Snedeker

10:00 a.m.: Martin Piller, Jonathan Randolph

10:10 a.m.: Rory Sabbatini, David Hearn

10:20 a.m.: Kevin Chappell, Stewart Cink

10:30 a.m.: Matt Atkins, Joel Dahmen

PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament) – No. 1 Tee

8:30 a.m.: Scott Brown, Troy Merritt

8:40 a.m.: Brendan Steele, Webb Simpson

8:50 a.m.: John Peterson, Dominic Bozzelli

9:00 a.m.: Ryan Palmer, Hunter Mahan

9:10 a.m.: Patton Kizzire, Bill Haas

9:20 a.m.: Martin Laird, Luke List

9:30 a.m.: Trey Mullinax, Kyle Thompson

9:40 a.m.: Mark Wilson, David Lingmerth

9:50 a.m.: Chris Stroud, Sean O’Hair

10:00 a.m.: Tom Lovelady, Tyler Duncan

10:10 a.m.: Chad Campbell, Ben Martin

10:20 a.m.: James Hahn, Sangmoon Bae

10:30 a.m.: Brett Stegmaier, Seamus Power

No. 10 Tee

8:30 a.m.: J.J. Spaun, Brandon Hagy

8:40 a.m.: Rod Pampling, Geoff Ogilvy

8:50 a.m.: Robert Garrigus, Brice Garnett

9:00 a.m.: J.J. Henry, Mark Brooks

9:10 a.m.: Billy Hurley III, Brian Gay

9:20 a.m.: Sung Kang, Shawn Stefani

9:30 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Nicholas Lindheim

9:40 a.m.: Derek Fathauer, Steve Wheatcroft

9:50 a.m.: Grayson Murray, Fabian Gomez

10:00 a.m.: Andrew Yun, Ethan Tracy

10:10 a.m.: Jason Gore, Corey Pavin

10:20 a.m.: Nick Watney, Kevin Streelman

10:30 a.m.: Rob Oppenheim, Nate Lashley

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