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You needn’t be a rules maven to know this basic tenet of the game: the golfer farthest from the hole plays first.

So, when Si Woo Kim found himself sizing up a wedge shot from 87 yards in his opening foursomes match at the Presidents Cup Thursday, and all his opponent, Scottie Scheffler, had left was a 74-foot putt for eagle, you’d be excused for thinking that Kim was away.

Excused, but still wrong, and here’s why.

Kim, who was playing alongside Cam Davis for the Internationals, hit the team’s tee shot on the par-5 7th. He found the fairway, leaving Davis about 190 yards to the hole over a water hazard fronting the green. Davis carried the obstacle, but not by enough. His ball bounced back into the drink. Meanwhile, Scheffler’s partner, Sam Burns, had already left Scheffler safely aboard with a lengthy putt for eagle.

With no room to drop by the green without getting closer to the hole, Kim was forced to drop on the far side of the hazard, nearly 90 yards from his target.  

Order of play is especially meaningful in match play given the result of your opponent’s shots can influence how you play your own. So, it was surprising to see Scheffler, who was so much closer to the hole, play first.

What gives?

Enter PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusabek, who joined the broadcast to enlighten the golf-viewing masses. Because the International team’s ball had crossed on the far side of the hazard — and nearer the hole than where the Americans’ approach shot had come to rest — the Internationals’ ball was still deemed to be closer to the hole, even though it had disappeared into the water, Dusabek said

“His ball is actually closer to the hole from where his ball went into the water, where his ball laid in the water, versus where the [U.S. team’s] ball was up on the green,” Dusabek said.

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Dan Hicks, who was calling the event for NBC/Golf Channel, said to his perplexed partner Paul Azinger, “I just heard a lot of people what you said, Zing: ‘Ohhhhh…’”

Said Azinger, “It makes sense now.”

Kim hit a nifty wedge shot to 5 feet from where Davis saved par, but it wasn’t enough to match Scheffler and Burns’ birdie, who seized a 3-up lead and seemed destined to put another point on the board for the Americans.

“I think I was playing a little nervous — not so much scared, just a little nervous golf,” Davis said later. “And when I hit the ball in the water on 7, I was like, that’s the last time I’m trying to hit a smooth shot when I’m nervous. It’s a pumped-up nervous so everything is going a little further. It’s kind of hard sometimes to hit a ball over water with a club that would normally not make it over the water. So I think that finally clicked in my head. Right, we’ve just got to play aggressive. We’ve got to hit it hard. If you’re stuck between clubs, go the shorter one.”

The change in strategy worked. Kim and Davis clawed back to even the match through 16 holes, before winning 17 and 18 for a gutty 2-up win and much-needed point for the Internationals.

“We feed off each other really well,” Davis added. “I think we’ve got the same approach to the game, just about, in terms of I ask him what he thinks, it matches pretty much what I’m thinking, which is a pretty easy way to think our way around the golf course. Obviously, it worked great today.”

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Everyone loves a good bromance. From Joey and Chandler to Harry and Lloyd, there’s something about two dudes with an inseparable bond that just tugs at the heart strings. Add in sports to the equation and it takes our collective fascination to the next level.

The good news for the bromance appreciators among us? Team USA has several offerings at this week’s Presidents Cup. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are obvious candidates (who can forget the picture from their junior golf days?), and Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay seem to have a strong bond of their own.

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But while those two pairs should provide plenty of intrigue this week at Quail Hollow, it’s the budding kinship of a pair of rookies that has us riveted.

Enter Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. The two Presidents Cup rookies have been among the top players in the game over the past year, and it just so happens they’re pretty tight off the course, too. Combine those two ingredients and captain Davis Love III may well have a lethal pairing.

Scheffler-Burns will not be featured in the opening four-ball session, but it’s still a safe bet that they will be paired together at some point. Here are three reasons why when it does happen, it should pay dividends.

1. Demeanor

You’d be hard-pressed to find a couple of professional more laid back than Scheffler and Burns — and that goes for inside and outside the ropes. One of ’em makes a bogey? You can hardly tell. That ability to stay within themselves is a big part of why they are two of the top stars in the game.

But while that easygoing nature is great when it comes to golf, it can be a slight headache for scribes. Ask either one of them a question and they’ll do their best to answer in as few words as possible.

Take this exchange between Burns and the media on Tuesday:

Q: Who gives who the hardest time?

Burns: It’s back and forth. I don’t know, I think it’s just — who gives who a harder time? I don’t know. Just us.

It’s not always the most insightful exercise when interviewing either one of them, but it is a consistent one. Neither one of them is going to give more than they need to. Great minds think alike, perhaps?

2. Camaraderie

Scheffler and Burns’ bond is deeper than just a couple of golfers who play practice rounds together. These two share their lives together when they’re on the road.

Most weeks when both of them are playing, they share accommodations, renting a house for themselves and their wives. And as a couple of good ole Southern boys, they’re always on the hunt for the best barbecue around.

That camaraderie doesn’t stop on the weeks they’re on the road together. Sometimes, the two even vacation together, just as they did earlier this summer after the Open Championship.

Would you take a picture like that with anyone other than your best bro? You would not.

3. Playing style

Want to see some insanely crisp ball-striking? Just follow around Scheffler and Burns for an afternoon. Like all pros, watching them up close is a sight to behold. But unlike all pros, they’re each as consistent as they come.

For the 2021-22 season, each was among the top of their class in SG: Approach, Scheffler finishing the season in fourth while Burns finished 18th.

“I think Sam and I both play pretty similar,” Scheffler said. “We know each other’s games pretty well and know each other’s personalities well.”

A match made in heaven? Davis Love would settle for a match made in Charlotte.

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The stage is set for for the 2022 Presidents Cup where 24 of the PGA Tour’s top golfers — 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world (except for Europe) — will meet for the biennial matches.

Due to the pandemic, this will be the first Presidents Cup since 2019, when the Tiger Woods-captained U.S. team narrowly edged the Ernie Els-led International squad with a miraculous come-from-behind win in Sunday singles.

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The U.S. team holds a dominating 10-1-1 record in the matches and most expect a similarly dominate performance with LIV Golf defectors being ineligible to play in this year’s event and taking the hardest toll on Trevor Immelman’s International team.

Without further ado, let us introduce you to the players who are playing this year.

United States Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Davis Love III

Love was a six-time member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team and compiled a 16-8-4 record in those matches. Love — who was born in Charlotte, N.C., home of this week’s host, Quail Hollow Club — won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including one major win at the 1997 PGA Championship. He also notably won the 2015 Wyndham Championship at the age of 51, becoming the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history. Love was an assistant captain on the 2013, 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cup teams and captained the 2012 and 2016 Ryder Cup teams.

Sam Burns

Career Presidents Cup record: First appearance

Burns may have been overshadowed by close friend Scottie Scheffler in the early part of the 2021-22 season, but the Louisianan had a break out year himself, winning three times, including taking down Scheffler in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. This will be his first appearance at either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.

Patrick Cantlay

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Cantlay had another solid year in 2022, winning once while defending his crown at the BMW Championship in Wilmington and teaming up with Xander Schauffele to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He played all of his matches in 2019 with Schauffele and figures to do so again. Cantlay was also very successful at last year’s Ryder Cup where he compiled a 3-0-1 record at Whistling Straits, the one tie coming in the only match he wasn’t paired with Schauffele.

Tony Finau

Record: 0-1-3 in one appearance (2019)

The big-hitting Finau had a slow start to the season before catching fire over the summer, notching five top-5s in a stretch of eight events, including back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July. He somewhat surprisingly did not notch a win in his only Presidents Cup appearance in 2019. He only had one loss in four matches, however, and he’ll be looking for a new partner as both his partners from 2019, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau, are not playing this year. He’s picked up three wins in his two Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2021.

Max Homa*

Record: First appearance

Homa comes in as perhaps the hottest player in the matches. He won in dramatic fashion last week at the PGA Tour season opening Fortinet Championship, holing a chip shot from off the 18th green to win. He also finished a career best tied for fifth in the Tour Championship in his previous start. This will be his first team match appearance.

Billy Horschel*

Record: First appearance

If you were shocked to learn Horschel is making his first ever appearance in either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup this week, you’re not alone. Horschel’s career resume includes seven PGA Tour titles, including this year’s Memorial Tournament, and the 2014 FedEx Cup. He’s had a mixed bag of a season, missing four of last eight cuts on the PGA Tour, but with the win in Columbus sandwiched between two of them. He did earn a top 10 in his most recent appearance during his title defense at the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner*

Record: 2-0-2 in one appearance (2017)

Kisner is the oldest player on Team USA’s roster and has become known as somewhat of a match play savant, including a win at the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and owning an undefeated record at the 2017 Presidents Cup. His best finish this past season was a second at — you guessed it — the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but he did rack up five other top 10s. Kisner will also be looking for a new partner as he played with Phil Mickelson in all three team matches in 2017.

Collin Morikawa*

Record: First appearance

Morikawa came out just as hot as his first three years on Tour to begin this season with five straight finishes of T7 or better, but he fell back to earth a little toward the end of the year, his first on Tour without a win. Although he did lead the U.S. Open through 36 holes, he struggled Saturday and was out of contention by Sunday. The two-time major winner, who is still just 25 years old, showed better form at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August with a T5 finish, but needed to be one of Love’s six captain’s selections to make it to Quail Hollow. He led the U.S. team in qualifying for the Ryder Cup last year and went 3-0-1 at Whistling Straits, his lone tie coming in singles.

Xander Schauffele

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Like Finau, Schauffele also had a strong end to the season, finishing in the top 20 in all but one of his last 11 events. Again, like Finau, he notched back-to-back wins at the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open. He also teamed with Cantlay for a team win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and figures to see a lot of his close friend whom he has a 4-2-0 record with in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup matches.

Scottie Scheffler

Record: First appearance

Scheffler has come a long way from being a captain’s selection at last year’s Ryder Cup. The Texan notched his first four PGA Tour wins last season, including a major victory at the Masters, and earned the World No. 1 ranking. While he didn’t come away with the FedEx Cup title, PGA Tour Player of The Year honors are a decent consolation — as well as the $5.75 million he got for finishing T2 at East Lake. He went undefeated, going 2-0-1 at Whistling Straits, teaming with Bryson DeChambeau in two four-ball matches. He also beat Kisner at this year’s WGC-Match Play.

Jordan Spieth*

Record: 8-5-1 in three appearances (2013, 2015, 2017)

After missing the 2019 matches, Spieth is back on the U.S. team at just the right time. With stalwarts like Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed absent this year, Spieth and Justin Thomas are the only players with multiple Presidents Cup matches under their belt coming into the week. The 29-year-old notched a win at the RBC Heritage this season and finished a respectable tied for 13th in the FedEx Cup. He carries a career 16-12-4 record in U.S. team cup matches and played with Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed in all of his partner matches in 2015 and 2017. At last year’s Ryder Cup, he paired most often with good buddy Justin Thomas.

Justin Thomas

Record: 6-2-2 in two appearances (2017, 2019)

Thomas may not have met all of his preseason goals, but he notched 11 top 10s last season and his second major title at the PGA Championship. He brings with him the most impressive U.S. team match record, going 12-4-3 across two Presidents Cups and two Ryder Cups. In his two previous Presidents Cups, he paired with Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Daniel Berger, all of whom are not playing this week. He figures to play more with Spieth as he did twice at Whistling Straits.

Cameron Young*

Record: First appearance

Young had a debut season to remember, notching six top-three finishes and was one of two rookies to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship. Those top finishes also include just missing out on the playoff at the PGA Championship by one stroke, and the memorable eagle finish at the Open Championship at St. Andrews to earn the runner-up spot.

International Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Trevor Immelman (South Africa)

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Immelman is the youngest captain in International team history at just 42 years old. The South African is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, including one major, holding off Tiger Woods to win the 2008 Masters. He’s also picked up six victories around the world on the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour. He’s a two-time veteran of the Presidents Cup and served as assistant captain under Ernie Els in 2019. Many fans will know him now for his broadcasting as he is expected to take over as the lead analyst for CBS’s golf coverage, following Nick Faldo.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout* (South Africa)

Record: First appearance

Bezuidenhout had a solid rookie year, making 20 cuts in 24 starts on the PGA Tour with 10 top-25 finishes. He’s perhaps better known in Europe, having a breakout year in 2020 while notching three victories including the Alfred Dunhill Championship. His best finish on the PGA Tour in 2022 was a T2 showing at the John Deere Classic and he advanced to the second FedEx Cup Playoff event at the BMW Championship. He’s one of five Presidents Cup first-timers selected by Immelman.

Corey Conners (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Conners played his way to the Tour Championship for the third time of his career thanks to 20 made cuts in 25 starts and four top-10 finishes. One of those top 10s came last month at the BMW Championship where he finished in T5, but he missed the cut last week in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Fortinet Championship. The Canadian has one win under his belt on the PGA Tour, coming at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.

Cam Davis* (Australia)

Record: First appearance

Davis notched five top-10s in 25 starts last season on the PGA Tour. His best golf came toward the end of the season when he made his last 10 cuts in a row. His best year on Tour came a season ago when he made 21 of 26 cuts and notched his debut win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His cuts-made streak broke last week at the Fortinet Championship where rounds of 74 and 70 sent him to Charlotte early.

Sungjae Im (South Korea)

Record: 3-1-1 in one appearance (2019)

The iron man of the PGA Tour, nobody plays more golf than Sungjae Im. Im had another strong season on Tour in 2021-22, winning for the second time at the Shriners Children’s Open and finishing strong with three T2 finishes in his last five events, including at the Tour Championship. The World No. 19 will be heavily relied upon as one of just four veterans on the International team with Presidents Cup experience. All three of his partners from Royal Melbourne — Adam Hadwin, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith — are not on the team this year.

Tom Kim (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Kim burst onto the scene in 2022, finishing third at the Genesis Scottish Open, seventh at the Rocket Mortgage, and then capturing his first win at the Wyndham Championship in August to secure his PGA Tour membership and even qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He was only a special temporary member when he won, but had earned enough points to get his full status for 2023. He’s now exempt through 2024 and he auto-qualified for the International team.

K. H. Lee* (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Lee has two PGA Tour titles and both have come at the AT&T Byron Nelson. At this year’s tournament, Lee outdueled Jordan Spieth down the stretch to defend his title. The rest of his season wasn’t much to write home about, with almost as many missed cuts (7) as top-25s (8), until he used T20 and T5 finishes in the first two Playoff events to catapult his way into his first Tour Championship appearance.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

Record: 6-7-4 in four appearances (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)

Hard to believe the 30-year-old Matuyama is about to start his fifth Presidents Cup, but the Japanese star heads to Quail Hollow as the alpha of the International squad. It was another good year for the World No. 17 on the PGA Tour, finishing 11th in the FedEx Cup after winning twice, with one of those victories coming last fall in his home country at the Zozo Championship. Only one of his previous partners, Adam Scott, is on the roster this week and they haven’t played together since Matsuyama’s Presidents Cup debut in 2013.

Sebastián Muñoz* (Colombia)

Record: First appearance

Munoz hasn’t quite played up to the same level as he did in his breakout season in 2019-20 when he got his first win at the Sanderson Farms Championship and then went on to finish 8th in the final FedEx Cup standings thanks to a solid performance at East Lake, but his 2021-22 campaign was enough to earn a captain’s pick. He had two runner-up finishes on the season.

Si Woo Kim* (South Korea)

Record: 1-2-0 in one appearance (2017)

Kim was the only one of Immelman’s captain’s selections with previous Presidents Cup experience, winning a four-ball match and losing in foursomes and singles matches in New Jersey in 2017. That season was also the year of his signature win, The Players Championship. He won in early 2021 at The American Express, but has not played well as of late, only recording one top 10s in 21-22, last fall at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Both of his partners from 2017 are not on this year’s team.

Taylor Pendrith* (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Normally for a rookie, an injury can be devastating. Taylor Pendrith missed time between The Players in March and the Barbasol Championship in July because of a rip injury, but it didn’t stop him from earning nine top 25s in 16 starts. Since coming back from the injury, Pendrith finished worse than T13th once in six starts, including a tie for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a tie for eighth at the BMW Championship.

Mito Pereira (Chile)

Record: First appearance

Heartbreak at the PGA Championship overshadowed what was otherwise a very respectable debut season on the PGA Tour for Pereira. He opened the year with a solo third at the Fortinet Championship and had two other top 10s, including at Southern Hills. Of course his season will be remembered for the leading the PGA through 71 holes, only to hit his tee shot in the water on 18, leading to a double bogey and missing the playoff. Pereira was rumored to be joining LIV Golf, but reportedly is waiting to jump so he could play in the Presidents Cup.

Adam Scott (Australia)

Record: 16-22-6 in nine appearances

The 42-year old hasn’t missed a Presidents Cup since 2001 and is by far the most experienced player on either team, having more appearances than the entire International team combined and as many as the entire American team combined. His 10th appearance will break his own record for the Internationals. He also has a chance to tie or pass Ernie Els’ International record of 21 points this week. Aging like fine wine, the 42-year-old didn’t win on the PGA Tour this year, but only missed two cuts all year and had five top 10s. His back-to-back T5s to start the FedEx Cup Playoffs helped him play his way into the Tour Championship from outside the top 70 at the end of the regular season. Matsuyama is the only teammate his paired with before on the International roster.

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Turns out Scottie Scheffler wasn’t the only former Masters Champion taking in the Alabama-Texas college football game Saturday.

While Scheffler was surprised on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show with his PGA Tour Player of the Year award, Sergio Garcia and his wife Angela Atkins were later seen during the FOX broadcast of the game chatting with Scheffler and his wife Meredith on the sideline.

This is typically the time of year we start to see pros popping up on college football sidelines, especially as we’re in the middle of the PGA Tour’s “offseason.”

Only Garcia was playing at the BMW PGA Championship in England about 48 hours ago.

Play was suspended at the DP World Tour’s flagship event Thursday afternoon in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Play was also suspended for all of Friday before resuming Saturday and the event being shortened to 54 holes.

Garcia, one of several LIV Golf pros controversially in the field for this weeks event, withdrew following an opening round 76 at Wentworth and did not give a reason. He threatened to resign his membership from the DP World Tour over the summer after joining LIV Golf, before ultimately choosing to maintain membership.

Golfers committed to the upstart, Saudi-backed LIV Golf are able to play on the DP World Tour while an appeal on the suspensions handed down by CEO Keith Pelley works its way through the UK court system.

Most, except perhaps Ian Poulter, have kept a relatively low profile on the tour, but 18 were originally entered in the field this week at Wentworth.

Garcia may not be an alumnus of the University of Texas as Scheffler is, but he does still have connections to the Longhorns. Garcia owns a home in Austin with his wife, Angela Atkins, who played golf at UT for two seasons and is the daughter of former Longhorns quarterback Marty Atkins.

Given how controversial Garcia’s appearance at Wentworth was in the first place, it’s interesting to note how quickly plans for his GameDay appearance came together when play was suspended Thursday afternoon.

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Scottie Scheffler got the surprise of a lifetime on his alma mater’s campus Saturday morning.

Ahead of the Texas vs. Alabama game in Austin, ESPN’s College GameDay invited Scheffler up on stage to get his insights on this afternoon’s game. But before they ended the segment, Gene Wojciechowski had on last surprise for him.

“One of the perks of winning the Masters is you get to wear that green jacket,” Wojciechowski said. “You weren’t able to bring it today, but we don’t want you to go in the stadium empty-handed. We want to thank you for making the effort of coming out here. So we wanted to give you a little something.”

Texas men’s golf coach John Fields then walked on stage with a veiled item. When Scheffler took the fabric off the item, it revealed the Jack Nicklaus Award trophy underneath.

“There it is, the Jack Nicklaus Award,” Wojchiechowski said. “Given to the 2022 PGA Tour Player of the Year.”

Scheffler was overcome with emotion as he hugged his former coach.

“I don’t really have much to say,” Scheffler said as the crowd chanted his name. “I definitely was not expecting that. But that means a lot to me.”

According to the PGA Tour, Scheffler received 89 percent of the votes from his peers, beating out fellow finalists Rory McIlroy and Cameron Smith.

Scheffler earned four victories in 2022, including his first major victory at the Masters. He also notched 11 top-10 finishes and four runner-ups, and authored the most lucrative season in Tour history with $14,046,910 in official earnings.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, congratulations to Scottie on his remarkable season and his unprecedented achievements,” Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “Undoubtably, one of the highest compliments a player can receive is the endorsement from his peers, and the fact that Scottie’s season was both dominant and consistent spoke volumes to the membership.”

With the honor, Scheffler becomes the first player to win Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year (2019), PGA Tour Rookie of the Year (2019-20) and PGA Tour Player of the year.

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The post Rory McIlroy vs. Scottie Scheffler: a tale of 2 wildly different club setups in the 2022 PGA Tour season appeared first on Golf.

The post Rory McIlroy vs. Scottie Scheffler: a tale of 2 wildly different club setups in the 2022 PGA Tour season appeared first on Golf.

After a full season of golf, the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup came down to an 18-hole shootout at East Lake between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Ultimately, it was McIlroy who took home the FedEx Cup and the $18 million prize after shooting a four-under 66 to Scheffler’s 73 and co-runner up Sungjae Im’s 66. Don’t feel bad, though, Scheffler and Im took home a nice bit of pocket change in the process.

Although they have similar styles of play, Rory and Scottie have had very different ways of approaching their gear this season, and this is a look back at changes they’ve made.

Scottie Scheffler’s 2022 clubs

As told by our own Jonathan Wall back in March, Scheffler signed a deal with TaylorMade that officially linked the 25-year-old with the brand. Up until that point, Scottie had been playing mostly a mixed bag which included an 11-year-old Nike VR Pro Limited 3-wood, which is a club he had used dating all the way back to high school.

Considering Scheffler’s Texas upbringing, it should be no surprise the Dallas native (Scheffler was born in Ridgewood, N.J., but his family moved to Texas in 1999 when he was 3) was linked to Nike Golf headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, early in his playing days. But after signing with TaylorMade, the one thing Scheffler had to change on no specific timeline was his Nike fairway wood. To be frank, the Nike really didn’t stand a chance, and under testing conditions it was no contest — soon after Scheffler had a new Stealth 16.5° in the bag.

As they say, the rest is history, and Scottie had a historic year with four wins and his first major at the Masters.

Since that faithful testing session in March, Scottie didn’t change a thing all season, and through the Tour Championship his clubs have remained the same as they were before the 3-wood swap:

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft), 8 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft), 16.5 degrees

Utility: Srixon Z U85 (3-iron; Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X shaft)

Irons: Srixon ZX7 (4-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts), Titleist Vokey Design 2021 Proto (60K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Tour Prototype

Golf ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

On the other hand, it hasn’t been so simple for Rory.

Rory McIlroy’s 2022 golf clubs

Compared to Scheffler, Rory has had a very interesting year when it comes to his clubs. Yes, some clubs have remained mostly unchanged through the 2022 season, but he’s had a rotating cast of characters at the top and bottom end of his bag — let’s dive in.

Stalwarts through the season have been Rory’s driving and iron play — he finished 3rd this season in Strokes Gained off the tee and 13th in SG approach the green. The club helping him rip tee shots is his Taylormade Stealth Plus, and his irons are his very own RORS Protos that date back to 2018. Considering his strengths in these areas it should be no surprise he hasn’t messed with these clubs too much, but after that is where it gets really interesting.

The one club Rory has cycled through this season is his 3-wood, which is a complete contrast to Scheffler’s set-it-and-forget-it mentality. Dating back to the CJ Cup in late 2021, the club of choice was a Ver1 TaylorMade SIM Titanium at 15°. We should note this was before the Stealth line was available, but the SIM2 had been out for the season and Rory never made a full-time switch to the club.

After the holiday break, Rory came back in January with new Stealth Plus 3 and 5 woods to build out the top end of his bag, and although the 5 wood has stayed put, he went back to the SIM Ti at the Players. The SIM once again held its place until June when things started to get busy again at the RBC Canadian Open. As covered by our Jonathan Wall, Rory swapped 3-woods halfway through the event, going from his SIM TI to the fixed hosel version of the Stealth for added spin and workability off the tee. A win is a win but the Stealth was again a short-lived experiment and since the Open Championship Rory has kept ol’ faithful in the bag.

The two biggest takeaways from this back and forth is Rory’s amazing ability to quickly change one of the hardest clubs in the bag to swap, and his trust in the process when putting clubs into play.

Now to the wedges. Rory has openly discussed issues with his wedge play in the past but through this season the only major change beyond a low bounce lob wedge for the Open Championship was his move to a specialty pitching wedge from his RORS Proto. With a more rounded profile and camber, the sole of his MG3 offers more versatility for partial shots, which is something Rory has been putting a lot of work into.

Maybe it’s the Tiger influence but, after spending years as a bomb and gouger (he still bombs it!), Rory has certainly approached his wedge game very differently than in the past, and if we look at his finishes in the majors along with his culminating win at the Tour Championship — we’re confident in saying his equipment decisions have paid off.

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft), 9 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 (Mitsubishi Diamana Kai’li White 80TX shaft), 15 degrees

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (Fujikura Ventus Black 9X shaft), 19 degrees

Irons: TaylorMade Rors Proto (3-9; Project X Rifle 7.0 shafts)

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 (46SB, 54HB and 58SB degrees; Project X Rifle 6.5 shafts)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast (SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour grip)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Grips: Golf Pride New Decade MultiCompound

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

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Scottie Scheffler’s dream season seemed destined for a dream finish.

With a six-shot lead through three rounds of the season-capping Tour Championship, Scheffler was cruising toward his fifth win of the year, plus the FedEx Cup title and the $18 million payday that comes with it.

But in the final round at East Lake, Scheffler could not rise to the moment. He bogeyed three of his first six holes, and by the seventh hole, Rory McIlroy had caught him. He and McIlroy dueled through the middle portion of the round but when Scheffler failed to get up and down on 16, McIlroy took the outright lead and never relinquished it.

McIlroy, who had opened the tournament with a triple bogey and at one point was double-digits off the lead, was the unlikely victor.

And then something even more unlikely happened.

As McIlroy walked off the 18th green, one of the first people he encountered was the father of the player he had just trounced by seven shots and, in essence, taken millions from.

Awkward? Could have been, sure. But instead it turned out to be something more like heartwarming.

McIlroy paced straight toward Scheffler’s father, who is also named Scott, embraced him and said, “I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry. Imagine that. Apologizing for doing your job.

“No, you don’t have to do that,” Scott said.

“He deserves it,” McIlroy said; at this point they were talking over one another. “He’s had an unbelievable year.”

“I love you, too,” Scott said, smiling.

It was one of the sweetest scenes you’ll ever see in the cutthroat world of professional golf. And it didn’t end there.  

Meredith Scheffler, Scottie’s wife, also swooped in for a hug.

“So proud of you,” she said. “That’s amazing. You kicked butt today. Congrats.”

Then it was Scottie’s mother’s turn. Another hug for McIlroy and more words of encouragement: “Congrats. Good job. Great job.”

No one likes to see their son or husband lose, but if it has to happen, McIlroy qualifies as a loveable foil. This year especially. In the face of LIV Golf’s rise, McIlroy has become the PGA Tour’s most vocal brand ambassador. If he’s not singing the Tour’s praises, he’s needling its upstart competitor.

As McIlroy himself said after his win Sunday: “It’s been a tumultuous time for the world of men’s professional golf. I’ve been right in the middle of it. … I guess every chance I get, I’m trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world. It’s in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different.”

In some ways fitting? McIlroy was the perfect champion for the moment.

Ask the father of the guy he beat.

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The post Why Scottie Scheffler’s blown 6-shot lead at Tour Championship wasn’t a meltdown appeared first on Golf.

Scottie Scheffler blowing a six-shot lead to Rory McIlroy on Sunday at the Tour Championship earned an ignominious designation.

It marked the eighth time on the PGA Tour that a player with a six-stroke lead with 18 holes to play did not go on to win, the Tour record for largest blown lead in a final round.

Greg Norman was infamously part of one of those instances at the 1996 Masters.

Norman bogeyed nine through 11, doubled 12 and 16 and let Nick Faldo pick up 11 shots on him as the latter won the green jacket by five.

Scheffler’s Sunday at East Lake? It felt nothing like that, even if he did hit only nine greens.

Tournaments

“I just for whatever reason, I couldn’t get enough looks,” Scheffler said after the round. “Maybe if I could take a few shots back, I’d probably take back the drive on 16. I’d probably — that would be the one I’d like to have back.”

Scheffler’s tee shot on 16 was pulled left and settled down in the Bermuda rough, the direct line to the green blocked off by trees. From there, he punched his approach into the front left greenside bunker, a spot from which he had a more than reasonable chance of getting the ball up and down.

His bunker shot was less than stellar, but he still gave himself a makeable putt, less than nine feet down the hill, for par.

“I hit a good putt and it hoped off something a foot and a half from the club,” Scheffler said. “I don’t know the angle y’all had on the cameras, but if it was down the line you would have seen it hop off a little bit.”

That was Scheffler’s only bogey of the back nine.

Sure, a final-round 73 was not what he wanted, and one could reasonably assume he thought he deserved the FedEx Cup title after winning four times this season, including the Masters.

But a meltdown this was not. He showed way too much fight to apply that word to his performance.

Scheffler made par putts when he had to on the 7th from five-and-a-half feet, the 11th from five feet and the 12th from 11-and-a-half feet. He also executed stellar chips on 9 and 13 from difficult spots, part of a run when he got up-and-down in five out of seven holes. He made birdie on the 8th to regain his solo lead after McIlroy caught him.

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Scheffler was never out of the tournament, even giving himself a chance to tie on 18 with birdie, despite clearly not being as sharp as he had been all season with his ball striking.

“I put myself in position to win this tournament when I wasn’t playing my best today, and so I’m proud of how I fought,” Scheffler said.

His slow start was compounded, he said, on the 6th hole, when he made his third bogey of the round because of a mental error. He played the wrong shot from short left of the green at the par-5 to a front left pin.

“I should have just played it out to the right like I normally would, and for some reason I tried to force it in there,” Scheffler said. “So just little mental errors like that. After No. 6, I locked in pretty good and I just wasn’t swinging it well.”

After the bogey on the easy par-5, Scheffler played even-par golf on his way to the finish. He had one final chance on the 72nd hole, putting his second shot in one of the front right greenside bunkers on East Lake’s other par-5.

“I hit the bunker shot exactly how I wanted to and there was no sand in the bottom of that bunker,” Scheffler said. “Club skips up into the equator of the ball and goes over the green.”

He did well to get up-and-down from that position, just like many of his other holes in the final round.

In the end, Scheffler summed up his afternoon in a deeply relatable way.

“It’s a tough break. It’s just golf,” he said. “You get good ones and bad ones.”

And it wasn’t all bad. Scheffler’s consolation prize: $5,750,000.

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Rory McIlroy was back on his heels.

He had made up six strokes on Scottie Scheffler in the first seven holes to tie for the lead during Sunday’s Tour Championship final round, but had made bogey on 14 after a perfect tee shot. Now, he was standing on the long, par-3, island-green 15th, $18 million on the line.

What does he do?

Hit it to 32 feet and then drill the putt to tie for the lead once again.

“Come on!” McIlroy screamed.

After a clutch par save on the 16th — with a little assist from the flagstick — McIlroy pulled away from Scheffler, the FedEx Cup leader for most of the season, with a final-round 66 to win the Tour Championship by a stroke over Scheffler and Sungjae Im and the $18 million first-place prize of the FedEx Cup.

“I just felt so close all year,” McIlroy said moments after his victory. “I had a couple wins, but I was just waiting for something. Maybe this was it. I got a little lucky with Scottie not playing his best golf today, and I took advantage of that with my good play. But, you know, I went up against the best player in the world today and I took him down, and that’s got to mean something.”

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The final round was a matchup of the tour’s most successful player this season in Scheffler, who led the tour with four wins, including the Masters, and its statistical best in McIlroy, who led in scoring average and Strokes-Gained: Total. However, Sunday afternoon, Scheffler looked far from the player who dominated much of the Spring and had earned a two-stroke advantage to start the tournament in the staggered-start format. His cuts off the tee weren’t cutting, he hit just half of his greens in the final round, leading to his only over-par round of the week. He didn’t look like the player who made four birdies to finish his third round Sunday morning and open up a six-stroke lead over McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

Meanwhile, McIlroy had a picture-perfect start to his championship Sunday and carried it into the final round.

He first birdied the two holes he had left to play on a marathon Sunday to complete his third round.

“It’s the perfect way to start the day, and hopefully I can continue that into this afternoon,” McIlroy said in the morning.

And he did continue it. Despite a bogey on the first hole at East Lake — the same one he tripled to open the tournament on Thursday — McIlroy made four birdies in the next six holes to pull even with Scheffler at 20-under-par.

Scheffler quickly pulled ahead again with a birdie on 8 to take the lead outright again, but that would be his last birdie of the day.

McIlroy pulled into a tie again on 12. Scheffler seemed indecisive on his second shot from 119 yards, backing off several times and checking the wind in the trees. His approach came up short, coming to rest nestled in the Bermuda rough. Scheffler made a great up-and-down to stay at 21-under, but McIlroy stuck his second to 6-feet and drained the putt.

McIlroy looked poised to take control on the long par-4 14th after a perfect, 346-yard drive, one of his many 330-yard bombs for the week, but blocked his second shot and short-sided himself. His third came up just short of the green, and he made bogey to fall out of the lead.

After the birdie on 15, both players in the final pairing drove it left on 16. Scheffler’s ball was nestled down in the rough, and he manufactured a shot into the front greenside bunker. McIlroy seemed to have the advantage in the fairway bunker, just 130 yards from the hole. He seemed to like his approach, even twirling his club, but the ball sailed long into the gallery behind the green, leaving a difficult third shot from the trampled down rough with the green running away from him.

His third was hot, running too fast, before he caught a break. The ball, which looked to be going off the green, hit the center of the pin and came to rest just 7 feet from the hole.

Scheffler failed to get up and down from the bunker while McIlroy drilled his par putt, giving him a one-shot lead, the first time anyone other than Scheffler had led all week.

The pair provided some light drama on the par-5 finishing hole as Scheffler left his second in the greenside bunker short right, but McIlroy snap-hooked his approach left into the grandstand. He caught another break with the ball ricocheting back into to play.

Scheffler hit his third long of the green, all but dooming his chances.

“It’s yours, Rory, take it,” a fan could be heard yelling as McIlroy was playing his third.

Needing just a par, McIlroy played it safe, hitting his third to 20 feet, and two-putting for the win after Scheffler’s birdie chip fell short.

McIlroy’s win puts a bow on a wild PGA Tour season in which the Tour saw a rival, LIV Golf, launch and sign several notable players. Among them were many of McIlroy’s longtime European Ryder Cup teammates. But McIlroy found himself as one of LIV’s most outspoken critics and, along with Tiger Woods, led some of the player effort to make wholesale changes to the PGA Tour. Just this week, McIlroy announced the creation of a complementary league to the PGA Tour, the TGL, started by himself and Woods through their new TMRW Sports Group.

“Everyone on Tour has had to deal with a lot,” McIlroy said as the recent upheaval in the pro game. “Even the guys that have went to LIV have had to deal with a lot. It’s just been a very tumultuous sort of era in our game. I said it in the sort of prize ceremony there, this is the best place in the world to play golf. It’s the most competitive. It’s got the best players. It’s got the deepest fields. I don’t know why you’d want to play anywhere else.”

On Sunday evening, McIlroy surely had nothing to regret about the path he has chosen. He is now the only player to ever win three FedEx Cups, the last one coming with the largest single check of his career: $18 million.

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After a stormy Saturday, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Co.. will have plenty of golf to play on championship Sunday at the Tour Championship.

Third-round play, at 6:36 p.m. ET Saturday, was suspended for the second time due to lightning in the area, and the PGA Tour called play for the day shortly after 7 o’clock. Fourteen players, including leader Scheffler, will resume their third round at 9:45 a.m. Sunday.

Assuming no major delays on Sunday, the FedEx Cup will awarded, along with it the $18 million first-place prize.

With that, here’s four stories to follow for Sunday’s action:

Long day ahead

Thankfully, the Tour Championship features just a 29-man field, which will make it much easier to get everyone around the golf course on Sunday.

That said, the final twosome of Scheffler and Schauffele were in the 13th fairway when play was suspended, and will have five-and-a-half holes to complete when play resumes. Scheffler, who is even for the round and 19-under for the week, will sleep on a one-stroke lead over Schauffele, the smallest after any day of the tournament.

Many others in contention for the huge FedEx Cup bonus purse will be playing extra golf on Sunday. That is except for Justin Thomas, who has just a 2-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole left to play. That would get him to 15-under for the tournament.

Going down the leaderboard, Sungjae Im, in third, has four holes to play; Rory McIlroy, in fourth, has two holes remaining; and among those tied at 14-under and in a tie for fifth is the penultimate pairing of Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay, who will play their second shots to the 14th hole when play resumes.

Close race

Scheffler’s lead, which was at one point seven shots during Friday’s second round and started at two to begin the week, is now just one over Schauffele. Schauffele twice pulled even with Scheffler on Saturday, but the pair mostly held in place, with Scheffler playing even-par golf for 12 holes, and Schauffele shooting one-under.

What looked like a two-horse race at one point has become anything but, with eight players within five shots of the lead going into Sunday. Schauffele started the day two back of Scheffler, but four clear of anyone else.

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“I wasn’t playing my best, but I was kind of hanging in there,” Scheffler said in a brief media session. “I was looking forward to giving myself some opportunities at the end, but then the horn went off.”

Im has a 4-under round through 14 holes going to jump into third at 16-under. Rory McIlroy was 5-under and is at 15-under. There’s a group of four players at 14-under, including Thomas, who is very likely to move to to 15-under once he makes his shorty in the morning to cap off a round of 63.

Big money on the line

In case you haven’t heard, a ton of money is at stake, as this is the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. A total of $75 million is on the line Sunday, including $18 million to the winner.

Second place will net $6.5 million. Even the last-place finisher on Sunday will cash a considerable check, at $510k. Will Zalatoris technically finishes last because of his WD earlier in the week and gets $500k, but that is still more that Tour’s leading money winner from 1984 [Tom Watson] made that season.

LIV Golf rumors

Of course, no story talking about the PGA Tour and looking ahead these days can be done without mentioning LIV Golf. Several outlets reported Saturday that two golfers playing in the Tour Championship — Open Championship winner Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann — would be joining the controversial, Saudi-backed league.

Smith completed his third round on Saturday, firing a 2-under 68 to sit at 8-under and in a tie for 18th after starting the week sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and with a 4-under starting score.

Niemann still has four holes to play and is at 12-under and in a tie for 10th.

The reports indicate that both players, along with several others, including Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira and Mark Leishman, will be in the field for next week’s LIV Golf Invitational Boston.

Quotable

Scheffler on his Saturday night plans: “Just go home and get some sleep and food — sorry, food and then sleep.”

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