Just when UCLA had built a double-digit lead on California, the fourth-ranked Bruins switched into cruise control. Coach Steve Alford figured his players were tired of hearing his voice and he turned to Lonzo Ball. The freshman who has taken college basketball by storm is quiet by nature, but Ball did some chirping to his teammates.
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Notes and observations from Thursday’s opening round of the SBS Tournament of Champions, where Jimmy Walker continued his love affair with Hawaii to lead by two shots. For more from Kapalua check out the Daily Wrap-up. JIMMY’S MINI DRIVER Jimmy Walker sat down with PGA TOUR stats guru Mark Broadie at the end of 2016 and asked where he could improve on his major winning season. The most obvious answers were driving accuracy and putting. And as such the reigning PGA Champion decided to take some drastic action with the longest club in his bag … by cutting it down to 42-inches. With the shorter stick Walker hit 11 of 15 fairways, or 73.3 percent, Thursday on the way to his leading 8-under 65. Granted Kapalua’s Plantation course has wide fairways but the Texas resident has hit just 52 percent or less of his fairways over the last five seasons. I just feel like I’ve got more control. I feel like the golf swing is better at that length for me … He found 48 percent last year to rank 183rd on TOUR and in his two events of the new season prior to Maui he ranked 279th at just 42.86 percent. “Last year I didn’t drive it as well as I would have liked to have,” Walker said. “So I just kind of got to thinking. It was just kind of an experiment. I decided to cut one down and threw some tape on it liked it. It looks weird and sometimes it feels a little weird on the golf course, but I’ve been playing with it for about three weeks at home. “I’ve since had Titleist make me a new one at that length, and I’ve been enjoying hitting it.” Walker admitted he has lost a little speed on the ball but countered that the spins rates remained great. He has given up between 5-20 yards of distance but gained more accuracy. “I just feel like I’ve got more control. I feel like the golf swing is better at that length for me, and that’s where I’ve always struggled, the longer the club got,” Walker said. “So that’s the thinking. More fairways is what I’m looking for.” As far as his putting Walker has simplified the issue. “I think it all boils down to speed. I wasn’t getting the ball to the hole enough,” Walker said after leading the field in strokes gained: putting in the opening round. “So that’s kind of easy to fix. You just hit it harder. I know I’m a good putter. I just get more aggressive. “I’m not saying it’s a fix, but look at that and say, okay, I think just from where I was missing putts I don’t normally miss, my speed was off. So I’m working on that.” Walker will now attempt to go one better than his runner-up finish at the 2015 SBS Tournament of Champions, hoping to add a third victory in Hawaii after his 2014 and 2015 Sony Open triumphs. CALL OF THE DAY Free play-by-play coverage of the second round streams from 4-10 p.m. ET Friday on PGATOUR.COM. EAGLES GA’MORE Ryan Moore rocketed out of the blocks on the Plantation course, jumping to 4-under through just five holes as he put together a tidy 6-under 67 to sit tied for second. The most interesting part was he failed to make a birdie until the ninth. A hole-out eagle from 117 yards on the par-4 3rd hole was followed by a beautiful approach to 13-feet on the par-5 5th for another eagle, setting up his bogey-free day and leaving him just two behind leader Jimmy Walker. “I don’t think I’ve ever been 4-under through five holes or whatever and not make a birdie,” Moore laughed. “It was nice to hole out on 3, and then hit a great shot there into the par 5 and was able to knock that putt in. Yeah, nice way to start the year.” The Ryder Cup hero, who went within a whisker of winning the TOUR Championship in a playoff with FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, says he’s as fit as he’s ever been heading into the new year. “I started doing some great work with a new trainer at the end of the season last year, and that really got me going,” Moore added. “Got me feeling better. Just little things that were bothering me here and there, and body is feeling better. And having the whole offseason to kind of prepare and get ready for this year, I’m really excited about what I can do out here.” HAWAIIAN HONEYMOON Jim Herman spent his honeymoon in 2005 cruising around the Hawaiian Islands which included a stop in Maui and a round of golf at the Plantation Course where he fired something “right around par.” Herman was just an assistant pro in Port St. Lucie at the time, but on Thursday the Shell Houston Open winner posted a 6-under 67 to sit just two shots off the lead and in a tie for second, creating more fond memories at the venue. “No way I wasn’t coming to play the golf course. We got off, rented a car and came over,” Herman recalled of his first look at Kapalua. “We were first off in the morning and we had a great time. Used rental clubs and just playing with three other gentlemen and my wife rode along with us. We just had a great time. So good memories. I see the pictures on our computer all the time.” The 39-year-old Herman is a posterchild for never giving up on your golf dreams, battling his way through mini tours and the web.com Tour for years before finding his place on the main TOUR. He recalled times in 2001 and 2002 where his bank balance was in the negative, a far cry last season where he claimed $2,091,274. “Did I ever think I would be here at that time, 2005? This is a long way from there, 12 years,” Herman said. “I’d like to say that I always believed it but it’s a pretty long way from being assistant pro to a tournament winner on the PGA TOUR. “Obviously, it’s attainable and I hope everyone that’s out there grinding and trying knows that they can do it; if I did it, anybody can.” DAY’S BACK World No. 1 Jason Day came through his first round since taking an extended break from a back injury unscathed, shooting a 3-under 69 to be five shots adrift. Day was last seen on TOUR at the TOUR Championship in September where he was an early WD, a week after also pulling out of the BMW Championship. The Australian admitted to having some nerves on the first tee but was relatively happy with his return. “It was actually all right,” he said. “Just didn’t putt that great. I had two 3-putts, and that was pretty much it. “I’d like to obviously tighten it up over the next few days with regards to proximity, but after having three months, I think 3-under is pretty good.” GRIBBLE GUTS Rookie Cody Gribble showed nice fortitude to bounce back from a rough start in his SBS Tournament of Champions debut. Sitting 2-over through three holes Gribble could have easily started thinking of a snorkeling date post-round on the low-scoring layout but fought back with five birdies in six holes to close the front nine. The Sanderson Farms Championship winner finished with a 4-under 67 to be tied seventh after the opening round. “You’re reeling, no doubt, 2-over after three,” he said. “I pull a wedge. Just can’t do that. Just dumb mistakes. “And then I kind of kept it together. Made a couple putts. It’s a good start. Looking forward to tomorrow. “I still think that I’ve got some immaturities, but I’m learning and I’m learning fast. Just trying to keep up.”
(Officialsportsbetting.com) – Three months after captaining the United States to Ryder Cup glory, Davis Love crashed back to earth, literally, breaking his collarbone in three places, Golf Channel reported on Thursday. Love incurred the injury in a snowboarding accident in Idaho, Golf Channel said, and underwent surgery on Thursday. In October, Love was widely lauded for guiding the U.S. team to Ryder Cup victory over the Europe, after presiding over a losing effort four years before.
With his family watching proudly, Edwin Encarnacion stood in front of his new locker inside Cleveland’s clubhouse, pulled on a fitted cap and slowly buttoned the front of his white No. 10 jersey. ”He’s a perfect fit for our team,” Indians president Chris Antonetti said Thursday. The Indians, accustomed to being outspent for high-priced free agents winter after winter, introduced Encarnacion, a premium player for the middle of their lineup who will boost attendance and maybe help them win the World Series.
KAPALUA, Hawaii — With a chance to take the lead at the SBS Tournament of Champions, Jimmy Walker missed in the one spot he was trying to avoid. The way he was hitting his wedges Thursday, it really didn’t matter. Walker hit a tough pitch to a tight pin on the elevated green to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 15th, and he nearly holed a lob wedge from 78 yards on the final hole for an 8-under 65 that gave him a two-shot lead at Kapalua. He’s still three days away from atoning for a playoff loss to Patrick Reed two years ago at Kapalua, though it was an ideal start for the PGA champion in ideal conditions on the west end of Maui, except for a short burst of pineapple showers. Jim Herman got in one last round with his former employer — President-elect Donald Trump — a few days before Christmas, then came out to the Plantation course where he once got in a round of golf in tennis shoes and rental clubs while on his honeymoon. Herman, a former assistant at Trump National, was 6-under through 13 holes when his round stalled. Even with four wedges in hand over the final five holes, he had to settle for pars and a 67. Justin Thomas and Ryan Moore were also at 67. In his first competition in three months, Jason Day had a pair of three-putts but still managed a 70. Defending champion Jordan Spieth wasn’t so fortunate. He never got his putter going, turned a birdie into bogey on the 15th and had to birdie the final hole for a 72. Walker had the Tournament of Champions in hand two years ago until Reed holed out from a fairway to start an unlikely rally and won in a playoff. Walker won the following week on Oahu at the Sony Open for the second straight time. “I love the scenery. I’m a very visual person, so I enjoy looking out and watching the whales when I’m walking around. Just a pretty place,” Walker said. “Everybody’s in a good mood. I love stepping off the plane and the air is just awesome. Something does it for me here.” Walker was curious about a short club in his bag when he came to Kapalua, though it wasn’t any of his wedges or his putter. He was so determined to be more accurate off the tee that Walker cut 2 inches off his driver while at home at Texas during the offseason. He liked the way it felt and had Titleist make him one without the duct tape. Hitting fairways is not a big issue on the expansive Plantation Course, though it showed his willingness to go old school to fix a longtime problem. This driver is 42 inches, just an inch shorter that a typical driver a generation ago. “I didn’t bring anything else, so this is the club I’ve got with me,” he said. “This is a tough golf course for that because it’s such a big place and you want to just kill it, and I had to keep reminding myself today why I put it in and why did it to hit the fairway, hit the middle of the fairway.” He was in the middle of the fairway on the 15th with caddie Andy Sanders reminding him to hit it hard, that through the green was better that leaving it at the bottom of a deep swale to the right. But with the ball below his feet, and the wind coming out of the left, he wound up bailing out. “That was probably my favorite wedge shot,” Walker said. Daniel Berger made bogey on the par-5 18th and was at 68, along with Jason Dufner. The group at 69 included Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, who is going after his fourth consecutive victory worldwide. Herman qualified by winning the Shell Houston Open and brought back strong memories. He abandoned the mini-tours, took a job at Trump’s course in Bedminster, New Jersey and got married. The honeymoon was a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands, and he had seen enough of Kapalua that when the ship stopped on Maui, Herman headed for the Plantation course. “I see the pictures on our computer all the time,” he said. Herman never imagined returning as a PGA TOUR winner, but what a journey. He became Trump’s regular partner, Trump encouraged him and helped back one last bid to play professionally, he finally got to the big leagues and made it back to Kapalua. The round with Trump was just before Christmas. They were partners. They won. Not much changed. “He’s the same guy to me,” Herman said. “But now I get to call him Mr. President.”
PGA champ Walker has 1st-round lead at Kapalua
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Sources: Cavaliers, Hawks talking Korver trade
There’s a case to be made for the D-backs having a nice rebound season in 2017. Don’t be surprised if the Angels bounce back, too. Also, the Pirates, Rays and Rockies shouldn’t be overlooked.
Between now and Opening Day, teams will continue to look for ways to improve, plugging a hole here and supplementing their depth there. But this Hot Stove season already has seen plenty of transactions that should make a significant impact.
