Day: June 16, 2017

Inside the Field: Travelers ChampionshipInside the Field: Travelers Championship

June 16, 2017June 16, 2017| 23:44

Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship Jason Day Rory McIlroy Webb Simpson Jordan Spieth Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship Si Woo Kim Winner – The Masters Bubba Watson Winner – British Open Zach Johnson Winner – World Golf Championship Event Russell Knox Patrick Reed Winners of the Arnold Palmer Inv. & the Memorial (Last 3 Years) Matt Every Marc Leishman David Lingmerth William McGirt Winner – FedExCup – Last Five Seasons Brandt Snedeker Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons Daniel Berger Jonas Blixt Keegan Bradley Wesley Bryan Alex Cejka Greg Chalmers Tony Finau Jim Furyk Fabian Gomez Cody Gribble Emiliano Grillo Adam Hadwin Brian Harman Padraig Harrington J.J. Henry Jim Herman Charley Hoffman Mackenzie Hughes Billy Hurley III Smylie Kaufman Danny Lee Hunter Mahan Peter Malnati Troy Merritt Rod Pampling Scott Piercy Brendan Steele Robert Streb Brian Stuard Hudson Swafford Vaughn Taylor Nick Taylor Justin Thomas Jhonattan Vegas Career Money Exemption Geoff Ogilvy Carl Pettersson Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Stuart Appleby Mark Wilson Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Wyndham Clark Brett Coletta Beau Hossler Ryan Ruffels PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Billy Downes Past Champion of Respective Event Ken Duke Kevin Streelman Life Member Vijay Singh Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List Paul Casey Kevin Na Jason Kokrak Ryan Palmer Harris English Jamie Lovemark David Hearn Luke Donald Kyle Reifers Daniel Summerhays Ricky Barnes Chad Campbell Patrick Rodgers Harold Varner III Martin Laird Johnson Wagner Chez Reavie Patton Kizzire Bryce Molder K.J. Choi Spencer Levin John Huh Sung Kang Jason Bohn Tyrone Van Aswegen Derek Fathauer Lucas Glover Brett Stegmaier Robert Garrigus Zac Blair Andrew Loupe Boo Weekley Mark Hubbard Kyle Stanley Ben Crane Michael Kim Anirban Lahiri Graham DeLaet Shawn Stefani Seung-Yul Noh Top 125 on Prior Season’s Official Money List thru Wyndham Bud Cauley Retief Goosen Chad Collins Morgan Hoffmann Top 125 (Prior Season Nonmember) Byeong Hun An Major Medical Extension Nick Watney Brian Gay Bob Estes Troy Kelly Charlie Beljan John Peterson Leading Money Winner from Web.com Tour & Web.com Tour Finals Grayson Murray Top 10 and Ties from the Previous Event Whee Kim Steve Wheatcroft Dominic Bozzelli Top Finishers from Web.com Tour Prior Season (reordered) Kelly Kraft Kevin Tway Cheng Tsung Pan J.T. Poston Ryan Blaum Michael Thompson Scott Stallings Brandon Hagy Xander Schauffele Cameron Percy Seamus Power Trey Mullinax Bryson DeChambeau Martin Flores Julian Etulain Tim Wilkinson Richy Werenski Andres Gonzales Jonathan Randolph Ryan Brehm Joel Dahmen Tag Ridings Gonzalo Fdez-Castano Rory Sabbatini Steven Alker Nicholas Lindheim Will MacKenzie Mark Anderson Ryan Armour Brett Drewitt Brian Campbell Miguel Angel Carballo Sebastian Munoz Brad Fritsch Zack Sucher

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More

Schauffele making his name knownSchauffele making his name known

June 16, 2017June 16, 2017| 22:54

ERIN, Wis. – Xander Schauffele’s name may be featured prominently on the large white leaderboards at Erin Hills, but that doesn’t mean everyone on the property recognizes the PGA TOUR rookie who’s contending at the U.S. Open. “I’ll sign some autographs and kids will be like, ‘Dad, who is that?’â€� Schauffele said. “That’s just how it is. … Schauffele is a pretty weird name to remember.â€� More people are becoming familiar with the German surname that translate to “tiny shovel,â€� a testament to his family’s centuries-long lineage in the construction business. Schauffele held the lead for parts of Friday morning before finishing at 5-under 139 (66-73). Erin Hills’ wide, fescue-lined fairways and bent-grass greens remind the 23-year-old of one of his home courses in college, Barona Creek, where he won a tournament during his senior year. And the same strong ballstriking and mental fortitude that has helped him make a quick progression through pro golf’s meritocracy is paying off in this notoriously tough tournament. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough,â€� said his caddie and former college teammate, Austin Kaiser. “His attitude is huge. … He doesn’t want it to be sugar-coated.â€� His father, Stefan, has tried to imbue such fortitude in his son from a young age. Stefan, whose German roots give him a strong preference for honesty over flattery, is his son’s only swing coach. Now he’s watching the fruits of their labor in this major championship that always concludes on Father’s Day. Stefan started his son in the game at age 9, when he was strong enough to carry his junior bag for 18 holes. Xander wasn’t allowed to use tees in those early junior tournaments on par-3 courses, knowing that the temporary disadvantage would pay off later. It has this week, at the tournament that puts such a heavy emphasis on accurate ballstriking. We may have seen a record number of sub-par scores in the first round, but this U.S. Open is not a warm and cuddly championship. The struggles of several of the game’s stars show that Erin Hills is no pushover for those who are errant off the tee. Schauffele has averaged 314.8 yards off the tee this week, while hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in each of the first two rounds. He’s learned how to handle pressure from his father, who passed along the breathing and concentration techniques he learned from his own athletic days. Stefan played semipro soccer in Germany and was en route to a training session for Germany’s national decathlon team when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver. He was in and out of the hospital for two years because of multiple surgeries on his left eye, which he lost sight in. The accident convinced him to take a risk and move to the United States when he was 23. He landed in San Diego and lived next to a golf course. With his physical activity limited because of the accident, he decided to take up the game. His first instructor, A.J. Bonar, related the golf swing to the sports like discus that Stefan was familiar with. He was scratch within two years. Xander has had a rapid rise in pro golf. He aced the grueling examinations that young pros face, Q-School and the Web.com Tour Finals, on his first try. After turning pro in 2015, the San Diego State alum needed just one season on the Web.com Tour to earn his card. Now Schauffele, who ranks 135th in the FedExCup, is playing well in his first major championship. “He just keeps improving every year,â€� said Ryan Ressa, who recruited him to Long Beach State, where Schauffele played his freshman season before transferring to San Diego State. “He always seemed to have a knack for (playing well) when he needed to.â€� For proof, Ressa refers to a 2-under round during a windy final day at the 2015 Web.com Tour Q-School that allowed Schauffele to earn his card on the number. Then he finished T9 in the final tournament of last year’s Web.com Tour season to earn his TOUR card for this season. And now he’s excelling in his first U.S. Open.

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More

Early, shocking exit for McIlroy, Day at Erin HillsEarly, shocking exit for McIlroy, Day at Erin Hills

June 16, 2017June 16, 2017| 22:39

ERIN, Wis. – It was near the end of his round Friday, and Jason Day’s fate had been sealed. Doomed to his first missed cut at a U.S. Open, he was simply trying to stay out of the way of playing partner Rory McIlroy, who suddenly had a hot hand. Given the wayward shots coming from Day’s clubs, it was not a difficult task. “Unfortunately with where I was hitting it,� Day said, “I wasn’t in the way.� Pardon the gallows humor. After shooting a 3-under 75 to finish at 10 over for his two round at Erin Hills, it was all Day could muster. McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champ, fared slightly better. Thanks to four birdies in his last six holes, he managed a 1-under 71. Alas, due to his struggles on Thursday when he shot 78, McIlroy finished at 5 over and suffered the same fate as Day. Both will have to watch the final two rounds of the U.S. Open on television this weekend. Seeing the world’s No. 2 (McIlroy) and No. 3 (Day) ranked players miss the cut this week certainly is shocking. In his last 17 starts in majors, McIlroy had won three times, posted 10 top-10 finishes and missed the cut just twice. Day, meanwhile, was riding a streak of 17 consecutive made cuts in majors, with one win and – again – 10 top-10 finishes. Plus, on a course that has measured more than 7,800 yards in each of the first two rounds, you would have expected both to thrive with their power games. In retrospect, perhaps the missed cuts are not a total surprise – at least from McIlroy’s standpoint. He was sidelined earlier this year with a rib injury and has made just five PGA TOUR starts in 2017. He feels healthy now, but he came in rusty – and it showed in his opening round. After hitting just five fairways and nine greens on Thursday, McIlroy’s ball-striking improved in the second round, as he hit 11 fairways and 12 greens. He was still 9 over for the tournament going into his last six holes, but he found a groove that offered at least a few good vibes heading into next week’s Travelers Championship. “Gave myself a lot more looks,� McIlroy said. “But I think at the end of the day, it’s competitive rounds and get the card in my hand. I’ve been very light on competitive rounds this year and it’s just a matter of getting into a good round of golf now. “I saw some positives there on the back nine coming in, and hopefully I can take them to the Travelers.� After Thursday’s round, McIlroy and his coach Michael Bannon discussed his swing issues. McIlroy said his transition was too quick, that he would get to the top of his swing and then essentially lunge at the ball. “I just tried to smooth out the transition today,� McIlroy said, “and it definitely worked. … I think at this point in time, I just need to play a round of golf. Even though it’s very disappointing to not be here on the weekend, I think these last two rounds will serve me well going into the summer.� As for Day, he entered this week with a stellar track record at the U.S. Open – five top-10 finishes in six career starts. Even though he hasn’t won since THE PLAYERS Championship in 2016, he had been playing better of late, finishing second late last month at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He was certainly confident in his prep work for Erin Hills; in fact, he called it the best preparation he’s ever had going into a major. And having already won the most recent major in Wisconsin – the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits – he felt an unusual sense of calmness. But two triple bogeys on Thursday when he found trouble in the fescue were simply too costly to overcome, especially on a day when a record 44 players broke par. He ended up hitting balls after his afternoon finish, but he thinks now the late-night range session might have been a mistake, as it left him sluggish going into Friday’s early-morning tee time. Pressing to go low to make the cut, he didn’t have enough reserves to draw upon to ever make a move Friday. Plus, his usually stellar short game deserted him, as he failed to get up-and-down several times in his two rounds. “When you see someone that shoots 7-under [which Rickie Fowler did Thursday] and the guys in the morning tear up the golf course, I’ve got to try to be a little bit aggressive,� Day said. “But then again, you sit there and it’s the U.S. Open. Things can turn pretty bad – which they did for me.� Ironically, while others were glad to see the unusually wide and generous fairways at Erin Hills, Day thought it might have been a hindrance for him. He said the width of the fairways negatively affected his focus off the tee. “I think when you’re trying to aim at a target usually at a normal golf course, with normal-width fairways, there’s some pressure into hitting the fairway because it is a lot narrower than we have out here,� Day said. “I think with everything so large, your target is larger and your misses get even more extreme. “Being out of position off the tee does not help. The execution was not there.� On the flip side, though, Day did enjoy one aspect of his two rounds at Erin Hills. “I enjoyed the walk,� he said. “The walk was great.� Pardon the gallows humor. Again.

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More