Day: February 28, 2019

Damaged 9-iron leaves Thomas shorthanded at Honda ClassicDamaged 9-iron leaves Thomas shorthanded at Honda Classic

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019| 20:30

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – For his final eight holes Thursday at The Honda Classic, defending champion Justin Thomas had just 13 working clubs in his bag. The non-useable 14th club was a 9-iron he damaged while hitting a tree with his second shot at the par-4 10th. Under Rule 4.1 that went into effect at the start of the year, he could not replace it. Despite being shorthanded, Thomas managed to shoot a 2-under 68 that left him four shots off the lead held by Jhonattan Vegas. It also left him shaking his head about another new golf rule that he doesn’t understand. “You can just add that one to the list of rules that don’t make any sense,� Thomas said. It all started after an errant tee shot at the 10th left him in the right rough behind a tree, 183 yards from the pin. As he considered his next shot, he thought there was a chance the 9-iron might not stay intact. “I thought the way the club was going to hit the tree, it was just going to break,� said Thomas, who lives in nearby Jupiter. “… But it didn’t break. It kind of hit near the hosel and just kind of sent a little shock up my arm.� Thomas said it was enough of a shock to force him to ice his wrist overnight, although he doesn’t expect it to impact him the remainder of the week. The bigger issue at that moment was being unable to use the club, which had hit the tree with enough force to rake away some bark. Under the previous rules, Thomas could have replaced it with another club if the damaged club had been considered “unfit for play.� But with the revised rules, the “unfit to play� distinction was eliminated, with the USGA explaining that it required “a technical judgment that few players have the depth of understanding to make, and even referees can find it challenging to make such judgments quickly and consistently on the course.� Thomas said, “If you bend break or bend the club in play, I don’t see where the harm is in replacing it. Obviously, you can’t break a club in anger and replace it, but if you hit a shot and you hit a tree and it breaks or bends like that, if you have a spare – I don’t understand.� Among the reasons for the rules change, according to the USGA: Although there will be times when a damaged club is unusable and cannot be readily repaired on the course (such as when a driver head comes off), the practical ability to get a replacement club is seldom present other than at some elite levels of golf. This potential downside from a player’s perspective is outweighed by the ability to use or repair any damaged club, as well as by the significant simplification that results. This change will be consistent with the overall philosophy that a player normally should play the entire round with only the clubs that he or she started with or added during the round to get to the 14-club limit. Had he been able to replace it, Thomas said he had a spare 9-iron at his house in Jupiter, and someone theoretically could have retrieved it. But without that option, he was left with the damaged club, one he did not want to use because he was unsure of the loft. He said the club looked a bit flatter. “It’s definitely not a 9-iron.� On the very next hole, the par-4 11th, Thomas had an approach shot from the fairway, 159 yards to the pin over water. “A perfect 9-iron,� he said. Instead, he hit a wedge as hard as possible – and finished inside 15 feet for an easy two-putt par. His approach shot at the 12th was 153 yards, another possible 9-iron. Again, he opted for wedge. “It was a little easier on 12 because I didn’t have water in front of the greens,� he said. Thomas suffered a double-bogey at the par-3 15th and a bogey at the 16th but didn’t blame the lack of a 9-iron for either of those stumbles. Two birdies to finish his round left him in a better mood about the club issue. “Now that I think about it,� he said, “it doesn’t really make a big difference.�

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Vegas shoots 64 to take lead at HondaVegas shoots 64 to take lead at Honda

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019| 19:45

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A year ago at The Honda Classic, Jhonattan Vegas made seven birdies all week. He’s off to a much better start this time. Vegas made six birdies and no bogeys Thursday, shooting a 6-under 64 to open a two-stroke lead after the first round. Lucas Glover bogeyed his finishing hole for a 66, leaving him tied with Zach Johnson, Ernie Els and Ben Silverman — who went to college at nearby Florida Atlantic. “Hit my irons the best I’ve hit them all year and I’ve always liked this golf course,” Vegas said. “It’s kind of one of those courses that I think suits me. You have to hit the ball well and you have to get around really well. And then I made a few putts.” Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia were in a large group at 67, and defending champion Justin Thomas shot 68 after an eventful day that saw him play the last eight holes without a 9-iron after it bent when he hit it against a tree. “To feel like I gave quite a few back today and shoot 2-under par on this golf course, it’s great,” Thomas said. Also at 68 was Sam Saunders, the grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer. Saunders birdied all three holes in “The Bear Trap” stretch at PGA National, the run of holes 15 through 17 where a par 4 is sandwiched by a pair of par 3s that can be treacherous even without much wind. Vegas made 12 bogeys last year at the Honda, along with three doubles and a triple, wound up beating only one of the 74 finishers and wrapped up the week with a final-round 78. He sprayed irons everywhere, missed half of the fairways, more than half of the greens. But Thursday, he was dialed in — missing only three of 14 fairways and three of the 18 greens, needing only 29 putts to get through the day. “I felt like I was in control pretty much all day long,” Vegas said. The 34-year-old Venezuelan has three PGA TOUR victories, winning the 2011 Bob Hope Classic and the RBC Canadian Open in 2016 and 2017. Vegas took advantage on a day to make noise at PGA National, where the wind was down. And that’s not typical. Forecasters correctly said breezes would be relatively light all day and should stay that way until perhaps the weekend, though Johnson — whose weather apps said breezes were going to be no more than 3 or 4 mph — was among those who felt the wind was still a factor and fluctuated more than expected. “We had a stretch there on the front nine where it was a lot more than that,” Johnson said. “The ball curving with the wind, depending on the direction, easily 10 to 15 to 20 yards. And then we made the turn and it started to be more consistent, not as gusty. … It was not Honda wind. I don’t think we’re going to get Honda wind until Sunday.” Els had no complaints. Els has won more than 70 tournaments worldwide, 19 of them on the PGA TOUR — the last of those coming in 2012 at the British Open. Getting a 20th on TOUR, he said, has been a goal for some time. “Secretly on TOUR among the players, you know when you win No. 20 you get some benefits,” Els said. “It’s late in my career, but I’ll take any win now.” Thomas sizzled at the start with three birdies in his first four holes, and made the turn at 4-under. That’s when his day got eventful. His drive ended up behind a tree on the 10th, and he figured that his 9-iron would snap on the follow-through of his approach shot. It merely bent instead, and the jolt of the impact meant Thomas was going to be spending some time Thursday night with an icepack on his wrist. He doesn’t believe it’ll impact him Friday. “Just more of a shock than anything,” Thomas said. Thomas then found his way into and out of trouble on The Bear Trap — making double-bogey, then having a par putt slide past the hole on 16, and making birdie on 17. He then birdied the last as well. Garcia also finished strong, with three birdies in his last four holes. “It’s a great round, at the end of the day,” Garcia said. DIVOTS: Fowler went into the water twice and wound up making a triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth, his nemesis hole at PGA National. In his last four rounds at the Honda, he’s 7 over on that hole. … Alex Cejka was disqualified for using an improper greens-reading device, officials said. He withdrew from last year’s tournament and missed the cut in 2017. … Cody Gribble had an interesting day — making quadruple bogey on No. 6, triple bogey on the par-4 11th, and then eagle on the par-5 18th. He shot a 77.

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