Morgan Hoffmann is back. After a 2.5-year hiatus from the PGA TOUR to battle facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, Hoffmann – a New Jersey native who’s been living in Costa Rica for most of the last two years – makes his return this week at the RBC Heritage. RELATED: Morgan Hoffman takes unique path through recovery; ready for TOUR return A lot has changed in the golf world since Hoffmann last teed it up, at the Shriners Children’s Open back in October 2019. There are new rules, there’s a new flock of young superstars on the PGA TOUR, and, of utmost concern for our Equipment Report, there have been new technological advances to equipment. For his return, will Hoffmann use the same set of clubs that he did back in 2019 or will he switch into modern gear? Well, as it turns out, Hoffmann has upgraded into Titleist’s newest models nearly through the bag. After working with Scott Kraul, manager of player development at Acushnet, down in Jupiter, Florida, Hoffmann was able to get dialed into a new set prior to his RBC Heritage appearance. “It’s like I’m a kid in a candy shop with the new equipment,” Hoffmann told GolfWRX on Tuesday. “The new T100 (irons) are so amazing with what they’ve done with the topline. They look nice and thin, like a blade, but the forgiveness is amazing. It’s exactly what I need right now. The new driver is probably my favorite because it sounds dead, but it goes. It goes.” Hoffmann likened the sound of Titleist’s new TSi3 driver to what he called the “classic” Titleist PT 3-wood from decades ago that Tiger Woods and Adam Scott had in the bag once upon a time. He also said that Titleist’s new Vokey SM9 wedges have helped him with his performance in the wind. “The wedges are great because they flight a little lower,” Hoffmann told GolfWRX.com. “I’ve been working with them on crosswinds a lot, and you don’t have to aim right or left as much, … at least as much as I used to.” As far as his speed in general, Hoffmann smiled when asked about it: “It’s slowly coming back.” Check out Hoffmann’s WITB from the RBC Heritage: Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 65 TX 3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees, D1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Project X EvenFlow Blue Utility iron: Titleist T200 (3 iron) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5-flex 80 grams Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9) Shafts: Project X 6.5 Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 (46, 52, 58 and 62 degrees) Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx X100 (52, 58 and 62) Putter: Scotty Cameron T 7.2, or Scotty Cameron SB+ (Hoffmann will decide on which putter he will use prior to competition time on Thursday) Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1 For more photos and info on Hoffmann’s gear this week, head over to GolfWRX.com.
Day: April 13, 2022
Scottie Scheffler’s caddie knows how to celebrate winning the MastersScottie Scheffler’s caddie knows how to celebrate winning the Masters
The player gets the green jacket. The caddie gets the flagstick and flag on 18. See what Ted Scott did with it when he got home.
‘Maybe we do deserve nice things’: Braves turn World Series celebration into weeklong party‘Maybe we do deserve nice things’: Braves turn World Series celebration into weeklong party
Why “Champions Week” has meant so much to Atlanta — and to its fans.
Giants’ Nakken first woman to coach on MLB fieldGiants’ Nakken first woman to coach on MLB field
San Francisco’s Alyssa Nakken, 31, came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning Tuesday night, making major league history as the first woman to coach on the field in a regular-season game.
NHL Power Rankings: The biggest decision for every teamNHL Power Rankings: The biggest decision for every team
The Rangers rise, the Kings fall and we take a look at lingering questions for every team, from on-ice calls this spring to free agency this summer.
NHL playoff watch: Appraising the Kings’ postseason chancesNHL playoff watch: Appraising the Kings’ postseason chances
Formerly in a more secure spot, the Drew Doughty-less Kings are now fighting to hang on. Plus, a look at the latest playoff bracket projections.
C.T. Pan promoting mental wellness in the wake of friend’s suicideC.T. Pan promoting mental wellness in the wake of friend’s suicide
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Brittney Dio that C.T. Pan and his wife, Michelle, had become so close to was a woman full of life. She had a big, beautiful smile and boundless love for her college sweetheart, Taylor, and their daughter Anika. She was the product of a close-knit family, too. Her mother, Kim, was her best friend and matron of honor. Brittney’s parents and the Dios even lived next door to each other on the 18th hole of Woodforest Golf Club that her parents own in the Houston suburb of Montgomery, Texas. Brittney was the kind of mother who went all out for holidays. There were Christmas decorations all over the house and themed cakes and signs and balloons in the front yard for birthdays. The 28-year-old Texan loved to dance the two-step to her favorite country-and-western songs, and she was consumed by fitness training and nutrition. “She was extremely down-to-earth, like an angel,” Michelle says. Yet Brittney, a woman so loved and loving, committed suicide in February. The loss of their friend hit C.T. and Michelle hard. They knew she suffered from chronic pain, but they had no idea of the extent of the depression that accompanied it. Or that suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people aged 10 to 34. C.T. wanted to honor his friend this week at the RBC Heritage. So he talked with Taylor, his friend, frequent golf partner and the general manager at Woodforest, where the Pans makes their home. C.T. said he’d like to wear a purple and turquoise ribbon pinned to his cap to promote suicide awareness and prevention. A former champion at Harbour Town, C.T. knew the tournament supports two charities that advocate for mental wellness. In addition, the PGA TOUR is announcing this week several programs and alliances to help players and their families cope with mental health challenges. “So I think all this is going to help people to know it’s okay not to be okay,” Pan says. “We don’t have to be perfect. But the most important thing is you need to seek help. “If you have anxiety, if you’re depressed, if you’re having a difficult time, if you are suffering pain, I think it’s better to talk it out. We want to raise awareness that it’s okay not to be okay.” Taylor wasn’t sure exactly when he and his family would be ready to start making a difference in the lives of people who were struggling like Brittney did. He only knew that they wanted to help, and C.T.’s initiative was an “amazing” opportunity. For two years before her death, Taylor had basically talked his wife off a ledge daily. Her family knew. They’d see her lay crying on the couch as the pain escalated or in the depths of depression because she felt like she wasn’t being the perfect mother she always wanted to be. Social media didn’t help, either, when friends or relatives posted about their own kids and pregnancies. Taylor knows most of their friends were taken by surprise when Brittney killed herself. She was good at putting on a brave, happy face when they went out to dinner or a party. Michelle remembers her friend discretely sitting in a golf cart with an ice pack against her back so she could be part of the group during twilight rounds at the club. Pain patches helped, too. “She always told me that the morning was the hardest part for her because she’d wake up and she had wished that she wouldn’t wake up,” Taylor says. “I look at it and I believe that you can get to a place that’s so dark that there’s no coming back because she was always such a positive person.” But there were signs early in their relationship. When the two were still in college Brittney told Taylor she had been molested at the age of 12 by a family friend, who at the time was dying of cancer. It was a secret she had kept for eight years. “She never wanted to do therapy,” Taylor says. “She said she was fine.” Brittney discovered weightlifting, which Taylor now understands gave her control over her body, a type of coping mechanism after the abuse. She traveled with him the year he played PGA TOUR Latinoamerica with current TOUR pros like Harry Higgs and Nate Lashley. “A lot of the guys would always see her in the gym when they teed off in their practice round and they’d see her there when they got back,” Taylor says. “I remember walking by some guys and they’re like, man, that chick’s been in there all day. Brittany, when she went into something, she went like head-first, all in.” After Anika was born, though, Brittney began to suffer from postpartum depression which she described to her husband as a “wave of sadness” that came over her body. She wanted and loved her baby dearly but still there was a cloud that lingered. Within 10 days after giving birth, she was dead-lifting weights again and soon the back pain began. Massage therapists and physical therapists didn’t help. A neurosurgeon thought he could fix the problem, but the operation only made things worse and soon the pain was “controlling her life,” Taylor says. A woman who once ran triathlons eventually had to use a walker and even a wheelchair at times. Taylor estimated the couple saw 50 different doctors last summer to no avail – and her physical restrictions only exacerbated the depression. So did the fact that the family had to hire a nanny to help with Anika because Brittney felt like a failure. Brittney started a suicide note and told Taylor about it. “She was scared of herself,” Taylor recalls. “We obviously cried together, talked about it together and found a (mental health facility).” During the six weeks that Brittney spent at the clinic, the doctors diagnosed her with a psychosomatic pain disorder stemming from the postpartum depression combined with the abuse when she was younger. “So, in essence your body finds a weak spot, whether it be a small injury that occurred when she was working out, and it stores the stress, anxiety and depression there,” Taylor says. “And so, it almost exaggerates an injury. “Every doctor we saw, it was like, well, your back looks fine. It looks fine. But her body was telling her otherwise. It was burning, throbbing, swelling. I mean, there was pain there. You could feel her back when you hugged her. “It’s hard to tell someone who’s in chronic pain that the source of it is in their head because it’s almost like dismissive to say it’s in your head. And that’s how it comes across to her when she was told that.” Brittney had a panic attack one day last fall when she attempted to take Anika to a cheer competition. Soon, her arms and legs began to shake and she had trouble walking and sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours a night. She eventually was diagnosed with a functional neurological disorder that Taylor compared to a software malfunction in the brain that blocks the signals that control motor function. The doctors said it might take six months to a year to improve, and even then, Brittney might not be 100%. “That was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Taylor says, Brittney committed suicide on Feb. 17. Robert Marling thinks his daughter felt like she was trapped inside a burning building for a while and that morning, she just decided she had to jump rather than endure the pain any longer. “We’re getting stronger every day, but it’d been pretty just devastating,” he says. Last week, Hollis Cavner, a family friend and the CEO of ProLinks Sports, invited Taylor, Anika and Robert and Kim to come to the Masters for a few days. The change of scenery was good, and Robert says Sunday was the first day his wife hasn’t cried since Brittney died. Taylor and Robert are coming to Hilton Head on Thursday to watch C.T. play. He won’t be the only player wearing the ribbons to honor Brittney, and if those gestures can help just one person battling mental illness to know they are not alone, then laying bare their emotions to tell her story will have been worth it for her husband and father. “I think there’s maybe two sides to suicide,” Robert says. “No. 1 is prevention, so people realize you’re not alone. But then the other side is family members recognizing that, and if you do what is the next step? So that’s some of the things we’re learning, too. “For example, we wake up with hope every morning, that’s our mindset. But you’re fighting something called hopelessness. And how does a dad or a mom or a brother or a sibling or a husband or whoever stop that from happening?” Taylor and Robert may never have those answers. But asking the questions is sure to help others who struggle, as well as the people who care about them. And C.T. is helping his friends start the conversation this week at the RBC Heritage.
Pick ‘Em Live preview: RBC HeritagePick ‘Em Live preview: RBC Heritage
In his Draws and Fades for the RBC Heritage on Tuesday, Rob detailed how the champion of PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live for the Masters, Pault27, got the job done. It was an exercise in elegant simplicity. Make three picks – yes, only three! – and nail ‘em. Just like that, a deposit for $2,500 is processing. At the conclusion of the tournament, 10,356 entries were counted. No, not all were in by the first tee ball on a delayed opening round on Thursday, but you don’t have to be to have success. And no, it’s not easy to finish inside the top five, but it sure isn’t as hard as you think it is. Play often enough and you just might experience it. Remember, Rob himself already has placed third (Honda) and 10th (PLAYERS). If he can do it… Glass came out on top of our tandem in the first major of the year, so he’s regained bragging rights. He has the first swing at Harbour Town. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. Before you dive into the advice and banter, please be advised that PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live will be in play for next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. WEEKLONG Outright Glass … Denny McCarthy (+10000) From the leadoff spot, I’ll remind gamers that this pick SHOULD BE a longshot! It’s the beauty of this game. So, like golf itself, use the rules to your advantage! Harbour Town produced first-time TOUR winners in the last four editions before the pandemic. McCarthy has cashed in five straight and eight of nine on the PGA TOUR, and it’s not lost on me that his best result was at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at PGA WEST. The short game stands up and he’s more than accurate off the tee. T33 in spring of 2019 was followed by T13 in spring of 2021, so he’s moving in the right direction here. Go big! There’s no downside! Check the pre-tournament odds from past winners in Horses for Courses just in case. Rob … Shane Lowry (+2000) I’m simplifying after last week’s thumping (because Glass connected for one 2-ball on Sunday). As noted here most weeks, I agree with his strategy for the opening value play that’s supported by our ongoing power to make in-tournament changes, but I’ll counter with the No. 1 in my Power Rankings. The best thing about Lowry not winning lately is that he’s still chasing that rabbit. He’s doing everything well and in deep fields no less. He’s also been loyal to the RBC Heritage where he has a pair of top 10s, so there’s nothing foreign to him on the property. He’s a proper fit for the track. Another reason why I’m launching in at short odds is because the field is thick, so someone in his vicinity likely will prevail. I’ll be on board with a big, crooked number when Glass is hoping to get plus odds at the turn on Sunday. Rob … Beau Hossler (+1100) Here’s where I’ll cannonball into the deep end because odds will remain reasonable when the 36-hole cut falls. If you’ve been monitoring the same over time, you know. The 27-year-old has been terrific since a solo third at Pebble Beach. He’s added three top 20s, including a T4 two weeks ago at TPC San Antonio. Best of all, he’s playing on house money, er, FedExCup points. Saddled with conditional status, he’s currently 50th and headed back to the Playoffs. The confidence of his recent form sharpens the singular focus of winning on the PGA TOUR for the first time, but I don’t need that for these coins. Glass … Troy Merritt (+725) I like heat and love a bit of Horse for Course and he lines up quite nicely. Similar to THE HOSS, Merritt finished one shot behind the former Longhorn at Pebble Beach on the smallest greens on TOUR. Similar to THE HOSS, Merritt finished T4 last time out at Valero. Merritt arrives on six of seven, and his last four are trending in the proper direction. I guess I’m paying a premium for solo third in 2015, which included tying the course record of 61, and a T10 in 2019. Hell, maybe we’ll just tie! Top 20 Rob … Danny Willett (+550) His class should be permanent, but there he is lounging outside the perimeter of the notables. It’s baffling, so we might as well exploit it. Yes, he finished T12 at the Masters and T18 at last year’s RBC Heritage, so the obviousness of those results would suggest converging trends, but there’s nothing trendy about it, which, again, is why he’s available with that inflated kickback. I target this value at the cut line, anyway, but it might be more difficult to find at that time given the talent in play. Glass … Ben Martin (+1100) We all saw how tough it was not to close the deal at Corales (T2) on the final hole. The South Carolina native regrouped and made the cut the following week. That showed me all that I needed to know. He cashed five of seven here, including a T3 back in 2014. Receiving a sponsor exemption in his backyard should have this former Clemson Tiger ready to repay the faith in the locals. As we’ve learned in this game, changing Top 10 and Top 20 markets isn’t guaranteed but we’ve also learned nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oh, and perfect games are for baseball! Fortune favors the bold! Or something… R1 Leader Rob … Kevin Streelman (+6600) What Glass is trying to say is that fortune favors the Bolton. He can thank me later; I’ll be here all week. Harbour Town is a par 71 with three par 5s, two of which on the outward nine, but each side is balanced in the aggregate. So, if you wanted to be persnickety about momentum, open with a morning waver going off 1. That’s my play. Streels brings big stick energy to the Lowcountry. He beat par in his most recent eight rounds (on Copperhead and TPC San Antonio) and he’s been terrific in this tournament time and again. And yes, he’s goes off 1 on Thursday at 7:21 a.m. ET. Glass … Tom Hoge (+6600) R1 scores 65 = RSM 66 = Sony 65 = Amex 63 = Pebble Beach 66 = THE PLAYERS Career year has been buoyed by fast starts. I’m on board with Rob – earlier is better because you have all day to, ahem, correct any errors made with early tee times! Hoge is off No. 10 at 8:05 a.m. ET, but we hardly live in a perfect world. Make the Cut Glass … Matt Kuchar (-250) It’s 17 straight at Harbour Town, and he’s found form with T16 at Valspar backed with T2 at Valero. Didn’t have the grind of Augusta on his bones, either, but I bet he was a bit salty not to be invited. I could have used KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCH in a few of these categories this week! Rob … Alex Noren (-250) One word per coin for how many this rewards – 10. 3-Ball Glass … Corey Conners over Daniel Berger and Mackenzie Hughes Conners has sat in second place after 36 holes in the last two editions, so he’s used to getting off to hot starts here. Working the golf ball isn’t his problem; neither his form after another top 10 at the Masters that backed up a solo third at the Match Play. Berger hasn’t bounced back since his Honda Sunday struggle, and Hughes hasn’t posted lower than 70 in the first round in seven events in 2022. Rob … Russell Henley over Henrik Norlander and Stephan Jaeger To my trained eye, and no doubt to the same among hardcore fans, you know a mismatch when you see it, even when we’re considering only one round. Henley has seven straight rounds under par at Harbour Town. He placed T9 here last year. He’s 13-for-13 this season, sits 21st in the FedExCup and ranks third in first-round scoring with an average of 67.75! Norlander has limited experience in this tournament (72-74=MC last year). He’s 130th in the FedExCup and T126 in R1 scoring (70.47). Jaeger has failed to capitalize on his status north of the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category and arrives for his debut at Harbour Town slotted 160th in the FedExCup. He’s T124 in R1 scoring (70.44), and that’s easily his best among all rounds.
KD irked by Brown’s Celts talk: ‘Let’s just hoop’KD irked by Brown’s Celts talk: ‘Let’s just hoop’
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant didn’t approve of teammate Bruce Brown’s critique of the Boston Celtics’ big men, saying there’s no need to talk about the opponent.