TOUR Insider: New Love surfaces

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – It was only one putt. And it was just the first round of the RBC Heritage. But that 8-footer Jordan Spieth made for birdie on No. 9 at Harbour Town Golf Links onThursday, his final hole of the day, felt important. It got him back to even par for the tournament and headed into an uncertain second round with a modicum of momentum. “It’s one stroke, but to shoot over par versus even is actually kind of a big deal,â€� said Spieth, who is six shots behind the leader, Shane Lowry. “It doesn’t feel like the golf course beat you today. It’s a three-round tournament, just kind of one round, tied the course.â€� Spieth felt like he stayed patient and kept himself in the hunt on a day when he could have shot 2 or 3 over. The man who ranks 212th in driving accuracy only hit eight fairways on this tight, tree-lined Pete Dye creation but his iron play was spot on as he managed to find 15 greens in regulation. “One of my irons went in the water, but it’s the best 8-iron I’ve hit in a year-and-a-half,â€� Spieth reported. “I caught an into gust when it was supposed to be down. Another one of my missed greens, two of them were kind of just on the fringes. “All in all very pleased with what I did to get myself on or around the greens in a couple of strokes. And I really have to bust it out here.â€� The putter was another story, though. Spieth felt like he had the lines but had trouble adjusting to the speed after playing on those lightning-fast greens at the Masters where he tied for 21st last week. Related: Lowry cards bogey-free 65 to lead | Donald returns to RBC Heritage after back injury | Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor  And with winds expected to blow 20-30 mph – and gust to 40 – on Friday, Spieth knows the contrast between the speeds at Augusta National and Harbour Town will only be more pronounced. “I really got Augusta’d out here,â€� he said. “What I mean is I was still putting to the speed of Augusta. I haven’t fully made the transition away from that. “And as we are expecting high winds, I’m sure the greens will slow down even more to make it fair. I’m really going to need to dial in my speed on the greens. Just tough out there coming off last week to this week, to get yourself to pop it harder than you really want to.â€� Spieth, who is playing the RBC Heritage for the first time since 2015, is looking for his first top-10 in 12 starts this season. In three previous appearances at Harbour Town, the affable Texan has finished 11th or better, and to hear him talk, one wonders why he took the four-year break. “I feel like I’m doing myself a disservice, just because it’s after the Masters, not coming to this event,â€� said Spieth, whose career-low in Hilton Head is 62. “I’m trying to play golf courses where the greens and the grass type and the conditions suit my game. “And I haven’t done a great job in my scheduling this year thus far with this new schedule. But I think adding this event was really good for me.â€�

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Perspective needs a refocus. That is one of the many byproducts to the pandemic that has enveloped our world and created excruciating fear and pain. That view of the Waste Management Phoenix Open from two months ago, for instance. You likely have a vision of the enclosed stadium at the par-3 16th, the incomparable hijinks and one-of-a-kind merriment that generates layers of attention and entertainment. It is unique, it is loud, and it is dynamic. But right now, it is incumbent upon you to look at it differently. Perhaps refocus with a filter of the Boys and Girls Club of the Valley or any of the other four groups in dire need of help during this coronavirus crisis that were gifted charitable dollars to by what is at the heart and soul of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The Thunderbirds. They aren’t ever on that stage at No. 16, but they are somewhere far more important. Standing in the shadows, supporting of their community always, but especially in a time of urgent need. Like right now. “It highlights their generosity, that in this pandemic they’re thinking of others, thinking of those who need it most,� said Webb Simpson. Back on Feb. 2, Simpson defeated Tony Finau in a playoff, winning the WMPO with a closing rush of birdies. Simpson and Finau, and everyone else at TPC Scottsdale, were basked in sunshine that day, but nearly two months later we are all gripped by uncertainty. Simpson, however, is sure of this: “That I love the (Waste Management) Phoenix Open for many reasons.� Those reasons increased exponentially last week when it was announced that the Thunderbirds Council had approved a gift of $1 million to charities that had been severely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Last week, the initial gifts went to the Boys and Girls Club of the Valley, St. Mary’s Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul. The Thunderbirds followed up this week with donations to both the The Human Services Campus and Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. Impressive as the number is, it is even more so when you consider this: That this was “emergency community funding,� said Chance Cozby “and outside of the charitable funds that the Thunderbirds Charity will donate from the tournament. That giving is still to come.� Cozby, the Executive Director of the WMPO and “Big Chief� of the Thunderbirds, had announced weeks ago that this year’s tournament would generate $14 million to Arizona charities. That the Thunderbirds Council – which manages the Thunderbirds Charity – at its monthly meeting agreed to keep that number intact and earmark another $1 million in immediate emergency assistance adds yet another glowing chapter to the history of this philanthropic group that dates to 1937. But it was community need, not applause, that led the Thunderbirds Council to act. “People needed help, and as quickly as we could offer it,� said Cozby, who used the Boys and Girls Club as a shining example. “Many kids in the valley have parents who are considered to have ‘essential jobs.’ Maybe they’re firefighters or first-responders, but in any case, these kids need a place to go. It takes about $105,000 to keep the Boys and Girls Club open for a week, so that’s a lot of money.� Similarly, Cozby said The Human Services Campus feeds and nourishes the homeless in downtown Phoenix. That need takes on a greater urgency during a crisis and it registered with the Thunderbirds Council. Ditto the opportunity to purchase 32 mattresses for the Family Promise of Greater Phoenix charity. “When you look at all that has happened, we know we are fortunate because our tournament was played; it’s over,� said Cozby. “We can look in the rear-view mirror. It’s all so unbelievable.� But instead of resting on yet another annual success, Cozby, his WMPO team, and the Thunderbirds stepped up. The move to offer $1 million in emergency charitable funds deserves a standing ovation, but Cozby would prefer it ignite a spark in the philanthropic arenas and remind people that the PGA TOUR has surpassed the $3 billion mark in charitable giving. “We weren’t looking for recognition for this. We wanted zero,� Coxby said. “But we looked at it and thought if we could offer a feel-good story, maybe offer hope at a time when there hasn’t been much, then that would be worth it.� These are, he concedes, challenging days, unprecedented times. But Cozby is of brilliant golf pedigree and knows what the sport and the PGA TOUR are capable of. His father, Jerry, is a member of the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame, a legendary club pro whose three sons – Cary, Craig, and Chance – all played at the University of Oklahoma and the quality and character run deep in this family. “I’ve always felt that the PGA TOUR was one of the best, if not the best, at using its platform to raise charitable dollars for the community,� said Cozby. “So, if (providing $1 million in emergency funds) inspires others to give more, then it’s a win for the game of golf in general.�

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Throwing out the first pitch at that game back in August when the New York Yankees hosted their cross-town rival Mets was certainly a thrill. And it’s not every night you dine at Versailles or have breakfast the following morning with Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de L’Elysee where the French president lives. But the neatest thing U.S. Captain Jim Furyk got to do during the two-year lead-up to the Ryder Cup? Well, that had to be hitting balls off the Eiffel Tower toward the Champs de Mars with his European counterpart Thomas Bjorn. “Pretty cool,â€� Furyk says. “I have to give that one the nod. Not too many people have done that.â€� Only one other person, in fact. And a life-size photo of Arnold Palmer – hitting a ball off the first floor of the iconic landmark in October of 1976 – loomed nearby as the two captains took their shots.  Of course, Furyk hopes to have another memorable moment this week at Le Golf National outside Paris as the United States attempts to win on foreign soil for the first time since 1993 when the Americans took a 15-13 victory at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England. It’s been 21 months since Furyk, who played in nine Ryder Cups, was named the U.S. captain. His last as a player was in 2014 but he’s spent the last three international competitions in the team room as an assistant captain at the 2015 and ’17 Presidents Cups and 2016 Ryder Cup. So it’s not like anything has surprised Furyk, the 17-time PGA TOUR champ who won the 2010 FedExCup. But he admits he’s been busier overall — and life became exponentially more hectic as the summer months led to finalizing his team. Furyk says his wife, Tabitha, took on a lot of responsibility. The PGA of America, which operates the Ryder Cup, provided a support team, as well, to make sure all the loose ends got tied up. Ryder cup captains Thomas Bjorn and Jim Furyk hit balls off the Eiffel Tower last October. (Getty Images) Furyk also kept in daily touch with his vice captains – two-time Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and Steve Stricker, who was at the helm of the 2017 Presidents Cup, as well as the more recent additions to his staff, Zach Johnson, David Duval and Matt Kuchar – through a texting chain. Tiger Woods, once an assistant who ended up playing his way onto the team, was a part of that group, as well. Picks, potential pairings and preparation all were part of the on-going discussion. “Sometimes there’s 20 to 40 messages a day, sometimes there’s a couple,â€� Furyk said during the Wyndham Championship. “We’ve done this together for the last couple of years as well with Davis being the captain with Strick being the captain. “So we work well together and it’s got a lot of similar feel to what we’ve done in the past.â€� Away from the golf course there were other decisions that had to be made. Gifts for players, wives, caddies and dignitaries were chosen. Uniforms were another important consideration — remember those shirts the Americans wore on Sunday at the 1999 Ryder Cup? – so Furyk went to the offices of Ralph Lauren in New York last fall to look at potential designs. “They kind of showed me the look book; here’s what we’re thinking about,â€� Furyk recalls. “We made a few minor tweaks — things that I may like to see or for some comfort, movement. But they make a great product and, and they’ve been doing it for so long now they understand the drill.â€� That didn’t stop Furyk from making a few suggestions for “good luck.â€� Not that he was willing to divulge them, though. Maybe we’ll find out when the week is over. Furyk says his wife and two children, 16-year-old Caleigh and Tanner, who’s 14, have been very understanding when his “jobâ€� as Ryder Cup captain kept him away from their Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida home.  “My family’s always been very understanding of my job with my travel schedule and we’re very close knit,â€� Furyk says. “(The kids are) excited about it as well. So we include them and talk a lot about it with them and they kind of understand the opportunity I have. … “So yeah, it’s taken me away a little bit. But first and foremost I’d say family is always going to be first and Ryder Cup second. My game’s been probably a distant third this year.â€� While Furyk’s beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were picking up their first win of the season on Monday night, he was in France in full Ryder Cup mode. The pressure will only ratchet up as the week progresses. Furyk has seen it as a player, and he’s lived it for nearly two years as the captain. This year’s stage – and stakes – couldn’t be bigger. And whether it’s the sportswriters who dissected his every word in the last two years or the fans who offered advice on his picks as he walked down the fairway, Furyk is well aware of the impact this week will have. “I guess I know how big the Ryder Cup is,â€� he says. “I know it’s my favorite event. But I’m still probably surprised by just the amount of attention that it draws and how big an event it is — not only in the world of golf but how it kind of transcends golf.â€�

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