Winners-only Kapalua event gets new sponsor

ST. LOUIS – It’s no secret that Jordan Spieth hasn’t had the best season, at least not by his standards. The big mystery was why. The winner of 11 PGA TOUR events, including three majors and the 2015 FedExCup, Spieth came to the PGA with a chance at the career Grand Slam but is winless in 19 starts. He had third-place finishes at the Masters and Houston Open, but had gone from No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2015 to No. 8 today. Observers placed the blame on his putting, but Spieth said after shooting a second-round 66 (3 under total) at the PGA Championship on Friday that he dove into a solution to shore up his full swing, too. And he was working on the wrong thing. For two months. “It cleared stuff up temporarily,â€� Spieth said, “but in fact pushed me further away from what I should have been doing. So, I spent literally two months nailing in the wrong thing, and I’m trying to climb back out of it.â€� The problem, he said, was a new fix that he dove into shortly before THE PLAYERS Championship. In part, he said, the solution required him to modify his setup and takeaway, which he did even though it felt unnatural. Somehow, though, he got worse. “That’s unusual,â€� Spieth said. “I never had that in my career; normally I work on the right thing too much and have to back off and work again. So, it’s tough to trust on the golf course and I had a tough time yesterday and today I had no choice, you have to trust it and started to clear up a bit of it. “A lot of it is just setup related,â€� he added after hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 greens, with 29 putts. “But where I start tracking the club off line from a setup position that’s not correct. So, what is correct feels off, and so I’m just going to have to play, I just have to deal with it. But today was a really, it was a lot of progress.â€� Spieth came to the PGA on the heels of an uninspiring T60 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron’s Firestone Country Club. He was 165th in Strokes Gained: Putting, and 118th in Driving Accuracy (60 percent). He was better Friday, but far from perfect. For the second straight day, he lost his tee shot into the water at the par-5 17th hole, but at least salvaged a par compared to his bogey the day before. Spieth figures he has given away at least two shots to the field at that hole alone. What’s more, he added, rain-soaked Bellerive hasn’t suited him. He prefers a firm, fast golf course. “My putting, both parts of my game not only were better today, they also felt better,â€� Spieth said. “Sometimes it feels the same and putts go in, but I feel like I’ve given myself some more space through both, which allows me to not have to flip hands at either putting or the swing. “I need to work more on it,â€� he added. “… My expectations are lower than they are when I’m in form, certainly last year at this time, and I’m okay with that. It’s just a process and I got to be patient with it getting back.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – On Friday, Justin Thomas played 30 holes at the Genesis Open in cold, rainy weather. On Saturday, the first dry day of the week at Riviera, he completed just eight holes despite continuous play from sunrise to sunset. On Sunday, for the third consecutive day, he’ll wake up around 4:30 a.m. local time. At 5:45 a.m., he’ll start his warm-up routine (“That’s weird to say,� he mused). Then at 6:45 a.m., he’ll resume play with an approach shot into the par-4 third. He faces the task of finishing 34 holes, and the weather could be challenging. It’ll be in the 40s in the early morning, then a 40 percent chance of showers before noon. But it will all be worth it if Thomas, seeking the 10th win of his PGA TOUR career, can seal the deal at Riviera. At 13 under, the former FedExCup champion has a one-shot lead over playing partner Adam Scott, with Patrick Rodgers and J.B. Holmes another shot back. “I think I’ve seen briefly the forecast is pretty difficult,� Thomas said, “so I’m going to need to be patient because I’m playing so many holes. But long day and stay in it emotionally and stay patient [and] see what we can do.� It’ll be a longer-than-usual day for all 76 players who made the cut. No one has completed the third round, which did not start until mid-Saturday afternoon as the seven-hour delay to start the tournament on Thursday continues to play havoc with the playing schedule. In essence, the Genesis Open is just past the halfway point even though the final day (hopefully) has arrived. Play will resume at 6:45 a.m., and there will be no repairing after the third round as the TOUR tries to avoid a second consecutive Monday finish. Last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was won by Phil Mickelson on Monday as he and runner-up Paul Casey played two holes to finish their rounds. For some players such as Thomas, it was a limited-action Saturday – up early to complete the second round, then a long rest before teeing off to start the third round. For others, it was a long, full day – an entire second round, followed by a partial third. Rodgers, for instance, played 20 holes. He shoot a 4-under 67, fueled by a chip-in eagle from 131 yards on the par-4 seventh, then played two holes to start his third round, including an eagle at the par-5 opening hole. He’s now one of Thomas’ primary chasers on Sunday. Thomas also eagled the opening hole late Saturday with a putt just inside 13 feet, moving him one clear of Scott, who in 2005 won at Riviera albeit in a shortened 36-hole event that is not recognized as an official TOUR win. That won’t be an issue if he can catch Thomas. “There’s so much golf to play,� said Scott, whose only bogey through 38 holes played was a three-putt on the 17th hole in the second round. “… I’m happy with what I did out there. I’m not really influencing what [Thomas] does at this point in the tourney. It feels like it’s late in the tourney, but it’s only halfway.� Still, he’s glad to be paired with Thomas for both the third and final rounds. “Yeah, that’s good if I’m keeping up with him or ahead of him,� Scott said. “… It’s a big day, a lot of golf. It’s a great day to get your rhythm early and make a move. There’s a lot of guys up there at the moment … if it’s Justin or I, then you can kind of separate and hopefully by the middle of the final round you’ve taken a whole bunch of guys out of the equation.� One of those guys definitely in the equation is Tiger Woods, who was just one shot above the cut line after the second round but vaulted into a tie for 14th with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie start (off the 10th tee) in the third round. “I’ve got some work to do,� said Woods, who hopes to get up-and-down to save par at the 17th once play resumes. Among the notables ahead of Woods on the leaderboard are Rory McIlroy (8 under); last week’s runner-up Casey (8 under); three-time Genesis Open champ Bubba Watson (7 under); Jordan Spieth (7 under); and world No. 6 player Jon Rahm (7 under). With lots of golf left to play and hopes of completing the tournament on Sunday, it should make for an interesting – and challenging – day. “Going to be a marathon,� Thomas said.

Click here to read the full article…