The Flyover: The RSM Classic

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DUBLIN, Ohio – He’s won this tournament five times, and now he’s playing for the first time since 2015. Tiger Woods is back; cue the highlight reel. “A nice run since I turned pro,� Woods said when he won the most recent of those five titles at Muirfield Village, in 2012, to tie tournament host Jack Nicklaus with his 73rd career PGA TOUR victory. Woods is on a nice run this year, too, having gone from 656th to 83rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. “I obviously haven’t played in a few years, and a lot of great memories here,� Woods said in his press conference here Wednesday. “I’ve always enjoyed playing Jack’s place, and this year is no different. It’s in perfect shape. Hopefully the rain holds out a little bit, because this golf course is going to be tough. It’s fun.� Players have been commenting on the thicker rough this week at Muirfield Village, where the tournament will honor two-time Memorial champion Hale Irwin, plus golf writer Larry Dorman, whose career included a long stretch at The New York Times. There’s also a new ticket option this year called The Millenial Ticket, which is $60 for a one-day grounds pass, which includes two tokens for Memorial’s 19th Hole and participating Bridge Park establishments, as well as free parking and shuttle service from Bridge Park to the tournament. The biggest news-maker this year, though, is the return of Woods. Although he came from four behind in his last two wins at Muirfield Village, he has won every which way there. The Nicklaus/Desmond Muirhead suits him to a T(W), and would seem a likely venue for him to break a winless streak that goes all the way back to the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “I’ve been on runs where it just came pretty easy, getting Ws,� Woods said. “And other stretches where it was very difficult. This is, to me this is a little bit different because I’m coming back off of not really playing for a while.� Indeed, much of the 79-time TOUR winner’s drought goes back to injuries, particularly back injuries. But after career-threatening fusion surgery last year he’s finally healthy again, and you can’t argue with the results. Last we saw him in action, Woods was going 65-69 on the weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship, part of an electrifying week that saw him finish T11 but also wonder aloud what might have been. Showing flashes of the man who won THE PLAYERS in 2001 and 2013, Woods made six birdies in his first 13 holes to get within four of eventual winner Webb Simpson. Alas, Woods went 3 over the rest of the way. He now has a runner-up finish (Valspar Championship), a T5 (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), a T11 (PLAYERS), and a 12th (The Honda Classic). He has 548 FedExCup points (54th), with a 69.988 scoring average. Woods is knocking on the door; is this the week he picks up his elusive 80th win? “I remember the feelings when I was at Valspar,� he said. “… It really felt comfortable. The last few times that I’ve had a chance, I’ve been up there on the board, I’ve felt very comfortable. Hopefully I can just shoot the low round when I need it.� Tournament host Nicklaus said earlier this week that he may simply have to remember how to win again, and that Muirfield Village could be the perfect place to bring back all those good feelings. “I think that if Tiger can just play reasonably well tee to green, with his short game, he will be in contention,� Nicklaus said. Woods, who is seventh in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green this season, got an early start Wednesday, hitting balls at 6:30 a.m. in anticipation of his 7 o’clock pro-am time with, among others, former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. After a three-years hiatus, the 7,392-yard, par-72 course looked a little different for the five-time Memorial winner. “I believe there’s over 500 trees that are gone since the last time I played it,� Woods said. “They added 500 yards to it. So it’s quite significant.� Three Players to Ponder Matt Kuchar Certain things in life are a given, and one is that Kuchar thrives at the Memorial. He won the tournament in 2013, and is coming off back-to-back T4 finishes at Jack’s place. Rickie Fowler Finished T2 last year, and solo second after a final-round 73 in first Memorial appearance in 2010. Played with winner Woods in the final round in 2012, but shot 84. Anirban Lahiri Final-round 65 and T2 finish last year kick-started his season, highlighted by memorable performance for Nick Price’s International Presidents Cup Team. The Flyover The 529-yard, par-5 15th hole bisects a virtual forest full of trees, and rewards accuracy off the tee. Jason Dufner hit the fairway all four days and birdied the hole all four days last year. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. There are also some disasters lurking on 15; although 42 percent of the field there made birdie, 2 percent of the field made double-bogey or worse. The key is to crest the hill with your drive, from where you can have a crack at reaching the green in two. Left or right misses will be punished, as overhanging trees await, and the green is protected by a steep bank in front and deep bunkers left and right. There’s also a meandering creek that cuts across the fairway and will catch any miss-hit second shots. The hole played to a 4.664 stroke average last year. Weather Check From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Tropical moisture will combine with upper level disturbances to keep the chance for showers and t-storms in the forecast Thursday. An approaching cold front will provide another round of showers and t-storms again on Friday before conditions finally settle down Friday night. Cooler and less humid conditions return for the weekend. Partly cloudy skies can be expected each day with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the 50’s.� For the latest weather news from Dublin, Ohio check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. Sound Check I think I’ve had three of the top five weeks of my career, putting-wise, have been here at the Memorial.First two days were extraordinary, probably some of the best golf I’ve played in my  career. Saturday was pretty forgettable.  By the Numbers 5 – Number of two-time winners on TOUR so far this year after 2010 Memorial Tournament champion Justin Rose won the Fort Worth Invitational last weekend. Jason Day, Patton Kizzire, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson are the others. 4.240 – Average score at 484-yard, par-4 18th hole from 1976 to 2017, when it ranked the toughest at Muirfield Village. It was second toughest (4.279) last year. +10.682 – Strokes gained: approach-the-green by winner Dufner last year. Scattershots Cleveland-born Dufner was the first and only Ohioan to win the Memorial since Jack Nicklaus in 1984. Dufner said he wasn’t even sure he liked Muirfield Village until he played in the 2013 Presidents Cup and realized he liked it very much. No winner on the PGA TOUR, non-major division, had shot worse than Dufner’s third-round 77 since Kenny Knox signed for a third-round 80 and won The Honda Classic in 1986. Roger Maltbie shot a final-round 76 and beat Hale Irwin in a playoff at the first Memorial in 1976. Nick Faldo shot a third-round 77 in winning the 1989 Masters.

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story), Callaway also announced a number of new products for 2019 on Thursday. The new products include Apex 19 hybrids, Apex 19 and Apex Pro 19 irons, PM grind wedges, Odyssey Stroke Lab putters, Odyssey Toulon putters, ERC Soft golf balls, Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls. Below, we take a look at all of the new Callaway clubs, technologies, pricing and release dates. Apex 19 hybrid The Apex 19 hybrid, described as a “players hybridâ€� due to its compact shape and design, now comes with Jailbreak technology. That means along with offering workability and spin control similar to an iron, compared to larger hybrid shapes, the Apex 19 also has the benefits of two stiffening bars behind the face for increased ball speed. The heads are made from 455 carpenter steel and come with a dark PVD finish. They come stock with True Temper Catalyst shafts, will sell for $269.99 apiece, and they hit retail on January 25. Apex 19 irons Occupying the space between a true players iron and a game-improvement iron, Callaway looks to combine feel and distance in its Apex irons. For the Apex 19, Callaway injects urethane microspheres, which contain air pockets, into the cavities of the multi-piece iron heads to dampen vibrations of the flexible faces, thus enhancing sound and feel. The long irons have 360 Face Cups for higher ball speeds, while the short irons have VFT (variable face thickness) faces for increased control. The bodies of the irons are made from 1025 forged mild carbon steel, and each of the irons is also infused with Tungsten in order to control center of gravity (CG) of the iron heads. The Apex 19 irons have a platinum chrome finish and come stock with True Temper Elevate 95 shafts. They will sell for $1,399 steel and $1,499 graphite, and will be available at retail on January 25. Apex Pro 19 irons Leaning more toward the players category than the standard Apex 19 irons, the Apex Pro 19 irons have a more compact shape with thinner soles and toplines. But, as with the standard Apex 19 irons, the Apex Pro 19 irons also have 1025 forged mild carbon steel bodies with urethane microspheres for enhanced feel and sound. Additionally, the long irons have 360 Face Cups while the short irons have VFT faces, and Tungsten is infused into the iron heads to help with CG locations. They have an “Apexâ€� finish, and will sell for $1,399 with steel shafts starting on January 25. PM Grind wedges The next iteration of PM Grind wedges, which were originally co-created by Phil Mickelson in 2014, have the high-toe look with grooves that extend across the entire face. For 2019, Mickelson worked with legendary wedge designer Roger Cleveland in order to build a wedge that can execute both low-spinners and high flops shots, for which Mickelson is known. To execute those demands, the new PM grind wedges have Callaway’s familiar groove-in-groove faces that have ridges between each groove; this results in more points of contact between the ball and the face, and greater spin, according to the company. The new 20-degree angle of those ridges makes them sit close to perpendicular with an open face to achieve more spin on flop shots, says Callaway. Also, the new PM 19 wedges have more offset, making it easier to hit a knockdown with the ball back in your stance, and they have an even higher toe, to raise CG for a lower ball flight. The PM Grind 19 wedges (54-14, 56-14, 58-12, 60-12 and 64-10 degrees) have C-grind soles and come stock with KBS Hi-Rev shafts. They will be available in either a Platinum Chrome or Tour Gray finish, each selling for $159.99 starting on February 15. Odyssey Stroke Lab putters Odyssey seeks to improve the dynamics of golfer’s putting strokes with a new weight distribution system. The new multi-material Stroke Lab shafts, which have graphite top sections and steel tips, are 40-grams lighter than standard steel Odyssey shaft. Overall, the shafts weigh 75 grams. To adjust for the weight reduction in a large portion of the shafts, Odyssey has added 30 grams to the grips, and 10 grams of weight to the putter heads via sole plates. According to the company, the new weighting system leads to more consistent backswing time, face angle at impact, ball speed and ball direction, compared to a standard Odyssey #7 model. The new Stroke Lab line of putters includes 10 different models – four blades and six mallets – each of which come with White Hot Microhinge face inserts. The models available are #7, #7S, Marxman, Marxman S, 2-ball Fang, 2-Ball Fang S, Red Ball, Red Ball S, Tuttle, Tuttle Flow, V-Line, V-Line Fang, V-Line CS, #2, #3, #9 Double Wide and #9 Double Wide Flow. The Odyssey Stroke Lab putters will sell for $249.99 apiece starting on February 8. Odyssey EXO Stroke Lab The new EXO putters, which have multi-material head designs made with 6061 milled aluminum bodies and steel perimeters for higher MOI (moment of inertia), now come with Odyssey’s new Stroke Lab weighting system. They also have White Hot Microhinge faces. They will sell for $349.99 starting on March 29. Odyssey Toulon with Stroke Lab Odyssey’s new Toulon putters, which emphasize craftsmenship with their milled designs, now come with the Stroke Lab weighting system, as well. As always, the Toulon putters will have Diamond Mill faces that have cross hatches to channel vibrations and improve roll, according to the company. The new offerings have a Charcoal Smoke finish, and they will sell for $449.99 starting on March 1. ERC Soft golf balls Callaway says the ERC Soft golf balls – named after Ely Reeves Callaway — are its longest golf balls, and they come with a new look, too. For both distance and greenside performance, the ERC Soft golf balls have a multi-material Hybrid Cover that is said to produce faster ball speeds on long distance shots, and “noticeablyâ€� higher spin around the greens. The balls also have Graphene-infused DualFast Cores, which are said to maximize energy and promote low spin with the driver and high launch. The covers are designed with what Callaway calls “Triple Trackâ€� technology that uses Vernier Acuity Precision, a visual technology that Callaway says helps land planes on aircraft carriers. For golfers, the technology is used on golf balls to help with alignment. ERC Soft golf balls will sell for $39.99 a dozen starting on February 8. Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls Made for “straight distance,â€� according to the company, the 2019 versions of Callaway’s familiar Supersoft standard golf balls have a softer cover and “optimizedâ€� HEX Aerodynamics for less drag. The softer Trionomer cover, according to the company, also helps to promote “greater shot-stopping spin.â€� The new Supersoft Magna golf balls, as their names suggest, are actually larger in size. The USGA-legal golf balls, according to Callaway, are designed for golfers “who struggle with consistent solid contact, and those looking for more distance and easy launch.â€� Due to a higher center of gravity, Callaways says the golf balls are more forgiving. Both the Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls will be available for $22.99 per dozen starting on February 8.

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