Golf kills off one of the dumbest rules in sports

AUSTIN, Texas — With Day 1 in the books at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, a number of matches take on extra significance tomorrow as players look to get in position for the Round of 16, or keep their match play hopes alive at Austin Country Club. Here’s a look at five matches to watch on Thursday. DUSTIN JOHNSON, USA (0-1-0) vs. ADAM HADWIN, Canada (0-0-1) The good news for defending champion Dustin Johnson is that the top-seed has advanced to the Round of 16 every year since the event added a group stage in 2015. The bad news is just eight players have managed to book their spot in the knockout stage after losing their opening match. Bottom line, Johnson is going to need a win on Thursday against Adam Hadwin and some results to go his way in the other matches to have a shot at advancing out of the group. The last time Johnson failed to advance was in 2015. Despite going 9-over in his first 11 holes, Johnson managed to keep things interesting, taking Wiesberger to the 17th hole before losing, 3 and 1. The loss snapped a string of seven consecutive wins dating back to his Round 1 victory last year over Webb Simpson. Adam Hadwin finds himself in a better position following his halved match against Kevin Kisner. Hadwin has Presidents Cup experience, but it would have to be categorized as an upset if he finds a way to end Johnson’s week with another defeat in Austin. RORY McILROY, Northern Ireland (0-1-0) vs. JHONATTAN VEGAS, Venezuela (0-0-1) In a similar spot as Dustin Johnson, McIlroy needs to get something out of his match against Jhonattan Vegas to make Friday interesting. Failing to do so would put him in danger of missing out on the Round of 16 for the second consecutive year after advancing to at least the semifinals in 2015 and 2016. “Obviously it’s out of my control now,” McIlroy said, after dropping his match against Peter Uihlein. “So I’ve just got to win my next two matches and hopefully the draw works in my favor.” Vegas will have some momentum on his side, earning a half-point against Brian Harman with a birdie on the 18th hole. He’s now picked up at least a half-point in his last three matches since making his debut last year. JON RAHM, Spain (0-0-1) vs. CHEZ REAVIE, USA (0-1-0) The battle between fellow Arizona State alums doesn’t have must-win implications for Rahm, who managed to secure a half-point against Keegan Bradley with a par on the last. Regardless, Rahm will need to get the best of his good friend to improve his chances of finding the Round of 16 for the second year in a row. Making his match play debut, Reavie has the opportunity to play the role of aggressor as the underdog in the match. You can bet bragging rights will be on the line. ALEX NOREN, Sweden (1-0-0) vs. THOMAS PIETERS, Belgium (0-1-0) Noren has quietly put together a strong match play resume since last year’s run to the quarterfinals and looks to be a strong candidate to make the 2018 European Ryder Cup team. He’ll have the opportunity to take on a former Ryder Cupper in Pieters in what should be an intriguing match. Pieters is trying to avoid missing out on the Round of 16 for the third straight year. He dropped his opening match on Wednesday, falling to another big hitter in Tony Finau. Interestingly, Pieters has never won his second match of the group stage, which doesn’t bode well for his chances against an in-form Noren. JORDAN SPIETH, USA (1-0-0) vs. HAOTONG LI, China (0-1-0) / PATRICK REED (1-0-0), USA vs. CHARL SCHWARTZEL, South Africa (0-1-0) It’s worth keeping an eye on Spieth and Reed tomorrow. A win or at least a half-point for both would set up must-see television on Friday for arguably the most anticipated match of the group stage. Spieth said the match will matter regardless of where the Ryder Cup duo stands, but you can bet both will be looking to bring their best stuff if a berth in the next round is on the line. They have to take care of business first to make that a possibility.

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BLAINE, Minn. – When Bo Van Pelt teed it up at the Safeway Open earlier this year, it had been 1,321 days since his last PGA TOUR start. Let that number sink in for a minute. That’s more than three-and-a-half years sucked out of Van Pelt’s career, which was interrupted first by surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, secondly by a procedure to clean out bone spurs and lastly by an operation to remove one of his ribs. Small wonder, then, that the 45-year-old veteran was so encouraged by his performance through two rounds at the 3M Open. Van Pelt fired a 68 on Friday to go with an opening 66 – the first time he’d broken 70 in consecutive rounds this year – and is just four strokes off the lead. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Dustin Johnson withdraws from 3M Open citing back injury Some players in his position would have given up, content with a life of playing client golf. Van Pelt, after all, had earned more than $20 million during a PGA TOUR career that included one victory at the now-defunct U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee so making money wasn’t top of mind. But he wanted to see if he could still compete at the highest level – and at least through 36 holes at TPC Twin Cities, Van Pelt has been equal to the task. “It’s like I told my wife and my kids, this is going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do is to try to compete out here at 45 after taking almost four years off,” Van Pelt said. “I don’t think there’s anybody probably ever done it. “But I like where my game’s going. It’s hard to just keep rah-rahing yourself when you’re shooting over par, so it’s nice to kind of put some red on the board and hopefully this will be some momentum going the right way.” The 2019-20 season has certainly been a challenge for Van Pelt. He wasn’t able to start playing 18 holes until several weeks before returning to the TOUR at the Safeway Open, where he tied for 62nd. Until this week, that was one of just three checks he’d cashed in 15 starts. Van Pelt said the four-month COVID layoff worked in his favor, though, because it gave the former Oklahoma State standout time to knuckle down and really concentrate on his game. “Even though my results haven’t been great this first month, the way I’ve been playing’s been a lot better,” Van Pelt said. “Just kind of sticking with it. It was just hard. I didn’t play 18 holes for over three years. “Basically, I was trying to relearn every kind of feel that I had less than a year ago. Yeah, it’s just been kind of a process. Finally feeling like I’m getting back to where I can compete again.” Van Pelt’s physical problems began in 2016, likely after he reached behind the driver’s seat of his car to pick up a backpack that was heavier than he expected. A few weeks later, the pain in his right shoulder ratcheted up on the weekend of the Waste Management Phoenix Open as a pair of 74s turned a solid 6 under start into a tie for 51st. So, after he missed the cut at Pebble Beach the following week, Van Pelt headed home to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to find out what the problem was. “I tore like 85 percent of my labrum and I just couldn’t play,” Van Pelt said, remembering the diagnosis. “So, they went back in and found a bunch of bone spurs, cleaned it out, thought that was going to do it.” When his hand started going numb, Van Pelt was really worried. In truth, he feared he might never play again. So, his doctor referred him to Dr. Greg Pearl in Dallas. This time, the diagnosis was thoracic outlet syndrome which occurs when blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and first rib are compressed. “So, they said on top of the torn labrum, (that’s) what I had going on,” Van Pelt said. “That’s why I kept getting a pinch and pain. He removed my first rib I guess a year and a half ago in February and it just gave me the opportunity to play.” Van Pelt made this week’s highlight reel when his 6-iron at the eighth hole on Thursday found the bottom of the cup for an ace. It was a nice way to bounce back from a bogey that had ended a run of four birdies in his previous five holes. “It was great,” Van Pelt said. “I was playing well and bummed about bogeying 7, so it was a great bounce-back. It was funny, I mean, half the holes-in-one I ever had have been with a 6-iron, so that has been my lucky club.” And time will tell if this is his lucky week.

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