‘Go get that!’ Jordan Spieth tells the story behind his famous line at British Open

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Cole Hammer turned pro this year after compiling a resume that’d be the envy of any college golfer. He first made headlines when he qualified for the U.S. Open as a 15-year-old. Then he developed into the No. 1 amateur in the world, winning prestigious events like the Western Amateur and Big 12 Championship. He capped his career at the University of Texas by helping the Longhorns win their fourth national championship. The transition to pro golf is often a tough one, though, even for the best amateurs. Hammer saw that firsthand, missing the cut in his first six PGA TOUR starts as a pro. He was a combined 29 over par in those 12 rounds. “This summer was tough on the PGA TOUR,” Hammer said. “I just had about zero patience. As soon as I made a bogey, I felt like the world was ending.” The beauty of professional golf is that a player’s career can change drastically in a single week. Hammer has also experienced that firsthand after a T5 finish at The RSM Classic, the final official PGA TOUR event of 2022. Hammer, who was in the field on a sponsor exemption, also earned a start in the first full-field event of next year, the Sony Open in Hawaii, and valuable non-member FedExCup points. He was atop the leaderboard after each of The RSM’s first two rounds after shooting 64-66 but had two bogeys and a double on his first five holes Saturday to tumble down the leaderboard. He made two birdies and was bogey-free for the remainder of the round, then shot 65 on Sunday. “What a rollercoaster, so many ups and downs,” he said. “I’m just so proud of the way that I fought and battled out there. It gives me a lot of confidence moving forward and leaves a great taste in my mouth going to the offseason.” Only four players bettered Hammer’s Sunday score, and they all shot 64. He finished the week ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining more than three strokes on the greens Sunday. He holed a 30-footer on the 13th hole and half of his six attempts between 10-20 feet. His Strokes Gained: Putting doesn’t include a 77-foot hole-out from the fringe on the third hole Sunday, either. “It’s big for … me moving forward in terms of confidence,” Hammer said. “It had taken a while to get there, to get comfortable enough to be able to trust myself on the biggest stage, but I think I do now. Actually, I know I do because I proved it to myself today under a lot of pressure.” Hammer, who finished fifth in this year’s class of PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global graduates, also has conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023 after finishing T59 at the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School two weeks ago. It was his position in the top five of the PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Ranking that earned Hammer his spot in Q-School’s final stage. Hammer is uncertain how many starts he’ll get on the Korn Ferry Tour next year, but his amateur success could make him a popular candidate for sponsor exemptions. As should his recent success. Hammer made three of four cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, including one top-10. He also made his first PGA TOUR cut at last week’s Cadence Bank Houston Open in his hometown. A second-round 65 earned him his first weekend tee time and he shot a 68 on Sunday to finish T27. He heard last Friday that he was a candidate to get an invitation to The RSM but his spot wasn’t confirmed until Sunday evening. This was his fourth sponsor exemption of the season, leaving him three more until he hits the non-member limit of seven. He is uncertain what his schedule will be in 2023, but he knows one thing. He can compete on the PGA TOUR.

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Justin Parsons was a teenager living in Northern Ireland when he took a test offered in the book, "Eight Traits of a Champion Golfer." This questionnaire promised to recommend a career based on Parsons' strengths and passions. Parsons, like many young men, had aspirations of playing professional golf. The examination recommended a different path. "It said, ‘You really enjoy the idea of movement and how movement works, and you would be a much better coach than you ever would be a player," Parsons recalled recently. "I remember thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, this is kind of dampening my aspirations.' But at the same time, I've always enjoyed people, trying to figure out how people tick and how to get the best out of them." He's done that this year, helping several PGA TOUR players either reach new heights or find success after several tough seasons. He's had a quick impact since arriving at the Sea Island Resort, host of this week's The RSM Classic, last year. His current stable of students includes Gary Woodland, Louis Oosthuizen and Will Gordon, as well as Sea Island residents Harris English, Michael Thompson and Brian Harman. This year, English qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2015. Thompson won for the first time since 2013. Gordon, a year after turning pro out of Vanderbilt, earned his first PGA TOUR card. Harman finished 37th in the FedExCup last season, his best finish in three years. Oosthuizen finished third in the U.S. Open. "It's about making them a little bit better and not detracting anything from them," Parsons said. Or, as his mentor, Butch Harmon, told him, "Your first responsibility is to make sure you don't screw them up." That is sobering advice that Parsons takes seriously. "You're dealing with their livelihood," he said. His students have had fruitful seasons, especially English and Thompson. English, who won twice on TOUR before turning 25, fell to 149th in the FedExCup last year. He rose to 12th in 2020 and started this new season with a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Open. He's skyrocketed in the world ranking, rising more than 300 spots since last September. He's now ranked 36th in the world, just two spots off his career high. Parsons gave English a clear path out of the doldrums. "He just kind of brought me back from getting lost in this whirlwind of different swings and different mechanics and swing positions," English said. "He simplified it so much that I can know what I'm doing. (Golf) is actually a game now. I'm not worried about how my swing looks." Thompson won his first PGA TOUR title at the 2013 Honda Classic, but spent the next five years outside the top 100 in the FedExCup. That includes four straight seasons, from 2015-18, outside the top 140. Parsons also helped Thompson - who was once the No. 1 amateur in the world - get back on track by going back to what made him successful. "He's helped me to kind of rediscover the old feels that I had back in college, where the shot shape that I always liked to play was a low fade," Thompson said. "He's given me just so much confidence to believe that the unique move that I do through the ball is good enough to be world-class," Thompson said. Parsons arrived at Sea Island after serving as the Director of Instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Dubai. It was there that he became well-versed in the latest technology available in golf instruction. Sea Island is a sleepy coastal retreat, but the resort's Golf Performance Center also is a high-tech environment that features all the latest tools. Parsons prides himself on knowing when it's appropriate to include them in a lesson. He said instruction is now in the "sweet spot" when it comes to technology. Teachers have become well-versed in the latest high-tech tools, but also know when to leave them on the sidelines. "Technology is vital to help diagnose things and as a tool to re-check things," Parsons said. "If (players) need the technical, I want to give it to them, but if they don't need it, I'd rather they focus on getting the ball in the hole and winning golf tournaments."

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – Australia’s Adam Scott had impressive command from tee to green, hitting nine of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation on the way to a 3-under 69. The 2013 Masters champion’s day might have been even better but for the fact that he took 30 putts. Scott was tied with South Africa’s Justin Harding and Spain’s Jon Rahm with several players still out on the course during the first round of the 83rd Masters Tournament. “Yeah, look, it’s a great start on a kind of tricky day,â€� Scott said. “Even though it wasn’t windy, I just felt it was very hard to get it near any of the pins through the first seven holes, whether I was just slightly out of position or the pins were just tough.â€� Scott, a 13-time TOUR winner, was one of a handful of Presidents Cup hopefuls who enjoyed a solid start, also including Harding, Corey Conners (70), Cameron Smith (70) and 2012 Masters runner-up Louis Oosthuizen (71). Scott, 38, hasn’t won on TOUR since 2016, but finished second at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January. He hasn’t teed up since finishing T12 at THE PLAYERS last month.    “Generally in my career I’m kind of a slow starter,â€� said Scott, who opened with 75s in each of the last two Masters, and 76 in 2016. “Certainly the last 10 years, I don’t jump out of the gates, it seems. So, I don’t know if this is jumping out of the gates, but it certainly is great.â€� Scott started slow again Thursday. He was 1 over through seven holes but birdied the eighth, ninth, 15th, 17th and 18th. His bogeys came at the par-4 seventh and the par-3 12th holes. “I’ve talked a lot about kind of being at peace with the golf course,â€� he said, “and understanding it can give you a lot. It can take it away as well, but certainly I feel like there’s a lot of good karma if you treat it right out there. … A lot of past champions have a great rapport with this golf course and I think I kind of get that feeling too, so it does give you a little pump.â€� Harding off to strong start in Masters debut Justin Harding was playing the Valero Texas Open last week when he asked fellow South African Ernie Els for advice on how to play Augusta National. Preparing for his first career start in the Masters Tournament at age 33, Harding figured there was no one better to ask about it than Els, the 2019 Presidents Cup captain, who amassed six top-10 finishes, including two runner-up finishes, in 23 starts. Els proffered some advice on where to aim and where not to miss, adding that he’d never hit it in the water at the tricky, par-3 12th hole. RELATED: How Tiger’s Thursday went | Tiger accepts Ben Hogan Award | Nicklaus, Player kick off Masters | Day injures back, receives treatment on course “I said, ‘Thanks a lot, you just jinxed me,’â€� Harding said with a laugh after shooting a 3-under 69 in his first-ever round, good enough to take the early first-round lead despite a bogey at 18. Harding made par at the 12th, and if anything could only fault his play on the four par-5s, which he played in just 1 under par. Otherwise, nothing much bothered the late-bloomer, who uses a long putter and is mostly unknown to American fans. He was 422nd in the world a year ago, but his maiden European Tour win in Qatar earlier this season, plus a T2 the next week and three other top-10 finishes, pushed him all the way to 49th and punched his ticket to Augusta. “It’s more about, I guess, how I’m handling myself out on the golf course,â€� Harding said after hitting 10 of 14 fairways, and only 10 greens in regulation but taking just 25 putts. “Not really getting too worked up, no longer going through the highs and lows of emotions.â€� Also, he added, now that he’s started playing well, he can’t seem to stop. “Golf is purely momentum-based,â€� Harding said. “If you take enough confidence into the rounds then you’re bound to play well just pretty much need to get out of your own way.â€� Harding has worked his way up to seventh in the International Presidents Cup standings, meaning he could be playing for Captain Els at Royal Melbourne in December. “It’s in the back of my mind,â€� he said, “but way in the back.â€� Conners rides momentum after win In other news with Presidents Cup implications, Canada’s Corey Conners, who won last week’s Valero Texas Open to get to 10th on the International list, opened the Masters with a 2-under 70. The round was 10 shots better than his Masters debut in 2015, when he went 80-69 to miss the cut. He was first off the tee at 8:30 a.m., and watched Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit the ceremonial first tee shots. He also accepted congratulations from Nicklaus on his first PGA TOUR win. “That felt pretty special,â€� Conners said. “Never thought in a million years that Jack Nicklaus would know who I am and it just felt pretty cool.â€� Weir shoots best round in five years It’s been a rough stretch for Canada’s Mike Weir, 48, the 2003 Masters winner and eight-time PGA TOUR winner who has been trying to fight his way back on the Web.com Tour. After going 3 over for his first seven holes, Thursday looked like more of the same, but Weir, who has a new coach (Mark Blackburn) turned it around with three birdies to card an even-par 72. It was his best round since a second-round 72 in 2014, the last year he made the cut here. “All in all, very happy,â€� said Weir, who will serve as one of Els’ assistants at the Presidents Cup in December. “Hit the ball great. I’ve got to sharpen up the putting a little bit.â€� Weir took 31 putts.

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