Tiger, Spieth rocket up leaderboard at Players

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QUINCY, Mass. — You could have been misled by the solitude, especially with an unseasonably warm March sun pouring so much brilliance down upon it. But Presidents Golf Course – an oasis of comfort amid the fear and unsettledness that blankets our world – was empty Saturday and the punch to my gut was real. RELATED: Golf in these times: California | Where things stand, watch to expect for TOUR and fans | Why bonds of golf are so vital Just don’t think the quietness is an indictment of people shutting out golf. Rather, it is the noise inside Dana Smith’s pro shop – the constant ringing of the phone – that is a screaming testament to how much people want to embrace this magnificent game, how utterly true it is that we need golf to throw a blanket of unity on us. Imagine, then, how much it pained the head golf professional at Presidents to hear caller after caller ask, “Are you open?â€� only to respond in agony: “No, we’re closed.â€� Mind you, Smith is firmly committed to this decision, one that has been made by a multitude of golf course operators in the Greater Boston area and even on golf-happy Cape Cod. With Massachusetts officials having been proactive in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus – shut-downs and shut-in requests started a week ago – Smith and many others felt it is the safe and consistent thing to do. Not that they don’t wrestle with their emotions. “I get it. I think being outside, playing golf makes sense,â€� said Smith. “But everywhere you turn there are (potential risks) that hit you like a two-by-four. So …â€� It’s quiet in my golf neighborhood, painfully so given that we’ve seen grass for months and haven’t touched a snow shovel for a deliriously great stretch of time. Temperatures reached 65 degrees Friday and after Presidents opened March 8, Smith saw a constant parade of smiling faces before play was shut down seven days later. Cheers to those who have golf 12 months a year, but oh, how the first rounds of spring golf at your local muni warm spirits like nothing else in parts of the country like Boston. Presidents is where Francis Ouimet pulled off some magic in 1913. It was known as Wollaston Golf Club back then and the 20-year-old one-time caddie tossed down a tidy 69 to beat the heralded John Anderson in the semifinals of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. In the 36-hole final, ol’ F.H. Hoyt never knew what hit him, as Ouimet, “driving on average 225 yards,â€� according to the Boston Globe account, delivered a 10 and 9 knockout. He was a local hero and a few months later, he crossed the street from his home in Brookline and set golf afire in the United States, beating Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to win the U.S. Open. Yes, he’s the only player to win the Massachusetts Amateur and U.S. Open in the same summer (insert smiley emoji to reflect state pride here) and sure, the latter is what he’s known for. But every trip to Presidents – 18 holes jammed into about 90 acres – I’m reminded of the Ouimet footsteps we are blessed to walk in. With that thought in the back of my mind, and with the temperature tickling 50 degrees, the urge to drive up to Presidents was impossible to resist. As I pulled onto the road into the facility, reality jumped in my face. The gate was down. Closed. So disconcerting. Then, a most wonderous sight. Three young boys lugging golf bags, meandered to an opening in the fence, ducked under a metal gate, and walked onto the quiet, deserted golf course. Never did trespassing seem so appropriate and the decision was made – in no way would I betray their actions; instead, I would sit there quietly and revel in their passion. Coming Wednesday: PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton covers a mini-tour event in Arizona.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day is primed to go on another giant run according to those who know him best. Over a run of 17 tournaments in 2015-16 Day won seven times on the PGA TOUR including THE PLAYERS, the PGA Championship, two FedExCup Playoff events and a World Golf Championship event. He was a dominant world No. 1. But after his 2016 victory at TPC Sawgrass it started to fall away and his next 32 starts on TOUR came and went without a trophy. There were extenuating circumstances. First an ongoing back complaint. And then a cancer diagnosis for his mother and a miscarriage for his wife. Concentration was gone. His desire lacking. He admitted to burnout. But the now 30-year-old has found his hunger again. And those close to him can sense a big shift. Their message to everyone? – look out. Day won the Farmers Insurance Open in February and the Wells Fargo Championship last week giving him two wins in his last seven starts. He was also runner up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am this season to move to second in the FedExCup standings. “Potentially you could look at it as the start of another run for sure,â€� coach Col Swatton says. “I’m not surprised. That’s what he should be doing. Everybody knows that if he’s healthy and focused and committed than he’s a player who should win multiple tournaments each season on the PGA TOUR. It’s just a matter of him buying into that. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse but all we have to do is keep doing the little things right. Putting the work in, preparing well for events and then let everything flow from there.â€� Day has stated some of his new goals including wanting to win the FedExCup, becoming Player of the Year and returning to World No.1. He knows the only way to do it is to win. And that is something he knows how to do having now done so 12 times in his career on the PGA TOUR. “I am hungry again now. I want number one back. I want to achieve more. There is a lot more to do. The climb back up the mountain can be very motivating,â€� he says. “There are no excuses.â€� And while he certainly hopes some dominance can return to his game he has learned thinking ahead is fruitless. The only way to get it done is focus on the now. “It’s about what got me here. How hard I’ve worked. I’ve got to keep doing it,â€� Day adds. “As long as I keep up the work ethic it should keep building and the wins hopefully keep coming.â€� Tiger Woods, the man who has spent more time at the top of the game than anyone, implored people to understand the difficulty of dealing with family issues as intense as Day faced while trying to juggle golf. Having seen his friend Day get to the top before Woods says he can do it again. Particularly now he has a new weapon in his arsenal. Woods says Day proved last week he can win without his best. “That’s learning how to win. I’ve won out here numerous times not playing well but found a way to score and get the job done. And that’s what he’s doing,â€� Woods said. “There’s no wonder he struggled and didn’t play well (last season), his mind wasn’t committed to it. But now that he’s fighting through it and he’s on the upward tick, you can see that he’s able to put the time in, and when he puts the time into it and he’s devoted, he knows he can get to No. 1 player in the world.â€� It is not just on the golf course that Day has shown change. The women in his life – wife Ellie and his mother Dening – have also seen the shift. Dening, who is in remission for her lung cancer and is “doing very wellâ€� is extremely happy to not be part of any distractions any more. She admitted to screaming at the television while watching Sunday’s final round at Quail Hollow as Day kept things interesting with some scratchy play. But it was exactly what she needed to see to be at peace in the end. “He would relax when he’s near the top, but the good thing is he would fight again when things went bad. Those qualities he is famous for are back,â€� Dening said from Australia. “He thankfully isn’t as worried about me and is more focused on his game. It is good to feel better and it is a nice bonus that it has lifted some worries from him. “Sometimes I would tell him that he was running out of time to use me as an alibi. I told him whatever it is to be, it will end up as it should be. If it is my fate it is my fate. “But it was hard for him to accept that.â€� In Ohio for checkups in February Dening knew her boy was back in the right frame of mind. “I could see it in the way he was in his routine and practice. Every day he was practicing, and his mind was clear. Nothing was hindering him like it was before,â€� she added. “I feel he has some really big wins ahead of him.â€� The person who sees him the most – Ellie – is also brimming with confidence. Now pregnant again with their third child, she couldn’t be happier. “It feels very much like it did back when he was winning a lot,â€� Ellie says. “He is more resilient again in his golf and at home.â€� For Ellie it is great to see him win. But it is better to see him happy. At times, when his desire was starting to waver, she worried for Jason. But now there are no worries. “I can just tell he’s in a better space,â€� she says. “When you are around someone a lot you get a sense of when they are most settled, and his focus and drive are certainly back. “It’s great to see him smiling so much.â€� If the winning run does continue you can be sure there will be plenty more smiles.

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