Jarrod Lyle loses vision in new mystery illness

From Phil to Rory and everything in between, here is what is going on in the first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club.

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MEDINAH, Ill. – Abraham Ancer made a putt that was worth $308,333 on hole No. 18 on Sunday at THE NORTHERN TRUST to finish in solo second place. Even though it was the fourth and final round of the event, it was only Ancer’s third competitive round ever using the putter.  Before the event started, Ancer switched out of an Odyssey White Hot Pro No. 5 putter model — with a “butaneâ€� finish — that he had used throughout the summer. He switched into a new Odyssey White Hot No. 7 model, which was equipped with a Stroke Lab putter shaft – a multi-material construction instead of the steel shaft he used prior. Ancer told PGATOUR.COM that he was hitting the ball so well and putting so poorly with the new No. 7 putter in his first round of THE NORTHERN TRUST that he decided to switch putters for the second round. Instead of going back to his old No. 5 putter, however, he switched into a new No. 5 with a different finish that was also equipped with a Stroke Lab shaft. According to an Odyssey putter representative, the new No. 5 head is slightly heavier than the old No. 5 head due to the weight distribution of the shaft, and the new black-and-blue colorway matches Ancer’s Porsche car. Aside from those minor changes, the putter is a replica of his old No. 5 model. That wasn’t the only switch that Ancer made prior to the tournament, though. Prior to THE NORTHERN TRUST, Ancer was using a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero three-diamond prototype driver equipped with a Mitsubishi Tensei White shaft. While he stuck with the same driver head, he changed in a Mitsubishi Tensei Blue shaft. The change may seem subtle, but Ancer said the switch from Tensei White to Tensei Blue allowed him to turn the ball over from left-to-right a bit easier, rather than the ball staying out to the right. The driver change also worked. Ancer ended up finishing first in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee on the week.

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Cameron Tringale ... The 33-year-old - by the way, how is he only 33 with 183 cuts made in 290 PGA TOUR starts as a professional and still winless? - continues to surge from the doldrums of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons when he missed 31 of 54 cuts. He's 7-for-9 this season with a solo third (RSM) among four top 20s, including in each of the last two weeks. He's back to doing what he's always done best. Currently 21st in GIR, 42nd in Strokes Gained: Putting and 35th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet. He's also cashed in six of his last seven trips to Pebble Beach dating back to 2012. Rafa Cabrera Bello ... No matter the international member of the PGA TOUR, managing one's life during the pandemic was multiplied by the additional layer of concern for family abroad. To state the obvious, golfers are humans, too, so it wasn't surprising that the Spaniard struggled when competition resumed last June. He played out the string with unimpressive results before resetting over the holidays. Returning in 2021 on his home circuit, he went 4th-T35-T33 from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to Saudi Arabia in the last three weeks. While the 36-year-old may travel to Pebble Beach with some fatigue, he brings that renewed confidence and the fact that he recorded top 30s in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2018 and 2019. That experience combined with superb putting come together at a good time. Brice Garnett ... Mixed results at Pebble Beach but he did finish T19 in his first of five trips in 2014. It's a theme that transcends the entirety of his career on the PGA TOUR, but it overshadows his knack to beat par regularly. Case in point, he ranks T14 with 25 red numbers this season, but his challenge remains connecting enough of them to maintain a lofty position on leaderboards. Currently 26th on TOUR in both fairways hit and Strokes Gained: Putting, as well as seventh in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, so the ingredients are there. Rob Oppenheim ... The light-hitting, 41-year-old journeyman rarely pings our radar. He needs a lot of things to go right to make noise. He relies on precision off the tee and accuracy on approach to get the job done. Every once in a while, that's exactly what happens and it's why he's a PGA TOUR member. In fact, his career-best finish in 87 TOUR starts was a T8 in the 2017 edition of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's also cashed in all three of his other appearances. A little luck never hurts, either. He led the circuit with 22 hole-outs last season. Chase Seiffert ... As a rookie and first-timer in last year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he opened with a flawless 6-under 66 on the host course. He was up and down thereafter en route to a T50 (with a 75 on Pebble Beach in the finale), but this is an opportunity for redemption with that experience plugged in. Currently just inside the top 125 in the FedExCup on the shoulders of a pair of top 20s, including a T12 three weeks ago at PGA WEST. Presents nothing flashy but like a man comfortable in his own skin, his bag is balanced. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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