Phil Mickelson

NASSAU, Bahamas – News and notes from Sunday’s final round of the Hero World Challenge, with Spain’s Jon Rahm cruising to a four-shot win to end his year on a high note. RAHM’S BIG WIN It was the Wednesday at East Lake, the eve of the TOUR Championship. Jon Rahm was on the practice green, putting on a Bermudagrass surface that has always given him fits. Next to him is Tiger Woods. Rahm, being 24 years old and having idolized Tiger, decided to ask for some advice. “Can you please teach me how to putt on Bermuda?â€� Tiger’s response? “He kind of laughed and told me it’s all about feel,â€� Rahm recalled. “I was like, OK, whatever, right.â€� On Sunday, Rahm was again next to Woods on the putting green. This time it was during the trophy ceremony after Rahm claimed Tiger’s Hero World Challenge with a 7-under 65 to finish at 20 under. Tiger remembered the conversation they had had two months earlier at East Lake. “That’s a pretty good performance for somebody who can’t putt on Bermuda greens,â€� Tiger said. Replied Rahm: “My man, you should look at my stats because it was all ball-striking.â€� Indeed, Rahm did not win his final start of the 2018 calendar year because of his prowess with the putter. It was from tee-to-green that he excelled – he was third in the 18-man field in fairways hit (39 of 5) and tied for fourth in greens in regulation (52 of 62). On Sunday, locked in a tight front-nine battle with Tony Finau, Rahm hit 12 of his last 13 greens as he pulled away for his third worldwide victory of the year – and sixth since he turned pro. “Arguably the best ball-striking day I’m ever going to have – even better than Friday,â€� Rahm said of his final round, comparing his closing 65 to his second-round 63 that was the lowest round of the week. Perhaps it’s fitting that Rahm won the event run by Tiger’s foundation. It was just a week after their exchange at East Lake when they met again. It came in the Sunday’s Singles at the Ryder Cup in Paris, when Rahm found himself facing Woods in the fourth match out. Plenty of thoughts when through Rahm’s mind in those 12 hours prior to the match. He spoke to his mental coach, spoke to European captain Thomas Bjorn, spoke to teammate Tommy Fleetwood, all in hopes of finding a way to beat Woods. He concluded that he simply couldn’t make any mistakes for Tiger to pounce on. He had to play flawless golf. Result? Rahm beat Woods 2 and 1. It was the first full point for Europe on a day in which they took back the Ryder Cup. Just before Rahm’s final putt, somebody in the gallery yelled out, “Do it for Seveâ€� in Spanish. Seve Ballesteros is the reason Rahm is playing golf. The emotions started to spill out. So there was Rahm crying in front of Woods. A win over one idol inspired by his late Spanish hero. “Because of that, I don’t think there’s anything I can do in the game anytime soon that’s going to mean more than that,â€� Rahm said. Sunday’s win in the Bahamas was pretty nice, though. Big things await for Rahm going into 2019. It could be a breakout year, a year in which he reaches the next level. Maybe he doesn’t even need those Bermudagrass lessons anymore. NOTABLES KEY MOMENT: The tournament outcome was still in doubt when the final group reached the drivable 298-yard par-4 14th. Jon Rahm was two shots ahead of Tony Finau. But then Finau produced his worst swing of the week, pulling his driver 20 yards left and into the sand near a bush. With a tricky lie, he chipped into the greenside bunker. On his next shot, his ball ran through the green to the other side. He then chipped back and two-putted for double bogey. Meanwhile, Rahm birdied the hole. The three-shot swing basically sealed the deal. “That was the killer for Tony,â€� Rahm said. But Finau said Rahm was simply not going to be denied. “Even if I make a 4 there, I’m going to have to do something pretty dang special,â€� Finau said. “Hat’s off to Jon this week. He played incredible golf and deserved to win.â€� FINAU’S FINE: Even though he came up short, Finau was fairly chipper after signing for his 3-under 69 that left him in solo second at 16 under. “I found out a lot this week,â€� Finau said. “I put new irons in and I put a putter in with more loft. Obviously it worked.â€� Finau played with PING’s Blueprint forged irons and hit 72 percent of his greens this week, tied for fourth-best in the field (he also led the field in fairways hit with 80 percent). After a disappointing Thursday performance on the greens, in which he needed 30 putts, Finau then added 2 degrees of loft to his putter and performed more better. “These are the types of tournaments you’re willing to take that risk and I did – and I think it’s going to pay off.â€� ROSE STILL NO. 2: FedExCup champion Justin Rose had a chance to move back in front of Brooks Koepka and reclaim the No. 1 spot in the world rankings for the third time this season. But thanks to Tony Finau’s birdie at the 18th, which moved him into solo second and left Rose – who shot a 65 after a sizzling back-nine 31 — in solo third, Koepka remains No. 1 for now. “It’s not a huge goal for me, but when you have these opportunities, you want to take them,â€� said Rose, who was No. 1 two weeks ago after winning the Turkish Open. “Obviously anytime you get to No. 1, you want to stay there. It’s a nice feeling. I have other goals next season rather than just focusing on the No. 1 spot. The No. 1 spot’s always a by-product of achieving probably your other goals, to be honest.â€� TOUGH WEEK FOR TIGER: Just two players failed to shoot par/better on Sunday – Tiger Woods, who shot a 1-over 73; and Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a 75. Woods was one of four players who failed to break par on Saturday and was one of three players who failed to shoot par/better on Thursday. “Overall it was a long week,â€� Woods said. For a wrap-up of Tiger’s season, click here. BIRDIES FOR CHARITY: Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay donated $500 for each of their birdies this week for California wildfire victims. Rahm made 25 in winning the tournament; Cantlay made 22 in tying for fifth (8 of those came on Sunday when he posted the day’s low round, an 8-under 64). That results in a total charity of $23,500 this week. SHOT OF THE DAY

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The host this week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday doesn’t need to be introduced. One of the most accomplished athletes across all of sports history, Jack Nicklaus was a beacon of on-course excellence for the entirety of his legendary career. We all know the numbers synonymous with Nicklaus: 6 (Masters wins), 18 (major championship wins), 73 (PGA TOUR victories). But those don’t fully detail how consistently great Nicklaus was over the course of three decades. Let’s dive into a few of the numbers that shaped the legend of The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. 46 Nicklaus has 46 top-three finishes in major championships, 20 more than any other player in history. Tiger Woods is second, with 26. The players in third and fourth on that list – Phil Mickelson (24) and Sam Snead (22) have the same total combined as Jack does on his own. 87 In 17 Masters starts from 1963 through 1979, Nicklaus won five Green Jackets and finished outside the top-10 only twice. Nicklaus was 87-under-par at Augusta National in that stretch, 69 shots better than any other player. In 66 rounds, he beat the field scoring average 59 times (89.4%). Nicklaus gained 206 strokes against the field in that span, 76 more than anyone else (Gary Player was second, at 130). 15 From 1966 through 1980, Nicklaus never finished worse than sixth at The Open Championship. Since Nicklaus’ streak ended in 1981, there has not been another player to do it more than three consecutive years at The Open. Nicklaus’ streak is nearly twice as long as any other player since World War II – Peter Thomson did it in eight straight Opens from 1951 to 1958. 35 In the entire decade of the 1970s, Nicklaus finished in the top-10 in 35 of 40 major championships. In that span, he had more wins in the majors (8) than finishes outside the top-ten (5). 22 From 1966 through 1982, Nicklaus won four U.S. Open titles and finished T-11 or better 18 times. In that span, he recorded 22 rounds in the 60s at the U.S. Open, eight more than anyone else (Arnold Palmer had the second-most, with 14). He averaged 3.41 Strokes Gained: Total per round in that span, nearly half-a-stroke more than any other player in that span with 40 or more rounds played (Tom Watson, 2.95). 56 Nicklaus has 56 top-five finishes in major championships. No other player has more than 33 (Tiger Woods). From 1960 through 1980 alone, Jack had 51 top-five finishes in majors, more than twice as many as any other player in that span. Palmer had the second-most, with 23. 17 Nicklaus won in each of his first 17 full seasons on the PGA Tour. That streak is tied with Arnold Palmer for the most consecutive seasons with at least one TOUR victory all-time. 24 Nicklaus won his first and 18th professional major championships 24 years apart – his first coming at the 1962 U.S. Open, his last being the 1986 Masters. He is one of two players in men’s golf history to win majors more than 20 years apart. Tiger Woods (1997 Masters – 2019 Masters, 22 years) is the other. 40 In 1980, at age 40, Nicklaus led the PGA TOUR in total driving, a statistic that combines a players’ ranking in average driving distance and fairways hit. His number that season combining those ranks was 23 – a sum no player has bettered in any season since. For comparison’s sake, Jon Rahm led the PGA TOUR last season in total driving with a combined rank number of 80, the only player on TOUR under 100. Nicklaus went on to lead the TOUR in that statistic in his age 41 and age 42 seasons, as well. 18 Nicklaus made the cut at the U.S. Open forty years apart – at age 18 (1958) and age 58 (1998). He won the U.S. Open 18 years apart (1962-1980), the longest gap between victories in that championship’s history. 24 Nicklaus played the Masters in par or better over 72 holes a record 24 times in his career, five more than any other player. His 71 rounds under par are 13 more than any other player in Masters history. He is also the Masters all-time leader in birdies, eagles, top-5s and top-10 finishes. 2000 Nicklaus will be inextricably linked to Tiger Woods in the annals of golf history. One of the most remarkable statistics tying together the two came at the end of Nicklaus’ playing career, and the prime of Woods’. Nicklaus made his final start at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2000. Woods won both of those. Nicklaus’ final starts in the Masters and Open Championship came five years later. The winner of both of those events? Woods. 19 In addition to his 18 major wins, most all-time, Nicklaus has an unreal 19 runner-up finishes in majors. No other player has more than eleven (Phil Mickelson).

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SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods took the headlines for most of the week but Sunday at Torrey Pines it was an epic show from four others that had us enthralled. And there is still more to come in the narrative as after five extra holes Jason Day and Alex Noren could not be separated, and the pair will return Monday morning to continue in sudden death at the Farmers Insurance Open. As the leaders made the turn in high winds on Sunday at the South Course, it was clearly a race in four. Australian Day, Swede Noren and Americans Ryan Palmer and J.B. Holmes separated themselves at the top and provided an epic grind to the end. Day was playing ahead of the other three who were paired together in the final group. And the Aussie flinched first with a three-putt bogey on 11 and then another bogey on the 15th, dropping him one back of the others. They all flinched right back. Almost immediately Noren, Palmer and Holmes all made errors on the 14th hole, making bogey to restore a four-way tie. Noren steadied but Palmer – who was chasing a fourth PGA TOUR win and first since January 2010 – dropped another shot on the next hole. Holmes joined him with the bogey-bogey effort. And then Holmes added a third for good measure, effectively knocking him out of the mix. Day and Noren couldn’t find another birdie in the closing three holes of regulation, but Palmer made it happen on 18 to make it three players going extras. The Swede was unlucky. Sitting in the fairway waiting to hit his approach on the 72nd hole, Noren was forced to wait an exorbitant amount of time as Holmes contemplated his play. The five-time winner, who lost a playoff to Day at the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open, needed an eagle to have any hope of playing on. After backing off numerous times, Holmes decided to lay-up. And did so in the rough. A birdie left him one shy. He was unapologetic when talking with the Golf Channel saying he was still trying to win. After the long wait, Noren nuked his 3-wood through the green and under a grandstand. The resulting drop left him with a very tough up-and-down to win. He failed. He didn’t lay blame at Holmes but did say the extra time made him change clubs. He was originally contemplating a hybrid that would not have gone over the green. Noren did concede it could have brought the water in front of the green into play. Palmer was knocked out in the first extra holes after failing to match birdies from Day and Noren. Noren nearly holed a wedge for eagle. Day slid in a 7-footer he knew he needed. Another trip down 18 left both men with eagle putts. Noren’s from a mile didn’t fall. Day couldn’t win it from 17-feet. The Australian had chances from 11 and 27 feet on the next two playoff holes to ice it but missed by inches both times. Clutch 5-foot birdies by both men on the fifth playoff hole in near darkness ensured Monday golf. “Alex is playing some tremendous golf. To be able to go through and go shot for shot there was pretty special,â€� Day said afterwards. “I’m just going to try and get some rest tonight and I’ll play all day tomorrow if I need to get the win.â€� Day is aiming for an 11th PGA TOUR title, his last coming at the 2016 PLAYERS Championship. Noren is in just his second PGA TOUR event as a member (35 total) but has nine wins on the European Tour. “I could barely see the last putt, but it’s very enjoyable, this is what I play for, so I’m excited,â€� he said. “It’s like match play coming down the stretch. It’s so important over every shot. Here you need to play aggressive to finish it out.â€� The playoff continues at 11am Eastern, 8am local and is slated to begin on the 18th hole before going to the 16th, 17th and 18th again if needed.  OBSERVATIONS Ryan Palmer was looking to end an eight-year win drought, but ended up just shy as he pushed his third shot well right at the par-5 18th hole and failed to birdie it, falling out of the playoff. He secured his PGA TOUR card on a major medical extension at the CareerBuilder Challenge last week, and his finish this week might have him heading all the way to the FedExCup Playoffs. Since 2011, he has the most top-five finishes on TOUR without a win (19). He was hoping to win on his son Mason’s birthday. “It would have been a fun present,â€� Palmer said, “but I’m ecstatic where my game’s at now, especially on the greens from where I was the last year-and-a-half.â€� Rose makes Rahm putt: Justin Rose was struggling. With the wind swirling, he found himself between clubs and made pretty much nothing on the greens. Then he came to the par-5 18th hole, where he birdied from 59 feet, 9 inches, a shot that technically didn’t count as a putt because it was from the back fringe. It was also a mirror image of the eagle putt Jon Rahm made to win the Farmers last year. The result was Rose’s ninth straight top-10 finish worldwide, dating to his T10 at THE NORTHERN TRUST to open the FedExCup Playoffs.   Phil Mickelson struggled on the weekend, shooting scores of 76-74 to finish T45 after getting himself into contention with scores of 70-68 in the first two rounds. Still, he made the cut and was characteristically optimistic. “It’s actually a good start to the year,â€� Mickelson said. “I think that the game is closer than it looks. This course will penalize you. It’s very difficult, and it only gets easier from here, and hopefully I’ll start to play a little better.â€� Wind was certainly a huge factor on Sunday. Just ask C.T. Pan. Starting with a legitimate shot at the tournament Pan birdied the first hole to be just two off the lead. But at the par-3 3rd, the Santa Ana winds beefed up and Pan sent his ball over the cliff edge off the tee twice. After a third re-tee and a chip onto the green he was laying six, and still away in the group. A quintuple bogey eight was made feel even worse when Jason Day made birdie on top of it. Pan shot 79 to finish T35. NOTABLES Tiger Woods – The 79-time PGA TOUR winner shot a final-round 72 to finish 3-under and T23. Read about his week here. J.B. Holmes – Had an excellent chance until three-straight bogeys on holes 14-16. Birdie on 18 gave him even-par 72 and solo fourth. Tony Finau – Was well in the mix to win after three-straight birdies on the front, but bogeyed three of his first four holes on the back and shot 73 (T6).  Keegan Bradley – Comeback continues for the New England sports fan after a final-round 70 gave him a solo fifth. QUOTABLES We just need a few cars on the fairways to show us where we’re going.   I had a good first couple of days, but the weekend was tough.I wish I had that wedge back, obviously, but I hung in there all day.  I fought hard for these scores. These weren’t yawners, down the middle, on the green, two-putt and one-hand your second putts in the hole.   SUPERLATIVES Low round: 69, by Charles Howell III (T6) and Hideki Matsuyama (T12) Longest drive: 394 yards, by John Huh at the first hole Longest putt: 46 feet, 5 inches, by Roberto Diaz at the 12th hole. He birdied it but shot 79. Easiest hole: The par-5 18th played to a 4.792 stroke average. Hardest hole: The par-4 fourth and par-4 14th holes each played to a 4.481 stroke average. SHOT OF THE DAY

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