Masters 2019: Estranged family still causing issues for Patrick Reed, according to NYT report

Tiger Woods tees it up for the first time since his momentous Masters triumph – and subsequent Presidential Medal of Freedom – as the PGA Championship raises the curtain on its new May date, with Bethpage Black serving as host. Brooks Koepka makes the first of his two major title defenses in 2019, seeking to become the PGA’s first back-to-back champion since Woods in 2006-07. Jordan Spieth, meantime, makes his third run at completing the career Grand Slam. FIELD NOTES: Phil Mickelson, runner-up at both U.S. Opens held at Bethpage Black (2002, 2009), is set for his 102nd major start since turning professional. … One spot in the field remains for the winner of this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, if not already qualified. … The field includes 69 international players, representing 27 different nations. … All but two of the top 65 in the FedExCup standings have entered, missing only No. 59 Patrick Rodgers and No. 64 J.T. Poston. … The lineup also includes the top 20 finishers from the PGA Professional Championship earlier this month. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 points. STORYLINES: Woods, with that elusive 15th major title finally in the bag, now goes after a 16th on a Bethpage Black layout where he won the 2002 U.S. Open. He has not hit a competitive shot since leaving Augusta, opting for rest instead of his usual start at Quail Hollow. … Koepka seeks a fourth major title in a 23-month span, coming off a runner-up finish to Woods at Augusta. He’s finished outside the top 15 in a major just once in that stretch. … A Spieth victory would make him just the sixth to accomplish the career Grand Slam, and second-youngest to do it after Woods. However, he’s still in search of his first top-20 finish of 2019. … With the move to May, the PGA Championship ventures outside the July-August window for just the second time in 70 years. The other came in 1971, played in February in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. … The top 60 in the world rankings after Sunday’s finish receive automatic berths into next month’s U.S. Open. No. 60 Sungjae Im is on the bubble; Emiliano Grillo (61st) and Chez Reavie (63rd) are trying to move in. COURSE: Bethpage State Park (Black), 7,432 yards, par 70. Taking its third bow on the major championship stage, the 1936 A.W. Tillinghast gem was a bit of a New York secret until the 2002 U.S. Open. Woods won that crown, posting the only under-par score of the tournament, and Lucas Glover captured a rain-soaked U.S. Open upon its return in 2009. Since then, the Black Course has become part of THE NORTHERN TRUST rotation with host duties in 2012 and ’16. A famous sign greets golfers near the first tee warning only “highly skilled� golfers should play the Black, and its reputation attracted pros such as Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson early on for a trial. Snead famously called it “an unfair test� after beating Nelson in a 1940 exhibition. The 2024 Ryder Cup will be contested at Bethpage Black. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Brooks Koepka (2018 at Bellerive CC). 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Bruce Crampton (2nd round, 1975 at Firestone CC), Raymond Floyd (1st round, 1982 at Southern Hills), Gary Player (2nd round, 1984 at Shoal Creek), Michael Bradley (1st round, 1993 at Inverness), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 1993 at Inverness), Brad Faxon (4th round, 1995 at Riviera CC), José María Olazábal (3rd round, 2000 at Valhalla), Mark O’Meara (2nd round, 2001 at Atlanta AC), Thomas Bjorn (3rd round, 2005 at Baltusrol), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2007 at Southern Hills), Steve Stricker (1st round, 2011 at Atlanta AC), Jason Dufner (2nd round, 2013 at Oak Hill), Hiroshi Iwata (2nd round, 2015 at Whistling Straits), Robert Streb (2nd round, 2016 at Baltusrol), Brooks Koepka (2nd round, 2018 at Bellerive), Charl Schwartzel (2nd round, 2018 at Bellerive). LAST YEAR: Koepka became a major champion for the third time in 14 months, posting a record-setting performance to hold off Woods’ electrifying Sunday at Bellerive. With cheers for the resurgent Woods ringing out across the terrain, Koepka took control with three straight birdies to end the front nine and added two more at Nos. 15 and 16 to open enough cushion. He finished with a 4-under-par 66, and his total of 264 matched Henrik Stenson’s week at the 2016 Open Championship. Paired with his two U.S. Open titles, Koepka became just the fifth man to capture three majors before the age of 30. Woods finished two shots back after a 64, his best final round in any major. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday, 1-7 p.m. ET (TNT). Friday, 1-7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT), 2-7 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (SiriusXM).

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TRUCKEE, Calif. – Had Alex Noren stayed in Scotland, he would’ve competed at The 150th Open at St. Andrews. But he was itching to play golf this week, his schedule including an upcoming three-week competitive hiatus as a training period into the FedExCup Playoffs. He was on the grounds at the Old Course and played nine holes early Tuesday morning as first alternate. It wasn’t easy being at St. Andrews knowing his spot in the field was not guaranteed. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, either. But it had been five days since anyone had withdrawn from The Open, and there wasn’t a clear indication that anybody else would. Noren felt good about his game, believing his form was strong enough to contend this week on any setup. He took the proverbial bird in hand, withdrew from The Open alternate list and flew to California for the Barracuda Championship. Justin Rose withdrew from The Open on Thursday morning with a back injury. He would have been replaced by Noren if the Swede had stayed on-site; he was replaced instead by Rikuya Hoshino. Erik van Rooyen withdrew later in the day and was replaced by Aaron Rai. Noren admits there were conflicting emotions when he learned this news Thursday, and he was slow to start the Barracuda Championship – standing at net 0 points through 14 holes of the opening round at Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood). He made two birdies on his final four holes, though, to gain a spark, and a 12-point performance Friday (six birdies, no bogeys) moved him into a tie for 11th through 36 holes in the TOUR’s only Modified Stableford scoring event. Noren, 40, made his decision and lived with it. He has recorded five top-25s in 10 career Open appearances and has played in 32 majors overall. He competed at the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews, as well. He intends on playing in several more majors. Not to say the experience hasn’t been a bit bittersweet. “It was a weird week,” reflected Noren after Friday’s second round in Truckee. “I was going to get into (The Open) and then it was just confusing (Thursday), weird emotions, because I couldn’t stand being there, and it was too good of an event, and I knew this was a good event, too. I just wanted to play somewhere, make sure I could play somewhere. “I booked a flight Tuesday morning. It took so long because I was first reserve from Thursday even to Wednesday, so nothing happened for over a — just like a week. I didn’t think anybody would withdraw. They actually did, and sad for them, but also I wanted to play this. I wanted to get some more points. I’ve got three weeks of training after this before the (FedExCup) Playoffs, and I wanted to play this week, and maybe that mindset made me have a little less patience that I needed this time. “Golf is a long career, and I’ve played a lot of (Open Championships), and I’ll get to play it again.” After finishing T30 at the Genesis Scottish Open, Noren arrived at St. Andrews on Monday night before his early-morning Tuesday practice nine. Still first alternate at that point, he decided to traverse eight time zones backward to the Sierra Nevada region – “going west like this is not that bad,” remarked Noren. “It’s worse going back east.” He arrived in Sacramento late Tuesday night, near midnight, and had trouble procuring his rental car and golf clubs. He got squared away at 10 a.m. Wednesday, worked with the TOUR to change his pro-am tee time to an afternoon slot, and made the 112-mile drive to Old Greenwood. Noren hails from Sweden but lives in south Florida now, practicing at The Bear’s Club. This combined with previous course knowledge – he finished T9 at the 2020 Barracuda Championship – made for a less daunting learning curve as he transitioned from links golf. “It helps living in America now,” Noren said. “You get these conditions pretty much every week. It’s not that tough going from surfaces. It’s probably easier going to faster greens like this than the other way around. “You need a day, preferably two or three, but a day is fine. If you go straight and don’t get a practice round, don’t get to practice putting at all, it’s pretty tough, but one day is fine.” Thursday was “a weird day,” admitted Noren. Through 14 holes, he was a few points off the cut-line pace, “just knowing that I could be at St. Andrews and then I’ve got to play some good golf here just to make the cut.” He relishes the Modified Stableford format, though, knowing it’s doable to jump up the leaderboard quickly. He rallied to move within striking distance of 36-hole leader Chez Reavie (28 points) and the 10-time DP World Tour winner is fully energized to chase his first TOUR title this weekend. Noren currently ranks No. 75 on the FedExCup, his TOUR season highlighted by a T5 at The Honda Classic. He’s motivated to improve that position before his pre-Playoffs training period, in an enjoyable setting. And he’ll be particularly motivated to make eagles. “I love this course,” Noren said. “It’s an interesting format. You can have a good chance for eagle on 12, and it’s just fun. You can make an eagle, or eagle-birdie in a row you’re 7 points. It’s like sometimes in golf when just nothing happens and then you need something like that. It’s a cool format, and I think you need a couple of eagles to make it happen, you know.”

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