Horses for Courses: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There will be no glitzy ceremony. Jarrod Lyle wouldn’t have wanted that. Instead, the 73 players who made the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open will quietly (sort of) pass by a makeshift tribute to Lyle on the normally rowdy 16th tee at TPC Scottsdale on Saturday. Lyle’s death last summer at 36 after a long battle with leukemia devastated the Australian golf community and others. For ballast and cheering up, they watched a video of his ace on 16 in the third round of the 2011 WMPO, a career highlight that seldom fails to bring a smile to anyone who sees it. “When Jarrod passed, I just watched that video of him making the hole-in-one over and over again, like a lot of us did,� said WMPO Tournament Chairman Chance Cozby. “It just got me thinking about it and saying, OK, what can we do for Jarrod?� Cozby, who in his day job handles player contracts for PING, called his friends at Titleist, who in short order sent a replica of Lyle’s golf bag with his clubs, including the 8-iron he used for the hole-in-one. Atop the bag would rest his signature yellow hat. Next to all that would be a temporary memorial marker: a yellow disc with the Australian flag and an inscription in memory of Lyle, and his most memorable shot. The Thunderbirds, who run the tournament, set up the temporary memorial under cool, cloudy skies Saturday morning. “We just wanted something for the guys who come through today,� Cozby said. “They can give it a little pat and remember Jarrod, and that this is just a game they’re playing.� A big man with a matching sense of fun and mischief, Lyle was first diagnosed at 17. He fought through it and later turned pro, winning twice on the Web.com Tour and eventually reaching the pinnacle, the PGA TOUR. When the cancer came back, he beat it again. Finally, after it had returned a third time, his body had no more fight. Lyle died during the PGA Championship in August, the news hitting players and others hard. Rickie Fowler, the leader at this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, was especially close to Lyle. They had recently spoken by phone to say goodbye, and Fowler wore yellow at the PGA at Bellerive to honor his friend. Others pinned yellow ribbons to their hats. Greg Chalmers tweeted, in part, “It is through a river of tears I say goodbye to my friend Jarrod Lyle.� That sentiment was shared far and wide. Lyle left behind his wife, Briony, and two daughters, Lusi and Jemma, and players contributed financially in addition to offering their condolences. “Thanks for your support, it meant the world,� Lyle said in his final message, shared by his wife after his death. “My time was short, but if I’ve helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn’t wasted.� The final threesome of Fowler, Justin Thomas and Branden Grace are expected to come through 16 sometime around 2 p.m. local time, 4 p.m. ET. It will be loud and crazy, it always is, but also poignant as players remember big, happy Jarrod Lyle hitting the shot of his life.

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Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the BMW Championship gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Aronimink Golf Club just outside Philadelphia plays 7,267 yards to Par-70. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 selected, plus TWO, golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. I included all players who were owned by 20 percent or more. Big temperatures, big landing areas, big greens and big amounts of birdies welcomed the remaining 69 players in the FedExCup Playoffs at Aronimink Golf Club. The wind was non-existent so fairways and greens were to be had. Perfect greens were running at around 11.5 feet on the Stimpmeter that rounded out perfect scoring conditions. First In #59Watch was in full effect as Tiger Woods went out in 29 to kick-start the buzz for the week. His four birdies and an eagle set the tone but he couldn’t keep up the pace on his final nine (front nine). His 33 included his only bogey of the day plus three more birdies. It was by far his best opening round in sometime and it tied the course record. Gamers will point out it wasn’t based smoke or mirrors. He checked in second in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green, third in proximity and sixth in Strokes-Gained: Putting with old favorite Scotty Cameron bag in the bag. Not bad for a guy who didn’t break par here in four rounds in 2010! 62 No. 2 After hearing the roars all afternoon in front of him, Rory McIlroy didn’t exactly back down from the challenge in the opening round. After making eight birdies in a row in his pro-am round on Wednesday, he added 10 more in Round 1 to share the course record with Woods and Nick Watney (2011). After five consecutive birdies to open his final nine (front nine), the 2014 BMW champ was nine-under with four holes to play. Our second #59Watch ended with bogeys Nos. 16* and 17* before a final birdie added up to 62. People’s Choice I was surprised that Bryson DeChambeau didn’t grace more than 70 percent of the rosters this week but the contrarian in me made me see the light. Winning two FedExCup Playoff events in one year is pretty astounding; winning two events in a row is even crazier. He hit it great and is T20 after three birdies against only one bogey with a chilly putter. Tony Reward It was pointed out by colleague Sean Martin that Tony Finau has been in pretty elite company despite not winning this season. The big hitter opened with 68, another round in the red, and sits T30. He’s posted four rounds above par since Shinnecock Hills. That’s insane. He’s collected cash for solo second and T4 to open the FedExCup Playoffs and should be awarded the final spot on the Ryder Cup team. Returning to Action Rickie Fowler suggested that in a long season his injury was probably fortunate as he was forced to recharge his battery. He took his time coming back and the patience was rewarded with a bogey-free 65. The iron play was rusty but his trusty short game (5 for 5 scrambling) and smooth putting stroke kept him in the top 10. Defender No player in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs has defended an event title. Marc Leishman is the defending champion of the event but Aronimink is hosting for the first time. The Aussie, along with countryman Adam Scott, looked anything but comfortable on the new digs as they joined Brendan Steele T67 (last) on four-over 74. Bubble Boys The top 30 will advance to the next round of the FedExCup Playoffs next week at East Lake Golf Club. Here’s how the guys under the gun are performing: Study Hall Round 1 played under-par at 68.130 (-1.870) with 48 of 69 rounds under-par. … Fowler was joined in the bogey-free department by Brian Gay, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson. … Billy Horschel (T4) and Xander Schauffele (3rd) made eight birdies, two shy of McIlroy’s 10. … Of the top 10 players in Strokes-Gained: Approach-the-Green seven are T12 or better. … Gamers will need to adjust their lineups ASAP as tee times have been moved up Friday to avoid afternoon storms. Round 2 will tee off from both tees between 7 and 9 am.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A year ago, Brooks Koepka was at home, sidelined with an injured left wrist, while The Honda Classic was being played just a few miles away. His mood – and his diet – were both going through a dark period. “I was sitting on the couch, probably eating a bunch of food,â€� Koepka recalled. “I wasn’t doing a whole lot. I gained, I think, 15, 20 pounds. I was obviously upset. I just missed competition. It wasn’t fun for me.â€� The wrist injury kept him out for four months and prevented him from playing the Florida Swing in March. He didn’t return until the week before THE PLAYERS Championship in May. Of course, you know how the rest of the season turned out — two major victories and the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award. All’s well that end’s well, perhaps, but those four months of inactivity for a player who was obviously ready to take the next step was tough. “I didn’t watch any golf until Augusta, so I didn’t know what was going on,â€� Koepka said. “You make a lot of friendships, seeing a bunch of people out here, and you just don’t have that. You’re forgotten very quickly. That’s what it taught me.â€� Nobody’s forgetting Koepka now, of course. He’s now starting his heavy stretch, having made just two starts since the calendar flipped to 2019. The most recent was last week at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, where Koepka finished T-27. He’s among the favorites this week at PGA National, although his track record at this event is not something to celebrate – four starts, one missed cut, his best finish a T-27 in 2016. Before missing last year’s event, he missed the cut the year before. “I haven’t had the best memories here,â€� said Koepka, who was born in West Palm Beach and now lives in Jupiter, just a few miles north of PGA National. “I was going through a bunch of stuff off the golf course two years ago and then last year not being able to play, so I’ve tried to put that all in the past and tried to move on.â€� Despite the results, Koepka insists that PGA National is a course he likes. “I think it suits me really well, especially with the firm greens now. I think I’ve got a good chance.â€� That last sentence seems like an understatement – especially given the fact he’s won four times (three majors and THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea) since he last played The Honda Classic. “I always had the confidence,â€� Koepka said. “I wasn’t lacking that. I feel like I’m borderline cocky when it comes to that, but everybody out here should expect to win. Everybody out here is borderline confident to cocky. “Everytime you win, you’re going to build confidence, and if you’re on a nice little run like I was, you’re going to have a lot of it, and I feel like I’m still riding high on that. I’ve just been waiting for this Florida Swing for a while.â€�

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