Schauffele leads at Colonial by 1 after 3rd round

GUYANCOURT, France — In 1999, Ben Crenshaw waggled his finger and left us with one thought: “I have a good feeling about this.� In 2012, Jose Maria Olazabal invoked the spirit of his deceased dear friend Seve Ballesteros while asking, “Why not tomorrow?� On Saturday night at Le Golf National, with his U.S. team needing a similar kind of miracle to retain the Ryder Cup, Jim Furyk made one simple request of his team. “Make some magic.� Unfortunately, the only magic the Americans have produced in the first two days is a few disappearing acts, including the most experienced player in Ryder Cup history (Phil Mickelson, who has played just 14 holes and did not appear in either session Saturday) and Captain America (Patrick Reed, who has yet to find his mojo this week and sat out both Foursomes matches). To be fair, the blame for the 10-6 deficit the U.S. now faces entering Sunday’s 12 Singles matches should not be placed entirely on their shoulders. You could even argue that the first two days has not been so much about the Americans’ shortcoming, but the terrific display of golf being played by the Europeans on a course in which they are more familiar — and perhaps more suited — to succeed. “We’ve been outplayed,� Furyk said. “I don’t think there’s a guy in my team room would argue with me. Right now, they have played better golf, and we have to be able to do just that tomorrow.� It’s improbable but certainly not impossible. The 10-6 deficit is the same that Crenshaw’s U.S. team faced in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, and his team rallied to win 8.5 of the 12 points in Singles. And it’s the same that Olazabal’s European squad faced just six years ago at Medinah before responding with a similar win of 8.5 points. Furyk was there both times — in fact, he played Sergio Garcia on both Sundays, winning in 1999, losing in 2012 — and his memories of those weekends are among the most vivid in his golfing career. On Crenshaw’s declaration that U.S. was destined to win (“I remember every damn word of it�) and on Europe’s dramatic rally (“One of the worst days of my career. I remember it probably even better, to be honest with you�). If nothing else, it’s given him the blueprint for that rally — load up with your top players on Sunday, gain some early momentum, shake up the confidence of the other team, and hope that the final matches actually will have some significance. To that end, he’s leading with Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, THE PLAYERS Championship winner Webb Simpson and Tiger Woods as his first four players starting at 12:05 p.m. local time (6:05 a.m. ET). Thomas, Koepka, and Simpson are among the few Americans who have been on the winning side this week. And while Woods is 0-3-0, he’s still Tiger. They will face off against Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm, respectively, and it’s imperative that the American get started quickly. In 1999, the Americans won the first six matches; in 2012, the Europeans won the first five. A slow start would mean a quick death. “Early wins tomorrow go a long way,� said Jordan Spieth, who is slotted to go out seventh against Ryder Cup rookie Thorbjorn Olesen, who sat out all of Saturday. Of course, the Europeans know this too. Unlike Furyk, Europe’s Captain Thomas Bjorn wasn’t a player at either event, but he was a vice-captain under Olazabal in 2012. And he did play for Europe in 1997 when the Ryder Cup was held in continental Europe for the first time at Valderrama in Spain. The Europeans led by five points entering Sunday but had to sweat out a one-point win when the Americans won seven matches and halved two others. “History will show me and everybody on that team that this is not over,� Bjorn said. “That’s what it’s all about. You go full bore tomorrow. Get out there and do all the right things, and this not over till you’ve got the points on the board.� The Americans showed in 1999 it was possible to overcome a huge deficit. The Europeans showed in 2012 it was possible to do it on enemy territory. But the simple truth is that this outcome is much closer to being over than being a nail-biter. Europe just need 4.5 points to reclaim the Cup, and they have the two hottest players this week in Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. That partnership won all four of their matches, the first time that’s been achieved by a European pair. Bjorn has Fleetwood going out fifth against U.S. Ryder Cup rookie Tony Finau, while Molinari will face Mickelson in the ninth match. Perhaps the biggest advantage for the U.S. on Sunday is that Molinari and Fleetwood will have different tee times. “It’s been absolutely amazing,� Molinari said of his partnership. “It won’t be easy tomorrow to be separated.� The Open champion has been the most spectacular performer this week but he knows not to take anything for granted. “They’re obviously 12 great players,� he said. “It’s not going to be easy. But we’re doing it properly. We’re doing it the right way.� Meanwhile, Furyk hopes to do it the Crenshaw way. In fact, the former Captain is here this week, having played an exhibition match involving other previous Ryder Cup captains a few days ago. Furyk doesn’t have to imitate Crenshaw. He could simply have Crenshaw himself give another passionate declaration about fate. Or as Furyk put it, “If he wants to wave a finger, he’s more than invited.�

Click here to read the full article…

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Ian Poulter was an animated figure as he spent several minutes demonstrating potential drop scenarios with a rules official on the first tee at the Plantation Course on Tuesday night. Bryson DeChambeau was over at the nearby putting green still experimenting with speeds and angles of flagstick in and flagstick out putting. He’d been doing it a for a few days.  Bubba Watson was having fun with it on his Instagram account in the days prior.  Jason Day and Dustin Johnson hadn’t bothered to study the changes at all.  Here was the varied approach to the biggest rule changes in golf in decades as the Sentry Tournament of Champions is about to kick off as the first PGA TOUR event played under the new world order. The changes from the USGA and R&A are many — you can get our comprehensive guide on them here — but it is a select few that have some of the players talking. DeChambeau made his intentions clear during the fall series when he admitted he intends to put with the flagstick still in the hole as the new rules allow.  “It depends on the firmness value of the flag. The C.O.R. or coefficient of restitution of the flagstick,â€� he said on his way to winning the Shriners Hospital for Children Open.  DeChambeau knows his method is going to create some division amongst players, too.  “Inside a certain distance it could become a problem. Most people are going to want the flagstick out and I’m going to want the flagstick in,â€� DeChambeau said. “There are going to be weird instances where I want it in because I know it is a benefit. If it’s a 20 to 30-footer I’ll just put it in and it might add a little time taking it in and out. “So I don’t know how I am going to deal with that yet (with playing partners) … it is certainly going to be interesting.â€� His first playing partner will be defending champion Dustin Johnson. The pair will go off in the final group in the opening round on Thursday.  “It’s going to be weird because the flag’s going to be going in and out a lot,â€� Johnson said, smiling. “But it’s all right. I mean it’s not bad.â€� He even said he could envisage a few scenarios he might leave it in himself. “If you got a real long putt or something I might leave it instead of having the caddie stand there and tend it,â€� Johnson said. “Or if you know it’s sometimes if you hit one up there, it’s always awkward trying to take the flag out. You can just tap it in.â€� Johnson admitted to not spending much thought on the changes, saying a poster in the locker room was his first real peek into it all. His brother and caddie, Austin, hadn’t yet immersed himself in it either.  “I had one of the TOUR officials do a printout that I’m going to give to him to study later on today,â€� Johnson said.  In the group ahead of them on Thursday is 2017 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas.  “If I have an eight-footer to win a golf tournament … I mean no offense, I can’t really take myself seriously if I kept the pin in,â€� Thomas said.  DeChambeau wasn’t perturbed by that, later joking that he’d be very comfortable leaving it in in the same scenario and would take another trophy to go with his now five PGA TOUR wins very seriously.  “All I try to do is use every aspect of the game of golf to my advantage,â€� DeChambeau said in November. “I try to use the rules to my advantage in the most positive way possible. Not trying to skirt around anything, just use them.â€� Golf has always been a sport of integrity where players call infringements on themselves. While plenty of grey areas have been removed with the changes, others have popped up.  We now no longer have to worry about balls moving on greens, a lost ball being stepped on, balls being accidentally double hit, balls accidentally hitting a player or caddie or equipment, accidentally brushing a grain of sand in a bunker, or knocking off a leaf in a penalty area, among other changes.  Many of the changes bring the word accidental into play — and that can cause debate.  “There is just a lot of grey area that is starting to occur and questions are coming up where we didn’t think about that so it is going to come down to integrity,â€� DeChambeau said. “We are playing for millions of dollars … what do you think could happen?â€� The changes to green reading books sparked the most debate in a player meeting in Kapalua.  Limitations on the books have been placed with any putting green image that is used during the round limited to a scale of 3/8 inch to 5 yards. A yardage or greens book must also meet a size limit of 7 inches x 4.25 inches. Any hand-drawn or written information by the player or the caddie is allowed, but only if contained in a book or paper meeting this size limit (other than a hole placement sheet).  Questions came a plenty. Can a caddie or player trace their old books and then cut them into a four by seven square that fits in a book? The other debate came around the new drop rules where you drop from knee height. Now if the ball bounces from the drop into your body accidentally then there is no penalty. The interpretation around intent here has some players waiting to see how it plays out.  Rory McIlroy said it had provided some comedic fodder for players, especially at shorter players expense.  “Guys are practicing drops from your knees,â€� Mcilroy said. “We’re saying that Brian Harman has got a big advantage, he can basically place it. Where you got someone like Tony Finau who is dropping it probably from like waist high for me.â€� One thing is certain: There will be an adjustment period, and everyone should try to remain as patient as possible. “Everybody’s going to be calling a rules official in as much possible,â€� Thomas said. “So unfortunately play is probably not going to be too fast. But it’s tough, with anything, with change it’s always going to be different. “I’ve tried to study up … You would hate to get penalized just for making a mistake for something you’ve done your whole life, so it will be different.â€� Despite all the debate and talk amongst the playing throng, McIlroy said there was still an overbearing feeling of change will be for the best.  “I’ve always said that the rules of golf are way too complicated, especially after the debacles and farces we have had at U.S. Opens and all sorts of stuff over the last few years,â€� McIlroy said. “So I’m happy that they made the decision to try and simplify them and just try to make everything a little bit easier to understand.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

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).

Click here to read the full article…