Justin Rose withdraws from Arnold Palmer Invitational with back spasms

Based on the results for Jordan Spieth this season – he’s yet to produce a top-20 finish in 13 starts – it’s doubtful many people expect him to complete the career Grand Slam this week at the PGA Championship. Even Spieth recognizes he’ll be “flying in under the radarâ€� at Bethpage Black.  “But I don’t mind that,â€� he said. Spieth’s last career victory was the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. That gave him the third leg of the career Slam, leaving him only the PGA to become the sixth player to join that exclusive club. A month later at Quail Hollow, he finished T-28 as longtime friend Justin Thomas won his first major. At last year’s PGA Championship at Bellerive, he finished T-12 behind Brooks Koepka. Koepka now has as many major victories (3) as Spieth and will be one of the favorites this week as he seeks another successful defense of a major, having backed up his 2017 U.S. Open win with a second straight U.S. Open title last season. Spieth will not be one of the favorites. But even though he was not competitive at his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson, finishing T-29 at a Trinity Forest course in which he’s a member, he will take some positives from a week in which he shot three rounds in the 60s for the first time this season. “I don’t take the disappointment. I take more confidence than disappointment,â€� Spieth said. “The actual result doesn’t show really how well I played. We kind of had a tough draw the first two days and then still be — what was it 11 under for the week? — is solid playing on any golf course.â€� Spieth has struggled with his driver this season – he ranks 202nd out of 214 players in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee – but felt he made some progress on Trinity Forest’s generously wide fairways. He blamed some of his poor holes, including his two double bogeys, on mental errors. The only time he’s played competitively at Bethpage Black was in 2016 at the tournament now known as THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first leg of the FedExCup Playoffs. Spieth finished T-10 that week to Patrick Reed. How much of an indicator that might be in predicting how Spieth will play this week is difficult to assess. Obviously, his game is in a different form. Plus, that tournament was held in late August. “Probably different conditioned golf course than what we’ll see this time especially with the rain they’re getting,â€� Spieth said. “Probably just be a little bit longer. It’s a great track. I real like playing it. It’s a fun course to play and you really have to be on.â€� The PGA Championship’s move to May does give Spieth a chance to complete the career Slam before Phil Mickelson gets his next opportunity at the U.S. Open. Mickelson, Spieth and Rory McIlroy (no Masters win) are the only three active players having completed three legs of the Slam. Mickelson will go into next month’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach have already won at that course earlier this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “It would be pretty cool bragging rights to try to complete the Slam before Phil,â€� Spieth said. “Not many people get bragging rights on Phil Mickelson. It would be pretty awesome to do.â€� And if Spieth does do it? Well, he’ll no longer be flying under the radar.

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“The Clambake” returns to its full glory in 2022 as it welcomes back amateur players and Monterrey Peninsula Country Club to the three course rotation. RELATED: Five Things to Know: Pebble Beach Golf Links | The First Look Pebble Beach serves as the host course as it has every year since 1947. Last year was the first since 2009 that Monterrey Peninsula Country Club was NOT included in competition. A field of 156 will be cut to the top 60 and ties after 54 holes. All will play each course once and the top 25 Pro-Am teams qualify for the final round at Pebble Beach. Because of the Pro-Am, the setup won’t have slick greens, deep rough or demanding pin positions a la the US Open’s held at Pebble. The last 10 winners have ranked in the Top 10 GIR and the last seven winners have ranked T2 or better in Par-4 Scoring. On the greens, five of the last six winners have ranked in the Top 5 in Birdie or Better Percentage. Official Scorecard Yardages – 2022: Pebble Beach – 6,972 yards, Par 72 Spyglass Hill – 7,041 yards, Par 72 Monterrey Peninsula Country Club – 6,957 yards, Par 71 Let’s find some horses for courses! Horses for Courses Odds sourced on Tuesday, February 1 at 3 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. Recent Event Winner Stats *Stats for Strokes-Gained are from Pebble Beach ONLY* Extra Credit (players entered this week only) 2021 Winner Daniel Berger played Pebble Beach 13-under and had FOUR eagles for the week; career event scoring average 68.33. … Local Maverick McNealy (2nd) T7 Fairways, T3 GIR. … Patrick Cantlay (T3) tied Pebble course record (62) in Round 1 and is trending here with T3-T11-T35-T48 in last four visits. … Jordan Spieth (T3) led after 36 and 54 holes. … Nate Lashley (T5) played Pebble 14-under. … Jason Day (T7) joined McNealy as only two players to post all four rounds in the 60s and has now cashed 8 of 9 T11 or BETTER. … Charley Hoffman (T7) T7 GIR. … Russell Knox (T7) co-led the field GIR and has cashed T28 or better in his five paydays. … Cameron Tringale (T7) has cashed in seven of his last eight with 2021 being the best. … Kevin Streelman (T13) picked up his sixth straight T17 or better. 2020 Nick Taylor became second player to go wire-to-wire this century. … Kevin Streelman (2nd) was only player with all four rounds in the 60s. … Jason Day (4th) was T3 GIR. … Daniel Berger (T5) was 3rd in Fairways. … Thru 2021, Matt Jones (T5) has cashed eight of his last nine. … Maverick McNealy (T5) posted only BOGEY FREE round in Round 4 (68). … Charl Schwartzel (T5) hit top five on debut. … Lanto Griffin (T9) opened BOGEY FREE (67) on Spyglass Hill. … Only four rounds in the 60s on Sunday led by Jordan Spieth (T9) and his 67. … Matthew NeSmith (T11) followed up with T26 last year in his first two appearances. 2019 Scott Stallings (3rd) cashed T7 in 2018 and T14 in 2017, his best three. … Jason Day (T4) only seven bogeys. … Si Woo Kim (T4) swished 31 of 35 putts inside 10 feet on PB. … Brian Gay (T7) T8 Fairways, T2 GIR and thru 2021 has cashed in eight straight. … Kevin Streelman (T7) posted 65, co-low round of Sunday. … Lucas Glover (T7) led field in Proximity. … Scott Piercy (T10) is on run of five straight thru 2021 with 2019 being his best. … Michael Thompson (T10) closed with a bogey free 66. Notes: • Pebble Beach has the smallest greens on TOUR. • Only 4 international winners, ever, including ZERO Europeans. • Dustin Johnson is the last player to defend (2009-2010). • The last first-time winner on TOUR was DA Points (2011). • Former winners Jimmy Walker, Ted Potter, Jr., and Brandt Snedeker have all MC in their last three visits. • Snedeker holds the tournament record at 22-under (2015). • Chez Reavie was T2 2018 and T3 at the 2019 US Open here. • Troy Merritt has cashed three straight events for T8-T25-T16. • Cal alum Brandon Harkins has T16 and T28 in two visits and won The Great Abaco Classic last week on the KFT. • Justin Rose cashed T6 and T39 in two visits pre 2018 but was T3 US Open in 2019. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. –  Even when the Internationals won a hole on Saturday, it seemed to backfire on them. A ruling on the 325-yard par-4 12th disqualified Jordan Spieth from the hole, but that only served to fuel his rally with partner Patrick Reed, as they won the final three holes of their afternoon Four-ball match to claim a 2 and 1 win over Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen at the Presidents Cup. The match was all square going into the drivable 12th. The Americans had already conceded a birdie to Day when Oosthuizen attempted a chip for eagle from behind the green. The ball rolled well past the hole, then Spieth scooped up the ball while it was still in motion with the back of his putter. “The crowd was all cheering for it to continue to go down the slope,â€� Spieth said in explaining his actions. “I thought that was a little excessive, so I just tried to pick it up so we could just then … be quiet and we could go on with the rest of the hole.â€� The ball had not yet come to rest, and European rules official Andy McPhee had no choice but to disqualify Spieth from the hole. That prevented Spieth from attempting a 12-foot birdie putt that could’ve halved the hole. Instead, the Internationals won the hole to go 1 up. A discussion took place on the 12th green after the ruling, with Spieth explaining his actions to McPhee. U.S. Captain’s Assistant Tiger Woods also spoke with McPhee. “It’s a bad rule. We all agree,â€� Spieth said. “The Internationals wanted to concede the 13th hole. They felt so bad, even though I was a good 12-, 15-feet away from the hole. They handled it so well. Obviously we were trying to do the right thing; a rule’s a rule.â€� The International duo each said they did not want to win the hole that way. “I had no idea that there was a rule like that,â€� Oosthuizen said. “Unfortunately, you know, he’s there — a rules breach — we didn’t want to halve it. We wanted Jordan to putt and we offered the 13th hole to them, to walk to 14, and Jordan said, no, that’s the rule, and that’s how it is and don’t worry about it. “You know, that is the rule but again, silly rule. Added Day: “This is what’s wrong with rules sometimes in golf. He’s just doing the courtesy thing. I understand that Andy is trying to do his job and we’ve got to live by the rules out here in golf but it’s just unfortunate. “We wanted him to putt. No one wants to win a hole like that. It’s kind of a stupid rule. That’s why I think golf rules should be simplified a lot more.â€� NBC rules analyst Stephen Cox said that if McPhee hadn’t been assigned to the match, “I think you probably would have seen a situation where nothing would have happened. But as he has been assigned by the committee to accompany that match, if he spots a breach of the rules, unfortunately – as innocuous as it may seem and not necessarily in the spirit of the game – unfortunately he has got an obligation to act upon that. And unfortunately that’s the way it’s played out.â€� It only served to rile up the Americans. Spieth squared the match three holes later with a birdie at the 15th, then Reed and Spieth posted back-to-back birdies to win the next two holes and close out the match. “Yeah, I was fired up,â€� Spieth said. “I hit my next putt on the next hole about 8 feet by, really trying to throw it down the throat. Fortunately we both were able to come through and ham-and-egg it nicely coming in and make a comeback.â€� The comeback win moved the Spieth/Reed partnership to 3-0-1 this week.

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