You’ve never heard of this U.S. Open co-leader

PGA TOUR Statement on Jhonattan Vegas PGA TOUR member Jhonattan Vegas has withdrawn from the Sony Open in Hawaii after testing positive for COVID-19. Vegas, who was set to make his first start since the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN in December, will have the PGA TOUR's full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines. First alternate Seamus Power will replace Vegas in the field.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Webb Simpson doesn’t switch into new equipment just for the sake of upgrading to the latest technology. When the former PLAYERS champ finds clubs that he likes, he sticks with them, and his process for putting new equipment in the bag is deliberate. “I’m always a little behind,” Simpson told GolfWRX with a smile on Wednesday. Simpson still employs a Titleist TS2 3-wood that was released in 2018. He uses a Titleist 913F.d 18-degree wood and a 913H.d 20-degree hybrid that were both released in 2013. His 915 H.d 23.5-degree hybrid came out a year later. This week marked the end of the road for Simpson and his four-year-old Titleist TS3 driver, however. While many of his peers upgraded into the new Titleist TSi2 and TSi3 products when they were released in October 2020, Simpson stuck with his TS3 driver. As time went on, however, Simpson said he noticed how many fellow competitors were upgrading to the new TSi drivers, and that they were offering more speed. “(The TSi3 driver release) came at a time when I was driving it well,” Simpson told GolfWRX on Wednesday. “I didn’t really want to fiddle with it. Then I got to a point where I saw how many guys were using it and I knew it was faster.” Titleist’s new TSi drivers have a new ATI 425 face material that’s designed to increase ball speed, and Simpson said he gained 2-3 mph of ball speed with the new TSi3 compared to his old gamer. The speed increases were great for Simpson, but he needed to dial in the spin rates before he could make the switch. “It just took time for me to get the spin right because the new driver spins less for me,” Simpson said. “I like to hit lower tee balls, and the lower ones I wasn’t getting enough spin, but we finally got the combination right.” Ahead of the season-opening Fortinet Championship in September, Simpson worked with Titleist tour fitter J.J. Van Wezenbeeck to dial in his SureFit hosel settings and driver shaft to optimize his spin and ball flight. The duo settled on a TSi3 10-degree head with an A1 hosel setting (which is +0.75 degrees compared to standard) and a new Project X HZRDUS RDX Smoke 60 TX shaft. While Simpson played the first two rounds of the Fortinet Championship using his old TS3 driver, he switched into the new TSi3 for the weekend rounds in Napa. For his next five events, though, Simpson switched back into his old TS3 driver. He wasn’t comfortable enough to make the permanent switch. Because of a neck injury, THE PLAYERS is Simpinson’s first start since the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. He was still using the old TS3 driver in Waialae. In the months between the Sony Open and THE PLAYERS, though, Simpson has had plenty of time for product testing and getting comfortable with the new TSi3 driver setup. This week, he’s officially made the switch. Simpson has only one driver with him at TPC Sawgrass, and it’s the new Titleist TSi3. Simpson told GolfWRX he worked extensively with the TSi3 driver at home, was consistently seeing higher ball speeds, and he’s committed to the upgrade. Maybe this time the change will stick.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Russell Henley keeps giving himself chances on the PGA TOUR, but eventually, he’d like to convert. Henley, a three-time winner on TOUR, has a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. It’s his fourth 54-hole lead since 2020, including the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this calendar year, none of which have resulted in trophies. His six-shot cushion, however, is the largest on TOUR (outside of the TOUR Championship) since Jon Rahm at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday two years ago. Rahm was forced to withdraw after the third round. Henley, after a 6-under 65 on Saturday, will try to separate himself from the task at hand. Again, to try and win on TOUR. The last time Henley won was in 2017 at the Cadence Bank Houston Open. “I mean, I’m just going to try to get my mind off of golf a little right now and get some dinner and watch a little football, maybe watch the World Series and just kind of go into tomorrow, new day and just do the best I can,” said Henley, whose alma mater, the Georgia Bulldogs, beat the University of Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. Henley has yet to make a bogey through 54 holes. However, his results at El Camaleón Golf Course in his career haven’t been the harbinger of a nice week. His best result in four previous tries was a tie for 29th in 2018. He missed the cut in 2019 after calling a penalty on himself, which cost him eight strokes. “That was a weird one,” said Henley with a smile. “But I do feel good about this place. I feel like I can play well here, but it is difficult.” Henley said he’s felt better off the tee this week, keeping the ball in play. He was 4 under through nine holes on Saturday, including making a birdie on the par-4 first. He added two more birdies on the back nine, including one from long-distance on the par-3 15th. He’ll be in the final group Sunday alongside Will Gordon, a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, while Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power will make up the penultimate pairing. Power will be going for back-to-back wins after putting himself into contention with a third-round 63. The Irishman man an ace on the par-3 eighth, an eagle just three holes later on the par-4 11th, and then a hole-out birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-4 14th. Henley admitted that this golf course is the kind of place where a lot of birdies could be made (Sunday was the third-straight day where a round of 8-under-63 or better was shot) so he’s not taking his lead for granted. Still, it’s a place he’s happy to be. Now it’s time to get the job done. “Out here you’ve got to keep attacking. Everybody’s so good and everybody can go low, so it’s a tough game out here,” said Henley. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a lead like this. It’s definitely tough to finish golf tournaments, so I’m just really trying not to think about the score and just think about each shot.”

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