Louis Oosthuizen withdraws from The RSM Classic with back injury

Bryson DeChambeau won the Memorial in a three-way playoff on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title.

Click here to read the full article…

Emergency 9 Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the Valero Texas Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. The AT&T Oaks Course in San Antonio has been the host since 2010 and plays 7,435 yards to a Par-72. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The consensus is that the late-early draw should have a slight advantage. If that’s the case, the pros in BOLD above will deal with better conditions. The breeze started early on Thursday and by lunch time the scoring average was approaching almost two shots over par. Only Brendan Steele from the earlier starters was in red figures as he posted 70. Chappell and List signed for even-par 72. The scoring average for the day finished 73.532. No Gray Area Grayson Murray posted the lowest round of the day in the morning wave with 67. He circled seven birdies and the only blemish on his card was a double on No. 7. Murray announced himself to gamers last summer when he won the Barbasol Championship and was only four shots out of the lead at the PGA Championship after three rounds. Before MC last week on Hilton Head (74-70) he chalked up T14 at Bay Hill and T14 at the Golf Club of Houston in his previous two starts. He led the field in SG: Tee to Green and T16 in putts per GIR. Not bad for his first trip! People’s Choice: Luke List One of three noted above who might not be on the better side of the draw, List didn’t lose the tournament in the first round. His even-par round opened with 35 on the back and 37 on the front to close. He hit 10 of 14 fairways but only nine GIR. He’s only five back as he looks to keep his streak of T26 or better in stroke play rolling to nine consecutive events. Defending Champ Kevin Chappell also ground out an even-par round in the morning wave after making a double on his second hole (No. 11). He made four birdies against only two bogeys the rest of the way. Chappell WD at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play with a back issue. He’s played the last two weeks and MC in both. Defending for the first time is never easy and neither is this track. His streak of red figure rounds ends at eight. He’ll remain on my bench tomorrow as I’ll load up with early wave guys. Atkins Diet Big shout out to the three of you who played Matt Atkins in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO this week! In 10 events this year the rookie collected checks twice (T65 and T22). He won the El Bosque Mexico Championship last year on the Web.com to help him gain status on TOUR for this season. On a course he’s never played he scratched out five birdies against one bogey and will hit the pillow with a smile on his face. Familiar Faces The landlord at the AT&T Oaks Course is Charley Hoffman. His round of 72 keeps his career record at 41-under-par in nine events. It’s weird to point out that this was his fifth round in a row in the 70’s and fourth in a row of par or worse. … Billy Horschel and Ryan Moore both signed afternoon rounds of bogey-free 68. These were the only two clean cards on the day and they both share T2. Both of them were also in the mix last week at Harbour Town as Horschel was T5 and Moore T16. Native Son Boerne resident and 2015 champ Jimmy Walker burst out of the gate and was tied for the lead on three-under thru his first eight holes on the back nine. Then he found a cactus which led to an unplayable. His drop rolled against a rock. The recovery shot found the creek. His 17-footer saved double. He played the front in even par with one birdie and one bogey and signed for 71 on the day. I see one bad hole. It’s Been a Long Time Sergio Garcia (74) was the player consultant on the AT&T Oaks Course design with Greg Norman. He played the inaugural year in 2010 before returning this season. He struggled in just about every facet of his game and 48 percent of you have to decide to roll him out in Round 2 or sit him. The good news he’ll be on the better part of the draw. The bad news is he’ll need to fix everything on the range. I’m passing. Study Hall Chris Stroud WD after posting 79. He’ll need to be replaced if he’s in your PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO lineup. No reason was given at the time of the WD. … Camilo Villegas was a late WD for the second event in a row as he deals with a shoulder issue. … The Valero Texas Open will move to the week before the Masters starting next year. … Monday Qualifying medalist Joshua Creel shot 69 and is T7. He hasn’t had a start on ANY TOUR since August of last year.

Click here to read the full article…

Golf is an unpredictable game. The eight years between Harris English’s victory at TPC Southwind and his return for this week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational are proof. English earned his first PGA TOUR title at TPC Southwind. When he won again months later, big things were expected from the lanky Georgian. He was considered one of the United States’ next stars. He and Rory McIlroy were the only players under the age of 25 with multiple TOUR wins. English had to wait seven years for his next win, however. He fell outside the top 300 in the world ranking and to a career-worst 149th in the FedExCup in 2019. Despite having just conditional status on TOUR, his career quickly turned around. He had four finishes of sixth or better in the fall of 2019 and qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time in five years, finishing a career-best 12th in the FedExCup. In January, he ended his victory drought at the Sentry Tournament of Champions – because of COVID-19, the previous year’s TOUR Championship qualifiers gained entry into the field – and added another win at the Travelers Championship. English has finished fourth or better in the past two U.S. Opens, as well. He arrives at TPC Southwind ranked fifth in the FedExCup and a career-best 10th in the world. How did English turn his career around? By returning to the swing that helped him have so much success earlier in his career. English started working with swing coach Justin Parsons in the spring of 2019. “He just kind of brought me back from getting lost in this whirlwind of different swings and different mechanics and swing positions,” English said. “He simplified it so much that I can know what I’m doing. (Golf) is actually a game now. I’m not worried about how my swing looks.” Below, Parsons explains how English unlocked his old swing and returned to the game’s elite: BACK TO BASICS It’s difficult to hit your target if you’re not aimed at it. Parsons described English’s alignment as “erratic” in their first session together. “I asked Harris to hit an 8-iron to five or six different targets and it was clear that he did not aim at the changing targets in the same way,” Parsons said. “As we discussed his desire to be a more consistent ball-striker, we agreed that without the process and execution of good alignment being in place, the golf swing was never going to be consistent.” Like many pros, English used alignment rods on the ground to aid during his practice sessions. Having a visual reference point made him more aware of his alignment tendencies. He also instituted a pre-shot routine to make sure he was approaching the ball the same way each time. To achieve a more consistent address position, he would set up to the ball while holding the club in only his right hand. REVIEWING THE TAPE Looking back at video from English’s best days helped Parsons determine what changes should be made. “Harris had been a very successful player at every level and I was fortunate to have access to video and information from what feels and visuals worked in the past,” Parsons said. The beginning of his backswing was a move that had always been important to English. Unfortunately, that portion of his swing had changed over the years. English, who stands 6-foot-3, has always had a wide swing. His tendency, however, was to keep the clubhead too low for too long in the takeaway. This resulted in his club and hands swinging too far to the inside. “We wanted to see the clubhead remaining in front of his hands when the shaft was parallel to the ground,” Parsons said. This position helped English return to the left-to-right fade shot that he prefers to see with his irons. Putting pressure into the grip with his right thumb at the start of his swing helped him achieve the proper takeaway. He also used drills to ingrain the change. Sticking an alignment rod into the ground at a 45-degree angle prevents English from taking the club too far inside. The club will strike the stick if English takes it too far inside. One-handed swings, which English did before every shot in his Travelers win, also achieve this goal. When swinging with just the left hand, the weight of the club helps it travel down the correct path. “This has given him consistency and a shot pattern that increases his confidence,” Parsons said. TRANSITION An improper takeaway had ramifications throughout English’s swing. But as it improved, his backswing became a bit shorter as he moved the club back with his turn instead of his arm swing. His upper body leaned less to the left at the top of his swing, as well. This allowed him to better maintain the width of his swing in the downswing. That helped him with distance control, especially on in-between shots with longer clubs. When English was leaned too far to the left at the top of his backswing, he would either hit a low pull shot or compensate at the last-minute and hit a high, weak shot to the right. The proper backswing also helped English have the desired timing and tempo in his transition to his downswing. That proper timing extended into other parts of his game, increasing his confidence and even changing how he carried himself between shots. “One of the areas I admire most about Harris’ swing is his rhythm,” Parsons said. “When he completes his backswing correctly, the change in direction has an authentic, athletic flow to it. “As his confidence returned, his rhythm improved, and it helped him walk in good rhythm, walk into the ball in a poised and purposeful way and swing in great tempo. Zeroing in on the start of his backswing had impacts throughout his game.” And helped him return to the winner’s circle.

Click here to read the full article…