Hideki Matsuyama WDs from THE PLAYERS Championship

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Earlier this month at Pebble Beach, it was a final-round hailstorm. A week later at Riviera, it was torrential rain and unseasonably cool SoCal temperatures. On Wednesday, after finishing his pro-am round at PGA National, Adam Scott was basking in a warm climate and a gentle, compassionate breeze. The four-week Florida Swing starts this week with The Honda Classic. For Scott and his fellow pros, that primarily means two things: 1) No poa annua greens. 2) Hot weather. “I think we have a good stint on the West Coast, but by the end, guys are ready to move East,� Scott said, who played well at Riviera but did not make the cut at Pebble Beach – and thus managed to avoid the Sunday hail. “The weather can be a bit temperamental over there and so can the greens at times. … “I think the guys are ready to get here and sweat a bit.� Thanks to the return of THE PLAYERS Championship to March, the PGA TOUR schedule once again has four consecutive weeks in Florida. The last time that happened was in 2016, when the first World Golf Championships event of the calendar year was held at Trump National Doral prior to its move to the Mexico Championship the last two years. Of course, the last time THE PLAYERS was part of the true Florida swing was in 2006, prior to the tournament moving to May. Returning the TOUR’s signature event to March was the right decision, according to Florida native Billy Horschel. “It’s nice to have THE PLAYERS back in March,� Horschel said. “I think it’s where it should be. I understand why they moved it to May and it did its job. … Now that we had that, let’s move it back to March where the course was intended to play. I think it’s going to be a great benefit to the tournament and to everyone involved.� Although weather can still be an issue at times – “It’s Florida. There’s a 70 percent chance of rain every day,� said local resident and defending Honda champ Justin Thomas – the generally warm, humid conditions are a nice change of pace. There’s a reason why the TOUR recently announced its revised policy to allow players to wear shorts during practice and pro-am rounds. “To me, the poa annua, the grass, is not the issue,� said Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas. “To me, the weather is more of the issue with some of those really cool mornings we had in L.A. and Torrey and Phoenix too. I grew up in warmer weather, so to me, just feeling this weather and this breeze makes it great.� For many other players, though, poa annua is either a) an acquired taste or b) a necessary evil if you didn’t grow up putting on the surface. Thanks to constant growth throughout the day, poa annua greens can become bumpy and inconsistent in the afternoon. Yes, everybody is putting on the same surface, but that doesn’t mean everybody likes it. Florida’s Bermudagrass greens generally offers more consistency. “The grass is a big deal,� said Kansas native Gary Woodland, whose first TOUR victory in 2011 came in Florida at the now-Valspar Championship. “… I grew up on bentgrass, so poa annua is the farthest thing away from what I grew up on. So I like getting to Florida. Nice Bermuda.� “It’s nice being off poa annua, that’s for sure,� said Thomas, who has one win and three other top-10s in 13 career TOUR starts in Florida. “You never know what the ball is going to do on those kinds of greens.� Brooks Koepka, the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, was born in Florida and played collegiately at Florida State. Of his 108 career TOUR starts, just seven have come during the West Coast swing. In fact, after playing the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, he skipped the West Coast entirely this season before resuming play last week in Mexico City. Although his TOUR track record on Florida courses isn’t overly impressive – 14 starts, zero top 10s, four missed cuts, his best finish a T11 at last year’s PLAYERS – he’s glad to be home. “I enjoy it here. I enjoy it in Florida,� Koepka said. “It’s a lot more comfortable on the greens. … The greens are a bit interesting in Hawaii. I struggle on poa – especially fast, slopey poa like last week. I don’t play my best but it’ll be nice to get on some Bermuda and really roll the rock.� Horschel, like Koepka, is a Florida native who stayed in-state to play at the University of Florida. Also like Koepka, he hasn’t won a TOUR event in Florida, although three of his five career wins have been on Bermudagrass. “Obviously that’s something I like a lot,� he said. “Poa annua is poa annua – you’re going to hit a lot of good putts and have some weird bounces and not go in. It’s nice to come back on greens that just stay smooth for the consistency of a round of golf.� Since 1983, Tiger Woods – who will start his Florida swing at next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – has the most TOUR wins in Florida with 16 (out of 61 starts, which converts to a winning percentage of 26.23 percent). He also leads with 25 top-5 finishes, and his 32 top-10s ties Davis Love III for most in Florida during that stretch. Of course, that’s Tiger – his game translates to any course. Other than Tiger, just 16 other players since 1983 have won three or more times in Florida. Among that group is Scott, whose last two TOUR wins have been in the state, including The Honda Classic in 2016. “Look, I like playing here, there’s no doubt,� said Scott, who in 2004 posted his second career TOUR win at THE PLAYERS. “Riviera is my favorite track on TOUR, but I like playing this event too. I like playing all the events in Florida. I like the spring generally.� Scott, Steve Elkington (three Florida wins) and Greg Norman (four Florida wins) have a combined 11 wins in the state. Asked if the Aussies had perhaps figured out the secret to winning in the Sunshine State, Scott mulled over the question for a few seconds before responding. “What can you say? Greg was the best player in the world; he’s going to win anywhere,� Scott said. “Elkington’s a ball-striker; maybe some of the tracks here are ball-striker golf courses. You look at THE PLAYERS, he’s won it twice. That’s ball-striking. And that kind of fits my game too, of being a ball-striker. “Maybe it’s coincidence, but if you get enough great players together, they’re going to win all over the place.� For now, the place to be in the next four weeks is Florida. Time to work up a sweat.

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Lingmerth shoots 65 again, keeps Quicken lead

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — PGATOUR.COM’s staff will dive into the big issues each evening after play concludes at Shinnecock Hills. Dustin Johnson has built a four-shot lead at the halfway point, but there’s still a lot of golf remaining on a difficult track. Here are our predictions for the weekend. There is only one man under par. Is the U.S. Open over?  Cameron Morfit, Staff Writer: Absolutely not, especially in light of what happened at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 2010 PGA Championship, and the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions last fall. That last one was probably the most shocking, mathematically, given that DJ had a six-shot lead over his nearest pursuer but shot 77 to lose. And it’s easier to have a meltdown at Shinnecock than any of those places. Just look at Ian Poulter’s triple-bogey, bogey finish Friday. Ben Everill, Staff Writer: Not yet, but it is close. Dustin Johnson has given up leads before but he just looks like he is in that mood where he is going to blitz them. If he shoots 1 under over the next two rounds I don’t think anyone can catch him. Sean Martin, Senior Editor: Hardly. As Brooks Koepka said, “This is the U.S. Open. There’s disaster lurking around every corner.â€� I feel like every time the media prematurely hands a player a trophy, the golf gods yank it out of his hands. Dustin Johnson is definitely the favorite but there is still a lot of golf to be played. History does favor Johnson, though. This is the seventh time someone has led by four or more shots after 36 holes. Only Tom McNamara in 1909 failed to convert such a large lead into victory. Jonathan Wall, Equipment Insider: I think so. DJ isn’t anywhere close to the player he was in 2010 when he collapsed over the weekend at the U.S. Open. He won’t run away and hide, but he’s not giving up this lead the way he’s playing at the moment. Four shots feels like eight the way Shinnecock is playing. There’s no rain in the weekend forecast and the winds are supposed to be relatively calm. What do you think will be the winning score? Morfit: Having seen Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka each put a 66 on the board today, I’d say the winner will have to get to 4 under, which means DJ merely has to tread water. Easy, right? Everill: I think 5 under is enough to win outright. If they set it up super hard then as low as 1 under could still win. Martin: Johnson holds the answer in his oversized palms, but I think 5 under is a safe bet. Shinnecock Hills drains easily so, even with two days of rain, Shinnecock Hills can still play firm and fast this weekend. And that is a scary proposition for the field because of the steep slopes of closely-mown grass that surround these poa annua putting surfaces. Wall: My guess is 5 under. I think DJ posts another red number tomorrow and strolls to victory.  How far down the leaderboard can you realistically look for a potential champion? Morfit: I would say anyone at 4 over is still within shouting distance, but obviously in need of a terrific weekend. Alex Noren is on that number and has the chops to make a big move like that. Everill: I don’t think you can go past the guys at 3 over. That’s already giving the world’s best player a seven-shot head start. If those guys can manage a 5-under weekend and get some help from Johnson, they have a slim chance. Martin: The 10-shot rule is no longer used in determining the cut, but I’m going to apply it here. Players at 6 over par should have the benefit of playing in good scoring conditions Saturday morning. We saw a couple 66s on Friday. If someone at 6 over can shoot 65 on Saturday, they’ll likely start Sunday in contention. Wall: I think anyone at 3 over has a chance, but someone is going to need to throw out a 65 or 66 to have a realistic shot on Sunday.  Who do you expect will make the biggest move into contention on Moving Day? Morfit: I like the fire that Rickie Fowler is showing right now. He’s been asked a lot this week about not having won a major, and he hasn’t shied away from saying he’s got the game to get it done. He’s showing as much so far and is right there without shouting distance. He’ll start Saturday in ninth place, six shots behind Johnson. Everill: Defending champion Brooks Koepka. A very nice 66 today continues his form of late. Since his return from injury he has gone low multiple times and having already won the event the nerves shouldn’t be a factor. Plus he loves DJ, and loves beating him more. Martin: My heart says Phil Mickelson. And I can talk my head into agreeing. He is 6 over par but hitting the ball really well. He’s missed just two fairways this week and hit 15 of 18 greens Friday. He knows how to play Shinnecock Hills. I could see him taking advantage of some good scoring conditions early Saturday. Wall: I love Rickie Fowler’s position. He looked under control today and has a realistic chance to take down DJ if he posts 66 or 67 on Saturday. Sooner or later he’s going to shed the major-less title. This feels like another great opportunity.  Halfway through the U.S. Open, how do you feel about Shinnecock Hills’ performance? Morfit: The golden sunlight that fell over the course Friday afternoon was absolutely stunning, and with the wind down I really think it was Shinnecock at its best. I’m glad some of the ones who were caught in the strongest winds Thursday morning got to play in those absolutely primo conditions Friday night. Everill: It is a gorgeous part of the world and a wonderful golf course. I feel nostalgic for the sand belt courses of Melbourne with every step. I think it has proven itself a worthy part of the championship rotation. Martin: We saw completely contrasting conditions over the first two days at Shinnecock Hills and it was a challenge in both of them. It isn’t hard to find an unhappy player at a U.S. Open, but even Ian Poulter, who admitted that he hated this tournament for 14 years, said that he was pleased with the course setup. Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka showed us that good scores are out there but Shinnecock Hills is a bear even in the best conditions. Wall: Tough but fair. This is exactly what the USGA was hoping for at the beginning of the week. Even without the wind over the weekend, players are still going to get all they can handle. In my opinion, Shinnecock helped the U.S. Open reclaim its identity as the toughest test in golf.

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