Wells Fargo comeback not to be for Rory McIlroy

Phil Mickelson and longtime caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay announced Tuesday that they’ll part ways as player-caddie, after a successful 25-year tenure that included 41 PGA TOUR wins and five major titles. RELATED: Bones’ knee surgery | Mickelson player profile  Mickelson and Mackay released statements Tuesday afternoon to various golf media, stressing that the decision to end the player-caddie relationship was a mutual one; both felt it was the ‘right time for a change.’ Mickelson’s brother Tim will serve as caddie for the rest of the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season. “Bones is one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated caddies in the world,â€� Mickelson said in his statement. “He is always prepared and has the ability to make decisions in pressure-packed situations. Bones is without a doubt one of the most thoughtful people that I have ever known. The next player to work with him will obviously be very lucky. “My relationship and history with Bones far exceeds golf. He has been one of the most important and special people in my life since the day we met, and I will always be grateful for everything he has done for me.â€� Mickelson also added lightheartedly that Mackay had not yet used his famous ‘veto’ this season, and that vetoes are non-transferable. “When Phil hired me in 1992, I had one dream: to caddie in a Ryder Cup,â€� Mackay said in his statement. “Last year, at Hazeltine, Phil played in his 11th straight Ryder Cup. It was so cool to have a front row seat. “I wish Phil nothing but the best. His game is still at an elite level, and when he wins in the future (definitely the Masters), I will be among the first to congratulate him.â€�

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MEDINAH, Ill. – At No. 32 in the FedExCup rankings, Jason Kokrak is within shouting distance of his first trip to the TOUR Championship. But he doesn’t want to know the scenarios needed to make it to East Lake. “You know, I thought about doing some number crunching and seeing what I had to finish,� Kokrak said, “but I think playing golf, putting myself in a good position to win a golf tournament, is going to get the job done. “I don’t think I need to worry about where I need to finish in the tournament. I’d rather go out and try to win.� So far so good. Kokrak’s 7-under 65 Thursday at the BMW Championship gave him a share of the lead with 2017 FedExCup champ Justin Thomas. Kokrak has made the Playoffs six previous times, with his best finish in 2016 at 33rd in the standings. Of the players in this week’s field, only Ian Poulter (11 previous appearances) and Vaughn Taylor (eight previous appearances) have more Playoffs appearances than Kokrak without a trip to the TOUR Championship. If he wins, Kokrak is projected to move to third in FedExCup points, which not only would send him to East Lake but put him in terrific shape to chase the FedExCup and its $15 million prize. And if he doesn’t win? According to the scenarios, Kokrak needs a solo 17th or better to climb inside the top 30. Hmm, hopefully Kokrak didn’t read the previous sentence. SABBATINI EYES EAST LAKE RETURN In case this comes up on your next Trivia Night: Name the first player to post top-10 finishes in each event of the FedExCup Playoffs. Raise your hand if you answered Rory Sabbatini. It happened in the inaugural FedExCup year of 2007. Sabbatini had finishes of solo third, T-6th, T-10th and T-9th in the four Playoffs events, leaving him fourth overall in the final standings. Since then, just seven other players have managed top-10 finishes in each Playoffs event in a single year (none, interestingly enough, ever won the FedExCup that season). Of course, it might be a bit easier this year with the Playoffs now reduced to three events. So 2007 remains the high point of Sabbatini’s FedExCup career. In fact, it’s the only time he’s reached the TOUR Championship in the FedExCup era. He’d like to end that drought this week at the BMW Championship. He took a solid first step with a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Thursday at Medinah, leaving him inside the top 10 of the first-round leaderboard. At 45th in the FedExCup standings, Sabbatini likely needs to finish seventh or better at the BMW to climb inside the top 30. “It’s a challenge this week and I know there are some guys that are right on the cusp and they’re going to be stressing,� he said. “I’m kind of in that nice little slot where I can kind of be aggressive and try to make a move and let them stress over it a little bit more than I do. “It’s a good start but I’ve got three days of hard work to do.� Thursday’s round is reflective of the renaissance season Sabbatini is having. He has six top-10s – his most since that 2007 season when he had 10 – and is finally seeing the results of a rebuilt putting style. He’s 61st in Strokes Gained: Putting this season after ranking 98th last year and 169th, 184th, 13th and 148th the four years before that. On Thursday, Sabbatini rolled in his first two birdie attempts from 11 feet and 21-/2 feet and also made two more birdie putts outside 10 feet just before the turn. “It always seemed to be a lacking spot in my game,� he said. “When I’ve putted well, it’s gone well. When I haven’t putted well, I’ve struggled. I’ve definitely made that more consistent, and that’s taken the pressure off the rest of my game.� It also helps that he’s healthier now than the previous three seasons, having been able to solve some crippling back issues. Add it up, and he says this is “probably the first time in many years I’ve actually played to my potential.� He’d like to turn that potential into his first visit to East Lake in a dozen years.

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SILVIS, Ill. — Lucas Glover ended 10 years without a victory Sunday when he birdied five of his last seven holes for a 7-under 64 to win the John Deere Classic by two shots. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Lucas Glover, John Deere Classic Glover won for the fourth time in his career, the most recent in 2011 at Quail Hollow. He was among two dozen players separated by three shots on the rain-softened TPC Deere Run when the former U.S. Open champion went on a tear. It started with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole. He hit his approach into 4 feet and 7 feet on the next two holes, and then flushed a 7-iron to 3 feet on the 15th hole to take the lead. Glover finished his run with a 12-foot birdie on the par-5 17th, and a 6-foot putt to save par from the bunker on the 18th that he figured would come in handy. It never got to that. No one could catch him. Glover kept it simple, with his game and his observations, saying he “ironed” it well and made a bunch of putts. That’s the recipe on a course with smooth greens and soft conditions. “They went in and I kept the pedal down,” Glover said when he finished at 19-under 265. “There’s a lot of birdies out there, a lot of great players coming in.” Kevin Na tried to make a run with three birdies in four holes until he was slowed by a bogey on the 15th and couldn’t make up enough ground. He shot a 68. Ryan Moore also closed with a 68 for a runner-up finish. Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, hit a shank from an awkward stance with the ball above his feet on the first hole. He made bogey and it was a sign of struggles to come. He closed with a 71 and tied for fourth, three shots back. “Took me three holes to readjust from that, and then did a good job from there,” Munoz said. Also finishing three shots behind were Adam Schenk (67), Luke List (68) and Scott Brown (69). Schenk had a one-shot lead with five holes to play as he sought his first PGA TOUR victory. But on the reachable par-4 14th hole, he went well right into a nasty lie in the thick, wet rough. He came up short of the green in more deep grass, chipped some 20 feet long and made bogey. Glover was playing alongside him and made another birdie for a two-shot swing. Glover kept going and Schenk had to settle for pars. The victory at the 50th edition of the John Deere Classic sends Glover back to the Masters, the PGA Championship and allows him to start next year in Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a place he hasn’t been in a decade. “It’s been a long 10 years. There’s been some struggles,” Glover said. “I knew it was in there. I had to clean up my brain a little bit and just hit some shots, just play golf. I never lost sight of believing I could do this and win again. It’s always nice to prove yourself right.” Glover already was in The Open Championship from having reached the TOUR Championship in 2019 (the 2020 Open was canceled by the pandemic). Moore earned the lone spot at Royal St. George’s, though it was unclear if he was going to take it.

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