From Phil to Rory and everything in between, here is what is going on in the first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club.
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CROMWELL, Conn. – If fans didn’t quite grasp the intrigue involved in the 14th pairing in Saturday’s third round of the Travelers Championship, it’s understandable. But to study the backdrop of Brooks Koepka teeing up it alongside Chip McDaniel is to appreciate the great flavor that runs through this game of professional golf. Koepka, of course, is at the top of the golf world, a four-time major winner who needs no introduction. McDaniel, on the other hand, is pretty much on the opposite end of the golf world, a player without status who got here via a Monday qualifier and most certainly needs an introduction. Related: Leaderboard | McDaniel’s trek from the U.S. Open to the Travelers Championship Except to one another, because when Koepka went out for a nine-hole practice round at the U.S. Open last week, he discovered McDaniel, a local and sectional qualifier, was with him. So, in effect, they were renewing acquaintances in Round 3 of the Travelers. But dig deeper and you’ll understand there’s a reason why these two should connect. Nothing was handed to Koepka when he turned professional in 2012, so he traveled the European minor-league circuit, worked his way up, and – cue the John Houseman soundtrack – he earned it, a PGA TOUR card for the 2015 season, that is, and the riches that have followed. Koepka takes pride in that route, so when he heard McDaniel’s story, he smiled. “You never know what’s going to happen,â€� said Koepka. “Hopefully, he gets his card and we see him out here consistently.â€� That is the plan for the quiet and unheralded McDaniel, who outscored Koepka, 68-72, to add another layer of flavor to this recent whirlwind he’s been on. Having made the cut at the U.S. Open and here at the Travelers, McDaniel will improve his FedExCup standing for non-members and be in position to earn a spot into the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. “I know what’s at stake, what I’m playing for,â€� said McDaniel, who will head to the Detroit area Sunday night after the final round and tee it up in a Monday qualifier for next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. “But I feel pretty much in control.â€� That comfort is owed in large part to his golf, which is solid, and impressed even Koepka. But as McDaniel signed his third-round card, a small crowd drifted into the area behind the TPC River Highlands clubhouse and quickly got a sense that this young man’s saga has captivated his family. McDaniel’s girlfriend, Sara Baker, arrived Friday night, having flown from Lexington, Ky. to Hartford, Conn., via Detroit. McDaniel’s brother, Todd, and his wife, Madison, also made the trip, but the punctuation mark arrived as Chip played the eighth hole – his parents, Todd and Jennifer, arrived, having driven 14 hours through the night. “We figured we’d surprise him,â€� said Todd, the father. “We mustered the energy to make the trip, but he was playing with the No. 1 player in the world.â€� Understand, there’s good reason why Todd and Jennifer had to “musterâ€� the energy to make the 860-mile drive. After all, they had only made it back home to Clay County in Kentucky last Wednesday after driving to and from Pebble Beach to watch Chip in the U.S. Open. That, folks, was about a 5,000-mile round trip. “And we didn’t have much time to plan that one,â€� laughed Jennifer, as Chip had only earned his U.S. Open spot in early June. “But we can’t see him play that often, so when we can we want to take advantage.â€� Todd and Jennifer worked a visit to the Grand Canyon into their trip to Pebble, then included a stop at Yosemite National Park to their return itinerary. But watching Chip play his last 11 holes in 3 under to sneak inside the top 30 through 54 holes, all while paired with a four-time major winner, was every bit the main attraction to the proud parents. The Chip McDaniel saga is also being embraced by his traveling entourage. “I have full faith in him,â€� said Baker, who met her boyfriend while they were students at the University of Kentucky. When Chip made the cut at the U.S. Open, Sara flew Friday night to be there for the weekend. “But there was a little less stress this week,â€� she laughed. As for Jacob Cook, the trusty caddie who played alongside McDaniel at the University of Kentucky, where he is a redshirt junior, he knows they will be flying toward Detroit Sunday night, that they took a red-eye from San Francisco to Boston last Sunday, then drove to Ellington Ridge CC Monday to qualify at a course they had never seen. Just don’t ask him all the intricate details of this coast-to-coast whirlwind of a golf adventure. “I’m just along for the ride,â€� Cook laughed. “It’s been fun.â€�
Brandel Chamblee is confident he can fix Tiger Woods’ problems off the tee very, very quickly. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast Wednesday, Chamblee said “honest to God� he could fix Woods’ driving issues in “two minutes.� During the Farmers Insurance Open, Woods hit just 17 of 56 possible fairways – the fewest he has ever hit in a full, four-round PGA Tour event. “I mean, I’m convinced, honest to God, if Tiger walked out here tomorrow, I would have Tiger driving the ball straight in two minutes. Two minutes. Two minutes. Because there’s no way he can’t do – all he needs to do is move three inches to the right in his backswing. That’s it. It’s game over from there,� Chamblee said. “He stays
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Following Sunday’s conclusion of the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs, nominees for PGA TOUR Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year were finalized by the PGA TOUR Player Directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC). The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose and Justin Thomas. The nominees for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Austin Cook, Satoshi Kodaira, Keith Mitchell, Joaquin Niemann and Aaron Wise. The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 FedExCup events during the 2017-18 season eligible to vote. The voting will close on Monday, October 1, at 5 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced at a later date. Player of the Year nominees Bryson DeChambeau, 25 Clovis, California • Entered 26 events with victories (3) at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, THE NORTHERN TRUST and the Dell Technologies Championship. • Finished No. 3 in the FedExCup. • Recorded a total of nine top-10 finishes among 22 made cuts. Dustin Johnson, 34 Jupiter, Florida • Entered 20 events with victories (3) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, FedEx St. Jude Classic and the RBC Canadian Open. • Finished No. 4 in the FedExCup. • Finished first in Adjusted Scoring Average (68.698). • Recorded a total of 12 top-10 finishes among 19 made cuts. Brooks Koepka, 28 West Palm Beach, Florida • Entered 17 events with victories (2) at the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. • Finished No. 9 in the FedExCup. • Finished ninth in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.444). • Recorded a total of six top-10 finishes among 15 made cuts. Francesco Molinari, 35 Turin, Italy • Entered 20 events with victories (2) at the Quicken Loans National and The Open Championship. • Finished No. 17 in the FedExCup. • Recorded a total of five top-10 finishes among 17 made cuts. Justin Rose, 38 London, England • Entered 18 events with victories (2) at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and the Fort Worth Invitational. • Finished No. 1 in the FedExCup. • Finished second in Adjusted Scoring Average (68.993). • Recorded a total of 11 top-10 finishes among 17 made cuts. Justin Thomas, 25 Louisville, Kentucky • Entered 23 events with victories (3) at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, The Honda Classic and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. • Finished No. 7 in the FedExCup. • Finished third in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.118). • Recorded a total of 10 top-10 finishes among 21 made cuts. Rookie of the Year nominees Austin Cook, 27 Jonesboro, Arkansas • Entered 29 events with a victory at The RSM Classic. • Finished No. 38 in the FedExCup. • Recorded a total of three top-10 finishes among 24 made cuts. • 2017 graduate of the Web.com Tour. Satoshi Kodaira, 29 Tokyo, Japan • Entered 18 events with a victory at the RBC Heritage. • Finished No. 94 in the FedExCup. • Recorded a total of two top-25 finishes among eight made cuts. Keith Mitchell, 26 Sea Island, Georgia • Entered 29 events with four top-10s among 21 made cuts. • Finished No. 67 in the FedExCup. • 2017 graduate of the Web.com Tour. Joaquin Niemann, 19 Santiago, Chile • Entered 13 events with best result coming at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier (T5). • Accumulated 489 non-member FedExCup points to earn full status on TOUR for the 2018-19 season. • Recorded a total of four top-10 finishes among nine made cuts. Aaron Wise, 22 Las Vegas, Nevada • Entered 29 events with a victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson. • Finished No. 24 in the FedExCup. • Recorded a total of four top-10 finishes among 16 made cuts. • 2017 graduate of the Web.com Tour.
