Schauffele shoots 63, takes 5-shot Travelers lead

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AVONDALE, La. – Upon reflection of his near-historic performance earlier this month in the final round of the Masters, Jordan Spieth realized one thing – his ball-striking was good enough to shoot 59. “Actually thought I truly could have shot 59 without doing much more other than making a few more putts,� Spieth said Wednesday on the eve of this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Ryan Palmer. “I put myself in opportunities on each hole to shoot 59 that day, which is really, really cool.� Just nine rounds in the history of the PGA TOUR have been 59 or lower – and none have come in majors. The lowest in major championship history came at last year’s Open Championship, when South Africa’s Branden Grace shot 62 on the par-70 Royal Birkdale. Spieth didn’t need 59 to win, but he did need 62 to force a playoff with eventual champion Patrick Reed. Spieth started the day nine shots off the lead but had come all the way back to grab a share of the lead. Through 16 holes, he was 9 under on his round. He needed one more birdie in his last two holes to tie Grace’s record, and force Reed to make a birdie down the stretch in order to avoid a playoff. Instead, Spieth’s tee shot at 18 clipped a tree branch and he ultimately bogeyed the closing hole for an 8-under 64 that left him at 13 under and solo third, two shots behind Reed. Had Spieth won, it would’ve been the greatest final-round rally in Masters history. As it was, he tied the record for lowest score in the final round. Spieth said Wednesday he went back and watched video of his Sunday performance. “I wanted to learn a bit from it,� Spieth said. “I felt like Houston [the week before] but really at Augusta was the best my swing has ever held up under the gun. Especially my driving, I really felt like I drove the ball beautifully on Sunday, especially when I started to get closer and closer and could feel being in the tournament.� He also “was interested in kind of how it looked from the viewer’s perspective. It was really cool to see. I knew how I was feeling and thinking, and I didn’t realize the timing of when I tied it up.� Spieth was most encouraged by the way he was striking the ball, saying he was “a little more stable and patient in the swing.� That’s something he hopes to continue as he enters the heart of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season, as well as improve his performance on the greens; he ranks a surprising 183rd in strokes gained: putting this season. Perhaps the 30-foot birdie putt at he made on the 12th hole – which had not treated him well in recent visits – will help flip the switch. “To hit some of those putts under pressure and see some go in I think will be very beneficial going forward this year,� Spieth said. “It very well could be a spark for a really solid year.�

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sahith Theegala crashed golf’s biggest party. Playing in the last group off the 10th tee Thursday in his first WM Phoenix Open start, Theegala was 7 under with two holes left when the round was suspended because of darkness. K.H. Lee was second after a 6-under 65. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Get to know Sahith Theegala in 10 stories “The big key for me, like always in my game, is just putting my driver in the fairway,” Theegala said. “I was able to do that early and often.” The 24-year-old former Pepperdine star got into the event on a sponsor exemption. “Super strong field, probably the strongest field I played in so far this year,” Theegala said. “I just figured it was like another free-roll opportunity, might as well take advantage of it and obviously super thankful that I got in.” The fans were back in full force on an 80-degree day at firm and fast TPC Scottsdale, with well over 100,000 on hand and a lot more expected Friday and Saturday. Last year, daily attendance was limited to 5,000 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I always love the fans here,” said defending champion Brooks Koepka, two strokes back after a 66. “I like playing in front of a lot of people. They cheer you when you hit a good one and boo you when you hit a bad one, which is what you deserve.” Theegala opened with a 16-foot birdie putt on No. 10 and made four straight birdies on Nos. 13-16, holing a 15-footer from the fringe on the stadium par-3 16th. “I got off to a pretty hot start,” Theegala said. “It was nice to see one go in on the first hole. That always kind of sets the tone.” The PGA TOUR rookie birdied the par-3 third and ran in a 30-footer on par-3 fourth. He will resume play Friday morning with a 16-foot par putt on the par-4 eighth. “I started hitting my driver a little squirrely at the end, so this is a welcome stop, honestly,” Theegala said. Adam Hadwin and Harry Higgs matched Koepka, also the 2015 winner, at 66. Scott Stallings also was 5 under with a hole left. Top-ranked Jon Rahm topped the group at 67. Lee tied for second last year, then went on to win the Byron Nelson three months later for his first PGA TOUR title. “Great start today, but I have a long way to go,” Lee said. Lee played a three-hole stretch in 4 under on his back nine, hitting to 4 feet on the par-4 12th, chipping in for eagle on the par-5 third and hitting to 3 feet on the par-3 fourth. The South Korean player closed with a 13-footer for birdie on No. 9. Rahm had four birdies in a bogey-free round, failing to birdie any of the three par-5 holes and three-putting the short par-4 17th. The Spaniard starred at Arizona State and lives a few miles from the course. “I’ve been able to win the Spanish Open twice and I carry that with a lot of honor,” Rahm said. “And this is kind of essentially home away from home.” FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay also was at 67 with Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Louis Oosthuizen, Charley Hoffman, Alex Noren, Bubba Watson, Stewart Cink, Kevin Kisner and Billy Horschel. Cantlay is making his first appearance in the event. Hideki Matsuyama shot a 68. The Masters champion won in Scottsdale in 2016 and 2017. Hadwin had five birdies in a late six-hole stretch, capped by 20-footers on 16 and 17. After a breezy period in the morning, it was mostly calm in the afternoon, with the firm greens making it difficult to hit shots close. “They were definitely firmer for a Thursday,” Higgs said after his afternoon round. “They don’t have weather here, so this place gets concrete come Saturday, Sunday.” Graeme McDowell also was at 68 after his first round in the event since 2006. “This is a quite the show here, quite the party and quite the atmosphere,” McDowell said. “The golf course is sensational. Not sure I’ve seen a better-conditioned golf course than this one and it’s playing firm and fast, which kind of suits my game a little bit.”

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