Jordan Spieth appears on College GameDay

Cantlay wins first PGA Tour title in playoff

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Tiger Woods may be playing the Wells Fargo Championship for the first time in six years, but he wasn’t the only member of his pro-am group who was in the spotlight Wednesday. Shahbaz Hashmi, a high-school senior from Alamo Heights, Texas, got to play with Woods after winning an essay contest conducted by Wells Fargo and The First Tee. Hashmi impressed with his game (he’s a +0.9 handicap) and his composure. Ashami hit a long tee shot down the 18th fairway, then almost made birdie after hitting his approach shot to 20 feet. He shared the podium with Woods in his post-round press conference and even fulfilled an autograph request after finishing his round. “Shahbaz, he did fantastically today,� Woods said. “Some of the shots he hit today, the flight of some of the drives he hit was penetrating and solid, especially after the wind came up. He piped the drive down 18.� Hashmi, a 12-year participant in The First Tee of San Antonio got to pick his playing partner Wednesday. It was an easy decision. “Tiger Woods is unequivocally my hero,� he said. “Watching him dominate in a way no other athlete has in their respective sport has served as such an inspiration for not only me but my entire generation.� Woods owns 79 PGA TOUR victories. Hashmi has an impressive resume of his own. He is the president of The First Tee of San Antonio’s junior advisory board and mentors younger participants in the program. He speaks three languages (French, Uru/Hindi and English) and wants to study international monetary policy and foreign relations in college. He has a 4.0 grade-point average. Hashmi carried his own bag in Wednesday’s pro-am and made sure to capture plenty of photos and videos of the round. He stood in the middle of the 16th fairway, about 10 yards behind Woods, as Woods hit his approach shot. The amateur tees were some 70 yards ahead of the back tees on the par-3 17th, but Hashmi made the trek bto watch Woods tee off. Like the rest of Woods’ gallery, Ashami held his phone aloft as Woods hit his shot. Ashami said Woods’ advice helped him hit that impressive tee shot on the last hole. “He said his father told him that, with driver in hand, he could swing as hard as he wanted as long as he could hit the center of the clubface and hold his finish until the ball landed,� Ashami said. “Coming in, I was just holding my finish to the best of my ability. On the back nine, I was striping it off the tee and with the irons.� He drew a “Nice shot there� from Woods after hitting his approach shot to 20 feet. He barely missed the birdie putt. It would’ve been the perfect ending to the perfect day. “I can’t say one thing I was impressed by because I was impressed by all of it,� Ashami said. This will be Woods’ seventh start at the Wells Fargo Championship. He finished no worse than 11th in his first four trips here, including a win in 2007, but missed the cut in his past two trips to Charlotte (2010, 12). Woods is scheduled to tee off at 12:50 p.m. Thursday with Brooks Koepka and newly-minted Masters champion Patrick Reed. Woods will see a new course after modifications were made for last year’s PGA Championship. Changes include combining the first two holes to make a long par-4 and a new par-3 fourth hole. “The golf course is much harder than it used to be, that’s for sure,� Woods said. “Some of these holes have become a lot more stout. The bunkers are certainly more in play than they used to be and the greens are new so they’re a little more springy.� This will be Woods’ first start since a disappointing 32nd-place finish at the Masters. Woods arrived at Augusta National after having opportunities to win his preceding two starts, but poor iron play kept him from contending at a course where he has won four times. A final-round 69 was his only under-par round of the week. Woods took 10 days off after Augusta National. He is scheduled to play this week and next week’s THE PLAYERS Championship. It will be just his second appearance at TPC Sawgrass since his win in 2013. He finished T69 at the 2015 PLAYERS. “Hopefully I can have everything peak for this week and next week� Woods said.

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ERIN, Wis. – Xander Schauffele’s name may be featured prominently on the large white leaderboards at Erin Hills, but that doesn’t mean everyone on the property recognizes the PGA TOUR rookie who’s contending at the U.S. Open. “I’ll sign some autographs and kids will be like, ‘Dad, who is that?’â€� Schauffele said. “That’s just how it is. … Schauffele is a pretty weird name to remember.â€� More people are becoming familiar with the German surname that translate to “tiny shovel,â€� a testament to his family’s centuries-long lineage in the construction business. Schauffele held the lead for parts of Friday morning before finishing at 5-under 139 (66-73). Erin Hills’ wide, fescue-lined fairways and bent-grass greens remind the 23-year-old of one of his home courses in college, Barona Creek, where he won a tournament during his senior year. And the same strong ballstriking and mental fortitude that has helped him make a quick progression through pro golf’s meritocracy is paying off in this notoriously tough tournament. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough,â€� said his caddie and former college teammate, Austin Kaiser. “His attitude is huge. … He doesn’t want it to be sugar-coated.â€� His father, Stefan, has tried to imbue such fortitude in his son from a young age. Stefan, whose German roots give him a strong preference for honesty over flattery, is his son’s only swing coach. Now he’s watching the fruits of their labor in this major championship that always concludes on Father’s Day. Stefan started his son in the game at age 9, when he was strong enough to carry his junior bag for 18 holes. Xander wasn’t allowed to use tees in those early junior tournaments on par-3 courses, knowing that the temporary disadvantage would pay off later. It has this week, at the tournament that puts such a heavy emphasis on accurate ballstriking. We may have seen a record number of sub-par scores in the first round, but this U.S. Open is not a warm and cuddly championship. The struggles of several of the game’s stars show that Erin Hills is no pushover for those who are errant off the tee. Schauffele has averaged 314.8 yards off the tee this week, while hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in each of the first two rounds. He’s learned how to handle pressure from his father, who passed along the breathing and concentration techniques he learned from his own athletic days. Stefan played semipro soccer in Germany and was en route to a training session for Germany’s national decathlon team when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver. He was in and out of the hospital for two years because of multiple surgeries on his left eye, which he lost sight in. The accident convinced him to take a risk and move to the United States when he was 23. He landed in San Diego and lived next to a golf course. With his physical activity limited because of the accident, he decided to take up the game. His first instructor, A.J. Bonar, related the golf swing to the sports like discus that Stefan was familiar with. He was scratch within two years. Xander has had a rapid rise in pro golf. He aced the grueling examinations that young pros face, Q-School and the Web.com Tour Finals, on his first try. After turning pro in 2015, the San Diego State alum needed just one season on the Web.com Tour to earn his card. Now Schauffele, who ranks 135th in the FedExCup, is playing well in his first major championship. “He just keeps improving every year,â€� said Ryan Ressa, who recruited him to Long Beach State, where Schauffele played his freshman season before transferring to San Diego State. “He always seemed to have a knack for (playing well) when he needed to.â€� For proof, Ressa refers to a 2-under round during a windy final day at the 2015 Web.com Tour Q-School that allowed Schauffele to earn his card on the number. Then he finished T9 in the final tournament of last year’s Web.com Tour season to earn his TOUR card for this season. And now he’s excelling in his first U.S. Open.

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