Fever’s Clark to play in LPGA pro-am at The Annika

Bridgestone’s new Tour B JGR line was designed with the mid- to high-handicapper in mind, but even the best players in the world can get behind more forgiveness and ball speed. Earlier this season, Tour staffers Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar added the Tour B JGR driver to the bag after noticing an uptick in speed and distance during testing. Snedeker would go on to shoot 59 during the first round of the Wyndham Championship with the club in the bag. A 9-time TOUR winner, Snedeker admitted he was somewhat surprised by how seamless the transition was from the previous version to the new driver. “I didn’t expect to make the switch so easily,” Snedeker said, “but when I compared the data on trackman, I was seeing three mph more ball speed and an extra six yards.” The new Tour B JGR driver (9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees; $399), fairway woods and hybrids all feature the company’s Boost Wave Crown technology, comprised of internal and external channels that assist the crown in flexing more effectively at impact for a higher initial launch and increased ball speeds. The rear portion of the crown has been thinned out as well to allow the entire structure to flex. While the Boost Wave Crown is found in all three woods (driver, fairway and hybrid), only the driver boasts a rib-like design in the sole that works in tandem with the Boost Wave Crown technology to stabilize the lower portion of the face, while allowing the crown to flex more at the same time. A redesigned power milled face offers double the depth of its predecessor to reduce slippage at impact and keep the ball on the face longer at impact, decreasing the amount of unwanted spin on off-center shots. For the high-handicapper, the driver offers a 25-gram internal weight in the heel for a built-in draw bias; an external 10-gram weight port can be found in the heel as well. With so much weight positioned in one area of the head, it’s clear Bridgestone is trying to help those players who fight a considerable slice. The Tour B JGR fairway woods (15 and 18 degrees; $229) and hybrids (19, 22 and 25 degrees; $219) come with a Boost Wave Crown and variable thickness face designed to help with ball speed protection, particularly on mishits that find the low portion at impact. Taking a page from the metalwoods, the Tour B JGR HF1 (1030 forged construction; $849) and HF2 (1025 forged construction; $899) irons were designed with a power slit face design, whereby the junction of the face and sole is noticeably thinner than the surrounding areas. The design is supposed to improve initial launch and ball speeds by acting as a hinge at impact. “Our JGR lines have built up a loyal following since the original launch in 2015. The new TOUR B JGR builds on that success by providing golfers with the combination of style and forgiveness,â€� said Zack Kupperbusch, Bridgestone, golf club marketing. The HF1 offers slightly stronger lofts, a larger profile and wider sole with a hollow cavity that “provides easy launching distance in an extremely low COG forged head.” The forged two-piece HF2 is geared more for the mid-handicapper with a slightly more compact profile and rubber polymer insert that was added to the cavity to enhance feel and sound while reducing unwanted vibrations at impact. Bridgestone’s Tour B JGR line will be available Oct. 12, with the following stock shaft offerings: UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES (driver), UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES FWY (fairway wood), UST Mamiya Recoil 780 ES (hybrid), UST Mamiya (HF1) and True Temper XP 95 (HF2). PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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GUYANCOURT, France – Remember that rush of adrenaline you felt two years ago at the Ryder Cup while watching a track meet unfold at Hazeltine? Remember the barrage of birdies on a defenseless course, a can-you-top-this attitude breaking out among the competitors? Remember Reed vs. McIlroy? Remember Phil vs. Sergio? It was a breakneck pace, a feeding frenzy for low scores – and it was exactly how the U.S. wanted it, a desperate team using its ability to select and set up the course to maximize the Americans’ strengths. It worked, of course. Now Europe is the desperate team, and they have a course and a set-up that team officials and players believe will give them the best opportunity this week to regain the Ryder Cup and continue their domination on home soil. Don’t expect it to be anything like 2016. Le Golf National is about as different from Hazeltine as bouillabaisse is from walleye fish. Or as European Captain Thomas Bjorn put it: “All the differences you can come up with, they are here. That’s it.â€� It will be tougher, more challenging, with significant rough and tighter fairways. No track meet this week. No overabundance of birdies. Par will be a key score, a winning score. “I don’t think you’ll go anywhere else where you’ll see as many fist-pump pars as you’ll this week, especially in the afternoon Foursomes when the wind picks up,â€� said U.S. player Jordan Spieth. “… I don’t think there will be as many roars.â€� Some Europeans thought there were too many roars (an understandable reaction after the crushing 17-11 loss). Englishman Justin Rose was highly critical of Hazeltine, calling the set-up “incredibly weakâ€� and citing the 17th hole in particular as an “absolute joke.â€� He added that Hazeltine “was very much a pro-am feel in terms of the pin placements. They were all middle of the green. I don’t quite understand that, to be honest with you. … We want to showcase our skills. We want to be tested.â€� Two years later, Rose wasn’t backing off when asked to compare the two courses. “I think Hazeltine was a putting competition for the most part. The greens were perfect. You’re winning holes with birdies; very few times you would make bogey and not many holes were won with par. “This week you’re going to see a lot of holes won with par and it’s going to create a very different mentality and some exciting matches.â€� As much as any time in recent memory, the Europeans have a course that could prove to be the decisive factor this week. After all, Hazeltine was not that much different than the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland, at least from a birdie standpoint. Consider this: In the 12 Singles matches at Hazeltine, there were 122 birdies and three eagles made in 2012 holes played; in the 12 Singles matches at Gleneagles, there were 121 birdies and four eagles made in 200 holes played. It’s been firepower vs. firepower for awhile now, and finally the Americans caught up two years ago. A year later at the Presidents Cup, the U.S. continued their assault, coming a half-point away from beating the International Team even before the start of Sunday Singles. The Europeans have taken notice. It would be silly to try to match the Americans’ strength. Le Golf National gives them a chance to force the U.S. to play a different, more conservative game. “You get punished if you hit it off-line,â€� said Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. “I feel like at Hazeltine, the punishment wasn’t high enough if you hit it off-line, and I guess that sometimes plays into some of the Americans’ hands, because they have guys that just hit it so long … I’m probably one of those guys, so it doesn’t quite play into my hands. “I think for the bulk of the European team, they would welcome a set-up more of this style. Not saying the American guys can’t hit it in the fairways – they are all some of the best players in the world. But I think just looking at it, it would seem the style of golf course is more familiar to us than something like we saw at Hazeltine last time.â€� Just a handful of holes – possibly no more than four — at Le Golf National will provide an opportunity to hit driver off the tee. That certainly will curtail some of the Americans’ strength. Of the top 11 players this season in driving distance on the PGA TOUR this season, five are Americans (Tony Finau-4, Dustin Johnson-6, Brooks Koepka-8, Bubba Watson-9 and Justin Thomas-11). As McIlroy noted, he also is impacted; after all, he led the TOUR in that category with a 319.8-yard average. Jon Rahm (T-15) and Tommy Fleetwood were Europe’s next highest ranked players in that category. Rahm and Fleetwood are Ryder Cup rookies, but Europe’s other three rookies may benefit the most from a tighter set-up that requires less brute strength. Tyrrell Hatton ranks 90th on the European Tour in driving distance; Alex Noren ranks 101st; and Thorbjorn Olesen ranks 113th. That’s not the only benefit, though. Course knowledge and experience is also a key component heading into Friday’s morning Four-balls session. Hazeltine has hosted four majors but has never been a regular stop on the PGA TOUR. In fact, the last Ryder Cup on American soil played on such a course was in 1987 at Muirfield Village, venue for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. The ensuing seven Ryder Cup in the U.S. were played on courses with major championship credentials; both sides needed time to learn how to play it. Meanwhile, Le Golf National has hosted an annual European Tour event – the French Open — since 1991. That means it is familiar to every European player, each of whom has played at least one competitive event on the course. Combined, the 12 Europeans have made 70 starts at Le Golf National, with two wins and 22 top 10s. Reigning Open champ Francesco Molinari has the most with 13 starts, followed by Ian Poulter with 12 and Alex Noren with 10. Not to mention that Bjorn played in 16 French Opens. “I think it’s probably the most played venue as a Ryder Cup venue for all of the European players that have played,â€� Poulter noted. “… I definitely think we have an understanding of how this golf course can play.â€� Just six Americans had seen Le Golf National prior to this week, and only three in a competitive environment – Justin Thomas earlier this summer, Brooks Koepka in 2014 and Bubba Watson in 2011. Koepka and Watson missed the cut; Thomas finished T-8. So in comparison – European players have 236 career rounds at Le Golf National. USA players have eight. That’s why the bulk of the prep work for Jim Furyk’s side was not trying to figure out his pairings but trying to figure out the nuances of the course. His three practice pairings included at least one of those six players with previous course experience, hoping to accelerate the learning curve. “I really want them to learn the golf course and get an idea what they can do off each tee and where the least narrow parts are of these fairways,â€� Furyk explained. “There’s not a lot of wide parts out there. Trying to figure out to hit the ball, where to go. “Europe had the opportunity to set the golf course up, so we’re trying to figure out what they have in store for us this week.â€� It’s not just prior experience in Europe’s favor. It’s also prior success. Noren won the latest French Open in late June. Fleetwood won the year before. Their familiarity with the course should help offset some of the nerves they’ll feel as Ryder Cup rookies. “It’s different with the Ryder Cup, but it’s nice to be at a course you’ve played a lot of times,â€� Noren said. “I know when this week comes, it makes kind of no difference when you stand on that first tee what has happened in the past,â€� added Fleetwood, whose win in 2017 was the only time he’s made the cut at Le Golf National in six starts, “but it can only be a good thing to have good memories.â€� Even though the French Open is played in summer under warmer conditions, Bjorn doesn’t think it will play much different than this week in cooler temperatures hovering in the 60s. “This golf course is very similar to what we are used to when we come here, and that’s probably more the thing that I like,â€� Bjorn said. “There’s guys on this team that’s played a lot of French Opens. I don’t want them to show up and it’s a completely different golf course to what they are used to. This is very similar to what it is normally.â€� So, yes, Le Golf National gives Europe a huge advantage. But Furyk, while knowing his team’s learning curve is much steeper, is banking on world-class players being able to adjust to any course and perform as expected. “I don’t think there’s a guy from either side of these teams from Europe or the U.S. that would not say this is a great golf course,â€� he said. “Very much is a positioned off-the-tee golf course, and you can get aggressive. The better iron players, the better putters, the better thinkers are going to have an advantage around here. … “The best players on either side of the pond are going to find a way to play any course.â€�

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Steve Stricker increased his lead to five strokes Friday in the Senior Players Championship, following an opening 7-under 63 with a 68 at breezy Firestone.

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