2017 Barracuda Championship, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV schedule

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MEXICO CITY – Jordan Spieth’s first round in nearly eight years with his father, Shawn, on the bag did not go as planned at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec. Spieth birdied the first hole but struggled to an opening-round 75 and was well back of leader Rory McIlroy (63). This after Michael Greller, Spieth’s regular caddie, flew home Wednesday to be with family after the death of his father, John “Bearâ€� Greller. “I wish I would have done more for him,â€� Spieth said of his father, who last caddied for him at the 2011 U.S. Amateur. “But glad he’s stepping in. Our bright moment was probably No. 1. Just trying to progress each day.â€� Spieth said Bear Greller had been in hospice, and Michael had visited him early last week. He and Spieth were caught by surprise to learn of his passing in Mexico. “I thought it would be sometime in the next month or so, based on how he was doing,â€� Spieth said. “It took a lot for (Michael Greller) to ask to go see him Monday and Tuesday of L.A., which it shouldn’t. That’s where he needed to be. When he said that, I knew it wasn’t good.â€� There was at least one bright spot Thursday: Shawn toted a lightweight carry bag instead of a staff bag, as he had for his son for nine holes Wednesday. He said he was the first option as a replacement, but not the only one. Asked what it felt like to caddie for his son, he spoke with a heavy heart. “I’ve got mixed emotions,â€� he said, “It’s great, but you want him to have his best chance, you know? When you’ve got your regular caddie, you’ve got your best chance.” “I learned a lot,â€� he added. “Hopefully that’ll help us down the road. It’s cool. It’s fun to get to do it. It’s a big stage for somebody that hasn’t caddied in six years.â€�   The Greller and Spieth families were close, as one might expect considering the long partnership. “Heavy heart for Michael and his family,â€� Christine Spieth, Jordan’s mother, wrote on Twitter. “Bear was a great father, husband, and grandfather. Heaven gained another angel!â€� Asked how well did he knew Greller’s father, Shawn said, “Fairly well. They’ve been together a long time now. He hadn’t been able to get out a lot in the last few years.â€� Jordan said the first of two services would be in Portland, and he’d been in touch with Greller. “Everyone is there,â€� Spieth said, “and he’s glad he’s there.â€�

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Xander Schauffele had no idea of the magnitude of his birdie-birdie finish at Sheshan International until he was signing his card after the final round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.  “When I was signing my card, I was like, `Oh, wow. I actually went birdie-birdie to get in the playoff,” Schauffele said. “I was just in my own world out there.” Schauffele’s birdie on the 18th from roughly 30 feet turned out to be enough to get him into a sudden-death playoff with Tony Finau that he would eventually win with a birdie on the first playoff hole (par-5 18th).  For Schauffele, the fantastic finish came with a putter that had been in the bag for just over a month, dating back the Dell Technologies Championship. It was at TPC Boston that the 2017 TOUR Championship winner swapped his Odyssey Works Big-T #5 mallet for the putter manufacturer’s O-Works Red #7CH (34.5 inches).  Schauffele noticed an immediate improvement in his aiming with the new putter but felt the ball was coming off the Microhinge insert with too much speed.  Working with Callaway Tour rep Johnny Thompson at the BMW Championship, Schauffele went to a version of the putter with a slight counterbalance in the grip. Thompson removed 10 grams of weight from the head and repositioned it in the butt end of the SuperStroke Pistol GTR 1.0 grip.  The weight shift essentially helped Schauffele take out some energy at impact and dial in speed control. In addition to the new putter, Schauffele became the first player to win with a set of unreleased Callaway prototype irons. The forged cavity-back model was first spotted in Schauffele’s bag during the Travelers Championship, but it wasn’t until THE NORTHERN TRUST that he green-lighted the set.  “(The prototypes) don’t have a name but the differences are simple,” Schauffele told PGATOUR.COM via text. “A little smaller top line. A little less offset and maybe less bounce than (Callaway’s) other irons.” Schauffele remains the only player on Callaway’s staff using the one-off irons at the moment.  Here’s a look at Schauffele’s entire equipment setup. Driver: TaylorMade M3 460 (Graphite Design AD 7X shaft)  3-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8X shaft)  5-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8X shaft) Irons: Callaway Forged Prototype (4-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)  Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy 4 (52 degress; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (56 and 60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)  Putter: Odyssey O-Works Red #7CH (34.5 inches) Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X 

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