Andy Ogletree ends dream Masters with low amateur honors

SILVIS, Ill. – Francesco Molinari is the only Italian to win the Italian Open, lives in London with his wife and two kids, and speaks Spanish to his Basque caddie. One thing, though, was lost in translation. His putter wasn’t listening to him. After a lackluster T25 finish at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, Molinari decided he had had enough. He called Englishman Phil Kenyon, putting coach to Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and others, and asked if Kenyon could take on another client. “I thought the game was good early in the season, but there seemed to be something not quite right,� Molinari said after shooting a second-round 66 to get to 11 under par and in contention yet again at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on Friday. “Everything is coming together now,� Molinari added. Yeah, you could say that, if being arguably the hottest player in golf is your thing. Molinari shot a final-round 62 to win the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, by eight shots. It was the first victory by an Italian on the PGA TOUR in over 70 years, and included an eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie turbo boost that left everyone else far behind. His tee-to-green performance was statistically the best by a winner on TOUR this season, and came on the heels of his big win at the European Tour’s BMW Championship. (He plays both tours.) And yes, he also rolled it well on the greens at 17th in Strokes Gained: Putting. “He’s more scientific,� Molinari said of his new putting coach, Kenyon. “We analyzed video and looked at the machines that measure the face angle, and my stroke wasn’t very good. Little by little be began to change things at Bay Hill, and it’s slowly gotten more consistent.� All of which helps explain why Molinari, 15th in the world and the highest-ranked player at the Deere, has become a force to be reckoned with even on a course he’d never seen before this week. He decided to play the Deere because he needed to add a new event, and wanted to play his way into The Open Championship instead of taking this week off. “Last year I didn’t play before The Open; I went to Birkdale to study the course, and it didn’t work out,� said Molinari, who missed the cut. “I had to play an event I hadn’t played in the previous four years, and thought it would be good to keep it going right until The Open.� Next week he will be back on his home side of the Atlantic, where he lives with his wife, Valentina, and their kids, Tommaso, 7, and Emma, 2. Molinari said they thought of moving last year, maybe establishing a base in the United States, but they’ve been in London nine years. They have friends, and Tommaso goes to school there. It’s home, and you can’t argue with that. Besides, in the midst of the best season of his career, in which he reached “the next level� with his eight-stroke romp at the Quicken Loans, Molinari would be crazy to change anything else. OBSERVATIONS HEARN LOVING TPC DEERE RUN. Canada’s David Hearn is no stranger to success at the John Deere, having advanced to a playoff with Zach Johnson and eventual champion Jordan Spieth in 2013. This week, Hearn is at it again, making 230 feet of putts over the first two rounds (66-64) to get into contention. “I guess I’m putting too well,� he joked after being asked by an official to demonstrate his stroke with the long putter after the round. (He was determined not to be anchoring.) “I just have a good feeling around here,� said Hearn, a member of the University of Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame who came into this week 152nd in the FedExCup. “I read the greens well. I’m just really trying to not think about too many things and try to point and shoot. Right now, they’re going in, so hopefully that continues on the weekend.� NOTABLES DAVIS LOVE III – Never got anything going (73-74) to miss the cut and lose to his son (below). DRU LOVE – Improved with a second-round 68 but was still likely to miss the cut at 1 under. WHEE KIM – Birdied three straight holes to close out the front nine and had it all the way to 11 under before a double bogey at the last gave him a second-round 68 and left him with some work to do on the weekend at 9 under. He’s 89th in the FedExCup. SAM RYDER – Playing three groups behind Kim, Ryder eagled the 10th hole and got to 12 under before also making double on 18. He is coming off a missed cut at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and at 148th in the FedExCup needs to make a move. JOHN HUH – Roared back from a double-bogey on his last hole Thursday with an 8-under 63 on Friday. He’s 9 under overall, and 104th in the FedExCup. QUOTABLES I think that’s why I play so well. I’m not thinking about golf. I’m thinking about living. You can die in this heat.

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Caddie Confidential: Gripes behind the scenes about Quail Hollow

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Most golfers, when considering a purchase to possibly improve their play, are more apt to look for something that goes in their golf bag, rather than on their face. However, Oakley with it’s PRIZM Golf lens, makes the latter worth considering. Before we get into the “how” of Oakley’s PRIZM Golf lenses, consider this possibility: the better you see, the better you’ll play. Think about everything a golfer has to process in the course of planning and executing shots (and putts). In addition to being able to more clearly see a white golf ball against the blue sky, a golfer benefits from more clearly seeing transitions between fairway and rough, and from being able to more accurately see a lie in the rough and process depth cues on an approach from the fairway. On the putting green, the ability to more clearly discern grain and undulations is a welcome one. Oakley’s PRIZM Golf Lenses’ High Definition Optics (HDO) dial back distortion for sharper, clearer vision. According to the company, the PRIZM family of lenses began with an environment-optimized lens for snow and a solution for the loss of visual acuity that’s common in wintry environments. Oakley engineers learned that if they could control and filter light, wearers could see better. The technology has evolved into, among other things, PRIZM Golf Lens technology. According to Wayne Chumbley, Oakley R&D Engineer Manager, PRIZM Golf lenses are a ultimately a tool for golfers to facilitate better information — to better leverage the strengths of their eyesight, and to compensate for natural weaknesses. The lenses allow “good light” through (which enhances contrast and aids depth perception) while filtering out “bad light” (which creates visual confusion). “You have to trust the information to make the right choice,” Chumbley said, pointing out the fact that golf course architects and superintendents often try to create visual confusion with blurred transitions, false fronts, and other techniques. So, does what does a golf course looks like through PRIZM Golf and PRIZM Golf Dark lenses? First, as all golfers know, golf is played in a predominately green landscape. The lenses work primarily to reduce the dominant green tones and amplifies colors adjacent to green. Among other effects, this amplifies the white of the golf ball, allowing golfers to track it better against the backdrop of both course and sky. By contrast, a traditional lens is very flat with no colors amplified and little color separation. By creating peaks and valleys across the spectrum and color separation, PRIZM Golf lenses are able to deliver more beneficial information to golfers’ eyes. PRIZM Golf vs. PRIZM Golf Dark: What’s different about the two? Drilling down further, Oakley has two golf-specific lenses. PRIZM Golf and PRIZM Golf Dark. The company has found the Dark Golf lens, which presents a more balanced, less contrasting view, is more appearing to the weekend warrior. Initerestingly, the pros, perhaps because of their already heightened on-course visual acuity, prefer the standard PRIZM Golf lens with its more pronounced color amplification and higher contrast. Additionally, Oakley says PRIZM Golf is ideal for low to medium light with a VLT of 30% and has a lighter tint, and PRIZM Dark Golf will excel in bright and sunny conditions and has a darker tint with VLT 22. Both lenses feature Plutonite lens material, which blocks 100% of UVA and UVB rays up to 400nm. Flak 2.0 XL The company’s most popular frame for the PRIZM Golf lenses, not surprisingly, has been the flagship Flak 2.0 XL. An iconic Oakley style, Wayne Chumbley called the Flak 2.0 XL “a sport frame that has crossed over for universal appeal” citing the fact that it fits a vast number of head shapes and sizes. With an O-Matter frame for durability, the Flak 2.0 XL is considered Oakley’s most comfortable frame offering “performance fit with lifestyle comfort,” according to Chumbley. As a final note, PRIZM Golf lenses are available in prescription, and a few of the PGA TOUR professionals you’ll see in the lens are actually sporting the prescription variety.

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