CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — He was away from golf for two years, and his world ranking plummeted lower than it had been at any point in his career.
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Tiger Woods believes the golf world should be wary that Jason Day has added another weapon to his arsenal as he continues his quest back to world No.1. The 14-time major champion Woods says Day has developed the ability to win without his best stuff during two US PGA Tour victories this year, which have propelled the Australian seven spots up the rankings to No.7. Day fought the stumbles during a two-shot win at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, where he carded four bogeys during the final round.
HAMILTON, Bermuda – Afternoon sun was starting to pop out from beneath a thick blanket of clouds Wednesday afternoon, a welcomed sight after overnight rain and heavy morning wind had brought the Butterfield Bermuda Open to a halt. With the pro-am canceled and Port Royal Golf Course closed, it had been standing room only most of the morning at The Duchess café, inside the Fairmont Hamilton Princess lobby. But now, “Bermy,” as the natives love to call their home, was starting to get its shine back, comfortable warmth enveloped the island, and the buses and ferries were running to Port Royal. The course was still closed for maintenance, but the range and putting green were opened and so the lobby was bustling with players, caddies, and golf bags, everyone seemingly in pursuit of transportation. Yet a glance over the left shoulder offered a glimpse of the most veteran of all the competitors in this week’s field. Brian Gay had a range session on his mind and a golf bag over his left shoulder, but why? The man who this week will be teeing it up in his 629th PGA TOUR tournament and whose 50th birthday will be in about six weeks smiled. “Because I haven’t hit a ball since Saturday,” he said. “That’s the longest time I’ve gone without hitting a ball before a tournament. It’s not normal for me.” Understood, and with that, Gay hustled to get a bus. But the thought occurs that here in Bermuda, Gay has mastered the art of “not normal” and harken back to a year ago for definitive proof. It’s rare for 48-year-olds to win on the PGA TOUR, especially those who are relatively short of today’s supreme power, and most definitely those who have missed the cut in nine of their previous 11 starts over a period of five months. Ah, but when Gay stuffed an approach to the 72nd hole and tapped in for birdie to force a playoff, then made a 10-foot birdie putt on that same hole a few minutes later to beat Wyndham Clark, arguably one of the PGA TOUR’s most unheralded success stories had registered his fifth career win, albeit for a variety of reasons that were “not normal.” “This is absolutely insane,” Gay told The Golf Channel that Sunday after his 7-under 64 in the final round included birdies on six of his last 10 holes. “I’ve been playing awful, and it’s been a struggle.” Indeed, Gay had missed the cut in his first two starts to the 2020-21 season. He had missed the cut in seven of nine starts to end the 2019-20 campaign. No one could have blamed him if he surrendered to the background and waited for that first tee time on the PGA TOUR Champions, except that like just about anyone who has fallen in love with Bermuda, Gay feels rejuvenated down here. “I don’t mind the wind and Bermuda grass is something I grew up on,” said Gay. “And (Port Royal), it’s not a bomber’s course; you don’t necessarily have to hit it far and there are plenty of birdie opportunities.” He had finished third in the debut of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in 2019, so the comfort factor was there. As for his assessment of what’s ahead when he plays Port Royal, give Gay high marks. It rewards his precision, doesn’t penalize his “shortness,” and ample scoring opportunities are there. Consider: Gay has made two eagles and 44 birdies in two starts here, good for 33 under and a 66.9 scoring average. Head coach Buddy Alexander called Gay a “quiet leader” back in 1993 when the University of Florida won the NCAA Championship, and that label can be applied all these many years later. Twenty-two uninterrupted years on TOUR speaks volumes for his consistency. Only once has he played fewer than 20 tournaments in a year, 11 times he has played in more than 30, and while a long line of bigger, stronger, and more talented players have exploded on the scene, Gay has carved out a splendid career. Quietly, of course.
Phil Mickelson said the fog has cleared, and now he’s starting to shine at just the right time. Mickelson’s play has quickly gone in the right direction after he recently received medical treatment that he said improved his mental clarity. His improved focus could lead to his ninth TOUR Championship appearance in the 11 seasons of the FedExCup. Mickelson shot a 69 on Saturday at Conway Farms Golf Club and sits T15 at the BMW Championship. He’s currently projected to move up three spots in the FedExCup standings, to No. 33. ShotLink says that he sits one shot outside a TOUR Championship berth, needing a T12 or better to crack the top 30 in the FedExCup standings. He sounded confident on Saturday about his chances. “I know I have to probably shoot 4 or 5 under par. Like I said, I’m playing well enough to do that with ease. I let a lot of shots slide today,â€� Mickelson said. “I’m driving the ball well, playing well. I’m going to go out tomorrow and shoot a good number. It will be plenty.â€� Mickelson sits at 9-under 204 (66-69-69), and is just two shots outside fifth place. He is fifth in greens hit (40 of 54) this week and ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting (+0.957 per round). After receiving treatment, Mickelson finished T6 in the previous FedExCup Playoffs event, the Dell Technologies Championship. It was his first top-10 since June and his best finish in a stroke-play event since he finished runner-up to Henrik Stenson at last year’s Open Championship. He has the opportunity to post consecutive top-10s in stroke-play events for the first time since June 2013. If he does that, he’ll be headed to East Lake, where he’ll have a chance to win his first FedExCup. He is a two-time winner at East Lake, claiming the TOUR Championship in both 2000 and 2009. Advancing to East Lake also would give him another opportunity to prepare for the Presidents Cup, which will be played Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. Mickelson was recently named one of Steve Stricker’s two Captain’s Picks, keeping alive his streak of appearances in that event. Mickelson has played in every Presidents Cup since the tournament began in 1994. He has a 23-16-2 record in his 12 appearances. “I’d like to stay sharp heading into the Presidents Cup. I’d like to compete,â€� Mickelson said. “I’m also playing well enough to get in contention and win again and I want to get in that (TOUR Championship) field because I think that if I do, I think I’ll have a really good shot at it.â€� MOVING IN, MOVING OUT TOP 5 WATCH The Top 5 players entering the TOUR Championship will control their own destiny at East Lake. Here’s a look at how the current Top 5 fared Friday at the BMW. 1. Jordan Spieth (71). Spieth shot a first-round 65 but was only 1 under par on the next 36 holes. He’s still projected to hold onto the top spot in the FedExCup standings. 2. Justin Thomas (71). Like Spieth, Thomas shot a solid first round (67), but could only manage to shoot 70-71 in the following two rounds. He’s still projected to maintain the No. 2 spot in the FedExCup standings. 3. Dustin Johnson (69). The BMW’s defending champion is T55 this week, but is still projected to hold on to the third spot in the FedExCup standings. 4. Hideki Matsuyama (70). His FedExCup Playoffs struggles continue. Matsuyama was No. 1 at the start of the postseason, but is now projected to drop to seventh in the standings. He is T49 this week. 5. Jon Rahm (65). Rahm’s 65 matched the low round of the day and moved him into fifth place. He’s seeking his third consecutive top-five finish in his first Playoffs, and still is projected to begin East Lake at No. 5 in the FedExCup. FEDEXCUP NOTES Sergio Garcia’s season was highlighted by a victory at a course co-founded by famed amateur Bobby Jones. Garcia, the reigning Masters champion, is trying to earn a tee time at another course closely associated closely with Jones, East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Garcia is projected to move inside the top 30 of the FedExCup standings, but he’ll start Sunday with only a slim cushion. Garcia is T15 at the BMW Championship. He likely needs to finish T19 at Conway Farms Golf Club to qualify for his first TOUR Championship since 2014. Last season marked the first time that two rookies qualified for the TOUR Championship. We could see a repeat of that feat this year. Both Patrick Cantlay and Mackenzie Hughes are projected to qualify for East Lake after Saturday’s play. Hughes, winner of The RSM Classic, is T15 at the BMW Championship and projected to jump from 31st to 24th in the FedExCup standings. Cantlay, who’s finished in the top 15 in the first two events of this year’s FedExCup Playoffs, is in fifth place at the BMW Championship. Cantlay, who’s making just his 12th start of the season, started the season on a medical extension from his rookie season of 2013-14. Stewart Cink is scheduled to receive the Payne Stewart Award next week at East Lake Golf Club. Cink, who lives in the Atlanta area, may be at East Lake as a competitor, too. He’ll need a low round to do it, though. Cink was inside the top 30 of the projected FedExCup standings for much of Saturday, but bogeys on the final two holes dropped him to No. 46. He’s T12 at the BMW Championship and three shots outside the top 30. ShotLink projects that he will need a fourth-place finish to qualify for his first TOUR Championship since 2009, the year he won The Open Championship.
