Bernhard Langer’s last supper

Here are nine tidbits from the third round of the Travelers Championship that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. TPC River Highlands has played host since 1991 and measures 6,841 yards (Par-70). Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. The weather that looked impending never materialized during the round. The course was receptive due to the overnight rains and there was hardly any wind. It was easily the best round of the week for scoring. Players who didn’t post 67 or better probably didn’t hold their place in the standings from Friday. Berger is going to be an interesting call tomorrow as he didn’t fire for the second day in a row. He closed with 67 last year and 74 the year before so that’s not much help. Round of the Week Paul Casey took complete advantage of the conditions to post 62 and stake himself to a four-shot lead heading into Sunday. His six birdies and an eagle were the result of fantastic approach play as he painted all 18 GIR. He also led the field in proximity and only needed 29 putts. In 15 rounds the last four years at this event he’s 49-under par. It will take a Furyk-ian effort to run him down and win tomorrow. Closest Russell Henley will have a front-row seat and can apply the most pressure as he will play in the final group four shots behind. Henley only has squared one bogey on the week and he can’t add to that number much tomorrow. As great as Casey has been into greens, Henley leads the field in GIR (48 of 54) for the week. Henley has unfinished business here as he was 14-under after three rounds in 2016 before limping home with 73 (T11). Joiners The group at five shots back includes 36-hole leader Brian Harman and he was joined by J.B. Holmes and Anirban Lahiri. While Harman bogeyed two of his last three to fall back, Holmes and Lahiri shot up the board in Round 3 because of their prowess on the back nine. Both players signed for 30 and each had an eagle as they both moved up eight spots to T3. Holmes is trying to back up his solo third in Memphis while Lahiri hasn’t cashed inside the top 25 since last November. Top 10 in the Top 10 Gamers have been riding Bryson DeChambeau for most of 2018 and he hasn’t disappointed. After a tough first 10 holes (+1) he made three birdies against no bogeys in his final eight holes to stay in the top 10. He was a whopping four shots worse on the greens today and still signed for 68. I’d point out he has two doubles on the week and he’s only five back. Bubbling Bubba Watson had to 12-under with three holes to play but two bogeys on the way in knocked him back to T6. Looking to become the only player in recent memory to win this event for the third time, he’ll need nothing short of his best tomorrow. The good news for his investors is he’s posted a few low ones here including 63 already this week. Moving Day The back nine was the place to make up ground today and Jamie Lovemark (64) took advantage coming home in 31. He’s seven back after moving up 23 spots to T11. Brad Faxon made up seven shots in his victory in 2005, the largest come-from-behind win in history. He’s looking for his first top-10 check on his own ball since The Honda Classic … Kyle Stanley (65) joined Lovemark on T11 after moving up 14 spots. He defends next week at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm and looks to be right on schedule. … Patrick Cantlay (65) is eight back and he’ll need to probably match the 60 he posted as an amateur here in 2011 to have a sniff. Moving Day: Wrong Way Rory McIlroy began the day T8 and was torching the joint tee-to-green in the first two rounds. It all came to a screeching halt in Round 3 as he only found 12 of 18 GIR and he lost over 2.5 strokes putting. His investors are all shouting at me that he shot 64 on Sunday last year. He sure did. … Zach Johnson matched McIlroy as the first two activities on his card in Round 3 were squares. He righted the ship before a double on No. 16 killed the momentum. His 71 took him from T2 to T15 and eight shots back. Study Hall Round 1 scored 69.776 (-0.224) while Round 2 crept just higher at 69.994 (-0.006). Saturday’s excellent scoring conditions were realized as the field averaged 69.108 (-0.892)… Casey, Henley, Lovemark and Cantlay were joined in the clean card club by Emiliano Grillo (66) and Chase Seiffert (!!) (67). James Hahn carded his first hole-in-one on TOUR on No. 11 and sits T22.

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CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – It doesn’t take long to encounter the source of discomfort and self-destruction at Carnoustie. The infamous Barry Burn is just steps off the first tee and must be crossed as you walk down the fairway. Consider it a gentle introduction to the nasty business that awaits at the end of your day. Usually, the Barry Burn doesn’t come into play on the opening hole, although a certain 14-time major winner will argue otherwise. In Tiger Woods’ last visit to Carnoustie in 2007, he pull-hooked a 2-iron off the tee into the water during the second round. “Basically a lack of commitment on the golf shot,â€� Woods explained afterwards, “and a poor result.â€� The brick-banked stream runs through the north half of the course and only touches a handful of holes, mostly on the back nine – including, of course, the 17th and 18th where it has directly influenced the outcome of previous Open Championships. As such, the Barry Burn will never be far from the consciousness of players this week. “It’s like a snake that you’ve bashed on the head but then recoils to confront you again,â€� Ian Poulter aptly described in a British newspaper. So where does this “snakeâ€� come from? We know where the Barry Burn ends, flowing into the North Sea. But where does it originate? Turns out that finding the source of the Barry Burn is more difficult than avoiding it with a set of golf clubs. Consider it the biggest mystery in Scotland since the Loch Ness monster. The logical first step, of course, is a quick Google search. The Barry Burn Wikipedia page states the source as in Sidlaw Hills in Angus and offers coordinates – latitude of 56 degrees, 32 minutes, 36.6504 seconds north and longitude of 2 degrees, 52 minutes, 29.6724 seconds west. Just plug in those numbers into the GPS and go, right? Not so fast. Upon reaching the destination, about nine miles from Carnoustie, the setting is very peaceful. Pastoral. Lavender heather (or perhaps lupins) flowing in the gentle breeze, a quaint farmhouse down the narrow road, darkening clouds keeping their distance. And not a drop of water in sight. Obviously not the right spot. A short drive away is a small parking lot that includes an information plaque for the Inverarity Millenium Project. It states that the “Inverarity is bisected by a burn (one of only a few in Scotland which flows inland) from Lumley Den towards Fotheringham, where it is joined by the Corbie Burn, which flows from Dilty Moss, Kirkbuddo. The two burns become the Kerbet and this in turns flows in the Dean, which runs through the Valley of Stratmore.â€� A lot of burns mentioned, but alas, not the one we seek. Two other cars are in the lot. One belongs to the Diamond Dog Service, and a woman soon shows up, a bit exhausted after playing tug-of-war with the four big dogs she was walking. Did she know anything about the Barry Burn? “No sir, I’ve not heard of that one,â€� she says politely, still fighting to keep the dogs under control. The woman in the other car is asked about Sidlaw Hills. “You’re not even close,â€� she said. “That’s Sidlaw Hills over there.â€� She’s pointing to a range several miles away, likely wondering if the American she just encountered had dabbled in too many whisky tastings. Continuing down the road, we cross a small bridge and wonder if water is flowing under it. Seems promising and worth a brief check. Indeed, a small stream trickles past; perhaps the occupants in the nearby house could verify that it’s the Barry Burn. However, the posted signs next to the bridge aren’t exactly welcoming. “Shooting in progressâ€� declares one. “Warning: CCTV system installed on these premisesâ€� states another. Probably best to drive away quickly and quietly. Fortunately, a quarter-mile away, a man is out walking his dog. Gordon is from Monifieth and is a golfer. Asked about the stream, he flatly states, “It’s not the Barry Burn. It’s just a burn.â€� Told that Wikipedia indicates the source is in Sidlaw Hills, he adds, “That seriously surprises me, since the Barry Burn flows through the east. It doesn’t even make sense.â€� Time to suspend the search and return to Carnoustie, as Padraig Harrington is headed to the media center. The Irishman won here in 2007, but it wasn’t without drama, as he hit two shots into the Barry Burn on the 72nd hole before escaping with a double bogey that salvaged a playoff spot. At that point, it appeared Harrington was headed for the same fate that befell Jean Van de Velde in 1999. The Frenchman found the Barry Burn on his last hole — and nearly played out of it, famously taking his shoes and socks off and rolling up his pants legs to stand in the water before realizing his ball was too deep, thus accepting an unplayable. He suffered a triple bogey to drop into a three-man playoff eventually won by Paul Lawrie. Harrington was more fortunate. Sergio Garcia failed to convert a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Open outright, and Harrington then beat the Spaniard in the four-hole playoff for the first of his two consecutive Open titles. That gives him a unique perspective: Barry Burn Survivor. Asked what thoughts run through his head when the Barry Burn is mentioned, Harrington recalls the first time the “snakeâ€� bit him – at the 1992 British Amateur, when he lost a match with double bogeys on each of the last two holes. “I’ve got history with this golf course, and certainly the Barry Burn,â€� Harrington said. Meanwhile, in the media center, an endless loop of videos are being played – and one is a feature on the Barry Mill, which is owned and operated by the National Trust in Scotland for educational purposes. The water for the mill comes from the Barry Burn. “The Barry Burn is the lifeblood of this building,â€� states spokesman Ciaran Quigley. Seems like a good place to resume the search. Although the mill is closed on this day, the grounds are open for exploring … or, in this case, investigating. Another information plaque explains that the lade – a Scottish terms for man-made chanel – carries the water from its source to the mill. Seeing the word “sourceâ€� is definitely encouraging, and the map trail notes it’s only a half-mile away. Perhaps even closer. “Driver, 3-ironâ€� says a man who had just been there. He is, of course, accompanied by his dog. Starting to sense a theme here. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think it’s the source of the Barry Burn. “They just meant the source of the water for the mill,â€� he noted. “Sorry to disappoint you. I think it’s farther into the hills.â€� Upon reaching the lade, those fears are confirmed. A dam closes off one direction and re-directs a portion of the Barry Burn to the mill. Still, one last hope. Another map had shown the Barry Burn to originate where it meets Pitairlie Burn. That spot was not too far from the mill, a right turn from a T-junction on an unnamed access road off A92. Indeed, this map seemed to make sense, and the stone bridge gave away the position. Unlike the previous stop near the shooters’ hangout, this river flow was larger, more powerful. It had potential. Was this the start of the Barry Burn? Had Carnoustie’s Brigadoon finally revealed itself? If so, there was nothing official. No signage. Barry Burn seemed barely there. If this was the source – and there’s no guarantee it was – then it felt a bit underwhelming. Perhaps that’s how it should be. After all, the Barry Burn wasn’t actually part of the course after James Braid was hired to spruce up Carnoustie prior to hosting its first Open in 1931. The five-time Open champ was a little overzealous with his redesign, though, and the course received poor reviews when it hosted the Scottish Amateur championship in 1930. Carnoustie chairman James A. Wright then led a committee to fix the issues with another redesign before 1931 – and that’s when the Barry Burn became an integral part of the layout. Ultimately, where the Barry Burn starts doesn’t really matter, especially to the 156 golfers in the field this week. All they care about is how to avoid it, especially late on Sunday when golf’s oldest championship is determined. “There’s no point making too big of a deal out of it,â€� said Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who knows how to avoid the Barry Burn – he owns the course record of 63. “If you hit fairways, greens, that’s kind of your plan. So if it goes wrong, it goes wrong — but it’s not going away anytime soon.â€�

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MCKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler tied for 47th in last year’s AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, a forgettable result for a promising player who at the time did not possess a PGA TOUR win. What a difference a year makes. He returns this year as the No. 1 player in the world, the Masters champion and the clear front-runner in the FedExCup race. He’s a four-time TOUR winner, with all of those victories coming since February. His hometown TOUR stop was the site of his PGA TOUR debut eight years ago (he tied for 22nd, including a hole-in-one), and now it is a homecoming for the newly-minted Masters champ, who this week is playing his first individual tournament since his victory at Augusta National. Scheffler is making his fourth career start in the Nelson, playing Thursday with another local kid who’s had some success in this game, Jordan Spieth, in a 1:06 p.m. group that also includes defending champion K.H. Lee. Scheffler, 25, feels a special kinship to the tournament, which dates to 1968. He met Byron Nelson as a boy, long before he strafed the competition in high school tournaments for Highland Park, long before he won the 2014 U.S. Junior or became an All-American and Walker Cupper at the University of Texas. “I had the pleasure of meeting him a handful of times,” Scheffler said. “Byron Nelson’s always been very gracious with people, and he was gracious with me.” Their connection goes back to New Jersey. Scheffler was born in Ridgewood, a village in Bergen County, north of New York City. Nelson was an assistant professional at Ridgewood Country Club in 1935 and 1936. He minded the golf shop, played with members, gave lessons and adapted his “caddie” swing — flat and rounded, with loose legs and busy feet, fashioned in winds of Fort Worth — into the more upright move that led to 52 PGA TOUR titles in a World Golf Hall of Fame career. Nelson’s first two TOUR wins came during his tenure at Ridgewood, and it was that success that inspired him to continue creating the modern swing, which he is credited with being the father of. With the advent of steel shafts, Nelson was the first to use the “big muscles” of the body to square the clubface instead of rolling the hands. Nelson was known for aggressively driving the legs at the initiation of the downswing. “When I came into the ball, it seemed as though I was driving off my right foot, and in the impact area I felt that I almost gave a shove off that foot,” Nelson once wrote. It’s a defining characteristic of Scheffler’s swing, which was molded not far away at Royal Oaks Country Club, which the Schefflers joined after moving to Dallas from New Jersey when Scottie was 6 years old. Nelson died in 2006. Scheffler was 10, already carving it up with Spieth and Will Zalatoris on the Texas junior tours. Observers suspected he might have a future in the sport. Scheffler worked diligently on his game at Royal Oaks. He was taught by Randy Smith, whose other students include Justin Leonard and Ryan Palmer, Scheffler’s partner at the recent Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Scheffler won three Texas individual high school championships. Only Spieth, who went to Dallas Jesuit, has won that many, which is quite a feat, considering the deep well of golf talent in the state. The AT&T Byron Nelson offered Scheffler a sponsor’s exemption in 2014, back when the festive tournament was at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas. The high-school senior made the best of his chance. He made the cut, for one. Then he aced the second hole on Saturday with a 5-iron from 221 yards. He beat a lot of good players that week. He even nipped Speith by two. His sister, Callie, caddied. “We had like half our high school watching,” Scheffler said. “We had a ton of fun.” The observers seemed to be right. Scheffler met his wife, Meredith, in geometry class at Highland Park. She went to Texas A&M, but their relationship nonetheless endured. They married in 2020. The rehearsal dinner was at Royal Oaks. Now, two years later, Meredith has rushed the greens in Phoenix, Orlando, Austin, Texas, and Augusta, Georgia, where Scheffler has lifted her off of her feet after his winning putts. “What a gift,” Meredith Scheffler said Wednesday after a charity event. “It just doesn’t feel real.” But it is quite real. He’s played and prevailed on a Ryder Cup team, beating the then-No. 1 Jon Rahm in Singles. It was Rahm who Scheffler supplanted atop the world ranking after winning the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in the same town where he attended college. He’s earned $18.2 million. Kids stop him when he’s out, blushing when he gives them a fist bump and a smile. Since winning the Masters, Scheffler has thrown the ceremonial first pitch at a Texas Rangers game, dropped the puck at a Dallas Stars game and attended a Dallas Mavericks playoff game. “I enjoyed those a lot,” he said. “Other than that, (I’ve) just been hanging out and practicing.” He neglected to mention a recent Monday, when he and Zalatoris played an outing at Preston Trail, an old-school Dallas course, dripping with Texas golf history, that hosted the Nelson when Nicklaus, Watson and Trevino were the names to watch. Zalatoris shot 66. He felt pretty good. Then Scheffler added his scores. He shot 63. “Good grief, man,” Zalatoris said Wednesday, feigning exasperation. “Like, have an off day.” This week, the Schefflers are hosting Sam Burns, Seth Reeves and their families. The three players prepared steaks Monday night. They conducted the TOUR’s Bible study Tuesday. They’ve played board games to pass the time before Scheffler, the toast of the game since the WM Phoenix Open, makes his first start in Texas. “The beginning of the week was really fun,” Scheffler said, “and the tournament will be a good time too.” “Tomorrow afternoon will be a bit crazy,” said Spieth, “and I think we’ll embrace it.” Scheffler plans to. “It’s good to be at home,” Scheffler said. “I love Texas, I love Dallas and to have an event here is really special. I’m definitely looking forward to this week a lot.”

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