Birdie run gives Kuchar 1-shot Sony Open lead

Apropos of the motion required to propel a golf ball, the PGA TOUR loves its Swings. From the Asian to the Aloha to the West Coast to the Florida, these nicknames help delineate one segment of the season from another. Here’s another: the Fortnight of Tom Weiskopf Redesigns. It’s not as catchy, but it’s not inaccurate. It also has the attention of the 132 golfers committed to this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. For any of the 156 who took one spin of Torrey Pines North at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, he might want to digest how the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale has evolved since Weiskopf went to work on the course in 2014. The space beneath the ranking examines what happened in the first three editions of his modernization. TPC Scottsdale isn’t The House That Hideki Built, but it’s been his castle. Since his debut in 2014, he’s an aggregate 517-5-2, not to mention the two-time defending champion. Well, despite early career success at Torrey Pines, it’s had his number since 2014, travel or no travel in advance. No hangovers at the WMPO, though, where he’s gone P2-T4 since 2016. Back home where the ASU product placed T5 as an amateur in 2015. Returned for a T16 last year. Most recently, he lit the world on fire with a Win-2nd-Win burst to bridge the holidays. It’s been over six months now since his last victory (The Open). The constitutes a drought for the 11-time winner. Two top 10s in as many trips to the WMPO; scoring average = 68.13. Anchoring ban and redesign be damned, he’s been a machine at TPC Scottsdale since 2011, going 5-for-5 with a P2 last year, no worse than T14 (2016) and a scoring average of 68.05. This is all about the expectation of him once again sustaining world-beating firepower off the tee. En route to the P2 at Torrey Pines, he led the field in total driving. T2 here in 2015. What an impressive display by the 35-year-old Swede at Torrey Pines where that confident game off the tee will have value in his debut at TPC Scottsdale. Also led last week’s field in GIR. Continues to purr. Tows the confidence of six consecutive top 20s since September into TPC Scottsdale where he’s connected five top 25s since 2009. T10-T14-T12 on the redesign. Rose to T8 at Torrey Pines with a closing 73. Six top 10s in last nine starts worldwide. Back for redemption at TPC Scottsdale where he finished T24 after sitting T7 through 54 holes. Surprisingly uninspiring slate at TPC Scottsdale with one payday (T22, 2015) in three tries on the redesign. Still, experience never hurts as he ascends. Farmers’ T6 the latest of the sizzle. Still chasing his first top 10 since July, but he’s been lurking. Opened 2018 with a T11 at Kapalua and T14 at Waialae. Two top 10s at TPC Scottsdale, including a T7 last year. A threat wherever he pegs it, just not at TPC Scottsdale. Yet. A T17 in 2015 represents his only weekend stay in three attempts. Missed last year’s cut after sweeping the Aloha Swing. He’s a magician. Placed T9 here last year despite ranking outside the top 20 in total driving, GIR, proximity, strokes gained: putting, birdie-or-better percentage and scrambling. Excluding Torrey North (which isn’t lasered for ShotLink), he paced Farmers in strokes gained: putting and strokes gained, period. Scored 9-under 275 in last two trips to TPC Scottsdale. Reconnected with form in the desert of the Coachella Valley two weeks ago. It’s proven to be a comfort zone. Same can be said of TPC Scottsdale, site of a T17 in 2016 and T12 last year. Rank POWER RANKINGS PLAYER COMMENT FedExCup points leader Patton Kizzire, Brandt Snedeker, Patrick Reed and the tournament’s all-time money leader, Phil Mickelson, will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Various factors can contribute to springy greens that were witnessed at Torrey North in the first two rounds last week, but that those bentgrass targets are just two years old can’t be ruled out as a predominant factor. The new TifEagle Bermuda greens at TPC Scottsdale experienced the same reaction when they debuted in 2015. Weather permitting, the narrative for greens to mature and establish an “identity” usually includes a waiting period of three years. Sure enough, in spectacular conditions, last year’s scoring average of 70.192 at the WMPO was easily the lowest since Weiskopf placed his stamp of approval on the par 35-36=71 tipping at 7,266 yards. Similarly cooperative elements present the canvas this week as Hideki Matsuyama pursues his third straight title in the tournament. As he does, he goes in knowing that he’ll have to remain as aggressive as he was en route to 17-under 267 a year ago. Last year’s field found only 55.36 percent of the fairways, lowest since the redesign, but it hit 68.47 percent of the greens in regulation, which was a four-year high. The average proximity to the hole checked up at 38 feet, 11 inches, measurably the shortest of the last three editions. Short-game metrics align predictably and there’s been no regression in converting scoring opportunities into par breakers despite the increase in those chances. Putting it all together, the indication is that experience on the redesign has mattered on a similar plane as the maturity of the greens. Matsuyama and his playoff victim, Webb Simpson, beat the field averages in fairways hit, GIR, proximity and scrambling. That’s not surprising, but both were poster boys for how all of the contenders performed across the board. There is no one-size-fits-all profile at TPC Scottsdale. During the grand opening of his redesign in November of 2014, Weiskopf said that he expected winning scores to settle at 14- to 18-under par. He hasn’t been wrong yet, but the over (or the under, depending on your perspective), is in play on Super Bowl Sunday. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider, Facebook Live WEDNESDAY: One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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Greg Norman, tournament host of the 2018 QBE Shootout, attended President George H.W. Bush’s funeral on Wednesday, so Norman didn’t play in the Wednesday pro-am. The pro-am was two rounds, however, so Norman was out playing on Thursday at Tiburon Golf Club for the second round. Of course, we took a look into his golf bag, which featured a blast from the past, as well as some new additions. We also take a look at Darius Rucker’s driver, some telling headcovers, a Kevin Kisner into-the-grain chipping lesson, a look at the clubs of Billy Horschel’s former college teammate, and the longest driver on the PGA TOUR. Enjoy the photos and the stories behind them below. The 1993 Open Championship-winning putter Since Cobra doesn’t make putters, Cobra staffer Greg Norman is free to use any putter he wants, and what better putter to use than the Ping Anser 2 he used to win the 1993 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club. Yes, it’s the same exact putter, according to Norman himself. “It sits nicely,� Norman said with a smile. “I just know where the ball is going when I put [the putter] on the ground.� Aside from the flatstick, Norman was gaming a mixed set of Cobra King MB/CB irons, and shark-stamped Cobra Tour Trusty wedges. He also had the new Cobra King F9 Speedback driver (9 degrees) in play, equipped with a HZRDUS Smoke 60-gram 6.0-flex shaft. Darius’ driver Avid golfer and famed-musician Darius Rucker was spotted on the range with a PXG XX 9-degree driver that looks to have gotten plenty of use on the course and range. Pat Perez was spotted with a less-used PXG 0811X “Gen 2� 10.5-degree driver. We’re expecting to hear more about the design of Perez’s prototype driver in the next few months. It’s a miracle I stayed away from any bad Darius Rucker song/driver puns, but It Won’t Be Like This For Long. Headcovers tell the story Golfers often express a bit of their personalities and passions throughout their golf bags. For some, they stamp names of significant others or children on their wedges. For others, they use headcovers to reveal a bit about themselves. Patrick Rodgers: He won 11 times at Stanford during his three years at the university, tying Tiger Woods’ record for victories. It’s no wonder he still carries a Stanford Tree headcover on his driver. Gary Woodland: Look in Woodland’s bag and you’ll know immediately how proud he is to be University of Kansas Jayhawk. All of his headcovers have a Jayhwak on them, but none cooler than his custom putter cover. Bubba Watson: “Do not touch.� Unless you’re caddie Ted Scott, it’s probably best not to touch. Kevin Na: The Caddyshack quote is “Oh Golly, I’m hot today,� but this is close enough. This headcover says you like good golf humor and have a fire putter. Chucky 3 sticks Charles Howell III recently picked up his third win at The RSM Classic, the first tournament he played in after switching from PXG clubs to a bag full of Titleist. We caught up with him at the QBE Shootout to check out his mixed set of Titleist 718 T-MB/AP2/CB irons and SM7 wedges. He also has a TS3 10.5 degree driver with a Mitsubishi Tensei AV-series 65TX shaft, TS2 fairway woods and a TaylorMade Tour Red Spider putter in the bag. Florida Gators reunite Jessie Mudd played on the University of Florida Men’s Golf Team from 2003-2006, while Billy Horschel was on the team from 2006-2009. The teammates of one year were both playing in the QBE Shootout pro-am this week. Mudd hits a big ball off the tee with a TaylorMade M3 driver, has a mixed set of irons – TaylorMade P-790 long irons and Mizuno JPX-900 Tour forged short irons – and he has a sweet Titleist SM7 wedge. Mudd is now the head coach of the Lamar University mean’s golf team. Billy Horschel, on the other hand, plays golf for a living, in case you haven’t heard. The Boom Stick Here’s a look at Cameron Champ’s Ping G400 Max 9-degree driver, with a Fujikura Pro 63 shaft, that he uses to average 328.2 yards off the tee on the PGA TOUR. Through the grain Depending on who you ask, the hardest shot in golf is either a 40-yard bunker shot, or a delicate chip shot off of an into-the-grain lie. Kevin Kisner sought advice about the latter from short game coach Pete Cowen. The duo worked on getting the club to set up more vertically at address, in a “toe-down� position, and getting the club to work more left of the target through impact. If Kisner misses a green this week, which isn’t a guarantee, let’s see if he employs the technique he learned from Cowen on Thursday.

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SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Here was the lead in a wire services story 53 years ago: “Postman Eardley Jones in Warwick, Parish, Bermuda, is a father, a golfer – and more recently, a hero.” The story detailed how Jones jumped out of his mailman’s outfit and dove into rough water on Bermuda’s south shore to save a drowning man. After medics took the man to the hospital, the story goes that Jones nonchalantly slipped back into his work clothes and continued on with his route. “I have a picture somewhere, of my father that day standing in his skivvies,” says Nick Jones, the youngest of Eardley’s six children. It is that segment of the slideshow memory that makes him laugh. The next slide, however, brings a somber, yet respectful reflection. “I’ve met the man (my father) saved,” Nick says. “He’s still alive. It’s that connection that helps me remember my dad fondly. I miss him every day. He believed in me and was the driving force behind me. “There was no shaking his faith in me.” When Eardley Jones died at 73 in 2012, he was praised as “the Arthur Ashe of Bermuda golf,” a Black man who helped end segregation policies on this island. Until 1967, Black golfers could only play Ocean View, but Eardley Jones helped break down that barrier and open the door for Frankie Rabaid, Llewelyn Tucker, Keith Pearman, and so many others. Including, of course, Nick Jones, now 33 and beaming with pride as he prepares to play in this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course. He earned one of three spots in a local qualifier (fellow Bermudians Michael Sims and Jarryd Dillas also got in) and embraces the opportunity before him. “I love that I’m here,” he says. “I love the chance to show what I’ve got.” What Nick Jones has is a story that is equal parts adventure, passion, and pride, with golf being the common denominator. The game took him from Bermuda to high school in Florida. He turned pro at a young age and showed immediate promise with victory in the 2011 Daytona Beach Open, then flew to England to chase minitours while living with extended family. “I can’t be in the United States for three months at a time because of visa (restrictions),” Jones, who has a British passport, says by way of explaining his allegiance to competitive golf in the U.K. By now it’s likely you have heard of those who were stranded somewhere during the beginnings of the COVID pandemic. But Jones can likely top them all. “I was stuck in Palau for almost two years,” he says. Palau is in the Western Pacific, part of an archipelago of hundreds of islands in the Micronesia region. Indonesia is to the south, the Philippines to the north, but Jones, whose wife’s job had moved them to Palau in late 2019, couldn’t leave once the lock-down began in the spring of 2020. “There was a range with a big net where I could hit balls, but during lock-down they down took the net,” Jones says, laughing at the memory. “I could chip and putt, but that’s it. I didn’t touch my clubs for more than a year. I just did a lot of diving and a lot of fishing.” When the lock-down was lifted in the fall of 2021, Jones followed his heart. “Bermuda is home,” he says, “and it’s the golf community here that I love.” Beyond rusty, Jones didn’t get through the local qualifier for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in ’21. But he was so determined to be a part of the tournament that he caddied for a competitor in a Monday qualifier, then stuck around Port Royal to wash dishes at night and even tend bar. The sense of adventure still burns for Jones, who placed fourth in the Trinidad and Tobago Open in the spring and is signed on for the upcoming Jamaica Open. But his time back in Bermuda has returned him to his roots. It’s where he learned the game, and where his father’s legacy still is rich. “My ideal goal is to spend six-to-eight months here,” he says, “teaching kids and rebuilding and developing the junior program, which my father started years ago. Then spend a few months traveling to play in golf tournaments.” He has a soft spot for Spain, has family in the U.K., and says, not surprisingly, “I love all the islands.” His father and other Black golfers from Bermuda were trailblazers who overcame long odds. Rabaid played in the 1971 Open Championship. Eardley played in the Canadian Amateur and once brought Nick, then a young teenager, to caddie for him in the British Senior Open. “My father didn’t have much money, but he had a big heart,” says Nick, whose father played at an elite level while juggling two jobs, as a mailman and a maître d’ at that onetime bustling hot spot in Hamilton called Forty Thieves. On top of that, Eardley Jones led the fight against segregation. “He had to fight for his sport,” Nick adds. That battle won, Eardley Jones then brought kids, Nick Jones prominent among them, into his junior program right here at Port Royal. “He didn’t force me to play, but he made sure I wanted to play,” Jones says. “He gave me the freedom to fall in love with the game.” Mission accomplished, Eardley. Mission accomplished.

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