Brooks Koepka is the monster Tiger created

Frustrated all weekend by a cold putter and even more so over the back nine Monday, Tiger Woods declined to speak to the media after a final-round 71 at TPC Boston.

Click here to read the full article…

DUBLIN, Ohio – Kevin Streelman didn’t exactly come out of the blocks quickly when the PGA TOUR resumed play after a four-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He missed the cut in the Charles Schwab Challenge, as well as the RBC Heritage. But the early exit in Hilton Head proved to be fortuitous when Streelman and Aaron Baddeley got together for a friendly 18 holes on Saturday while everyone else was battling at Harbour Town. “He just saw one little thing in my putting and kind of gave me a little tip, and I’ve been putting beautifully since,” the Duke graduate said. The boost of confidence on the greens was among the keys to Streelman’s second-place finish at the Travelers Championship, his second runner-up of the season. And it’s carried over to the Workday Charity Open where he entered Saturday’s third round tied for second, three strokes off the lead held by 23-year-old Collin Morikawa. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Morikawa builds on lead Streelman made nine birdies in a round of 64 on Friday and stood first in Strokes Gained: Putting through two rounds with a career-best +8.475. The 41-year-old finished four rounds at TPC River Highlands ranked a solid 10th in the same category, as well. Streelman, whose golf bag was signed by his beloved Chicago Cubs starters before the pandemic hit, is now 37 under in his last seven rounds on the PGA TOUR. “I putted beautifully, kept it below most of the pins, was able to give some nice strikes to some putts, but took care of the difficult shots out there and birdied the par 5s and put myself in position,” Streelman said, terming himself “excited.” As for the tip? Well, Streelman declined to share it when he met with the socially distanced media after his round on Friday. It wasn’t anything fundamental, anyway. “It’s actually nothing with the stroke, it’s much more visual and getting out into my spot of how I want it to go in,” Streelman said. “I was more into my stroke, and it just kind of freed it up, to be honest.” Streelman, who is seeking the third win of his career, came to Muirfield Village relaxed after beating the 110-degree heat in Phoenix by spending more time in the pool with his kids last week than playing golf. He finished fourth in last year’s Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, closing with a 66, and said Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout fits the Midwesterner’s eye. He’s been driving the ball particularly well this week – ranking third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and second in fairways hit this week. “There’s just shots you’ve got to step up and hit great shots,” Streelman explained. “… I drive the ball straight. Been able to hit a lot of fairways, and when my putter is on, I know I can compete with most of the guys and (looking forward to) see how I do against these young guys on the weekend.” Streelman finished a distant second to Nick Taylor at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year. He had a much better chance at the Travelers Championship where he started the final round three shots behind Brendon Todd and one behind Dustin Johnson, the eventual winner. “I was right there in Hartford,” Streelman said. “I played well enough, and I was bummed to not finish that off. I enjoy that moment. I enjoy having a chance and just going for it. Sometimes you do great and sometimes you don’t, but I enjoyed … having that opportunity to attack and see what you’ve got. “I think that’s my favorite part of this game, playing it professionally, is going head-to-head with the best players in the world when the cameras are on, when the heat is on and just seeing what you’ve got. Like I said, some weeks you’ve got it and some weeks you don’t but being in the moment is what’s awesome about playing this sport competitively.”

Click here to read the full article…

AVONDALE, La. – It was a year ago in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans that Trey Mullinax and Scott Stallings first discussed a partnership. They each had different partners at the time. Stallings was with Australian Aaron Baddeley. Mullinax, a late addition to the field, played with Jonathan Randolph. But that didn’t stop Mullinax and Stallings from looking ahead to 2019. “We just kind of decided last year, hey, if we’re in next year, we’re just going to play together,� Mullinax said. “Been about a year in the making.� It probably felt like the completion of Thursday’s round was also a year in the making. A 7-1/2 hour weather delay in the middle of the day meant that Mullinax and Stallings started early and finished late. But it was worth it, as they finished 18 holes just before darkness with a 11-under 61 in the Four-balls format to take the clubhouse lead. Martin Laird/Nick Taylor are the closest finishers at 10 under, with Brian Gay/Rory Sabbatini are also at 10 under with four holes left. “Kind of an odd day,� Stallings said. “Obviously we played a lot more this morning than we thought we were going to, but to play 18 holes … and we not birdie the same hole and come out at 11 under – if you told us that at the beginning of the day, we’d have definitely taken it.� The lengthy delay left them with a “lot of nothing� to do while waiting for the lightning to clear and the course condition to improve. They sat in the car, went to the fitness trailer, grabbed a bite off-course and watched TV. But the biggest impact was having to reschedule their movie plans to watch “Avengers: Endgame.� “Extremely happy we can go see that movie tonight,� Stallings said. “We were supposed to go at 7:30 to 3-D but now we changed it to 10:00 and we got IMAX,� added Mullinax. “We got a little upgrade,� Stallings said. If you’re getting the impression these guys are close, you’d be spot-on. They’ve played lots of practice rounds together, and their friendship obviously extends beyond the course. Mullinax just had his first child, and Stallings – who had two children – has been giving him tips on fatherhood. Stallings’s penchant for fitness even has Mullinax working out more. “I’m trying to get a little bit bigger like him,� Mullinax said. “I can’t do as many push-ups and bench as much as he can, but he’s a pretty strong boy.� The two have been serious about their preparation for the Zurich Classic. Last week at the RBC Heritage, they held an alternate-shot nine-hole practice to get use to playing with the other’s golf ball. This week, they’re renting a house together. Their respective families are not in town. It’s strictly a boys’ golf week at TPC Louisiana. “We had this house booked a while ago,� Mullinax said. “And both our wives and families are like, yeah, we’re not going. We’re out,� Stallings added.

Click here to read the full article…