It started with a complaint about slow play, then snowballed into something much larger. Don’t remember all the details? That’s OK — there have been a lot. We give a rundown of how we got here.
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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Webb Simpson has not only beaten his putting demons – he’s annihilated them. Caught in a three-year mire after the rule makers in golf banned the anchored belly putter style he used to win four times on the PGA TOUR – including the U.S. Open – Simpson wondered if he’d ever come out the other side. Making the change to a conventional putter and stroke had proven to be non-effective and he stubbornly refused to be open minded about trying new styles. This despite the fact the stats suggested he should. Simpson went from being ranked inside the top 53 players for Strokes Gained: Putting from his debut year in 2009 through the 2014 season to a basement ranking of 174th in 2015 and 177th in 2016. But an argument with caddie Paul Tesori on the subject finally cracked open the window to a resurrection. “The lowest point ended up being the turning point,â€� he said of the argument at THE NORTHERN TRUST during the FedExCup Playoffs in 2016. “It was just frustration pent up in both of us. We go sit in my car for about an hour. I’m so frustrated, I’m over it, and he is, too, and he kind of encouraged me to really do something about it. Tesori suggested Simpson start calling guys who had had putting issues and guys who were known as great putters. Pick brains. Try anything and everything. “I was too closed minded but then just tried to learn a lot about putting and what’s important,â€� Simpson said. “So talking to great putters helped, Aaron Baddeley and Brandt Snedeker, had tons of conversations with those guys. I didn’t start putting better immediately, but it’s what led to using the Kuch-style putter, and it’s what led to me being open to listening to Tim Clark here a year ago.â€� Clark, a fellow PLAYERS Champion, suggested Simpson try the claw grip with the mid-length putter. It proved a masterstroke. After gaining 9.368 strokes on the field this week at TPC Sawgrass in putting Simpson now ranks fifth overall on the PGA TOUR this season. He disagreed with the anchor ban – still does – but has now moved well past it. “I’ve never putted this well in my life,â€� he said. “It’s funny how those things happen but this is probably the first time I can say I’m glad they banned it, because I wouldn’t have ever probably swayed away from the belly putter.â€� After breaking a win drought that had stretched from October 2013, Simpson now has his sights set on even more success. He is already Hall-Of-Fame eligible thanks to this victory but wants to add many more to become an automatic choice. “To beat the best field in golf will give me confidence going into the majors and World Golf Championship events,â€� he said. “Everybody on TOUR wants to think of themselves as a top player, and I want to get back to kind of that top-level caliber that I played at for a few years. “More importantly, I just want to keep getting better. I want to enjoy this. It’s going to boost my confidence, but I want to build on it and be in contention more in big tournaments. I haven’t been able to do that as much as I want.â€� OBSERVATIONS TIGER WOODS IGNITES TPC SAWGRASS… Two-time PLAYERS Champion Tiger Woods sat outside the cut line late on Friday before getting a late reprieve. He then shot 65 on Saturday and was six birdies deep through 12 holes Sunday to pull into a tie for second place just four shots back. It reminded us just how close we might be to an 80th PGA TOUR win. Read about Tiger’s travails here. JUSTIN THOMAS IS No. 1 EVERYWHERE… Already FedExCup No.1 Justin Thomas shot a final round 6-under 66 to finish T11 and now moves to world no.1. It ends Dustin Johnsons 64 week run at the top. Read his thoughts on overtaking Johnson here. JASON DAY’S SHOULDER PAIN… FedExCup No. 2 Jason Day was four under on his final round at the turn and perhaps one of the players who could make Webb Simpson nervous. But he was unable to find any birdies on the back side and settled for a T5 finish. It was the Wells Fargo Championship and Farmers Insurance Open winner’s fourth top-5 finish of the season. Of minor concern was a wince after his second shot into the par-5 16th hole. “Every now and then it happens where my shoulder feels like it pops out but it’s like more of a sting,â€� Day explained. “I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had back issues and it’s gone from my back to my shoulder now… It’s more on the transition, so when I go to the top and then I start to unwind, then it is like a stinging pain and then flipped it and went left. So just unfortunately just at the wrong time there because obviously you can get maybe get an eagle and get something going. But, it is what it is.â€� NOTABLES DUSTIN JOHNSON – Despite a decent T17 finish, his eighth top 25 from nine PGA TOUR starts this season, Johnson’s reign as world No. 1 is over – for now. JASON DUFNER – Claimed his second top-5 finish in his last three starts after a final round 68 left him T5. JORDAN SPIETH – Never really hit the heights on Sunday before finishing with a disastrous quadruple bogey eight on the 72nd hole leaving him in a tie for 41st. JUSTIN ROSE – Equaled a PLAYERS record with six straight birdies on holes 9-14 Sunday en route to a 66 and T23 finish. CHARL SCHWARTZEL – Former Masters champion made it three top-10 finishes in a row with his final round 67 and T2 result. JIMMY WALKER – His T2 result is a second top-5 finish in three starts and sends Walker to 49th in the FedExCup. XANDER SCHAUFFELE – PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year finishes T2, a third top-10 of the season, to jump to 31st in the FedExCup. ADAM SCOTT – Final round 68 leaves Scott at T11 – his best result on TOUR since June 2017. Moves back inside FedExCup top 125 at 110th. BROOKS KOEPKA – Course record 9-under 63 includes six birdies and an albatross to finish T11. Read about it here. QUOTABLES I’ve got it — I’m not that far off from winning golf tournaments.It’s nice to do it on Mother’s Day… to have her out here watching is neat.You’ll never see TPC Sawgrass play easier than it is this week.It’s hard to put it into words what this week has been like. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Course record-tying 9-under 63 by Brooks Koepka (T11), who holed a 6-iron from 208 yards to make an albatross at the par-5 16th hole. Longest drive: 356 yds (Branden Grace/No. 14) Longest putt: 44’ 4â€� (Jason Kokrak/No. 13) Toughest hole: Par-3 8th (3.197) Easiest hole: Par-5 2nd (4.394) CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY
THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM If you think of the stars of the game as actual stars, or planets, the orange-loving Fowler would be the sun — that universally revered energy source around which everything else revolves. The Golf Boys video? Yeah, Fowler was in that. The Spring Break trips with Smylie Kaufman, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas? Yeah, Fowler was part of those, too. When Brooks Koepka came back to South Florida in between early-career adventures in Europe, he sharpened up with matches against Fowler. Ditto for Tiger Woods as he recuperated from back fusion surgery. TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule Still, the planets have not always been in perfect harmony. Although Fowler, 28, got his fourth career win at The Honda Classic last season, he had nine other top-10s and wondered if he might have won more. He led the U.S. Open at Erin Hills after shooting a 7-under 65 in the first round but faded to a T5 finish. (In 32 major starts, he has seven top-five finishes, no wins.) Then came the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December, and Fowler’s course-record 61 in the final round. He started with seven straight birdies, shot 28 on the front nine, and won by four over Charley Hoffman. What on earth had gotten into Rickie? There was no telling, at least not until afterward. That’s when he said of pal Woods, “I think he sharpened me up a little bit.â€�  Uh, yeah. You could say that. It was the type of foot-on-the-gas performance that recalled Fowler’s victory at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2015, and fans were riveted. So were his fellow players. “To start out with seven in a row—it’s different if you play a few holes and get loosened up and then start birdieing,â€� said Fowler’s friend Bubba Watson. “But he came right out of the gate.â€� If that version of Fowler comes out of the gate in 2018, then no trophy is safe. BY THE NUMBERS How Rickie Fowler ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 16th Playoff appearances: 8 TOUR Championship appearances: 4 Best result: 4th (2015) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Rickie Fowler in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill Time for a bold prediction of sorts. Rickie Fowler is about to bust out of the shadows of his friends and reach the potential he’s always shown. With just four PGA TOUR wins and multiple near-misses, the time has come for Fowler to finally cash in like he did at the Hero World Challenge. His journey reminds me heavily of Jason Day – near-misses in big events have steeled him and when he crosses the threshold, he will be a tornado to be reckoned with. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton The day after the No. 2 in the all-around ranking in 2016-17 (Jon Rahm) is featured, we slide up to the 29-year-old who led the PGA TOUR in the category. When he finally captures his first major title, the rest of the world will see what we’ve known for years — that Fowler is simply a beast that his flare and personality accentuates, not distorts in this age of the short attention span. The fact that he has but four wins in eight full seasons on TOUR bumps him to second-round status in the stingiest of draft leagues, but he’s not even close to his career peak yet. The only upset is that he didn’t crack the top five in our series. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Fowler’s dramatic come-from-behind win at the Hero World Challenge coincided with a move to Cobra’s new King F8+ woods. Cut down his driver shaft to 43.5 inches to gain additional accuracy. King Forged MB irons have tungsten slugs in each head to boost forgiveness and dial-in the center of gravity position. Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter was originally reserved for Tiger Woods. During a trip to Cameron’s studio, Fowler picked up the putter and had it built to his specifications. Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Nobody moves the fashion needle quite like Rickie. He isn’t afraid to shake up the golf apparel world by infusing current streetwear trends into his looks. Besides the new Puma “Pâ€� hat he rocked during his win at the Hero World Challenge, expect him to sport electric blues, lemon yellows, and of course, his signature orange in 2018. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter
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