Can anyone catch Shane Lowry at The Open?

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Luke Donald didn’t know what to expect when he arrived to the first tee at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course on Thursday morning. He has made only 10 starts in two seasons due to a temperamental back that has refused to cooperate with him.  But making his first start since toughing out two rounds at the Sony Open in January, Donald appeared to be his vintage self for much of the day. He exhibited solid play, sound course management, and some deft touch around the greens, always a great strength of his. Even a closing bogey at the end of the Snake Pit, Copperhead’s par-4 18th, could do little to dent a day in which he’d played so solidly, opening the Valspar Championship at 4-under 67.  Hard to fathom that Donald, now 41 and a married father of three, has not held a trophy since that Sunday at Innisbrook in 2012 when he stood tallest in a four-man playoff – the Valspar Championship’s very first – to win his fifth PGA TOUR title.  “He was still No. 1 in the world then,â€� said Pat Goss, Donald’s longtime coach, the man who recruited Donald to play college golf at Northwestern from England. “This is a fickle game. You get going in the wrong direction and your confidence takes a hit and it’s hard to build it back. But as I always say to him, form is temporary. You’ve just got to keep working at it.â€� A problem with Donald’s L-4 and L-5 – partly a result of too much lateral movement in his swing – has kept Donald from doing much on the golf front these last two seasons. He made only nine PGA TOUR starts last season, and Valspar marks only his second tournament of 2018-19. Donald is playing on a major medical extension in 2018-19 and has 15 starts to earn enough FedExCup points to regain full membership on the PGA TOUR.  Donald felt good heading into Sony, but on Monday of tournament week his back flared up and he struggled to get through his two rounds. He’s been taking things slowly on the way back. Goss said Donald had been chipping and putting for about a month, but only started hitting drivers about two weeks ago. That’s why Thursday’s round – perfectly clean until he blocked a drive into the right trees at 18 – proved so encouraging. “Honestly my goal this week is to play four rounds and feel pretty good at the end of four rounds and then keep going,â€� Donald said. “But to play well is a nice bonus.â€� Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, which calls upon players to display sound course management, old-fashioned grit and good scrambling abilities, has been one of Donald’s happy hunting grounds through the years. After shooting 13-under 271 to win in 2012, he followed by tying for fourth in each of the next two years. On Thursday, a par at the 18th – where he failed to get up and down from a long-range bunker shot, missing a 10-footer – would have tied his low career round on the Copperhead. He has found his time away from golf spent in his adopted residence in Jupiter, Florida, to be something of a mixed blessing. Sure, he misses the competition and competing against the game’s best. You don’t spend 56 weeks at No. 1 in the world without a considerable amount of drive. But time off has given Donald some quality weeks to spend observing his three young daughters. “If I’m spending some time with them, it’s not the worst thing in the world,â€� he said. “And obviously I’ve had a pretty good career, I would like that to continue, but, yeah, it’s not end of the world stuff, certainly. My kids are 9, 7 and nearly 5 now, and it’s great ages to watch them and be around them a lot, so I’ve tried to frame it that way. It’s just a good opportunity to spend some time with them and have some time at home. But, yeah, I’m ready to get back out here.â€� Goss said Donald’s time off and challenges with the health of his back have led the pair to re-emphasize basic fundamentals such as posture, and that’s been good. And any chance Donald has extra time to hone his world-class short game, that’s only going to help, too. He always has been a good chipper, outstanding bunker player and excellent putter.  Donald never will bomb it out there where today’s young guns are hitting it, but his coach sees many more quality seasons in Donald’s future.  “His fitness is good, and his desire is strong, for sure,â€� Goss said. “He’s just got to get healthy and back to competing.â€� Donald said his plan is to make upcoming starts at the Valero Texas Open and the RBC Heritage, but he is taking it day by day and week by week. Health willing, he’ll climb back to golf’s upper echelon. “I still think I’m good enough to compete and win and be one of the better players in the world,â€� Donald said. “I’ve done it before so there’s no reason why not.  “We have seen lots of players around my age have been very successful – even Justin Rose is only a couple years younger than me and still playing great golf. It’s a little bit of a different style of golf that I play because there’s certain courses that I’m just going to struggle on just because I don’t hit it quite far enough these days. But there are courses out there I can compete and do well at and win, hopefully.â€� The Copperhead is one of those courses. Rusty or not, Luke Donald is off to a great start.

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BLAINE, Minn. — Scott Piercy went on a late birdie binge en route to a 9-under 62 and the first-round lead at the inaugural 3M Open on Thursday. Adam Hadwin and Hideki Matsuyama are each two shots back after a 7-under 64 at the TPC Twin Cities. Seeking his fifth career TOUR win and first since the 2018 Zurich Classic, Piercy birdied one of his first seven holes and eight of his final 11, including a nearly 30-foot putt on No. 16 to get to 8 under. Brian Harman, Sungjae Im, Patton Kizzire and Sam Saunders are among a group three back after shooting 6-under 65. Bryson DeChambeau is among nine players who shot 5-under 66 and are four shots back. Brooks Koepka is among more than a dozen players that shot a 4-under 67. Nate Lashley, who won last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, finished 2 under. The 3M Open is the first regular TOUR event in Minnesota since 1969; however, the U.S. Open and PGA Championship have each twice been contested at Hazeltine National Golf Club. The 2016 Ryder Cup was also played there and is to return in 2028. The tournament replaces a PGA TOUR Champions event held in the Land of 10,000 Lakes for 26 years. A 36-minute weather delay occurred shortly after Piercy teed off, and showers fell briefly a couple of times during the rest of his round. The winds also picked up at times in the afternoon. Playing in the calm morning, Matsuyama and Hadwin found better success on the soft greens. Matsuyama entered the day ranked 93rd on TOUR, averaging 28.95 putts per round. He had 26 Thursday, including making 13 of 14 from inside 10 feet and four of five from 10 to 15 feet. He did not three-putt a hole. Starting on No. 10, Matsuyama, a five-time tour champion who last won at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, had four straight birdies around the turn to get to 6 under before back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 and 6, the first an 18-foot putt. His lone bogey was his final hole. Playing two groups behind Matsuyama, Hadwin, 40th in putts per round, was 3 under through nine holes, and birdied four straight holes among his final nine. He made all 15 putts from inside 10 feet and made two of three from between 20 and 25 feet. “Hideki and I are kind of taking out the Fourth of July celebration for Americans so far,” joked Hadwin, a Canadian whose wife is from the United States. “I’ve got a green card, so it’s home for me.” Phil Mickelson had seven penalty strokes, including two on the par-5 18th, and finished 3 over. Minnesota native Tim Herron aced the 208-yard eighth hole.

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Each day at U.S. Open, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Brooks Koepka went back-to-back for just the seventh time in U.S. Open history. Just how significant is that? Ben Everill, Staff Writer: It’s pretty impressive if you ask me. Especially as it came on two completely different styles of course. Erin Hills was a birdie fest for the bombers. Shinnecock Hills was a grind for everyone. I’ve just heard Koepka is lobbying for Pebble Beach to be renamed Pebble “Hillsâ€� for next year. Sean Martin, Events Editor: It’s historic. Ben Hogan, Curtis Strange and now Koepka are the only men to do it since World War II. And, in contemporary terms, only four of the top 50 players in the world have multiple majors. And he’s only 28. Cameron Morfit, Staff Writer: Very. A lot of guys would shrink from that sort of weighty history. I loved his swagger, and he totally backed it up. Jonathan Wall, Equipment Insider: In terms of golf history, I think it’s very significant. Winning a major isn’t easy; going back-to-back at the U.S. Open by the age of 28 is even more impressive. Not only that, he managed to show his entire arsenal by going low to win at Erin Hills and grinding it out at Shinnecock. His game clearly travels. Brooks is now a multiple major winner… what are you expecting from him over the next 5-10 years? Everill: Given his outstanding finishes in major championships over the last couple of years – he has been top 25 in 13 of his last 15 majors and top 10 in seven of those – I certainly can’t rule out further victories. He’s only 28 and an absolute specimen of an athlete. If he doubles his total in the next five years I won’t be shocked. Martin: Predictions are a fool’s errand, so here we go. As long as he can stay healthy, I think he can pick up two more majors in the next decade. He has finished no worse than T21 in his past 11 majors. He gives himself lots of opportunities in the big events. I see a FedExCup in his future for that very reason. Morfit: Trophies. It’s odd to me that he hasn’t racked up more Ws, but he’s only 28 and spent a good chunk of his career in Europe. I think he’s got a game that can travel anywhere, and his caddie, Ricky Elliott, was telling me he’s long been one of the best putters on TOUR.   Wall: He’s now finished inside the top 25 in 13 of his last 15 major championships. If he continues to produce competitive finishes at a similar clip, he’ll likely get at least two more over the next 5-10 years. I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to say he gets to five or six if a few breaks go his way. At this point, the only thing holding him back is his health.  Tommy Fleetwood’s round was just the sixth 63 in U.S. Open history. Where do his efforts rank in your mind? Everill: Of course people will say the USGA reacted to Saturday’s criticism by watering the greens too much and providing easy pins but regardless, shooting 63 on a Sunday at a major is epic stuff. Fleetwood is the real deal. Had he read his putt on the last hole just a little better we could have easily seen our first two-hole playoff. Fourth last year, second this year … watch this space. Martin: I think he’s kicking himself for missing that last birdie putt. I think the back-nine pressure on Koepka would have been exponentially higher if he’d posted a 62. It’s reminiscent of 1986, when Chip Beck missed a 5-footer on the 72nd hole. He finished two back but thought he would’ve exerted much more pressure on the last groups if he was one stroke closer while sitting in the clubhouse. Morfit: It could’ve been a 61 even, given his chances on the last three holes. I like everything about this guy but especially his demeanor.  Wall: Shooting 63 at Shinnecock Hills is incredibly impressive and has to go down as one of the best rounds in major championship history based on what was at stake Sunday. That being said, the USGA made the course more gettable after Saturday’s fiasco. It’s a minor footnote that likely won’t be mentioned when people remember Fleetwood’s impressive round.  Tony Finau has finished in the top-10 of both majors this year. Will he break through at some point? Everill: He certainly has the talent. Finau himself says he is built for championship golf. I’d like to see him get his second PGA TOUR win before I am ready to endorse him as a likely major winner of the near future though. He’s a champion guy so you can’t help but wish him success. Wall: Similar to Brooks Koepka, he’s a twenty-something bomber who could break out at any given moment. I don’t think it’s a matter of if but when Finau gets a major. I think it happens in the next three years.  Martin: Majors are tough to win. Besides the strong field and tough conditions, it’s a numbers game. There’s only four of them per year. I was impressed with how he handled himself in the final group, though. He battled on the back nine to stay in contention.  Morfit: Absolutely he will. Major talent. Insanely long. Really hard worker. That’s a good combination. Dustin Johnson let another 54-hole lead go. Is this of any concern going forward? Everill: The numbers don’t read well. 0-3 when leading/co leading through 54 holes in a major … Only four wins in his last 10 attempts on TOUR with 54 hole leads … BUT I don’t think it is a concern. DJ doesn’t seem to let much worry him and it was a simple case of his putter going cold on the weekend. He hit the greens Sunday but just couldn’t buy a putt. Martin: I do think there’s something there. He lost a six-shot lead earlier this season at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. It’s also interesting that his only major victory came at a tournament where he didn’t know his score because of the controversial ruling. Wall: No way. The course bordered on unfair during the third round, turning even the best players in the world into 10 handicaps. If DJ gets course conditions anywhere close to what we saw on Sunday, I think he wins by two or three. He just ran into a USGA buzzsaw that torpedoed his chances.  Morfit: Nah. He’s so good he just waits for the next one. And there’s always a next one.

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