Celebrating the differences of Spieth, Weekley at Travelers

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Marc Leishman shot a 7-under 65 in the final round to win the CIMB Classic Sunday by five strokes and equal the tournament course record. The Australian was in fine form as he strolled to his fourth PGA TOUR title and matched Justin Thomas’ tournament record of 26-under 262 in 2015 on the TPC Kuala Lumpur West course. Leishman started strongly with four birdies in the first five holes, before turning in another long birdie putt on the ninth for 31. Two more birdies on the 10th and 16th followed, sandwiched by his lone bogey at the 13th, before he birdied the final hole and celebrated with a fist pump. First-round leader Bronson Burgoon shot a 68 to finish tied for second, along with Emiliano Grillo and Chesson Hadley. Thomas finished tied for fifth place after ending the final day with an eight-under 64, along with Gary Woodland (71) and Louis Oosthuizen (69). Shubhankar Sharma, part of the trio of joint-leaders coming into this final round, faltered in the final round to finish tied for 10th after an even-par 72.

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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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We’ll take some literary license here, given that the times around which this story has played out are so extraordinary. The scene was Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Dothan, Alabama. The day was March 13, 2020. The backdrop was the final round of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament. Those are the facts, but here’s the liberty we spoke about, a guess at what the thought process was for Quade Cummins and Garett Reband as they walked from the 72nd green, having finished second and joint fourth, respectively: “Mission accomplished. We’re riding high. So good. We’ve qualified; we’ve got some security, a place to play pro golf this summer, while staying amateur for right now. “Life is good. So, let’s hop onto that plane for a flight to Arizona, catch up to our Oklahoma teammates for this weekend’s big tournament. Maybe win that, build some momentum, carry OU to an NCAA crown in a few months.” The story gets interrupted by a phone call from Reband’s father. Swiftly, the story turns upside down. “You’re kidding me? Our college career is over.” Had the story ended there, it would have been unfortunate. But just as the pandemic did with virtually every facet of everyone’s life, it sent the storylines for Cummins and Reband into a tailspin. It was a stretch of turbulence that tested their patience and left them wondering where they were with their golf careers. Turns out, they are not where they’d imagined they would be at this point in their careers. But nor are they as bad off as they thought they were when Reband hung up from his father after walking off the 18th green, then confirmed the rumors with Ryan Hybl, his head coach at OU. Indeed, March 13 was the day their emotions were jolted. In response to the fast-moving spread of the coronavirus, the NCAA had canceled the spring golf season, so Cummins and Reband – numb and speechless – were told by Hybl to forget the flight to Arizona. Instead, they went back to Norman, Oklahoma, trying to absorb this stunning end to their collegiate careers. Within a few days, Cummins and Reband digested the fact that not only were their NCAA dreams crushed, but that endeavor at the Mackenzie Tour Q-School had been for naught; those tournaments had to be canceled. “We had it all planned out,” said Cummins. “Then it fell apart.” They weren’t alone, of course. The entire world was in disarray and nearly every hour brought a shift in news. For Cummins and Reband, the updates soon turned positive, and came in waves. First, the NCAA granted senior golfers a fifth year of eligibility, and both Cummins and Reband were good with that. That part of the dream was back on. “My motivation will be to win a national championship,” said Cummins, whose Sooners were ranked No. 1 when the season was canceled. The next layer of news was even better. PGA TOUR University had been put in motion – a bold and intriguing initiative that plays right into the strength of both Cummins and Reband, as they were 3rd and 5th, respectively, in the Golfweek rankings when the season was rudely halted. They are 24th and 21st, respectively, in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). While on the surface it would appear as if “PGA TOUR U” – which will reward top-ranked collegiate golfers with immediate access to the Korn Ferry and International Tours – was a reaction to the chaos created by the pandemic, but the picture deserves a wider lens. Truth is, this initiative between the PGA TOUR, the folks who conduct the WAGR and a number of other leading constituents in the game had been in the works for several years. That it was far enough along to be announced at a time when the collegiate golf picture became disjointed is pure happenstance. In contrast to an avalanche of heartbreaking news, PGA TOUR U was positive reinforcement when college golfers most needed it and PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan was thrilled to announce it. “With the level of immediate success from the top collegiate players in the last decade, our team has done extensive research over time and developed a plan to provide a pathway for those players as they begin their journeys into the professional ranks,” Monahan said. When the first PGA TOUR U class graduates next June – all having completed at least four years of college – the top five will be granted immediate status on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Nos. 6 through 15 will be given status on either the Mackenzie Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica or PGA TOUR Series China. The PGA TOUR will work with WAGR to create the PGA TOUR U standings, which will be derived from all NCAA Division I competitions and all PGA TOUR tournaments, including the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship. The gate will go up on the rankings later this year and it appears a certainty that Cummins and Reband will be prominent names in the thick of things all year. Theirs are resumes that glitter and given the remarkable swing of emotions – from thinking all was lost on March 13 to realizing several positives were back in play just a few weeks later – it’s likely these young men from Weatherford, Oklahoma (Cummins), and Fort Worth, Texas (Reband), are going to be committed to not letting this opportunity slip by. In fact, Cummins joked that his only disappointment is that “the PGA TOUR didn’t do this last year.” That way, he likely would have been top five and possibly out playing some Korn Ferry Tour tournaments right now. But kidding aside, Cummins, like Reband, appreciates how the picture has changed and beyond the chance to fulfill his goal of leading OU to another national championship, there is the potential for a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour. That’s far better than coming out of college, writing for exemptions and chasing Monday qualifiers. “It might be one year later, but it’s worked out great,” said Cummins. “We hope to come out (of the pandemic) with guns blazin’.” “We have unfinished business (at Oklahoma),” said Reband, who, like Cummins, was a freshman when the Sooners won the NCAA title in 2017. “But (beyond that) the PGA TOUR U gives us more incentive. It’s a great idea.” Neither Cummins nor Reband were in the lineup for the title win as freshmen, but they’ve progressed nicely in their collegiate and amateur careers. Both have qualified for U.S. Amateurs; both were finalists for the Haskins Award in 2019-20; and both will be on the United States team for the Palmer Cup in December (Cummins also played on the 2019 squad that lost to the International Team). Cummins, who committed to OU when he was 13, won the Pacific Coast Amateur in 2019 and the Oklahoma State Amateur in 2016. Reband was in the process of a stellar senior season for the Sooners – co-winner of the Puerto Rico Classic and a top-10 finisher in five of six tournaments – before things came to a screeching halt. What adds to the anticipation Cummins and Reband have for the 2020-21 season is the addition of another collegiate standout – Jonathan Brightwell, a graduate transfer from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro who earned second-team All-America honors. It’s why Cummins, as much as he can’t wait to play pro golf, isn’t rushing things. “Turning pro can wait another year,” he said. “You can always turn pro; you can’t always win a national championship.” That in essence is what motivated the PGA TOUR to back this initiative. “By focusing our efforts on players who have completed a minimum of four years, PGA TOUR University will not deter from the college game, while ensuring its graduates benefit from their maturity and experience,” said Monahan.

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