Defining moments that make the Masters unlike other majors

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A new putter and a new driver seemed to breathe new life into Shane Lowry’s game on Thursday at the RBC Heritage. The Irishman admittedly had started the year off on a strong note with a win in Abu Dhabi in the season-opener on the European Tour. But he simply hadn’t been able to build on that momentum – on either side of the Atlantic — in the weeks following his third career win. In fact, Lowry hadn’t broken 70 in four stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR since he missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in February. He was a combined 24 over par in those tournaments and had only made the weekend once. On a blustery morning at Harbour Town Golf Links, though, Lowry was back in control — firing a bogey-free 65 that earned him a one-stroke advantage. “Pretty much my whole game felt good,â€� Lowry said. “… I haven’t had that feeling in a while. So, it’s kind of nice.â€� He only needed to use that putter he put in his bag this week 27 times in the first round. Lowry took advantage of all three par-5s, too, getting up and down at each with birdie putts in the 3-foot range. His other birdie putts ranged from 8 to 19 feet. “It was something I’ve been struggling with — my par-5 scoring hasn’t been very good,â€� Lowry said. “I just played them nicely today. I struggled off the tee quite a bit this year, and I managed to find a new driver that I like. I hit that pretty good. And when you do that on par-5s it always gives yourself a chance.â€� Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor Finding the right driver has been a work in progress for Lowry, who even in that early victory struggled off the tee – hitting just four fairways as he shot a course-record 62 in the first round in Abu Dhabi. Lowry estimated he tried 30 different drivers this year before settling on the Srixon one he first used at the Masters and liked so much that it earned another spot in his bag this week. “We’ve done a lot of work and I managed to find one I like and feel like I can trust it there,â€� Lowry said. “So, hopefully it keeps going. Today was the first day that I hit the ball well off the tee. So even it felt okay last week in Augusta, but today was the first real day.â€� Lowry hit 13 of 14 fairways in the first round and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, scrambling successfully for par on the ones he missed. Not surprisingly, then, he ranked in the top three in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Tee-to-Green and Around-the-Green. “I’m happy with my golf,â€� Lowry said. “My scores haven’t been great as of late. But I felt like I’ve been playing okay. So maybe this is a reward for the perseverance.â€� Lowry has only played the RBC Heritage once previously, finishing tied for 44th in 2017. But he had some success that week – opening with a 66 before giving all that back with a 75 in the second round and eventually finishing 2 under for the week. “It’s just difficult,â€� Lowry said of the Pete Dye creation. “And if you’re 7- or 8-under going into Sunday, you’re going to have a chance to win the tournament, I think. And that’s kind of the way this course plays. You just need to be as patient as you can. “A couple of years ago I got off to a good start and I maybe tried to force it a little bit. So just try to stay patient the next few days. I enjoyed today. It’s nice to shoot a good score. And it’s my first good score in a few weeks. So just enjoy that and just get out there tomorrow and get after it.â€� Friday figures to be a challenge for everyone but particularly those with afternoon tee times when winds of 20-30 mph, gusting to 40, are expected and severe thunderstorms are possible. “You know the forecast is not going to be great,â€� Lowry said. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and knew this was my chance to go out and shoot a good number.â€� Mission accomplished.

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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APGA Tour star Kamaiu Johnson fired a sizzling five-under par 67 in the final round, including a clutch birdie on the final hole, to register a narrow, come-from-behind victory and capture the 2022 Mastercard APGA Tour Championship at TPC San Antonio Tuesday afternoon. One of the APGA Tour’s most recognizable players, Johnson won the $50,000 first prize – the largest in APGA Tour history – and APGA Tour Player of the Year honors as the winner of the season-long Lexus Cup Point Standings. The birdie on 18 put Johnson at 7-under-par for the tournament. Both Marcus Byrd of Kennesaw, Georgia, and Daniel Augustus of Bermuda had birdie putts on 18 to force a playoff. Neither player was able to convert, giving Johnson the one-stroke victory. The triumph also earned Johnson an exemption into early-stage events of the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica series with an opportunity to retain status based on performance. The Lexus Cup title also includes a full scholarship into Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School in September. Johnson’s rise to prominence came about in January of last year, when his PGA TOUR debut via exemption into the Farmers Insurance Open was ended early in tournament week by a positive COVID-19 test. The golf world rallied in support of the 29 year-old Tallahassee, Florida, native and he was invited to three PGA TOUR events in the ensuing months, fulfilling his dream of competing at the highest level. The victory is Johnson’s fourth APGA Tour win in the last three years having also won the Tour Championship in 2020. The winner of the APGA Tour’s Las Vegas stop each of the past two years, Johnson shot a 70-67-137, delivering the best round of the day at TPC San Antonio, the 7,106-yard, par-72 home of the PGA TOUR’s Valero Texas Open. On the par-5 18th, Johnson found a bunker 97 yards from the pin with his second shot. His sand wedge flew just beyond the hole and spun back to one foot, giving him a tap-in birdie. Two strokes back at the start of the day, Johnson started his round with a bogey but then notched birdies on five of the next eight holes to seize the lead. “It was definitely the shot of the day,” he stated about his third on 18. “Things have been trending in the right direction and I’m happy that it came together today at the Tour Championship. My goal was to win twice on the tour this year and take the Lexus Cup. I’ve been working hard with my team and I got it done.” Byrd and Augustus each won $15,000 from the $150,000 purse, also the largest in history for the APGA Tour, which has grown dramatically in recent years, now comprising 18 events offering over $800,000 in prize money. Willie Mack III of Grand Blanc, Michigan, the 2021 Mastercard APGA Tour Champion and Lexus Cup Player of the Year, finished fourth at 71-69-140. Tim O’Neal of Savannah, Georgia, and Joseph Hooks of Farmington Hills, Michigan, tied for fifth at 142. The Mastercard APGA Tour Championship was the 12th tournament of the landmark 2022 season. TPC San Antonio is the eighth TPC property to host the APGA Tour this year as part of its partnership with the PGA TOUR. The next tournament stop is the APGA Tour Cisco Invitational at famed Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, New Jersey. This is a new event in 2022 and will have an invitational field of 18 players competing for the prize money of $125,000. The tour then heads into its four-event Farmers Insurance Fall Series in the St. Louis, Houston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles markets.

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