Details of Mickelson’s ‘Tiger Slayer’ putter

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Na birdied four of the first eight holes and shot a 4-under 66 to cruise to a four-shot victory over Tony Finau at Colonial on Sunday. The South Korean-born American opened with a two-shot lead and was in front by at least that many for the final 16 holes after putting his second shot inside 5 feet for birdie at the par-4 second. Na finished 13 under. Na’s third career PGA TOUR victory, and second in 10 months, came after putting himself in contention with a second-round 62, one off the Colonial record. It was his third score at least that good in a span of six on the cozy course made famous by Ben Hogan. Local favorite Jordan Spieth’s strong putting disappeared in a 2-over 72 as the Dallas native finished eight shots back to remain without a victory since his the 2017 Open Championship. Jim Furyk’s hopes faded when he found the water for double bogey at the par-3 13th on the way to a 73. The 17-time PGA TOUR winner’s last title was at Hilton Head in 2015. Finau briefly was within a shot of Na early in the round, and the first-round leader was two back when Na birdied 14 about the same time Finau had a bogey at 16 to push the lead to four. Finau, looking for his second career win three years after his first, closed with a 68. It’s the first time since 2002-03 that consecutive Colonials were decided by more than one stroke. Defending champion Justin Rose had his third score of par or worse, shooting 70 to finish 5 over.

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GUYANCOURT, France – The U.S. team room at the Renaissance hotel near the Atlanta airport was buzzing Sunday night while anticipating the arrival of its latest winner. Finally, the moment came. “A giant roar when Steve Stricker walked in the room after his victory last night,â€� captain Jim Furyk said Monday, doing his best to suppress a smile. No offense to Stricker, whose wire-to-wire win at the inaugural Sanford International was his third in just seven starts on the current PGA TOUR Champions season. A most impressive performance, to be sure, but even vice-captain Stricker would admit the biggest buzz for the Americans on Sunday was generated by Tiger Woods, who ended his five-year drought on the PGA TOUR by claiming the TOUR Championship. Several of the U.S. players had stayed at East Lake late Sunday to congratulate Woods. Then they gathered at the hotel for a team dinner before jumping on a plane that landed in France at approximately 12:45 p.m. locally Monday afternoon. Their goal now is to end a drought that’s five times longer than Tiger’s – winning the Ryder Cup on foreign soil. It’s been 25 years since the U.S. has defeated Europe on the road, but Furyk couldn’t have asked for a better momentum boost than Woods winning after being uncertain about his golfing future just a year ago. To have Stricker also bring another trophy to the team room was a big bonus. “Nice to have those two guys play so well, and you know, start us off pretty well this week,â€� Furyk said Monday from Le Golf National, site of this week’s event. Of course, now the question becomes: Just how much of an impact will it make on this week’s outcome? European Captain Thomas Bjorn, hoping to avoid any potential bulletin board material, did not want to be dismissive of Tiger’s accomplishment, but he also sought to emphasize that this is a different week, with a completely different set of factors. “I spent 25 years playing professional golf with Tiger Woods on the scene, and anytime he does anything great, that’s a story and that’s where we want to see him,â€� said Bjorn, who can count on having FedExCup champion Justin Rose on his side. “We want to see him at the top of the game. He does so much for the game of golf. Watching that last night, I thought it was brilliant to watch. It was great for the greater aspect of the game. “Coming into this week, these are 24 of the best players in the world and this tournament is what it is. … It has its history and it’s a great battle and it is 12 against 12, and that’s what we’re looking forward to.â€� Furyk agreed that individual success one week can only go so far at a team event the following week. He said Tiger – initially a vice-captain until Furyk made him a captain’s pick earlier this month — has already switched gears mentally. “He won yesterday as an individual, and I know how much that means to him and how important it was,â€� Furyk said, “but he’s flipped that page pretty quickly and is really excited to join his teammates and move forward in that process.â€� Of course, the excitement and adrenaline and rush of success can also be mentally exhausting to handle. Rose and Woods are each coming off highs Sunday night in East Lake, and now must turn around and refocus quickly. Meanwhile, four other Americans will try to shake off disappointment at the TOUR Championship – Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson were the bottom four names on the leaderboard after the final round. Furyk, however, is not worried about that foursome, which has combined to win 65 TOUR events, including 11 majors. “Of course, I think everyone would like to be in good form and feel good about their game,â€� he said, “but it’s a different golf course, different venue, totally different type of golf tournament coming into a match-play event, a team-oriented event and obviously with the big galleries. Just totally different atmosphere this week.â€� There’s also a matter of scheduling. With two sessions each day on Friday and Saturday, players will need to be well-rested for potentially having to play 36 holes in those first two days, followed by the intense Sunday Singles. Of the 12 Americans, 11 played last week at East Lake, with only Jordan Spieth sitting out after failing to qualify. Of the 12 Europeans, six played at East Lake and two more played the Portugal Masters on the European Tour. Four Europeans rested last week, and two of those – Ian Poulter and Alex Noren – were on the range early Monday afternoon. Plus, the U.S. team will need to get acquainted with Le Golf National; only half of the 12 players have ever seen it, compared to the European team, in which every member has played the course in a competitive environment. Le Golf National hosts the annual French Open on the European Tour. “The trick for us, not knowing the golf course quite as well, is getting that preparation in and learning the golf course,â€� Furyk said, “yet also trying to conserve some energy.â€� While the U.S. hope for a Tiger bounce to offset those concerns, the Europeans could also get a bounce if they can beat a surging Woods this week in the early sessions. Asked if Woods was to be feared this week, Bjorn responded: “We don’t fear anyone because we’ve played against them so many times before individually, but we respect our opponents and know what we’re up against. “That, I think, is the key to all this. We’ll go out and do what we can and play our game. What stands on the other side we know is one of the strongest American teams of all time, and we know we’ve got to play our best.â€� Tiger’s at his best – his best, at least, in the last five years. At some point this week, the Europeans will have to respond.

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AVONDALE, La. – Among the many elements making the Zurich Classic of New Orleans’ team format so distinctive is an intangible not usually present at individual stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR. Chemistry. With 80 two-man teams to start the week, the dynamic between partners can be a determining factor on which team holds up the new Fleur-de-lis crystal trophy after the final putt drops Sunday at TPC Louisiana. “I think chemistry helps,â€� said Billy Horschel, the defending champion along with teammate Scott Piercy. “Do you need it to play good team golf? No. But I think if you do have a good strong chemistry with somebody and get along and there’s a good mojo between you two, I think it can only enhance the teamwork-type deal…we all want to play great for our teammates.â€� That’s especially true on Friday and Sunday when Foursomes are played in the second and final rounds. Under the alternate-shot format, no player wants to leave his partner in a bad spot by hitting a poor drive. And certainly no player wants to miss a short birdie attempt after his partner just stuck an approach inside 5 feet. Without the right chemistry, without confidence in each other, a partnership can be strained if players are constantly having to bail out each other. Although they’ve yet to win, the tandem of Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown has played about as well as any since the team format was instituted in 2017. They lost in a playoff two years ago to Cameron Smith-Jonas Blixt, and last year were the 54-hole leaders before stumbling to a 77 in the final round. In their previous seven rounds before that, they were 47 under. It helps that they’ve known each other for 25-plus years. They were traveling roommates when starting their pro careers on the mini-tours and then the Web.com Tour. They’re practice partners in the off-season back home in Aiken, South Carolina, and they also spend plenty of time together off the course – or, as Brown described, “We hang out all the time.â€� That chemistry is one of the primary reasons they entered Thursday’s first round of Four-balls as one of the favorites. “Tons of camaraderie,â€� Kisner explained. “That helps out there when you’re trying to win a tournament or just from a teammate or partnership. It’s nice to know each other’s games so well.â€� Added Brown: “More so than anything, the bad shots don’t make us very upset at each other because we’ve seen each other’s bad shots on an everyday basis when we’re at home. We just kind of go out there and do our things like we do at home.â€� As for the defending champs, Piercy was born and raised in Las Vegas and attended college in San Diego; Horschel, meanwhile, is a Florida native. While they didn’t grown up together like Brown and Kisner did, they have become close friends since turning pro. Piercy didn’t play the Zurich Classic in 2017, while Horschel partnered with fellow University of Florida alum Matt Every and missed the cut. When Piercy put Zurich on his 2018 schedule, they decided to hook up. Their chemistry strikes a perfect balance – the emotional, talkative Horschel and the laid-back casual vibes of Piercy. It even extends to TPC Louisiana. Horschel loves the course, having won in 2013 when the Zurich Classic was an individual stroke-play event. Piercy, meanwhile, had missed the cut six times in his eight starts prior to last season. But now that he’s part of a team, he has a much more positive outlook since he can avoid some of the shots that have previously given him trouble. “I’ll say as an individual stroke-play event, this hasn’t been my favorite course,â€� Piercy said. “But a lot of the shots that I haven’t liked, Billy hits – and they’re mainly on odd holes. “For me, the chemistry that I feel from Billy’s vibe here, because he likes it so much, I’ll say that it picks me up and it makes me feel good.â€� Said Horschel: “I love being here. I have good vibes whenever I step on this golf course.â€� Added Piercy: “He’s riding cloud 9 around this place. He loves it. So it’s nice to get on that cloud with him.â€� While some teams have established chemistry, others are trying to build chemistry. In fact, that’s one of the big goals this week for International Team Captain Ernie Els. Not only is he playing with fellow South African (and assistant captain) Trevor Immelman, Els had a hand in determining some of the teams involving players who may be on his 12-man roster for the Presidents Cup in Australia this December. Not included the Els-Immelman tandem, there are 13 teams in which both players represent International Team countries. Els hopes whatever chemistry is developed by some of those teams this week at TPC Louisiana will carry over for the rest of the year. Getting accustomed to the Foursomes and Four-balls formats is also key to that chemistry building. At the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National, the International Team trailed 14-1/2 to 3-1/2 after the completion of all Foursomes and Four-ball sessions, as the Americans nearly clinched victory prior to Sunday’s Singles. The International Team had a 7-1/2 to 4-1/2 advantage on a final day in which the outcome essentially was already determined. “We cannot win the Cup if we don’t play these disciplines very well,â€� Els said. “Foursomes and Four-ball is very important to winning the Presidents Cup in December. “Now, saying that, not all our players are here. We’re trying out some selections. Some of the guys just want to play together…we’ll see how it goes. We’ve got another plan when we get to December.â€� That plan, no doubt, will rely heavily on the chemistry built this week.

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