First Tee-Mexico continues to grow under Agustin Piza

Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson and a host of other PGA Tour players are in the field for the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event, while Phil Mickelson was not included on the list of players released on Tuesday.

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NORTON, Mass. – Bryson DeChambeau wanted to talk about gravity. Actually, he wasn’t sure just how much he should expound on it, fearing perhaps it would go over our heads. Those concerns probably were well-founded – most of us know gravity only as the thing that holds our well-struck 7-irons on earth instead of seeing the golf balls float away into space. To absolutely no one’s surprise, DeChambeau of course has a different perspective. “That gravity actually pushed outward and not inward,â€� he said. As he finished his sentence, a large set of puzzled faces stared back at him. “That’s going to throw you guys for a loop,â€� he acknowledged. By the way, this isn’t a new theory. DeChambeau first thought of it for his first science project — in grade school. Sixth grade, maybe 7th. He wasn’t sure of the year – but he did know it was pretty well-received by his teachers. “I had a couple of interesting theories about it,â€� he said, “and I described it very, very well.â€� What did all this have to do with DeChambeau winning for the second consecutive week in these FedExCup Playoffs and securing the No. 1 seed all the way to the start of the TOUR Championship? Hard to say. After all, giving his form – Monday’s Dell Technologies Championship win being a continuation of last week’s victory at THE NORTHERN TRUST — this seems more like a momentum thing, not a gravity thing. Of course, it just goes to the heart that DeChambeau sees things in a different light, that he’s willing to challenge, think outside the box, defy conventional thinking. Of course, we already knew that. Perhaps you’ve heard he uses single-length clubs. But with each win – he’s had four of them now in his last 31 PGA TOUR starts — the skeptics become believers. Even his dad Jon has come around on it. “When I was starting to do my one-length iron stuff, there were a couple of colleges that just stopped talking to me. Even my dad didn’t think it was a great idea,â€� DeChambeau said. “I love my dad to death, but we butted heads. But obviously it works now.â€� Asked if his dad uses single-length clubs now, DeChambeau smiled. “Yep.â€� Since when? “About a year-and-a-half.â€� That might have been about the time that DeChambeau hit a lull, missing 11 cuts in a 15-start stretch in the first half of 2017. But just over a year ago, he won for the first time on TOUR, the John Deere Classic. Now he can’t stop winning. As a result, his expectations are higher. The frustration he showed during a range session at The Open Championship in July was built on the fact that he now demands more out of his game. “Look, I was at a different level at that point in time relative to last year at this time,â€� DeChambeau said. “I was still hitting the ball in the fairways but it wasn’t up to my standard. And so I was trying to figure out why it wasn’t up to my standard. “I built something really, really consistent in the beginning of the year and I kind of lost it. Kind of got lucky finding it. And now I’m starting to understand why I was so good in the beginning of the year. “And that’s kind of a scary thought for me, at least, because it shows what I can do, and especially with the last couple of weeks. It’s a good combination.â€� I’ve always been a guy that’s been weird and unique relative to everybody else … I’ve always gone about my business trying to do the absolute best I can. Let today’s garbage be better than yesterday’s. And so I don’t view people’s criticism as a negative thing. I actually view it as a positive thing because what people can’t understand sometimes is actually a benefit to the person that does understand it. A week ago, he had entered the final round at THE NORTHERN TRUST with a four-shot advantage and kept everyone else at arm’s length. On Labor Day, he had to work a bit harder. He teed off one shot behind playing partner Abraham Ancer and the two were tied after seven holes. But birdies at the eighth and ninth holes gave DeChambeau a two-shot lead. He gradually built it to four. It was at that point that TPC Boston felt a lot like Ridgewood. While Ancer, seeking his first TOUR title, struggled to keep it, Australian Cameron Smith made a late charge to get within a shot. But DeChambeau’s final birdie, at the par-4 15th, sealed the deal. A 3-wood struck 309 yards, then a wedge to inside 9 feet, then the birdie putt. Lights out. “That was it,â€� DeChambeau said. “That’s how I play golf right there. Make that birdie and come off the green confident.â€� Right now, no one should have more confidence than DeChambeau. Two straight wins to start the Playoffs – only Vijay Singh (2008) has done that. No. 1 in the FedExCup, No. 7 in the world ranking. And expect him to get a call from U.S. captain Jim Furyk for a spot on the upcoming Ryder Cup team. Of course, there is only one guarantee that he’ll finish the season as the FedExCup champ – win at East Lake. If he fails to achieve that, the door could be open for somebody else, since points will be reset after the BMW Championship. But even if he doesn’t end the season winning golf’s biggest prize, he has won over all those skeptics. Not that they bothered him much anyway. “I’ve always been a guy that’s been weird and unique relative to everybody else,â€� he said. “… I’ve always gone about my business trying to do the absolute best I can. Let today’s garbage be better than yesterday’s. “And so I don’t view people’s criticism as a negative thing. I actually view it as a positive thing because what people can’t understand sometimes is actually a benefit to the person that does understand it.â€� Speaking of not understanding something – can we hear more about the gravity theory?

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Phil Mickelson waited patiently for his opportunity. Then he pounced. With phone in hand, he walked swiftly toward the dignitaries’ box adjacent to the first tee at Liberty National. The first three chairs on the front row were occupied by former Presidents of the United States – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. As Mickelson approached, Clinton gave him a salute. Mickelson took off his cap, shook the hands of all three men, then did what any of us would do in that situation. He asked to take a selfie. “How can you not do that?â€� Mickelson explained, adding, “Their presence really means a lot to this event. That’s what it’s about. It’s the Presidents Cup.â€� Afterwards, Mickelson practically bounded back down the fairway. When he met up with some of his U.S. teammates along with his captain Steve Stricker, he giddily showed them the photo. Alas, it was not perfect. Phil had aimed too high, and half his face was cropped off. “I’m so bad at selfies,â€� shrugged Mickelson. Not to worry. Memories of Thursday’s opening festivities, with three Presidents in attendance for the first time in this event, will never be forgotten. Actually, the interaction between the Presidents Cup teams and the ex-Presidents didn’t just start on Thursday’s first tee. The night before, the teams visited the Freedom Tower, with Clinton and Bush delivering speeches. “Bush was funny, and Clinton was, you know, amazing,â€� Stricker recalled Thursday night as he sat next to International Captain Nick Price after announcing their lineups for Friday’s Four-ball session. “The speech that he gave last night was truly moving, and funny, too. They are so good at what they do. You can see the position that they are in and see why they were there in that position.â€� Asked what exactly was moving about the speech, Stricker replied, “Just talking about 9/11 and I think if I remember right, Clinton talked about having America coming together a little bit more; and what a great opportunity for us during the matches here and golf to bring people together and support all of our countries. “It’s just the way he said it. I can’t even do it justice, you know. I really can’t.â€� Injected Price: “It was almost like they were in a comfort zone talking to sports men, to golfers.â€� Price had met Clinton and Obama during previous visits to the White House, but this week was his first time to meet Bush. Calling them icons, he noted how all three of the ex-Presidents weren’t afraid to proclaim their rooting interest. “They all said the same thing,â€� Price said. “‘Guys, we can’t pull for you, but we want you to have a good match.’ They were great. Of course, you’re not going to pull for us; you guys are Americans. You’re Presidents. But they are golfers and they are great sports men, too. “And our boys really appreciate that. They are very kind and very thoughtful.â€� Still, it was easy to feel a bit intimidated on the tee box Thursday. With each President wearing a short-sleeved golf shirt with the Presidents Cup logo, they posed for plenty of photos, shook lots of hands, smiled and waved to the full stands for more than 30 minutes. U.S. assistant captain Fred Couples spent several minutes chatting with them; you wondered how many rounds of golf Couples has played with each one. When it came time for the competition to start, the ex-Presidents stood together behind the tee box, as looming a presence as any TOUR pro will ever find himself. South African Charl Schwartzel, teeing off first for the Internationals, had the honors of striking the first tee shot in front of them. “It was one of the most exciting moments of my life, standing there,â€� Schwartzel said. “I was looking forward to this Presidents Cup for a very long time, and I didn’t expect all the Presidents to be there. Just to get to meet them was a dream come true for me. You know, then obviously to hit that first tee shot with the wind pumping off the right was quite intimidating. “But I thought I made a pretty good swing.â€� Schwartzel and his partner Hideki Matsuyama were facing Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler in that opening match. Fowler took the opening drive for his team, allowing the newly crowned FedExCup champ and his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, to soak it all in. “That’s the cool thing about golf is it ties us all together so much and they love golf, too,â€� Thomas said. “We have that kind of similarity and thing that we can kind of bounce back to or rely on. They are pulling for us. They just wanted to come out — it’s unbelievable, this being the Presidents Cup. Jimmy and I were saying, we just had three former Presidents of the United States on the first tee cheering us on and shaking our hand and acting like we are all boys, and it’s pretty unbelievable.â€� All three Presidents stuck around through the start of the third match, one that included Americans Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Asked what he said to the Presidents, Reed replied, “Hi, how you doing? It’s been a while.â€� Spieth, meanwhile, doesn’t live too far away from Bush in the Dallas area. They’ve played golf together on a few occasions. “He absolutely loves it,â€� Spieth said. “He’s a nut for it, and the other two are known to do it, as well. Cool of them to show up. I know it’s the Presidents Cup, but they certainly have pretty busy schedules.â€� After Reed hit his tee shot, the crowds thinned slightly, American fans in particular opting to follow their team’s powerhouse duo. Obama began making his exit. Before ducking into the tunnel, he noticed a group of American fans in the stands above him, all decked out in red, white and blue. “How you doing, guys? Appreciate ya!â€� he said. Clinton and Bush hung around, though, with Clinton munching on a green apple to help stave off hunger. Finally, Mickelson was back on the tee box, this time for his match, the last one of the day. He and teammate Kevin Kisner were facing the Australian duo of Jason Day and Marc Leishman. Kisner would be teeing off for the Americans – and that allowed Mickelson to provide some strategy tips to Clinton. They stood in the back of the tee, Clinton pointing down the fairway to the big willow tree at the end of the water hazard down the left side. It seemed to be a long carry, especially in these tricky wind conditions. Clinton asked Mickelson, “If you were teeing off, would you hit 3-wood?â€� Replied Mickelson, “No, I’d go ahead and hit driver. We can all reach that tree, even in the wind.â€� A bit more strategy talk ensued, and then Mickelson joined Kisner to walk down the fairway. Bush and Clinton eventually departed, too but only after more handshakes and photos and smiles. Eventually, the dignitaries’ box was empty. All that was left were a scattering of white chairs, each with a name on the backrest. Three of those names were once the most powerful men in the free world who had come on this day to simply watch some golf.

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