Four-Ball: Tracking trends on Spieth, Day

DALLAS – Brooks Koepka had never been to Trinity Forest until Tuesday. He played the back nine that day in a abbreviated practice round. A heavy rainstorm Wednesday prevented any players from getting on the course. So Thursday’s opening round of the AT&T Byron Nelson was the first time Koepka saw the front nine. No worries for the world’s No. 3 player and No. 8 in FedExCup points. Starting his opening round on the more familiar back nine, Koepka went out in 32, then came back on the front nine in 33 to finish with a 6-under 65, putting him firmly in the hunt going into Friday. “It’s a bit different when you’re playing it blind,â€� Koepka said. “Kind of don’t know where you’re going. Relying a lot on the (yardage) book. I never look at the book.â€� Other than his approach at the par-4 sixth from the fairway that flew the green and landed in the back bunker, and his poor swing from 234 yards at the ninth that failed to find the green, Koepka was happy with his play. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, 15 of 18 greens and made all 16 of his putts inside 10 feet while also rolling in a 41-footer for birdie at the par-4 18th. It’s something he wants to continue the rest of the week and into next week at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where he’ll be the defending champion. “The last few weeks, I’ve been impressed with myself and how well I’m striking it,â€� he said. “Controlling it nice and then from there just try to feel like you see some putts go in the hole. I think it’s important to kind of feel like the hole is opening up with a major (on the horizon).â€� Related: Featured groups, tee times | Koepka keeping focus on AT&T Byron Nelson | Spieth ’embracing the struggle’ | Origin of arm-lock putting | It’s all about the wind in Trinity Forest As for Trinity Forest? Koepka, who spent the early portion of his career playing in Europe, calls it “about as true of a links golf course you’re going to find in America. Obviously with the rain, it doesn’t play like it, being so soft, but this is a great course.â€� Not that he minded the previous one. Koepka’s best finish in four previous AT&T Byron Nelson starts is a playoff lost to Sergio Garcia in 2016 at TPC Las Colinas, the previous tournament venue. Despite the solid start Thursday, he’s still not sure if Trinity Forest will be his kind of course. “I wouldn’t say it suits my eye,â€� he said. “A lot of drivers, though. It plays to my advantage. It’s not like it’s a course where I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s definitely not that. “I love the old course that they used to play on … Was one of my favorite courses on TOUR. It’s got a lot to live up to.â€�

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CROMWELL, Conn. — Rory McIlroy doesn’t consider his performance in Thursday’s opening round of the Travelers Championship much different than the one on display a week ago. The contrast in results, though, were fairly extreme. “A 16-shot difference,â€� McIlroy noted. Indeed, his opening 6-under 64 at TPC River Highlands was a welcomed sight after his 10-over 80 in the opening round of the U.S. Open. World No. 7 McIlroy wasn’t the only top-10 player who wiped away a nightmare result at Shinnecock Hills with a much more fruitful score a week later. No. 5 Jordan Spieth opened the defense of his Travelers title with a 7-under 63 in the afternoon that vaulted him into a share of the lead with morning finisher Zach Johnson. A week ago, Spieth opened with a 78 and, like McIlroy, ultimately missed the cut. Meanwhile, No. 9 Jason Day bounced back from his opening 79 at Shinnecock Hills with a solid 66 that left him in a 14-way tie for ninth. The 63 for Spieth is nothing new for him at TPC River Highlands — it’s the same score he shot in last year’s opening round en route to winning in his first Travelers start. It’s also his lowest score since a year ago, and a much-needed boost in a season of sputtering starts. Spieth’s first-round scoring average this season is 71.79, which ranks him tied for 155th on the PGA TOUR. “The first rounds have been kind of detrimental to me,â€� Spieth said, “so it’s nice to be in the thick of things.â€� Like he did in the playoff against Daniel Berger last year, Spieth holed out from a greenside bunker. This time, it was at the par-5 sixth for eagle, to go along with his six birdies. But more than the fireworks, Thursday’s round saw Spieth play as solid as he’s done all year. He called it his “third-bestâ€� round of the year after his first (66) and fourth (64) rounds at the Masters. Even more to the point, he was pleased with his management of the round. He didn’t try to force the issue on a course than can be very tempting to attack. “This golf course, I played it really smart today. It was probably the smartest round I’ve played this year, really the last couple years,â€� Spieth said. “I just didn’t feel great coming off the range. I’ve been working on some things on the swing, just decided to play toward the center of the greens and let the putter do the work because it’s starting to come around.â€� Indeed, he feels good about his entire game, talking about the need to simply trust the process of getting back to the kind of performances golf fans are used to seeing from Spieth. “My game’s in a good place, scores aren’t reflecting it,â€� Spieth said. “As long as I don’t beat myself up over that and just stick to the process, then — it’s certainly a testing year for me, and it’s a building year. It’s one where I can actually come out stronger. I’ve kind of looked at it that way the last couple months.â€� As for McIlroy, he said missing the cut at Shinnecock Hills allowed him to put in some very productive weekend week, and he carried that over to his practice sessions this week at the Travelers. The result was a bogey-free round for the first 17 holes. The only reason he doesn’t have a share of the lead is a closing bogey in which he failed to find the green with his approach. “I feel like the work that I did over the weekend sort of started to pay off already,â€� said McIlroy, who has a win, two other top-10s and three missed cuts in a rollercoaster last few months. “It was nice to see the shots I was playing right there. Being able to work the ball both ways was something I wasn’t quite as comfortable doing last week. “Obviously, you never want to miss a cut in a major, but it might have been a blessing in disguise for the rest of the year.â€� The blessing in disguise, perhaps, would be simply coming to a course that allows players to flex their scoring muscles.

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