From Phil to firsts, the 2021 men’s golf majors didn’t disappoint

The first time admittedly was tough. And the second? “It was suffering from the get-go,â€� Camilo Villegas says. With those words came a smile of satisfaction, though. After all, the uber-fit Villegas enjoys testing his limits – and that’s exactly what he did that day when he rode with countryman Santiago Botero. Botero is a former professional cyclist from Colombia who has competed in the Tour de France three times – even winning a stage and donning the famous polka dot jersey for capturing its mountains classification in 2000. Botero represented his country in the Olympic Games four years later, too, the same year Villegas became a golf pro. Villegas was home in Medellin that day and had called a friend to see if he wanted to join him for a ride. His buddy showed up with Botero, the former individual time trial world champion who has since become one of Villegas’ close friends.  Suffice it to say their ride that day in 2007 was a bit more challenging than the 37-mile climb up the hill behind his home that Villegas took the first time he got on a bike. And he absolutely loved it. The passion born that day has continued. In fact, Villegas – who has inspirational tattoos saying “Attitudeâ€� and “Positive Energyâ€� on his right and left wrists, respectively — has been known to say that he has “obsessive cycling disorder.â€� When Villegas got back to his home in Jupiter, Florida, after those initial rides, he bought a bike. He doesn’t take it with him to tournaments – Villegas does spin classes and elliptical and cardio to stay in shape – but his off weeks are a different story. When the Colombian is at home in the Sunshine State, he usually rides five times a week. Tuesday and Thursdays, he bikes about 35-40 miles per day. The weekend when most of us rest are his big days – he’ll ride about 75 miles on Saturday and 60 or so on Sunday. Villegas’ longest ride? Well, he estimates that was 130 miles. And how long does it take? “It all depends,â€� he says. “You do the math. If you’re going solo and average about 22, 23 miles an hour.  If I’m going with a group, the group gets rolling around 26, 29, 30. “If you go to Colombia, it’s going to take a longer time.  If you go in Florida, it’s going to be a lot faster because it’s flat.â€� A ride that long, though, certainly isn’t the norm. Get close to 100 miles in a day and Villegas says your day is basically over. “You don’t have energy to do much more,â€� he explains.  And fatigue certainly doesn’t help Villegas’ golf game. The 36-year-old Colombian, who earned a degree in business from the University of Florida, is one of the most fit players on the PGA TOUR. Cycling is just one part of his workout, though. “You’ve got to mix it with a lot of things,â€� he says. “Obviously, when you start cycling so much, you’re going to get a pretty tight IT band and hamstrings and stuff.  You have got to balance it out.  “When I’m on the road, obviously, I do weights and a lot of explosive stuff and I do a lot of stretching and mobility.  No, it’s my peaceful spot, but the workout portion of golf-related stuff is another thing.â€� Villegas has developed a tight circle of friends who ride – both in Jupiter and his childhood home — many of whom are professional cyclers. He’s never ridden with Paul Casey, a TOUR player who rides seriously, but they talk about the sport frequently and he plans a trip  to the Italian Alps in 2018 that is similar to the one that the Brit took several years ago. No matter where he rides, though, Villegas enjoys the experience. The physical factor is obviously a part of it but he also finds a mental benefit to the journey. “It kind of keeps me in balance just because it’s a quiet spot,â€� Villegas  explains. “We come out here, there’s a lot going on.  I go home, I have family and friends, a little more social life.  “When I hop on the bike, I just try to follow a wheel or make the boys follow my wheel.  There’s a lot going on, but it’s a quiet spot.â€�

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Two of golf’s greatest thinkers and two of the NFL’s most successful quarterbacks will take part in the fourth edition of Capital One’s The Match on Tuesday evening. The foursome will compete roughly 7,500 feet above sea level, at the scenic Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. RELATED: How to watch Expect stunning views and big bombs from two players with an affinity for the long ball. Mickelson will pair with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and DeChambeau will play with the reigning NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers. And there will be plenty of conversation about air density and enhanced carry distances from Mickelson and DeChambeau, who have never been shy about their analytical approaches to the game. The telecast begins at 5 p.m. Eastern on TNT. Stay here for our live blog that will bring you the best shots and wittiest quips from this exhibition.

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With apologies to the 1991 Marc Cohn hit single, there will be limited “Walking in Memphis” this week. Grinding, hustling and fighting to win and/or advance will be more like it as TPC Southwind hosts a Playoffs event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, for the first time. Although the course has never kicked off the three-week FedExCup Playoffs, which will continue with the top-70 BMW Championship and finally the top-30 TOUR Championship, its bona fides as a PGA TOUR stop are well established. Here are Five Things to Know about TPC Southwind. 1. RICH HISTORY This week, TPC Southwind accomplishes a rare feat: Host of three PGA TOUR events. The course was designed with tournament golf in mind. With architect Ron Prichard at the wheel and Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller acting as consultants, the course opened in 1988. In 1989, it began hosting the Federal Express St. Jude Classic, and it would continue to do so through 2018. (The tournament’s history in Memphis goes all the way back to 1958.) For the past three years, the course hosted the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. This year, TPC Southwind makes its FedEx Cup Playoffs debut as the FedEx St. Jude Championship, formerly the spot occupied by THE NORTHERN TRUST, won by Tony Finau last year. The low score at par-70 TPC Southwind is 61, shot by three different players in three decades. Jay Delsing set the pace in 1993, Bob Estes tied it en route to victory in 2001 – he also made a hole-in-one at TPC Southwind in 2002 – and Tom Lewis also signed for a 61 in 2020. John Mahaffey was the first player on the PGA TOUR to win at TPC Southwind in 1989, edging a group of four players, including Green. World Golf Hall of Fame members Tom Kite, Fred Couples and Nick Price (twice) are also among those to have won at the storied Memphis course. A statue of World Golf Hall of Famer and 1961 St. Jude Classic winner Cary Middlecoff, who was a dentist before winning 39 times on the PGA TOUR, including two U.S. Opens and the 1955 Masters. He is tied with Tom Watson for 10th on the PGA TOUR’s all-time wins list. Middlecoff was born in Tennessee and won the Tennessee State Amateur four consecutive times. 2. NEW CHALLENGES TPC Southwind’s first big renovation came in 2004 as a means of modernizing and strengthening the course. David Toms had won at 20-under 264 in 2003, after which the course got 11 new tees, 15 new bunkers and three new bridges, while three ponds were enlarged, four creeks stabilized and over 125 trees planted. The fifth hole was adjusted from a par 5 to a par 4 and the par-3 eighth hole was completely altered. The course also went from bentgrass to Champion Bermudagrass on the greens, and when Toms came back in 2004, he shot four strokes higher (16-under 268) but this time won by six strokes. The changes had had their desired effect, and no one has since reached 20 under. The course got another renovation in 2020, when some bunkers were eliminated, some were added, some were enlarged, and some were reduced in size. But above all, every bunker was re-edged and packed with fresh new sand and all-new drainage. Meanwhile, two front-nine holes were lengthened. The par-5 third, which had played at 554 yards, mostly straight, had 25 yards tacked onto it with a new tee box. The first half of the fairway, already near the water, was shifted 15 yards to the right. With water in play on the second shot, this further complicates the decision of whether to go over the lake in two or lay up to the left. The par-4 17th hole was lengthened to a peak of roughly 505 yards. What’s more, players now must recalibrate their distances with a creek splitting the fairway on the downhill hole. The par-4 15th hole got 100 yards of new stone, placed along the creek that runs to the left of the tee shot, but to the right of the green. While aesthetically pleasing and matching other holes on the course, the artistic addition also provides less bail out for shots rolling or flying fast toward the water. “The course has been on kind of a yearly project, reinforcing a lot of the creeks and ponds,” TPC Southwind superintendent Nick Bisanz said in 2020. “Adding retention walls to help shore things up. But there are also three or four projects each year as part of kind of a beautification process, to enhance the look of the course.” What has remained constant are the two grain silos and windmill on the course that serve as reminders of the property’s former identity as a dairy farm. 3. SPLISH SPLASH Memphis may not be known for its beaches, but TPC Southwind is known for its water. Since 2003, TPC Southwind’s 5,989 balls in the water are the most at any PGA TOUR course during that stretch. TPC Sawgrass (4,809), Muirfield Village (4,753) and PGA National (4,730) are the next three. Of the many water holes at TPC Southwind, one that stands out is No. 11, which is similar to Pete Dye’s island 17th at TPC Sawgrass. Like the famed hole at THE PLAYERS Championship, No. 11 in Memphis requires a short iron into an island green with one bunker protecting the front runoff. But while TPC Sawgrass’ 17th hole plays just 137 yards, TPC Southwind’s 11th is listed at 157 yards but can tip at 165. Si Woo Kim recorded a 13 on TPC Southwind’s island hole last year, the highest recorded score on a par-3 in a non-major since the TOUR started keeping such statistics in 1983. The highest score at TPC Sawgrass’ 17th is a 12 by Bob Tway in 2005. The 457-yard ninth is a hard dogleg to the right that requires a precise, long tee shot before an approach shot over water. Players out of position off the tee will likely need to hit a conservative second shot up the right side. The 18th hole has water running along its entire left side, but unlike No. 9, this 453-yard par-4 is a dogleg to the left. The 239-yard, par-3 14th hole can also sneak up on players with water down the right side. Any pin positions on the right side of the green will require players to make a full carry over the water. 4. ZOYSIA AND BERMUDAGRASS TPC Southwind is one of the TOUR stops with zoysia fairways and tee boxes. The grass, hardier than other strains, is beneficial in the Memphis climate that can see cold bursts in the winter and significant heat in the summer. The bermudagrass rough has been known to contaminate the fairways, with the TPC Southwind staff constantly working to preserve the pureness of the zoysia. Recent PGA TOUR zoysia stops include Bellerive Country Club for the 2018 PGA Championship and Trinity Forest Golf Club and TPC Craig Ranch for the AT&T Byron Nelson have shown the potential for low scores. However, at TPC Southwind, especially going back to the 2004 renovation, other elements have given the course some defense. Since 2004, only one winning score – Justin Leonard’s 4 under in 2008 – has been outside the 9-under to 19-under range. TPC Southwind’s pure bermudagrass greens give some respite to the players who avoid the sand and water, however. TPC Southwind had the TOUR’s lowest three-putt percentage (1.44%) and highest percentage of made putts from 5-10 feet (60.5%) and from 15-25 feet (18.8%) last season. 5. 18TH HOLE OF BLUES TPC Southwind saves its most dramatic hole for last. The 18th hole, a 453-yard par 4, is fierce, fair and demands champions attack one final challenge in Grind City. To call it a dogleg left would be an understatement; the hole makes almost a full 90-degree turn around a gaping water hazard. A short tee shot brings bunkers into play on the right, with limited rough and water awaiting left misses off the tee. A longer tee shot can take out the bunkers on the right but requires more carry over the left water if players want to take the chance. Hit it too short off the tee and you face a long-iron approach mostly over water. A longer tee shot brings water into play on the left, while a deep bunker hides behind the green. A year ago, Cameron Smith came to No. 18 tied for the lead at 16 under, but after pumping his tee shot long and right through the fairway, he went for too much and hit his second shot off a tree and into a neighboring backyard. He ultimately made a double-bogey 6 to finish T5. In 2021, No. 18 played as the course’s second-toughest hole with an average score of 4.14. Only No. 5, a 485-yard par 4, played harder at 4.22. However, while players made six double-bogeys or worse at No. 5, they racked up nine such scores at TPC Southwind’s challenging finishing hole. For the leaders of this tournament – and for those trying to make it to the next leg of the FedExCup Playoffs at the BMW Championship – the 18th hole will provide a stern test.

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