Garcia reapplies to DP World Tour, eyes Ryder Cup

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Matthew NeSmith was even par on PGA National’s par-3s in Thursday’s first round of The Honda Classic. RELATED: Leaderboard He had an eventful day on the four holes, though. There was a hole-in-one on the 186-yard, fifth hole and a double-bogey on the opening hole of the Bear Trap, the 165-yard, 15th. “The wind was really hard off the left, I just kind of punched a 5-iron and cut it up into the wind a little bit, and it landed a foot or so on the front of the green and had the perfect amount of little left spin and went right in the middle,â€� NeSmith said. He bogeyed the next hole, then made eight consecutive pars before making double-bogey on 15. He parred the final three holes to shoot 1-over 71. “I got caught by the wind on 15, but I played really solid,â€� NeSmith said. “It’s just kind of tough to get a ton of looks. … I feel pretty happy with it. It’s just live and survive, basically.â€� A cold front blew through Florida on Wednesday evening and led to cool, windy conditions that put some teeth in PGA National. NeSmith’s score was more than a stroke below the morning wave’s scoring average. Tom Lewis shot 4-under 66 to lead after the morning wave. NeSmith arrived at PGA National on the heels of a T6 at last week’s Puerto Rico Open. The rookie has made seven consecutive cuts. His worst finish in his last six starts is T32. He ranks 62nd in the FedExCup.

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Our crew has the latest on what to expect this week at Augusta and previews Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest.

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TULSA, Okla. – Count Rory McIlroy among the interested consumers of the copious preview content that precedes every major championship. McIlroy had never played Southern Hills before this week, not that a previous appearance would have helped much. The course underwent a dramatic renovation by Gil Hanse since it last hosted a professional tournament. To get ready for this week, McIlroy watched flyover videos from online outlets like Golf Digest and The Fried Egg to get a feel for the course. He went so far as seeking highlights from last year’s Senior PGA Championship at Southern Hills. “Just did a little bit of digging online, and it sort of seemed pretty apparent that this is an approach shot and short game — like iron play and chipping is going to be really important this week,” said McIlroy, who also shared the videos with his caddie, Harry Diamond. What once was a traditional major test, with thick Bermudagrass rough lining narrow fairways and greens, has been reimagined. The fairways have been widened and short grass is more prevalent around the greens. The new design fits modern trends while also harkening back to the Golden Age of course architecture. After playing practice rounds, McIlroy did say that the course seems wider than it appeared on video and that, despite the plethora of short grass around the greens, putting from off the green is often not an option, requiring players to execute touchy chip shots from tight lies to a putting surface that sits above them. “I think he’s done a wonderful job with it,” McIlroy said about Hanse. “Love the green complexes. I love that he gives you options off the tee. “I think you’re going to see a lot of different strategies this week, guys hitting driver where maybe other guys aren’t and vice versa. It’s a really good track. I really enjoyed playing it yesterday, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful test this week.”

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