Haas opens with 64 to take Phoenix Open lead

ORLANDO, Fla. – Perhaps they should call him “Happy” Hatton. As a nickname for English golfer Tyrrell Hatton “Happyâ€� works two-fold. First in the irony category … like calling a redhead “Bluey” or an NBA star “Shorty”. Hatton seems anything but happy on the golf course most weeks. Secondly, particularly for anyone born anytime in the 1970s or 80s, you can’t help but see iconic movie character “Happy Gilmoreâ€� in your mind while watching him. RELATED: Leaderboard | The clubs Hatton used to win at Bay Hill | Who has momentum heading to THE PLAYERS? Hatton has admitted he has some anger issues when it comes to his own golf game and the standards he expects of himself. A blow up or two is never far away much like Gilmore when he first takes up the sport in the iconic 1996 movie. But also like Gilmore, Hatton is able to harness it at times and still find ultimate success. “I’m nice but obviously to myself I give myself a hard time and that’s one thing that I should probably get better at,â€� the 28-year-old says. On Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard, the range of emotions was on display once more as he converted a two-shot 54-hole lead into a first PGA TOUR win to go with his four European Tour titles. Through eight holes, Hatton had bounced back from two early bogeys to reestablish a two-shot lead and looked pretty comfortable. But as eventual runner-up Marc Leishman would say after falling a shot short of Hatton, “of all the courses on the PGA TOUR, this is the last one you’d pick to have a two-shot lead with three to go.â€� That is because Bay Hill can turn up a big number at any moment. For the second straight day it played very tough indeed, allowing just one round in the 60s on Saturday and Sunday. No one was immune. Consider Hatton’s 68-69-73-74 made him the first player since Geoff Ogilvy in the 2006 U.S. Open to win with two over-par rounds on the weekend. And just ask Rory McIlroy who had two double bogeys on the front nine to go from tied for the lead to out of the mix. It was almost as if you could hear legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist saying one of the oft-quoted lines from “Happy Gilmoreâ€� … “uh oh, here comes the putter throw… â€� for each putt Hatton missed. Surely it was only a matter of time before implosion. It was. Despite the fact Hatton led by three when he was on the 11th tee box he strangely pulled out his driver. It meant a water hazard was in reach and sure enough the tee shot bounded into a watery grave. Soon after he was grinding on a six-footer for double bogey. Inside those 15 minutes or so were the trademark over dramatic gestures and negative self-talk … and at one point Hatton wacked himself hard in the back with the handle of his putter a handful of times. “It was really tough out there and obviously I was getting frustrated at times, but nowhere near the blowups that I am capable of. And it’s just one of those days where you just got to stick in there, and patience is one of the hardest things with me,â€� he would say of the episode. “I said yesterday the hardest thing for me will be to manage myself. And over the course of this week I feel like I did a decent job of that.â€� Some would argue he failed to manage it. But if you watch closely enough you come to realize that in fact it seems almost necessary for Hatton to let off steam this way. Like a pressure valve releasing. Gilmore learned to go to his happy place to move on from his anger. Hatton is similar but he goes there after he releases the pressure first. Besides, he managed it well enough to still win. “It was so tough and obviously everyone’s dropping shots quite easily. And after the double on 11, which was pretty tough to take … I did get a bit frustrated,â€� he said while sitting inside the replica Arnold Palmer red cardigan given to the winner with the large trophy also by his side. “That’s always going to happen with me. And as long as it’s not kind of keeping on over to the next shot, then I’ll be okay. I’m just happy that I’ve managed myself well enough this week to be sitting here.â€� His caddie Mick Donaghy is a big part of the blow up and then refocus routine. He is tasked with making sure that nothing dwells past those initial moments. And after 11 would be a critical juncture on this day. “I was just annoyed because my third shot in was actually one of the best swings I made all day. I was just having a little moan, like it’s the grass’s fault and the wind’s fault. It’s never my fault,â€� Hatton continued. “But Mick was really good. He just told me to kind of get focused again, it’s done, move on, and have a few practice swings and just kind of get some good feelings again. And I stood on the 12th tee and that was probably one of the best tee shots, certainly, that I hit today.â€� From that point on, as Leishman and Sungjae Im tried to mount a charge, Hatton ground out seven straight pars. Even when Leishman, the 2017 winner at Bay Hill, got within one with two to play, Hatton remained steady. In fact he played the final two holes with stoicism to claim the win and a three-year exemption on the PGA TOUR in just his second event back from right wrist surgery. “It’s an incredible feeling to win at such an iconic venue and with obviously Arnie’s name to it,â€� he would say after moving to 14th in the FedExCup. “Hopefully I can push on and keep climbing.â€� He has that chance in just a few days from now as the TOUR moves to its flagship PLAYERS Championship. No Englishman has ever won the PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass. Hatton was asked if he could be the guy. After all no Englishman had won the Arnold Palmer Invitational prior either. But his answer once again conjured up thoughts of Gilmore and his laid back ways. “Time will tell. It’s hard to kind of think about next week at the moment with the sort of potential celebrations we have got later today. I don’t think I’ll be in any fit state at least until Wednesday,â€� Hatton smiled. Yep … “Happy” Hatton indeed.

Click here to read the full article…

LIV Golf’s debut season was full of controversy. Here’s what CEO Greg Norman has to say about the league’s future.

Click here to read the full article…

When Chris Kirk arrives in the Golden Isles of Georgia for The RSM Classic each fall, he expects to play well. And for good reason. The University of Georgia alum won the event’s 2013 iteration by a stroke, kick-starting a memorable 2013-14 campaign that saw him also win the Deutsche Bank Championship and finish second in the FedExCup. Kirk also lived near Sea Island Golf Club for approximately six and a half years, allowing him to grow comfortable in the southeast Georgia community and get to know Sea Island’s Seaside and Plantation courses, home to The RSM Classic. The 32-year-old missed the cut at last year’s event despite rounds of 69-69, and he arrived in 2017 ready to make amends. Through one of four competition rounds, that script has held up, as Kirk fired a 9-under 63 on Thursday at the Plantation track, capped off by an eagle putt from off the green at the par-5 18th hole. Kirk has won four times on TOUR, but not since the 2015 Dean & DeLuca Invitational. He’d like nothing more than to find his way into the winner’s circle as he readies for the TOUR’s holiday break. “It was fun seeing all of those putts going in,� said Kirk of an opening round where he hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens, and needed just 23 putts. “That’s kind of what I’ve struggled with over the past year, and why I haven’t had the results I’ve come to expect. So to have a day like today … hopefully I can make a bunch more of them.� Kirk now lives in Athens, Georgia – home of his alma mater Bulldogs – and sported the Georgia logo on his hat as he navigated Sea Island on Thursday. Despite an up-and-down 2016-17 season that saw Kirk finish No. 92 in the FedExCup, he remains energized by raising a young family – the newest member, third son Wilder, was born just over three months ago. “Thankfully I have a great wife, that’s for sure … she keeps all of us in line, all three of the boys and me,� Kirk said after the opening round. “This is the first golf trip where they’ve all been able to come. We’ve really been having a great time. My parents are here as well, so couldn’t be better.� The only thing that could make it better, perhaps, would be a second trophy in the Sunday gloaming at Sea Island. OBSERVATIONS HOMETOWN HERO. This year marks the eighth iteration of The RSM Classic, and the fans are still waiting for a current Golden Isles resident to win the event. University of Georgia alum Hudson Swafford would love to play a role in changing that, and he’s in strong position after an opening round of 7-under 65 that included five birdies and an eagle on the Plantation course. After signing his scorecard, Swafford offered his theory about the advantages and disadvantages of this unique type of home game in the close-knit St. Simons Island community. “It’s tough; there’s a lot more going on,� Swafford said. “You’re kind of out of your routine when you’re at home. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed, don’t get me wrong – we don’t do that very much – but a lot more friends and family in town, and everybody kind of wants to hang out. There are a lot more distractions in a home game, but you can take it two ways … you can just go with the flow, or you can let it wear on you.� So far, it appears that Swafford is going with the flow.    NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR DAHMEN. After finishing No. 176 in last season’s FedExCup standings, University of Washington alum Joel Dahmen earned back PGA TOUR membership via the Web.com Tour Finals, and arrived in Sea Island fresh off his first top-25 of the season (T23) at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. The cancer survivor continued the good vibe on Thursday at the Plantation course, closing with two straight birdies to post 8-under 64, the second-lowest score of the day only to Kirk. This marks Dahmen’s second TOUR season, and he’s excited to apply lessons learned over the past year into a strong 2017-18 campaign. “Being out here last year helped a lot,� Dahmen said after the opening round. “I was kind of a deer in the headlights, honestly, for the first half of the year. Seeing the courses, just being familiar out here is a huge thing. I only played nine holes of practice rounds this week; I just felt like my game’s in pretty good shape.� A well-rested Dahmen could be a force this weekend. SNEDEKER MAKES HIS RETURN. Brandt Snedeker posted an opening-round, 3-under 67 at Seaside in his first competitive round since the Travelers Championship in June. The 36-year-old had been sidelined by a rare sternum joint injury. (How rare? Snedeker visited 15 doctors, and not one had seen the injury in a golfer.) He opted for rest rather than surgery, didn’t touch a club for nine weeks, and has adopted a new workout routine and diet that discourages sugar and carbs. It hasn’t been easy, but the game appears just fine, as the Vanderbilt alum hit all 14 fairways and made just one bogey on Thursday. TWO-COURSE SETUP. The RSM Classic marks the first event of 2017-18 to employ a two-course setup; the third and fourth rounds will both be contested solely on the Seaside layout. The par-70 Seaside track played to a yardage of 6,884 yards on Thursday, yielding a stroke average of 69.372. The par-72 Plantation layout, which measures 7,058 yards, produced a scoring average of 70.156. Fifteen of the top 17 players on the leaderboard navigated the Plantation course in the opening round, with Nick Watney and Brice Garnett (5-under 65) signing for the lowest totals at Seaside. NOTABLES BRIAN GAY – The 45-year-old posted a 7-under 65 at the Plantation course, as he strives to become the third player over 40 (Pat Perez, Ryan Armour) to earn a PGA TOUR title this season. Gay holds four TOUR victories, most recently the 2013 CareerBuilder Challenge. BEN SILVERMAN – The Canadian stands T8 after a bogey-free, 5-under 67 at the Plantation course. The TOUR rookie eyes to follow a similar script as fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, who won last year’s The RSM Classic in a playoff. Hughes won last year’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper on the Web.com Tour, and Silverman did the same in 2017. PATTON KIZZIRE – The St. Simons resident Patton Kizzire thrilled the local fans with a hole-out eagle at Seaside’s par-4 10th on Thursday, en route to an opening, 4-under 66. The Auburn alum eyes back-to-back victories after breaking through for his maiden TOUR title at last week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba. CHESSON HADLEY – A day after being named 2017 Web.com Tour Player of the Year in a ceremony at Sea Island GC, Georgia Tech alum Chesson Hadley opened in 3-under 67 at the Seaside course, as he eyes a fourth top-4 finish in his fifth start of the 2017-18 TOUR season. QUOTABLES “It’s big Georgia territory out here on St. Simons, for sure, so hopefully my hat will bring me luck the rest of the week.� – Leader Chris Kirk, a University of Georgia alum, who eyes his fifth PGA TOUR title this week in his former hometown. “If you’re not in top form, it will definitely bite you in the butt.� – Jason Kokrak, who stands T3 after a 7-under 65 on the Plantation course, on the challenge presented by the winds at Sea Island GC. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Chris Kirk opened in 9-under 63 at Plantation, his low round of the season by four shots. Longest putt: Veteran Ernie Els went deep on his opening hole Thursday, draining a 45-foot, 11-inch putt on the par-4 10th at Seaside. Longest drive: Newly minted professional Cameron Champ, a Texas A&M alum, hit a 354-yard drive on Seaside’s par-5 15th hole. Fewest putts: Chris Kirk and Vaughn Taylor each needed just 23 putts to navigate the Plantation course, one fewer than Aaron Baddeley, Tyler Duncan and Jonathan Randolph. Hardest hole: The par-3 third hole at Seaside played to a stroke average of 3.244. Only three birdies were recorded on the day. Easiest hole: The par-5 15th hole at Seaside played to an average of 4.346, with three eagles and 49 birdies recorded.

Click here to read the full article…