Historic muni Memorial Park, new host of the Vivint Houston Open, takes all comers

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Kramer Hickok looked at the leaderboards around Riviera Country Club and was very surprised. Surprised to see his own name near the top that is – not to see his close friend and former roommate Jordan Spieth two shots ahead of him at the Genesis Open. Spieth has been in somewhat of a slump of late so his 7-under 64 to lead the first wave of players in the opening round was a surprise to some. The former FedExCup champion hasn’t had a top-10 on the PGA TOUR since last season’s Open Championship in July and currently sits 178th on the season long points list. But Hickok – who is in the midst of his rookie PGA TOUR season and shot a 5-under 66 to be T2 in the same wave – knows Spieth better than most. They were at the University of Texas together as freshman in 2012 when the Longhorns won the national title… at Riviera no less. “Of course I’m not surprised to see him up there. Jordan’s a stud,â€� Hickok said. “Everyone gives him such a hard time because his standards are so high, and they’re just as high for himself, but he’s one of the best in the world and he can go shoot 7, 8 under at any moment.” “If the putter heats up, his driver heats up, he’ll be just fine.â€� The 11-time PGA TOUR winner had an impressive time with the putter and his short game in general, going eight of eight in scrambling and chipping in twice. But he knows his striking off the tee still remains a work in progress. “With the conditions we had, that was a great scoring round, and looking forward to the rest of the week, trying to improve on kind of the way I’m striking it,â€� Spieth said. “From San Diego to Pebble was significant progress, from Pebble to here has been significant progress just in the way I feel hitting the ball.” “Whether the scores reflect it or not, I know how I feel striking it so I know when it’s close. I’m looking to try and make progress each day in the way that feeling sustains this week because it didn’t sustain through the weekend at Pebble.” “But I know what went off and I know what to fix. It’s just kind of a little bit of trial and error right now.â€� The fixes come with the help of coach Cameron McCormick, who incidentally also works with Hickok. And it is the Australian coach who gets plenty of credit for Hickok’s opening round, the second best of his season thus far. Prior to this week Hickok’s best result was a T23 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. He’s made just three of nine cuts in his rookie season. “It’s kind of been a struggle. We hit balls for about four hours just working on some lower body movement, something I’ve been struggling with,â€� Hickok said of a pre-tournament coaching session. “We seemed to grind it out and basically I’ve played really well with this feel before, I’ve won with it in Canada, I’ve won with that feel on the Web last year in the Finals, so it’s a feel that I know I can go out and trust under pressure and play good golf.â€� Unlike Spieth, Hickok wasn’t part of the Texas playing squad in 2012. So his memories of that famous week where Spieth took down Justin Thomas and Alabama in the final at Riviera are limited. “I remember Dylan Frittelli making a 30‑footer to win the national championship and running to jump on him. That’s about it,â€� Hickok smiles. “That’s really my experience with Riviera. I’ve only played 54 holes now around this golf course. So I got to watch a little bit of golf back then, kind of pick up on a few things, but I’m trying to learn as much as possible every day.â€� Part of that learning was a practice round with Spieth earlier this week and some advice already played dividends. Hickok was looking at the drivable par-4 10th hole with lay up in mind until Spieth talked him into driver. But Spieth wasn’t advocating over aggression. In fact he was trying to disassociate the notion of needing to get at the infamous hole. “Everyone thinks of 10 as a birdie hole because you can hit 3‑wood at the front edge, and he’s like it’s not, it plays 4.5,â€� Hickok explained. “So it plays just as hard as some par fives do this year and it’s having that sort of mentality going into the hole, it makes it a lot easier.” “I was actually planning on laying up this week, but talking to him, he kind of convinced me into hitting driver. Made par today, so I guess it worked out.â€� While it is certainly early days, this could just be the week both friends bust out of their so called “slumpsâ€�.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The opening round of the Masters is almost upon us, and, per usual, there’s no lack of storylines to keep track of come Thursday. To get you prepared for the opening round, here are 5 Things to Know about this year’s Masters. 1. A HISTORIC START: The honorary starters are a beloved tradition at the Masters, allowing the tournament to embrace its history before more is made over the next four days. This year, the ceremony will honor an important Masters milestone. Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete at Augusta National, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on the first tee at 7:45 a.m. Thursday. Elder, who made his Masters debut in 1975, is the first honorary starter added to the ceremony since Player in 2012. Nicklaus hit his first honorary tee shot in 2010 and Arnold Palmer took part until his passing in 2016. 2. THE FIRM: The course conditions this week are a stark contrast to what we saw in November, when Johnson tied the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par in a major championship (20 under par). It’s been several years since players have seen the course this firm in the days leading up to the event. Jose Maria Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, said, “If the weather stays like this, we’re going to see Augusta as good as ever.” Another former champion, Fred Couples, said the course could play as difficult as it has in a “long, long time.” A firm and fast Augusta National accentuates the genius behind Alister Mackenzie’s masterpiece and often draws the best players to the top of the leaderboard. When Augusta plays fast, the extreme slopes on the course’s famed putting surfaces can funnel good shots toward the hole while increasing the penalty for mishits. This could be the first time since 2017 that the winning score is single digits under par. The average winning score in the last three Masters is 16 under par. 3. FORE(!)-CAST: The weather is the one thing Augusta National can’t control (we think). There is a chance of precipitation this week, which could dramatically alter how the course plays but the rain is far from guaranteed to fall. As of noon Wednesday, there was a 20% chance of rain Thursday evening and 70% chance of scattered thunderstorms Friday afternoon. There’s also a 60% chance of late-afternoon thunderstorms Saturday. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s and low 80s every day this week, which should help the course stay firm. 4. QUESTION TIME: Many years, it feels like a handful of players establish themselves as Masters favorites. This year, it feels like there are more questions than answers. Here’s a few to ponder: – Despite three consecutive finishes outside the top 25, can Johnson become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001-02 to go back-to-back at Augusta? Johnson has finished in the top 10 in five straight Masters. – How will new father Jon Rahm fare after arriving at Augusta on Wednesday? “My concern is that … from Thursday to Monday I didn’t sleep much, didn’t hit a single golf shot,” he said Wednesday. Rahm’s three consecutive top-10s at Augusta National is the second-longest active streak. – Can Rory McIlroy’s new swing coach help him win his first Masters and complete the career Grand Slam? “I think being a little bit more in control of what I do, … that’s the sort of golfer that I want to be going forward,” he said. That could be helpful here. The big number has plagued him several times at this tournament. He had a round of 77 or higher in six Masters appearances in a seven-year span (2010-14, ’16). A decade ago, he famously shot a final-round 80 after taking a four-shot lead into the final round. – Is Brooks Koepka’s surgically-repaired knee strong enough for him to contend at Augusta National? He’s one of just four players to finish in the top 10 in the past two Masters. – What will a bigger Bryson DeChambeau’s second crack at the Masters look like? He finished T34 here last year while struggling with physical issues. DeChambeau said Tuesday that low oxygen was the culprit. “The brain was stressed … and wasn’t feeling that great. And they were like, well, let’s check out your oxygen levels. … And immediately from after changing the way I was breathing, the way I was feeling that day from breathing, it took it out. It literally just went away.” – Can Jordan Spieth win again after last week’s victory at the Valero Texas Open, his first since 2017. Spieth, has four top-3 finishes in seven Masters, including his win in 2015, and the lowest career scoring average (70.46) at Augusta National among players with at least 25 rounds. 5. EXPERIENCE MATTERS: There have been just three Masters rookies to win the Green Jacket, and two of them were in the first two Masters (Horton Smith, 1934; Gene Sarazen, 1935). No rookie has won since Fuzzzy Zoeller in 1979. There’s a good chance that streak continues this year. There are just six first-timers in this year’s field, including just three professionals who are making their Masters debut (Will Zalatoris, Carlos Ortiz and Bob MacIntyre). The three amateurs in this year’s field tie a tournament low; there were also just three amateurs in the 2008 and 1942 Masters. Several big names – including Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff, Sungjae Im, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Champ – are playing their first April Masters this week. Considering the severe contrast in course conditions, there is some limit to what can be learned from last year’s Masters. The course was much softer in November, and there were no patrons last year. A limited number of patrons will be on the grounds this week.

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Tiger Woods arrived at the Farmers Insurance Open this week with two drivers and two 3-woods in the bag. It wasn’t an innovative bag setup aimed at tackling both Torrey Pines courses, however. Rather, the 15-time major champion was testing TaylorMade’s new SIM driver and SIM Max Rocket 3-wood. Eternally discerning with his equipment, Woods was mulling over the switch from the TaylorMade M5 models of each club he played last year. We’re including the specs for all the clubs pictured in Woods’ bag, but we can report it’s the SIM driver and M5 3-wood that Woods put into play in Thursday’s first round as he chases his record-breaking 83rd PGA TOUR victory. Following his round – a 3-under 69 on the North course – Woods was asked if he was pleased with his new equipment. “Yeah, I was,â€� replied Woods, who averaged 293 yards off the tee while hitting 57.18% of his fairways. “I felt like the start lines were a little bit tighter, which was nice. Felt like I shaped the ball well off the tees. I didn’t quite get as many fairways as I needed to today, but overall all my misses were in good spots.â€� Woods also was asked about the new Bridgestone Tour B XS ball that he put into play. “I felt like I picked up maybe probably a quarter of a club in my irons, which was nice, without sacrificing any spin around the greens,â€� Woods said. “I think it’s a little bit better in the wind, into the wind. I don’t feel like I have to flight the ball as much as I did with my other ball, I don’t have to lean on it as much, so technology certainly helps.â€� All photos below are courtesy of GolfWRX. Driver: TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 60 TX Driver: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade M5 (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max Rocket 3 (14 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 80 TX Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (3-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: TaylorMade MG 2 “Tiger MT Grind” (56-12, 60-11 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS Grip: Ping PP58 Blackout Golf ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord More Tiger photos from his bag can be found at GolfWRX’s official site.

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