Hurricane Sally leaves mark on Ted Scott’s family

On a firm, hard course, Italy’s Francesco Molinari enjoys the best putting performance of his PGA TOUR career for a final-round 64 and a two-shot victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Molinari went bogey free over his last 28 holes, soared from 151st all the way to 20th in the FedExCup, and looked ahead to a potential second straight title and golf history at THE PLAYERS Championship. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Molinari eyes API-PLAYERS double. No one has ever come off a win and then backed it up with another at THE PLAYERS at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Don’t count out Molinari, 36, who is one of the hottest players in golf and has four top-10 finishes in eight starts at THE PLAYERS. And here’s another reason for optimism: While Molinari’s 146’ 9’’ worth of made putts in the final round at the API marked the best putting day of his career, the second best was his 144’ 8’’ worth of made putts in the first round of THE PLAYERS in 2014. “I know that I can shoot low scores pretty much on every golf course,â€� he said. Now he drives some two hours north to try and accomplish the API-PLAYERS double. With three wins in his last 12 starts on TOUR, Molinari seems like as good a bet as anyone to win. “I had quite a long off-season, but I was hoping to hit form around THE PLAYERS,â€� he said. “And things have gone even better than I thought.â€� 2. Europeans love Bay Hill. Between the winner Molinari (64), runner-up Matthew Fitzpatrick (71), and T3s Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (69), four of the top five finishers at Bay Hill were from Europe. Add fellow T3 Sungjae Im and the top five finishers were international players. Molinari joins recent winners Rory McIlroy (2018), Marc Leishman (2017) and Jason Day (2016). Matt Every (2014, ’15) was the last American winner. 3. Fitzpatrick earned Special Temporary Membership. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for runner-up Matthew Fitzpatrick (71), who couldn’t hold the lead but at 24 years old still earned 300 FedExCup points and Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR. Once he accepts, he will be eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the 2018-’19 TOUR season. Special Temporary Members are not eligible for the FedExCup Playoffs, but can become regular TOUR members by winning an official event. Those points, plus any points earned previously, would be counted on the FedExCup points list, and the player would then be eligible for the Playoffs at the end of this season. “I’m delighted for solo second,â€� Fitzpatrick said, “but I just felt like the way I played and the way I was hitting it, I could have been a little more aggressive.â€� 4. McIlroy a top-10 machine. Rory McIlroy has six straight top-6 finishes on TOUR and moved from 15th to 11th in the FedExCup, an improvement over a year ago because he’s been far more consistent. Last season, after winning the API, he was only 24th in the FedExCup. That’s because last season he came into Orlando with two missed cuts in four starts. “I’m playing well,â€� McIlroy insisted after struggling on the greens and taking 30 putts on Sunday. “I’m getting myself into contention every week.â€� His biggest regret: “I could have played the par 5s better.â€� 5. Im making an impact. Sungjae Im (T3, -9) was one of the most highly touted rookies after earning Web.com Tour Player of the Year last season. Now he’s climbed 13 spots in the FedExCup standings to 26th. This was his best result since finishing T4 at the season-opening Safeway Open. Im was the first player ever to lead the money list wire-to-wire for the entire season on the Web.com Tour last season. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Molinari perfecting final-round surge. He won The National last summer with a final-round 62. This time, Molinari’s 8-under 64 tied the lowest final round in relation to par at the API since 1983. It had been done three previous times: Rory McIlroy (64, ’18), Mark O’Meara (64, ’90) and Gary Koch (63, ’84). Molinari’s five-stroke come-from-behind victory matches the best this season, equaling Xander Schauffele at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. 2. It was a dream day on the greens. Molinari was a perfect 12/12 from inside 10 feet. And his 43’ 9’’ birdie putt on 18 Sunday, which pleased him because he’d seen Tiger Woods make it from the same line, was the longest putt he’s made on TOUR this season and the longest made putt all week on 18. He was 4th in Strokes Gained: Putting (+1.699), but led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee (+1.269). He was 34th in SG: Approach-the-Green (+.346) and 45th in SG: Around-the-Green (+.009). He was first in the field in SG: Total (+3.323). 3. McIlroy’s Sunday struggles continue. A 14-time TOUR winner, McIlroy has not won the last nine times he’s played in the final group on Sunday, dating back to the start of 2018. His 72 left him four shots behind and in a tie for sixth. He was the only player among the top 14 finishers not to break par in the final round. 4. Aaron Baddeley (74, T17) joined the sub-100 club. Baddeley needed just 99 putts for the week, becoming the third player this season to take fewer than 100 in a tournament. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (WGC-HSBC Champions) and Adam Long (Desert Classic) each required only 98 putts for the week earlier this season. 5. Bay Hill won, in a manner of speaking. Players hit 94 balls in the water in the first round, the most of any round there since 2003. The 203 water balls through three rounds were the second most through three rounds since 2003. And for the third straight year, no player managed to post four straight rounds in the 60s. Kevin Chappell was the last to accomplish that feat in 2016. WYNDHAM REWARDS   The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. There were no changes at the top after the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, with one and two Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar, respectively, holding their positions. In finishing T23 at Bay Hill, Marc Leishman moved into the Top 5. This could be a big week for movement, as the winner of THE PLAYERS Championship will earn 600 FedExCup points.

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2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, End of Round 1: Overall scoring average: -0.61 strokes per round Morning wave: -0.67 Afternoon wave: -0.56 Current cutline: 70 players at -1 or better (T56th position) Top 3 most likely projected cutlines: 1 under par: 28.8% 2 under par: 22.8% Even par: 22.1% Notable players below the cutline: Tony Finau (+1, 63.3% Made Cut probability) Billy Horschel (E, 64.8%) Zach Johnson (E, 61.6%) Top 5 win probabilities: Justin Thomas (T1, -7, 20.6%) Rickie Fowler (T1, -7, 15.5%) Jon Rahm (T11, -4, 7.3%) Xander Schauffele (T11, -4, 4.9%) Harold Varner III (T1, -7, 4.7%) NOTE: These reports are based off the live predictive model run by @DataGolf. The model provides live “Make Cut�, “Top 20�, “Top 5�, and “Win� probabilities every 5 minutes from the opening tee shot to the final putt of every PGA TOUR event. Briefly, the model takes account of the current form of each golfer as well as the difficulty of their remaining holes, and probabilities are calculated from 10K simulations. To follow live finish probabilities throughout the remainder of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, or to see how each golfer’s probabilities have evolved from the start of the event to the current time, click here for the model’s home page.

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A season like the one that PGA TOUR Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler put together is built a little at a time, with a succession of great shots. Some of those, like a near hole-out to go 4 up on world No. 1 Jon Rahm in their singles match at the Ryder Cup, provided no FedExCup points but infused Scheffler with vital self-belief for the season ahead. Others, like his chip-in birdie in the final round of the Masters, are so obviously game-changing they practically come with a thunderclap. And others still, like a crucial putt to ensure making the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, where he collected his first win two days later, can be fully appreciated only in retrospect. These 10 shots tell the story of how Scottie Scheffler put together his successful season. 10. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, second round Par-4 8th, TPC Scottsdale Scheffler was right on the cut line Friday at the WM Phoenix Open. After a so-so 68 on a low-scoring Thursday, the promising but winless PGA TOUR pro had made three birdies, two bogeys and a double in his second round. He was in danger of missing the cut with two holes to play. Facing an early exit, Scheffler, finishing on TPC Scottsdale’s front nine, was far from pleased with his approach from 148 yards at the par-4 eighth hole. But he rammed home the 34-foot birdie putt to create a buffer between him and the cut line. Scheffler signed for a 71 in the second round and made the cut with a shot to spare. Little did he know that the made birdie putt would lead to so many more, and his first TOUR win two days later. His victory at TPC Scottsdale would open the floodgates for an epic season. 9. APPROACH SHOT Ryder Cup, Singles session Par-4 4th hole, Whistling Straits There’s self-belief, and then there’s self-belief. Playing as a Ryder Cup rookie last fall, and the only man on the U.S. Team without a victory, Scheffler drew a tough assignment in the third match of the Sunday singles: then-world No. 1 Jon Rahm. Not to worry. Scheffler jumped out to a 3-up lead, then, from the fourth fairway, hit a towering approach that rode the right-to-left wind before landing, checking, and cozying up to within kick-in range for his fourth birdie in a row to take a 4-up lead. It was the moment when everyone, not just Rahm and his peers, began to appreciate the outsized talents of the 2020 Rookie of the Year. Scheffler would win, 4 and 3, to earn the United States’ first point, and while it would not technically provide any points toward his FedExCup-winning season, it informed what was to come. It also opened the eyes of veteran caddie Ted Scott. Watching the Ryder Cup on TV – and thinking he might retire after having parted ways with Bubba Watson – Scott would gain a new appreciation for Scheffler’s skills and they would join forces at The RSM Classic later that fall. 8. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, third playoff hole Par-4 18th, TPC Scottsdale After shooting 62 in the WM Phoenix Open’s third round, Scheffler’s magic seemed to have left him for the final round. He negated four birdies with four bogeys over the first 12 holes to sit three shots off the lead heading into the final stretch. Still in the honeymoon phase with new caddie Ted Scott, Scheffler, undeterred, birdied four of the last six holes to force a playoff against reigning FedExCup champ Patrick Cantlay. The two matched each other on the first two extra holes, with Scheffler making a clutch 6-footer to extend on the second playoff hole before making his move on the third extra trip down 18. Despite driving the ball into a bunker, Scheffler found the putting surface at a respectable 25 feet. Cantlay, however, knocked his second shot to 11 feet. Scheffler stepped up and sent his putt on its way. When it dripped over the front edge and in, he let out a primal roar. Cantlay missed his birdie try and Scheffler had his first win. 7. BIRDIE PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, second round Par-3 14th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge Sitting at even par for the tournament and 2 over for his second round through 13 holes, Scheffler was much closer to the cut line than the leaders, who sat 9 under. He found the green on the par-3 14th but was still 53 feet from the pin, a three-putt looking more likely than make birdie. Scheffler needed just one putt, however, curling in the monster for what would turn out to be the longest putt he made this season and another illustration that every shot does matter, especially en route to a victory. Scheffler went on to win his second TOUR title by a single stroke. The floodgates were officially open. 6. PAR PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, final round Par-4 15th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge On a brutal final day at a baked-out Bay Hill, Scheffler found an inner strength others failed to muster. He was in deep trouble on the par-4 15th, in the pine straw and behind a tree, when he tried to hit a punch hook up the fairway. The ball dribbled out only 23 yards into thick rough, leaving 149 yards to the hole from a tough lie. Scheffler did well to get his next shot onto the front of the green but was still 22 feet away. A bogey looked imminent, but when he coaxed that par putt home it kept his momentum alive and he grinded out three more pars – including an up-and-down from 67 yards on the par-5 16th — to finish a shot ahead of Viktor Hovland, Billy Horschel and Tyrrell Hatton for his second win in three starts. 5. EAGLE HOLE-OUT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, quarterfinals Par-5 16th, Austin Country Club Runner-up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play the year before, this time Scheffler had to hole a 6-foot putt on the sixth hole of a playoff against soon-to-be U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick just to advance to the single-elimination Round of 16. He had survived a tough Round of 16 match against Billy Horschel, prevailing 1 up on Saturday morning, before meeting Seamus Power in the quarterfinals. Scheffler had given up an early two-hole advantage against the Irishman to be tied through 11 holes before wins on 12 and 13 established a buffer. The alum of the nearby University of Texas closed things out in style, holing a 30-yard chip from the upslope short of the green to advance to the semifinals. 4. BIRDIE BUNKER SHOT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, championship match Par-5 12th, Austin Country Club For Scheffler, playing in front of family and friends, it wasn’t just a prestigious World Golf Championships on the line. If he could win the championship match, he would become world No. 1. Through 11 holes he seemed near impervious to nerves or discomfort as he set up a commanding 3-up lead and sat just off the side of the par-5 12th green in two shots. Kisner had knocked his third to close range when Scheffler seemed to open the door, dumping his third shot, a short chip, into a small bunker. Was the match about to turn? Nope. With Kisner eying a 6-footer for birdie to cut into the lead, Scheffler jarred his bunker shot for his own birdie to maintain his 3-up advantage. Three holes later he had his third win in five starts and we had a new top player in the world, a title he’s held ever since. 3. APPROACH SHOT The Masters, third round Par-4 18th, Augusta National Golf Club The hottest player in golf seemed unfazed even by playing at Augusta National, and after he birdied the par-5 13th in Saturday’s third round he was 11 under for the week, ahead by five. But Masters nerves were a new challenge, and back-to-back bogeys on 14 and 15 gave the chasers a flicker of hope. He birdied the 17th before a hooked tee shot on the 18th hole that looked like it could change the course of the tournament. His ball wound up in an unplayable lie; after a drop, Scheffler still faced a 250-yard third shot from the pine straw. As three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo mused about what sort of layup Scheffler was contemplating, Scheffler pulled out a 3-iron and gave the ball a mighty lash. As it soared up to the green and ran a little long behind the putting surface, effectively taking a big number out of play, the patrons could only applaud in awe. “You can’t keep this man down,” Faldo said on the broadcast. “I didn’t see that one coming.” Scheffler got up-and-down to avert further disaster, and his well-earned bogey secured a three-shot lead heading to Sunday’s final round. 2. EAGLE HOLE-OUT U.S. Open, third round Par-5 8th, The Country Club A day after holing out for eagle at the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and getting zinged for misfiring on his celebration with caddie Ted Scott – Scheffler holed out again in the third round, jarring a 102-yard wedge shot at the par-5 8th hole. Scheffler had found the right rough with his tee shot and had to lay up but landed his third behind the pin and watched as the ball backed up and rolled into the cup. The fans went wild for the Masters champion and world and FedExCup No. 1, and this time player and caddie executed a perfect chest-bump celebration. Although the shot gave him the solo lead, Scheffler would ultimately finish tied for second the next day, one behind winner Matthew Fitzpatrick. Still, the shot was yet further confirmation that he can dazzle with any club, anywhere, any time. 1. BIRDIE CHIP The Masters, final round Par-4 3rd, Augusta National Golf Club To win at Augusta National you need a little luck, but you also make your own luck. Despite holding it together for a few opening pars, Scheffler was under assault from tenacious Australian Cameron Smith in the final group. Smith birdied the opening two holes to pull within one before Scheffler pull hooked his tee shot on the par-4 third into pine straw and trees. But thanks to a large scoreboard Scheffler was given line-of-sight relief, allowing him to get a clean look at the green rather than one obstructed by trees. Despite this, his approach with a wedge came up fractionally short of the green and fed back down the steep embankment. Smith’s approach was almost identical, sucking back to just a foot in front of Scheffler’s. Facing a tricky uphill chip, Scheffler played a low, skipping ball into the bank that hit the pin dead center and disappeared for a nerve-settling birdie. Smith was unable to get up and down from the same spot, and the three-shot buffer was back. That cushion allowed Scheffler to play smart golf the rest of the way home to set up a fourth win in six starts and his first major triumph.

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