‘I believed’: Schauffele finally catches major championship that eluded him

THE OVERVIEW WILMINGTON, N.C. — Last we saw Dustin Johnson, he was warming up on the Augusta National driving range and trying to figure out if his injured back felt well enough to play in the Masters. (For those just back from a long space mission, it did not.) That was four weeks ago. Johnson was back on the range at the Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point on Wednesday, striping his driver and happily chatting up his caddie/brother Austin and range-neighbor Pat Perez. All seemed right again with the world No. 1.            “Feeling good,” said Johnson, who is making his first start in the Wells Fargo since 2011. “Healthy, so can’t complain. Obviously, I haven’t played much or done a whole lot of practicing, but body’s all good. Glad to be back out playing again.” Eagle Point is serving as a one-year stand-in for Quail Hollow while the latter preps to host the PGA Championship in August, and golf-starved fans stood behind Johnson on the range and marveled as he worked on his swing. He is going for his fourth win in his last four starts, so they could be witnessing history. If Johnson wins the Wells Fargo, it would be the longest win streak on the PGA TOUR since Tiger Woods won five in a row nearly a decade ago.            Johnson’s lower-back injury, incurred when he slipped down a small flight of stairs at his rental house in Augusta the night before the start of the Masters, appears to have healed. He played five holes at Eagle Point on Tuesday, and the full 18 during the Wednesday pro-am. “It took probably three weeks,” he said. “… Maybe last Friday probably was the first day I hit balls and didn’t feel it. No, it was just bruised badly. I went and had an MRI. It was clear, no issues, but bruised — bruised it really bad.” Whether or not he is 100 percent will be one of the overriding questions this week. Davis Love III was among those who picked Johnson to win this week despite his long break. Johnson himself didn’t necessarily disagree, saying that while he hasn’t practiced much, he has practiced enough to compete. What’s more, he added, he wanted to play this week to knock the rust off. “Last couple years, I would have four weeks off going into THE PLAYERS Championship,” Johnson said. “So I figure, well, especially since I didn’t play Houston and then, obviously, I didn’t play Augusta, I needed to — I wanted to get some reps in before THE PLAYERS. And I hadn’t played here in a while, so it was kind of close to home for me, so it was pretty easy. I’m glad I came down. This golf course is great.” As for the freak accident at Augusta, he says he has put it behind him, so to speak. “No, I mean, it just happens,” he said. “Crazy things happen. The only time it was maybe tough was just watching the tournament, but after watching it or after Sunday, it’s been fine.” LAST CALL FOR THE PLAYERS Steve Wheatcroft has only conditional status on the PGA TOUR this season, so he wasn’t sure he was even going to get into this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point. The 39-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, was the sixth alternate when the field was finalized last Friday. Then he moved up to third over the weekend. Then Zurich Classic of New Orleans winners Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith withdrew from the Wells Fargo, and Wheatcroft was in. Now he’s got another impossible dream: cracking the field for THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass next week. “I love it down there,” said Wheatcroft, who got into THE PLAYERS for the first time last year and made the cut before shooting 74-79 on the weekend. “It was definitely fun. I’ve lived there long enough and I’ve taken friends of mine out there to watch the tournament on the weekend. It was nice to be on the other side of the ropes for once. We don’t get to see it play like that year-round, especially not the way it played on Saturday. That was like no golf course I’ve ever seen, and I worked at Oakmont for three years back in ’99, 2000, 2001.” Wheatcroft has a special affinity for THE PLAYERS in part because he practices at TPC Sawgrass. He moved to the area about 10 years ago, and he and his wife and their two young children moved into a new house just last week. But like 78 others players in the field at the Wells Fargo at Eagle Point, Wheatcroft didn’t finish in the top 125 in the FedExCup last season. Nor did he work his way into the top 10 on the 2016-17 FedExCup points list or play his way into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking by the Monday after the Zurich. As a result, it comes down to this for Wheatcroft and 78 others: Win and they’re in. They’ve got to win the Wells Fargo at Eagle Point in order to crack THE PLAYERS field. “I’ll just try to win and see what happens,” Wheatcroft said. “It would be huge. I had a big crew out there last year and they had their shirts on, these bright blue shirts with a green golfer on the front and Team Wheatie on the back. I had my neighbors and friends out there. It’s a longshot, and I have no plans to play, but if it happens it would be phenomenal.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER He’s back … but did the month away from the TOUR cause him to lose the momentum of three straight wins?  Will he ever win in North Carolina? He’s made 19 previous TOUR starts in the state, with second place his best finish. Arguably, no one in the field knows Eagle Point better than this member, but how much of an advantage will that be? Wells Fargo Championship THE FLYOVER A closer look at Eagle Point’s finishing hole, the 580-yard par-5 18th. The hole generally plays into the wind, but the hole should be reachable in two for the longer hitters. THE LANDING ZONE The shortest par 4 at Eagle Point is the 353-yard seventh hole. Some players will try to drive the green, although a large collection of deep bunkers guarding the right side of the green provide adequate defense. The putting surface slopes back to front. Here’s a look at the hole from the tee box. WEATHER CHECK According to PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams, there may be an isolated shower on thunderstorm on Thursday afternoon thanks to a humidity increase. The rain and thunderstorms will be more likely as a strong cold front pushes through the state. TEMPS: Pleasant, with the temperatures in the low 60s for the latter part of the week. RAIN: Rain expected on Friday thanks to that cold front, but should be clear on the weekend. WINDS: Brisk winds in the first two rounds, with speeds above 20 mph. Should be less on the weekend. For the latest weather news from Wilmington, North Carolina, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I’ve had this happen at Quail Hollow where I kind of relax mentally and end up making a couple dumb mistakes that I wouldn’t normally make. So I’ve got to use that comfort to my advantage and not to my disadvantage. ODDS AND ENDS 1. PHIL SEEKS BREAKTHROUGH. Phil Mickelson has made 13 starts at Wells Fargo and has never missed a cut. Better yet, he has nine top-10 finishes. That’s the second most of any tournament he’s entered without a win. Only in the U.S. Open does Mickelson have more top-10s (10) without a win. 2. WESLEY FROM INSIDE 150. This season, Wesley Bryan – who’s making his Wells Fargo debut this week — leads the TOUR in approaches from 50-125 yards. His average of 14 feet, 4 inches is nearly 5 feet closer than the TOUR average of 19 feet, 2 inches. In addition, on approach shots from 75-100 yards, he’s hitting it, on average, 5 feet, 8 inches closer than the TOUR average. 3. LONG RANGE DJ. Dustin Johnson’s long-range conversion rate has improved this season. From outside 25 feet, DJ has rolled in six putts – that ranks him seventh on TOUR in that category. A year ago, he made just 10 putts from longer than 25 feet. 4. WILMINGTON VIEWPOINT. This will be the first TOUR event in Wilmington in 60 years. “Wilmington, you know, it’s hard to know if it’s a golf town or not because there’s never been a TOUR event here,” Webb Simpson said, “but I know all the fans are excited.” WATCH THE PREVIEW

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Bart Bryant had to wait nearly two decades to win on the PGA TOUR, enduring injuries and multiple trips to Q-School before handing Tiger Woods the largest defeat of his career. Bryant had considered quitting the game after a shoulder injury sent him off the TOUR in the early ‘90s but his perseverance paid off with three victories after he turned 40. Two of those wins came in his career year of 2005 when he won two of the TOUR’s biggest events, the TOUR Championship and Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Bryant died Tuesday in a car accident at the age of 59. His first wife, Cathy, preceded him in death. She passed away in 2017 from brain cancer, 11 months after her diagnosis. He is survived by wife Donna, daughters Kristen and Michelle and his stepchildren. His brother, Brad, also is a former TOUR winner. “The PGA TOUR is saddened by the tragic passing of Bart Bryant and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The Bryants have been a part of the PGA TOUR family for over four decades and we are grateful for the impact and legacy he made on our organization and countless communities. Bart will be dearly missed.” Bart Bryant was 41 years old and had just six starts remaining on a major medical extension when he arrived at LaCantera Golf Club in 2004 for the Valero Texas Open. A third-round 60 gave him a three-shot lead over Hunter Mahan, and Bryant maintained that advantage with a 67 on Sunday. The win came in his 187th start on the PGA TOUR. “One tournament does not make a career,” said Bryant, who was born in Gatesville, Texas, but grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the Bryant brothers dominating junior and high school golf. “This is just the beginning, that’s what I’d like to think.” He was right. The next year, Bryant accepted a trophy from Jack Nicklaus, beat two World Golf Hall of Famers, finished in the top 10 on the money list and cracked the top 25 in the world ranking. Bryant already had won Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament when he arrived at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club in 2005 for his TOUR Championship debut. He started the week with a course-record 62 and held at least a share of the lead after every rounds. Bryant won by six shots at East Lake to collect the biggest paycheck of his career. Tiger Woods, winner of two majors that year, finished second. It is the furthest back Woods has ever finished in a tournament where he was the runner-up. Woods could drive it 50 yards past Bryant, but the veteran overcame Woods’ power advantage with pinpoint ballstriking, leading the field in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation. “I certainly don’t put myself in the same category as Retief (Goosen) and Vijay (Singh) and Davis Love and Tiger Woods,” Bryant said. “I mean, these guys are the elite players in the world. … But I have found out that if I’m on top of my game under the right conditions, I definitely can compete with these guys.” Bryant beat another of the game’s stars, Fred Couples, earlier that year to win the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club. This win required more drama than the one at East Lake. After taking the lead with a birdie on 17, Bryant drove into a hazard on the final hole and had to make a 15-foot par putt to beat Couples by one. Woods tied for third, four shots back. Bryant’s success in his 40s was the fruit of incredible perseverance, coming 19 years after the preacher’s son turned pro in 1986 out of New Mexico State, where he was a two-time All-American. Bryant graduated Q-School a half-dozen times, the first coming in 1990. He finished 124th on the money list in his rookie year before a shoulder injury derailed his 1992 season. His game got so bad that he considered quitting. He was off and on the TOUR for the next decade, playing just six full seasons between 1991 and 2003 and cracking the top 125 on the money list just once. “Things got so bad in the middle ‘90s that I never bothered going to qualifying school,” Bryant said after his win at East Lake. “As long as I was able to feed my family on what I was making on the mini-tour, I was OK.” When he won the Texas Open, he was the oldest first-time winner on the TOUR in nine years. Bart’s older brother, Brad, who earned his lone TOUR win at the 1995 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic, was at the 18th green when Bart won for the first time, making them the 12th set of brothers to win on the PGA TOUR. “I think this is bigger for me than when I won,” Brad Bryant said of his brother’s victory. “He has been through so much, and he’s persevered. For our family, this is so big.” They both won on PGA TOUR Champions, as well. Bart won the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open in both 2013 and 2018, while Brad’s four wins included the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. Bart also paired with Ian Baker-Finch to win the Raphael Division in the 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf. After his career year in 2005, Bart Bryant would post just seven more top-10s on TOUR as the injuries that delayed his success quickly took it from him. He did finish runner-up to Jim Furyk at the 2006 RBC Canadian Open and Woods at the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, which was Woods’ fifth consecutive win on TOUR. Woods had to sink a 24-foot birdie putt on the final hole to do it, however. “I’m lucky to get up there and compete with him every now and then,” Bryant said. And beat him, the reward for patiently waiting for his opportunity.

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Can Rory McIlroy keep it going? Can Tiger Woods and Masters champ Scottie Scheffler figure it out? We look at the big stories heading into Day 2 at the PGA Championship.

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