Jhonattan Vegas defends title at RBC Canadian Open

Matt Hill was a can’t-miss college star at North Carolina State, matching accomplishments that only Tiger Woods had achieved before him. And after Hill’s eight-win season in 2009, he quickly made a deep splash in his native Canada, topping the Order of Merit on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. But life, like golf, is unpredictable. Sometimes the can’t-miss kids end up missing. Or they run into injuries. Or the game rears its unsympathetic head – no matter your resume. Hill, of Brights Grove, Ontario — the same hometown as Mike Weir – is proof. He will make his first start on the PGA TOUR since 2017 after Monday qualifying for this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. “I haven’t played a ton of tournaments lately, but you just never know with golf,” Hill said from his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. “You keep plugging along and try to get better and you never know when it’s going to happen.” Hill won the NCAA individual title in 2009, one of his eight collegiate titles that year. He was the ACC’s Male Athlete of the Year (in all sports) and captured the Haskins Award as the year’s best collegiate golfer. He turned professional in 2010 and won his first – and to date, only – professional title on PGA TOUR Canada in 2012. He was the tour’s leading money winner that same season. Since that year, however, Hill has hopped around without finding secure footing. He’s made just five PGA TOUR starts in the past decade and played fewer than 30 times on the Korn Ferry Tour in that span. It certainly hasn’t been for lack of trying, and Hill says he’s happy, despite not quite living up to the expectations that he and others bestowed upon him after college. He’s the father of two girls – the second, Rhemi, was born in July – and has mostly been playing mini-tours in the southeastern United States while trying to earn a spot in Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR events via qualifiers. He played the Evan Scholars Invitational on the Korn Ferry Tour last summer but this week’s event in Bermuda will mark his first start on TOUR since a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open four years ago. “Obviously I haven’t played out on the PGA TOUR in a while so it’s hard to expect too much,” admits Hill. “But I definitely would love to play well for (my family). It would make it extra special. I could play good golf and they could see me doing it.” Hill has battled a wonky back for most of professional career and not a day goes by when he doesn’t feel some tightness or soreness – amplified a bit, he says, by the long drives between mini-tour events. But he says he’s found ways to manage his back pain now better than ever. He frequently tees it up in South Florida alongside fellow Canadian prs Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Michael Gligic and Adam Svensson. He even lives on Conners’ street, he says. But why have most of those guys, younger and with a lighter college resume than Hill, made it to the TOUR and he hasn’t? “There could have been a few different things. It’s definitely not for lack of putting in the work,” says Hill. “It’s been a long go for me and I haven’t made it out there yet, and I definitely have thought about doing different things. But I love the game and for now I’m just going to keep trying to get better. “As of right now, it’s hard to explain. Guys more in my shoes, it’s up and down. Some weeks – or months – you feel like you’re ready to get a job and other times you feel like your game is really good and you’re ready to get out (on TOUR). It’s a fine line.” Days like the Monday qualifier for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship showed Hill he can still do it. He points to Weir as an example of someone who has shown there isn’t an age limit in this game. Weir has had a career resurgence on PGA TOUR Champions after turning 50. “It shows you I have a lot of time and everyone’s on a different plan, as well,” says Hill. “Looking back isn’t going to do too much for me. I’m just trying to take it week to week right now and make the best of my situation.”

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  CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It doesn’t take much for Rory McIlroy to contend at the Wells Fargo Championship. Five swings on Wednesday evening did the trick this time. McIlroy, making his first start since a difficult defeat at the Masters, headed to the range after feeling rusty in Wednesday’s pro-am. A quick look at the TrackMan made him realize that his clubface was closed through impact. “It almost feels like I’m trying to hold the clubface square for longer,� McIlroy said. That swing thought worked Thursday. He shot a 3-under 68 that left him one shot off the lead after the morning wave. McIlroy, who’s making his eighth start of the season, is 32nd in the FedExCup after a win in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He hit just four fairways Thursday but still gained strokes off the tee by averaging 325.4 yards on all tee shots. More importantly, he hit 14 greens. And the putting lesson with Brad Faxon is still paying dividends, as McIlroy gained +1.6 strokes on the greens. “I love this place,� said McIlroy, who turns 29 on Friday. “I feel like I don’t have to play that well and I can still get it around.� McIlroy has finished outside the top 10 just once in seven Wells Fargo starts, including two wins. He set a course record in each start, shooting a final-round 62 in 2010 and third-round 61 five years later. Jason Day was on the practice green in 2010 when he watched a frustrated McIlroy walk off the ninth green after making the cut on the number. Two days later, McIlroy was holding the trophy after making 17 birdies and an eagle on the weekend. “He’s explosive in that way,� Day said. “It’s very similar to what Tiger does. He’ll come to a course and he’ll like it so much that he’s very dominant on it. This is a driving golf course. If you’re a good driver, you get the opportunities. He hits it long and straight and obviously he’s putting better.� Quail Hollow lets McIlroy hit a lot of mid- and long-irons and swing aggressively off the tee. The towering trees that frame the fairways help him envision the proper shot. When asked if it reminded him of Augusta National, McIlroy laughed and said, “I’ve just won here a couple times. That’s about the difference.� Of course, McIlroy needs a Masters win to complete the career Grand Slam. This year’s edition was his closest call at Augusta National since he completed the other three legs. A third-round 65 put him in the final group with Patrick Reed, but even during that remarkable round McIlroy could tell his game was not in top shape. “I was sort of holding it together,� he said. And it fell apart under the Sunday pressure. He shot a final-round 74 to fall into fifth place. He spent the week after Augusta National binge-watching television shows (Billions), reading books (The Chimp Paradox, Essentialism) and drinking wine. “Erica had to drag me out of the house,� he said. “Once I got back in my routine, I was fine.� He confirmed that Thursday. He’s back to his old ways at the Wells Fargo Championship.  

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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – While Bryson DeChambeau has been known to switch Bridgestone golf ball models depending on course conditions, he’s mostly used the Tour B X version since 2018. When he teed it up at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Thursday, however, it was with a brand new version of the Bridgestone Tour B X ball. The golf ball, which just became conforming this week, according to Bridgestone, is still in the prototype phase, but based on the company’s history of golf ball releases, this could possibly be the new retail model Tour B X for 2020. According to a Bridgestone representative, DeChambeau was seeing 750 rpm more spin around the greens with the new prototype golf ball during a testing session in Dallas, and he was seeing a more consistent launch. “Testing went very well last week with Bryson in Dallas and he was chomping at the bit to put it in play,� Bridgestone told PGATOUR.COM on Thursday. “This is the first week the ball is available for play on the conforming list. He put it in play instantly.� While DeChambeau allowed PGATOUR.COM to capture photos of the previous Tour B X golf ball (photo left) and the new prototype Tour B X golf ball (right), the company is remaining tight-lipped about the new design. From the photos, however, we can gather that the font of “Tour B X� has changed, and the dimple design looks noticeably different, as well. For now, we’ll have to wait on more information about the golf ball design and retail information. In his first competitive round with the new golf ball, DeChambeau shot a 2-under 68 at The Old White TPC.

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