Leaderboard: Halfway home at WGC-Mexico

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CROMWELL, Conn. – There was a ride of roughly 700 miles ahead of them, but after some of the trappings that had punctuated this wildest journey of their lives, Zack and Courtney Sucher said Sunday evening they were going to enjoy the car time with daughters Hadley and Claire. Indeed, Courtney said the 9-to-10-hour drive from this bucolic town to Detroit’s Motown was going to feel like a sunset cruise compared to the stressful roller-coaster excursion their life has been of late. After all, it is easy to drive hundreds of miles with money in the bank and job security in the trunk, next to the golf clubs. You can float on your blessings. But to try and go from nowhere to somewhere on interest-free credit cards is a rough ride. You have to embrace faith. “I know with Zack, he doesn’t ever give up,� said Courtney. “He’s a true believer. I have faith in him, and I had faith in God that he would get him there.� Specifically, by “there�, Courtney Sucher didn’t mean Detroit Golf Club for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. She meant to a place where you have peace of mind and the relief to know all your perseverance and trusts have been rewarded. It is a far more beautiful place than a golf course, no disrespect to venerable Detroit GC, which will host a PGA TOUR tournament for the first time. The peace of mind and relief are owed to the way the numbers fell in Sucher’s favor in a whirlwind of weekend golf at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. He arrived at the tournament on one of two exemptions extended to players on the Korn Ferry Tour list; that spot appreciated because Zack Sucher is also on a medical exemption dating back to 2017 and knew he had just two tournaments left to generate 347 FedExCup points. If Sucher didn’t get overwhelmed by the task of piling up that many FEC points in such a short amount of time, perhaps it’s because real life had hit hard. “Coming back from medical,� he said, “we had seven months with no income at all coming in two years ago. During that time, we had to take out some credit cards.� Not a recommended course of action, but in 2017, Sucher had missed the cut in 11 of 14 starts before opting for surgery. Doctors in Birmingham, Ala., where he and Courtney live, went into Zack’s left leg to repair extensive ligament and tendon damage, and while they were there they fixed some issues his bad knee, too. The recovery time kept him out the rest of 2017 and all of the next season. When he returned to golf in 2019, Sucher tackled the Korn Ferry Tour and produced a T-2, a T-4, and enough money to sit 32nd and assure himself status out there for this year and next. Then, the former University of Alabama-Birmingham standout set his sights on the PGA TOUR, where he knew he was a long-shot. Which is OK, because a long-shot with an inner belief, a supportive wife, and a small circle of friends is in position to script an intriguing story. And Craig Mullinax, for one, couldn’t wait to be part of it. “Zack is as good as gold, a really good man,� said Mullinax, whose nephew, Trey Mullinax, also plays on the PGA TOUR. “I got to know Zack about two-and-a-half years ago. We hang out at Shoal Creek a lot and when he asked me to caddie for him, I was excited for the chance.� By now, the particulars to the story have been well documented: How Sucher in Round 3 went from six in the lead to six behind playing competitor Chez Reavie, thanks in large part to a horrific meltdown of a three-hole stretch and a back-nine 41, and how he played those same nine holes in 5-under 30 Sunday to sprint into a tie for second behind Reavie, rake in 245 FedExCup points and put himself in position to secure a PGA TOUR card for the rest of this year and in 2019-20. Yes, you can cue up any of the underdog music you prefer, but amid the wild scene in the scoring area Sunday, Courtney Sucher and Mullinax stood to the side and sang the praises of their husband and friend, not words to a song. And they focused not on the blur of that back-nine 30, but on the darker moments that Zack had to navigate to get here. “At Wells Fargo, when he made that double-bogey (on the 13th hole in Round 2 to fall one outside the cut), he didn’t give up,� said Courtney. “He told me the eagle he made two holes later changed his whole perspective to this comeback.� That eagle got Sucher into weekend play, but more importantly, it ignited a confidence within. “He’s never doubted his ability to stay in it,� she said. As for Mullinax, he watched as his man bogeyed the 10th hole Saturday, then followed it with ugly double-bogeys at 11 and 12. “It was a huge moment, but at the 13th tee I told him, ‘Look, we’ve got to get together here and work to make pars to settle this thing,’ � said Mullinax, whose older brother (and Trey’s dad) is Chip Mullinax, a former NASCAR driver. “When a car spins out, you get it back in gear and get back into the race,� Mullinax said. And clearly Sucher understood, because he made six straight pars after that stunning third-round stretch at 10-11-12 and that went a long way toward vaulting him into Sunday’s spectacular finish. “I wasn’t sure how I would handle it this weekend,� said Sucher. “I’ve done it on the Korn Ferry Tour a few times, but this was (different). Crowd-wise, everything is 10 times bigger out here, so to be honest, it was so much fun.� To study the logistics of his status Sunday night was to deflect enthusiasm away from a story that deserved good cheer. Courtney choked back tears, Mullinax kept shaking his head, and the man of the hour, having acknowledged that the share of second was worth $636,000, was true to his embrace of simple means. “I know that like two months ago, we had credit-card debt, so I know we don’t have that anymore.� While he’s still shy by 77 FedExCup points of what he needs to satisfy his medical-exemption target, it’s almost irrelevant. Having earned 126-to-150 status, Sucher will be able to play more than two tournaments, if he chooses, and the likelihood of finishing within the top 125 (he’s currently 126th on just four starts) is very good. A story with so many layers of inspiration and warmth, though Zack Sucher – who only moments earlier had bumped fists with Bryson DeChambeau who smiled and let out with a “Hell, yeah� – stood in the scoring area and tried to absorb it all. “It’s huge for us. It’s exciting. It’s awesome. (but) you know, honestly, I can’t wrap my head around it,� he said. Which is OK. That’s what the long drive to Detroit was for.

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When Ryder Cup captains make teams for Foursomes play, they have an additional — and not insignificant — consideration that’s not present in Four-balls: the golf ball. Two teammates share a ball for alternate shot, opening the possibility that one must use a ball with which he is unfamiliar. A high-speed, high-spin player (say, Bryson DeChambeau) playing a ball that’s designed to generate maximum spin is a recipe for ballooning tee shots and draws and fades that are impossible to control. Before we look at who might be paired together through the prism of the golf ball, let’s take a quick run through the models in play: TaylorMade TP5: TaylorMade’s softest, highest-spinning TOUR ball. Most workable, mid-launching offering. Highest spinning off wedges. TaylorMade TP5x: Spins less than TP5. Higher initial launch and firmer feel than TP5. Less greenside spin than TP5. Bridgestone Tour B X: Bridgestone’s firmest, lowest-launching, lowest-spinning tour ball. Callaway Chrome Soft X: Firmer feeling than Chrome Soft and lower launching as well. Callaway Chrome Soft X LS: Both higher launching and lower spinning than Chrome Soft X. More greenside spin. Titleist Pro V1: Titleist’s softest TOUR ball. Lower flying and spinning than Pro V1x. Titleist Pro V1x: Firmer and higher-launching than Pro V1. Pro V1x also spins more than Pro V1. Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot: A lower-flying, lower-spinning version of Pro V1 with a similar feel and greenside performance. Srixon Z-Star XV: Srixon’s firmer, lower-spinning Tour ball. High greenside spin. Now, let’s take a look at who plays what and potential pairings based on players who use similar balls. Who plays what on the U.S. Team? TaylorMade TP5: Collin Morikawa TaylorMade TP5x: Dustin Johnson Bridgestone Tour B X: Bryson DeChambeau Callaway Chrome Soft X LS: Xander Schauffele Titleist Pro V1: Harris English, Scottie Scheffler Titleist Pro V1x: Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot: Daniel Berger, Tony Finau Potential U.S. Foursomes teams based on ball compatibility: DeChambeau-Schauffele DeChambeau-Johnson DeChambeau-Berger DeChambeau-Finau Spieth-Thomas Spieth-Cantlay Spieth Koepka Thomas-Cantlay Thomas-Koepka Koepka-Cantlay Berger-Finau Morikawa-Koepka Morikawa-Thomas Morikawa-Cantlay Morikawa-Spieth Scheffler-English Scheffler-Morikawa English-Morikawa Who plays what for Europe? TaylorMade TP5x: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Callaway Chrome Soft X: Jon Rahm Titleist Pro V1: Paul Casey, Viktor Hovland, Bernd Wiesberger Titleist Pro V1x: Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter Srixon Z-Star XV: Shane Lowry Potential European Foursomes teams based on ball compatibility: McIlroy-Fleetwood McIlroy-Garcia McIlroy-Casey McIlroy-Hovland McIlroy-Wiesberger McIlroy-Lowry Fleetwood-Casey Fleetwood-Hovland Fleetwood-Wiseberger Fleetwood-Lowry Garcia-Casey Garcia-Hovland Garcia-Wiesberger Garcia-Lowry Rahm-McIlroy Rahm-Fleetwood Rahm-Garcia Rahm-Casey Rahm-Hovland Rahm-Wiesberger Rahm-Lowry Fitzpatrick-Hatton Fitzpatrick-Westwood Fitzpatrick-Poulter Hatton-Westwood Hatton-Poulter Poulter-Westwood

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