Major challenge: Can Tiger win The Players?

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Kevin “Tech” Techakanokboon, a former college golfer who as a freshman was teammates with Xander Schauffele, thought he was going to spend this week at home in Long Beach, California. Well, so much for that idea. Schauffele’s caddie, Austin Kaiser, tested positive for Covid on Wednesday, the day before the start of the WM Phoenix Open, and Schauffele needed a fill-in caddie. Tech, who had caddied for Chan Kim at The American Express and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but hadn’t worked for Schauffle since the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan five years ago, got the call. The partnership bore fruit immediately as Schauffele shot a 4-under 67 Thursday, two off the early lead by K.H. Lee and one behind two time WM Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka. “I wouldn’t call myself a regular out here,” Tech said with a bemused smile. Still, he did well, and one would have to say it worked out well for Schauffele, other than the moment when he brain-cramped and stuck his hand in some cactus on the sixth hole. “Fortunately, Tech, we’ve played a ton of golf together,” Schauffele said. “He’s caddied for me once. It’s the small things that Austin knows what to do and Kevin has no idea what to do. But he plays, and it’s very helpful for me, and I can trust his reads and his feels, as well.” The arrangement came after a flurry of activity in the 24 hours leading to the first round. Schauffele and his wife, Maya, were staying with Kaiser in a house but communicating by FaceTime when the caddie began to feel unwell and tested positive. Schauffele and his wife immediately began to test themselves, in addition to opening up all the windows of the house. They tested negative while Kaiser drove home to San Diego and Tech landed in Phoenix. “He got in about 1,” Schauffele said. “Wife picked him up, dropped him off here, had to talk to some Thunderbirds to get him a credential. Everyone was really accommodating.” Kaiser was symptomatic when the two spoke Wednesday night. “He’s running like a 103 fever, headaches, body aches, the whole deal,” Schauffele said. “He’s got it. He dodged the whole thing for as long as it’s been going on, so he was bound to get it. He was pretty bummed out, it’s one of his favorite courses of the year, but I just told him it’s better now than at the Masters.”

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Once upon a time you had to serve an apprenticeship on the PGA TOUR. If you were good enough to get amongst the big boys in your early 20s, your time was spent learning the ropes and staying out of the spotlight. Oh how times have changed. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where a not so long off the rookie shelf Xander Schauffele took on the world in China and conquered the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and a brand-new rookie in Cameron Champ delivered on the potential many had already highlighted he had at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Here are five observations and insights into another weekend full of youthful exuberance and excellence. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Xander Schauffele set a pretty high standard in his rookie season in 2016-17 — winning twice, including at the TOUR Championship. When he failed to win last season some quickfire takes concluded the youngster maybe overachieved in his rookie season … but such thoughts were short-sighted. You don’t always have to win to prove your worth. Schauffele returned to East Lake to defend his title last season, no mean feat. He did it with the help of two runner up finishes and two further third place results. He contended at two of the majors and THE PLAYERS. Clearly he is the real deal. And quite frankly, not winning last season might have been what he needed because he loves to play with a chip on his shoulder. He loves to feel like people don’t expect much from him, much like Brooks Koepka. “People can say whatever they want, but you know, my team and I, we know that we’re doing the right things, and it feels good to know that. It just feels good to win again,â€� Schauffele said after coming back from three shots down on Sunday to beat Tony Finau in a playoff. He just turned 25 — now there is a bright future on the horizon. 2. Anyone other than Tony Finau might be over this by now. Another runner up finish on the PGA TOUR, and this one in a playoff where he could taste the victory. From day one he was in the mix. And the three-shot lead he took into the final round in China had most thinking the patience and poise he’d displayed in his 11 top-10s last season — including three runner ups — was paying off. There was no doubt he had some Sunday nerves — his start was a little off and back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12 had the smell of a Sunday slide. But impressively he bounced back and when he needed a birdie on the 72nd hole he produced it. His drive on the playoff was not his best but he was also a little unlucky to draw the lie he did. In the end he came up fractionally short again. But as usual he took it with grace and saw it as another learning experience. Another win for this man to go with his 2016 Puerto Rico Open is just around the corner, and it won’t stop there. “Definitely feel like I let one get away … It was cool to have a chance to win, a real chance to win, and I’ll definitely learn from this and keep moving forward,â€� Finau said. 3. It was an impressive title defense from Justin Rose in China. The FedExCup champion tried valiantly but just couldn’t muster enough of a charge down the stretch. A final hole bogey made his challenge appear weaker than it was on the scoreboard — in actual fact he was going for the hail mary eagle to finish to add some more drama and wasn’t that far off having a chance at it. While the game is getting younger and younger Rose continues to show the path for those closer to 40 than 20. He was a youth prodigy himself before battling through a huge slump at the beginnings of his career. Now look at him. The defending FedExCup champion who now once again threatens the world No. 1 slot. 4. Cameron Champ is just that: A champ. He’s barely into his career and he took out the Sanderson Farms Championship in style. The rookie proved that while he is the bomber off the tee we have heard so much about for a few years now, he is also much more than that. His putter proved more than capable in the big moments and his win came with an old driver after he cracked his gamer in his Sunday warmup. Perhaps the most impressive part of the win was his ability to turn things around mid-round. Champ lost a four-shot lead on the front nine on Sunday. You’d forgive most rookies for something similar — as it is usually part of the learning process. But instead of slinking away completely, Champ rallied and recovered in style. Once Corey Conners squared him up, Champ went on the offensive to great effect. He would end up making birdie on five of his last six holes to finish off an awesome effort and four-shot win. 5. It was another successful Asian Swing on the PGA TOUR with some impressive golf giving a handful of players a huge boost early in this new season. It is now very probable that winners Marc Leishman (CIMB Classic), Brooks Koepka (CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES) and Schauffele (WGC–HSBC Champions) will all be huge contenders for the FedExCup come playoff time. As each passing year goes by those who take the plunge into Asia are getting more and more reward. Word of mouth spreads fast with the players, and the hospitality shown in Malaysia, Korea and China has been impeccable. Don’t be surprised to see an even bigger swell in quality of fields next season. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Schauffele’s win moves him to No. 1 in the FedExCup. He’s looking to make it three for three in making the TOUR Championship since joining the TOUR. He was third in the FedExCup in 2017 and 15th in 2018. He now has three career wins in 60 starts. 2. Schauffele was the only player in the field in China to shoot in the 60s in the third and fourth rounds. He hit 11-of-14 fairways, 15-of-18 greens in regulation and hit 29 putts in his final round. For the week he hit 25-of-56 fairways, 49-of-72 greens in regulation and hit 104 putts. 3. Champ ranked second in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Putting for the week at Sanderson Farms, becoming the 22nd winner on TOUR (since 2004 where ShotLink lasers were used) to rank inside the top two in both categories on the way to victory. A total of 86 percent of his total strokes gained for the week were a result of both his off the tee and on the green performances at the Country Club of Jackson. 4. Champ led the field in Driving Distance (All-Drives) averaging 308 yards off the tee. He hit eight drives of 340 yards or longer becoming the 42nd winner on TOUR to do so in the ShotLink era (since 2003). 5. In the final round, Champ made more than 114 feet of putts, a career high. He made a total of 28 birdies for the week, marking the most of any player by six. He converted over 50 percent of his birdies when hitting a green in regulation. Champ missed only eight putts from 15 feet and in going 66-of-74 (89 percent) for the week. WYNDHAM REWARDS The Top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup regular season will benefit from the Wyndham Rewards program. Xander Schauffele takes top spot this week courtesy of his win at the WGC–HSBC Champions while Cameron Champ jumps up from 72nd to sixth after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship. Runner up in China — Tony Finau — is the other new arrival inside the top 10 with a move to seventh.

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