Memorial honoree Greg Norman reflects on friendship with Jack Nicklaus

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Co-leader Matthew NeSmith nearly made a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th — and barely got a reaction from the few fans. Xander Schauffele flubbed a chip — and couldn’t help but hear a surprised spectator’s reaction. RELATED: Leaderboard | Steve Stricker turns back clock in Phoenix With attendance capped at about 5,000 at sunny TPC Scottsdale — a fraction of the usual turnout but the most for a PGA TOUR event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — the Waste Management Phoenix Open opened Thursday with some very different sights and sounds. NeSmith started on No. 10, and went through 16 in the morning before many of the 2,000 allowed fans made their way to the stadium hole. “Probably made the quietest almost hole-in-one ever on 16,” NeSmith said. “I got about six claps there and hit it to 6 inches.” Schauffele had no trouble hearing the fan after the botched chip. “When there’s a lot of people it almost becomes white noise,” Schauffele said. “Out here, I chunked my chip and some guy was like, `Dang, he duffed it.’ I’m like, `Yeah, you’re right, I just duffed the crap out of that chip.'” NeSmith and Mark Hubbard topped the leaderboard at 8-under 63, a stroke ahead of fellow morning starters Nate Lashley and Sam Burns, and two in front of 53-year-old Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker. Hubbard had his lowest score on the PGA TOUR, and NeSmith matched his career low. NeSmith holed a 30-yard bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 13th and chipped in from 55 feet for birdie on the par-4 sixth. “I’m just trying to keep it in play, keep it in the short grass, give my irons a chance to speak for themselves, and that’s usually how I play my best golf,” NeSmith said after hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation. He also shot 63 in November at Sea Island. Hubbard birdied the final four holes and five of the last six, tying NeSmith with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th. “I kind of found a little something in my swing,” Hubbard said. “Earlier in the day I was kind of whipping it a little inside, so I kind of straightened my takeaway a little bit, and that kind of got things in motion.” Stricker played in the afternoon alongside European captain Padraig Harrington and Jerry Kelly, Stricker’s Madison, Wisconsin, neighbor and fellow PGA TOUR Champions player. Harrington and Kelly each shot 71. “I made some putts,” said Stricker, who turns 54 later this month. “Felt like the old Steve Stricker. I am old, but I don’t feel 53 or 4. I feel like I still have a little bit of game left in me.” Lashley played at the University of Arizona and lives in Scottsdale. “It’s nice being able to stay at home and play a course that you’re used to playing,” Lashley said. Burns had eight birdies in a 10-hole stretch. “It started with getting the ball in the right position off the tee,” Burns said. “Fortunately, we were able to attack from there.” Schauffele was at 66 with Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge, Ted Potter Jr., Keegan Bradley and Kyoung-Hoon Lee. “The greens are perfect,” Schauffele said. “If you hit a good putt today, they were going in.” Brooks Koepka had a 68. The 2015 winner at TPC Scottsdale has missed three straight cuts for the first time in his career. “I feel like I’ve been playing pretty good for a while,” Koepka said. “I just haven’t scored well. Sometimes the scoring just isn’t there.” Rory McIlroy, playing alongside Schauffele, opened double bogey-bogey and shot 70 in his tournament debut. “It was a good battle back,” McIlroy said. “Being 3 over through two isn’t ideal, especially on this golf course where you sort of need to make birdies.” Jon Rahm, the former Arizona State star, shot 68 in the afternoon. He closed with a bogey on 18. “The bogey just makes it feel so much worse than it really is,” Rahm said. Playing partner Justin Thomas had a triple bogey on the par-4 17th in a 70. He went from fairway bunker to greenside bunker to the water on the 351-yard hole.

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Rory McIlroy was already in the midst of a great 2019 after nine top-10 finishes, including his landmark win at THE PLAYERS Championship in March. But after his 64-61 weekend north of the border, in which he flirted with 59 and authored a seven-shot victory at the RBC Canadian Open, he could be on the verge of an epic season even by his lofty standards. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where McIlroy won for the second time this season, racked up his 10th top-10 finish in just 13 starts, and moved to second in the FedExCup. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. There was something familiar about this one. Namely, McIlroy’s 16th PGA TOUR title was a lot like his first. In his breakthrough victory, at the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship, McIlroy went 66-62 on the weekend to win. “How about that Rory McIlroy?â€� said Phil Mickelson, one of those left in his wake. This time, McIlroy produced a 64-61 weekend at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Shane Lowry (67, T2) was among those left shaking his head this time and openly wondering what golf course McIlroy was playing. Even McIlroy himself seemed to be taken aback, arching his eyebrows and smiling at his caddie after one of his more improbable back-nine birdies. McIlroy is no stranger to the big finish. Since 2010, he has won five times while shooting 65 or better in the final round. Not surprisingly he leads the TOUR in that category. For more on McIlroy’s victory, click here. [Desk: Please link to Adam’s winner’s column]   2. Rory becoming ‘Open’ specialist The seven-shot win not only marked the biggest margin of victory on TOUR this season, the victory was also McIlroy’s sixth national Open title, and he became just the sixth player to win the U.S. Open, Open Championship, and the RBC Canadian Open. Next up: this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. “I found a little groove,â€� he said, “and I want to keep it going.â€� 3. The new date was a massive hit. Although it used to be played the week after The Open Championship, the RBC Canadian Open has been moved up and now leads into the U.S. Open. You could say it’s worked out. “Part of the reason for playing here was I wanted my game to be in good shape for Pebble Beach, but doesn’t mean this tournament doesn’t mean anything,â€� said McIlroy, who is already on board to defend his title next year. “I mean, it’s a big event and I think it will only get bigger again because the date on the calendar. I think a lot guys will start to play. Four of the top six in the world here this week. The field here is going to go from strength to strength.â€� Said Canadian Nick Taylor, who opened with 64-65 before fading on the weekend (73-72, T27), “I think a lot of the top guys like playing the week before the major to be in competitive mode.â€� 4. Canada won in other ways, too. The last Canadian to win the tournament remains Pat Fletcher in 1954, but the week offered plenty of close calls and hope for the future. Taylor’s 64-65 start was exciting, and Adam Hadwin (70, solo 6th) not only won the Rivermead Cup as Low Canadian, he earned a spot in the Open Championship (along with Graeme McDowell, T8) later this summer.  Fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (71, T14) also had a good week. “Yeah, I think it means a lot,â€� Hadwin said of the home country’s strong showing. “I think it proves a lot to not only us as players, but the golfing fans across the country that there is a bunch of us out here and we’re here to stay. We’re here to play well and we’re going to contend for championships for years to come.â€� 5. Simpson confident as he eyes Pebble Beach. McIlroy wasn’t the only player to get a little U.S. Open wind in his sails at Hamilton. Webb Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Club, will try to replicate that feat a couple hours south at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach buoyed by his T2 finish in Canada. “I felt like mentally it was my best week in a long time,â€� said Simpson, the 2018 PLAYERS champion. “I putted really well. I’m excited. Got to make short putts, long putts at the U.S. Open to contend, and so I’m excited for next week. I think my game is in a good spot.â€� FIVE INSIGHTS 1. McIlroy’s dominance was easily quantified. He ranked 1st in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+1.729), 5th in SG: Approach-the-Green (+1.224), 6th in SG: Approach-the-Green (+0.862), 6th in SG: Putting (+1.457) and 1st in SG: Total (+5.272), making him just the fourth winner to rank inside the top six in each of those statistics since 2004. He’s the first, however, to do so on a course other than Kapalua. The others: Xander Schauffele (2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions), Jordan Spieth (2016 Sentry TOC), and Stuart Appleby (2006 Sentry TOC). 2. McIlroy was just as dominant by margin of victory. His seven-shot cushion marked his fourth career win by seven or more strokes. He won the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship by seven, and cruised to eight-shot wins at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship. 3. There were three rounds of 61 or better on the week – Brandt Snedeker’s second-round 60, Ben Silverman’s second-round 61, McIlroy’s final-round 61 – which makes a total of 10 rounds of 61 or better on TOUR this season. Last season saw just six such rounds in total. 4. Simpson notched his fourth top-10 finish this season after racking up nine of them last season, and he did it largely with his short game. He ranked 1st in Strokes Gained: Putting (+9.069) and Scrambling (18 of 21). 5. England’s Danny Willett (T8, -10) posted his first top-10 finish on TOUR since winning the 2016 Masters Tournament, a span of 35 starts. 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. The big mover at the RBC Canadian Open was exactly who you would expect, with winner Rory McIlroy moving into second position just 120 points behind Matt Kuchar (70, T4). McIlroy, the 2016 FedExCup champion, won for the second time this season and heads to this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with Kuchar well within range.

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