Mickelson, caddie ‘Bones’ Mackay part ways

Tiger Woods tees it up for the first time since his momentous Masters triumph – and subsequent Presidential Medal of Freedom – as the PGA Championship raises the curtain on its new May date, with Bethpage Black serving as host. Brooks Koepka makes the first of his two major title defenses in 2019, seeking to become the PGA’s first back-to-back champion since Woods in 2006-07. Jordan Spieth, meantime, makes his third run at completing the career Grand Slam. FIELD NOTES: Phil Mickelson, runner-up at both U.S. Opens held at Bethpage Black (2002, 2009), is set for his 102nd major start since turning professional. … One spot in the field remains for the winner of this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, if not already qualified. … The field includes 69 international players, representing 27 different nations. … All but two of the top 65 in the FedExCup standings have entered, missing only No. 59 Patrick Rodgers and No. 64 J.T. Poston. … The lineup also includes the top 20 finishers from the PGA Professional Championship earlier this month. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 points. STORYLINES: Woods, with that elusive 15th major title finally in the bag, now goes after a 16th on a Bethpage Black layout where he won the 2002 U.S. Open. He has not hit a competitive shot since leaving Augusta, opting for rest instead of his usual start at Quail Hollow. … Koepka seeks a fourth major title in a 23-month span, coming off a runner-up finish to Woods at Augusta. He’s finished outside the top 15 in a major just once in that stretch. … A Spieth victory would make him just the sixth to accomplish the career Grand Slam, and second-youngest to do it after Woods. However, he’s still in search of his first top-20 finish of 2019. … With the move to May, the PGA Championship ventures outside the July-August window for just the second time in 70 years. The other came in 1971, played in February in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. … The top 60 in the world rankings after Sunday’s finish receive automatic berths into next month’s U.S. Open. No. 60 Sungjae Im is on the bubble; Emiliano Grillo (61st) and Chez Reavie (63rd) are trying to move in. COURSE: Bethpage State Park (Black), 7,432 yards, par 70. Taking its third bow on the major championship stage, the 1936 A.W. Tillinghast gem was a bit of a New York secret until the 2002 U.S. Open. Woods won that crown, posting the only under-par score of the tournament, and Lucas Glover captured a rain-soaked U.S. Open upon its return in 2009. Since then, the Black Course has become part of THE NORTHERN TRUST rotation with host duties in 2012 and ’16. A famous sign greets golfers near the first tee warning only “highly skilled� golfers should play the Black, and its reputation attracted pros such as Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson early on for a trial. Snead famously called it “an unfair test� after beating Nelson in a 1940 exhibition. The 2024 Ryder Cup will be contested at Bethpage Black. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Brooks Koepka (2018 at Bellerive CC). 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Bruce Crampton (2nd round, 1975 at Firestone CC), Raymond Floyd (1st round, 1982 at Southern Hills), Gary Player (2nd round, 1984 at Shoal Creek), Michael Bradley (1st round, 1993 at Inverness), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 1993 at Inverness), Brad Faxon (4th round, 1995 at Riviera CC), José María Olazábal (3rd round, 2000 at Valhalla), Mark O’Meara (2nd round, 2001 at Atlanta AC), Thomas Bjorn (3rd round, 2005 at Baltusrol), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2007 at Southern Hills), Steve Stricker (1st round, 2011 at Atlanta AC), Jason Dufner (2nd round, 2013 at Oak Hill), Hiroshi Iwata (2nd round, 2015 at Whistling Straits), Robert Streb (2nd round, 2016 at Baltusrol), Brooks Koepka (2nd round, 2018 at Bellerive), Charl Schwartzel (2nd round, 2018 at Bellerive). LAST YEAR: Koepka became a major champion for the third time in 14 months, posting a record-setting performance to hold off Woods’ electrifying Sunday at Bellerive. With cheers for the resurgent Woods ringing out across the terrain, Koepka took control with three straight birdies to end the front nine and added two more at Nos. 15 and 16 to open enough cushion. He finished with a 4-under-par 66, and his total of 264 matched Henrik Stenson’s week at the 2016 Open Championship. Paired with his two U.S. Open titles, Koepka became just the fifth man to capture three majors before the age of 30. Woods finished two shots back after a 64, his best final round in any major. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday, 1-7 p.m. ET (TNT). Friday, 1-7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT), 2-7 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (SiriusXM).

Click here to read the full article…

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Notes and observations from Thursday’s first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point Golf Club, where Italy’s Francesco Molinari chipped in on the 18th hole for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead over Sweden’s Alex Noren among the early finishers. DJ PLEASED WITH OPENING ROUND Dustin Johnson hasn’t played much golf lately, but the rust didn’t show as he made four birdies and signed for a 2-under 70. That tied him with 53-year-old playing partner Davis Love III, and gave Johnson a solid start as he tries to play his way back into the winner’s circle for the fourth time in his last four starts.    “I’m happy with the way I played,” Johnson said. “I didn’t score that great, didn’t really hole that many putts, but other than that, yeah, I played really well.” Johnson got right back to his usual game Thursday. He averaged 312.7 yards off the tee, and hit 8 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens. (He leads the TOUR in both driving distance and greens in regulation.) The only thing that hampered his play: He took 32 putts. All in all, he said, it was a good day, especially considering this was his first competitive round since he closed out Jon Rahm to win the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on March 26. “I thought I drove it nicely,” Johnson said, “Hit a lot of good iron shots. You know, I’m happy with the way I played, for sure.” The long break wasn’t part of the plan, of course. Johnson went to Augusta National for the Masters four weeks ago, but pulled out at the 11th hour with a lower back injury suffered while falling down a short flight of stairs in his rental house. In a way, Johnson said after his opening-round 70 at Eagle Point, it felt like nothing had changed since before the injury. He said he feels 100 percent physically, and the statistics backed him up: His longest measured drive in Round 1 was an impressive 340 yards. Johnson’s win streak goes all the way back to the Genesis Open in Los Angeles in February. Should he prevail at the Wells Fargo for his fourth straight victory it would mark the longest winning streak on TOUR since Tiger Woods won five straight tournaments in 2007-2008. “All in all,” Johnson said, “I’m very pleased with the day.” MOLINARI HEATS UP WITH PUTTER Francesco Molinari was having qualified success this season already, what with a T7 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard, a T33 at the Masters, and a T22 finish at the RBC Heritage. But something was holding him back: putting. That changed in the first round of the Wells Fargo, as Molinari chipped in twice and needed just 25 putts on his way to a 66 for the first-round lead. “Yeah, I had lots of good rounds this year,” said Molinari, who is ranked 69th in strokes gained: putting. “I think I had something like eight top 25s in 11 tournaments, so I’ve been playing really well. Obviously today I made a few more putts than maybe the last couple of months, which is always nice. … I worked on the putting a lot the last couple weeks and it paid off today.” Molinari said he took pleasure in not just seeing the ball go in the hole Thursday, but also in his older brother Edoardo picking up his third European Tour victory last month. “He’s had a pretty tough time the last few seasons,” Francesco said. WILLY WILCOX ‘TRYING TO FIND THE GAME’ Amid the players’ rush to familiarize themselves with Eagle Point, Willy Wilcox was so far down the alternate list to get into the Wells Fargo he didn’t play any practice rounds. He walked the back nine Wednesday, leaving his caddie Kevin Ensor to tour all 18. But that was it. Still, in his first time seeing Eagle Point with a club in his hands, Wilcox shot 3 under on the front nine Thursday morning, briefly sharing the lead. The 30-year-old with the unconventional swing dropped two shots on the back nine and signed for a 1-under 71. “Just trying to find the game,” said Wilcox, who is coming off his best result this season, a T14 with partner Freddie Jacobson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. “It’s nice to see some good stuff. It was nice to birdie the last. It got a little squirrely on the back so we’ll go to the range and figure it out. We got a great draw with the weather.” Most fans know Wilcox for his ace at THE PLAYERS Championship last year, which was the first at the island 17th hole since 2002. He is not qualified to return to TPC Sawgrass next week, but remains grateful for the moment. He got messages from all around the world, all of which obscured the fact that he didn’t have a great season, missing 11 cuts and finishing 138th in the FedExCup standings. In December, he decided to shake things up. He was kicking back and having a few beers with his agent when he decided to change his name from Will to Willy, since everybody calls him that, anyway. “I wish I was going back,” Wilcox said of THE PLAYERS. “I mean, I guess I still kind of have a chance. It’s amazing how many people know about it. I got emails and Facebook messages, Twitter messages, my family was there. It was as cool as it could possibly get. Everybody back home was really excited. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, you had a bad year.’ People were like, ‘You had a hole-in-one! Dude, you should just retire now!’” He’s not about to retire, Wilcox added with a laugh. For one thing, the former University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazer — his mom Kim is the women’s golf coach — still has three more rounds to go at the Wells Fargo. His 71 puts him five behind the leader Molinari, which means a return trip to THE PLAYERS, while still a longshot, is still within reach.

Click here to read the full article…

LA QUINTA, Calif. - Late in a closely contested U.S. Amateur semifinal match two years ago, John Augenstein faced a delicate, short-sided chip at Pinehurst No. 2, a course known for its slick, confounding greens. Augenstein's opponent, William Holcomb V, had just executed an "extraordinary chip" to gimme range. Augenstein was 2 up with four holes to play. Exemptions into the Masters and U.S. Open were on the line. "John hits this nipping, spinning chip that is just going fast, and checks, and is then rolling like a putt," recalled William Kane, Augenstein's close friend who caddied that week. "It lips out, he ends up halving the hole and then winning the match. "The creativity to hit that shot was extraordinary in itself, and under the circumstances, I just remember thinking, ‘Gosh, John Augenstein has guts.' He's got grit, and he's got guts, and he's going to do just fine." Augenstein is making his professional debut this week at The American Express in Southern California after a standout career at Vanderbilt. He was the SEC Player of the Year last year and a four-time All-American. Augenstein represented the United States in the 2019 Walker Cup after finishing runner-up in the U.S. Amateur. The 23-year-old, competing at PGA West on a sponsor's exemption, aims to follow the path of former Vanderbilt teammate Will Gordon and other young stars in earning Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR. He will have seven sponsor exemptions to earn enough non-member FedExCup points to garner membership, after which he can accept unlimited invitations. He will earn his card for next season if his number of non-member FedExCup points at season's end is equal to or greater than No. 125 in the FedExCup standings. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Augenstein intended to turn pro last spring. "John had this idea and dream in his mind, for years, that he would finish playing in the national championship for Vanderbilt, and then he would turn pro right after that," remembered Vanderbilt coach Scott Limbaugh, who recruited Augenstein as a scrawny high schooler from Owensboro, Kentucky. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Augenstein would have competed in the Masters and U.S. Open - in between, graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology - and turned pro in the middle of the year. But the NCAA Championship was cancelled and the two majors that he earned exemptions into as the U.S. Amateur runner-up were delayed until the fall. Augenstein extended his amateur career, began Vanderbilt graduate-school coursework, and competed in the U.S. Open (missed cut) and Masters (T55). He announced his decision to turn pro in a heartfelt letter to the Vanderbilt community on Nov. 23. Now he turns his attention to professional competition, aiming to channel that ‘grit and guts' into strong early returns. He will wear Oakley's innovative apparel and eyewear, which includes Prizm Lens Technology to enhance color and contrast and allow players to see the course in greater detail. "I fully intend to get my PGA TOUR card this year," Augenstein said. "There's not a doubt in my mind. You can never guarantee anything in athletics - nothing is guaranteed - all I know is that I have to do my best to take advantage of the opportunities that I get. "I'm excited to be in this situation that I'm in. A lot of guys my age have done it in the past two, three years, and historically, so what I'm trying to do is certainly a challenging thing, but it's attainable. A lot of great players have done it, and some great players that are up at the top of the leaderboards each week went to Q-School and went to the Korn Ferry Tour and made their way onto the PGA TOUR." Augenstein plans to devote his full attention to each opportunity as it comes. He can earn additional starts by finishing in the top 10 in a TOUR event - which guarantees a spot in the next open event - or Monday qualifiers. Those around him believe that he has what it takes. "Some of the shots he's made in match-play scenarios have just been literally amazing," said Limbaugh, recalling back-to-back extra-hole victories in the semifinals (20 holes) and finals (23 holes) of the 2017 SEC Championship, which propelled Vanderbilt to its first SEC men's golf title. "He's a small guy in stature, but his game is big. He drives it long; he's a new-age golfer. He hits it long and high, but he chips it like a top-20 player in the world." "Physically, he's got the parts to be really, really good," added Kane, who has also caddied for Webb Simpson and now works for College Golf Fellowship. "With his irons, he strikes it as good as just about anybody, and his chipping is really impressive. There's no glaring weakness in his game." Kane draws parallels between Augenstein and a young Justin Thomas because of "the creativity that he plays with, and an emotional fire." Augenstein credits Thomas, a fellow Kentucky native, as a major influence as well. Augenstein's coach, Matt Killen, was Thomas' longtime putting instructor, and currently works with Tiger Woods. Augenstein played a practice round with those two FedExCup champions at the recent U.S. Open. Thomas earned 2014 Korn Ferry Tour status via Q-School and was on TOUR within a year. In uncertain pandemic times, Augenstein knows his path to the TOUR could involve unique variables. He intends, though, to embrace the road ahead. "There's no blueprint to becoming a top player in the world," Augenstein said. "You kind of write your own story of how to get there, and I hope that mine happens sooner rather than later, so that I can start a schedule and start moving. But this is a very fun time to get going. I'm having a blast, and I'm certainly excited to play."

Click here to read the full article…