Monday Finish: Andrew Landry comes up clutch to stop slide

HOLE 1 (par 4, 397 yards) Shot 1: Iron safely down fairway into 20 mph wind Shot 2: Using 5-iron from 176 yards, his approach is dead-on below the hole Shot 3: Birdie putt from 15 feet loses steam, cuts across the front of the pin Shot 4: Tap-in for par

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He was the final member of an impressive triumvirate of golfers born in San Diego during The Great Depression – Gene Littler and Billy Casper the others – and as a young pro he was widely considered the equal to a contemporary named Jack Nicklaus. But if Phil Rodgers’ PGA TOUR career didn’t match its promise or reach the standards of those other men, he did something that is a rarity in today’s world. He took ownership. As honest as he was brash, Rodgers told golf.com’s Alan Bastable in 2008 that “I wanted to win more, but something always stopped me. I couldn’t do what my mind wanted me to do. I probably talked myself out of being a great champion more than I talked myself into it.� Rodgers’ 17-year PGA TOUR career included just five victories but was noted for the absence of major championship success that Nicklaus, Littler and Casper all had. That was difficult for some to rationalize, especially those who watched Rodgers’ great success as a junior, a collegian, an amateur, and a two-time winner in his first full PGA TOUR season, 1962. “He was so good, it was frightening,� former PGA TOUR player John Schroeder told Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union Leader. “Mechanically, he had it.� But what Rodgers also had and always used effectively was an unyielding passion to teach the game. That came shining through as stories circulated upon the news of Rodgers’ death Tuesday morning in his University City home in San Diego with his wife of 33 years, Karen, by his side. Rodgers was 80 years old and had battled leukemia for more than 15 years, though he appeared to handle that as flawlessly as he did bunker shots. Leonard, in his tribute to Rodgers, said the gregarious instructor might have been in a wheelchair, but up until a few months ago he was still at his post, teaching the game he loved at The Grand Del Mar in San Diego. Reacting to the news of Rodgers’ death, Nicklaus on his social media account expressed his heartfelt condolences: “My heart hurts today after the passing of dear friend, Phil Rodgers . . . Terrific ball-striker & great short game, he became a gifted teacher. Miss him already.� In fact, were he capable of re-writing the PGA TOUR record books, Nicklaus would affix two major championships beside Rodgers’ name, with an asterisk. That’s how strongly Nicklaus felt about his friend’s contribution to what took place in 1980, the year the Golden Bear turned 40. Not only had Nicklaus in 1979 recorded his first winless season since turning pro in 1962, but good gracious, he had missed the cut at the 1978 PGA and finished T-33 at the 1980 Masters, meaning he had failed to triumph in six straight majors. Even worse, “it was almost to the point where I had to putt around bunkers,� Nicklaus once told reporters. Unable to stand over a chip shot, Nicklaus called Rodgers, who came to North Palm Beach, Fla., and spent two weeks with his longtime friend. A few weeks later, Nicklaus won his fourth and final U.S. Open, then he added a PGA Championship, the penultimate triumph in his record parade of 18 majors. “Phil totally revamped my short game and gave me confidence,� Nicklaus once gushed to Sports Illustrated. And if you wanted a summation of Rodgers’ ability, no one offered it with more praise than Nicklaus, who told Bastable: “If you ever watched him hit the ball, if you watched his short game, if you watched him putt, you would say, ‘How could anybody ever beat him?’ � Nicklaus wasn’t alone, because Rodgers as a junior and collegian left others feeling similarly. Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman, who called Rodgers “a lifelong friend,� recalled the first time their paths crossed, at the 1954 U.S. Junior Amateur at Los Angeles CC’s North Course. “I was a hot-shot kid from the East and when the tournament was over, I spent a week in LaJolla playing golf with Phil. We were 16 and I’ll tell you what I’ve said 100 times over the last 65 years – Phil Rodgers at 16 was an accomplished ‘professional’ golfer. He could have left high school right then and been successful on the PGA TOUR. “We played with Gene Littler (then 24 and a PGA TOUR member) that week and Phil beat him. That’s how good he was.� Born April 3, 1938 (Littler was born in 1930, Casper in 1931), Rodgers won the 1955 national Jaycee Junior Golf Championship (Nicklaus was in the field), earning a $1,000 scholarship. He chose to attend the University of Houston, “a sort of training camp for aspiring pro golfers,� wrote Walter Bingham in a feature story on Rodgers for Sports Illustrated in 1963 that included a cover headline: “Phil Rodgers: The Brashest Man in Golf.� Bingham, of course, had to time the college story just right, because Rodgers played in just three tournaments, all of which he won. The exclamation point was the 1958 NCAA Championship at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass., where he and teammates Jackie Cupit and Jim Hiskey – both former PGA TOUR players – led the Cougars to No. 3 in a string of five consecutive titles. Not only did Rodgers shoot 69-70 to be co-medalist during the team portion of the competition, but in the individual phase he overwhelmed Purdue’s John Konsek, 8 and 7, to leave college undefeated. “Phil knew more about golf than any kid we’ve ever had here,� Houston’s late and great coach, Dave Williams, told Bingham. “But I couldn’t understand him. I never knew what the guy was going to say. After he beat Deane Beman in the second round (of the NCAAs), I went up to shake hands with him. “That’s the last time that’ll ever happen, he yelled to me. ‘What do you mean, Phil?’ ‘That’s the last time I’ll ever be over par on this track,’ he said. It was, too.’ � While Nicklaus came along to star on the 1959 and 1961 Walker Cup teams and win U.S. Amateur and NCAA titles, Rodgers chose to enlist in the Marines, though he didn’t exactly see the world. Instead, he served his stint right in San Diego and was able to keep his golf game sharp. Which is why, Schroeder told Leonard, that “it was neck and neck to see who was best,� Nicklaus or Rodgers. Eerily, they were of similar builds – “stocky� or “pudgy� or “stumpy,� depending on whose correspondence you read – with blonde hair and fans often had to do a double-take when they saw them together back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But while Rodgers conceded to Leonard that no matter how he conducted his career, “I never would have been in Nicklaus’ category,� he loved to tell the story of that one category in which he was an equal. Eating steaks. Legendary for preferring it the color of his favorite wine, red, at Augusta National Golf Club it only mattered to Rodgers that he and Nicklaus could have it whenever they wanted. So, they had filets for breakfast, a New York Strip for lunch, and Chateaubriand for dinner. “They finally came to us and said, ‘No, you can’t do that. You can only have one steak per day.’ � After his stint in the Marines ended in 1961, Rodgers joined the PGA TOUR for 14 tournaments, but oh, how he hit the ground running in 1962. Tied with Fred Hawkins through 54 holes in the LA Open at Rancho Municipal GC, Rodgers closed with a sizzling 62 to win by nine. “Rodgers is golf’s golden boy today,� exclaimed golf writer Jerry Wynn, who expressed a theme that was prevalent in those days when it came to the flamboyant Rodgers. “He’s not only good, he knows he’s good.� Laughed Beman, “Oh, yeah, he was cocky. But he could back it up. He had complete control of all aspects of his game.� Chances for major championship glory slipped from Rodgers’ grip early in his career. Stubbornly, he refused to take an unplayable lie from a tree at Oakmont in Round 1 of the 1962 U.S. Open, took a few whacks at it, made a quadruple-bogey or else he might have won that, not Nicklaus. Then, at the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Rodgers got whipped in a 36-hole playoff against Bob Charles, 140-148. Rodgers had been surrounded by World Golf Hall of Famers for so many years – mentored at La Jolla CC by Paul Runyan, who often had Rodgers play blindfolded to appreciate how to “feel� his way around a golf course; nurtured in teenage games against the likes of Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Ralph Guldahl; befriended by Nicklaus; a local hero alongside Littler, who won two majors, and Casper, who had three. But the iconic success that each of those men enjoyed never filtered down to Rodgers. He won twice in 1962, his first full year on the PGA TOUR, added another win in 1963, then two more in 1966 (notable for being the first wins by a player using a long putter that he “anchored�). But that was it. There were no more wins and Beman is among the many who often wondered why. “Hard to say,� said the former commissioner. “Maybe he was so damn good he didn’t realize you had to keep working at it.� While Rodgers shouldered responsibility – “I never thought I did my job as well as I could have or should have,� he told Leonard – his legion of friends, colleagues, and contemporaries praised him for his passion and for excelling as not only a man who designed wedges for Cobra, but as one of the game’s greatest instructors. “When I lived in Orlando (in the 1980s), I used to visit Phil over at Grand Cypress,� said Brad Faxon. “He used to hit bunker shots with just his left hand and he’d beat all of us. He had a great eye and was also one of the first teachers to use technology developed by Ralph Mann, looking at bio-mechanics. Such a great teacher and character.� In six seasons on the PGA TOUR Champions, Rodgers won just once, but his presence was always a treasure. “With the passing of Phil Rodgers, the game of golf lost a true gentleman and a man who sincerely impacted the lives of those around him,� said PGA TOUR Champions president Greg McLaughlin, who noted that he and some players were pleased to see Rodgers just a month ago at the Insperity Invitational. “It was wonderful to watch everyone light up in his presence,� said McLaughlin.

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Instead of chasing his third consecutive win at the Valspar Championship this week, two-time defending champ Paul Casey is still trying to sort things out — just like the rest of us in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On a Friday conference call with golf writers, Casey was asked a variety of questions, including his thoughts on a potential compact major schedule once play resumes (“I’m fine with that. I’ll suck it upâ€�) and the potential of playing without fans (“If that’s what needed … at least we’re still out there playingâ€�). Here are his extended answers on the disappointment of not being able to defend this week, the new normal that we’re living in, concern for his parents, and the importance of golf in the current climate. ‘Guess I’ll still be going for three in a row’ Less than two weeks ago, Casey was preparing for THE PLAYERS Championship, to be followed by the Valspar Championship. The things changed quickly. “We went from probably a space of 48 hours from being slightly concerned to suddenly canceling events after the NBA [suspended] their season. Obviously, it’s disappointing not to defend at Valspar and now suddenly the situation is no longer about golf. It’s a whole plethora of things now. It’s worrying about people’s safety, people’s health, the economic impact of that. Look at somebody at Tampa, there’s probably going to be people who probably get sick, lose jobs, loss of income, a whole bunch of other things. It’s weird one. It’s a really strange one. It’s a strange thing … “Hopefully the impact of not having this year, the 2020 Valspar Championship, doesn’t affect too many people. There will still be money going to charity, which is an amazing thing, that [tournament director] Tracy West and her team can still donate some … “I guess I’ll still be going for three in a row [next year]. Hopefully we can get the field that we were looking at getting this week, which would have been maybe one of the best field they’ve ever had. Everybody will just want us to get back going again. We obviously don’t know how long this is going to be, but people are going to be craving golf and I know I’ll be craving golf and I’ll be looking forward to getting back out there. Hopefully when whenever it happens, the  2021 Valspar Championship will be as good if not better than it was going to be this year.â€� ‘Trying to figure out what to do’ Casey was asked how he’s passed the time in the last week without a tournament to play and defend. “I just did a podcast with Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, so it should probably take another week before they edit that and get it out. I’ve been playing football — or soccer as you’d call it — with my little boy outside a lot, riding my bike. My clubs are still packed up in my Club Glove in the garage; I haven’t dusted them off yet … “Whisper Rock’s still open, but I can’t go down to Papago and practice where the Arizona State team practices because I’m not allowed down there because they’ve closed the facility to all non-students, which is understandable [Casey played collegiately at Arizona State]. One of the golf clubs I’m a member at in the Valley has had a member and his wife test positive for coronavirus, so very limited access down there. “So I don’t know. I’m trying to formulate a plan. Right now it’s teaching the kids. It’s wake up and we have a schedule of breakfast time and then reading time and then creative time and TV time and all that kind of stuff, so that’s basically what I’m doing. I’m trying to figure out what to do. This is unfamiliar, this is unlike anything. I’m a big fan of time off, and you’ve talked to me in the past. There’s been times I’ve taken 3-4 weeks without hitting golf balls and it’s quite common for me in the offseason, but there’s always been a prospect of going back to work. So I’m trying to balance it out, pacing myself because that’s really the unknown.â€� ‘Technically, can I get there?’ Although he lives in Arizona, Casey has family in his native England but suspects he won’t be able to see them for quite some time. “My parents were in South Africa until about two days ago, they were just down on holiday. You know my dad is South African; they were down there visiting friends and family and it was very strange because just a few days ago, things obviously multiplied drastically rapidly. “My brother who’s in New York, we were messaging backward and forward thinking mom and dad need to get out of South Africa. I mean not that anywhere is particularly safe, but they’d rather surely be at home, so the last few days were a bit strange, making sure they get back safely, making sure they weren’t stuck, what happens if suddenly UK airspace is closed or something like that? And then when my parents got home, I imagine the fridge would probably be empty and they’re right in … the crosshairs of danger, shall we say. They’re in their 70s. “I don’t know — it’s weird and if something were to happen, technically can I get there?  I can’t, really — which is just the same as everybody else on the planet. I’m no different. My wife, her parents are elderly as well and have underlying health issues, so yeah, the focus is very much been on that. Luckily, they’re back home now. I don’t know if that makes them safer or not but at least they’re back in their own home.â€� ‘A great place to be’ Casey said he has no hesitation in playing golf during the current crisis – as long as the necessary precautions are taken. “I love some of the new rules, the new norm that has been adopted. In fact, I was just talking to Colt Knost earlier on his podcast. He’s all pissed off ‘cause he’s obviously a great putter and now he’s frustrated that the guys are raising the cups up. You know, what passes as a holed putt now? If it just hits the cup, does that mean it just goes in, does that mean you can just hit the cup as hard as you want and it’s a holed putt? He’s all frustrated by that, but I love the fact we can still play this game and we don’t have to get that close to anybody to do it.  “I don’t want to put anybody at risk and assume the golf courses are going to be in their usual manicured state. If people choose not to come to work … so the greens aren’t maybe the same kind of manicured way they normally are, the bunkers aren’t raked — I’m totally fine with that. I don’t really care. I’m accepting to play on any kind of golf course if that’s still cool. “Yeah, I’m not going to handle the flag; I’m not going to pick up my partner’s golf ball. If you’re riding in a cart, separate carts. Or you just walk, just pick up your bag and go. “All the rules of the golf clubs I’m a member at have been relaxed. I’m obviously a member of some nice clubs in the Scottsdale area. There’s no more valet, guys are parking their cars in the car park and changing their shoes and just walking to the first tee. We’ve got no food in the clubhouse; they don’t even want anybody in the clubhouse and that’s totally cool. People are still out there playing. People aren’t getting close to each other. I’m fine with that. I think it’s a great place to be. “In fact, I’ve never seen so many people outside walking. Weather’s great in Arizona right now. They’re hiking, they’re walking on the streets, they’re riding bikes, getting out there and doing stuff, which I think is amazing. And the golf course is the perfect place to do it. So I hope they stay open. I really do. I’d be sad if they closed. As I said, I don’t care what state they’re in – the fairways can be long, the greens can be long, the bunkers can be unraked. I couldn’t care less. I think it’d be a great place just to be out on the golf course, away from people.â€�

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