Morikawa took big chance and it paid off perfectly

HUMBLE, Texas — Expectant father Peter Malnati started strong and shot 7-under 65 Friday to lead at the Houston Open after morning rain and lightning prevented the second round from being completed. First-round co-leader Austin Cook, who opened with an 8-under 64, briefly got to 11-under before dropping all the way to 6-under through 15 holes before play was suspended due to darkness at 7 p.m. Talor Gooch, who started the day tied with Cook, improved to 9-under through 14 holes and is a shot behind Malnati’s lead. The 32-year-old Malnati has been playing professionally since 2009 and has one career PGA TOUR title. He is expecting the birth of his first child in two weeks and said it’s been “a distraction because my head’s back home.” “But this week I told myself, `Dude, this is your last tournament before you become a dad. Do something with it,'” he said. Malnati, who managed a first-round 69 after missing the cut in his last two tournaments, teed off early in what he called “summertime” conditions, humid and dead calm before bad weather suspended play for over two hours. He took advantage with three birdies and an eagle. A couple of underwhelming wedge shots may have cost him back-nine birdies. “I got to play the first five holes in perfect conditions and really took advantage of it,” he said. “I then came back out and was able to keep the momentum going. To make no bogeys in the conditions we played is really more than I could have ever hoped for. I played the last 13 holes wishing I had hand-warmers. The wind was certainly a two or three club wind.” Although his wife, Alicia, isn’t due for another two weeks, he conceded he’s already “fully on call.” “She has all the media officials phone numbers,” he said. “If she has to come get me off the course, she will.” Only four of the top 10 players on the leaderboard have completed 36 holes. Sepp Straka is in at 8-under, and Carlos Ortiz and Mark Hubbard are 7-under. Straka is tied with Nick Watney (14 holes) and Lanto Griffin (13)

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SAN ANTONIO – Here’s how Sergio Garcia overcame the disappointment of his Masters defense that included an octuple-bogey 13 on the par-5 15th hole in the first round. He changed the diapers – “a lot of nappiesâ€� he calls them, using the British term – of his daughter Azalea that wife Angela gave birth to a month ago. He hung out with his parents and with Angela’s parents, making a couple of trips to their 1,200-acre ranch near Austin. He practiced a bit with his dad, Victor. Last weekend, he joined Ben Crenshaw in a two-day member-member tournament at Austin Golf Club. They won, of course. “That was nice,â€� Garcia said. He generally just kept busy, and now this week he’ll play in the Valero Texas Open, making his first start since 2010 at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course. Even though he was a player-consultant to designer Greg Norman, there is lots to learn and recall. He played the back nine on Tuesday and quickly realized that patience will be a key in dealing with the stiff breezes that roll through the 7,435-yard layout. What Garcia didn’t do was brood over how his defense of the Green Jacket will likely be remembered for the five balls he pumped into the water at the 15th in the first round. “I think having a Green Jacket helps,â€� Garcia said. Indeed it does. Shrugging off the 15-over score at Augusta National – the highest score ever recorded by a Masters champ in his title defense — can be difficult for any elite player. Garcia acknowledged Tuesday that had this happened earlier in his career, he might’ve struggled to put it in perspective and move beyond it. But he’s a major champion, as well as a husband and father. There is no time to dwell on past negatives. He’s busy dealing with the present and planning for the future of his family. “It’s one of those things that happens, and it’s happened to me before and it probably will happen again in the future,â€� Garcia said. “That’s the nature of golf. There at Augusta it can happen. So it’s what it is. … “You just deal with it the best way possible. Obviously I was trying to hit the right shots throughout the process and unfortunately the result didn’t want to come out the way maybe it should have, but it’s one of those things.â€� Had the 6-iron he hit with his approach climbed up the hill, he might have been staring at an eagle opportunity. Instead, it rolled back into the water, and “those thingsâ€� unraveled from there. His 13 was the highest score ever recorded on that hole and tied for the highest on any hole at Augusta National. Tough to put that into perspective, especially when you don’t think there was a bad shot in the mix. But Garcia, who became the 11th defending Masters champ to miss the cut, has found the perspective. “As soon as we finished Friday afternoon, you know, it was pretty much forgotten and the week was over,â€� Garcia said. “That’s what it is. I think at the end of the day you’ve got to realize that sometimes it happens, sometimes it goes the wrong way, and without doing much wrong, it can happen. But you learn from it and you move forward and try to be better.â€� Garcia will certainly try to be better at TPC San Antonio than his first visit in 2010, when he tied for 45th while shooting 1 under. The tournament was held in May that year, but when it was moved up a month to April starting in 2011, Garcia was unable to keep it on his playing schedule due to travel conflicts with the Spanish Open in his native homeland. Garcia skipped last week’s event won by Jon Rahm. His adopted homeland now is Texas, since it’s Angela’s home state. It’s also a state in which Garcia has enjoyed three of his 10 career PGA TOUR wins – two in Dallas, one in Fort Worth. Garcia said it’s no coincidence that he’s done well in Texas. “I think I’ve always enjoyed playing in the wind,â€� he said. “It’s usually windy here in Texas, so I’ve always felt quite comfortable in this state. I’ve been fortunate to do fairly well throughout my career in Texas.â€� “I guess now I feel like even more of a Texan than I felt even before. It’s a good state.â€� Consider Garcia to be in a good mental state, too. Dealing with the mess at Augusta National is one thing. Dealing with the mess of a month-old child? That’ll quickly bring anybody back to reality.

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The PNC Championship is underway this weekend and although the news cycle is dominated by the introduction of Charlie Woods, the other buzz has been around the father-and-son duo of Mike and Justin Thomas. The former FedExCup champ and his long-time PGA Professional father (and coach) are paired with the Woods duo and are an early favorite to compete for the title. Mike, a fine player in his own right, knows Florida golf well and Justin is an obvious asset to the team. If you look at the bags of the Louisville duo, you will however see a stark difference (beyond the company name). Justin is a high-speed, high-launch player who requires a setup that gets the ball flight down, all while enhancing or mitigating spin where it's required. Mike, on the other hand, has a set built to get the ball in the air. All of his shafts are on the light side and his utility/iron setup are mid-to-high launch profiles that don't knock spin down all that much. For better golfers over the age of 60, Mike's bag is a study in efficiency and one to take note of. His wood shafts mitigate spin but not too much, his irons (in combo with the shafts) are forgiving, packed with tech, and will help get the ball up, increase distance, and steepen the descent angle. Where are they similar? Both of these golf bags are well thought out leaving each player with a ton of versatility and very little to chance. So, in that sense, like father like son. Mike Thomas WITB Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 50 S 3-wood: Titleist TSi3 (13.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 60 S Utilities: Titleist U510 (2, 3) Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei Blue CK Pro 70 S Irons: Titleist CNCPT CP-03 (5-P, W) Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei Red CK Pro 70 S Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (54-14F, 60-12D) Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Design Prototype 1.5 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Justin Thomas WITB Driver: Titleist TS3 (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX 3-wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue 85 TX 5-wood: Titleist 915 Fd (18 degrees @18.75) Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X Irons: Titleist T100 (4), Titleist 620 MB (5-9) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Raw SM7 (46-10F @47.5, 52-12F @52.5), Vokey SM8 (56-14F @57), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60T @ 60.5) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (46), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (52-60) Putter: Scotty Cameron X5.5 Tour Prototype Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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