Past U.S. Open failures aren’t haunting Phil

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – The first omen appeared Monday when amateur Lukas Euler, currently a junior on the University of Kentucky golf team, earned an exemption into the Genesis Open by winning the Collegiate Showcase at Riviera. On Sunday, the two most notable active PGA TOUR pros from Kentucky battled for 34 holes to decide a much more lucrative prize. Fittingly, with their home state famous for its equine competition, the final round essentially became a two-horse race. In the end, it was J.B. Holmes, the older of the two thoroughbreds, who caught Justin Thomas down the home stretch to win at Riviera in an afternoon of challenging, windy conditions. In the scoring tent, Thomas noted that the final leaderboard had the Bluegrass State going 1-2. “Obviously wish I was on the other part of that,â€� Thomas said, wondering if it’s “ever happened before on the PGA TOUR, two Kentuckians finishing first and second.â€� Holmes and Thomas have known each other at least 15 years. When Thomas was still in grade schools, Holmes showed him the ropes by allowing him inside-the-ropes access during practice rounds. When Holmes and fellow Kentuckian Kenny Perry were on the American team at the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Thomas’ hometown of Louisville, a teenaged Thomas was part of the victory celebration. Holmes said he’s basically a “big brother, mentor a little bitâ€� to Thomas. They’ve played practice rounds together, but this weekend was the first time at a regular TOUR event they’ve been paired in the same group. Due to the schedule adjustment forced by a seven-hour rain delay to start the tournament, rules officials decided not to re-pair the groups between the third and fourth rounds in order to make sure the playing schedule was not pushed into Monday. That meant Holmes and Thomas – along with Australian Adam Scott – played two holes late Saturday afternoon to start the third round, then 16 holes to complete the round Sunday morning before teeing off 20 minutes later for 18 more holes in the final round. “It was great being able to go out and play with him and battle it out,â€� Holmes said. “He’s such a great player, so it was fun being out there, talking and just battling it out.â€� It probably didn’t seem as much fun for Holmes when Thomas appeared to take control of the tournament with a third-round 65 that put him four strokes ahead. But that lead evaporated five holes into the final round, when Holmes gained a stroke on four consecutive holes with a birdie and three Thomas bogeys. Once Scott fell off the pace at the turn, the outcome was left in the hands of Holmes and Thomas. Holmes took his first outright lead of the day with a birdie and a Thomas bogey at the drivable par-4 10th. He promptly gave the lead back with his first three-putt of the week, at the par-5 11th, while Thomas birdied. At that point, Thomas was 15 under, Holmes 14 under. Holmes had entered the week ranked 202nd in Strokes Gained: Putting but found a hot hand on Riviera’s greens. He refused to let his season-long putting struggles create doubt in his mind down the stretch, especially with wind gusts of 30 mph creating indecision with every shot or putt. “I knew were getting on the holes that were very, very difficult and that anything could happen,â€� Holmes said. “For me to get upset was just going to hurt me there. It was over and I had to do the best I could to get back in it.â€� Holmes did exactly that by playing par golf the rest of the way. He made a crucial par-saving putt from 12 feet on the 13th hole and another one from 11 feet at the 16th. Meanwhile, Thomas self-destructed with a double at the 13th and a bogey at the 14th. He admitted to struggling with the putter, adding that it showed a flaw in his game. “J.B. won, he played great,â€� Thomas said. “But it’s always a bummer to hand him a tournament. I feel like I should’ve won that thing.â€� Instead of Thomas winning for the 11th time on TOUR, it was Holmes who claimed his fifth win, and first since the 2015 Houston Open. Known for his length off the tee, it was, surprisingly, the putter that gets most of the credit for ending his victory drought. He credits time spent with his coach Matt Killen. “We spent a lot of time this week with the coach and getting on the green and trying to find the right ball position and how it set up, and putting through some gates, making sure I was starting the ball online,â€� Holmes explained. “I putted for several hours throughout the week in the morning, we changed our routine and we had a string and a mirror and just made sure that everything was dialed in.â€� On the 18th green late Sunday, Holmes made a terrific lag putt to set up a short par putt for his final-round 1-under 70 that won him the tournament when Thomas missed his birdie attempt from 19 feet. The two guys from Kentucky – Holmes is from Campbellsville, Thomas is from Louisville – then hugged, competitors for 36 holes who shared more than just a thirst for victory. Perhaps one day, they’ll race down the stretch again. â€�I’ve known J.B. since I was 7 or 8 or 9 years old,â€� Thomas said. “He was always so great to me. He would always pull me in the ropes in practice rounds in PGAs and stuff like that. I mean, that’s stuff I never forget.” “I just never thought, you know, 15 years later he would beat my ass at Riviera. That was a bummer.â€� But for the Bluegrass State, it was pretty cool.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Brian Harman is listed at 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He would like to offer a clarification. “On a good day,â€� he said with a laugh. “With the right set of shoes.â€� True, the defending champion at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club will never be an NBA lottery pick. Harman is more like former Slam Dunk Contest winner Spud Webb: small but potent. At 163rd on TOUR in driving distance (288.6 yards), the lefty from Georgia gets it done in other ways. He’s 12th in driving accuracy (69.91 percent), sixth in strokes gained: putting (.858), leads the TOUR with seven top-10s this season, and likes his game fine.  It’s just that Harman has become increasingly aware of being surrounded by giants. “There are not a lot of guys that are under six feet tall,â€� he said at Quail Hollow, where he is coming off a T23 finish at the RBC Heritage. “I saw something the other day where the average height on the PGA TOUR had gone up like four inches or something like that. Guys are bigger.â€� If it seems like players are bigger, that’s because they are. PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, in response to the USGA and R&A’s annual distance report published in March, noted that since 2003, the average age of a TOUR member has gone down, the average height up. Chesson Hadley, who is right behind Harman with six top-10 finishes this season, is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, as are Dustin Johnson and Tony Finau, who have five top-10s. Add Phil Mickelson and Marc Leishman, who also have five top-10s, and who are 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-2, respectively, and you’ve got a formidable looking starting five for intramural basketball.   Or the middle of a baseball lineup. “Guys that would have been piddling around in minor-league baseball are out here hitting it 320 yards now,â€� Harman said. Charles Howell III, who has been on TOUR for nearly 20 years, says the change has been hard to miss. “It’s not just equipment; it’s a different athlete playing the game,â€� he said. At 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 178 pounds, Howell admits he’s no Harman, but adds, “I definitely play against the animals he’s talking about.â€� Golf has always had a place for a wide range of body types. Ben Hogan was 5-foot-9. Jeff Sluman, winner of the 1988 PGA Championship, is 5-foot-7; Ian Woosnam, who won the 1991 Masters, just over 5-foot-4. Height has never told the whole story, and it still doesn’t. Wells Fargo Championship winners Rickie Fowler (2012) and Rory McIlroy (2015, 2010) are both 5-foot-10 but flexible, strong, and fast through the ball. The same could be said for FedExCup leader Justin Thomas, who is 5-foot-9. Then again, Patton Kizzire (6-foot-5) is right behind Thomas in the standings. Jordan Spieth, the 2015 FedExCup champion, is 6-foot-1, and seven-time TOUR winner Matt Kuchar is 6-foot-4. “Everyone’s getting taller,â€� said Jason Day, who is 6 feet tall. “And even if they’re not tall, they’re under six foot, they’re athletic.â€� If Kizzire, Kuchar, Johnson, Finau and Hadley are among the tallest timber on TOUR, the most physically imposing specimens are reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka (6 feet, 186 pounds), Jon Rahm (6-foot-2, 220), Leishman (6-foot-2, 200) and Luke List (6-foot-2, 190). And we haven’t even mentioned Ernie Els (6-foot-3, 210), the 19-time TOUR winner who will captain the International Presidents Cup team at Royal Melbourne in 2019. What does it all mean? Size and strength can help a player withstand the TOUR grind: not just all the range balls but all the travel. Bigger bodies can age better. Mickelson (6-foot-3, 200), who leads all players with eight top-10 finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship, has stayed competitive well into his 40s. Kenny Perry (6-foot-2, 205), Steve Stricker (6 feet, 190) and Vijay Singh (6-foot-2, 208) did the same. Day believes taller players’ “longer leversâ€� are helpful for what every TOUR player needs: speed. “Having a wider body, big shoulders, long arms, is ideal,â€� he said. Kevin Duffy, Day’s trainer, nodded in agreement. “And the wider this part is,â€� Duffy said, pointing to his clavicle, “the better.â€� Guys that would have been piddling around in minor-league baseball are out here hitting it 320 yards now. Dru Love, a sponsor’s exemption at the Wells Fargo, is one of the tallest players in the field at 6-foot-5. His former Alabama teammate Thomas nicknamed him Bigfoot, which stuck—Dru wears a size 14 shoe—but Dru says there’s a point of diminishing returns when it comes to size and golf. “I think there’s a perfect height,â€� he said. “It’s not 5-7, it’s not 6-5; it’s somewhere in the middle. The two best players of all time were built pretty similarly: Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are both six feet tall and very strong. Jason Day is six feet tall.â€� Is there really a magic number for height? Day says a big body is most effective combined with strength, suppleness, and a technically sound swing. Others aren’t ready to concede the point. Emiliano Grillo, who is listed at 5-foot-9 but says he’s “5-8 on a good day,â€� said he’s “not a big believer in hitting it longerâ€� and focuses instead on splitting fairways and making putts. Denny McCarthy, who said he’s “5-9 on a basketball rosterâ€� but is in fact 5-foot-8, said he’s okay with how far he hits the ball. He’s 117th in driving distance (293 yards), and has the competitive will you might expect from a guy who played four years of high school basketball (guard). “I have a good head on my shoulders,â€� McCarthy said, “and that’s more than half the battle.â€� Harman sounded a similar refrain. His game worked just fine in winning the Wells Fargo Championship at fill-in host Eagle Point Golf Club, which at 7,396 yards (par 72) was no pushover. And while Quail Hollow is one of the brawnier courses on TOUR at 7,554 yards (par-71), he still likes his chances. “You know, they’re not terribly dissimilar,â€� Harman said. “They both require you to drive it pretty well. Big, undulated greens. This course has kind of lent itself to the longer hitter, but creativity and good putting take you a long way here.â€� But what about all those taller players? Doesn’t he want to be big? Nah. That was a Tom Hanks movie, and besides, Harman’s caddie, Scott “Big Countryâ€� Tway, has the size part covered. As for big drives, when asked if he would trade accuracy for distance, Harman declined. “I don’t think so,â€� he said. “I like the way I do it.â€�

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