Paul Azinger must free the choke

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Scottie Scheffler was a fine young player with a bright future but no victories on the PGA TOUR. That seems like ages ago. It was only last month. Today, Scheffler could become world No. 1 with a third victory in four starts at THE PLAYERS Championship. He would need Jon Rahm to finish worse than 10th and Collin Morikawa worse than a three-way T2, but the fact remains, Scheffler has opened the proverbial floodgates. “I don’t really think about getting over the hump or monkey off the back or anything like that,” he said from TPC Sawgrass, where he missed the cut last year in his PLAYERS debut. “I will say second time around it definitely felt a little bit different being in contention.” To recap: Scheffler, who seemed destined to win when he dusted Rahm at the Ryder Cup in September, beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff at the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month. It was lifechanging. There were tears. Then he tamed brutal conditions to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last weekend. It was his second win in 21 days. His heater has been impressive, but not unpredictable. In fact, there’s a long history of players who have validated that first win with a second in short order. David Duval, the 13-time TOUR winner who now plays on PGA TOUR Champions, even strung together three Ws in three starts when he broke into the winner’s circle in October and November of 1997 after a series of frustrating close calls. No one has replicated that since, but a handful of players have been where Scheffler is now. “The first time I won, I went on a bit of a heater, too,” said Webb Simpson, who broke through at the 2011 Wyndham Championship, was T10 at The Barclays, and won the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. “It was actually a bit similar to what’s going on with Scottie.” Two wins in three starts? Try identical. History, though, shows they’ve got company. Justin Rose won the 2010 Memorial, finished T9 at the Travelers Championship, and won the AT&T National. Again, two victories in three starts. (He led the Travelers by three but shot a final-round 75, leaving him one round from three straight wins, otherwise known as the full Duval.) “I’m kind of glad he’s got the monkey off his back,” Rose said. “He’s still a young guy, it’s not like it was a big monkey or anything, but he’d been in the hunt quite a few times. I felt the relief at the Memorial. I was 30 years old, I’d played on the European Tour and I’d won a lot, I’d probably won 10 times in my career, but still, the U.S. media, I feel, are very stats driven. “It’s about your batting average, or your 3-point shooting percentage, whatever it is,” Rose continued. “And obviously we’ve all been used to the stats Tiger put up, so when you’re not winning, it gets frustrating. I was aware of my inability to finish some situations and what that might look like on paper, so to start to reverse that was a relief but also confidence-building.” Rose had three runners-up and four third-place finishes on TOUR before finally getting his first win. Scheffler, the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and 2020 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, played well enough to qualify for East Lake in each of his first two seasons despite his lack of a victory. He had 17 top-10s before breaking through, including two seconds and three thirds. Duval had seven runner-up finishes in three seasons before busting the doors down. Winning tends to alter people’s perceptions of the close calls. Winning twice or more in short order, early in your career, changes the narrative completely. Xander Schauffele got his first two TOUR wins, including the TOUR Championship, in eight starts in 2017. Later that year Patton Kizzire got his first win at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, then won again at the 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii – two victories in a span of four starts. Adam Scott got his first three TOUR wins, including the 2004 PLAYERS Championship, in a stretch of 13 starts. Jimmy Walker collected his first three trophies in eight starts in 2013—14. The outlier, of course, was Tiger Woods, for whom the floodgates opened immediately. He won twice in his first eight professional starts in 1996, made it three-for-nine at the Tournament of Champions to begin ’97, and nabbed his first major title at the Masters that April. The open-floodgates phenomenon is not unique to the TOUR, and in fact intensifies the further you climb down golf’s hierarchy. Sungjae Im began his Korn Ferry Tour career with a quick win and runner-up in 2018 to lead the money list wire-to-wire. Mito Pereira won in back-to-back weeks last year and was the 12th in KFT history to get the three-win call-up to the PGA TOUR. The floodgates are even busier in college. Maverick McNealy, one of Scheffler’s teammates on the juggernaut 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team (Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, et al), was a sophomore at Stanford when he shot 65 to win the Southwestern Intercollegiate for his first college victory. He won the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational the next week. It was the start of a heater in which McNealy won six times in 13 starts for the Cardinal. “I remember writing in my journal, ‘It’s way more fun playing to win than playing to not screw up,’” McNealy, who’s 21st in the FedExCup, said from TPC Sawgrass. “It definitely comes in waves. I’ve had stretches where I haven’t missed the center of the driver face for a month and a half. I’ve had stretches where I couldn’t miss a putt for like a month. “Unfortunately,” continued McNealy, who has two career runner-up finishes on TOUR, “they haven’t lined up together at this point; hopefully they will. There’s so much random variance in this game, you just kind of have to ride it out. When you’re on a heater you gotta ride it out as long as you can, and when you’re off a heater you’ve got to shallow it out and get back on one.” McNealy didn’t win in his first year at Stanford; he equates his pro career thus far as four years of being a freshman. But as Scheffler reminds, that can change. Confidence builds. The hot hand is real. Winless today, McNealy could be a multiple winner and FedExCup No. 1 next month. Life comes at you pretty fast – especially when the floodgates open.

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KAPALUA, Hawaii – Dustin Johnson with a rescue club. Yep, you read that right. And he won’t be alone. Johnson has been spotted at the Plantation Course at Kapalua testing the new TaylorMade SIM range of woods and expects to play the driver, 3-wood and rescue club at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. RELATED: What you need to know for Kapalua | Players to Watch: Dustin Johnson It is of course not uncommon for the first event of the new year to provide new equipment on TOUR and Johnson is likely to be joined by Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolfe and Collin Morikawa with the new gear. Johnson has been spotted with the “SIM Maxâ€� version while the others have the “SIMâ€�. “I’m playing the Max. I’ve got the Max driver and 3-wood, and I’m actually going to play a rescue club which I never thought that would happen,â€� Johnson confirmed on tournament eve. “I’ve been hitting it the last few days. I hit it quite nicely. I don’t know, we’ll give it a run for a little while, see how it works.â€� Johnson says he last played a rescue club back and forth in his early years on the PGA TOUR depending on the course but the 20-time winner might make it a more permanent switch now. “I took out the 3-iron (this week). We’ll see. I don’t know, I’m going to go hit some on TrackMan and see how far it’s going,â€� he added. The new drivers landed on the USGA’s list of conforming driver heads on Monday morning and showed the unreleased product has a redesigned sole with a raised section in the back. There are three models with the “SIMâ€� appearing to have a weight that slides in a track toward the front of the sole. The “SIM Maxâ€� does not have the weight track, nor does the “SIM Max Dâ€�. It appears the clubs will still contain the “Speed Injectionâ€� and “Twist Faceâ€� type technology introduced previously to create more speed and also assist straighter shots. More details are expected over the coming days with other TaylorMade staffers, including FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, also likely to bring the clubs into play.

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ATLANTA – In recognition of his supreme level of character and sportsmanship, his professionalism and the distinguished manner in which he embraces the values of golf, Bernhard Langer has been named the recipient of the PGA TOUR’s 2018 Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Langer will be honored on Tuesday, September 18, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Centralâ€� special from 7-8 p.m. ET. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,â€� was the TOUR Championship sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. The past winners have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “We all are so proud of Payne Stewart and the husband and father he was, the player he was and the character he had,â€� said Langer.  “I was very close with Payne for a number of years. Toward the end of his career, he became a believer in Jesus Christ and a Christian, and that was very touching to me because the same thing happened to me a few years earlier, so we had even more in common at that point. To now be receiving the Payne Stewart Award, I feel extremely honored. I know there are many, many other guys that deserve it as much if not more than me, and I’m thrilled to receive it.â€� Langer turned professional in 1972 at the age of 15 and joined the European Tour shortly thereafter, in 1976. He became a PGA TOUR member for four seasons beginning in 1985 and rejoined the TOUR in 2001. Originally from Munich, Germany, Langer and his wife Vikki currently reside in Boca Raton, Florida, and have four children: Jackie, Stefan, Christina and Jason. “Bernhard Langer epitomizes the ideals around which the Payne Stewart Award is built – character, charity and sportsmanship,â€� said PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan. “Fueled by his strong faith and steadfast humility, Bernhard has become one of the great ambassadors for this game and continues to set an admirable example every time he tees it up on the PGA TOUR Champions. “On the course, there has been no one more consistent or resilient over a longer period of time than Bernhard. He’s won all over the world and continues to lift trophies on a regular basis on PGA TOUR Champions. I’m still not so sure Father Time will ever catch him.â€� Charitable Commitment In addition to a sculpture by Bob Pack presented to the recipient, the Payne Stewart Award is accompanied by an annual Payne Stewart Award Grant made possible by Southern Company. The $500,000 grant supports several initiatives in Stewart’s name and is distributed as follows: $100,000 to Payne and Tracey Stewart’s primary charity, The Stewart Family Foundation; $100,000 in Stewart’s honor to The First Tee of the Ozarks located in Missouri at Kids Across America, which is affiliated with Kanakuk Kamps; and $300,000 to a charity designated by the winner. Langer has chosen to designate the Bernhard Langer Foundation, which will distribute funds to several charitable organizations that focus on providing aid to children, orphans and widows in South Florida. His charitable impact also stretches beyond the borders of the United States to his native Germany, where donations help needy families and children. A devout Christian, Langer organizes an annual charity event called “Youth for Christâ€� that raises money to help introduce Christianity to children. Other charitable organizations that Langer supports include National House of Hope Inc., Search Ministries Inc., Sheridan House Family Ministries and 4 Kids of South Florida. In addition, Langer frequently speaks at Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) functions in PGA TOUR Champions host cities and was one of the original founders and the guiding force behind the European Tour’s weekly Bible study class. During his day-to-day life on PGA TOUR Champions, Langer is a model for what the Tour strives to accomplish in providing fans with accessibility and personal interactions with the legends of the game. Langer was honored for his contributions to the game in 2006 with his appointment as honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which was originally created by King George V during World War I to reward services to the war effort by civilians, but is now given to those who make significant contributions in their own areas of activity. “The Payne Stewart Award celebrates the attributes that make our communities great – charity, sportsmanship and character,â€� said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Tom Fanning. “Southern Company is proud to recognize Bernhard, a fierce competitor, teacher and advocate for children who personifies these worthy aspirations. We extend our sincere congratulations to Bernhard, one of the most successful and revered golfers in the world.â€� A Legendary Career Langer has enjoyed nothing short of a legendary career on the golf course ever since he was first introduced to the game at 8 years old, following in his brother’s footsteps to become a caddie at the Augsburg Golf Club in Germany. Since turning professional in 1972, Langer has collected over 100 worldwide wins and is one of five players to win tournaments on six continents, joining Gary Player, David Graham, Hale Irwin and Justin Rose. Langer was the inaugural No. 1-ranked player in the world when the Official World Golf Ranking was first introduced in 1986 and spent three weeks atop the rankings. He was a 10-time European Ryder Cup team member and captained the victorious 2004 team. A two-time Masters champion (1985, 1993), Langer was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 as the first German to be honored. When he officially joined PGA TOUR Champions after turning 50 in 2007, Langer quickly became a dominant force, winning four times over his first two seasons. Now in his 12th season, Langer owns 37 PGA TOUR Champions titles, which lists him second all time. He’s earned seven Player of the Year Awards and a record four Charles Schwab Cups as the season-long champion, including three in a row from 2014-16. Langer has also received several honors in his native Germany, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Silver Laurel Leaf, which is their highest sport award. He was also inducted into the Germany Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Langer is the 21st recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, joining a distinguished group of respected golfers including Stewart Cink, who was recognized in 2017, and the inaugural recipients Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (2000). Other recipients include Jim Furyk (2016), Ernie Els (2015), Sir Nick Faldo (2014), Peter Jacobsen (2013), Steve Stricker (2012), David Toms (2011), Tom Lehman (2010), Kenny Perry (2009), Davis Love III (2008), Hal Sutton (2007), Gary Player (2006), Brad Faxon (2005), Jay Haas (2004), Tom Watson (2003), Nick Price (2002) and Ben Crenshaw (2001).

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