PGA to unveil new eligibility plan for 2020

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – American John Catlin, a three-time winner on the European Tour in the last nine months, was hit with a slow play penalty during the opening round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. Catlin, the world no. 80 from California, received a one-stroke penalty for a breach of the PGA Championship Pace of Play Policy, after failing to head a warning following an initial slow time. Catlin’s first bad time occurred on the par-5 16th hole, his seventh of his round, where he took 74 seconds for his second shot and received a warning from the rules committee. His second bad time, that induced the penalty, took place on the par-4 3rd hole, Catlin’s 12th of the day. The 30-year-old took 63 seconds for his second shot, resulting in the one-stroke penalty, turning his par into a bogey. It’s the first slow play penalty at a major championship since 14-year-old Guan Tianlang was penalized a stroke during the 2013 Masters. The PGA of America adopted a Pace of Play Policy under Rule 5.6b(3) of the Rules of Golf to encourage and enforce prompt play in the 2021 tournament. Catlin, who is in the field via a special invitation, finished with a 3-over 75 in his first major championship round.

Click here to read the full article…

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Adam Scott felt he was playing well enough that he should start seeing some better scores at some point. That moment appears to have arrived at just the right time. RELATED: Leaderboard | FedExCup update: Scheffler trends back to top spot Scott put together another tidy round Friday except for one hole — a double bogey on the 17th — for a 2-under 69 that gave him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the BMW Championship. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler opened with three straight birdies and then cooled for 67, while Jordan Spieth’s hopes for a bogey-free round ended by a few inches when his tee shot caught the sticky first cut instead of the fairway. His bogey gave him a 67. They were one shot behind, along with Cameron Young (68) and Corey Conners (67). Scott, who was at 8-under 134, wasn’t sure how much golf would be on is plate in August. He was No. 77 in the FedExCup, not assured of even making it to the BMW Championship, until a tie for fifth last week in the FedExCup Playoffs opener. That was enough of a spark, and now he’s looking to cash in as one of the top 30 players who make it to the FedExCup finale next week in Atlanta for the TOUR Championship. “I’m in great shape going into the weekend. I don’t even know when the last time I led a tournament was,” Scott said. He won at Riviera in 2020. His last 36-hole lead was at Doral for a World Golf Championship in 2016, which he went on to win. “I certainly haven’t had my best stuff for quite a while. It’s been a battle for sure,” he said. “But that’s how this game is. I’d like to make the most of this position now over the next 36 holes.” A brief look behind would remind him it won’t be easy, and the Australian knows this. Spieth has looked solid over two days at Wilmington Country Club, with only one bogey in each round. He missed the cut last week and feels his postseason didn’t start until Monday when he arrived at Wilmington. That’s not just about trying to erase a bad memory. Spieth headed to southern tip of Baja California after The Open, wanting a break before the hectic finish to the season. One problem. Upon returning to Dallas, every course he plays was closed, and his only option was hitting from a stall in a practice facility. Only when he arrived in Tennessee last week did he realize his swing had stayed on vacation, and his coach wasn’t available to join him until Delaware. He turned it around quickly. “I feel like I’m doing everything good, nothing spectacular, but I feel like in every facet of my game, it’s trending and improving, and I know what to do to get it better and better,” Spieth said. “Certainly feels really good. Coming into the weekend, it’s a good opportunity to just have a lot of trust, focus on trying to win this golf tournament, not think about next week.” Scheffler also missed the cut last week and joined Spieth and others at Pine Valley on Sunday. And then he opened with three short birdies, didn’t make too many mistakes the rest of the way and will be in the final group with Scott on Saturday. Conner is at No. 29 and is in a great spot to protect his position for East Lake. Young seems to play great every week — twice contending in majors, five runner-up finishes for the season. One win would tick a lot of boxes on his list of goals. Xander Schauffele holed out with a wedge on the 17th hole for an eagle and a 69, and he was in he group two shots behind that included defending champion Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy, who chipped in for birdie on his final hole for another 68. Scott didn’t get a finish quite that good. He was sailing along on a warm, breezy afternoon when he pushed his tee shot near a tree. The lie was clean, but his punch shot toward the fairway hung up in rough. From there he didn’t reach the green or get up-and-down, and all that meant a double bogey. “It’s a good reminder for the weekend that I’ve really got to keep it under control and don’t want to have too many get off the map and get out of position around here,” Scott said.

Click here to read the full article…

Jordan Spieth carded a 5-under 67 in the first round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday, good enough for the solo lead amongst the morning-wave finishers. That was good enough for a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Tom Hoge. Related: Full leaderboard "I certainly would have signed up for 5 under starting out," Spieth said. "Felt like I played some really nice golf on our front nine, the back nine. Then just kind of got a little loose off the tee on the front nine, our second nine, and was able to kind of make do. "I hit some decent drives, ended up in iffy spots," he continued. "Overall, just chipped and putted really well, which was the difference maker today. I didn’t quite hit it as good as I have been." Mired in a slump at the start of this year, Spieth has regained his form with the help of longtime coach Cameron McCormick but also an unlikely ally: fellow TOUR pro Jason Dufner. Speaking about the upcoming Masters in a conference call Wednesday, Brandel Chamblee and Rich Lerner suggested that Spieth has been copying some of Dufner's moves. "Well, if you watch him when he rehearses before he hits a shot now, it's weird," Chamblee said. "Even when he's hitting bunker shots, he'll make this very flat golf swing and then in transition, he'll bring his right elbow much closer to his left elbow than I've ever seen him, and then he will round it off and sort of curve the hub. "He'll swing very much around and to the left," he continued. "The only other person I've ever seen make practice swings like that is Jason Dufner. So it would not surprise me in the least if he was not — if he wasn't taking lessons from Jason Dufner, talking to Jason Dufner about the golf swing, or watching Jason Dufner make golf shots. Or Cameron McCormick is." Added Lerner: "He has, Brandel. I spoke to their camp at Bay Hill and he has confided in Dufner, which sort of caught me by surprise." Asked about the Dufner connection after making seven birdies and two bogeys, one of them on his last hole, the par-4 ninth, Spieth said they've been friends, but that's about it. "Yeah, he’s somebody that has a good knowledge of the golf swing," he said. "He’s helped a lot of guys. Just kind of bounce ideas off him. He’s been a good friend of mine for a long time. "He’s been somebody I can always kind of bounce off - ‘Hey, I’m trying to do this, you know, what’s this feel like to you?' - that kind of stuff," Spieth added. "He’s been a good buddy, as I’ve had a lot of different guys over the years that have been offering advice on and off the golf course to the young guys and that’s not out of the ordinary out here."

Click here to read the full article…