PGA TOUR in the process of reviewing pace-of-play policy

One more sprint for the history books, shall we? This week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship is the first of four straight full-field opens before the annual holiday hiatus. When the stretch ends, so too with the era of the fall portion of the wraparound seasons. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look POWER RANKINGS: BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP Seamus Power, Erik van Rooyen, Charley Hoffman and 2019 champion Brian Gay will be among the notables reviewed in Draws and Fades. This is the fourth edition of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Port Royal Golf Course has been its only host. It’s situated on the western perimeter of the British territory. Like most (all?) things in Bermuda, it can’t hide from the wind, so that’s the primary defense on the par 71. When Port Royal debuted in 2019, there was barely a sea breeze in the final round, but the wind machine has been flipped on since, and it will again be as you’d expect in these climes at this time of the year. Sustained winds up to 20 mph at times are forecast. With an elevated chance for rain and even boomers, this projects to be the toughest edition for scoring. In other words, the elements are going to allow par to have value at Port Royal. Scoring averages of the last two editions have straddled both sides of par by a quarter-stroke. Last year’s checked in at 70.764. Objectively, lower ball flights keep intended flight paths below the invisible challenge, but Port Royal still is short enough that drivers are luxuries, not necessities. At just 6,828 yards, with greens average in size and putting surfaces rolling no longer than 10½ feet on the Stimpmeter (in fair conditions), the target to contend still is double digits under par. ShotLink isn’t utilized on the island, so as was the norm before lasers were introduced to PGA TOUR a generation ago, only two holes in opposite directions are used to measure distance off the tee in this tournament – the par 5 second and the par-4 12th. Last year’s field average among all measured drives of 268.3 yards was the shortest among all courses all season. Even on a short, exposed track, that’s the wind acting as a wall. For the sake of historical comparison, it opened at an average of 306.7 yards in primarily pristine conditions in 2019. If you want to try to have a laugh at the cost of a neighbor, ask what type of grass blankets Port Royal. Yucks aside, the rough isn’t entirely bermuda, in fact; it blends with zoysia. Just as it has been throughout the brief history of this competition, the longest of it is two inches. Bermuda is situated one hour ahead of Eastern Time in the United States, so adjust your monitoring of the tournament accordingly. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ‘Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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Twenty two years ago, Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters using a Scotty Cameron Newport TeI3 putter, which had a face insert made of Teryllium and the iconic domino-like pattern with white dots in the back cavity. To this day, Teryllium remains “the number one material request I get from players,� according to Scotty Cameron, and players such as Brooks Koepka use a Scotty Cameron prototype putter with a face insert made from the material. On Monday, Scotty Cameron announced a limited release of reimagined Teryllium putters, called T22, in three different models: Teryllium T22 Newport, Newport 2 and Fastback 1.5. The company says it is the first Fastback 1.5 model to have a Teryllium face insert. The 2019 T22 versions are precision milled in the United States from 303 stainless steel, they have a matte black finish, and they feature the iconic white dots in the back cavity. Also, the new Teryllium inlay constructions have improved vibration dampening, according to the company, as well as removable sole weights and overall increased head weights compared to the original TeI3 putters from 1997. “There’s nothing quite like the feel of Teryllium,� Scotty Cameron said in a press release. “T22 gave us the opportunity to take everything we’ve learned over the past two decades and refine the entire look, feel and performance. Like a modern day muscle car, everything looks original at first glance, but each component is brand new. Better milling. Better materials. Better construction. They’re made to game.� The putters come with a Pistolini Plus grip that has copper paintfill, and the grip design is thicker in the lower hand area giving the grip less taper. The limited-release putters will be available on August 16 at Titleist-authorized golf shops worldwide, and they will sell for $599 each. Here’s a look at each of the new models, with images provided in a press release from Scotty Cameron. Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Newport Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Newport 2 Scotty Cameron Teryllium T22 Fastback 1.5

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PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – On the eve of The Open, the discourse was dominated by the tournament’s greater significance. The Open’s return to Royal Portrush was a significant step for a country that suffered through decades of sectarian violence. But golf became the focal point once Darren Clarke hit the first tee shot a little after 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, and Royal Portrush is playing the starring role. Related: 5 Things to Know about Royal Portrush | O.B. could be a factor at The Open “The course is special,â€� Eddie Pepperell said after shooting 70. “This is hopefully going to build into, progress to a historic Open. I’m confident it will be.â€� Rory McIlroy’s Open chances may have ended on his first hole. Graeme McDowell’s sterling round was spoiled by a lost ball on his last hole, and Clarke faded after a fairy-tale start, but the locals will still get to see one of their own shine this weekend. Harry Colt’s design did exactly what a golf course should. It was fair in doling out rewards and punishments. The doglegs require players to commit to a distance and line off the tee. Webb Simpson said he hit drivers and hybrids off the tee Thursday, and everything in between. He is 156th on the PGA TOUR in driving distance, but used his longest club just five times Thursday. First-round leader J.B. Holmes, on the other hand, is one of the TOUR’s longest players. Royal Portrush allows a variety of players to succeed. There’s a myriad of ways to play the course, but the penalties are high for a miscue. Royal Portrush may have the fewest bunkers of any course on The Open rota, but the rough is thick after recent rains and lost balls are a possibility whenever a shot strays from the fairway. “They’ve done such a great job setting this course up, where you have fairway, first cut and then about 7 or 8 yards of light rough,â€� Simpson said. “So a shot that’s not that bad is still okay. And then a really bad shot is super penal, which I think is the perfect way to set it up, because a bad drive, you’re going to have a pitch out. “It’s one of the few courses that every player who’s played it that I’ve talked to this year, they all loved it. Usually you’ll have both sides. But everybody loved it.â€� This is a much different test than the crispy Carnoustie that players faced last year. The lush conditions, combined with Royal Portrush’s elevated greens, mean players must take an aerial route on many holes. The slopes around the putting surfaces repel wayward strikes. Players lauded Royal Portrush for being tough, but fair. “He really will only penalize you if it’s a poor golf shot,â€� Paul Casey said about Colt. “Nothing is random with what he did. That’s the best way to put it. You can see a lot of randomness in links, a lot of why on earth is that there?â€� Casey said he puts Portrush, which is hosting The Open for the first time since 1951, in his “top coupleâ€� among courses in the Open rota. “This has everything,â€� Casey said. “This is an unbelievable golf course.â€� Ireland’s Shane Lowry is the only player within a shot of Holmes, but the crowd at 68 is as large as the one that’s gathered each night this week outside Portrush’s Harbour Bar. Among those contenders are links aficionados Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood, and the game’s dominant force in majors, Brooks Koepka. As proof that the course rewards good play, last week’s winner, Dylan Frittelli, continued his fine form with a first-round 68. But Royal Portrush shouldn’t be accused of impunity. It punished plenty, and it was impartial to the names on the caddie bib. McIlroy shot 79. Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman were just one shot better. Phil Mickelson shot 76. Among the players who shot 74 were Gary Woodland, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele and defending champion Francesco Molinari. The field’s scoring average on the par-71 track was approximately 73 strokes. “You couldn’t rely on getting (shots) back,â€� Scott said after making just one birdie Thursday. “There wasn’t birdie opportunities out there unless you hit a really great shot.â€� Throw in some trademark Open weather and Thursday offered a thorough examination. “We had a true Irish day today,â€� said Jordan Spieth, who shot 70. “It was all the seasons in one day, which is kind of cool to play The Open in that situation on such a beautiful track.â€� The claret jug isn’t handed out until Sunday, but Royal Portrush won on Thursday.

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