Phil Mickelson burned by inaccuracy at Winged Foot

Brooks Koepka says he will do whatever it takes, including playing every remaining week of the season, until he can secure a spot in the TOUR Championship for a crack at the FedExCup. Koepka was originally not planning to play in the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide next week, the second of two events to be played at Muirfield Village Golf Club. But poor play at the Workday Charity Open this week has forced his hand and the former world No. 1 will indeed play again. “I’m pretty far down in the FedExCup and need to make a run. I think it’s pretty simple. I didn’t plan on playing, but things change, and I’d like to be in Atlanta,” Koepka said after his second round. “That’s what you’ve got to do; I’m going to basically run the table.” Koepka came into this week sitting 155th on the season long points list but not even a scintillating late evening blitz in a storm affected second round is likely to extend his time at the Workday Charity Open and bring a chance to advance his FedExCup standing. With play suspended overnight Koepka sits a shot outside the projected cutline, needing significant help from unfinished players to survive. The 2017 and 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year looked a shadow of his best self through 26 holes of play at Muirfield Village this week, sitting five over par and 18 shots adrift of clubhouse leader Collin Morikawa. He was at least six shots back of the likely cut mark with 10 holes left. It was go hard or go home time. And go hard he did. Koepka put up six birdies on the closing 10 holes to shoot a 3-under 69 and finish 1 under for the week. “That’s what you’ve got to do. I never give up, never think you’re out of it, and you’ve just got to battle through it no matter what you’re doing,” he said. “That’s part of why you’re out here. You’re a pro, you just sack up and do it.” As awesome as it was, it could have easily been so much better. On three occasions he went within a whisker of hole-out eagles and did the same for a birdie after a penalty drop. He also missed two birdie putts inside seven feet during the run. It started on the par-4 9th hole when his wedge from 117 yards ended up about four feet from the pin. On the par-3 12th hole Koepka was just a foot from an ace and a hole later a wedge from 106 yards rolled desperately close to the cup. On the par-4 14th, after finding water with his tee shot, he dropped 92 yards out and flirted with a hole out birdie before a simple tap in par. His greenside bunker shot on the par-5 15th was another that wanted to go in but found a way not to. In the end back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 still likely won’t be enough. “It was pretty gutsy. I would still take it as a chance. The guys finishing in the morning will probably hurt that. But it’s a funny game,” playing partner Justin Thomas said of the run. “I’ve been in that position before, unfortunately, or we all have, but it’s almost like when you stop caring you start playing better. There’s a lesson somewhere in that, but it’s hard to go out there and play and not care.” Among those surprisingly likely to be joining Koepka on the cut list are Jordan Spieth (E), Marc Leishman (+5), Matthew Wolff (+5), Bubba Watson (+8) and Justin Rose (+10). After this week just five weeks of tournaments remain before the top 125 get into the FedExCup playoffs.

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HONOLULU, Hawaii – Just under a decade ago Charles Howell III came to a conclusion not always felt by elite athletes … winning isn’t everything. Having already won twice on the PGA TOUR, Howell III had been bitter about not closing the deal more often. It was bothering him like it would most players. But then he became a father and a sense of reality set in. Does winning define me? Does winning define the person I am or ultimately how successful one is? Of course winning is sensational. Of course we look at Tiger Woods’ 80 PGA TOUR wins in awe. But there’s something to be said for consistent performance also. And there is a lot to be said for being a kind and caring person and a doting dad and husband. Howell did not want golf to ever become miserable. He didn’t want his golf game to dictate his moods. The ruthless would say this attitude contributed to a win drought for Howell III that spanned nearly 12 years. But when he claimed The RSM Classic late last year for his third career win, first in 333 starts, no one begrudged his moment. “I realized you can still have a fantastic career and not win all the time. I don’t mean that as defeatist, because it’s not. It’s just the reality of it,â€� Howell III said of his epiphany. “I think having kids you realize you just can’t do that. It’s like, No, I’m going to go do the best I can do and that’s going to be what it is and I’m going to go home. Work on it in practice, but this is going to be it. “Honestly, that may not sound like the right thing to say, but it is the reality and makes this a lot easier.â€� It was an attitude that has helped Howell III earn over $37 million in on-course earnings in his PGA TOUR career – ranked 20th of all time. It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to win … it just didn’t always fall his way. “The line between first and second is a big line,â€� Howell III added. “I think Tiger coming along made winning look a lot easier than it really is. “You always really push yourself along to try to get better and improve, and that’s a great thing to do but at the end of the day you have to stop and realize, okay, hang on, it’s really hard to win. “If I’m able to keep staying in the mix and having a nice career, eventually the win will happen.â€� If Howell III is right about the latter line perhaps he should be the red-hot favorite for this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. Since his first trip to Waialae Country Club in 2002 Howell has made 17 straight cuts in the event. The Augusta native has nine top-10s including two runner ups and two thirds. Clearly it is a course that suits his game and could see him lift his position in the FedExCup up from his already lofty fourth position. “I do love it here. Funny thing is I really can’t give a reason why I’ve had those finishes here, but I do like the golf course,â€� he explains.  “It’s quite a bit different than a lot we play. This is a nice change from the norm. It’s old-style.â€� These days a lot of the courses on TOUR seemingly suit those who hit the ball a long way. At an average 292 yards in driving distance so far this season Howell III is not classed as a bomber by any means. He has seen a shift from his early days on TOUR towards younger and more athletic players. But it drives him. “When I first started on TOUR the best players were the older players. Now I’ve gotten older it’s shifted the other way and the best players seem to be the younger players,â€� he said. “It makes me keep working hard. I know that. It makes me keep trying to find new and creative ways to get better, new ways to push myself along.â€� Howell III has never really been under threat of losing his TOUR card since he began what has now spanned 530 starts. His worst finish in the FedExCup was 97th in 2008. He’s cashed over one million dollars a season since his first full season in 2001. His latest win means he’s exempt through the 2020-21 season which will see him push towards an incredible 600 TOUR starts but he won’t take it for granted. “There isn’t a good player that has come out of college that doesn’t hit it 300 yards and doesn’t putt good,â€� he says. “So if that isn’t motivation enough to practice then I don’t know what is. They’ll take your job from you like that. If you look around, a lot of them keep doing that “If I want to still be sitting here in a few years I need to kick my butt in gear and keep working and practicing.â€�

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