Presidents Cup: Day 2 match recaps

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Just last month Luke Guthrie made less than $1,500 on the Web.com Tour. Now, off the back of three recent top-10s and a medalist performance at sectional qualifying, the former Illinois star is heading to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach next week. Guthrie set the pace at the sectional played at Scioto Country Club and Brookside Country Club despite it being the site littered with PGA TOUR players. RELATED: Who qualified? | Leaderboards for U.S. Open sectional qualifying He shot out of the blocks with an 8-under 64 at Brookside before calmly holding firm with a 3-under 67 at Scioto to lead the pack of qualifiers that included TOUR winners Jhonattan Vegas, Jason Dufner, Luke Donald, Aaron Baddeley, Chesson Hadley and Rory Sabbatini among others. The 29-year-old is no stranger to the TOUR having played it from 2013 to 2016, making the FedExCup Playoffs in the first two seasons. His best result was a third place at The Honda Classic in 2013. He got there in spectacular fashion. Having forged an impressive college career, which coincidentally kick-started with a win at Scioto Country Club, Guthrie turned pro in 2012. Within 10 starts on the Web.com Tour, he had two wins and would finish second on the money list to earn his way to the PGA TOUR. His time on the TOUR started well enough, but then he fell in an all too familiar trap. “I came out of college playing awesome golf. I didn’t overthink it, I just got out of my way and things were happening. Balls were going in, you don’t ask questions,� Guthrie said. “Then it stopped and you start asking questions. You start working on things, trying to get better, and in that process, not trying to, I compromised some of the things that make me me.� In Guthrie’s case this was trying to do more with his swing and ball flight. As a natural cutter of the ball he thought he should try to add a draw to his resume. He did not get the desired effect. “Basically I was a cutter my whole life and could not draw the ball to save my life and I thought that was a flaw. And now looking back it was a strength,� he said. “I tried to hit a draw and I could end up hitting a draw, or slice, or hook… so I kind of lost the face a little bit in search of getting better.� Guthrie says it has been a three-year battle to return to his natural self. In that time he has sunk to the depths, starting this season with only conditional status on the Web.com Tour. A poor beginning to the season made starts hard to come by and he found himself battling away at Monday qualifiers. In early May he had earned just $1,457.50 and was 177th on the Web.com points race. But recently things have begun to look up. In the last month he was tied for sixth at the KC Golf Classic, tied for fourth at the Evans Scholars Invitational and was sixth again at the Rex Hospital Open to move up to 35th on the money list ($72,439) and 43rd on the points list. And then of course he has booked his spot at Pebble Beach. Guthrie has played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two times, finishing inside the top 35 on both occasions. And this will be his third U.S. Open having qualified through the Columbus sectional on all three occasions. “I’m coming back stronger than ever. Three years ago I played golf waiting for the train wreck a little bit, just felt like odds weren’t in my favor because I didn’t feel like my game was near where it needed to be,� he adds. “But I come to the golf course now and it’s the opposite. I feel like I am kind of waiting for that hot stretch. Now I have gotten to the point where it is just me again. It wasn’t fun, it’s been a grind, but it’s pretty cool to be going to the U.S. Open. “Hopefully this is the launch of the second part of my career.�

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THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM Henrik Stenson is sneaky, whether he has a joy buzzer or a golf club in his hands. The moment you begin to forget about him, he wins. Last year’s example, at the end of an otherwise ho-hum season, saw the 2009 PLAYERS champ birdie four of his last six holes for a one-shot victory at the Wyndham Championship, the last full-field event before the FedExCup Playoffs. Stenson’s 29 birdies not only led the field, they put him six clear of the competition. He broke the tournament scoring record and became the PGA TOUR’s winningest male player from Sweden, surpassing Jesper Parnevik and Carl Pettersson. TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule The year before that, of course, Stenson authored the first major win of his career, with a final-round 63 at the Open Championship. His Sunday duel with hard-luck runner-up Phil Mickelson won’t soon be forgotten. At 41, Stenson continues to be the consummate global player. He also won the European Tour’s Race to Dubai in ’16, and last season racked up just 15 starts on the PGA TOUR. Still, he can win anywhere, anytime. He’d had zero success at Sedgefield Country Club before winning the Wyndham, and like everyone else he had never played in Rio before capturing the silver medal in the 2016 Olympics. You say he’s never registered even a top-10 finish at the Masters, his best a T14 in 2014? You say he hasn’t distinguished himself at Shinnecock Hills or Carnoustie, which will host the U.S. Open and Open Championship, respectively, in 2018? None of that matters. When he’s on, he can win anywhere, anytime. BY THE NUMBERS How Henrik Stenson ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 25th Playoff appearances: 7 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best result: Stenson won the 2013 FedExCup title INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Henrik Stenson in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill You can never sleep on this Swede. Opened last year with two top 10s in his first three TOUR starts, promptly missed five out of six cuts and then had five consecutive top 20s, including a win at the Wyndham Championship. Love the way he sends that 3-wood way out there with such accuracy and backs it up with a stellar approach game. We may not see him as often as others, but he’s always top value. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton Even if he could remain healthy, it wouldn’t change our approach. A rib injury thwarted starts in the last two stops on the European Tour this fall, and he’s still walking around with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but the Swede maintains a light schedule abroad, so he’s best reserved as a complement in draft leagues. Weekly gamers shouldn’t hesitate, however, even as his 42nd birthday looms on the Thursday of the 2018 Masters. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Callaway’s GBB Epic driver was one of the few new additions to Stenson’s bag this year. The rest of his setup remained the same over the last 12 months. Endo Forged Legacy Black irons are notable as they are only available in Asia.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Stenson remains one of the best examples of how golf apparel should fit. Everything from the length of his sleeves to the length of his pants is dialed in to perfection. Expect Stenson to push the latest fashion trends with bold geometric prints and stylish color palettes for the season. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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