Putting struggles keep Spieth from breaking par at PGA

Dustin Johnson continues to roll after a win last week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He buried a birdie putt of 45 feet 6 inches on the par-3 7th hole en route to a 3-under 67 in Round 2. He leads after the second round of the 2018 U.S. Open in control of the top spot at 4 under par.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. - The arrival of the Masters brings hope, a commodity whose value has risen exponentially in the past year. Players know they're on the precipice of a potentially life-altering week, one that could give their calendar a permanent April engagement. Patrons on the grounds and fans around the world look forward to seeing more history made at a course they know so well. In a fast-moving world, Augusta National's familiarity may be its biggest appeal. Few have played the course but so many know Augusta National's holes by sight. RELATED: What’s on DJ’s Champions Dinner menu? | Nine things to know about Augusta | Preview Masters storylines Tradition forms the bedrock for the Masters. A lifetime of invitations makes a Masters victory invaluable. There aren't many places in the world more difficult to get into than the Champions Locker Room. The weight of the accomplishment was enough to make Dustin Johnson cry. The Champions Dinner on Tuesday and Par-3 Contest on the tournament's eve give a familiar cadence to the week. There will be no Par-3 Contest for a second consecutive year but this Masters marks a return to the tournament's April date and of the patrons whose roars create the soundtrack of the second nine. Fall's muted colors provided a unique backdrop for Johnson's record-setting win but it's better when the canvas is brightened by the blooms of azaleas. Spring is synonymous with renewal and the Masters is an important part of that season. A golf tournament can't reverse a pandemic but it can lift spirits. That's what the arrival of the Masters promises to do. The sun shone brightly on Augusta National on Sunday as competitors took part in the Drive, Chip and Putt while professionals prepared for the Masters. Bubba Watson, a two-time winner here, was behind the 18th green passing out fist bumps and encouragement. Justin Thomas took a break from hitting balls to take a peek at the children competing on the nearby chipping green, clapping after each shot. "So incredible to watch these boys and girls get this opportunity. Can't wait to get out there later this morning and see for myself!" Thomas tweeted earlier in the day, obviously inspired by the enthusiasm that was on display from Sunday's youthful competitors. Sandy Lyle waited to start his practice round until after a cadre of young players crossed in front of the first tee, fresh from hitting their putts on the same 18th green where a champion will be crowned in seven days. Lyle has amassed more than three decades of local knowledge here but he was off early for his solo Sunday practice round The past is revered here while progress is made. There are no cell phones allowed on the grounds but you can see every shot struck this week thanks to the tournament's technology. The events that now precede the Masters - the Augusta National Women's Amateur and Drive, Chip and Putt - show the tournament's forward-looking spirit. Not to mention that Lee Elder will be one of the honorary starters on Thursday - alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player - to recognize his groundbreaking appearance here in 1975. The ANWA's second edition ended Saturday, with 17-year-old Tsubasa Kajitani winning in a playoff. That event has shown that new ground can be broken, old barriers brought down. The girls who competed Sunday in the Drive, Chip and Putt mentioned that it was an aspiration as they continue their competitive journey. Eighty children took part Sunday in four divisions for each gender. All had qualified in 2019 but had to wait an extra year to arrive at Augusta National. Imagine that wait. Their motions - from their swing planes to their pre-shot routines — mirror the pros they're trying to emulate. And their enthusiasm was infectious. "It's just beautiful. Everything is perfect. It's hard to imagine a golf course can be so perfect," said Analiese Raath, who finished eighth in the girls 14-15 division. Elyse Meerdink won the girls 10-11 division by holing a 15-footer to the Masters' traditional Sunday hole location, tucked behind the front bunker on the green's left side. She called Sunday "probably the best day of my life." Samantha Straight, who finished third in the girls 14-15 division, said Drive, Chip and Putt helped her realize "that golf is just a game of fun," a reminder we could all use at times. Pierceson Huyck, like most visitors to these grounds, was blown away by the conditions. "I was really excited to see how nice this course is because everybody says it's unexplainable. And I got that today," said Huyck, who finished fourth in the boys 7-9 division. "And I'm excited to walk all of the 18 holes tomorrow and see how pretty they are." He's not the only one. Another Masters week is here. It's something we can all be excited about.

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Kiawah Island is the longest course in major championship history so it should be no surprise that a new driver has been key to Phil Mickelson’s success halfway through the PGA Championship. Mickelson, 50, held the lead after Friday’s morning wave thanks to rounds of 70-69. He ranked first in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, in the top 10 of Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and averaged 298 yards off the tee. This is the first week that Mickelson is using a custom Epic Speed head that effectively has 5 degrees of loft. The shaft is 47.9 inches, pushing up against the USGA limit of 48 inches. “It’s like working with a long-drive competitor at that point,” said Gerritt Pon, Callaway’s senior club performance analyst. “He’s not using it for accuracy. He’s using it for distance. Interestingly enough, he’s the type of player who does not necessarily lose accuracy with the longer shaft. Some lose a tremendous amount, some actually gain a little bit, but he’s the type of player who doesn’t lose accuracy. But he gains speed. “To swing the longer shaft, he’s trying to hit up on the ball a little more than with a normal shaft. He’s creating a lot of loft at impact to launch it high, so the main things that had to be accomplished was making the driver low-spin and fast.” Mickelson’s new Epic Speed, which was built especially for him, features Callaway’s aerodynamic Cyclone head shape. A second screw was added to the front of the head to lower the center of gravity. “With faster swing speeds, you see more benefit from the aerodynamically-designed head,” Pon said. “He has a driver that is fast, easy for him to draw, mitigates the left miss (for a left-hander) more than some of our other models that are popular on TOUR, and is very low spin.” Mickelson tested an 8.5-degree model of the Epic Speed that was lofted down to 6.5 degrees but that head created too much spin. He wants his draws to spin under 2,000 rpms and his fades to spin under 2,400, Pon said. If Mickelson were right-handed, the increased number of offerings available may have made it easier to find a match for him. Making a head that fit Mickelson meant designing a new head in CAD and then working with the foundries to have it produced. That is typically an eight-week process, Pon said. “We started with a baseline of the Epic Speed, which was a long time in the making, and then modified it with Phil in mind,” Pon said. “This particular model of the Speed is pretty new. Even though it looks like the same Epic Speed, it’s a customized version for a left-hander who’s trying to swing a long shaft with low loft and low spin. “So basically Phil Mickelson.”

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