Quick look at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

NAPLES, Fla. – Brian Harman and Patton Kizzire had played plenty of golf together before joining forces for the 30th QBE Shootout. That doesn’t mean they’re used to cheering for each other. “We’re normally trying to get into each other’s heads,â€� Kizzire said after the St. Simons Island, Georgia duo shot a best-ball, final-round 61 in blustery weather to reach 30-under and win the unofficial QBE at Tiburón Golf Club. “And this week he was nice to me, which was kind of weird.â€� Added Harman: “I was hoping I wasn’t going to throw him for a loop.â€� For the second straight year Graeme McDowell finished second, this time with a new partner, Emiliano Grillo. They made par on 18 to finish 29-under, one back. Three teams shared third, two back: Charles Howell III and Luke List, who was 9-under on his own ball over the last nine holes as they shot 61; Kevin Na and Bryson DeChambeau (62); and Charley Hoffman and Gary Woodland (63), their highlight coming when Woodland aced the 202-yard 5th hole. Tony Finau and Lexi Thompson, the only LPGA player, shot a final-round 65 to finish seven off the lead and seventh in the 12-team field. At first glance, Harman and Kizzire seemed like a Mutt-and-Jeff team. They made for a funny team picture, as the 6-foot-5 Kizzire is almost a foot taller than his left-handed teammate. They weren’t even slated to play together. Harman was a late add to the field after Davis Love III pulled out to be with his ailing mother. Still, there were plenty of reasons why Harman and Kizzire worked. For starters, they’ve known each other since they were 12, when they began to clash in junior events. Harman, from Savannah, Georgia, and Kizzire, who grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, took turns beating each other at AJGA, Southeastern Junior Golf Tour and other regional and national tournaments. “I think there’s a picture of him holding the first‑place trophy and me holding the second‑place trophy,â€� Harman said, “but he was short and pudgy then.â€� Kizzire did not dispute this.   “At a young age I think I got him a few times,â€� Kizzire said. “But there in our teens he had my number. We had a lot of good matches.â€� The second reason why they worked nicely as a team: They’re not only used to competing against one another, largely in practice rounds back home, they’re also fishing buddies. Harman, an avid outdoorsman, provides the boat. “He bought a boat,â€� Kizzire said, “and I called him and I said, ‘I heard I won a boat.’ No need to buy one if your buddy has got one.â€� Added Harman: “He’s only got to help me clean it afterwards.â€� Who is the better angler? “Freshwater, he’s probably got my number,â€� Harman said, “but saltwater, it’s not a competition.â€� Added Kizzire: “I grew up inland in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, so we didn’t have a lot of saltwater around. He grew up in the marsh, out on the ocean, he’s diving for lobsters and catching all kinds of fish. I have to pick his brain a little bit.â€� The biggest reason why this team made sense: They both love this time of year. Harman logged six top-10 finishes, five of them top-5s, in his first six starts last season, a spectacular run that encompassed late 2017 and early ’18. Kizzire nabbed his first two wins, at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii, over the same period. ’Tis the season to be jolly? For them it is. Both, alas, cooled off considerably the rest of the way, with Kizzire sweating it out to nab the 30th and final spot in the TOUR Championship and Harman missing the season-ending tournament at East Lake as he finished 48th in the FedExCup.  “All of a sudden I found myself in contention to make the Ryder Cup,â€� said Harman, also a two-time TOUR winner. “All that stuff just kind of overwhelmed me just a little bit, and I just started pressing towards the end of the year.â€� Well, the end of the season, anyway. The end of the calendar year has been good to him, and Kizzire. It continued to be in Naples. The winning stroke came when Kizzire reached the green with a 7-iron at the par-5 17th and rolled in the eagle putt. Harman, who had hit his second shot inside 10 feet, didn’t even need to putt. Asked why he loves this time of the year, Kizzire shook his head, as did his partner. “Golf is such a personal journey,â€� Harman said. True enough—except when you play with a friend.

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Three-time PGA TOUR winner and longtime golf instructor Dave Ragan, who proved himself a steady, consistent presence on the leaderboards in the 1950s and 1960s, passed away Tuesday. He was 82 years old. Ragan turned professional in 1956 after finishing a stellar career at the University of Florida, where he earned All-America honors that year after winning an SEC individual championship. The Gators have since enshrined the Daytona Beach, Florida, native into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. In his time on TOUR, Ragan missed just six cuts over 278 starts, finishing with 54 top-10 finishes and those three aforementioned victories. His first career victory came in June 1959, when he won the Eastern Open Invitational, before encountering his best run in late 1962, when in the span of a month he won the Beaumont Open Invitational and the West Palm Beach Open Invitational in a playoff over Doug Sanders. “My second year, I went right out to Los Angeles— finished seventh, I think—and I was kind of on my way,� he told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2014. “From there, I was consistently in the money, but we weren’t playing for very much then.� In 1963, he earned a spot on the Ryder Cup team, which the U.S. won, 23 to 9, thanks to his performance. He teamed with Billy Casper to win 1 up in foursomes, and won 2 & 1 in singles over Neil Coles. That year also saw his best finish in a major, when he finished second to Jack Nicklaus at the PGA Championship. His other showings in majors are highlighted by a pair of T25 finishes at the Masters and a T12 at the U.S. Open in 1963. “He was a peaceful gentlemen and the kindest soul who devoted his life to his family, the game of golf and the good book,� his son, Chuck Ragan, posted on Instagram. “Just like his sweet parents, he inspired and lifted up anyone that came close to him. He taught my brothers and I more about life, fishing, the outdoors, the game of golf, sportsmanship, love and never quitting than anyone ever had.� Ragan, who also spent time on PGA TOUR Champions, discovered instruction after his playing days ended. He was the Director of Golf and Teaching Professional at Pine Tree Country Club and Inverness Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Earlier this year, Pine Tree renamed their club’s tournament the Dave Ragan Cup in honor of his service. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, and five sons.

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