Round 1: Casey leads, Woods in hunt as field plays catch-up

Former world No. 1 Inbee Park hit a flawless eight-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship on Thursday as the LPGA returned to Asia for the first time in 18 months.

Click here to read the full article…

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Matt Jones’ opening round at The Honda Classic was remarkable. He was remarkably unimpressed. RELATED: Leaderboard | Adam Scott strips off shoes to make stunning par save from water Jones tied the course record Thursday on a typically windy day at PGA National with a bogey-free 9-under 61 giving him a three-shot lead. He matched the mark set by Brian Harman in the second round in 2012, and was one shot better than the final-round 62 that Tiger Woods posted that year. “That’s an incredible round of golf,” said Lee Westwood, who opened with an even-par 70. “Could be the round of the year, 61 around here, when it’s flat calm, impressive. But when there’s a 15-, 20-mile-an-hour wind blowing, greens are fast, a lot of crosswinds, that’s an incredible round of golf.” All told, there have been roughly 6,000 tournament rounds at The Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National in 2007. None was better than the one Thursday from Jones. He seemed most unfazed afterward. “I play golf for a living,” Jones said. “I mean, I should be able to shoot a good golf score occasionally. It doesn’t happen as much as I want. But yes, I’m very happy with it. I was very calm, I was very relaxed out there. I’m normally a bit more amped-up and hyped-up and I had a different goal this week, to be a little more calm than normally and walk slower.” It worked wonders. He’s not into charting superlatives. He doesn’t know how many course records he holds, or how many holes in one he’s made. He wasn’t even aware he had four consecutive birdies on the front nine Thursday until he saw his card on a giant leaderboard as his round was ending. “I was just managing the golf course and hitting good shots,” Jones said. Russell Henley and Aaron Wise shot 64s, matching the best score at The Honda Classic by anyone — Jones excluded — since Rory McIlroy and Russell Knox had 63s in 2014. Nobody in the field last year shot better than a 66. And Henley and Wise still walked off the course three shots back. “That’s an amazing round,” Wise said. “But I felt like I played one, too.” U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, Scott Harrington, Kevin Chappell, Joseph Bramlett and Cameron Davis shot 66. Defending champion Sungjae Im opened with a 68. Jones had the four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5, had others on the par-4 11th and par-4 13th, then finished with birdies on each of his final three holes and never dropped a shot despite The Honda’s usual windy conditions. Adam Hadwin, who played in Jones’ group, said “good shot” more times than he could count. “I just stopped saying it at a certain point,” Hadwin said. “He just hit so many, you just stop saying it. You’re just under the assumption that it was good.” Jones has one PGA TOUR victory, that coming with a chip-in to win a playoff at the 2014 Houston Open. He hasn’t made the cut in a major since the 2016 Open Championship and has never finished better than tied for fourth at The Honda, doing that in his debut at the event in 2008. “Whatever Matt Jones is doing, I want to see it because 61 out there is incredible,” said Shane Lowry, who shot 67 in his opening round. “That’s just incredible.” It was still a befuddling day for many. Graeme McDowell played the “Bear Trap” stretch — the par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th — in 6 over, after making a quadruple bogey at 15 and a double bogey on 17. And Hunter Mahan had a six-hole stretch in which he made, in order, eagle, bogey, bogey, triple bogey, bogey, birdie. Mahan finished at 77, McDowell at 79. “It’s just so hard, so tricky,” Lowry said. “There’s a lot of disaster holes.” Jones, at least for one day, avoided them all. “It was a very good day,” he said.

Click here to read the full article…

The scene in the pro shop was described as hectic but brimming with excitement over the weekend at Granite Links Golf Club in coastal Quincy, Massachusetts, where the public was allowed to return to play with social-distancing restrictions starting last Thursday. An hour west, at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Director of Sales Deborah Murphy says the phone has been ringing off the hook, such was the pent-up demand in the Bay State. “I swear, people must have had radar that beeped when that announcement was made,� said Murphy, whose course is public but maintains a membership. “For the members, some of whom had played in other states, everybody was happy to be home. Plus, just being able to get some fresh air was nice after being cooped up for a month, a month and a half.� As per the directive of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, courses opened with precautionary measures like face coverings for staff; closed locker rooms, pro shops, bag rooms and restaurants; no carts (walking only); and closed practice greens/driving ranges. Also, players were barred from arriving more than 15 minutes ahead of their tee times. Still, jubilation reigned. “People were just really chomping at the bit to play,� Murphy said. Vermont and Maryland reopened the same day as Massachusetts, and New Hampshire opened Monday. New York and New Jersey re-opened at the end of April and first of May. All states have now reopened for play, according to the National Golf Foundation, which projects 95% of courses in the United States will be open by this Sunday. But it’s not just about reopening; it’s about reopening safely. That’s where courses can utilize the Back2Golf Initiative, a set of guidelines established – in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – by the PGA TOUR, PGA of America, United States Golf Association, National Golf Course Owners Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and Club Management Association of America. PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh calls it a “living document� that provides a framework but is not rigidly prescriptive. In Massachusetts, for example, the return to golf has meant walking only, but in Florida and elsewhere, players can ride one to a cart. Everywhere, the name of the game is social distancing, limiting touch points, and staying safe. Back2Golf outlines operational guidelines in three phases for golf’s 16,000-plus facilities. Phase 1 is Individual Golf, which advises to avoid gatherings of 10 or more, maintain at least 6 feet distancing from others, either walk or take one to a cart, and avoid physical contact. Phase 2 is Restricted Programming, which advises to avoid gatherings of 50 or more, maintain social distancing, and limit clubhouse operations and hold events only with restrictions. Phase 3 is the New Normal, which will kick in at some future date with sanitation procedures but unrestricted gatherings and events, and normal golf operations. Using measures set by the CDC and The White House “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again,� the recommendations will respect circumstances on the ground, depending on location. Dr. Bradley Connor, clinical professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and an attending physician at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell campus, praised the golf industry and Back2Golf as “comprehensive� and “responsible� amid the COVID-19 crisis. “Golf is a terrific recreational outlet that offers a number of physical and mental health benefits,� Connor said. “While we all must remain vigilant and continue to take precautions, this plan allows golf to be played in keeping with social distancing best practices.� Courses in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, have been reopened for over a week with social-distancing measures like foam inserts in cups; masks required around the starter and practice areas; and strict crowd limits on practice areas. At the Gil Hanse-designed Rustic Canyon in Moorpark, the new walking-only rule has arguably improved the experience. The course was designed as a tribute to the beginnings of golf, carved from the existing land in the canyon, and that old-school look and feel has returned thanks to the sudden absence of golf carts zooming around the property. Rustic has ordered new push carts for golfers (sanitized between rentals) and some are hoping the return-to-walking trend continues even as motorized carts become available again. Tee times were nearly sold out within hours of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks announcement that it would reopen city courses on May 9. To play, golfers had to book tee times online, pay with a credit card, and accept a waiver advising of COVID-19 risks. Single-rider golf carts are allowed before 9 a.m. and after midday. The motorized carts, of course, are also thoroughly sanitized between users. “It was packed on Saturday,� local golfer David Hughes said from Griffith Park, the site of two city courses. “But there was a real effort from everyone to adhere to social distancing, facial coverings and all of the new requirements. “Golfers understand the benefits of being able to play in these tough times – both for physical and mental health – and they want to preserve that. If it means adjusting a few ways we interact, then it certainly seems players will do it.� How will courses stage tournaments? Murphy, of Cyprian Keyes in Massachusetts, has been wondering about that. Several of the course’s outings have been pushed back to August, but the first one is scheduled for June. Will the food have to be served out on the course if the clubhouse remains closed? Where will the trophy ceremony take place? And what about the absence of rakes as it pertains to a fair and equitable competition? Also, courses in the New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas remain closed, according to the NGF. When will they reopen? Such questions will presumably work themselves out in time. For now, it’s just about playing again. “Golf inherently provides many health and fitness benefits, including the opportunity to spend time outdoors with family and friends, which is needed now more than ever,� said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of World Golf Foundation. “It is a sport that naturally lends itself to social distancing and the ‘Back2Golf’ guidelines. We greatly appreciate the collaboration between all the allied golf organizations. It represents another example of our industry coming together for the greater good as our game has done so many times before.� For more information, please visit www.wearegolf.org/back2golf.

Click here to read the full article…