Seamus Power wins Barbasol Championship on sixth playoff hole for first TOUR title

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Even before the Masters Tournament began, it was obvious Augusta National in April was nothing like it was in November. Far less clear was which course Justin Rose was playing Thursday. RELATED: Leaderboard | A return to April means a tough test at Augusta National Rose made seven birdies and an eagle during a torrid 10-hole stretch for a 7-under 65 and a four-shot lead, his lowest score at Augusta National in one of its toughest opening rounds. It started with a nice hop off the mounds left of the green on the par-5 eighth that set up a 10-foot eagle. Only two of his birdie putts were outside 8 feet. He holed a 12-foot par putt on the one green he missed. Not bad for a 40-year-old from England playing for the first time in a month while resting an ailing back. His 65 looked even better on a day so tough only 12 players broke par, and the average score was 74.5. “Listen, I didn’t know where my game was going into this week,” Rose said. “I’ve been working hard. I could have played the last two tournaments, but I was really trying to prepare hard for this Masters.” Twice a runner-up, including a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia four years ago, Rose tied a Masters record by taking at least a share of first-round lead for the fourth time. The other to do that was Jack Nicklaus. The difference? Nicklaus went on to win two of his six green jackets from that position. Rose likes to say he’s only had one arm in the jacket. Brian Harman, the last player to get into the 88-man field, and Hideki Matsuyama were wrapping up their rounds of 69 about the time Rose began on a course that was dry and crusty, on greens that were so fast there were splotches of brown. Among those at 70 were former Masters champion Patrick Reed and Masters newcomer Will Zalatoris. Jordan Spieth overcame a triple bogey from the trees on No. 9 for a 71. Missing were a slew of red numbers on the leaderboard in conditions so difficult that Garcia said after a 76, “I feel like I just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield.” Five months ago, in the first Masters held in November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the turf was so soft that 53 players were under par after the opening round. Shane Lowry chipped from the back of the 15th green into the water in front of the green. He escaped with bogey and managed a 71. U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci hit a 60-foot putt from behind the ninth green that wound up 75 feet away on the other side. Defending champion Dustin Johnson, who set the record last year at 20-under 268, failed to break par for the first time since the opening round in 2018. He three-putted for double bogey on the 18th for a 74. “I feel sorry for the guys’ first Masters in November, and then they’re walking out there today wondering what is going on,” Kevin Kisner said after a hard-earned 72. This was no surprise. Augusta National has not had rain in more than a week, and players could not recall the last time greens were this fast during practice rounds, much less with a scorecard in hand on Thursday. “It’s my 10th year, but I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast,” Matsuyama said. “So it was like a new course for me playing today, and I was fortunate to get it around well.” And what to say of Rose? Even in more forgiving conditions, he had never done better than 67. “I didn’t feel like today was the day for a 65, if I’m honest,” Rose said. No one needed convincing, least of all Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, among top players who struggled with the wind and had just as many problems when the ball was on the ground. DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion who has been licking his chops about bringing his super-sized game to Augusta National, didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole and shot 76, his highest score as a pro at the Masters. Patrick Cantlay hit into the water on both par 3s on the back nine and shot 79. “Guys are going to shoot themselves out of the golf tournament on day one,” Webb Simpson said after a late double bogey forced him to settle for a 70. McIlroy, needing a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, hit his father in the leg with a shot on the seventh hole. That was about the most interesting moment in his round of 76. Lee Westwood, who had a pair of runner-up finishes in the Florida Swing, had a 78. Rose looked as though he might be headed that direction. He made a soft bogey on No. 1. He three-putted across the green on No. 7. He was 2 over, though not ready to panic. He knew it was tough. He also knew he was headed in the wrong direction. “You can’t win the golf tournament today. Even with a 65 you can’t win it today,” Rose said. “You can only probably lose it today, obviously. I reset just prior to that and thought if I can get myself back around even par, that would be a good day’s work.” He hit 5-wood into 10 feet for eagle and a 9-iron to the dangerous left pin on No. 9 to 4 feet for birdie. He holed a 25-foot putt on the 10th and hit 8-iron to 6 feet on No. 12. It never stopped. Even from the first cut of rough on the 17th, his wedge settled 4 feet from the hole. He finished going over the details of that incredible stretch, smiled and said, “Sounds easy.” It looked that way. But only for him.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay looked just as good Thursday at Pebble Beach as the last round he played 18 days ago. RELATED: Leaderboard | Spieth’s resurgence continues at Pebble Beach Jordan Spieth looked as good as his last tournament, too. Coming off a 61 in the California desert followed by at two-week break, Cantlay opened with seven birdies in eight holes and closed with two straight birdies for a 10-under 62. That tied the course record at Pebble Beach last matched 24 years ago by David Duval, and it gave Cantlay a two-shot lead in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I feel like I’m in a groove right now,” Cantlay said. Henrik Norlander and 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia were at 64. Bhatia hit all 18 of the small greens at Pebble Beach, the first player to do that at Pebble since Ryan Palmer in 2008. Spieth moved another round closer to some kind of a groove. He tied for fourth last week in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, his best finish since May 2019 at the PGA Championship. Spieth holed out a wedge on the 10th hole for eagle and finished with three birdies over his last five holes for a 65. It helped being at Pebble Beach, typically the easier course when the weather is dry and relatively calm. Only one of the leading 10 scores was at Spyglass Hill. That came from Will Gordon, who shot a 66. Spyglass played two shots harder. “Today you needed to step on the gas pedal and take advantage,” Spieth said. And then he considered that his 65 was only good enough for a tie for fourth with Nate Lashley. “I got bested by three today,” Spieth said. “I’m going to have to keep my foot on the gas.” Rain was in the forecast overnight and possibly lingering into Friday before returning early in the weekend. Without spectators and without amateurs this year, the tournament is using only two courses instead of three. It was more exposed than usual without grandstands behind the sixth green and overlooking the picturesque par-3 seventh. And the pace of play, with three pros instead of a foursome of pros and amateurs, was quicker. Low scores at Pebble Beach start with good weather and taking advantage of the front nine, and Cantlay had both of those going for him. He one-putted every green on the front nine, and capped off a stretch of four straight birdies with a 7-iron that landed next to the hole on No. 8 and left him a fast 6-footer for birdie. The finish also was impressive, with a 7-iron that settled about 7 feet below the hole on the par-3 17th, and a nifty wedge from right of the 18th green for an up-and-down and his 10th birdie. “I think we got Pebble in pretty much ideal conditions and I don’t think it’s going to be like that the rest of the week,” Cantlay said. “The greens were good this morning and receptive, and so I hit a lot of good shots just right out of the gate and made everything. I didn’t have very many long putts, but the mid-range putts that I did have I made all of them.” Tom Kite also had a 62 at Pebble Beach when he won in 1983. Duval was runner-up when he had a 62 in 1997. Bhatia has been relying on sponsor exemptions since the former Junior PGA champion decided to turn pro right out of high school. He also was at Pebble, starting on the back nine and making his surge late in the round. His last birdie was an approach over a corner of the ocean to 3 feet on the par-4 eighth hole, and he made a 6-footer for par on the ninth. “Hitting 18 greens out here with the greens being small helps,” he said with a smile. Phil Mickelson, a five-time champion at this event, opened with a 74 at Spyglass and will have to hope for equally decent weather at Pebble Beach to make the cut. While Spyglass was tougher, nearly half the 156-man field courses broke par, and one-third of the players shot in the 60s. The courses were susceptible to good scoring, especially Pebble Beach, and it was important for Spieth to find some momentum he has been lacking since his last win at the 2017 Open Championship. He was tied for the 54-hole lead in Phoenix and shot 72 to finish two behind. He’s right back in the mix at Pebble Beach, where he won in 2017. “Pebble presents a lot of precision and you’ve got to really trust what you’re doing,” Spieth said. “When the conditions were going to be easier today, you needed to kind of shoot a low round and make sure you’re in this tournament because it’s going to be a grind the next few days.”

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Nothing like familiar ground to finish a thrilling PGA TOUR season. Tom Bendelow started it. Donald Ross refined it. Bobby Jones played it. Rees Jones refurbished it. East Lake is a fitting finish annually as it reeks of history on the property, on the blueprints and from the names on the trophies etched before and since the FedExCup was handed out in 2007. Unlike the unfamiliar test last week of Wilmington Country Club, the past at East Lake reminds us exactly of what is needed to win. Horses of the past have given us plenty of clues to look for. The Par-70 tips at 7,346 with just two Par-5s to collect birdies. The Par-3s amplify what is required to get it around here: Ball-Striking. Long, strong and away from the almost three inches of Bermuda rough will be the recipe again. Only 24 acres of fairway is in play this week similarly tight to the 22 acres at TPC Southwind. Bermuda greens averaging 6,000 square feet will catch plenty of recovery shots from the rough but good luck getting the ball to check and spin on the proper shelves. After the switch to Bermuda greens in 2008, the two lowest GROSS totals have been Xander Schauffele (15-under in 2020) and Jon Rahm and Kevin Na (14-under 2021). Rory McIlroy’s 13-under in 2019 tied the previous mark set by Henrik Stenson in 2013. The winner of the event the last three seasons should get all of the plaudits that go with the system that is in place. For our intents and purposes, we need to understand how the best scores were achieved. Key Statistics Only players listed are competing this week; click stat headline for full list Strokes Gained: Off the Tee The only way to attack pin placement this week will be taking advantage of the tee ball. Start here and work forward! Of the last six winners three have led the field in this category and all have been T7 or better. Ball-Striking The combination here of big, accurate tee shots while painting GIR will help with the next category below and increase scoring chances. The last seven winners have all ranked T7 or better. Bogey Avoidance Of the last eight winners five have led the field in this category. None of the three were worse than T5. Keeping bogeys and other crooked numbers off the card is key when birdies are not readily available. Gross Total The starting strokes began with the 2019 edition. Take a look at some gross scores of players from the last three editions. You’ll notice Jon Rahm and Sungjae Im are significant factors in the above stats as is Xander Schauffele if he figures his driver out. Rahm (starting at 3-under, 7 back) is paying +1200 for a win at BetMGM Sportsbook with Im (starting 4-under, 6 back) starting at +2800 and Schauffele (starting 6-under, 4 back) at +650. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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