Sony Open will feature ‘sneaky good’ rookies

THE OVERVIEW PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Predicting the winner of THE PLAYERS Championship seems impossible. Not only is it the best field in golf, but TPC Sawgrass doesn’t favor one particular style, and it doesn’t give bonus points for the most decorated resumes. It could be a notable name … or it could be the Cinderella story. “It’s a course where no one really has an advantage,â€� said Rory McIlroy, who counts three top-10s – and three missed cuts – in his eight starts at TPC Sawgrass. Tiger Woods, the only two-time winner in the field this week, said Pete Dye’s Stadium Course generally has players hitting from the same spot. As a result, shorter hitters are just as apt to win as longer hitters. “So many guys have a chance to win here,â€� Woods said, “and that’s what makes this championship so difficult to win is that it’s open to a lot of players.â€� Perhaps it’s easier to figure out who won’t win this week. Of the 144 players in the field, here are a few players in which history doesn’t favor their chances entering Thursday’s first round: Si Woo Kim. No champion has ever successfully defended his title at THE PLAYERS. Nick Price has the best result of any defending champ, finishing in solo fifth in 1994. Jason Day. He won the Wells Fargo Championship last week, and the last PLAYERS winner to have won the week before was Tiger Woods in 2001. It’s happened just three times in tournament history. Day did win here two years ago, though, and he’s been pointing to this week as a huge one. However … Any past champion, especially in the last decade. There are just five two-time winners at TPC Sawgrass, and not since Hal Sutton in 2000 has there been a repeat winner in any 10-year span. Any UK golfer. Scotland’s Sandy Lyle (1987) is the only PLAYERS champ from the British Isles. So if you English (say, Justin Rose) or Irish (say, Rory McIlroy) … well, sorry. Any local resident. There are six North Florida-based players in the field, led by past FedExCup champ Billy Horschel (in fact, his remodeled house was recently featured in a local magazine). The last local winner was Fred Funk in 2005. Longtime residents Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh have combined for 46 PLAYERS starts, with a runner-up finish for each one. Neither is in the field this week. Any first-timer. Hal Sutton (1983) and Craig Perks (2002) are the only champs who won in their first start at TPC Sawgrass. And no PGA TOUR rookie has ever won THE PLAYERS; the best result was a T-2 by David Lingmerth in 2013. Any non-TOUR winner. Perks and Tim Clark (2010) are the only first-time winners of THE PLAYERS. Any player age 42 or over. Funk was 48 when he won; no other champ has been older than 42. So if you’re thinking Tiger or Phil on Sunday, better think again. Any lefthander. Mickelson is the only leftie to win at TPC Sawgrass. Promise we’re not trying to pile on, Phil. As for everybody else who doesn’t fall under one of the above categories – congratulations, you’ve got a chance this week. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER The closing three-hole stretch at the Stadium Course makes for arguably the most unique finish on the PGA TOUR. It starts with the easiest hole (the 523-yard par-5 16), followed by the iconic signature hole (the 137-yard island green 17th) and ends with the toughest hole (the 462-yard par-4 18th). Expect to see lots of balls find the water – since 2003, a total of 1,889 shots have been lost in the water at those three holes. THE LANDING ZONE The par-4 12th was redesigned prior to last year, shortened to 302 yards to make it drivable. Less than six percent of all tee shots found the green, though, as most players opted to use iron off the tee. In fact, just 47 of the 440 tee balls struck involved driver. Some subtle changes to 12 have been made this year to encourage more players to challenge the green. Hopefully we’ll see more than the two eagles made last year (by Luke List and Cody Gribble). WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “High pressure over the region will provide dry weather over the next few days. As the high shifts off-shore, warmer temperatures and higher humidity will return Friday into Saturday. Highs will likely reach the upper 80s Friday afternoon with the lighter winds. A weak low pressure system will try and form somewhere over the gulf Sunday into early next week. Right now the best chances for precipitation will remain across Southern Florida on Sunday with only a slight chance for showers expected for the final round.â€� For the latest weather news from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK You put a bunch of grass around that hole and it’s the easiest par-3 in the world.I’ve got the best seat in the house. BY THE NUMBERS 47 under – Tiger Woods’ cumulative score since 2000 at TPC Sawgrass – the most under par of any player in that span. Sergio Garcia is next at 35 under. 177 of 177 – Putts inside 5 feet made by Jason Day this season. He’s the only player with a 100 percent conversion rate from that distance this season and is the only player in the ShotLink era to enter THE PLAYERS Championship having not missed a putt inside 5 feet. Please note: Those numbers only include courses that have been lasered for ShotLink. Day has played several rounds this season on non-lasered courses, including Augusta National. 72.25 – Patrick Reed’s career scoring average at THE PLAYERS. That’s the second-highest of any tournament in his career, eclipsed only by … the Masters, in which he has a 72.75 scoring average. That obviously didn’t stop him from winning at Augusta National last month. 34 percent – Percentage of time players have made bogey or worse at the 18th hole since 2003. That’s the highest percentage of any hole on the course. Players make birdie or better just 10 percent of the time. SCATTERSHOTS Dustin Johnson enters this week as the world No. 1, but his place at the top is under attack. Four other players have a chance to supplant him at No. 1 – Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose. Johnson and Thomas are the only two who are guaranteed to be No. 1 with a win; the others must have other scenarios play out for them. The last time the world No. 1 changed hands at THE PLAYERS was when David Duval went from No. 3 to No. 1 (over Tiger Woods) after winning at TPC Sawgrass. Jason Day has spent at least two one-week periods practicing at TPC Sawgrass in recent months, although he’s only played one practice round. He said he’s been trying to get away from the cold weather and snow at his home in Columbus, Ohio, and he can think of no better place to practice. “The facilities back here are off the charts,â€� he said. “I think the best facilities that we play on or that they have on TOUR is here.â€� Rory McIlroy was about to hit his second shot at the first hole in his practice round Tuesday when he noticed something. “It didn’t look like there was any green there because the greens are so much smaller this week than what they were [last week] at Quail Hollow,â€� he said. “So it just takes a little bit of adjustment.â€� Patrick Reed plans to lean on his driver this week. “I always use driver,â€� he said. “I love the driver.â€� He said of the 14 non-par 3 holes, he’ll likely use driver perhaps a dozen times. He’ll avoid driver at 10 – “the fairway runs outâ€� – and will only hit driver on the drivable 12th if the wind is calm. “If not, you can bail out right there,â€� he said. Speaking of Reed, he was in the back of the media interview room when Tiger Woods was answering questions. Suddenly, Reed had the microphone in his hand. “Are you going to be wearing the Nike pink on Thursday,â€� he asked. To which Woods replied: “Whatever the Masters champion is wearing, I will wear.â€�

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The stage at St. Andrews was all set for Rory McIlroy. The show belonged to Cameron Smith, and so did that silver Claret Jug he won in a Sunday stunner at The Open Championship with the best closing round the Old Course had ever seen. RELATED: What’s in his bag? Smith was four shots behind at the start as a record crowd was eager to see McIlroy cap off a week of celebrations at the 150th Open in style. He was three behind when he made the turn. And then the plucky Australian with his magical putter ran off five straight birdies to take the lead, stared down a nervy putt around the edge of the nefarious Road Hole bunker to save par and finished with two putts from 80 feet for birdie for an 8-under 64. “To win an Open Championship in itself is probably going to be a golfer’s highlight in their career,” Smith said. “To do it around St. Andrews I think is just unbelievable.” So was his golf. In the 29 previous times golf’s oldest championship was held at St. Andrews, no winner had ever closed with a 64. Smith finished at 20-under 268, a record score for the Old Course and matching the lowest score to par in any major. “I got beaten by the better player this week. To go out and shoot 64 to win the Open Championship at St. Andrews is a hell of a showing. Hats off to Cam,” McIlroy said. McIlroy hit every green in regulation and two-putted all of them — two were birdies, the rest were pars — for a 70 that left him in third place and having to wait nearly nine months before he can try to end his drought in the majors that now is at eight full years. Smith won by one shot over Cameron Young, who holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole to ever-so-briefly tie for the lead. It wasn’t enough, and neither was anything McIlroy could muster. McIlroy couldn’t make a putt early. He couldn’t hit it close enough late. His last good chance was a 15-foot birdie attempt on the dangerous Road Hole at No. 17, and it narrowly missed to the left. McIlroy needed eagle to tie him, and his chip through the Valley of Sin had no chance. Smith won for the third time this year, all on entirely different courses — the generous fairways of Kapalua, the visual intimidation of water on the TPC Sawgrass and the oldest links in the world with its double greens and pot bunkers. He beat the No. 1 player in the world (Jon Rahm) at Kapalua. He beat the best field in golf at THE PLAYERS Championship. And he had to overcome a four-shot deficit against a heavy crowd favorite to capture his first major. Even with the silver Claret Jug in his hands, it was hard to believe. “All the names on there, every player that’s been at the top of their game has won this championship,” Smith said. “It’s pretty cool to be on there. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think it will for a few weeks. Yeah, it’s just unreal.” Smith is the first Australian to win at St. Andrews since Kel Nagle in 1960, when he topped a rising American star named Arnold Palmer, the people’s choice. That’s what McIlroy is now. He moved into the void left when Tiger Woods missed the cut in what might be his final Open at St. Andrews. He had support that carried him to the cusp of winning at the home of golf. “The Holy Grail,” McIlroy had called it earlier in the week. All day there was an energy along the humps and hollows of the Old Course, all of them waiting to celebrate McIlroy as an Open champion at St. Andrews. He gave them little to cheer. “The putter went cold on me,” McIlroy said. “When both Camerons — especially Smith — went on that run on the back nine, I had to dig deep to make birdies. And I just couldn’t.” That left Smith, the 28-year-old Aussie known for his grit and his putting stroke, on the 18th green to be introduced as the “champion golfer of the year.” McIlroy was playing controlled golf, his only birdie a two-putt from 18 feet on the par-5 fifth. Viktor Hovland, who started the final round tied with McIlroy, was never a factor. He didn’t make his first birdie until the 12th hole and closed with a 74. That run by Smith on the back nine is now part of Open lore. He hit a nifty pitch to 5 feet for birdie on the short 10th. He was bold to a back pin on the par-3 11th and holed a 15-foot birdie, and he birdied the next two holes from about that length. His fifth in a row was a putt from 90 feet on the par-5 14th, over a huge mound and down the slope to tap-in range that gave him the lead for the first time. McIlroy couldn’t catch up. His lag putting was terrific. That wasn’t what he needed. And he got no help from Smith, whose one missed shot set up his biggest challenge. The Road Hole bunker was between him and the flag on the 17th. He used his putter to ride over the right edge of the bunker and onto the green, 10 feet away, and he poured in another putt, this one for par to stay in front. Young had his chances in his Open debut. He left short a 6-foot putt with about a foot of break on the 15th. He came up short with a wedge on the next hole. He drilled his drive and approach to the 17th, only to leave another birdie chance short. He finally delivered, but all that got him was a 65 and the silver medal. In two majors this year, the PGA TOUR rookie missed a playoff by one shot at the PGA Championship and made his best putt too late at St. Andrews. Smith made his last birdie and the engraver went to work on the Claret Jug, a prize first awarded to the 1873 champion at St. Andrews. There’s a lot of history around this gray, old town, and Smith became part of it in a big way.

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