Stars lurk around Nelson leaders Hahn, Barnes

We are just a couple of weeks shy of the return of Tiger Woods and it got me thinking … just how much immediate momentum does winning on the PGA TOUR bring? Woods defied the odds in modern times by winning seven-straights starts in 2006-07, including two majors and two World Golf Championship events. He won six in a row in 1999-2000 and added five consecutive wins in 2007-08. And he didn’t even really sniff the overall record held by the legendary Byron Nelson. Nelson won an unfathomable 11-straight starts on the PGA TOUR in 1945. The current depth of fields on TOUR is arguably some of the best ever, so while we don’t see many ultra-long streaks, there is no doubt players can get an immediate boost from a win. That might seem obvious. But the joy of winning brings an inevitable celebration. And the energy it takes to win brings a natural lull afterwards. It can be hard to focus in immediately again. Sometimes the benefits to the win come down the road, not right away. But immediate winning momentum is something FedExCup champion Justin Thomas believes in. As does Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth. And if last season is any indicator and the early goings of this one are anything to go by, Patton Kizzire should be feeling very good heading into The RSM Classic, where he’s a pretty good bet to finish inside the top 25. The winner of last week’s OHL Classic in Mayakoba is also a Sea Island local, so he’s really riding high. “There’s been some celebrating, but luckily I know these courses really well and I’ve spent a lot of time learning them,â€� he said. “It’s good to be back home and sleep in my own bed and see friends and family, a lot of hugs a lot of high fives. It’s a great week and I’m looking forward to teeing it up tomorrow and seeing if I can continue making birdies.â€� The winners of the 47 official PGA TOUR events last season certainly didn’t take the following start for granted. They combined for four wins, nine top-fives, 15 top-10s and 29 top 25s. Just 11 times did a winner follow up the trophy hoist with a missed cut in their next start. In other words, over 60 percent of the time a winner backed up his performance with another top-25 finish. Johnson was the benchmark. He backed up two of his wins with another win as he won three straight at the Genesis Open, the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship and the World Golf Championships – Dell Match Play. We were robbed of the chance to see how he may have gone in the Masters after his freak stair accident, but when he did return, he finished runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship. His win at THE NORTHERN TRUST in the FedExCup Playoffs was also backed up with a T18 finish. Thomas was also pretty decent off a win. He was T23 after his first win last season, backed up his second win with a third win, backed that up with a rare missed cut before backing up his fourth win with a T6 and his fifth win with a T47. Spieth was three-for-three at being inside the top 25 post win. He was T22 at the Genesis Open after his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am and backed up his win at the Travelers Championship with victory at The Open Championship. His next start after winning the Claret Jug was a was a T13 at the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational. Strengthening the momentum argument is a quick dissection of those who missed the cut in their next start … there are some decent excuses. Kevin Chappell’s next start after his win at the Valero Texas Open was part of a team at the Zurich Classic… he can only be held half responsible. On the flip side Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith helped each other to win in Zurich but both missed cuts on their own at THE PLAYERS. Si Woo Kim’s back was playing up on him in his first start after his PLAYERS win and Jason Dufner’s next start after winning the Memorial was a tough and very long U.S. Open layout. Bryson DeChambeau only got his Open Championship start on the back of his John Deere Classic win and as such had to deal with the whirlwind change of plans. This season the trend is continuing and even doing better. Brendan Steele backed up his Safeway Open win with a T13, Pat Perez was T5 next start after winning the CIMB Classic and Ryan Armour was T20 after winning at Sanderson Farms. Thomas and Patrick Cantlay haven’t played since their recent wins. Neither technically has Justin Rose, in terms of the PGA TOUR, after his win in China. Those keen observers would know he actually won again right away on the European Tour. It all adds up to one thing. Draft Kizzire into your fantasy team while you still have time!

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Bryson DeChambeau missed a birdie from 6 feet, 3 inches on the 18th hole that would have made him the 12th player to break 60 and given him the 13th sub-60 round in PGA TOUR history. After tapping in his eagle putt from just inside three feet at the par-5 16th hole, DeChambeau spun back a wedge to close range on 18 to leave himself a putt at history. Alas, he aimed too far left, and the ball never had a chance of going in. “I had the right speed,” he told the Golf Channel’s Steve Sands. “I misread the putt.” DeChambeau also eagled the par-5 fourth hole after his 273-yard second shot wound up just over 11 feet from the pin. It was the second round of 60 in the last two weeks, as Cameron Smith also flirted with 59 at THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National last week. Scottie Scheffler shot the last 59 on TOUR at THE NORTHERN TRUST at TPC Boston last year. DeChambeau beat his previous career low, a 62 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, by two shots. He came into the week 9th in the FedExCup, first in driving distance. At 16 under par, he took a one-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay (63) with two rounds remaining.

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Akshay Bhatia is making his PGA TOUR debut at this week’s Valspar Championship. You may want to keep tabs on him – he’s 17 years old and has the golf world buzzing as the next big thing. Bhatia, playing on a sponsor exemption, is paired with Chase Wright and Kramer Hickok, with the threesome teeing off in the last group of the day off the 10th tee Thursday at 2:31 p.m. ET. This won’t be the last TOUR event you’ll see him at this year. Bhatia, a tall, thin lefthander from Wake Forest, North Carolina, already has a spot at The RSM Classic next fall, thanks to his recent win at the Jones Cup Invitational. He’s currently ranked eighth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Here’s five things you should know about him. 1. He plans to turn pro soon. Bhatia, who doesn’t turn 18 until Jan. 2, 2020, is hoping to participate in the Walker Cup in early September at Royal Liverpool. If he does so, he would be the first high schooler to ever play for the U.S. team at that amateur event. Winning the Jones Cup last month was a big step in earning that honor. After the Walker Cup, Bhatia will turn pro instead of opting to remain an amateur and play in college. “That’s definitely a goal of mine to make the team and to represent the United States once again,� said Bhatia, who three months ago was one of the 16 amateurs included in a U.S. Walker Cup practice session. “After that, I think I have a pretty good game plan as far as turning pro and my scheduling going forward.� 2. School, quite frankly, doesn’t suit him. Bhatia was in eighth grade – which, mind you, wasn’t that long ago – when he had a discussion with his dad Sonny, who noticed that Akshay simply wanted to concentrate on playing golf, practicing golf, competing in golf events, etc. “You know what – let’s just not go to college. Let’s not do it,� Sonny told his son. Akshay quickly agreed with the move. “I’m an 8th grader,� he said. “Of course, I’m going to say no to school.� “I have never liked school,� Akshay explained. “I’ve never been very smart going in, sitting in a classroom – and I have the worst attention span when it comes to it. I just love being outside. I love playing golf and I love competing.� That doesn’t mean he wasn’t tempted. He visited a couple of colleges, and spoke to a few college coaches, including at Oklahoma State. He said if he had gone to college, it would’ve been either in Stillwater, Oklahoma, or in Palo Alto, California at Stanford. “I’m not saying college is a bad thing, because so many great players have come out strong. Playing four years at college and trying to win a national champion is probably one of the best feelings and one of the greatest things.� It just wasn’t for him. 3. Akshay’s interest in golf started with his older sister. Rhea Bhatia is about four years older than Akshay, who was a child when he first saw his sister swinging a club. “He wanted to play really badly at first but was too young,� Sonny told the Raleigh News and Observer, the family’s hometown newspaper in North Carolina. “I said, ‘Watch your sister and your time will come.’ They’ve both been playing golf ever since. Both love golf.� Rhea, the 2015 4A Regional champion as a high schooler, played two years on the women’s team at Queens University of Charlotte. 4. He first gained national attention in 2017. That’s when, as a 15-year-old, he won the Boys Junior PGA Championship – and set several records in doing so at the Country Club of St. Albans. Akshay took control of the tournament with a second-round 61, then finished at 22 under for a three-stroke victory. His winning score was five strokes better than Pat Perez’ previous mark. During that week, Akshay made 24 birdies, as well as two eagles, and suffered just six bogeys. More important, he realized he was pretty good at this game. “I told my dad prior to the tournament, ‘I’ve just never played good enough to win a big event… I don’t think I’m ready to be good enough,� Akshay recalled. “That week, it changed my whole outlook on my game.� 5. He’s enjoyed plenty of cool golf moments. There was the 63 he shot at famed Pinehurst No. 2, when it was playing at 6,300 yards during a U.S. Kids World Golf Championship event. Oh, and he also aced the par-3 17th at that course, which has hosted three U.S. Opens, a Ryder Cup and a PGA Championship. In 2014, he participated in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National, the weekend before the start of the Masters. He was among 88 juniors who advanced their way to the finals, and his family was there to enjoy the moment. “So humbling and such a great experience,� dad Sonny told the News and Observer. He’s had lunch with Jack Nicklaus at a Walker Cup event – and heard Nicklaus say, “You know, when I went to college, I didn’t learn much.� Said Akshay: “Which is funny, because you know, arguably the best player in the golf.� At the recent Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship, Akshay shot a tournament-record 10 under at TPC Myrtle Beach en route to winning the event. Afterward, Akshay said Johnson “is a mentor of mine. It was an amazing week.� Then during a practice round this week at the Copperhead Course, Akshay played with Jon Rahm. “I have a friend that is good friends with him, so he hooked me up with the invitation to play with Jon,� Akshay explained. “… I just asked him some stuff about what his experiences was when he was playing in his first PGA TOUR event and just got to know him a little bit. Hopefully in the future, I’ll be talking to him more.� Earlier this week, Akshay ran into DJ again and they had a short chat. “It’s cool because I’m slowly building relationships out here and for the future,� he said. “It’s going to be great just to lean on them a little bit.�

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