Style Insider: The story behind Adam Scott’s new double-pleated look

FORT WORTH, Texas – There were plenty of hand waves Tuesday as PGA TOUR pros said hello to fellow competitors that they had not seen for three months. Handshakes, of course, are not acceptable in the COVID-19 environment, so a friendly gesture from social distance must suffice. That’s not to say, however, that fist and elbow bumps also completely disappeared. Playing partners finishing their practice rounds at Colonial just couldn’t help themselves. It felt so good to return to work, to prepare once again for a tournament, that 6-foot rules were occasionally violated. “People need to realize that some mistakes will happen because we’re so used to a routine that it’s going to be hard to just be constantly aware of the situation we’re living in,â€� said Jon Rahm. “At some point somebody is going to slip. Somebody is going to fist bump.â€� For the golf world, the Charles Schwab Challenge marks the first time TOUR pros have gathered en masse since March 12, the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship. After the rest of the TOUR’s signature event was canceled as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the 2019-20 season also was suspended … until this week. Excited to get back into action, many players arrived at Colonial on Monday to go through the on-site protocols and get in some practice time. Rahm was not one of them. One hour into his flight on a private plane, Rahm realized his golf bag and suitcases had not been loaded. So the pilot turned the plane around and headed back to Arizona. Load the bags, refuel the jet, and take off again. It threw off Rahm’s entire schedule. But he just shrugged. Even in the new normal, old nuisances can still happen. “It’s not the first time that a suitcase gets forgotten,â€� he said. “Travel inconveniences are extremely common. It’s kind of like, welcome to life again, right? Where things can go wrong. You can do nothing but laugh about it.â€� Rahm wasn’t laughing, though, early Tuesday morning when he underwent the mandatory testing for players. The 6-inch cotton nasopharyngeal swab hurt more than expected. “I’m not going to lie,â€� he said. “I think it was pretty far up your nose.â€� Despite the COVID-19 fears and the uncomfortable tests (as of Tuesday morning, no players or caddies had tested positive) and the underlying nervousness that permeates our daily lives now, seeing players laugh and smile and just enjoy being back inside the ropes should lift the spirts of all golf fans watching from afar this week. There was Jim Furyk, who just turned 50, sharing a story with Bud Cauley, 20 years his junior, while the two were practicing their chipping. Furyk’s longtime caddie, Fluff Cowan, kept his hands in his pockets, his way of curtailing the urge to toss golf balls to his man. There was Billy Horschel and Danny Willett, trying to decide who was going to putt on a particular hole on the practice green. “Are you going to use this right now?â€� Horschel asked. There was Jordan Spieth with his longtime friend Kramer Hickok against Colonial members Ryan Palmer and Franklin Corpening in a friendly nine-hole match. Spieth won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2016, but the local knowledge paid off for the members, who “won a little bit,â€� said Palmer. The match has becoming something of an annual tradition among the four, so it was a good thing to rekindle. “That sense of normalcy was nice to have today that we haven’t had in three months,â€� noted Palmer, who has the honor of hitting the opening tee shot Thursday. There was Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson – partners in the recent TaylorMade Driving Relief charity match – checking out something on DJ’s phone while standing on the 10th tee box as they waited for the fairway to clear. Whatever it was, they were clearly enjoying it. Even though the general public is not allowed on-site this week, that doesn’t mean there aren’t fans in attendance. Corpening, who played collegiately at nearby TCU and received a sponsor’s exemption this week, is making his fourth TOUR start of his career. Each one has been at Colonial, where his family are long-time members and where he’s worked in a variety of roles when not in the field. “Rory is my favorite player,â€� Corpening told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I love his action. I’m going to sit on the top putting green just so I can watch him tee off or hit some balls. That’s where we all want to be — No. 1 in the world.â€� For others on-site, no fans means being able to listen to exchanges and conversations that might otherwise be drowned out, like Brooks Koepka – sporting a bushy mustache — talking about a particular hairstyle Tuesday in between putting practice. And no grandstands nor hospitality tents means getting an unique look at Colonial, which has hosted an annual PGA TOUR event since the 1940s, making it the longest-running non-major venue on TOUR. The compact, old-school layout can be appreciated in all its original glory. Standing near the 10th green Tuesday, you could see parts of at least seven holes on the back nine. In previous years, that 360 view would include several stands. “It’s awesome,â€� said Justin Thomas, getting his first up-close look at Colonial, as he had never been able to work it into his playing schedule in previous seasons. “It’s a place that I’ve always watched on TV and I love how it looks. It’s a fun tournament to watch.â€� In some ways, the new normal looked very much like the old one. Players working on their games, instructors nearby to offer advice. Volunteers in golf carts filled with water bottles scurrying around to resupply coolers on tee boxes. Leaderboards and videoboards in their usual spots. The fairways roped off – except for the crossover areas. Two security officers on bikes even accompanied McIlroy and DJ, even though no one was following the world’s No. 1 and No. 5 ranked players. It’s McIlroy’s first visit to Colonial; practicing in shorts, his bare legs seemed ripped from the pages of the latest fitness magazine thanks to all his recent Peleton work. But the reality is that golf is entering unchartered territory this week. Tests and protocols and social distancing and no fans and no high-fives and Jim Nantz in a booth (not even behind the 18th green) by himself. Maybe it’ll be a brief trip. Or maybe some things will be permanently changed. “You can’t go into this thing [saying] it’s going to be normal because it’s not,â€� Thomas said. “I would say 2020 is beyond a bizarre year so far, and especially in the world of sports — it’s just going to be different. ‘If we all want to get back and play the game that we love and not just for us but for the fans and everybody at home, we’re just going to have to get over the fact that it’s going to be different and be a little weird.â€� Weird, however, can be interesting. Different can be a positive. It’s just a matter of keeping an open mind. The good news is that the world’s best golfers are back in action this week. After 91 days, the time finally has arrived.

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The sheer length of most PGA TOUR courses makes driver a must-have club in the usual equipment setup. At just over 7,300 yards, Sedgefield Country Club isn’t short by TOUR standards, but that didn’t stop Henrik Stenson from removing his Callaway GBB Epic driver and going with a 13-degree Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood as the longest club in the bag. The Swede didn’t suffer from a lack of distance in Greensboro. He still averaged 294.4 yards off the tee and ranked 8th in the field in driving accuracy (75 percent) with a fairway wood that was produced in 2010 and retails used for around $20. In addition to the trusty 3-wood, Stenson’s Callaway Legacy Black irons and Odyssey White Hot XG #7H played important roles during the final round. Stenson finished third in greens in regulation for the tournament with the set of Endo Forged S20C irons that are only available in Asia. The irons have a wider sole that improves forgiveness and turf interaction, and an undercut cavity that minimizes vibrations. Stenson has been using the irons going all the way back to his FedExCup title in 2013. The Odyssey White Hot XG #7H putter (34.5 inches with 3.25 degrees of loft) has been another mainstay in his bag for several years. Stenson used the putter to make three consecutive birdies over the final four holes, including a 27-footer on the 17th that gave him a one-shot cushion heading to the last. Here’s a look at Stenson’s entire equipment setup. 3-wood: Callaway Diablo Octane Tour (Grafalloy Blue X shaft), 13 Degrees 5-wood: Callaway XR 16 Pro (Grafalloy shaft), 18 degrees Irons: Callaway Legacy Black (3-PW; Nippon Pro Modus3 120X shafts) Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (50 and 56 degrees; Nippon Pro Modus3 120X shafts), Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind (60 degrees; Nippon Pro Modus3 120X shaft) Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG #7H Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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NAPA, Calif. – Notes and observations from Sunday’s wild and windy final round of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort & Spa.  LEADING LIGHTS TWAY GETS 1ST WIN. Kevin Tway warmed up with his hat on backward. “It was blowing about 40,� he said of the blustery conditions facing the final threesome. He hung tough, though, and made five straight birdies, including three in a sudden-death playoff against Ryan Moore and Brandt Snedeker, to pick up his first PGA TOUR win at age 30. Tway and his father, eight-time TOUR winner Bob, become the 10th father-son duo to win on TOUR. Snedeker had a four-shot lead at the turn but shot a back-nine 39 to lead to the playoff. How tough were the conditions? Brandon Harkins shot 83, and 13 players hit wind-aided drives of 400-plus yards. Tway, who spoke of his struggles to stay patient, did exactly that. NOTABLES SNEDEKER STUNNED. Brandt Snedeker said he wanted wind, and he got it, but the leader suddenly came down with a left miss and bogeyed three straight holes to start the back nine. He halted the skid with pars on 13-15, seemed to steady himself with a birdie on 16, but bogeyed from the trees on 17 and failed to birdie 18 to fall into the three-man playoff. “I’m going to look at that one in a few years and know I gave that one away,� said Snedeker, who had a three-shot lead as he made the turn but lost it all. The problem: he kept pulling his irons left. “It’s an old tendency when the pressure seems to get on,� he said.  MICKELSON ENTERTAINS. Phil Mickelson never stopped fighting, delivering three closing birdies for a memorable even-par 72 in the difficult conditions. Playing for the eighth time in 10 weeks, a mistake he said he won’t be repeating, Mickelson made five birdies to make up for a triple-bogey 8 at the 5th hole, an adventure that included two penalty shots, and hitting just 5/14 fairways. He finished T17. “Actually, I played pretty good,� he said. “I hit two balls out of bounds on that 5th hole trying to go for the green, and other than that I played pretty well.�     COUPLES STRUGGLES. It was a week in which he turned 59 and made his 500th cut on the PGA TOUR, but sponsor’s exemption Fred Couples struggled in the heavy wind with a final-round 75 to fall down the leaderboard. The bright side: After making bogeys on five of the first six holes, Couples stabilized with three birdies and just one more birdie the rest of the way. He finished T41. “For a while I didn’t think we were going to play,� Couples said of the strong winds. “And then we played and I didn’t really play.� Still, he said the week was so much fun he’s ready to come back again, perhaps as early as next year, if he’s healthy. It was a change of tune for a player who came into the week saying this would be his last non-major TOUR start. OBSERVATIONS MOORE SURPRISED. When he finished his round with a 9-foot birdie some 40 minutes in front of the final threesome, Ryan Moore thought he’d shot a nice final round for a nice top-10 finish. He was surprised to slip into a playoff, though, after third-round leader Brandt Snedeker faltered with a back-nine 39. “I was proud of how I played, hitting good shots in the moment,� said Moore, who birdied the first two playoff holes (both at the par-5 18th) before Tway ended it with a birdie at the third one, at the par-4 10th. “And honestly,� Moore continued, “even the putt on 18 the second go-round, a foot more pace and that was probably going to go in (for eagle).� STEELE FLAT IN ‘3-PEAT’ BID. Brendan Steele was trying to become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-’11) to win the same TOUR event three years in a row. It seemed possible, given Steele’s obvious affinity for Silverado, but while his week started well with an opening-round 67, he stalled (71-72-75) and never contended after that.  BADDELEY MAKES MOST OF START. Aaron Baddeley shot a final-round 69 to get to 13-under and finished a shot out of the playoff, in a five-way tie for fourth place. Not a bad result, considering he wasn’t even in the tournament until he Monday-qualified for it. The top-10 finish will get him an exemption into the Sanderson Farms Championship, Oct. 25-28. “My game’s been feeling good for a while,� said Baddeley, who reunited with caddie Pete Bender for the week in Napa. “I really felt like this was on the way, so I’ve been really working hard.� QUOTABLES I’d love to come back.It was a nice (way) to start or end the year, however you look at it.Got to find a way to win those. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 67 by Luke List and Ryan Moore. Longest drive: 428 yards (Patrick Rodgers/No. 13) Longest putt: 64’ 1� (Adam Svensson/No. 6) Toughest hole: The 150-yard, par-3 15th played to a 3.392 average. Easiest hole: The 564-yard, par-5 16th played to a 4.284 average. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the PGA TOUR, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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