The First Look: Barbasol Championship

ERIN, Wis. – Jordan Spieth spent the afternoon following his first round at Erin Hills on the practice green. He expected to see defending champ Dustin Johnson there too. “We might have a pillow fight putting contest, just to see if we can spark anything,� Spieth joked. It was one of the rare times he was able to crack a smile Thursday about his putting. The two most recent U.S. Open winners failed to take advantage of the favorable morning scoring conditions at Erin Hills, each suffering from an uncooperative putter. Playing in the same group, Spieth shot a 1-over 73 while Johnson posted a 3-over 75. They combined for just two birdies; the third member, Martin Kaymer, had four birdies in shooting the group’s low round, an even-par 72. “I’m surprised Martin could make a couple of them given he was watching me and DJ the whole day,� said Spieth, who won in 2015 at Chambers Bay – which, like Erin Hills, was a first-time U.S. Open venue. Making the score even more frustrating for Spieth was that his tee-to-green play was spectacular. He hit 13 of 14 fairways on Erin Hills’ generous wide driving zones and hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. “Best driving round that I’ve had maybe in my life,� Spieth said. But his putting has been an issue recently. He changed putters at his hometown event, the AT&T Byron Nelson, experimenting with a mallet-style putter. He went back to his old putter the next week and played well in his defense at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial. The tie for second was his best result since winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Numbers-wise, though, he’s not at the level he was two years ago. He entered this week ranked 40th in Strokes Gained: Putting. He was second the previous season and ninth in 2015 when he won five events and claimed the FedExCup title. On Thursday, he had 15 legitimate looks for birdies but could convert only one of those attempts. Spieth missed all eight of his attempts between 10-20 feet, and missed another two inside 10 feet. The hole shrunk as the misses piled up. “It just looked smaller, just looked like I was putting half-a-cup,� Spieth said “Sometimes it looks like I’m putting to two cups.� Johnson encountered a few more difficulties tee-to-green that Spieth (11 of 18 greens, 9 of 14 fairways), and he failed to birdie any of the par-5s on a course that played to a U.S. Open-record 7,845 yards on Thursday. He found trouble in the tall fescue at the par-5 14th, then compounded the problem with a 3-putt for a double bogey. It was one of three 3-putts he suffered in the round. Like Spieth, he failed to convert any of his putts from 10-20 feet and also missed three of six putts from 5-10 feet. “If I don’t three-putt, I shoot even,� Johnson said. “But if I just make one or two of the good looks I have, it’s a couple under. I didn’t hit it great, but I hit it good enough to shoot a good score. … “I didn’t play that bad. I just didn’t putt very good. It wasn’t that I was hitting bad putts. My speed was just a little off.� Johnson surely didn’t expect to end his first round 10 strokes off the lead and having to scramble on Friday to make the cut. Spieth didn’t expect to shoot over par on a great ball-striking day. But that’s where they are. The fix is fairly simple. “I can’t change anything that I was doing,� Spieth said. “If I get that many looks, I normally shoot 8-under par typically. So there’s nothing for me to change other than just dial things up on the greens.� Said Johnson: “I hit enough fairways to shoot a good score. But I’ve definitely got to roll it better. I’m swinging good, everything feels good – I just need to make more putts here.�

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DETROIT – Given that he had delivered his opening tee shot in Wednesday’s pro-am at 7:20 a.m. – a tee time that had necessitated an arrival to Detroit Golf Club just after sunrise – and followed that up with a “Shot For Heroes� ceremony that introduced a vehicle by which more funds will be raised for a charity that is already up to $1 million, then put himself in front of a heartwarming presentation to 15-year-old Anthony Trudel at the request of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, by late afternoon Rickie Fowler could not be blamed if he were dragging. Instead, he talked with enthusiasm about two trails of rejuvenation – his golf game and with Dan Gilbert’s vision for Detroit. As for the former, Fowler shrugged off a second-round 77 at the recent U.S. Open that took him out of contention and chose to focus on success earlier in the season – a fifth career win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open that was celebrated with family and friends who had never seen him raise a PGA TOUR trophy, and four other top 10s. “So far, it’s been a fun year,� he said. But it’s the latter that motivates Fowler in a different fashion, a more personal way. True, he’s got a sponsorship deal with Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage that is profitable, but Fowler has come to admire Dan Gilbert (the 57-year-old founder of Quicken Loans) and the man’s dream to revitalize Detroit. Fowler said he saw first-hand the Motown life Monday night. “Got a solid five hours in downtown. It’s cool to hear the stories of how much it’s changed, not just over the last five to 10 years, but really in the last two,� said Fowler. “A lot of stuff going on.� And, be advised, that Fowler knows what it means to have “a lot of stuff going on.� Consider his dance card once his 18-hole pro-am, was concluded – more than five hours, by the way, that was spent inside the ropes with one Kid Rock. “Fun to be in his hometown,� laughed Fowler, who plays golf or has dinner with Kid Rock frequently in the Jupiter, Florida, area. “I’ve heard a lot about Detroit from him.� Fowler helped introduce the “Shot For Heroes� corner at Detroit GC where visitors can take two 60-yard wedge shots and donate to a cause that wants to end homelessness for military veterans. It was an appearance at the “Shot For Heroes� ceremony that was especially sweet, because Fowler has become involved with the Trudel story since he heard about it in the spring of 2018. He lives about an hour south of Fowler’s home in Jupiter and was diagnosed with a brain tumor during a visit to a hospital in Boca Raton. From there, Trudel was air-lifted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and through Make-A-Wish, Trudel forwarded the desire to meet Fowler, one of his heroes. As a special guest of the Rocket Mortgage officials this week, Trudel spent time with Fowler Wednesday at Detroit Golf Club. The youngster hit balls, was gifted a new set of Cobra golf clubs, and learned that he’d be an honorary observer of Fowler’s second-round. “I told him to make sure he brings me some good luck and we’ll have some fun out there,� said Fowler. All of the duties, Fowler acknowledged, came with being “part of a tournament and kind of, I guess, in a little bit of a ‘host’ role.� But now 30 and in his 10th PGA TOUR season, Fowler has learned to effectively juggle his golf, his business interests and his personal life and when it comes to the proceedings this week, “it’s something I want to succeed.� There’s no reason it can’t come in conjunction with a level of golf that highlighted the earlier months of 2019 when in an eight-tournament stretch Fowler had a win, three other top 10s, and a spot inside the top 10 in the Officials World Golf Ranking. The goal going forward, he said, is simple. “Put myself in a good position for the (FedExCup) Playoffs,� he said. “I put myself in a great position early in the year, but you want to finish just as well as you started.�

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AUSTIN, Texas –  For a moment there it looked as if Stephen Ames was going to have company in the unwanted record books at the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play. Bubba Watson’s dominance early in the final at Austin Country Club over fellow University of Georgia alum Kevin Kisner – where he won the opening five holes – had everyone scrambling for the record books for largest wins. To be fair, most remember Tiger Woods giving Ames a 9 and 8 belting in the opening round of the 2006 tournament … but could Watson reach the almost mythical 10 and 8? The short answer is no – instead he settled for a 7 and 6 result – but it could have quite easily been more. Watson had legitimate chances to win the first 10 straight holes – and did win seven of them. It was a Bubba blitz of epic proportions – a combination of good golf and a tired opponent. It stands as a new record for a winning margin in an 18-hole final – with Woods’ 8-and-6 win over Stewart Cink in 2008 coming when the final was played over 36 holes. “I really don’t think it was pressure,â€� Watson said of Kisner’s performance. “I think it was just energy. I don’t think I scared him on the first tee. I think it was just his energy was gone after a couple of holes. And he was fighting, but just didn’t have the fight that he really wanted and needed.â€� Kisner had gone 19 holes in his semifinal against Alex Noren, a grinding match he probably should have lost, but showed great guts to win. Watson needed just 16 holes to oust Justin Thomas and had a comfortable lead for most of that match, expending much less physical and mental energy. “I don’t know what was going on. It was just pitiful. I couldn’t hit anywhere close to where I was trying,â€� Kisner lamented. “Long week. A little tired, probably. Lose some legs, and just didn’t have it. And finally made a few good swings coming in, but those were too little, too late.â€� In the final, Watson opened with five straight wins – the first player to do so all week. It all began with a birdie for him on the opening hole, setting the tone for the match. He even had a short putt to make it six in a row but proved human by missing on the low side. Another win on the seventh hole had him firing again and the now 11-time PGA TOUR winner had looks from 18 and 14 feet on the eighth and ninth, respectively, to win those holes only to let them slip. Another birdie on 10 followed before Kisner slightly delayed the inevitable with a long-range birdie and win on the 11th. Another Watson birdie on the 12th hole secured his second career WGC title and second TOUR win this season. “It’s absolutely amazing,â€� Watson said after moving to fourth in the FedExCup. “You don’t think about lists or anything, you just think about trophies and trying to win. And having two majors, and now having two World Golf Championships … the closest things to majors … what an honor and a privilege, overwhelming sensation to know that I have another trophy at the house.â€� CALL OF THE DAY SUPERLATIVES Best Match: The semifinal between Kevin Kisner and Alex Noren needed an extra hole to decide it. After the two traded some stunning golf early in the match it became a grind late. At one stage, Noren made five straight birdies but won just one hole. On the back nine, Kisner won the 12th, and then won it again in overtime to claim the win. Noren had multiple short putts to win holes, including on 18 in regulation, but couldn’t get it done. Read all match recaps here. Most Dominant Performance: Clearly it was the 7-and-6 rout Watson handed Kisner in the championship final. Most Holes Won: The eight holes won by Watson in the final was the pick of the four Sunday matches. Least Holes Won: Kisner at least got on the board with his long birdie bomb on the 11th hole in the final … the only hole he won. Best Learning Experience: FedExCup leader Justin Thomas had the chance to get to world No. 1 if he could beat Watson in their semifinal on Sunday morning but instead struggled to bring his best. Thomas admitted it got to him – an experience he can certainly learn from. “I haven’t had such a hard time not thinking about something so much. And that really sucked. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, to be perfectly honest,â€� Thomas said. QUOTABLES Well, yeah, there’s only two of us. Jell-O.If we do our job well, we think we’re good enough to beat the other guys. In the end it might be a good thing going to Augusta without that. I get to go do what I was going to do and let DJ have all that pressure. It was one of the hardest losses probably ever for me.

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