Tiger back seven but ‘overall’ pleased at Honda

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland – Some players’ tee shots struggled to reach the fairway. Long-irons and woods were needed to get within shouting distance of the green … on par-4s. The most recent major champion watched an approach shot sail on the wind and land on the wrong green. After a morning that was docile enough to have one player dreaming of a sub-60 round, the afternoon of the Genesis Scottish Open was a struggle as the winds gusted off the Firth of Forth. Collin Morikawa didn’t hesitate when asked about the wildest shot he saw. It wasn’t one he hit and it barely got airborne, but it came to rest in a most unlikely spot. Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris may have been separated by just a single shot in last month’s U.S. Open but their balls on the par-5 16th on Thursday were separated by the most miniscule of margins. Zalatoris’ chip on rolled across the green before hitting the hole. It slowed down until coming to rest atop the poker chip that Fitzpatrick uses to mark his ball. It was odd enough of an occurrence that Morikawa’s caddie, J.J. Jakovac, got down on one knee to snap a photo with his phone. In the morning, Cameron Tringale parred his final three holes for a 9-under 61 that gave him a three-shot lead. With the winds relatively manageable, Morikawa and Jakovac decided to leave the 5-wood in the bag instead of the lower-flying option of a 2-iron. “The 2-iron would have come in handy on the back nine,” Morikawa said with a smile. The Renaissance Club’s second half offers the best vistas of the Firth of Forth but that beauty also makes it brawny, leaving it more exposed to the high winds that are a trademark of golf in the game’s birthplace. This is the fourth edition of the Genesis Scottish Open played at The Renaissance Club. The first three were defined by benign conditions and low scores. The course fought back Thursday afternoon. A 66 from Kurt Kitayama was the best round from the afternoon wave by two shots. Only six players who teed off in the latter half of the draw shot under par, and only two shot lower than 69. Thirty-two players were in the red in the morning. The late starters’ scoring average of 73.5 was more than three strokes higher than the scoring average for the morning wave. Rickie Fowler, the 2015 Scottish Open champion, was among those who shot 69 in the afternoon. His 6-iron on the 147-yard, par-3 14th landed 20 yards short of his target. He needed a driver, 2-iron and 6-iron to reach the green on the par-5 16th, where many players struggled to reach the fairway. A driver and a 2-iron left him 30 yards short of the green on the par-4 finishing hole. The group of Fitzpatrick, Morikawa and Zalatoris represented the reigning champions of the U.S. Open and Open Championship, and the player who may be the TOUR’s best when conditions get tough. They all shot 71 on Thursday afternoon. “It was just knowing that you have to hit a great shot to hit it to 40 feet,” said Morikawa. Zalatoris, who ranks 16th on TOUR in driving distance, hit three 3-irons into par-4s, as well as a 3-wood. Fitzpatrick watched his tee shot on the par-3 12th catch a gust and sail into the middle of the adjoining 14th green. He took a drop off the putting surface, hit a 40-yard pitch over that green and an ancient wall to within 10 feet of the hole. He made the putt to save par. Justin Thomas shot 73, as did Hideki Matsuyama. Xander Schauffele shot 72. The rain that fell Wednesday made things even more difficult, making the course play longer and limiting players’ ability to run the ball along the ground. Winds of 15-20 mph are expected Friday, as well. “That’s links golf,” Zalatoris said. It is indeed.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Asking Davis Love III, John Daly and Greg Norman a few questions about driving the golf ball is a no-brainer. After all, each of the three have impressive credentials in that area. Love led the TOUR in driving distance (measured drives) in 1986 and 1994 and ranked inside the top 10 in that category a dozen other times. Norman ranked inside the top 10 in driving distance for nine seasons during his heyday. Daly, of course, goes down as one of the PGA TOUR’s biggest hitters, leading in driving distance 11 times during a 12-season stretch. In 1997, he was the first player to average 300 yards in a single season. All three players are in this weekend’s PNC Father/Son Challenge and were gracious enough to weigh in on a few driving questions. DAVIS LOVE III Q: Who would you say are the top-three drivers of the golf ball of all time? You can include yourself if you want. DAVIS LOVE III: “I won’t include myself. I’ll let someone else do that. I’m probably not in the top 10. I would go with Greg Norman.â€� Q: Is this in order? Is he one? Or just in the top three?  LOVE: “Oh. I’m going Greg Norman for No. 1 distance and direction. Who else? I’m going to go Calvin Peete just because straight. He drove it as straight as anybody I’ve ever seen. And then, um … who else would I want to drive for me? Right now, Rory McIlroy.â€� Q: What are you thinking about Cameron Champ? Do you think he’d be outdriving you when you were in your prime? LOVE: “Oh definitely. He reminds me a lot of me. I played with him first two rounds at [The RSM Classic]. And he’s got a driver and then a 2-iron. “He hits the 2-iron past everyone’s driver. That’s what I did when I came out. I had a driver and then a Ping 1-iron. He’s the modern technology. You know when I came out in ’86, he’s that now, but with more power, you know, with the modern clubs. It’s just a whole different … but he’s that much longer than everybody else. That’s what I did, I was the longest in comparison.â€� JOHN DALY Q: Who would you say — you can include yourself — are the top-three drivers of the golf ball of all time? JOHN DALY: “Oh, that’s a hard one. The generations have changed. A month ago, I was being called the greatest of all time, but that was from fans. I just don’t know how you would even predict it. How would you take it, like, fairways hit over your career and how far the average was. But we only (measure) two holes on TOUR. I guess Nicklaus had to be one of the greatest drivers of the golf ball.â€� Q: If you had one guy to hit the tee shot on No. 15 at Augusta. who would it be? I guess that would be a good determining factor right there. DALY: “If it’s with an iron, it’s Tiger. You know? (Laughs) Driver-wise I mean, right now it’s [Brooks] Koepka because he hits it so far and straight. Right now. But the greatest of all time? Man, that’s tough.â€� Q: Do you think, in your prime, you hit it farther than Cameron Champ? DALY: “It’s hard to say. Persimmon wood with a real soft ball? I think the ball is what’s made the difference in people hitting it so far now. How far do you think Nicklaus would have hit it in the era that we grew up in?â€� Q: Yeah, it’s tough, I mean how far would you be hitting it with a new ball and a new head back in your prime? DALY: “Well, I did know when I went from playing a Ping laminated driver back in those days and I switched to a bubble with TaylorMade, and back then with a balata ball, it didn’t change it. I think the golf ball is what’s changed it.â€� GREG NORMAN Q: Including yourself, who are the top-three drivers of the golf ball of all time? And is Cameron Champ on that list? GREG NORMAN: “No, he’s got a long way to go before he’s on that list. He’s a kid. He hasn’t played all the great golf courses under varying conditions and stuff like that. [Pointing to his caddie] He’d probably be the better one to ask. Who are the three best drivers of the golf ball of all time?â€� CADDIE TONY NAVARRO: “He is the best driver of all time (points to Norman). I’d say Trevino was probably really good, and I think Adam Scott’s a great driver of the golf ball.â€� NORMAN: “I would say Adam Scott. I’d put Adam right in there too. I would say there’s three different generations, right? Know what I mean?â€� Q: What about Jack? NORMAN: “Look, Jack was a good driver, I don’t think he was a great driver. I mean, a great driver of the golf ball is when you can put it out there and every time, there’s no fear, you’re just going at it. I’d put Jack in probably the top dozen.â€� Q: Does Tiger hit enough fairways to make that list? NORMAN: “He’s not, he’s not a great driver. Everybody picks up on Tiger, but he’s not a great driver of the golf ball, because he’s not consistent. He’s a great middle iron and iron player. But he’s not a great driver.â€�

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