Tiger cleared to resume full golf activities

Welcome to the Monday Finish where Justin Thomas is already 500 points behind in the new FedExCup race after Brendan Steele reaffirmed his love affair with California wine country. Steele reclaimed the Safeway Open with a solid Sunday to set up his season once more. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. The old “horses for courses� saying certainly rings true for Brendan Steele at Silverado. While he’s now made it back-to-back wins in the Napa Valley some of you may forget he held the 54-hole lead the year before as well before fading in the final round. His redemption last year clearly gave him some next-level confidence. As such he calmly overtook Tyler Duncan on Sunday and then, after some back nine bogeys gave others like Phil Mickelson life, he parried off the challengers with two late birdies. His maturity talking of his win was also noteworthy. Steele acknowledged he felt he stopped playing to win in the back half of last season and played to just make the TOUR Championship. Instead he drifted to 33rd in the FedExCup. This year he plans to keep the foot down and that should ensure he contends a fair bit more before the TOUR stops in Atlanta again. 2. Tony Finau is too good to have just one PGA TOUR victory. Finau was threatening on Sunday, without his best stuff, before a wayward drive finally caught up with him on the 14th hole. He’d just come off a birdie on the 13th and you figured, with the two late par-5s to come, the big-hitter was primed to add to his 2016 Puerto Rico Open. But his drive on 14 ended up behind a tree forcing a punch out – something that shouldn’t have been the death of him. The subsequent poor approach and missed short putt that turned it into a double bogey however were not his best moments. His approach game and putting throughout the rest of the round had been on point. I reckon the experience will steel him next time around. 3. Phil Mickelson surely is going to break his drought soon … right? I mean it is utterly ridiculous to think the veteran finished T3 having hit just 15 of 56 fairways for the week at Silverado. In rounds 1 and 3 he hit just two fairways each day. On Sunday, he found just three fairways. Yet, he hung around the top of the leaderboard all week. Phil did say the stats were a little misleading. “This is a very skewed golf course to judge fairways hit,� Mickelson said. “I hit three beautiful drives on 18; none of them found the fairway. The fairway’s 13 yards wide. I paced it. So on a normal TOUR course, I would have hit 10, 11 fairways today. I drove it fairly well. But out here, I think, is a way to kind of protect that, they move the fairways in so that they’re about half what they normally are.� His next chance to break the drought that now stretches back to The Open Championship in 2013, will be in China in a few weeks’ time at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Mickelson has won twice before at Sheshan Golf Club, so maybe …. 4. A new season means a new bunch of rookies and we got to see some talent shine early. Tyler Duncan held the 36- and 54-hole lead at Silverado before perhaps the occasion got the better of him. His final round 75 saw him drop to a T5 finish that should be as pleasing as it is disappointing to the young man. Opening Sunday with three straight bogeys is a pretty quick education in final round pressure on the main TOUR. Duncan can look to champion Brendan Steele as inspiration if he so desires. In 2015 Steele similarly let the 54-hole lead slip and now he’s gone back-to-back. Fellow rookie Brandon Harkins also marked the start of his season with a top-10, closing with a tidy 68 to be T9. Then, there was the flash of brilliance early in the tournament from Maverick McNealy. He threatened the top of the leaderboard in Round 2 before a triple bogey, and while his over-par weekend saw him fade to T52, you saw a glimpse of why some pundits are expecting very big things. 5. I really enjoyed seeing Graham DeLaet (T5) and Hunter Mahan (T13) near the top of the leaderboard this week. Both had been at the forefront of my mind recently as I watched replays of previous Presidents Cups in preparation for this year’s biennial event at Liberty National. When Canadian DeLaet was part of the International Team in 2013, a year he was 8th in the FedExCup, I figured it was just a matter of how soon a win on TOUR would come. But things haven’t gone that way. While he’s maintained enough form to keep his card each year, he also went through a period of chipping and bunker yips. Those times appear behind him as he continues from some late form last season and hopefully the drought-breaking win is coming soon. As for Mahan, well, he played in four Presidents Cups. He’s won six times on TOUR. But now he finds himself playing from the past champion category. Somewhere inside is the magic and perhaps this week is the early stages of finding the combination. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Steele collects his third PGA TOUR victory (2011 Valero Texas Open, 2016 and 2017 Safeway Open) in his 178th start at the age of 34 years, six months and three days. At the Safeway Open his results now show: (T7-2011, MC-2012, MC-2013, T21-2014, T17-2015, 1-2016, 1-2017). But since moving to the Silverado Resort and Spa in 2015, Steele is the most under par of any player at 50-under par. 2. Steele ranked 1st in the field in driving distance (327.8 yards) and T3 in driving accuracy (67.86 percent). Coupled with finding 79.17 percent of greens (4th) at an average proximity of 29’10� (6th) and you can see how he was able to repeat. 3. Chesson Hadley’s course record 61 on Friday showed why the top finisher on the web.com TOUR last season is probably destined to stay up top for some time to come. While Sunday failed to bring similar heroics and he ultimately finished T3 his 23 birdies in the tournament was tied for the most on the week. 4. Xinjun Zhang finished T37, becoming the first-ever full PGA TOUR member from China to play all four rounds in a TOUR event. 5. Graham DeLaet (T5) now owns 16 of 18 rounds of par-or-better at this event (75/R2/2017, 77/R4/2016). Prior to this week’s fifth-place effort, his previous-best result at the Safeway Open was T6 in his debut in 2010. TOP 3 VIDEOS 1. Phil Mickelson had trouble hitting fairways at Silverado but when he found one … he made sure to admire it. 2. John Daly to the weekend! 3. Jason Day’s 5-year-old son Dash is probably a better bunker player than you.

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AVONDALE, La. – Among the many elements making the Zurich Classic of New Orleans’ team format so distinctive is an intangible not usually present at individual stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR. Chemistry. With 80 two-man teams to start the week, the dynamic between partners can be a determining factor on which team holds up the new Fleur-de-lis crystal trophy after the final putt drops Sunday at TPC Louisiana. “I think chemistry helps,â€� said Billy Horschel, the defending champion along with teammate Scott Piercy. “Do you need it to play good team golf? No. But I think if you do have a good strong chemistry with somebody and get along and there’s a good mojo between you two, I think it can only enhance the teamwork-type deal…we all want to play great for our teammates.â€� That’s especially true on Friday and Sunday when Foursomes are played in the second and final rounds. Under the alternate-shot format, no player wants to leave his partner in a bad spot by hitting a poor drive. And certainly no player wants to miss a short birdie attempt after his partner just stuck an approach inside 5 feet. Without the right chemistry, without confidence in each other, a partnership can be strained if players are constantly having to bail out each other. Although they’ve yet to win, the tandem of Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown has played about as well as any since the team format was instituted in 2017. They lost in a playoff two years ago to Cameron Smith-Jonas Blixt, and last year were the 54-hole leaders before stumbling to a 77 in the final round. In their previous seven rounds before that, they were 47 under. It helps that they’ve known each other for 25-plus years. They were traveling roommates when starting their pro careers on the mini-tours and then the Web.com Tour. They’re practice partners in the off-season back home in Aiken, South Carolina, and they also spend plenty of time together off the course – or, as Brown described, “We hang out all the time.â€� That chemistry is one of the primary reasons they entered Thursday’s first round of Four-balls as one of the favorites. “Tons of camaraderie,â€� Kisner explained. “That helps out there when you’re trying to win a tournament or just from a teammate or partnership. It’s nice to know each other’s games so well.â€� Added Brown: “More so than anything, the bad shots don’t make us very upset at each other because we’ve seen each other’s bad shots on an everyday basis when we’re at home. We just kind of go out there and do our things like we do at home.â€� As for the defending champs, Piercy was born and raised in Las Vegas and attended college in San Diego; Horschel, meanwhile, is a Florida native. While they didn’t grown up together like Brown and Kisner did, they have become close friends since turning pro. Piercy didn’t play the Zurich Classic in 2017, while Horschel partnered with fellow University of Florida alum Matt Every and missed the cut. When Piercy put Zurich on his 2018 schedule, they decided to hook up. Their chemistry strikes a perfect balance – the emotional, talkative Horschel and the laid-back casual vibes of Piercy. It even extends to TPC Louisiana. Horschel loves the course, having won in 2013 when the Zurich Classic was an individual stroke-play event. Piercy, meanwhile, had missed the cut six times in his eight starts prior to last season. But now that he’s part of a team, he has a much more positive outlook since he can avoid some of the shots that have previously given him trouble. “I’ll say as an individual stroke-play event, this hasn’t been my favorite course,â€� Piercy said. “But a lot of the shots that I haven’t liked, Billy hits – and they’re mainly on odd holes. “For me, the chemistry that I feel from Billy’s vibe here, because he likes it so much, I’ll say that it picks me up and it makes me feel good.â€� Said Horschel: “I love being here. I have good vibes whenever I step on this golf course.â€� Added Piercy: “He’s riding cloud 9 around this place. He loves it. So it’s nice to get on that cloud with him.â€� While some teams have established chemistry, others are trying to build chemistry. In fact, that’s one of the big goals this week for International Team Captain Ernie Els. Not only is he playing with fellow South African (and assistant captain) Trevor Immelman, Els had a hand in determining some of the teams involving players who may be on his 12-man roster for the Presidents Cup in Australia this December. Not included the Els-Immelman tandem, there are 13 teams in which both players represent International Team countries. Els hopes whatever chemistry is developed by some of those teams this week at TPC Louisiana will carry over for the rest of the year. Getting accustomed to the Foursomes and Four-balls formats is also key to that chemistry building. At the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National, the International Team trailed 14-1/2 to 3-1/2 after the completion of all Foursomes and Four-ball sessions, as the Americans nearly clinched victory prior to Sunday’s Singles. The International Team had a 7-1/2 to 4-1/2 advantage on a final day in which the outcome essentially was already determined. “We cannot win the Cup if we don’t play these disciplines very well,â€� Els said. “Foursomes and Four-ball is very important to winning the Presidents Cup in December. “Now, saying that, not all our players are here. We’re trying out some selections. Some of the guys just want to play together…we’ll see how it goes. We’ve got another plan when we get to December.â€� That plan, no doubt, will rely heavily on the chemistry built this week.

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Hideki Matsuyama is crucial to the International Team’s chances in the Presidents Cup. The eight-time TOUR winner is making his fourth Presidents Cup appearance and is the highest-ranked member of the International Team. He may have a new club in the bag, as well, at Quail Hollow after using a yet-to-be-released Srixon driver in the season-opening Fortinet Championship. Matsuyama is known as one of the TOUR’s top tinkerers, showing up every week with a bag filled to the brim with backup clubs and extra shaft. It’s not uncommon for Matsuyama to test four or five different driver builds during a range session, with four or five additional shafts on deck that he swap out for further testing. He’s constantly looking for the right feel and precise performance from his equipment. Since early last year, Matsuyama has consistently used and tested slightly-modified versions of Srixon’s ZX5 driver model that was released to the public in January 2021.The 2021 ZX5 retail model comes with a larger profile made for forgiveness, whereas the ZX7 has a more compact look and is designed for a more penetrating trajectory. On the day before the opening round of the Fortinet Championship, Matsuyama was spotted testing a completely new prototype driver from Srixon. A day earlier, GolfWRX.com caught wind of players testing new Srixon “ZX5 MKII LS” and “ZX7 MKII” prototype drivers at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California. The drivers were recently added to the USGA Conforming Clubs List, so they’re approved for competition, but they are unreleased models that have yet to be seen by the public. Matsuyama, who’s usually seen testing various Srixon 2021 ZX5 drivers during his practice sessions, was spotted testing Srixon’s new ZX5 MKII LS drivers on Wednesday and in photos from Thursday’s first round. Although Srixon representatives chose not to speak on the new driver technologies when contacted for comment, a bit of detective work can add a bit of clarity. The ZX5 MKII “LS” (which presumably stands for “low spin”) has a weight in the front portion of the sole near the face. Typically, moving the center of gravity (CG) toward the face can help create a lower-spinning, lower-launching ball flight. Additionally, the words “Rebound Frame” appear on the toe section of the face. In Srixon’s previous driver release, the Rebound Frame enhanced speed by using strategically placed regions with various levels of rigidity and flexibility to maximize energy transfer into the golf ball; it appears the Rebound Frame is being used in the new models, as well. Matsuyama employed a 10.5-degree ZX5 MKII LS driver head, equipped with the familiar Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8TX orange shaft that he’s used for years. He’s also added a strip of lead tape to the back/heel portion of the driver head for a slight modification to the center of gravity.

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