Tiger Woods commits to the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

CROMWELL, Conn. – A few hours can complete a rich, flavorful circle. That was the emotion that consumed J.J. Henry as he renewed a summer tradition at the Travelers Championship this week. It was Henry’s 21st start at his hometown event and while he missed the cut for just the third time since 2002, in one way it was his most memorable appearance. That’s because he got to spend quality time inside the ropes at TPC River Highlands with his pro-am caddie – 14-year-old son Connor. “I don’t know if he’s quite ready to do it in a (competitive) TOUR event,â€� laughed Henry, “but that’s why I wanted to get him out there and kind of get the experience inside the ropes in a pro-am. Hopefully, sooner than later, he can do it again.â€� Beyond the father-son bonding, Henry fully appreciated what the experience presented. Back in 1998 when Henry, recently graduated from TCU, received a sponsor’s exemption into this tournament and made his PGA TOUR debut in a way that still warms his heart. His father, Ronald J. Henry Jr., caddied for him. “So, to have things come full circle 21 years later and have my 14-year-old son out here … it’s a big deal.â€� Though Henry has settled in Fort Worth, Texas, not far from his beloved TCU campus with his wife, Lee, and two boys, home will always be this New England state. He was a standout athlete in Fairfield, 50 miles south of TPC River Highlands, and everything about golf started with his father and his grandfather, Ronald J. Henry. (Little-known fact, but while he’s forever been called J.J., his real name is Ronald J. Henry 3d.) J.J.’s grandfather played golf at Fairfield High School alongside a future World Golf Hall of Fame member named Julius Boros, while his father was an accomplished amateur who played six times in The Amateur Championship in the U.K. and twice in the U.S. Amateur. The caddie stuff was handed down. Ronald J. Henry Jr. caddied for his father, then brought J.J. out to The Patterson Club as his caddie. It was only natural, then, for Ronald J. Henry Jr. to caddie for his son twice in the U.S. Amateur, but most especially here in J.J.’s debut in the Travelers Championship 21 years ago. Now that Connor has caddied for J.J., even if was the Monday and Wednesday pro-ams, “it puts things in perspective,â€� said J.J. “I’ve been fortunate to play out here (on the PGA TOUR) 19 straight years, so have boys old enough (younger son Carson is 10) to know what dad does and travel around a bit, it’s kind of cool.â€� For all the major championship starts and the Ryder Cup berth he earned in 2006, what the 44-year-old Henry covets about his PGA TOUR career is the association to this tournament. The first of his three PGA TOUR wins came here in 2006 when he took a two-stroke lead into Sunday’s round, shot 67, and finished three ahead of Hunter Mahan and Ryan Moore. Since his 1998 debut, he has only missed it once. To know that his love of the game was fueled by his father, Henry doesn’t take this time with his boys lightly. Brining Connor to TPC River Highlands as his caddie is “a great way for young kids to learn,â€� he said. It also feeds a growing thirst. “He’s kind of got the bug, which is good for me.â€� Henry said he always remember a conversation he had years ago with David Toms, who said that his passion for the game was rejuvenated when his son, Carter, showed an interest in golf. “When the kids say, ‘Hey, dad, let’s play,’ it’s good for me. It spurs you on to play and practice. “We can almost help each other out.â€�

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HONOLULU, Hawaii – No one at the Sony Open in Hawaii brought up the dreaded ‘Y’ word with Jordan Spieth but it was another struggle on the greens Thursday for the 11-time PGA TOUR winner. Spieth opened his campaign with a very rusty 3-over 73 at Waialae Country Club, low-lighted by the fact he made just 33 feet, seven inches worth of putts. As the afternoon wave headed out on the course, Spieth was trending to losing nearly three strokes on the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. Last season the 2015 FedExCup winner ranked 123rd on TOUR in the putting stats and missed the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. It prompted Tiger Woods former swing coach Hank Haney to come out and claim Spieth has the dreaded yips. “When I watch him putt, he visibly has the yips. You watch his hands on short putts and there is a tremor in there. I don’t care if the putt goes in or doesn’t,â€� he told ESPN.com. But Spieth himself is far from alarmed. “I felt comfortable with the putter today. Didn’t end up making anything but felt like I hit my lines; felt comfortable,â€� Spieth said in Hawaii. “That’s closer than the swing is. It’s not to where I’m just over it and playing shots or over it and seeing lines and hitting putts. It’ll get there. I’m not worried about it.â€� The former world No. 1 remains concerned with rust in his swing but is trusting his process of rectifying it. The Texan native is trying to re-ingrain the swing that worked for him in the past after falling away from it last season. He hit just seven of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens. “I went through like a couple different swings today. It was kind of a test I guess,â€� he said. “It’s very unusual. It could take a while, but I got pretty far off and I’m trying to backtrack significantly. But I need to get some tournament rounds to do it, even though it’s humbling at the same.â€� His 73 left him 11 shots back of early leader Andrew Putnam and towards the back end of the field but Spieth was mindful of not letting the scoreboard get into his head. He knows this could be a long-term fix.  “As long as I don’t let it get to me like I did a little bit last year, I’ll be able to get back on track sooner rather than later,â€� he said. “I will come back and try and shoot 5-, 6-under tomorrow, shoot a solid round. The idea is to try and progress each day. “I would really like to have an opportunity to do that on the weekend, so I need to shoot a good round tomorrow just to give myself a chance.â€�

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