Tiger Woods criticised for lack of preparation as Tigermania builds ahead of The Open

Proper perspective helped Graeme McDowell win last year’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Now it is an asset during this time of crisis. While many of his peers and former Ryder Cup teammates congregated in Austin, Texas, for last year’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, McDowell traveled south to the Dominican Republic. He knew that joining a field comprised mainly of Korn Ferry Tour graduates and past champions looking to regain a foothold in the golf world was a necessary step if he wanted to rejoin the game’s elite. “I went in with the right attitude,� said McDowell, who was 257th in the world when he arrived in the Dominican Republic. “I was it as an opportunity, not punishment. I think I did a great job adjusting my attitude and understanding these opposite weeks as an opportunity.� McDowell made the most of the opportunity, shooting 18-under 270 for his first PGA TOUR win since 2015. He shot consecutive 64s after a first-round 73, then closed with a 69 to finish one shot ahead of Chris Stroud and Mackenzie Hughes. “Puntacana was pivotal for me,� McDowell said Wednesday in a conference call. “It certainly was a big turning point and step in the right direction.� McDowell would have been back at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play if not for the suspension of the PGA TOUR as the world copes with the coronavirus pandemic. He went on to finish 68th in last season’s FedExCup, his best finish since 2016. He added a European Tour victory in February and is back among the top 50 players in the world. McDowell, whose four PGA TOUR victories include the 2010 U.S. Open, has long been known as one of the more thoughtful players on TOUR, though, and he’s not seeking sympathy in the midst of this crisis. As a restaurant owner, he’s seen first-hand how people are suffering from the financial impact of the virus. McDowell’s two Florida-based Nona Blue taverns, located in Orlando and Ponte Vedra Beach, are closed indefinitely. “We closed our doors because our model isn’t based on take-away food,� he explained. “We are looking after the staff as best we can.� They have continued to pay the approximately 70 people who work at the two restaurants, but McDowell admitted that he doesn’t know how long that can last. “It gives me real-world perspective and makes me less focused on what I’m going through,� McDowell said. With his parents and wife’s parents living nearby in Orlando, McDowell also said his family is “laying pretty low� and trying to be careful about limiting its contact with other people. Not knowing when he’ll compete again also has made it difficult to find motivation to practice and prepare for golf’s resumption. He emphasized that sports take a backseat in a time like this, though. “I was excited about the schedule ahead, but we have to look at the big picture. (Golf) is slightly irrelevant and insignificant compared to what we’re going through,� he said. “Motivation is jumping out of bed with that target in mind. It’s hard to think about those targets when you don’t know. It’s insignificant, but it is important because it is our livelihood. But the priorities are taking care of family and that business, and making sure the people that work for us are taken care of as best we can.�

Click here to read the full article…

The first round of the RBC Canadian Open takes place today from Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Here’s how to follow all the action. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:00 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). FEATURED GROUPS Rory McIlroy/Matt Kuchar/Webb Simpson: 7:40 a.m. ET (No. 10) Corey Conners/Jim Furyk/Dustin Johnson: 7:50 a.m. ET (No. 10) Brooks Koepka/Justin Thomas/Brandt Snedeker: 12:50 p.m. ET (No. 1) MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Koepka ‘not too concerned’ with three-week layoff McIlroy ‘excited’ to make Canadian Open debut Canadian golf on PGA TOUR stronger than ever Conners on home turf in Canada DJ ready to defend title

Click here to read the full article…

Jason Kokrak … Let’s try this again, shall we? Not long after this space published for last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he withdrew from the tournament. Looking ahead, he makes even more sense at the Genesis Open where the vagaries that influence performance are minimal by comparison. He hasn’t missed an edition since first qualifying in 2012 and he’s missed only one cut in those seven trips. His last three resulted in top 25s, including a co-runner-up in 2016, and his scoring average over those 12 rounds is 69.08. Arrives in solid form with 12 consecutive cuts made, the last three of which were top 20s. Certainly long enough when he needs to find another gear, but the 33-year-old arguably is most confident with his irons. Martin Laird … He’s been performing pretty much as expected in recent weeks, and that includes an early pop at the Waste Management Phoenix Open before fading to T26. So, the mildly sneaky horse for a course deserves attention across the landscape at Riviera where he’s gone T11-T8-T9 with a scoring average of 68.92 since 2016. It’s sensible given his experience – this week’s edition marks his 10th appearance – and balanced attack throughout his bag. Jhonattan Vegas … When in his groove, he’s one of the PGA TOUR’s strongest talents tee to green, so he rarely worries about giving himself enough chances to make noise. The issue, as it has been since crashing on in 2011, is the putter. That explains not only his hit-and-miss record over time, but the same at Riviera. In six starts, he’s connected for just two top 35s among four cuts made, but both were top 15s. True to the formula, en route to a T15 here in 2017, he ranked 18th in strokes gained: putting. In his most recent start, he slotted fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green and finished T10 at TPC Scottsdale, another track that rewards that skill set. Sung Kang … He’s the product of converging trends, but it matters more that he’s 4-for-4 at Riviera with a T8 in 2016, a T22 in 2017 and a T16 last year. His scoring average for those 12 rounds is 69.33. Yet, it still doesn’t hurt that he’s recorded three top 20s since returning from the holiday hiatus, including a T14 at Pebble Beach. He’s ridden spurts in between long droughts before, but his elevated tee-to-green game at the moment suggests that this latest burst will extend at least one more week. Bud Cauley … At 28 years of age, he’s the youngest on this page, but he’s in his seventh season with a PGA TOUR card and this will be his fifth start at the Genesis Open where his personal-best of three cuts made was a T20 last year. He’s made us forget all about the time missed as a result of the automobile crash last summer by opening this season 5-for-7 with a pair of top 15s. Presents evenly analytically, which projects well once again at Riviera. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

Click here to read the full article…