Tiger Woods’ good form continues at Honda Classic

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – He is back on the PGA TOUR for the first time since November 2019, back among friends, back in golf which has “always been something that I love.” But when Morgan Hoffmann is asked why he’s back at age 32, the answer hits on all angles of a story that pulls at the heartstrings and introduces worlds of wellness and holistic health that are not the norm. Some players return to the Korn Ferry Tour or a former coach to rediscover secrets to the game; Hoffmann in 2018 spent time in Nepal and for most of the last two years has resided in Costa Rica “with a drive for health” his main goal. “It is,” said Luke Donald, who played a Tuesday practice round with Hoffmann at the RBC Heritage, “a fascinating story, isn’t it?” Indeed, it is. Diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) in 2017, Hoffmann wanted answers and was told nothing could be done. He refused to accept that and explored worlds that were available to him, so long as he had an open mind. Oh, did he ever. Nepal is where he went to cleanse himself. But the move to Costa Rica for Hoffmann and his wife, Chelsea, to live among “healers” unlocked ways to treat his muscular dystrophy and to reassess so many other aspects of his world. Hoffmann appreciates that people who embrace Western medicine will perhaps be lost to know what he’s embarked upon, but part of his mission to return to the PGA TOUR is to educate people. He has started a foundation and wants to build a wellness center in Costa Rica. “A lot of people call some of the things that I’ve embarked upon as hallucinogenic, but the way I see them is so much different,” said Hoffmann. “I think it’s like a backdoor or side door to different dimensions or different planes. I don’t really have it down yet; I’m still questioning and trying to figure it all out.” His journey from the PGA TOUR to Nepal to Costa Rica and back to the PGA TOUR was recently reported thoroughly and beautifully in Golf Digest by Dan Rapaport. Hoffmann said he received “amazing positive feedback.” But he laughs, too, because his journey “can be deemed as crazy, but I think that’s kind of what most people see me as anyway.” Donald, who got to know Hoffmann years ago and has stayed in touch, finds nothing crazy about the story. Rather, Donald admires how in Hoffmann’s quest to cleanse himself physically and mentally, important lessons have been learned. “I think everyone is excited to see the progress he’s made with the knowledge he’s gained and the self-belief he has,” said Donald. “He’s content. We always think we need material to be happy, but I think he’s learned that less is more.” While Hoffmann reported that he felt fine, that he was back to working out diligently, that his pectorals “are coming back from the atrophy, which is huge and very, very exciting,” Donald saw that himself and came away impressed. “We didn’t talk too much about his illness,” said Donald. “But he has figured out how to heal his mental self. He looks good. It doesn’t look anything has been degenerative.” The golf component to Hoffmann’s story is one of long odds. Playing in the RBC Heritage on one of three remaining starts on a medical extension, he must accumulate 238.42 FedExCup points to maintain full status, which he held in his most recent full season as a pro, 2017-18. Now he’s spent the majority of the past two years living in Costa Rica, where hitting wedges on the beach with his dog, Yama, a 4-year-old Doberman, can’t be considered prime prep work for the PGA TOUR. Plus, Hoffmann reported that he broke his shoulder and two ribs in a motorcycle accident in his driveway in Costa Rica and “it’s been a really tough rehab.” Still, he’s been working on his physical fitness and most recently was at the Ohoopee Match Club in Cobbtown, Georgia, “for the last 10 days or so.” He reports that “the swing speed is getting back slowly” and that being at Harbour Town Golf Links brings him back to being a 12-year-old. That’s because Hoffmann, who grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey, attended the IJGA Academy with Gary Gilchrist on Dafauskie Island, “and we would come over here to Harbour Town to play on weekends.” It’s a homecoming, of sorts, on two fronts. A return to an area where he spent some of his formative years and to a community of PGA TOUR brethren. Which invites the question: What does Morgan Hoffmann expect of himself this week? “Some smiles,” he said. “Some golf on a beautiful course. That’s really about it. I’ve been practicing hard and my game actually feels pretty solid. “My clubs are dialed in, so I feel good. I don’t really know. Obviously, you come to tournaments to win, and I’ve never done that before (on TOUR), so might as well shoot for the stars, right?” In a way, he already has done that in an inspiring way.

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Hideki Matsuyama chases his third consecutive Waste Management Phoenix Open title, with 131 other players determined to stand in his way this week. Among those are Matsuyama’s playing partners Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, who know quite well the difficulties of trying to beat the young Japanese star at TPC Scottsdale. Tee times are set for the first two rounds, and golf fans can follow the action on a variety of platforms, including PGA TOUR LIVE. Broadcasts on the live stream will begin at 9:15 a.m. ET each day with featured groups, and then transition to featured hole coverage at 3 p.m. ET. Featured holes consist of the raucous par-3 16th as well as the par-4 17th. Saturday and Sunday coverage on PGA TOUR LIVE begins at 11:30 a.m. ET. PGA TOUR Radio’s coverage is 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET for the first two rounds, 2-7 p.m. ET on Saturday and 1-6 p.m. ET on Sunday. Golf Channel will carry live coverage for the first two rounds, with CBS carrying the bulk of the weekend coverage. Here’s a look at the featured groups for the two days (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses):  Rickie Fowler (19), Hideki Matsuyama (32), Webb Simpson (55). Let’s see – Matsuyama beat Fowler in a playoff to win at TPC Scottsdale in 2016. Then last year, Matsuyama beat Simpson in a playoff to successfully defend his title. Maybe Fowler and Simpson will relish the opportunity to gain a little revenge. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 9:47 a.m. (7:47 a.m. local) off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 2:02 p.m. ET (12:02 p.m. local) off 1st tee Jon Rahm (2), Xander Schauffele (42), Phil Mickelson (46). Mickelson graduated from nearby Arizona State in 1992 with a psychology degree. Rahm graduated from ASU in 2016 with a communications degree. And Schauffele graduated in 2015 with a social sciences degree (but not from ASU; he went to San Diego State). Why do we have a feeling there will be lots of trash talk and mind games in this group? Tee times: Rd. 1 – 9:56 a.m. (7:56 a.m. local) off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 2:11 p.m. ET (12:11 p.m. local) off 1st tee Charley Hoffman (129), Matt Kuchar (144), Bubba Watson (193). Shocking to think about — if the regular season ended today, none of these three would qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Combined, they’ve made eight starts this season, with the best finish a T18 by Hoffman (a Waste Management ambassador) in Vegas last fall. Fortunately, they have a few more opportunities to get inside that top 125 in the standings — specifically, about seven months. So no need to panic … yet. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 2:02 p.m. ET (12:02 p.m. local) off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 9:47 a.m. ET (7:47 a.m. local) off 10th tee Patton Kizzire (1), Justin Thomas (7), Jordan Spieth (88). The last two FedExCup champs along with the current FedExCup leader. Kizzire has two wins in his last eight starts. Thomas and Spieth have two wins in their last 13 combined starts. Not sure how significant that is; just food for thought. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 2:11 p.m. ET (12:11 p.m. local) off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 9:56 a.m. ET (7:56 a.m. local) off 10th tee

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