Tiger Woods: U.S. Open-like test at Olympia Fields a ‘great ramp-up’ for Winged Foot

FORT WORTH, Texas – Jon Rahm was at Colonial during tournament week each of the past two years to accept the Ben Hogan Award that goes to the nation’s top college golfer. This time, he’s playing in the PGA TOUR event at Hogan’s Alley and among the leaders. With his 4-under 66 on Thursday, Rahm was a stroke behind first-round leaders Kelly Kraft, Derek Fathauer and PGA TOUR rookie J.T. Poston. That also put Rahm ahead of two-time Colonial champs Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson after both birdied their last three holes for 67s. He also led 2016 winner Jordan Spieth, whose even-par round included six birdies. “The last two times I was here, all I recorded was super happy and positive memories,” Rahm said. “It’s just the vibe that I have around this place is so positive, especially with Sergio (Garcia) winning and with the Ben Hogan history that I’m related to now.” The 22-year-old Rahm, the winner at Torrey Pines in January, had only one bogey while playing with Masters champion Garcia, the fellow Spaniard who won in his first Colonial appearance in 2001. Kraft and Graeme McDowell, tied with Rahm for fourth, had the only bogey-free rounds. Only 33 of the 121 players finished the first round under par. Scott Brown had the other 66, and had the outright lead at 6 under before a double bogey at No. 18. Spieth, coming off missed cuts the past two weeks, was tied for 34th his six birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. He was even par after birdies on his last two holes. “It’s a great finish. Kept me in the tournament,” Spieth said. “If I was a couple over, you know, in the back of my mind I would be wondering about the cut line.” After two bogeys on the first four holes, Spieth made 4-foot birdie putt at the 466-yard No. 5 hole, and made a 10-foot birdie at the 168-yard, par-3 13th. In between those birdies at two of Colonial’s toughest holes, Spieth made a nearly 40-foot putt to save par after a wayward drive at No. 9. His drive at the 10th went into a concrete culvert for another bogey, and he missed the fairway right again at the 622-yard 11th, only to get back in the fairway and go on to a 2-foot birdie. “Hit some very solid shots. With gusty winds, it’s not going to end up where you think it’s going to a lot of the time,” Spieth said. “I felt like I missed some fairways by 1-5 yards today. That made a complete difference in the way the hole played.” Before his birdie-birdie finish, Spieth had double bogey at the 429-yard 15th, when he blasted from a fairway bunker through the green and into the water, and made bogey at the par-3 16th. Mickelson, back at Hogan’s Alley for the first time since 2010, made an 8-foot putt at the 435-yard 7th hole, then hit his tee shot inside 2 feet of the cup at the par-3 8th. His 33-footer at No. 9 came after playing partner Matt Kuchar had just missed a slightly longer putt on the same line on their finishing hole. When changes were made to the course after his 2008 victory, Mickelson missed the cut in 2010 with a chance to become the world’s No. 1 player. He later indicated that Colonial no longer suited his game. “Nothing real specific,” he said, when asked what changed his mind. “It’s been a while and I needed to … I felt it was in my best interest to get in contention and try to play more events and try to get the scores, results out of it.” Rahm was at Arizona State when he became the first two-time winner of the Hogan Award. His first competitive round at Colonial came a day after Arizona State’s women rallied to win their eighth NCAA championship, and first since 2009. “To see them win in the fashion they did, it was amazing,” said Rahm, who practiced with that team while in school. “The coolest thing is that’s the closest I’ll ever be to experiencing something like that and I’m happy for them. … To be honest, that energy and positivity probably helped me today.”

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler were the biggest names among the contenders Sunday at The Honda Classic. Vijay Singh was the oldest – and most decorated. In the end, the trio came up short to Keith Mitchell – whose birdie from 15-1/2 feet on the final hole made him a first-time PGA TOUR winner — but each of the three left PGA National feeling upbeat about the rest of their seasons. Koepka and Fowler, local residents who live a short distance from each other, tied for second at 8 under after some late heroics gave them hope for a playoff. Singh, the 56-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer seeking to become the oldest winner in PGA TOUR history, was in the mix until an errant tee shot at the 17th found the water. “It’s always exciting to be in the hunt, no matter where you play,â€� said Singh, who shot an even-par 70 playing in the final group of the day with 54-hole leader Wyndham Clark. “Something’s going on. You’re excited. Something’s going to happen. … It’s exciting.â€� Very exciting, to say the least. Ryan Palmer, who teed off more than four hours ahead of the lead group, posted the number to beat at 7 under after a sizzling 63 moved him from T-39 to the clubhouse lead. That stood up for two hours until Lucas Glover joined him after his 66. Koepka, though, was three groups behind Glover and was deftly navigating the treacherous Bear Trap – hole Nos. 15, 16 and 17 that often decide the outcome at The Honda Classic. He birdied the par-4 16th, then eliminated Palmer and Glover from consideration with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 18th. But when he walked toward the scoring area, he feared the worst. “I had the same feeling I had at Valero when Kevin Chappell won [in 2017 with a finishing birdie],â€� Koepka said. “It just wasn’t going to be enough.â€� Fowler was next to finish at 8 under, thanks to three birdies in his last four holes. It was a sizzling stretch for the 2017 Honda champ, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month. But like Koepka, he was worried he might’ve come up one short. “I thought 9 was good,â€� Fowler said. “I thought 8 might have a chance. … Obviously with a jam-packed leaderboard, you knew it was going to come down to the last hole with five or six guys or so up there.â€� Neither Koepka nor Fowler had their “Aâ€� games this week, but they still found a way to contend – a sign of good things as the TOUR heads into its run of big events the next few months. “I’m proud of the way I kind of fought through things,â€� Fowler said, citing lost shots at the ninth and 10th holes that could’ve proved the difference. “I didn’t drive it quite that well today but hit some quality golf shots when I needed to, and nice to finish with three birdies in the last four.â€� Said Koepka: “I didn’t hit the ball particularly well all week. I putted very well – that’s what I’m pleased about, coming into Augusta and THE PLAYERS, trending nicely. That was one thing that I felt like was missing. … “I don’t need my ‘A’ game to be in contention. I feel like as long as I do one thing really well – whether it’s iron play, putting this week – I’m going to be in contention. I’m going to give myself a chance at a win come Sunday with nine holes to go, and that’s all you want to do.â€� It’s been a while since Singh was in contention on the PGA TOUR on the back nine – the last of his 34 TOUR wins came 11 years ago – but he impressed just by hanging tough. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise, given his work ethic and success rate. Singh has gradually shifted his playing schedule for more starts on PGA TOUR Champions, although he’s scheduled to play the next two TOUR events – including THE PLAYERS Championship, thanks to his win last year at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. Asked if this week’s outcome might cause him to reassess his playing schedule beyond that, Singh gave a little grin. “I’m pretty set with it. It’s pretty hard work out here,â€� he said. “I’ll see what happens in the next two weeks. If I’m still playing the same, I’ll think about it.â€�

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