Time to rest up: DJ has ‘routine’ knee surgery

DETROIT – He’d packed on 40 pounds of muscle, and now Bryson DeChambeau kept saying he wanted to be the house, as in the casino, because the house always wins. Or often wins. Or something like that. Still, there was a sliver of doubt. Would outdriving everyone by 30-50 yards a hole inevitably yield trophies? Well, not inevitably, but, you know, would it work? Could it work? It could, and it has. RELATED: Final leaderboard “It’s a little emotional for me,” DeChambeau said after firing a 7-under 65 to beat Matthew Wolff (71) by three at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at sun-splashed Detroit Golf Club. “Because I did do something a little different, I changed my body, I changed my mindset in the game, and was able to accomplish a win while playing a completely different style of golf.” For the fourth week in a row the tournament was played in front of no fans due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that’s not to say there wasn’t a crowd. A large group of Black Lives Matters demonstrators could be heard marching outside the club gates as the golfers played on. “I love that everybody is voicing their opinion,” DeChambeau said. “And they deserve to do so.” The soundtrack was a stark contrast to the telltale twinkle of the Mr. Softee ice cream truck, which Wolff had credited for his stellar play Saturday. He will try to quickly forget his ghastly front nine in the final round, and almost rendered it moot with an array of fine shots on the back. Wolff birdied 12, 13 and 15 to cut the lead to one, but DeChambeau birdied his last three holes to leave no doubt. “I’ve shown people that there’s another way to do it,” he said. It was his sixth career win and seventh straight top-10 finish. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and not only led in driving distance, too, but his 350.6-yard average for two measured holes was the highest number by a winner in the ShotLink era. DeChambeau is playing such a different game he had the honor at the 399-yard 13th hole but had to wait for the green to clear – he let playing partner Troy Merritt hit first, instead. “He’s changed the entire way the game is played,” said Kevin Kisner (66, solo third, five back). Wolff is another disrupter with his unorthodox swing, and he was all smiles for the first three rounds, when his 25 birdies and eagles were the most of any player at any tournament this season. But it took him too long to find his game in the final round, by which time DeChambeau could sense the finish line. “Yeah, it was definitely a grind out there,” Wolff said after birdies on four of his last seven holes. “Didn’t start off really well at all, wasn’t hitting it how I was the beginning of the week, and feel like I was really getting some bad breaks as well, which was pretty unfortunate.” Still, it was his first top-10 finish since his maiden TOUR win at the 3M Open a year ago. “Bryson played great,” he said. “Seven under, you know – it’s not like I gave it to him. He definitely earned it. Kudos to him.” Said DeChambeau, “I was kind of in my own world today.” Danny Willett (66), Adam Hadwin (67), Tyrrell Hatton (67) and Ryan Armour (72) tied for fourth, seven back. Wolff’s back-nine surge got more interesting when DeChambeau got in trouble off the tee and pitched out into the hazard at the par-5 14th, leading to bogey. But in the end, there was too much front-nine damage to undue even for the explosive Wolff, and in the winner’s press conference DeChambeau, cradling the round, red Rocket Mortgage trophy, said he planned to work out in the morning. (Of course.) Still, questions remain. With DeChambeau, they always do. How will his new style translate in the majors? Will scarfing down steaks and potatoes and protein shakes, and pumping iron feverishly, hold up over the long haul? Is he still getting better? What happens if and when he dials in his short irons? Will anyone stand a chance? And what about imitators? Will others on TOUR try to mimic the DeChambeau way? “I hope it’s an inspiration to a lot of people that if they set their mind to it, you can accomplish it,” DeChambeau said. “It just takes a lot of hard work, a lot of figuring out things that you may not know and understand yet. But if you keep … working on it, figuring stuff out, eventually you’ll get a little bit better each and every day, and hopefully that leads to something great in the end.”

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Opportunity knocks in beautiful Puerto Rico this week, as Grande Reserve Country Club once again hosts a bevy of PGA TOUR players looking to push their seasons to greater heights. Core golf fans know it is weeks like these where players often come of age. Sure they’re not in Mexico City at a World Golf Championship, but some of the 120 players in Puerto Rico certainly will be in the future. Those with an eye on the FedExCup Playoffs know a few points here in this vibrant Caribbean destination could make all the difference, not to mention the two-year winner’s exemption and a spot in the upcoming PLAYERS Championship (if not already exempt) that are both up for grabs as well. RELATED: Power Rankings | Trainer set for Puerto Rico Open defense | No joke: Trainer dabbles in sitcom writing THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER The par-5 18th was the third easiest hole at Grande Reserve last season, playing to a 4.830 average, including 4.4 on Sunday, meaning those pushing down the stretch know an opportunity awaits. At 630 yards, it’s no pushover, but it did yield three eagles and 120 birdies last season. The hole borders the “Ensenada” Bay, which plays downwind. The two fairway bunkers on the right are very much in play off the tee, so players favor the left side. The risk of going for the green in two comes with the risk of using too much club, as recovery shots from behind the green can be very costly. WEATHER CHECK From meteorologist Joe Halvorson: Thursday will be breezy once again, with moisture levels becoming a bit more enhanced. This will allow for an increase in the shower coverage mainly prior to sunrise and after 4 p.m., along with potential that a few of these showers produce brief heavy rainfall. Showers will remain a possibility on Friday and Saturday, but a drying trend should keep the coverage fairly sparse – especially Friday afternoon through Saturday. Shower chances are expected to return Sunday afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. For the latest weather news from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, check out the PGA TOUR Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK Just in time for Puerto Rico… it’s a great course for me as evidenced by me doing well there last year. It’s been a long 10 months of struggling, but I’m just happy to be hitting the ball straight again… now that I’m hitting the right shots and missing in a narrower window I have a chance. BY THE NUMBERS 16 – Number of PGA TOUR rookies in the Puerto Rico Open field. There has not been a rookie winner through 18 events in this PGA TOUR season, the longest stretch to start a season since 2009, when rookies went winless the entire season. Three of the last nine winners here were rookies, so perhaps the drought will be broken. 5 – Number of Australians in the field. Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Adam Scott have brought their country three wins in the last six weeks, so maybe it is worth keeping an eye on Cameron Davis, Rhein Gibson, Cameron Percy, John Senden and Robert Allenby this week. 22 – Number of missed cuts for Martin Trainer since he won last season’s Puerto Rico Open. Trainer is a great character and broke a long drought last week at The Genesis Invitational, having kept a great perspective despite going through a big slump since his win. He’s most definitely someone to root for. He also has designs on being a comedy writer! SCATTERSHOTS Springboard to Stardom: Since the tournament’s inception in 2008, the Puerto Rico Open has helped elevate the careers of several PGA TOUR stars with strong play, including the likes of Jason Day, Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Emiliano Grillo. In his second season on TOUR, Day finished T2 in Puerto Rico, his best finish in his first 39 starts. Now he holds 12 TOUR wins, including a PLAYERS Championship and PGA Championship. Finau won his lone TOUR event at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open; since then, Finau has accumulated 28 top-10s, including six runner-ups. Past sponsor exemptions include Spieth (2013) and Koepka (2014). Spieth earned Special Temporary Membership soon after his runner-up finish in 2013 and was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year thereafter; He has since won the FedExCup (2015) and accumulated 11 career PGA TOUR wins, including three majors; Koepka, currently No. 2 in the world, has seven PGA TOUR wins, including four majors. Bryson DeChambeau lost in a playoff at the 2017 Puerto Rico Open and went on to win his first PGA TOUR title later that season at the John Deere Classic, his first of now five TOUR wins. After finishing runner-up at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, Emiliano Grillo won the 2015 Safeway Open and was voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year.  Keep an eye on University of Georgia junior Davis Thompson. He’s No. 4 in the world amateur golf ranking and finished T23 at the RSM Classic in the fall. He was the Medalist at the prestigious Western Amateur and recently won the Jones Cup by nine shots. He shot 203 to set the scoring record at a tournament where past champs include TOUR winners Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Kyle Stanley, Corey Conners and DJ Trahan. Thompson will be pulling double duty on the island, as he will play in a college event in Puerto Rico on Sunday and Monday before teeing it up in the Puerto Rico Open. Oh, and his father Todd – he’s the tournament director for The RSM Classic and will caddie for his son. The Puerto Rico Open and non-profit organization Good Sports delivered $1 million in sports equipment and monetary contributions to 33 non-profits that benefit thousands of kids in Puerto Rico. The contribution was achieved thanks to Kids Pro Fun, a tournament campaign to positively impact the lives in the community. The campaign, supported by individuals, corporate donors and friends of the PGA TOUR, exceeded its goal and reached the largest donation and delivery made by Good Sports. 

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TULSA, Okla. – Justin Thomas was in crisis mode earlier this week. His shots weren’t finding the sweet spot, he didn’t feel comfortable over the ball and he was unsure of the solution. Even his father, Mike, wasn’t exempt from his frustration. RELATED: The fabulous dad life of Mike Thomas | Tracing JT’s golfing roots “I have to remind him sometimes, you’re not my dad out here, you’re my swing coach, and I need you to tell me if something is wrong,” Justin said. “I don’t need my ego boosted. I’m here to try to win a golf tournament and play well.” Mike prefers to keep things simple and focus on the fundamentals. A couple days before the year’s second major wasn’t a time to break out the camera or experiment with theories. It was time to go back to the basics. Mike turned his son’s focus away from positions and told Justin to focus on one of his favorite parts of the game, his ability to shape the ball. In an analytical age, Mike wanted his son to engage his right brain. “He was like, well, let’s just start trying to hit some shots,” Justin said. Hitting it high and low, curving it both ways, through what Tiger Woods refers to as the nine windows (think every combination of height and shot shape). That did the trick. Shots started flying off the center of the clubface and Justin’s confidence returned. The high winds blowing across Southern Hills’ wide fairways gave him the opportunity to take his shot-shaping acumen from the range to the course. It showed on Thomas’ final hole Friday, a satisfying birdie that started with a low, slicing drive into the uphill fairway, followed by a wedge shot nestled below the hole on the severely-tilted green. His other birdie on his back nine came after a 6-iron from 217 yards that Thomas hit to 20 feet despite a strong crosswind. “Just being as windy as it was, it was a lot of manipulating and different shots,” said Thomas, who hit 16 greens Friday en route to his second consecutive 67. He’s made just one bogey in his last 27 holes and only three all week. He was by far the best performer among the half of the field that teed off late Thursday and early Friday, facing the day’s highest winds both days. He was three shots better than the next-best performer from that side of the draw, Matt Fitzpatrick. Only three other players broke par from that half of the field: Talor Gooch, Joaquin Niemann and Bernd Wiesberger, and they all were 1 under. Seeking his first major in five years, Thomas took a slightly different approach this week. He teed it up the week prior, playing the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas. That allowed him to make a quick scouting trip up to Southern Hills. “I loved it as soon as I saw it,” he said. Southern Hills’ renovation, which has drastically altered the appearance of this Perry Maxwell classic, has been one of the big storylines this week. The wide fairways give players room to work the ball, a skill that’s even more important in the conditions players have faced this week. The strong wind blows across most of the holes, requiring some sort of curvature to keep the ball from being blown off-target. Thomas is seeking his first win since another victory where his ballstriking skill was on display, last year’s PLAYERS Championship. He played low, hooking tee shots and towering long-irons during a weekend where he had full command of his swing. He hasn’t won since, but still ranks 15th in the FedExCup thanks to seven top-10s in 12 starts this season. That includes a fifth-place finish last week and a top-10 at the Masters after a disastrous first round where his inability to focus cost him an opportunity to command. He followed that 76 by playing the next three rounds in 5 under par, however. This time, Thomas kept fighting in the first round and didn’t let his chances at victory end before they began. Thomas already owns one PGA Championship, having won five years ago at Quail Hollow, but his major record since has been rather paltry. He only has four top-10s in majors since that win, and none better than a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Masters. “It’s golf, so it’s pretty hard sometimes,” he said Friday. “We’re halfway through so it’s still a long way from home, but I’m very, very pleased with where everything is at and the frame of mind and state of mind that I’m in.” He’s come a long way since the start of the week.

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