U.S. Open fallout: Woodland’s big win, Koepka’s close call and Tiger’s weird week

Bonus golf is always fun. Bonus golf with four former FedExCup champions including Tiger Woods at a course he designed with great charitable causes benefiting - now that's awesome. In case you missed the fun at Payne's Valley Cup - where Woods and Justin Thomas teamed up against Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose to open the first Woods designed public course - here are five takeaways to catch you up. 1. The Tiger Woods / Justin Thomas team won*. The event featured three separate formats with the first team to collect 2.5 points declared the winner. One point was available in team better ball, one point in alternate shot and two points in singles. In the end it was a 2-2 tie but a clutch Thomas shot on the final hole proved the difference in a tiebreaker scenario. The first six holes featured a team better ball format with the addition of the second ball counting if the low score was tied. Woods forgot that part of the format early when he snapped his opening drive over a cliff but didn't continue on the hole. It meant a par, bogey combo for the European's was enough to grab an early lead. The U.S. won the second but lost the third and fourth holes which helped the Euro's to a 2&1 win and the first point of the competition. The U.S. did manage to win the Closest to the Pin (Thomas) and Long Drive (Woods) challenges inside those six holes. Holes 7-12 were alternate shot. After the two teams were tied coming to the drivable 12th hole it was a lovely Woods pitch shot that secured a birdie and left McIlroy with a long putt to try to halve the match. It slipped by meaning a U.S. win and a 1-1 total. Rose picked up the straightest drive challenge while Thomas/Woods secured a drive the green challenge. Holes 13-19, yes 19, were singles and featured matches between Thomas and McIlroy and Woods and Rose. The 19th was revealed as a par-3 called "The Rock" where $1million for charity was at stake for a hole in one and $500,000 for closet to the pin. In the Woods/Rose contest Woods went 1 up on Rose with a nice birdie out of the gate but missed a golden opportunity to double the advantage a hole later from just six-feet. After matching each other on 15 Rose stepped up and nearly made an ace to tie things up on the 16th. He then took the lead when he was able to get up and down from the sand on the 18th, a feat Woods couldn't match, to take a 1 up lead to The Rock. In the Thomas/McIlroy match Thomas fell behind immediately with a bogey but then took advantage of a tough McIlroy lip out a hole later to tie things up. Then things really went against the Northern Irishman. He could only laugh when a chance to win the 15th also did a near 360 degree lip out and he dropped his club and threw his hands on his head in disbelief when a chip to win the 16th stopped hanging over the edge of the hole. To add insult to injury Thomas then drained a long birdie bomb on the 17th and McIlroy's effort to match burned the edge leaving Thomas 1 up with two to play. McIlroy was able to make a tester on the 18th to push things to The Rock. The final hole started with Aaron Stewart, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player afforded a shot for the million. Stewart was just a little wide right whereas the two legends both found the surface, Player a tad closer. Thomas then threw a dart in to eight-feet, seven-inches forcing McIlroy to take dead aim. He ended 13-feet, eight-inches under the hole. Given that in the event of a tie the match would be decided on who hit it closest to the pin it was a clutch shot from Thomas. Rose opened the door for Woods when he left it about 20-feet from the hole but the 82-time TOUR winner spun his attempt back to almost the same distance. With a chance to win it Rose slid his putt past giving Woods the stage to win it all. But his putt pulled left and wouldn't drop. That left McIlroy with a must make putt to have any chance given Thomas held the tiebreaker but luck certainly wasn't on his side and it slid past to hand the result to the Woods / Thomas combo despite a 2-2 overall score line. "I'm just so proud of everyone who came together to make this possible," Woods said. "It's awfully special for me." 2. Woods certainly has a knack for course design. The Payne's Valley Golf Course is Woods' first public course and it looks like some serious fun. Named as a tribute to the late Payne Stewart, the course is part of the magnificent Big Cedar Lodge property in Ridgedale, Missouri, which of course is not that far from where Stewart grew up in Springfield. The course is a par 72 of 7,370 yards with immaculate Meyer Zoysia fairways and Bentgrass greens. Elevation changes, large greens, beautiful mountain views and contours and wildlife sightings make this what appears to be a super fun course. The par does not include the 19th hole that was revealed in the match. The Big Rock is a fun island par-3 cut into the mountain that can presumably be used to settle any ties. "It's great, it is very player friendly which makes it fun. It's beautiful. It looks like a great place to have a golf trip with friends that's for sure. Everything is here." Thomas said. "The site itself was gorgeous. We had to do a little bit of earthwork, move a few things here and there, but overall this site is part of nature," Woods said. The addition to the Big Cedar Lodge complex is a good one and adds to the value of the destination for those looking for a getaway that features golf, but also much more. "This is a happy day, a very special day in my life," owner Johnny Morris said. "I grew up here in the Ozarks, I feel so blessed to have grown up here in these hills, in these mountains, fishing the rivers, and loving this land. "To have someone like Tiger to come and join us and work on this project... I can't tell you the countless enjoyable hours I've had walking around this land with him and to have him here to showcase this and share it with the whole world is great. It makes us extra happy that this is a public course and people can come here from all over and enjoy what Tiger has created." 3. Players hooked up with microphones really adds value. The telecast featured all four players mic'd up and it provided some great insight. Hearing both the banter between the players and also some great stories was a lot of fun. Of course the stakes here weren't what they all face on a regular basis. But it did show how the technology could be used. We heard some great lines and learned some things we might not have otherwise. Here are a few snippets: • Thomas let us know about a huge raccoon head on the wall of his cabin... "It's staring down and I'm thinking, I am not sleeping in this room," he laughed. "I'd wake up in the middle of the night and be terrified." Rose, who was put in the Tiger Woods themed cabin quipped, "Mine is worse, I had pictures of Tiger over my bed." Thomas had to concede, "That would give me worse nightmares for sure," he laughed. • There was some interesting serious chat also. Woods quizzed Rose about playing a longer driver as he thinks about trying to gain more distance and McIlroy and Thomas talked putting lines and a few trade secrets. • We were given the treat of hearing from legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player about course design. Both also have courses at Big Cedar Lodge and Player used the platform to urge designers to be more environmentally conscious. Thomas also expressed an interest to design later in life. • We heard about new fatherhood from McIlroy. "It's probably even better than I imagined. I knew it was going to be a life changer and pretty cool but it’s just so nice to get home and leave all this here... I think it’s been good for me as well, I spent all my life focusing on myself and then to go home and just have this little girl that relies on you for almost everything... it’s a pretty cool feeling. It’s a lot of responsibility but we’re having a lot of fun and thankfully Poppy is healthy, Erica is healthy... it's all good." • McIlroy is a fan of Domino's pizza. "We are on this big Domino's kick at the moment. If you don't know what the really good local pizza place is, Domino's is solid," he said to Thomas. • Woods is not used to playing in shorts. At one point he instinctively wiped his putter blade on his pant less leg and could only laugh at himself. • Thomas is not afraid to have fun at Woods' expense, lightheartedly of course. During alternate shot he was returning the ball to the mark on the green only to say, "I went to go move this over like normal and I forgot dumb dumb has got his name on the ball. I can't look at that while I'm trying to putt." • Woods thinks Rose is the best bunker player of the four. • Gary Player thinks Tiger and Bobby Locke are the two best putters in history, primarily because they let the toe of the putter move. 4. Tiger had some rust but seemed to be moving well. These days whenever Woods has a hit we all want to make sure his back holds up. With the 82-time PGA TOUR winner playing a limited schedule these days any glimpse of him feels special. Coming off a missed cut at the U.S. Open Woods is hoping to get some form back. He potentially has title defenses at the ZOZO Championship and Masters in the coming months. Things looked a little worrisome when his first shot was a huge hook into trouble but outside of that he was solid but not spectacular in team play. A few chances on the greens for holes slipped by in the early formats which in his heyday would've all dropped. He did pick up the long drive title with a 348-yard bomb. In singles he showed a little more fire. Woods started with a clutch birdie to get the early advantage over Rose but then was unable to secure the other chances presented his way. Just like in the earlier team play when Woods had a putt of consequence he'd make in his sleep in the glory years, it would slide by. The good news is he has plenty of time to get some practice in now. 5. It is great to see Payne Stewart's legacy live on. We heard some fun stories about the legendary Stewart who sadly lost his life in a plane crash almost 21 years ago. After Aaron Stewart hit the first ceremonial tee shot the anecdotes came thick and fast. Paul Azinger spoke of how Stewart met Woods before his first pro start and tried to cheekily convince him to stay in school, knowing the young Woods was going to change the game. David Feherty recounted a story about a planted groundhog in his hotel room and some glued shoes, reminiscing fondly for Stewart's prankster style of humor. Rose recounted being a spectator as a child at the Open Championship. "I was with group of kids hoping to get a golf ball from one of the pros. Payne pointed to me, threw me a ball... from that moment on I was always rooting for Payne." And then Johnny Morris, the owner and creator of Big Cedar Lodge, spoke of his pride to add to the legacy. "It is actually a pretty emotional day today to have his wife Tracey here and her son Aaron who looks just like his dad," Morris said. "Payne grew up Springfield about half an hour north of here and his father Bill was, as far as I know, his only coach in golf, so to just see that father son experience and see Payne from our hometown go on and compete and win the U.S. Open was incredible. "And not just what he achieved as an athlete but also what he achieved as an inspirational human being... just a wonderful person, great dad and husband. When we had the opportunity to name this golf course Payne's Valley in his honor with him being from right here in the Ozarks... it was really special." Aaron Stewart added, "It is a huge honor just for us to be involved. What Johnny and Tiger have done to this place is just amazing. I think everyone should come out and see it."

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It was sometime this spring – maybe March, maybe April – when Brendon Todd and his swing coach Bradley Hughes were having lunch at a club in Georgia. They had worked together for less than a year, trying to return Todd, once a top-50 player but now struggling just to make a cut, to world-class stature. Todd stared intently at his coach. Then he made a declaration. “You know I’m going to win again,â€� he said. Hughes didn’t hesitate in his response: “I have no doubt.â€� Based strictly on results, that was laughable to hear. After all, Todd had entered the 2019 calendar year having made the cut in just six of his previous 47 starts. He was not on anybody’s radar to claim a second PGA TOUR title, his first one coming at the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2014. Most observers likely had dismissed him as a golfer who had simply lost his swing. But those people didn’t know Todd, his work ethic, his fighting spirit, his ability to battle and overcome demons that might crush lesser golfers. On Sunday at the new Bermuda Championship, Todd made good on his promise of six months earlier. Rallying from a two-stroke deficit to start the day, he threatened to break 60 after a hot start (birdies in nine of his first 11 holes) before settling for a 9-under 62 and a four-stroke victory at 24 under. “Thrilled over the moon,â€� Todd said. But a trip to the moon hardly does justice to the journey Todd traveled in his return to the winner’s circle. Four years ago in the middle of the FedExCup Playoffs, he found himself in the mix at the BMW Championship, playing in the final threesome of the third round with tournament leader Jason Day and Daniel Berger. “Obviously a big moment for me,â€� he recalled. His tee shot at the 484-yard fourth hole at Conway Farms that Saturday had found the fairway. With 212 yards to the hole, Todd grabbed his 4-iron. One swing later, his golfing career began a downward spiral to such depths that he eventually contemplated a new profession. The 4-iron sailed 50 yards right of the green, past the first set of bushes and into a second set that cost him a penalty. He eventually walked off the green with a triple bogey. The score cost him any chance of winning that week, but it was the wayward shot that stuck with him. Haunted him, really. Sept. 19, 2015 – the start of Brendon Todd’s ball-striking yips. The big miss right kept appearing in his play during the wraparound fall schedule. And then it wouldn’t go away. The 2015-16 season was nightmarish – 29 starts, 25 missed cuts. At one point, he missed 15 straight cuts. He ended 2016 outside the world top 400. Eventually, he would fall outside the top 2000. “I lost golf balls. I was hitting in hazards and hitting it right,â€� Todd recalled Sunday. “A lot of it was mental. Some of it was the fact that I changed my swing – and I basically battled that scary yip feeling all of ’16. “And even if I had a tournament where I didn’t hit it, I was so scared of hitting it, I would hit it to the left and I would chip and putt my way to 72 and I missed a thousand cuts. Then you’re trying to find whether it’s a new teacher or a new method or whatever it. I basically spent ’16, ’17, ’18 doing that. … I just couldn’t figure out what it was.â€� He made just nine starts in the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season – and missed the cut eight times. He made six TOUR starts the next season, missing the cut each time. Also missed two cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour. His TOUR status was gone. He had lost, in his words, “three yearsâ€� of his career. He thought about quitting, pursuing other opportunities. “I was talking to my manager about potentially opening up another business,â€� he said. Mechanically, Todd’s swing and footwork were off-track. Former swing coach Scott Hamilton, in a 2017 interview with PGATOUR.COM, said he and Todd were trying to get higher launch angles with his driver and long irons, but it resulted in Todd hitting too far behind the ball. “His timing got all off, and then it was down the rabbit hole,â€� Hamilton said. “I taught BT when he was at his best,â€� Hamilton said in 2017, “and I’m half-involved in screwing him up.â€� In the summer of 2018, one of Todd’s former college teammates at Georgia told him to look into Bradley Hughes, an Australian and one-time TOUR member who now teaches in the U.S. and had written a golf book called, “The Great Ballstrikers,â€� which had been released earlier in the year. Todd read the book … then booked a lesson. “It talks a lot about his playing days, the history of the great players, how they swung the club,â€� Todd said earlier this year. “It has a lot of pictures and drills and models in there. That kind of resonated with me as a player, a feel player, somebody who doesn’t really want to go try and paint lines with my golf swing, I want to kind of feel like a pressure or a force and that’s what he teaches. He’s all about ground forces and pressures. So the book really hit home with me, and I went and saw him and it’s just kind of been a home run ever since.â€� Hughes was not familiar with Todd, didn’t know the troubles he was having, had never watched him play. They had never met face-to-face until that first lesson. But unlike the amateurs that he teaches, Hughes said working with pros is easy “for the most part because it’s getting back to something he previously did.â€� Despite the big miss right, Hughes instructed Todd to open up his club face even more in order to free up his body to move through the shot and to get a better release. They also used a board that helped Todd with his footwork and to feel the pressure points. Todd took six weeks off to work on some drills in his basement. “Each time we did something,â€� Hughes said, “it worked.â€� Figuring out the mechanical solution is one thing. There was still the mental side – and with the yips, that’s usually the biggest challenge to overcome. Regaining confidence, finding a light in the darkness. It just so happened that about this time, Todd got a call from a former Korn Ferry Tour caddie, Ward Jarvis, who is now a performance coach focusing on the mental aspects of golf. Jarvis has battled his own kind of yips – the language yips, if you will – as a stutterer. “I know what you’re going through,â€� Jarvis told Todd. “I think there’s a way for us to work through it together.â€� Jarvis told Todd to read a book written by former major league baseball player Rick Ankiel called, “The Phenomenon: Pressure, The Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life.â€� Ankiel was a successful starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, but during the 2000 playoffs, he struggled to simply throw a ball across a plate. “He basically just fell off the map with pitching, had to reinvent himself as an outfielder,â€� Todd said. “It was a book about the yips. I read it; it kind of helped. And then I just continued to work with Ward and Brad on my game.â€� The results weren’t always great but some signs were encouraging. A 61 in Monday qualifying to make The RSM Classic field a year ago left him feeling he was on the right track. He managed a couple of top 20s at the Wells Fargo Championship and John Deere Classic. He qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, and a second place at the Nationwide Children’s Hospitals Championship led to regaining his TOUR card for this season. Four missed cuts to open this season might’ve seemed a setback, but the reason wasn’t his ball-striking – it was his putting. The big right miss was gone now. Plus, he’s no stranger to tough stretches; in his first slump between 2009-11, he once missed 26 straight Korn Ferry Tour cuts. Three years later, he was a TOUR winner. He saw the way back. He would get there again. “Knew that once I kind of get things right, I just have to believe and keep going after it,â€� he said. On a Sunday in Bermuda, wearing a pink shirt and firing dart after dart, Todd turned that belief into a win that offers hope to anybody who has lost their way. The light can be found again.

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Aloha 2021! And aloha 2020. After a U.S. Open contested in September and the Masters in November, I’m all for the normalcy of some tasty waves and cool buds, other fantasy players, to kick off the 2021 portion of the PGA TOUR schedule. I’m excited to hear Mark Rolfing’s facts about Maui and the Plantation Course at Kapalua. I’m excited to be jealous of the views, surf and weather in the dead of winter. I’m excited to complain about who I have on my bench and not in my lineup. Fantasy golf and real golf are back and I’m rested, healthy and ready to go! RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | The First Look Justin Thomas returns to Kapalua 2.0 to defend his championship one year after picking up the first win on the Coore-Crenshaw redesign and second overall. He’ll be joined by 41 others who will get four chances at the Plantation course to see who pockets the first $1.34 million winner’s check of the $6.7 million prize pool. The lowest total also adds 500 FedExCup points to the ledger for their triumph. Thomas will look to join Australians Stuart Appleby (three straight) and Geoff Ogilvy in defending the crown on Maui. Only Sergio Garcia and Daniel Chopra have won on their debut so that will give the seven first-time visitors hope! Playing almost 7,600 yards up and down the mountain, year 2 should give those an advantage who played the redesign last year. Before last year’s gusts and rain, the winning score hadn’t dipped below 19-under since 2008 so scoring is a must on this par-73. Only three Par-3 holes are on the card so tee-to-green play is the key this week. Wide fairways and massive greens will help in that department, plus there’s no water on the course. Hole the makeable ones and avoid the squares to contend! Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners and Notables 2020: Justin Thomas (-14, 278) Defeated Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele in a playoff to win for the second time. … Becomes the fourth multiple event winner. … 10th consecutive American winner. … Increased his victory total on the Pacific Rim to seven. … Led the field with 24 birdies. … In six visits he’s circled 20 or more birdies five times. … Worst birdie output is 18 in 2018. … Joins the list of the last five winners either first or second Putting: Birdie-or-Better Percentage. … Joins the list of the last six winners to finish top three Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green. … Entered the week on FIRE with two wins and five of his last six results in the top 10. Notables: 2015 champion Reed fired 66, the round of the day Sunday, and was the last man knocked out of the playoff on the third playoff hole. … 2019 champion Schauffele was bogey-free thru his first 43 holes; led after 36 and by one after 54 holes before being eliminated on the first playoff hole. … Patrick Cantlay (4th) posted 68, second best on Sunday, to cash his first top 10 in two starts. … Debutant Joaquin Niemann (T5) posted the co-lowest round of the week with 66 in Round 1. … 2018 champ Dustin Johnson (T7) streak of top 10 finishes is now at eight. … Collin Morikawa (T7) posted all four rounds in the red on his debut. … Jon Rahm (10th) hits the top 10 for the third time in three tries. … Only six players were 10-under or better. … Strangely, five of the top 14 were first-timers at Kapalua. … Preferred lies in play the final 54 holes. … Gusty NNE winds were on the menu all week and scoring was the worst since 2007. 2019: Xander Schauffele (-23, 269) Tied the course record with 62 in Round 4 to win by a shot on the last event before the redesign. … Sat five back of Gary Woodland (not entered this year) entering Sunday before posting his career best round … Holed out twice for eagle in the final round. … Posted 24 birdies (2nd) for the week. … Four of his five career victories are in limited field, no cut events. … Joins the last six winners by not finishing in the top 10 of Driving Accuracy. … Last of five consecutive winners to place in the top three in Bogey Avoidance. … Rolled into Maui after winning WGC-HSBC Champions and picking up T8 at Hero World Challenge. Notables: Justin Thomas (3rd) circled the most birdies on the week (25), fired 65 in the final round, but was still five back. … Johnson (T4) was the only player in the top 10 with a round above 72 as he posted 74 in Round 2. … Marc Leishman (T4) picked up his second consecutive top seven payday here. … In his second start, Bryson DeChambeau (7th) bettered his solo 26th paycheck from 2018. … The last time Webb Simpson entered he was T8 (-13). … Jon Rahm backed up his solo second from 2018 with T8. … Debutant Kevin Tway (not entered) shot 66 to lead after Round 1. … Debutant Rory McIlroy (T4; not entered) was the only first-timer in the top 10. … Winds were gusty before a perfect final round. … Top 15 players 10-under or better. 2018: Dustin Johnson (-24, 268) Trounced the field by eight shots to become the third multiple winner. … Sat one off the 36 hole lead before 66-65 blew the doors off the contenders. … Leading money winner and has made the most eagles in event history. … 65 and 66 were the best and co-second best rounds of the week. … At 33 he’s the only winner in the last six who wasn’t in their 20s. … Of the last six winners thru 2020, all have finished T7 or better in Par-4 Scoring. …. Won TNT and blew a seven shot lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions so he was in decent nick. Notables: Jon Rahm (2nd) made 21 birdies on debut. … Hideki Matsuyama (T4) closed with 66 for his third top five in three starts. … Marc Leishman (T7) led after 18 and 36 before coming undone with 76 in Round 3. … Top 14 players all 10-under or better. … Wind gusts of a minimum 30 MPH daily yet only five rounds from the top 20 finishers were OVER par. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Top 10 finish here since 2016 or past champion Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green 1 *Justin Thomas 2 *Hideki Matsuyama 3 *Jon Rahm 4 *Sergio Garcia 5 *Collin Morikawa 7 *Xander Schauffele 9 *Dustin Johnson 10 Scottie Scheffler (debut) 11 *Tony Finau 12 *Patrick Cantlay 15 Daniel Berger 16 *Webb Simpson 18 Harris English 19 *Bryson DeChambeau 20 Viktor Hovland (debut) 23 *Joaquin Niemann 26 *Patrick Reed Putting: Birdie-or-Better Percentage 2 *Webb Simpson 3 *Justin Thomas 4 *Bryson DeChambeau 5 *Patrick Reed 6 Daniel Berger 7 *Dustin Johnson 13 Scottie Scheffler 22 *Patrick Cantlay 24 *Jon Rahm 26 * Xander Schauffele 27 Cameron Smith 28 Sungjae Im (debut) 29 *Tony Finau Scrambling 1 Daniel Berger 2 *Xander Schauffele 3 *Brendon Todd 4 Kevin Na 6 Harris English 10 Abraham Ancer (debut) 11 *Jon Rahm 12 *Webb Simpson 16 *Kevin Kisner 17 *Bryson DeChambeau 19 *Hideki Matsuyama 21 *Patrick Reed 23 Lanto Griffin 25 *Justin Thomas 29 Carlos Ortiz (debut) 31 Sebastian Munoz

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