At least the first five LPGA tournaments in the tour’s restart amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be played without fans in attendance.
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Even the most advanced analytics can’t measure this intangible talent.  It’s the ability to summon one’s best on the biggest stages. Only a select few have it.  Xander Schauffele confirmed he’s one of them with his win at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He closed with three consecutive birdies – the last in a one-hole playoff with Tony Finau – to win at Shanghai’s Sheshan International Golf Club.  Schauffele, 25, now has three PGA TOUR titles. He may have been overshadowed by classmates Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in his amateur days, but Schauffele has proven in his brief pro career that he performs best when the stakes are highest.  It started in 2017, when, as an anonymous rookie, he finished fifth in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. That began a run that resulted in the best FedExCup finish for a rookie. He closed the season with a one-shot win over Thomas at the TOUR Championship.  Schauffele didn’t win in his second season, but his best finishes came in two of the game’s biggest events. He was runner-up at both THE PLAYERS Championship and The Open Championship. He finished four behind runaway winner Webb Simpson at TPC Sawgrass, then performed admirably at Carnoustie while playing in the final group of a major for the first time.  Then, needing a high finish to earn a return to East Lake, Schauffele finished third in the BMW Championship. He’s finished in the top 15 of the FedExCup in each of his first two seasons and seems headed for another high finish in the season-long race. He is atop the standings after his win. “We all want that as much as a major,â€� Schauffele said about the FedExCup. “I guess this is a good start.â€� That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough. He doesn’t want it to be sugarcoated.” A good start, indeed, after a remarkable finish. He started the final round three shots behind Finau.  Schauffele’s 68 was the low round of the day. Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari, who combined to win three of this year’s majors, were the only other players to break 70 on Sunday. Schauffele was the only player to shoot in the 60s in both the third and fourth rounds.  “I was definitely in sort of an attack mode, and I was hitting good shots all day, making good putts. I was doing everything that I needed to do,â€� he said.  His ball-striking was superb in windy conditions. He missed just three fairways and three greens.  He’s come from behind in all three of his wins. He was five shots back at the 2017 Greenbrier Classic and two behind entering the final round of the TOUR Championship.  “It was a finish we needed, and it feels good to clutch up when necessary,â€� he said.  On Thursday, Schauffele celebrated his 25th birthday with his parents. They got to see him win Sunday. His mother, Ping Yi, was born in Taiwan and raised in Japan.  Xander’s father, Stefan, was a competitive athlete whose career was derailed by a car accident. He turned to golf after the accident and has been his son’s only swing coach. His advice helped Xander keep calm during Sunday’s final holes.  “A lot of breathing and things he taught me when I was younger were put in play,â€� Xander said. “I was pretty nervous after I birdied 17 on the walk over to 18.â€�  Stefan’s straightforward assessments gave his son the toughness required to thrive in tough conditions.  “(Xander) is pretty thick-skinned. His dad was pretty blunt about things. He would tell him if it was good or bad,â€� said his college coach, Ryan Donovan of San Diego State. “Xander just rolled up his sleeves and did what he had to do. He never made excuses.â€�  Schauffele’s caddie, Austin Kaiser, concurred. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough. He doesn’t want it to be sugarcoated,â€� he said. Schauffele showed that again Sunday.
In an announcement that truly did catch the golf world by surprise, Phil Mickelson and his caddie, Jim “Bones” MacKay, decided to end their working relationship together after 25 years. The pair said they would remain friends, but that the time had simply come for a change. There were all kinds of theories floating around in the aftermath of the news, but one interesting event people have been highlighting is the heated exchange between Bones and Phil on 17th hole during the second round of this year’s Players Championship. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports Mickelson had started the day strong, making the turn in three-under, but began losing steam on the back nine. Bogeys on 13 and 15 were mitigated
Torrey Pines specialist Jason Day is in danger of missing the U.S. Open at the iconic coastal venue and could leave next week’s PGA Championship, or this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, at any stage for the birth of his fourth child. The Australian has always put family first and said wife Ellie is due in early June but hits full term on her pregnancy this Friday, leaving him on call for an early departure as he looks to recapture past success in Texas. The last time he missed a major – the 2012 Open Championship – was for the birth of Dash, the couple’s first child. “If I’m playing golf, whatever, it doesn’t matter. I just want to make sure that I see the birth of our fourth child … I could get a call this week or next week. Ellie’s two to three centimeters dilated and 15% effaced, and her belly has already dropped. In the next four weeks it can come,” Day said. “If it happens to be on Sunday at a major championship where I’m in contention, it happens. You got to do it. I’m not going to miss it because I’m in contention. It would be nice to win, but family is forever.” The former Dallas resident claimed the first of his 12 PGA TOUR wins at the 2010 AT&T Byron Nelson and has four top-10s from his five tournament appearances – the sort of success he desperately needs if he’s to find his way into the field for June’s U.S. Open. While the PGA Championship comes sooner, Day circled the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on the calendar as soon as it was announced in 2014 – a year before he would win the first of his two Farmers Insurance Open’s at the San Diego venue. He had finished runner-up at Torrey just a few months earlier and having won a Junior World title there as a kid the former world No. 1 had always loved the venue. His passion grew over time, particularly as he watched Tiger Woods win time and time again on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, including his epic triumph at the 2008 U.S. Open. But despite finishing inside the top five in half of his 10 U.S. Open appearances, the 33-year-old is yet to be exempt for the tournament and at 62nd in the world rankings sits on the outside looking in as key qualifying dates approach. Day must find a way inside the world top 60 on either May 24 (after the PGA Championship) or June 7 (after the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide) to qualify as he’s already stated he does not intend to join sectional qualifying in his hometown Columbus because of a sponsor conflict. “I haven’t even thought about missing a major championship in a very long time. I’m obviously on the border of missing (Torrey). I’ve got to play well in the next two weeks,” Day said. “Obviously I would love to play the Torrey Pines U.S. Open because I’ve had a lot of success around that golf course.” His 2021 has been far from stellar thus far and he suits up in Texas off two straight missed cuts and with just one top-10 (T7, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). Day admits his confidence has taken a hit as distractions puncture his game and his once dominant putting prowess has waned. The 33-year-old has returned to work with former mental coach Jason Goldsmith, who was with him during his near year-long stint as world No. 1 in 2015-16, as he looks to rediscover some old swagger. First step is getting through the moments of doubt and finding love in the grind again. “I’m just trying to build that confidence. I feel like my game is starting to come around nicely and I’m starting to feel good about it,” Day said. “I know I’ve got to keep persisting. If I don’t do it, it’s not going to be enjoyable for me. If it’s not enjoyable for me, I may as well retire. I can’t play the way that I’m going and beat my head against a wall, essentially. “But, then on the other hand I’m like, ‘No, you can’t quit. You got to keep pushing, stay persistent, stay positive, patient, keep moving forward,’ and it’ll come back. Right now I’m trying to do that.”
