Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth are fighting through the second round at Augusta National. Watch all the action live on ESPN and the ESPN App.
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AVONDALE, La. – Patrick Reed has been craving his “normalâ€� life and as such can’t wait to get back into the competitive grind with teammate Patrick Cantlay at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The newly minted Masters champion is set to play his first event since claiming his maiden major at Augusta National and couldn’t be happier. And given he forms part of the only team that has two TOUR winners from this season and the only team with both players inside the top 15 of the FedExCup, he has reason to be confident. “There is nothing like being back out here and getting inside the ropes, playing with the guys, and going out and competing,â€� Reed said. “Just something I love to do is compete. I’ve been looking forward to coming back and having a chance to win. “You have to get back in it, get back grinding, and playing some golf. It’s been lots of fun and I look forward to the rest of the year.â€� Reed went head first into the spoils that come with a Green Jacket – hitting the New York media tour and late shows, watching NBA games courtside, and attending functions in his honor. He called it “an eye-opening experienceâ€�. His wife Justine took the brunt of the mountains of correspondence – replying to what Reed believed was easily over 800 emails. He knows things will be different now. And he needs to get used to managing his time. Other major winners have warned him to be ready. “It is different with just everything that comes with it,â€� Reed said. “Just a lot of extra stuff that you didn’t have in the past, which, I mean, it’s all great. It’s awesome. But to be able to manage the time and get back to playing golf and get into our normal routine has been nice, because it’s something you can’t stay out of for a while. “A lot of guys have told me, just be careful with your time. First things first. You got to go out and grind and focus on golf, because the time you start to not focus on golf will be the time you go backwards. That’s nothing any of us want. We all want to improve and get better.â€� It starts at TPC Louisiana where Reed and Cantlay sat second through 36 holes last year only to fade to T14. They believe they’re ready to make amends. “We’re both extremely competitive, and I would say that’s one of the traits we both have that serves us both really well,â€� Cantlay enthused. “We love winning, we love competing, and I think it shows.â€�
PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson said on Thursday that his family hired the tutoring company at the center of the college admissions scandal that has wrapped up Hollywood actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman to help his children in the college admissions process. He denied participating in the alleged fraud perpetrated by William “Rickâ€� Singer’s Key World Foundation described to wealthy parents seeking his services as “the side doorâ€� to college admission. Mickelson ‘shocked’ by college fraud scandal “Our family, along with thousands of others, used Rick Singer’s company to guide us through the college admissions process,â€� Mickelson wrote on Twitter.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – We’re halfway through THE PLAYERS Championship and so far, pretty much everything has played out according to plan. Louis Oosthuizen and Kyle Stanley each shot 66 and are tied at the top at 9 under, (predictable), while J.B. Holmes, who isn’t sure TPC Sawgrass fits his left-to-right ball flight, shot 69 and is two back (of course). Vijay Singh, 54, was riding a streak of seven straight missed cuts on the PGA TOUR, but fired a 68 to reach 6 under par, three off the lead. (Nailed it.) And the strength of his game so far this week has been putting. (As usual.) “It was sad I three-putted the last hole,” said Singh, who has made more than 200 feet of putts in two days and ranks 16th in strokes gained: putting through 36 holes. “But that’s a strong part of my game right now. If I keep putting like that, I’m going to be right there on Sunday.” To say this edition of THE PLAYERS has been upside-down doesn’t quite cover it. Although THE PLAYERS Stadium Course traditionally plays no favorites and has thus been a hard place to predict the winner, this week’s doings have been even weirder than usual. “It’s nice to kind of see a lot of the work kind of come together,” said Stanley, who ranks sixth in the field in strokes-gained: putting. “But that being said, there’s a lot of golf left. Still got to be really patient. Can’t get too far ahead of yourself.” Three weeks ago, Singh partnered with Carlos Franco to win the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf on the PGA TOUR Champions. But he hasn’t won on TOUR in nine years, when he won twice in the Playoffs to claim the 2008 FedExCup. Stanley hasn’t been in this position for a while, either—he hasn’t won since the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open—but that just means they’re well-rested, right? Jordan Spieth shot a second-round 75 to miss the cut and afterward gave away one of his shoes to a little girl in the gallery. His play-of-the-day moment may have been when he found playing partner Phil Mickelson’s wayward tee shot at the par-4 10th hole. “The funny thing is I never find my own ball,” Spieth deadpanned to the gallery. “But I find Phil’s like that.” He snapped his fingers; the spectators laughed. “Although I’m not sure he wanted me to find it,” Spieth added. More laughter. Mickelson’s unpredictability is the stuff of legend, so he has fit right in this week. After not playing a practice round at the revamped Stadium Course, he climbed to within a shot of the lead with a 3-under 33 on the front nine Friday. The 2007 THE PLAYERS champ was back! Then he hit iron into the bushes left of the left fairway bunker on 10—leading to Spieth’s quip, and a bogey—and double-bogeyed the par-3 17th after his ball landed near the back pin but took a giant first hop and trundled over the bulkhead and into the water. “I don’t know what to say,” Mickelson said after his 72. “I played well today.” At least he had company: There were 29 balls in the water on 17 Friday, the most in a second round since 2003. And amid all the other oddities this week, playing well and scoring well have seldom looked more at odds. In fact, they seem to have begun a trial separation. Take Justin Thomas, who has made 10 birdies and an eagle so far. Pretty great, right? But Thomas is at even par after throwing in 10 bogeys and a double while shooting 73-71. “It seems like any time I got momentum I seemed to give it right back,” he said. Still, Thomas hardly is out of it. That’s the other upside-down thing about this PLAYERS and every PLAYERS. We think we know who’s on the fast track to winning, but we don’t. Just 12 of 43 second-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win the tournament. “If you make the cut here,” Thomas said, “you have a chance to win the tournament.” In other words, maybe the stars are not in as much trouble as it might seem. Defending champ Jason Day shot 72 and was at 2 under with Mickelson. Rory McIlroy, who revealed he has re-aggravated his back and will go in for an MRI on Monday, shot 71 and was at even. Dustin Johnson got nothing going and shot 73. He’s also at even par. Meanwhile, Luke List made the first eagle on the new par-4 12th hole, driving the green and sinking the putt from 14 feet, 9 inches. He shot 69. He missed the cut. At THE PLAYERS this year, great isn’t necessarily good, and mediocre isn’t all that bad, and the only sensible thing to do seems to be to reserve the right to withhold judgement. “It’s going to make us look pretty silly out there, a lot of spots,” Mickelson said of the Stadium Course’s firm greens. “But I hit a lot of good shots, including the one on 17 that went in the water. So, unfortunately, I made double there. But I’m in a good spot for tomorrow. I’ll come out tomorrow and see if I can shoot a number.” Stranger things have happened.
