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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – As rituals go, spending his birthday at Harbour Town Golf Links is as sure a bet as you’ll find in the world of golf. After all, Davis Love III has played here 32 times since 1986. He celebrated his 22nd birthday a few days before his debut. And on the eve of yet another RBC Heritage, Love smiled warmly at the site of a birthday cake commemorating his 58th birthday. He’s won here five times, finished second once, and third once. So, he’s royalty when he’s among the Hilton Head crowd. But on this day, the cake would have to serve as the only gift he would receive because with Love serving as Presidents Cup captain later in the year, this birthday celebration would be spent answering questions. Like what is Tiger Woods’ role going to be at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte on Sept. 22-25? “Any role he wants,” said Love, quickly and firmly. “We had to pry him off the couch a little bit last winter and spring to get involved in the (2021) Ryder Cup and then once we got him going, he was very engaged and loved it.” Love joked that if Woods were to say, “‘You’re not captain anymore, I’m going to be the captain,’ we’ll probably have to talk about that one. But anything else (is open). If he wants to be co-captain or assistant captain or player, . . . whatever he wants to do.” When asked if Love truly believes Woods could play on the Presidents Cup team in five months he nodded his head. Why? “Because I didn’t think he would ever play again and he proved us wrong,” said Love. “And then, I didn’t think he could walk 72 holes at Augusta, because that’s one of our hardest walks – and he proved us wrong again.” So Love joked that it would probably assure a Woods Presidents Cup comeback if he were continue to doubt him. “Can he do it? I’ll just say no, he’s not going to play enough golf and he won’t be able to do it, so then he’ll do it,” laughed Love. “What could be a better story than him playing the Masters, him playing The Open Championship and working his way back and winning a golf tournament and being at least in the conversation.” Of all the congratulations Love said he’s received since being named Presidents Cup captain for the first time (he’s a two-time Ryder Cup captain), the one he got from Woods meant the most. “He calls me and says, ‘All right, you’re captain in Charlotte, it’s the right thing to do at this time.’” From here on, the calls will be made by Love and his assistants, two of whom – Zach Johnson and Fred Couples – were named this week. Since it’s April and the first major championship of the season is in the books, Love will start taking a serious look at the standings. When he does, he’ll see some names that might surprise folks, players who haven’t been on the international teams. Love said nothing will surprise him. In fact, “I’m prepared for a different team (than last year’s Ryder Cup team that beat Europe, 19-9). I said it (at the Ryder Cup), we won’t get the same 12 as we had last time. It never works that way.” Presently, of the top six automatic picks, two have never played on Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup team – Sam Burns, who is No. 2, and Talor Gooch, No. 6. Four players who sit in the No. 6-12 positions (Tom Hoge, Jason Kokrak, Max Homa, and Will Zalatoris) have also not played on either team. Meanwhile, stalwarts such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, and Bryson DeChambeau are outside the top 12. “I’ve never really gotten hung up on it early in the year,” said Love. I don’t really start watching until the Masters. There’s a whole bunch of points to go.” But he didn’t sound concerned, either way. “You always have some flip-flop (from one team to the next). That’s what’s great about it – you get the hot guys. But the hot guys from last year might not be the hot guys from this year.”

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These are indeed some strange days. Naturally, the health of the world is the highest priority for everyone, but it doesn’t make the cancellation of sporting events and golf tournaments any less disappointing. Perhaps because of its unique two-man team format, the one tournament that might be missed the most by fans is the Zurich Classic of New Orleans Given the time, it’s fun to look back and reminisce (and imagine) some of the best two-man teams in golf history. There’s no secret that the best players often make the best teams. Among the 10 Classic teams listed below are some of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen. Tournament winners with great resumes who dominated when they combined their superpowers. There are 18 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame included among the 20 names selected. But sometimes the chemistry between two players make the sum of their games even better. Their ability to complement each other’s personality or playing style provided an ideal winning formula. Here’s one man’s opinion to the 10 best teams in golf history, along with an explanation for each, including how the teams performed as teammates in Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup competitions or fared in other team tournaments, such as the World Cup (nee Canada Cup). All the players considered were either retired or deceased. OK, I fudged a little by including Davis Love III and Fred Couples, who are both active on the PGA TOUR Champions and still play the occasional TOUR stop. There is no particular order to our list of 10. Let the debate begin … With this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans canceled, PGATOUR.COM writers will publish a series of our favorite two-man partnerships in honor of the tournament’s unique team format. Each day, we’ll focus on a specific category. Use the comments section to let us know which two-man teams you’d most enjoy seeing: Modern teams. Sean Martin picks out his 10 favorite teams from today’s active pros. Classic teams. Tom Alter picks out his 10 favorite teams from former PGA TOUR and golf greats. THURSDAY: Fantasy teams. Jim McCabe picks out his 10 favorite teams using partners from different generations. FRIDAY: ShotLink teams. PGA TOUR’s ShotLink crew picks out its 10 best partners utilizing analytics from the ShotLink Era (since 2003). 1. Arnold Palmer-Jack Nicklaus These all-time greats had one of the most famous rivalries in sports history. But as a team, these “frenemiesâ€� excelled. They won the World Cup as teammates in 1963, ’64, ’66 and ’67. They also won three PGA Team Championships when that tournament existed in 1966, ’70 and ’71. Of course, because they combined to win 25 major championships, they had success with other teammates; Palmer won two World Cups in the early 1960s with Sam Snead, while Nicklaus won two of his own in the early 1970s with Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller. The World Golf Hall of Fame members were paired together only twice in the Ryder Cup. Naturally, they won their Foursomes match in 1971 and their Fourball match in 1973. The King and The Bear were a perfect pair. 2. Ben Crenshaw-Tom Kite These two members of the World Golf Hall of Fame grew up butting heads at Austin CC in Texas. Before their individual play on the PGA TOUR, which would include major championships, Crenshaw and Kite combined forces to carry the University of Texas golf team to the very top. The Longhorns won consecutive national championships in 1971 and ’72. Crenshaw won the individual title for a record three consecutive seasons from 1971 through ’73 and shared the title with Kite in 1972. 3. Bobby Jones-Walter Hagen One can only speculate how awesome Jones and Hagen would be taking on all comers during the Roaring Twenties. Both were masters of match play; Jones won a record five U.S. Amateur championships while Hagen won a record five PGA Championships, including four in a row (all at match play). And it’s even fun to imagine what these all-timers would wear. I guess the film “The Legend of Bagger Vanceâ€� gave us a peek at what playing against them would be like, but it’s doubtful there would be any Hollywood endings when facing these two all-timers. 4. Byron Nelson-Harold “Jugâ€� McSpaden During World War II, Nelson couldn’t serve in the military because he had issues with blood clotting. Nonetheless, he wanted to contribute to the cause. So, together with McSpaden, they barnstormed around the country playing in exhibitions. Crisscrossing the country in a beat-up car on terrible roads, they were labelled “The Gold Dust Twins.â€� Not only did they help raise several million dollars for the war effort, they kept their games razor sharp. When the war was over and the 1945 season rolled around, they were ready to go. They teamed up to win the Miami Four-ball; it was the start of Nelson’s 11 consecutive victories … in a season when he finished with 18 titles. Both PGA TOUR records that are likely to stand forever. Meanwhile, McSpaden finished second 13 times. This year marks the 75th anniversary of that historic season; the “Gold Dust Twinsâ€� left their mark as a team for the ages. 5. Davis Love III-Fred Couples Given their unique last names, it seems destiny that Love and Couples would make a great pair. They set the golf world afire in 1992 when they each won three times in March and April, including Love at THE PLAYERS Championship and Couples at the Masters. In November that year they teamed up to win the World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Then they created World Cup history when the tandem won four consecutive titles. In addition, they were a part of four winning Presidents Cup teams, going 5-2-1 as teammates. 6. Hale Irwin-Lanny Wadkins Irwin and Wadkins were two of the toughest competitors in the history of the game. What’s surprising is that they didn’t play together more often. Both won at least 20 PGA TOUR tournaments in their respective careers. Although they both made several Ryder Cup squads, they only teamed up one time, playing two Foursome matches together in the 1991 Ryder Cup. They won both matches handily: 4 & 2. Not surprising. Nobody wanted a piece of those guys. 7. Lee Trevino-Mike Hill Trevino couldn’t be any more different than Hill. The “Merry Mexâ€� was outgoing, funny, a real chatterbox — and a Hall of Fame member. Hill didn’t say much … or do much as a career journeyman on the PGA TOUR, albeit winning three times. When they got to the PGA TOUR Champions (then known as the Senior PGA TOUR), Trevino kept on winning. He duplicated his 29 TOUR titles with 29 more on the senior circuit. Meanwhile, Hill excelled in the greatest mulligan in sports. Both players finished in the top 20 on the money list for the first 10 years of their second careers. They were ideal complements for each other as a team. Together they won four Legends of Golf team tournaments (on two different venues), the most in event history. 8. Nick Faldo-Ian Woosnam These two dominating Ryder Cup teammates make an interesting pair. One is tall, dark and handsome; the other is short and stocky … and looks like he’s ready to punch your lights out. But Faldo and Woosnam were part of the spectacular wave of European players who snatched the Ryder Cup away from the United States in the late 1980s. In the 1985 and ’87 matches, both won by Europe, Sir Nick and “Wee Woosieâ€� combined to go 5-1-2. Although they did struggle to a 0-2-0 record in ’89, these World Golf Hall of Fame members must be acknowledged as one of the great teams of all time. 9. Sam Snead-Ben Hogan Snead and Hogan were archrivals with very different personalities, so it might come as a surprise that they should be included among the greatest teammates of all-time. What they had in common more than made up for their differences; they both grew up hungry during the Depression and had incredible talent. Oh, and they liked winning. Two of the four players with the most PGA TOUR victories in history (82 + 64 = 146 titles!), Snead and Hogan dominated as teammates. Look no further than the 1956 World Cup at Wentworth in England. They won by 14 strokes. (The runner-up South African team featured fellow future World Golf Hall of Fame members Bobby Locke and 20-year-old Gary Player.) 10. Seve Ballesteros-Jose Marie Olazabal This team of Spaniards is recognized as the best Ryder Cup duo in history. Their record together is a remarkable 11-2-2, including 6-1-1 in Foursomes and 5-1-1 in Four-ball. all Ryder Cup records. Although one could argue that Seve was so good he could win with anybody (he did win the 1976 and ’77 World Cups with compatriots Manuel Pinero and Antonio Garrido, respectively), that assumption would sell Olazabal short. Like Seve, Ollie was a two-time Masters champion and a World Golf Hall of Fame member. Together, though, they were even better … maybe the best ever. Longtime PGA TOUR employee Tom Alter is the Vice President of Editorial Development.

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SAN DIEGO – It was a pretty good Australia Day for Marc Leishman.  The affable Australian took his PGA TOUR win tally to an impressive five after producing a stellar Sunday at Torrey Pines, claiming the Farmers Insurance Open by a shot. It came on his home nations national day at a course that reminds him of home.  RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag The Torrey pine tree the course takes its name from are not the only ones adorning the precinct. Multiple eucalyptus trees, natives of Australia, dot the course and the fairways and greens use grass seen everywhere down under.  It is why Leishman has always felt at home at Torrey. Why he believed he could win at the course from his first trip as a wide-eyed teenager on his first journey outside his country in 2001.  On Sunday, after more than a decade of trying and two runner up finishes, the former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year finally connected for the win. And it was an impressive one for sure. His 7-under 65 matched the low final round by a Farmers Insurance Open champion since Torrey Pines underwent its first U.S. Open renovation in 2001. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week, gaining +8.031 strokes, +4.778 of which came Sunday as he made 151 feet, four inches worth or putts. His caddie Matty Kelly, who has been with Leishman his entire TOUR career and grew up in the same small town, called it the best putting performance of his career.  “As good as it gets on the greens,â€� Kelly said. “He was rolling early and then he just got so determined and honestly I just tried to get out of his way. It was like he was pitching a no-hitter in baseball. You don’t say anything, you just let it happen.â€� Leishman needed every bit of it as his driving – which had been stellar for three rounds – deserted him. On Sunday he was 70th in the field for Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee losing -1.235 to the field.  “A bit of extra practice early in the week on the putting green. Kind of had a good feeling, but you never know what your week’s going to be like. I grew up on this grass, I grew up on kikuyu fairways, poa greens,â€� Leishman said. “I saw that the guys out front didn’t get off to the best start and then that really got my determination up. I’ve led here early in the last round maybe once or twice and let it slip. I was very determined to not let that happen again.â€� Starting four shots off the lead held by Jon Rahm, a previous Farmers Insurance Open winner and one of the men to previously finish with a 65 to win, made things seem tough enough. Ryan Palmer was three ahead and FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy also started ahead of the Australian. Tiger Woods, an eight time winner at Torrey Pines was a shot behind.   But Leishman made his intentions clear early with birdies on three of his opening four holes. The par he made included a miss for birdie from four feet. Almost immediately he had the lead and from there he would charge on. At one point his lead was as many as four strokes but Rahm, who had stumbled early, roared back.  In his last six holes the Spaniard would make an eagle and four birdies, but a costly bogey on the 15th hole would ultimately prove costly. He came to the par-5 18th needing an eagle to tie after Leishman made a clutch birdie before him.  He had a chance from 53 feet, similar to the putt he made in 2017 on the way to victory, but it pulled up a foot short. Afterwards Rahm said he didn’t look at a leaderboard and thought birdie would have been enough to tie. He had failed to see Leishman’s birdie posted.  “I saw Adam Scott finish with four straight birdies to give Justin Rose a run last year. I finished with a birdie and eagle to win by three, so I knew it was possible. I hit the shots I needed to,â€� Rahm said. “What people probably don’t know is that on 18, after I made that putt on 17, I never looked at the scoreboard, so as far as I was concerned I was one back. So with a birdie, I was going to be in a playoff.  “The putt, that’s a tough putt … So I did hit it with trying to make it with perfect speed thinking a two‑putt would get into a playoff … but even if I hit the right speed, that putt doesn’t go in, it was left of the hole the whole way, so it doesn’t matter. Still, it’s just a sour feeling.â€� Leishman was hitting balls on the nearby first hole on a makeshift range set up by TOUR officials in case extra holes were needed. When Rahm’s putt pulled up short he jumped on the phone to his wife and kids who were back in their Virginia Beach base while hugging his team. His oldest son, eight-year-old Harvey, is fast becoming golf obsessed. He was riding the telecast all evening and after congratulating his dad on some epic par saves was quick to critique his driving. But even Harvey knows five TOUR wins is very note-worthy.  “My first few years on the TOUR, you’re just hoping to keep your card, just have a job. Once you get that first one … it kind of validates it if you can get two and then you can get more,â€� Leishman said. “I didn’t really ever imagine I would be a five‑time TOUR winner, to be honest. As a kid you don’t expect this. You dream to be on the PGA TOUR one day and all of a sudden to have five victories, it’s a great feeling. “So I feel lucky. This is a pretty sweet victory just because I’ve come close here a few times. From my first year on TOUR I felt like this is a place I could win at and then to finally do it my 12th year on TOUR is really satisfying.â€� After Australia failed to produce a TOUR win in the 2019 calendar year they now have two in the first four weeks of 2020 with Cameron Smith also winning the Sony Open in Hawaii. Both players had pledged significant funds to Australian bushfire relief efforts prior to their wins and hoped the victories brought a little bit of happiness to a country in crisis.   Both were important members of the International Presidents Cup team last December also and the good friends vowed to each other they would win this season. They’ve done it inside the first month of 2020 and are already planning their trip to the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui.  They also have Olympic dreams. Four years ago Leishman had to pass up a spot at Rio on doctors’ advice. His wife Audrey was still overcoming a near fatal bout of sepsis and Leishman couldn’t risk contracting anything to put her immune system at risk.  “Seeing Cam Smith win a couple weeks ago, that gave me a bit of determination,â€� Leishman admitted. “The goal was to win. Now we’ve done that the goals need to change.  “I’ll hope to do it again and contend in the big events like THE PLAYERS and the majors. And I have Olympic aspirations. I would love to be there in Tokyo … it is a priority for me. I would love to represent my country and hopefully win a medal for my country. My game is in a good spot right now and I hope to take advantage.â€� If he produces more efforts like Sunday at Torrey there’s a big chance he will. 

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