Which Tiger will show up? And other big U.S. Open questions

Graeme McDowell celebrated in different stages at the par-3 17th hole at TPC Louisiana on Friday. It’s a fairly brutal hole, all 216 yards of it, and water guards its entire left side. A par was the score he was chasing in the second round of the Zurich Classic. So when McDowell saw that the beautiful 4-iron he struck safely on land, pitching at the front of the green, that was cause for joy in itself. He didn’t bother to even watch the rest once it bounced. RELATED: Leaderboard | Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson combine to make move in ‘tricky format’ And then his ball released, and rolled, and rolled some more … 40 feet or so … right into the jar for McDowell’s very first ace in a PGA TOUR event. McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, figures he has “around 14” or so holes-in-one around the world, as many as five as a pro on other tours, but he had never had one on the PGA TOUR. When the ball disappeared, McDowell’s partner, Matt Wallace, was more thrilled than McDowell, giving him a double-armed jolt to the shoulders as everybody else on the tee swarmed him. “It’s a sweet one, obviously,” said McDowell, 41, a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR. “It means I can share the bar bill with Matty, as well, which is great. I think we sent a few beers over to the caddie tent, and we sent a few beers over to the media center, as well, just in case you guys are thirsty.” McDowell’s ace, which came on the eighth hole of the round, provided a nice spark for the McDowell-Wallace tandem, which moved from the cutline into the fringes of contention. A second-round 70 left them at 8-under 136, just five shots out of the lead. Because the hole-in-one arrived at the PGA TOUR’s two-man team event it was not deemed as being “official” by the PGA TOUR. As far as McDowell and his partner were concerned, you can keep the asterisk. “Nah, that counts,” Wallace said. Added McDowell, “Official? I don’t care if it’s official, unofficial … I’m pretty sure it says ‘1’ on the scorecard.” With a big weekend ahead, his own celebration would have to wait. Maybe a little red wine with dinner, McDowell said. “It was a nice little shot in the arm for us, and we birdied the next, and we put ourselves in a nice little slot going into the weekend,” McDowell said. “… We may have a glass of wine, but we’ll save the celebrations, hopefully, for Sunday night.” Rest easy. If McDowell and Wallace were to win, it would be counted as official. And they’ll both know the shot that got them going.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Reed became famous playing for his country. He won for himself on Sunday at the Masters. Rory McIlroy came after him early. Jordan Spieth briefly tied him for the lead. Rickie Fowler birdied the last hole to leave him no room for error. Reed never flinched through it all on a raucous afternoon at Augusta National, calmly rolling in a 3-foot par putt for a 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory. Captain America is now the Masters champion. Even as the loudest cheers were for everyone else, Reed earned all the respect with two big birdie putts on the back nine, one key par and plenty of grit. The 27-year-old Texan becomes the fourth straight Masters champion to win his first major. Fowler holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 67. He had to settle for his third runner-up finish in a major. He left the scoring cabin when Reed two-putted for par down the slippery slope on the 18th green and waited for a chance to greet Reed. “Glad I at least made the last one, make him earn it,” Fowler said with a grin. “You had to do it didn’t you?” Reed told him as they exchanged a hug. “You had to birdie the last.” Spieth put up the most unlikely fight and was on the verge of the greatest comeback in Masters history. He started nine shots behind going into the final round, and was inches away on two shots from a chance at another Green Jacket. His tee shot on the 18th clipped the last branch in his way, dropping his ball some 267 yards from the green. His 8-foot par putt for a record-tying 63 narrowly missed on the right. He had to settle for a 64. Reed won for the sixth time in his PGA TOUR career, though he was best known for the trophies he shared at the Ryder Cup. He is ferocious in match play, especially the team variety, and his singles victory over McIlroy at Hazeltine in 2016 led to the nickname of Captain America. McIlroy, meanwhile, will have to wait another year for a shot at the career Grand Slam. Trailing by three shots to start the final round, he closed to within one shot after two holes. That was as close as he came. McIlroy’s putter betrayed him, and he was never a factor on the back nine. He closed with a 74 and tied for fifth.

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