Winner’s Bag: Webb Simpson, Waste Management Phoenix Open

Brendan Steele knows all about a fast start to the season. What he’d like to avoid is the slow finish. Steele won the Safeway Open a year ago, and he felt he was on his way. He made the cut in his next 16 tournaments. He had three top 10s, including a tie for sixth in THE PLAYERS Championship. He made the cut in both majors he played during that stretch. He was 13th in the FedExCup, and the TOUR Championship looked like a sure thing. And then it wasn’t. “I really felt like at the end of the season through the summer, I definitely limited myself as to what I was trying to achieve,” Steele said. “I just wanted to make the TOUR Championship so bad, I was just trying to scratch and claw for every point I could. There was never going to be a week where I had a chance to win playing like that because you play to the level you’re thinking. “If you’re trying to make the cut, you’ll be right around the cut line,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to win. I wasn’t trying to play my best. I was just trying to get whatever points I could and I played right to that level.” He made only three cuts in his last seven events, and two of those tournaments didn’t even have cuts. Steele was at No. 27 going into the BMW Championship, closed with a 72-72 weekend and missed the top 30 — and the TOUR Championship — by two shots. Since the wraparound season began in October 2013, Steele became the first player to win the season-opening event and not make it to East Lake. He hopes he at least learned from last year. “I just started playing a little more cautiously and a little bit more afraid,” he said. “I don’t know if I got a little bit more tired or what happened, but I was just worried about the outcome and not the process of actually hitting good shots and playing good tournaments. … I’m going to try not to do that this year and just really move forward and try to win as many tournaments as I can, and get myself into contention in majors and do all the things that everybody wants to do out here.” He gets his first chance quickly. After his two-shot victory to repeat at the Safeway Open, he was on a flight to Malaysia to play the CIMB Classic. ___ CAREER MONEY EXEMPTIONS: Tim Clark is coming up on the two-year anniversary since he last played on the PGA TOUR at the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge. Instead of taking a major medical extension, he is using a one-time exemption for being among the top 50 in career money (No. 47). Whether he plays depends on his health. Clark spent time this year working with Russell Henley on his wedge game. Also using a one-time exemption for top 50 in career money is two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, who is No. 26 in career money. Goosen, who turns 49 in February, narrowly kept his card for last season. Ernie Els (No. 5) and K.J. Choi (No. 25) are using one-time exemptions for top 25 on the career money list. Els, who turns 48 next week, can still use the one-time exemption for top 50. Bo Van Pelt also is on a career money exemption, but that has been carried over from 2015-16. Van Pelt hasn’t played since Pebble Beach in 2016 after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left arm. ___ BACK IN ITS PLACE: With a hurricane approaching, Justin Thomas took some of his most valued possessions to a sturdy safe at the home of his neighbor Rickie Fowler. That included the Wanamaker Trophy from the PGA Championship. And that’s where it stayed. Thomas headed for Chicago, then Atlanta for the TOUR Championship, followed by New York for the Presidents Cup. He headed over to Fowler’s to retrieve his major championship hardware, and then found the perfect spot for it. “It doesn’t quite fit in my office. I have a little bookcase, and it’s a little bigger than the other trophies I have,” Thomas said. “But it’s kind of a nice little ledge above the fireplace in my living room that it just fits perfect right when you walk in the front door. And I think I’m going to leave it there.” ___ THREE-PEATS: Justin Thomas is going for a third straight victory at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, and that’s just the start. Over the next 12 months, Thomas will be among five players trying to win the same tournament three years in a row. Hideki Matsuyama has won the last two years at the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the start of February. Daniel Berger is a back-to-back winner at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He’ll get his chance in June. Then, a little more than a month later, Jhonattan Vegas goes for three in a row at the RBC Canadian Open. And then it circles back to Brendan Steele, who on Sunday won the Safeway Open for the second straight year. The last player to win the same PGA TOUR event three straight times was Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Before that, it was Tiger Woods at two tournaments. He won three straight at a pair of World Golf Championships from 2005 through 2007. One was the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone. The other was held over three courses — the American Express at Harding Park (2005), The Grove (2006) and Doral (2007). ___ DIVOTS: The Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro finally gets to host another tournament. The Brazil Open starts Thursday on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. … Atlanta-based Delta Airlines has become the third company to become an international partner of the Masters, joining Rolex and UPS. The Masters has only three global sponsors in AT&T, Mercedes-Benz and IBM. … The LPGA Teaching and Club Professional membership has announced one winner for the Ellen Griffin Rolex Award and the Nancy Lopez Golf Achievement Award — Sandy LaBauve, the founder of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program. ___ STAT OF THE WEEK: The top 10 in the men’s and women’s world ranking each have players from six countries. The men are represented by the United States, Japan, Spain, Northern Ireland, Sweden and Australia. The women are represented by South Korea, the United States, Sweden, China, Thailand and New Zealand. ___ FINAL WORD: “I’m going to win. It’s a matter of time. I don’t know if it’s tomorrow, I don’t know if it’s in China, but it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen soon because I’m starting to play well enough to do it.” — Phil Mickelson after the third round of the Safeway Open.

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Headed into what was scheduled to be this week’s Valero Texas Open, Charley Hoffman would have been armed with the best tool for success – a strong history in San Antonio. Last year’s bogey-free, 5-under 67 Sunday at TPC San Antonio was good for solo-second, his sixth top-10 finish in 14 starts in the event. Hoffman won the Valero Texas Open in 2016. But, rather than being poised for another solid finish on one of the TOUR’s most challenging layouts, like everyone else in the world, Hoffman is home and wondering what’s next. While he and wife, Stacy, don’t have all the answers for their two young daughters, they do have the resources to give back to a community in need. And, through the Charley Hoffman Foundation, they also do have Texas-sized hearts. Via video message, Charley, Stacy and their daughters recently announced a donation of $25,000 from the Charley Hoffman Foundation to the Valero Texas Open. The funds will be distributed by the tournament to a variety of area charities at their discretion. “It was important to give to the Valero Texas Open because we understand that without PGA TOUR events, the tournaments just don’t have the ability for the same community outreach from a financial standpoint,� Charley said. “Stacy and I looked back at what is one of our favorite tournaments of the year, the Valero Texas Open, and thought about how we could help the community of San Antonio.� “We thought it was right to give to the Valero Texas Open not only because Charley has had so much success there, but also because the tournament has been a big supporter of the Charley Hoffman Foundation,� said Stacy. “That means a lot for them to take note of what we’re doing with our foundation.� In its 11 years of existence, the Charley Hoffman Foundation has generated more than $1.8 million. In their hometown of San Diego, the foundation supports cystic fibrosis, San Diego Junior Golf & Pro Kids Golf as main charities. “To have the funds available to give back is something Stacy and I are so grateful for,� Charley said. “And, when something unusual like this pandemic comes along, it means a lot to us to be able to draw from funds we have in the foundation.� “We really are so pleased that the Charley Hoffman Foundation is able to help other organizations and charities through this really hard time,� Stacy said. “We understand that it’s hard for charities that try to support those who need extra help throughout the year.� So, in a time of uncertainty, Stacy knew it would be even harder for those who need more during this challenging time. And, the charities themselves may actually begin with less to give back. “It’s said that everything’s bigger in Texas, and the Valero Texas Open has always given a really big amount back to their San Antonio community,� Stacy said. “It was really important for Charley and I to give back, because we knew they could be missing out on a lot of charity dollars this year. We thought we could at least help a little bit with some of those charities that really rely on those funds.� “In my opinion, the Valero Texas Open is a major standout among TOUR events when it comes to giving back to the community year after year,� Charley said. “It seems like the Valero Texas Open gives more to charity than almost every event on TOUR. I think that’s amazing.� Thanks to a healthy Charley Hoffman Foundation, a reserve had built up enough to where the couple could make the donation. Charley and Stacy are hoping to give an even larger amount back to their San Diego charities next year, typically announced during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines each January. “We’re proud to be able to help people when the help is needed,� Charley said. “All along, that’s the vision Stacy and I had of this foundation – to be able to help people. “I always say that I dreamed of playing on the PGA TOUR and winning tournaments like the Valero Texas Open. But, I could have never dreamed that we would be able to give back to the communities in which we live and play golf tournaments. I get chills just thinking about it all the time.�

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NICHOLASVILLE, Kentucky – Saturday will be a fingers-crossed kind of day at the Barbasol Championship. Severe weather on Friday set the schedule of play back significantly and there is a 70 percent chance of a repeat performance by Mother Nature when the new day dawns. Troy Merritt was one of the lucky ones. He waited out the first delay and then scooted in with a 67 that gave him a two-stroke lead about 30 minutes before play was called for the second time at 3:25 p.m. Billy Horschel also was able to finish, firing a 66 that left him in solo second at 13 under. Richy Werenski and Tom Lovelady weren’t so lucky, both stranded on the 18th hole when the siren sounded. The second storm was particularly furious. Tornado warnings were posted as thunder rumbled, lightning strafed the sky, rain came down with a vengeance and tree limbs fell to the ground. The Military Outpost hospitality tend ended up in the pond on the eighth hole. Homes and hotels in the vicinity lost power and nearby streetlights went on the fritz. At 5:50 p.m. tournament officials made the decision to suspend play overnight. A total of 23 players in the afternoon wave had yet to tee off, including Brittany Lincicome, the eight-time LPGA champion who is just the sixth woman to play in a PGA TOUR event. “We suspended for the day because of rain that was still expected and maintenance would need a couple of hours to get the golf course ready – which would be dark,â€� said Steve Carman, the PGA TOUR Tournament Director. Play is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. Carman estimates that approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes are necessary to complete the second round. Once that’s done, the cut will be made and the third round will begin in threesomes off two tees. With any luck, the third round could be completed by Saturday night. “We played enough golf today that it could be accomplished,â€� Carman said. “But we’ve got to get a break from Mother Nature. “The forecast is for a 70 percent chance of pop-up thunderstorms similar today but hopefully not as severe.â€� Fingers crossed. “Just hoping to start the next round,â€� Merritt said. “That’s about all I’m thinking about. … We just have to see what the weather does. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. There is no sense really in setting a number when you don’t know exactly what the weather is going to do. “Just do the best I can do is try to stay ahead of whoever is behind me.â€� NOTABLES Hunter Mahan has fond memories of Kentucky as a member of Paul Azinger’s victorious Ryder Cup team. The 2008 matches were held at Valhalla, which is about 80 miles from Keene Trace Golf Club, and marked just the second American win in the last seven meetings between the U.S. and Europe. To say the partisan crowd was loud would be an understatement. “It was unlike anything I’ve seen or been a part of,â€� Mahan said. “It didn’t feel like golf. Felt like a rock concert half the time. Just great intensity, fire, but so much fun.â€� Mahan would like to make another great memory in the Bluegrass state this week at the Barbasol Championship. He fired a 68 on Friday had moved to 10 under and within four strokes of Troy Merritt’s lead when play was suspended due to impeding storms. The six-time PGA TOUR, whose last win came in 2014, is looking for his first top-10 since he tied for fourth at the 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship. “Once your technique goes and you can’t swing the way you normally have, no amount of confidence or whatever is going to help,â€� Mahan said. “No amount of practice, if you’re doing something wrong, you’re just going to keep doing it wrong. Finally feeling comfortable, finally feeling like I know how to attack pins and I know how far I’m going to hit the shot and all those things that encompass being confident on the golf course and not having any fear of the result. Troy Merritt started the second round where he left off, making an 8-footer for birdie on No. 1 and two-putting from 45 feet for another at the par-5 second. He went on to follow that sizzling 62 with a solid 67 that left him at 14 under and owning a one-stroke advantage. Friday’s round wasn’t without the occasional miscue – he had gone bogey-free in tying the course record the previous day – but Merritt wasn’t complaining. “We had a lot more lengthy birdie putts today than we did yesterday, but all this all pretty solid day,â€� he said. Merritt played with Mahan and said seeing all those putts go down – he made seven birdies while Mahan had five – helped him keep the pedal down. “It’s always nice to play with a guy that’s making birdies, especially if you’re keeping up or maybe doing slightly better, just because we want to see good golf, too,â€� he said. “We’re golf fans. We want to see guys play well because it’s going to make us play well.â€� Like Mahan, Merritt is hoping to end a victory drought – his last came in 2015 – and play his way into the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in two years (CK). (Merritt is currently 131st in the standings.) Josh Teater grew up and still lives in Lexington, Kentucky, which is about 45 minutes from Keene Trace. So it’s not surprising that the Morehead State graduate has many friends in the gallery and a host of sportswriters hanging on his every word. Teater spent the better part of six years on the PGA TOUR and is currently playing the Web.com Tour in hopes of getting his card back. He ranks 31st on the money list and could be playing in the Web.com Tour event in Omaha this week but when he was offered a sponsor’s exemption for the Barbasol Championship it was a no-brainer to say yes. He’s making the most of the opportunity, too, firing a 66 on Friday that left him in a tie for fifth when play was suspended due to inclement weather. “This is kind of my major,â€� said Teater, who won the 2004 Kentucky Open on the Champions course. “Has been since they announced it, you know. Top 25 on the Web does get you on the TOUR, but a win here also does. That’s what we’re shooting for. I wouldn’t miss it unless I was across the pond.â€� QUOTABLE It was huge. I saw kind of the note on the scoreboard, and I didn’t even really think about it when I had that one-footer to tap in. Sometimes you’ll mark them; sometimes you won’t, but I’m glad I tapped it in.

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