Winner’s Bag: Xander Schauffele, Olympic Games

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Even before the Masters Tournament began, it was obvious Augusta National in April was nothing like it was in November. Far less clear was which course Justin Rose was playing Thursday. RELATED: Leaderboard | A return to April means a tough test at Augusta National Rose made seven birdies and an eagle during a torrid 10-hole stretch for a 7-under 65 and a four-shot lead, his lowest score at Augusta National in one of its toughest opening rounds. It started with a nice hop off the mounds left of the green on the par-5 eighth that set up a 10-foot eagle. Only two of his birdie putts were outside 8 feet. He holed a 12-foot par putt on the one green he missed. Not bad for a 40-year-old from England playing for the first time in a month while resting an ailing back. His 65 looked even better on a day so tough only 12 players broke par, and the average score was 74.5. “Listen, I didn’t know where my game was going into this week,” Rose said. “I’ve been working hard. I could have played the last two tournaments, but I was really trying to prepare hard for this Masters.” Twice a runner-up, including a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia four years ago, Rose tied a Masters record by taking at least a share of first-round lead for the fourth time. The other to do that was Jack Nicklaus. The difference? Nicklaus went on to win two of his six green jackets from that position. Rose likes to say he’s only had one arm in the jacket. Brian Harman, the last player to get into the 88-man field, and Hideki Matsuyama were wrapping up their rounds of 69 about the time Rose began on a course that was dry and crusty, on greens that were so fast there were splotches of brown. Among those at 70 were former Masters champion Patrick Reed and Masters newcomer Will Zalatoris. Jordan Spieth overcame a triple bogey from the trees on No. 9 for a 71. Missing were a slew of red numbers on the leaderboard in conditions so difficult that Garcia said after a 76, “I feel like I just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield.” Five months ago, in the first Masters held in November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the turf was so soft that 53 players were under par after the opening round. Shane Lowry chipped from the back of the 15th green into the water in front of the green. He escaped with bogey and managed a 71. U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci hit a 60-foot putt from behind the ninth green that wound up 75 feet away on the other side. Defending champion Dustin Johnson, who set the record last year at 20-under 268, failed to break par for the first time since the opening round in 2018. He three-putted for double bogey on the 18th for a 74. “I feel sorry for the guys’ first Masters in November, and then they’re walking out there today wondering what is going on,” Kevin Kisner said after a hard-earned 72. This was no surprise. Augusta National has not had rain in more than a week, and players could not recall the last time greens were this fast during practice rounds, much less with a scorecard in hand on Thursday. “It’s my 10th year, but I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast,” Matsuyama said. “So it was like a new course for me playing today, and I was fortunate to get it around well.” And what to say of Rose? Even in more forgiving conditions, he had never done better than 67. “I didn’t feel like today was the day for a 65, if I’m honest,” Rose said. No one needed convincing, least of all Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, among top players who struggled with the wind and had just as many problems when the ball was on the ground. DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion who has been licking his chops about bringing his super-sized game to Augusta National, didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole and shot 76, his highest score as a pro at the Masters. Patrick Cantlay hit into the water on both par 3s on the back nine and shot 79. “Guys are going to shoot themselves out of the golf tournament on day one,” Webb Simpson said after a late double bogey forced him to settle for a 70. McIlroy, needing a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, hit his father in the leg with a shot on the seventh hole. That was about the most interesting moment in his round of 76. Lee Westwood, who had a pair of runner-up finishes in the Florida Swing, had a 78. Rose looked as though he might be headed that direction. He made a soft bogey on No. 1. He three-putted across the green on No. 7. He was 2 over, though not ready to panic. He knew it was tough. He also knew he was headed in the wrong direction. “You can’t win the golf tournament today. Even with a 65 you can’t win it today,” Rose said. “You can only probably lose it today, obviously. I reset just prior to that and thought if I can get myself back around even par, that would be a good day’s work.” He hit 5-wood into 10 feet for eagle and a 9-iron to the dangerous left pin on No. 9 to 4 feet for birdie. He holed a 25-foot putt on the 10th and hit 8-iron to 6 feet on No. 12. It never stopped. Even from the first cut of rough on the 17th, his wedge settled 4 feet from the hole. He finished going over the details of that incredible stretch, smiled and said, “Sounds easy.” It looked that way. But only for him.

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Two weeks ago, Tiger Woods teed off at the PNC Championship with something new under his iconic Tiger headcover. We knew from photos that the new driver in the hands of the 82-time TOUR winner (and TaylorMade staffer) was a TaylorMade Stealth Plus. The club had appeared on the USGA’s list of conforming driver heads just days before Woods played the PNC alongside his son Charlie. Given the traditional January release calendar, we assumed the new line would be launched shortly. However, we didn’t have any additional details about the club or its curious red-and-black face. With the official launch of TaylorMade’s Stealth driver line today, however, we can offer some more details on the clubs Woods wielded en route to a second-place finish with son Charlie at Orlando’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Woods’ driver was a TaylorMade Stealth Plus, which is one of three models in the just-announced TaylorMade Stealth lineup. The other two family members are the Stealth and Stealth HD (High Draw). The Stealth Plus features an adjustable weight track and is meant to be more workable than the Stealth. “First of all, they have moved the (center of gravity) more forward so I’m able to curve the ball more, and you guys all know that I’ve always been a player that has worked the golf ball,” Woods said at the PNC. “It’s given me the ability to hit draws and hit cuts. “I didn’t like having just only one shot. The driver setup that we had for Augusta allowed me to draw the golf ball. But when I hit the cut, it was really short. I don’t have that difference anymore. They are very similar, which is huge. “And hey, got to love the colors.” The centerpiece technology of the Stealth driver line is likely one you’ve already seen in shots of Woods’ Stealth Plus: a carbon-fiber face. In a surprising departure from industry-standard titanium, TaylorMade engineers turned to carbon. More specifically, 60 layers of strategically arranged carbon sheets to construct the face of the Stealth for better energy transfer. TaylorMade touts a thinner, lighter, larger face that features a higher COR (coefficient of restitution) and improved face geometry. “In the mid-2000s, our research team developed an understanding that the weight of the face can affect impact efficiency, more specifically, the lighter the face, the more efficient the impact and the better the ball speed,” says Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s Vice President Product Creation. “We realized titanium faces could only take us so far and carbon would be the face material of the future. This breakthrough design of a lightweight carbon face in Stealth, has created a whole new starting line, a new era of drivers, a new threshold of performance and a new platform for more innovation.” TaylorMade engineers took advantage of the lightweight carbon material by creating a 26-gram face, which is 40% lighter than a titanium face of equivalent size. Because of that weight savings, the face size of Stealth is 11% larger than SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers and nearly 20% larger than the 2020 SIM driver. The weight savings and larger face size made possible by the 60X Carbon Twist Face delivered significant ball-speed increases during player testing when comparing Stealth Plus and Stealth to the 2021 SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers at better player swing speeds. Working in conjunction with the carbon fiber face is TaylorMade’s nanotexture face technology: A thin polyurethane layer on top of the carbon fiber creates a surface that is both strong and flexible for improved launch. It’s calibrated to produce ideal friction in dry conditions and features full-face scorelines that also perform particularly well in wet conditions. “The technological innovation of our nanotexture technology brings the entire face together and was a key to making this driver a reality,” said Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director Product Creation, Carbonwood Drivers. “Without this revolutionary cover design, we could not have achieved the launch and spin performance required to extract the optimal performance in dry as well as wet conditions. Once we added the nanotexture technology to the grooves, we were able to unlock the full performance of a carbon face.” TaylorMade also worked to give the Stealth line better sound than previous carbon drivers. Instead of muted, low-energy sounds, engineers were able to create a bright and powerful sound and feel profile. The Stealth Women’s driver combines the technology of Stealth HD in a slightly lighter head weight and with a unique colorway and aesthetic. It maintains the high MOI head design for easy, high-launch with a touch of draw. TaylorMade also announced a line of Stealth fairway woods, rescue clubs and irons on Tuesday. Woods had a 15-degree Stealth Plus 3-wood in his bag at the PNC Championship. So, now we know more about Tiger’s driver. For more on the clubs he played at the PNC Championship, click here.

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