Xander Schauffele ready to turn from hunter to the hunted at Kapalua

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jack Nicklaus says he still believes Tiger Woods can break his major championship record and has stamped Woods as one of the players to beat at this week’s the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Speaking as the host at Muirfield Village, the 18-time major winning Nicklaus said he’s not prepared to write off the 42-year-old Woods when it comes to adding to his 14 majors, despite the fact we are coming up on 10 years since Woods last hoisted a major trophy. Nicklaus did concede Woods needed to learn to win again and figured The Memorial Tournament that Woods has won five times prior would be a great place for it to happen. Woods has 79 PGA TOUR wins but after multiple back surgeries hasn’t won since 2013. “He is a tough competitor, he’s a hard worker, and he’s still driven. So that’s why I never counted him out,â€� Nicklaus said of Woods winning again. “I still think he’s got a shot at breaking my record. But whether he does or he doesn’t, even with 10 years passing, it doesn’t make any difference. I think he’s still, he’s still a great athlete and a great golfer.â€� In eight starts this season, Woods has finished inside the top 12 five times including a runner up finish at the Valspar Championship. He has continually knocked on the door of victory without quite getting it done. Nicklaus is still amazed Woods is playing at all after four back surgeries, including fusion surgery last year. “I am very happy for him. I never thought he would play again after the fusion. I am not a doctor but I never dreamed you could fuse somebody and they could go play golf,â€� Nicklaus said. “It’s amazing… maybe his strength may have saved him. I am sure it helped him.â€� The last time Woods was at Muirfield Village was in 2015 where he made the cut on the number before shooting a career worst 85 in the third round. But Nicklaus says that memory can be forgotten amongst the wins in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2012. “We all play bad rounds. Tiger’s swing right now is probably better than it was. If Tiger can just play reasonably well tee to green, with his short game, he will be in contention,â€� Nicklaus continued. “I think that he’ll win when he believes it himself between his ears. “When he really starts to believe that – and maybe winning here would be one thing that would (help that) … I think he’ll win and do I think he’ll win majors again? Yeah, I think he’ll win majors again.â€� But now he has a plethora of young stars standing in his way. Players who Nicklaus feels may not have had the immediate success they’ve experienced had Woods not had his lengthy periods away from the game in the last decade. Nicklaus said other players “all folded up their tents and went homeâ€� when Woods would move up a leaderboard in his prime. But without his presence in recent years, the likes of FedExCup holder Justin Thomas, and players like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama have all emerged. “While he was away from the game all these young kids have come along and learned how to play and learned how to win,â€� Nicklaus said. “So he doesn’t have the fear factor that he had when he was playing.â€�

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As the pandemic hopefully continues to slow down the TOUR speeds up as it returns to the Tokyo suburbs for the first time since 2019 for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. The invitational field of 78 players will navigate Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club for the second time in three years. The debut event in 2019 was conquered in the wee hours of the morning in the States by Tiger Woods for career win No. 82. Sadly, Woods is still recovering from serious injuries from a February car crash and won’t be able to defend. The 2020 event was played at Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles and won’t provide any angle for this year’s edition. Playing to Par-70 and 7,041 yards Narashino Country Club saw only nine players post 10-under or better during the maiden voyage. An interesting mix of FIVE Par-3 holes and THREE Par-5 holes is unusual for Par-70 track. So are having two greens on EVERY hole. Rob Bolton does an excellent job of explaining why that is the case. In the first edition the course played well over par (71.55) on Thursday before lift, clean and replace dropped the average after a deluge on Friday (68.31). Fairways will be difficult to find so approach and recovery shots will be the order of the week. The soft conditions of 2019, 10 inches of rain, won’t be replicated so it will be interesting how firm it will or will not play. First time contestants won’t have trusty green maps to rely on from the past edition and will have to learn on the fly. There were only 16 bogey-free rounds in the first edition. Summer Olympians returning to the Land of the Rising Sun will know some of the tricks to alleviate jet lag and culture shock. On the line is a purse of $9.95 million with the winner taking home $1.791 million plus 500 FedExCup points. Recent Event Winners 2019: Tiger Woods (-19, 261; not entered) KEY STAT LEADERS Top golfers in each statistic on the PGA TOUR (thru 2021 season) are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses – 2019 ZOZO FINISHERS

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Laurent Hurtubise may be an amateur, but he hit the shot of the day at The American Express. Hurtubise, who was born with one arm, made a hole-in-one on the 151-yard fourth hole of PGA West’s Stadium Course. Amateurs compete alongside the pros in a pro-am competition at The American Express. Hurtubise has played in the event multiple times, also holing a shot from 60 yards in 2018. Hurtbutise was playing with Troy Merritt, who called it “The coolest experience I’ve had on the golf course.” Hurtubise’s right arm ends just below his elbow, but he quickly found sports were a way for him to fit in with other kids. “As a kid, sports was a way for me to prove that even though I had a difference that I could perform as well as normal people … as they call them,” Hurtubise told the Desert Sun. “People have differences and handicaps and whatever, but it was my way to prove that I could be as good as everybody else.” He played hockey and baseball, but golf became his favorite sport when he turned 11. He takes a full, one-handed lefty swing that can produce drives of about 230 yards. He also uses golf to inspire amputees or others without both arms. He’s talked to kids and parents at a Shriners hospital near his home in Montreal about overcoming a disability. “It does feel fulfilling when someone tells me they’ve been inspired to play a sport because of me,â€� he told the Desert Sun.

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