Tag: 2019 PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang dish on Capital One’s The Match, mixed golf and playing under the lights

The 12-hole event will be live on TNT, truTV, HLN and streaming on Max starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Capital One’s The Match is back, and it’s unlike any version before.

For the first time, the live golf series event will feature mixed golf competition between Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang on Monday, Feb. 26, at “The Park” in West Palm Beach, Florida, under the lights.

The format is mixed skins, with each hole being worth a specified amount for charity.

All four golfers will utilize the same tees for the four par-3 holes in the routing, while the remaining eight holes will use varying tee boxes and yardages for the men and women. The golfer raising the most funds through the skins format at the end of the event will be declared the winner.

The 12-hole event will be live on TNT, truTV, HLN and streaming on Max starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

On Thursday, the four golfers held a press conference with media members to discuss The Match, playing golf under the lights and what they look forward to when playing mixed competitions. Here’s what they had to say:

Alabama football coach Nick Saban offered up sage advice to Justin Thomas ahead of 2022 Players Championship title defense

“I feel a lot better about things at this time this year than last year,” said Thomas ahead of his title defense.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Alabama head football coach Nick Saban knows a thing or two about defending a title, having won seven national championships.

So when he spoke recently about making a successful defense, Justin Thomas listened. What Thomas heard may come as a surprise to many, but the world No. 8 and devoted member of the Roll Tide family loved the message.

Saban said you don’t defend a title, so go out, have fun and just try to win again.

“It’s so true,” Thomas said Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass as he began preparations to defend his 2021 Players Championship title. “I don’t have to defend anything. The PGA Tour isn’t going to come to my living room and take my Players Championship trophy from 2021 from me after this week. That’s mine forever.

“I’m just going to go try to win it again. Have fun. That’s all I’m going to try to do. I am very glad that he said that because it definitely resonated well with me.”

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Heading into last year’s Players, Thomas wasn’t having much fun.

He was caught up in a vortex of turmoil after he uttered a homophobic slur in the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, immediately apologized and did so on many occasions, but lost one sponsor and had another publicly scold him.

Then his grandfather passed.

Then Tiger Woods, a friend and mentor, was in a serous car accident.

“It’s been a crappy two months,” Thomas said last year. “It took a lot out of me mentally. It tested me mentally, physically, emotionally, and I’m very proud of myself for getting it done.”

What Thomas did to get it done was stay patient through two so-so rounds and shoot 64-68 on the weekend to topple the best field in golf by one shot. While he hasn’t won since, he’s feeling much better than last year at this time as he comes into this week off a sixth-place finish in the Genesis Invitational, a tie for eighth in the WM Phoenix Open, a tie for 20th in the Farmers Insurance Open and a tie for fifth in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

“My game is in a lot better place. I’m a lot more confident. I’m in a better place mentally. I just feel a lot better about everything,” Thomas said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean anything great is going to happen, but that’s the fun and miserable thing about this game that I’ve decided to play.

“I feel a lot better about things at this time this year than last year.”

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That feeling extends outside the gallery ropes. The 2017 FedEx Cup champion and winner of 14 PGA Tour titles, including the 2017 PGA, announced Monday his new relationship as an ambassador for Greyson Clothiers. Ralph Lauren ended its relationship with Thomas in January 2021.

And Thomas is engaged to longtime girlfriend, Jillian Wisniewski.

He also has a new locker in the clubhouse. Thomas joked that he now has the muscle memory to make sure he takes a left to the Champions Locker Room instead of going right to the regular locker room.

“A nice adjustment that I’ll be able to make going forward,” he said.

Thomas knows he has his hands full this week. Only four of the top-50 players in the world aren’t in the tournament. And the Players hasn’t had a back-to-back winner heading into their 40th anniversary on the Stadium Course this year.

“I’ve been playing really well. I’ve been working really hard and feel like some really good things are coming but just need to stay patient,” he said. “I just kind of haven’t gone on any of those runs the last three tournaments that I feel like I usually do in tournaments, and I think that was the difference of honestly not winning the tournaments and finishing where I did.

“Just got to keep staying patient, keep working hard and letting good things happen.”

Worked last year.

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One year later, Conners looks back fondly on Valero win

Conners looks back fondly on Valero win

The latest defending champion of a PGA Tour event is spending the week replaying his victory at the TPC San Antonio in his mind.

Corey Conners of Canada won the Valero Texas Open at this time last year, shooting 66 in the final round to rally from one shot behind Si Woo Kim.

His first victory also was significant in two other ways: he became the first Monday qualifier to win since Arjun Atwal in 2010, and it got him into the Masters the following week, where he tied for 46th.

“I’m disappointed to not be back, but I have a lot of great memories of last year,” he said during a teleconference on Wednesday. “I remember the good stuff I did in getting the first win, the satisfaction of winning and proving to myself that I was able to get it done. I’m looking forward to getting into that position in the future.”

Conners rode a roller-coaster to victory that rivaled anything at a theme park. He birdied four of his first five holes, then bogeyed the last four on the front nine.

He then birdied six of his first eight holes on the back. Conners shot a pair of 66s on the weekend and finished 20-under 268 to beat Charley Hoffman by two shots.

Corey Conners went from Monday qualifier to champion at the 2019 Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks in April. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Conners went on to record four other top-10s last season and advance to the Tour Championship. A tie for seventh the week before in the BMW Championship, with four rounds in the 60s, ensured he’d reach East Lake as one of the top-30 in points, qualifying him for this year’s Masters.

“That was huge,” he said. “I played really solid all season and was in a good position, then had two great weeks in the playoffs. I worked hard all year and it was a really nice bonus to play well enough to get there.

“It was nice to be able to check that off and I look forward to getting back.”

Dustin Johnson’s son River can already crush a driver

When your dad is a PGA Tour player, it seems more natural to tee up drivers in the yard than toss a baseball back and forth.

When your dad is a PGA Tour player, it seems more natural to tee up drivers in the yard than toss a baseball back and forth. This is the case for Dustin Johnson and son River.

A video of River swinging his driver in what appears to be someone’s front yard went up on his mom Paulina Gretzky’s Instagram page this week. “Watch out PGA Tour 2035,” Gretzky wrote as a caption.

River displays a strong move for a 2-year-old, including a tight shoulder turn. He’s already putting a right-to-left flight on the golf ball.

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Watch out pga tour 2035

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That River’s fundamentals are solid really isn’t all that surprising when you consider that his dad has won 20 PGA Tour titles and his grandfather is hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. He comes by his athleticism honestly.

River’s dad, who is currently No. 4 in the world, hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since August, when he was T-29 at the Tour Championship. Johnson, who had arthroscopic surgery in September to repair cartilage damage in his left knee, is expected to play the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas next week, then head to Australia as part of the U.S. Presidents Cup team.

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RSM Classic: Fantasy Golf power rankings

Here are the power rankings for the players competing in the RSM Classic beginning Thursday.

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The RSM Classic will be the final PGA Tour event of 2019 with FedExCup Points on the line. It’s the final full-field event of the early portion of the 2019-20 Tour season and takes place at Sea Island Golf Club in Glynn County, Georgia.

A select group of golfers will be in The Bahamas in two weeks for Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge. The Presidents Cup and QBE Shootout will then conclude the 2019 calendar year. The 2020 portion of the schedule will begin in Hawaii with the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open, played in the first two weekends of the new year.

RSM Classic: Tee times | Odds

Fantasy Golf Rankings: Top 30

Here are my top-30 fantasy golf rankings for the 2019 RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club.

30. Ryan Armour

Made the cut at Sea Island in each of his last four tries with a top finish of T-15 last year.

29. Peter Uihlein

In the top 10 of the field in both Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and SG: Scrambling.

28. Bronson Burgoon

Tied for 13th at the Houston Open and followed it with a T-33 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last week after more than a month off of competitive play.

27. Alex Noren

Has been playing often this fall after slipping to No. 64 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Has one of the top world-wide resumes in the field.

26. Cameron Tringale

Ranks ninth in the field in SG: Approach over everyone’s most recent 50 rounds. Tied for 66th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in his last event.

25. Patrick Rodgers

Tied for 10th in 2016 and finished as the runner-up last year but missed the cut in 2017.

24. Luke List

Started the season with two straight missed cuts but made three in a row before missing last weekend at the Mayakoba Classic. Tied for fourth here last year.

23. Vaughn Taylor

Tied for second last week for his best result in four straight made cuts. Missed the cut last season but was T-8 in 2017.

22. Mackenzie Hughes

Ray Carlin – USA TODAY Sports

Hasn’t been in good form this season but he missed the cut the week before his 2016 victory at Sea Island.

21. Rory Sabbatini

Collected finishes of T-33 and T-31 in much stronger fields during the Tour’s swing through Asia last month.

20. J.T. Poston

Three straight made cuts going back to the Zozo Championship. Has a poor history at this event but has just one missed cut since the John Deere Classic in July.

19. Russell Knox

Hasn’t missed a cut since A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier to open the 2019-20 season and ranks second in the field in SG: Approach over everyone’s last 50 rounds.

18. Austin Cook

The 2017 champ followed it up with a T-11 last year but missed the cut last week.

17. Dylan Frittelli

Ranks fourth in the field in SG: Around-the-Green and 15th in SG: Approach.

16. Russell Henley

Has gained 1.07 strokes per round at Sea Island GC over 15 rounds played since 2010, according to Data Golf.

15. Jim Furyk

Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports

Leads this year’s field with 2.10 strokes gained per round since 2010, despite missing the cut last year.

14. Kyle Stanley

The best approach game in the field over everyone’s last 50 rounds. Has been held back by his play around the greens.

13. Brian Stuard

Excels on the approach and around the greens. Needs to avoid trouble.

12. Brendon Todd

Can’t be ignored following back-to-back wins. Made the cut at this venue in each of his last three appearances.

11. Brian Harman

Tied for fourth in 2017 and finished T-32 last year. Ranks fifth in the field in SG: Scrambling.

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10. Sebastian Munoz

This venue has rewarded hot putters in the past if he can recapture his form from his Sanderson Farms Championship win.

9. Zach Johnson

A local resident who picked up his lone top-10 finish of last season at this tournament.

8. Lanto Griffin

The third golfer in the field to have a win already this season. He has been riding a hot putter and is ninth in the field in SG: Scrambling.

7. Billy Horschel

Two top-10 finishes to open the season strong, including a T-8 result last week.

6. Scottie Scheffler

Hasn’t missed a cut in six events since graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour. Has a good all-around game and just needs to get some luck on the putting surfaces.

5. Charles Howell III

Last year’s champ picked up three other top 10s last season and has two already in the 2019-20 campaign.

4. Adam Hadwin

Consistently one of the top putters on Tour and will be making his final preparations for the Presidents Cup.

3. Kevin Kisner

Photo Credit: Adam Hagy – USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 champion has three other top-10 finishes here since 2014. Ranks second in the field in strokes gained at Sea Island among those with 20 rounds played since 2010.

2. Matt Kuchar

Typically a strong early-season performer, he hasn’t finished higher than T-22 at this event since 2014. He’s coming off of a T-14 result in his defense of the Mayakoba last week.

1. Webb Simpson

Finished solo third here last year and enters the week as the betting favorite despite playing just one event this season — where he finished T-7 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

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Mayakoba Golf Classic: Round 3 tee times, TV info

Here are the tee times and viewing information for the third round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

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The Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Golf Club began Friday, a day late thanks to inclement weather that totally washed out play on Thursday.

With 36 holes remaining, players will go as long as they can Sunday before darkness, and the 72-hole event will conclude Monday. Even with the new policy of top 65 and ties making the cut, 82 players advanced to the final two rounds.

Mayakoba: Leaderboard | Photos | Tournament updates

The third-round tee times can be seen below.

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Round 3

1st tee

Tee time Players
7 a.m. Henrik Norlander, Matthew NeSmith, Harry Higgs
7:10 a.m. Abraham Ancer, Brice Garnett, Luke Donald
7:20 a.m. C.T. Pan, Scott Harrington, Brian Gay
7:30 a.m. Joel Dahmen, Ryan Armour, Patton Kizzire
7:40 a.m. Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Chase Seiffert
7:50 a.m. Brandon Wu, Aaron Baddeley, Emiliano Grillo
8 a.m. Scott Piercy, Nick Taylor, Harold Varner III
8:10 a.m. Chris Stroud, Ben Martin, Billy Horschel
8:20 a.m. Scottie Scheffler, Calum Hill, Chez Reavie
8:30 a.m. Bo Hoag, Dylan Frittelli, Robert Streb
8:40 a.m. Zach Johnson, Carlos Ortiz, Mark Hubbard
8:50 a.m. Alvaro Ortiz, Chris Baker, Pat Perez
9 a.m. Danny Lee, Adam Long, Robby Shelton
9:10 a.m. Harris English, Vaughn Taylor, Brendon Todd

Round 2 – 10th tee

Tee time Players
7 a.m. Chris Kirk, Bronson Burgoon, Patrick Rodgers
7:10 a.m. Lanto Griffin, Cameron Champ, Graham DeLaet
7:20 a.m. David Hearn, Wes Roach, J.T. Poston
7:30 a.m. Hudson Swafford, Talor Gooch, Zac Blair
7:40 a.m. Matt Jones, Ryan Brehm, Denny McCarthy
7:50 a.m. Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale, Will Gordon
8 a.m. Tyler Duncan, Maverick McNealy, Beau Hossler
8:10 a.m. James Hahn, Shawn Stefani, Scott Brown
8:20 a.m. Brian Harman, Jim Herman, Charles Howell III
8:30 a.m. Peter Malnati, J.J. Spaun, Rafael Campos
8:40 a.m. Scott Stallings, Brian Stuard, Sam Ryder
8:50 a.m. Rory Sabbatini, Satoshi Kodaira, Kevin Kisner
9 a.m. Russell Knox, Kevin Chappell
9:10 a.m. Xinjun Zhang, Sebastian Cappelen

How to watch

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Sunday
Golf Channel: 2-5 p.m.
PGA Tour Radio: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

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‘I’m in a good spot:’ Mayakoba leader Harris English is on the upswing again

English won at Mayakoba in 2013 when it was the final PGA Tour event of the year. That was his last win, 170 tournaments ago.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Harris English feels he got away from the basics that carried him to a promising start to his PGA Tour career. He hopes he’s headed in that direction again.

English holed a chip-and-run from off the 18th green Saturday for birdie and a 7-under 64, giving him the 36-hole lead at the Mayakoba Golf Classic as he tries to end six years without winning.

English was at 13-under 129, one shot ahead of Vaughn Taylor, who had a 66 in the afternoon. Brendon Todd, coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Bermuda Championship, had a 68 and was two back.

“Just mainly working on the same stuff every day and kind of going back to the drawing board and figuring out what I was doing really well my first couple years on tour and just stick to that, not trying to reinvent the wheel,” English said.

Mayakoba: Leaderboard | Photos | Tournament updates | TV info

Whatever he’s doing, English is on a roll.

He had to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals after last season to regain his card. Since then, he has finished in the top 10 in three of his four tournaments.

Next up is a long day.

Because rain washed out all of Thursday, players will go as long as they can Sunday before darkness, with the 72-hole event concluding Monday. Even with the new policy of top 65 and ties making the cut, 82 players advanced to the final two rounds.

The course, which received more than 9 inches of rain from Monday through Thursday, dried remarkably well and the greens had plenty of pace. English motored along, rarely getting into too much trouble. He birdied his last two holes to set the pace.

English won at Mayakoba in 2013 when it was the final PGA Tour event of the year. That was his last win, 170 tournaments ago.

“I had a lot of success here and I love this place, love the greens,” English said. “Feel like if I can get it on the dance floor and hit 14, 15, 16 greens a round, I can give myself a chance. With this wind, anything can happen, but if I stay the course and keep hitting like I am, I’m in a good spot.”

So is Todd, who overcame a mental block — he called it the yips — of a big miss to the right that nearly drove him from the game. Todd got it sorted out and picked up loads of confidence with his victory in the inaugural Bermuda event.

His only frustration Saturday was with putting.

“I hit it to 25 feet, 6 feet, 12 feet, 4 feet, and then missed a 12-footer for par on 5,” he said. “Striped it at the flag on 7, and on 8 I hit a close one in there about 10 feet and burned the edge. I just didn’t get the putts to fall in the second nine.”

Danny Lee, who started the tournament 10 under through 13 holes for a 62, shot 70 and was three shots back.

“Just missed a couple putts out there, made bogey on a couple par 5s,” he said. “Just golf happened.”

Jason Day, playing Mayakoba for the first time in 10 years as he tries to get ready for the Presidents Cup, shot 77 and missed the cut.

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Russell Henley assessed 8 penalty shots in oddball ruling at Mayakoba

Russell Henley had to add eight penalty shots to his score in Round 2 of the Mayakoba Classic when he found an unexpected ball in his bag.

The Rules of Golf continue to flummox players on every level.

During Saturday’s second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Russell Henley became the latest player to face the consequences of a rules violation, and with some level of surprise. Henley was assessed eight penalty shots when he discovered a different model of golf ball in his bag than what he usually uses, and the rules committee and Henley assumed that he must have used that ball at some point during his round.

According to PGA Tour Communications, Henley was signing golf balls for fans when he noticed that one of the balls in his golf bag was a slightly different model than the kind of ball he uses. According to the statement, which was posted to Twitter, Henley didn’t know how that got in his bag. Henley self-reported his possible violation to the rules officials onsite.

Tour pros typically keep new, unused balls in one pocket in their bags, then place used balls into another pocket after they are taken out of play. Henley apparently found the different model of ball in his used-ball pocket, leading himself and the committee to assume he had unwittingly used it at some point during the round.

The PGA Tour uses a one-ball rule, which means players can only use one specific brand and model of ball during a round. The penalty for using a different model is two strokes per hole that the ball is used, maximum of eight strokes.

Mayakoba: Leaderboard | Photos | Tournament updates

This one-ball rule typically is used only in high levels of competition and does not apply to most everyday amateurs out for a round of golf. Recreational amateurs can carry as many brands or models as they like and use a different brand or model on every hole, if they choose. There are other rules about substituting a ball during the play of any given hole, such as when a ball is damaged, but recreational players are allowed to change models of ball on each tee before the start of any given hole.

And it’s not against the rules for a Tour player to carry a different brand or model of ball in their bag even when the one-ball rule is in effect. It’s only a penalty if they use that different ball.

That’s where the Henley situation got tricky, because it was an unusual circumstance and he didn’t know how the ball got in his bag. Like the balls he normally uses, it was a Titleist Pro V1x. But it was a slightly different model with one different marking on the ball. Henley told officials there was no doubt he unwittingly must have used the ball at some point in the round.

As per Rule 20-3, which relates to “situations not covered by the Rules,” the committee ruled that Henley must have used the improper ball during his round, and he was assessed a two-stroke penalty on Nos. 9-12. Those eight strokes – which meant he took a double bogey on all four holes – pushed him to a second-round 77.

Henley had opened with 66. The penalty strokes dropped him more than 80 spots on the leaderboard, ultimately depositing him outside the cutline.

Prior to this week, Henley was 4-for-4 in cuts made in the 2020 PGA Tour season.

It’s another rules headline in a month that has been full of them. Most recently, two amateur women representing the U.S. at the Spirit International Amateur were disqualified for a four-ball scoring error. Days before that, much was made of penalties assessed at the LPGA Q-Series for a violation of the advice rule, covered by Rule 10-2a.

Also in the “bizarre” category, European Tour player Eddie Pepperell fired his entire ball supply into a pond beside the fourth green at last week’s Turkish Airlines Open, eventually walking off the course when he ran out of golf balls – which earned him a DQ anyway.

If there’s any bright side, it’s that Henley suffered penalty shots instead of an immediate disqualification.

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Mayakoba Golf Classic field, by the rankings

Our field list for the Mayakoba Golf Classic lists each player with his Golfweek/Sagarin Ranking and Official World Golf Ranking.

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After an off week, the PGA Tour is back in action in Mexico for the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Golf Club.

Among the most notable names in the field is Viktor Hovland who will be paired with Kristoffer Ventura and Alvaro Ortiz for the event’s first two rounds.

Hovland also happens the be the highest ranked player in the field according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

Mayakoba: Leaderboard | Tee times, TV info | Photos

Below is a field list for the event, with each player’s Golfweek/Sagarin Ranking and Official World Golf Ranking indicated beside his name.

Mayakoba Golf Classic field

Golfweek/Sagarin OWGR
Viktor Hovland 8 92
Billy Horschel 22 32
Matt Kuchar 25 22
Tony Finau 27 14
Rory Sabbatini 31 72
Charles Howell III 32 52
Kevin Kisner 36 33
Scottie Scheffler 48 73
Jason Day 49 29
Joaquin Niemann 50 54
Russell Knox 53 96
Xinjun Zhang 58 122
Scott Piercy 59 95
Dylan Frittelli 61 100
J.T. Poston 62 69
Lanto Griffin 64 113
Vaughn Taylor 65 131
Nick Taylor 66 225
Cameron Tringale 68 260
Graeme McDowell 71 114
Abraham Ancer 72 35
Doc Redman 73 150
Aaron Wise 75 91
Sebastián Muñoz 77 121
Mark Hubbard 78 184
Harris English 80 214
Chez Reavie 81 31
Harold Varner III 83 109
Brian Stuard 88 136
Keegan Bradley 89 45
Matt Jones 92 172
Emiliano Grillo 93 85
Denny McCarthy 96 143
Bo Hoag 97 352
Brian Harman 104 111
Kyle Stanley 107 87
Zach Johnson 108 174
Harry Higgs 109 127
Aaron Baddeley 110 233
Kevin Streelman 111 105
Talor Gooch 112 198
Joel Dahmen 113 101
Pat Perez 115 125
Brian Gay 117 167
Bronson Burgoon 121 171
Fabián Gómez 122 224
Adam Schenk 124 206
Carlos Ortiz 127 187
Nick Watney 129 164
Martin Laird 131 285
Russell Henley 132 177
Sam Ryder 134 228
Jhonattan Vegas 138 136
Wyndham Clark 139 148
Peter Malnati 140 250
Calum Hill 143 110
Beau Hossler 144 154
Hank Lebioda 146 300
Brice Garnett 150 197
Keith Mitchell 154 90
J.J. Spaun 154 236
Tyler McCumber 156 328
Si Woo Kim 158 79
Scott Harrington 161 190
Ryan Armour 165 176
David Hearn 166 404
Roberto Díaz 167 448
Danny Lee 172 86
Brendon Todd 174 185
Charley Hoffman 178 139
Roger Sloan 179 222
Robby Shelton 181 165
Mackenzie Hughes 184 238
Brendan Steele 196 319
Scott Stallings 197 209
Scott Brown 198 330
Shawn Stefani 200 305
Rhein Gibson 201 323
Kristoffer Ventura 210 157
Tom Hoge 212 223
Luke List 213 115
Maverick McNealy 214 418
C.T. Pan 215 62
Adam Long 216 133
Andrew Landry 219 186
Zac Blair 221 227
Wes Roach 229 261
Ryan Brehm 232 290
Kramer Hickok 234 205
Mark Anderson 237 332
Chase Seiffert 242 283
Cameron Champ 244 78
Tyler Duncan 254 384
Michael Gligic 261 406
Sepp Straka 265 191
Austin Cook 268 226
Robert Streb 271 234
Jason Dufner 276 210
Luke Donald 289 428
Chris Baker 291 475
Patrick Rodgers 295 310
Ben Taylor 299 528
José de Jesús Rodríguez 305 570
Patton Kizzire 313 232
Jimmy Stanger 314 687
Kyoung-Hoon Lee 319 321
Chris Stroud 320 248
Rafael Campos 324 511
Henrik Norlander 325 276
Matthew NeSmith 349 287
Hudson Swafford 375 387
Chris Kirk 396 303
Ben Martin 400 1105
Satoshi Kodaira 412 169
Nelson Ledesma 420 270
Sebastian Cappelen 439 397
Ben Silverman 496 562
Jim Herman 558 288
Sebastián Vázquez 595 2068
D.A. Points 715 1094
Michael Kim 774 622
Kevin Chappell N/R 291
Graham DeLaet N/R 2068
Will Gordon N/R 1192
James Hahn N/R 584
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra N/R 2068
Davis Love III N/R 720
Alvaro Ortiz N/R 1262
Efren Serna N/R 2068
Kevin Stadler N/R 2068
Bo Van Pelt N/R 2068
Brandon Wu N/R 974

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A rotating cast of caddies took a toll on Jason Day’s 2019 season

Jason Day is using his fourth different caddie at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, but things are starting to come around for the Australian.

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There’s maybe no relationship more key in competitive golf than the one between player and caddie. Jason Day has had a rotating cast of bagmen in his 21 starts this year, employing four different caddies since the beginning of 2019.

Day, fielding questions prior to the start of this week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, called it “a massive change within the camp of Team Day.” That bit came in response to a question about a 2019 season that included six top-10 finishes – steady, but by no means up to Day’s standards.

“When you go through changes like that, trying to find the right makeup, the right chemistry, it takes some time,” Day said of his frequent caddie change-ups. “But I feel like with what I’m doing with David (Lutterus) out there, I think we’re slowly working on the communication and things are working and they’re coming around.”

Lutterus, a former PGA Tour player who has logged countless rounds next to Day as a player, picked up with Day at the BMW Championship. The Australian Day had been working with New Zealander Steve Williams, who famously caddied for Tiger Woods through much of his early career.

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Williams worked six events with Day, beginning with the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June, where Day finished T-21.

Day just had one top-10 finish during that run (a T-8 at the Travelers Championship) and added a pair of missed cuts – at the British Open and the Northern Trust. They parted ways after what Williams called a “disconnect” following the Northern Trust.

Before hiring Williams, Day had spent the first six months of the year with two other friends sharing bag duties – Luke Reardon and Rika Batibasaga.

In a chilling side-story to all this, Lutterus survived a near-fatal motorbike accident just weeks before starting work with Day. He was hospitalized for a week in July when he crashed a four-wheel motorbike in Ohio. Lutterus suffered a concussion and a broken jaw when the vehicle’s roll bar struck him in the face.

“He’s tremendously lucky,” Day told the AAP at the BMW Championship.

Caddies aside this season, Day also felt the effects of not having a trainer for much of the past year. With his back acting up, it made it hard to put in the kind of practice he would have liked. It was yet another factor that went into an off year.

“I’ve done everything I possibly — especially in this offseason, kind of start of the season for me — to get my team back together.”

For the next few weeks, however, “team” takes on a new meaning as Day prepares to compete on the 12-man International Presidents Cup team. Day is playing Mayakoba for just the second time in his career, and the first time since 2009. Much of that has to do with needing a warm-up for the matches, which will come to Day’s Australian homeland next month.

“I’ve had a lot of experience around that golf course, which is good,” he said of Royal Melbourne. “It’s crucial heading into the Presidents Cup.”

Finally, an advantage for Day.

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