Tag: Gary Woodland

Xander Schauffele flies under the radar, so no crowd is no problem

The Schwab Challenge has Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Branden Grace and Collin Morikawa all within one.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The first event back after three months off was supposed to give PGA Tour players a chance to get their sea legs. A comfortable stretch. A quiet, but competitive few rounds of golf in the Texas heat after 91 days of quarantine.

Instead, the power-packed field at Colonial Country Club has turned the Charles Schwab Challenge into a free-for-all. Xander Schauffele’s 66 gave him a one-stroke lead at the conclusion of Saturday’s play, but names like Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Branden Grace and Collin Morikawa were all a single stroke back with a host of other top guns are looming close behind.

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Colonial had been forgiving through most of the day but tightened up a little as the leaders came in through considerable heat. The forecast isn’t expected to let up on Sunday, with temperatures to rise near triple digits. It’s not unusual for the Schwab to have warm days, but since it was pushed back three weeks due to the pandemic, and with an early Texas summer hot spell, stamina could be an issue for the final round.

Schauffele was masterful again, following up rounds of 65 and 66 with another smooth 66 — this time posting a pair of bogeys on par-3s, but adding six birdies as his driver kept him in good position much of the day.

What’s most surprising is the way Schauffele has been playing Colonial like it’s one of his favorites. In reality, he’s failed to make the cut the last two years in Fort Worth and managed just a T-48 in his 2017 debut.

But he insisted familiarity breeds comfort.

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“Playing it more makes me more comfortable,” he said. “But I think in years prior it was much windier and I didn’t play the greens as great. Just a comfort factor. My caddie (Austin Kaiser) has gotten better, as well, in terms of picking lines and doing his job, so I think collectively we’ve done a better job preparing for this week.”

With a top field in place — the best the tournament had seen in decades — there’s an intense vibe that might not always be detectable at this event. Daniel Berger and 36-hole leader Harold Varner III are just two shots behind. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Corey Conners and Abraham Ancer are all sitting three back at 10-under.

This all sets up a surreal finish, but with no fans on site. Aside from a handful of external grandstands providing occasional pockets of applause, the event has been held like a major junior event, with just volunteers on site.

Schauffele said it doesn’t bother him, since he’s sort of an introvert anyway.

“I’m kind of a quiet guy, I guess, so I’m not — I don’t have like a huge effect on the crowd I’d say, so not having fans isn’t the craziest thing to me,” he said. “I think it’ll feel almost like amateur golf or junior golf where we all want to win. We all want to compete, and we’re all super competitive. When we were younger and playing in college or over the summer an amateur schedule, it was quiet. There weren’t any fans out, and we all were kind of going head-to-head, and everyone wanted it just as much as the next guy in line.

“I sort of feel like it might kind of feel like that tomorrow, where coming down the stretch if you’re in the hunt, everyone is going to be — at least leaderboards are up, that kind of helps — but it’ll be really quiet and everyone is going to be minding their own business.”

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Lone Star State Sunday shootout on hand at Colonial

There are 18 holes left in the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge and it’s anyone’s game with Xander Schauffele taking the lead at 13 under

Buckle up.

The PGA Tour’s return after a 13-week COVID-19 pandemic break will end with a Sunday stampede to the plaid jacket and the championship hardware in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

On moving day Saturday, it seemed most everyone ended up on the first page of the leaderboard. At the sun-drenched day’s end, world No. 12 Xander Schauffele was alone at the top but had plenty of company on his heels.

Schauffele signed for a 4-under-par 66 to stand at 13 under through 54 holes. That placed him one shot clear of five players – reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland (66); world No. 4 Justin Thomas (66); Branden Grace (66), who holds the record for the lowest round in major championship history, a 62 at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 Open Championship; Collin Morikawa (67), who hasn’t missed a cut in 21 starts since turning pro; and Jordan Spieth (68), who won here in 2017 and finished runner-up in 2016 and 2018.

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Two shots back are 36-hole leader Harold Varner III (70) and Daniel Berger (67), who has shot par or better in his last 27 Tour rounds. Six players will start the final round three shots out of the lead, among them No. 1 Rory McIlroy (69), No. 13 Bryson DeChambeau, No. 7 and past Masters champion Patrick Reed (63), and 2018 Colonial winner Justin Rose (68).

That’s 14 players within three shots of each other.

“You get a field like this, it definitely has a major feel,” Woodland said. “You’ve got a lot of the top players in the world, and everybody is playing well. I think everybody is excited to be out here, and with no fans here, you get some big names up there that you definitely get the juices going.

“You’ve got to go out there and play well. You’ve got to play aggressive. The greens are receptive. You’ve got to drive the golf ball in the fairway and you’re going to have to make birdies. There’s too many guys up at the top, too many great players. You’re going to have to go out and earn it tomorrow.”

Playing in the final group, Spieth was the solo leader for much of the day but he didn’t produce a birdie in his last nine holes. Still, his 68 was much better than his Saturday blues of the past two years, where third rounds were his undoing.

“Today was a day where I look at the last couple years and potentially say that would have been a 2 or 3 over and taken me all the way out of the tournament,” said Spieth, the former world No. 1 looking for his first win since the 2017 Open. “I feel comfortable going into tomorrow that I can shoot a good score. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

“But I learned a bit about what was going on when I really felt kind of the nerves kick in today, and hopefully compensate for that tomorrow and hit some better shots. Should be really fun tomorrow. Golf is kind of the only thing on TV tomorrow, and hopefully there can be a fun shootout with the number of guys, and hopefully I can be one of them.”

McIlroy, who has six top-5 finishes in six starts this season, including a win in the WGC-HSBC Champions last fall, had an off day but remains in right in the hunt.

“Started pretty similar to the first day, a little scrappy,” McIlroy, who has shot 68-63-69. “I had a couple of loose iron shots on the 7th and the 8th, which cost me bogeys there. I guess I didn’t feel like I played very well today, but looking at the leaderboard, no one else really pulled away.

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“I’m still going to be within striking distance going into tomorrow. If that’s a bad day out of the way, then hopefully I can post a good one tomorrow.”

And Rose, world No. 14, 2016 Olympics gold medalist and a winner at Colonial by three shots over Brooks Koepka in 2018, said Sunday’s victor will have to make some noise despite no spectators being allowed.

“It’s going to feel different for everybody, but it’s going to feel just as rewarding to win,” he said. “You’re going to have to beat a great field and it’s going to be a good leaderboard to contest against, and whoever wins tomorrow is going to have to go out and play some good golf. From that point of view, that’s all we’re looking at.

“Ultimately we all need to break down the golf course week in and week out and that doesn’t change tomorrow.”

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Which PGA Tour players transformed their bodies during the pandemic?

On PGA Tour player looked like a linebacker in his return on Thursday at Colonial Country Club, but a few others also looked like they’d been hitting the gym.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The PGA Tour’s first day back in the spotlight after a three-month, pandemic-induced break brought a number of familiar faces to the screen, but some of the physiques weren’t necessarily recognizable.

The biggest rumblings during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge concerned a bulked up Bryson DeChambeau, who’s been so forthcoming about his workout routines he often displays them online.

DeChambeau looked more linebacker than linksman as he crushed the ball to the tune of a 345.5-yard average off the tee. To put that stat into perspective, consider this — “The Scientist” came into this week as the PGA Tour’s longest driver for the interrupted 2020 season. But on Thursday at Colonial Country Club, DeChambeau was 23 yards ahead of his own Tour-leading average. And that’s on a course not known for playing nice with long hitters.

DeChambeau talked briefly about his new frame after shooting a 65.

“Yeah, well, I’ve upped about 20 pounds. It doesn’t mean I’m going to hit it farther, but I’ve done a lot of speed training to attain these new ball speeds,” he said. “When I was out here I was attaining ball speeds of 193, 195 on certain holes, and quite honestly I can’t use it out here. There’s only a couple holes I can use it, No. 11 and No. 1 and No. 2 really.”

His playing partners on the day, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson, certainly took notice. For example, on the par-5 11th hole, DeChambeau outdrove the normally long Johnson by 55 yards.

Rose, who finished top the leaderboard after a round of 63, said he instantly noticed the change in DeChambeau.

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“I saw a massive difference. One, in his physique for sure. I mean, he’s huge. I played with Dustin Johnson — I’m not small, but at 6’3″ and 190 (pounds), I kind of felt pretty small out on the golf course today,” Rose said. “You can tell the practice swings are very intentional. He’s looking for speed. He’s obviously trained speed. But the other elements of his game still look in control. So it looks like he’s definitely added a couple of weapons for sure.”

Rose used the first hole as a shining example of the difference in power between DeChambeau and his two playing mates.

“I think No. 1 today is probably the best measure. I hit a good tee shot. I’m probably like low 170s ball speed, 71, 72, 73 possibly, but when I hit it well, I’ve got good spin and good launch and I carry it 300 (yards), and I probably got it out there 320 down No. 1 today, and I was 40 behind Bryson,” Rose said. “It’s a pretty significant difference for sure. Like DJ was kind of in-between me and Bryson really. Pretty unique — yeah, it’s definitely different.”

While DeChambeau bulked up, others took a few pounds off during the lull. Gary Woodland told reporters he lost 25 pounds during the intermission and he certainly looked spry in posting a 30 on the front. The Topeka, Kansas, native was even on the back nine and finished with a 65, good enough to be tied for seventh heading into Friday’s second round.

Woodland said he rarely gets an extended break to concentrate on his body and took full advantage of the 91 days off.

“We don’t get a big off-season. We usually only have a couple weeks off, and at the end of the season, I want to go on vacation and want to do something fun. For me obviously, we couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t do anything, so I stayed home, I trained hard, changed the diet a little bit, and I lost a lot of weight” Woodland said. “But we’ll have a big stretch coming up, a lot of big golf tournaments. I’m playing 10 of the next 13 weeks, and obviously got majors, hopefully Ryder Cup, a lot of stuff coming up at the end of the year. I wanted to get my body in a position where I could play a lot more and play a lot better.”

Another player who looked like he made fitness a priority during the hiatus was Graeme McDowell, who showed off a trimmer look.

After Tuesday’s opening round, he responded to a tweet, saying he’s not svelte, but “less round.”

McDowell posted bogeys on two of the first four holes on Thursday, but rallied to shoot a 69.

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Quick Hits with Gary Woodland: The Tour star reveals his favorite non-major and why

Gary Woodland joins Golfweek’s series “Quick Hits With” to discuss his favorite club and tournament and what he’d do if he wasn’t a golfer.

There are a few special PGA Tour events outside of major tournaments.

Gary Woodland’s favorite non-major is the Memorial Tournament because it’s hosted by someone who thinks like a player.

“Jack (Nicklaus) treats us so good and obviously he gets it from a player standpoint (and) the golf course is awesome,” Woodland told Golfweek on the latest edition of Quick Hits With.

A four-time Tour winner and reigning U.S. Open champion, Woodland also revealed his favorite club in his back is the 8-iron because he uses it the most. He even said it’s the only club he hits twice when he warms up.

This season, Woodland had four top-10 finishes including a T-3 at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges before the season was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Woodland, No. 18 in the Official World Golf Ranking, also talked superstitions, what he’d be doing if he wasn’t playing golf, which course he would play for the rest of his life if he had to pick one and the weirdest thing in his golf bag.

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Also, click here to see more of our Quick Clips series, including segments with Brooks Koepka and Adam Scott.

Update: Instructor Pete Cowen ‘recovering’ after battle with coronavirus

Pete Cowen has worked with Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell, and he’s improving after battling COVID-19.

Golf instructor Pete Cowen appears to be on the road to recovery after battling the coronavirus.

The 69-year-old Cowen — who has worked with a bevy of professional golfers, including Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell — announced two weeks ago that he thought he was battling the virus.

Cowen told The Daily Telegraph that the virus had sapped him of much of his strength.

“You really don’t want this,” Cowen told the paper back on March 22. “I’m feeling horrendous and wouldn’t wish this on anyone; no matter how young and fit they may be.

” … it felt like my whole body was shutting down and I said to my wife I think I’ve only got 10 percent body strength left to fight this.”

But a message on the Pete Cowen Golf Academy social media accounts on Tuesday indicated that the famed teacher was vastly improved.

The note, which came from academy manager Nick Huby went on to say:

“I’m delighted to announce that Pete is most definitely recovering and improving day by day slowly building his strength back up.

I am confident Pete will be able to get right back to the business of improving people’s golf very soon.

Peter and his family would like to thank everyone for all the kind, supportive messages and well wishes they have received.”

Among those worried about Cowen’s well-being was Woodland, who said the following to Golfweek via text:

“My thoughts and prayers are with him and everyone during this time. My family and I are at home feeling great trying to entertain three kids under 3. We are healthy and have no symptoms.”

Lee Westwood of England with his coach Pete Cowen during a practice session at the Worksop Golf Club in England.

According to an earlier article in Golfweek, Cowen coached Lee Westwood to World No. 1 in October 2010, ending the 281-week reign of Tiger Woods, and rebuilt Henrik Stenson’s swing, which led to victory at the 2016 British Open. Cowen attended the Honda Classic last month, where rookie sensation Viktor Hovland asked for help on his short game, as well as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he spent time with Koepka, and the Players Championship in March, where he worked with Woodland before the event was canceled.

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Reigning U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland says golf is ‘on the back burner’

Gary Woodland expects coronavirus cancellations to go well past the PGA Championship date, and says right now it’s time to focus on family.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland is starting to have doubts he’ll be able to defend his title as scheduled.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if (the break) goes on past the PGA Championship, as well,” Woodland said. “There is just a lot going on. You can see what is happening in other countries and we’re in the beginning phase of it.

“It just looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

The USGA announced Tuesday it is changing its qualifying structure for the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. Local (or first stage) qualifying in its current form has been canceled. The USGA has said it will now look to redesign the qualifying process going forward as events unfold.

Golf, Woodland said, is “on the back burner.”

“I guess the only positive we can take out of this is we complain as golfers that we don’t have enough off time and now we finally get an offseason,” he said. “I’ll spend time with the family, get my body healthy and work on some things from a technical standpoint. But the main thing right now is making sure everybody is safe and making sure my family is safe.”

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In thin air, Bryson DeChambeau lights up on topic of monster drives

Like Gary Woodland, DeChambeau loves playing at elevation but it isn’t all that easy, the players say.

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MEXICO CITY – Bryson DeChambeau, at the end of his range session Tuesday, unleashed a drive that flew 397 yards before touching down on land.

“It’s completely unrealistic to normal golf,” DeChambeau said.

But it’s fun, he added with a big smile, hitting the ball that proverbial country mile. It makes him happy, especially when he launches a drive that goes so far he can’t track it with his own eyes.

While DeChambeau’s recent addition of 25 pounds of muscle had something to do with his enormous drive, the key ingredient was the air. More specifically, the thin air. Welcome to Elevation Central on the PGA Tour this week here at Club de Golf Chapultepec, home to the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.

Resting 7,800 feet above sea level, the tree-lined, 7,345-yard, par-71 layout is a field of dreams for the long ball, where drives exceed 400 yards, 6-irons hit the 250-yard sign and 8-irons top two bills.

WGC-MEXICO: Odds, picks | Tee times | Aussies on a roll

Three years ago, this week’s defending champion Dustin Johnson increased his driving distance numbers hitting 2-irons. Think baseball’s Coors Field in Denver – and then place the hitter’s ballpark 2,600 feet higher in the Rocky Mountains.

“I love it,” DeChambeau said of playing in thin air. “It just makes the golf course super short. Which doesn’t mean it makes it easy.”

No, it’s not all wine and roses this week. First of all, players have to get their bodies adjusted to the thin air. One loses their breath here a lot quicker than down by the sea. A rule of thumb? Do not talk while walking uphill. Drink plenty of fluids, especially the night before to allow your body to catch up. And conserve energy as much as possible.

And the players aren’t going all John Daly – just grip it and rip it.

Swinging out of their golf shoes won’t be the norm, for this isn’t a long-drive contest. Instead, it’s a battle to find distance control.

Along with their caddie, the players have to take on the role of mathematician as all variables must be considered. The thin air can play mind games, and Trackman, a launch monitor that examines each shot’s characteristics including ball speed, spin rate and distance, is working overtime as players try and dial in their games.

The ball will travel some 10-18 percent farther than it does at sea level. But how far will the ball fly downwind or into the wind? When it’s cooler in the morning compared to hotter in the afternoon? Shots that draw or fade? A three-quarter shot vs. a full shot?

“You have to make sure you hit it solid every time,” Billy Horschel said. “And no matter what launch you want to hit it, you pick a window to hit it through. Let’s say, if you’re trying to hit 7-iron 212 yards, which is what I’m hitting it here instead of 180 that I regularly hit it, if I launch it too low, it won’t go 212 yards. It will go about 205 and that’s a big difference. If I launch it too high, it will go 220.

“Hit it through the window you want.”

Brandt Snedeker said you have to adjust on the fly.

“There is a lot of feel this week, when you feel the ball will go a lot longer than the numbers say, or you feel it won’t go that far,” he said. “How high you hit it makes a difference. You can’t get stuck on the numbers and the percentages.”

Gary Woodland plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines – North Course. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

When it comes to numbers, reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland wants to hear just one number – the adjusted number. For instance, he doesn’t want to hear he’s 215 yards from the target, which would make him immediately think he’s hitting 5-iron because that’s what he hits at sea level. So his caddie goes through the equations and comes up with 175. That’s an 8-iron back home.

“The big deal for me is the mental side,” he said. “I just want to hear the adjusted number. Then I know I can make a better swing instead of trying to hit an 8-iron 215 yards and swinging a bit harder when I don’t have to.”

In the past, Woodland, who grew up playing in high winds and loves to hit the ball low, had trouble adjusting to the thin air. Hitting the ball lower in high altitude provides a bigger challenge to adjust numbers. So this week, Woodland and a few others are going with balls that provide more spin, allowing for higher ball flights and more distance control.

And while Woodland said playing in thin air is good for your ego – “I feel like Cameron Champ, I feel like I’m 23 years old again,” he said, referencing Champ, the longest driver in the game – you have to check your ego at the first tee.

Yes, it feels good to hit a 9-iron 195, but is that the proper club to use? Is driver the right club even if you can drive the green? Do you muscle up or muscle down?

“You have to make yourself think, ‘What is the best chance for me to make birdie here?’” DeChambeau said. “It doesn’t always mean driver to the green, which I really want to (hit).”

Yes, he digs the long ball and had a good laugh about wanting to drive a green with a driver. But then he talked about the 319-yard first hole.

“If there’s no wind, I’m hitting hybrid on the first hole to the green,” he said. “It’s going 305.”

A hybrid going 305? Well, it does here in the thin air of Mexico.

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She’s still got this: Amy Bockerstette’s viral moment thriving one year later

“Virtually every day, somebody comes up to Amy and tells her that they saw the video and that they were inspired,” Joe Bockerstette said.

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SCOTTSDALE – Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.

That’s why she’s famous.

“This is so awesome,” the 21-year-old Bockerstette said Wednesday on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale, where she was reunited with PGA Tour pro Gary Woodland.

It was the one-year anniversary of Bockerstette becoming a viral sensation after making a par putt on the infamous hole during the Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am.

Woodland had surprised Bockerstette by inviting her to play to raise awareness for the Special Olympics. Her parents were in on it and had her clubs and shoes hidden nearby.

Bockerstette was an ideal choice. She became the first person with Down syndrome to earn a college scholarship for sports when she signed with Paradise Valley CC in 2018. Before that, she had been the first golfer with Down syndrome to compete in the Arizona high school playoffs.

Her caddie/father, Joe Bockerstette, was surprised when Amy put her tee shot in the bunker.

Woodland went to take it out, but Amy Bockerstette wasn’t having it.

“She said, ‘No, I’ve got this,’” Woodland said.

She chipped out of the sand and she stroked a par putt.

The Arizona Republic, Golfweek and the USA TODAY Network picked up on the story. The PGA Tour and the Special Olympics put their PR muscle into promoting the video. TV networks lined up to produce features.

Tens of millions of people ended up seeing the sequence online, sharing, liking and commenting the entire way.

“I Got This” has become a rallying cry and the name of Amy Bockerstette’s foundation, focused on using golf to create more opportunities for people with disabilities. The Thunderbirds, the special events committee that runs the People’s Open, presented Bockerstette with a check for $25,000 Wednesday to help with that mission.

“Everywhere I go, I hear ‘I got this,’” Woodland said. “I have adults coming up to me, crying … the impact that it’s had on other people has been tremendous. To be part of that has been amazing.”

None of it would have happened if Bockerstette had put up a triple-bogey.

‘Every day, somebody comes up to Amy’

Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.

That’s why she’s famous.

And her story shows that people with disabilities can accomplish as much as people who don’t, provided they’re given the right support.

Woodland, who won the Phoenix Open in 2018, was right there when Bockerstette nailed that putt last year.

It ended up giving him an advantage for the rest of the tournament.

“My putting coach sent me a picture of her stroke at impact, and he said, ‘This is where you need to be,’” Woodland said this week. “The next morning, Phil Kenyon didn’t waste any time and sent the picture to me and said, ‘This is what you need to do, this is what you need to pay attention to.’”

Woodland finished in the top 10 and was 1-under on No. 16 for the tournament.

Bockerstette is more famous now than ever.

“Virtually every day, somebody comes up to Amy and tells her that they saw the video and that they were inspired,” Joe Bockerstette said. “It’s just been a fabulous experience.”

Strangers approach her for selfies. She gets random high-fives. And she’s traveled the country, telling people her story at banquets, celebrations and award shows.

That’s something else that few people would have expected.

People with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities often have a tough time communicating verbally. They’ll slur, mumble or say one word and mean another.

Bockerstette has put in countless hours over the last year to memorize her lines and deliver them cleanly. Her mother, Jenny Bockerstette, is her coach.

“She works so hard,” Jenny Bockerstette said. “She had to give a keynote address at the National Down Syndrome Congress’ annual convention, and she probably worked three or four months on practicing that speech. It was a 20-minute speech. … She’s grown a lot in the last year.”

‘You cannot put limits on people’

Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.

That’s why she’s famous.

She became a viral sensation when she made a par putt on one of the PGA Tour’s toughest holes in front of cameras, spectators and her favorite tour pro.

The accomplishment showed that people with disabilities need chances to show what they’re capable of doing. And it gave Woodland an edge when he recognized that Bockerstette’s stroke was ideal for that green.

And she’s learned to tell her story, showing that she can’t be limited by preconceptions and that athletes can transcend sports to make a difference in the lives of others.

There’s no telling what’s next — and that’s exactly the point.

“Amy is proof positive that you cannot put limits on people with disabilities and what they might do,” Joe Bockerstette said.

Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.

That’s why she’s famous.

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Gary Woodland and Amy Bockerstette reunite at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole

The Waste Management Phoenix Open always has held a special place in Gary Woodland’s heart, in part because of Amy Bockerstette.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Waste Management Phoenix Open always has held a special place in Gary Woodland’s heart. For starters, he earned his way into the field at a Monday Qualifier in his rookie season in 2009, received his first sponsor exemption into a PGA Tour field here in 2011 and joined an illustrious list of tournament champions in 2018. Woodland has played here every year except once, in part, because his friends and family in Kansas consider it the closest thing to a home game.

“I think they want to get out of the snow,” said Woodland, who tees off Thursday at 7:50 a.m. local time, with Cameron Smith and Xander Schauffele.

But Woodland’s fondest memory of competing at TPC Scottsdale happened during last year’s pro-am round when he met Amy Bockerstette, a then 20-year-old with Down Syndrome, and invited her to play the par-3 16th hole. The video of her making a par went viral.

MORE: Tee times, TV | Odds | Fantasy golf power rankings

“Last year had a bigger impact on me than winning,” Woodland said. “The impact she had on me that day was not only me, but millions around the world. You’ve seen the people that have been impacted by this, by the video and her attitude, her energy, her love. I keep saying it, it’s so contagious and the world needs a lot more of it. And especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now, we need a lot more Amy in it.”

Woodland credits Bockerstette as his unofficial mental coach, and said that in the crucible of the final round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach he channeled her positive energy and mantra – “I got this” – en route to winning his first major.

The two reunited on Wednesday, first at the the 16th hole, where Bockerstette’s Foundation, I Got This, received a check for $25,000 from The Thunderbirds, the host tournament sponsor. Later, Bockerstette joined Woodland at the press conference where she gave him a ball mark and a divot tool engraved with her catchphrase and posed the following question to him: “Gary, when are you going to play golf with me like you said last time?”

Woodland smiled. “We need to do that,” he said. “Sooner than later. When I get back in town we’ll play golf together. Is that a deal?”

On Sunday, Woodland was playing a practice round at TPC Scottsdale when he learned that Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. He said he and his wife took the news hard.

“You wanted to believe it was fake,” he said. “I’ve looked up to Kobe my whole life. I grew up in that generation with him dominating, so I’ve always wanted to be him, the way he worked on the basketball court, I wanted his work ethic. You talked to people with the ‘Mamba mentality,’ that’s what we all strive for as athletes out here.

“For me personally, looking at him the last couple years I want to be like him as a father. I want to be able to spend time with my kids. I brought my kid out yesterday. My kid’s two and a half. That’s the first time he’s walked with me on a golf course. He came out during the practice round. Because with Kobe being taken away, you don’t know how much time we have and I want to be able to share more time with my son now, when my daughters get older. But I brought him out yesterday because of that and let him experience being out and spending time with him. And the impact (Kobe’s) had…he shut the world down for a day.”

Woodland never met Bryant, but he will honor him in Phoenix by doing something special with his golf shoes this weekend. He also changed his Scotty Cameron putter cover to Lakers colors.

“But I think the biggest tribute is try to imitate him in the way to be a father like he was and work hard every day,” he said, “because you never know when it’s taken away from you, so you can’t take any day for granted on and off the golf course.”

[opinary poll=”whos-your-pick-to-win-the-wm-phoenix-ope” customer=”golfweek”]

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Farmers Insurance Open odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

Tiger Woods‘ hunt for a record 83rd career PGA Tour victory is the story of the week heading into the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Tiger makes his 2020 debut in San Diego, Calif., at a course where he already has eight professional victories, as he tries to surpass Sam Snead. Below, we assess the field and make our PGA Tour betting picks for the Farmers Insurance Open.

The key stats for the Farmers Insurance Open are:

  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
  • Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
  • Birdies or Better Gained
  • Good Drives Gained
  • Proximity from 150-175 Yards
  • Sand Saves Gained

My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 36 rounds for each golfer in the field on courses longer than 7,400 yards.

Farmers Insurance Open – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Matt Roberts – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET.

Rory McIlroy (+600)

McIlroy’s a heavy betting favorite in his first event of 2020. He won his second-last worldwide event of 2019, the WGC-HSBC Champions in early November. It followed up his 2019 Tour Championship win en route to being named the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

He finished T-5 at this event last year, and enters this week ranked first in the field in both SG: T2G and SG: BS to lead the stat model. Four of the last five winners here came from inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking. McIlroy ranks second.

Tiger Woods (+1100)

Tiger has owned this course, winning this event seven times along with the 2008 US Open. He’ll be looking to tie Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters Tournament wins in April, but first, he can break the tie with Snead. He was T-20 here last year and T-23 in 2018.

Gary Woodland (+2200)

Woodland is discounted among those at the top of the board. The 2019 US Open champ enters the week rank 15th by the OWGR. This venue is much longer than Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he won last year, but it is a US Open course and distance has never been an issue for him. He picked up a T-9 here last year, five months before his major win.

Farmers Insurance Open – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Matt Roberts – USA TODAY Sports)

Jason Day (+4000)

Day enters the week off of an injury, which forced him to pull out of the Presidents Cup. Before that, he missed the cut at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and he hasn’t won since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. Two of his 12 career victories have come at Torrey Pines, though, and he managed to finish in a tie for fifth last year. He leads the field in Sand Saves Gained.

Looking to place a bet on this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Marc Leishman (+5000)

Leish is a bargain in an event where they’re hard to find due to the influx of talent this week. He’s ranked 28th by the OWGR but is only 19th by BetMGM‘s odds. He’s ranked 10th in the field in SG: BS, and he tied for eighth in 2018.

Farmers Insurance Open – Longshots

(Photo Credit: Joe Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports)

Keith Mitchell (+20000)

If you absolutely hate betting favorites, shoot your shot with Mitchell. One of the longest hitters on Tour, he’s more than up to the task of taming Torrey Pines. He’s third in the field in SG: BS and BoB Gained.

Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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