Tag: Masters 2022

Masters champ Scottie Scheffler throws out the first pitch in Green Jacket

Masters champ Scottie Scheffler threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers while wearing the Green Jacket.

Scottie Scheffler and his new prized possession, the Green Jacket, are starting to make the rounds in his hometown of Dallas.

After skipping out on some of the typical post-major victory media tours in New York City and on The Late Show, Scheffler, who won the Masters on April 10, threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers home game against the Houston Astros on Wednesday — in the jacket no less and a nifty Masters tie to boot. (The pitch was better than most, but high and definitely a ball.)

And he’s not done on the local sporting circuit: a press release from the NHL’s Dallas Stars said that Scheffler will participate in the ceremonial puck drop prior to the team’s 2021-22 regular-season finale on Friday, April 29 against the Anaheim Ducks at American Airlines Center.

Scheffler, the World No. 1, played in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week with partner Ryan Palmer. When asked during their press conference where he had taken the Green Jacket, he said he’d only had it at home.

“When my wife asks me to do stuff at home, sometimes I’ll grab it out of the closet and look at her, huh, really? It hasn’t worked yet,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve just had some fun with it at home. I haven’t really done anything special. I haven’t taken it out of the house. I think I’m the only one that can take the jacket off property. So I want to do a good job of representing Augusta National well, and I got to bring it back at the end of next year. Since I’m almost the representation of the Green Jacket outside of the club, I’m treating it with respect. I’m not going to do anything crazy with it.”

It’s a new week. The first pitch and dropping the puck? Those apparently are fine. And why stop there — Scheffler should totally announce the first round draft choice for the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night while wearing the Green Jacket. Perhaps the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks — who are on the road Thursday — can have Scheffler do the opening tip if their playoff series goes seven games with the Utah Jazz on Sunday. After all, it’s Texas, where you’ve got to go big or go home.

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With a solid showing in his Masters debut, Harold Varner III’s continued rise is good for the future of golf

The 31-year-old Varner is quickly becoming one of the more likable players on the PGA Tour.

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We’re a few decades removed from the Foreigner’s heyday, the British-American rock band stringing together its share of hits during the late 1970s and much of the 1980s. Classic tunes such as “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice” and “I Want to Know What Love Is” remain favorites among tribute bands and revelers at karaoke bars.

One can neither confirm or deny the presence of such song selections on any of Harold Varner III’s music playlists. But I doubt the Gastonia, N.C., native and PGA Tour pro would argue the vintage rock band’s “Feels Like the First Time” fit the occasion last weekend.

An opportunity he’d long pursued, Varner participated in his first Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club from April 7-10. The product of Forestview High, just outside Charlotte, finished 3-over for the tournament, tying for 23rd.

A realist, Varner had few expectations of capturing a hallowed green jacket on his first attempt. But if there’s anything local folks have learned about him through the years, the Gastonia talent has an endless well of confidence.

Despite it being his first walk of the famed golf course at a competitive level, Varner seemed right at home between the junipers, magnolias and pink dogwoods of Augusta National. Particularly in the first two rounds of play, shooting consecutive 71s to place him only a few shots back of eventual champion Scottie Scheffler. It also earned him a seat next to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt for a brief interview after finishing play on Friday.

2022 Masters
Sergio Garcia watches as Harold Varner III hits his approach shot at no. 7 during the second round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Davis Tucker-Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports

A rough Saturday ended those pursuits, the pristine Georgia golf course introducing Varner to its dark side. He finished the day 7-over par, and 6 over for the tournament. A strong showing (3-under 69) during the final 18 holes allowed him to settle at 3-over in his first Masters Tournament.

A brand ambassador for Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan’s line of golf clothing and shoes, Varner has long looked the part. Blessed with a charming smile and quick wit, the 31-year-old Varner is quickly becoming one of the more likable players on the PGA Tour. Some of that may lie in the fact he speaks from the heart, not afraid to let one know exactly where he stands on matters great and small.

However, it’s as refreshing to find an emerging superstar interested in others as much as their own individual pursuits. Long an advocate for the advancement of golf among youths and teens, the work of Varner’s HV3 Foundation is to bring awareness to the rising cost of entry and access to sports.

Two weeks before accomplishing a lifelong dream, the PGA Tour pro welcomed 156 high school golfers from throughout the Carolinas to Gaston County as part of the third annual HV3 Invitational. Originally expected not to be in town due to obligations at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Varner flew in for the final round and an opportunity to hand the trophy to the winner of the event bearing his name.

“Growing up I experienced those same challenges first hand,” Varner said in the foundation’s mission statement. “I was incredibly fortunate to be able to join a youth program at my local municipal course that allowed me to play unlimited golf for $100 a summer. That $100 was not easy to come by, but was worth scraping together due to the access it afforded.”

2022 Masters
Harold Varner III blows on his putter after finishing on No. 6 during the third round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports)

I’ve always believed one only gets from this life what they pour into it. While his God-given ability has taken him around the world and back, Varner doesn’t allow himself to stray too far from that little boy spending countless hours on putting greens at the old Gastonia Municipal Golf Course.

In one weekend, the masses were introduced to Varner not as one in a select few Black golfers on the PGA Tour, but also one with the ability to compete week in and week out. And with it, the opportunity to be a blessing to others as shown throughout his professional career.

It’s been a steady brew for Varner, one full of trial, error and growth. Hopefully, that beautiful concoction eventually results in a Tour win for the Gastonia native.

But in the meantime, a hashtag and two words will have to do — #WeHere.

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Joe Hughes writes for the Gaston Gazette, part of the USA Today Network. You can reach Joe at 704-914-8138, email jhughes@gastongazette.com and follow on Twitter @JoeLHughesII.

Brennan: Rory McIlroy’s 18th hole bunker shot a fitting exclamation point to stellar Sunday at the Masters

McIlroy didn’t win the 2022 Masters, but he did provide the tournament with its most stunning shot.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy has won two PGA Championships, one U.S. Open and one British Open, but never the Masters. His best finish here had been fourth in 2015. But that was not his most notable Masters.

What he is best remembered for at Augusta National is his meltdown in 2011 as a 21-year-old, when he dropped from first place to a tie for 15th with a final round 80.

That memory now has company, pleasantly enough. McIlroy didn’t win the 2022 Masters, but he did provide the tournament with its most stunning shot, a magical sand wedge from a greenside bunker that trickled down the ridge of the 18th green and fell into the hole for a finishing birdie.

The unexpected theatrics gave McIlroy a bogey-free round of eight-under-par 64, matching the lowest final round in Masters history, and eventually ensured a second-place finish at seven-under, three strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world.

“The only person that beat me this week is the guy that’s currently the best golfer in the world,” McIlroy said, “so I’m on the right track and I’m doing the right things and it was just nice to feel that buzz in a major championship again. It’s been a while since I’ve felt that.”

2022 Masters
Rory McIlroy celebrates after holing out from a bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the Masters golf tournament. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

On the 18th hole, McIlroy’s drive found a fairway bunker, then his second shot landed in a bunker to the right of the green.

Then came the third shot. When it disappeared into the cup, McIlroy tossed his club in delight, jumped, raised his arms, ran out of the bunker and hugged his caddie. The fans gathered around the 18th green leaped to their feet and roared as McIlory walked triumphantly on the green pumping his fist before reaching down to get his ball out of the hole and throw it into the crowd.

“That was incredible,” McIlroy said. “I’ve never heard roars like that on the 18th green. It was really cool.”

It was a fitting exclamation mark on a day that started with a birdie on the first hole and included an eagle on the par-5 13th.

“It’s what you dream about, right?” said McIlroy, 32. “You dream about getting yourself in position. I wasn’t quite close enough to the lead. Scottie is playing really, really well. To play as well as I did today and then to finish like this, I mean, it’s just absolutely incredible.”

McIlroy, who started the day at one-over, was finished an hour before Scheffler. He did several interviews, one before Scheffler was finished.

“I’ll probably come up a little bit short, but I gave it a great go, and I can’t ask any more of myself. I went out there today, shot my best-ever score at Augusta and it’s going to be my best finish ever.”

His joy was palpable. This was a wonderful moment for him, and he was soaking it all in.

“That,” he said, “is as happy as I’ve ever been on a golf course right there.”

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Golf fans crushed Nick Faldo for spoiling Rory McIlroy’s amazing birdie on 18 at the Masters

McIlroy made an incredible birdie on the 18th hole when he holed out from the greenside bunker. When he did that CBS was showing Cam Smith.

Nick Faldo has long been the main analyst for CBS Sports’ golf coverage, much to the dismay of many fans who rightfully complain about his work during just about every tournament he calls.

Well, he was calling the Masters this week and early Sunday evening he completely botched a huge moment for Rory McIlroy and the tournament when he basically spoiled what happened before the viewers could see it.

Here’s what happened: McIlroy made an incredible birdie on the 18th hole when he holed out from the greenside bunker. When he did that CBS was showing Cam Smith lining up a putt on 13. Faldo then started saying he couldn’t believe what he just saw (he and Jim Nantz are sitting in the tower behind the 18th green) and that it was a huge moment that is going to amaze people and be big for the tournament.

A few moments later CBS cut to McIlroy’s shot but we all knew what was going to happen because Faldo SPOILED it.

Here’s the shot:

Just a horrible, horrible job by Faldo.

Golf Twitter was furious, and rightfully so:

Golf fans crushed Nick Faldo for spoiling Rory McIlroy’s amazing birdie on 18 at the Masters

McIlroy made an incredible birdie on the 18th hole when he holed out from the greenside bunker. When he did that CBS was showing Cam Smith.

Nick Faldo has long been the main analyst for CBS Sports’ golf coverage, much to the dismay of many fans who rightfully complain about his work during just about every tournament he calls.

Well, he was calling the Masters this week and early Sunday evening he completely botched a huge moment for Rory McIlroy and the tournament when he basically spoiled what happened before the viewers could see it.

Here’s what happened: McIlroy made an incredible birdie on the 18th hole when he holed out from the greenside bunker. When he did that CBS was showing Cam Smith lining up a putt on 13. Faldo then started saying he couldn’t believe what he just saw (he and Jim Nantz are sitting in the tower behind the 18th green) and that it was a huge moment that is going to amaze people and be big for the tournament.

A few moments later CBS cut to McIlroy’s shot but we all knew what was going to happen because Faldo SPOILED it.

Here’s the shot:

Just a horrible, horrible job by Faldo.

Golf Twitter was furious, and rightfully so:

Why Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre left it all out there on Sunday at his favorite major, the Masters

Last year, in his Masters debut, MacIntyre tied for 12th to earn a spot in the 2022 field.

AUGUSTA, Georgia – The Old Course at St. Andrews may host the British Open this summer, but top Scot Robert MacIntyre has only one goal in mind: get back to Augusta.

“You play it once and you’re just like, it’s the most special place I‘ve ever been in my life,” said MacIntyre after a closing 3-under 69 at the 86th Masters.

“They say The Open is beautiful, but I think Augusta National beats it.”

Last year, in his Masters debut, MacIntyre tied for 12th to earn a spot in the 2022 field. On Sunday, the 25-year-old thought he might be able to secure a return invitation after he birdied the 14th hole to move to 4 under on the day and oh-so-close to the top 12. But the lefty watched his second shot ricochet back to him from the trees on the par-5 15th and the ensuing bogey stifled his run.

“That was the only bad shot I hit all day,” said MacIntyre. “That was just a cardinal sin.”

MacIntyre finished 3-over 291 for the tournament in a share of 23rd, two shots out of the top 12.

He has now competed in eight major championships and made the cut in each, posting a top-10 finish in his last two British Open starts.

MacIntyre and his team have worked on keeping a clear mind inside the ropes and getting away from technique. His goal this week was to just go play. The creativity that’s required at a place like Augusta National makes that goal easier to execute.

Since he first started coming to the U.S. to compete, MacIntyre said his game is “night and day” when he considers how much better he can control the golf ball.

“I can draw the driver, which is massive,” he said. “I can fade it. I can do absolutely anything with the driver. If I drive it well, nine times out of 10 it’s going to be a good tournament.”

Hiring Stuart Morgan as a performance coach has been key to this year, said MacIntyre, who found himself slacking off in the practice department last season. He no longer beats balls on the range for an hour and then wonders what to do next. There’s structure.

“It’s the most productive practice I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.

MacIntyre’s best world ranking to date is 42nd, but he has slipped down to his current position of 74. A top-50 ranking by year’s end would qualify him for next year’s Masters.

“If I’m going to be honest with you, my goal is to get back to Augusta National in 2023,” he said on Sunday.

“That’s the only goal I really have in my mind right now. There’s golf tournaments in the world that I feel I can win, and this is one of them.”

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Lynch: For Tiger Woods, a walk off 18 at Augusta thankful he even reached the starting line

Tiger Woods was granted an opportunity to produce the finest solo 47th place finish in golf history.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was a time when Tiger Woods would have been disdainful of a lowly finish at the Masters, when his demeanor between the 18th green and the scorer’s office would have betrayed only a flinty dourness, when keyboard jockeys would have bemoaned wall-to-wall coverage of a player so distant from the top of the leaderboard. Sunday was not one of those days, and it’s unlikely any of Woods’s tomorrows will be either.

Success in professional golf is reflected in strictly numerical form, and the digits posted by Woods during the 86th Masters would not, on paper, suggest a memorable week: 13-over-par total, roughly a couple dozen strokes back of the winner; a brace of 78s on the weekend, his worst scores ever at Augusta National; six 3-putts on greens he knows as intimately as the contours of his children’s faces. The Masters doesn’t provide the granular Strokes Gained statistics that add insight on the PGA Tour, but even if it did those metrics would be woefully inadequate to explain the grandeur of a solo 47th finish by a five-time champion. Because there are no Strokes Gained measurements for heart, for determination, for sheer, bloody-minded willpower, or for gratitude.

There was evident discomfort in Woods’s gait on the walk from the 18th green to sign his scorecard, but there was a distinct pep too, one that hinted at pride in what he had just accomplished, and optimism that better days lie ahead. He was asked if the week ranked among his finest career achievements, a seemingly audacious question for a man who has enjoyed several legendary moments on this very property.

“For not winning an event, yes. Yes, without a doubt,” he replied. “To go from where I was to get to this point.”

Getting anywhere is a triumph when your starting point is the mangled wreckage of a car in a suburban Los Angeles ravine. Fourteen months ago, Woods almost lost his right leg (and damned nearly his life too), so he had no reason to believe he would be granted an opportunity to produce the finest solo 47th place finish in golf history.

“I don’t think words can really describe where I was a little over a year ago and what my prospects were at that time to end up here and be able to play in all four rounds,” he said, finally displaying—after 15 major victories and 82 PGA Tour wins—a sense of being awed by his own accomplishments. “Even a month ago I didn’t know if I could pull this off.”

We have witnessed a number of iconic walks off Augusta National’s 18th green by Woods—into a bear hug from his father, Earl, in 1997, and into the arms of his children, Sam and Charlie, in 2019. The first felt ordained, the latter improbable. He was alone on the walk this time, and that too was symbolic in its way. It’s been a lonely road back from that California ditch, through surgeries, intensive physical therapy and an exhausting regimen of ice baths to relieve aches that became more evident as the week wore on. When asked how much pain he was in, his answer revealed a great deal while saying nothing: “Uh-huh.”

A quarter-century ago, Woods announced himself with a 12-shot victory at the Masters, but his distant finish in ’22 was scarcely less impressive. In the end, we saw more than we had any right to expect—four rounds completed, a few highlights, a few too many lowlights, his every gingerly-placed footstep punctuated by thunderous appreciation from spectators.

“I wasn’t exactly playing my best, but just to have the support out there and the appreciation from all the fans,” he said, seeming genuinely touched in a manner different from the roars he heard on those many Masters Sundays when he slipped into a green jacket.

More than any other sporting event, the Masters embraces ritual and tradition, unyielding to popular whims (though this year’s Dude Perfect romp around Amen Corner with hockey sticks and tennis racquets was a nod toward a demographic for whom remote controls are alien). For four days at Augusta National, all seemed as once it was in the world of golf. Woods was again making noise at Augusta National, and the sport’s Saudi hijackers didn’t exist (except when Gary Player continued a family tradition of besmirching the honorary starter ceremony by prominently wearing a Golf Saudi logo, a year after his shiftless offspring used a wheelchair-bound Lee Elder as a prop for marketing golf balls).

Most great sports stories involve athletes crossing the finish line, but sometimes it’s no less compelling to see them simply get to the starting line. Having watched Woods almost lose it all, lose so much more than a mere career, the 86th Masters has been marked by sincere gratitude for his simple presence. “Thankful,” Woods said at the end. “I keep saying it, but I am. I really am. I truly am.”

Us too, Tiger. Us too.

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‘There’s no faking it’: Masters players react to Saturday’s brutal conditions at Augusta National

“You could play really well and shoot below 100 if you make a couple of putts, I reckon,” said Cam Davis.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – What would a 10-handicap shoot at Augusta National in Saturday’s gusty, frigid conditions? Australia’s Cameron Davis was asked to hazard a guess at the Masters.

“You could play really well and shoot below 100 if you make a couple of putts, I reckon,” said Davis.

But it depends in part, he said, on whether or not that player is a low-ball hitter or a high-ball hitter.

“There’s a 20-shot difference between the two,” he explained. “This course is hard. It seems like you want to hit the ball high into every green and you had to hit the ball low. When the greens are firm and it’s windy, it’s kind of hard to do the low option, so you have to throw the ball up in the air and see what happens a lot of the time. It’s just hard.”

Temperatures started in the low 40s and remained in the low 50s throughout the afternoon, with sustained winds of 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 1-under 71 and holds fast to a three-stroke lead on a day when only nine players managed to break par. Nos. 1 and 18  allowed only two birdies each in the third round. One Rory McIlroy birdied the fourth hole.

Here’s what players had to say about the difficult day:

Lynch: Playing the ‘best golf of his life,’ affable Shane Lowry has already aced his greatest challenges

Shane Lowry is more comfortable in the precincts of his local Gaelic football club than in stuffy clubhouses.

Scottie Scheffler may never face a more daunting day in his career than what awaits in Sunday’s final round of the 86th Masters, and not just because he built a lead so commanding that failure to close would be an upset (by day’s end, what had been a seven-stroke edge had dwindled to three). Scheffler is 25 years old and the splash he’s made on the PGA Tour—his first three wins coming in his last five starts— is so recent that the ripples haven’t yet settled. Yet a major championship, in particular this major championship, is on a different order of magnitude than any of his previous victories. Tests don’t come any more stern than what lies ahead.

For one of Scheffler’s (admittedly distant) pursuers, however, Sunday won’t constitute the most intimidating test of his mettle, wouldn’t do so even if he held Scheffler’s lead, and wouldn’t represent his greatest win in the event he could overtake a stumbling leader.

Shane Lowry is about as proud an Irishman as has ever touched down in America, devoid of artifice, more comfortable in the precincts of his local Gaelic football club than in stuffy clubhouses amid blue-bloods in black ties. He’s a ferocious competitor, a trait inherited from his father, Brendan, who 40 years ago was part of a team that won the All-Ireland football championship, the national fervor for which makes Masters roars seem muffled by comparison.

The two greatest moments of Lowry’s career have both come on the home turf he loves, and that experience means he has already aced the most stomach-churning challenge he’s likely to face. Whatever happens Sunday—he enters the day in fourth, seven strokes adrift of Scheffler—pales by comparison.

Lowry has homes in Dublin and in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where his neighbor is former Irish teammate, Rory McIlroy.

“I’ve played a lot of recreational golf with Shane lately,” McIlroy said after signing for a third-round 71 that crept him into the top 10 on the leaderboard. While describing his longtime friend’s recent form as “alright,” McIlroy isn’t surprised to see him in contention at Augusta National. He knows Lowry is a man made for the tricky conditions, marked by strong wind gusts.

“He’s got the kind of flat ball flight that works really well in these conditions,” he said.

The four-time major winner knows something about how Lowry excels as conditions deteriorate. In 2009, McIlroy’s first year as a professional, the Irish Open at County Louth concluded in weather so atrocious that even livestock would have refused to work in it. Lowry, then a 22-year-old amateur, gutted out a final-round 71 and won his national Open in a playoff against Robert Rock. It was the first Tour event he’d ever played.

“The harder it plays, the more he likes it,” McIlroy said.

Conditions were tough—basically unplayable in a downpour—on the closing holes of the Honda Classic last month when Lowry finished 2nd. He followed up with top 15s in both the Players Championship and the Valspar Championship. He arrived in Augusta feeling quietly confident. On Wednesday, I asked his caddie, Bo Martin, how his man’s game looked.

“He might be playing the best golf of his life,” Martin replied.

Martin knows what the best golf of Lowry’s life looks like, since he was on the bag for his greatest win.

That was in July 2019, when he hoisted the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush in the first Open Championship held in Ireland in 68 years. He had entered that final round with a four-shot lead and—in his delightfully unvarnished words, “sh*****g myself”—and survived adverse conditions to win by six.

“He had a big lead then but he played well with it,” McIlroy remembered. “If he’s in contention tomorrow, I think Portrush will stand him in really good stead.”

Whether Lowry has a chance to really contend depends at least in part on Scheffler, who has a TK-stroke edge on Cameron Smith, with Lowry a further TK back. But as many players more accomplished than the young Texan can attest, huge leads aren’t safe on the treacherous closing holes at Augusta National. Also mitigating against Lowry: Sunday’s forecast is much more pleasant than the last two days that propelled him into the mix.

His 68 in swirling winds Friday was bettered by only two of the other 89 men in the field. Lowry admitted it was among the best rounds of his career, but while it was something of which he was proud, it was not one he enjoyed. “I didn’t enjoy it really much at all,” he said. “It was so hard out there.”

As he headed into the weekend, he knew he’d need good fortune and bad weather. He got the latter on Saturday and will need plenty of the former Sunday. “You’re going to need everything to go your way to be standing there getting green on Sunday,” he said, assessing his odds. “It’s going to be hard, but I’m looking forward to it.”

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Brian Harman witnessed the two most amazing aces in golf this year in Scottsdale, Augusta National

Brian Harman: “I’ve been watching a lot of holes-in-one lately.”

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Brian Harman’s second round at the 2022 Masters on Friday started on a spectacular note.

He holed out from the right bunker for an eagle 3 on the 575-yard, par-5 second hole. That shot, per Masters tradition, earned him a pair of Crystal Glasses.

However, it wasn’t enough to get Harman to the weekend, as his scores of 74 and 75 kept him one stroke from making the cut.

Along the way, though, Harman was witness to a hole-in-one. On the 16th hole, playing partner Stewart Cink made an ace at the par-3, 170 yard hole. He did it on his son/caddie Reagan’s 24th birthday. It was the 24th ace in Masters history at the 16th, and the sixth for Cink in his PGA Tour career.

Harman witnessed another, much more raucous, hole-in-one earlier this season at TPC Scottsdale.

It also happened on the 16th hole at the wet and wild WM Phoenix Open. You remember that one: Sam Ryder’s Saturday ace ignited a beer-can launch sequence that would certainly never happen at Augusta National.

In Phoenix, Harman was next to hit but had to wait about 15 minutes for the grounds crew to pick up the thousands of aluminum beer cans and bottles.

“The rules official asked me if I wanted to hit with all the beer cans out there,” he said. “I declined and asked them to go clean it up.”

At Augusta, Harman said: “I was there in Phoenix for that shot Sam hit. I’ve been watching a lot of holes-in-one lately.”

Dennis Knight of  the Savannah Morning News contributed to this article.

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