Tag: The American Express 2020

Phil Mickelson: ‘If I don’t play well early on, I’ll start to re-evaluate’ future on PGA Tour

Ahead of the American Express, Phil Mickelson says: “What’s fun for me is competing, getting in contention and trying to win tournaments.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Frannie and Steve Lay were on their late-morning walk around the block when Phil Mickelson crossed the street from the 10th green at PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and walked right in front of them on the way to the 11th tee.

There are no spectators allowed this week at the American Express due to COVID-19, but the two courses being used this year – PGA West’s Stadium Course is the other – are lined by homes and homeowners like the Lays, who said they had allowed South Korea’s Sungjae Im to use their bathroom a day earlier. This, however, was Mickelson, 50, the winner of 44 PGA Tour titles including five majors, and one of golf’s biggest draws for going on three decades. Like a schoolgirl seeing her celebrity crush, Frannie Lay squealed, “What timing! He’s my favorite.”

As Mickelson teed off, a third passerby stopped to applaud and exclaimed, “Looks like a bomb.”

Mickelson is still attempting to hit his patented “bombs,” as he refers to them, and is making his 18th start at the AmEx this week as the tournament host and ambassador, where a win would make him the winningest Tour player in the state of California. (He’s currently tied with Tiger Woods at 14.)

During an abbreviated 2019-20 season, Mickelson threatened to win a couple times on the PGA Tour, but was a disappointing non-factor in the majors. After turning 50 in June, he blitzed the field, winning twice in two starts on the PGA Tour Champions. It has Mickelson thinking about dabbling more and more on the senior circuit while still motivated to make more history against the best players in the world. Only seven players have won after age 50 on the PGA Tour, and the oldest player to win a major is Julius Boros at age 48.

Phil Mickelson
Frannie and Steve Lay watch Phil Mickelson at PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course in La Quinta, California, ahead of the 2021 American Express. Photo by Adam Schupak/Golfweek

“I’m excited to start the year and see if I’m able to continue playing at the highest level. If I am, I’m going to really try to play more events on the PGA Tour and make a push hopefully for the Ryder Cup,” he said. “But if I don’t play well early on, I’ll start to re-evaluate things and maybe play a few more events on the Champions tour because what’s fun for me is competing, getting in contention and trying to win tournaments.”

As a testament to Mickelson’s longevity, this month marks the 30-year anniversary of Mickelson’s first Tour title, when he captured the now-defunct Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona, as an amateur. Former Masters champion turned golf commentator Trevor Immelman watched part of Mickelson’s practice round, and marveled at how he appears to be in the best shape of his life.

AMERICAN EXPRESS: Tee times, TV info | Field by the rankings

“It fascinates me how he keeps the fire burning after being at the sport for so long,” Immelman said. “It just doesn’t happen in sports. It takes a tremendous toll physically, mentally and emotionally, to stay in the spotlight for that long.”

Mickelson’s desire continues to burn bright and his work ethic remains intact.

“I find myself just internally motivated because of my love to compete and my love to try to bring out the best in me,” he said. “It’s the ability to play and compete against the best in the world that gets me in the gym every morning at 6 or 7, that gets me on the range working on my game, on the putting green working on my putting. That challenge of trying to play and compete against the best is what really drives me, and so I need to have that or else I feel I might get complacent.”

This week, Mickelson will be without his brother, Tim, who handles his caddie duties but is instead at home with his wife awaiting the birth of their first child.

“I just know that the birth of your first is the most emotional experience that you could possibly share and there’s no sense to take any risk,” said Mickelson, who has his instructor, Andrew Getson, filling in. “So he’s at home with his wife, they’re due any minute, any day, and I’m excited for them.”

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What will PGA Tour events look like in 2021? We look into the crystal ball for one California event

Here is what we know for sure about the 2021 American Express PGA Tour event in La Quinta: The tournament will be played.

Here is what we know for sure about the 2021 American Express PGA Tour event in La Quinta: The tournament will be played.

As for all the other things about the 62nd version of the desert’s tour event, well, we’ll still have to wait and see.

Encouraged by recent professional golf events successfully played in California, like the PGA Championship in San Francisco in August, the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open in Napa in September and the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage in September, officials of the American Express are confident that they can meet the COVID-19 protocols set for by the state and county for the event to be played.

But with just over three months remaining before the tournament is scheduled for Jan. 21-24 at three courses in La Quinta, the pandemic has some things in limbo for now.

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“I think the biggest thing is just working with the tournament stakeholders to formalize our plan on a safe event that is compliant with state and county regulations,” said Pat McCabe, tournament director for the American Express.

While plenty about the tournament or any sports event in California, remains fluid, here are a few things that we can say for certain:

If the event was played today, there would be no fans:

Riverside County is in the red tier for reopening, and one of the protocols for that tier is that live sports can be played, but with no spectators on site. For now, that is completely out of the hands of the PGA Tour and American Express organizers. Certainly there is hope that the county will move to a less-restrictive tier and that could slightly open the door for some fans. For now, spectators won’t be on site.

Stevie Nicks played on a Friday night at the American Express event in 2019.

No fans likely dooms the concert series for the year:

Last year the tournament sold $50 tickets that included entrance to the golf courses and an evening concert on the PGA West driving range. On Friday, that ticket allowed you to see rocker Stevie Nicks in concert, and on Saturday it was country star Luke Bryan. Between 18,000 and 20,000 people showed up each day, which is certainly the kind of gathering the county would not like during a pandemic. Again, it is only October and perhaps limitations of large crowds will change by November or December. But there is a long lead time to make a concert work, and the pandemic isn’t helping.

The pro-am of the event is more likely to happen than not: 

The tour is back in the pro-am business, with a pro-am played last week at the Sanderson Farms tournament in Mississippi and again this week at the Shriners Hospital event in Las Vegas. The pro-am at the American Express is at the very heart of the character of the desert tournament, with 156 pros playing alongside 156 amateurs for the first three days of the event. The PGA Tour, which has been back playing since June and which has had relatively few incidents of COVID-19 positive tests after a shaky first month, has figured out a plan that gets pros and amateurs on the course.

Andrew Landry walks off the 18th green with son Brooks after winning The American Express golf tournament on the Stadium course at PGA West. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing is certain these days. But desert golf fans should still be expecting, at the very least, to be able to watch the American Express tournament on television in January.

Larry Bohannan is golf writer at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., part of the USA Today Network. He can be reached at (760) 778-4633 or larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at Sun.@Larry_Bohannan. 

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How much money each golfer won at The American Express

Check out how much each golfer won this weekend at the PGA Tour’s The American Express.

Two years after dueling Jon Rahm down the stretch of the Stadium Course at PGA West and eventually falling in a four-hole playoff, Andrew Landry offered a different ending at this setting.

Landry overcame three bogeys in the middle of the back nine on Sunday to earn a two-shot victory over Abraham Ancer at the American Express. The victory is Landry’s second on the PGA Tour, but his first since the 2018 Valero Texas Open. Regardless, it’s a welcome one considering that Landry has missed seven cuts in eight starts so far this 2019-20 season.

Take a look at how much each player earned this week in California.

AMERICAN EXPRESS: Photos | Scores | Schedule, results

Position Player To par Earnings
1 Andrew Landry -26 $1,206,000
2 Abraham Ancer -24 $730,300
3 Scottie Scheffler -23 $462,300
T-4 Bud Cauley -20 $301,500
T-4 Sepp Straka -20 $301,500
T-6 Sam Burns -19 $218,588
T-6 Tom Hoge -19 $218,588
T-6 Sebastian Cappelen -19 $218,588
T-6 Ryan Moore -19 $218,588
T-10 Grayson Murray -18 $162,475
T-10 Sungjae Im -18 $162,475
T-10 Andrew Putnam -18 $162,475
T-10 Rickie Fowler -18 $162,475
T-14 Adam Schenk -17 $122,275
T-14 Tony Finau -17 $122,275
T-14 Alexander Noren -17 $122,275
T-17 Matthew NeSmith -16 $98,825
T-17 Kevin Na -16 $98,825
T-17 Talor Gooch -16 $98,825
T-17 Hank Lebioda -16 $98,825
T-21 Kyoung-Hoon Lee -15 $63,399
T-21 Cameron Champ -15 $63,399
T-21 Michael Gligic -15 $63,399
T-21 Sebastián Muñoz -15 $63,399
T-21 Brian Harman -15 $63,399
T-21 Paul Casey -15 $63,399
T-21 Tim Wilkinson -15 $63,399
T-21 Chase Seiffert -15 $63,399
T-29 Daniel Berger -14 $41,121
T-29 Doc Redman -14 $41,121
T-29 Chesson Hadley -14 $41,121
T-29 Vincent Whaley -14 $41,121
T-29 Ben Martin -14 $41,121
T-29 Nick Watney -14 $41,121
T-29 Sam Ryder -14 $41,121
T-29 Cameron Davis -14 $41,121
T-37 J.T. Poston -13 $29,815
T-37 Maverick McNealy -13 $29,815
T-37 Ted Potter Jr. -13 $29,815
T-37 David Hearn -13 $29,815
T-37 Russell Knox -13 $29,815
T-37 Brendon Todd -13 $29,815
T-43 Cameron Tringale -12 $22,445
T-43 Bronson Burgoon -12 $22,445
T-43 Brendan Steele -12 $22,445
T-43 Vaughn Taylor -12 $22,445
T-43 Mark Hubbard -12 $22,445
T-48 Brandon Hagy -11 $16,989
T-48 John Huh -11 $16,989
T-48 Denny McCarthy -11 $16,989
T-48 Max Homa -11 $16,989
T-48 Harris English -11 $16,989
T-48 Carlos Ortiz -11 $16,989
T-48 Rory Sabbatini -11 $16,989
T-55 Fabian Gomez -10 $15,410
T-55 Scott Stallings -10 $15,410
T-55 Zac Blair -10 $15,410
T-55 Jhonattan Vegas -10 $15,410
T-55 Ryan Brehm -10 $15,410
T-55 Jason Dufner -10 $15,410
T-61 Charley Hoffman -9 $14,807
T-61 Scott Piercy -9 $14,807
T-61 Matthew Wolff -9 $14,807
T-64 Tyler Duncan -8 $14,338
T-64 Patrick Rodgers -8 $14,338
T-64 Wes Roach -8 $14,338
T-64 Tyler McCumber -8 $14,338
T-68 Josh Teater -7 $13,802
T-68 Henrik Norlander -7 $13,802
T-68 Troy Merritt -7 $13,802
T-68 D.J. Trahan -7 $13,802
72 Brian Stuard -6 $13,467
73 Anirban Lahiri -5 $13,333
74 Matt Every -1 $13,199

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Andrew Landry blows six-shot lead, recovers to win The American Express

In victory or defeat, apparently it just can’t be easy for Andrew Landry at the American Express golf tournament.

In victory or defeat, apparently it just can’t be easy for Andrew Landry at the American Express golf tournament.

Two years after dueling Jon Rahm down the stretch of the Stadium Course at PGA West and eventually falling in a four-hole playoff, Landry was cruising to a victory on the same course on Sunday. But three stumbling bogeys in the middle of the back nine and a red-hot Abraham Ancer saw Landry’s six-shot lead disappear with two holes to play.

Somehow Landry discovered his game again and hit a great tee shot on the par-3 17th to set up a go-ahead birdie. Another birdie on the 18th hole gave He a two-shot victory that seemed a foregone conclusion one hour earlier.

Landry finished the day with a 5-under 67 for a four-day total of 26-under 262. Ancer, six shots off the lead at the start of the round, tied the Stadium Course competitive scoring record with a 9-under 63, a round that looked like it might be good enough for a victory for the Mexican star.

The American Express: Leaderboard | Photos

Scottie Scheffler, an overnight co-leader with Landry, eagled the 16th hole to fight back from a disappointing front nine and finished alone in third at 23-under with a final-round 70.

As Landry and Abraham combined for 17 birdies on the day, some high-profile players struggled.

Rickie Fowler, in the final group with Landry and Scheffler, managed just a 71 and finished at 18-under, tied for 10th. Tony Finau, the highest-ranked player in the field from the Official World Rankings, had a double bogey and a bogey on consecutive holes on the front nine. He finished at 69 for the day and 17-under for the week.

The victory is Landry’s second on the PGA Tour, his first since the 2018 Valero Texas Open. The performance in the Coachella Valley is in stark contrast to the rest of Landry’s 2019-20 season, where he has missed seven cuts in eight starts, including missing the last five cuts in a row.

With three birdies to open the back nine, Landry moved to 27-under par and held a six-shot lead over Ancer. But a three-putt bogey at the 13th, a mistake from off the back of the green on the 14th hole with a putter and a stubbed chip on the 15th hole saw three shots shaved off Landry’s score.

At the same time, Ancer was making a birdie on the 14th and hitting the pin with an eagle chip on the par-5 16th. When Ancer rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the 17th, he shared the lead for the first time.

“On 17, right before I hit my tee shot I realized I was tied. I thought I was going to be maybe two, three back, and then I looked up,” Ancer said, one off on his calculations. “At the beginning of the round, I just said I just need to make as many birdies as I can and try and see what happens. So I wasn’t paying much attention to the leaderboard.

“And then that’s when I noticed and I was like, all right, well, we got to make two other birdies,” Ancer added. “I made the putt there on 17, which was big, and then just couldn’t make it happen on 18. But I played good, man. I’m proud of how I played.”

As Ancer was making a routine par on the 18th, Landry steadied his game with his tee shot on the 17th, leaving him just seven feet for his go-ahead birdie. Another solid iron to just six feet on the 18th meant Landry had two putts for victory. He only needed one.

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As stars stumble, Scottie Scheffler, Andrew Landry open up a lead at American Express

Scottie Scheffler’s golf ball started down the middle of the 18th fairway at the Stadium Course at PGA West and started to move left, too far left, headed for a large lake. But the ball never found the lake. It hit the rocks on the edge of the lake, …

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Scottie Scheffler’s golf ball started down the middle of the 18th fairway at the Stadium Course at PGA West and started to move left, too far left, headed for a large lake.

But the ball never found the lake. It hit the rocks on the edge of the lake, bounced high into the air and back onto the fairway grass.

Those are the kind of breaks that can determine a golf tournament, and it certainly determined that Scheffler would be tied for the lead after the third round of the American Express golf tournament on Saturday.

“I was just trying to hit a little draw 3-wood, and I drew it a lot,” Scheffler laughed. “I’m not sure if it would have crossed up there, so it was a great break bouncing off the rocks like that. I guess you take them where you can get them.”

MORE: Tee times, TV info | Leaderboard | Updates

The big bounce allowed Scheffler to make a par on the closing par-4 and complete a 6-under 66 under warm and calm conditions in La Quinta. That puts Scheffler, a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, at 21 under for the tournament, tied with Andrew Landry.

Landry, who lost the desert title in a four-hole playoff with Jon Rahm in 2018, managed a 65 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West to reach 21 under. That gives Landry and Scheffler a four-shot lead over second-round co-leader Rickie Fowler. Fowler was just 2 over through eight holes Saturday on the Stadium Course, but rallied with four birdies the rest of the round for a 70 and a 17-under total.

Rickie Fowler on the fifth hole during The American Express on the Stadium Course at PGA West. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

Rough start for Rickie

“Typically, you’re going to have nine holes throughout 72 that may not go exactly how you want to, and a couple mental errors cost me, and just really struggled to get things going early,” Fowler said. “So I was actually surprised by the green speed early on.”

As Scheffler and Landry made birdies and marched away from the field, other golfers worked to stay within reach of the leaders. Ryan Moore and Chase Seiffert are tied for fourth at 16 under, with Moore shooting 67 on the Stadium Course and Seiffert shooting 67 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

For Scheffler, just 23 and a rookie on the PGA Tour, Saturday’s round was his first encounter with Pete Dye’s Stadium Course, the toughest of the three courses in the American Express rotation. He walked away with the 66 but with respect for a course he’ll play again Sunday in the final pairing with Landry and Fowler.

“It’s a tough course. It’s a good track,” Scheffler said. “If you’re not on your game, you can really struggle. There’s a lot of trouble out there, so you’ve got to hit a lot of quality shots to keep the ball in play, so it’s a good track. Good test.”

Scheffler birdied three of his first five holes to grab the lead. He added three more birdies on the back nine for a bogey-free 66, but he actually trailed Landry late in the round.

Landry’s round started on the back nine of the Nicklaus Tournament Course and featured a 6-under 30 on that nine, including four consecutive birdies to close. Landry added birdies on the fourth and fifth holes to take the lead at 22 under, but a bogey on the par-3 eighth knocked him back down into the tie with Scheffler.

It wasn’t a round Landry thought featured great ball-striking but he was pleased with his solid play around the greens.

Grinding at the American Express

“There were a couple holes out there where I missed the green and left myself in some good spots, left myself in some bad spots, made some really clutch par putts and that was kind of the deal that kept my momentum going throughout the day,” Landry said. “So started off hitting the ball really well and just kept on grinding it out.

“It’s been a heck of a week so far with my ball striking and just kind of, one day’s ball striking, the next day’s putting and putting’s just been here all week,” he said. “So we’ll just keep riding it out and see what happens (Sunday).”

Scottie Scheffler during The American Express on the Stadium Course at PGA West. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

While Scheffler’s name isn’t that familiar to casual golf fans, he had a big year in 2019 on the Korn Ferry Tour. And he’s hoping he can keep his winning ways going with the same game and same attitude that he used last year. He’ll take that skill and attitude against Fowler, a five-time winner on the tour, and Landry, who has one tour victory in 2018.

“Winning is pretty similar at all levels of the game, and I feel like I’ve gone a good job of closing tournaments out, especially this year on the Korn Ferry Tour,” Scheffler said. “So looking back on that experience should definitely help, and it should be a fun day.”

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Golfer and hockey fan Brendan Steele had a great day at the American Express

Brendan Steele the hockey fan and Brendan Steele the golfer had a great day at The American Express.

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Growing up in Southern California, it’s a tad surprising that pro golfer Brendan Steele’s second favorite sport is hockey.

An L.A. Kings-aholic, Steele once told Golf.com that he believes he’s either the biggest NHL fan on the PGA Tour or equal to it, but “the other guys right there with me are Canadian.”

It was his parents, who still live in Idyllwild, that got the puck rolling on his love of the game.

“You know my parents have always been big hockey fans, and I grew up watching the Kings and remember when Gretzky got traded, so that was obviously a huge moment in hockey and Southern California hockey,” Steele said Saturday. “I just always loved the game and loved how the guys played. I’ve gotten to meet quite a few current and former players and they just all love golf.”

On Saturday at The American Express, Steele was doing some nice work in his primary sport. He shot a 5-under 67 in the third round at the Stadium Course to move up into a tie for 20th at 13 under for the tournament.

“Been feeling really good this week. Had a good week last week (losing in a playoff at the Sony Open) and carried some momentum into this week,” Steele said. “Didn’t get off to as good a start as I wanted to at La Quinta Country Club, but the last two days I played really well. It’s going to be a lot to try to win the tournament from this far back, but there’s only two guys going crazy right now, so a good round tomorrow could do a lot.”

Steele, who had a large group following him and his playing partner Steve Stricker, said he still gets a kick out of playing in the desert where he sees larger galleries than the average tournament. This is his 10th time playing in this tournament. He’s made the cut eight times and his best finishes are a tie for second in 2015 and a tie for sixth in 2017.

“I do love playing here, tons of friends, people that I get to see only a few times a year these days with how much I travel, and it’s fun to have them come out and still support me after all these years,” Steele said.

But back to favorite sport No. 2. Steele must have pinched himself Saturday morning when he saw who his amateur playing partners were. One of them was none other than NHL Hall of Famer Brett Hull, named one of the 100 greatest players of all time. Steele was beaming when talking about Hull — not a bad golfer by the way — and said he did pick Hull’s brain about the sport.

“He told us a couple stories, I’m trying to remember them all, but one thing is he told us the best advice his dad ever gave him,” Steele said of Hull’s father Bobby, also an NHL Hall of Famer. “His dad told him ‘The farther away you are from the play, the closer you are to (scoring.)’ He said ‘It took me a few years to understand it, but basically when there’s four guys scrumming it in the corner, you don’t need to be in the corner. So I went to the slot instead and that’s where I scored a lot of goals.'”

Steele made sure to exchange phone numbers with Hull just in case a chance to golf again — or talk about hockey again — comes up.

More good news for Steele. He was surprised but excited to hear about the new American Hockey League team coming to Palm Springs. In 2021, Palm Springs will be home to the minor league affiliate of the NHL expansion team coming to Seattle. Steele loved the idea of being able to see some hockey in the desert.

“No way, that’s amazing. I didn’t know that, that’s really cool news,” Steele said. “Really? That’s exciting.”

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Tournament host Phil Mickelson expected to miss cut at The American Express

Instead of flying home after missing the cut, Phil Mickelson will stick around for the final-round festivities at The American Express.

Phil Mickelson is expected to miss the cut at The American Express on Saturday after carding a third-round 71, but he won’t be able to jump on his private jet and head home, as he normally would after missing out on the money.

Instead, as tournament host, Mickelson will stick around for the final-round festivities on Sunday.

Mickelson opened his week 70-72 and was 13 shots back of second-round co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Scottie Scheffler after 36 holes. On Saturday, Mickelson shot 1-under 71 on the the Stadium Course at PGA West. Even with an eagle on 16, it was far from enough to get him above the cutline.

The format of the tournament calls for 54-holes across three courses before the cut to the low 70 and ties. Mickelson tied for second in the event a year ago.

The American Express: Leaderboard | Photos

Before the tournament started, Mickelson talked about his involvement.

“American Express asked that myself and my foundation take on a bigger role. The PGA Tour asked that we take on a bigger role. My wife, Amy, and I have decided that this is the right fit, and we want to have a more direct involvement in the charitable support and contributions here in the valley.”

Mickelson, a 44-time winner on the PGA Tour including five major championships, becomes the third full-time host of the desert’s PGA Tour event that began in 1960.

But he’s now missed two straight cuts in California. He also failed to play the weekend last September at the Safeway Open in Napa, California. The American Express served as Mickelson’s 2020 debut.

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Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau bring star power to American Express leaderboard

Tournament officials have to be happy with the star-studded names atop The American Express leaderboard.

When tournament officials of the American Express announced in December that several big-name players would play their event this week, there was excitement for the added names. But there was no guarantee that those players would be part of the title chase, either.

But after 36 holes of the American Express, tournament officials are likely smiling broadly that two of those big names, Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, are not just playing well but are in the title mix.

Fowler, who hasn’t played in the desert tournament since 2014, fired an 8-under 64 on Friday to share the 36-hole lead at 15-under 129 with Scottie Scheffler. Finau, who has been hit or miss with the desert event over recent years, carded a 62 in the second round to move up to 13-under for the tournament and alone in fourth place. The 62 was the best round of the week.

Leaderboard: The American Express

“It was nice to get a little work in, get some good practice and play out here in the desert to get used to being back in the desert,” Fowler said after his round. “I grew up playing a lot of junior golf out here in the summers, so I played a lot of courses around Palm Desert, Palm Springs, La Quinta, Indio, all over. So I know I can play well out here and obviously in a very comfortable place.”

Birdie run spurs Finau

Finau’s 62, including birdies on five of his last six holes, came on the same Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West that Fowler played Friday. At No. 15, Finau is the highest-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings in the tournament field. Fowler, at 22nd, is one of four players in the top 25 of the rankings playing in the Coachella Valley this week.

“I don’t really know,” Finau said of his strong play after a stretch of traveling 30,000 miles to play four weeks in a row. “You’re just playing and sometimes you get over a golf ball and it’s nice to have the feeling of knowing where it’s going. And then I was able to hit some putts that started on my line, and you’re at the mercy of the greens, and today the putts fell.”

For the star power that Fowler and Finau bring to the field – including their recent performances for the winning United States team in the Presidents Cup – they are still bunched with plenty of accomplished but lesser-known players at the midway point of the $6.7 million tournament.

Playing in the same course rotation as Fowler and Finau, Scheffler matched Fowler’s 65-64 start to share the lead despite a double bogey in his Friday round. Landry, who lost the tournament title in a four-hole playoff with Jon Rahm two years ago, shot a 64 at La Quinta Country Club to reach 14 under. Then comes Finau at 13 under, Bud Cauley at 12 under and six players tied at 11 under.

Another big-name player in the field, Paul Casey, managed to get to 9 under with a 67 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday. But tournament host Phil Mickelson was just even-par Friday and 2 under for the tournament. Francesco Molinari is at 1 under through 36 holes.

Fowler loves playing the desert

While Fowler played plenty of golf in the desert in his youth, he hasn’t played much on the Stadium Course at PGA West. But Fowler, Finau and Scheffler will get quite familiar with the Stadium Course and Pete Dye’s devilish design over the next two days. Landry will move to the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Saturday, then to the Stadium Course for the final round.

“I don’t think these golf courses necessarily are ones that you need to see prior, in a way, driving around is enough,” Fowler said. “It’s more about control and hitting your lines. Really that can be the case for 90 percent of the golf courses, but these golf courses I think do a really good job of telling you where you need to hit it and with the greens being so small you get it on a lot of the surfaces, and you’re going to have a pretty good look.”

Finau said he was excited at the prospect of consecutive rounds on the Stadium as one of the leaders.

“That’s what you got to do. You got to make a lot of birdies out here,” Finau said. “You know that starting the week. Sometimes emotionally and mentally that can be tough, but I’m happy with that round today. It put me right in the mix.

“Thirty-six holes on the Stadium, a golf course I’m very familiar with. I got through here in qualifying school in 2013, so I’ve got some good vibes on that golf course and hopefully I can show that this weekend.”

For Fowler, the first two rounds showed his game is trending well for starts in San Diego and Phoenix the next two weeks. But there is still work to do on his game, he said.

“I looked at this two-week stretch and playing here as a way of getting the season started off right, getting into a good spot with the game and ultimately going into Farmers and Waste Management, two places where I know I can go play well and win,” Fowler said. “Because I think we’re right where we want to be.”

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One-armed amateur golfer makes incredible hole-in-one at American Express

One-armed amateur golfer Laurent Hurtubise won the hearts of golf fans everywhere when he made a hole-in-one at the American Express.

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Laurent Hurtubise is 61 years old, but this week at the American Express pro-am in the California desert, the Canadian amateur said that he feels much more like 17.

That feeling began Thursday when Hurtubise, who was born without a right hand or forearm, made a hole-in-one on the 151-yard par-3 No. 4 at the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.

He used a six-iron and his tee shot dropped near the front of the green and rolled directly to the pin and fell into the hole. He threw his hat and left arm into the air in celebration.

MORE: Third round tee times, TV info | Scores

Tour pro Greg Chalmers played in the group and witnessed the shot.

“We all went up in celebration and Laurent went ballistic and maybe let out a few choice words,” Chalmers said, according to Golf Channel. “But who could blame him? It was an incredible shot.”

So incredible, in fact, that it caught national attention and was ESPN’s top play on the nightly SportsCenter Top 10 countdown. Hurtubise concluded the day with a round of drinks at a local club, still reveling in the moment hours later.

“It was hard playing today,” Hurtubise said with a chuckle Friday at La Quinta Country Club. “Everyone congratulating and everything, so it was hard staying in the moment.”

Paired with pros Tyler McCumber and Nelson Ledesma on Friday, Hurtubise still finished his second round with a five-under 67 and sits tied for 96th on the pro-am leader board after two days.

He’ll play the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course on Saturday.

Hurtubise played with Chalmers and pro Troy Merritt on Thursday, and both were floored that an amateur with one arm could make a hole in one on the PGA Tour.

“That was the coolest experience I’ve had on the golf course,” Merritt told PGATour.com.

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Hurtubise said that Merritt privately told him that he was an inspiration to him and that the moment made his week.

It was amateur playing partner Joe Pusateri, though, who inspired the shot. Hurtubise said he watched Pusateri eagle the third hole and that made him want to try to eagle on the fourth. His caddie told him to use the six-iron for a fade that would land about 10 feet in front of the hole.

Hurtubise gave it a try.

Amateur golfer Laurent Hurtubise putts on the 8th green at the La Quinta Country Club during round two of the American Express golf tournament in La Quinta, Calif., on Friday, January 17, 2020. (Taya Gray/The Desert Sun)

“So, I hit a fade and it landed about five or six yards on the green and it rolled about 15 yards to the pin,” said Hurtubise, who perfected his one-handed forehand swing playing hockey, baseball and golf for much of his life. “I heard ‘clunk’ and it disappeared. That was it.

“It was incredible.”

This is the seventh time Hurtubise has played here at this event. He skipped last year and made a snap decision to play here again about a month ago.

Hurtubise took some time off from the sales retention business he runs, and he and his girlfriend caught a flight down here on Jan. 11. Five days later, he recorded the swing of his life.

Hurtubise said he likes the courses down here because they play a little like his home course, with open fairways, greens that aren’t too elevated and bunkers that aren’t too deep.

In 50 years of playing, Hurtubise said that it was his third hole-in-one. But, he noted, this was clearly the best of the three. He called it the hole-in-one of his career — one he won’t soon forget.

“You know, during the tournament, on the Stadium Course,” Hurtubise marveled.

“It makes me eight feet tall.”

Meet Lefty’s right-hand man at The American Express

Sgt. Ben Ramirez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Phil Mickelson have history in PGA Tour tournaments.

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When Phil Mickelson strides to the tee box at The American Express, the usual suspects are there around him: His caddie, his three playing partners and their caddies, a person to keep the official score.

But there’s another man who has become a fixture with Mickelson in the desert over the years: Sgt. Ben Ramirez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He’s the one in the camo colors, sheriff’s outfit, tactical vest, gun on his hip.

“I’m just out here to keep the peace, be a visible presence,” said Ramirez who has been working this event since 2000 and has been with Phil Mickelson’s group 12 or 13 times. “We don’t ever have too much trouble here in the valley with golf crowds. No real criminal incidents.

MORE: Third round tee times, TV info | Scores

“Back when they didn’t allow cell phones and cameras, the marshals were dealing with that all the time and sometimes they would ask for assistance. Escorting someone off the course because their pass is being revoked. Just some people being overly intoxicated. Thankfully, nothing major has really happened out here, but if something did we’re prepared to handle it.”

Not every pro golfer here has a sheriff walking around with them, just the high-profile ones. In fact, this week on Thursday and Friday, only Mickelson and Rickie Fowler are accompanied by an officer.

When a PGA tournament comes to town, the PGA’s security works hand in hand with local law enforcement. They plan out the number of officers needed for things such as parking and traffic and general security, and which players may require extra attention.

Ramirez has been lucky enough to draw the assignment of walking the course with Mickelson multiple times. Well “lucky” isn’t quite the right word.

“It’s not by accident,” said Ramirez, who has lived in the desert for 26 years. “The truth is most deputies don’t golf, aren’t fans of golf, don’t want to walk around with all this stuff on. And they know I like to do it, so I’ve been fortunate that most sergeants over the years have allowed me to keep doing it.”

Ramirez is pretty much tied to Mickelson for the entire day. When Mickelson is on the putting green, Ramirez is near the putting green. When Mickelson is on the driving range, Ramirez is near the driving range. And then he walks with Mickelson’s group for all 18 holes.

He and Phil have developed a rapport over the years.

“I mean, he’s not inviting me over for dinner or anything,” Ramirez joked. “But he remembers me and is very cordial and professional. Some guys like to shoot the breeze and others, hey they’re very focused and very into their game. And I get that. This is their livelihood. I’m not expecting them to be all buddy-buddy. They’ve got a job to do and so do it.”

Ramirez did share one special moment between he and Phil after the 2007 event.

That was the year the tournament was played at the Classic Club and Mickelson — with Ramirez alongside — shot a final-round 78 and was frustrated by the windy location and the tournament in general. Sensing that this could be the last time they saw each other, Ramirez wanted to say thanks and goodbye so he found Mickelson out in the parking lot as he was leaving.

“Up to that point, I had taken a few pictures with him, and he had given me an autographed glove before, but I just went out to say goodbye, and as I was walking away, he said ‘Hey Ben, hold on,’ ” Ramirez recalled. “And then he reached into the trunk of his car, pulled out a flag from the 2007 Masters and signed it and wrote ‘To Ben, thanks for all your help.’ I was taken aback. Completely unsolicited. It was fantastic.”

Ramirez has the flag framed and hanging at his house.

“Not everyone on tour is a genuine good guy, like when the cameras aren’t on them,” Ramirez said. “But Phil is, and that’s why I like to work with him. It’s no secret why he is a fan favorite.”

Like Ramirez said, only Mickelson and Rickie Fowler have a specific sheriff assigned to them. The final two groups Sunday will likely also have a sheriff with them.

Ramirez said back in the day when this tournament had celebrities a lot more officers were deployed to walk with those groups.

“Your Samuel L. Jacksons, your George Lopezes, people like that, the celebrities often require it because they may have like a stalker-type person they’ve had problems with or, just in general, people out there to see the celebrities may not understand the rules and etiquette of golf,” Ramirez said.

For his day-to-day responsibilities, Ramirez is a sergeant with the homicide unit, a detective supervisor for a unit that has four sergeants and 20 detectives.

But for a few days a year, he’s happy being Lefty’s right-hand man.

“It’s really neat for me to still be able to do this. It’s a nice change of pace and scenery,” he said. “Phil is turning 50 this year and so am I, so we’re both nearing retirement. … But I think he’ll probably be golfing longer than I’ll be doing this.”