Everyone can relax now, or at least those who wanted to write off Jordan Spieth after his collapse at the Masters and performance in his last few starts — no need to fret because the two-time major champion is back in the winner’s circle. Heading into the final round at Colonial with a one-shot lead, Spieth actually found himself trailing by two after failing to convert for birdies on the front nine and posting nine straight pars.
In the summer of 2004, Jason Day had breakfast sitting in the Lodge at Torrey Pines on Sunday before the final round of the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines’ South Course. He remembers not having an appetite because he was so nervous. At the end of that day, he hoisted the trophy and became the best amateur in the world. Eleven years later, Day found himself in a familiar setting, eating at almost the same table he did when he was 16, but as a golfer, he had matured with each year and he didn’t have the same tense nerves this time around.
Heading into the week, Day had a feeling he was going to win this week. He told his wife Ellie that this year was different than the past seven years on the PGA Tour. They both have been expecting big things from Day, who was plagued with injuries last season, in 2015.
Harris English didn’t have his A-game on Saturday at Torrey Pines, but he managed to escape with a one-over 73 in the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open and still shares a spot atop of a packed leaderboard.
English, who led by two heading into the weekend, got off to a nice start, making a birdie on the first hole to extend his lead to three shots. However, on a day with tough conditions at Torrey’s South Course, he broke his streak of 39 holes with par or better on the par-4 6th. After driving it in the fairway bunker, he knocked his next shot short in the rough. His chip flew over the green and then he blew his putt to save par six feet past the hole before he missed the comeback for bogey and tapped it for a costly six.
Kirk eyes his third victory[/caption]
Despite struggling with his driver off the tee, Chris Kirk shot a five-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over fellow University of Georgia alumnus Harris English and PGA Tour rookie Will Wilcox heading into the final round of the Sony Open.
Kirk made the most out of his round on Saturday at Waialae Country Club, which included a nine-footer for birdie on no. 18 to narrowly separate him from the clustered leaderboard. There are 26 players within five shots of the lead.
The first tee at Kapalua’s Plantation Course: Always a beauty!
Welcome to the first tournament of 2014 and my first day of work for the year! It’s a beautiful day here in Kapalua and I’m not annoyed at all that I’m sitting inside a cart-barn-converted media center — not at all! Fine, I know I can’t complain, especially since it seems like it’s snowing in many places on the mainland.
Well, let’s get started into all the insider bytes you need to know.
Woot, woot!
Matt Kuchar and Harris English won the Franklin Templeton Shootout by a mile, posting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Kuchar and English fired a three-day total of 34-under to run away from the field by seven strokes.
Zach rallies for the win
And then there were 30 — that is, players who will advance to the FedExCup Playoff finale at East Lake GC in Atlanta. Several guys came through in the clutch and played their way into the Tour Championship, and several others didn’t have the best of weeks and were bumped out of the top 30 in the FEC points rankings.
Zach Johnson fired a six-under 65 to shoot 16-under total and win the weather-delayed BMW Championship on Monday by two shots over Nick Watney.
For the win!
Harris English fended off Phil Mickelson and Scott Stallings to clinch his first PGA Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. The 23-year-old University of Georgia alum has contended early in his still budding pro career and went through some standard growing pains in the past, but closed in style on Sunday in Memphis with birdies on two of his last three holes to secure the win by two shots.
No. 17 at Ocean Forest Golf Club
My sincere apologies for the respite in regular posting. I should’ve put up a message that I’d be taking a few days off. My bad. Good news is I’m back now.
Even better news? So is Jason Dufner…on Twitter.
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