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He saw tee shots sail left and right yet Min Woo Lee remains in the hunt for his second European Tour title of the season following the third round of the DS Automobiles Italian Open in Rome.
A week after his twin brother claimed the Omega European Masters, Dane Nicolai Hojgaard shot 65 on day three at Marco Simone Golf Club to take a one stroke lead into the final round at 13-under par, England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) and South African Daniel Van Tonder (66) sharing second at 12-under followed by Finland’s Mikko Korhonen (68) a further shot back in outright fourth.
Starting the third round with a two-shot buffer Lee now finds himself in fifth position at 10-under par but his even par round of 71 was a wild ride that threatened to derail his tournament hopes completely.
Bogeys at the second and third holes gave up the advantage he began the day with but he was able to right the ship with birdies at five and six, playing an exquisite wedge into the short par-4 fifth that only narrowly missed dropping into the cup for eagle.
He followed the birdie at six with pars and seven and eight before a tee shot that hooked left dramatically found the water and led to a double-bogey seven at the par-5 ninth.
Hitting just 50 per cent of fairways for the day, Lee dropped another shot at the par-4 10th before launching a late rescue mission, picking up four birdies in his final eight holes despite continuing to struggle to bring his swing under control.
The 23-year-old dropped a shot at the par-3 17th but a closing birdie keeps him within reach of the leaders and with some late momentum to carry into the final round.
Fellow Australian Scott Hend bounced back from a 74 on day two to shoot 1-under 70 in the third round to sit in a tie for 26th while Queenslander Maverick Antcliff withdrew after nine holes of his third round.
Elsewhere in Europe Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou (77) has dropped into a share of 11th at the Creekhouse Ladies Open in Sweden, Dimi Papadatos is inside the top 15 heading into the final round of the British Challenge on the Challenge Tour and Kristalle Blum has finished tied for 24th at the Flumserberg Ladies Open on the LET Access Series.
Cameron Smith’s hopes of a maiden Australian FedEx Cup triumph took a hit with a third round of 3-over 73 at the PGA Tour Tour Championship that saw him fall to a tie for 13th while Rhein Gibson needs a low final round to move up from his current position of 28th on the leaderboard to earn one of the 25 Finals cards on offer at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Cameron Smith falls a stroke back on the FedExCup leaderboard, Stephanie Kyriacou is in the hunt at the Creekhouse Ladies Open, and Min Woo Lee shares the lead on the opening day of the DS Automobiles Italian Open.
Smith’s setback in chase for FedEx Cup glory
Cameron Smith has fallen a stroke further back in his pursuit of FedEx Cup glory after one false swing punctuated an otherwise strong start to the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Three birdies in his opening seven holes brought Smith to within three strokes of leader Patrick Cantlay but a double bogey at the par-3 15th was a setback that leaves him six strokes adrift in a tie for fifth with three rounds left to play.
A birdie at the par-5 finishing hole was Smith’s only one of the back nine in a round of 2-under 68 that will see him start the second round at 7-under and six shots behind Cantlay (67) and three four back of Jon Rahm (65).
Starting the Tour Championship at 5-under par and in fifth position in the FedEx Cup standings, Smith rolled in a putt for birdie from 17 feet at the second hole and followed it up with birdies from eight and 11 feet at the fifth and seventh holes respectively to progress up the leaderboard.
He made a crucial par save from 20 feet after coming up short at the par-3 11th but there was no salvaging a three when the Queenslander’s tee shot at the intimidating par-3 15th sailed left and into the water.
Calling on his sublime short game Smith played a pitch from the drop zone to inside eight feet but missed the putt for bogey to drop two shots to 6-under and six off the lead.
“It got a little bit away from me at the end,” Smith conceded.
“I didn’t hit very many good shots coming in. I was out of position a lot off the tee on the back nine and kind of had to scramble my way around.
“I did a pretty good job of it, but I would have rather have had another nine like the front nine.”
Admitting that it is an odd feeling to start the first round five strokes off the lead, Smith believes he will now be able to recalibrate and focus on reeling in the six-stroke deficit in the final three rounds of the season.
“It’s a little bit strange, but after today we all forget about it and we’re ready to go the next three
Days,” said Smith.
“Does your head in a little bit but it is what it is.
“You just got to treat it as you’re five shots behind after one round.
“You just got to go out there and play your best golf and hopefully it all works out.”
Steph starts strong in Sweden
Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou is positioned to push for a second Ladies European Tour title this year after an opening round of 4-under 68 at the Creekhouse Ladies Open in Sweden.
Currently second in the season-long Race to Costa Del Sol points race, Kyriacou’s round of 68 featured six birdies and two bogeys on the back nine to sit two back of Wales’ Chloe Williams (66) and level with Race to Costa Del Sol leader Atthaya Thitikul (68) of Thailand.
The moneylist front-runners were paired together alongside Marianne Skarpnord on day one and both picked up a birdie at the first to get the ball rolling at Kristianstad Golf Club.
Another birdie on five saw Kyriacou finish the front nine in 34 (-2), while Thitikul rolled in three more birdie putts on the third, seventh and eighth – as well as dropping a shot on the sixth – to get to the turn three shots under par.
Kyriacou endured an up-and-down back nine with four birdies and two bogeys on her card – including a dropped shot on the short par-4 15th after finding the water, but leaves her right in the mix after 18 holes.
“It was a good day. I started with a birdie and finished with a birdie so I was happy with that,” said Kyriacou, the 2020 LET Rookie of the Year.
“I think I’m in a good spot but there’s still three days to go.
“It’s a new course for me, but I really like it and it’s really fitting to my eye so hopefully I can shoot a few more low ones.
“The wind wasn’t too high today so it made it easier than the practice rounds.”
Four birdies on the back nine enabled Queensland’s Amy Walsh to bounce back from a disappointing front nine to post 2-over 74 for her opening round and level with Whitney Hillier, who had a run of four straight bogeys in her round of 74.
Lee earns share of Italian Open lead
A confident Min Woo Lee has earned a share of the lead with a brilliant round of 7-under 64 on the opening day of the European Tour’s DS Automobiles Italian Open at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome.
Still riding the wave of momentum generated by his abrdn Scottish Open victory in July, Lee was out early from the 10th tee and despite dropping a shot at the 11th hole following an opening birdie responded with five more birdies to make the turn in 5-under 31.
He added further birdies at the third and sixth holes to be the first to post 7-under, joined shortly after by former Open champion Henrik Stenson and Finland’s Kalle Samooja, the trio one stroke clear of Aussie Scott Hend, playing partner Eddie Pepperell and Edoardo Molinari, whose first round highlight was an ace at the par-3 seventh.
Lee’s victory in a playoff at the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club not only earned the West Australian entry into his first Open Championship at Royal St George’s a week later but has instilled an enhanced sense of confidence over every shot.
“It was a strong field and definitely a bit of belief in myself and a bit of confidence,” Lee said of his Scottish Open triumph, the 23-year-old’s second European Tour title.
“I can step up on every shot and say, ‘Just do the same that you did at the Scottish Open.’
“It’s very nice. Life’s nice when your golf’s good.”
Playing the course that will host the 2023 Ryder Cup, Lee used a dominant day with the driver to give himself birdie opportunities at almost every turn.
He averaged 33.4 yards off the tee to rank first in driving distance on day one and hit 85.7 per cent of fairways, his 25 putts also the low number of the opening round in a complete performance.
“I hit it really good off the tee, didn’t really give myself position to make bogey,” said Lee.
“I made one but other than that I played solid and made my up-and-downs when I needed to.”
Like Lee, Scott Hend made a fast start from the back nine, rattling off three straight birdies from the 11th hole and adding another at the par-4 15th to make the turn in 4-under.
There was a slight stumble at the par-4 first but he recovered with birdies at two, five and nine to sit just one back of the lead.
A double-bogey five on the par-3 seventh was the only blot on Maverick Antcliff’s first round of 2-under 69 while Wade Ormsby (72) and Kiwi Ryan Fox (76) have work to do in the second round to make the cut.
Not even a $US15 million pay day will convince Cam Smith to cut the mullet as the Queenslander prepares to give the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup finale one almighty shake.
No Australian golfer has ever been crowned the FedEx Cup champion and Smith – our only competitor in the 30-man Tour Championship field – will start the opening round five strokes back of No.1 seed Patrick Cantlay.
Such a deficit can be reeled in quickly over the course of four days of tournament golf but Smith will require a much-improved week with the driver and a continuation of his stellar play around the greens to claim the $US15 million first prize bounty.
Since his title defence of the Sony Open in January, Smith’s exceedingly cascading mullet has become something of a signature, even earning him a nomination for the best Aussie mullet to flow at the Olympics in Tokyo.
But beneath the distinguishable hairstyle is a golfer enjoying the best year of his career.
Which is partly why Smith – who says he’s not superstitious – won’t have the clippers nearby if he triumphs at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday.
“Seems like the hair is here to stay until I play bad golf,” says Smith, now ranked No.23 in the world and Australia’s highest-ranked male player.
“I’ve not really had a bad run of tournaments yet. Fingers crossed it’ll be staying for a while.”
Starting with the ZOZO Championship last October, Smith has accrued five top-five finishes, won the Zurich Classic alongside Marc Leishman, represented his country at the Olympics where he narrowly missed the bronze medal playoff and has amassed $US5,851,867 in prize money.
That will get a significant boost regardless of what happens over the next 72 holes but now that he is in position to contend, the 28-year-old wants to leave Atlanta with a big finish to his season.
“I haven’t really had a chance of winning the FedExCup,” said Smith.
“I’m just going out there to give it my best shot and hopefully walking up 18 on Sunday, I’ve got a shot at winning the FedEx Cup.”
In two previous appearances at the Tour Championship Smith’s best finish is 20th in 2018 yet he believes its green complexes can play to what has been a strength all season and indeed throughout his career.
“I feel like around the greens, on the greens, it’s probably been my best year on Tour. It frees me up into the greens,” said Smith, admitting that his driver has been a source of frustration in recent tournaments.
“I’ve played here a couple of times and you really have to hit it straight around here. It’s very penal in the rough and it’s very tricky around the greens.
“These are some of the best greens we putt on all year. And if you get onto the wrong side of the hole, it’s going to be quite harsh.
“You’ve got to be smart and hit it straight.
“As the week goes on, I’m sure the course will play a bit firmer. Those guys playing a bit earlier in the morning can take advantage of the softer conditions.”
The closest an Aussie has come to winning the FedEx Cup was Jason Day in 2015, who started the week ranked No.1 before finishing in third position behind Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson.
Smith has been drawn to play with American Justin Thomas in the opening round and will tee off at 3.40am AEST Friday morning.
He has nominated close mate Cam Smith as the man to beat but Marc Leishman has set himself the task of winning a second BMW Championship to keep his FedEx Cup hopes alive.
Champion at Conway Farms Golf Club in 2017, Leishman arrives at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland 35th in the FedEx Cup standings and in need of a strong result to move into the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
A top 10 might be sufficient but as he searches for an individual title to go with the Zurich Classic he and Smith won in April and buoyed by a good ball-striking week at Liberty National last week, Leishman has eyes only on the top prize.
“I know I have to play good this week to get in. Probably going to take a top 10, but you don’t come to a tournament trying to get a top 10, you come here trying to leave with a BMW Championship trophy,” said Leishman.
“I’ve left with it before, I know how it feels, and I’d love to do that again.
“I come here playing to win. My game is in decent shape. I just need to make a few putts, and hopefully I can give myself that chance.”
When Leishman was victorious four years ago it propelled him to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings entering the Tour Championship, ultimately finishing sixth and collecting an $US800,000 bonus cheque.
Following his playoff loss on Monday Smith sits third in the 2021 standings and with the $15 million well within reach, drawn to play with No.1 Tony Finau and No.2 Jon Rahm in the opening round.
Leishman is paired with fellow Australian Cam Davis and Korean KH Lee and knows that it will take an improved performance with the putter on the undulating Caves Valley greens to be in contention on Sunday.
“I actually played really well at Northern Trust, I just struggled reading the greens,” said the 37-year-old.
“When you’re not committed, it’s hard to make them. I had some of my best ball-striking I’ve had all year and finished I think close to 50th. It was a pretty sad week on the greens.
“The greens are going to be the challenge (this week). They’re very undulating; the whole course is quite hilly.
“But the greens in particular, you’re going to have to be hitting the fairways and then your iron game is going to have to be really good to get on the right levels to give yourself makeable birdie putts or somewhat easy two-putts.
“If you’re on the wrong level, you’re going to have some issues.”
A second BMW Championship would put Leishman back in the mix to be the FedEx Cup champion and unlike Smith who would shout himself some fishing gear, the Warrnambool native has slightly bigger plans for golf’s biggest pay day.
“$15 million is a lot of money. Maybe a new brewery,” said the man behind Leishman Lager.
Innovative sun protection clothing brand SParms will become the naming rights partner of the PGA Legends Tour through a new partnership with the PGA of Australia.
“We are excited to work with SParms through our Legends Tour and proud to partner with an Australian-owned company that promotes sun safety on and off the golf course,” said Michael McDonald, Commercial Director of the PGA of Australia.
“About two in every three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70, and sun protection for golfers is something we are keen to lend our voice to with SParms by our side as a leader in the sun protection sleeves market.”
The SParms PGA Legends Tour, a national tour of pro-am tournaments, is played by PGA Professionals over the age of 50 and boasts household names like Peter Senior, Rodger Davis and Ian Baker-Finch.
Amateurs play alongside PGA Legends Tour Professionals learning from their vast experience and sharing in stories about life as a Touring Professional.
Director and Founder of SParms, Mimi Lee, was thrilled to extend their footprint in golf, having already partnered with the LPGA.
“Through this partnership with the PGA, we will be able to share our message of sun safety wider with PGA fans whilst also supporting the growth of the SParms PGA Legends Tour,” Lee said.
The Legends Tour is played across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, with more than 60 tournaments played each year.
The SParms PGA Legends Tour is currently on tour in Queensland throughout August and September.
For more information or to play in a SParms PGA Legends Tour tournament, visit pga.org.au.
Minjee Lee’s charge towards a second consecutive major championship has fallen just short, brought undone in part by Carnoustie’s infamous 18th hole at the AIG Women’s Open in Scotland.
When she began her final round Lee was five strokes from the top of the leaderboard, a deficit not beyond someone who came from seven shots back to win the Evian Championship in France just three weeks ago.
The West Australian’s assignment had been reduced to just three shots following birdies at the first and third holes and when she added two more at six and seven Lee loomed as a genuine contender.
Although unable to take advantage of either of the par 5s on the back nine the 25-year-old continued to advance with birdies at 11 and 13 and then took sole possession of the lead with a birdie at the par-3 16th.
A long-range birdie attempt at 17 came up two feet short and when eventual champion Anna Nordqvist (69) rolled in a 15-footer at nine to move to 12-under Lee stood on the 72nd hole trailing by one.
After an excellent drive down the right side of the fairway Lee’s hopes looked to have sunk for good when her chunked approach shot into Carnoustie’s 18th plunged into the famed Barry Burn short of the green, only to see the ball miraculously pop out onto the other side.
A pitch shot to five feet gave Lee the chance to save par but her putt missed to the right, her first bogey in a round of 6-under 66 giving her the clubhouse lead at 10-under par.
It was a mark that stood for an hour until England’s Georgia Hall completed her round of 5-under 67 to post 11-under but it was Nordqvist who would par the final four holes to finish at 12-under and claim the third major championship of her career, one shot clear of Hall, Lizette Salas (69) and Madelene Sagstrom (68).
“I didn’t really feel too much pressure or anything,” said Lee, who finished tied for fifth, her second consecutive top-five finish in the Women’s Open after she was third in 2020.
“I was five shots off the lead so I just tried to play as aggressively as I could, given the conditions and the pin placements.
“I looked at (the leaderboard) on 10. And then I knew I was kind of close, so I just tried to make birdie on 11.
“I tried to make as many birdies as I could today and I finished with 6-under, so I’m pretty happy. That’s a great score around here.”
Lee wasn’t the only Aussie to get a view from the top of the leaderboard on day four and, like Lee, it was the 18th hole that brought Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou (69) undone.
Peeling off four birdies in her opening six holes, when Kyriacou added an eagle at the par-5 12th she joined the leaders at 9-under.
A bogey at the par-5 14th stalled her charge and Kyriacou’s championship suffered an unfortunate end when the 20-year-old’s approach shot trickled out of bounds to the left of the 18th green and she made double bogey to finish tied for 13th, her best finish in a major.
Su Oh’s hopes were dashed when she made a triple bogey at the par-5 sixth in a front nine of 5-over 41, the Victorian falling into a tie for 34th with a closing 3-over 75.
Sunday proved to be a wild ride for West Australian Hannah Green, whose round of 4-over 76 included five birdies, five bogeys, two double bogeys and just the six pars to earn a share of 48th position.
Final Scores
AIG Women’s Open
Winner Anna Nordqvist 71-71-65-69—276 $US870,000
T5 Minjee Lee 71-69-72-66—278 $219,787
T13 Stephanie Kyriacou 72-70-71-69—282 $85,328
T29 Lydia Ko 72-71-72-71—286 $44,992
T34 Su Oh 71-69-71-76—287 $36,442
T48 Hannah Green 73-70-71-76—290 $21,491
MC Whitney Hillier 73-74—147
MC Katherine Kirk 72-78—150
MC Sarah Kemp 78-76—154
MC Kirsten Rudgeley (a) 86-76—162
The memories I have of Jaz, there are so many. And they’re all priceless of the great man!
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
The memories I have of Jaz, there are so many. And they’re all priceless of the great man!
It starts on the putting green at Huntingdale golf club at the Australian Masters in 1997. I hear this voice say, “Hey Rob, do you think I could have your autograph?”
I said, “Of course, mate. What’s your name?” He said, “Jarrod!”
The next time I met Jarrod was a year later in the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Dave Rogers, Challenge CEO, took me in to see a young man that loved golf.
Well f**k me, it was Jarrod, who I had met on that putting green at the Australian Masters.
My heart sunk. I couldn’t believe it. I had to put on my happy face but deep down I was hurting because I remember the look on Jarrod’s when I gave him my autograph. He was the happiest kid around the putting green that day.
As he laid there with all those tubes in him filled with all the treatments they were giving him for his cancer, I tried to make him laugh. I wanted to give him something to look forward to.
I asked Jarrod that when he gets out of hospital, we should go out and play golf.
The look on his face was priceless. Fast forward to now, you know what he said “f**king tomorrow please! Hahaha.”
This was the start of Jarrod and I becoming best mates for life!
My memories of Jarrod will always belong deep in my heart 💛
I started as his Hero.
He left me as His 😢
Happy 40th Big Fella 🙏💛
Best mates forever 🤙💛🍺🍺
Rob
Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou has drawn on an unlikely source of inspiration to roar into contention at the AIG Women’s Open, firing a brilliant back nine of 6-under 30 at Carnoustie Golf Links as one of four Aussies to make the halfway cut.
Minjee Lee (69) and Su Oh (69) continue to lead the way for the Australians after 3-under par rounds on day two saw them enter the weekend tied for 12th, three shots behind 2018 champion Georgia Hall (69) and American Mina Harigae (67) who lead the way at 7-under.
Hall threatened to separate herself from the field as she reached 9-under through 14 holes but a double-bogey at the par-4 15th brought her back to level with Harigae, Korea’s Sei Young Kim (71) and American Lizette Salas (69) sharing third through 36 holes.
Starting the day even par, a disastrous front nine of 4-over put Kyriacou in grave danger of missing the 1-over cut-line as she reached Carnoustie’s brutal back nine.
But some gentle encouragement from her scoreboard carrier and a putter that suddenly ran hot saw the 20-year-old reel off four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 12th to climb into a tie for 23rd and just five shots off the lead.
After the birdie at 10 Kyriacou hit a 3-wood from 201 yards to 40 feet at 12 and made the putt for eagle, adding birdies at 13 and 14 and then hitting a 5-iron to 15 feet at the par-3 16th to pick up five shots in the space of five holes.
“I was talking with him for a bit of the front nine, he’s a really nice guy,” Kyriacou said of her new scoreboard-carrying friend.
“I made my first birdie on 10 and on the tee he’s like, ‘Come on, you’ve got this.’
“Then he said, ‘You can birdie this, you can eagle the next and you can birdie the next.’
“He was being a bit of a smart ass and was like, ‘Do you want me to change the score now?’
“When I made a couple birdies, he was like, ‘See!’
“It was fun. There was some good banter.
“I think I’ve got good momentum going in. Tomorrow is moving day and I’m only five back. It’s really nothing in links golf, and I don’t think the weather is going to be great tomorrow. We’ll see.”
Two shots to the better of Kyriacou, Lee and Oh continue to lead the Aussie charge but did so in contrasting fashion on Friday.
Oh, who was only added to the field two weeks ago, had four birdies in the first eight holes of her second round before coming home in 1-over 37 for a 3-under par total, Lee playing the back nine in 3-under 33 in her round of 69.
“Hit the ball much better today which was nice, stayed on the fairways most of the day,” said Oh, a 30-footer for birdie at seven the highlight of her round.
“I rolled a few in from, you know, 30 feet and hit a couple close. So that helped, and then the back nine is tricky.
“Just didn’t really have any good chances. I was probably 10 feet on 14, and that was really my only birdie try. I hit it close on 16 but misread the putt.
“But overall, pretty steady and I finished even par for the last four holes, so I’m pretty happy with that.”
Buoyed by the confidence that comes from her recent major breakthrough at the Evian Championship, Lee will also carry momentum into Saturday’s third round after a brilliant approach to five feet and a birdie at Carnoustie’s famed closing hole.
“I hit such a good shot in. I was really happy I made birdie. It was a stress-free birdie, so I’m happy,” said Lee, third at the Women’s Open last year.
“I hit driver off the tee and I think I had like 175 metres to the pin so it was a perfect
number.
“If we get no wind, I think it’s very scorable. Obviously it’s a tough test, but it’s very fair.
“If you hit good shots, you’re going to get rewarded. It all depends on the weather.”
West Australian Hannah Green safely navigated her way into the weekend with a second round of 2-under 70 to be 1-under for the championship and in a tie for 31st.
The 24-year-old had birdies at two, five and 14 and a lone bogey at the tough 15th and is already eyeing a weekend charge up the leaderboard.
“I hope I can have an early tee time on the weekend and maybe post a number and come from behind,” said Green, who had some of her Scottish family in the crowd on Friday.
“I feel like you can go low. If you have a couple lucky bounces and maybe a couple putts go in, your
confidence can be quite high here.
“I feel like if I have a few more under on the weekend both rounds, I’ll be right up there on the leaderboard.”
A run of four straight bogeys around the turn cruelled Whitney Hiller’s hopes of advancing to the weekend as she posted 2-over 74 to miss the cut by two, Katherine Kirk (78), Sarah Kemp (76) and amateur Kirsten Rudgeley (76) also unable to progress to the third round.
Australia’s Maverick Antcliff grabbed a share of the lead at the European Tour’s Czech Masters overnight.
Antcliff, 28, had six birdies and one bogey in his opening 67 to top the leaderboard with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson at five under par.
“I’m very happy with the score,” the Queenslander said. “There were a couple of swings I’m not overly happy with – my commitment – I’ve been working hard on the swing, I need to keep on working hard.
“I still managed to miss in the right places and kept it tidy around the greens and the putter was working fine today.
“I’m happy with the score and the progress I’m making. Commitment can be a little better and confidence can definitely be a little bit better.”
Antcliff romped to the Order of Merit title on the China Golf Tour in 2019 to earn his place on the European Tour and had his best finish earlier this season as he finished second at the Canary Islands Championship.
“I’m just trying to stay patient, it’s all the clichés: patience, taking it one shot at a time, staying present, that’s what I tried to do today, really,” he said. “Fairways, greens, hole a couple of putts. Take opportunities when you get them.”
Antcliff made the most of the par-five first and hit a stunning approach into the fifth but three-putted the ninth to turn in 35.
Another smart approach into the 11th was followed by an excellent up and down on the next and when he holed an 11 footer on the 14th he was alongside the morning leaders.
He holed out from 172 yards on the 17th, leaving himself a tap-in from less than six inches to take the lead.
MEANWHILE a few days after his near-miss in Greensboro, Adam Scott has bobbed up in contention again a the first playoff event of the PGA Tour season in America, the Northern Trust.
Scott shot a 67 to put himself in the top 10 at Liberty National, just four shots from the lead and inside the top 10.
He missed a four-foot putt to win the Wyndham Championship last Sunday but he was back on song today. “Fairly clean card. Would have liked to have made a couple more putts, but on a day like today when it’s stress-free, you’re pretty happy,’’ said Scott.
The Australian said he had “good vibes” at the New Jersey course despite his failure to close out in Greensboro.
“Obviously very disappointed not to win when it was all on my putt, but good to have those kind of feelings again. It’s certainly motivation to play well this week and get in that winner’s circle.”
I’ve known Jarrod for a long time because I grew up playing golf around Victoria.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
I’ve known Jarrod for a long time because I grew up playing golf around Victoria.
I remember playing against him in Country Week when he would have been about 19.
In 2003 I gave up on my dream of being a golf pro and I moved to the US to become a professional caddy.
Over there I came to know Jarrod even better amongst the group of Aussie players and caddies who were all living and working on Tour.
I caddied full-time for Jarrod for about a year in 2010 and 2011, which included the time at the Phoenix Open when he got his hole in one. It’s an experience that I’ll never forget.
Our second round on Friday had been suspended due to bad weather, so we had to re-start on Saturday morning.
We got to the 16th at about 9.30am. Even at that early hour the ‘Party Hole’ stands were well over half full (it holds about 30,000 people) and Saturday is by far the biggest day of the week on the 16th.
The pin was front left, which is probably the hardest position because anything that lands left of the hole will end up off the green and leave a really tough up and down.
Jarrod was between clubs with the distance that day and ended up playing a little 8 because of the cold.
I remember he was telling it to sit after he hit it, but to me it looked great in the air. It took one big bounce, spun to the left, and went in.
The whole place erupted! I’ve never heard anything like it – it was so loud.
I had friends in the clubhouse at the time, which is at least 500 metres away, and they couldn’t believe how loud it was!
The Big Fella started waving his arms around, full of excitement, and high fived everyone on the tee.
It’s by far one of my favourite experiences on Tour, and to share that moment with Jarrod was incredible.
I’m so glad he got to experience something like that, and I’m even happier to know the footage is out there so we can all remember him at such an amazing moment.
When I got a call from Jarrod in 2014 to ask if I’d be his caddy for his first Web.com event after beating cancer for the second time, I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quick enough.
I was working for Justin Thomas at the time, and he wasn’t scheduled to play for a couple of weeks.
He knew all about Jarrod’s story and was a huge supporter of me carrying Jarrod’s bag. So I clicked my heels together and headed to Kansas.
What a week it turned out to be. Obviously there was a lot of great attention on Jarrod as the media was telling his story and celebrating his return, but it went from being a ‘feel good’ story and a fun walk between two mates to him putting himself in contention to win the event. Typical Jarrod – not letting anything be an obstacle!
It was clear at the start of the week that he hadn’t regained all of this previous physical strength, so we adjusted his game to suit his strength, which was ball striking.
Of course he went one better and shot a bogey-free four under in the first round, which probably surprised him more than anyone else. He kept his great form all week.
We basically laughed and talked crap all the way around and, in typical Jarrod fashion, if he hit a bad shot he just handed me the club and off we went to find the ball. I remember him saying on a short par 4 “Well mate, we can make a two and try to win, or lay it up to be safe.”
This was followed straight away by “Shorty, we aren’t here for a hair cut!” and out came his driver.
We finished 11th that week, but he gave himself several chances to win and it was exactly what he needed to get back out there. It was probably one of the best weeks I’ve had on tour.
Just to see him back on the range was emotional, let alone out on the course.
It was such a privilege to see a good mate get back out there again, doing what he loved and what gave him so much joy and happiness. I was so lucky to have experienced that with him. I know he felt the support from everyone who was following him that week, and it probably inspired him to go that extra step because he wanted to make others happy more than himself.
He was a guy who deserved way more than life handed him.
Mate, you’re really missed and we are worse off without you here. Thank you for having me stand with you that week. I will never forget it.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Jason Shortall was a professional caddy on the PGA Tour for 16 years.
