Can Pádraig Harrington join an elite band of players who have won on their Champions Tour debuts?
The Dubliner - who turned 50 on August 31st - can now switch his thoughts and playing career to the lucrative seniors circuit stateside, where he will make his debut in this week’s Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament at Timuquana Country Club in Florida, a no cut 54-holes event which features no fewer than 21 players with Major titles on their CVs.
Harrington, a three-time Major champion, will be the young buck in the field as he seeks to become just the 21st player to have won on their debut: Phil Mickelson was the most recent player to do so, winning the Charles Schwab Series on his first outing on the over 50s circuit last season.
Among those in this week’s field of 81 players include Mickelson, host Furyk, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III . . . and a certain Darren Clarke, who has won no fewer than three times inside the past year in rolling back the years.
High profile caddie switch-ups
Plenty of comings and goings in the caddie shack of late, with notable departures on the bags of both Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson.
Thomas has parted way with veteran looper Jimmy Johnson and going forward will have Jim “Bones” Mackay - formerly with Phil Mickelson - carrying his bag.
Mackay has spent the past four years as an on-course television reporter/analyst but couldn’t resist the temptation to get back caddying after a phone call “from left field,” as he put it, from Thomas. “It was an incredible phone call to get and I said, ‘yes’.”
The parting of the ways of Ted Scott from Watson’s bag came as another surprise, given the longevity - 15 years - of the partnership. Watson, though, claimed the decision came after “deep talks” and that they remained great friends.
“When we met I don’t think we ever imagined how much we would experience together. Teddy deserves more credit than anyone can imagine for our success on the golf course but I am just grateful for his friendship and the way he has helped me grow as a person,” said Watson in a tribute to his departing caddie.
Word of mouth
“I was expecting Jin Young to two-putt for sure and Inbee (Park), I was like, ‘I shouldn’t even watch it, it’s going to go in’ . . . it’s just so crazy, you really never know until the last putt, just unreal. I still can’t believe that they both missed” - Celine Boutier after winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic, where both Jin Young Ko and Inbee Park, who has the reputation of being the best putter in world golf, missed birdie chances on the 54th hole to force a playoff.
By the numbers
11: Shane Lowry and Harris English each have the longest current streaks of events played while earning official world rankings points (11 events each). Lowry's stretch goes back to the US PGA Championship in May.
On this date
October 5th 1997: You could say Davis Love III had a point to prove when he teed it up in the Buick Challenge at Callaway Gardens. Although he'd won the US PGA in August, questions had been posed about his form after a very poor Ryder Cup performance at Valderamma where he had lost all four of his matches in USA's defeat to Europe.
“It’s amazing how one week you can be a hero and win the biggest tournament (the PGA) and a month later people wonder if you can ever play again,” wondered Love ahead of the tournament.
Under pressure from himself as much as anyone, Love proceeded to reel off four rounds in the 60s - 67-65-67-68 for 21-under-par 267 - which gave him a resounding four stroke winning margin over Stewart Cink with Steve Lowery and Hal Sutton a stroke further back in a share of third.
In the bag
Sam Burns, Sanderson Farms Championship winner
Driver - Callaway Epic Speed (10.5 degrees)
4-wood - Callaway Mavrik (17 degrees)
Hybrid - Callaway Apex Pro ‘15 4HY (23 degrees)
Irons - Callaway Apex TCB (4-9)
Wedges - Callaway MD5 Jaws Raw (46, 50, 56 and 58 degrees)
Putter - Odyssey O-Works 7S
Ball - Callaway Chrome Soft X
Twitter Twaddle
Teeing it up in the final group at the Dunhill was something a younger me only ever dreamed of. Wasn’t to be for me today but thank you to everybody back home for the support, what an experience. Excited for more opportunities! - John Murphy reflecting on a good week’s work in the Alfred Dunhill Links, where his top-10 finish earned him €81,543 and also secured him a place in this week’s Spanish Open.
It was great to play with my brother in @dunhilllinks and after a little intervention by my caddie Ronan for both of us in practice (Columb agreed not to talk to my ball and I agreed to not tell him what to do) we had a superb time - Pádraig Harrington on the delights of brotherhood.
Reflecting back on my career, if I hit a million balls in practice, I wish I would’ve hit half as many balls and taken twice as many practice swings without a ball. The ball owns you because you need a result and in a practice swing your mind is open to change!! - former US PGA champion Hal Sutton with a word to the wise for anyone willing to listen.
Know the rules
Q: Before starting a strokeplay competition, Player A and Player B agree to consider putts within a club length of the hole holed, although aware that they must hole out on each hole. While on the first putting green, Player C learns of this agreement and insists the two players who made the agreement hole out, and they do so. Is there any sanction on Player A and Player B for making the initial agreement?
A: Such a situation is covered under Rule 1.3b(1)/1 and, even though neither player acted on it by failing to hole out, they are still disqualified because they deliberately agreed to ignore Rule 3.3c (Failure to hole out).
