Tour moves the Valspar at Innisbrook Golf Club, the Copperhead! Since the Players was last week with a great field, this tourney is back to an average field at best and the purse is significantly less money of course. Maybe the players will show up to the press conferences!
JT had the lead and was cruising, but then 16 and 18 missed the fairway and that was the ball game, Hovland was making birdies to run him down. 16 was a classic case of making the wrong decision to hit driver, he hit it left and was in jail, while Hovland hit an iron and then a great second shot for a birdie, JT chips out and then doesn't hit a great shot instead is in the bunker and makes bogey, same thing on 18.
Yep, JT had the lead and blew it. I'm not sure what advantage the driver would have given him even if he was in the fairway. The important move was to be in the fairway.
Tour is in Houston at Memorial Park a place I have played many times, but not since they closed it down for a total remake a few years ago. So none of the holes really look familiar to me. It's a rainy weekend in Houston and they have suspended play with Scottie crushing it this morning, shot 62 and has a 1 shot lead at -11 over Canadian Taylor Pendrith.
Min Woo Lee was unconscious today, shot a 63 and now leads by 5 over Scotte and 2 others and 4 over a kid named Tosti from Argentina by way of the Florida Gators.
Min Woo Lee, held on to win by one Scottie made a run at him but came up one shot short, as did Gary Woodland.
It's Masters Week. The greatest tournament of the season. Scottie is of course the favorite. But he's not having the same year as in 2024, no wins yet. Rory is seeking, again, to get a win and complete the career slam. He's played well this year so far. Others Morikawa Rahm Aberg DeChambeau Xander Kopeka All are in the category of could win it. Of course there is the annual hope that Jordan Speith has found his magic. Likely not. Also it's the last hurrah for Bernhard Langer at the Masters. Hope he makes the cut!!
I think we all remember those weird outfits Jason Day wore at last years Masters...well not this year. AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jason Day, who turned plenty of heads with his outfit choices at last year's Masters, said he won't be wearing such bold ensembles after Augusta National requested he sport a more reserved look this week. The Australian former world No. 1, who left Nike in early 2024 to join Malbon Golf, had some interesting outfits ready for the year's first major this week but has since had to make changes. "We kind of did, but we kind of cut everything in half," Day, 37, said Tuesday. "With what we're supposed to wear, they said that's a little bit much, but that's OK. Clothes call: Day asked to tone it down at Masters
Weather looks like a non factor this weekend. Cool but mostly sunny days. As Terry said, Scottie has not been that dominant this year so far and a player whose game is peaking can win the green jacket. How will the LIV players show? Can past top players like Day and Speth regain their game? Will a European like Aberg or Rahm beat the native Americans? This is the best week of the year for golf fans.
Justin Thomas has been playing well lately, but he seems to have so-so round, a really low round, another low round then a so-so round. If he can put a so-so round in and the go low, like he’s capable of then he might be able to win at Augusta.
Justin Rose had quite the day, shot -7 and leads by 3 over Scottie and Corey Connors, still some players out there but nobody is likely to catch him today. Certainly not Nick Dunlap who had a disaster of a day and shot 90 and is +18. Yikes. Freddy Couples is -1, Langer is +2.
Ha! Who hasn't done something like this before? AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jose Luis Ballester made quite an impression on the fans in his first Masters appearance Thursday. The 21-year-old Spaniard, who plays at Arizona State, was in need of a bathroom break and decided, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Ballester said he forgot there were bathrooms just to the left of the tee box on the 13th hole, so he ran down to the tributary to Rae's Creek and relieved himself while playing partner Justin Thomas was still on the 12th green. "I'm like, I really need to pee," Ballester said after his round. "Didn't really know where to go, and since JT had an issue on the green, I'm like, I'm just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much." Except they did see him that much, leading to a roar from the patrons.
Rose went to -8 today and still leads. Bryson had a good round and is sitting just a shot back at -7 and Rory bounced back with a 66 and sits at -6. Scottie was just good not great. finished at -5