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Keegan Bradley gets last laugh on Jason Dufner with first-round 60

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:11:00 GMT

The ongoing (friendly) battle between Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner heated up this week, first with some Twitter banter and then with a head-to-head showdown during the first round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship where, as the third man in the group, Matt Kuchar was forced to mediate.

As far as we can tell, the rivalry dates back to the 2011 PGA Championship, when Bradley defeated Dufner in a three-hole aggregate playoff at Atlanta Athletic Club. It gained traction thanks to Dufner's consistent and creative teasing of Bradley's love of Boston sports, and Bradley's success in making the act of Dufnering a national phenomenon. Keegan poked fun at Dufner during Monday night's Bruins game with this tweet, followed by Dufner's dry reply.

Bradley's record on the PGA Tour certainly trumps that of Dufner, a fact that was reinforced by Bradley's first-round 10-under 60 to Dufner's even-par 70. With that 10-shot whooping, Bradley got Dufner back for this Thursday morning prank that Bradley shared via his Instagram account.

Emptying Keegan's bag? Really, Duf Daddy? You can do better than that.

What makes Bradley's 60 in Dufner's company all the more sweet (at least for Bradley fans) is that he outdrove Duf by an average of 14.9 yards. As most golfers know, the best way to settle a friendly dispute is with a long drive contest. Dufner hit it past Bradley only once (on the 1st hole, their 10th), and proceeded to hole out from 129 yards for eagle, so there's a little consolation for the expressionless one. But Bradley hit it past Dufner by 27 yards on the seventh hole (320 to 293) and 34 yards on the 12th (307 to 273). That hurts. So does the 10-shot beat down. Sorry Dufner fans, chalk another one up for Keegan.

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Tiger Woods apparently doesn't like wearing flip-flops

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Despite being back to winning nearly every week he tees it up, Tiger Woods still finds himself being criticized. Did he drop in the right place (again) at the Players? Is he to blame for the spat with Sergio Garcia? Did he handle said spat properly?

We hate to pile on, but we can't help but question his boat attire (left), either.

Following his latest win, Woods was seen relaxing on his luxury yacht in Palm Beach, Fla., according to the Daily News. If you call this relaxing.

Socks and shoes? Really? C'mon Tiger, think of your poor feet. Let those puppies breathe every once in awhile!

Woods was joined by his daughter, Sam Alexis, and his girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn, who apparently has heard of flip-flops.

Our favorite part of the photos, though? How about the guy who appears to be Woods' captain/security guard decked out in Nike. Now that's a company man.

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The Grind: Tiger tames TPC Sawgrass, Island fever spreads & "Nelsoning"?

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:08:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we've got island fever and the only prescription is... more islands! Island fairways? Fun! Island tee boxes? Pretty! Island drop areas? Cruel and fun! Imagine making a player who has already dunked a ball in the drink get into a boat and row his own way out to a solitary spot to his his next shot? Johnny Miller would have a field day! Alas, for now we'll have to settle for the excitement TPC Sawgrass' 17th hole provides us on a yearly basis. And that's not such a bad thing.

WE'RE BUYING

Tiger Woods. Now he's winning on courses where he's never been comfortable? The rest of the tour is really in trouble. Woods' latest win was his biggest since his return from his 2009 scandal. It also gave him four wins in a season at the earliest point of any season in his career. Of course, Woods himself has said he only characterizes a season as great if he wins a major, but he still has three more chances to make that happen in 2013. Would you bet against him?

One word, two syllables: Swagger.

TPC Sawgrass. It may not host a major, but it always seems to provide major drama. No. 17 gets most of the attention from fans, but there are plenty of other spots on the course that get the attention of the players. How exciting is the Pete Dye track? Sunday proved that even a Tiger Woods three-shot lead on its back nine isn't safe.

David Lingmerth. Where did this guy come from?! Even as he entered the final round tied for the lead, the Swedish rookie remained an afterthought to most prognosticators. Yet it was Lingmerth who remained the last man standing in the latest Tiger vs. the field competition. If he can hang in like that under those circumstances, it would probably be wise for golf analysts to start practicing pronouncing his name correctly (Hat tip to Swedish colleague, Stina Sternberg). Johnny, like in your name, the "H" is silent.

WE'RE SELLING

Sergio Garcia. This could have been a week where the Spaniard punctuated his return as one of the game's elite players. Instead, he further solidified his reputation for both whining and coming up short in the big spot. After his controversial comments towards Woods on Saturday, Garcia had a stunning meltdown over the final two holes. We feel a little bad for him, but we feel a lot worse for his caddie, whose big payday sunk with those three water balls at the end.

People complaining about TPC Sawgrass. There was a lot of talk about how there weren't a lot of drivers hit there, especially over the weekend. While that's true, guess what? It's 2013 and players can now hit 3-woods farther than they used to hit the Big Stick. Hey, no one is stopping these guys from pulling out the driver. Also, doesn't this somewhat contradict the complaints that these guys are hitting it too far off the tee?

Vijay Singh. Here are the bullet points: Singh admits to using a banned substance, the PGA Tour comes under fire for not acting quickly, Singh is eventually cleared of a doping violation on a technicality, then sues the tour for damaging his reputation. Say what? Sorry, Vijay, but A) This doesn't seem to make much sense (Or does it?) and B) What reputation?

Male Hall of Famers. None of them showed up to this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which takes place a short drive from TPC Sawgrass. None. Not even for Mr. Cool, Freddie Couples? Weak effort.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Dallas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Last year Jason Dufner won. Of course, he became much more famous when he returned last month for media day and by accident started a craze that became known as "Dufnering."

Random tournament fact: The late, great Byron Nelson tried to start a fad called "Nelsoning"* in which he would show up to parties randomly posing like he'd just struck a perfect golf shot. Sadly, it never caught on since none of his fellow pros at the time could tweet about it.

*Not true. But maybe we could start that. . .

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

It's great to see our jinxing power is in full effect. First, Tiger Woods made it four-for-four in 2013 when we don't pick him. Second, unbeknownst to Sergio Garcia, we picked him to win at TPC Sawgrass, just adding to the list of things working against him. In other words, he had NO chance when he stood on that 17th tee tied for the lead.

Starters -- (A-List): Jason Dufner. The defending champ also finished T-8 in 2011.

(B-List): Keegan Bradley. Coming off a disappointing week, it'll be nice for him to return to the site of his first PGA Tour title.

(B-List): Marc Leishman. The Australian has contended at the two biggest events of 2013. It's time to take notice, especially at a course where he has three top 12s in four appearances.

(C-List): Jason Day. Has finished in the top 10 all three times he's teed it up at the TPC Four Seasons, including earning his lone PGA Tour title in 2010.

Bench -- Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar, and Jordan Spieth.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

We enjoyed this clip of journeyman PGA Tour pro Todd Fischer having fun with the fans at No. 17 during a practice round. Fisher purposely shanked multiple balls into the pond, while a stunned crowd probably wondered how the heck this guy ever got into the field. Our favorite part is when someone else on the tee says, "Give him a bad [ball]." Fischer also wins our award for "Well-Orchestrated Ruse of the Week."

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION

A sore subject this week. I was hoping to see the two in person, but after missing them on Day 1, what did DJ do? He withdrew for a second straight week (this time for his back, last week it was his wrist) and took off before I had a chance to stalk..um, make that follow them.

THIS WEEK IN TIGER WOODS-LINDSEY VONN DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION

That didn't look awkward or anything. . . Hey, don't feel bad, Lindsey. Tiger's post-victory celebration with caddie Joe LaCava wasn't very smooth, either.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- Sergio Garcia will ever willingly watch a replay of Sunday's finish: Million-to-1 odds

-- Official odds Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open: 3.5-1

-- Unofficial odds everyone is giving Woods to win at Merion: LOCK

THIS AND THAT

For a second straight tournament, Tiger Woods is having a drop he took questioned. Weird. Controversy never seems to follow this guy. . . . Billy Horschel's PGA-Tour best cut streak of 23 came to an end when he didn't make it to the weekend at the Players. However, I ran one of the great (disturbing?) streaks in the world to 15. I ate at the same Chili's all FIVE nights for a THIRD year in a row during my stay in Ponte Vedra Beach. Top that, Cal Ripken! Pictured are the tasty "Wings over Buffalo," which only have 68 grams of fat.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why isn't there a Chili's within an hour of me?

Why aren't there more island greens?

Where can I place a bet on Tiger?

-- Alex Myers is an Associate Editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.

On the PGA Tour, no two practice putting routines are the same

Sun, 12 May 2013 16:24:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Want to putt like a PGA Tour pro? Maybe you should try copying their practice routines. There's just a slight problem. Which one?

Watch the action at the practice round of a tour event for any amount of time and you'll quickly realize that no two routines are the same. Andres Romero spent most of his time putting six footers with an alignment aide. Despite missing one in about 10 minutes, he didn't move. In contrast, Bubba Watson was all over the practice green at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, probably not a surprise to many considering his jittery tendencies on the golf course.

Even the way these guys start practicing is all over the place. Adam Scott begins by hitting a few with just his left side. Not surprisingly, he's not nearly as accurate anchoring that long putter without any help from his right hand. On the other, um, hand, Tiger Woods has long incorporated a drill where he only uses his right hand.

The list goes on. Steve Stricker steps onto the green and promptly starts rolling -- and holing -- 50-footers. Matt Kuchar puts a tee in the ground and attempts a bunch from close range and from different angles. Jason Dufner hits putts with a 5-wood before switching back to the club he'll actually use during his round. And Angel Cabrera? Well, he doesn't seem to have a routine.

Then there's Brandt Snedeker, who starts by trying putts in the 20 to 25-foot range. Perhaps that seems a little boring, but he also happened to lead the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting last year. Hey, if it works for him. . .

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The Players: Five questions for Sunday at TPC Sawgrass

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:49:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Three rounds are in the books at TPC Sawgrass and they have produced no shortage of storylines. What are some burning questions entering the final 18 holes? We take a look:

1. Will Tiger and Sergio be sending each other Christmas cards this year?
OK, so we knew the answer to that question was NO long ago, but man, did things heat up between the two on Saturday. Garcia blamed Woods for an early bogey in the third round and then the two fired off snippy comments at each other when play was called for the day. Then after the completion of the third round Sunday morning, Garcia said, "You don't have to be a rocket engineer to figure out" they don't enjoy each other's company. Ouch! It's a shame they won't be playing together in the final round, but they'll certainly be keeping an (evil?) eye on each other playing in the final two groups.

Henrik Stenson is in position for a second win at TPC Sawgrass.

2. Who the heck is David Lingmerth?!
The 25-year-old from Sweden played his college golf at the University of Arkansas and did shoot a final-round 62 at the Humana Challenge in his second-ever PGA Tour event before losing in a playoff earlier this year. However, with just a T-50, a T-51 and eight missed cuts since, it's no wonder he had reporters scrambling for their media guides Saturday evening. There's no telling how he'll hold up under by far the most pressurized situation of his career, but he's probably better off being paired with Sergio Garcia and not Tiger Woods.

3. What's the weather forecast?
The good news? It's better than yesterday's was. The bad news? We're in Florida, where afternoon storms are about as common as big crowds following Tiger Woods on a golf course. From noon to 6 p.m. there's a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Considering all the bad luck the PGA Tour has had with weather this year, it would be more surprising if weather didn't turn out to be an issue.

4. Who has the best shot of anyone not playing in the final two groups?
There are a bunch of good candidates, but it's hard to overlook Henrik Stenson. The Swede is having a bounceback year, highlighted by a runner-up in Houston and a T-8 at Bay Hill. More important than that, he is comfortable on this course having won here in 2009 and finished T-3 in 2005. Between him and Lingmerth, there will be a lot of people in Sweden staying up late tonight to watch.

Related: Sergio, Tiger rekindle rivalry that could have been

5. How will the course play?
Saturday was the most difficult day yet and there's no reason to think that Sunday won't be tougher. The area didn't end up getting as much rain as thought and TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course drains extremely well. Couple those firming conditions with harder hole placements (13 holes cut 3-4 paces from the edge of greens), a moderate breeze and Sunday pressure and the 13-under total that's won the past two years will be tough to top. We just hope the player that prevails doesn't have to wait until Monday to collect his crystal trophy.

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The Players: Final Round Birdies and Bogeys

Alex Myers — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Who were the winners and losers on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass? It's time to take a closer look with another edition of birdies and bogeys.

Sergio Garcia makes a bogey, blames... Tiger Woods?

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:26:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Area thunderstorms delayed play at the Players for nearly two hours on Saturday afternoon, but the break did provide a bit of entertainment. Sergio Garcia sat down with NBC/Golf Channel's Steve Sands for a quick TV interview and seemed to blame Tiger Woods for the bogey he made on No. 2.

On the hole, Garcia was on the right side of the fairway, while Woods was in the left trees. Unable to see each other, Woods pulled a fairway wood from his bag as Garcia prepared to go for the green in two. The choice prompted a cheer from the fans encircled around Woods and when Garcia blocked his shot into the right trees, he looked over to Woods' area in disgust.

Here's the transcript of the interview, with the juicy part starting on the third question:

Steve Sands: "How difficult was it on the first six or seven holes for you guys?"

Sergio Garcia: "Well it was quite breezy. It wasn't very easy but I felt like, for the most part, I played quite nicely. I gave myself a good amount of birdie chances. I hit some nice putts but unfortunately I didn't manage to make any of them. Overall, it is a tough golf course.

Sands: "We saw some low golf scores the first couple of days, do you see more low scoring again this afternoon when we do resume play?"

Garcia: "Well it depends. Depends on the weather and what is going to happen, and how much it is going to rain. It is going to make the golf course much softer, obviously. We'll see if the wind blows back the way it was blowing. It was blowing from a different direction, so that made it a little bit tougher."

Sands: "You had a par at the first and then had a nice drive with a 3-wood on the second hole and then you looked to the left with a second shot that went way to the right. Did you hear something in the crowd?"

Garcia: "Well obviously Tiger was on the left. It was my shot to hit. He moved all the crowd that he needed to move, and I waited for that. I want to say that he didn't see that I was ready. But you do have a feel when the other guy is going to hit. Right as I was on top of the backswing, I think he must have pulled a 5-wood or 3-wood out of the rough and obviously everybody started screaming, so that didn't help very much. It was unfortunate. I might have hit it there if nothing happens, you never know. If I hit a good shot there and make a birdie, it gets my day started in a bit of a different way.

Sands: "When you have to deal with adversity out on the golf course, how do you handle it?"

Garcia: "Well there is really not much you can do. I think that I try to respect everyone as much as possible out there. I try to be careful what I do to make sure it doesn't bother the other players. The only thing you can do is that. If something bad happens, you try to deal with it the best way possible. I try to move on and forget about it. I hit a couple of good shots after that and kind of settled down a little bit. It would have been nice to make a couple of those putts."

In case you haven't been watching professional golf for the past decade, these two don't have the friendliest relationship. This latest incident certainly won't change that.

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The PGA Tour: These guys are beyond good

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:38:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Even following the most nondescript weekend group you can think of at the Players, you're likely to see shots that are beyond description.

Such was the case at TPC Sawgrass on Saturday as Jason Bohn contemplated a tricky third shot from a fairway bunker on the par-5 second, some 70 yards away. When Bohn finally pulled the trigger, the ball came out of the sand looking and sounding as if he'd skulled it. Nope.

Bohn's perfectly executed punch shot landed on the front of the green and then ran towards the back, catching a ridge in the middle before funneling to 10 feet behind the hole.

"That's some shot-making!" exclaimed playing partner Chris Stroud, who moments before had merely hit his second shot from 250-plus yards to about eight feet.

"I'm a shot-maker!" a smiling Bohn retorted.

Tough to argue with that.

UPDATE: Two hours later, Stroud made an ace on the 13th hole. He's a pretty decent shot-maker himself.

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The Players: Five questions for Saturday at TPC Sawgrass

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:36:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Two days are in the books at TPC Sawgrass and they have produced no shortage of storylines. What are some burning questions entering Day 3? We take a look:

1. What can we expect from the final pairing?
If history is any indicator, then Tiger Woods is a heavy favorite. In 19 times being paired together, the 14-time major champion has a scoring edge of 69.84 to 71.95 over Sergio Garcia, who leads by one after 36 holes. Of course, their most famous pairing came at the 2006 British Open at Hoylake when Garcia's outfit made him look like a human banana and Woods crushed him like one. But no matter what the clothing or the result, we just hope we get to see it unfold today, which leads us to our next question. . .

2. What's the weather forecast?
Not good. After two days of perfect weather, unfortunately, the weekend looks shaky. There's a 50% chance of showers for most of the day, with 2-6 p.m. being the most likely period when TPC Sawgrass will get hit. In other words, the worst possible time.

3. Can Kevin Chappell keep this up?
Considering he's only seriously contended on the weekend once at a PGA Tour event -- losing by one shot to Brendan Steele at the 2011 Valero Texas Open -- probably not. Making things tougher is the fact the final four players teeing off at TPC Sawgrass will be Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Chappell. But if anyone in this situation ever needs inspiration, they just need to look up what happened here in 2002 when Craig Perks pulled off the monumental upset. Yeah, that Craig Perks.

4. Who is the most dangerous player not in one of the final groups?
How about Adam Scott? The Aussie is still flying high following his first major win at Augusta and he's playing well again on a course that produced the previous biggest win of his career in 2004. Scott enters Saturday four shots behind after a 68, but he could be a lot closer having played the four par 5s at even par on Friday. No Masters winner has ever finished better than T-14 at that year's Players since the tournament moved to May, but none of those guys have been as consistently good from tee to green, either.

5. Which under-the-radar guy you should root for?
Ryan Palmer is an easy choice. The three-time PGA Tour winner played the gutsiest round on Friday, firing a 69 despite finding out that one of his best friends was killed in a car accident the night before. Palmer wore the initials "CA" on his hat in honor of Clay Aderholt and was able to keep his emotions in check well enough to enter today T-6. Perhaps playing golf is his best distraction right now.

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The Players: Saturday's Birdies and Bogeys

Alex Myers — Sat, 11 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Who were the winners and losers on Saturday at TPC Sawgrass? It's time to take a closer look with our third round edition of birdies and bogeys