PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Players Championship is reducing its 144-man field to 120 players next year, a move that might allow weekday rounds to finish on time, perhaps improve the overall pace of play and probably will eliminate a week like the one Danny Walker had.
Walker, a PGA Tour rookie who last year was a spectator at the TPC Sawgrass, moved up the alternate list when Tiger Woods and three other eligible players did not enter, and Lee Hodges withdrew on Monday.
And then Walker got his big break when Jason Day had stomach issues that forced him to withdraw about 90 minutes before his tee time. Oddly enough, Walker also was in the bathroom when he got the call he was in Thursday morning.
He went out to his car for a moment of meditation.
Walker, who has lived down the road from the TPC Sawgrass the last five years, was the mystery guest in the marquee group alongside Jordan Spieth and Wyndham Clark. He left Friday with a pit in his stomach after a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole that looked as though it would cause him to miss the cut.
He made it on the number, had weekend rounds of 66-70 and held his own along the way, still in the mix until a bogey on the 13th hole and nothing but pars the rest of the way.
He tied for sixth, worth $843,750. That’s about $190,000 more than his career earnings on four PGA Tour-sanctioned circuits dating to 2018.
“Not even a year-and-a-half ago, I had little to no money in my bank account,” Walker said. “It’s a big change.”
He is off to the Valspar Championship next week, hoping to ride some momentum the rest of the year. Along with the enormous paycheck, he moved to No. 46 in the FedEx Cup. It’s early, yes, but with only the top 100 getting cards, this indeed was a big week.
GMac’s big week
Graeme McDowell might be feeling more pressure than the other 19 players from LIV Golf at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour.
At stake are three spots to the British Open for the leading players not already exempt. The Open returns this year to Royal Portrush, his hometown.
“Obviously it is a great opportunity next week in Macau to have three Open Championship spots,” McDowell said. “Especially for me with it being Royal Portrush, my hometown, there is a little bit of extra motivation there.”
The LIV Golf event in Singapore would not suggest McDowell goes to Macau riding good form. He finished 53rd in the 54-man field. His best finish in four LIV events is a tie for 12th the previous week in Hong Kong.
Others playing in Macau are former Masters champions Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed, neither of whom are eligible for Portrush. Both are assured of playing only in the Masters.
McDowell was not eligible for Portrush in 2019 when he earned one of the two spots at the Canadian Open.
If he doesn’t earn an Open spot in Macau, he could have two more opportunities. The Open Qualifying Series also offers spots at the Korea Open on the Asian Tour on May 22-25, and the Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour the following week. LIV Golf is not playing those weeks.
Changing with age
Rory McIlroy has a history of changing his views, particularly when it comes to LIV Golf, but he was certain as ever when he said he would “absolutely not” play the PGA Tour Champions.
“Something has went terribly wrong if I have to compete at golf at 50,” he said.
Ernie Els isn’t so sure.
The Big Easy also felt certain the 50-and-older league would be the last place for him. Now he’s a regular, and even leading the Charles Schwab Cup early in the season.
“At 35 years old I was also bullet proof saying things about not playing past 50,” Els said in a social media post. “I’m 55 now and laughing at my comments from back then. … Competition is a powerful tool!”
It was reminiscent of a conversation with Tiger Woods in 2005, when he was 29 and on the verge of going on another big run. He was asked how long he would play.
“I’ll definitely quit the game earlier than people think,” Woods said that day in a parking lot at Doral. “The only reason I would play is the occasional tournament if my son is good enough to be out there, and he chooses to play.”
This was four years before his son, Charlie, was born.
“When my best isn’t good enough to win anymore, I’m walking,” Woods said. “I’ve won tournaments when I wasn’t playing my best. If I play my best and don’t win, there’s no reason to be out there.”
Injuries were not part of that conversation, of course. At that time, Woods had only two surgeries on his left knee, both considered more about cleanup than repair. Views at age 29 are different than age 49.
There’s also knowing when a player can no longer compete. Woods was asked that day if he had ever played his best and didn’t win. “No,” he replied. Had he ever played his best and come close not to winning? “No,” he said.
That led to one last question. Had he ever played his best? He mentioned his 15-shot victory in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and his 12-shot win at the Masters. And as he turned to leave he added, “And the (2000) British Open. That was a good week.”
That was the year he said he hit a 2-inch draw on the 14th hole at St. Andrews. He won by eight to complete the career Grand Slam. He was 24.
End of a run
Matt Fitzpatrick and caddie Billy Foster had been together six years, a reasonable tenure notable for Foster finally being on the bag for a major when Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club.
That came to an end last week when Fitzpatrick said it was time for them to part ways after he missed the cut at The Players Championship.
“All good things come to an end. This game never stops to frustrate you & infuriate you!!!” Foster said in an Instagram post. “Unfortunately times change & ultimately it’s the caddie or the coach that has to accept results are not good enough & when you stop enjoying what you are doing it’s time for a change.”
Foster has worked for Seve Ballesteros, Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, and even filled in for Tiger Woods. He’s been around long enough to know that sometimes a player-caddie relationship simply runs its course.
“He looked at me and said it’s not working,” Foster told Athlon Sports. “So I just hugged him and said I understood.”
Divots
More than 6,000 tickets were scanned Monday at The Players Championship for a three-hole playoff that lasted 47 minutes. … Paul Casey and Tom McKibbin of LIV Golf are not in Macau this week with three British Open spots available. They are playing the Porsche Singapore Classic on the European tour. Both are Porsche ambassadors. … How to spend the night before a three-hole playoff at the TPC Sawgrass? Rory McIlroy said he ordered room service and watched, “The Devil Wears Prada.” … Jon Rahm is the only player on LIV Golf to have finished in the top 10 at all four events this year.
Stat of the week
By winning The Players Championship and its $4.5 million prize, Rory McIlroy moved past Phil Mickelson to No. 2 on the PGA Tour’s career money list with $99,709,062.
Final word
“I went through my fair share of losses, criticism, expectations. You have to be willing to get your heart broken.” — Rory McIlroy.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
