> CLICK HERE tO sEE 'watts' In tHE BaG Of sOmE Of tHE BIGGEst namEs On tHE pGa tOuR
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> The West Coast Swing deliv-
ered its usual highlight package of
spectacular scenery and shotmak-
ing. Most compelling was Justin
Thomas's playoff victory at the Sen-
try Tournament of Champions at
Maui's Kapalua, when he edged
Xander Schauffele and Patrick
Reed. Most dramatic was Webb
Simpson's playoff triumph over
Tony Finau at the Waste Manage-
ment Phoenix Open, in a David
beats Goliath encounter in terms of
driving distance.
> As the Players Championship
dawned on March 12, the coron-
avirus was now snaking its way into
every aspect of life. After one round,
when Hideki Matsuyama led the
way with a course record-tying 63,
the Tour decreed that Day 2 would
be played without spectators. As it
turned out, Day 2 wouldn't be
played at all. Too much uncertainty.
Too much potential downside. Turn
out the lights.
Thus began a PGA Tour sabbatical
that lasted precisely three months.
Never had the PGA Tour witnessed
anything quite like it, except possi-
bly in 1943 during World War II,
when only three tournaments were
played — and no majors.
Professional golf was one of the
first sports to return, and it did so in
extremely successful fashion. A full
field descended on Fort Worth's
historic Colonial Country Club in
mid-June for the Charles Schwab
Challenge. Spectators were absent,
but enthusiasm and TV ratings were
sky-high.
As summer arrived, temperatures
soared as scores plummeted. Recog-
nizable names — Webb Simpson,
Dustin Johnson and newly bulked-
up Bryson DeChambeau domi-
nated. Jon Rahm hit the shot of the
year to that point, a greenside chip-
in from dense rough, to clinch the
major-like Memorial.
> Another full field met in
steamy Memphis for the WGC
FedEx St. Jude, and results were
just what organizers drew up: For-
mer World No. 1 Justin Thomas re-
gained his ranking by winning a
duel against 2019's No. 1, Brooks
Koepka.
> One week later, the sole major
of the 2019-2020 season began —
TOUR REPORT
Tiger Woods will make his next start at the U.S. Open.
CLICK HERE to see 'Watts' in PGA
Champion Collin Morikawa's bag, and
CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast.
COntInuEd
>
