Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.
Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.
Today marks the final round at the John Deere Classic.
Davis Thompson took the lead on Saturday after his impressive 9-under 62, which got him to a 21-under total. The former Georgia Bulldog looks to win his first PGA Tour event at the same place that sparked Jordan Spieth and many other players’ careers.
TPC Deere Run continues to give up massive amounts of birdies. The players have made 1,681 birdies through 54 holes, more than 24 tournaments from earlier in the season.
With a chance of scattered thunderstorms, the PGA Tour chose to have players go off split tees for the final round to avoid any delays hopefully.
Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the final round of the John Deere Classic.
John Deere Classic Round 4 Tee Times (ET):
*indicates a 10th tee start
10:25 a.m. — Sam Stevens, Robby Shelton, Zach Johnson
10:25 a.m.* — Adam Svensson, Hayden Buckley, David Lipsky
10:36 a.m. — Chandler Phillips, Joshua Creel, James Hahn
10:36 a.m. *— S.H. Kim, Austin Smotherman, Patrick Rodgers
10:47 a.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston, Chesson Hadley
10:47 a.m.* — Wilson Furr, Jake Knapp, Bud Cauley
10:58 a.m. — Trace Crowe, Ben Silverman, Scott Gutschewski
10:58 a.m.* — Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder, Ben Taylor
11:09 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Sungjae Im, Mac Meissner
11:09 a.m.* — Ryo Hisatsune, Stewart Cink, Kevin Streelman
11:20 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Beau Hossler, Brendon Todd
11:20 a.m.* — Pierceson Coody, Sepp Straka, Roger Sloan
11:31 a.m. — Denny McCarthy, Harry Hall, Seamus Power
12:26 p.m.* — Kevin Dougherty, Ben Kohles, Dylan Fritteli
12:37 p.m. — Davis Thompson, Eric Cole, Aaron Rai
12:37 p.m.* — Kevin Chappell, Ryan Palmer
ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf
Check out these stories:
Golfers must avoid these 10 mistakes during every round they play
John Deere Classic: Hayden Springer’s epic sub-60 round makes TPC Deere Run look easy
Thursday’s Golf Tips: The 5 best ways to remain cool, hydrated on the golf course
All golfers should do these 10 things during every round they play
Emotional Bernhard Langer says goodbye, gives one more epic driver off the deck
John Deere Classic: Comparing PGA Tour players to their ultimate equipment twin
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Saturday at the John Deere Classic saw so many birdies at TPC Deere Run. The 54-hole leader, Davis Thompson, made nine en route to his 9-under 62. He leads the field by two shots at 21-under.
The former Georgia Bulldog was not the only PGA Tour player to take advantage of Moving Day.
Thirty-four players shot 68 or better, which helped many of them skyrocket up the leaderboard. However, who took the Moving Day the most seriously?
These five players kept themselves in contention or helped themselves get into contention after a solid third round.
The Aussie who started his career at the John Deere Classic, Jason Day, pushed himself up the leaderboard by 17 spots.
He carded a 5-under 66 on Saturday to sit at 11-under. Day is 10 shots behind Thompson, but it is all about position for him. If he can keep it up, he will only improve his FedEx Cup playoff standing.
4. Seamus Power
Seamus Power moved up 11 spots after his third-round 5-under 66, which got him to 13-under. He sits tied for 21st and is eight spots back. However, in the FedEx Cup standings, Power ranks in the 60s, so a good finish on Sunday could help him keep his season going.
3. Michael Thorbjornsen
The PGA Tour rookie, Michael Thorbjornsen, missed the cut last week in Detroit but is tied for sixth at the John Deere Classic.
He carded a 5-under 66 to move up four spots as he sits at 16-under. Five shots are entirely doable, but he will have to stay aggressive.
2. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth shocked everyone Saturday morning as he came out red-hot on Moving Day. He jumped up 35 spots to sit tied for 12th and at 14-under. Spieth signed for an 8-under 63, which marked his lowest score of the year.
As a two-time John Deere Classic winner, he knows what it will take on Sunday. At seven shots off the lead, he may be out of reach to earn his third title, but a top 10 would be huge for his confidence heading into the last stretch of the season.
1. Eric Cole
Eric Cole recorded a 7-under 64 on Saturday to move up two spots. He and Aaron Rai sit at 19-under total and two shots behind Thompson. Cole took full advantage of Moving Day by avoiding too many costly mistakes.
He made two birdies on the front nine but got hot on the back. Cole birdied 10 and 11 before adding his fifth at the par-4 14th. His lone mistake came at 15 when he made a bogey, but Cole put himself back into contention with a birdie-eagle-par finish.
Cole’s eagle on the 17th was massive for him. It allowed him to close out the day with a bang and got him into the final group.
These guys needed strong performances on Moving Day, and they delivered.
The PGA Tour announced that the field will play off split tees for Sunday’s round since there is a chance of scattered thunderstorms throughout the day.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.
Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.
It is Moving Day at the John Deere Classic.
CT Pan and Aaron Rai are tied for the lead at 14-under after they carded 8-under 63s.
TPC Deere Run is giving up so many birdies. The players have made 1,352 birdies and 35 eagles through 36 holes, more than 13 tournaments in total. If this pace remains, it could see the most birdies in a 2024 event.
Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the John Deere Classic.
Notable names who missed the cut at the John Deere Classic
The cut line for the John Deere Classic was 5-under. The top 60 and ties make the weekend in Illinois, but check out the biggest names headed home early.
Popular golfers who missed the cut at the John Deere — Daniel Berger (-4; 68-70) — Harry Higgs (-3; 72-67) — Matt Kuchar: (-3; 69-70) — Nick Dunlap: (-3; 69-70) — Kevin Kisner: (-2; 68-72) — Patton Kizzire: (-1; 71-70) — Maverick McNealy: (E; 67-75) — Nick Hardy: (E; 70-72) — Neal Shipley: (+2; 70-74)
John Deere Classic Round 3 Tee Times (ET):
Everyone tees off the 1st tee
7:55 a.m. — Thorbjørn Olesen, Wilson Furr
8:06 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Justin Suh, Ryan Palmer
8:17 a.m. — Kevin Streelman, Jake Knapp, Nico Echavarria
8:28 a.m. — Blaine Hale Jr., Bud Cauley, Kevin Chappell
8:39 a.m. — James Hahn, Matt NeSmith, Pierceson Coody
8:50 a.m. — Henrik Norlander, Brice Garnett, Sepp Straka
9:01 a.m. — Kyle Westmoreland, Joel Dahmen, Bill Haas
9:17 a.m. — Hayden Buckley, Roger Sloan, David Lipsky
9:28 a.m. — Scott Gutschewski, Jordan Spieth, Sam Stevens
9:39 a.m. — Kevin Dougherty, Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder
9:50 a.m. — Doug Ghim, Ben Kohles, Jason Day
10:01 a.m. — S.H. Kim, J.T. Poston, Zac Blair
10:12 a.m. — Dylan Frittelli, Mac Meissner, Ben Griffin
10:23 a.m. — Trace Crowe, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Ben Taylor
10:39 a.m. — Austin Smotherman, Ben Silverman, Patrick Rodgers
10:50 a.m. — Justin Lower, Ryo Hisatsune, Seamus Power
11:01 a.m. — Lee Hodge, Robby Shelton, Chesson Hadley
11:12 a.m. — J.J. Spaun, Carson Young, Sami Valimaki
11:23 a.m. — Keith Mitchell, Jhonattan Vegas, Zach Johnson
11:34 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Lucas Glover, Beau Hossler
11:45 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Michael Thorbjornsen, Chandler Phillips
12:01 p.m. — Rico Hoey, Chan Kim, Joshua Creel
12:12 p.m. — Adam Svensson, Brendon Todd, Kevin Yu
12:23 p.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Sungjae Im, Hayden Springer
12:34 p.m. — Eric Cole, Davis Thompson, Denny McCarthy
12:45 p.m. — C.T. Pan, Aaron Rai, Harry Hall
ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf
Check out these stories:
Golfers must avoid these 10 mistakes during every round they play
John Deere Classic: Hayden Springer’s epic sub-60 round makes TPC Deere Run look easy
Thursday’s Golf Tips: The 5 best ways to remain cool, hydrated on the golf course
Golf Talk Today: A quick July 4th golf fashion guide to stay trendy but patriotic
All golfers should do these 10 things during every round they play
TaylorMade and other brands give fans amazing patriotic golf equipment
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
If you love days that are jam-packed with news, you should be EXTREMELY happy about November 5, 2024. Not only is that Election Day, but it’s also the NFL’s trade deadline.
In late June, the league sent out all the important dates for 2024 and 2025, and that’s when it became apparent that these two events would happen on the same day.
In March, the NFL owners agreed to move back the in-season trade deadline by one week, taking into account the 17-game season and the desire for another week for teams to decide whether or not to add to their rosters via trade for any postseason pushes. There was also a proposed amendment that would push the deadline past Week 10, but the proposal that was passed, proposed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, was this one, which has it after Week 9.
It remains to be seen what it will look like from a coverage perspective when teams are making those decisions at the same time the country itself is making far more impactful ones, but one should expect one’s Twitters and newsfeeds to be far past overload.
The NFL’s trade deadline ends at 4:00 p.m. EST that day, while polls will close later in the day and into the night. Which should give NFL fans just enough time to either rejoice in, or bemoan, the moves their teams did or didn’t make before hopefully voting as they see fit.
Perhaps voters in the Bay Area will be flummoxed by a Brandon Aiyuk deal. Or New York and Pittsburgh-area voters might still be shaking their heads from a Russell Wilson trade to the Jets. By that time, Aaron Rodgers will probably be somebody’s vice presidential candidate, which would bring the two stories together in a nice, chaotic fashion.
Maybe the more astute among us will consider voting by mail, so the focus can be completely on the craziest day in the NFL season. In any event, get ready for some chaos, and hydrate accordingly!
Also, if you’d like to know more about NFL Votes, a “league-wide, nonpartisan initiative that supports and encourages civic engagement among NFL players, and legends, club and league personnel, and fans,” you can do so here.
Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.
Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.
It is Moving Day at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai are tied for the lead at 13-under and remain the only two players without a bogey on their scorecards. For the second week in a row, the tournament is a birdie fest.
The PGA Tour chose to take precautions for Saturday’s round and have the players go off on split tees again as inclement weather is headed toward Detroit Golf Club. Who can take advantage of the track on Saturday and post a low number headed into the final day?
Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Notable names who missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic
The cut line for the Rocket Mortgage Classic sat at 4-under, the second lowest in the tournament’s short history. The top 60 and ties make the weekend in Detroit, but check out the biggest names that are headed home early.
Popular golfers who missed the cut at Rocket Mortgage Keith Mitchell: 3-under, 70-71 Michael Thorbjornsen: 3-under, 68-73 Tom Kim: 3-under, 73-68 Francesco Molinari: 2-under, 72-70 Daniel Berger: 2-under, 70-72 Robert MacIntyre: 1-under, 71-72 Brendon Todd: 1-under, 71-72 Jackson Koivun (a): E, 72,72 Miles Russell (a): 74-70 Kevin Kisner: 2-over, 75-71 Gary Woodland: 2-over, 70-76
Rocket Mortgage Round 3 Tee Times (ET):
*tees off from 10th tee
10:48 a.m. — Ben Silverman, Vince Whaley, Justin Lower
10:48 a.m.* — Ryan Fox, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler
10:59 a.m. — David Skinns, Jacob Bridgeman, Luke Clanton (a)
10:59 a.m.* — Matti Schmid, Patton Kizzire, Ben Griffin
11:10 a.m. — Bud Cauley, Davis Thompson, Ben Kohles
11:21 a.m.* — Hayden Buckley, Kevin Streelman, Ryan McCormick
11:32 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Dylan Wu, Will Zalatoris
11:32 a.m.* — Maverick McNealy, Blaine Hale Jr., Carl Yuan
11:43 a.m. — Michael Kim, Robby Shelton, Hayden Springer
11:43 a.m.* — Max Greyserman, Peter Malnati, Taylore Moore
11:54 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Patrick Rodgers, Nicolai Højgaard
11:54 a.m.* — Callum Tarren, Patrick Fishburn, Harry Hall
12:05 p.m. — Roger Sloan, Min Woo Lee, J.J. Spaun
12:05 p.m.* — Chris Gotterup, Taylor Pendrith, Nico Echavarria
12:16 p.m. — Neal Shipley, Joe Highsmith, Jhonattan Vegas
12:16 p.m.* — Mark Hubbard, Pierceson Coody, Ryan Moore
12:27 p.m. — Jake Knapp, Wesley Bryan, Sam Stevens
12:27 p.m.* — Brandon Wu, Kevin Yu, Davis Riley
12:38 p.m. — Eric Cole, Cam Davis, Joel Dahmen
12:38 p.m.* — Luke List, Beau Hossler, Ryo Hisatusne
12:49 p.m. — Troy Merritt, Erik van Rooyen, Cameron Young
12:49 p.m* — Chandler Phillips, Nicholas Lindheim, Ben Jones (a)
1:00 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai, Taylor Montgomery
ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf
Check out these stories:
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh stepping down; not renewing contract
Paige Spiranac reveals eye-popping handicap; quiets trolls with impressive receipts
Former Rocket Mortgage Classic champion making more memories, records first PGA Tour hole-in-one
Padraig Harrington deep dives into worst golf swing advice ahead of U.S. Senior Open
U.S. Senior Open: Golfer makes mind blowing consecutive holes-in-one that will make your jaw drop
Rocket Mortgage: Neal Shipley finds no learning curve, contends in 1st professional PGA Tour start
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
For the first time in history, the NBA Draft is taking place over two nights.
Ahead of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the gang on ESPN got together to ponder a number of questions. Atop that list? Where might Bronny James come off the board? After falling out of the first round — as was largely expected — James is waiting to hear where his NBA journey begins.
As is his father, LeBron James.
That led Stephen A. Smith to ponder a once-in-a-lifetime scenario: Bronny coming off the board during the second round to the New York Knicks, and LeBron joining the Knicks on a league minimum salary to play with his son, and the rest of the loaded Knicks roster.
However, Adrian Wojnarowski had a rebuttal question.
Who would Stephen A. Smith take such a big paycut for?
That left Smith — who is usually ready with an answer for anything — searching for a response.
You can see the entire exchange in this below clip, with Wojnarowski’s question coming in at the 1:14 mark:
“That is the greatest question I’ve been asked in a decade.”
Adrian Wojnarowski nips Stephen A Smith’s LeBron-to-the-Knicks dreams in the bud before the 2nd round of the NBA Draft pic.twitter.com/sN11DuaUe2
Of course there is some context that is helpful here, as Smith is entering the final year of his current contract at ESPN. Smith has reportedly received an offer in the $18 million range annually, but is reportedly seeking a contract in the neighborhood of $25 million. All of that context makes this clip even better.
We have 28 picks left to go — the first two picks are now in for the second round — but it might be hard to top this moment tonight.
Through nine races, the 2024 Formula 1 season has offered many twists and turns.
The most recent curveball? George Russell pipping Max Verstappen for pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers finished with the same time, but due to the Mercedes driver posting his time first, Russell secured the team’s first pole position of the season. While Verstappen claimed victory on Sunday, Russell finished on the podium in third, the first time Mercedes tasted a podium finish in a Grand Prix this season.
With teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing just behind him in fourth — and securing the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race — it was the team’s best result of the entire season.
Now, on the cusp of qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix, are they poised for an even better day?
Friday’s practices saw the Mercedes duo near or at the top of the timing sheets in both sessions. Russell finished P4 in the first session, with Hamilton close behind in P7, and FP2 was even kinder to the Silver Arrows. Russell posted the eighth-fastest time, but Hamilton topped them all, edging out Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris to top the field.
Might Mercedes be poised for another strong qualifying session in Barcelona?
“FP1 wasn’t the best session for us but we still learned quite a lot. FP2 was a lot better though and the car was feeling great,” said Hamilton in the team’s post-practice report. “The track was very hot, so it was tough on the [tires], especially on the long run. Overall, though, it didn’t feel like we were too far off being right in the mix at the front.”
Russell shared his teammate’s assessment, even if he cautioned Mercedes supporters that it was only Friday.
“We had a good day on track today. The car was performing really well around this circuit. It was encouraging to see Lewis top of the timesheets and we were consistently at the front,” began Russell.
”Our long run pace in FP1 was competitive. In FP2, it seemed that our single lap pace was slightly stronger than our long run speed but overall, the car is feeling strong. It is only Friday, but it has been a while since we’ve been consistently at the upper end of the field,” continued the Mercedes driver. “I’m feeling good and excited as this is what we’ve been chasing for a while. We won’t get ahead of ourselves though and will work diligently tonight and tomorrow to prepare as best as we can for Qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix.”
The strong Friday comes at an interesting time for the Brackley-based team. Reports surfaced this week of an anonymous email sent to F1 journalists regarding the treatment of Hamilton by the team. While SB Nation has not reviewed the email, a report from Reuters described the email as “ … purporting to be from an insider” and that it “… accused the Formula One team of sabotaging their departing seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton.”
Team Principal Toto Wolff blasted the email at the FIA Press Conference on Friday, even informing the media in Barcelona that the police have been brought in regarding the matter.
Never a dull moment in F1.
… Alpine?
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Friday’s first practice session showed some promise for Alpine, as Esteban Ocon finished inside the top ten and teammate Pierre Gasly was just outside in P13.
FP2 was even better for the team.
When the checkered flag flew at the end of Friday’s second practice session Ocon was inside the top ten in P9, and it was Gasly who provided the true stunner, as he finished fourth in the session.
After a tumultuous start to the season, is Alpine on the verge of an absolute shocker in Barcelona?
Even the team seemed surprised at their strong performance.
“To end the day with both cars in the top-10 is a little bit unexpected from where we thought we would be entering the weekend on this particular track. Obviously, we do not know what the others are doing but overall, it is a positive start to the weekend,” said Ocon in the team’s post-practice report. “It was not the best lap on the C3 [tire] for me in Free Practice 2 with some traffic and there were a few interruptions in both the long and short runs. There are definitely improvements we can make in order to find lap time, so we will keep digging and try to make steps forward for tomorrow’s Qualifying, which is important around this track.”
Gasly surmised that the result probably “flatters” the team.
“It’s been a positive Friday for us, especially Free Practice 2. The end result, finishing in fourth place, probably flatters us and it was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant surprise, and one that brings a smile to my face! In Free Practice 1, we had some minor aerodynamic issues on the car, which we had to fix,” added Gasly. “Once we did that, the car felt good right from the start of the second session. We have a strong baseline to work from and my push lap on the C3 was good but I’m not completely comfortable in the car. There are some things we need to fine tune with the aim of feeling even better in the car tomorrow when it counts.”
If there is a team in need of some flattery, it is certainly Alpine. Even their result in Montreal — their first double-points finish of the season — was not without some controversy, as Ocon seemed frustrated after the race at some team orders that were handed down in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Then there was the other bit of news on Friday, the announcement that Alpine was bringing Flavio Briatore aboard in an executive role:
BWT Alpine F1 Team announces Flavio Briatore as Executive Advisor
BWT Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Flavio Briatore has been appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo as his Executive Advisor for the Formula One Division. pic.twitter.com/KAdNVkQBPP
Briatore is a long-time F1 figure and has what you might call a bit of a checkered past. He was convicted in Italy on fraud charges during the 1980s, before his F1 career, and decades later was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team due to his involvement in the “Crashgate” scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Briatore was then banned indefinitely from any events sanctioned by the FIA, a ban that was later overturned by a French tribunal.
The appointment was a focus in Friday’s FIA Press Conference when Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin was repeatedly questioned about the move.
“I already answered questions about the past and I don’t really mind about the past. I’m always looking about future and trying what we can get and to get our team better,” said Famin in response to questions from David Croft of Sky Sports F1. “And that’s really our goal. And what I see with having Flavio as an advisor of the team is the opportunity to have his experience and to help us. He has a very high-level knowledge of Formula 1. He knows a lot of people. And I’m sure he will support us in developing the team faster and better. That’s all.”
As the saying goes, winning cures all. Alpine might not be ready to contend for wins just yet, but another strong weekend would certainly be welcome.
Even if some flattery is part of the story.
A “tricky” day for VCARB
At the other end of the spear, it was a “trickier” day for Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Friday’s first session saw Daniel Ricciardo in P15, with Yuki Tsunoda at the back of the field in P20. Things did not improve much in FP2, as Tsunoda crept up to P15 and Ricciardo slid back to P16.
Both drivers, however, are hopeful that answers can be found overnight.
“Today was trickier than usual. The pace isn’t where we would’ve liked it to be, so we’ll look into what we’re missing and hopefully, it’ll be better tomorrow.,” said Tsunoda in the team’s post-practice report. “The upgrade is working the way we were expecting but we are not where we want to be and off the pace we usually have, so we’ll review all the data to find what we were missing today.”
As for Ricciardo — who said on Thursday he wants to “earn” his seat at VCARB for next season — it was still fun to get a crack at the reconfigured Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, even if the team “struggled” Friday.
“We struggled a little bit today and missed a bit of competitiveness, but driving is always fun and before today I hadn’t done this track with this last sector. It was the old one a long time ago, now the new one again, and I have to say that I much prefer it because I think that it definitely brings the track to life a bit more,” said Ricciardo. “The main upgrade we brought here is the floor, and with these cars, it’s such a big part of development. There’s still some optimism and once we dive into it tonight, we’ll find how it’s working and better ways to set up the car around it. We still have a bit to do but I hope we can improve for tomorrow.”
As noted by both drivers, VCARB brought a host of upgrades to Barcelona, including a new floor for the RB01. That may have put them on the back foot Friday, but hopefully for the team they can unlock more pace and performance after diving into the data overnight.
Checking in on the title fights
Returning to the front of the field the teams and drivers fighting for position at the top of their respective standings might be in different frames of mind heading into Saturday.
McLaren saw both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri inside the top ten of both sessions, with Norris topping the sheets in FP1 and then finishing third in FP2. “Overall, no surprises. It looks pretty tight at the front of the field, and we can see, like we’ve been seeing lately, that all cars seem to be able to produce quick laps,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella. “We’ll have to stay focused and deliver good laps, but the potential is encouraging, and we’ll try to maximise our performance to score as many points as possible this weekend.”
Ferrari, who are hoping for a bounceback after a disastrous Canadian Grand Prix saw both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc finish outside the points, might view Friday as a bit of a mixed session. Results-wise Sainz had a particularly strong day, finishing third in FP1, and second in FP2. But both drivers described Friday’s dual practice sessions as “tricky” from their point of view.
“Quite a tricky Friday, as always here in Barcelona when the sun is up and the track changes quite quickly. We struggled a bit in both sessions to get the right balance on the car, but I think everyone had similar issues today. So overall, I’m reasonably happy with the car, but we have work to do, especially race pace-wise,” said Sainz in the team’s post-practice report. “What I really enjoyed today was the atmosphere at the track. Thank you to all the fans for their support. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show tomorrow!”
On the other side of the garage Leclerc — who finished P11 in FP1 and P6 in FP2 — echoed his teammate’s thoughts. “Overall, a tricky day on my side. We struggled quite a bit with the balance of the car, so set-up work will be our main focus ahead of tomorrow,” said Leclerc. “We ran a new package in FP2, but we still have lots of work to do as I am not fully comfortable yet.”
As for Red Bull, they too are left looking for some answers. Verstappen was inside the top five in both sessions but never seemed confident in the RB20. At one point in FP2 Verstappen reported that the car was rather “loose,” radioing into the team that “[t]he car is loose in the exits in general. Still just weird understeer mid-corner, this car doesn’t bite.”
Teammate Sergio Pérez placed fifth in the first session, but was outside the top ten in the second, posting the 13th-fastest time.
Following the session Team Principal Christian Horner indicated that it was going to be “tight” this weekend in Barcelona. “Obviously it’s going to be tight. It’s going to be close,” said Horner. “I think we got some very good data, so plenty of work to do this evening.
“It’s going to be a very tight race here in Barcelona.”
CROMWELL, Conn. — Will Zalatoris looked lost at Pinehurst No. 2, which explains why he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
But instead of dwelling on his poor play, Zalatoris flew directly from North Carolina to Connecticut to get extra practice ahead of the Travelers Championship. The move has paid off to this point, as Zalatoris shot an impressive 6-under 64 on day one—his lowest round of the season. He now trails leader Tom Kim by two.
“I got out here Saturday night, and then Sunday, I had an all-day grind session to try to figure out what was going on,” Zalatoris explained.
“I got into some bad habits, figured out what I needed to fix, and just dug it out of the dirt. It’s kind of nice to be able to do that.”
Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 season after hurting his back on the driving range at Augusta National, only minutes before the first round of the Masters began. He subsequently missed eight months, returning at the Hero World Challenge in December. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon then had an up-and-down start to the year, but finally put his game together at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tying for second and fourth, respectively.
But he only has one top-10 since then: a tie for ninth at the Masters.
“Early on this season, I would play a tournament, need to take three, four days off, and now I’m able to just keep on going,” Zalatoris said.
Will Zalatoris during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“So even though it’s nice and warm, that obviously helps with the back, but I think it’s just trying to find the right cadence of when I’m taking time off, and so far this stretch is the best I’ve felt.”
Now, Zalatoris can hit 300 to 400 balls daily, which helps when you need to find your swing. But he would have issues contending and improving if his back restricted him from doing that. Thankfully for him, those ailments are a thing of the past for now.
“The further I get from the surgeries that I had last year, the more comfortable I’m feeling with my back, the quicker I’m recovering, the better I’m feeling,” Zalatoris said.
“As the year goes on, even though my results haven’t shown it, I felt a lot better; I just got into some bad habits and thought it was just a nice reset after the U.S. Open. I love majors; it’s always been a career goal of mine to win one. I hated how I played, and sometimes you just have to dig it out of the dirt.”
Perhaps his grind sessions will pave the way for a victory this week at the Travelers Championship. Or maybe it will serve as a harbinger of things to come at Royal Troon.
Who knows? Regardless of what happens, seeing Zalatoris back on tour—and being able to grind his way through bad habits—is something everyone loves to see.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
Pinehurst No. 2 has once again proven itself worthy of a terrific U.S. Open venue. It has tested the best players in the world, punishing poor shots while rewarding good ones.
Hence, only eight players sit in red figures after 54 holes, with Bryson DeChambeau leading the pace at 7-under. He holds a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon, and Patrick Cantlay as he eyes his second major. DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September 2020 during the pandemic.
So after another fun day at Pinehurst, here are the winners and losers from North Carolina:
Winners:
Bryson DeChambeau’s Game
Bryson DeChambeau entertained the golf world all day on Saturday. His clutch putts, his 350-yard drives, his spectacular shot from the sand on the 13th hole, and his tremendous approach on the 14th hole all added up to a 3-under 67.
Diabolical approach.
Brandel made a great point about the angles here too. Bryson had nothing, and yet went right at it. A confident, aggressive mindset is a dangerous one and it’s paying off!
He looks like one of the best golfers in the world, relying on his power and short-game finesse to take a commanding lead going into Sunday. He did stumble on the 16th hole, where he made a double bogey, but that did not phase DeChambeau at all. He bounced back with a birdie on the 17th hole, thanks to an ultra-aggressive line he took off the tee.
But every hole DeChambeau plays is must-watch television, whether he birdies or bogies. He is the most entertaining golfer on the planet, which explains why his popularity has skyrocketed.
Ultimately, if he shoots another round in the 60s on Sunday, the U.S. Open is his.
DeChambeau’s Balls
Bryson DeChambeau apparently puts his golf balls in Epsom salt before every round. A reporter asked him about it after his round, and DeChambeau’s response about his balls is priceless:
“Thanks for the salty balls question. I appreciate that. Yeah, I put my golf balls in Epsom salt. I’m lucky enough that Connor, my manager, does that now. I don’t have to do it. But essentially, we float golf balls in a solution to make sure that the golf ball is not out of balance,” DeChambeau explained.
“There was a big thing back in the day where golf balls are out of balance, and it’s just because of the manufacturing process. There’s always going to be an error, especially when it’s a sphere, and there are dimples on the edges. You can’t perfectly get it in the center. So what I’m doing is finding pretty much the out-of-balanceness of it, how much out of balance it is. Heavy slide floats to the bottom, and then we mark the top with a dot to make sure it’s always rolling over itself.”
To quote CBS Sports reporter Kyle Porter’s mantra, “Normal Sport.”
Can Rory McIlroy do it?
Rory McIlroy’s 10-year major drought has been well documented. But what amazes me about McIlroy, at least this time, is that he is back in the mix for a sixth straight U.S. Open. Despite the outside fray with LIV Golf, his dreams of a world tour, and most importantly, the uneasiness of his family life surrounding a potential divorce, McIlroy still has a chance to win a second U.S. Open title.
Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Tony Finau after their third round at the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
He shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday despite making two late bogies that stalled his momentum. And yet, anything can happen on this golf course, and McIlroy knows that. He also has plenty of confidence going into round four. Plus, he is hitting his driver better than anyone, so if he can clean up his irons a tad, he should have a shot at the end.
All of this gives McIlroy—and golf fans everywhere—hope, and hope is an amazing drug.
Losers:
Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg
The 13th hole all but ended their chances, as Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg made triple bogies on this short par-4.
Each golfer played a game of ‘ping-pong,’ chipping back and forth across the green, which took them out of contention. Even if each player walked away with a bogey, they would still have an outside shot at winning their first major title on Sunday. But a triple bogey is too damaging of a score to overcome. Finau now sits six shots back of Dechambeau while Åberg, the 36-hole leader, is now five.
Because of this, Johnson Wagner of the Golf Channel analyzed this hole on ‘Live From the U.S. Open’ after the round:
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler played much better on Saturday.
But his third round was a day filled with ‘What-ifs?’ Those question marks mainly stemmed from his putter, as Scheffler could not get a putt to drop all day. He gave himself plenty of chances to climb the leaderboard, but his flat stick kept him at bay. As such, the World No. 1 settled for a 1-over 71, but he could have easily shot a score in the mid-60s.
Scottie Scheffler during the third round.Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Pace of Play
My god. The final two groups played at a snail’s pace, with Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau as the main culprits. Cantlay is notoriously slow and has been for quite some time. Just ask Brooks Koepka.
Similarly, DeChambeau, who needed to get stretched out on the 11th hole, loves to take his time. Given his scientific and mathematical approach to the game, DeChambeau has to dissect every single shot he plays, even putts from inside of 18 inches.
As such, the United States Golf Association (USGA) should have levied a penalty. They supposedly provided a warning to DeChambeau and Åberg, who, for what it’s worth, flies around a golf course, but a steeper penalty should have been assessed. Pace of play is a problem, especially considering that DeChambeau’s group—the final pairing—finished nearly 45 minutes after McIlroy’s, who played in the third to last group.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
The opening round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 did not disappoint. The widely-discussed ‘Turtleback’ greens made some players look foolish, while others struggled to navigate the native areas that line the fairways.
And yet, after all 156 players finished their rounds, two players sit atop the leaderboard by themselves. Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy shot impressive 5-under 65s, with Cantlay posting his score in the morning while McIlroy did so during the afternoon.
Interestingly, when Martin Kaymer won at Pinehurst in 2014, he, too, carded a 65 to open the championship. Kaymer held a three-shot lead after that first round and won by eight. Cantlay and McIlroy, meanwhile, have plenty of company within striking distance. They hold a one-stroke lead over Ludvig Åberg, while Bryson DeChambeau and Matthieu Pavon lurk two shots back. Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton, and Akshay Bhatia sit at 2-under.
Here are the winners and losers from round one:
Winners
Rory McIlroy has history on his side
Rory McIlroy posted the best round of his season, bar none. He shot a 5-under 65, which included a pair of birdies on the 16th and 18th holes. But in doing so, he carded a bogey-free opening round in a major for the fourth time in his career.
The previous three instances?
The 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, and the 2014 Open Championship.
Hmmmm. What do these three tournaments have in common? Oh yeah, McIlroy won each, each by a sizable margin, too.
Rory McIlroy during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Before this week, I wrote that, for McIlroy to win the U.S. Open, he needed to take advantage of Pinehurst’s par-5s, remain patient, and gain strokes putting.
He checked all three of those boxes Thursday, even though his birdie at five came via a chip-in—no pictures exist on a scorecard, however. All jokes aside, McIlroy had a stoic vibe about him all day. He remained conservative when needed, and never got overly aggressive with his approaches. Most importantly, he gained one stroke on the field with his putter, the ultimate determining factor for McIlroy’s success. Now, thanks to this solid start, he has given himself a terrific opportunity to break that 10-year-long major championship drought.
Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay is currently ranked 9th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), but he has not played up to that standard so far this season.
His numbers are down across the board from a year ago when he ranked 3rd on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained. At this point in the season, he is currently 77th and has recorded only a pair of top 10s to date.
Patrick Cantlay on the 13th tee.Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Yet, he showed everyone why he is still a top player on Thursday, carding a 5-under 65 to shoot to the top of the leaderboard. But he does not have a terrific major championship resume. He only has four career top 10s in major, none of which have come in a U.S. Open.
Nevertheless, if his short game continues to perform as it did on Thursday, a day in which he led the field in strokes gained around the greens, watch out for Cantlay to possibly join his close friend Xander Schauffele as first-time major winners this season.
The golf course itself
So much talk was made of Pinehurst No. 2 coming into the championship: the history, the sandy waste areas that line the fairways, the greens, and the areas surrounding these putting surfaces, too. All of it has lived up to the hype and then some. The course tested the best players in the world both adequately and fairly while also producing some quality entertainment.
Look no further than Collin Morikawa, who ‘ping-ponged’ his way around the 15th hole en route to a double bogey. Two holes later, he holed out from the sand for a birdie.
Keep an eye on Morikawa, too. He did not have his best stuff on Thursday, but he closed with a pair of par breakers to get back to even for the championship.
Ludvig Åberg
How can you not be impressed with 24-year-old Ludvig Åberg?
In his U.S. Open debut, Åberg looked like a seasoned veteran, firing to the middle of the greens while making little mistakes. When he tallied up his score, it totaled to a 4-under 66, an impressive mark for anyone, let alone someone playing Pinehurst No. 2 for the first time.
The young Swede relied heavily on his driver and ball striking, ranking in the top three in both categories on Thursday. Typically, good results follow when a player has both of these facets working. That was the case for Åberg, who said afterward that he has “nothing to complain about.”
Matthieu Pavon’s putter
Nobody gained more strokes on the putting greens (4.31) on Thursday than Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who rolled in a pair of eagles on both of Pinehurst’s par-5s.
Matthieu Pavon putts on the 16th hole.Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
The first eagle came at the par-5 5th, where he rifled a 4-iron to 17 feet and made the putt. Five holes later, at the 617-yard 10th hole, Pavon launched a 3-wood from 288 yards away to 27 feet. He made that, too. He had his putter rolling, a necessity to score well on these diabolical, ‘Turtleback’ greens at Pinehurst No. 2.
If he can keep his putter hot, who knows? Perhaps Pavon can contend, and win, much like he did at Torrey Pines—another U.S. Open course—earlier this season. But he still has a long way to go before we can have that discussion, and he needs to improve his ball striking, which ranked 62nd among the field on Thursday.
Losers:
Peacock
You have the best three golfers in the world, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy, playing in the tournament’s marquee pairing on Thursday afternoon. Scheffler and Schauffele struggled somewhat, relative to how they have played as of late, while McIlroy put together his best round of the season. But to watch them finish their opening rounds, you needed to do so behind a paywall.
Peacock aired the first round’s final three hours, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, a prime time slot that cable television should have picked up.
The U.S. Open prides itself on providing hours of coverage, but it fumbled this time slot badly. I’m fine with putting coverage behind a paywall in the morning but not in the afternoon, when everyone’s attention is on the tournament while the workday wraps up.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson grimaces during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Twenty-five years ago, Phil Mickelson came agonizingly close to winning his first U.S. Open title. But he will not come close this time around.
The 6-time major champion made nine bogies during his opening round, carding a 9-over 79. He could not get anything going with any club in his bag, as he hit only 6-of-14 fairways. But perhaps even more shocking is that Mickelson found only three greens in regulation. He lost nearly three strokes to the field on approach.
He will need to shoot in the mid-60s on Friday just to make the cut, which, given how he hit the ball on Thursday, seems rather unlikely.
Mickelson last made a U.S. Open cut in 2021.
Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas has been trending in the right direction over the last month, which includes a top-10 finish in his hometown at the PGA Championship.
But he looked nowhere close to replicating that form on Thursday. Thomas signed for a 7-over 77 on Thursday, struggling heavily with his irons. He even had Tiger Woods watch him hit balls on the range after his round, per Golf.com’s James Colgan.
Tiger stepping in to give Justin Thomas a few pointers on the range after a tough opening round.
Like Mickelson, Thomas made nine bogies during the first round, but unlike the left-hander, he did make two birdies: one at the par-5 5th and another at the par-4 18th.
Regardless, Thomas will need to have a better ball-striking day on Friday, or else he will miss a cut at a major for the second time this season. It would also mark his fifth missed cut over his last seven major starts. Yikes.
Temporary TIO Relief
The temporary immovable obstruction (TIO) rules in professional golf are ridiculous. These guys have more talent than anyone else in the world, and yet, when a tower, sign, or even wiring obstructs their line somewhat, they must seek relief.
That happened to both Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler on Thursday.
DeChambeau rifled his tee-shot way right on the par-5 5th hole, destined for trouble. But it came to rest with a “wire” obstructing his view. As such, DeChambeau got to take a drop in a much easier spot a few yards to the left, which provided him with a clear line to the green. He went on to make birdie.
Scottie Scheffler hits his second shot on the 16th hole during the first round.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Scheffler, meanwhile, had a similar instance take place on the challenging par-4 16th. After pulling drives all day, and uncharacteristically missing left with his driver on multiple occasions, Scheffler did so again on 16. His ball stopped rolling right behind a tree, but because the tee signage from the 18th hole obstructed his view, he received TIO relief. He then dropped his ball—scratch that—he placed his ball a few yards right, giving himself a perfect angle into the green. Unfortunately for him, Scheffler caught his second shot too clean and airmailed the green. He went on to make bogey.
But it’s not like this is anything new, either. Dustin Johnson received TIO relief on the 10th hole at Oakmont during the final round of the 2016 U.S. Open. He hooked his drive 50 yards left off the tee, which nestled down in gnarly thick rough. But because a TV Tower blocked his view some 100 yards away, Johnson asked for TIO relief, received it, then dropped in the first cut of an adjacent fairway and walked away with par.
If only us amateurs could receive TIO when we play…
Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland on the 8th tee.Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
What happened to Viktor Hovland on Thursday?
After finishing in solo third at Valhalla and posting a strong finish at the Memorial, Hovland looked lost at Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday—a shocking development considering he looked back on track after reuniting with his coach, Joe Mayo.
He shot an 8-over 78, a round that included a pair of double-bogies on the 11th and 14th holes. He also made six more bogies.
Hovland lost nearly three strokes around the greens on Thursday, ranking 151st out of 156 players in that department—proof that his short game is still a work in progress.
The Norwegian has struggled chipping and pitching this season, ranking 173rd on tour in strokes gained around the green. Given that Pinehurst No. 2 places a premium on one’s short game, it’s no surprise that Hovland struggled as much as he did, given his shortcomings with his game around the greens. Still, to see one of the best players in the world implode this badly is an alarming sight to see.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.