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Arab News
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Justin Thomas makes 11 birdies for a 61 to take the lead at Harbor Town
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.: Justin Thomas had a round to match the immaculate weather Thursday at Harbor Town with 11 birdies that allowed him to tie the course record with a 10-under 61 to lead the RBC Heritage. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The best shot he hit all day was an 8-iron that dropped near the pin and settled 5 feet away. He missed that birdie putt, one of the few chances he didn't convert. There was little to complain about on a day of hardly any wind, a course in mint condition and warm sunshine that added to the RBC Heritage being the ideal place to decompress from the hectic week at the Masters. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, coming off a tie for fourth at the Masters, had very little stress at Harbor Town in a round of 64 that looked easy — which is not to say it felt that way. 'I will never say that golf is easy, ever. Golf is hard,' Scheffler said with a laugh. But he was out of position only once off the tee and one other time when he went long of a green and both times he saved par. Otherwise, he putted for birdie or better on the other 16 holes and converted enough chances for a start that only looked good — not great — because of Thomas with the lowest score at Harbor Town in 10 years. Bay Hill winner Russell Henley also had a 64, while Wyndham Clark was another shot back at 65. The group at 66 included former Hilton Head winner Matt Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland, on the road back from brain surgery and building momentum from a runner-up finish in Houston. Fifty players in the 72-man field broke par on a course that yielded an average score of 69.2 'I felt like if you compared my four rounds last week to today, today would be a much less stressful round of golf in terms of scrambling for a par,' Scheffler said. 'A lot of the stuff I had to do last week I felt like I didn't have to do today to shoot a good score. The golf course is obviously a bit different, but I was in position most of the day today. 'Overall, yeah, I would say stress-free day.' Thomas is winless since capturing his second PGA Championship title in 2022, though his game has been trending enough in the right direction that he is No. 8 in the world. The Masters was a disappointment — no round lower than 70, 13 shots behind in a tie for 36th — but he put in some good work at Hilton Head for two days and made it pay off. Six of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and he threw in three birdies from the 35-foot range, one of them on the 17th hole that put him in range of the course record. He thought he had it with that 8-iron to a front pin on the 18th, which runs along the Calibogue Sound, only to miss the putt. He also missed a 4-foot par putt on the 10th. 'I've been playing really well, really solid. Felt good about things,' Thomas said. 'I just didn't play well last week. Put some really good work in the couple days leading into the start today, and I felt prepared. It was just about going out and doing it, and it was nice to do so.' Among those who played later as the breeze — and nothing more than a breeze — began to pick up was Justin Rose, who lost in a playoff last week. He birdied his last two holes for a 67 to join a group that included Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood. Masters champion Rory McIlroy decided to skip this signature event even before the Masters got started. Hilton Head was not a course he felt suited him with its tight, tree-lined angles. Thomas felt differently. 'I love it. I wish we played more places like it,' Thomas said. 'I think more architects should design places like this. It kind of stands of test of time, I think. Especially if we continue to get weather like this and if these fairways get firm — the greens are already getting firm — it's going to be everything we want by the end of the week.' He got everything he could have wanted — save for that birdie putt on the 18th — at the start of the week.
Fox Sports
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Justin Thomas makes 11 birdies for a 61 to take the lead at Harbour Town
Associated Press HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Justin Thomas had a round to match the immaculate weather Thursday at Harbour Town with 11 birdies that allowed him to tie the course record with a 10-under 61 to lead the RBC Heritage. The best shot he hit all day was an 8-iron that dropped near the pin and settled 5 feet away. He missed that birdie putt, one of the few chances he didn't convert. There was little to complain about on a day of little wind, an immaculate course and warm sunshine that added to the RBC Heritage being the ideal place to decompress from the hectic week at the Masters. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, coming off a tie for fourth at the Masters, had very little stress at Harbour Town in a round of 64 that looked easy — which is not to say it felt that way. 'I will never say that golf is easy, ever. Golf is hard,' Scheffler said with a laugh. But he was out of position only once off the tee and one other time went long of a green and both times he saved par. Otherwise, he putted for birdie or better on the other 16 holes and converted enough chances for a start that only looked good — not great — because of Thomas. Bay Hill winner Russell Henley also had a 64, while Wyndham Clark was another shot back at 65. The group at 66 included Gary Woodland, the former U.S. Open champion on the road back from brain surgery and building momentum from a runner-up finish in Houston. 'I felt like if you compared my four rounds last week to today, today would be a much less stressful round of golf in terms of scrambling for a par,' Scheffler said. "A lot of the stuff I had to do last week I felt like I didn't have to do today to shoot a good score. The golf course is obviously a bit different, but I was in position most of the day today. 'Overall, yeah, I would say stress-free day.' Thomas is winless since capturing his second PGA Championship title in 2022, though his game has been trending enough in the right direction that he is No. 8 in the world. The Masters was a disappointment — no round lower than 70, 13 shots behind in a tie for 36th — but he put in some good work at Hilton Head for two days and made it pay off. Six of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and he threw in three birdies from the 35-foot range, one of them on the 17th hole that put him in range of the course record. He thought he had it with that 8-iron to a front pin on the 18th, which runs along the Calibogue Sound, only to miss the putt. He also missed a 4-foot par putt on the 10th. 'I've been playing really well, really solid. Felt good about things,' Thomas said. 'I just didn't play well last week. Put some really good work in the couple days leading into the start today, and I felt prepared. It was just about going out and doing it, and it was nice to do so.' Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood were among those at 67 in an assault on par in such ideal conditions. Among those who played later as the breeze — and nothing more than a breeze — began to pick up was Justin Rose, who lost in a playoff last week. Masters champion Rory McIlroy decided to skip this signature event even before the Masters got started. Hilton Head was not a course he felt suited him with its tight, tree-lined angles. Thomas felt differently. 'I love it. I wish we played more places like it,' Thomas said. 'I think more architects should design places like this. It kind of stands of test of time, I think. Especially if we continue to get weather like this and if these fairways get firm — the greens are already getting firm — it's going to be everything we want by the end of the week.' He got everything he could have wanted — save for that birdie putt on the 18th — at the start of the week. ___ AP golf: recommended
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Justin Thomas makes 11 birdies for a 61 to take the lead at Harbour Town
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Justin Thomas had a round to match the immaculate weather Thursday at Harbour Town with 11 birdies that allowed him to tie the course record with a 10-under 61 to lead the RBC Heritage. The best shot he hit all day was an 8-iron that dropped near the pin and settled 5 feet away. He missed that birdie putt, one of the few chances he didn't convert. There was little to complain about on a day of little wind, an immaculate course and warm sunshine that added to the RBC Heritage being the ideal place to decompress from the hectic week at the Masters. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, coming off a tie for fourth at the Masters, had very little stress at Harbour Town in a round of 64 that looked easy — which is not to say it felt that way. 'I will never say that golf is easy, ever. Golf is hard,' Scheffler said with a laugh. But he was out of position only once off the tee and one other time went long of a green and both times he saved par. Otherwise, he putted for birdie or better on the other 16 holes and converted enough chances for a start that only looked good — not great — because of Thomas. Bay Hill winner Russell Henley also had a 64, while Wyndham Clark was another shot back at 65. The group at 66 included Gary Woodland, the former U.S. Open champion on the road back from brain surgery and building momentum from a runner-up finish in Houston. 'I felt like if you compared my four rounds last week to today, today would be a much less stressful round of golf in terms of scrambling for a par,' Scheffler said. 'A lot of the stuff I had to do last week I felt like I didn't have to do today to shoot a good score. The golf course is obviously a bit different, but I was in position most of the day today. 'Overall, yeah, I would say stress-free day.' Thomas is winless since capturing his second PGA Championship title in 2022, though his game has been trending enough in the right direction that he is No. 8 in the world. The Masters was a disappointment — no round lower than 70, 13 shots behind in a tie for 36th — but he put in some good work at Hilton Head for two days and made it pay off. Six of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and he threw in three birdies from the 35-foot range, one of them on the 17th hole that put him in range of the course record. He thought he had it with that 8-iron to a front pin on the 18th, which runs along the Calibogue Sound, only to miss the putt. He also missed a 4-foot par putt on the 10th. 'I've been playing really well, really solid. Felt good about things,' Thomas said. 'I just didn't play well last week. Put some really good work in the couple days leading into the start today, and I felt prepared. It was just about going out and doing it, and it was nice to do so.' Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood were among those at 67 in an assault on par in such ideal conditions. Among those who played later as the breeze — and nothing more than a breeze — began to pick up was Justin Rose, who lost in a playoff last week. Masters champion Rory McIlroy decided to skip this signature event even before the Masters got started. Hilton Head was not a course he felt suited him with its tight, tree-lined angles. Thomas felt differently. 'I love it. I wish we played more places like it,' Thomas said. 'I think more architects should design places like this. It kind of stands of test of time, I think. Especially if we continue to get weather like this and if these fairways get firm — the greens are already getting firm — it's going to be everything we want by the end of the week.' He got everything he could have wanted — save for that birdie putt on the 18th — at the start of the week. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Viktor Hovland takes 'a way bigger step' toward finding form in Round 2 of Valspar Championship
Viktor Hovland can view his name near the top of the leaderboard at the Valspar Championship, but what he wants to see is his ball shaping the way its supposed to, repeatedly and on demand. Hovland is one back of leader Jacob Bridgeman at Innisbrook Resort. Given how he's played as recently as Thursday, he's pleased with his position. Thursday, in fact, is what Hovland has been seeing a lot of the last year and a half. He kept the ball in front of him, didn't do anything too bad, made a few putts, and shot 1-under 70. The problem with that is, it all feels random. Just as easily as he could shoot 70, he could shoot 80, which is what he did in the opening round of last week's Players Championship, which led to his third consecutive missed cut. This is the first tournament with a 36-hole cut this year in which Hovland will play on the weekend. Hovland has been searching for what only he really knows since winning the 2023 FedExCup. Last year, he contended in a major (third, PGA), nearly won a playoff event (T-2 St. Jude), and qualified for the Tour Championship. But those were also his only top-10 finishes of the season, and this year has been similarly inconsistent. His quest has led him back to swing coach Grant Waite, with whom he worked briefly last year and reconnected a couple of weeks ago after a missed cut at Bay Hill. Waite is taking his second turn on Hovland's coaching carousel, and Hovland admits he wasn't ready for what the Aussie had to offer the first time around. 'I just wanted it to be super simple and I'll just find a feel and we'll make it work,' he said of their first go-around. 'Then we actually needed to put some more work and diligent kind of technical work into it to figure this out. And I think Grant is one of the few guys that can solve it.' There's been a lot to work on, from tee to green, in a short amount of time. These are some of Hovland's notable stats this season: 146th on Tour in strokes gained: total 174th on Tour in strokes gained: around the green 169th on Tour in strokes gained: putting Coming off The Players MC, Hovland wasn't sure if he'd keep his commitment to Valspar. He opted to play, with this possibly his final start before the Masters. There were 'a lot of bad shots' in the Tuesday pro-am and Wednesday's practice round. Thursday wasn't much better, he said, but 'it was nice to putt well' – something, as confirmed by the stats above, he hasn't done well in a while. So, why was Friday, in his words, 'a way bigger step' forward? Stats wise, he hit fewer fairways and fewer greens than he did in Round 1. He did, however, gain nearly 2 ½ more strokes on the field in putting than the day prior. And, he just felt like he was controlling the ball off the face of his club a bit better – but not completely. 'I still feel like I am kind of getting max out of my game right now. So not to put myself down, but for it to be sustainable at that level I need to strike it a bit better, and it needs to be a bit more predictable,' said Hovland, who was an early co-leader when he signed his card. 'So I'm still working through some changes and, yeah, I just need to keep working on it. But it's nice to see that the things that you're working on is leading to better results immediately, and it's always a good sign.' Now comes the test Hovland greatly desires: how his game holds up in contention. He seems as interested in the outcome as those watching. Regardless of where his name lands Sunday evening on the leaderboard, if Hovland continues to see more of the lines he wants and gains more trust in what his ball is going to do, he'll leave Florida a satisfied – as much as Hovland can be – man. "I am hard on myself, yeah. But that's also why I'm good. If I wasn't hard on myself I probably wouldn't be out here," he said. 'At the end of the day like, yes, it's awesome being a the top of the leaderboard right now, and have a chance going into the weekend. But it's like I truly just care about the things that I'm working on. And if the ball is behaving and doing the things that I want it to do, I'm going to play a lot of great golf in the future.'
NBC Sports
21-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Viktor Hovland takes 'a way bigger step' toward finding form in Round 2 of Valspar Championship
Viktor Hovland can view his name atop the leaderboard at the Valspar Championship, but what he wants to see is his ball shaping the way its supposed to, repeatedly and on-demand. Hovland is tied with Shane Lowry for the clubhouse lead Friday at Innisbrook Resort. Given how he's played as recently as Thursday, he's pleased with his position. Thursday, in fact, is what Hovland has been seeing a lot of the last year and a half. He kept the ball in front of him, didn't do anything too bad, made a few putts, and shot 1-under 70. The problem with that is, it all feels random. Just as easily as he could shoot 70, he could shoot 80, which is what he did in the opening round of last week's Players Championship, which led to his third consecutive missed cut. This is the first tournament with a 36-hole cut this year in which Hovland will play on the weekend. Hovland has been searching for what only he really knows since winning the 2023 FedExCup. Last year, he contended in a major (third, PGA), nearly won a playoff event (T-2 St. Jude), and qualified for the Tour Championship. But those were also his only top-10 finishes of the season, and this year has been similarly inconsistent. His quest has led him back to swing coach Grant Waite, with whom he worked briefly last year and reconnected a couple of weeks ago after a missed cut at Bay Hill. Waite is taking his second turn on Hovland's coaching carousel, and Hovland admits he wasn't ready for what the Aussie had to offer the first time around. 'I just wanted it to be super simple and I'll just find a feel and we'll make it work,' he said of their first go-around. 'Then we actually needed to put some more work and diligent kind of technical work into it to figure this out. And I think Grant is one of the few guys that can solve it.' There's been a lot to work on, from tee to green, in a short amount of time. These are some of Hovland's notable stats this season: 146th on Tour in strokes gained: total 174th on Tour in strokes gained: around the green 169th on Tour in strokes gained: putting Coming off The Players MC, Hovland wasn't sure if he'd keep his commitment to Valspar. He opted to play, with this possibly his final start before the Masters. There were 'a lot of bad shots' in the Tuesday pro-am and Wednesday's practice round. Thursday wasn't much better, he said, but 'it was nice to putt well' – something, as confirmed by the stats above, he hasn't done well in a while. So, why was Friday, in his words, 'a way bigger step' forward? Stats wise, he hit fewer fairways and fewer greens than he did in Round 1. He did, however, gain nearly 2 ½ more strokes on the field in putting than the day prior. And, he just felt like he was controlling the ball off the face of his club a bit better – but not completely. 'I still feel like I am kind of getting max out of my game right now. So not to put myself down, but for it to be sustainable at that level I need to strike it a bit better, and it needs to be a bit more predictable,' he said. 'So I'm still working through some changes and, yeah, I just need to keep working on it. But it's nice to see that the things that you're working on is leading to better results immediately, and it's always a good sign.' Now comes the test Hovland greatly desires: how his game holds up in contention. He seems as interested in the outcome as those watching. Regardless of where his name lands Sunday evening on the leaderboard, if Hovland continues to see more of the lines he wants and gains more trust in what his ball is going to do, he'll leave Florida a satisfied – as much as Hovland can be – man. 'At the end of the day like, yes, it's awesome being a the top of the leaderboard right now, and have a chance going into the weekend. But it's like I truly just care about the things that I'm working on,' he said. 'And if the ball is behaving and doing the things that I want it to do, I'm going to play a lot of great golf in the future.'
