ZOZO Championship Friday tee times -Pairing
Mac Hughes and Tyrrell Hatton have one thing at least in common. They are both playing the best golf of their professional careers right now. Tiger Woods on the other hand has left those days far behind as he approaches 45, playing in virtual semi - retirement.
Hughes first round bogey free T9 -5 67 is typical of his 4 top 10 finishes since the return from COVID. Full of confidence, his short game saves him when needed, his swing is right on plane, he's the guy we expected to see back when he was winning Canadian amateur championships and starring at Kent State. He is a joy to watch.
Tyrrell Hatton is ranked a career high 9th, has 5 professional wins, is a Ryder Cupper and is in what is called "a purple patch" back home at High Wycombe, England.
Let's go back to the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March before the COVID break where he won. When he returned to action he was 3rd at the RBC Heritage, T4 at the Rocket Mortgage and 5th at the Tour Championship. Returning to Europe he won the flagship BMWPGA Championship at Wentworth and flew 20 hours back to Las Vegas and placed 3rd at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek, before posting an opening T2 -7 65 yesterday at this week's ZOZO Championship at Sherwood CC in a Thousand Oaks, California.
Tiger is playing once a month these days and it shows. He is rusty, yesterday he had a case of the "rights" off the tee leading to an untidy +4 76. Many refuse to say it, but this great champion is playing out of semi retirement while guys like Tyrrell and Mac just to name a couple who still revere him, have passed him by.
However he keeps "moving the needle", the question is ow for how long.
The leader is Columbian, Sebastian Munoz who has 4 recent top 10's, and has a one stroke lead -8 64.
Other Canadians: Corey Connors T3 -3 69, Nick Taylor T39 -2 70, Adam Hadwin T73 75 +3.
Bryan Angus
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