Life after Augusta... where the Canadians are this week...

 PGA Tour: RBC Heritage

The 90 or so players have scattered all over the world from Augusta, Georgia, 42 are just up the road to Hilton Head, SC for this week's RBC Heritage on the Harbour Town Links at the Sea Pines resort designed by Pete Dye and again later by Jack Nicklaus.

Stewart Cink emerged from his mid forties to win in 2021, Davis Love won it 5 times, Arnie won the first one in 1969 when he was 40, and most all the greats have their names on the trophy since.

The RBC is one of the PGA Tour's strongest sponsors, apart from the Canadian Open they stepped in to sponsor the Heritage in 2012 after it had lost it's title sponsors MCI and then Verizon.

RBC has a stable of top pros it sponsors, so you will see 7 Canadians in the field this week including Corey Connors who T4th here last year, 6 shots behind Cink with rounds 67 64 72 68.

The others are Mac Hughes, Adam Hadwin, Roger Sloan, Michael Gligic, Nick Taylor, and Adam Svensson.

Notables:  Dustin Johnson is also an RBC Client so he's playing as is Shane Lowry off his T3 at the Masters who has T9 here in his last 2 outings, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are also in a top class field for a regular tour event. Tyrrell Hatton after venting at the Augusta set up and a final round 80, was T3 here last year, Sungjae Im and good old Matt Kuchar who won in 2014 are also in play.

WEATHER: I looked up the weather and it's for overcast skies, rain is forecast Friday-Sunday but not a lot, with the breeze up to 18kph the heaviest on Thursday at this ritzy famous South Carolina resort.

LPGA Tour: Lotte Championship 

Brooke Henderson and Maude Aimee Leblanc are in on Oahu in Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship where Brooke won in 2018, 2019.

From a devout Christian family like Scottie Scheffler, she talked about his win, and his relationship with God. 

" I just loved the things he had to say about how a big win, will or won't affect you as a human being with the Lord leading him, and how he approached the Sunday after not feeling his best in the morning, I learned a lot from that actually." 

After holidaying in California after the Chevron Championship at Rancho Mirage she talked about Hawaii.

"I just love coming here, it's just beautiful everywhere, the mountains, the ocean and the flowers and the people are so nice. Obviously I won here twice, so many great memories and I love that trophy."

In 6 starts this year she has 6 top 15's and has never been worse that 27th at the LOTTE. 

This year however is a different course, Ernie Els designed Hoakalei CC. "It's a great golf course and I think the wind will definitely be a factor. I think that length will be a bit of an advantage on some of the longer holes like #6, very long with a long skinny green. The water is in play more than any other course we've played in Hawaii, so that will be something we'll have to contend with.

Overall it's a great course, in great shape, the rough is really sticky. I'm looking forward to the challenge this week"

The DP World Tour is off as is the Champions Tour this week.

Bryan Angus

Scheffler's Christian belief fuels his historic win, Conners best Masters...Final results

 2022 Masters: Final Results here.

With a quick birdie, birdie start Cameron Smith cut Scottie Scheffler's lead to a shot, and it looked like the game was on for another "back nine on Sunday" Masters, but a chip in at the 3rd by the leader and a bogey by the Aussie put him back 3 up, and the Scheffler grind was on, the match between the two blew up on the 12th, as it so often does when the Aussie found the water on his way to a six, leaving Rory McIlroy the only one charging, and he never got closer than 3 shots, with an eventual record 64 including a holed bunker shot at the 72nd, and 25 year old Scheffler with his 1st Masters, and 4th win this year in 6 starts.

Corey Conners capped off his best week at Augusta with 3 late birdies for 70 -3 total T6.

"Over all I'm happy with the round, nice way to finish with a couple of birdies at the end. It would have been nice to get off to a better start, but it is what it is, overall a solid day. every part of my game was working this week, I certainly would have liked to make more birdies, but I was able to get out of trouble when needed, par saving putts, or up and downs, to keep momentum going, and not headed backwards"

Mac Hughes had an awful weekend despite his efforts, 77 78 T50th +15. So did Tiger Woods 78 78 +13 T47th.

It's hard to say why Scottie Scheffler has won the Waste Management, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC Dell Match Play and now the big one, the Masters. He's a good player for sure, but not nearly as good as this.

I believe his strength lies outside the ropes. 

From a devout Christian family he admitted he was crying at home before the final round, while his wife Meredith prayed to God for inner peace. On the way to the 1st tee, his caddy Ted Scott who shares his faith opened his jumpsuit to reveal a tee shirt that said  "God is in control" and that is what Scottie Scheffler believes in.

Scheffler is awarded the green jacket 

Earlier on Saturday he said " If I win this that's great, if I don't that's good too, because I've practised hard, prepared as best as I can to hit good shots...and the rest is not in my hands"

My identity isn't in a golf score, Meredith always prays for peace and that's what I want to feel on a golf course, is peace and to have fun and to feel HIS presence"

After the round he told us all this. " I never expected to be sitting here, you don't expect things to come to you in life, just do the best with the hand you are dealt. I never really thought I was that good at golf, so I just kept practising and working hard, and that's what I'm going to continue to do".... 

..and he didn't have to add " and keep believing."

Bryan Angus

Solid play for Conners T6, late bogey's slow Scheffler, Sunday leaderboard, TEE TIMES at the Masters

2022 Masters : Sunday leaderboard here.  Sunday TEE TIMES here.

Sunday will be the best weather day of the week, warmer and less windy, but the stage has already been set. There are only 7 players under par, and winners of their last 2 events are paired together in the last group, 

Scottie Scheffler could have made this a non issue through 11 holes he had a 7 shot lead, but made things interesting with 4 bogey's coming in, still a closing 71 and a 3 shot lead at -9. Chasing him the brilliant Aussie Cam Smith who stayed out of trouble off the tee, let his wedges work for a -4 68, -6 total.

Opinion: While the result is in Scheffler's hands, with the Augusta greens now at their vaunted best, a bogey here and a birdie there means the race is back on come the back nine, and I will not be surprised if the little Aussie joins his compatriot Adam Scott as a Masters Champion.

They will begin play today at 2.40pm

Corey Conners quite rightly continues to be pleased with his game, he is 3rd on tour in greens in regulation, so constantly gives himself good chances.

" Overall another solid day, I battled hard, certainly very challenging out there, a couple of dropped shots at the end there 15 and 18, I learned some lessons for the future for sure there, but played solid.  I tried to pick my spots, played aggressive, tried to get under par, and I did that, hung in there most of the day."

Let's be clear, he is T6 at -1 way ahead of 94% of this field, he was in the final 4 of the Dell Match Play in Texas 3 weeks ago and could easily have won it. This modest young Canuck is currently 32nd in the world rankings, heading for the top 20 and a place in the Presidents Cup team in a hurry.

Today he is off at 2.10 with Danny Willett, they are 4th last off.

Mac Hughes started very well but things just slipped away as the day wore on, I watched it all, he was even par after a brilliant birdie at the 10th, but a bogey at 11 then he seemed to get rattled at the 12th where he was long off the tee, glared at his caddy " bite, bite, it's down wind " and another bogey there, A drive wide right on 13 led to a scrambling par, but others at 14, 17 then a double after a wild drive at 18 led to 77 and a T48 +9 as play begins this morning.

Today he is 3rd pairing off at 10.30 with Patrick Cantley  

Tiger Woods had his worst round at August, 78, T41 +7 plays with Jon Rahm today 

Summary: With Scheffler at -9 and Smith at -6, Sungjae Im is at -4 and has a chance,  but the closest after that is Schwartzel and Lowry -2, then Thomas and Connors at -1 and they are all too far back given the difficult test that faces them on Augusta National today, 

I have a feeling Cameron Smith will be the 2022 Masters Champion... but don't bet the rent money on it..

Bryan Angus

Conners 10th, Hughes in top 50 to make the cut...Scheffler leads by 5, Saturday TEE TIMES

 Masters 2022: Friday results.. Saturday live scoring here. andTEE TIMES

WEATHER for Saturday : More of the same, calm early, with from W 16-25kph as the day goes on but cooler at 55*f.  If they can survive that, on Sunday the wind is supposed to die down 8-16kph under sunny skies.

On Friday Augusta dried out, the greens got faster, anything landing in the wrong spot could end up 40 feet away..the wind was whipping at 26kph, she had started to become a beast..

Only 15 players are in the red,  Corey Conners is one of them at -1. His Olympic Games partner isn't, but with a Sandy Lyle like birdie 3 at the 18th, Mac Hughes will join him this weekend at +4

However with top 50 and ties making the cut at +4, many big names will not be playing. 

Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau,and Francesco Molinari are all out, so is Mike Weir .

However at the other end of the story, the hottest player in the game and current world #1 Scottie Scheffler with a run of birdies at 7, 8, 12, 13, 15 and 16 turned the leaderboard on it's ear with a -5 67 -8 total. 

He is 5 shots clear of Charl Schwartzel 72 69 -3 winner in 2011, Sungjae Im 67 74 -3, Shane Lowry 73 68 -3 former Open champion and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama 72,69 -3.

Corey Conners was also in the group at -3 until a loose tee shot at the par 3 16th led to a bogey 4, followed by a 3 putt bogey at 17, and a 73 -1 total T10th. He played well all day, making 5 clutch putts to save par and a series of fairways and greens for 2 putt pars.

"This is certainly the wildest I've played Augusta. I feel good about the round. I battled hard, a few nice up and downs. Not the way I wanted to finish, dropping a couple of shots late, but overall it was a really solid day, struck the ball solidly, yeah it was a fun challenge"

Mac Hughes played steadily all day, but a bogey at 11 and a drive into Rae's creek at the 13th compounded by 3 putting the green for a double bogey 7 looked like he was on his way out at +5.

However with a deft chip at the par 5 15th, he converted the birdie to get back to +4, saved par at the 16th with a clutch 8 footer, but the drama wasn't over. 

His drive at 17 was heading well right of the fairway, but it hit a tree and bounced back. His approach ended up in the first cut 17 yards from the hole, but he missed the resulting 6 footer for par and was back to +5 playing 18.

In 1988, Scotland's Sandy Lyle drove his tee shot into the fairway bunker at the 18th, then hit his most famous 7 iron close and made the birdie putt to win the Masters.

Mac Hughes did exactly the same thing, hoisting his approach from the bunker, away up in the air, landing 8 feet away from the hole, and he calmly converted for 75 and that +4 total.

" The weather is going to be cold and blustery again, so anything like 3 or 4 under will feel like 65 to be honest with you. That round is in me, I just have to be a hair tidier and I have 2 more days to find out."

Saturday Tee Times

Group 1: 10.20am Mac Hughes, Adam Scott

Group 22: 2.10pm Corey Conners, Cameron Smith

Group 16: 1pm Tiger Woods 71 74 also made cut +1, with Kevin Kisner

Rory McIlroy 73 73 +2, Jon Rahm 74 72 +2,  Sergio Garcia 74 72 +2, Bubba Watson 73 73 +2, Justin Thomas 76 67 +1, Collin Morikawa 73 70 -1, Cameron Smith 68 74 -2, Dustin Johnson 69 73 -2,  will all join those at -3 on moving day,

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 27: SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER 

The big question is, can they catch Scheffler who at -8 136 has tied the tournament record for the largest 36 hole lead.  Riding a 2 month long hot streak, he came to Augusta having won 3 of his last 5 starts including the World Match Play. 

The wind combined with a firm and fast Augusta guarantee a lot of drama, will it work in or against Scheffler's favour.

In my opinion apart from his brilliant play I think the fact he and his family are devout Christians is a key which was clear his post round interview.

"I've done all the preparation I can do to win tournaments and if I win this tournament then great, but if I don't that's ok too, because I've done everything I could and I'm prepared.. the rest isn't up to me"

Bryan Angus

Thursday at Augusta..Conners leads Canadians, Sungjae Im on top....results, Friday TEE TIMES

 Masters 2022: Thursday results/ Friday leaderboard here.

Friday Tee Times

First the weather. It poured "cats and dogs" overnight according to the great analyst, Ken Brown, and Thursday morning when Jack, Gary and Tom opened proceedings it was sopping wet and foggy.

Weirsy's 8.11 start was delayed, but he soon led the Canadian trio off, with a double at the first after missing a gimme. It seemed to inspire him. As usual Mike combined a crafty short game with long hybrids to finish +2 74 in the varying conditions, T43rd.

"It changed a ton, with the early heavy mist the ball was going nowhere" he said after his opening drive only travelled 225 yards. " It was playing so long for the first 5 or 6 holes. then when the sun came out and cleared off the mist our club selection changed completely." 

He was out in +1, had a pair of bogey's and a birdie coming back. "I felt good about my game, it was unfortunate to start like that, but the rest of the way I played fine. I missed a few opportunities with good wedge shots that I didn't convert, some I thought would be tap ins but that's Augusta, a firm bounce can lead you down a slope to the bottom of the green."

He plays at 11.18 on Friday with Paddy Harrington and the amateur Austin Greaser

Mac Hughes was next and he posted +1 73 T31, and had a comical moment with his 3rd at the par 5 15th, when he cold shanked his wedge into a tree leading to a bogey 6. He stood in disbelief for a moment, then doffed his cap and waved to the patrons, with a smile. He had bogey's at 5 and 6 which he recovered with birdies at 12 and 13, before that bogey on 15.

Apart from that he summed his day up like this. It was a solid round, It's very tricky out there with the wind blowing. I felt like I controlled my ball well and kept out of difficult situations. Overall quite a solid day, definitely happy with my round"

Mac plays at 12.35 on Friday with Matthew Wolff and Luke List

Corey Conners is right in contention after his opening -2 70 T7 just 3 behind the Korean leader Sungjae Im -5 67 followed by the brilliant Aussie Cameron Smith -4 68.

In good form, Conners has played well here in the past with 2 top 10's and he told us this post round. "It never plays easy, a very tricky golf course and with the wind blowing, you have to battle hard to keep it as simple as possible, that's about it.

Some holes played easier with the wind, some more difficult, but nothing I haven't seen before, I've had some good experiences around here, I wouldn't say anything surprised me" He only made 1 bogey.

He is off at 8.55am Friday with Lee Westwood and Russell Henley

Tiger Woods is T10 -71. He plays at 1.41pm Friday

WEATHER: Friday more of the same weather is expected, blustery wind SW 16-24kph, sunny 60's however it was very soft on Thursday, and it will dry out and firm up today and more into the weekend so scoring will be at a premium.

Bryan Angus

Eve of the Masters..TEE TIMES.. Weather..

 Masters : Thursday Tee Times

So the real bullets begin Thursday April 6th at Augusta National and all the tee times are a click away above..

WEATHER: Tornado watch tonight until 11pm in parts of Georgia south of Augusta, NE of Savannah, 

Rain overnight at Augusta, damp, calm, foggy to start becoming windy up to 24kph W on Thursday.

You have the 3 Canadian tee times.. Tee Times

 Bryan Angus

The problem with Tiger....good news, bad news

Tuesday was good for Masters news, Thurs/Fri Tee Times were announced,defending champion Hideki Matsuyama talked about his menu for tonight's Champions Dinner, a gathering that never gets old, although I'd like to hear some of the more colourful stories,  and Tiger finally gave the world's media what they wanted to hear.

"As of right now I'm going to play" shot around the world.

So despite a wet few days predicted Th/Fri the man is about to indulge himself for another shot at Jack's 6.

The "GOODNEWS" world wide media for golf.

The "BADNEWS" this stops being the 2022 Masters Invitational...and that is the problem

Every other player, #1 Scottie Scheffler, #2 Jon Rahm, #3,4,5 Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay , Cameron Smith , Justin Thomas, DJ, Rory all disappear with all the other 80 storylines, and good ones too,

All that matters, come Thursday at 10.41 is "what about Tiger ?"

Opinion: My hope since this is the MASTERS not the TIGER Show, is that he enjoys 2 healthy rounds, misses the cut, and lets us get on with the Masters..

This is not TMZ, but Tiger's shadow is still so overwhelming that it makes it impossible to have an unbiased, comprehensive coverage, the only way is for him not to be playing.

When the Masters is over, Tiger will likely not re-appear until mid July at the Open in St Andrew's, and all the tournaments with their treasured sponsors will go on with this generation of stars, that's where golf today is,

Ignoring them this week while we watch Tiger's every shot whether it's 84 or 64 is just not right in my books. I want to see Corey, and Mac and Weirsy in action and so many others, and I'm not nearly alone. 

Bryan Angus