At Riviera, a Zalatoris Ace, a Tiger WD and a continuing Cantlay lead

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — There is no disabled list in golf. If you’re injured or ailing, that’s not a team’s problem, that’s your problem. Or in the case of a unique attraction like Tiger Woods, a tournament’s problem.

They don’t bring in a backup from the bench. There is no bench. Just vacant tee times and frequent questions. Just frustrated, worried golfers. And disappointed fans.

This is what happened Friday at Riviera Country Club during the second round of the Genesis Invitational: The top of the leaderboard remained unchanged. Patrick Cantlay, who played his undergraduate golf at UCLA, a couple of miles and a few multi-million dollar residences away from Riviera, shot a 65, and at 3-under 139 for 36 holes, is in front. Tied for second at 134 were Luke List, 69, Jason Day, 69, and Mackenzie Hughes, 65.

The 27-year-old Zalatoris is not that all displeased. He was hurting, literally for a long time, kept going and then, wham.

“Kind of a golfer’s worst nightmare,” he said, “is feeling your back giving out on the driving range at Augusta 30 minutes before your tee time.”

After surgery, Zalatoris, once a Northern Californian who moved to Texas while in high school, did a lot of things — go to Wimbledon and take courses at Wake Forest — except doing what he wanted most,  swinging a club.

He returned to the Hero, Tiger’s little grouping in the Bahamas, came back to the Tour in January and then Friday, another Wham. Of the most positive sort.

Zalatoris made a hole-in-one at the 184-yard 14th, using a 7 iron, and won two Genesis automobiles, one for himself and one for his caddy Joel Stock.

“Lucky to go in,” said Zalatoris. “A nice little bonus.”

Not so little but very nice.

An ace certainly helps any scorecard, and this one enabled Zalatoris to shoot 70 for 136. With half the Genesis still to play, he’s in contention.

Tiger, of course, no longer is in the tournament, and you wonder at his age, with his troubles, how much golf he’ll be able to play as the year goes forward.

Rob McNamara, executive vice president of TGR Ventures, said Woods began to feel ill Thursday night, after playing the first round.

“This morning,” he said Friday, “the symptoms were worse than the night before and he had a little bit of fever. He felt better during the warmup, but when he got out there and started  walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.”

Jordan Spieth was healthy enough but that didn’t keep him from committing the age-old mistake of signing an incorrect scorecard. Despite the Tours’ well-planned design of avoiding that error by providing scorecards with tear-off strips so the player can match the card of the scorekeeper, Spieth wrote in  3 when he made bogey 4 on the 4th.

At least his back isn’t bothering him, only his arithmetic.

At the Genesis Cantlay, Tiger, and a caddie’s 600 mile round trip by car

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Two kids from southern California, separated by years and a notable degree of success, returning once more to a course and a tournament so much a part of their lives.

Riviera Country Club, where photos of movie stars line the clubhouse walls and a statue of the great Ben Hogan stands alongside the practice green. Day one of the Genesis Invitational, successor to the Los Angeles Open and as almost always the last event of PGA Tour’s West Coast swing. An almost perfect blending of history, memory and possibility, and where else but in the place nicknamed “La-la-La-Land.”

The No. 1 story on opening day, Thursday, was a matter of opinion and perhaps not so much a matter of news judgment as emotional linkage.  

Maybe it was the 7-under par 64 good for first place by Patrick Cantlay, who is from Long Beach and went to UCLA, virtually across famed Sunset Boulevard to Riviera.  

Maybe it was the 1-over-par 72 by 48-year-old Tiger Woods, who was playing competitively for the first time since withdrawing from last April’s Masters with an injury to his right ankle requiring fusion surgery.    

Maybe it was Alex Ritthamel, the caddy following last week’s WM Phoenix Open, drove the 600-mile round trip, LA to Arizona and back, to bring the clubs here. As Tiger, Griffin shot a 1-over 72, on Thursday.

You’ve heard the line from the pros, you can’t win a tournament in the first round, but you can lose it. Numerous golfers made sure this first round they weren’t going to lose it. In addition to Cantlay were most top golfers. Following Cantlay at 65 were Cam Davis, Luke List and Jason Day. At 66 were Jordan Spieth and Will Zalatoris.

“I thought it was a good round,” said Cantlay, who has a reputation for not smiling — California Cool— and making putts practically from everywhere. He has won 8 times, including the FedEx Cup.

“I think I am really comfortable at this place,” said Cantlay, and why not? He played it numerous times while on the UCLA team. And since then as a pro. Cantlay is opposed to rolling back the length of the ball, which the U.S. Golf Association wants to do because of increased yardage and reduced scores.

“I think it would be good for the game to keep it the way it is,” he said. “I think more people are excited about golf than ever, hearing some of the numbers. Hearing some of the numbers that there’s been more rounds played the year before than ever in this country. I think that’s fantastic and I know it is growing worldwide as well. That should be the emphasis.”

The emphasis for Tiger Woods is staying healthy and being able to play month after month. “I love the game,” he said again. 

On Thursday those who love to see Tiger play the game had their first chance in months.

“Definitely nervous,” Woods admitted about the comeback. “I care about how I play and certainly I was feeling the nerves starting out.”

“I got off to a good start birdieing the first and getting right back up on the next two holes and made a couple more birdies. It was one of those days, just never really got anything consistently going and hopefully (Friday) I can clean it up.”

Woods (yes) shanked his approach on 18. That was rare. Overall, so was the entire first round of Genesis.

Cantlay chooses Pebble beauty over Saudi payoff

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — So Pebble Beach, despite a misquoted observation, isn’t the greatest meeting of land and water in the world, but the view on Wednesday — sun glistening on Carmel Bay — was overwhelming,

A highlight of practice rounds for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a sparkling, enticing invitation to a place Patrick Cantlay calls “the epitome of California golf.”

Cantlay, currently No. 4 in the world ranking, is a home state guy all the way. He was born in Long Beach, went to UCLA and chose familiarity and natural beauty over the lure of a huge payoff.

Not that he wouldn’t someday change his mind.

There’s another tournament about to start on Thursday, head to head against the AT&T some 5,000 miles away, where the setting may be less inviting unless you’re big on sand dunes, but the money is enormous — the Saudi Arabia Invitational.

The PGA Tour gave exemptions to those who chose the Saudi event — and please don’t ask about politics; “we’re only going there to play golf” — but below the surface is a bigger issue, the future of the pro game..

The Saudi tournament is part of the DP Tour, which used to be the European Tour, and because Greg Norman is maneuvering behind the scenes, the probability is there’s only going to be one tour, with the biggest names.

This time a former AT&T winner, Dustin Johnson; a former Masters champion, Patrick Reed (as Johnson is also); Tony Fine; and (gadzooks) even five-time AT&T champ Phil Mickelson are there.

But former U.S. Open, British Open and Masters champ Jordan Spieth (who endorses AT&T products) and Cantlay are here. So was defending AT&T winner Daniel Berger, until he was forced to withdraw because of a back injury.

Cantlay perhaps is the least famous of the most famous golfers on the globe. As an amateur, he was No. 1 in the world. Then last summer, he not only won the FedEx Cup but did it in a fashion, making putt after putt under pressure, which gained him the nickname, “Patty Ice” — he was that cool.

He may not yet register on a scale with Tiger Woods or Mickelson, but his colleagues know how good he is, especially around the greens, where golf is decided.

What Cantlay (who turns 30 next month, on St. Patrick’s Day), decided was to stay loyal and stay close by. Not that he didn’t pay attention to Saudi Arabia.

“I think with the amount of money they're talking about,” he said, “it's always very tempting. I think it's tempting for everybody. And to deny that would be, you know, maybe not true.”

The actual Saudi purse is smaller than the $8.7 million AT&T purse, but there are reports that golfers will be paid tens of millions in fees, illegal on the PGA Tour.

“But I'm really glad that I'm here this week,” said Cantlay, “and I love Pebble Beach and so that definitely factored into my decision.”

Golf and tennis are dependent on the recognition factor, on fame, personality — as Tiger’s presence verified. People would flock to see him, even if they didn’t know a thing about the sport.

If golf does shift toward a super tour, grabbing away the crème de la crème, where does it leave those left outside? Will anyone care about the minor leaguers, as it were?

“I think it's a complicated thing, and I don't think there's an easy answer,” Cantlay said. “If people want to be more interested in golf and want to put more money into golf, I think that's a good thing. I think definitely there's a want of the best players in the world to play against the other best players in the world, and so it's hard to quantify exactly.  

“Some move the needle more than others, and some are at the top of the game more than others.“

Right now, with the beauty of Pebble Beach as a backdrop, Cantlay can concentrate on a more specific issue, playing well.

Phil in the water and out of the AT&T; John Daly looking like Moses

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — So Dustin Johnson withdrew and Tiger Woods rarely enters, but let’s not dwell on the negative, which golfers and journalists seem to emphasize, even when the sun shines — which it did Friday afternoon on the Monterey Peninsula.

True, Phil Mickelson hit two balls into Carmel Bay off Pebble Beach’s 18th and another into the backyard of one of those mega-million-dollar mansions along the 14th.

And John Daly, with a long white beard that made him look like Moses, missed the cut. And first-round leader Patrick Cantlay was 11 shots higher than the first round.

But think about Jordan Spieth, out front after 36 holes and in great shape to win for the first time in three and a half years.

Or the city manager in adjacent Carmel, who will collect a $100 fine, as the signs warn, from anyone reckless enough to appear on the streets of the formerly quaint little burg without a face mask.

Yes, Covid-19 times everywhere you wanted to wander, whether to the course, where there are no amateurs, celebrity or otherwise, or to the Hog’s Breath Inn, formerly owned by Clint Eastwood, who formerly was mayor of Carmel — and before that, a movie star.

If Clint, a longtime AT&T tournament board member (and formerly an entrant) will no longer play “Misty” for us, well, the mist is supposed to return for Saturday’s third round — Crosby weather.

Unfortunately Mickelson, who won the tournament five times (as did Mark O’Meara), will not return for the third round. For what was announced as only the fifth time in 2,507 tournament rounds as a pro, Phil failed to break 80. The 80 he recorded along with his 74 on Thursday at Spyglass Hill gave him a 154. The cut was 143.

Mickelson has been doing better on the Champions Tour, guys 50 and over. Phil turned 50 in June. Daly, 54, has been on the Champions Tour full time, even after being diagnosed for bladder cancer.

“I’m not shaving until I’m cured,” said a courageous Daly. Against the younger guys here at Pebble and Spyglass, Daly shot 80-77 — 157.

That was one stroke lower than Kamaiu Johnson, 27, who was playing in a Tour event for the first time. Johnson was found outside a course in Tallahassee, Fla., swinging a stick, invited to take lessons and won on the Advocates Tour. Johnson next will play in the Honda.

The Tour can be difficult, even when you’re a champion. Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, other events including the 2017 AT&T and then in July 2017 the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

But nothing since, and so he’s been asked again and again when the drought will end. He shot a 61 in last weekend’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, and even if he did not win — Brooks Koepka did — Spieth was satisfied.

As he was on Saturday after a 67 at Spyglass for 132. Daniel Berger, a winner on Tour, shot 66 at Pebble for 133. Henrik Norlander was at 64-70—134, while Cantlay, starting off the 10 at Spyglass with a lost ball and a bogey, had a 73 — compared to his 62 Thursday at Pebble.

“I'm in great position after the midway point,” said Spieth. “So I feel a little bit improved, getting better each day. Yeah, I made a ton of longer putts, like in order to be in the lead like normal, which is probably a really good sign that I'm keeping the ball in front of me and striking it really nicely, and a couple mistakes here or there. Other than that, it was really clean.”

Said Cantlay: “It wasn't that bad after that first tee shot. I didn't make very many putts, hit a lot of good putts, and the greens, like always, are just bumpy and I wasn't able to get many to go in. But all in all, I played pretty good today.

“Just obviously two shots worse, just not finding the golf ball.”

Not all golfers emphasize the negative — unlike all journalists.

Cantlay takes advantage of Pebble: 10 birdies, no bogies

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — This was a day to play Pebble Beach, a day, gray and quiet, for tourists to wrap themselves in sweaters and dreams, a day for a golfer to go after a course that without the elements virtually begged you to make birdies.

Which on Thursday, in the opening round of the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, is what Patrick Cantlay did. Not that he was alone.

Cantlay is one of those guys just on the fringe of fame, and this week on the fringe of the world’s top 10 — he’s No. 11, the highest ranked player in the field and, after 18 holes, the highest placed player on the scoreboard.

Ten birdies and no bogies for Cantlay, which of course is 10 under par at a course that through the ages has become as famous for wind and rain — and gallows humor — as for the people who have won here.

People named Nicklaus, Palmer, Woods, Mickelson and, way back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, Hogan, Snead and Demaret. First names are not needed for those guys, although everyone knows Woods by his adopted first name, Tiger. And someday, a first name may not be required for Cantlay.

In the last two tournaments he’s entered, Cantlay has a 61, 11 under, in the American Express down in Palm Desert and then, 400 miles north and a couple of weeks apart, the 62 at Pebble.

“Yeah, especially a continuation of the desert on the weekend,” said Cantlay of his golf Thursday along Carmel Bay. “My swing feels really good right now. The ball's starting on the line that I'm seeing, and then my distance control has been really good, which is key out here.”

Cantlay was two shots ahead of Akshay Bhatia and Henrik Norlander. Another shot back at 7-under 65 were Nate Lashley, who you may not have heard of, and Jordan Spieth — who you also may not have heard of lately other than for his struggles.

Which finally may be over.

When it comes to overcoming struggles, the 28-year-old Cantlay is the unfortunate poster boy. Ten years ago, at UCLA, he was the nation’s top college player and for more than a year the No. 1 amateur in the world.

But he incurred a stress fracture in his back and couldn’t play for months.

Then, after he recovered, in February 2016, he watched from a nearby curb as his caddy and pal from high school in Anaheim, Chris Roth, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach.

Cantlay was so shaken he couldn’t play. “For a while, I couldn’t care less about everything,” he said at the time. “Not just golf. Everything that happened in my life for a couple months didn’t feel important. Nothing felt like it mattered.”

The healing process took weeks. Cantlay returned, with a boom. He won the 2019 Memorial and then, near the end of 2020, the Zozo at Sherwood in southern California, about a hundred miles from where he grew up. Now two scintillating rounds in his home state.

“I always like being up here in Monterey,” he said. “Even though it’s cold this time of year, I like playing Pebble Beach. I like Spyglass (where he and Spieth play Friday).

“So I’m excited for this year. It looks like we’re going to get some rain, which isn’t uncommon, but I always like being here, and I like the golf courses and I like the California golf.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, there are no amateurs this year in the AT&T. No spectators either for an event as well known for celebrities such as Bill Murray and for the fans who tend to be as excited to watch them as, say, Patrick Cantlay.

“Yeah, we did play a lot quicker, which is nice,” said Cantlay. “Anytime you play this tournament and get finished under five hours, it's a good day.”

Anytime you shoot 10-under at Pebble, believed to tie the course record for a round in the AT&T, it’s a great day.

Cantlay is back as a contender at the Masters

By Art Spander

The same guys seem to play well there every year. Patrick Cantlay said it about the Masters. He meant people like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

He could have included someone else: himself.

Cantlay briefly was in the final-round lead a year ago after an eagle at the 15^th. A couple of bogies and that celebrated win by Tiger all but chased him out of our memories.

Now, two rounds into this ’20 Masters, Cantlay’s back, and very much so.

The leaders, four people including Johnson, Justin Thomas — two of the same guys — Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith (who are new guys), were tied for the temporary 36-hole lead at 9-under-par 135. Temporary because the second round wasn’t concluded.

Cantlay, whose 66 shared Friday’s low round, was a shot behind for 36 holes, at 136. He needed nine holes Friday morning to complete the first round that was unfinished Thursday, and then he played another 18. Phew.

“Today was a long day,” he said, as if one that began on the course at 7:30 a.m. and ended in late afternoon could be anything else.

It also was a successful day, if a bit nerve-wracking. The first time around, his second shot to the 15^th landed on the crest of a slope and trickled into the water.

“I got up and down for a par 5,” said a relieved Cantlay, “which was pretty big at the time.”

In the afternoon he birdied the hole, just missing an eagle attempt.

Cantlay is 28. His background is the stuff of movie plots, perhaps appropriate for a native southern Californian. While at UCLA in 2011, he was the world’s No. 1 amateur. He went pro and first incurred a stress fracture in his back, then became despondent after his caddy, a long-time friend, was struck fatally by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach near where Cantlay stood.

“For a while, I could care less about everything,” Cantlay told the Santa Ana Register. “Not just golf, everything ... Nothing felt like it mattered.”

Certainly golf matters now. He won the Zozo tournament, his third Tour victory, at Sherwood outside Los Angeles, his home area, three weeks ago. And while he said that is a confidence boost, he tries not to get too emotional. Even about his chances at the Masters.

“I do everything in a stoic way,” said Cantlay. ”I don’t work on it too much. If anything, I work on trying to smile a little more. I’m just kind of naturally that way. I’m that way when I eat breakfast. I’m that way when I play cards. That’s who I am.” 

That works for both cards and golf, of course. Don’t show how you feel, until the end. Don’t get rattled or excited.

Ben Hogan would have approved. The great Hogan rarely changed expression on the course. Golf was serious labor to Ben, as it is to Cantlay.

“I enjoy it out there,” said Cantlay. “Golf is what I love to do. But I’m just as focused as I can on doing the best I can.”

He should be pleased, then, to know that in the last four rounds played in the Masters, of the players on the leaderboard, he’s been the best, at 20 under par.

“I think part of that,” he said about the achievement, “is you just get good feelings here, and you come back every year. I’m just trying to build those good feelings.”

Construction is nearly complete.

“I think for the most part my game plan hasn’t changed much,” said Cantlay, “but just feeling comfortable and getting some momentum around here ... Some good stuff was coming, and it did at the Zozo.

“Hopefully there’s still more to come.”