Curry, Warriors on the precipice again after win to keep season going

Again, they are on the edge, the precipice. Again, the Warriors are a game away from the end of a season, maybe the end of an era.  

Now it’s the Suns Friday night at Phoenix who could send them into a summer of disenchantment.  

But look how far they’ve come after the injuries and the changes. If it’s a last hurrah, so be it. Not that a team that so many times has shown its character and skill is ready to be eliminated in what is a play-in game for the postseason.

The Warriors win, they are in the playoffs against Oklahoma City, and presumably headed for a rapid first-round defeat.

But that’s the pessimistic (realistic?) viewpoint. And through the years, Golden State has been a franchise full of optimism, and of course, success.

Which is only proper when your roster has been populated with players such as Steph Curry and Draymond Green, players who have grown older, but as we were reminded Wednesday night, have not lost the ability to surprise or to win.

Or specifically, in Curry’s case, to shoot the basketball.

There they were, 13 points behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the 4th quarter on the Clippers’ home floor, where Golden State had lost the previous seven games. 

Then there he was, Curry, who had missed a quarter of the regular season because of a leg injury, taking over, hitting shot after shot and leading the Warriors to a 126-121 victory. 

“That’s who he is,” Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s wonderful offensive burst. “That’s what he does.” 

What he did this time was score 35 points, making 7-of-12 three-point attempts, 16 points in the 3rd quarter. 

“It’s just my job,” said Draymond, “to get him open and get him the ball back, and he did the rest…That’s 14 years. That don’t happen overnight.”

It’s also Draymond’s job to play defense, and in the final minute, he did that spectacularly, keeping the Clippers from getting off a good shot and twice stealing the ball. 

The Warriors were more than a two-man team, certainly. Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 20 for Golden State, while Brandin Podziemski had 17.

It has been a difficult time, a transition period with key men of the past aging, a problem faced by all successful teams in every sport. 

So every triumph, small as it may appear, can be considered meaningful. A link to the great days of the past.  

The Warriors won four NBA Championships starting with the 2014-15 season. And while this one victory may not stand up against those titles, it could find a place in the team’s history. 

“For one night, we’re us,” said Kerr. “We’re champions again.”

What’s ahead for Rory after his second Master’s title?

It’s different now for Rory McIlroy. And for so many of us. We kept wondering if he would ever win a Masters. Now we wonder how many Masters or other major championships he might win.

Check the list of men who have won golf’s big ones, people such as Jack Nicklaus, whose total of 18 never will be broken, Tiger Woods, and even from the past, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan. 

Maybe it is silly to even mention Rory in the same sentence as those others. 

He’s far behind. But when Rory, Sunday, took a Masters for a 2nd straight year, which only three others have done, you begin to think of future possibilities. 

Yes, Tiger Woods has 15 majors, Gene Sarazen had seven, and the great Ben Hogan won nine. And there are others high on the list.

But McIlroy is only 36, and now that he has a short game to go with his long drives and wicked determination, who’s to say he couldn’t pick up two or three more titles?

McIlroy applied both his skill and his courage in capturing the 2026 Masters on Sunday, displaying the wonderfully impressive short game he has added to a repertoire that already made him one of the sport’s current stars. 

Rory offered a not-unusual blend of excellence and mistakes on the first nine with a double bogey on the fourth hole, a bogey on the sixth, and then birdies on the seventh and eighth. He ended up shooting a 1-under par 71 for a total of 12-under 276 and a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler, who came in with a four under 68. 

There was a four-way tie for third at 278 among Justin Rose (70), Tyrrell Hatton (66), Cameron Young (73), and Russell Henley (68). In the early going, Rose, 3 times a runner-up, including 2025, and Young, each briefly held the lead.

Anyone familiar with the Masters, including the competitors, knows how quickly things change. The pressure in this first major of every year seems to build through the winter to spring. 

“I thought it was so difficult to win last year,” was McIlroy’s assessment of trying to win the Masters and the Grand Slam, “and then this year I realized it’s just really difficult to win the Masters.” 

That’s because the course, remodeled in the 1950’s by the late Robert Trent Jones Sr., is wonderfully challenging, the competition is outstanding, and the history can be overwhelming.

Huge scoreboards that keep everyone informed and the booming roars of the fans (or as they are known here, patrons) create an atmosphere that is both unique and sometimes intimidating. And just the name, Masters, says all you need to know.

What you also need to know is that McIlroy now joins Nicklaus, Woods, and Nick Faldo as Masters winners in consecutive years.

McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, has never been shy with his words, opinions, or tee shots. He isn’t the next Tiger Woods—there won’t be another Tiger Woods—but McIlroy’s popularity is universal.

Asked at the end of his round the familiar, if somewhat bizarre, question—“What has golf taught you about life?”—he had the perfect answer: “Just keep going.”

That’s what Rory is doing, keeping going.

Rory tied for first, but Day One of Masters looks like the U.S. Open

The Masters came disguised as the U.S. Open. A tournament famous for birdies and low scores suddenly turned into a frightening display of double and triple bogeys.

Thursday’s opening round did have some positive aspects, including an impressive start by Rory McIlroy, who was trying for a second straight win at Augusta, and shared the lead with Sam Burns, at 5-under par 67. 

But perhaps what was more newsworthy were the rounds by pre-event betting favorites, Bryson DeChambeau, a 4 over par 76, and Jon Rahm, a 78. Those are scores you might expect at Pebble Beach or Oakmont, not at a place where there is virtually no rough and is familiar to almost all the contestants.

Long ago, the late Tony Lema, who grew up in the Bay Area, was quoted as saying the Open is hard work, while the Masters is fun. 

Presumably, neither DeChambeau, who made a run last year, nor Rahm, a former winner, were having much fun as they put scores you almost needed an adding machine to record.

On the contrary, McIlroy, who completed his personal grand slam with a victory in last year’s Masters, presumably was enjoying every minute of his return.

“Honestly, I couldn’t have got a lot more out of my round,” said McIlroy, who shot the lowest first-round score for a defending champion since Jordan Spieth opened with a 66 in 2016. 

“I feel I leaned heavily on my experience out there. It’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on at the end of the day,”

Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 in the world rankings, is also a former winner, and after a 70 on Thursday, certainly is a solid possibility to take his third Masters.

But to someone who’s been to 58 previous Masters, yours truly, and who is not in attendance this year, the most amazing part of the opening day was the stumbling of DeChambeau and Rahm.

DeChambeau, 11 shots behind after 18 holes, was in his worst position at this point in his 10 Masters starts.

“Everybody has an ability for weird things to happen,” said DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion. “And (Thursday) I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird. It’s been good coming into it.”

As every golfer—and golf fan, oops, patron—can verify, what had been good inexplicably becomes bad.

Rahm, who as DeChambeau, plays on the LIV tour, and has won a Masters and two U.S. Opens, said after his 6-over, birdie-less round, “It’s going to be a very much more uphill battle right now, but I’m going to have to come out (Friday) and most likely post something in the 60’s to have a chance to make the cut and give myself a chance on the weekend.”

True, anything can happen, but there is a famous line: “You can’t win a tournament the first day; you can only lose it.”  

We’ll find out soon enough if that applies to DeChambeau or Rahm.

Georgia on the mind, but alas, I’ll be missing this Masters

The haunting melody and lyrics of Ray Charles hit me like a 3 iron. Georgia on his mind and this opening week of April also on mine. As usual.

The Master’s is almost here, but for the first time in decades, I am not there (sigh). 

I had covered all but two of the previous 58 tournaments at Augusta National—those two during the COVID years of 2020 and 2021—that makes 58 in all since my first in 1967. If you remember that year, Gay Brewer won.

The streak is over. Time, tide, and vision difficulties, not to mention the high price of nearby rooms, have caught up with me. 

As you may know I no longer drive, travel is difficult—the only reason I can get out of the house and onto a plane is because of my wife, Liz. I understand now what the great Ben Hogan meant when he said, “don’t get old.”

I missed that advice. And now I am missing my favorite golf tournament of any year. 

Yes, the Masters is not perfect, but it comes as close to perfection as anything in golf, anything in sports. A bit of pretension perhaps, the spectators are listed only as “patrons” and those patrons are not allowed to run on the grounds. Nor are cell phones allowed. An inconvenience, perhaps, in this modern society of instant communication, but if Rory McIlroy can do without his phone, so can the rest of us. 

This is the 90th Masters—it would have been my 59th—and the event history is full of names like Bobby Jones, who helped create the tournament; Gene Sarazen, whose double eagle (an albatross, if you will) in 1935 grabbed the nation’s attention; Jack Nicklaus, and, of course, Tiger Woods.

Timing is important. After a cold winter, the Masters is not only a sign of Spring, but the first huge sporting competition after the Super Bowl.

It’s also a verification that summer is on its way and people that are trapped in snow and ice in the northeast have reason to think of the future. That is both encouraging and enticing.

We’re told the Masters, which began with another name, became popular because baseball writers en route from Spring Training in Florida, stopped in Augusta on their way home.

That sports columnist, Grantland Rice, whose “Four Horseman” lead on the 1924 Army-Notre Dame Game became infamous, was an Augusta member, also contributed to the tournament’s growth.

Although certainly no one thinks of blue grey skies during April.

That the Masters is the championship of nothing, unlike the other three majors, the US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, is insignificant. 

It has earned its special place in both our thoughts and the headlines. The cliché is the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday afternoon, and certainly there always seems to be drama in those final holes. As it did last year when McIlroy finally broke through to win. 

Can’t wait to see what will happen this time—although I’ll be in front of a TV set not in the press row at Augusta National. Darn.

Will Tiger, the hero, become a figure of an F. Scott Fitzgerald tragedy?

“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy,” F. Scott Fitzgerald told us. For some reason, that line keeps running through the mind when I think of Tiger Woods and his latest misfortune. 

Tiger’s car accident a few days ago was not quite a tragedy, but it was yet another indication that Woods has problems that might be hard to imagine for a person with a talent so rare and popularity so remarkable.

From the time he was 2 years old and appearing on television, there was never a chance Tiger would fit the category of normalcy.

He was a genius, and whether that word is applicable to someone who breaks par or breaks scientific barriers, the individual tends not to be like the rest of us.

Geniuses are supposed to be different, and so the basic rules do not always apply.

This doesn’t excuse Woods for the road mishaps—lives are at stake—but it might explain the reasons. Woods was an only child—although his father previously had other children—and with unrelenting attention because of his links to success, Tiger had no place to escape the fame.

Although at Stanford, he attempted to stay as much as possible under the radar, thus earning the nickname “Urkel,” for the nebbish character in the sitcom Family Matters. 

My association with Woods began in his sophomore year at Stanford, and I was as guilty as anyone else in pestering him for stories. When he turned pro, after winning a third straight US Amateur, something neither Jack Nicklaus nor Bobby Jones could accomplish, the pressure got worse. I remember Woods during his rookie year at the then-Los Angeles Open at Riviera Country Club. The Hollywood crowd was there. Female reporters seemed less interested in Woods’ backswing than in whether he was a “swinger,” pressing him about his social life and possible girlfriends. He was understandably uncomfortable.

Tiger became the face of golf, all too quickly. I was in Paris a few years ago, and when a tour director at the Louvre asked what I did, I told her I was a sportswriter. She immediately wondered, “Do you know Tiger Woods?” 

“In a way,” I said.

Woods’ lifestyle and game reflected his personality and the direction of his super-confident and demanding father, Earl. His dad was a Green Beret, and Tiger took lessons in combat and bungee jumping. While in New Zealand in 2006 with his then caddy, Steve Williams, he leaped 440 feet twice over Nevis River.

Tiger was his own man. 

He even won the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines on a leg so bad he needed surgery a short time later.

So when I read the comments of others after the latest auto accident, and they justify that Woods needs to be more responsible, I tend to wonder if that is possible. Yes, as others have suggested, Tiger needs to get a driver—for the car, not a golf club. Still, it is easy for us to criticize Tiger. 

Mark Lye, who is a fine amateur and then a pro—and who I covered when he was a junior in Northern California—has his own thoughts on Woods and his car mishaps. And they are not kind. Lye, speaking on Fox and Friends, described Tiger’s situation as “shameful and selfish.”

Lye, 73, insisted the PGA Tour remove Tiger as one of the hosts of the Genesis Invitational, held each February. 

Tiger is frustrated. His injuries, even before the last one, have kept him from the course while keeping him in the headlines.

You can only hope that everything changes for the better.

Pro debut of new Giants manager Vitello, a losing one

 A story the other day pointed out how enthusiastically the Giants had bought into the philosophy of Tony Vitello, who before Wednesday had never managed a game in professional baseball, much less in the major leagues.

But as Vitello—and the rest of us—were reminded, there’s more to the game than understanding and enthusiasm.

Vitello’s debut as the unusual choice as manager of the San Francisco Giants hardly was what he or the franchise had envisioned when, a few months ago, he was hired off the University of Tennessee campus. The idea of General Manager Buster Posey was that Vitello, who had great success with undergraduates, would achieve similar success with the Giants. 

That eventually might take place, but the team’s first game with Vitello in charge was anything but a 7-0 loss to the New York Yankees.  

A Giants-Yankees game belongs in the World Series, not the season opener. But since the majors have stepped away from tradition, maybe nothing makes sense anymore on the diamond. 

Other than the team with better pitching and better hitting will always win, as was the situation at Oracle Park on day one of San Francisco’s 2026 season.

We knew the Giants, as every other franchise, were not going to be undefeated in a 162-game schedule. With the hype and promotion, however, you believed they could at least make it through one game. Especially with All-Star Logan Webb pitching, but the Yankee power and Webb’s bewildering ineffectiveness had the Giants down 5-0 by the second inning. Adios.

Major League Baseball reportedly paid $80 million to have this game and a few others shown exclusively on Netflix, trying to persuade—force?—viewers to subscribe to the service.

If Bay Area fans were thus unable to watch unless they paid up, it might have been a blessing. 

There was skepticism among veteran baseball people when Posey and the Giants surprisingly selected Vitello. The game is one requiring skill, persistence, and experience. Then again, if you’re in the same league as the Dodgers and Shohei Otani, why not try a different approach?  Not that anything seems to work against the dreaded Dodgers. It is hard to say what was more discouraging on Wednesday, Webb, giving up nine hits in five innings, or the Giants recording only three hits, two off starter Max Fried.

Vitello did not attempt to gloss over the seemingly apparent problems of the Giants.

"Whichever phase you pick out,” said a forthright Vitello, “we just weren't as good as we're capable of being.”  

The capability may be the question mark. The Giants were virtually a .500 team in 2025, and you wonder with their personnel whether there will be much improvement. 

Even the manager pointed out the Giants were struggling with their baserunning, hitting, and—no question—pitching. 

The Giants-Yankees game started around 5:30 pm and ended around 8. By then, the Golden State Warriors already were on the court against the Washington Wizards at neighboring Chase Center.

Too much traffic, but at least some good news—the Warriors won. Unlike the Giants.

Tie-break paradise: Aryna, Jannik win BNP titles

INDIAN WELLS — They call this place Tennis Paradise. This weekend at the end of the BNP Paribas Open you could have called it Tiebreak Paradise.

Not that there is anything wrong going into overtime when they have the No. 1-ranked player in women’s tennis and No. 2-ranked in the men’s game. 

Aryana Sabalenka, who tops the WTA rankings, overcame her own distress and Elena Rybakina to win the women’s final Sunday, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Then, a short while later, Jannik Sinner, 2nd in the ATP rankings, outlasted Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) in the men’s final.

Yes, it was overwhelmingly hot at Indian Wells, down the road from Palm Springs. The temperature crested at 94F as the finalists sweated both figuratively and literally.

Hey, the thermometer is supposed to reach the six-digit level by Wednesday. But by then, none of the players who helped draw a total of 527,600 spectators for the tournament will be around, having gone on to Miami or other venues. 

“It was super-hot, I was dying there in the tiebreak,” said Sabalenka. 

However, she was living well enough to extend her overall record against Rybakina, No. 2 in the rankings, to 9-7.

“But what I’m happy with is that I was able to pull out great serves to get into the tiebreak,” said Sabalenka. “I also saw that she was not feeling her best. So I was trying to push myself basically to the limit. I’m super happy that in those last three points of the match, I was able to pull out really great tennis and get the win. 

Which is what the best players manage to do. Someone wondered how she had the strength to lift the winner’s trophy. She said, “I need the good picture. I’ve got to lift it up.”

Medvedev, a two-time BNP champion, said after the loss to Sinner, “It was a great tournament, great level of playing, but disappointed with the results. I played good enough to beat Carlos (Alcaraz) this year.”

Sinner produced big shots in the tie-break, which had the packed Stadium 1 crowd screaming.

“Today Sinner’s serve was phenomenal,” said Medvedev. “His serve was hard to read.”  

That’s one reason Sinner, the Italian, has won four Grand Slam tournaments, but this is his first victory here at Indian Wells.

Saturday, Sinner said about his status, “This is the first time in the final. Now we see what’s coming tomorrow.”

What came was a triumph of will and big serves. That combination will get you far. No matter how high the temperature, and as Sabalenka reminded us, it was very high and uncomfortable.

Medvedev knocks out Alcaraz. Will he finally get that BNP title?

INDIAN WELLS — It isn’t as if Daniil Medvedev is unfamiliar with the territory. Twice before he’s been in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open, although losing both times to Carlos Alcaraz.

But on this 93-degree Saturday afternoon in the California desert, Medvedev defeated the No. 1-ranked Alcaraz, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in a BNP semi. So he will face Jannik Sinner, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Alexander Zverev in the other semi.

Alcaraz, the 23-year-old Spaniard who leads the ATP rankings, had won 16 consecutive matches since a loss at the ATP finals last November. Maybe the number is distorted somewhat because Alcaraz, like many players of his ilk, had most of the winter off. 

But the fact that he had not been defeated cannot be distorted. Nor can the relatively dominant victory by Medvedev, particularly coming two weeks after being forced to ride seven hours while trying to go from Dubai to Turkey, and then eventually by jet to the United States. 

If Alcaraz wasn’t impressed by Medvedev’s forced journey, he was by Medvedev’s tennis in their semi-final today. “Since the start of the match until the end of the match, he was playing unreal,” said Alcaraz. “I’ve never seen Daniil playing like this.”

“He deserves completely to get through and play a final here. All I can say is just congratulations to him.” 

Alcaraz said Medvedev, a former US Open winner, kept him off balance.

“I'm just running all the time against him.”  

Medvedev had his own outlook on the match.

“It’s an amazing feeling to beat someone like Carlos, No 1 in the world. In a way, when you play, it doesn’t matter the ranking.”

Sinner was No. 1 in the world for a few weeks before Alcaraz gained the spot. A Northern Italian whose basic language is German, Sinner goes about his business with few mistakes and fewer smiles. He moves beautifully and, at 6-foot-3, is able to reach shots that might escape others.

“First time I play in the finals here means a lot to me,” Sinner said.

This from a man who has won four Grand Slams and is the first from his country ever to be ranked number one.

Not surprisingly, he offered high praise of Medvedev. 

“He’s back to a very, very high level. Very big serve. I feel like, you know, he’s returning very well. Very, very deep. Everyone is trying to be slightly more aggressive.”

“And I think Daniil has found again a good, good balance on court, winning a title in Dubai, coming here, making again great results. But also last time we played has been quite a while now.”

Indeed. Let’s see.

No Americans on courts (at end of America’s 2nd biggest tennis tournament)

INDIAN WELLS — So we reached the closing weekend of what arguably is the country’s second biggest tennis tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, and there wasn’t an American in sight.

On the courts. There were many Americans, as well as people from other countries and cultures, in the stands. Which Friday were almost full for the women’s semi-finals, when Aryna Sabalenka defeated Linda Noskova, 6-3, 6-4, and Elena Rybakina defeated Elina Svitolina, 7-5, 6-4.        

Yes, it can be pointed out that Coco Gauff, the US women’s star, who is number 4 in the world, and has won two majors, injured her arm a few days earlier and withdrew, and Taylor Fritz, the local kid who was a finalist in the 2024 US Open, has been affected by tendonitis. 

You have to wonder what’s happened to the supposed revival of US Tennis? And does it matter? Are tennis people in the United States sophisticated enough that they are ready to choose talent over nationality?

Not that it would hurt to have a few American players on the marquee, as we had recently, with people such as the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. The last US male player to win a Grand Slam title was Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.

Carlos Alcarez is from Spain, Jannik Sinner from Italy, and Sabalenka and Rybakina are from Russia. Indeed, they all speak English, which is wonderful for the post-match interviews on Tennis Channel.

Jessica Pegula made an admirably impressive appearance in this BNP before losing in the quarterfinals to Rybakina, 6-1, 7-6. Is that enough to keep US fans appreciative?

Gauff, 23, might be the answer to many of the questions. She is skilled, dedicated, and outgoing, the perfect combination to both getting titles and getting attention. All she has to do is stay healthy and not get stymied by double faults.

The issue for the men is more complex. According to a recent article, a young male in the US has almost too many sporting options. He can play tennis, baseball, basketball, football or golf. John Isner, 6-foot-10, opted for hitting a ball over the net rather than shooting a ball through the net. That was a rare decision.

Another difficulty, we are told, is that the U.S. Tennis Association “has a scattered system that focuses more on quick wins than on building true champions. There are no strong programs for playing on clay courts or training mental toughness, and coaching methods vary too much. At the same time, it can cost half a million dollars or more to train one player, locking out almost everyone except those with deep pockets.”

The people who constructed Indian Wells have deep pockets. And to a point so do those who fill the seats at the annual BNP event. 

It would be great to have an American at the top of the rankings. Otherwise, we’ll settle for the best in the game showing up at Indian Wells.

Indian Wells goes on, but sadly without Djokovic

INDIAN WELLS — Such a beautiful day Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open. The temperature blitzing its way past 97 degrees. Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner blitzing their way to easy victories. 

Such a sad day at the BNP. The golden oldie, Novak Djokovic, is no longer around. 

Djokovic, at 38, desperately trying to reclaim his glorious past, showed resolve and courage Wednesday night against Jack Draper. What he couldn’t show at the end was a W. Draper, the defending champion, holding on for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 triumph. 

It was a Djokovic crowd. Most of the 16,000 at Stadium 1 were hooting and hollering for the one who holds the men’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories.

But finally it was Draper’s match.

“It was so close, so close,” sighed Djokovic, echoing the thoughts of so many after narrow losses through the decades. “I mean, just unfortunate few mistakes from my side. Tiebreak, 4-3 up. 5-all, as well. That’s tennis.”

That’s tennis for someone whose game has slipped just enough and who now ranks behind Sinner or the top man, Carlos Alcaraz. 

It’s the inevitability of sport. Your skills decline, even if your determination does not.

No matter how great you were, that cunning guy called Father Time will catch you and pull you down. There is always a new generation moving in and taking over. 

The question is, how long can the greats of the old generation keep going? How long can they accept losing where they used to win?

The “few mistakes,” Djokovic said he made when the match was on the line, used to be made by his opponents. Not Novak. 

He’s still more than competent, having reached the finals of the Australian Open a few months ago, then falling to Alcaraz. Still, there is no reversing the decline.

Djokovic hoped the BNP, Indian Wells, which he had won five times, would be a renaissance after recovering from injuries. Maybe it was a partial one. We may find out soon enough.  Djokovic will next play in Miami in the second half of the so-called Sunshine Double. His progress, or lack thereof, will not go unnoticed.

But there is no escaping his assessment after Indian Wells.

“I mean, bitter feeling right now, losing a match like it,” Djokovic said in the media conference immediately after the loss. “But proud of myself for fighting and really giving it all on the court. That’s for sure. That’s the one thing I’ll take as a highlight, you know, just the fact of not giving up and trying.”

You wouldn’t expect a concession from an athlete of any stature, much less a champion.  Through the years, his presence made Indian Wells a more compelling and exciting event.

It’s unfortunate this year he couldn’t at least reach the quarterfinals.

At Indian Wells, Alcaraz continues move to be next Djokovic

Was that symbolism or imagination? There on Stadium Court 1 at Indian Wells, Wednesday afternoon in the last rays of the setting sun, Novak Djokovic was taking the court for what may be one of his final times. 

To the dismay of the crowd and maybe all of tennis, Djokovic was defeated 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 by Jack Draper, the 2025 Indian Wells winner.

This, after the man who someday may replace Djokovic as tennis’ all-time champion, Carlos Alcaraz, had walked off the same court a brief time earlier with a victory in his match at the BNP Paribas Open.

Alcaraz, 23, seems destined someday to take over the place Djokovic has long occupied. 

Carlos did nothing to make us believe otherwise, getting past Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-6, Tuesday, no small achievement since Ruud, the Norwegian, was as high as number two in the standings.

Tennis can be a confusing activity, players from the lower levels knock off those on the top, if infrequently. What matters in the game, as in all sports, is consistency.

Djokovic, now 38, certainly displayed that attribute in taking dozens of championships, including a record 24 majors.

Alcaraz has 7 Grand Slams, his last one the Australian Open in February, making him the youngest player in history—the history of tennis is long and awesome—to take each of the 4 Slams.

But for the moment, we will dwell on what’s been happening both this season—Alcaraz is 15-0 since a loss in November at the ATP Finals to Jannek Sinner—and at Indian Wells, where he has won 3 times previously. 

Yes, in his opening match, he dropped the first set to Arthur Rinderknech (who’s he?), but he was still getting adjusted after traveling to Southern California.

Alcaraz, a Spaniard as you well know, goes about his successful business with understandable confidence. He knows what to do and when to do it. Not many athletes his age have reached that stage. 

“I’m really happy about how I played (Tuesday),” said Alcaraz. “Just really happy to know that I did the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the match. So hopefully this kind of level or the same level in the next round.”

Which will start with the quarterfinals on Thursday, facing the Brit, Cameron Norrie, who as Carlos, also has an Indian Wells singles championship. 

“A really difficult one against Cam,” said Alcaraz, contributing a rare negative comment.

“Great battles I have against him. The last one I just lost against him, so I just really want to take the revenge.” 

Alcaraz is not only one of the very best competitors, but apparently a joyful person to be around. He’s popular with most people in tennis, particularly the opponents he battles. There may be jealousy and bitterness among others, but you’d never know it from the way they talk about Carlos. 

During his media conference following his win over Rudd, Alcaraz was asked if reports were true that he drank an espresso before every match.

“No, no”, he insisted. “I used to drink coffee before every match, but not anymore. I would say I do other stuff (smiling). People change.”

Whatever it is, it’s working and should be for a long while.

The Indian Wells crowd with Naomi, but win was with Sabalenka

INDIAN WELLS — There was no question for whom the boisterous sell-out crowd wanted to win.

And it wasn’t Aryna Sabalenka, who of course did win. 

She’s ranked No. 1 in the world, and early Tuesday afternoon, she defeated, 6-2, 6-4, the young lady who not too long ago used to be No. 1, Naomi Osaka.

So, not unexpectedly, Sabalenka moved on to the round of 16 of the BNP Paribas Open. This wasn’t so much a changing of the guard in women’s tennis, since Osaka, although 28, has struggled of late because of injuries. Sabalenka, 27, has been at the top of the women’s rankings for a total of 70 weeks going back to 2006.

Female tennis stars often are beloved. Think of Chris Evert, to start.

Sabalenka never has fit that description. We’re told there were several reasons: Aryna is Russian, she grunts when hitting the ball, and for a while, she failed when in front of big events.  The latter difficulty has been corrected impressively. When Sabalenka won the Australian Open in February, it was her 4th Grand Slam.

But criticism be damned. Sabalenka not only has the championships, but as of 2 weeks ago, also has a 12-carat diamond engagement ring from her fiancé, Georgios Frangulis, a Brazilian businessman. Is it a surprise she wore it in her BNP matches, including her victory over Osaka?

“I’m super happy with the performance,” said Sabalenka.

Asked if being No. 1 was added pressure, Sabalenka, a woman who can be more outspoken with her racquet than her words, said, “Of course it’s pressure, but at the same time, that’s how I get better.” 

Osaka, despite the vocal support, didn’t have much of a chance against Sabalenka. Osaka seemed satisfied even in defeat.

“It was definitely really tough,” said Osaka. “But honestly, my biggest takeaway is that I had a lot of fun. I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to play in Stadium 1, and to play against the No. 1 player, it was really cool.”

Naomi did have an observation on Sabalenka’s vocal exhortations.

“She grunts the same way for every ball. I was, like, Oh, my God, she tricked me,” Osaka said with a smile.

Asked about some of the tactical aspects of her win, Aryna pointed out, “I tried to change the rhythm and make sure that the ball comes back on her side at different heights and speeds. So I think that was the key of the match.”

Sabalenka needs no tricks. She blasts away at every ball, frequently sending shots past stunned opponents. She next faces the Canadian Victoria Mboko in the Thursday quarterfinals. 

Sabalenka will have her engagement ring and, as always, her game.

At Indian Wells, no travel tales or injuries, just fine tennis

INDIAN WELLS — Nobody showed up with a new diamond as big as a Wilson tennis ball, as did Aryna Sabalenka a few days ago. Nor did anyone arrive after crossing hundreds of miles of sand and wasteland, as did Daniil Medvedev. Nor did anyone withdraw with an injury, as did Coco Gauff two days ago.

So the start of the second week of the PNB Paribas Open tournament at Indian Wells was limited to such pedestrian material as backhands, forehands, and double faults. 

Yes, Novak Djokovic, at 38, battling Father Time as well as his opponents, top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, Jessica Pegula, and Medvedev, won their matches as expected. But as we were reminded of the events of the previous week, social, political, and medical, the tennis tour is so much more than merely hitting a ball over the net.  

Medvedev, 30, who won the 2021 US Open and has two victories here at Indian Wells, had perhaps the most unusual and harrowing adventure. He won the Dubai Duty-Free Open two weeks ago, and because of the conflict in the Middle East could not fly out of the country.  

So he rode 7 hours from Dubai to Oman and then flew to Istanbul and then to California. Not exactly a joyful road trip.

Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov traveled with Medvedev and made it out of the UAE on a flight to Istanbul.

“So here I had three days, which is not bad (before he had a match). It’s somewhere the limit, because a 12-hour time difference with Dubai and our travel was tougher than just a direct flight from Dubai to Los Angeles.” 

Djokovic also covered a lot of territory, but the circumstances were different. He lost to Alcaraz the final day of the Australian Open, then took time off until Indian Wells, where he’s had great success in the past. With five titles at Indian Wells, tying him with the now-retired Roger Federer.

Novak—or “Nole,” as he’s known among the tennis intelligentsia—struggled at times against Aleksandar Kovacevic, eventually winning 6–4, 1–6, 6–4.

“I mean, I wasn’t maybe feeling my rhythm on that return very well today, but he was just making my life very difficult, returning the serve. He was just acing me all over, getting a lot of free points. Couldn’t really serve at all. That’s what I told him at the net. He had a tremendous serving display today.”

Pegula was a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, winner over one-time French Open Champion, Jelena  Ostapenko.

“Yeah, playing Jelena is always really tough, can be very frustrating with the way she’s able to hit winners and take time away,” said Pegula. “Yeah, it can be really hard. So luckily I was able to just hold onto my serve there in the second set and find chances to break, but yeah, it was really tough.”

Gauff was struggling Sunday with a sore left arm. She retired while trailing Alexandra Eala 6-2, 2-0. She described the sensation as feeling “like a firework was going off inside of my arm.”

It’s always something in tennis, where players like Medvedev, who are unable to fly, never stop hitting shots or hitting the road.

‘You got one on me,’ Tiger tells triumphant Jacob Bridgeman

PACIFIC PALISADES — The man who won almost everything offered a comment of admiration to the man who won at Riviera, where Tiger Woods never did.

“You got one on me,” Woods told Jacob Bridgeman.

What Bridgeman got Sunday was a victory in the Genesis Invitational, his first on the PGA Tour. 

After constructing a 6-shot lead going into the final round, Bridgeman played just well enough, often enough, to end up in front, barely.

His 1-over par, 72 gave him an impressive four-round total of 166, 18-under par on one of the game's historic courses, and one swing better than the two players who tied for second, Kurt Kitayama (64) and Rory McIlroy (67).

Adam Scott, 45, stepping out of the past, was a lone 4th, another swing back. Scott had 2 wins in this tournament, the first in 2005 in a rare Monday one-hole playoff when it was delayed by rain, and again at 72 holes in 2015. 

So much history in this event, which celebrated its 100th anniversary. And now Bridgeman, 26, is very much a part of it. He turned pro after an excellent career at Clemson, and he has developed into a star, as verified by his last two events: 8th place at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro Am and a few days later, a win at the Riv. 

“First win here, probably one of the coolest places I could have done it, and of course having Tiger as the host is a dream come true.” 

Woods, now 50, played the event at Riviera, then called the Nissan, when he was an 18-year-old amateur. Despite all his success at places such as St Andrews and Augusta, his best finish in this tournament was a runner-up.

Now, one of the directors of the Genesis, Woods was quick to point out Bridgeman’s achievement.

Asked what it meant to win an event that Tiger was hosting, Bridgeman said, “Knowing he was the one to be waiting to shake the winner’s hand made it definitely a little bit more nerve-racking just because when I was growing up, my youngest golf memory was watching him on TV. When he was in his prime, I was learning to talk, walk, and play golf.” 

Obviously, Bridgeman has done well in all three.

Kitayama, a one-time basketball player in high school at Chico—yes, where Aaron Rodgers grew up—said of his golf Sunday, “I played awesome today.”

He began the round with birdies on 4 of the first 5 holes. It was a great run, but not quite enough. 

McIlroy made his charge late. He had four birdies on the back nine. “I just kept plugging away and trying to make something happen,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I could have made something happen on the front if I holed a few putts, but I didn’t.” 

So the West Coast swing of the tour is done, it’s on to Florida and way points. Scottie Scheffler, the number one-ranked player, should get back to winning on the other side of the country. Not that anything could be better for Bridgeman, who got a win and a great comment from boyhood hero, Tiger.

With a 6-shot lead in the Genesis, Bridgeman won’t play safe

PACIFIC PALISADES — A week ago, Jacob Bridgeman was standing in the water off the 18th tee at Pebble Beach. Now he seems destined to be standing near the 18th green at Riviera with a victory.

Bridgeman, 26, grabbed the Genesis tournament in a three-hole burst, Saturday, going birdie, eagle, birdie on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth holes. That boosted him into a six-shot lead with only Sunday’s final round at left to play. And we often refer to Greg Norman tossing away a six-shot margin in the 1996 Masters. It’s not going to happen again.

Bridgeman is going to go after his first PGA tour victory as aggressively as his alma mater, Clemson, might go after a football win. 

“I’m not going to play safe,” said Bridgeman. “I would say overall I’m very aggressively conservative, and for whatever reason, when I try to aim away from the target, I feel like most of the time the ball just starts to go towards the hole.” 

Bridgeman shot his second straight 7-under par 64 to destroy any chance that the Genesis would be competitive. His 54-hole total of 194 left second-place Rory McIlroy—who merely has won all four majors—wondering, like the rest of us, whether the Genesis is over.

“It’s nice to be playing in the last group,” said McIlroy. seeking a positive spin. “If he opens the door slightly, hopefully I’ll be right there to take advantage of it.” 

In third at 201 is Aldrich Potgieter after a 65. Adam Scott, a two-time Riviera champion, shot 72 and is at 205. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler, winless these opening weeks of the 2026 season, is at 208, after a 72 today. 

Nine holes into the afternoon round, Bridgeman was tied for second with McIlroy, Aaron Rai, and Zander Schauffele. That placement didn’t last long, Bridgeman going 3-3-3 on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. Suddenly, there was a space between Jacob and everyone else.

“In the past, I have had trouble with poa,” Bridgeman said of the turf used on coastal courses. ‘I had to make an adjustment mid-round. I have to hit the balls a little softer. They are not taking a break. After that, I feel like I hit a lot of good putts.”

Experience has taught Bridgeman that he doesn’t have to be perfect because golf is a game of imperfection. 

“In my rookie year (2024), I think my goal every week was to finish top-10, and then I got there, and I started playing well, and I’m like ‘oh man, I might have a chance to win.’”

A six-shot lead after three rounds? Oh man, he has more than a chance.  

Adam Scott and Riviera: a perfect twosome in golf

PACIFIC PALISADES — It was the Nissan Open. Now it is the Genesis Invitational. Whatever the name, the PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club brings out the best in Adam Scott.

Scott won it in a weird one-hole playoff on a Monday in 2005 following days of rain. Then he won it again 15 years later over 72 holes.   

Whether he can win it this year at age 45 is questionable, but look at the leaderboard after 36 holes.  There’s Scott, three shots out of the lead and feeling as young and upbeat as imaginable.

“It’s my favorite stop on the Tour,” said Scott. “I’m lucky to be here on an invite, so I’m wanting to make the most of it.” So far, he is doing that. Scott shot an 8-under par 63 Friday, has a 12-under total of 130 for two rounds, and is three shots behind co-leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman. On a cool, rainless morning and afternoon, Penge and Bridgeman each shot 64. In third place is everyone’s favorite, Rory McIlroy, who shot 65. And then sharing 4th at 133 are Zander Schauffele (65) and Scott. 

Adam is from Australia and spent a few months at UNLV. That was in a time when Jerry Tarkanian was coaching basketball. But Scott spent his time on golf courses, not in gyms. He won the Masters in 2013.

Penge is 27. And has two victories on the European Tour and the DP tour, but is best known for being suspended for betting on matches in which he was not involved. That was a few years ago, and to regain his golfing privileges, he pledged never to bet again.

As several of the top players in the Genesis, Bridgeman has been on a streak.  He finished high in last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am after knocking his tee shot into the water at 18.

“I think I’m really good in the elements,” Bridgeman said, alluding to the rain Thursday and the wind off the Pacific Friday.

McIlroy said Thursday he is better now at adapting to weather problems, able to keep his drives low and thus being less affected by conditions.

“Felt like I held the round together really nicely,” McIlroy said Friday. “When we sort of turned back into the wind, there were 12 through 16, made a couple of really good par saves.”

Schauffele had a streak of 72 consecutive PGA Tour events without missing a cut.  That ended a month ago in the Farmers at Torrey Pines, which for a San Diego kid was a hometown event. 

When asked how he would describe the two days on Riviera, Schauffele, a two-time major champion, said “Damp. Yeah, damp is where—I’m going to die on that hill right now.”

He’s very much alive. “Check the scoreboard.”

At a wet Genesis, Bridgeman and Rory able to break par

PACIFIC PALISADES — A few days and a few extra hours because of a nearly three-hour rain delay, and there was Jacob Bridgeman back in the chase for a tournament victory. Do you remember that C&W song, “It never rains in Southern California?”

It does, of course, at the most inappropriate times, like the opening round of the Genesis Invitational Thursday. So play, which had been delayed, was finally called because of darkness. 

Aaron Rai was one of thirty players who didn’t complete the first round. But he was 6-under par for 16 holes he played, good enough for the temporary lead. Bridgeman and Rory McIlroy, who made a strong run last week at the AT&T, did complete the round and were at 5-under 66.

Rei, the Englishman, won the Wyndham two years ago, and is frequently on the leaderboard. So, of course, is McIlroy, who in 2025 won the Masters to complete his personal grand slam. 

Bridgeman, 26, still was seeking his first tour win. He was briefly in the lead Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But hit his tee shot at 18 into Carmel Bay, creating a 19-minute delay and also enabling Collin Morikawa to get a victory.

Apropos of nothing, Morikawa grew up in southern Cal, not far from the famous Hollywood Sign.

The golfers who didn’t get in the full 18 Thursday had to come back early Friday morning, when there was no rain, but it was cold enough to make a movie about Sgt. Preston and the Great North. Brrr. 

McIlroy, as usual, opened his season with a few rounds in Dubai. He then moved on to California and Pebble, where as the defending AT&T Champion, he played maybe better than expected.

“Yeah, I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the past few years,” said McIlroy about enduring the downpour and cold. “I’ve gotten more comfortable in controlling my ball flight, and controlling my ball flight, taking a lot more club, hitting the ball low.”

Rory, of course, grew up in Northern Ireland, which doesn’t exactly have bathing suit weather. However, he and countryman Shane Lowry seem to spend most of late winter and early spring in Florida, which does.

“Yeah, I’ve definitely got more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the past few years as I’ve gotten more comfortable in controlling my ball flight,” said Rory, “and controlling my ball flight, taking a lot more club, hitting the ball low.” 

Certainly, that’s the same advice a teaching pro gives to a high handicap amateur.

Bridgeman was asked what he thought about battling the elements. “It was great,” said Bridgeman. “It’s kind of a flashback to last week. Kind of, we got (Thursday) what I think I expected on Sunday at Pebble, and it ended up being great. But the rain was tough.”

There may be an irony about the rain. The drought last year contributed to the fires, which devastated the land surrounding Riviera and forced the shifting of this event to Torrey Pines. If it had rained last winter, the Genesis would have stayed at Riviera. Timing is everything. In golf and in life.

The Genesis: At Riviera, memories of Hogan, Bogart, and a kid named Jaeckel

PACIFIC PALISADES — It may be the best drive in golf. On a freeway, not a fairway. Pebble Beach to Pacific Palisades, 324 miles.  

From one great course, Pebble, to another, Riviera, celebrating its 100th anniversary.

From one historic tournament, the AT&T Pro Am (formerly the Crosby), to the Genesis Invitational (formerly the LA Open). From the place with the Cliffs of Doom to the place known as Hogan’s Alley.

Yes, Ben Hogan had three victories at Riviera, including the 1948 US Open. There is a statue of him next to the practice putting green.

While Pebble has that famous closing hole, the one Colin Morikawa birdied Sunday to take the AT&T, Riviera has a spectacular opening hole, a par-5 from a tee box virtually attached to the beautiful stucco clubhouse. 

Earlier this week at his annual pre-tournament news conference, Tiger Woods alluded to the first hole, an icon that has been unaltered through the decades. Tiger first played Riviera as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, but through the years as a pro, it’s one of the places where he has never won. Now at age 50 and still recovering from surgery, he remains involved with the Genesis on the tournament board.

We have waited for the next Tiger so long that it’s apparent there is not going to be one. Yet it is also apparent there are stars such as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, both of whom are entered in the Genesis, which started Thursday. 

It’s a delightful return to Riviera this year after the event in 2025 had to move to Torrey Pines in San Diego because of the damage from the wildfires that swept Southern California.

While the architecture of a course is essential for its fame, so in certain areas—such as here near Hollywood—are the people who have played it. The roll call of those who belonged or played Riviera is a who’s who of the entertainment and sporting world. 

On the clubhouse walls are photos of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. Howard Hughes once landed a plane on the course. The late (it would be redundant to say great) sports columnist Jim Murray was a Riviera member and once made a hole-in-one on the sixth, the par three with a bunker in the green.

Murray dwelled on the fact that during a tournament, Humphrey Bogart used to sit for hours under a sycamore tree on the 12th hole with a thermos containing “who knows what?”

Dean Martin was a serious golfer. When he was younger—and we all were younger—his caddy was a kid named Barry Jaeckel, who not only was a fine golfer but the son of an actor, Richard Jaeckel. Barry longed for a golf career and succeeded in playing on the PGA Tour and eventually the Champions Tour. 

If that sounds like something scripted in Hollywood, hey, Riviera always had a connection with people on the silver screen.

Morikawa takes in the view at Pebble, then takes the AT&T Pro Am

PEBBLE BEACH — Oh yes, the endless sea sweeping in against the rocks, an artist’s dream, and in one instance a golfer’s perfect distraction.

So much time to wait on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach Sunday. A tournament in doubt. Collin Morikawa, tied for the lead, contemplated the setting and not the outcome.

“I tried to think about anything else other than golf. Thankfully, you had the nicest backdrop you could ask for,” said Morikawa. “So that was very, very easy. For me, it was how do I stay loose, how do I stay warm and not just think about the shot.”

When he hit that shot, a 4-iron, it landed an inch off the green, some 25 feet from the cup. Two putts later, he had a 5-under par 67 and a one-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. 

Morikawa, the Cal grad, who has British Open and PGA Championships in his six years on tour, finished with a four-round total of 266, atop a leaderboard filled with big names that have big games. 

Min Woo Lee (65) and Sepp Straka (68) were a shot back at 267, while Scottie Scheffler played very much to his capability, going 6-under the first seven holes and with two eagles on par fives, shooting a tremendous 63 that enabled him to tie with Tommy Fleetwood for fifth at 268.  Akshay Bhatia, who was in the lead after rounds two and three, wobbled to a one-over-par 72 and ended up tied for sixth with Sam Burns. 

The final round had been moved up an hour in hopes of avoiding the predicted storm. That plan worked as well as Morikawa’s golf. Although there was a wind, it wasn’t strong enough to distress the players. 

“It’s an iconic venue,” said Morikawa of Pebble. “I think growing up, you think about the majors, and you have this separate list of golf courses that you just want to go play as a kid, and just go play when you turn professional. I would say Pebble Beach is exactly on top of that list.”

Morikawa, 29, had struggled in recent months. The win was his first in two and a half years. He had trouble putting.

But there was no problem on the greens this AT&T tournament. Saturday, he shot a 62, and while Pebble was softened because of a week of rain, that still is an impressive score. Asked about his ineffectiveness the past several months, Morikawa said, “I think it was more just believing and knowing why I’m here. I think I’ve been trying to make golf so perfect, trying to hit these shots and trying to make these putts in a certain way that maybe others are doing it, that you forget how to play the game of golf.” 

He certainly remembered the last few days. 

“I think I just want to go out and just keep crushing these goals and keep being myself,” he said. “Going out and playing great golf and trying to put that smile on my face.” 

Who wouldn’t smile after a victory at Pebble Beach?

Batia still at AT&T Pro Am; bad weather in the forecast

PEBBLE BEACH — Collin Morikawa had the best round Saturday. Akshay Bhatia remained in the lead. But if the final round forecast is in any way accurate, this 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the end may belong to the anonymous but uninvited character we call the weatherman.

Conditions at Pebble Beach for three rounds have been acceptable and, at times, favorable.  How else would Morikawa on Saturday shoot a 62—as did Ryo Hisatsune two rounds earlier? Or Akshay Bhatia continue his outstanding play, starting off with birdies on six of the first seven holes?

But the wind that arrived late morning Saturday is supposed to get stronger and nastier for the scheduled final round. 

So who knows what may happen, although the probability is that the guys playing well will continue that trend. Whatever nature brings onto the Monterey Peninsula. 

Bhatia had his worst round of the tournament, a 4-under par 68, and was still good enough to keep him in front with a 54-hole score of 197, 19 under par.

He’s two shots ahead of three others, Morikawa (62), Sepp Straka (67), and Jake Knapp (66).

Hisatsune fell back to a 74 and is tied at 203 with Rickie Fowler (73). They are five shots ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who had a 68 today and is standing 22nd, and needs a top finish to keep alive a streak of 17 consecutive tournaments in the top ten.

Pebble Beach this week has been particularly friendly after several days of rain earlier in the week. The greens hold. The fairways are smooth. Still, if the forecast is correct—starting times Sunday were moved up an hour because of the weather threat—Pebble Beach again could be a beast.

Morikawa is the Cal grad with two major championships. He well understands what has taken place and what might take place.

“When Mother Nature comes, and it rains,” said Morikawa, “it makes greens a lot softer, it just takes the teeth out of it. Unfortunately, that’s just what’s in front of us, and we have to deal with it.” 

Truth be told, what might be ahead of everyone if 30 mph gusts hit the course are situations that frustrate and irritate.

“You get balls oscillating on the greens forward and backwards,” said Badia. “And you’re just trying to make a good stroke, and then you’re trying to make sure you kind of hopefully get the ball to start somewhere near the hole.”

Early on, before the wind came on, the 23-year-old Bhatia made plenty of good strokes. He was in the right place at the right time and took advantage of it. 

“It was great to start the day,” said Bhatia. “It was kind of blowing perfect, say 10 to 15. So all in all, a weird day. Like I felt like I lost some ground towards the end, but then I realized it just played so much harder for some of the guys that were in some of the last tee times.”

But if predictions for Sunday are accurate, it could be much more difficult. Buckle your seat belts.