On the PGA Tour
COLLIN MORIKAWA WIN AT WGC-WORKDAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Thanks to a lesson from a World Golf Hall of Famer , that was far from the case at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession , where Morikawa shot a finalround 69 to beat Brooks Koepka ( 70 ), Billy Horschel ( 70 ) and Viktor Hovland ( 67 ) by three .
“ Short game and putting – I mean , that ’ s it ,” J . J . Jakovac , Morikawa ’ s caddie , said of the big difference in his man this week . “ He always hits the ball exceptional . I mean this week was really good , I ’ m sure he finished number one in Strokes Gained : Approach the Green , but that happens often . But it ’ s just putting making those putts . I mean he putted beautifully all week .”
Morikawa did lead the field in Strokes Gained : Approach the Green . Also in SG : Tee to Green .
“ He always hits the ball exceptional . I mean this week was really good , I ’ m sure he finished number one in Strokes Gained ”.
His work on those greens , where he was 213th in Strokes Gained : Putting on the season , made the difference . He was 10th in SG : Putting at the WGC-Workday , not only holding his own but gaining strokes on the field . And he did it using a “ saw ” putting grip , rotating his right hand around to push the club through the hitting zone , that he picked up from Mark O ’ Meara .
- J . J . Jakovac , Morikawa ’ s caddie
He also got a chipping lesson on site from NBC Golf analyst Paul Azinger .
“ I heard about Mark O ’ Meara using this saw grip ,” said Morikawa , who like the PGA TOUR Champions pro is a member of The Summit Club in Las Vegas . “ And out of the blue for 18 holes at TPC Summerlin , I was like , let ’ s give it a shot . And I made nothing . Like I made zero putts .
EMOTIONAL BRANDEN GRACE WINS PUERTO RICO OPEN
Branden Grace closed eagle-birdie Sunday to win the Puerto Rico Open , an emotional triumph following his father ’ s January death after a month-long fight with the coronavirus .
Grace holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle on the par-4 17th and birdied the par-5 18th for a onestroke victory over Jhonattan Vegas at windy Grand Reserve .
“ This morning I had a tear in the car when I was talking to my wife ,” Grace said about father Peter . “ It was an emotional day . I thought about him a hell of a lot out there , especially the last tee shot . I was really struggling the last hole , because I knew he was watching over me . I knew he was guiding me .”
GRAHAM DELAET TO UNDERGO ANOTHER BACK PROCEDURE
Former Presidents Cup International team member Graham DeLaet will undergo another procedure on his ailing back , keeping the Canadian Olympian away from the PGA TOUR for an undetermined amount of time . “ I am very hopeful that this will give me the day-to-day relief to enjoy more quality time with my family and friends ,” he said . “ I am also hopeful it will enable me to put in the time needed to practice again and get back to the PGA TOUR . “ It ’ s definitely been a frustrating few years .” The native of Weyburn , Saskatchewan ( a town of about 10,000 people about an hour north of the U . S . border ) has suffered a myriad of injuries over the last few seasons but was in the midst of returning to the TOUR via a Major Medical Exemption .
“ I am very hopeful that this will give me the day-to-day relief to enjoy more quality time with my family and friends ” .
“ I ’ ve been through this now so many times over the past 10 years and all the warning signs were there for me to shut it down and take care of my body ,” said DeLaet at the time . DeLaet flashed some brilliance at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in 2020 , shooting a second-round 64 – his lowest TOUR round since a matching 64 at the Travelers Championship in 2017 . In that season he notched six top-10 finishes – but has been away from the TOUR for the better part of two years .
22 GolfPlus MARCH 2021